In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.—Romans 6:11 (NIV)
Throughout the Lenten season, your identity is renewed through His resurrection. You are no longer bound by sin but have been given new life through Him. Remember this truth and let His love and righteousness flow through you.
Lord, may I live each day mindful of the power of Your resurrection.
For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes. ––Proverbs 24:16
How many active NFL placekickers can you name without doing a search? (I came up with three.)
Placekickers toil in relative anonymity until they either make a game-winning field goal, or miss one. It’s a job that entails hours of boredom punctuated by moments of terror (at least, that’s how imagine it). As of this writing, the highest paid NFL placekickers make $5 to $6 million per year, and the average kicker’s salary (including punters) is $860K. A quick search on my ESPN app reveals that kickers attempt around 35 field goals per season, and about 25 extra points (more XPs on a good team, less on a bad one). Would you turn down the chance to make $14.3K minimum every time you kicked a ball? (Me neither.)
For real though, I wouldn’t want a field goal kicker’s job. We can all think of a time when an errant kick in the final seconds of a game broke our hearts. Can you imagine having to live with that? You’re out to eat with your family and you overhear, “Hey, isn’t that what’s-his-name—the guy who choked and lost the playoffs for us?”
It’s one thing to choke in private; it’s an entirely different thing to do it on national television. But like every great kicker, we all choke from time to time. (Choke, as in, lose our nerve, our courage, or our focus in a critical moment.) Peter choked when he denied Jesus three times. The Sons of Thunder choked when they had their mom ask Jesus if they could sit on His right and left in heaven. Abraham choked when he lied about Sarah being his sister to save his own skin. David choked when he committed adultery, and then murder, to cover it up.
Whatever you call it—failure, face-planting, choking—it’s not fun. Mistakes and miscues turn into personal history, which turns into trauma that can haunt us unless we reconcile it—clear it from our spiritual and emotional balance sheet. Like a great kicker who bounces back after a shanked field goal, we go back to basics and mechanics: We are God’s men, our debts and mistakes already paid by Jesus. We turn to our team of guys for support. We hit the playbook—God’s Word—once again, and allow the Coach to give us new direction.
Father, help me give my mistakes to You and remind me that my identity is in Christ, not in anything I’ve ever done or failed to do.
As long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. Galatians 4:1
Today’s Scripture
Listen to Today’s Devotional
Today’s Insights
Huiothesia is used only five times in the New Testament (and only by Paul). This word, translated as “adoption to sonship” in Galatians 4:5, is packed with meaning. Huiothesia is a compound Greek word from huios (“son”) and thesia (“placing”). Adoption took place when a child (almost exclusively males in the ancient world) was placed in a family that lacked a suitable heir. With adoption came privileges, rights, and responsibilities of family membership. Paul used the term adoption, but the concept of family membership is also present in John’s writing: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! . . . Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:1-2).
Today’s Devotional
When Abigail’s parents died tragically in a car accident, she inherited a large real estate portfolio. She also learned that her parents had arranged to place the portfolio in a trust. For the time being, she could access only enough money for her college tuition. The rest would come when she was older. Abigail was frustrated, but she later realized her parents’ wisdom in planning a measured delivery of the inheritance.
In Galatians 4, Paul uses a similar example to illustrate Israel’s situation as promised heirs of God’s covenant with Abraham. God had made a covenant with Abraham to bless him, and circumcision was a sign of that promise (see Genesis 17:1-14). However, the sign wasn’t the promise. Abraham’s descendants would await a future descendant who would fulfill it. Isaac was born and pointed to the future birth of a Son who would redeem God’s people (Galatians 4:4-5).
Israel, like Abigail, had to wait until the “time set by his father” (v. 2). Only then could Israel take full possession of the inheritance. What they wanted immediately would arrive in due time with Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. All who put their faith in Christ were no longer slaves to sin, “but God’s child” (v. 7). A new covenant has been established. We have access to God! We can call him “Abba, Father” (v. 6).
Reflect & Pray
If you profess Jesus as Savior, how are you no longer a slave to sin but a child of God? What does it mean to know Him as Father?
Loving Father, thank You for sending Your Son to address the sin problem of the world.
Discover how salvation can impact every area of your life.
For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.
