I love you, Lord, my strength.—Psalm 18:1 (NIV)
Get in the habit of asking Jesus for His help when you need courage. Pray, “Jesus, make me strong.” Know that He will empower you to overcome whatever challenge lies ahead.
Almighty Father, thank You for giving me the strength I need to rise above every obstacle, to endure what might seem unendurable—to prevail!
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ––1 Corinthians 12:12
Body Politic: in Western political thought, an ancient metaphor by which a state, society, or church and its institutions are conceived of as a biological (usually human) body.
Let’s talk politics.
Did you just get triggered? Think back 20—or even 10—years to the political landscape in the US. Things have become progressively more divided and contentious. No matter what side of the political fence you sit on—Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, etc.—it’s become increasingly difficult to talk politics in mixed company. Heck, it’s become increasingly difficult at the dinner table.
For God’s man, we approach politics as we do everything else: from Jesus’ perspective. To understand His approach, we need context. Jesus was constantly correcting those who thought He had come to liberate the Jews from the political rule of the Romans. He wasn’t a politician—He was much greater than that.
In Mark 12 Jesus’ enemies try to trip Him up by asking whether or not the Jews should pay Roman taxes. Seeing the trap, Jesus asks for a denarius and says, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17). Notice the two parts of His response? In this one sentence Jesus gives us what we need to know about political involvement: respect the governing authorities, but respect God’s authority even more.
God’s men are citizens of an eternal Kingdom. That is where our first loyalties lie. But anyone who tells you that Jesus wasn’t political, or that politics has no place in the Church, doesn’t understand the meaning of the word. From God’s perspective, and as the definition above tells us, the “body politic” is an institution “conceived of as a biological body.” We are the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). That’s why Paul talks about the various parts of the body—the hands, the feet—and how we all have a role to play (using our unique and varied gifts) in God’s body. We are the body of Christ—we are a body politic, just not one made with human hands. Jesus wants us to see our earthly political landscape through an eternal Kingdom lens. When we do that, we can act and vote with the right priorities in mind.
Father, help me see politics through Your eyes and not my own.
Bible in a Year :
Live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way.
Today’s Scripture & Insight :
Colossians 1:3-12
As I prepared for my mom’s celebration of life service, I prayed for the right words to describe her “hyphen years”—the years between her birth and death. I reflected on the good and not-so-good times in our relationship. I praised God for the day my mom accepted Jesus as her Savior after she saw Him “changing” me. I thanked Him for helping us grow in faith together and for the people who shared how my mom encouraged and prayed for them while showering them with kindness. My imperfect mom enjoyed a meaningful hyphen—a life well-lived for Jesus.
Not one believer in Jesus is perfect. However, the Holy Spirit can enable us to “live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way” (Colossians 1:10). According to the apostle Paul, the church of Colossae was known for their faith and love (vv. 3-6). The Holy Spirit gave them “wisdom and understanding” and empowered them to “[bear] fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God” (vv. 9-10). As Paul prayed for and praised those believers, he proclaimed the name of Jesus, the one “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (v. 14).
When we surrender to the Holy Spirit, we too can grow in our knowledge of God, love Him and people, spread the gospel, and enjoy a meaningful hyphen—a life well-lived for Jesus.
By: Xochitl Dixon
Reflect & Pray
What qualities characterized a person you know who lived a meaningful life? How can you enjoy living such a life this week?
Holy Spirit, please give me more opportunities to share Jesus with others as I enjoy a meaningful life.
…God, your God, has anointed You above Your companions with the oil of jubilation.
Psalm 45:7 (AMP)
It’s one thing to have a goal, but in order to see that goal become a reality, there are accompanying action steps you have to take. And one of those steps is having the right attitude.
I’m sure you’ve heard the expression Your attitude determines your altitude. Well, this expression is popular for a reason—it’s absolutely 100 percent right! You’ll never be a confident, successful, happy person with a doubtful, defeated, sour attitude.
The first step to take in order to realize any goal is to adjust your attitude. Instead of thinking, I can’t, choose to think, I can do all things through Christ! (see Philippians 4:13).
Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me to keep a positive attitude at all times, as I know my attitude determines my altitude. Please help me to truly believe that I can achieve my goals with Your help, amen.
A paradoxical response that can change our broken culture
The USA defeated Serbia in Olympic basketball yesterday, while America’s Coco Gauff won her tennis match and Simone Biles dominated in women’s gymnastics despite calf pain. However, many are still talking about the opening ceremony’s depiction of a bacchanalia that was clearly inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. The tableau included drag queens, a transgender model, and a naked singer. Reaction was swift:
I was similarly grieved as the parody ridiculed our Lord and denigrated the event which Christians around the world commemorate as the Lord’s Supper. Many include this sacred observance as part of their worship every week.
But there’s more to the story. And the more we learn, the worse it gets.
“We have the right not to be worshippers”
A Paris 2024 spokeswoman said yesterday, “Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group,” claiming that the opening ceremony “tried to celebrate community tolerance.” She added, “We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry.”
How could they believe that their parody would not “show disrespect to any religious group”?
For an answer, listen to Thomas Jolly, the opening ceremony’s artistic director, defending the production:
Our subject was not to be subversive. We never wanted to be subversive. We wanted to talk about diversity. . . . In France, we are [a] republic, we have the right to love whom we want, we have the right not to be worshippers, we have a lot of rights in France, and this is what I wanted to convey.
In other words, his purpose was to use what he sees as a cultural artifact to make a cultural point. In a country where only about 5 percent of people attend church weekly and less than half the population even believes in God, the ceremony’s producers were surprised that a depiction of what they consider an archaic and irrelevant religious story would offend anyone. His secularized cultural context also explains how Jolly could view The Last Supper as merely a painting and its subjects as objects not to venerate but to use for his personal purposes.
The man who commissioned the painting likely saw it in the same way.
The man who invented secular politics
Ludovico Sforza (1452–1508) was the Duke of Milan and Leonardo’s patron when da Vinci painted his masterpiece. The Sforza coats of arms appear with the family’s initials on the three lunettes above the mural. The painting was part of a series of renovations to the Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie in Milan, Italy. Sforza intended the location to become his family mausoleum.
He was known for his many mistresses and for his ruthlessness as a prince. He was especially infamous for usurping power from his nephew, Milan’s rightful ruler, through a series of foreign alliances. When these alliances failed him, he lost his throne and died in prison.
Sforza was chided by Niccolo Machiavelli in chapter 24 of The Prince, not for being so ruthless, but for relying on others rather than on defenses he could control personally. Written five years after Sforza’s death, Machiavelli’s famous (or infamous) study of power claims that a ruler must divorce his public behavior from his personal character. In his view, the prince should do whatever is needed to protect his position, such as lying, cheating, cruelty, or even murder.
He applied the same thinking to religion, arguing that an appeal to God can help a ruler convince his people to follow his edicts, but adding that he must choose cunning, strength, and adaptability over humility and compassion. Machiavelli is therefore said to have invented secular politics by “liberating” them from religion, showing us how to save ourselves without depending on God. In his view, religion is merely a means to an end rather than an end in itself.
Thomas Jolly and the drag queens who parodied The Last Supper would obviously agree.
“A journey without as yet a fixed abode”
Here’s my paradoxical point: I actually wish Jolly had intended his parody to persecute Christians. This would signify that he saw our faith as a present reality worth opposing. Instead, he clearly views it as an outdated, irrelevant cultural artifact.
This is precisely how many in our secularized culture view Jesus. To change their minds, we need to show them how Jesus has changed our lives.
For example, Christians should express our hurt and disappointment at the opening ceremony’s depiction mocking our Lord. However, we should then pray for those who created the parody, those who acted in it, and the country whose spiritual lostness explains it.
God’s word is clear:
When we forgive in prayer and then in action, we show our lost culture the difference Jesus makes in those who follow him. While secularists use religion to advance themselves in the world, we use the opposition of the world to advance the kingdom of our Lord.
