Joan Ruth Bader was born in Brooklyn, New York, on March 15, 1933. She met Martin Ginsburg on a blind date when they were undergraduates at Cornell. The couple had a daughter, Jane, and a son, James.

She became a Supreme Court Justice in 1993, serving for 27 years before her death last Friday at the age of 87.

I’d like to focus on Justice Ginsburg’s life and influence in the context of one of the most famous chapters in Scripture.

Here, we discover a life principle she illustrates and our Lord commends to us.

“A Prayer of Moses, the man of God”

Psalm 90 is titled “A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.” It was apparently written as the Jewish people were preparing to enter Canaan together.

Moses led them from Egyptian slavery through the Red Sea and 40 years in the wilderness. He gave them the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Torah as God’s word and guidance for their lives and nation. He brought them through battles, rebellions and hardships to the edge of their future in the land God intended for them.

If we had met Moses 40 years earlier, however, we never would have imagined the last paragraph would be possible.

A fugitive from Egyptian justice, he was keeping his father-in-law’s sheep in the wilderness. When God appeared to him and called him to liberate his people, Moses’ reply showed his astonishment: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11).

But God had a plan for his life that Moses could not imagine at the time.

“Our nation has lost a justice of historic stature”

Ginsburg received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell and attended Harvard Law School, where she was the first woman to serve on the editorial staff of the law review. When her husband got a job in New York, she finished her law degree at Columbia Law School, where she tied for first in her class.

After graduation, however, she struggled to find employment. One of her Columbia professors intervened on her behalf, and she got a job as a law clerk from 1959 to 1961.

She became a professor of law at Rutgers (1963–72) and Columbia (1972–80). She was instrumental in launching the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union in 1971; she served as the ACLU’s general counsel from 1973 to 1980 and on the national board of directors from 1974 to 1980.

She was appointed a judgeship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1980. President Bill Clinton nominated her to the U.S. Supreme Court on June 14, 1993; she was confirmed by the Senate on August 3 and took her seat on August 10. She became the second female and first Jewish female justice of the court.

After her death, Chief Justice John Roberts stated, “Our nation has lost a justice of historic stature.”

Known as a “lioness of the law,” she became a cultural icon, inspiring T-shirts, a character on Saturday Night Live, an Oscar-nominated documentary, and a major studio motion picture about her early legal career.

According to one legal scholar, her work as an attorney decades before joining the court “fundamentally changed the Supreme Court’s approach to women’s rights.”

Writing for the New Yorker, Harvard professor Jill Lepore stated: “Ginsburg bore witness to, argued for, and helped to constitutionalize the most hard-fought and least-appreciated revolution in modern American history: the emancipation of women. Aside from Thurgood Marshall, no single American has so wholly advanced the cause of equality under the law.”

“Suddenly a wall becomes a gate”

I disagreed with Justice Ginsburg on a host of biblical issues, but I’m grateful for the way she inspired generations of women to know they can accomplish their dreams. Like Moses, you and I are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) with a unique role he intends for us in the drama he is directing through the ages.

Our part in this drama is a present-tense calling with present-tense urgency. However long we live, our years “are soon gone, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10). As a result, we must pray, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (v. 12). Each day takes us one day closer to eternity.

It is significant that the first female Jewish Supreme Court justice died on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which is seen by Jews all over the world as a day for new beginnings.

The fact you and I are alive on this Monday morning is evidence God has a plan and purpose for us. Each day is a new beginning in which we are invited to know our Lord and make him known with greater passion and purpose than ever before.

Then, when our last day in this world comes, Christians can know our death is only the doorway to life. As Jesus said, “Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:26).

Henri Nouwen was right: “Death is part of a much greater and much deeper event, the fullness of which we cannot comprehend, but of which we know that it is a life-bringing event. … What seemed to be the end proved to be the beginning; what seemed to be a cause for fear proved to be a cause for courage; what seemed to be defeat proved to be victory; and what seemed to be the basis for despair proved to be the basis for hope. Suddenly a wall becomes a gate.”

Are you ready to step through that gate today? If not, why not?

Jim Denison is the co-founder and chief vision officer of Denison Forum. He pastored churches in Texas and Georgia and now speaks and writes to empower believers to navigate cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and our unique role in God’s drama of the ages was first published in The Daily Article by the Denison Forum. Daily Articles are republished in the Baptist Standard under agreement with Denison Forum and are not intended to represent the Standard’s views.

At least 35 people have died in West Coast wildfires as of this morning. We are watching apocalyptic images of scorched trees, buildings reduced to rubble, and burned and blackened cars. The fires have produced a smoke cloud that covers almost 1 million square miles and has traveled 1,300 miles.

Oregon officials are bracing for a “mass fatality incident” after wildfires in their state have burned over 1 million acres. One story is especially heartbreaking: a 13-year-old victim was found with his dog in his lap.

The remains of Wyatt Tofte, his grandmother and Wyatt’s dog were discovered inside the family car in Marion County, Ore. A family member told reporters: “He got in there and tried to drive the car and started coming down the hill and then went off to the side for some reason. I guess all the tires were just burned up and everything, the pavement was so hot.”

Killer mosquitoes and the love of God

Tropical Storm Sally is expected to become a hurricane today and appears likely to make landfall near the Louisiana–Mississippi border. It could bring up to 24 inches of rainfall with life-threatening storm surges and hurricane-force winds.

Meanwhile, farmers in Louisiana are dealing with a gruesome result of Hurricane Laura: thick swarms of mosquitoes driven from swamps and marshes by the storm have moved inland and are killing cattle and horses. The bugs bite the animals so many times they die from blood loss and exhaustion trying to evade the swarms.

Add wildfires, hurricanes and killer mosquitoes to the coronavirus pandemic that has taken more than 924,000 lives as of this morning.

Christians claim there is a God who is all-knowing, all-loving and all-powerful. We explain natural disasters as a consequence of the Fall: when humans sinned, all of creation was affected as well (Romans 8:22; Genesis 3:17–19). Prior to Genesis 3, there were no wildfires, hurricanes or viruses.

We further explain much of innocent suffering as the consequence of misused freedom (cf. James 1:13–15). If someone misuses their free will to get drunk and wrecks their car, this is not God’s fault. It is not even his fault if this person wrecks your car.

