Note: I want to thank Dr. Ryan Denison for writing the Daily Article last week while my wife and I were traveling. It is a great privilege to partner with him in sharing this ministry with you.

Two stories are leading the news for obvious reasons. But the connection between the two may not be obvious to many, which points to my point today.

First, pro-life supporters are strongly opposing a Trump administration decision to approve a new generic version of the mifepristone abortion pill. Two weeks ago, federal officials said they were conducting a review of the safety of the pills, a decision the activists welcomed. However, the FDA later stated that it “has very limited discretion in deciding whether to approve a generic drug.” One pro-life leader called the announcement “a wildly disappointing decision.”

Second, mediators are set to meet in Egypt today for indirect peace talks between Hamas and Israel. The talks come after Hamas has accepted some parts of a twenty-point US peace plan, including freeing hostages and handing over Gaza governance to Palestinian officials.

According to Axios, “This is the closest Israel and Hamas have come to ending the war since the October 7 attacks almost exactly two years ago.” However, senior Hamas officials stated that there are still major disagreements that require further negotiations. And their statement made no mention of Hamas disarming, a key Israeli demand included in the US proposal.

“A society operates under two sets of rules”

In his new book, The Origin of Politics: How Evolution and Ideology Shape the Fate of Nations, the Cambridge graduate and science journalist Nicholas Wade writes:

A society operates under two sets of rules. One is the rules of human nature—the inherited behaviors selected by evolution because of their survival value. The other is the rules of the society’s political system. When the two sets of rules conflict, a crisis is likely to follow, which the society must resolve on pain of collapse.

In reading his book as a cultural apologist, I substituted the biblical theme of inherited sin nature for his description of inherited evolutionary behavior. This theme is foundationally manifested in the Garden of Eden, where our first parents sought to be their “own god” (Genesis 3:5). From then to today, the “will to power” has dominated our fallen nature.

Since, as Wade notes, “Political scientists generally agree that the roots of politics lie in human nature,” our will to power dominates our politics as well. He adds that “human nature is often most evident when proponents of a political ideology try to modify or suppress it.” When political means are used to modify our basic drive for self-interest and power, our self-interest ultimately prevails.

George Washington made a similar observation: “It is a maxim founded on the universal experience of Mankind, that no Nation is to be trusted farther than it is bound by its interest, and no prudent Statesman or politician will venture to depart from it.”

It was because the founders recognized our fallen self-interest that, as John Adams noted, they sought to create “a government of laws, not of men.” But human laws cannot change human hearts. As the weekend shooting at South Carolina State University tragically illustrates, laws against murder do not prevent all murders.

“The moral miracle of redemption”

Pro-life supporters will be grateful whenever government officials act in ways that uphold the sanctity of life. But as today’s news shows, we must not depend on them always to do so. The same is true for political leaders engaged in war and peace. Each side in the Israel-Hamas conflict has its own self-interest and will act in line with it.

Why do political and legal structures not change the human condition?

Consider an analogy: You would not expect me to be able to speak words that raise the dead. The reason the crowds were astonished when Jesus did this (cf. Luke 7:11–11; John 11:38–45) was that such an act was indeed miraculous.

Here’s the problem: fallen humans are just as dead spiritually and morally as if we were dead physically.

Because “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), we are “dead in our trespasses” (Ephesians 2:5) since our self-reliance cuts us off from the resurrecting and transforming power of our Creator. As Oswald Chambers explains in My Utmost for His Highest, “The disposition of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the disposition of self-realization—I am my own god.”

The good news, as he added in today’s reading, is this: “The moral miracle of redemption is that God can put into me a new disposition whereby I can live a totally new life.” This happens when we yield to God’s Spirit, allowing him to recreate “the disposition that was in Jesus Christ.”

Here we discover one way God redeems the moral failures that dominate each day’s news: as Chambers notes, God cannot work this miracle of transformation in my life “until I am conscious I need it.” Our Father cannot change our hearts without our hearts’ consent.

“When Christ calls a man”

This is why the first beatitude is foundational to the Sermon that follows: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). When we honestly recognize our abject spiritual poverty, we abdicate the throne of our hearts and enthrone God as our king.

As a result, we experience the “kingdom of heaven,” that realm where God’s will is done “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

Imagine such a life-transforming, grace-infused, love-centered world. Now decide if you will pay the price to experience it personally.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously observed,

“When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.”

Is Jesus calling you today?

Quote for the day:

“A day must come in our lives, as definite as the day of our conversion, when we give up all right to ourselves and submit to the absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ.” —Watchman Nee

Our latest website resources:

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Denison Forum

Earlier this week, President Trump released the details of the proposed ceasefire that he hopes will end the war in Gaza. Following a meeting with leaders from Muslim nations in the Middle East and beyond last week to discuss the plan, it was formally announced on Monday during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While not all parties involved were happy with some of the changes made during that visit, overall support for the plan remains unmoved.

The only relevant party that has yet to agree is Hamas. However, Trump warned that if they did not assent to the deal by today or tomorrow, “Israel will have my full backing to finish the job of destroying the threat of Hamas.”