Ephesians 6:12 (AMPC)
A careful study of Ephesians 6 informs us that we are in a war, and that our warfare is not with other human beings but with the wicked one. Our enemy, Satan, attempts to defeat us with lies and deceit, through well-laid plans and deliberate deception.
Jesus called the devil “the father of lies and of all that is false” (John 8:44). He lies to you and me. He tells us things about ourselves, about other people, and about circumstances that are just not true. He usually does not, however, tell us the entire lie all at one time.
He begins by bombarding our mind with a cleverly devised pattern of little nagging thoughts, suspicions, doubts, fears, wonderings, reasonings, and theories. He moves slowly and cautiously. Remember, he has a strategy for his warfare.
Satan has studied us for a long time and knows what we like and what we don’t like. He knows our insecurities, weaknesses, and fears. He knows what bothers us most and is willing to invest any amount of time it takes to defeat us. But we can outlast the enemy through the power of the Holy Spirit and through learning the truth of God’s Word!
Prayer of the Day: Lord, please help me recognize the enemy’s lies and stand firm in Your truth. Empower me through Your Holy Spirit to outlast every attack and live in the victory and the good plan You have for my life, amen.
“We’re living in the branch of history it created”
Five years ago today, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.
Just reading that sentence brings back horrible memories for me, as I’m sure it does for you. Images of portable morgues, patients dying alone in isolation wards, people masking out of fear of everyone they meet. It seemed nearly everything was shut down, from restaurants and businesses to schools and churches. No one knew when a vaccine would arrive, assuming one could be developed.
More than seven million people are confirmed to have died from the virus, though some estimates suggest the pandemic has actually caused between nineteen and thirty-six million deaths worldwide.
But these numbers, as horrific as they are, don’t begin to tell the whole story.
“It shattered our cities and disordered society”
According to New York Times columnist David Wallace-Wells, we’re living in the “branch of history” the pandemic created, one whose “contours are only now coming into view.” He writes: “We tell ourselves we’ve moved on and hardly talk about the disease or all the people who died or the way the trauma and tumult have transformed us. But Covid changed everything around us.”
Among the changes he lists, I found these especially relevant for today’s article:
Wallace-Wells concludes: “Perhaps the biggest shock was realizing we still live in history—and at the mercy of biology.” Foreign Policy agrees, warning that “the status quo won’t save us from the next pandemic” and urging immediate steps to construct a global system for responding more effectively to future pandemic threats.
Saying more prayers is not the answer
While political leaders and public health officials will be on the front lines of the next pandemic, you and I are on the front lines of culture now. There is only one answer to our hyperindividualism, social Darwinism, broken faith in leaders, and shattered and disordered society.
It is not a revival of religion, though Wallace-Wells notes that the pandemic “may have halted the years-long decline of Christianity in America.” The cultural Christianity that passes for religion in our secularized society is no match for biology and the disasters it produces in our fallen world.
You may be surprised to hear me say this, but being more religious—going to more church services, reading more Bible texts, and saying more prayers—is not the answer in itself. Nor will the anodyne and customized “spirituality” of our day meet the moment.
Instead, we need what humans have always needed.
“Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
Luke 24 tells us that a group of women went to Jesus’ tomb “on the first day of the week,” where they were shocked to find it empty (vv. 1–3). Then two angels met them, asking: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (v. 5).
This is such a powerful question still today.
We “seek the living among the dead” whenever we treat Jesus as anything or anyone other than our living Lord. When he is an idea, a theology, a model, or a movement, he is as dead as if he were Buddha or Muhammad. When we seek and encounter him as a living person, only then do we experience the strength, wisdom, and peace he alone can give us amid the crises we face.
The problem is that it’s hard in our materialistic culture to seek that which must be known through faith rather than through experience. We understand cemeteries, not resurrections. We’re comfortable with theology, less with Theo.
But when we meet the living Lord for ourselves, as two men did later that first Easter Sunday, we hear his word to us (v. 27). We experience his presence in prayer and worship (v. 30). Then our eyes are “opened” and our “hearts burn within us” (vv. 31–32). And we are compelled to tell others what we have experienced (vv. 33–35), so they can experience him as well (vv. 36–49).
And a religion about Jesus becomes a transforming relationship with him.
