Hurricane Lee is prompting hurricane and tropical storm watches for much of coastal New England this morning, with winds from the massive storm expected as early as tomorrow. Six thousand miles away, a massive flash flood in Libya has killed at least 5,100 people; thousands are still missing, and tens of thousands are homeless. In the first eleven days of September, eight devastating flood events unfolded on four continents. The US has already set a record for billion-dollar weather disasters in a year, with four months still to go.

Meanwhile, Apple’s latest product-launch event unveiled even more sophisticated innovations from the world’s most valuable company. But all that the high tech on my desk, in my pocket, and on my wrist can do about the weather is to report the present and attempt to predict the future. Nothing we have invented can deter nature’s unbridled power and ferocity, proving every day the finitude and frailty of humans and our urgent need for power and protection beyond ourselves.

“Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock”

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the death in AD 407 of St. John Chrysostom, considered by some historians to be “the greatest preacher ever heard in a Christian pulpit.” In one of his messages, he reminded his congregation: “The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus.

“What are we to fear? Death? ‘Life to me means Christ, and death is gain.’ Exile? ‘The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord.’ The confiscation of goods? ‘We brought nothing into this world, and we shall surely take nothing from it.’”

He therefore told his people, “I have only contempt for the world’s threats, I find its blessings laughable. I have no fear of poverty, no desire for wealth. I am not afraid of death nor do I long to live, except for your good. I concentrate therefore on the present situation, and I urge you, my friends, to have confidence.”

What is the pathway to such triumphant faith?

“Let the mists of worldly vanities be dispelled”

Yesterday we focused on the biblical priority of spiritual discernment and the urgency of “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Today, let’s step further in this direction by considering Jesus’ maxim: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).

My attention was drawn to Jesus’ words by this reflection from St. Leo the Great (c. 400–461): “The blessedness of seeing God is promised to the pure of heart. For the eye that is unclean would not be able to see the brightness of the true light, and what would be happiness to clean minds would be a torment to those that are defiled. Therefore, let the mists of worldly vanities be dispelled, and the inner eye be cleansed of all the filth of wickedness, so that the soul’s gaze may feast serenely upon the great vision of God.”

C. S. Lewis made the same point rather more succinctly: “It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.”

How can we “want to”? Let’s take three simple but empowering biblical steps today.

One: Refuse the lure of secular thinking.

An E. coli boil water notice was issued a few days ago where I live after traces of the bacteria were discovered in a water sample. We could not see the danger, but that made it no less real.

We are wise to view secular reasoning in the same way: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Scripture is clear: “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong” (Exodus 23:2 NIV) because “friendship with the world is enmity with God” (James 4:4).

The Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho observed: “You have two choices: to control your mind or to let your mind control you.” As fallen people, the latter is our default. As redeemed people, we can make the daily decision to choose the former, which leads to our second step.

Two: Focus your mind consistently on Jesus.

John encouraged us, “If we walk in the light, as [the Father] is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Jesus assured us: “Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

In Life Without Lack, philosopher Dallas Willard writes: “Once you begin to have an impression of who God truly is, everything else fades into insignificance. When the bountiful sufficiency of God himself and the glorious realm of his kingdom are continually brought before the mind, it puts everything else in its proper place and opens us to a life in which we find God more than capable of supplying everything we need.”

As a result, it is transforming to begin your day by spending time alone with Christ. Begin by saying to him, “Speak, Lᴏʀᴅ, for your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3:9 NIV). Now read his word, pray, and worship. Then ask him to help you experience his presence through the day. Talk with him as you would with any other friend. Listen to the voice of his Spirit in your mind and heart, which leads to our third step.

Three: Submit daily to the Holy Spirit.

Paul was emphatic: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). Oswald Chambers similarly noted: “The tiniest thing we allow in our lives that is not under the control of the Holy Spirit is quite sufficient to account for spiritual muddle, and all the thinking we like to spend on it will never make it clear.” Conversely, “When the natural power of vision is devoted to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the power of perceiving God’s will and the whole life is kept in simplicity.”

Marcus Aurelius observed: “Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought.”

What “shape” will your mind take today?

Denison Forum

A month ago tomorrow, the historic town of Lahaina was largely destroyed by wildfires. The fire was not declared 100 percent contained until last weekend, as officials continue to investigate the causes of the tragedy. Maui is facing a severe economic downturn and inviting tourists to come to the island, though they are urged not to visit the Lahaina area.

