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What a Legacy

Monday marked 57 years since my father died of a heart attack. He was 46; I was seven. I carry some mental snapshots of him, a collection of recollections that I peruse from time to time in the album of my mind. Yet one of Dad’s greatest influences on me throughout the years comes through a certain montage of memories that blend into this abiding impression of the man: Dad valued people and treated them with equal dignity and respect. How could a boy of my tender age possibly understand this? Whether people were paupers or professionals, Dad greeted and engaged them with the same interest and esteem. It showed through the giving of his time, the acceptance in his smile, the warmth of his humor, the lending of an ear, and the approval in his eyes, those blue-tinted windows of his soul. They were the same for all. And children see these things.

Among Solomon’s vast collection of proverbs resides this gem: “Rich and poor have this in common: The Lord is the Maker of them all.”1 God does not base our eternal worth on our temporary wealth, be it great or small, but in that He has made us in His image. The Word is replete with admonitions not to favor the rich over the poor, for “whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.”2 Yet God also commands us against bias in either extreme: “You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.”3 For His ways of good and right are the same for all, and we all are accountable to Him.

God is our maker; we matter to Him. Then because we matter to Him, we honor each other in thought, word and deed. This is what I saw in my father’s regard for people. What a legacy.

Father, You love others as You love me. Grace me to regard people not according to the ways of this world, but to see them and to serve them as Your own. In Christ I pray. Amen.

1 Proverbs 22:2
2 Proverbs 14:31
3 Leviticus 19:15

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When Culture Cancels

What do you do when you lose the support of those around you because of their intolerance of what you believe, speak or act? What do you do when your beliefs and outward expression of them expose you to public shaming? In other words, how do we live in a cancelation culture? Cancelation itself is not new, I suppose. We could think back on the McCarthy trials of the 1950s and see individuals effectively “canceled,” most notably from the film industry, because of their leftist political views. Yet even while looking back on this chapter with regret, we perpetuate the practice for those espousing views more to the right. (It is a bit ironic.) Though social media has broadened its reach, social silencing is not new.

What have changed to some degree in contemporary culture are the mores we venerate and those we persecute. Ethical standards will always exist, and people will remain judgmental toward those who offend them. Yet in some ways to some people, God’s Word has become less foundational to the understanding and acceptance of what is right and true. The exclusivity of the gospel—“No one comes to the Father but through me”1, 2—and Biblical authority on human sexuality, for instance, have become passe in the minds of many and offensive to others. Isaiah’s prophetic warnings resound still today to all who will hear them: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!”3


How then do we live before the prospects of personal humiliation and cancelation? Our natural tendencies might lead us to one or both of two ill-advised extremes: cowing into submission for conditional acceptance, or standing up for righteousness in an unrighteous way. God would have us do neither. Rather, we remain focused on His Word, speaking it and relying on its power and truth, for “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.”4 We stand firm in the perpetual promise of Jesus, “Blessed are those who are persecuted,”5 and go forth in this companion command from Paul, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”6 And in all circumstances, we remain “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”7

Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep speaking. Keep loving.

“Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”8 —Jesus, to the disciples

Father, send your Spirit of truth today, that we would remember Your Word; strengthen us also through Him, that we would be bold and remain faithful to You. In Christ we pray. Amen.

1 John 14:6
2 See also Acts 4:12
3 Isaiah 5:20 NASB
4 Psalm 19:7
5 Matthew 5:10
6 Romans 12:14
7 2 Timothy 2:1
8 John 15:20 ESV

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The Power Grid

It was an opportunistic play, for sure. With Central Ohio temperatures maintaining in the upper 90s a couple of weeks ago, there began to emerge some electrical brownouts—pockets of limited power—some of them intentional in order to prevent a broader outage. This left thousands suffering without electrical services one day, so at our Bible study the next morning, the leader posited this timely question for us first to ponder and then to discuss: “How do you respond when you are powerless?” We approached “powerlessness” in the broader sense, of course, as in losing control of certain aspects of our life, such as our physical health, employment and income, acceptance or affection from others, or being subject to those who gain authority over us in some way.

Our natural reactions to losing control came to mind first: anger, fear, self-doubt, sadness, frustration, helplessness, weariness and humiliation. Perhaps you can add a few from your own personal experiences, for we’ve all suffered personal “power outages” in some ways and to some degree. Yet God is a transformer, and over time, He grows us up, not as stronger versions of our natural selves, but as new creations made into His own likeness and nature, and unto His higher purposes. Continuing in conversation, we shared times when “losing control”—or the illusion thereof—had worked to our own good, bringing us face to face with our own limitations and recognizing the boundless power of God. Then to our responses to powerlessness, we gratefully listed a few more: relief, rest, and confident reliance on God.

God is always in control, but He does not leave us powerless. Quite the opposite, He has lavishly and lovingly poured His power into us through the indwelling of His Spirit, not for the pursuit of our selfish desires, but that we may live effectively in and for His eternal purposes. He strengthens us with power through his Spirit in our inner being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith.1 He gives us power “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that [we] may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”2 And “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”3 When we lose power, take heart! For God restores us in His.

Christ lives in us.4 He is in control.5 We live in His power.6 So let’s go.7

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.8

1 Ephesians 3:16-17
2 Ephesians 3:18-19
3 2 Peter 1:3
4 2 Corinthians 13:5
5 Philippians 3:20-21
6 Ephesians 3:21
7 Matthew 28:19
8 Ephesians 3:20-21