Dependent on God’s Strength
Tungsten is something of a paradox. It has the highest tensile strength of any pure element, making it extremely difficult to pull apart. But the Mead Metal website notes, “In terms of impact strength, tungsten is weak—it’s a brittle metal known to shatter on impact.” It’s fascinating that tungsten, the strongest natural metal, is also so weak and brittle.
Human beings display a similar characteristic. Though capable of great strength both physically and mentally, we’re easily crushed under the weight of this fallen, broken world. Paul experienced this personally. In 2 Corinthians 11, he described experiences that overwhelmed him (vv. 23-29). But God encouraged him: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul resolved, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Earlier in 2 Corinthians, Paul had written, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed” (4:8). There’s hope, even though the strongest child of God knows all too well that this world is simply too much for us. We’re happily dependent on the strength of His grace if we are to endure. May we, like Paul, embrace our weaknesses so God’s power can carry us through.
No Fear of an Apocalypse
In 1859, the largest solar storm in recorded history took place. Known as the Carrington Event, it produced a massive geomagnetic disturbance blamed for disrupting the telegraph system. The website Space.com says, “It’s been conjectured that a storm on the scale of the Carrington event, if it happened today, could cause an internet apocalypse.”
The ominous word apocalypse intrigues us. It’s the Greek title of the book of Revelation (apokalupsis). But the word doesn’t only mean a catastrophe or the end of the world. As the title Revelation implies, it also refers to an unveiling, a revealing.
The book opens, “The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1). Revelation reveals Jesus as the Lamb of God, a term John uses more than twenty-five times in Revelation to describe Him. The book also reveals Christ as one whose “eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters” (vv. 14-15). When John first saw the Lamb of God, he “fell at his feet as though dead” (v. 17). But this Lamb touched him and said, “Do not be afraid. . . . I am alive for ever and ever!” (v. 18).
Rather than fearing any apocalypse, we can embrace Revelation for showing us the glorified, resurrected Christ. He’s the one we worship.
The Ends of the Earth
Kiribati, an island country in the Pacific Ocean, is the only nation in the world that exists in all four hemispheres of the globe. The thirty-three islands of Kiribati straddle both the equator and the 180th meridian. It’s also one of the most remote nations in the world.
We serve a God who cares about these remote places. As Jesus prepared His disciples for His return to heaven, He told them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). “To the ends of the earth” is a call to take the message of the gospel to the world’s most isolated spots. But the call wasn’t limited to remote places only. It included their current location of Jerusalem and the nearby regions of Judea and Samaria.
After Jesus gave these parting words to His disciples, “He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight” (v. 9). Two angels appeared and said, “This same Jesus . . . will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (v. 11).
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most important news anyone can ever hear. The challenge for us as His ambassadors is to share that news. With the Holy Spirit’s help, we can see that everyone—near and far—gets a chance to hear.
One in Christ
In January 1967, the town of Winneconne discovered it had been mistakenly omitted from the official Wisconsin state road map, costing the town vital tourist revenue. So the town decided to secede from Wisconsin and become its own sovereign state on July 21 of that year. Some say the secession was a move to embarrass the state government while others claim it was a tongue-in-cheek act of humor. In any case, months of negotiations resulted in state and town coming together, and Winneconne rejoined Wisconsin at 12:01 a.m. on July 22, 1967.
Most division isn’t as good-natured or as easily resolved. Division is such a threat that the book of Proverbs lists the “the person who stirs up conflict” (6:19) as one of “six things the Lord hates” (6:16).
But it’s not important simply because of the problems division causes. Disunity misrepresents Jesus and His Father. The night before the cross, Christ prayed that His followers would be one in Him, “that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21).
Jesus made it clear that our unity as brothers and sisters in Christ (or lack of it) impacts the world’s belief in Jesus! Perhaps that’s why Paul told the Ephesians, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). May we allow the Spirit of Christ to make us one—that the world may be drawn to Him.
Remembering to Forget
Author Richard Mouw tells of a black theologian from South Africa who struggled with dark memories of life under apartheid. Mouw wrote, “He told a story about an African child whose teacher asked her to define ‘memory.’ After thinking about it, the child said, ‘Memory is that thing that helps me to forget.’” Out of the mouths of babes! Her past held much she didn’t want to recall, so she wanted to remember the good things.
Many carry the scars of terrible, seemingly unforgettable things. But that child’s wisdom offers hope. If we learn to remember better things, those memories can strengthen us to move forward from our painful past. In Psalm 42, the psalmist feels like a deer running for its life. However, he also says, “These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng” (v. 4).