St. Augustine observed:
We are but travelers on a journey without as yet a fixed abode; we are on our way, not yet in our native land; we are in a state of longing, not yet of enjoyment. But let us continue on our way, and continue without sloth or respite, so that we may ultimately arrive at our destination.
What “destination” will you seek today?
News to know:
*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.
Quote for the day:
“People are often tempted to take the place of God, to consider themselves the criterion of all things, to control them, to use everything according to their own will. It is so important to remember, however, that our life is a gift from God, and that we must depend on him, confide in him, and turn towards him always.” —Pope Francis
by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.
“Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 1:13)
When Paul wrote to his two young disciples, Timothy and Titus, he stressed again and again the vital importance of maintaining sound doctrine in their churches.
“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome [same word as ‘sound’] words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing” (1 Timothy 6:3-4a; see also 1:10). “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3). “That he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” (Titus 1:9). “But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1; also 2:8).
If the great apostle was so concerned that his pastoral disciples guard the doctrinal integrity of their first-century churches, he would surely be even more exercised today. These are times when false doctrines are rampant and when sound (that is “healthy” or “whole”) doctrines are often the object of compromise and distortion or (more commonly) simply ignored, even in evangelical churches.
Paul’s command was to “hold fast the form” of sound words—not only the so-called “spirit” of the words in Scripture but the words themselves.
Such strict guarding of doctrine is vital for the spiritual health of the churches. Furthermore, such doctrinal integrity does not lead to cold orthodoxy, as some would allege, but is centered in the “faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.” It is “the doctrine which is according to godliness” (1 Timothy 6:3). It is doctrine that is not only sound in the faith but also “in charity, in patience” (Titus 2:2).
After all, it is the doctrine of Christ Himself, who is not only “the truth” but also “the way” and “the life” (John 14:6). HMM
Jesus would not entrust himself to them . . . for he knew what was in each person. —John 2:24-25
Disillusionment means that all our false and flattering ideas have been stripped away. Unless our human relationships are based in God, they will end in a disillusionment that makes us cynical, severe, and unkind in our judgments of others. But the disillusionment that comes from God brings us to the place where we see men and women as they are, and yet there is no cynicism in our hearts, nothing bitter or biting on our tongues.
Many of the cruel things in life spring from our illusions. We aren’t true to the facts of one another, only our ideas of one another. People are either completely delightful or completely terrible, depending on our idea of them. The refusal to have our illusions taken away is the cause of much of the suffering in human life. If we love another person and we don’t love God, we demand every perfection from that person, then become cruel and vindictive when we don’t get it. We are demanding from a human being what no human being can give.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters . . .” (Luke 14:26). What our Lord says here about human relationships may sound severe. He says it because he knows that every relationship not based on loyalty to him will end in disaster. Our Lord trusted no human being, yet he was never suspicious, never bitter. His confidence in God and in what God’s grace could do was so perfect that he never despaired of anyone. If our trust is placed in human beings, we will end up despairing of everyone. There is only one being who can satisfy the deepest aching abyss of the human heart, and that is our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wisdom from Oswald
The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else. “Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord”;… The Highest Good—The Pilgrim’s Song Book, 537 L
Keep thyself pure.
—1 Timothy 5:22
Someone has said, “You cannot help the first look, but the second is sin.” Jesus indicated that you can engage in immorality by a look. The Bible places the “lust of the eye” right along with other major sins. Listen: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” Peter spoke of having “eyes full of adultery.” No wonder Job said, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?” Your eyes see only what your soul allows them to see.
What’s the difference between love and lust?
Lea este devocional en español en es.billygraham.org.
Prayer for the day
May my eyes be on You, Lord Jesus, for I need Your purity and love to fill my heart and mind.
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.—Revelation 22:21 (NIV)
The word “Amen” is a Hebrew word meaning “Yes, this is true” When you end a prayer with “Amen,” you are asserting your belief that God will hear and answer your prayer. The last word in the Bible is Amen, signifying that all of God’s Word is trustworthy and reliable.
Dear Lord, align my thoughts and actions with Your word. May I strive to be as truthful and trustworthy as You. Amen.
