September 11, 2024

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

On this 23rd anniversary of the terror attacks on 9/11/2001, we pray for the families of those we lost. Never forget.

The True

The Abyss

The Abyss is a place of eternal death and misery. It is a place that, in Luke 8, even the demons begged to avoid. The Abyss is the embodiment of suffering and hopelessness.

It is also the place your Lord braved and conquered in order that you would be free of it!

Thomas Traherne, in his 17th century masterpiece Centuries of Meditation, described it this way:

This level of association with Christ’s suffering is jarring to me upon first glance. It is easy and natural to be grateful for the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross, and to accept the cleansing power He achieved in the process. It is comfortable to be eternally glad He went there in order that I would not.

It is another thing altogether to revel in the misery of the Abyss. To fixate on the suffering and the anguish and the despair.

And yet, it is the Abyss—and your Christ’s journey to and conquering of it—that best captures the depth of His love for you.

He bled for you.

He was broken for you.

He languished for you.

He suffered and died in your place, thereby freeing you from death. Given this, what better place to find intimacy with your God than within His groanings? Nowhere is His beauty and holiness more vividly apparent than His moment of ultimate sacrifice.

Jesus was wounded and scarred with lashes intended for you. He went to the Abyss so you would not. There is no greater love! And there is no greater response to that love than to share in His suffering.

It would be wonderful enough if the gift was simply that He took your place. It is more wonderful still that the gift is an invitation for you to be with Him in His suffering.

U.S.

Second First Debate

The second debate of the 2024 U.S. presidential general election is in the books, and it was the first debate between the two current nominees, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris. The debate was held in Philadelphia, and there are currently no further debates scheduled between the presidential candidates (the vice-presidential candidates will debate on October 1).

Analysis and eternal perspective: “This is the most important election in history.” How many times have you heard that exclamation? Have you ever heard the opposite? “This election isn’t nearly as important as the last one” doesn’t make for a very effective campaign strategy, and it’s unlikely you’ve heard that sentiment expressed outside of private conversations.

As our community here at The Equipped navigates this election season together, and as we aim toward flourishing, it is important for us to recognize the “why” behind the messaging of the campaigns. Simply put, fear motivates. If you fear your political enemy, you are more likely to vote and activate against them, and that remains true even if your ally hasn’t satisfactorily provided a solution to the underlying problem. As a result, real solutions become far less important for driving out votes than simply convincing voters of the shortcomings of the other candidate.

Friends, the Bible does not call us to neutrality. We are to seek the flourishing of our communities (Jer. 29:7) and actively work to defend the oppressed and the needy among us (Ps. 82:3-4). There is a very real struggle between good and evil in our world, and it plays out in politics just as it does elsewhere. But in order for our participation in the process to mean anything, we must care about solutions that point toward flourishing. It is not enough to simply identify the brokenness.

So, with less than two months before Election Day, when your preferred candidate, campaign, or source of information tells you breathlessly that it is the most important election ever because the other side is out to destroy you, press in and investigate the solution to the problem. True flourishing requires Jesus, and our civic participation should always point to Him.

U.S.

Postponements and Pleas

The legal cases pending against Donald Trump and Hunter Biden both had significant developments this week.

First, a federal judge postponed sentencing Donald Trump over his conviction for falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments. The delay means sentencing will now occur after the November election, a change requested by the former President’s legal team.

Meanwhile, Hunter Biden has again pleaded guilty to charges of tax evasion and is scheduled to be sentenced for those crimes on December 16. Biden had previously attempted to plead guilty as part of a plea deal, but it was rejected by the court. This week’s plea eliminates the need for a trial and leaves sentencing in the hands of the judge.

Analysis and eternal perspective: We have a habit of considering these two stories together, because it is crucial for us to exercise the muscle of laying aside our political preference in exchange for an honest pursuit of the truth. Proverbs 18:17 says, “In a lawsuit the first to speak seems right, until someone comes forward and cross-examines.”

Once again, the call is not to neutrality. But if the scales of justice are to work properly, the underlying facts in both cases must be what drives the ultimate outcome. You and I can use this dynamic to carefully evaluate our devotion to the even-handed application of justice over our own political preferences.

World

The Spirit of Adoption

The Chinese government has announced it is ending its 32-year-old international adoption program. The announcement comes as China struggles to reverse the challenges resulting from its one-child policy, which created a cultural bias against both family formation and the value of daughters. Now, as China seeks to reverse the inevitable result of a declining population, it will no longer place children into international adoptions.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Every child deserves a family, and our God has given us the spirit of adoption (Rom. 8:14-17). It is unsurprising but tragic that decades of restricting family formation would have negative ramifications, including a widespread lack of interest in raising a family. We should pray for a change of heart in Chinese culture, and for the raising up of strong families all across the country.

God has offered us the beautiful opportunity to take on his spirit of adoption. You were grafted into His family, and you can embody that spirit by participating in or supporting adoption in your family and community. There are unlimited ways to participate, including being aware of the adoptive and foster families in your community, and being intentional to support and encourage them.

If you have considered adopting from foster care, but been dissuaded by the financial challenge, please visit afearlesslife.org to learn how we can come alongside your adoption journey.

The Beautiful

A Sweet Sound

Proverbs 25:11 says, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.”

What a beautiful thing it is to have life-giving words spoken to and over you. May you experience that from God and others this week, and may you in turn be the vessel through which others experience the same!