August 21, 2024

Viewing all things through the lens of the True and the beautiful!

The True

Control

We are all desperate to be in control.

It starts as soon as we draw breath and is evidenced by a newborn’s crying out until his or her needs are met.

It continues through childhood as we resist guidance and boundaries that are given and set for our own protection and good.

It persists even in our mature adulthood as we desperately cling to control over as much as we can.

You know this feeling as well as I. You want control over your finances and your relationships. You want control over your lifestyle and your surroundings. You want control over your health and your fitness. You want control over your children and your friends. You want control in your communities, your church, your nation, your politics, and your beliefs.

It is an insatiable appetite and desire for control, and we all have it.

It is against the backdrop of this universal human instinct that God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, . . . As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Is. 55:8-9).

The longer we insist on retaining control, the longer we will be trapped in lower things.

It is a terrifying thing to trust anyone—even God—with absolute control of your life. But if you truly want the impact of your life to be felt in ways that are beyond your human limitations, you must yield control to the One who knows more and sees more than you. You must surrender your low ways to His higher ways.

It is a radically counter-intuitive way of living, and I will make a confession: It still scares me to death!

I have been verbally committed to this idea for most of my life, but I have only begun to practically walk it out in recent years. I am far from a seasoned expert in this, and I readily concede to you that every act of relinquishing control to Him is still a painstaking process of choosing obedience over trust in my ways. I have not yet come to a place of instinctive trust that His ways are higher than mine, and so choosing His ways requires the very painful process of laying down control, and it cuts against every instinct in my human brain.

Does that sound familiar to you? Do you want God’s higher ways, but find it hard to truly relinquish control to Him? If so, join me in meditating on Proverbs 19:21 this week:

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Your ways and mine, they are lower. And here’s the kicker: They will not last! Although the act of surrendering control to God is radically counter-intuitive, it is the only way to truly root your life in something that will stand the test of time.

You are clinging to something—control—that guarantees your plans will pass away.

If you will choose from this day forward to surrender control to the One whose ways are higher, you will be caught up in the purposes of your God—a purpose that will prevail forever!

U.S.

Centerstage

The Democratic National Convention is centerstage of the political world in the United States this week. The gathering is underway at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, and occurs just more than a month after Republicans met for their convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The program of speakers is bracketed by an opening address from President Joe Biden on Monday night and the formal acceptance of the nomination by Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday night.

The conclusion of the party conventions mark the beginning of a stretch run of a little more than two months until the general election on November 5, 2024. As has become typical in American politics, the country remains deeply divided between the nominees, and virtually every analyst expects the outcome to be determined by a handful of swing states.

Analysis and eternal perspective: What a tremendous blessing it is to live in a self-governing democratic republic! If you are an American, regardless of political affiliation or preference, this point in the political calendar is a particularly good time to pause and acknowledge the blessing of liberty afforded to you. The freedom you have in this moment, and in the weeks ahead, to play a direct role in shaping the future of your self-governance is nothing short of a gift. Certainly, it occurs within an imperfect governing structure built by mankind, but when compared against both the backdrop of human history and the sweep of modern-day governments, your system affords you breathtaking freedom to participate in the process in the furtherance of the flourishing freedom for which God created you (Gal 5:1).

The Equipped is a gathering of Jesus followers who come together from a vast array of backgrounds with the common purpose of interacting with world events in a way that serves our neighbors and communities out of the love of Jesus Christ. The current state of American politics would have us take a more vindictive approach, but the words and life of Jesus clearly offer us a better way. 1 Peter 3:9 puts it simply, “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.”

It is worth noting this instruction is neither one of disengagement nor neutrality. There is a very real struggle between good and evil in our world, and it shows up in the world of politics just as it does in every other area of life. But you, my friend, wrestle not with people, but rather with spiritual forces (Eph. 6:12). In fact, you engage this struggle on behalf of people, because each of us is made in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) and loved by our Creator with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3).

So, if you are an American, cherish the freedom of this moment. Do not disengage. Do not take an oath of neutrality that minimizes the very real dynamics of your time. But do, however, intentionally decline the trappings of the mindset that your salvation lies within a political process.

Take a moment this week to consider this: Even on an issue on which “your” position is a clearly biblical one, your primary mandate as an ambassador of Christ is to the one who has not yet embraced that Truth (Lk. 19:10). That is a mandate for every follower of Jesus—Democrat, Republican, Independent, or apolitical—to take up together.

World

Six Deceased Hostages Recovered

The bodies of six deceased Israeli hostages were recovered by Israeli Defense Forces this week. The victims ranged in age from 35 to 80 and were taken on October 7, 2023 when Hamas militants invaded Israel, killing more than 1,000 and taking approximately 250 hostages. War has waged between Israel and Hamas ever since, and it is believed that 109 hostages remain in captivity—though the number who remain alive is unknown. Negotiations for a ceasefire and an end to the war are ongoing and have frequently been reported to be approaching a breakthrough, but have yet to take hold in a real way.

Analysis and eternal perspective: As we seek to advance flourishing in our world, this story continues to be among the most challenging to navigate together. The atrocities committed on October 7—murder, rape, kidnapping—are anything but minor. The deep-seated hatred that exists between factions of this war have been simmering for thousands of years. The loss of life in the months since the onset of the war, coupled with the devastation endured by those caught in the wake of the war, is enough to take your breath away.

This story speaks to the depravity and brokenness of our world. It cries out for the remedy of the Gospel, which we in The Equipped are commissioned to embody. We have been consistently reminding ourselves of several biblical principles we are to stand on—principals that at times are in tension with each other and which often do not fit neatly into any one political narrative.

This week it is the second of those principles we draw on: Every person has eternal value, is made by the very hands of God, and is in fact a reflection of God’s very image (Gen. 1:26). This remains true across every nationality and ideology.

We mourn with the families of the deceased hostages and with the families of those lost in the war. We specifically acknowledge that each person lost on every side of the war was created in God’s image, and we pray fervently for those who remain in the warzone. We also pray Psalm 126 for those who remain in captivity, that they would be safely restored from captivity, and that their weeping would be replaced with songs of joy.

U.S.

Bribery, Theft, and Fraud

A U.S. Senator has resigned after being found guilty of bribery, and a former U.S. Representative has pleaded guilty to identity theft and fraud.

Bob Menendez is now former U.S. Senator after resigning this week in the wake of his July conviction of bribery and related charges. Menendez is appealing his conviction.

Meanwhile, former U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty to identity theft and wire fraud, and will serve at least two years in prison as part of the plea. Santos previously became just the sixth Member expelled from the U.S. House of Representatives.

Analysis and eternal perspective: There, but by the grace of God, go you and I. It is a sobering and uncomfortable way to begin our consideration of this story, but it is true—you and I have the same fallen condition that is on display in these stories, and we are prone to falling short in equally appalling ways. The apostle Paul said it this way: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect” (1 Cor. 15:10).

The actions of Menendez and Santos are appalling. It is my instinct to point the finger. But the truth is that only God’s grace holds me from a similar path. At first blush, that sounds depressing, but in reality it is an astonishing and transcendent blessing in which to bask!

The God of the universe undergirds you with a safety net of all-encompassing grace!

Menendez and Santos will soon be sentenced for their crimes. But you and I, while deserving a sentence, have instead been afforded exoneration under the liberating grace of Jesus! While the facts in this story are sobering, you and I have cause for significant rejoicing. We once were just as lost, but now we are found!

The Beautiful

Peace of Mind

Peace is beautiful, but can be elusive! Root your mind and heart in the Truth and beauty of your Savior, and He will hold you in perfect peace!

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Is. 26:3).