June 26, 2024

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

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Podcast

The True

A Refreshed Spirit

Who refreshes your spirit? As you think about your daily routine and the community with whom you regularly interact, who is it that injects life, encouragement, and overall refreshing to your being? Take a moment to think about it, and if a name comes to mind, reach out and thank them for it today.

The advice above might seem a little pithy. It might seem feel-good or like a bit of self-help self-talk. But it’s actually biblical. The instruction is found in 1 Corinthians 16, a chapter that is often overlooked, but which provides a number of very practical instructions for daily living.

Paul is writing a long letter to the church at Corinth, and as he gets to the end of the letter, it is almost as if he is quickly throwing in a bunch of last-minute thoughts and instructions. He reminds the church to set aside money for God’s work, to prepare for the arrival of Timothy, and even how to greet one another, among other things. But as we stand on The True this week, take special notice of verses 15-18:

“You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.”

Here's my paraphrase: They refreshed my spirit! Honor them.

So often, we elevate the grand acts. The slaying of the giant. The conquering of the enemy. The proclamation to the masses. It is entirely possible God will call you to and equip you for one or more of these grand acts. After all, He revels in displaying His power through human vessels (2 Cor. 12:9).

Yet, who does Paul single out for recognition and honor? Three men who are relatively unknown to history, but who met his practical needs and refreshed his spirit!

Each of us can do this every day! Think back to our opening question. Who refreshes your spirit? Now, why and how do they refresh your spirit? Is it because they offer you something grand every time you see them? Or, as I suspect, is it because they take notice of you, because they are interested in what you need, and genuinely inclined to help you meet that need. I strongly suspect the person who came to your mind does not have a habit of grand and outlandish gestures toward you, but rather one of simple, genuine acts of refreshing.

How should we as a community respond? Perhaps the following is a good place to start:

1) Honor those who refresh your spirit.

2) Make a point to refresh the spirit of others today and every day.

World

Assange Plea Deal

One of the world’s most notorious criminal defendants will be free after pleading guilty to espionage charges. Julian Assange, best known for founding WikiLeaks and publishing vast troves of sensitive information—including classified information about U.S. military actions—appears to have reached the end of a 14-year run from the law that included seven years claiming asylum inside an Ecuadoran embassy and five years in a UK prison. After pleading guilty to a charge of conspiring to obtain and disclose U.S. national defense documents, Assange will be sentenced to time already served and free to return to his homeland of Australia.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Assange is considered a dangerous villain by many, and a hero by others. His critics say his actions compromised critical national and world security interests and endangered countless servicemembers. His supporters say he exposed wrongdoing by providing the public access to hidden information. The vast chasm dividing public opinion is not likely to close any time soon, but in the eyes of U.S. law, Assange will be, a) a convicted felon, and b) a free man.

You very likely have an opinion about Assange’s actions. I certainly do. But more important than those opinions is our recognition of the similarities between Assange’s plea and sentence and our own condition.

It is easy to grow overly familiar with these facts, and to allow their magnitude to be diminished in our hearts and minds. But consider the following with a fresh perspective:

You and I have been found guilty. When held against the perfect standard of God’s law, we have come up short and been found worthy of death (Rom. 3:23; 6:23).

In the face of that sentence, we have instead been forgiven and set free (Jn. 8:31-36).

Now, given a free lease on life despite a conviction under the law, you and I face a question similar to the one in front of Assange: “How will your gift of freedom be used?” Galatians 5 gives us an inspiring model for how we as Jesus followers are to use freedom (spoiler alert: we are to spend it not on ourselves, but for others).

Take a moment today to consider your undeserved freedom. How will you use it?

World

A Fatal Pilgrimage

At least 1,300 people have died attempting to fulfill an Islamic spiritual ritual known as the Hajj pilgrimage. The ritual involves a journey to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is considered by many a pillar of the Islamic faith, and many Muslims view it as their religious duty to complete it once in their lifetime. Most of those dead as a result of this year’s pilgrimage were victims of the scorching heat.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Nearly two million people embarked on the Hajj pilgrimage this year, but the alarming death toll was only the third-highest number of fatalities recorded in a single year of the gathering. Stampedes in 2015 and 1990 killed more than 2,400 and 1,400 respectively. Widespread deaths have also occurred from construction accidents and disease. Even so, millions of people continue to plan their own pilgrimage.

John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Each of us is on a pilgrimage. Each of us faces the enemy’s threat of destruction, and each of us will lose our physical bodies to death one day. This commonality within the human condition lends itself to a certain understanding of why so many would risk life and limb to perform a spiritual ritual. They are searching for, and pursuing, a way in which to overcome this curse of death, and so the threat of death is not a sufficient deterrent.

You, as a Jesus follower, have a priceless gift to offer into this dynamic. You, too, are a pilgrim, but your journey is not to an Earthly destination, but rather to an eternal heavenly Kingdom. And your primary mission along that journey is to introduce others to the One who offers them life to the fullest!

U.S.

Ready, Set, Debate

The much anticipated first debate of the 2024 U.S. presidential general election is set for Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 9:00 p.m. ET. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will appear together for 90 minutes, and the debate will be governed by a new set of rules negotiated and agreed to by the two campaigns. There will be no studio audience, no opening statements, no props or written notes (the candidate may take only a pen, blank paper, and water onto the stage), and the candidates’ microphones will be muted until it is their allotted time.

This is currently expected to be the only debate between the two presidential candidates until September.

Analysis and eternal perspective: For some, this is a moment of great theater. For others—a majority of people, in fact, if recent polling is to be believed—it is a moment that highlights why they are “unsatisfied” with the options on the ballot.

For you and me as Jesus followers, it is yet another opportunity to remind ourselves of at least three important truths:

1) Contested elections are anything but the norm across the arc of human civilization, and are in fact a blessing of liberty.

2) Your eternal hope is secure. While election outcomes have an impact in our temporal world, they do not alter the reality that your hope and trust is anchored in the name of the one true God (Ps. 20:7).

3) As division increases, your mission remains steadfast. It is a mission rooted not in a political agenda, but rather in reconciliation to the Creator (2 Cor. 5:11-21).

Elections have consequences, and Americans have an historically noteworthy level of freedom to participate in their own self-governance. For those of us in The Equipped community, let’s aim to embrace that freedom properly prioritized within our higher calling of drawing others into a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The Beautiful

Sheltered Beauty

God’s protective character shows up all throughout creation. The beauty of a flower is concealed in the cool of the evening, young animal offspring are covered by their parents as they sleep, and even the sun hides itself in the night hours in order that you might find rest.

The same is true for the beauty God has placed in you. He desires it to grow in intensity and to be shared with the world, but He will shelter and protect it as it develops until the appointed time.

This week, take notice of the sheltering trait on display in nature. Take notice also of the beauty that is currently under a concealing cover in your life. Be patient as He cares for and protects that beauty until the appointed time. He can be trusted to make everything beautiful in His time (Ecc. 3:11).

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart (Ps. 91:4).