If the Lord kept a record? If? He does keep a record. So, how are we standing? The Bible is one long answer to this question. And it points to Jesus. Part of the reason for a statement like this is to remind us of the lengths to which God has gone to rescue us, and how shocking is His grace-laden plan.
9.11.21: One year from today will mark twenty years since planes crashed and towers fell. It doesn’t seem possible. I find it both hard to imagine that it’s been that long, and hard to remember life pre-9/11. What have we learned since the attack? And what did we learn from that crisis that might help us in this one?
Do the Math: Social media is awash in reports that the richest among us are richer than they are. I’m not excited to be defending Bezos’s hundreds of billions, but for the record, he could not “easily give everyone in the US $1M dollars and still have $188.8 billion left over.” Nor could Michael Bloomberg give everyone in the US over $1M given how much he spent on his presidential campaign. You can read more about this nonsense here, but let me say, while Bloomberg could give every US citizen $1.52, that is a bit shy of the $1M. And many – including many who should know better! – are repeating this craziness. I would like to see anyone who makes this claim be sent back to 6th grade math class.
Being Proactive: In case you have not heard, I was one of the 1,492 people in Illinois who was diagnosed with the coronavirus on September 1. I am doing well (it has mostly been a nonevent), and tomorrow I am officially finished with quarantining! But COVID has given me time to think, and one of the things I have been pondering is my perspective. After reading a business article claiming that just a few perspective shifts can make a huge difference I decided to suspend cynicism and give it a try. My take – away is, I want to be more like Joseph. After being kidnapped, sold into slavery, framed, and left to rot in prison, he continued to respond as though God was real and could be trusted.
Speaking of Perspective: In preparation for Letters from God, a series on Christ’s seven letters to the churches in Asia Minor, I have been studying the Book of Revelation. Among my takeaways is the importance of perspective. Revelation 4:1 is certainly one of the key passages in the Book. There Jesus invites John to see what He is seeing – i.e., to gain the perspective of heaven. It makes all the difference. Lord God help us to see situations – and people! – as you do.
And there is more: And while I am thinking about things I need to think more about, there is this: God’s love is boundless; there is no sin too great for His grace; He knows the worst about me and loves me anyway; His church will prevail; love will win; the tomb really was empty; and He really will return.
My Life: Thomas Hobbes famously suggested that life is “poor, nasty, brutish and short.” Not mine. Nor does that appear to be the experience or expectation of most living in the US today. Indeed, one of the marvels of modern life is how much we take for granted. Along with others, I expect heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer, food in the grocery stores and vaccines to keep me from getting sick. COVID would do us a favor if it helped us remember how fragile life really is and how many blessings we take for granted.
Quotes Worth Requoting: “The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.” Elisabeth Elliot
Without Comment: 1) A dentist in NYC reports an epidemic of cracked teeth. She blames pandemic-induced stress; 2) Fender reports record guitar sales this year; 3) Netflix stock is up 11,390 percent since 2009 and has added twenty-five million subscribers – i.e., more than the population of Australia – since the pandemic started.
Closing Prayer: Lord, how poorly I pray! Either I pray vaguely and halfheartedly, or I pray heatedly, accusingly telling you exactly what you must do. Teach me to pray with discipline and passion and yet also contentment with your will. Then through my prayers you will do much good in the world and in my heart. Amen. Tim Keller