However, our all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful God sometimes intervenes to prevent the consequences of the Fall and misused free will. Jesus calmed the stormy Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35–41); the Lord protected Peter from King Herod’s plan to execute him (Acts 12:1–11).

If the Lord sometimes intervenes to prevent innocent suffering, why does he not always intervene? If he could save Peter, why didn’t he save Wyatt Tofte?

My father’s heart disease and your suffering

My father had rheumatic fever in high school. The disease weakened his heart, leading to a heart attack when he was 33 years old and his death from a second heart attack at the age of 55.

Our oldest son was diagnosed with cancer several years ago and had to undergo surgery and follow-up radiation. He is now well, but his suffering was another consequence of our fallen world.

I’m sure you can identify times of such suffering in your life and among those you know. In this light, can you still believe in an all-knowing, all-loving, all-powerful God?

The logical answer is we can. The practical answer is we must.

Why we can and must trust our Father

On a logical level, the very fact God is all-knowing, all-loving and all-powerful assures us he redeems our suffering for greater good (cf. Romans 8:28).

Because he is omniscient, he knows our pain (cf. Hebrews 4:13; 1 John 3:20). Because he is all-loving, he wants only what is best for us (1 John 4:8). Because he is omnipotent, he can redeem anything for a greater purpose (cf. Matthew 19:26).

We may not understand such redemption on this side of eternity, but we can believe what we cannot yet see (1 Corinthians 13:12). In the meantime, “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

On a practical level, we must not reject the love and power of God when we need them most. It is when we do not understand our suffering that we especially need to trust the One who sees what we cannot (Proverbs 15:3) and who loves us with unconditional grace (Titus 2:11). It is when our pain is greatest that we most need our Great Physician (cf. John 5:1–9).

And it is when life is most painful that God’s people should be on our knees most.

We can pray for rain where wildfires are raging. We can pray for protection and strength for those responding to this unfolding tragedy. We can pray for those in the path of Hurricane Sally, those in danger from wildfires, and those who are struggling with COVID-19.

And we can ask God to use us to answer our prayers in practical ways that incarnate his love and grace.

“You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing”

Lauren Daigle’s “You Say,” released more than two years ago, has now become the only song ever to spend 100 weeks or more at the top of any of the Billboard hot songs charts. Here is the chorus that has touched so many hearts:

You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
And you say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, oh, you say I am yours.

Our Father is offering you the same assurance right now.

Jim Denison is the co-founder and chief vision officer of Denison Forum. He pastored churches in Texas and Georgia and now speaks and writes to empower believers to navigate cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

Thirteen-year-old boy dies in Oregon wildfires with his dog in his lap: Biblical hope for the hardest days we face was first published in The Daily Article by the Denison Forum. Daily Articles are republished in the Baptist Standard under agreement with Denison Forum and are not intended to represent the Standard’s views.

The best player of his generation has been recognized as one of the best people in sports.

Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout has been named the American League’s Most Valuable Player three times and is an eight-time All-Star. Wikipedia lists 28 different awards and recognitions he has received. He has been likened to baseball immortals Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle.

His team lost to my hometown Texas Rangers last night, but Trout had two hits in the game. This is unsurprising, since he hit 11 home runs against us last year, setting a record for the most an opponent has ever hit against us in a single season.

Now he is being honored, not just for his athletic brilliance, but for his personal character. The Angels have nominated Trout for the Roberto Clemente Award, which annually recognizes the Major League Baseball player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions on and off the field.

Trout and his wife Jessica have made suicide and mental health awareness one of their main causes. This after the suicide of Jessica’s brother, former minor league player Aaron Cox, in 2018.

The Trouts are partnering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. He explained that the issue “obviously hits close, with Aaron’s passing. Mental health is real, especially during this pandemic. A lot of people are going through it; it’s a struggle. Just raising awareness.”

Stress a major factor in suicide

Suicide Prevention Week began Sunday and continues through Saturday. It is part of the annual National Suicide Prevention Month.

Mike Trout is right: mental health issues are indeed real, especially during this pandemic. The CDC warns stress during an infectious disease outbreak can cause fear about health and finances, changes in sleep or eating patterns, difficulty sleeping or concentrating, worsening of chronic health problems, increased use of tobacco and/or alcohol and other substances, and worsening of mental health conditions.

Health experts fear that “mental health consequences of the COVID-19 crisis including suicidal behavior are likely to be present for a long time and peak later than the actual pandemic.” Previous epidemics have seen significant increases in death by suicide as people feared contracting the virus and being a burden to their family. Many felt heightened anxiety, social isolation and psychological distress as well.

Unsurprisingly, there has been a huge increase of calls to suicide prevention hotlines in the United States during the current pandemic.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted”

I am not a medical doctor or professional counselor and am not offering professional advice on the issue of suicide and mental health. However, as a minister, I can encourage anyone who is considering suicide to seek help immediately. I urge you to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) or go to their website at SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

I also can encourage anyone who knows someone who is suffering emotionally or considering suicide to help them seek help now. And I can assure you and everyone you know God sees you where you are, as you are, and loves you with a passion you cannot fully imagine.

His word promises: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). Jesus has faced everything you face (Hebrews 4:15) and knows what it is to feel rejection and despair (cf. Matthew 27:46).

Now he stands ready to be the Great Physician you need. He can work miraculously by his Holy Spirit and/or medically through people and resources. He came that we might “have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). No matter where we are or what we face, it’s always too soon to give up on ourselves or on our Lord.

“You are God’s idea”

In Max Lucado’s daily devotional, I found these words recently and was encouraged by them:

“You are so much more than a few days between the womb and the tomb. Paul the Apostle says: ‘It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone’ (Ephesians 1:11–12 MSG).

“Above and around us God directs a grander saga, written by his hand, orchestrated by his will, and unveiled according to his calendar. Your life emerges from the greatest mind, the kindest heart in the history of the universe! The mind and heart of God! You are God’s idea. And remember, God doesn’t have any bad ideas.”

Why do you need this reminder today?

NOTE: My friend Chris Elkins has written a powerful reflection on the suicide of one of his best friends. I encourage you to read his article about pain and hope today.

Jim Denison is the co-founder and chief vision officer of Denison Forum. He pastored churches in Texas and Georgia and now speaks and writes to empower believers to navigate cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

The greatest player of his generation supports suicide awareness: Suicide Prevention Week and the help and hope we need was first published in The Daily Article by the Denison Forum. Daily Articles are republished in the Baptist Standardunder agreement with Denison Forum and are not intended to represent the Standard’s views.

Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played the title character in the Oscar-winning film Black Panther, died last Friday at age 43.

Boseman drew accolades for his depictions of Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson and James Brown. He died on the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington and the day baseball honored Jackie Robinson.

In his memory, ABC showed Black Panther commercial-free last night. I watched the marvelous film again, as well as the tribute show to Boseman that followed. One person said of him, “He played icons and now has become an icon himself, and his legacy is one for the ages.”

Why Chadwick Boseman died and what he believed

The tweet announcing Boseman’s death is now the most liked tweet of all time. In it, his family reported: “Chadwick was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in 2016, and battled with it these last 4 years as it progressed to stage IV.”

He filmed Black Panther in 2018, reprising the role in Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.  The latter became the highest-grossing movie of all time. He starred last year in 21 Bridges and then in the Netflix war drama Da 5 Bloods. We now know he made each of these movies, as his family stated, “during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy.”

Chadwick Boseman died of cancer, but he died in faith.

Rev. Samuel Neely, the pastor who baptized Boseman as a child, said the arts were always part of his life, singing in the church choir and producing plays in high school. According to Rev. Neely, Boseman continued to live out his faith as an adult.

In explaining Jackie Robinson’s remarkable courage, Boseman quoted the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22–23) and said, “I feel like it’s because he had God in him that he was able to make it through this.”

In a speech last year, Boseman thanked actor Denzel Washington for providing a scholarship that enabled him to study one summer at Oxford University. He ended with this benediction: “May God bless you exceedingly and abundantly more in what’s in store than he ever has before” (paraphrasing Ephesians 3:20).

Two reasons “social proof” is so powerful

When well-known people endorse a product or position, they lend it their credibility. This is known in advertising as “social proof.” We care what celebrities think for two related reasons.

One is called “informational social influence.” When we are not sure of the correct way to behave, we seek clues from the decisions of those we admire or trust.

The other reason is called “normative social influence.” As social beings, we seek to fit in with others. When a celebrity endorses a product or decision, we are likely to follow their lead so as to be accepted by those whom they influence.

The Holy Spirit uses both means of influence to advance God’s kingdom.

Daniel’s wisdom and courage in the lions’ den led the king to recognize the greatness of Daniel’s God. The king then decreed that “in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel” (Daniel 6:26).

Likewise, Peter’s status as leader of the apostles (John 21:15–19) undoubtedly helped persuade Jewish Christians the Gentiles with whom Peter shared the gospel were accepted by God (cf. Acts 11:1–18).

It is vital to identify and employ our influence for God’s glory. Others are watching you today. If you will trust Jesus in hard times and love those who do not love you, your impact will be far greater than you may know. Your witness is “social proof” for the gospel.

Bozeman on the power of purpose

While we should employ social proof to influence others, we should beware of its influence in our lives. What matters most is not what others think but what our Lord says. If Chadwick Boseman had been an atheist, his unbelief would have made Christianity no less true. The fact celebrity physician Dr. Mehmet Oz is a Muslim does not make Islam true.

It is vital you and I define and follow God’s unique purpose for us, whether others agree or not. This is a commitment Chadwick Boseman embraced and encouraged.

In his 2018 commencement address at his alma mater, Howard University, Bozeman quoted Jeremiah 29:11, which states: “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

He then said: “Graduating class, here me well on this day … You would rather find purpose than a job or career. Purpose crosses disciplines. Purpose is an essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history. … The struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose.”

He added: “When God has something for you, it doesn’t matter who stands against it. God will move someone who is holding you back away from a door and put someone there who will open it for you if it’s meant for you. … If you are willing to take the harder way, the more complicated one, the one with more failures at first than successes, the one that has ultimately proven to have more meaning, more victory, more glory, then you will not regret it.”

The “two great days” in your life

Chadwick Boseman’s death came too soon. But not before he discovered his purpose in life.

Biblical scholar William Barclay noted, “There are two great days in a person’s life—the day we are born and the day we discover why.”

Has the second “great day” come for you?

Jim Denison is the co-founder and chief vision officer of Denison Forum. He pastored churches in Texas and Georgia and now speaks and writes to empower believers to navigate cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

Chadwick Boseman’s death and faith: The power of purpose and the two great days of your life was first published in The Daily Article by the Denison Forum. Daily Articles are republished in the Baptist Standard under agreement with Denison Forum and are not intended to represent the Standard’s views.

The year 2020 continues to make history for all the wrong reasons.

The good news is Hurricane Marco weakened overnight to a tropical storm before its expected landfall on the Louisiana coast later today. The bad news is Tropical Storm Laura is forecasted to strengthen to a hurricane before it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday.

Parts of Louisiana will start to see the effects of Laura by Wednesday morning, after Marco leaves the state Tuesday evening. National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Scott said, “The unprecedented kind of thing here is that it’s the same state within 48 hours of each other.”

And this is happening in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic; the Louisiana Department of Health reported 1,223 more cases and 59 more deaths in the last two days.

In a year filled with so many challenges at the same time, Christians can make a transforming difference in our culture. However, there’s an empowering key we need to remember.

When we are more Socratic than biblical

I teach the history of Western thought in the doctoral program at Dallas Baptist University. In our study, we note an essential shift comes early in our intellectual history with Socrates’ dictum, “Know yourself.”

Four centuries before Christ, Socrates taught we know truth by knowing ourselves. This focus on the individual as the locus of knowledge, in contrast to truth known through the community or by divine revelation, has been foundational to secular culture from his day to ours.

Even evangelical Christians can be more Socratic than biblical.

In answer to Jesus’ imperative, “You must be born again” (John 3:7), we rightly emphasize the urgency of personal faith in our Savior. We know God wants us to know him in a transforming, personal way.

However, seen through the Socratic lens of our culture, this emphasis on individual faith can lead us to believe once we have decided to trust Jesus, we have done all Jesus asks of us. Our focus is more on the act of faith than on its Object.

By contrast, God’s word teaches choosing to believe in Jesus is only the beginning.

God “never asks us to decide for him”

Oswald Chambers notes our Lord “never asks us to decide for him, but to yield to him, a very different thing.” Why should we “yield” to Jesus?

Jesus’ first beatitude is the foundation of the Sermon on the Mount that follows: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). The word translated “poor” (ptochos) means to be so impoverished as to have nothing at all.

