DISCERN | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025

DISCERN

Discern magazine (ISSN 2372-1995 [print]; ISSN 2372-2010 [online]) is published every two months by the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, as a service to readers of its LifeHopeandTruth.com website. Discern’s home page is LifeHopeandTruth.com/Discern. Free electronic subscriptions can be obtained at LifeHopeandTruth.com/ Discern. Contact us at info@DiscernMag.com

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Ministerial Board of Directors:

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President: Jim Franks; Editor: Clyde Kilough; Editorial content manager: Mike Bennett; Managing editor: David Hicks; Senior editor: David Treybig; Associate designer: Elena Salyer; Associate editors: Erik Jones, Jeremy Lallier; Assistant editor: Kendrick Diaz; Copy editor: Becky Bennett; Social media: Hailey Willoughby

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version (© 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.). Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Looking Into This Jesus Christ Business

You might have seen the old cartoon with two little boys talking after church. One, recovering from the bitter disappointment of having just learned that Santa Claus doesn’t exist, declares to his friend, “And I’m going to look into this Jesus Christ business too!”

Most of us can identify with that little kid. Remember when you placed an innocent belief in those you trusted most, only to find out they had set you up for a big letdown? Remember the gleeful anticipation of finding money under your pillow from the tooth fairy, seeing what Santa left for you or looking for the eggs and candy the Easter bunny hid? One day the stark realization hit you that it was all a scam!

Call it what they will— “it’s just harmless fun,” “a little make-believe”—they still lied to you. These were followed by any number of deceits that turned us from childlike believers into suspicious skeptics.

Hacking through the jungle

Like Roosevelt’s crew slogging through the Brazilian rainforest, anyone seeking to discover where the Bible leads has to hack his way through a jungle of manmade traditions and prejudices that choke and obscure the truth.

At the fork in the river of life

Searching for truth is an extremely demanding quest. As Jesus described it in His book, the Holy Bible, “Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14). Why? Probably because the greatest challenge isn’t finding out what is or is not in the Bible—it’s finding out what is or is not in us!

But what would life be like, what would we find, if we turned our cynicism into a quest for discovery and, like the little boy, looked into “this Jesus Christ business”?

All of us on the Discern staff decided at some point in our lives to do just that; and now, years later, we love sharing our findings. Different things stirred each of us at different times, but we all shared a common irritation and curiosity. We were annoyed at finding out that we’d been led to believe a lot of things that are not actually in the Bible, and we were curious to then find out the truth about “this Jesus Christ business.”

The quest for biblical discovery parallels many other great discovery stories. A few years ago I read Candice Millard’s The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey, recounting his little-known exploration of an uncharted tributary of the Amazon River. The grueling venture nearly cost him his life, and it certainly changed his life.

Truth inevitably brings us to a fork in the river where we’re forced to choose: Will we take the wide, easy-flowing stream offered by today’s vast variety of beliefs, or the more challenging, less popular channel of truth defined by Jesus Christ? Only one leads to life.

It’s no different now than it was when Jesus walked the earth. He had to cut through a maze of false religious ideas to lead people to truth. In one instance, answering a Samaritan woman’s questions and explaining that none of the religions of the day had it right, He told her, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him” (John 4:23).

God really wants people to “look into this Jesus Christ business” and discover what His way of life really means! We hope Discern can help guide you down this incredible river of life!

Clyde Kilough Editor

Human history is, sadly, defined by conflicts escalating into war. What is the cause, and when will it end?

By Doug Horchak

Photo:

Igrew up in a family of three brothers. As young siblings in a blue-collar family in the 1950s, we actually played together pretty well. However, there were those few occasions when we had a quarrel or two. And since I was the youngest and sometimes had to do my brothers’ bidding—I didn’t like those instances! While today my brothers and I get along and love one another, those early experiences introduced me to the reality of human conflict.

First recorded conflict

Biblical history shows us that the very first recorded conflict was between two brothers. And, sadly, the story of the clash between Cain and his brother Abel resulted in the tragic and brutal death of Abel (Genesis 4).

Conflict is an aspect of man’s nature that has defined the last 6,000 years of human history. In fact, the presence of conflict and violence became so intolerable in the centuries after the murder of Abel that God eventually chose to eliminate all human flesh from the earth except for the family of His servant Noah.

In the Genesis account, God reveals that the core problem was the human heart. “And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).

Causes of war

Since the time of the Flood, man’s history has continued to be defined more by conflict, wars and the conquering of nations than almost anything else.

Considering that the human heart is the root cause of conflict and violence, it stands to reason that the only solution to the curse of war resides in a fundamental change of man’s heart and way of thinking. This is not an easy task. God’s Word reveals more about the root cause of conflict.

The apostle James said it succinctly in his letter: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not

“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars . . .”

have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (James 4:1-3).

James states it very simply— selfishness is the cause of conflicts, both small and great. It’s the way of get, rather than give.

In fact, both secular history and Scripture show that, indeed, human self-interest in its many forms is at the core of conflict and war, whether between brothers, tribes or empires.

The human tendency toward war transcends time and culture

Author Chris McNab, in his 2022 book A History of War, covers the record of man’s conflicts—from ancient warfare to the global conflicts of the 21st century.

What he states at the very beginning of his book is significant, coming from a secular historian’s view of humanity: “The psychological structures that make human beings capable of killing another person appear deep-seated, and transcend time and culture” (p. 5).

In other words, the human tendency to resort to violence in order to fulfill one’s needs or desires has been characteristic of humans for a long time—from the very beginning!

McNab’s view of the historical timing of war actually compares to the biblical narrative of Cain and Abel (approximately 4000 B.C.):

“What anthropological and archaeological research has established beyond doubt is that by the beginnings of recorded history, around the 4th millennium BCE, warfare was engrained in human culture” (p. 6).

Better weapons, worse effects of war

The many studies on the history of war all point to a fundamental truth: While man’s violent nature and tendency to engage in war have never diminished, it’s man’s efforts to improve his implements of war that have continued to develop—with increasingly deadly results.

We now possess weapons capable of annihilating multiple thousands of people in a matter of seconds.

This is a reality, as we shall see, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, prophesied almost 2,000 years ago. It was powerfully confirmed near the end of World War II with the advent of the nuclear age.

The ultimate human weapon

The Second World War unfolded over a sixyear period, beginning in mainland Europe and becoming global as it spread to Asia when Japan joined the Axis powers of Nazi Germany and Italy.

The Pacific Theater in World War II proved to be a brutal four-year battle between the military of Japan and the Allied forces led by the United States.

However, the war in the Pacific took a dramatic turn after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima, Japan, on Aug. 6, and then on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945. The devastation inflicted by these nuclear devices and the terror spawned by their radioactive fallout was unprecedented in all human history. It was an overwhelming blow that brought the Japanese Empire to its knees, resulting in their complete surrender in the days that followed.

A fundamental change needed

Less than a month later, near the end of his speech given on the USS Missouri at the surrender of the Japanese army in September of 1945, Gen. Douglas MacArthur made these sobering comments:

“Military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war. The utter destructiveness of war now blots out this alternative. We have had our last chance.

“If we do not now devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advance in science, art, literature and all material and cultural developments of the past two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.”

Was Gen. MacArthur a prophet? No, he was not.

He was a 65-year-old commander of the U.S. forces in the Pacific. He was a military man educated in the history of war at West Point. However, what Gen. MacArthur came to deeply discern about mankind had less to do with his military education and more to do with the sobering experience he gained through the disturbing realities of global war in the atomic age.

