Unity is, and always will be, important in the body of Christ. But the Bible reminds us that it is no less important when referring to a kingdom, a city, or even a household. My father used to tell me that no matter what we face as a family, we will go through it together. What he was ultimately saying is that as a family, we will allow nothing to divide us, nothing to dismantle us and nothing to turn us against each other because unity in our family was of utmost importance. In Matthew, Jesus supported this notion after the Pharisees accused him of being in league with the prince of demons as evidence of why he was able to cast out demons. Then it says in chapter 12, verse 25:
“Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.’”
In making his point he continued by saying, “If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?” All of this highlights the truth that unity is so important. In light of this truth, I encourage you to make every effort to strengthen the bonds of your family. Protect your brothers and sisters, love and honor your parents, represent your family well in public, and value the family unit as your primary institution of unity. Because if a household divided against itself will not stand, what can a house operating in complete unity accomplish?
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Even before creating man and woman, God knew that the institution of family would be of great importance. Everything starts in the home. The environment that is set will likely replicate itself from generation to generation through our children and grandchildren. Consider your own family. There may be traditions, values, and practices that have been passed along to your parents from your grandparents and great grandparents. Hopefully, one of these values is the importance of embracing Christ and the salvation he offers. If this is the case, I pray that it might be the primary value you pass along to your children and grandchildren. I encourage you not to take your family for granted. Jesus says that a household divided against itself will not stand. So my question to you is, how unified is your household today?