To be this impoverished “in spirit” is to recognize the depth of our spiritual depravity. It is to admit, like all other humans, we have “sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It is to acknowledge further that “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:23).

Chambers explains: “If I know I have no strength of will, no nobility of disposition, then Jesus says—Blessed are you, because it is through this poverty that I enter his kingdom. I cannot enter his kingdom as a good man or woman, I can only enter it as a complete pauper.”

When we admit our desperate need for our Father’s transforming love and grace, we will come to him as a dying patient comes to his doctor. As David testified, “My soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Psalm 63:1).

Salvation in three tenses

The knowledge that “nothing good dwells in me” (Romans 7:18) extends from my need for salvation to my need for sanctification as well. A painter can paint only the parts of the canvas he can touch. A surgeon can heal only the patient who is submitted to her care.

If we limit our submission to God to our salvation, we miss all he can do with the rest of our lives. If we do not begin every day by surrendering that day to his lordship, we miss all he can do in and through us across that day.

Biblical salvation is in three tenses: we have been saved and justified (1 Corinthians 6:11), we are being saved and sanctified (1 Thessalonians 5:23), and we will be saved and glorified (2 Corinthians 3:18). By focusing only on the first, we miss the second and are unprepared for the third.

The secret of life is not to “know yourself” but to “know Jesus” with intimate and passionate dependence on him.

“There is no relationship more satisfying”

When we know Jesus through holistic submission to his lordship, we will be empowered and impassioned to make him known. Others will see the transformational difference he makes in our lives. Our faith will move from Sunday to Monday, from religion to the “real world.” And we will act as the salt and light we are (Matthew 5:13–16).

Craig Denison captures the urgency of this opportunity: “There is no source of true love apart from [Jesus]. There is no relationship more satisfying than one with our God. There is no identity more freeing than being the child of the Creator. And there is no real grace outside of his overwhelmingly patient heart.”

Craig adds: “Your God is patient toward you, waiting with expectation in his heart for what he can do in your life.”

The next step is yours.

Jim Denison is the co-founder and chief vision officer of Denison Forum. He pastored churches in Texas and Georgia and now speaks and writes to empower believers to navigate cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

An “unprecedented” threat on the Gulf Coast: In a year of crisis, an empowering key Christians need to remember was first published in The Daily Article by the Denison Forum. Daily Articles are republished in the Baptist Standard under agreement with Denison Forum and are not intended to represent the Standard’s views.

A physicist has calculated the universe will end in the “next few trillion years.” According to other experts, it could end for us far sooner.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine recently testified before Congress that an asteroid strike is perhaps Earth’s biggest threat. Last Sunday, his fears were made real when an undetected asteroid made the closest pass without hitting our planet ever recorded.

Here’s the troubling part: NASA did not see the object until six hours after it flew past us. While it was small enough that it likely would have broken up in the atmosphere, it was undetected until it would have been too late to respond.

What happened in the skies overhead is a metaphor for what is happening in the world around us. And the situation is more dire than most seem to think.

Technology that “changes everything we’ve ever known”

This New York Times headline caught my eye: “The Poly-Parent Households Are Coming.” The author points to “a technological revolution in baby making” called IVG (in vitro gametogenesis).

This process would allow anyone to manufacture an egg or sperm cell from a sliver of their own skin and that of others. Children could be created with genetic material from anyone and any number of people, whatever their gender or relational status.

IVG is already in laboratory experimentation. If successful for humans, the author states it would “dismantle completely the reproductive structure of heterosexuality” through technology that “changes everything we’ve ever known about sex and babies and marriage.”

“Poly-parents” may be the future, but “tri-parenting” is the present. According to the Boston Globe, lawmakers and/or courts in at least 12 U.S. states have declared some children can have more than two parents. One example involves “a three-part intimate relationship among a husband, his wife, and a female neighbor.” The husband and wife later divorced after the women split off as a couple; all three have custody of the child.

Why God delays his judgment

Jesus’ position on sexual morality was clear: “A man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Matthew 19:5). As a result, we are to “flee from sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18) and to “let the marriage bed be undefiled” (Hebrews 13:4).

Here’s the part of God’s word on our subject I want us to focus on today: Hebrews 13:4 continues, “for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.” If our secular culture is aware of this fact, most seem not to care.

Peter warned about “those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority” (2 Peter 2:10). In this context, the “authority” is that of the Lord himself. Such people “have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin” (v. 14) and face severe judgment to come (v. 17).

Of course, it’s easy for secular people to discount the warning of spiritual judgment. Peter quoted such skeptics in his day: “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4).

The fact is, God delays his judgment only out of his compassion: “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (v. 9).

However, he will not stay his judgment forever: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (v. 10).

In light of the certainty of judgment, we must choose “lives of godliness and holiness” (v. 11) and “be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace” (v. 14).

My response to a radio question

We cannot expect lost people to adopt biblical morality in light of judgment by a God they ignore. But we must not adopt their presumption as our own. Every day brings us one day closer to the day when “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

And we must not allow the presumption of our lost culture to deter us from warning those we influence. The more a cancer patient ignores his disease, the more urgent his doctor’s warnings.

I was asked yesterday in a radio interview to offer ways Christians should respond to the “cancel culture” censure many of us face. My suggestion was to reframe such conflict as a divine appointment.

The more people reject us for the biblical truths we hold, the more they need these truths. And the more we respond to their condemnation with Christlike compassion, the more we show them the transforming relevance of our faith and our Lord.

We should expect such conflict in our fallen world. Francis Chan was right: “Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers.” But we should respond with intercession and service that pays forward the grace we have received from the Lord we love.

If you knew a gigantic meteor was on a collision course with our planet, wouldn’t you do everything you could to warn everyone you could?

Jim Denison is the co-founder and chief vision officer of Denison Forum. He pastored churches in Texas and Georgia and now speaks and writes to empower believers to navigate cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

An asteroid just missed our planet: “Poly-parent households,” “tri-parenting,” and the urgency and hope of biblical truth was first published in The Daily Article by the Denison Forum. Daily Articles are republished in the Baptist Standard under agreement with Denison Forum and are not intended to represent the Standard’s views.

Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate yesterday. If elected, she would be the nation’s first female, first Black and first Asian American vice president.

