On this day in 1858 Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

More than 1,000 Republican delegates met at the statehouse in Springfield, Illinois for their state convention. At 5 PM they chose Abraham Lincoln to run against Democrat Stephen A. Douglas. Three hours later, he delivered his acceptance speech, highlighting the terrible problem of slavery.

He said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.”

Some have called this “the speech that changed the world” because it pushed the movement against slavery, leading, eventually, to the Civil War.

The phrase, “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” quotes the Bible, paraphrasing Matthew 12:25 where Jesus was talking to the Pharisees. Politicians, especially presidential candidates, often quote Scripture. Sometimes the phrase is a correct interpretation and application. At times, however, the person is just trying to sound religious, trying to get support from Bible-believing people.

The real test of whether someone believes what the Bible teaches is how that person lives, not just that he or she mentions a verse or two. That certainly was the case with Lincoln. Because of his deep commitment to God and to God’s Word, Lincoln fought to put an end to slavery, for the equality of all human beings.

You probably know many Bible verses, and, hopefully you read your Bible often. But make sure that the verses are more than sound bytes or mottoes. Do what the Bible says—live it!

And don’t assume someone knows God just because he or she quotes him. Watch the person’s life. Then you’ll know how he or she really believes.

And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. (Matthew 12:25 KJV)

To Do

Look up the “House Divided Against Itself” speech on the Internet and read the whole thing. It won’t take long.

Also on this day . . .

This is National Fudge Day.

1963—Valentina Tereshkova of the Soviet Union became the first woman in space.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005).