The singer’s memories of worshiping God encouraged him to praise, even in the midst of pain. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God” (v. 5). Remembering who our God is—and that we are His—can help us move beyond the painful past we can’t forget.
The Bone Wars
In the American West in the late-1800s, the search for dinosaur bones created the Bone Wars in which two paleontologists battled one another in their pursuit of making the most historic find. One writer noted how the two “used underhanded methods to try to outdo the other in the field, resorting to bribery, theft, and the destruction of bones.” He noted how, in trying to ruin each other’s work, both destroyed their own reputations as well.
Conflict and competition are inevitable in our broken world. How we choose to engage those conflicts reveals what’s in our hearts. Paul learned of conflict between two women in the church at Philippi and wrote, “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.” He asked a fellow believer to “help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel” (Philippians 4:2–3).
When we find ourselves at odds with fellow believers in Jesus, we need the Spirit’s help. As we submit to His work in our hearts, He’ll help us demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). We’ll experience healing and peace—if not for our own reputations, for the reputation of Christ and the gospel.
With Us in Our Loneliness
Henry David Thoreau described a city as a place where many people are “lonesome together.” Those words have the ring of truth. In my youth, songs like “Mr. Lonely,” “Only the Lonely,” and “Eleanor Rigby” focused on isolation and loneliness. In recent years the pandemic was one of the most isolating seasons the world has known. And social media can feed that loneliness, giving us connection without relationship. Perhaps loneliness is the new pandemic.
As Matthew shared the story of the birth of Jesus (1:18-25), he told us, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet [Isaiah]: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’” (vv. 22-23). Ponder that for a moment. God with us!
As believers in Jesus, we’re never alone. We’ve been born again into the family of Christ, a family that spans the globe and the ages. The apostle Paul said, “You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household” (Ephesians 2:19). We’re loved by the ever-present God, who said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
Whatever you’re facing today, your heavenly Father is present with you. Allow Him to help you as you step into life’s uncertainties and challenges. He’s with you.
Of First Importance
Thomas de Mahy was one of many aristocrats executed by rioting mobs during the French Revolution of the late eighteenth century. According to one legendary account, upon reading his death warrant, de Mahy responded, “I see that you have made three spelling mistakes.” If true, de Mahy pointedly disregarded a drastically more significant matter—his imminent death.
Today we’re in danger of unintentionally missing a crucial point, one that concerns the body of Christ (the church). There are those who would distort its purpose. Maybe we see the church as a political action committee or as a place to be served. Perhaps we see it as a mere religious institution. The church’s priority, however, has always been the good news of Jesus.
Paul told the believers at Corinth, “What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). While other things may have an appropriate time and place, the gospel is of first importance.
How can we be agents of God’s good news to a world so saturated with bad news? By asking God to empower us to share this good news whenever possible.
Growing Strong in God
As a boy, I loved reading stories about pirates. How those adventures spurred my imagination! Now I live in an area where one of the most infamous of those pirates—Blackbeard (real name: Edward Teach)—had his headquarters. Shipwrecked in the waters off the coast here is Blackbeard’s ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge.
We can easily romanticize the wrecks and the high-sea adventures of history. The apostle Paul, however, wrote about a very different kind of shipwreck that provides us with a caution and an exhortation. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul warned his son in the faith to “[hold] on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith” (1 Timothy 1:19). What is this “shipwreck”? Two men, Hymenaeus and Alexander, had in some devastating way departed from the true faith, and the apostle turned them over to Satan “to be taught not to blaspheme” (v. 20). Paul desired them to repent, but the consequences of their actions were dire.
Our faith isn’t static, nor can it exist in a vacuum. We must actively nurture and cultivate our relationship with God to grow strong and healthy in faith and good conscience. May we join with other believers, yield to God’s Spirit, and allow Him to work in us. We can avoid shipwreck.
Beauty Out of Tragedy
Coniston Water in England’s beautiful Lake District is a favorite vacation spot for families in the UK. The waters are perfect for boating, swimming, and other water sports. That beautiful setting, however, was also the site of great tragedy. In 1967, Donald Campbell was piloting his hydroplane Bluebird K7, seeking to break the world water speed record. He reached a top speed of 328 mph (528 km/h) but didn’t live to celebrate the achievement as Bluebird crashed, killing Campbell.
Tragic moments can happen in beautiful places. In Genesis 2, the Creator “took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (v. 15). The garden was a masterpiece, yet when placed in this paradise, the man and woman disobeyed God, bringing sin and death into His creation (3:6-7). Today, we continue to see the destructive effects of their tragic choice.
But Jesus came to offer life to us—people who were dead in our sins. The apostle Paul, referring to that, wrote, “Just as through the disobedience of the one man [Adam] the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man [Jesus Christ] the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). Because of Jesus, the most beautiful home of all awaits us.