Harris is a native of Oakland, Calif. Her father, who is Jamaican, taught at Stanford University. Her mother, the daughter of an Indian diplomat, was a cancer researcher. She served as attorney general for San Francisco and then the state of California before she was elected to the Senate in 2016.

She and Beau Biden, the presidential nominee’s late son, worked closely together when he was Delaware’s attorney general. She campaigned for the Democratic presidential nomination and, after leaving the race in December, gave her full support to Biden.

Numerous Democratic leaders tweeted their support yesterday for Harris. By contrast, the Trump campaign responded much more critically.

Your position regarding Biden’s selection likely reflects your position regarding the election. Where we are in the world—physically and ideologically—says a great deal about how we see the world.

If time is a line on a page, God is the page

Yesterday, we explored the first part of 1 Peter 1:1, where the apostle addressed his letter “to those who are elect exiles.” We focused on our status as “exiles,” noting the importance of seeking the welfare of our society while we trust God with our future and seek his presence in the present.

Today, let’s think about the rest of Peter’s introductory paragraph: “of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood” (vv. 1b–2).

“Dispersion” (diaspora) refers to the “scattering” of Peter’s readers across modern-day Turkey. The locales he named comprise an area of nearly 300,000 square miles. I traveled through this part of Turkey some years ago when researching a book on the seven churches of Revelation. It is a beautiful region replete with artifacts of ancient towns and cultures.

Peter’s readers were exiled “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,” a reminder that we must never forget God never forgets us. He sees the future more clearly than we see the present. As C.S. Lewis noted, if we view time as a line on a page, God is the page.

God’s purpose for us is the “sanctification of the Spirit” that begins at our conversion. Our role in our spiritual growth is “obedience to Jesus Christ,” a life made possible by “sprinkling with his blood,” a reference to our Savior’s atoning death.

How a Cuban pastor surprised me

Here’s my point: If Peter’s readers in these far-flung Gentile lands and pagan cultures could be sanctified by the Spirit as they obeyed their Savior, so can we.

No society is so lost that it is beyond the reach of God’s redemptive grace (cf. Jonah 3:6–10). No presidential election or Supreme Court ruling can stop the providential purposes of our King.

In fact, we should reframe the unbiblical morality of our culture as an invitation and opportunity for the gospel.

On my first visit to Cuba, I told one of the pastors I was praying for persecution to lessen against his church. He asked me to stop. Noting my surprise, he explained persecution was purifying his people and strengthening their witness.

Then he confided to me that he and many other Cuban believers were praying for persecution to increase in the United States for the same purpose.

What “it’s overwhelming to consider”

If we respond to ungodliness with godliness and slander with grace (cf. Matthew 5:39), others will know we have experienced the sanctifying grace of Jesus. He taught us to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” for this purpose: “so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:44, 45).

Wherever we are exiled today is our kingdom assignment for today. Wherever we go, our Lord goes with us (Matthew 28:20). Whatever we face, we face in his provision and power (Philippians 4:13).

And when we love those who do not love us, we draw them to the One who loves us all.

Leo Buscaglia was a professor of special education at the University of Southern California. Consider his reflection in light of our topic: “The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor.

“But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give.

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It’s overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.”

Would you ask the One who is love (1 John 4:8) to make his love felt through you today?

Jim Denison is the co-founder and chief vision officer of Denison Forum. He pastored churches in Texas and Georgia and now speaks and writes to empower believers to navigate cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

Joe Biden nominates Kamala Harris for VP: What your place in the world says about your view of the world was first published in The Daily Article by the Denison Forum. Daily Articles are republished in the Baptist Standard under agreement with Denison Forum and are not intended to represent the Standard’s views.

Activists burned a stack of Bibles in front of the federal courthouse in Portland Friday night. A statue of Jesus was beheaded recently at a Miami church.

A recent faculty survey at Harvard University found that 79.7 percent consider themselves “very liberal” or “liberal;” 18.9 percent say they are “moderate;” only 1.46 percent call themselves “conservative” or “very conservative.”

Unsurprisingly, 67 percent of white evangelical Protestants believe Christianity’s influence on American life is decreasing. Two-thirds say their beliefs are in conflict with mainstream American culture.

“We have no enemies, only opponents”

And yet, this is a time when the evangelical message that we can have a personal relationship with a personal Savior is more urgently needed than ever.

Tropical Storm Isaias is on track to impact the Carolinas later today, demonstrating our finitude before the power of nature. Dr. Deborah Birx noted yesterday the coronavirus pandemic is “extraordinarily widespread” in the U.S. Governmental leaders are meeting today to continue negotiations over a new coronavirus-relief package, but they cannot end the recession without an end to the pandemic causing it.

How can we make God’s offer of redemption in response to our repentance more available and attractive to those who need it? Consider two sentences I believe every American needs to hear.

Last Thursday, President George W. Bush spoke at the funeral of Rep. John Lewis. In his brief but emotional eulogy for one of our greatest civil rights heroes, the former president made this statement: “John and I had our disagreements, of course. But in the America John Lewis fought for and in the America I believe in, differences of opinion are inevitable elements and evidence of democracy in action.”

When we view those with whom we disagree as our enemies, our sentiment usually becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. When we view them as members of the same human family and citizens of the same great nation, we can engage with them in the spirit of “democracy in action.”

Ronald Reagan used to tell those who served in his administration, “Remember, we have no enemies, only opponents.”

Consider three biblical principles.

One: God can use anyone, whether we think so or not

Joshua 24 records the Lord’s address to his people at the end of Joshua’s life. It begins with God’s reminder that “your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates … and they served other gods” (v. 2). And yet, he “took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many” (v. 3).

You and I might not have chosen a childless idolater to begin a nation, but God did. We might not have believed a prisoner in Egypt would one day become prime minister, or that a fugitive would lead the Jewish people out of Egyptian slavery, or that a disciple who denied Jesus three times would preach the Pentecost sermon.

If God could redeem and use an enemy of his people like Saul of Tarsus, what could he do with someone who burns a Bible or beheads a statue of Jesus? Continue to pray for your nation and proclaim God’s word with grace, knowing it’s always too soon to give up on God.

Two: All we have is ours by grace

The Lord concluded his address with this statement: “I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant” (v. 13).

I did not earn the right to be born in America rather than North Korea. I did not earn the right to hear the gospel from Christians who knocked on my door and invited me to ride their bus to church. If you know more about your Lord than those who oppose your faith, you have an obligation to pay forward to them the grace you have received.

