October 9, 2024

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

The True

God Laughs

God is laughing.

Yes, part of God’s laughter is certainly because of His “great delight in you,” which causes Him to “rejoice over you with singing” (Zeph. 3:17).

Pause just a moment to revel in the Truth of the reality above. God’s rejoicing over you should not be glossed over. It is a blessing of unspeakable magnitude, and in fact is necessary to properly consider the next reason God laughs.

In Psalm 2, we read a whole list of things that could easily be referencing the world around you today:

“The nations conspire” (v. 1).

“The people plot in vain” (v. 1).

“The kings of the earth rise up . . . against the Lord and against His anointed” (v. 2).

These descriptions are relevant at any time and place in history, and the reason that nations, peoples, and kings are constantly at odds with God and His people was plainly stated by Jesus when he stood before Pilate as one accused: “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place” (Jn. 18:36).

So it is true. The turmoil you feel is real. It is real because you live in a kingdom that is at odds with your forever Kingdom. You do not imagine the tension, but rather you feel it accurately because you were created for another place.

And that is why God laughs in verse 4: “The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, ‘I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.’”

You are inundated (never more so than in these final weeks leading up to an election) with nations conspiring and people plotting. Your friends and your adversaries alike are telling you that your fate hangs in the balance, and that your security depends on what happens at the ballot box.

My friends, it is a great gift to engage the democratic process, and the decisions made in the strongest and most prosperous nation the world has ever known truly matter. You should care about and participate in your own self-governance, and you should do it with the goal of seeing your communities flourish (Jer. 29:5-7).

However, when you hear the dire warning that your future depends on the next election, remember that your God laughs in response to the plotting and conspiring of people and nations. He laughs because the security He has already claimed for you lies in another Kingdom altogether, and He declares: “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain” (v. 6).

Note the three personal prerogatives: “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” God has already done it. He did not need or ask for permission. It is finished, and the Kingdom to which you belong is already established and governed. His king is on His throne in His Kingdom, and it cannot be shaken.

If you are an American Jesus follower, you should endeavor to faithfully steward your earthly freedom of self-governance over these next few weeks. As you do so, those with you and those against you will ask you to believe that your very foundation is at stake.

It is not. God laughs at the very notion, because His Kingdom is not of this world, and His King is already on the throne.

U.S.

The Eye of the Storm . . . Again

The state of Florida is bracing yet again for landfall of a major hurricane. Less than two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida’s Gulf Coast, Floridians are preparing for landfall of Hurricane Milton, which is tracking through the Gulf a bit farther south. The storm registered as a Category 5 briefly and is expected to reach Florida late Wednesday night and into Thursday morning as a Category 3 or 4 storm. Officials have warned millions of people to evacuate as rescue and recovery teams prepare for widespread devastation.

Analysis and eternal perspective: The proximity—in both time and location—of Helene and Milton presents a very challenging situation for Florida officials and residents. With Helene cleanup still very much in progress, the effort to both evacuate and batten down the hatches for Milton is slowed and complicated. Additionally, resources—both federal and state—that would normally be directed to cleanup and recovery are now being shared out of necessity with those in the path of the coming storm.

As Jesus followers, we should mobilize both tangibly and by standing in the gap with prayer.

First, do you know someone living in one of the impacted regions who may need a place to which they can evacuate or take temporary reprieve? It is easy to assume they have other options, but take a proactive step and reach out today with an offer to share your shelter with them as needed. Also, consider giving to or volunteering with a trusted humanitarian effort.

Next, as we commit to praying for those who are yet again in the path of the storm, let us all be reminded of the source of our peace. It is not the absence of trouble or challenge that ushers in peace, but simply the presence and the steadfastness of the almighty God: “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Is. 26:3).

World

The Longest Year

Monday, October 7, 2024 marked the one year anniversary of the violent incursion and attack into Israel by Hamas, during which the terrorist organization killed more than 1,200, kidnapped approximately 250, and triggered a year of war and bloodshed in the region. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and citizens acknowledged the somber occasion with vigils and remembrances, including several dedicated to the more than 100 hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza.

A year after the spark of the Hamas attack, the war continues to expand. Israel and Hamas remain engaged in war in and around Gaza, while Iran and its Lebanon-based proxy Hezbollah are attacking on Israel’s northern border.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Peace for Israel and the surrounding region feels impossible to attain. Candidly, complete peace as you and I tend to think about it is not attainable on this side of eternity. But a deeper peace is not only possible, but in fact promised.

Our previous story offered a reminder from Is. 26:3 about the source of our peace, but it is instructive and encouraging to consider how thoroughly the concept of peace is embedded within the gift of Jesus.

First, the foretelling of Jesus in Is. 9:6 calls Jesus the “Prince of Peace.”

Next, as Jesus was giving His disciples instructions before leaving Earth, it was peace that He specifically promised to leave behind through the presence of the Holy Spirit: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn. 14:27).

Jesus’ entire earthly ministry is bracketed by this promise of peace, and yet your possession of it is dependent on a proper understanding of it. The peace Jesus offers is not so small as to simply usher in the absence of conflict or challenge, but rather a promise of His presence in the midst of certain trials and difficulty. Consider Jn. 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

You will have trouble. It’s a sure thing.

But Jesus has overcome. It’s a done deal.

Your peace is completely secure. It is secure because it is found not outside the war or the storm, but because it is found within the One who is stronger than the war or the storm.

Stand in that peace today and pray it over those who remain in the wake of the violence ignited a year ago.

Business

Three-Day Strike

A three-day work strike by the International Longshoreman’s Association appears to be over after a deal was reached to increase dockworker pay. While other components of the deal are reportedly still under negotiation, workers returned to the job after the tentative deal on compensation was reached. The strike, though short enough in duration to have limited impact, was still felt along the supply chain as retail consumers found certain products temporarily harder to obtain.

Analysis and eternal perspective: A story like this is a good reminder of where our trust should be rooted. You know from recent years that sudden disruptions—be they storms or pandemics or worker strikes—can quickly impact your everyday life. You also know from experience just how quickly these disruptions can shake the foundation of so many.

As Jesus followers, we can rest in the promises of Ps. 91, including the promise that our God is our place of refuge during all manner of disruption.

But even beyond that personal assurance, we should be intently devoted to offering this refuge to those around us. There is widespread unsteadiness and anxiety in our world, and you know and possess the antidote to it! It is a relationship with the almighty God, and it is attained through His son, Jesus Christ!

So when the next storm, strike, war, election, or disruption of any kind causes anxiety to soar and store shelves to go bare, remember this: You have what it is everyone is looking for and truly needs. Introduce Him to them!

The Beautiful

The River

You were made for a Kingdom not of this world. It is a Kingdom of beauty built around a river containing the water of life. In that Kingdom, the nations have been healed, the curse is no more, and most beautiful of all, you will look upon the very face of your God.

That place—the one built around the river flowing from the throne—is where you will abide and your beloved will reign for ever and ever.

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 22:1-5).