What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. ––Ecclesiastes 1:3-4
Second Timothy 2:3-6 speaks of a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. The soldier is tempted by civilian life, the athlete is tempted not to compete, and the farmer is tempted to sleep in. Each example speaks of hard choices each one has to make. Each has their battle, but what else do they have? They have a strong hope waiting for them on the other side of their discipline.
The soldier’s hope is to please his commanding officer, the athlete’s hope is to win the prize, the farmer’s hope is a harvest that he can’t get if he sleeps in. Each one has a hope that’s stronger than their desire to give in to self, and that helps them win the battle.
Motivation demands hope. If you do not have hope in life, you have no motivation. A good question to ask ourselves is, “What is my hope?” When times are tough, we can get more specific: What is my hope today—this minute, this hour? Sometimes that’s all we can do—focus on the very next moment and decision.
Ask yourself what you are placing your hope in. Is it to get married? Get a new car? Have a ribeye steak? Play golf every day? Ecclesiastes 1:3-4 (above) was written by Solomon, the richest man who ever lived. He had it all, and his words reveal the insanity of his efforts.
Solomon’s life reminds us that it is impossible to replace the God-shaped vacuum within us by acting like a dog chasing its tail. Our only hope is for all that God has provided by His perfect love and forgiveness for each of us: the promise of our ultimate satisfaction of living forever with our every desire fulfilled. Life’s battle, as we know it, is over.
Thank You, Father, for giving true hope, total purpose, and meaning to my life.
Bible in a Year :
I have come in answer to your prayer.
Daniel 10:12 nlt
Today’s Scripture & Insight :
Daniel 10:10-19
Pilgrim is a musical based on The Pilgrim’s Progress, an allegory of the life of a believer in Jesus. In the story, all the unseen forces of the spiritual world are made visible to the audience. The character of the King, representing God, is present onstage for almost the entire show. He’s dressed in white and actively blocks attacks from the enemy, tenderly holds those who are in pain, and nudges others to good works. Despite his indispensable role, the main human characters can’t physically see the King, only the effects of what He does.
Do we live as if the true King is active in our lives, even when we can’t physically see Him? In a time of need, the prophet Daniel received a vision from a heavenly messenger (Daniel 10:7) who’d been sent in direct response to his faithful prayers (v. 12). The messenger explained that spiritual warfare had delayed his coming and angelic backup had to be dispatched (v. 13). Daniel was reminded that even though he couldn’t see God, he was surrounded by evidence of His care and attention. “Do not be afraid, you are highly esteemed,” the messenger encouraged him (v. 19). At the end of Pilgrim, when the main character reaches heaven’s door after many tribulations, he joyfully cries out for the first time, “I can see the King!” Until we see Him with our new eyes in heaven, we look for His action in our lives today.
By: Karen Pimpo
Reflect & Pray
How do you see God’s work in your life? Where do you struggle to believe that He’s with you?
King Jesus, please help me remember that You’re near.
For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become…the righteousness of God….
2 Corinthians 5:21 (AMPC)
This verse gives you cause for great rejoicing, but the enemy tries to undermine your joy by pointing out you don’t measure up to God’s standard. That’s when you must boldly declare that God has done a good work in you and you are in the process of change.
When you accept salvation there is nothing you can do to make God love you any more or less than He already does. This doesn’t mean you don’t sin anymore or that when you do sin you can just dismiss it. It simply means God loves you even while you are in the process of becoming like Christ. You have not arrived yet, but you are making progress.
God understands that growing and learning is a process, and He wants you to enjoy yourself while you’re on the way to reaching the goal.
Prayer of the Day: Father God, thank You for Your unconditional love. Help me to find joy in the progress I’m making and to trust You in everything You are doing in me. I love You, Lord, amen.
by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.