Meanwhile, more than twenty-six hundred miles away, a five-year-old in Seattle has been making a difference. Edison Juel learned of the fires and set up a lemonade stand on his busy street. It sold popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, candy, pink and yellow lemonade, and even some of Eddie’s toys. The sign read: “FOOD & STUFF & LEMONADE FOR LAHAINA.” His stand raised more than $17,000.

Eddie’s mother said she was “struck by how his generosity invited others to be generous.” Therein lies a life principle worth considering today.

Is there “zero evidence” for religion?

The New York Times recently published a letter to the editor from a political science professor at Kent State University who claimed that Americans are “becoming less religious because there is zero evidence to support any of the central claims religious institutions make about God and the supernatural.” Ironically, the professor offers zero evidence for his claim that religious institutions have “zero evidence” for their claims.

I can only assume that he can make such an erroneous assertion (see my article “Why Jesus?” for a brief introduction to enormously persuasive historical evidence for Jesus) because he is writing out of his field and has no personal engagement with his subject. What interests me more is the fact that the Times chose to publish his letter, lending it the paper’s national platform.

When I see stories like this, my instinct is to frame them in the context of our ongoing “culture wars” and do battle in kind. When my faith is attacked, I want to fight back. When people act in adversarial ways, I am tempted to see them as adversaries.

However, the biblical vision for cultural engagement is far less militant and far more redemptive than such a conflictual reaction. The Lord counseled his exiled people in Babylon: “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lᴏʀᴅ on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7).

When you’re called to the stand

I am convinced that the church’s greatest obstacle to influencing our culture is that our culture does not see the church as relevant to its greatest issues. Secular people know what we are against more than they know what we are for. In our defense of biblical morality, we can win arguments and lose souls.

The answer is not merely to try harder to do better.

Consider an analogy I’ve employed before: When you have an opportunity to share your faith or otherwise stand for biblical truth, you can feel as though you’re on trial and the other person is the prosecutor looking for ways to discredit you. In fact, Jesus is on trial; Satan is the prosecutor; the Holy Spirit is the defense attorney; the person you’re engaging is the jury; and you’re simply a witness called to the stand. Your job is to be obedient and leave the results of the trial to God.

Now let’s take this analogy further. I’m no lawyer, but I’ve watched enough courtroom dramas on television to know that the defense attorney typically has a “theory of the case,” an argument she wants to persuade the jury to believe. To this end, she calls you to the stand at the right time to offer testimony that will advance her argument.

Beforehand, she prepares you to answer her questions and to handle cross-examination by the prosecutor. As a result, when you are called to testify, you are ready to do what you can do best to help win the case.

“Love God and do what you will”

In kingdom terms, this analogy means:

One: Identify your kingdom assignment. Know how your gifts, abilities, experiences, education, challenges, and opportunities have formed you to do what only you can do in serving your Lord. Pray and reflect until you can complete the sentence, “My ministry is _______________.”

Two: Submit to the Spirit at the start of each day (Ephesians 5:18). Pray with David: “Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8).

Three: Worship Jesus each day. We enter his empowering presence with thanksgiving and praise (Psalm 100:4). Take time to read his word, pray, give thanks, and offer your praise.

Four: Pray about the needs you meet. Ask God for his best for hurting people in the news and in your sphere of influence. Make Samuel’s commitment to his nation yours: “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lᴏʀᴅ by ceasing to pray for you” (1 Samuel 12:23).

Five: Now do what comes naturally. Trust that the Spirit is guiding and using you as his witness in spiritual trials for eternal souls. St. Augustine advised us: “Love God and do what you will.”

“Rivers that will bless to the uttermost parts of the earth”

Imagine the difference in our culture if every Christian took these steps every day. Now let’s be the difference we wish to see.

Oswald Chambers observed, “A river touches places of which its source knows nothing, and Jesus says if we have received of his fullness, however small the visible measure of our lives, out of us will flow the rivers that will bless to the uttermost parts of the earth.”

Consequently, he advised: “Never allow anything to come between yourself and Jesus Christ, no emotion or experience; nothing must keep you from the one great sovereign Source.”

How close to your Source is your soul today?