God is “able to make all grace abound to you”
This is a day to remember the millions who died from the pandemic and the multiplied millions who still grieve their loss. It is a day to pray for our leaders and public health officials in the assumption that more pandemics are in our future.
And it is a day to seek a deeper, more intimate relationship with the living Lord Jesus than we have ever known. Why?
In short, as Paul testified, “he is able” (2 Timothy 1:12).
Where would you say you are on your faith journey with him today?
NOTE: I frequently write articles for our website on breaking news and current events. I invite you to visit our website daily for more content from me and our writing team.
Quote for today:
“How wonderful to know that Christianity is more than a padded pew or a dim cathedral, but that it is a real, living, daily experience which goes on from grace to grace.” —Jim Elliot
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by John D. Morris, Ph.D.
“The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee.” (Deuteronomy 33:27)
The third verse of “I Am His, and He Is Mine” recalls former times of alarm, fear, and doubt but testifies of the rest and peace in God’s love, cradled in the “everlasting arms” of the Savior.
Things that once were wild alarms Cannot now disturb my rest;
Closed in everlasting arms, Pillowed on the loving breast!
O to lie forever here, Doubt and care and self resign,
While He whispers in my ear—I am His and He is mine.
This verse reminds us of the evening when Jesus and His disciples were in a boat and a violent storm arose. They awoke Jesus from His sleep and cried, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38). Of course Jesus cared, for He loved them. So “he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still” (v. 39). To His disciples, He said, “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” (v. 40). The time would come when they would need that faith and peace. They would learn to rest in His loving care.
The song also reminds us of the special loving relationship between Jesus and the disciple John. “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23). A deep intimacy with Him was John’s and can be ours if we will only pillow our head on Him. No passage expresses that intimacy as well as the Song of Solomon, using the analogy of husband and wife to reflect the self-sacrificing love between our Lord and His children. “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine” (Song of Solomon 6:3). The affairs of this life interrupt our times of intimacy with Him, but there will be a day when we will “ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). JDM
I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. — Acts 26:19
When Jesus Christ appeared to Paul and told him to preach the gospel, there was nothing hesitant about Paul’s response: he obeyed, keeping the vision from heaven bright before him as he began fulfilling his commission (Acts 26:12–19). If we lose the vision, we alone are responsible; it means that we’ve been lax and careless in our spiritual lives. The only way to be obedient to the vision God sends is to give our utmost for his highest, and this can only be done by continually and resolutely recalling the vision, while working steadily to realize it. The test is to keep the vision in our sights not only during times of prayer and devotion but sixty seconds of every minute, sixty minutes of every hour.
“Though it linger, wait for it” (Habakkuk 2:3). We cannot rush the fulfillment of a vision; we have to live in its light until it accomplishes itself through us. Sometimes, after we receive a vision, we grow impatient. We go racing off into practical work, hoping to speed things along. Then the work becomes our focus, and we lose sight of the vision. We don’t even notice when it has been fulfilled! Working to realize the vision is necessary, but we must work steadily, without rush or force, and only when and where God chooses. Our ability to wait for the vision that lingers is a test of our loyalty to him.
After God gives a vision to his disciple, he always sends a whirlwind, flinging his disciple to the place where the seed of the vision will take root and grow. Are you ready to be sown, so that the vision can fulfill itself through you? The answer depends on whether or not you’re living in the light of what you’ve seen. Let God fling you out, and don’t go until he does. If you try to dictate where you’ll go, you’ll prove empty. But if you let God sow you, you will bring forth fruit.
Deuteronomy 14-16; Mark 12:28-44
Wisdom from Oswald
The Christian Church should not be a secret society of specialists, but a public manifestation of believers in Jesus. Facing Reality, 34 R
Submit yourselves therefore to God . . .
—James 4:7
You have a tongue and a voice. These instruments of speech can be used destructively or employed constructively. You can use your tongue to slander, to gripe, to scold, to nag, and to quarrel; or you can bring it under the control of God’s Spirit and make it an instrument of blessing and praise. The 20th-century version of James 3:3 says, “When we put bits into the horses’ mouths to make them obey us, we control the rest of their bodies also.” Just so, when we submit to the claims of Christ upon our lives, our untamed natures are brought under His control. We become meek, tamed, and “fit for the Master’s service.”