Oppenheimer’s regret

Not only did Gen. MacArthur realize the hopeless future of warfare in the atomic age, the physicist responsible for the development of that first atomic bomb, Robert Oppenheimer, himself became plagued by regret.

After Dr. Oppenheimer and the other scientists under his direction completed the secret Manhattan Project, he had a deep conflict of conscience due to his involvement in developing such a destructive force—one that was used to annihilate two cities and hundreds of thousands of people in a matter of minutes.

Dr. Oppenheimer stated, “Despite the vision and the far-seeing wisdom of our wartime

heads of state, the physicists felt a peculiarly intimate responsibility for suggesting, for supporting, and in the end, in large measure, for achieving the realization of atomic weapons. Nor can we forget that these weapons, as they were in fact used, dramatized so mercilessly the inhumanity and evil of modern war. In some sort of crude sense which no vulgarity, no humor, no overstatement can quite extinguish, the physicists have known sin; and this is a knowledge which they cannot lose” (emphasis added).

Dr. Oppenheimer’s acknowledgment that those who developed and deployed such weapons of mass destruction have “known sin” is significant.

In some ways both Gen. MacArthur and Dr. Oppenheimer came to grasp what the Son of God foretold almost 2,000 years ago, when He responded to His disciples’ questions about the end of the age.

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:21-22).

Christ said that unless something significant happened, “unless those days were shortened,” the conflicts of mankind would eventually bring about the ultimate conflagration—a war in which no flesh would survive!

Christ foretold the increase of war

When asked by His disciples about conditions that would exist at the time of His return, Jesus

replied, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars . . For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:6-7).

History has proved Jesus right.

In the last century alone, World War I saw an estimated 9.7 million soldiers and 10 million civilians lose their lives, with another 21 million soldiers becoming wounded (Britannica.com). Though World War I was labeled “the war to end all wars,” within two decades, World War II claimed even higher casualties.

Though exact figures are hard to determine, it has been estimated that perhaps 80 million people died during that conflict. World War II was followed soon after by the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and millions more have been devastated by conflicts large and small since then.

A future without war

The plan of God as revealed in the Bible shows a totally different future for mankind—a time when war will be replaced by real peace.

The prophet Micah foretold a time in the future when things will change:

“Many nations shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’

“For out of Zion the law shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Micah 4:2-3).

Imagine a time when:

• Nations will be taught a different way of life.

• Weapons of warfare will be repurposed as implements of peace.

• Violence and the conflict of war will cease to be.

These are stunning claims that, to most, would seem utterly impossible. Yet God reveals that this incredible transformation will happen! But how?

A dramatic change of heart

“The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their ways; they have made themselves crooked paths; whoever takes that way shall not know peace” (Isaiah 59:8).

History proves these words of the prophet Isaiah to be true.

When you think about it, logic dictates that the only way for war and human conflict to come to an end is by all parties involved (all countries, tribes,

leaders and people) undergoing a profound transformation.

But can such a change in human nature actually happen? God reveals, yes, it can.

After the return of Jesus Christ—whose intervention will narrowly prevent mankind’s self-annihilation—the Bible reveals that mankind will experience a process of change that will transcend human government, laws and politics. As implausible as it may seem, God’s Word shows us that only a deep change in the human heart can bring this about.

The prophet Ezekiel records God’s promise:

“For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them . . .

“Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations” (Ezekiel 36:24-27, 31).

Scripture shows mankind will, by living through the experience of the global conflicts and tribulation leading up to Christ’s return, finally grasp the deep need to change—to repent. People will see and understand the futility of their way of thinking, coming to a point of actually loathing themselves!

This is a powerful statement about the transformation of the nature of mankind on a global scale in the future. It will be a transformation based on the same process taught in the New Testament—that of personal repentance (Mark 1:15). Each person must come to see the need to change.

In response, God will provide a new heart through the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

“Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My judgments and do them; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God” (Ezekiel 11:19-20).

What an encouraging time that will be! However, we will have to wait a bit longer for that time to come.

Waiting for the Prince of Peace

Sadly, man’s history has been one of chaos, violence and war. Over the millennia, kingdoms and empires have come and gone. From the early empires of Mesopotamia and China, to the conquering kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, to the city-states and great empires of Europe—all have promised some form of wealth and peace. But none have delivered on that promise.

God’s Word reveals many wonderful outcomes of a new world that will emerge after the return of Jesus Christ.

One of the more encouraging visions of that future is detailed in what God inspired His prophet Isaiah to write:

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

“Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

May God speed that day! D

Open Letter

An President-Elect

This open letter was written a month before the U.S. election one who will carry the heavy responsibility of the presidency.

Dear Mr. or Madam President-Elect of the United States, Writing one month before the election, it’s unclear to whom this letter should be addressed. But that matters not—the message is the same for either of you, former President Trump or Vice President Harris.

Please forgive me if it seems presumptuous for some unknown to offer unsolicited words to the new leader of the free world. Nevertheless, they come from the heart and express, I believe, sentiments of at least a small segment of citizens in both the United States and rest of the world.

I know you are not the spiritual leader of this country, nor is that your responsibility. But you have declared your belief in God, you appealed fervently to religious constituents for their votes, and you likely will add the traditional ending, “So help me God,” to your oath of office. I hope you utter those four words with deep solemnity, because missteps in dealing with the many crises you face hold deeply solemn consequences.

Long ago a wise man warned, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). While our founding fathers established the official separation of church and state, this proverb’s truth remains: It is impossible to separate a nation’s state of righteousness—its character, its moral fiber—from its eventual fate. Spiritual values are, in reality, the basis of character and morals. Call it what you will—righteousness and sin, or good and evil—wherever one stands on the spectrum of religious belief, it’s hard to argue with this simple premise: Doing right lifts up a nation; doing wrong tears it down. But what is right and wrong? That “we the people” cannot reach a consensus on this in so many issues sadly testifies to our moral confusion.

May we ask then, what is your personal platform on righteousness and sin, on good and evil? Assuming you’ll swear on a Bible, can we assume you totally agree with it? If not, then why ask for God’s help in your leadership? If so, can we hear assurance that your definitions of “righteousness” and “sin” are the same as what we read in God’s Word? Furthermore, can we have assurance that you know what God expects, regarding righteousness, of the one wearing the mantle of leadership?

God wants, and we need, to see more than outward appearances. A president occasionally stepping inside a church, quoting Scripture, hobnobbing with religious people, or even publicly praying may impress people, but not God. God says He looks on the heart, on our inner character, to see if we do the right things (by His definition, not human opinion) for the right reasons.

Revisiting the latter half of the proverb, the opposite of righteousness is sin (again, per God, not human opinion). When sin finds a foothold in an individual or a nation, it compromises and erodes character. Weak character gives rise to bad choices, and all choices cause consequences. Sin’s inescapable result is “reproach.”

National reproach takes many forms, often beginning with disappointment and disrespect from one’s allies, and ultimately ending with disgrace and defeat from one’s enemies.

Mr. or Madam President, many of us fear for our country—and the world. We see the handwriting of reproach on the wall, and its message is dire. Both of you as candidates seemed to share that fear since you both campaigned on warnings that the nation’s future was at stake in this election. But I’m not sure we’re reading the same handwriting as either of you. You represent the opposing views reflecting a nation no longer “indivisible.” We the people are hopelessly riven by concepts from one extreme to another of “morality.” We are deeply into a civil war, not fought with physical weapons, but with the weapons of philosophies and practices that assault the soul of a people—a cultural, moral and spiritual war.

The handwriting on the wall many of us read states, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25). That is God’s warning. That every past kingdom of man has fallen bears witness to God’s truth!

