August 14, 2024

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

The True

Ninety-Two Years Young

How far in advance do you plan? I currently find it difficult to look more than a day or two into the future, but my 92-year-old grandma is planning her church’s revival service…which takes place next August!

Grandma called me this week to invite me to speak at “Tabernacle” services at her church a year from now. As I responded that I would love to but am not yet able to commit that far in advance, I was struck with a certain sense of awe at the current posture of my grandma. At 92 years young, nobody would begrudge her for leaving the planning of a church program a year into the future to someone else. In fact, while the leadership of most churches is always eager to have participation from their congregants, I chuckle a little to imagine the conversation among the pastoral staff:

“Who might be willing to find speakers for next year’s Tabernacle services?”

“I have a great idea! Let’s see if one of our oldest members is up for it!”

It is very unlikely that conversation took place, but it is how I imagine it, and it drives home the reminder I took away from the phone conversation with my grandma: If you have breath in your lungs, there is a way to serve!

Jeremiah 1:7 says, “Do not say, ‘I am too young,’” and 1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young.”

Couple that with this thrilling prophesy in Joel 2:28: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”

To sum it up, God wants to use you from the day you are born until the day He calls you home! Ephesians 5:16 describes it as, “Making the most of every opportunity.” Why? “Because the days are evil.”

Friends, the stories ahead this week speak of evil and anxiety-producing events. There will be every temptation to cower in fear, and a common tactic of the enemy is to point out your human limitations.

“You are too old.”

“You are too young.”

“You are not a pastor.”

“You are unqualified.”

“You are unworthy.”

What does God say? I’ll give you a clue: It has nothing to do with your age and everything to do with why He formed you in His image. Your God—the Creator who formed you for the purpose of glorifying His name (Is. 43:21)—says this:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Is. 43:1).

It doesn’t matter if you are 92 years old like my grandma, 2, or 102, your God’s voice calls out to you in the same way:

“Don’t be afraid.”

“I have redeemed you.”

“I have called you by name.”

“You. Are. Mine.”

What is your task today? Are you planning next year’s Tabernacle service? Or maybe doing the thankless and often unnoticed work of serving your family and community? Whatever it is, do it as though the God of the universe has called you to it.

Because He has!

World

Turnabout

The war between Russia and Ukraine has waged for nearly two-and-a-half years. Nearly all the fighting has occurred inside Ukraine after Russian forces invaded in pursuit of territorial conquest. This week, however, significant fighting occurred inside Russia after Ukrainian forces launched a counterattack over Ukraine’s northeast border in the Sumy region. The surprise move was perhaps the most successful counteroffensive of the war, and Ukraine officials claim to now control approximately 1,000 square kilometers inside Russia.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to insist that any viable ceasefire and peace plan must include a Ukrainian concession of territory. This insistence is, of course, untenable to Ukraine and would represent the latest in a long line of territorial conquests by Putin—a trend that can hardly be expected to end any time soon.

Now that the proverbial shoe is on the other foot in at least a small way, it is not surprising that Putin is criticizing Ukraine for destabilizing the situation on the border. The hypocrisy of the criticisms could not be more evident. Even so, it is increasingly difficult to see a path to peace, as both sides become more imbittered and entrenched.

As Jesus followers, we grieve for the widespread loss of life, and the sweeping denigration of human flourishing. It is hardly the first time the human appetite for power has created such devastation, but it is perhaps the most vivid depiction of that particular human depravity in our world today.

As you endeavor to be equipped for both the times in which you live and to embody the Gospel of Jesus Christ to which you are called, commit yourself to the following this week:

1) Pray for the weak and the oppressed, and those suffering on all sides of the war (Ps. 82:2-4).

2) Love justice and be a voice for the voiceless (Pr. 31:8-10, Is. 1:17).

3) Recognize where you enjoy freedom and use that freedom to serve those around you (Gal. 5:13).

Finally, be encouraged! Your God is seated on the throne, is even now in the process of making all things new, and you can trust His promises (Rev. 21:5)!

