September 10, 2025

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

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The True

Depleted

Depleted. That was the conclusion made by my doctor recently. There was not an underlying disease or infection, which was cause for rejoicing. But there was also not an all-clear signal. I was—somewhat unsurprisingly, given a rather chaotic couple of years—simply and clearly depleted. I was out of gas.

Can you relate? Have you ever been—or are you now—totally depleted? Do you know what it means to come to the end of yourself and yet look around at how much more is required of you? It can be an overwhelming feeling, wouldn’t you agree?

The apostle Paul found himself in this situation as he wrote to the church at Corinth in 2 Corinthians 1. This is the familiar passage where Paul encourages his fellow believers to comfort each other as they share in the sufferings of Christ. But listen to how Paul describes his condition and that of his “brother,” Timothy: “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death” (2 Cor. 1:8-9).

Great pressure.

Far beyond our ability to endure.

We despaired of life itself.

We felt we had received the sentence of death.

My friends, this is not some minor spiritual lull. This is not a great man of faith expressing an emotional bump in the proverbial road.

No, Paul and Timothy are gassed! They are out of physical energy to carry on in their own strength. In as much as it depends on them, the jig is up. They are, in a word, depleted.

But of course Paul and Timothy knew it never did depend on them. They knew it wasn’t game over and it wasn’t hopeless, and it was neither of those things because fulfilling the mission had nothing to do with their own physical strength. Listen to Paul’s straightforward response to these dire physical realities in the very next breath: “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.”

The very reason for the physical calamity was to ensure dependence on God.

Paul and Timothy felt as though they were under the sentence of death, and perhaps you do as well. If that is you today, God’s Word is very clear on two things: 1) Your Creator can restore you physically and He invites you to ask Him for that healing (Ex. 15:26; Jam. 5:14-15), and 2) Your physical weakness is an invitation to lean on the raise-the-dead-level power of God!

My natural inclination is to just stubbornly push on. It’s a default rooted in pride, truthfully. I want to believe that just a little bit more of my effort will make the difference, and that if I push through, I will prevail.

My prevailing was never the point, though, and neither is yours.

Your mission is that the power of your God would be made real in your day. That mission requires more strength than you have on your own. Heeding to the reality you are depleted does the opposite of abort the mission. Rather, your heeding allows the success of the mission to be carried fully by the awesome and all-sustaining power of your great God.

You may feel depleted and left for dead today. Take heart! Your God has the power to bring life from death!

“I am the Lord, who heals you” (Ex. 15:26).

U.S.

Department of War

The U.S. Department of Defense is no more. It has been replaced by—or more precisely, renamed—the Department of War. The name change, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, returns the nation’s military department to its original name which was used from 1789-1947. While the name change does not reorganize any functions of the department’s operations, the announcement says the new (old) name better reflects the nation’s posture of “peace through strength” and its commitment to “fight and win” as opposed to only “defend.”

Meanwhile, U.S. military resources and personnel have deployed to the Caribbean amid rising tensions with Venezuela. The main flash point in the escalation was a U.S. strike on an alleged narcotics boat last week that killed 11 people.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Name change or not, the policies and actions of the U.S. military carry enormous consequence. As the world’s most powerful and sophisticated fighting force, the actions—and even the posture—of the department responsible for overseeing that force are of immense importance. Much of the general conversation around this name change will be partisan in nature and divided primarily along lines based on support or opposition of the president. There is limited value in this lens of analysis.

That said, the escalations in the Caribbean are a prime real-world example of why the policies and posture of the U.S. military matter. It is demonstrably true that the decisions of the U.S. government often have the power of life and death around the world, but nowhere is that more true than when the U.S. government is acting through its military. Therefore, while much of the conversation around the department’s name change will be politically motivated, there is reason to carefully consider all aspects of the department’s posture and policies.

As Jesus followers, we should endeavor to focus our emphasis on the substantive matter rather than the partisan one. That is not to say every partisan action or motive is wrong (we talk often about the biblical principle of a multitude of counselors and the value of open debate and dissent), but it is crucial that we approach matters such as this one with a soberness and level-headedness that reflects the size of the eventual impact.

1 Peter 5:8 encourages us to be “alert and of sober mind.” The admonition is specifically because the enemy of our soul is out to destroy us! But the guiding principle remains true for our contemplation of this story. There is real danger in the world and real consequence for the use of the world’s strongest military. The policies of that military warrant our alertness and sober contemplation.

World

Resigning Prime Ministers

The prime ministers of two major countries are resigning.

In Japan, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is stepping down in the wake of his Liberal Democratic Party’s electoral defeat in July. An internal party election will determine Ishiba’s successor.

In France, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou will resign after the parliament expressed its lack of confidence in him by a vote of 364-194. President Emmanuel Macron will appoint a new prime minister soon.

Analysis and eternal perspective: As in our last story, this is a story of consequence. The leaders of major world nations have a material impact on the state of our world. The character and decisions of these leaders alter the circumstances for both those living under their authority and those beyond. It is one major reason we are to pray for these leaders (1 Tim 2:1-3).

Even so, we understand the futility of trusting in any government of men. Psalm 146:3-5 says it plainly: “Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.”

There is a real tension here. You are a citizen of heaven (Philip. 3:20-21). You are also an ambassador of Jesus Christ here on Earth (2 Cor. 5:20). The reality is that you can only properly steward the latter if your affections are firmly planted in the former.

This week, no matter your prime minister, president, or earthly king, allow your status as an eternal citizen of heaven to inform the way in which you “seek the peace and prosperity of [your] city” (Jer. 29:7).

U.S.

Change the Rules

The U.S. Senate is once again set to change its own rules for confirming nominees to serve in the executive branch. While technically a change in Senate precedent rather than the chamber’s standing rules, Senate Republicans will deploy what is known procedurally as the “nuclear option” to change the pace at which nominees can be confirmed—this time by allowed a group of nominees to be confirmed “en bloc” rather than individually. There have been many changes to this process under the majority leadership of both parties, and all of the recent changes have been in the direction of making it more difficult to stop a president’s nominees—both judicial and executive.

Analysis and eternal perspective: The constitutional authority for the U.S. Senate to make these determinations is clear. Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution gives the U.S. Senate the power of “Advice and Consent,” and Article I, Section 5, Clause 2 gives both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate the power to “determine the Rules” for its own proceedings. As a result, both parties have in recent years exercised these authorities to speed along nominees made by a president aligned with the current Senate majority.

While the constitutionality of these actions is not in question, there is plenty of debate and disagreement about the prudence of them. Supporters say the real-world impact is a restoration of something closer to the historical norm of great deference being given to a sitting president. Detractors say it is an evisceration of minority rights critical for quelling the rule of the majority.

You, as a Jesus follower, are almost certain to at times find yourself aligned with the majority party or a pending nominee, and at others unaligned with one or both. Regardless of your current status, you should seek a multitude of godly counsel (Pr. 11:14) and expect the same of your elected leaders.

The Beautiful

Pincushion

The pincushion is as unique as it is beautiful. Its existence attracts more beauty (in this case, butterflies), but it requires a soil that drains well.

You are similar in many ways. Your life is designed to glorify your Creator and there is rich beauty in it. But the circumstances of your world threaten to deplete you. Set your hope in the Lord and allow your soul to drain well!

“[B]ut those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Is. 40:31).