Prayer for the day
I would be under Your control, Lord Jesus Christ. Take away the pride that keeps me from complete submission.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.—Matthew 4:1 (NIV)
Just as Jesus entered the desert, you too may face times of spiritual thirst and temptation. Know that these trying times can be transformative. Ask God for His help to turn to Him for strength and power.
Dear Lord, guide me in the wilderness, strengthen me amidst temptation, and grant me victory through Your Spirit.
When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up––one on one side, one on the other––so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. ––Exodus 17:12-13
God is in the disruption business. As much as we may resist or protest when changes come crashing in, God loves to use disruption to get us out of our seats and into the game. And in the Kingdom, disruption is different than interruption:
Interruption: A temporary pause or setback that may or may not lead to positive spiritual change.
Disruption: A lasting or permanent change that may or may not have been caused by God, but if surrendered to Him, can be used to mature us spiritually.
For example, Moses’ privileged life in Egypt was interrupted when the Egyptian soldier beat a Hebrew slave and Moses retaliated. (See Exodus 2:11-12.) But God disrupted Moses’ new life in Midian when He revealed Himself in the burning bush and commanded Moses to return to Egypt to free His people. This account in Exodus 3 reveals much about Moses (and you and me) as well as about the nature of God:
God always makes it difficult for us to feel comfortable when we languish in spiritual deserts. Been burned in a relationship and then vowed, “Never again”? Been laid off or fired unfairly or unjustly? Lost someone close to you and now you’ve closed yourself off to a hopeful future?
God loves you too much to allow you to remain stuck somewhere between the drama and your destiny. He will part seas to get you moving. He will disrupt the “comfortable” on purpose to shake you awake, whisper directions in your ear, help you to your feet, dust you off, open the door, and set you on the path.
But brother, when He disrupts, you need to get up. The great news is that He’s designed this whole disruption business so we don’t have to do it solo. If you ask Him, He will give you companions. An Aaron and a Hur to hold up your arms. Surrender your disruptions and He will turn them into part of your Kingdom destiny.
Father, thy will be done and thy Kingdom come in my life. Give me the courage and grit to endure disruptions and to fully give them over to You so You can lead me into the plan You have for me.
Christians around the world face harassment, arrest, displacement, or murder on a daily basis, particularly in Communist and Islamic countries.
From the Christian genocide in Syria to the jihad violence in Nigeria and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to calls for widespread rape of Christians in an Indian province to the government crackdowns in China and Iran, Christians in many nations constantly have to make the choice between their faith and their freedom — or their lives.
Multiple recent stories published on International Christian Concern’s (ICC) Persecution.org illustrate the increasing gravity and threat of Christian persecution, especially in Africa and Asia. For instance, the Islamic Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) are causing deadly havoc in the DRC. In the previously “thriving” village of Mutwanga, over a hundred residents were murdered, and homes stand empty and ravaged.
“The night was filled with the sounds of gunfire,” said Mutwanga survivor Jeremie Mahembe. “I heard my neighbors screaming, but there was nothing I could do. I escaped with my children, but my wife … she did not make it, she was killed. The attackers were everywhere, death shadows. I never thought I would live to see the day my life, my home, would be destroyed in an instant.”
Chief Kighoma said that jihadis even target children and the elderly: “It is as if the earth has swallowed us whole.”
Pastor Munduwighulu mourned the indifference of the world: “We are not animals, but what has been done to us is worse than anything imaginable. How many more people must die before the world acts?”
Unfortunately, much of the world, including “Christian” nations, is so obsessed with mourning Gaza terrorists (who also persecute Christians) that it has no time for innocent African Christians. ICC said hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced in DRC, where sexual violence and looting are rampant.
