PLUS

Isaiah 53:5-6 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Recently I read an amazing book about our American founding documents: “American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation – And Could Again” by Yuval Levin. Levin makes the following powerful point:

“We is the first word of the Constitution. It is the first word of the glorious second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. Both documents speak in the first-person plural, because they both speak for a people taking joint ownership of their common fate.”

Our world is obsessed with picking and displaying their pronouns. While we rightfully see this as a misguided secular trend, they are right to some extent – pronouns matter!

In the powerful doublet of verses in Isaiah 53, the intentional use of pronouns provides a poignant, instructive reminder to all humanity. Jesus – as revealed by the five-time use of he/him/his – endures unimaginable wrath through a sacrifice that bears the burden of all iniquity. As a result, He was wounded, bruised, chastised, and lashed.

Yet, it is the Bible’s use of first-person plural pronouns that punctuates the powerful point. Seven times, we vividly see our Lord’s personal sacrifice for us through the use of our/we/us and His resulting love. We have gone astray and turned to our own way. It is us who transgressed and lived in iniquity. Yet, through these intentionally placed words that we sometimes overlook, we witness a God whose connection to us is personal. He isn’t an untouchable being who sits on a distant throne, but a personal loving God who understands our needs and perfectly meets our desperate condition. It is joint ownership, but He does all the giving and we do all the receiving. Praise God for all of it!

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO RECOGNIZE AND CONVEY THE PERSONAL NATURE OF OUR ALL-GIVING, ALL-LOVING SAVIOUR. Pronouns matter and we/us must live passionately and humbly grateful for He/Him!

Isaiah 30:21 “And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.”

II Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

I Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing”

As a part of the Greek sailing trip that I described in a recent post, my wonderful wife and I first landed in Athens and spent a few days seeing the sights in that historic city. Then, in order to get to the sailing point of departure four hours north of Athens on the east coast of Greece, we rented a car and started our short journey. We were armed with only a high-level map, when people had to figure things out on their own without GPS and cell phones. The signs were all in Greek, and our success hinged on our innate direction, a bit of map-based dead reckoning, and knowledge of Greek characters stemming from our STEM educational backgrounds.

The streets of Athens were frenetic, and I was trusting Melonie to do the majority of the navigating. Our routine on the journey was amusing. At every upcoming consequential intersection, I would point to the street sign and give my wife a countdown … 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. No later than reaching 1, she would have to tell me left, right, or straight. This exercise happened dozens of times, and she was on it! Most importantly, we successfully made it out of Athens and on to the port for our sailing extravaganza. Our marriage survived intact as well!

Life is filled with dozens of decisions a day where we need to properly navigate by turning left or right, or continuing straight. It is a tricky navigational exercise, with plenty of routes that would lead us astray and a slew of time sensitive decisions that will yield long term consequence. The upcoming election is an example that heavily weights on our minds, but the onslaught of decisions throughout our lives can be overwhelming.

We need a navigator who can properly guide us in the right direction at all times. Only the Lord can provide us the guidance that can allow us to finish our course. We must constantly pray to do so, while hearing and yielding to his leading.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO RESPOND TO THE LORD’S LEADING AT EVERY INTERSECTION OF OUR LIVES. The endless steams of decisions – left, right, or straight – are vital to our well-being and our ability to safely and effectively reach our destination.

I Timothy 2:1-4 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”

Hosea 8:4 “They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.”

I Corinthians 4:2 “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.”

James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”

Early voting has started in most places across the country, and shocking results about voting patterns were recently released. The appalling outcome was punctuated by news that 41 million Christians may not vote in this year’s election. Further fidelity reveals that 68 percent are not interested in politics and 52 percent believe that their vote won’t make a different.

While you may not be interested in politics, it is interested in you. And your vote will make a difference!

I wouldn’t dare to tell you how to vote. Yet, there are critical decisions to be made at the federal, state and local levels. Each should be bathed in prayer and your electoral decisions, just like all your decisions, are to be guided by biblical values.

Our nation’s first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court reminds us that “Providence has given our people the choice of our rulers.” We are stewards of that right and responsibility, and failing to vote is a deleterious deviation from faithful stewardship. (I Corinthians 4:2, James 4:17)

Additionally, Biblical truths remind us that God has been displeased with political decisions made by His people. Failing to vote causes us to follow in the footsteps of these believers who God has condemned for their errant decisions of the past. (Hosea 8:4)

Furthermore, God has directed us to prioritize prayer for those who are in authority. (I Timothy 2:1-4) Their decisions determine whether we are able to live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty. It also drives whether we have the freedoms to share the life changing truths of the gospel. While this portion of scripture doesn’t command us to vote in concert with our prayers, God’s Word consistently tells us to act in alignment with our faith and our prayers. Thus, if we fail to pray and act when given an opportunity to select our leaders, it is NOT good and NOT acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour.

