Monday, October 28, 2013
Messages From Heaven: The Second Coming: What Are We Looking For?
Messages From Heaven: The Second Coming: What Are We Looking For?: The Second Coming: What are we looking for? The greatest cataclysm of world history. The prophets talk about the bad news of the return o...
The Second Coming: What Are We Looking For?
The Second Coming: What are we looking for? The greatest cataclysm
of world history. The prophets talk about the bad news of the return of
God to earth in the person of Jesus by a phrase that’s been mentioned a
number of times in this book. The phrase is the Hebrew phrase yom Adonai. We
translate it “the day of the Lord” or “the day of Yahweh.” The
prophets stumble over each other trying to find adequate language to
describe the horror of that day.
Turn to the end of the Old Testament to the little book of Zephaniah. Zephaniah shares with Joel and many other prophets of God a phrase that is the phrase of absolute horror. It’s called the great day of the Lord.
Zephaniah in 1:14-16 writes that the great day of the Lord is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of Yahweh is bitter. Mighty men will scream aloud. That is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, devastation and desolation, darkness and gloominess, clouds and thick darkness. I look at all of those pairs of words, and I see a man ransacking a thesaurus, if there were such a thing available, trying to find adequate terms to describe the calamity of the day of the return of Christ to the earth, because when He returns it will be in the worst judgment in the history of the world.
How can that be? How can that be if Genesis 6 to 9 describes the death of all living by the great flood? How can that be, given the suffering that we’ve experienced even in our own lifetime, like the recent calamitous flooding in places like Honduras, from typhoons, tsunamis, horrible earthquakes, hurricanes, all of these so-called acts of nature? How can there be something worse than all of those things?
I think what makes the Second Coming worse in judgment is that all of those things God did through mediation, that is through Creation, nature gone riot, Creation in upheaval. But in the Second Corning, the judgment will be done, not by water, not by flood, not by fire, not by storm, but by His own hand. Did you hear that?
We’re all familiar with the story of the ten plagues. Are we familiar with the wording of Exodus 11? Turn back there where the announcement of the tenth plague is given. The last plague God used to deliver Israel from Egypt is the most horrendous of the list. There were others that were awful, the turning of the Nile to blood, the darkening of an eclipse that lasted for days and was specific on the Egyptians and not the people of Israel. Some eclipse that was. Cattle disease, boils, gnats, flies, awful things, but none of the plagues is like the tenth. Because in the tenth plague we’re told that from the house of pharaoh, to the humblest farmer in the land, and even extending out to the barn, the firstborn of Egypt will die. They will not die, however, as Sunday school lessons have it, by the “Angel of Death,” but by the hand of God.
Look at Chapter 11 verse 1: “The LORD [Yahweh] said to Moses, ‘One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh.’” He says I will do this. Verse 4, “Thus says the LORD, ‘About midnight, I am going out into the midst of Egypt’” You see what we’ve done? We’ve softened this because it’s almost intolerable. It’s something that we can’t stomach. God? No, we’d like it to be done by an angel. God? No, we’d like it to be done by a demon. God? No, we’d like it to be done by a storm or a disease, but God says, “I will do this.” And so He did.
Turn to Chapter 12 and look at the summary in verse 29. “It came about at midnight that the LORD struck all the first-born.” Not an angel, not a seraph, not a messenger, but the Lord.
I do Passover Seders in the spring. The rabbis sometimes got things right, and this they nailed. In the Passover Haggadah, the liturgy for that wonderful service of praise to God for deliverance from Egypt, there is a homily on these words from Chapter 11 where God says, “I will go out into the midst of Egypt.” Listen to this. “The Lord, Yahweh, brought us forth from Egypt, not by means of an angel, nor by means of a seraph, nor by means of a messenger, but the Most Holy. Blessed be He in His own glory. As it is said, ‘I will pass through the land of Egypt in this night, I will smite every firstborn of the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment.’ I, Yahweh, I will pass through the land of Egypt, I, Myself, and not an angel. I will smite every firstborn, I, Myself and not a seraph. And on all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment, I, Myself, and not a messenger. I, Yahweh, I am He, there is none other.” And that’s the way it was. When the final act of deliverance was done, it was God who did it. And that was to get His people out of Egypt. And then when they came to the watery mass, and the army was behind them and the Sea of Reeds or the Red Sea was before them, then it was again that God acted in His own person, not by an angel, not by a seraph, not by a messenger, but in His own glory.