“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” (Romans 7:24)
This despondent cry follows Paul’s disturbing monologue on the inner strife between his two natures (Romans 7:13-24). Here the apostle describes the conflict that goes on in the life of every Christian until the self-life is completely subjugated and the will of Christ reigns supreme. The ascendancy of self is indicated in these verses by the fact that the personal pronouns “I,” “me,” and “my” are used no less than 35 times in verses 15-24 alone as Paul records his inner thoughts and feelings (e.g., “that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I”—v. 15). Such a testimony is pervaded with introspection, relating everything to self instead of to Christ. No wonder the conclusion is so miserable: “O wretched man that I am!”
Unfortunately, this is the status of most Christians whose interests are almost completely self-centered. Most Christian books and sermons are designed to appeal to such personal interests, and the explosive modern growth of Christian professional “counseling” likewise reflects the existence of multitudes of self-centered Christians.
But the happy and useful Christian is the one whose concerns and activities center around others and who earnestly seeks to follow and honor Christ and His Word. And this is exactly the conclusion to which the apostle Paul comes in his melancholy soliloquy. “Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” he cries. Immediately the answer comes: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:24-25).
We do still have to battle the old nature, but in Christ we have both the incentive and power to “put off the old man with his deeds” (Colossians 3:9) and to “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). HMM
Look, he is coming with the clouds. —Revelation 1:7
In the Bible, clouds are always connected with God. Clouds are those sorrows or sufferings or twists of providence that seem to challenge his rule. Seen apart from God, clouds look like accidents. But by these very clouds the Spirit of God is teaching us how to walk by faith. Without clouds, we would not need faith.
“Look, he is coming with the clouds.” Clouds are nothing more than the dust of our Father’s feet; they are the sign that he is here. God never comes in clear shining. What a revelation it is to know that sadness and bereavement and suffering are the clouds that come along with God!
It isn’t true that God wants us to learn something in our trials. Through every cloud he brings, he wants us to unlearn the things that are keeping us from a simple relationship to him. Sometimes we have to leave certain forms of religious activity and testimony alone until our relationship to God is simplified—until we have learned to turn to God, not to other people, for all our needs. The thought I should have is, “God and my own soul; other people are shadows.” Until other people become shadows, clouds and darkness will be mine every now and again. Is my relationship to God getting simpler than it ever has been?
There is a connection between the strange providences of God and what we know of him. We have to learn to interpret the mysteries of life in the light of our knowledge of God. Unless we can look the darkest, most atrocious fact in the face without questioning God’s character, we do not yet know him. “They were afraid as they entered the cloud” (Luke 9:34). Is there anyone besides Jesus in your cloud? If so, it will only get darker. You must get to the place where there is no one besides him.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
The Bible is the only Book that gives us any indication of the true nature of sin, and where it came from.The Philosophy of Sin, 1107 R
You can never please God without faith, without depending on him. Anyone who wants to come to God must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely look for him.
—Hebrews 11:6 (TLB)
Faith pleases God more than anything else. The Christian life is dependent upon faith. We stand on faith; we live on faith. Faith is loved and honored by God more than any other single thing. The Bible teaches that faith is the only approach that we have to God. No man has sins forgiven, no man goes to heaven, no man has assurance of peace and happiness, until he has faith in Jesus Christ. You may be saying, “God, I believe you are a great person, but I do not believe your Word; I do not believe what you say.” In order to please God, you must believe Him. Perhaps your faith is small and weak. It does not matter how big your faith is, but rather, where your faith is. Is it in Christ, the Son of God, who died on the cross for your sins?
Read this short article on living daily with God.
Lea este devocional en español en es.billygraham.org.
Prayer for the day
Lord Jesus, may my faith in You and Your abundant promises be ever increasing each day.
God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.—2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)
How do you respond to emergencies? Is your gut reaction to panic? The more you commit to spending devotional time with God, the more likely you are to stay calm during a crisis. You will keep a level head and feel His strength, rather than your fear.
Lord, the more time I spend with You, the more likely I am to respond to fearful situations with Your power and love.
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. ––1 John 3:18
I met Malik at church and he wanted to talk about his marriage. He told me he’d been married 11 years, and that he and his wife had three kids ages 1, 4, and 6. Malik was great at his job, was a good provider as they’d made the decision that Alissa, his wife, would take a break from her sales job to stay home with the kids.
