…for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.’ …But Abner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbaal son of Saul, and made him king over all Israel. 2 Samuel 2:1-11 Historically there are always factions; a group or clique within a larger group, party, government, that sees things differently. Factions can divide and sometimes manage to conquer and become a disservice  to the group as a whole. God’s kingdom is no different. God gives each of us a gift. It’s natural for each of us to see things differently. It should not prevent us from using our gifts for the benefit of everyone. Yet there are those who use their gift solely for the benefit of themselves. In a sense much like we are in the world but not of it, there are those who are in the Kingdom of God but not of it. Our confidence is in knowing that God’s kingdom, whether large or small (i.e. home/workplace/etc.) is unconquerable when, for the good of those that love the Lord, we always use our gifts to glorify God by serving one another and not ourselves.

The Gifts of God for the people of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you….  (BCP 364)