Turn to Exodus 15. This psalm, the first psalm in the Bible, is the celebration of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and it’s celebrated every year by Jewish people all over the world. Jewish people who follow their own Haggadah know this better than we Christians, because they recite this every single year. When God brought Israel from Egypt, not only was it He, and He alone, who slew the firstborn, but it was He, and He alone, who fought against their enemies and destroyed them. And when the song was sung, verse 3 says, “The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name.” Yahweh is a man of war, Yahweh is His name. And in those words, we are celebrating the fact that it was God, and God alone, who delivered them. Adonai ish milchamah, Adonai shemo. Yahweh is a warrior, His name is Warrior God.
That’s what we have portrayed about sweet King Jesus in Revelation 19. Jesus, when He comes down, is a man of war. Look at the words, verse 11, “He judges and wages war.” Look at the words of verse 15, “From His mouth comes a sharp sword.” The point is that it is He who will fight directly, personally.
The Second Coming of Jesus: What are we looking for? The greatest calamity in all of human history.
The people of the world don’t understand this. They use the word Armageddon which is our word, a Bible word. But they use Armageddon to describe nuclear holocaust, nation against nation. Back in the days of the Soviet Union there was such a threat of the end of the world, we thought, by one nation lobbing missiles against another and though it was thought that was Armageddon, it was not. That would be horrific, it would be world war, but it’s not Armageddon. Armageddon is the nations gathered together at the end of the Tribulation period to withstand God the Father putting His Son Jesus Christ on the throne of David in Jerusalem. That’s what Psalm 2 is about. That’s what Psalm 110 is about.
In Psalm 2, the nations are gathered together against the Lord, and against His Messiah, His anointed. And the One who is in heaven laughs in derision as He says, “I set My king on My holy hill, Zion.” Do you think the nations can withstand the power of God? That’s why there’s the greatest cataclysm of all of history. What makes it the worst is it’s not water, it’s not fire, it’s not disease, but it’s the Lord Himself who comes to judge.
Turn to the end of the Old Testament to the little book of Zephaniah. Zephaniah shares with Joel and many other prophets of God a phrase that is the phrase of absolute horror. It’s called the great day of the Lord.
Zephaniah in 1:14-16 writes that the great day of the Lord is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of Yahweh is bitter. Mighty men will scream aloud. That is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, devastation and desolation, darkness and gloominess, clouds and thick darkness. I look at all of those pairs of words, and I see a man ransacking a thesaurus, if there were such a thing available, trying to find adequate terms to describe the calamity of the day of the return of Christ to the earth, because when He returns it will be in the worst judgment in the history of the world.
How can that be? How can that be if Genesis 6 to 9 describes the death of all living by the great flood? How can that be, given the suffering that we’ve experienced even in our own lifetime, like the recent calamitous flooding in places like Honduras, from typhoons, tsunamis, horrible earthquakes, hurricanes, all of these so-called acts of nature? How can there be something worse than all of those things?
I think what makes the Second Coming worse in judgment is that all of those things God did through mediation, that is through Creation, nature gone riot, Creation in upheaval. But in the Second Corning, the judgment will be done, not by water, not by flood, not by fire, not by storm, but by His own hand. Did you hear that?
We’re all familiar with the story of the ten plagues. Are we familiar with the wording of Exodus 11? Turn back there where the announcement of the tenth plague is given. The last plague God used to deliver Israel from Egypt is the most horrendous of the list. There were others that were awful, the turning of the Nile to blood, the darkening of an eclipse that lasted for days and was specific on the Egyptians and not the people of Israel. Some eclipse that was. Cattle disease, boils, gnats, flies, awful things, but none of the plagues is like the tenth. Because in the tenth plague we’re told that from the house of pharaoh, to the humblest farmer in the land, and even extending out to the barn, the firstborn of Egypt will die. They will not die, however, as Sunday school lessons have it, by the “Angel of Death,” but by the hand of God.
Look at Chapter 11 verse 1: “The LORD [Yahweh] said to Moses, ‘One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh.’” He says I will do this. Verse 4, “Thus says the LORD, ‘About midnight, I am going out into the midst of Egypt’” You see what we’ve done? We’ve softened this because it’s almost intolerable. It’s something that we can’t stomach. God? No, we’d like it to be done by an angel. God? No, we’d like it to be done by a demon. God? No, we’d like it to be done by a storm or a disease, but God says, “I will do this.” And so He did.
Turn to Chapter 12 and look at the summary in verse 29. “It came about at midnight that the LORD struck all the first-born.” Not an angel, not a seraph, not a messenger, but the Lord.