Three: We need the power of God to live as the people of God

Joshua followed God’s message with his own: “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord” (v. 15). The people promised in response: “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey” (v. 24).

However, after Joshua and his generation died, “the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Judges 2:11–12). They could not live as the people of God without the power of God.

Nor can we.

We cannot ask Americans to do what we are not doing. If we would challenge them to repent of self-reliance and live in dependence on Jesus, we must do the same. If we would call them to biblical morality, we must exhibit biblical morality.

Otherwise, our words are only words.

“As for me and my house”

Joshua modeled the commitment God is calling us to emulate when he told the nation, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).

I remember vividly my first visit to Janet’s home in Houston after we began dating in college. Her parents displayed Joshua’s declaration on a plaque in their dining room where everyone entering their home could see it. As I soon learned, they lived the truth of these words every day.

Could you display their plaque in your home today?

Jim Denison is the co-founder and chief vision officer of Denison Forum. He pastored churches in Texas and Georgia and now speaks and writes to empower believers to navigate cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

Burning Bibles in Portland and two sentences every American needs to hear was first published in The Daily Articleby the Denison Forum. Daily Articles are republished in the Baptist Standard under agreement with Denison Forum and are not intended to represent the Standard’s views.

Bert terHart set sail from British Columbia last year in late October on a solo journey to circumnavigate the globe. He arrived back on July 18, where he was welcomed by family and friends. And where he was promptly thrust into the reality of life in a pandemic.

“In a nutshell, I’ve been sequestered completely, totally isolated from the rest of the world,” terHart said of his voyage. Astronauts on the International Space Station orbiting 35 miles above the Earth were actually the closest humans to him for most of his journey.

He told a reporter, “When I got back, the first thing I said was, ‘What did I miss?’”

A reader’s perceptive question

In my 62 years, these easily have been the most tumultuous nine months I have witnessed. In these difficult days, Rep. John Lewis’ commitment to “redemptive suffering” has taken on special meaning and urgency.

In a recent article, I stated my deep appreciation for Rep. Lewis’ courageous and sacrificial leadership in America’s ongoing quest for racial equality. However, I also noted my disagreement with him on moral issues such as same-sex marriage, religious liberty and especially on abortion.

A reader responded to my article with this question: “Jim, I am struggling with how to balance how a man so Christlike in his courage to confront violence/racism nonviolently could arrive at these conclusions on issues that are so contrary to God’s word. Any comments would be appreciated.”

I did not have the privilege of knowing John Lewis personally, so I cannot answer this question from firsthand knowledge. But I can describe the reasoning of many who share our faith in Christ but agree with Rep. Lewis on these issues.

On abortion, I know Christians who claim science cannot determine when life begins. As a result, they believe decisions regarding the preborn baby are best left with the mother rather than being “imposed” by the state.

On same-sex marriage, some Christians claim the Bible does not forbid loving, monogamous same-sex sexual relations. They therefore view LGBTQ people as a persecuted minority in need of the same civil rights protections as racial minorities.

On religious liberty, some Christians claim our personal beliefs should not be used to “discriminate”—as they see it—against those whose sexual practices we find unbiblical.

From “safe, legal and rare” to #ShoutYourAbortion

Here’s my point: Our culture—and even some Christians—see evangelical positions on preborn children, biblical marriage and religious liberty as an attack on women and sexual minorities. While we believe abortion supporters and LGBTQ activists to be defending immoral positions, they believe the same of us.

There was a time when evangelical Christianity was associated with the high moral ground. Billy Graham was routinely listed among America’s most admired people.

But televangelist scandals in the 1980s rocked our credibility. Statements by well-known evangelical leaders—such as declarations that Hurricane Katrina was God’s judgment on homosexuals—have been widely criticized. White evangelicals have been aligned in the public mind with President Trump as though we agree with every position and tweet by the president.

Pro-abortion activists have moved from the claim that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare” to Facebook livestreaming their abortions and engaging in #ShoutYourAbortion campaigns. LGBTQ activists have claimed the rhetorical high ground with their defense of “marriage equality.” I have married several interracial couples over the years; in the minds of many, I am bigoted by not doing the same for same-sex couples.

How should evangelicals respond?

Preparing for “when you are slandered”

Clearly, we are not to allow cultural opposition to silence our voice for Jesus. I’m sure you are familiar with Peter’s admonition: “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15b).

However, the apostle preceded this directive with the injunction, “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy” (v. 15a). And he followed it with the call to “do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame” (vv. 15c–16, my emphasis).

Note the “when.” It is inevitable that those who slander Jesus will slander his followers (cf. John 15:20). But our personal lives are to be so exemplary that those who try to shame us are “put to shame” themselves.

For example, we need to affirm women so unconditionally that our critics find it hard to claim we are engaged in a “war on women.” We need to treat LGBTQ persons so compassionately it is difficult to find us “homophobic.”

People judge Christ by Christians

I am not suggesting we must endorse all a person does to love them as Jesus loves us. Or that we must be perfect before we make public our faith.

But I am stating, just as people judge Islam by Muslims, people judge Christ by Christians. As a result, we must strive to be the people we want others to become.

If we will seek God’s help every day (Romans 12:1–2; Ephesians 5:18) in manifesting the “fruit” of his Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23) and emulating his Son (Romans 8:29), he will empower us and use us to draw others to himself.

Daniel’s enemies said of him, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God” (Daniel 6:5).

Will the same be said of you today?

Jim Denison is the co-founder and chief vision officer of Denison Forum. He pastored churches in Texas and Georgia and now speaks and writes to empower believers to navigate cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

Man spends 267 days sailing solo around the world: The compelling power of character in chaos was first published in The Daily Article by the Denison Forum. Daily Articles are republished in the Baptist Standard under agreement with Denison Forum and are not intended to represent the Standard’s views.

Rep. John Lewis died Friday after a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer. The civil rights icon was 80 years old.

He was elected to Congress in November 1986 and served as U.S. Representative from Georgia’s Fifth District for 17 terms. He was awarded more than 50 honorary degrees and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Barack Obama in 2011.

The son of sharecroppers, he spent Sundays growing up with a great-grandfather who was born into slavery. When Lewis was a few months old, the manager of a chicken farm named Jesse Thornton was lynched about 20 miles down the road. His offense: He referred to a police officer by his first name rather than as “Mister.” A mob pursued Thornton, stoned and shot him, then dumped his body in a swamp.