Out of beauty came tragedy. And by God’s grace, out of tragedy came eternal beauty.
Daring Selection
As Franco Zeffirelli prepared to film his critically acclaimed version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, he made a daring decision. He chose two unknowns to play the lead characters and insisted they be close to the age of the characters as Shakespeare had penned them. Zeffirelli ultimately selected seventeen-year-old Leonard Whiting as Romeo and sixteen-year-old Olivia Hussey as Juliet.
Some might think that Jesus took a similar risk with the selection of His disciples, who would be charged with an infinitely more important role. The task of taking His message of forgiveness to the world would be entrusted to simple men who were, at the very least, undereducated. In fact, when some of these early believers in Jesus were arrested and questioned, the religious leaders were stunned. Acts 4:13 says, “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished.”
Any assumed risk was more than overwhelmed by the real story behind these simple fishermen: “They took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). The seemingly unqualified disciples had not only been with Christ, but they also had His promise to be with them always (Matthew 28:20). We share that promise as well (Hebrews 13:5) and can be assured that, in His presence and with His grace, no task set before us will be too great for Him.
No Ordinary People
The statement on the wall of my bank declared that its corporate principles could be summed up in a single word: courtesy. And how refreshing it was to find courtesy in the teller who helped me with my transaction there!
In a harsh and unkind world, to be driven by courtesy is a big idea. We find this concept in the apostle Paul’s letter to his friend Titus. He instructed Titus to remind his congregation “to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people” (Titus 3:1–2
How we treat others reveals whether we see them as image bearers of God or not. C. S. Lewis wrote of this in The Weight of Glory. “There are no ordinary people,” he said. “You have never talked to a mere mortal.” Lewis anticipated eternity, where we will either enjoy God’s presence or be banished from Him forever. So he reminded us, “It is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.”
May we allow the Spirit to enable us to treat those around as what they truly are—image bearers of God.
The Son of God
Recently, my brother Scott acquired our dad’s military service records from World War II. As I studied the pages, there was nothing startling or shocking—nothing about who Dad was. There were mere facts. Data. It was interesting to read but ultimately dissatisfying because I didn’t come away feeling like I learned anything new about Dad.
Thankfully, in giving us a record of the life and work of Jesus, the four gospels are much more than just data. They are descriptions that reveal who Jesus was in His time on this earth as well as what He did and said. In Mark’s gospel, that record was for the purpose of proving Mark’s thesis statement: “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (1:1). Immediately, Mark tells us how John the Baptist testified about this Messiah. John said, “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie” (v. 7). Mark’s account makes it clear that Jesus is the Son of God. As John the disciple added in his own account of Jesus’ life, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
The evidence of Jesus’ life is abundant. These questions remain: what does He mean to you? How has He changed your life?
Lament to Praise
Several legends surround the naming of the beautiful five-petaled flower the Forget-Me-Not. Among those stories is one from a German legend. According to the story, as God named all the plants He’d created, one little flower worried that it would be overlooked. So the flower called out “Forget-me-not, O Lord.’ And that’s the name God gave to it.
Though this is only a story, the Forget-Me-Not has become a symbol of love and remembrance. Yet all of us have experienced what it feels like to be forgotten. To be remembered—especially to be remembered by our God—is our heart’s true desire. We find just such a story in the account of the crucifixion of Jesus. Luke tells us, “Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with [Jesus] to be executed” (23:32). As they were being crucified, one criminal next to Christ suddenly understood. He said, “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom” (v. 42). Christ’s response was unforgettable: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (v. 43).
What an amazing moment! In his darkest hour, that criminal learned what it meant to be remembered by the Son of God.
We too are remembered in our hour of need. The God who loved us enough to die for us will never forget us.
Jesus—Our Place of Rest
In 1943, a camp in rural Maryland called Shangri-La was purchased as a retreat for US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Rustic, quiet, and remote, it provided “an opportunity for solitude and tranquility,” according to the White House website, “as well as an ideal place to work and host foreign leaders.” When Dwight Eisenhower became president, he renamed this retreat Camp David in honor of his grandson, and the name stuck. Aside from increased security measures, there has been very little modernizing of the camp. It remains the perfect place for the president and his family to escape and rest.
Believers in Jesus also have a retreat where we can find rest in the midst of our turbulent world. King David wrote in Psalm 32:7, “You [God] are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” David recognized that God was his true place of safety.
Jesus welcomes us to find rest and restoration in Him. He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29).
He can be our place of rest any time, every time, and all the time.