ICC also highlighted the recent arrests of multiple Iranian Christians by the terror-sponsoring Islamic dictatorship in that country. On March 7, ICC reported the arrests of Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh in Parand and Joseph Shahbazian in Tehran, who have been arrested before for involvement with home churches. They had been sentenced to years in prison before being released early but have again been arrested. Back on Feb. 26, Somayeh Rajabi was arrested during a raid of a Christian gathering:
Agents from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stormed the gathering, which occurred in Gatab, and confiscated Bibles, phones, and musical instruments. Agents reportedly ripped crosses from individuals’ necks and forced the Christians to divulge the passwords to their electronic devices. According to Article 18, agents also stopped emergency medical assistance from reaching the Christians.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party is openly boastful of its anti-Christian persecution. ICC cited CCP state propaganda outlet Global Times, which pretends that devout Christians are cult members: “China’s public security authorities intensified efforts to dismantle cult organizations in 2024. They have worked to curb the growth and spread of cult organizations, mitigating potential threats to national political security and maintaining social stability.”
ICC explained:
China is known to have forced abortions on its citizens, sterilized women without their consent, and murdered religious minorities to sell their organs on the black market. Christian home churches are an attempt to escape government scrutiny, but even they are often raided and their members arrested on charges of working against the interests of the state.
China is a world leader in the use of technology to surveil and repress its citizens… Chinese government officials use the data captured by this system to track and control those it deems a danger to the state. Notably, this includes anybody associated with the unregistered house church movement and anyone else who might desire to practice religion outside the confines of the state-run institutions.
If a vengeful government turns Chinese citizens’ digital QR codes red, the citzens cannot go anywhere or buy anything.
Pray for persecuted Christians and urge our Western leaders, especially in the U.S., to acknowledge the global crisis of Christian persecution.
Catherine Salgado | 1:00 PM on March 10, 2025
Source: Christian Persecution Still Rampant Globally – PJ Media
We rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart. Nehemiah 4:6
Today’s Scripture
Listen to Today’s Devotional
Today’s Insights
Nehemiah is a gripping account of inspiring leadership during intense opposition. The Bible introduces us to other heroic figures during this time of exile and restoration. Daniel was betrayed by rival advisors but survived a den of lions (Daniel 6). His three Jewish friends were also betrayed yet endured a burning furnace (3:8-25). Esther stood up to a genocide planned by Haman, “the most powerful official in the empire” (Esther 3:1 NLT; see chs. 4-8). In a period when Israel wondered if they’d ever have security in their dispersion or in their homeland, God provided hope. He inspired courageous leaders and supernaturally protected His people by turning the tables on their enemies
Today’s Devotional
During a trip to Brazil with a short-term missions team, we helped construct a church building in the Amazon jungle. On the foundation, already laid, we assembled the various parts of the church like a giant LEGO set: supporting columns, concrete walls, windows, steel beams for the roof, and tiles on the roof. Then we painted the walls.
Some people were concerned because they wondered if we could build the church in time during monsoon season. But by God’s grace, the intense rain held off. With help from a few locals and despite various obstacles, we got the job done in record time.
When Nehemiah and the Israelites returned from exile to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, they faced many obstacles. When their enemies found out what they were doing, they were furious and insulted them (Nehemiah 4:1-3). But Nehemiah prayed and the people persevered together: “We rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart” (v. 6). When their foes threatened to attack, the Israelites prayed and kept guard as they worked (vv. 7-23). They rebuilt the wall in fifty-two days.
Sometimes we’re faced with a daunting task. Obstacles appear in our way, and we and our brothers and sisters in Christ can lose hope. But times like this can be a triumphant moment with God’s help. Trust Him to hold off the rainstorms and look to Him to overcome.
Reflect & Pray
Why is it hard to live in unity? How can you work together with others?
Dear God, please help me to seek unity with other believers in Jesus.
For further study, read Missing the Mission: Disciples in an Age of Abundance
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 (NLT)
How are we transformed? According to this scripture, we are transformed by learning to think in a completely different way. This is a large part of being a successful Christian. You will not be a victorious Christian just because you go to church, own different translations of the Bible, or have a large library of Christian teachings. You will not have victory unless you learn to transform your thoughts.
The word transformed means “to change into another complete form, to totally change the appearance of, to convert.” I love that because when people accept Christ as their Savior, we say they have been “converted.” First God converts us, and then He converts everything else in our lives by helping us convert (renew) our thinking.
Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me renew my mind with Your Word. Transform my thinking so that I can live a victorious life and reflect Your will in everything I do.