As of this writing, the latest speculation is that they will respond “positively” to the report as a whole, though with a series of amendments intended to walk back some of the changes made after Trump’s meeting with Netanyahu. However, there is still a fair bit of uncertainty as to whether the US or Israel would be amenable to changes of any sort.

If forced to choose between accepting the current plan or continuing to fight, it is unclear what the leaders of Hamas will decide. Moreover, reports indicate that at least part of the reason is that they don’t know themselves.

Qatar, which has served as both a safe haven for Hamas’s leadership and one of the primary mediators throughout much of these negotiations, has encouraged them to accept. Many in the political leadership of Hamas appear open to heeding that advice. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for those in charge of their military forces, and their decision is the one that matters most.

Who is making the decisions for Hamas?

It’s believed that Hamas still has forty-eight hostages, all of whom would be released in the event of a ceasefire. However, only twenty of them are thought to still be alive, and all twenty are currently being held by the military wing of Hamas in Gaza. As such, the decision of the politicians in Qatar may mean little to those actually responsible for upholding their end of the bargain.

To complicate matters further, the latest reports estimate that up to 90 percent of Hamas commanders have been killed in the war so far, meaning most of the leadership in Gaza is comprised of younger fighters who still think they can win. For them, the idea of giving up their weapons as part of the deal is largely considered a nonstarter. Armed conflict is the foundation of their identity, so disarmament is akin to death for many.

Moreover, as Hugh Lovatt, a senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, notes, “Their view is that Israel is struggling strategically: the mobilization of reservists is a huge burden, elections are due within a year or so, there is growing international and domestic pressure . . . So, for them, it’s just a question of who will hold out the longest.”

But while much of that may be true, one of the key ways in which the current proposal differs from ceasefires in the past is the degree to which it has near-universal support from many of the same nations that have condemned Israel’s actions. If Hamas is the only one to say no to a deal everyone else agrees is worth pursuing, can they really count on that support to continue?

Most agree the answer is no. And, in the event they decide to continue fighting, that opposition could start to come from those much closer to home.

“Hamas must say yes”

Discerning where to draw the line between the people of Gaza and the terrorists hiding beneath them has proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of understanding the war between Israel and Hamas. And when some of the citizens have risen to oppose Hamas in the past, they have often met a violent and painful end for their bravery. However, there are signs that the tide may have begun to shift.

As one resident of Gaza City put it, “Hamas must say yes to this offer—we have been through hell already. . . . Hamas needs to understand: Enough is enough.” Another resident was even more blunt: “We are dying for nothing, and no one cares about us. Hamas needs to think more of us and what we have been through.” Abdelhalim Awad, who manages a bakery in the center of the city, said almost “any price” would be acceptable for peace, but that he did not think Hamas would say the same.

These quotes epitomize why it was crucial to secure the support of Qatar and other Middle Eastern nations for the deal. Hamas has proven repeatedly that it will not give up its power to protect the people of Gaza. However, they may in order to protect themselves. And the fact that more people in Gaza feel confident enough to speak out against them reveals just how much the terrorist group’s situation has changed.

Adapting to a new reality is rarely an easy task, though, and that’s often just as true for us as it appears to be for the leaders of Hamas.

Do you run or hide from your sin?

While I doubt any of us have committed the same kinds of atrocities as Hamas, most of us have sin in our lives that we’re hoping God will just ignore. The Bible is clear that he won’t (Hebrews 9:27), but it can be easy to mistake his patience for his permission when that permission allows us to continue enjoying our sin.

In such moments, Christ’s solution is simple: “be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2).

One of the reasons Scripture places such a heavy emphasis on allowing the Lord to shape our worldview is that it makes it easier to accept that our choices have consequences. Acting as though they don’t or trying to live in the false reality that we shouldn’t have to be accountable for them will place us firmly outside of God’s will for our lives. That’s why the good news Christ preached always started with repentance (Matthew 3:2).

You see, it’s only when we come to understand that God’s love is not contingent on our perfection that we can find the peace necessary to truly address our sin. Our heavenly Father is under no illusions about how messed up we are, but he chose to love us and to send his Son to die for us anyway. He didn’t do that because we were worthy of his love, but because he is love.

Embracing the fact that our sins and shortcomings don’t have to define who we are is the only path to accepting their consequences and allowing the Lord to redeem them in ways only he can.

So, where are you running from the consequences of your sins today? The God who is truth cannot be found in a worldview built on lies, and it is only by owning our sins and accepting their consequences that we can find the freedom to live fully in his grace.

Let’s start today.

Quote of the day:

“Grace teaches us that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are.” —Philip Yancey

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Denison Forum

The fallout from the government shutdown continues to dominate headlines this morning as the news finds new ways to profile the same basic dysfunction. Not much has changed from what I wrote on Tuesday, and, to be honest, I just didn’t really feel any sense of peace or purpose from the Lord to cover that same ground again today.

So, instead, I’d like to write about a story far closer to my heart: the Major League Baseball playoffs.

Now, if you’re not a baseball fan, please don’t click away quite yet. Even if you don’t plan on watching a single pitch between now and the moment baseball crowns its champion, I think there’s an important lesson for each of us in what will transpire across the coming weeks.