Yet “the Lord looks down from heaven at the human race,” David wrote, “to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks God” (Psalm 14:2, NET Bible). God stands ready to help, but only if we—all of us, not one political party or the other—stand ready to humbly seek His help.

If not, our Achilles’ heel lies exposed. Democracy’s inherent weakness is found in its very definition, “the people rule”—not God. It works for a while, but when “we the people” claim rule over defining the ideals of right and wrong, good and evil, and depart from seeking and obeying God, we have sown the seeds of our eventual desolation and fall.

When God looks down from heaven now to observe who seeks Him—those whose slogan is “In God We Trust”—what does He see? What does He see in our leaders?

There were times when some who governed seemed to genuinely believe that we could survive only with God’s help and blessing, and unashamedly called on the nation to seek Him.

In World War I President Woodrow Wilson declared a national day of fasting, “humbly and devoutly to acknowledge our dependence on Almighty God and to implore His aid and protection.” He went so far as to boldly say, “I . . . exhort my fellow-citizens . . . to pray Almighty God that He may forgive our sins.”

Fifty-five years earlier, in the Civil War’s dark days, President Abraham Lincoln

also called for “a day of national humiliation, fasting, and prayer.” His proclamation rings even more true today:

“We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven; we have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity; we have grown in numbers, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.

“It behooves us then, to humble ourselves before the offended Power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.”

Humble ourselves? Confess our sins? Pray for forgiveness?

Today, I expect many would find repugnant and loudly protest such a summons, and a president promoting such ideals would subject himself to public ridicule. Such is the sad spiritual state of our union.

Nevertheless, this is the highest level of leadership and statesmanship that the nation needs. In 1982 President Ronald Reagan boldly asserted, “We need God more than He needs us.”

On another occasion, he stated, “If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

Mr. or Madam President, what are your thoughts on that? Some among us perceive that our problems and our need for God loom even larger than four decades ago. We’ve long seen the signs of sliding toward becoming “a nation gone under,” regardless of which political party’s in power.

I don’t know your personal thoughts about God, or how you involve Him in your daily life. But if you ask, “So help me God,” it would be prudent to remember that He “gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34).

Sycophants and agenda-chasers tend to heap praise upon presidents, the greatest flattery being that God placed you in this position because of your uprightness, your policies or His favor on you personally. Charming talk can be heady, and it’s the rare person who walks humbly before God, ever mindful that “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). The once proud and powerful Nebuchadnezzar learned the hard way “that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men” (Daniel 4:17). A cautionary tale, indeed.

The reproach of the Civil War humbled Lincoln, and during that low time someone asked him if God was on his side. “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side,” said the president. “My greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

Cautionary words for today, indeed.

No, you cannot shape the nation’s spiritual state. But like many presidents before you, you do hold the power of rhetoric to put God into the forefront of its consciousness, if you dare. You have a platform from which you can shine a light on our spiritual needs, if you see them. You can exhort us to consider our greatest needs—humility, turning to God, confession of sins, forgiveness, obedience—if you lead the way. What we do with that is up to us, but upon what, and upon whom, you seek to set our eyes is up to you.

I earnestly pray that He will look down and see you wisely seeking Him.

So help us God.

Winston Churchill, famous British statesman, mi litary officer and writer, died Jan. 24, 1965, at age 90. Now, 60 years later, the world still owes him an enormous debt for his leadership of the U.K. against Nazi Germany during World War II. His wit, wisdom, writings and speeches contributed to his success in strengthening a beleaguered people.

One of his speeches offers an aspect of character still important for us today. It was an address he gave at Harrow School on Oct. 29, 1941, that is referred to as his “Never Give In!” speech.

The setting for the speech was early in Churchill’s first stint as prime minister. He assumed the office on May 10, 1940, the same

day that Hitler began his invasion of France, Belgium and Holland. After the defeat of France in June, the German Luftwaffe began mercilessly attacking the U.K. This aerial warfare, known as the Battle of Britain, raged for approximately three and a half months—July 10 through Oct. 31, 1940.

The German regime had planned to invade Britain and expected the country to seek a peace settlement because of the fall of France and the Germans’ brutal aerial attack upon the island. But Churchill encouraged his nation to continue the war, giving stirring speeches to rally morale. Germany’s failure to destroy Britain’s air force and take it out of the war was the first major German defeat in WWII.

A few days shy of the oneyear anniversary of the British victory in the Battle of Britain,

Churchill addressed the faculty and students assembled at Harrow School. With recent events clearly in mind, Churchill uttered these now renowned words:

“Surely from this period of ten months this is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

Our battle

Christians are likewise engaged in a great battle. Paul admonished Timothy to “endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3) and referred to himself and his fellow brethren as “soldiers” in service to God

NEVER GIVE IN!

In the depths of World War II, Winston Churchill inspired his nation to endure. What can Christians learn from Churchill’s famous “Never Give In” speech?

(Philippians 2:25; Philemon 1:2).

We aren’t to be selfishly stubborn, but we are to be unyielding in our spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:12).

Our battle is against our own human nature and against the pulls of the world to ignore God’s righteous commands (Romans 8:6-8). Satan, the adversary of both God and man, deceives most of humanity into believing that living our lives as we choose, apart from God, is our best course of action. Addressing this influence of Satan, John noted, “The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). Later, in his writings while on the island of Patmos, he added, “That serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan” is the one “who deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).

While Satan’s deceptions reach everyone, not everyone succumbs. A few do not give in. Those who

faithfully follow Jesus Christ heed the admonition to submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7).

Resisting ungodly influences is not easy. Living in a world that calls “evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20) has always been difficult.

Peter illustrated this through the experience Lot had while living in Sodom. He noted that Lot was “oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked” and that he was “tormented . . . from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds” (2 Peter 2:7-8).

From mankind’s earliest beginning, God has been looking for people who do not give in to pressure to disobey His commands. When God was in the process of letting the nation of Judah fall to the Babylonian Empire, He lamented, “I sought for a man among them who would make a

By David Treybig

wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one” (Ezekiel 22:30).

Inspiring examples of Daniel and his friends

Even though God allowed the ancient nations of Israel and Judah to fall because of the disobedience of the majority of their citizens, there are also inspiring examples of people who remained faithful to God in spite of trying circumstances.

The examples of Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, provide timeless lessons on how we, too, can remain faithful to God when we face difficult situations.

The setting for the biblical stories of Daniel and his friends began with the four of

them, likely in their teenage years, being taken captive to Babylon. This was in the first of three waves of deportations of the Jewish people from their homeland (Daniel 1:1-4; Jeremiah 52:28-30).

In Babylon, the capital city of the Babylonian or Chaldean Empire, they were trained in the Chaldean language and culture for service to the king and his empire.

Being uprooted from their native land, they faced immense pressure to conform to the manners and customs of their new home. Even their names were changed, apparently to encourage them to leave their Jewish customs behind and adopt the ways of the Babylonians (Daniel 1:6-7).

With this background in mind, consider a few situations where they refused to give in to the pressures to abandon God and His instructions on how to live.

• Dietary choices: One of the first decisions Daniel and his friends made was to refuse to eat the food and wine that had been provided for them (Daniel 1:8-16). They said they didn’t want to defile themselves. It seems that their allotted provisions had either been connected with idolatry or were forbidden by God’s law. What they were given to eat and drink may have seemed inconsequential, but they determined not to give in to the pressure to conform to the Babylonian diet. Being faithful in small things prepares us to be faithful in larger, more difficult challenges (Luke 16:10).