Finally, our failure to vote today diminishes our future influence and subsequent opportunities for stewardship. Those populations who don’t vote are ignored and marginalized in the political process. Therefore, if we fail to vote today then we diminish the opportunities for godly influence and impact in the days, weeks, months, years, and decades to follow. We are condemning our future generations to the harmful results of bad decisions today and a lesser voice in the future.

CHRISTIANS VOTE! It is good, it is right, and it is God’s command for us to do so!

ADMIN NOTE: The study about voting patterns referenced above can be seen here – https://justthenews.com/nation/religion/millions-christians-may-choose-not-vote-november-study

Ephesians 6:11-13 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rules of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

Hebrews 13:1-2 “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Several years ago, my wife and I went on a Greek sailing vacation with two other couples. My wife was the captain of our 40-footer, with a robust sailing portfolio as an instructor at the United States Naval Academy. It wasn’t easy corralling the three fighter pilots that made up the majority of her crew, in part because we were a bit sure of our prowess in any endeavor.

One of the couples that joined us had extensive motorboat experience, and at some point were tired of anchoring in the bay. Instead, they wanted to pull the sailboat up onto the beach. That’s when we decided to take a snorkeling fieldtrip under the boat. Unlike motorboats, sailboats have a very large keel that sticks deep into the water to lower the center of gravity and prevent the sailboat from tipping over. A little bit of education about the unseen parts of our voyage opened their eyes and informed their understanding of the context in which we were operating.

Sometimes in life, we seek to operate without the knowledge of the unseen parts of our voyage. We forget that there is far more than just flesh and blood. There are principalities, powers, rules of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places. There are also angels of which we are unaware.

May our humble connection with God regularly educate us with an understanding of the context in which we are operating, and spur us to put on the whole armour of God while wrapping ourselves in a demeanor of brotherly love.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO OPERATE IN A WAY THAT UNDERSTANDS THE FULL CONTEXT OF OUR SPIRITUAL SITUATIONS. There is much more going on under the surface than we realize.

II Corinthians 5:6-7 “Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)”

Deuteronomy 5:33 “Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.”

Hebrews 13:5-6 “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

This summer, much of the planet enjoyed the Olympic and Paralympic Games. As has been said, they were characterized by the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” While we enjoyed great competition in every venue, several stories about individual athletes rose above the rest.

One of the most compelling was the 100m dash finals in the Paralympics for blind athletes. Please see this stunning video:

The coordination is unreal. 😳

Watch the thrilling finish from the men's 100m dash T11 final—in which athletes run alongside a guide who must cross the line after them. #ParisParalympics pic.twitter.com/OtZrPCaVXj

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) September 5, 2024

These incredible athletes run with a guide, and are perfectly aligned in their pace-matching step-by-step sprint. The guide provides verbal cues, especially as the race reaches the finish line. And in the case of the winner, their precise coordination provides the ideally timed stretch that creates the slim margin of victory.

The Paralympic finals is certainly not the first time the athletes have run with their guides. Their countless hours of practice together has created a level of repetition that cements the bonds of faith-filled trust. The athlete’s reliance on the guide does not diminish the greatness of their accomplishment. In fact, it’s just the opposite. What makes this a captivating accomplishment is the pure athleticism of the runner and the incredible, trusting coordination with their guide. The results are spectacular.

We are directed to walk (and run) by faith and not by sight, following in all the ways of our LORD and knowing that he will never leave us nor forsake us.

We are to strive to be perfectly aligned in our pace-matching step-by-step sprint through life as He provides our constant cues. Our precise coordination in following our Guide can create the slim margin of victory in our race.

Yet, we cannot expect to realize coordination without countless hours of practice, creating a level of repetition that cements the bonds of faith-filled trust. Our complete reliance on our Heavenly Guide does not diminish our accomplishments. In fact, it is the just the opposite. Our ability to bring honor and glory to Him hinges on the extent of our trusting coordination, and the results can be spectacular.

PLEASE PRAY FOR AMERICAN CHRISTIANS TO CEMENT THE BONDS OF FAITH-FILLED TRUST IN OUR HEAVENLY GUIDE. Our precise coordination with Him can produce magnificent results as we walk and run through life.