As a boy, Lewis decided he wanted to be a preacher. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion and philosophy from Fisk University and graduated from the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville.

However, when he was 15 years old, he heard Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preach on the radio and felt God was calling him to join the civil rights movement.

Beaten, spat upon and burned with cigarettes

According to the New York Times, Lewis “led demonstrations against racially segregated restrooms, hotels, restaurants, public parks, and swimming pools, and he rose up against other indignities of second-class citizenship. At nearly every turn, he was beaten, spat upon, or burned with cigarettes. He was tormented by white mobs and absorbed body blows from law enforcement.”

During the Freedom Rides of 1961, the Times reports Lewis “was left unconscious in a pool of his own blood outside the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Montgomery, Alabama, after he and others were attacked by hundreds of white people.” It adds he “spent countless days and nights in county jails and thirty-one days in Mississippi’s notoriously brutal Parchman Penitentiary.”

Lewis was the youngest keynote speaker at the March on Washington in 1963. On March 7, 1965, he led a group of 600 people marching for Black voting rights in Selma, Ala. They were met by a group of police officers; Lewis suffered a skull fracture when one of them beat him with a nightstick.

“I thought I was going to die,” he said later. The event became known as “Bloody Sunday.”

“Hate is too heavy a burden to bear”

In his early 20s, Lewis embraced a form of nonviolent protest grounded in the principle of “redemptive suffering.” In his memoir, Walking with the Wind, he explained there is “something in the very essence of anguish that is liberating, cleansing, redemptive.”

He added that suffering “touches and changes those around us as well. It opens us and those around us to a force beyond ourselves, a force that is right and moral, the force of righteous truth that is at the basis of human conscience.”

This philosophy centers in the belief that your attacker is as much a victim as you are. It requires the choice to forgive “even as a person is cursing you to your face, even as he is spitting on you, or pushing a lit cigarette into your neck.”

Lewis explained his life philosophy this way: “At a very early stage of the movement, I accepted the teaching of Jesus, the way of love, the way of nonviolence, the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation. The idea of hate is too heavy a burden to bear. … I don’t want to go down that road. I’ve seen too much hate, seen too much violence. And I know love is a better way.”

“The strength of his might”

I disagreed with Rep. Lewis on moral issues such as same-sex marriage, religious liberty and especially on abortion, which is devastating the African American community. But I share his belief in “redemptive suffering,” a commitment he demonstrated courageously and sacrificially.

When what is right also is unpopular, we are forced to decide whether we will stand selflessly in courage or fall selfishly into cowardice. This is a binary choice.

The fact God’s people so often are forced to make this choice is illustrated by the frequency with which God’s word calls us to courageous faith (cf. Deuteronomy 31:6; Joshua 1:9; 1 Chronicles 28:20; 2 Chronicles 32:7; Psalm 16:8; 1 Corinthians 16:13; Ephesians 6:10; Philippians 1:28). Our Father’s invitation is compelling: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Ephesians 6:10).

But know this: When you choose “redemptive suffering,” your courage and example can change the world.

“Our nation will never forget this American hero”

Bloody Sunday led directly to the passage of the Voting Rights Act, which President Lyndon B. Johnson presented to a joint session of Congress just eight days later and signed into law on August 6.

On the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, President Obama and former president George W. Bush joined Rep. Lewis in a walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The picture of Rep. Lewis holding hands with an African American president as they marched where Lewis had been beaten 50 years earlier is a testament to the transforming power of redemptive suffering.

President Obama said after Lewis’s death, “He loved this country so much that he risked his life and blood so that it might live up to its promise.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated, “Progress is not automatic. Our great nation’s history has only bent towards justice because great men like John Lewis took it upon themselves to help bend it. Our nation will never forget this American hero.”

When asked if he regretted not continuing in traditional ministry as a young man, John Lewis said, “I think my pulpit today is a much larger pulpit. … I preach every day.”

Now it’s our turn.

Jim Denison is the co-founder and chief vision officer of Denison Forum. He pastored churches in Texas and Georgia and now speaks and writes to empower believers to navigate cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

The death of John Lewis and the power of ‘redemptive suffering’ was first published in The Daily Article by the Denison Forum. Daily Articles are republished in the Baptist Standard under agreement with Denison Forum and are not intended to represent the Standard’s views.

Eric Staggs of Forney is fighting Stage IV colon cancer. He has a vintage Ford Bronco he has wanted to restore but lacked the energy or time. Before he and his family left last month on a medical trip, he asked a friend if he could install the new tires and wheels Eric had bought for it.

His friend and some neighbors and other friends decided they would become “Team Bronco.” Over six frenetic days, they stripped the paint, re-tuned the engine, added new shocks to go with the new tires and rims, and repainted the Bronco cobalt blue. Then they put the Staggs family’s favorite Bible passage—Psalm 91—on the spare tire cover.

Eric came home and was so shocked he began to cry. “I’m just so in awe of the kindness and generosity of God’s people,” he said. “Guys that I’ve never met before felt like it was a nice thing to do. And the world needs more people that want to do nice things.”

The three stages of disruption

Bruce Feiler’s new book, Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age, is being published today. A fascinating essay adapted from it appears in the Wall Street Journal.

We learn from Feiler’s research the average person will experience around three dozen “disruptors” in our adult lives, one every 12 to 18 months. However, three to five of these will be destabilizing for us.

Feiler calls these “lifequakes” and notes: “What’s unique about this particular moment in history is that for the first time in 75 years, the entire country is going through a life transition together.”

His research shows we experience these destabilizing disruptors in three emotional phases: “the long goodbye,” “the messy middle” and “the new beginning.”

“The long goodbye” requires that we accept emotions such as fear, sadness and shame, using rituals such as tributes and communal experiences to express our pain. “The messy middle” requires us to shed old mindsets, delusions and dreams to form new habits, norms and skills.

These new ways of life lead to “the new beginning,” when “a tinge of normalcy appears, a glimmer of light. The past no longer casts such a long shadow; the future begins to come into view.”

According to Feiler, it is vital to “update your personal story” to say: “I used to be that. Then I went through a change. Now I am this.”

Let’s consider two biblical responses.

