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

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!

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Monday he is resigning as soon as a replacement can be selected. Starmer’s resignation comes in the wake of waning support from his party, and the change will usher in the seventh Prime Minister in less than a decade. A successor will be chosen from Starmer’s ruling Labour Party, and most observers believe Andy Burnham, former Mayor of Greater Manchester and newly-elected Member of Parliament, is the odds-on favorite to be selected.

Peace is often elusive, but perhaps nowhere more so than in the Middle East, where it is often difficult to tell the difference between open hostilities and a “ceasefire.” Even so, the current talks between the U.S. and Iran present the most recent opportunity to secure an end to the fighting.

Three of the world’s largest companies are going public. SpaceX, the rocket company owned by Elon Musk, became the first of the three to complete the process last week. In doing so, SpaceX broke the record for the largest initial public offering in history, and Musk became the world’s first trillionaire (SpaceX’s market cap is still settling out but currently stands just shy of $2.7 trillion).

As leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States gather in France for the G7 Summit, the U.S. and Iran have reportedly reached a peace deal to end the ongoing conflict. The deal is said to involve a ceasefire, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a 60-day period for resolving the issue of Iran’s enriched uranium.

Meanwhile, the three-day G7 Summit included a focus on both the U.S.-Iran war and the war between Russia and Ukraine.

No matter where on the athletic spectrum you fall (from World Cup caliber to two left feet), allow this story that will play out over the next several weeks to continually remind you of your life’s work. It may be called “the beautiful game,” but you are to tell “The Greatest Story!”

No expense was spared. Only the finest materials were used, and only the most skilled craftsmen were allowed to do the work. It was extravagant beyond words.

All of this was necessary, because they were building a house in which the Living God would abide!

The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed by a vote of 215-208 a resolution instructing U.S. President Donald Trump to end the U.S. military operation in Iran. Four Republicans joined with Democrats to pass the measure, which would now need to pass the U.S. Senate to be considered by the president. The Senate is not expected to approve the measure, and the vote in the House is not sufficient to withstand a presidential veto.

After a lengthy and contentious debate, Congress has approved $69.5 billion to fund operations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) through the end of the current presidential term. The bill was considered through a process known as budget reconciliation, which allows for simple majority approval in the U.S. Senate rather than requiring 60 votes to overcome procedural hurdles.

What are your dreams today? And to be clear, your dream is not automatically a fantasy. Far from it! Psalm 37:4 says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” This is far more than a promise that God will bring your dreams to reality. He certainly may do that, but this is more than that. This is a promise that the God of the universe will not be elusive as your desires are transformed to be in accordance with His and increasingly rooted in Him!

Can you imagine the day when you will have eternal access to the new heaven and the new earth (Is. 65:17, Rev, 21:1)? No, me either! But that day is coming, my friend! So as our human efforts to explore more of the universe experience ebbs and flows, remember you will soon know in full (1 Cor. 13:9-12)!

A now-former CIA agent aptly named David Rush is believed to have stolen more than 300 gold bars from his workplace. The loot, worth more than $40 million, was recovered by authorities from his home, and the agent was charged with criminal theft of public money. According to authorities, the crime took place over several months and was conducted under the ruse of “work-related expenses.” Rush is also accused of exaggerating his education and job qualifications, and awaits prosecution.

Less than two weeks after U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (LA) was defeated in his Republican primary for reelection, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (TX) was defeated 64%-36% in the U.S. Senate Republican primary by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Sen. Cornyn has been in the Senate for 24 years and was the second-highest ranking Republican in the chamber until his defeat. Paxton will now face Texas state Rep. James Talarico in one of the most watched general elections for U.S. Senate in November.

“What treasure from God’s Word is hiding from you in plain sight?”

Kyle Busch, the all-time leader in NASCAR wins, died at the age of 41 this week. Busch’s passing was caused by severe pneumonia that resulted in sepsis, according to his doctors. Busch is survived by his wife and two young children, and was honored by the racing community in Charlotte over the weekend.

The U.S.-Iran war is both escalating and potentially deescalating. On the one hand, U.S. President Donald Trump says that negotiations toward a permanent peace deal are “proceeding nicely.” On the other hand, the U.S. this week launched a new wave of what it called “self-defense” strikes against Iran.

The U.S. Department of Justice indicted Raul Castro, former President of Cuba, on Wednesday. The charges in the indictment date back to 1996 and allege that then-President Castro ordered the shootdown of two small planes flown by Americans and conducting a humanitarian mission. Four were killed and this week’s developments demand that Castro appear in the U.S. to answer to the charges—an expectation most assume he will resist.

If your name reflects on His Name, and if your reputation reflects on His reputation, that entanglement means that your rescue contributes to the defense of His Name! Your God is a jealous God (Ex. 34:14), and He will defend His Name!

That is our mandate this week—to help those around us fully grasp a soul-level knowledge of their intentional design! They, like you, are created, known, and loved by the very God who formed them! They, like you, were made on purpose and for a purpose! They, like you, have a need to know it full well!

Nigerian Christians are living in some of the most intense persecution in the world. Mass killings of entire Christian villages have been horrifically common, much of it at the hands of ISIS and related terrorist groups. The U.S. has been leading the effort to hold accountable those responsible, and the participation of Nigerian forces in this week’s operation is a significant sign of the Nigerian government’s increased commitment to eradicating the religious-based violence.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after more than 500 illnesses and more than 100 deaths are believed to be linked to a rare strain of Ebola virus. Ebola outbreaks in the region are somewhat common, but this particular strain—known as Bundibugyo—has only been detected three times, and the current pace of the spread and intensity of its impact is significant.

My friend, I know you are ready to sing. You desire a new song on your lips. You want your life to be a signpost by which others find faith in and relationship with the one true God. You want to sing, but instead you find yourself waiting in the pit of life, and you are tempted to despair. You are inclined to despise the waiting. This is not a condemnation, but rather a statement of association. I know this to be real because of my own life. I want the jubilation but so often find myself in a pit of waiting. From that place in the pit, I say to you:

Your singing comes just after your waiting!

While we may not be able to conclusively answer the question about intelligent life on other planets, we can safely say that what we do know about God’s creation is beyond magnificent and breath-taking! Let us praise Him for what He has done (Ps. 150:2)!

The decision to choose Jesus—and to truly surrender everything to Him—is in fact a dangerous one. Moving forward is the bravest thing you will ever do. It is also the decision that will thrust your life into the greatest story ever told, and which will ensure your place on the victorious side of God’s conquering of evil and death (Is. 25:8, Hos. 13:14, 1 Cor. 15:54-57).

The world’s leading superpowers are meeting this week in Beijing, China as U.S. President Donald Trump and China President Xi Jinping are set to speak directly on matters ranging from trade to human rights to the war in Iran. The two leaders have divergent views on a number of issues and certainly enter this week’s talks as fierce economic competitors, but both also appear eager to find some public common ground on at least economic issues.