I had an eye-opening experience last week. I was driving to Shaw AFB, where I serve. The weather turned bad, and the rain came down in sheets. As I approached the base, there was flooding on the roads and in the surrounding areas. When I finally arrived at the front gate, I handed my ID card to the MP and said, “I heard there was an ark here.” He looked up from my ID, squinted his eyes, and shook his head, indicating he didn’t understand the reference. So, I said, “Noah’s ark?” He looked at me with the same lack of recognition. I finally said, “Flood, big boat, saved people?” There were cars behind me. The MP still didn’t understand the reference. He shook his head and said with a nervous laugh, “I don’t know.” He handed back my ID, saluted, and said, “Have a good night, sir,” as he looked to the car behind me.

As I made my way to lodging I was a bit stunned. This was a young man in his early twenties and had no clue about Noah’s Ark. Given the weather, I expected a short laugh at a corny joke. Instead, I got an embarrassed “I haven’t a clue about what you’re talking about.”

I have been a pastor for almost seventeen years. It is so easy to become insulated from the outside world. And to remind me of that reality

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:33-34).

God is the Lord of history. It has been said that history is His-Story. In Daniel chapter eight (verses 1-8), God gave Daniel a vision of future events. This vision came to pass two centuries later. It is an amazing thought that God can reveal in detail things that will not occur for centuries. No wonder Jesus told us not to be anxious. The Gentiles, He said, are worried about the daily affairs of life. But our Father not only knows our needs, He knows the events of the day long before the day arrives. Because He is our God, we can leave the worry to Him. He said, “Seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and all our needs will be provided for. In Christ, we are free to let God be God, which releases us from all worry, anxiety, and fear. If God can direct the affairs of nations centuries before they occur, He is capable of meeting my meager needs. My eyes can only see to the horizon. But my faith anchors me in the One who sees through the centuries and directs all of time.

“While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:46-50).

The other day, someone told me, “We are brothers.” What he meant was that we are fellow believers, and as a result, there is a relationship between us grounded in Christ. I agreed, and we gave the appropriate man hug with a hit on the back, then went our separate ways. This morning, while doing my quiet time, I read the above verse. Jesus raises an interesting point concerning our relationships in Christ. He seems to limit them.

Jesus’ family came looking for Him. His mother and brothers were attempting an intervention. Mom found the brothers and convinced them to stop what Jesus was doing. I think they thought He had lost his mind and were seeking to “speak” with Him about His ministry. His reply is almost shocking. “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” He asked. The normal reply would have been, “Those guys out there with the little old lady who are waiting for you.” But instead, Jesus points to those who are actively following Him and says, “Here are my mother and brothers!” He then defines that relationship with great specificity. He says, in effect,

Over the past year, I have heard several Christians dispense advice along these lines: “You have to do what is right for you.” I remember being a young soldier in 1990 and giving out the same advice to someone who asked me about a situation they were in. The advice has an appearance of wisdom. In every situation, there are factors that only the person involved can navigate, and only the individual can assess the consequences of their choices. So, telling them to do what is right for them, i.e., what will benefit them the best, seems to be the right advice to give.

Before I came to know Christ, I saw myself as an isolated entity with no clear connections to the world around me. Sure, I had family relationships and friends, and I breathed the same air as those around me, but whatever I chose to do, in my mind at the time, had little impact on others and the world around me (insofar as my actions did not hurt others). That may be a bit of a simplification, but, like those around me, I made choices that I believed were best for me without giving much thought to anything else. But when I met God, my perspective on life changed.

Before we meet God we are simply individuals trying to navigate