It wasn’t that Malik didn’t love Alissa, or even that he wanted to cheat on her. He was just … tired. Tired of the day in and day out of going to work, coming home to semi-chaos (even though Alissa was a great mom), and the whole … routine. I could tell he felt guilty about how he felt. He wasn’t giving up on his life or his wife, but he was struggling to stay engaged as a husband and father.
This reminded me of the novel The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham. In the story English bacteriologist Walter Fane and his wife, Kitty, move to a remote region of 1920s China to combat a cholera outbreak. The wife is drifting in the midst of a life crisis and on the heels of an affair, unsure of her love for Walter.
Toward the end of the novel, when Kitty realizes that she actually does love her husband, and in response to Kitty’s claim that sticking with her husband has to do with duty, the mother superior of the local French convent says,
“Remember that it is nothing to do your duty, that is demanded of you and is no more meritorious than to wash your hands when they are dirty; the only thing that counts is the love of duty; when love and duty are one, then grace is in you and you will enjoy a happiness which passes all understanding.”
Like the lines from Maugham’s powerful novel, I do believe that when love and duty are one, then grace is in us and we will enjoy a happiness that passes all understanding. I encouraged Malik to see his wife as God sees her—in all her glory. The more we can see our loved ones through God’s eyes, the more we find that grace which emerges when love and duty converge.
Father, help me see my loved ones as You do, and help me love them in the spirit of Christ.
Bible in a Year :
“Although you wash yourself . . . , the stain of your guilt is still before me,” declares the Sovereign Lord.
Today’s Scripture & Insight :
Jeremiah 2:1-5, 21-22
“Are. You. Kidding?!” I yelled, digging through our dryer looking for my shirt. I found it. And . . . something else.
My white shirt had an ink spot on it. In fact, it looked like a jaguar pelt: ink splotches coated everything. I clearly hadn’t checked my pockets, and a leaky pen had stained the entire load.
Scripture often uses the word stain to describe sin. A stain permeates the fabric of something, ruining it. And that’s how God, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, described sin, reminding His people that its stain was beyond their ability to cleanse: “Although you wash yourself with soap and use an abundance of cleansing powder, the stain of your guilt is still before me” (Jeremiah 2:22).
Thankfully, sin doesn’t get the last word. In Isaiah 1:18, we hear God’s promise that He can cleanse us from sin’s stain: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”
I couldn’t get the ink stain out of my shirt. Neither can I undo the stain of my sin. Thankfully, God cleanses us in Christ, just as 1 John 1:9 promises: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
By: Adam Holz
Reflect & Pray
What has it looked like in your life to experience forgiveness and cleansing from sin? What “stain” might you need to bring to God?
Father, please help me to cling to the promise that in Christ there’s forgiveness and purity as I’m washed white as snow in Your sight.
Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just; for the righteous God tests the hearts and minds.
Psalm 7:9 (NKJV)
Have you ever gone to the furniture store to buy a chair without sitting on it? Have you ever purchased a car without test-driving it? Of course not, and God also tests us to reveal the quality of our faith.
No matter what we think of ourselves, we find out what we are truly like in times of difficulty. Good times don’t bring out the worst in us, but hard times do. That’s why God says these difficult times can actually be good for us. They allow us to see what is in our character that needs to be changed.
As we choose to learn to trust God during challenging times instead of getting upset, we experience His faithfulness, which, in turn, increases our faith for the next time we need it. The more we use our muscles, the more they grow—it’s the same way with our faith in God.
Prayer of the Day: Lord, I know You love me and that this test—the challenge I am facing right now—will only strengthen my faith. Help me to lean into You and trust You completely. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
A lesson in gratitude from athletes running the good race
The 2024 Summer Olympics officially begin today and will continue until the closing ceremonies on August 11. That said, the first round of the games actually started on Wednesday, with preliminary rounds in archery, soccer, handball, and rugby. If that news comes as a surprise, you can find a full schedule here to ensure you don’t miss your favorite events going forward.