• Threats of death : King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and demanded that the wise men in his kingdom first tell him his dream and then interpret it or else be killed. Daniel and his three friends’ lives were also on the line (Daniel 2:1-13). Daniel requested time to respond, and he asked his three friends to pray with him that God would reveal the secret (verses 16-18). Prayer is a powerful tool to use when we face trials, and in this situation, God revealed the dream and its meaning to Daniel (verse 19).

• Trials of the fiery furnace and the lions’ den: The accounts of Daniel’s friends being thrown into a fiery furnace because they refused to bow down to an idol and of Daniel being thrown into a lions’ den because he continued to pray to God are legendary tests of their loyalty to God. Instead of giving in to the pressures that threatened their lives, they chose to stand on their deeply held convictions to obey God, no matter what (Daniel 3 and 6). And God did deliver them!

The stories of these men have inspired Christians throughout the ages. But how can we have this same type of courage to obey God today?

How to resist

God provides Christians with multiple sources of strength, especially His Holy Spirit, that we can draw upon to resist evil.

To the brethren in Rome, Paul wrote, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Hope is far more than simply wishful thinking. In its greater meaning, it is a confident expectation in God’s promises that helps us live differently than other people. Our hope in God’s coming Kingdom should be so real that we focus on obedience to God in all we do. And it is through our deeds, based upon God’s instructions, that we fulfill Christ’s expectation of us to be “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14-16).

God’s Spirit is not “a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). God’s Spirit helps us bravely do what He expects of us (1 Corinthians 16:13).

In Christ’s preparation to face Satan’s temptation, we can note two more ways spiritual resolve can be developed and strengthened. Prior to His encounter with Satan, Jesus fasted (Matthew 4:2). Fasting is a tool for humbling and strengthening ourselves spiritually. (Learn more in our online article “How to Fast as a Christian .”)

In responding to Satan’s temptations, we also note that Jesus answered each one with a scriptural reference (verses 3-10). We, too, can study God’s Word to be well-grounded in how to respond to temptations we will face. (Study further in our article “Man Shall Not Live by Bread Alone .”)

Let’s never give in to Satan and the ungodly pulls of the world! D

THE DONKEYS WERE NEVER THE POINT

By Jeremy Lallier

HIn the Old Testament, God commands us not to ignore beasts of burden that are lost or struggling.

What lesson can we learn from that today?

ow many donkeys do you own?

I’ll go first: Zero.

I own, at this moment in my life, zero donkeys. I have never previously owned a donkey, and unless my life takes a very drastic and unexpected turn, I can say with a reasonable amount of certainty that I will not be owning a donkey at any point in the future.

This is an important detail to stress, because I find that the Old Testament spends a significant amount of time elaborating on rules involving donkeys. There are rules for what happens if your donkey falls into a pit (Exodus 21:33), rules for what happens if your donkey is stolen and later discovered alive (Exodus 22:4), rules for what happens if your neighbor is taking care of your donkey and it runs away (verses 10-11), rules for what happens if you think your neighbor has stolen your donkey (verse 9), rules for what happens

if your neighbor’s donkey dies on your watch (verse 14), rules for what to do with your firstborn donkeys (Exodus 34:20), rules for keeping the Sabbath with your donkey (Exodus 23:12), rules about how to plow with your donkey (Deuteronomy 22:10), even rules about the kind of feelings you shouldn’t have toward donkeys that aren’t yours (Exodus 20:17).

Basically, if you are a donkey owner with a donkeyrelated question, the Old Testament has you covered. But what about for the rest of us? If your donkeyowning experience is, like mine, entirely nonexistent, you might be tempted to just skim over these kinds of passages.

This is, in part, an article about why that’s a terrible idea.

It’s not really about the animal

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he reminded them of a law from the Old Testament. “For it is written in the

law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain’” (1 Corinthians 9:9). Again, at first glance, it seems this is useful only if you have an ox.

But then Paul peels back a layer and shows us what’s at the core: “Is it oxen God is concerned about? Or does He say it altogether for our sakes?” (verses 9-10, emphasis added throughout). The context shows Paul was making a point about the need to support those who preach the gospel.

The donkeys, the oxen—they’re all secondary. Hidden behind that mountain of donkey-related ordinances is a set of principles.

What we’re really looking at here are rules for conflict resolution. For learning how to be trustworthy and dependable members of a society. For understanding that our own misfortune isn’t always someone else’s fault. For recognizing and honoring God’s blessings in our lives. For setting ourselves up for success instead of failure.

God isn’t primarily concerned about donkeys.

He’s concerned about us.

He has lessons to teach us—principles for us to learn and live by.

If we skim over the donkeys, we skim over the lessons.

When the donkeys go astray

We could spend hours talking about all of those principles, but since the editorial team unanimously rejected my proposal for this to become the donkeythemed issue of Discern, I’m going to have to settle for just one:

The somebody-else’s-problem donkey.

The book of Deuteronomy has a fairly long passage about what’s expected of us when we see a domesticated animal that’s lost or struggling:

“You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother. And if he does not live near you and you do not know who he is, you shall bring it home to your house, and it shall stay with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him.

“And you shall do the same with his donkey or with his garment, or with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he loses and you find; you may not ignore it. You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fallen down by the way and ignore them. You shall help him to lift them up again” (Deuteronomy 22:1-4, English Standard Version).

You may not ignore it.

It can be tempting to do that sometimes—to see an obvious problem that could be solved by someone willing to get involved, remark on what an unfortunate situation it is, and then carry on with business as normal:

“Oh, no—how terrible. Anyway, as I was saying . .”

God expects more from us than that.

He expects us to take action. It’s not enough to just call out to anyone within earshot, “Hey, someone really ought to do something about that donkey!”

God tells us, “You do something about it.”

Not ignoring is not enough

For us, bringing back the lost donkey means helping the way we’d want to be helped if the roles were reversed. We should still tread with care—the Bible also warns us that “he who passes by and meddles in a quarrel

Be the kind of person who doesn’t hesitate to help where help is needed.

not his own is like one who takes a dog by the ears” (Proverbs 26:17). I’ve never personally taken a dog by the ears, but my imagination can fill in for my lack of experience on that one. This one passage about a donkey isn’t an invitation to go and stick our nose in places where it doesn’t really belong.

But it is a command to not ignore the obvious problems our brother could use some help with.

And who is our brother? The whole passage seems to set the stage for Jesus Christ’s eventual parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). The neighbor in that parable was “he who showed mercy” on his fellow man (verse 37). In Deuteronomy, your brother can even be someone who “does not live near you and you do not know who he is” (Deuteronomy 22:2, ESV).

“Not ignoring” is only the first step. In the case of the lost donkey, we even have to be willing to take it in and care for it until the owner comes looking. Or if our brother is struggling to get his donkey back on its feet, we should be rushing to lend a hand.

What lending a hand looks like is going to vary. It might not always be safe (or we might not always have the capability) to stop and help someone change a tire. It might not always be wise to throw money at a problem that’s bigger than just finances. But the core principle behind this passage in Deuteronomy is about refusing to ignore the needs of others and then figuring out what we can do to help, even when it means going out of our way to do it.

In fact, a similar passage in Exodus expands the definition of whose donkeys we should be concerned about: “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it” (Exodus 23:4-5).

That’s not just going out of our way to help a friend. That’s sacrificing our time and energy for someone who actively hates us.

As Jesus would later tell the disciples, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:44-45).

Helping to shoulder Somebody Else’s Problem

British satirist Douglas Adams once wrote about “people’s natural predisposition not to see anything they don’t want to, weren’t expecting, or can’t explain” (Life, the Universe and Everything). He jokingly imagined a piece of technology designed to capitalize on that predisposition. Rather than going through all the effort of turning something invisible, it would be easier just to convince people to do what they wanted to do anyway: ignore it.

