"The fact that you have a relationship with Jesus Christ makes you wealthy no matter your financial situation!”  

As we pray for the troops and their families, let us live in the light of John 15:12-13: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” A decision to serve and be subject to a deployment like this one is a decision to put another’s life ahead of your own. It is an act of great love, and it is one way to emulate the love of Jesus. As we lift up in prayer those who are serving, let us also look for ways that we too can model the sacrificial love of Jesus!

What what have you been entrusted? Are you concerned about having your name remembered in the pages of history? Or are you properly focused on simply stewarding well that which has been entrusted to you?

Entrusted is better than remembered.

The U.S. Senate approved a continuing resolution (CR) in the early morning hours of Saturday to fund the government through December 11, 2026. The measure, which includes several extraneous items, differs from the CR passed by the U.S. House, which includes funding through December 4, 2026. To avert a government shutdown at the end of September, the two chambers will need to align on a uniform version of the CR to send to the president for his signature.

U.S. President Donald Trump issued two significant executive orders this week: 1) an order narrowing the applicability of birthright citizenship, and 2) an order altering the childhood vaccine recommendations.

The truth is there are always two paths and two choices. But only one leads to life eternal and abundant. My friend, there are always two. But choose the one that leads to life!

Alongside the often-heated debate about immigration policy is a human dynamic that should be unifying for all Jesus followers. Every person was created and intended to be free (Gal. 5:1a). This is far more than the freedom we often think about from a political or governing perspective, though those elements of physical freedom can be an important part of an overarching freedom. Every person made in the image of the Creator is endowed with an instinct to be free. Every person’s primary purpose is bringing glory to the almighty God (Is. 43:21).

Israel and Hamas are moving haltingly toward Phase Two of the ceasefire first announced last October—a ceasefire that has been as much fire as cease to this point. This week, Hamas again agreed to disarm if several conditions are met. Those conditions include Israel’s full withdraw from Gaza, the reconstruction of Gaza, and the creation of a Palestinian state, which Israel opposes. It is a stalemate similar to previous roadblocks, and regional confidence that Phase Two will hold is low.

The misery and grief of war was again on full display in this attack. Ten people, including at least three children, were killed in Ukraine by the bombings, and more than 50 were injured. It is an all-too-common reality of the ongoing war, as civilian casualties and injuries continue to climb.

Matthew 5:48 gives what is an impossible command if left to our own devices: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” None of us can meet that standard. It is why, while we should model godliness for our children, it is essential we are crystal clear with them that the way they should go is not simply one of replicating their parent’s flawed faith. The path from which they should not depart is the one that leads them personally to the foot of the cross!

It has been a relentless decade of disease and violence for the people of Congo. The current outbreak is in the headlines because of its urgency in the moment, but in reality, the people of Congo have had one life-threatening emergency after another. They have been living in a state of emergency for far too long, and our community stands with them in prayer this week.

This week, let’s lift our eyes off ourselves and set them first and foremost on the “author and finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). Let us then focus our prayer and petitions on behalf of those feeling the firsthand impact of fires on both sides of the Atlantic.

The rapid acceleration of AI leads to stories like this one that read like science fiction. It also leaves many uncertain about how to prepare for a world infused with AI—a world that is already upon us in many ways.

The rage war is everywhere. But it is not yours to wage. It is peace that guards you.

We as The Equipped family have had a regular conversation about how to use the World Cup to reach the nations for Jesus. Now, as teams and fans return to their respective home countries, let us reflect across all our varied nationalities on the ways in which we should carry out our common call to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19).

The smoke from raging Canadian wildfires covered large portions of the U.S. this week, with major cities including Chicago, Washington, DC, and New York City significantly impacted. The smoke was at times thick enough to shroud the skyline and dramatically reduce air quality, which led to many cancellations of outdoor events.

“I look at my life and I see more grace than cost, more gift than sacrifice.”

We reflect on this truth nearly every week: Life on Earth is short, but eternity is forever.

God is not asking for your assessment nor mine. He’s asking for your trust and acquiescence. He’s called you to be His vessel and to bear His image, not to assume the author’s pen for all of Creation! He alone writes the story, and you and I are invited into it!

World leaders, including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, gathered in Turkey for the NATO Summit this week as the U.S. and Iran appear to have abandoned the recently brokered peace agreement. Strikes between the U.S. and Iran intensified, especially in and around the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. President Donald Trump said the resumption in fighting is because, “I got to know them.”​

Once again, life on Earth is short. Far from a flippant repeated reminder, it is helpful for us to continually hold this reality close as we prioritize our limited days.

Scandal and politics seem at times to be ubiquitous. As a Jesus follower endeavoring to invest in the welfare of your community, your city, and your nation, it can be a discouraging reality.

Remember, however, that yours is a story of rescue and redemption from scandal! Your sin once threatened to condemn you to an eternal separation from your Creator and Savior, but the astounding—and even scandalous—love of your God wiped away your sentence and put in its place the gift of eternal life!

The United States of America is officially 250 years old. Saturday marked the quarter millennium—or semiquincentennial—of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

Sporting events—especially major ones like the World Cup—often stir up intense emotions. While this has the potential to accentuate conflict, it also presents an opportunity for Jesus followers to demonstrate “peculiar” love for both neighbor and sporting adversary (1 Pet. 2:9). As the World Cup moves closer to completion, take a moment today to consider how it can be a catalyst for your participation in the Great Commission!

Freedom is worth prioritizing because you were created and designed to be free! Galatians 5:1 says, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

Life on Earth is both short and fragile. We are reminded of these truths regularly in the stories we consider. What seems certain in one moment is gone forever in the next. It is a reality of our temporary home.

We return to reminders of this truth not because we aim to be flippant about the gift of life of Earth, but in fact for the exact opposite reason: time is short for reaching those who are without a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ!

My friend, the foundation of your life is of critical importance! There is only one foundation that will stand forever, and it is the only one strong enough to support all the enemy will bring against you! Here is the tremendous news: that foundation is freely available to you even if the earthly foundations of your life are in shambles. You need only to build on the site that is the rock of Jesus Christ!

There is nothing that can replace neighbors looking out for each other when something like a natural disaster or an intense heat wave strikes. In those moments, communities that have invested in thick relationship will thrive while those without it will suffer.

As a Jesus follower, the World Cup provides you with an opportunity to observe a beautiful cross-section of humanity as fans from all over the globe descend on North America. For those living in proximity to one of the many game sites, it is a chance to welcome the nations to whom you are commissioned into your backyard (Matt. 28:19-20)!

All eight people onboard were killed when a B-52 bomber crashed just outside of Edwards Air Force Base in California last week. Passengers included the servicemember crew as well as civilian government contractors. The plane went down in a remote desert area, and officials report that the investigation into the cause could last several months.

The Emancipation Proclamation was both right and True when it was issued. But in order to make a difference to the one for whom it was intended, it had to travel! It had to be carried. It needed a vessel to both transport and enforce it!

Truth’s intended impact is not fully realized until you carry it!

Truth was always intended to travel, and you were created to be its mode of transportation!