As a Texas Rangers fan—or, some might say, fanatic—I’m sadly without a team to root for this postseason.

Despite having the best defense in baseball and one of the best rotations, the Rangers’ anemic offense and leaky bullpen eliminated them from contention two weeks ago. As such, I get to watch without all that much emotional investment in the outcome. While I’d trade that privilege for Texas to be in the tournament in a heartbeat, it does make it a bit easier to enjoy the storylines that make this year’s playoffs unique.

Baseball’s best or baseball’s best story?

If, like me, you’re in search of a team to follow over the next month, The Ringer and The Athletic both have great rundowns of the most interesting narratives this fall.

If you’re a fan of underdogs, the Brewers, Padres, and Mariners are all looking for their first World Series—and, in the case of the Mariners, their first trip to the World Series. If dynasties are more your thing, then may I interest you in the Dodgers and Shohei Ohtani: one of MLB’s best hitters and pitchers, who also happens to be the most talented player to ever step onto the diamond?

If teams on a hot streak are more your style, then the Cleveland Guardians could be just what you’re looking for. They completed the largest comeback in league history after erasing a 15.5-game deficit over the season’s final months to pass the Detroit Tigers and win their division. As a reward, they now get to face those same Tigers in the first round, with the future of both teams coming down to this afternoon’s game three.

But whoever you choose to follow, it’s important to go in knowing that what happened over the last six months and 162 games really don’t have all that much bearing on what will happen going forward.

The best teams in baseball this year still won less than 60 percent of their games, and that’s with the benefit of padding their résumé with baseball’s worst teams during the regular season. Most of these series will be a coin flip at best and hinge on a few plays here and there going in one team’s favor.

That’s part of the fun, but it’s also why investing too much of your energy and mental well-being into a game is not always the best idea. And I say that as someone who is relatively incapable of doing otherwise and bears the emotional scars to prove it.

While you may not have the same masochistic relationship with sports that I do—I also bear the unfortunate legacy of being a Cowboys fan…though I blame my parents for that—most of us struggle in some way when it comes to investing our time and energy in areas that are likely to end in hurt. After all, the only way to completely avoid that risk would be to isolate ourselves from the world, and God’s word is clear that we shouldn’t consider that an option (Matthew 5:13–16; John 17:15).

So, if we can’t escape the pain of living in this world, how can we approach that risk in a way God can redeem?

Are you hurt or injured?

To stay with the sports theme, one of the most important lessons to learn when engaging in any athletic activity is the distinction between being hurt and being injured. If you’ve ever gone for a run, lifted weights, or played a sport of any kind, chances are you know what it’s like to feel sore once you’re done.

When that pain is new, it can be quite alarming. If it’s been a while since you exercised, you may wake up the next morning certain that you have done irreparable harm to muscles you didn’t even know existed. Most of the time, though, that pain is nothing to worry about, and the best way to get better is to just keep pushing forward.

By contrast, an injury requires rest and demands a level of attention that basic hurts do not. If you try to push through it, expecting it to improve on its own, the situation will only get worse.

In the same way, there are hurts in this life that—in the moment—can feel like an injury. The first time you lose a friendship because you’re unwilling to compromise your beliefs, or when you miss out on a promotion because you weren’t willing to cut corners, the pain can make you question whether staying faithful to the Lord is worth the cost.

However, God never promised us a life devoid of pain on this side of heaven. In fact, Jesus was quite clear that we should expect a level of suffering in this life that is directly related to our decision to obey him (John 16:33, 17:14).  But he was equally clear that allowing that pain to shift our allegiance is foolish (Matthew 10:28).

That said, there are times in our walk with the Lord when the price for following him fits better into the injury category. In those moments, continuing to press on as if everything is alright rather than pausing to rest and recover will only hinder our ability to serve the Lord. Injuries caused by fellow believers can often fit this description, which is part of why Satan delights so much in fostering division within our communities of faith.

How to get back in the game

Ultimately, we must trust the Holy Spirit to help us discern the difference between being hurt and being injured. Resting when God tells us to rest is not a sign of weakness or a lack of faith; it’s simply the best path toward restoring our ability to serve him well.

At the same time, the goal of such rest should always be to get better rather than to settle for a life defined by our hurt. The kingdom of God has little use for the kind of victimhood mentality that would see us replace our identity in Christ with an identity rooted in pain and trauma that we refuse to let the Lord heal.

God wants more for us than that, and he calls us to want more for ourselves as well.

So, the next time you take a blow in service to the Lord, ask the Holy Spirit to help you know whether you’re injured or just hurt. It’s going to happen to all of us if we remain faithful to Christ’s call on our lives, so learning how to heal and get back in the game is crucial. Fortunately, we serve a God who knows how to do just that.

Will you let him?

Quote of the day:

“You will have no test of faith that will not fit you to be a blessing if you are obedient to the Lord. I never had a trial but when I got out of the deep river I found some poor pilgrim on the bank that I was able to help by that very experience.” —A. B. Simpson

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Denison Forum