He called it the “Somebody Else’s Problem field.” It would be so efficient, he said, that it could “run for over a hundred years on a single flashlight battery.”

God calls on us to do the exact opposite. When someone else’s donkey wanders into our field of view, our job is to refuse to think of it as Somebody Else’s Problem—to refuse to look somewhere else until we can’t see it anymore.

Stepping in and returning one or two wayward donkeys isn’t going to change the world, sure.

But God isn’t as concerned about the donkeys.

He’s concerned about us.

Be the kind of person who doesn’t hesitate to help where help is needed. In a world where everyone started making the effort to help out with Somebody Else’s Problem, we would all end up with lighter loads. D

Trusting God in Times of Uncertainty

Would we grow in faith if we knew exactly what would happen to us?

In our most anxious moments, we long for clarity, but what we really need is faith.

Here’s a scenario you can probably relate to.

You’re going about your daily life when something unexpected and worrisome intrudes. Your routine medical checkup reveals something bad, your company announces layoffs, or the person you’re dating says he or she is rethinking the relationship because things have been rocky.

Anxiety grips you. Your insides feel hollowed out, and your mind scrambles for any small concession to make you feel less lost and more in control.

Clarity —it’s what we’re so often convinced we need to ease our anxiety. But is it always helpful?

Why it often doesn’t bring us peace

Of course, not every desire for clarity is bad. The clarity we want when we reach for a light switch, or when we study company policy to know what our employer expects of us, or when we ask questions in class—these are all good and productive.

By Kendrick Diaz

If I just knew a little more about what’s coming next, I could manage this, you tell yourself.

But when life blindsides us hard— whether in our health, finances, relationships or an unanticipated difficulty or setback—and anxiety swells, the clarity we crave can

Faith isn’t built by having perfect foreknowledge. It’s forged on the training ground of uncertainty.

become more like a desire for a divine blueprint. We reason that if we had just a kernel of our future, or the assurance of a specific revelation from God, we could face our problems head-on without fear or uncertainty.

The problem is, that kind of clarity wouldn’t necessarily give us what we’re looking for.

Remember Moses at the burning bush? God meets with him personally to share details about his mission and Israel’s future. For two whole chapters (Exodus 3-4), God lays out a step-by-step plan of what He’s going to accomplish through Moses, even performing on-the-spot miracles to help build his confidence.

But what happens? Moses still shrinks back. He sells himself short, makes excuses and begs God to send someone—anyone—else instead of him.

Even with every question answered, every concern addressed and every proof given, Moses’ anxiety still manages to creep in.

And remember the Israelites on the brink of inheriting the Promised Land? Their exodus from Egypt had been backed by astounding miracles, like the parting of the Red Sea and God’s ongoing presence in the pillar of fire and cloud. At every point in their winding journey, they had a constant reminder that God was

actively fulfilling His promises to them.

But what happens? A bad report of Canaan from 10 of the Israelite spies sends the camp into a tailspin (Numbers 13-14). Fear floods in. Anxiety takes hold—again. We could go on and on. Elijah witnesses God’s power and revelation firsthand, but anxiety persists. Peter, despite being warned he will deny our Lord three times, still lets his fear take over.

What’s the point? Knowing the future doesn’t force us to take the right steps, and it doesn’t always bring the peace and comfort we expect. We crave clarity, but as these examples show, it often doesn’t deliver on its promises. And more than that, it distracts us from a more pressing Christian priority: faith

It’s a matter of faith

The Bible tells us that by faith Moses and others were able to overcome their anxiety and fulfill the responsibilities God had given them (Hebrews 11).

Jesus obviously knows we will face challenges in our lives, yet He doesn’t tell us to pray for signs that will reveal all the specific details we might want to know about our future.

Instead, He calls on us to

exercise faith.

Jesus says that even a small amount of faith can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). He commends those who demonstrate great faith (Matthew 8:10) and chides His disciples for their lack of faith (Mark 4:40). He rhetorically asks whether He will find faith when He returns (Luke 18:8) and urges people not to fear but to believe (Mark 5:36).

God wants us to grow in faith. What does the Bible say about the cast of biblical heroes in Hebrew 11, the ones who are held up as examples and promised an eternal place in God’s family? Does it say they “obtained a good testimony” because they had everything figured out and could see exactly what was coming during every trial?

No, it says that they obtained a good testimony “through faith” (verse 39).

Because, as it turns out, faith isn’t built by having perfect foreknowledge. It’s forged on the training ground of uncertainty. It’s when we can’t see how a trial will work out that we’re pushed to trust the God who sees everything.

This is what Peter was getting at when he wrote about how valuable trials are in developing our faith:

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if

need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7; emphasis added throughout).

But let’s be clear: prioritizing faith doesn’t mean we get to sit back and do nothing. That’s worth noting, especially in a time when the phrase “let go and let God” has gained so much traction in people’s thinking.

Exercising faith means resisting the urge to let our anxious thoughts run wild and refusing to play the “what if” game. It means digging into the Bible to inform our minds of God’s promises and the stories that spotlight His faithfulness. It means sifting through Scripture for the right principles to apply in whatever situation we’re up against.

And it means praying our hearts out for the deliverance only God can bring.

As Paul wrote, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

What faith looks like in practice

Jacob often gets remembered for his deceit (for example, Genesis 27:19), but his story is also filled with moments of growing faith. Just like us, he found himself stuck in a bind, desperately needing a way out.

At one point, Jacob received news that his brother Esau— perhaps still holding onto anger and bitterness over Jacob’s trickery—was on his way to meet him, and he wasn’t alone.

He was bringing four hundred men.

The Bible tells us, “So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed” (Genesis 32:7).

But notice what happened next: “Then Jacob said, ‘O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for I crossed over this Jordan with my staff, and now I have become two companies.

“Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and attack me and the mother with the children. For You said, ‘I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude’” (verses 9-12).

Consider his prayer. Consider how he clung to the promises God had given him. Consider his attempt at trust when everything felt up in the air.

Consider his faith.

God, of course, honored Jacob’s prayer, and in a twist of events, Esau showed up warm and friendly. No showdown, just open arms.

But that’s not the only important lesson here.

If Jacob had been able to see everything with crystal clarity, he wouldn’t have had any need to step out in faith—and without that, there wouldn’t have been any spiritual refining of his character.

It was in the not knowing, in the uncertainty, that his faith had room to grow.

He needed the struggle—and so do we.

A peace more secure than we can imagine

Life gets hectic, and none of us are strangers to that. But what we crave in the midst of our anxiety reveals a kernel of self-knowledge.

If we’re chasing the quick fix of signs and glimpses into our future, we may be setting ourselves up for disappointment and ignoring our spiritual priorities.

God does promise us peace of mind, but it’s not found in the places we’re so often inclined to look. The peace we are offered is the byproduct of trusting in the One who assures us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” and “all things work together for good to those who love God” (Hebrews 13:5; Romans 8:28).

Knowing the details of our future is overrated, but building faith is priceless. D

Mismatched and unrealistic expectations lead to many marriage problems. What should you expect of your mate and yourself? What does God expect?

RELATIONSHIP EXPECTATIONS

By Mike Bennett

We all need strong relationships. We long for love and hope for a lasting romance. These needs and longings and hopes are natural, and naturally lead to expectations.

When expectations collide

We all develop expectations about relationships as we grow up, watch our families, watch movies and imagine our ideal future. The trouble is, other people develop other expectations. The person you are attracted to no doubt has different expectations. And many relationship expectations today are simply unrealistic. Eddie and Shannon

Foster call it “the Disneyfication of marriage” in their helpful “Marriage Problems ” blog series. Unrealistic expectations led people they surveyed to tell them things like:

• “I wish I had known he would change once he got me to marry him. I never would have done it.”