Denison Forum

There was a time when wearing white after Labor Day was a social faux pas. One explanation is that wealthy people could afford to vacation during the hot summer months and left their “city clothes” behind in favor of lighter, whiter summer outfits. When fall arrived and the privileged upper class returned to the city, they donned darker, more formal clothing. That was then—this is now: nearly 85 percent of all Americans planned to travel this summer.

Here’s another Labor Day factoid: In the late nineteenth century, American laborers worked for twelve hours per day on average in poor conditions, leading to protests and the formation of labor unions. The Central Labor Union of New York City then staged the first Labor Day holiday on this day in 1882. Twelve years later, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September an annual federal holiday.

All that to say, Americans have made great progress in many ways across recent generations. The average size of our homes has nearly tripled since 1950, for example. Technological innovations, from air conditioning to the internet, have greatly enhanced our daily lives.

“China’s economy won’t be fixed”

By contrast, our greatest geopolitical competitor has fallen on significant hard times in recent years.

Axios notes that China’s economy following its reopening after the pandemic has been plagued by weak growth, falling prices, a popped real estate bubble, and mass unemployment among young adults. Rather than dealing with these problems, China’s government is hiding them. For example, after recent reports showed unemployment among young adults reached 21.3 percent in June, the government suspended the release of the data.

The Economist agrees that “China’s economy won’t be fixed” because “an increasingly autocratic government is making bad decisions.” The article notes that China’s living standards are less than 20 percent of America’s and adds, “Many of its challenges stem from broader failures of its economic policymaking—which are getting worse as President Xi Jinping centralizes power.”

An analysis in Foreign Affairs also reports that China’s now ten-year-long infrastructure development project (known as the Belt and Road Initiative or BRI), which has lent more than $1 trillion to more than one hundred countries, is forcing many of these nations into unmanageable debt crises. The Associated Press is reporting this morning that Italy is not expected to extend its commitment to BRI when it comes up for renewal at the end of the year.

“The one thing Americans can agree on”

Not only does China face grave uncertainty, the United States can point to significant advantages in this geopolitical competition. Cambridge University political economist John Rapley notes that the US “still has sources of power that nobody can seriously rival: a currency that faces no serious threat as the world’s medium of exchange, the deep pools of capital managed on Wall Street, the world’s most powerful military, the soft power wielded by its universities, and the vast appeal of its culture.”

And so, we should feel confident about our nation’s present and future. And yet, we don’t.

A recent Pew Research Forum study reported that “Americans are in a negative mood about the current state of the country, with large majorities expressing dissatisfaction with the economy and overall national conditions.” When they look to the future, “they see a country that in many respects will be worse than it is today.”

Only one in ten give high ratings to the way democracy is working in our nation or how well it represents the interests of most Americans. According to the Wall Street Journal, “Pessimism is the one thing Americans can agree on.”

Why is this?

The Lord testified: “When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars” (Psalm 75:3). If a house loses its foundation, will those inside not see the cracks in the walls and feel the tremors? Scripture says of Jesus: “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). When we forsake the “hub” into which the spokes of our souls fit, should we be surprised when the wheel disintegrates?

No nation’s future is guaranteed, including ours. Babylon was the Washington, DC, of her day, but God predicted: “She shall never again have people, nor be inhabited for all generations” (Jeremiah 50:39). Accordingly, ancient Babylon is an uninhabited ruin to this day.

Our secularized, post-Christian nation should take heed.

“Return to me, and I will return to you”

The good news is that it is always too soon to give up on God. He promises, “Return to me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7). So, let’s close with an invitation from Max Lucado to make Christ our Shepherd before it’s too late:

God, our Shepherd, doesn’t check the weather; he makes it. He doesn’t defy gravity; he created it. Jesus said, “God is Spirit.” He has no limitations. Unchanging. Uncaused. Ungoverned. Don’t we need this kind of shepherd?

You don’t need to carry the burden of a lesser god—a god on a shelf, a god in a box, or a god in a bottle. No, you need a God who can place one hundred billion stars in our galaxy and one hundred billion galaxies in the universe. A God who can shape two fists of flesh into seventy-five to one hundred billion nerve cells, each with as many as ten thousand connections to other nerve cells, place it in a skull, and call it a brain. And you have one. He is your Shepherd.

Is he your Shepherd today?

Denison Forum