💡 THOUGHTS FROM ME
I. Because of our sin, our natural state is to be under God’s wrath against sin and darkness.
In John 3:35-36, Jesus says “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hands. The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him" (emphasis added).
In other words, the Son, Jesus, gives us eternal life. If we reject Jesus, then we are staying in our current, natural state.
Jesus does not separate us from God, we separate ourselves because we cannot live up to His holy and perfect standard.
Jesus did not come to make the path to God narrower. He came to make a path to God possible at all. What the Gospel of John is saying here is that those of us who have rejected Jesus have not stumbled into darkness, but that we have never actually gotten out of it.
And if you want grace, freedom, love, and mercy, and if you want to participate in the kingdom of God, you must accept the Son who has given His life and was raised in victory for us.
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II. If there are places where Christians might be accused of being “political” for simply walking with God and His commands, so be it.
In modern America, politics has increasingly moved into theological areas. When that happens, it presents a problem that Christians did not create.
When the government focuses on areas such as city planning, public safety, and finances, it is fulfilling its intended role. But when it begins to redefine marriage, erase gender, reframe abortion as “reproductive rights,” and teach these things to children, it has crossed into matters God has already spoken about.
The church hasn’t shifted its position. Politics has. So if it feels uncomfortable to hold to biblical truth because it sounds political, so be it. Our first call is not to political allegiance, but to seek first the kingdom of God.
Christians didn’t move. Politics did.
📖 UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLE
In Scripture, the number forty often symbolizes a period of testing, preparation, or judgment that leads to renewal.
Here are some key places (but know there are many more!) this pattern shows up:
Genesis 7:12 — Rain fell for forty days and nights during the flood.
Exodus 24:18 — Moses was on Mount Sinai for forty days receiving God’s law.
Numbers 14:33–34 — Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years because of their disobedience.
1 Samuel 17:16 — Goliath taunted Israel for forty days before David defeated him.
1 Kings 19:8 — Elijah traveled forty days to Mount Horeb, where he encountered God.
Ezekiel 4:6 — Ezekiel lay on his right side for forty days to bear Judah’s sin.
Jonah 3:4 — Jonah proclaimed that Nineveh would be overthrown in forty days.
Matthew 4:2 — Jesus fasted forty days in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry.
Acts 1:3 — After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples for forty days before ascending to heaven.
So, when we see the number forty in Scripture, it often signals that a season of testing or waiting is taking place. These periods are not random. They remind us that God uses times of trial and preparation to accomplish His purposes and to lead His people into something new.
When you come across the number forty in a passage, recognize it as a moment of testing. How God’s people respond will determine whether they move forward in faith or remain in their disobedience.
💬 1 HELPFUL QUOTE
I. Adam Ramsey on Biblical theology:
“Prosperity theology: Jesus, I'll follow you if you improve my life.
Biblical theology: Jesus, I follow you because You're better than life.”
📚 1 BRIEF BOOK REVIEW
A book about a KGB spy (for the former Soviet Union) who became a double agent for MI6 (the British Secret Intelligence Service), and his daring and seemingly impossible escape when he returned to Moscow under surveillance.
As someone who knows very little about the Cold War, it was also interesting to read more about what that was like. The story primarily covers the years between the 1960s and 1980s.
At times, it was hard to track all the names, agents, and places (especially as I have no familiarity with Russia, England, and the other countries involved), but that is no fault of the author—it’s unavoidable in a story like this.
While there were many side stories and information to track, the author does a good job of staying focused on the main story.
No doubt, the author has a British bias in the story (he is British, after all), but it was still a fair treatment of what happened. The book captures a truly remarkable story and is historically educational as well.
8.5/10
P.S. You’re not a fashion icon…