• “Whatever foibles you see in the other person will probably remain and may even worsen.”

• “Dating is the easy part. Marriage is not.”

Expectations matter

In his timeless classic Letters to Karen, Charlie Shedd, a minister who had counseled many couples, told his own daughter before her wedding:

“When you marry, you become more vulnerable to disappointment and hurt than

you have ever been before. But you have decided it is worth the risk” (1965, p. 22).

However, it’s important to make a realistic assessment of that risk.

Realistic relationship expectations

Expecting perfection is not realistic. Research on relationship satisfaction confirms that “individuals who believe that their partner must be ideal in all ways become less satisfied over time” (“Development of Relationship Satisfaction Across the Life Span,” Psychological Bulletin, October 2021).

John Gottman, Ph.D., known for his work on marital stability and divorce prediction, encourages couples to have high but realistic expectations.

“In a good enough relationship, people have high expectations for how they’re treated. They expect to be treated with kindness, love, affection, and respect. They do not tolerate emotional or physical abuse. They expect their partner to be loyal.

“This doesn’t mean they expect their relationship to be free of conflict” (Gottman.com).

Learning to resolve such conflicts is a necessary skill that the Bible teaches (see “ The 5 Rs of Healing Relationships ”). It involves hard work and self-sacrifice, but it is well worth the effort.

Scott Stanley, a senior fellow of the Institute for Family Studies, advises committed couples, “Do not spend a lot of time wishing your partner was different on things like personality or education or political views. Focus, instead, on what you can do to make the dynamic between the two of you as good as it can be. That is going to mean looking for levers you can pull to make a difference (such as listening more to your partner or being more emotionally supportive)—not waiting around for your partner to change” (ifstudies.org).

Discovering expectations

A marriage preparation manual explains: “Every person who marries enters the marriage relationship with certain expectations . . . It is important to take the time to find out what these expectations are, which can be achieved, which are realistic, and how to handle them when things do not go according to plans” (Wes Roberts and H. Norman Wright, Before You Say “I Do,” 1997, p. 25).

The authors suggest that marriages go through three stages: enchantment, disenchantment and maturity. Realistically discussing expectations in advance can help minimize the disenchantment stage.

Communication is key

We all have expectations, even if we haven’t consciously listed them. Yet by default most people seem to expect the person who loves

Truly the only person I can change is myself, and ultimately for that I need a big dose of God’s help.

A biblical key to good communication is careful listening.

them to be able to read their mind. This is unfair and unrealistic.

Rachel Needle, Psy.D., wrote on the Psychology Today blog about some of the expectations couples need to figure out by talking and listening to each other—hopefully in advance of conflict.

“What is asking too much? What is asking too little? Where are my boundaries? Where are my partner’s boundaries? It can be difficult to answer these questions, especially in the heat of an argument—or the frozen tundra of resentment.”

Dr. Needle concluded: “Managing relationship expectations is an ongoing process that requires effort, understanding, and flexibility. By engaging in open communication, cultivating realistic views, practicing empathy, and being adaptable, couples can foster healthier and more satisfying relationships.”

A biblical key to good communication is careful listening. “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19).

What should we expect of ourselves?

In a similar way, we should be quick to expect of ourselves and slow to expect of our mate.

We should expect ourselves to keep our commitments and to always love our mate, even in the hard times.

While having realistic expectations of our mate and high expectations of ourselves may not sound very romantic, it does sound a lot like love—the kind of love that Paul says never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8; see “ The Love Chapter ”).

What God expects

God expects married couples to fulfill their commitments. Biblical marriage ceremonies generally involve making promises like these:

“Do you then, [his name], faithfully promise and covenant with God, in the presence of these witnesses, to take [her name] to be your lawful wedded wife—in sickness and in health, in good times and in difficult times, for as long as you both shall live—to love her, cherish her, honor her and provide for her? [Groom answers.]

“And do you, [her name], faithfully promise and covenant with God, in the presence of these witnesses, to take [his name] to be your lawful wedded husband—in sickness and in health, in good times and in difficult times, for as long as you both shall live—to love him, cherish him, honor him and, as God has ordained, submit yourself to him? [Bride answers.]”

Keeping these commitments will not be easy, but couples who do will be pleasing to God and receive His blessings. They will be building a beautiful foundation and legacy. They will be picturing the deeply meaningful relationship of Christ with the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33).

What more could anyone expect?

Study further in our free booklet God’s Design for Marriage D

A Kingdom Against Itself Cannot Stand

Around the world civil unrest is tearing nations apart, once again proving that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. How should Christians respond?

By Bill Palmer

Enraged protesters throw rocks, bottles and other projectiles at the police. Some get close enough to punch or kick. Police, holding plexiglass shields and batons, hold their ground. Suddenly, torrents of water from firehoses knock down many of the protesters.

This is a scene many of us have seen and continue to see all too often across the world. What has happened to global stability? Can we continue with every “kingdom” divided against itself?

More divided than ever

According to a 2022 report by Verisk Maplecroft, a risk analysis

and consulting firm, today’s “world is facing an unprecedented rise in civil unrest as governments of all stripes grapple with the impacts of inflation on the price of staple foods and energy.”

The digital magazine Insurance Business agrees, noting that our “world is experiencing a surge in civil unrest incidents.” This surge has shown no signs of slowing down in recent years.

Although these two sources attribute increased civil unrest to inflation and the resulting costof-living crisis, those are not the only factors. Political, cultural and religious divisions are also turning neighbors and coworkers into enemies.

In a global Ipsos survey conducted for the BBC in 2018, the reasons for division most often given by survey respondents were 1) different political views; 2) differences between the rich and the poor; 3) tensions between immigrants and those born in a nation; and 4) differences in religion.

In 2023, the Allianz Risk Barometer identified a different set of factors: 1) the ongoing costof-living crisis, 2) a distrust of governments and institutions, 3) increasing polarization, 4) a rise in activism, and 5) climate and environmental concerns.

Fighting for their livelihoods

Some protesters’ actions are driven not merely by a matter of different beliefs, but by continuing threats to their ability to earn a living. Their protests are a last-ditch effort to protect their livelihoods.

The American Farm Bureau Federation explained the cause of widespread farmer protests in

Europe this way: “Farmers across Europe are urging EU officials to deal with farmers’ concerns over prices and bureaucratic rules that limit their ability to produce food and prosper.”

The protests are popping up all over Europe. In Poland, farmers have attempted to block lowerpriced imports from Ukraine. Other farmer protests span the continent, from Belgium in the north, to Italy and Greece in the south, Spain in the west and the Czech Republic in the east.

An electorate divided against itself

Politics is another deep-seated source of division. The depth of political rancor and bitterness throughout the world has been on display particularly during the election cycles of the last decade.

In the United States, consider incidents that occurred after the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.

In February 2017, a month after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, protesters announced “Not My President’s Day.” They voiced not only their discontent at the election result, but their refusal to view the incoming administration as legitimate.

Thousands of protesters showed up in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago to vent their anger. Smaller groups came together in other cities, from Portland, Oregon, to Washington, D.C.

Then, after the 2020 election, it was the political right questioning the results. That belief continues; a 2023 survey revealed that 30 percent of voters still believed the 2020 election was stolen.

This kind of growing distrust is not unique to the United States. Researchers at Britain’s University of Cambridge linked disillusionment with the electoral process to the cultural differences between rural and urban areas: “The growth of disenchantment in more rural areas has provided fertile soil for nationalist and populist parties and causes—a trend that looks set to continue.”

