April 3, 2024

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

The True

I Am

“I am who I am.” That is God’s response in Exodus 3:14 when Moses asks God for His name. God has just appeared to Moses in a burning bush and instructed Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand the Israelites be set free. This terrifying instruction sets into motion a conversation between Moses and God that you and I are in many ways still having today.

First, Moses asks, “Who am I?” (Ex. 3:11). Moses is understandably dubious he is the correct person for this herculean task. We know from Exodus 4 that Moses is unqualified for a job that requires great oratory ability. We also know he was raised by the Pharaoh’s daughter as an Egyptian—a dynamic that will very likely cause him to be viewed suspiciously by the Israelite people. I imagine these facts informed Moses’ question in this moment: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

God does not, however, answer the question Moses asks. Moses is asking about his own identity, but God responds in the first person about His own identity: “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain” (Ex. 3:12).

Moses thinks it is about him, but God responds that it is about Him!

So Moses shifts to his next objection, which can be paraphrased, “Ok, it is about you, but who are you?” Here is the exact question: “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” (Ex. 3:13).

God’s response is so very simple: “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you’” (Ex. 3:14).

Moses thought he needed a description of God that fit the situation and the need. God responded with the truth that His very identify fits every situation and every need—that the essence of His name is all-consuming and all-encompassing.

Our takeaway today is both simple and profound. You and I come together each week from a posture similar to that of Moses in this passage. We want to be used by God to have an impact for good in our culture, but that task is too big for us, and we are often unsure that God provides the answer to our culture’s need. We wonder if there is something more specific needed.

God is reminding us today we are not enough. But He is.

He is acknowledging our weakness and reminding us it is in that weakness He is strong (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

He is saying it is not about you or me. He is saying, “It is about Me in you!”

And when we ask who exactly He is, He simply says, “I Am!”

What is the solution to the social and cultural problems of our day? “I Am!”

Who will cover the gaps caused by your shortcomings and mine? “I Am!”

What are you to say when the world asks who you are? “I Am sent me.”

And who is this God to whom you refer?

He is I Am, and no matter the question, He is the answer.

U.S.

Known, Formed, and Appointed

Abortion law is once again front and center in the state of Florida. Nearly two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, thereby allowing states greater latitude to regulate and restrict abortion, the Florida Supreme Court issued opinions in two hotly contested cases. The first decision—hailed by pro-life advocates—upheld a Florida statute restricting abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and also triggering enforcement of a statute restricting abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy. The second decision—lauded by pro-choice advocates—allows a ballot initiative to be considered during the November elections that, if approved, would enshrine a right to abortion into the state’s constitution.

Analysis and eternal perspective: These two decisions will have a significant impact on both abortion policy and politics in Florida. On abortion policy, the newly affirmed statute will bring Florida into closer alignment with state laws in the surrounding states and will essentially end the recent trend of women traveling to Florida to undergo an abortion. The political impact will reverberate through November and be felt in every race on the ballot. A similar initiative passed in Ohio in November 2023, but the 57% support it received would not be enough to clear the 60% threshold required to amend the Florida constitution. Similar initiatives will appear on the November 2024 ballots in at least Maryland and New York, and likely several additional states.

As Jesus followers, the issue of abortion is challenging because of the passionate views held by so many on all sides of the issue, but it is also a beautiful opportunity to submit ourselves to the instruction of God’s Word and to serving those in need.

God’s heart for both the pre-born baby and the expectant mother in need is on display all throughout scripture. In Jeremiah 1:5, God’s love is intensely palpable and He claims not just creative ownership over pre-born life, but also intimate knowledge of who He has created that person to be. Listen to the intentionality with which God expresses His knowledge of and design for Jeremiah that existed even before his physical body was formed:

“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).

It is easy to read that verse through the lens of the current cultural debate, but I encourage you to read it again intentionally immersing yourself in the wonder of God’s knowledge of and passion for you even before He formed you.

He knew you before there was a physical you!

He had a plan for you before there was a physical you!

He formed you with His own hands!

He did it to advance the specific plan He had and has for you!

He singled out a design for your life and appointed you to a specific part of His mission!

Wow! The beauty of this passion and intentionality for your formation should take your breath away. The God of the universe did all that before and during the process of forming you in your mother’s womb. That reality should have an enormous impact on your life!