Redeeming the present

First, we can find ways to reframe our present challenges even if the future is a long time in coming. Most experts say the pandemic will not end until there is a vaccine, which is months away at a minimum. In the meantime, we are caught in “the messy middle.”

But we can redeem these days spiritually even if we cannot do so medically. As believers, we know “kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28). He is not surprised by this pandemic and wants to use it for his glory and our good.

For example, we can build new patterns of spiritual formation now that will endure when the pandemic ends. We can use social media and other technology to share our faith and God’s love with hurting people, building ministry methods that will be effective for years to come.

Following God into the future

Second, we can seek our Father’s guidance as we find ways to serve God and others in the midst of these “lifequakes.”

A leadership consultant taught me years ago that “new information presents the opportunity to make new decisions.” Where we have been may not be where we need to go. We should seek God’s leadership in order to fulfill God’s purposes.

I am reading through the book of Joshua these days and came upon the battle of Ai in Joshua 7–8. Joshua assumed tactics that worked in past battles would work again (Joshua 7:2–3), but his soldiers were routed (vv. 4–5) because of sin among the people (vv. 6–26). After this sin was exposed and punished, Joshua divided his forces for the first time in their military history and was able to defeat the city (Joshua 8:1–29).

In other words, what worked in the “old normal” may not be God’s plan for the “messy middle” leading to the “new normal.” If we will seek his direction for each new day (cf. Mark 1:35), our Father will lead us by the power of his Spirit into his best for us (cf. Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 12:2).

But only then.

Two types of battles

On this day in 1789, French revolutionaries stormed the Bastille. This signaled the beginning of the French Revolution, a decade of political turmoil and terror that led to independence from the French monarchy.

I suggest we choose, not a battle for independence, but for dependence. Each day, we decide whether to manage our life transitions in our fallenness or God’s omnipotence, following our wisdom or his omniscience.

Which battle will you fight today?

Jim Denison is the co-founder and chief vision officer of Denison Forum. He pastored churches in Texas and Georgia and now speaks and writes to empower believers to navigate cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

Friends rebuild cancer patient’s Ford Bronco: New research shows how to respond to ‘lifequakes’ today was first published in The Daily Article by the Denison Forum. Daily Articles are republished in the Baptist Standard under agreement with Denison Forum and are not intended to represent the Standard’s views.

Here’s a sign of the times: An airport is offering passengers who really miss air travel a trip to nowhere.

Taipei’s Songshan airport made the offer earlier this month, receiving about 7,000 applications. Sixty people were chosen for the half-day “trips” that will continue over the next couple of weeks.

Those selected for the phony flights receive boarding passes and go through the typical security process as if they are traveling internationally. They gather at the gate, then board an Airbus A330 of Taiwan’s largest carrier. However, the plane goes nowhere. After a while, the lucky passengers return to the same gate they left.

In a similar vein, Walmart is turning 160 of its parking lots into drive-in movie theaters to offer contactless film premieres. Besides movies, the family-friendly nights will feature special appearances from filmmakers and celebrities.

Customers will order concessions online for curbside pickup or delivery to their vehicles. The movies will begin next month and run until October.

“Physical distancing and social solidarity”

These are just two examples of the many ways people are adjusting to the pandemic. From remote officing to online shopping to sports without fans, many are doing their best to make the best of these unprecedented days.

Here’s another way to respond.

Barbara Lee Fredrickson is a psychology professor and head of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Lab at the University of North Carolina. She and her team surveyed 600 Americans to ask about their daily activities and correlate them with the degree to which they experienced negative or positive emotions.

Unsurprisingly, they found people who spent time passively scrolling social media or interacting with people only through chat or text were most likely to report negative emotions. By contrast, these activities were more likely to be associated with positive emotions:

• Exercise.
• Self-care—such as participating in hobbies or relaxing.
• Engaging in spiritual activities—such as prayer or meditation.
• Interacting with other people, especially via video or face-to-face interactions.
• Going out of their way to help other people.

In light of her team’s results, Fredrickson encourages us to change our response to others during the pandemic from “social distancing” to “physical distancing and social solidarity.”

“A great multitude that no one could number”

Psalm 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” To make our God “the Lord” is to make him our King and Master at the start of the day and all through the day.

Note: This promise is directed to the “nation” who makes the Lord their God. This word in the Hebrew refers to an entire people group and often is used to describe the Gentiles.

Here we learn the importance to God of the collective, the larger body of his people. He intends his blessing to be experienced by individuals in community who practice the “social solidarity” Fredrickson urges.

We find this theme across the New Testament as well. The church is pictured as a vine with many branches (John 15:1–5), a body with many parts (1 Corinthians 12:12–27), a “great multitude that no one could number” (Revelation 7:9).

Even the apostle Paul—the greatest theologian, evangelist and missionary in history—knew he needed the help of others. He often asked those who read his letters to pray for him (cf. Romans 15:30–32; Ephesians 6:18–20; Colossians 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:25; 2 Thessalonians 3:1–2). He served God alongside a ministry team that began with Barnabas (Acts 13:2–3) and extended to a multitude of kingdom partners (cf. Romans 16:1–15).

The apostle knew “social solidarity” is not just an emotional priority but a kingdom principle.

The privilege of “social solidarity”

As the airport in Taiwan and drive-in movies on Walmart parking lots demonstrate, we are more creative and proactive when we work together than when we work alone. As Fredrickson’s research shows, we are happier and more resilient when we face the pandemic and other challenges with others in community.

To be a people God can bless, we must be people who seek to bless each other.

Here’s my question: Who is helping you make the Lord your God? If Paul needed people to pray for him, don’t you? If he needed partners in kingdom service, don’t you?

In whom are you confiding your needs and fears? With whom are you practicing “social solidarity?”

Now let’s ask it the other way: Who is depending on you? For whom are you praying? Whose needs are you meeting? Whose service are you supporting?

To practice “social solidarity,” let’s practice “spiritual solidarity” today, to the glory of God.

Jim Denison is the co-founder and chief vision officer of Denison Forum. He pastored churches in Texas and Georgia and now speaks and writes to empower believers to navigate cultural issues from a biblical perspective.

A flight to nowhere and drive-in movies in Walmart parking lots: The urgency and power of ‘social solidarity’ was first published in The Daily Article by the Denison Forum. Daily Articles are republished in the Baptist Standard under agreement with Denison Forum and are not intended to represent the Standard’s views.