Perfectly Perfect Savior
The interior designer on the home improvement show raved about the handmade ceramic tiles selected for the home’s new shower area. Different from commercially manufactured tiles, which are all identical, these handcrafted pieces were “imperfectly perfect.” The imperfections gave each tile unique beauty, adding to the charm and style of an otherwise practical space.
I know little of style or charm, let alone how tiles might contribute positively or negatively to it. Yet while those tiles were imperfectly perfect, Jesus, in the incarnation (His coming to earth as a human being), was perfectly perfect. The writer of Hebrews affirmed, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). At no time during His earthly journey did Jesus speak a sinful word or commit a sinful act. He is perfectly perfect.
The encouragement for us, as Hebrews says, is to “hold firmly to the faith we profess” in Jesus (v. 14) because He understands and empathizes with the struggles we endure. He has been there and done that—but perfectly. Our perfectly perfect Savior can help us in all things.
The Appointment
On November 22, 1963, US president John F. Kennedy, philosopher and writer Aldous Huxley, and Christian apologist C. S. Lewis all died. Three well-known men with radically different worldviews. Huxley, agnostic, still dabbled in Eastern mysticism. Kennedy held to a humanistic philosophy. And Lewis was a former atheist who became an outspoken believer in Jesus. Death is no respecter of persons as all three of these well-known men faced their appointment with death on the same day.
The Bible says that death entered the human experience when Adam and Eve disobeyed in the garden on Eden (Genesis 3)—a sad reality that has marked human history. Death is the great equalizer or, as one person put it, the appointment that no one can avoid. This is the point of Hebrews 9:27, where we read, “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”
Where do we find hope about our own appointment with death and what follows? In Jesus. Romans 6:23 captures this truth perfectly, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” How did this gift of God become available? Jesus, the Son of God, died to destroy death and rose from the grave to offer us life forever (2 Timothy 1:10).
A Christlike Response
George was working on a construction job in the heat of the Carolina summer sun when someone living nearby walked into the yard where he was working. Clearly angry, the neighbor began to curse and criticize everything about the project and how it was being done. George received the verbal blows without response until the angry neighbor stopped yelling. Then he gently responded, “You’ve had a really hard day, haven’t you?” Suddenly, the angry neighbor’s face softened, his head dipped, and he said, “I’m sorry for the way I spoke to you.” George’s kindness had defused the neighbor’s wrath.
There are times when we want to strike back. To give abuse for abuse and insult for insult, anger for anger. What George modeled instead was a kindness seen most perfectly in the way Jesus bore the consequences of our sins. Peter describes Jesus’ reactions to abuse, “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).
All of us will face moments when we are misunderstood, misrepresented, attacked. We may want to respond in kind, but the heart of Jesus calls us to be kind. To pursue peace. To display understanding. As He enables you today, perhaps God could use you to bless someone enduring a hard day.
Built on Christ
We have all sorts of names for groups of animals. No doubt you’ve heard of a flock of sheep, a herd of cattle, or even a gaggle of geese. But some names may surprise you. A group of crows is called a murder. How about a congregation of alligators, or a crash of rhinoceroses? Have you heard of a building of rooks (Eurasian crows)?
Building, in fact, is one of the names in the Bible for believers in Jesus. “You are God’s building,” wrote the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 3:9). There are other names for believers as well. “The flock” (Acts 20:28); “the body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27); “brothers and sisters” (1 Thessalonians 2:14); and more.
The building metaphor recurs in 1 Peter 2:5, as Peter tells the church, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.” Then, in verse 6, Peter quotes Isaiah 28:16, “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone.” Jesus is the very foundation of His building.
We may have the sense that it’s our job to build the church, but Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18, emphasis added). We’re chosen by God to “declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). As we declare those praises, we become instruments in His hands as He does His good work.
Space Race
On June 29, 1955, the USA announced its intent to place satellites in space. Soon after, the Soviet Union declared its plans to do the same. The space race had begun. The Soviets would launch the first satellite (Sputnik) and place the first human in space when Yuri Gagarin orbited our planet one time. The race continued until, on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong’s “giant leap for mankind” on the surface of the moon would unofficially end the competition. A season of cooperation soon dawned, leading to the creation of the international space station.
Sometimes competition can be healthy, driving us to achieve things that otherwise we might not have attempted. At other times, however, competition is destructive. This was a problem at the church at Corinth as different groups latched on to various church leaders as their beacons of hope. Paul sought to address that when he wrote, “Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Corinthians 3:7), concluding “For we are co-workers” (v. 9).
Co-workers—not competitors. And not just with one another but with God Himself! Through His empowering and His guidance we can serve together as fellow workers to advance the message of Jesus, for His honor rather than our own.