As is often the case with the Olympics, though, the spectacle that surrounds the games is often as big of a story as the events themselves.
Canada’s women’s soccer team won gold in the 2020 Olympics but enters this year as the number eight team in the world. Perhaps that pressure to repeat could explain at least part of why one of their staff felt the need to use a drone to spy on an upcoming opponent: 28th-ranked New Zealand. After getting caught, Canada’s coach chose to sit out the game while team officials sent an assistant coach and the drone’s operator home. Canada went on to win the match 2–1.
Outside of the competitions, one of the more interesting parts of the buildup to the games is often seeing who gets the honor of carrying the Olympic torch. While that privilege often goes to former athletes and prominent figures from the host country, American rapper Snoop Dogg will be among those carrying the flame on its final stretch before entering the stadium this year. He will also contribute to NBC’s coverage of the games, and his commentary at previous events has many—myself among them—genuinely excited to see how he adds to the experience.
While the world will be focused on France for the next few weeks, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced this week that Salt Lake City will host the Winter Olympics in 2034. Recent hosts have been chosen through a bidding process, often committing billions of dollars in new construction and event costs. However, the IOC altered its approach with the more recent selections to prioritize cities that are already equipped with most of what they will need to host the games, citing climate change, rising costs, and infrastructure challenges as reasons for the shift.
But though the Olympics will be entertaining—and the chance to root for your country always adds a level of intrigue to even the most obscure events—a recent article by Brad East on the relationship between God and the games is what’s most on my mind as the opening ceremonies draw near.
Why athletes thank God
As East notes, “The opening ceremonies of the Olympics are extravagant celebrations of national glories and global unity. But if you watch past this week’s opener to the Games themselves, you’ll notice an unusual pattern: Athletes are always talking about God.”
He goes on to add, “If you caught last month’s Olympic trials, you’ll have noticed the same thing. Athletes of every kind continuously gave God the credit, often in explicitly Christian terms. It was almost like a competition within the competition to see who could outdo the others in redirecting praise heavenward.”
And while, to some extent, that shouldn’t be surprising given the number of Christians competing, what East described that most caught my attention is the way the chaotic and unpredictable nature of athletic competition lends itself to a religious perspective in ways many other walks of life do not.
For example, if you or I wake up one morning with a stiff back or twist an ankle walking down the stairs, it’s typically little more than an inconvenience. However, if an athlete’s body fails them at the wrong time, it can mean years—or, for many Olympians, a lifetime—of work has gone to waste. As such, the idea that God can bring an element of order to the chaos is appealing to many.
And should all of their training and dedication result in victory, athletes are often quick to remember the Lord and respond with gratitude. And therein lies the lesson for us today.
Giving thanks to glorify God
You see, it would be easy to look at an athlete who has just achieved a lifelong dream and think that they have every reason to be grateful. After all, they do. However, gratitude, properly understood, should not be based on our circumstances or outcomes (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
The truth is that all of us have gifts and a purpose that more than warrants a sense of gratitude toward the one who bestowed both upon us.
As Mark Legg writes in his article on the Olympics, “The Bible speaks of natural gifting and other blessings in terms of stewardship. Whether you were born with wealth, charisma, or athletic ability, God is the ultimate source and rightful ruler of your gifts (Matthew 25:14–30).”
Our job is to use those gifts in ways that bring glory to God, and that gets much easier to do when we understand the absolute privilege it is to partner with the Creator of all things in stewarding his creation.
So, as we finish up for today, take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to make you aware of any ways in which you’ve taken your gifts for granted. Then show God you’re sorry by thanking him for that gifting and asking him to help you understand how he would have you use your abilities going forward.
While there’s nothing wrong with the joy of victory, the blessing of knowing your life has a purpose and a meaning that extends beyond the present moment is infinitely better.
Have you thanked God for that purpose yet today?
Friday news to know:
*Denison Forum does not necessarily endorse the views expressed in these stories.
Quote of the day:
“God gave you a gift of 84,600 seconds today. Have you used one of them to say thank you?” —William Arthur Ward
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