August 1, 2026
This week, I received an email from a friend who serves in another country, which got me thinking. He lives in a landlocked country that gets most of its fuel from Russia. As we all know, Russia has been in an ongoing war and is having major logistical problems. You see, since his country gets its fuel from Russia, my friend is finding it hard to get around for ministry—especially to more outlying areas. Imagine waiting for hours to get fuel, only to purchase a few gallons — if any.
Why do I bring this up? Well, of course I want you to pray for our international workers. But it reminds me of an area of study I have long specialized in. I like to study the interactions that many miss. For example, we learn that Columbus decided to sail West in hopes of opening a route to the Orient and the spice trade. We are seldom taught that this is because only 39 years before he sailed, the West lost access to the final route of the Spice trade when Constantinople fell.
For another example, we learn that the War of 1812 was triggered by Britain boarding US-flagged ships. We seldom learn that this practice of boarding neutral ships was to search them for British deserters from the Napoleonic Wars. It also allowed sailors from these countries to be pressed into service in the British Navy. The UK was at war with France, whose dictator Napoleon had risen to power from the ashes of the French Revolution. That revolution was largely inspired by the US Revolution and by France bankrupting itself to help the Americans against Britain.
It gets even more interesting when you realize that France took this course for revenge on the British for the Seven Years’ War. In American history, this was called the French and Indian War. That war was largely triggered by the actions of a young George Washington during a minor mission.
Of course, the full story of these events is far more nuanced. My point in bringing this up is that we never know how far-reaching our own choices can be. We may think, “My choice only impacts me.” We could be very wrong. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that few choices or actions do not affect others. This is part of maturity: realizing that I can impact others even when I don’t mean to. It also means recognizing that this must be taken into account when making decisions. This is one reason for the guidance and commands given in Scripture. The Word of God, along with His commands, contains great wisdom for us to learn from and apply. God speaks to us through it. But so do those who came before us.
In Christ,
Pastor Ken