Even historically stable nations divided

The International Monetary Fund pointed out in a 2022 blog that “large and long-running antigovernment demonstrations have occurred in some advanced economies where unrest is relatively rare, such as Canada and New Zealand.”

The IMF noted that its Reported Social Unrest Index was still below pre-pandemic levels, though it had risen “close to its highest levels since the onset of the pandemic.”

The IMF projected increased turmoil in the future.

Regardless of the specific issues or demographic groupings involved, our world is experiencing greater turmoil within national boundaries. Can any such kingdom stand when divided against itself?

Adage from the Bible

Where did we get the saying about a kingdom divided against itself?

Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ uttered the words about nations, cities and households divided against themselves (Matthew 12:25). His words have become a modern adage.

Abraham Lincoln, who later went on to become the 16th U.S. president, used this biblical adage when he accepted the nomination to be the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate (from Illinois) in 1858. The divisions he saw then soon led to the U.S. Civil War in 1861.

Jesus, however, was not speaking of civil unrest. His words came in response to claims some Pharisees made after Jesus had cast a demon out of a blind and mute man. They attributed Christ’s success to some sort of alliance with Satan himself (Matthew 12:24).

Jesus responded with those now famous words: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (verse 25).

Even though Christ was not speaking about civil unrest, the principle He stated applies to the ability of any political entity, religious group or organization to continue existing. Where unity is missing, no nation, city, church or household can long endure.

Our role as Christian citizens

In this age of hate and division, it’s not always easy to know how we should respond. On the one hand, we may well be—and should be—grieved at the injustices we see on the news daily. On the other hand, as Christians we cannot become embroiled in the politics of this world.

The apostle Paul warned Christians at Philippi about being overly concerned with “earthly things,” reminding them that “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:19-20).

As Christ’s little flock, we can at times help individuals who have suffered injustice, but we cannot transform the world itself now. That is not our job. It will not be done until Christ begins to rule at His return.

At the same time, we must be careful not to become so cynical and angry that we fail in our biblical responsibility toward earthly government. In his letter to the congregation in Rome, Paul wrote that Christians are to “be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1).

He explained that “whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves” (verse 2). Christians are citizens first of God’s Kingdom, but also of the nations in which we live now.

Striking the right balance

This Christian duty toward the state does not mean blind acceptance of everything the state does. When Peter and other apostles stood before the Jewish religious court on charges of disobeying a direct command, Peter said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

Obedience does not mean accepting any unjust action perpetrated by the state. Paul himself asserted his rights as a Roman citizen on several occasions (Acts 16:37; 22:25).

The key is to have the right priorities. First, we must be sure to obey God. That may sometimes mean disobeying the laws of earthly powers. Second, we must obey earthly authority when it does not put us in opposition to God. And finally, we may assert

our rights, but only in a manner becoming to a child of God.

A world divided against itself

In writing to a young minister he had mentored, Paul described the time leading up to the return of Christ as “perilous.” The last days, he explained, would be marked by selfishness, which is at the heart of all division. His description is both vivid and bleak:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without selfcontrol, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

Selfishness permeates our society today, and it leads to division in every aspect of life. As Christians, we must work to overcome our own personal selfishness and avoid unnecessary division.

This effort is vital in our marriages and families, in which we must make personal sacrifices for one another for the sake of harmony (of course, not compromising any of God’s laws). A family divided against itself cannot stand.

We cannot allow ourselves to become more angry voices clamoring for one cause or another. Instead, we must live our lives in harmony with our families, our neighbors and our coworkers. And we must demonstrate good citizenship, living “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). D

Please briefly explain each Jewish festival.

A:We are glad to hear of your interest in God’s holy days. The Bible clearly teaches that these annual festivals are still to be observed, while not even mentioning so many of the holidays common to today’s society.

We can find the commands to observe the weekly Sabbath and the annual holy days in Leviticus 23.

Moses was told by God, “The feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations, these are My feasts” (Leviticus 23:2). They are God’s feasts, not Jewish festivals. This chapter goes on to command the keeping of each of God’s holy days (verses 4-44).

You can read this chapter for yourself, but here are the seven annual festivals and their basic meanings revealed throughout the Bible:

• Passover : We commemorate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ through the symbols of bread and wine.

• Days of Unleavened Bread: For seven days we avoid leaven (symbolizing eliminating sin from our lives) and eat unleavened bread (symbolizing becoming righteous).

• Pentecost: We commemorate God’s imparting His Holy Spirit to the “firstfruit” group of humans after Christ’s ascension, at which time He also established His Church.

• Feast of Trumpets: This day depicts the seven trumpets (which comprise the seventh seal) that usher in the Day of the Lord and Christ’s return at the seventh trump.

• Day of Atonement: This day of fasting pictures the removal of Satan from the earth and the beginning of man’s reconciliation to God.

• Feast of Tabernacles: We picture the wonderful millennial future world as we rejoice for seven days with biblical instruction, abundant food and fellowship, while staying in temporary dwellings (depicting our temporary existence now).

• Eighth Day (also called the Last Great Day): We look forward to the new life for the vast majority of humans who have ever lived, and their first chance for salvation.

Q: A:I noticed in Deuteronomy that Moses talks about when he was given the 10 Commandments, he went up on the mountain alone and fasted for 40 days. I thought it was interesting that Elijah also fasted 40 days, as did Jesus before His ministry. I was thinking that there may have been others who also fasted that long but were not recorded. What is the significance of 40 days? Does it mean something? I know there are many numbers in the Bible that are repeated.

Wonders of GOD’S Creation

Cold Runnings

A snowshoe hare is custom-built to survive in snowy terrain. Its large hind feet provide it with the power to escape predators— sprinting in zigzag patterns at speeds up to 27 miles an hour or leaping 10 feet in a single bound!

The soles of its natural snowshoelike feet are furry to provide insulation against the chilling snow, and its white fur is hollow due to a lack of coloring pigment. In other words, the hair of the hare is filled with air (making the insulation even more effective).

But that’s not all—God also designed the hare’s circulatory system to be self-warming. The cold blood traveling back from the hare’s extremities is piped right beside the warm blood leaving the heart. By keeping the veins and arteries in close proximity, God gave the snowshoe hare an efficient way to maintain its own body temperature.

But what happens when the snow melts? Well, the hare’s fur begins to change, shifting to a mottled brown that allows it to blend in with the newly revealed earth and leaves around it.

snowshoe hare ( Lepus americanus)

Pictured:

Text by James Capo and Jeremy Lallier

Photography by James Capo

A Sinful Woman Washes Jesus’ Feet

In Galilee, a Pharisee invited Jesus to share a meal at his home. However, it’s not so much the Pharisee we remember today, but an unexpected visitor.

By Erik Jones

Not long after raising two people from the dead, Jesus was invited to dine at a Pharisee’s home. This might seem unexpected, considering the Pharisees’ distaste for Him.

As we saw with Nicodemus, while some Pharisees discreetly believed Jesus, many openly opposed Him, and others remained undecided yet curious. In Luke 7, we encounter a Pharisee who seems to fall into the latter category.

We know little about him except that his name was Simon, he owned a house in Galilee and he respected Jesus enough to invite Him for a meal.

Unlike Nicodemus’ visit with Jesus, which took place privately under the cover of darkness, Jesus’ visit to Simon’s home was public.

Though Jesus’ dining at a Pharisee’s home was notable, it is a specific interaction at this gathering that warrants our attention.