How to live above the partisan noise of our day
Some news is tragic no matter your politics, such as Friday’s announcement that Gene Hackman died from heart disease and Alzheimer’s a week after his wife died of a respiratory illness linked to rodents. But some news make headlines precisely because of politics, such as the comments of MSNBC’s Nicolle Wallace and Rachel Maddow following President Trump’s speech to Congress last week. Both focused on DJ Daniel, a thirteen-year-old brain cancer survivor who has always dreamed of being a police officer. During the speech, the president said to him, “I am asking our new Secret Service director, Sean Curran, to officially make you an agent of the United States Secret Service.”
After the speech, Wallace said, “I hope he has a long life as a law enforcement officer,” but added that she hopes he “never has to defend the United States Capitol against Donald Trump’s supporters.” Maddow called Daniel’s inclusion in Mr. Trump’s speech “disgusting,” accusing the president of making a “spectacle” of the boy’s illness while claiming that DOGE cuts have “cut off funding for ongoing research into pediatric cancer.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called their responses “sad and frankly pathetic.” And DJ’s father said Maddow “needs to shut her mouth if she has nothing nice to say.” He added, “This lady didn’t even serve time in the military. I was on the USS Kitty Hawk. She does not need to put her bad energy on us.”
Why we need “two strong and healthy parties”
The first time I traveled in Europe, I was surprised to discover the monolithic nature of the various cultures I experienced. Most of these countries have a history dating back millennia. Over the centuries, many have self-selected into particular demographics, languages, and societies.
When people came from these various countries to the New World, however, they created a nation of colonies that became states, many with widely different cultures. The Founders’ solution was to make a governmental system that recognized and gave agency to these various constituents.
As Yuval Levin shows in his brilliant book, American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation—and Could Again, the checks and balances built into our governance are a feature, not a bug. Our leaders are elected by districts and regions with very specific social features. Then they work together to represent these constituencies while serving the common good. Our president is the only leader elected by the entire nation; everyone else represents America’s broad diversity in hopes of fulfilling our national motto, E Pluribus Unum, “out of many, one.”
As a result, partisan agendas and political parties that reflect and advance them are a necessary part of our democracy. As Peggy Noonan writes in her latest Wall Street Journal column, “two strong and healthy parties vying for popular support is good for the country.”
Who was “the most trusted man in America”?
While our governance was intended to represent the spectrum of subjective partisan politics, the media is a different story. The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of the press. But no one elects the press, nor are they paid a government salary for their service. As a result, media is a business that must make money, typically through subscribers and advertisers.
For much of my lifetime, they did so by being objective. People watched Walter Cronkite each evening because he was widely considered “the most trusted man in America.” No one knew what partisan views he espoused personally. Media platforms made money by appealing to the broadest possible audiences, primarily through their objectivity. Newspapers had opinion sections, of course, and were known in these sections for partisan alignments, but the rest of the paper was thought to be objective reporting.
Then came cable news, disrupting the “big three” networks by offering a plethora of competitors, and social media, disrupting the “legacy” news organizations in the same way. Competition for “eyeballs and clicks” grew fierce. As analytical data enabled platforms to target specific demographics, media began focusing on particular partisan audiences. Companies began advertising on platforms targeting the audiences they felt were most likely to buy or consume their products.
As a result, Nicolle Wallace and Rachel Maddow know precisely the political views of their constituents and spoke to them after the president’s address. Those who disagree with these views will obviously disagree with their comments. Those who agree with these views will applaud their responses.
The Founders relied on a commitment to objective truth and consensual biblical morality to unify the disparate factions of the nation. Now that our “post-truth,” post-Christian culture has abandoned both, it is hard to see a path forward for our secularized society short of a unifying national crisis.
The good news is that there is a way to live above partisan noise and conflict available to any who will choose it.
“It’s not about success and failure”
The Westminster Shorter Catechism states, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
The former leads to the latter.
Because we are “created for [his] glory” (Isaiah 43:7), we are to “glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20) and in all we do: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
This is not because God is a divine egotist. Rather, when we seek to honor and revere God, we humble ourselves as creatures before our Creator. We serve a cause greater than our fallen “will to power” and partisan agendas. And the closer we get to him, the closer we draw to each other.
In this way, when our “chief end is to glorify God,” we “enjoy him forever”—in this world and the next.
