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Key Bible Verses: "A kingdom at war with itself will collapse. A home divided against itself is doomed" (Mark 3:24–25). Bonus Reading: Colossians 3:12–15

A father had four sons who quarreled incessantly—sometimes explosively. Disagreements between brothers aren't unusual, but their father knew the potential for damage from unrestrained tempers.

One evening after a particularly heated bout, the father told the boys to step outside. He picked up a stick and held it out to his oldest son. "Snap it in two," he said. The boy broke it easily. Then the man bent down, took two sticks, handed them both to his son, and said, "Snap both together." Again the eldest son broke the sticks, although this time he met with a little more resistance from the strength of the two sticks combined. The father continued to add sticks, each time instructing his son to break them while the other boys watched curiously.

When the eldest son tried to break four sticks held together, he was unable even to bend them and gasped in defeat.

"It's easy to fight among yourselves," the wise father explained, "but there's strength in unity. Anyone can overthrow you one by one. But standing together, your combined strength will prevail."

—Skip Heitzig in When God Prays

My Response: My community would listen up if believers were united about …

Thought to Apply: United we stand, divided we fall —Aesop (legendary recorder of fables)

Adapted from When God Prays (Tyndale, 2003) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, turn my critical eyes inward so I may grow in grace. Transform my snap judgments of other Christians into prayer, understanding, and service.

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