World

Terror Attack Foiled

Three teenage suspects have been arrested, and a fourth questioned, in a foiled terror attack in Vienna, Austria. The suspects who were arrested are 19, 18, and 17 years old, and authorities say the trio were prepared to “kill as many people as possible” at a scheduled Taylor Swift concert. A fourth teen—15 years old—was also questioned but not arrested. A search of one suspect’s home uncovered bomb-making materials and weapons believed to have been stockpiled for the attack. Another of the suspects was to have been on duty at the concert as a result of his employment with the venue.

Analysis and eternal perspective: The brokenness of our culture is on full display all around you. Everyone who is paying honest attention can see it plainly.

What is the mandate of a Jesus follower in that situation? How can you and I be equipped to live as whole beings amid that brokenness?

Scripture points us plainly to the answer. We are to live set apart (Jer. 1:5) and with a constant aim and readiness to offer rescue from the brokenness (1 Pet. 3:15, Jude 22-23).

There is an ever-present danger of fixating on all that is broken. We as The Equipped should resist that urge with everything in us. To be clear, this is not a call to be oblivious about, or condoning of, the evil around us.

It is an intentional and proactive call to speak life into what is dead and dying. You were set apart by your Creator not simply to be rescued from the death and destruction around you, but to offer rescue to the dead and dying around you!

So this week, root yourself in having been set apart, prepare yourself to explain why you have hope, and when the urge to fixate on what is broken rises up, choose instead to focus your energy on saving someone else from the fire!

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Pet. 3:15).

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5).

“Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh” (Jude 22-23).

U.S.

The Campaign Trail

The general election in the United States is less than three months away, and campaign-related news is dominating the headlines every day. This week, for example, the two presidential campaigns agreed to schedule a debate and former President Trump’s campaign was hacked.

While the presidential race dominates the political headlines, there is also a full slate of federal, state, and local elections on the ballot all across the United States. Particularly significant, control of both the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House will be determined by voters on November 5, 2024.

In the U.S. Senate, Democrats (including Independents who caucus with Democrats) hold a narrow 51-49 seat edge on Republicans. However, Democrats are defending 23 seats this year, and Republicans just 11.

The 435-voting-member U.S. House is even more dynamic, as numerous seats have changed or vacated since the last election. However, there are currently 220 Republicans, 212 Democrats, and 3 vacancies. When every seat is filled, it requires 218 votes to hold a majority in the chamber.

Analysis and eternal perspective: You and I have a biblical mandate and a thrilling invitation in Jeremiah 29:7 to “seek the peace and prosperity” of our communities. This invitation is at the heart of what we at The Equipped mean when we come together for the purpose of cultivating flourishing in our world.

What a charge! In many ways, this giving of ourselves in order that others might live—and live to the fullest—is a way to embody what Jesus did for us on the cross.

It is, however, admittedly challenging to walk out that charge on a daily basis. It is easy to fall prey to the suggestion that this mandate is either, a) consumed by political ambition, or b) entirely untouched by the political happenings in our world.

Our biblical instruction for navigating this tension is described by Jesus as He prepared to ascend to His Father:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matt. 28:18-20).

All authority belongs to God. Our trust is misplaced if it is in governments of men, or the people who form them. Even so, God came to us in the form of Jesus and left us with a similar charge: “Go and make disciples of all nations.”

As you—if you are an American—consider how to most faithfully walk out this mandate during election season, do it mindful that your true commission will remain the same on the other side of the election result.

The Beautiful

The Joys of Youth

Oh, the beauty of unrestrained youthful exuberance! It is no wonder Jesus said the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children (Mark 10:13-16)!

The things—pressures, desires, schedules, etc.—of this world are constantly working to squeeze the childlike joy from your life. This week, choose beauty instead! Choose to embrace and abide in the simple joys that were so easily discovered in your youth. If you will, the very Kingdom of God might just get added to you!