Pastor and author Mark Batterson wrote:
“It’s not about success and failure. It’s not about good days and bad days. It’s not about wealth or poverty. It’s not about health or sickness. It’s not even about life or death. It’s about glorifying God in whatever circumstance you find yourself in.”
Do you agree?
Quote for the day:
“We must learn that the glory of God is to be preferred before all other things.” —Ezekiel Hopkins (1633–1690)
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by John D. Morris, Ph.D.
“And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food.” (Genesis 2:8-9)
Everything in the garden of Eden was prepared for man’s enjoyment. In the time between creation and the Curse, Adam and Eve no doubt fully enjoyed the vegetation (Genesis 2:5, 9, 15-16), the animals (vv. 19-20), the atmosphere and the weather (vv. 5-6), the rivers and the raw materials (vv. 10-14), each other (vv. 18, 21-25), and fellowship with God (3:8). But soon they rebelled and were driven from the beautiful garden (3:24). Ever since, mankind’s ability to enjoy creation has been somewhat shackled, for creation was distorted by sin, and the eyes of each one of us have become dull. The second verse of the well-loved hymn “I Am His, and He Is Mine” describes a partial reopening of the eyes of a believer upon salvation as a love gift from our Lord.
Heav’n above is softer blue, Earth around is sweeter green;
Something lives in ev’ry hue Christless eyes have never seen!
Birds with gladder songs o’erflow, Flowers with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as now I know, I am His and He is mine.
In His abundant love for His children, our Lord promises to supply all our needs once again. “Why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6:28-29). Creation’s beauty waits to thrill us and instruct us. Our loving Father wills it so. But creation will be fully restored soon, and “the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing” (Isaiah 35:1-2). He beckons us to join Him in His kingdom. JDM
Preach the word. — 2 Timothy 4:2
We aren’t saved to be mere mouthpieces for God; we’re saved to be his sons and daughters. God has no interest in turning his preachers into passive channels. He wants vigorous, alert, wide-awake men and women with all their powers and faculties intact. God’s disciples are spiritual messengers, not spiritual mediums, and the message they deliver must be part of themselves.
The Son of God was his message. His words were Spirit and life (John 6:63). As disciples, we must become the examples of what we preach; our lives must become the very sacrament of our message. It is natural to want to serve and give to others—that desire lies in most human hearts. But it takes a heart broken by the conviction of sin, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and crumpled into the purposes of God to turn a life into the sacrament of its message.
There is a difference between giving testimony and preaching. Anyone who is saved can give testimony. A preacher is someone who has answered the call of God and is determined to use every power to proclaim God’s truth. God takes his preachers out of their own ideas for their lives and shapes them for his use, just as the disciples were after Pentecost. Pentecost did not teach the disciples anything; it made them the embodiment of their message: “You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).
Before God’s message can liberate other souls, the liberation must be real in you. Gather the material you wish to preach, and set it alight. Let God have perfect liberty when you speak.
Deuteronomy 11-13; Mark 12:1-27
Wisdom from Oswald
Jesus Christ is always unyielding to my claim to my right to myself. The one essential element in all our Lord’s teaching about discipleship is abandon, no calculation, no trace of self-interest.Disciples Indeed, 395 L
. . . not having mine own righteousness . . .
—Philippians 3:9
People go through many doors which do not lead to the Kingdom of God. Some try the door of good works. They say, “I can get to heaven if I only do enough good things, because God will honor all the good things I do.” It’s wonderful to do good things, but we cannot do enough good things to satisfy God. God demands perfection, and we’re not perfect. If we’re going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we have to be absolutely perfect. You ask, “Well, how will I ever be perfect?” We need to be clothed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus. There is one door to the Kingdom and it’s Jesus. And we will never get to heaven unless we go His way.
What Is “The Gospel” and What Does It Mean for Your Life?
Prayer for the day
Almighty God, there is nothing I can do to be worthy of Your love, and yet You have given me Jesus—my Savior and Lord!
He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?—Micah 6:8 (NKJV)
God calls you to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with Him. This isn’t just a suggestion, but a requirement for those who follow Him. As you humble yourself before Him, strive for justice, and show mercy to others, you reflect His heart to the world around you.
Dear Lord, help me to follow Your guidance so that my thoughts and actions reflect Your heart in all I do.
