The door to God and the glory he has prepared for us stands wide open. However, he has mapped out a very specific pathway to that door. It is not an easy one. As it did with Jesus, this route takes us through opposition, suffering, and even death. While our human nature may cause us to want to take a detour around these things, Jesus own life shows us that no detour is allowed. His cross came before his crown. The same path lies ahead of us. However, at the end of it, through the open door, we are offered a reward far superior to anything the world can offer.

The heavenly Father is always present in the lives of his children. He sees every sorrow we endure. He also sees every sin that we commit, even if it’s only in our thoughts. He is always present. Yet, he is also always patient. God does not snap at us the second we turn from him. He gives us time to see the error of our ways. He assures us that the door back to him remains always open. By giving us room to share our struggles and shortcomings, he works in us the very repentance he desires and saves us from the judgement that would otherwise be ours.

In 2009, Facebook added the “like” button. That same year, Twitter added the “retweet” feature. Interestingly, reported cases of depression began to rise sharply in 2010. It is easy to think that the more people like us, the more successful our lives must be. Likewise, it is easy to believe the more people like a church, the more successful that church is. So here is an important epiphany for both individuals and churches. Popularity is not proof of success. Though there will be times when Christ’s gospel and those who proclaim it are popular, that popularity is never the goal. Nor does that popularity define success. If a church makes its central focus things like personal improvement, healing for the sick, or social justice, that church may draw a crowd. It just fails to carry out the true agenda Christ has given his Church. The gospel of forgiveness is to be the center of all our preaching and teaching. The agenda for Christ’s Church is set. It’s the same agenda that was followed by the Church’s Christ.

It is easy for us to assume that if God says “no” to a request, we are getting less than we wanted. We need to have an epiphany moment, seeing the reality—that God always wants more for us than we want from him. Saying “yes” to all our requests would often result in us receiving less joy, less blessing, a lesser life. So, when God says “no” to our request, we can be assured it is because he wants to give us more. Far more than existing as a “help desk” or 911 dispatch, God’s love for us is like that of a groom for his bride. His love for us exceeds all expectation and understanding. In that love, God always delivers more than we ask, not less.

Freedom is one of the United States’ key ideals. And while ideological divides mean different groups have different concerns when it comes to the pursuit of freedom, there’s a common thread woven throughout all the varying perspectives: self-determination. Such emancipation from outside control and the opportunity to follow one’s own path in life is a cherished right. Yet, that ideal of freedom assumes that individuals are, in themselves, free. But is that true? The fall into sin means we’re not only impaired in our ability to understand and make decisions; this same condition applies to our very motivations, desires, and passions. While it seems we are free to do what we want and want what we want, in reality our very impulses are deceptive. The deceit of sin runs deep. Not only does it fail to deliver promised freedom, it actually brings a truly sad and desperate slavery to a cruel master. Satan’s lies brought servitude and suffering, pain and death to our first parents and every generation since. Yet in abundant mercy, God has revealed truth in his Son Jesus Christ—truth that saves. Truth that brings life. Truth that frees from sin’s deception. This truth of Jesus Christ is beautiful beyond measure, and the freedom it brings is so very deep and profound. And it is a truth that is for all. Stewarding the truth, therefore, requires us to help people recognize their sad condition and to speak the beauty of true freedom in Christ into their specific experience of sin’s deception.

“The deep search for identity—Who am I, really?—is going on in each person, and no one should accept shallow answers” (Kinnaman and Matlock, Faith for Exiles ). Though identity has become an especially hot topic today, our sense of self has always been a critical aspect of being human. Generation after generation has been shaped by a combination of internal and external factors, giving us points of connection with one another and contributing to our sense of individuality. However, in the recent past, aided by media, consumerism, and technology, we’ve also experienced a tremendous shift in the relative authority of various factors, with an increasing emphasis placed on personal experience or choice. The idea that my preferences, desires, and feelings define me is the core of what some have called expressive individualism or elective identity . Regardless of how we seek to define ourselves, our merely human answers are limited. They may reflect an aspect of our experience, but they can never fully satisfy. They cannot provide enduring answers. To one degree or another, they disappoint.  But God’s answer to the question, “Who am I?” is truly different. Truly better. Truly beautiful . Our true identity is found in Christ. It will become ours fully at the resurrection, but even now we get to live each day as God’s restored “very good” creations who are continually set free from sin’s deception because Christ shared our humanity. Our call as stewards is to deeply grasp this beautiful identity for ourselves and to share it with the generations after us.

Whereas many popular perspectives on humanity view human beings as ever improving and advancing, Scripture presents a vision that’s at once more broken and more beautiful than any of the rest. It reveals a truth that spans generations and geography. It shows us a shared humanity with a shared problem and a shared solution. Recognizing this shared humanity, and being able to evangelically discuss it, is critical to being a steward of the truth. In an age where, in many ways, a unifying human nature is denied, it’s important for stewards of Christian truth to grasp and communicate our true, common condition. But it’s even more important that we grasp and communicate the beautiful solution God has provided in Jesus Christ. This means understanding the humanity Christ shared in and the humanity Christ shares with us. Hebrews 2:14 says, “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.” Jesus did not only share in our mortality as an expression of solidarity; he did it to redeem us from our mortality. Put another way, the Son of God shared in our dying humanity so that we might share in his ever-living humanity. Understanding our shared human nature—and the beauty of God’s Son sharing in it—isn’t theological trivia; it’s critical to properly framing the past, present, and future. Stewarding the truth means helping one another, especially the next generation, to grasp this for themselves.

The landscape of truth in our culture encompasses the highly subjective and personally perceived to the objective and universally real. What of biblical truth? Grasping the nature of God’s truth is a critical first step if we are to be effective stewards of it. Biblical truth doesn’t only concern itself with accuracy, facts, and honesty. The message of Scripture reveals truth that is real—and at the same time truth that is good. Being a steward of the truth means grasping this characteristic of truth above all else. The goodness of God’s truth is ultimately revealed in Jesus Christ. It is in the truth of the gospel that God’s goodness to fallen humanity shines most beautifully. Simply put, God’s truth is life. This connection between God’s truth and goodness and life is also a critically important aspect of humankind’s beginning. Since the fall, people have been in rebellion against God’s intent for humanity, and yet the early chapters of Genesis reveal how very good this design was and the disappointment human beings have ultimately encountered in pursuing their own ideas. God calls us to steward his truth as that which is true and that which is truly good. It is, as Jesus said, life—and life to the full. This means that our stewardship of truth is not one grand debate over what’s right; nor is our goal to win the argument or have the last word. Rather, we’re stewards intent on holding to what is actually in the best interests of the people God has placed in our lives.