November 6, 2024

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

The True

Great Power

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

It is my son Jude’s favorite quote from the Spider-Man movies, and a derivative of an ancient proverb. It is also the unequivocal truth about you.

1 John 4:4 says, “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” It is an exhilarating truth and one that should give you great courage and motivation! It is also a truth that should be received in the context in which it is given.

Take a few moments today to read 1 John 4, and especially verses 1-6. Notice the context in which this tremendous promise of Divine power is made. We are told that our world is full of competing voices and spirits. We are told those competing voices are out to deceive us, and that we are to test the message from those voices against that which we know to be true. Maybe most critical for The True today, we are told that those who are not in God will not listen to the truth within us (v. 6).

So step back and consider the context:

Most of the world around us is hostile to truth. Your God has placed truth—and the tremendous power it wields—within you. The hostile word around you desperately needs that truth and power, but the spirits and voices of this world are at odds with that truth and power, and are therefore working overtime to ensure that those who need the great power you offer will not listen to you.

Herein lies your great responsibility. It is your job to find creative ways to inject that power and truth into the lives of those around you. It will be frustrating, because those not yet in God will not be inclined to listen to you. But remember, you are not seeking personal vindication! You are shouldering the great responsibility that comes hand-in-hand with great power! You are endeavoring to share an eternal truth in a skillful, patient, and careful way that can overcome the competing voices of the lesser powers of this world (2 Tim. 4:2)!

There are a plethora of agendas competing for your time and attention this week. Plenty of them are important on at least some level, and there are an abundance of ways you may be called to speak and act into those agendas. But remember this: Your overarching mandate is inextricably tied to the great power that lives within you.

While most of the world is today pondering how to seize and leverage the power of this world, a greater power already lives in you. How will you take on your responsibility to steward that power in a way that unleashes it into a world of lesser powers? That is your mission and your great responsibility.

U.S.

And the Winner is . . .

The votes are cast, and it appears former President Donald Trump has again been elected—this time as the 47th President of the United States. At the time of publication, there are still a handful of states yet to be called, but it seems clear Trump has secured well more than the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency. It also appears a record number of votes have been cast, surpassing the nearly 160 million cast in the 2020 presidential election.

Meanwhile, Republicans have also taken majority control of the U.S. Senate and, while there are still too many races undecided to declare a majority in the U.S. House, Republicans appear poised to maintain control of that chamber, as well.

Analysis and eternal perspective: It is go time, fellow Jesus follower! No matter whether you are elated or alarmed or somewhere in-between about the election results, it is true: It is time for you and me to take up the mantle of the Gospel and to go into all the world and declare it. Yes, the time for this charge is always, but it is an important reminder for us the day after an election where we’ve heard repeatedly that the outcome will change everything, for better or for worse. Here is the truth you can stand on:

Your God is still on the throne (Ps. 47:8), and your mission is the same today as it was yesterday: Go and make disciples (Matt. 28:19)!

What a wonderful reality it is—if we will take hold of it—for Jesus followers to live from this certainty of purpose. So many believe (because they have been told as much) their mission changes today—either for better or for worse. You, while understanding that the quality of governments of men certainly ebb and flow, can go forward in confidence about your calling.

To be sure, you also have a civic mandate. It is perhaps best described in Jeremiah 29, when a people in exile were instructed to invest in their place of exile:

“Build houses . . . settle down . . . plant gardens . . . marry . . . have sons and daughters . . . find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage . . . increase in number . . . seek the peace and prosperity of the city” (Jer. 29:5-7).

These were long-term investments. Why were the people called to make them, and why are you invited to do the same today? “Because if [the city] prospers, you too will prosper” (Jer. 29:7).

You have a civic role. You should be for your city and your community. You should be for it whether your presidential candidate won or lost, and you should go back to work on behalf of those living in your community regardless of the outcome of the election. Invest in the long-term wellbeing of your home in exile. Seek its peace and prosperity. It does truly matter.

But your call to carry the Good News into all the world matters most. It is what most directly impacts the health and wellbeing of those in your community. It is your main charge.

The presidential race has been called by most media outlets. But you did not need to wait for it to be called. You have already been called. Go and make disciples!

World

The Winner No More

Japan’s government is taking new form after voters stripped the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of its majority in the Lower House. The LDP has been in the majority for all but a handful of years since 1955, but now opposition parties are working in coalition to shape the government and the legislature’s agenda. The election result surprised many observers and is likely to have a variety of impacts worldwide, as Japan is the world’s fourth-largest economy.

Analysis and eternal perspective: This story will be overshadowed by the U.S. election in many ways, but it serves as yet another clear reminder that governments of men are fleeting. Certainly, the LDP may soon return to power in Japan, but no party in any country has more than a temporary hold on earthly power. Furthermore, all the kingdoms of this Earth are themselves fleeting while the Kingdom of God will endure forever (Ps. 145:13, Heb. 1:8, Lk. 1:33, Dan. 2:44, Rev. 11:15).

As a Jesus follower, this should motivate you to invest in your forever home. The Kingdom of God is everlasting, both now and forevermore. It is in many ways easier to think about that Kingdom having no end than it is to grasp that it has always been. We serve a God who is bigger than space and time, and who simply was before our world began (Gen. 1:1). As a result, your everlasting home includes the here and now. This is a concept none of us can fully grasp, but it can and should give us certainty of purpose while governments all around the world wax and wane.

U.S.

Lame Duck

The U.S. Congress is preparing to begin a “lame duck” session next week. The 118th Congress will be concluding its work, and it will be doing so with scores of Members who will not be serving when the 119th Congress convenes in January. While this has become a fairly typical scenario, it creates a legislating dynamic that is quite different than that which exists just before an election. This year’s lame duck session is generating particular interest due to the volume of unfinished business and the fact that control of both the White House and the U.S. Senate is set to change party hands in January.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Accountability to the voters is a critical component of America’s democratic republic. Lame duck sessions tend to reduce the natural impact of voter opinion on the actions of the legislature. Because of this dynamic, it behooves America citizens to pay particular attention to the actions of its government during this time period.

This story is a good reminder for Jesus followers to “be prepared in season and out of season” (2 Tim. 4:2). The full thread of scripture clearly points us to this type of readiness in all manner of things, but it is encouraging and instructive to give specific vigilance to the particular task mentioned—preaching the Good News!

It is our theme this week. Elections and the ensuing actions of those who are elected (be they in your country or elsewhere in the world) certainly have an impact on our tangible world. Many things around us change. But your mission and mine remains the same. We are The Equipped, and we are to be perpetually prepared to preach the Good News and to make disciples. Let’s begin anew today.

The Beautiful

Beauty in Every Season

Fall is my favorite season. But there is so much rich beauty in every season of your life. Take stock of your blessings today and praise your Creator for the beauty He has bestowed on you!

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine” (Pr. 3:9-10).