Take good counsel and accept correction—
that’s the way to live wisely and well.
We humans keep brainstorming options and plans,
but God’s purpose prevails.
––Proverbs 19:20-21, msg
Do you have friends who constantly interrupt you? Or just as bad, don’t listen as they just wait for you to finish so they can talk? Yeah, annoying. Life is full of interruptions, though, and they come in all shapes and sizes. From being interrupted in a conversation, to having someone cut in front of you at the grocery store, to being cut off on the freeway. Irritating interruptions. (I admit to listening to worship music in my car and then in less than a second turning into a yelling, angry driver. Anyone else?)
The greatest interrupter is our enemy, who loves to interrupt our thoughts and actions when we are walking with God, doing His good works, and pursuing His will. Think about how many “to do” items pop into your head when you are trying to pray? (Well, it’s a problem for me. If you don’t have that issue, good on ya.) Or think about times when you step out in boldness to volunteer, agree to lead, or begin a fast or spiritual exercise. I don’t know about you, but Chrissy and I often joke, “Well, the enemy’s not happy about (fill in the blank), so it must be a Kingdom project!”
The first interruption in human history was when the snake slithered into the Garden and poured poisoned words into Eve’s ear. Think about what Adam and Eve had going for them: eternal life in paradise on Earth; an unlimited amount of food; no need to toil or work; and most amazing of all, full access to the Lord of the universe. Then, the great Fall (we all know the rest of that story).
Man of God, don’t allow the enemy to interrupt the things that God wants to do in your life. Passive resistance won’t cut it. We need to take up all the armor of God in order to aggressively fight the enemy, who is constantly on the attack (Ephesians 6:10-13). He will try to persuade you to skip your prayer time, ditch your Bible for a few more funny YouTube videos, and to convince you that you’re too busy to volunteer or go on that short-term missions trip.
This Christian life is not a spectator sport. We must get out of our chairs, engage with the world, the flesh, and the devil, and invite Jesus into every spiritual interruption that Satan throws at us.
Father, help me recognize the difference between life’s normal interruptions and the toxic work the enemy is trying to do to derail my relationship with You. Keep me sharp and on my guard.
Do not worry about your life. Matthew 6:25
Today’s Scripture
Listen to Today’s Devotional
Today’s Insights
In Matthew 6:25-34, Jesus promises to provide for our needs. One of the most dramatic examples of God’s comprehensive care took place in the desert as the Israelites journeyed to the promised land. They were totally dependent on the divine Shepherd during their forty-year trek. And, just as God provides for the birds (Matthew 6:26) and clothes the flowers (vv. 28-29), He provided food for His people and clothing that didn’t wear out (Deuteronomy 8:3-4)! Moses explained the purpose of the wilderness classroom: “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna . . . to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” (v. 3). Our physical cravings are meant to reveal a deeper, spiritual dependence on God whose words sustain us. We can spend our energy focused on His interests, knowing He’ll take care of all our needs (Matthew 6:33).
Today’s Devotional
Nancy feared the future, seeing only trouble. Her husband Tom had fainted three times during a hiking trip in rural Maine. But doctors at a small nearby hospital found nothing wrong. At a larger medical center, where doctors conducted additional tests, they also found no problem. “I was very afraid,” Nancy stated. As her husband was released, she questioned the cardiologist one last time, asking, “What do we do now?” He gave her words of wisdom that forever changed her outlook. “Go live your life,” he said. “It wasn’t in a flippant way,” Nancy recalls. “It was his advice to us.”
Such guidance captures Jesus’ instruction in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25). Such guidance doesn’t say to ignore medical or other problems or symptoms. Instead, Christ simply said, “Do not worry” (v. 25). He then asked, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (v. 27).
The prophet Isaiah offered similar wisdom. “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, do not fear; your God will come’ ” (Isaiah 35:4). For Nancy and Tom, they’re inspired now to walk more than five miles a day. No longer walking with worry, they step out with joy.
Reflect & Pray
What’s your greatest fear? How can giving your worry to Christ enhance your life?
If I’m feeling worried today, dear Jesus, please grant me confidence to give my fear to You as I live out Your peace.
Discover how to turn anxiety into purposeful action.
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