A sinful woman visits

Luke tells us that a “woman in the city who was a sinner” learned that Jesus was dining at Simon’s house and came to meet Him (Luke 7:37). Little did she know her actions would become part of Scripture, offering Jesus a powerful teaching opportunity that still resonates almost 2,000 years later.

She didn’t come empty-handed, but “brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil” (verse 37). Alabaster is a soft stone that was used to make small containers for perfumes and ointments. Luke doesn’t specify the type of scented oil in this flask, but some commentators speculate it was spikenard, a costly perfume extracted from a plant that grows in the Himalayas of northern India. If so, this small flask traveled over 2,000 miles to come into her possession. The flask was likely sealed, so she probably used all of the perfume once she opened it. This rare perfume was likely the most valuable

item she owned, which adds a layer of depth to what she would do with it.

Upon arriving, the woman went to Jesus and “stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil” (verse 38).

The Pharisee’s response to the woman

Before we examine the remainder of the account, let’s consider Simon’s response to this scene. Instead of appreciating what this woman was doing and looking to understand her motivation, his thoughts immediately turned dark and negative.

“Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, ‘This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is

touching Him, for she is a sinner’” (verse 39). Notice that Simon “spoke to himself”—these were his private, unspoken thoughts.

First, though he didn’t verbalize it, he deeply disagreed with Jesus’ response. He felt Jesus should have immediately rejected her because of her sinful past. When Jesus didn’t, Simon began to question His legitimacy.

Second, Simon mentally denied this woman any opportunity for forgiveness or room to change. In his mind, she was and always would be a sinner. Because she repulsed him, he assumed Jesus should feel the same.

Third, Simon’s thoughts may have been amplified by a tinge of guilt. This sinful woman showed Jesus more care and concern than he had as the host of this gathering. Offering a guest water to clean his or her dirty feet was a common act of hospitality and respect, but Simon had failed to do it (verse 44). Instead of rethinking his neglect, perhaps he found it easier to judge her motives and character.

Even without Simon speaking openly, Jesus could discern where his mind had gone, perhaps even seeing the disgust written on his face.

Jesus then told Simon that He had something to tell Him and shared a short parable.

The parable of the creditor and debtors

Jesus told a parable about two men indebted to the same creditor. One owed 500 denarii (about 20 months’ wages), and the other 50 denarii (about two months’ wages). Since the creditor saw that both lacked the resources to pay, he decided to show mercy and forgive both debts.

Jesus then asked which of the two now-freed debtors would appreciate the merciful lender more. Simon gave the logical answer: “I suppose the one whom he forgave more” (verse 43).

Then Jesus spoke in plain language to make His point clear: “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil” (verses 44-46).

All of the things Simon should have done as a hospitable and caring host, she did, and much more lavishly. She had showed Jesus far more appreciation, respect and gratitude than Simon had. Instead of dismissing her, he should have been learning from her example.

Jesus continued, “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (verse 47).

He then told her plainly, “Your sins are forgiven” (verse 48).

Putting the woman’s story together

Jesus’ response helps us better understand this woman’s story.

She had been living a lifestyle characterized by sin. Given that Simon knew about her reputation, she had probably been involved in a public sin, such as prostitution, fornication or perhaps theft or drunkenness.

Whatever it was, she had lived a lifestyle that had separated her from God.

But something had changed before she sought Jesus out. She had likely heard Him preach recently, and instead of ignoring and dismissing His message of repentance, she apparently took it to heart and acted on it.

It appears she understood that she had been guilty of violating God’s law and was on a path of destruction, and she changed direction. Instead of justifying her actions and continuing in sin, through her tears she demonstrated “a broken and a contrite heart” (Psalm 51:17). This is the spirit God has always sought from truly repentant people (Isaiah 57:15; Joel 2:12-13).

God isn’t seeking those who are proud of their own righteousness—who, like many of the Pharisees, believed they had nothing to repent of. Instead, He’s looking for those who see themselves honestly and, in a spirit of contrition and humility, genuinely seek His mercy and help.

By the time she washed Jesus’ feet, she had likely left her former lifestyle or had begun taking serious steps toward change.

Because she credited Christ for her repentance, she desired to express to Him her heartfelt thankfulness. Although she knew anointing His

feet could never repay Him or equal what He had done for her, she gave her most valuable physical possession to serve Him.

Jesus saw that her attitude, sorrow and repentance were genuine—and accepted her.

We don’t know the rest of her story, but we hope the remainder of her physical life was characterized by the same level of submission and service to her God and Savior.

Lessons for us today

There are many lessons we can draw from this account.

1. Hearing the gospel message requires action. At some point, the woman heard the message, believed it and acted upon it. The action God wants is change. The response God wanted from her is the same one He wants from us today: repentance and change (2 Corinthians 7:10).

2. God will accept and forgive those who genuinely repent and turn to Him. Christ didn’t reject the woman because of her past. Unlike Simon, Jesus defined her by her new life, not her old life. Upon our repentance, God chooses to forget our sins, viewing us as if they never existed (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 43:25).

3. God expects us to respond to His forgiveness by offering all we have to Him. While we can’t anoint Christ’s feet with expensive perfume, we can offer Him our most valuable possession— our lives. He wants us to respond to His forgiveness by surrendering our entire lives to Him in obedient service and submission (Romans 12:1; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Galatians 2:20).

4. We should approach people more like Jesus did and less like Simon. Simon found this woman repulsive and refused to accept that she was changing her life. Jesus, on the other hand, was all about calling people to repentance and accepting them when they did.

In one way or another, we are all like the woman in this account. We’ve all fallen short, need God’s forgiveness and must repent and change. Ultimately, the best way to thank Him for His mercy and forgiveness is by fully committing ourselves to . . . Walk as He walked. D

La Serenissima

It is one of the most unusual cities in the world, and among all our travels, one of my family’s favorites. Founded, according to tradition, in A.D. 697, the city-state expanded, through skillful trade and its powerful navy, to dominate the Adriatic Sea and then much of the Mediterranean, over the course of 1,100 years.

Today Venice is prized by tourists, who are drawn to its canals (dredged to facilitate transporting merchandise), to its waterfront palazzi, to the grand square of the Piazza San Marco and the palace of the Doge (its ruler, elected for life) and to its restaurants and cafés, some of which are serenaded by live orchestras. It is a joy to walk the narrow streets and alleys, to cross bridges over the canals, to ride a vaporetto (think bus transportation but on a boat) or a gondola. It is a feast for the senses to sit at one of the cafés surrounding a square, listen to Mozart or Verdi, and watch the stylish walk by while indulging in freshly made pasta, freshly caught fish and a glass of Chianti.

The most serene

Venice is still today called what it has been for centuries: La Serenissima, the most serene. This is because, from the outside, the city has seemed uncommonly calm, its expansion and wealth has seemed effortless. Venice preferred diplomacy over military intervention, though it was militarily powerful. As an oligarchic republic, it brought comfort and stability to its citizens who accepted the governing system without the social strife common to other great European cities.

Now bustling with tourists on summer days, during other seasons, especially in the evening, it still shows a remarkable serenity.

A serene world to come

The Bible explains true peace will be a quality of the Kingdom of God when it is established on the earth. The world will become serene, like it has never been since our first ancestors sinned and God banished them from the Garden of Eden.

Isaiah described it thus: “Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places” (Isaiah 32:16-18).

God’s government will care for every citizen; no one will be neglected. War will cease. Citizens of the world will love and respect His government. There will be no hunger and no social strife.

In our world of war, famine, epidemics, terrorism, civil strife and hatred between citizens, it is difficult to imagine the entire planet at peace, with plenty and quietness. But that is the wonderful promise of the world to come.

It will truly be serenissima!

Joel Meeker