Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. — Romans 12:16-18 (NIV)

Peace. Understanding. Fellowship. Unity. Compassion. Accord. Sympathy. Order. All synonyms. All have their own verses…

• Peace — Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness. James 3:18
• Understanding — Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6
• Fellowship — If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 1 John 1:6
• Unity — How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity. Psalm 133:1
• Compassion — Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32
• Accord and Sympathy — So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4-6
• Order — Let all things be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:40

The opposite of harmony is division, and the president is a master at it. Former National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster was interviewed on 60 Minutes tonight, and whatever you think of him or his policies, he said something that was striking: While we are bickering, arguing, and divided, the rest of the world has gone on: China in its quest for superiority and Russia in its quest for weakening us. And we have isolated ourselves and forgotten what a democracy should look like.

General Jim Mattis, former Secretary of Defense, kept silence on his firing for some time, but just lately he wrote an OpEd for the Atlantic: “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us. We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership.”

Several days ago the President was asked if he would depart peacefully if he lost the election. He refused to say that he would.

This is a promotion of chaos.

This is out of order.

We live in a democracy, not a dictatorship. For a president to suggest something other than a peaceful transition of power is, in the words of Senator Mitt Romney, “unthinkable and unacceptable.”

Let us applaud former Trump supporters who are speaking out about the division, and let us pray for some of those synonyms for harmony to rain down on our country.