September 18, 2024

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

The True

The Tongue of Angels

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels…”

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge…”

“[I]f I have a faith that can move mountains…”

“If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast…”

Each of these hypotheticals from 1 Corinthians 13 not only seems like worthy goal, but in fact is a worthy goal.

Colossians 4:6 says we should speak beautifully and articulately: “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.”

Colossians 2:2-3 says we can and should pursue knowledge and understanding: “My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 says faith is the very substance of our life: “For we live by faith, not by sight.”

Psalm 82:3 tells us to prioritize the poor among us: “[U]phold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.”

These are good things! They are things to which we should aspire. They are even things that should mark and identify a follower of Jesus.

But they are not the end goal in and of themselves. It is so easy to miss this. It is so easy to observe articulate speech, or vast knowledge, or fervent faith, or abundant generosity and conclude it is an indication of a life yielded to Jesus. After all, those characteristics should be present as we follow Him!

But each of those conditional clauses in 1 Corinthians 13 is followed by a reminder about the value of these actions if accomplished in the absence of love:

“I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

“I am nothing.”

“I gain nothing.”

Friends, the infusion of love moves our actions from being worthless or even detrimental to a place where they carry the transcendent power of our heavenly Father!

So, this week, as you seek to lead a life of seasoned speech, growing knowledge, expanding faith, and abundant generosity, make sure it is motivated and fueled by genuine love. Further, when you encounter seemingly articulate, knowledgeable, fervent, and even generous acts around you, look for the infusion of love. Its absence makes even the tongue of angels a nuisance, but its presence is the greatest eternal gift of all!

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13:13).

U.S.

A Second Assassination Attempt

For the second time in a little more than two months, a shooter attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump. According to law enforcement, the shooter—who has since been identified and taken into custody—arrived in the early morning hours at the golf course Trump would play later in the day and camped out for nearly 12 hours before being noticed by Secret Service agents. The would-be shooter fled after being fired at by agents and was arrested after a short pursuit.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris both condemned the attack and joined former President Trump in calling for cooler heads to prevail.

Analysis and eternal perspective: If there were previously any doubt (which seems unlikely, given the extremely close call several weeks ago), it is now doubly clear we are in the midst of an exceptionally harrowing moment, and one in which every precaution against further violence must be taken. It is a moment where additional attacks must be expected, and in which there is no justification for being caught by surprise. There may be varying opinions about the cause or who is to blame, but there can be no denying the reality of the violent tinderbox of the moment. With less than seven weeks until the election, the protective security around all the candidates must be vigilant, and we as Jesus followers should be in fervent prayer for the safety and protection of the candidates and those around them.

We should also do a self-assessment about what we are contributing to the current political environment. While each of the candidates is issuing similar calls for calm, those admonitions ring more than a bit hollow when offered against the backdrop of campaign rhetoric that is clearly contributing to the current unrest.

However, while both campaigns should do self-reflection, and while they should be held accountable for their words and actions, it is unlikely for there to be an about-face at this stage. Further, as we often remind ourselves here at The Equipped, the freedom to debate and vigorously dissent is a cornerstone of a truly free people. A call to neutrality or an elimination of all passion in the public sphere is hardly the answer.

But for you and me, as Jesus followers, free debate is also anything but a license to lay aside the biblical admonitions to control our tongues rather than allow them to control us.

On the defensive side of this instruction, Proverbs 18:21 reminds us, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” As you and I speak truth, do we do it in love, or are we aiming our words destructively? I’ll answer for myself in this regard: I often fall short of this standard.

The tremendous news is that the alternative we have is bursting with life-giving potential. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” When you stand on and speak from the Word of God, it is not simply “cooler heads prevailing.” Very much to the contrary, that Word is alive and active and powerful to pierce through the toxic environment and reach the spirit and soul of those currently captured by this vitriolic moment in history.

It is easy to see calls for civility as sacrificing the edge in a cultural debate. The Truth—straight from scripture—is that by standing on the Word of God in a life-giving way, we are unleashing a power and a love far greater than our own. That is the path for traversing these next seven weeks alongside our neighbors who may hold differing political views.

World

Amassing an Army

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered yet another expansion of the Russian military, this time ordering that an additional 180,000 troops be added by December 1. Once accomplished, the Russian military will be the second largest in the world, moving past the United States and lagging behind only China. This despite the fact the ongoing war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of Russian soldier deaths (the estimates of Russian casualties are disputed, but the Ukrainian government estimates nearly a half million Russian casualties). With no end to the war in sight, it is likely this will not be the final expansion ordered by Putin.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Proverbs 30:15-16 paints a sobering picture of an insatiable desire: “There are three things that are never satisfied, four that never say, ‘Enough!’: the grave, the barren womb, land, which is never satisfied with water, and fire, which never says, ‘Enough!’”

What a desperate feeling it must be to live under the authority of a leader so intent on sending so many to die for a self-serving cause. It is a strain difficult to quantify, and one we as Jesus followers should be committed to taking to the throne room of God in prayer. Our brothers and sisters in Christ—image bearers of the most high God—are suffering and dying in both Russia and Ukraine, and there appears to be no end in sight to the insatiable power lust of President Putin.

Even so, the Earth trembles under the simple gaze of the almighty God (Ps. 104:32). There is no army that can compare, and no leader of an army who can stand in His presence. Let us together call on that power to be with so many who are suffering so greatly.

Business

Return to Normal

In the latest sign the COVID-19 pandemic is fully receding into the history books, Amazon has announced a return to five-day in-office work weeks, beginning in January 2025. While much of the U.S. workforce long ago returned to full in-person schedules, many large technology companies have continued operating on a hybrid model. Amazon has been requiring employees to be in the office three days a week since May 2023, and the return to fully staffed offices will occur just less than five years after employees moved to a model of mostly working from home at the onset of the pandemic in March 2020.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Some call it a return to normal, while others insist there is a permanent “new normal.” There is no doubt the COVID-19 pandemic—and the ensuing restrictions—significantly altered the “normal” rhythm of life in a way that is still reverberating today. The issue ignites passionate reactions in us like few other issues, and for understandable reasons—the pandemic both took loved ones and dramatically restricted the normal course of life.

As this story reminds us of the return to “normal,” let us be mindful of Matthew 24, in which Jesus points to a growing turmoil on the Earth which will intensify until the day of His return. Jesus says there will be “wars and rumors of wars” (v. 6), and a variety of other “birth pains” (v.8). But even amid all that turmoil, the Gospel will reach the whole world (v. 14)!

You, my friend, are the vessel for that spread of the Gospel! It is quite tempting for this story to dredge up all manner of anxiety and bitterness and dread, but it should actually invigorate you toward the purpose for which you were created—telling the world of the glory of your God! Your “new normal” speaks not of things so small as Earthly calamity, but rather about something as large as an eternal security with the God who transcends it all!

The Beautiful

A Tiny Huge Gift

“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food’” (Gen. 1:29).

It was just a tiny portion of creation, but an astounding gift from the Creator! An abundance of plants and trees for the purpose of food, and on top of it all, He adorned them with beauty! Take notice this week of the incredible gift of the flowers, plants, and trees!