It should also inform the way you observe Him performing the same miraculous designing and appointing of those He continues to form, fashion, and appoint even today. His love and plans for each one is just as intense and intentional as it was for you, and we as Jesus followers should be seeking out ways to affirm and protect those He is forming and calling.

I challenge you to also consider today the intense passion God has for the mother in need. There are very few commands in scripture repeated as often as His admonition to care for the widow and the orphan. When considering the cultural context that God the Father and Jesus the Son spoke these commands into (see Is. 1:17 and Jam. 1:27 for two of many examples), it is so very clear that mothers bearing and raising children in challenging circumstances are held close to the heart of God. In our culture today, so many of these mothers are raising children alone, and without a father. These are circumstances into which you and I are called—both as a command and an invitation—to serve.

God’s heart for the pre-born and the mother in need is so clear in scripture, and the rule of law is one important way to reflect these truths. But the primary responsibility for stepping into this gap of need belongs to you and to me. We are invited to know the heart of God by serving those who He knew and called even before He formed them.

Who in this space can you serve this week?

The Equipped

Advance the Mission

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Thank you! It is so good to be in fellowship with you (1 Jn. 1:7)!

U.S.

Lieberman Dies at 82

Former U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman died this week at the age of 82 after a fall in his home. Lieberman represented the state of Connecticut for 24 years in the U.S. Senate—the first Orthodox Jew elected to the Senate—but is perhaps best known as Al Gore’s vice presidential running mate in 2000. Gore and Lieberman were narrowly defeated by George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Lieberman was a Democrat until 2006, when he became an “independent Democrat” after losing the Democrat primary. He won reelection as an Independent and retired in 2013.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Life on Earth is short. Even a long and eventful life such as Sen. Lieberman’s is so very fleeting against the backdrop of eternity (Ps. 39:4). Each of us have such limited time in these physical bodies, but each of us will, in what 1 Cor. 15:52 describes as the “twinkling of an eye,” be forever changed into a form that lives on in eternity. That reality should command our intense devotion.

Today, let us commit to praying comfort over the Lieberman family as they deal with the painful human reality of separation. Let us also be renewed in our focus on that which is eternal, and loosed from any undue attachment to the things of this Earth that will so soon prove fleeting.

U.S.

Dancing Twice

March Madness has a repeating theme this year. For the first time in history, two schools—UConn and NC State—will make appearances in both the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball Final Four. On the men’s side, the two schools are joined by Purdue and Alabama, and on the women’s side, Iowa and South Carolina round out the field.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Until this year, there have only been 13 years in which a school has qualified for both the men’s and women’s basketball Final Four. This is the first time the feat has been achieved by two schools in the same year. On a personal note, I confess great disappointment the UConn men secured their spot by defeating my Illinois Fighting Illini in the East Regional final.

March Madness has long been one of my very favorite moments of the sports year. I love the sport of basketball, and nowhere does it display more excitement and drama than in the NCAA tournament. It also affords Jesus followers a glimpse into the eternal impact we have on others during the course of our “everyday” lives.

This year, I was particularly struck by Texas A&M head coach Buzz Williams praying over his senior players after a difficult loss ended their season. Coach Williams and his players were in a moment of deep disappointment, and yet it was plainly evident that the bond of love and relationship within the team had a higher priority than the outcome of the just completed game and season.

As you consider this story and enjoy the Final Four this weekend, consider the question: Who in your everyday life are you called to impact in an eternal way? Who impacts your life in that same way? There will be highs and lows for each of us, but we were formed with the purpose of bonding to both our Creator and His created, and from within those bonds, to proclaim His praise (Is. 43:21).

The Beautiful

Trees Will Clap Their Hands

“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands” (Is. 55:12).

One of the most beautiful things in the world is the way in which all of nature harmonizes to sing God’s praise. While you and I were created as the objects of God’s intense affection, all of creation joins together to praise His great name! I firmly believe that is why being out in nature is good for the soul, because it allows us to add our voice to the orchestra that is constantly playing and singing His praise. And this idea of trees clapping their hands? It is real! Next time you are in the woods on a breezy day, stop and notice…the trees are praising the Creator!