I do Passover Seders in the spring. The rabbis sometimes got things right, and this they nailed. In the Passover Haggadah, the liturgy for that wonderful service of praise to God for deliverance from Egypt, there is a homily on these words from Chapter 11 where God says, “I will go out into the midst of Egypt.” Listen to this. “The Lord, Yahweh, brought us forth from Egypt, not by means of an angel, nor by means of a seraph, nor by means of a messenger, but the Most Holy. Blessed be He in His own glory. As it is said, ‘I will pass through the land of Egypt in this night, I will smite every firstborn of the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment.’ I, Yahweh, I will pass through the land of Egypt, I, Myself, and not an angel. I will smite every firstborn, I, Myself and not a seraph. And on all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment, I, Myself, and not a messenger. I, Yahweh, I am He, there is none other.” And that’s the way it was. When the final act of deliverance was done, it was God who did it. And that was to get His people out of Egypt. And then when they came to the watery mass, and the army was behind them and the Sea of Reeds or the Red Sea was before them, then it was again that God acted in His own person, not by an angel, not by a seraph, not by a messenger, but in His own glory.
Turn to Exodus 15. This psalm, the first psalm in the Bible, is the celebration of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and it’s celebrated every year by Jewish people all over the world. Jewish people who follow their own Haggadah know this better than we Christians, because they recite this every single year. When God brought Israel from Egypt, not only was it He, and He alone, who slew the firstborn, but it was He, and He alone, who fought against their enemies and destroyed them. And when the song was sung, verse 3 says, “The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name.” Yahweh is a man of war, Yahweh is His name. And in those words, we are celebrating the fact that it was God, and God alone, who delivered them. Adonai ish milchamah, Adonai shemo. Yahweh is a warrior, His name is Warrior God.
That’s what we have portrayed about sweet King Jesus in Revelation 19. Jesus, when He comes down, is a man of war. Look at the words, verse 11, “He judges and wages war.” Look at the words of verse 15, “From His mouth comes a sharp sword.” The point is that it is He who will fight directly, personally.
The Second Coming of Jesus: What are we looking for? The greatest calamity in all of human history.
The people of the world don’t understand this. They use the word Armageddon which is our word, a Bible word. But they use Armageddon to describe nuclear holocaust, nation against nation. Back in the days of the Soviet Union there was such a threat of the end of the world, we thought, by one nation lobbing missiles against another and though it was thought that was Armageddon, it was not. That would be horrific, it would be world war, but it’s not Armageddon. Armageddon is the nations gathered together at the end of the Tribulation period to withstand God the Father putting His Son Jesus Christ on the throne of David in Jerusalem. That’s what Psalm 2 is about. That’s what Psalm 110 is about.
In Psalm 2, the nations are gathered together against the Lord, and against His Messiah, His anointed. And the One who is in heaven laughs in derision as He says, “I set My king on My holy hill, Zion.” Do you think the nations can withstand the power of God? That’s why there’s the greatest cataclysm of all of history. What makes it the worst is it’s not water, it’s not fire, it’s not disease, but it’s the Lord Himself who comes to judge.
Messages From Heaven: Why Same-Sex Marriage Will Ultimately Fail!
Messages From Heaven: Why Same-Sex Marriage Will Ultimately Fail!: As gay activists celebrate the overturning of DOMA, my heart goes out to them, since I know this social experiment is ultimately doomed to ...
Why Same-Sex Marriage Will Ultimately Fail!
As gay activists celebrate the overturning of DOMA, my heart goes out
to them, since I know this social experiment is ultimately doomed to
failure.
To be sure, I understand that this is just not a political victory
for men and women who identify as gay and lesbian. It is an intensely
personal, even emotional victory, just as President Obama’s statement
last year that he now supported same-sex marriage brought tears to gay
leaders like Andrew Sullivan.
To the homosexual community, the Supreme Court’s ruling speaks of
legitimacy, equality and fairness. To them, it is a matter of family
life, of moms (and moms) and dads (and dads) and kids, of proper
societal standing, of a nation making right its grievous wrongs.
I truly get all that and I understand (while completely rejecting)
the majority ruling in this case. And I know that we’ve been told that
same-sex marriage is inevitable, that the tide has turned, that the
polls make it clear that complete, sweeping change is just a matter of
time. Give it a few more years, we are constantly reminded, and the
older generation will die out – along with its antiquated views – and
the younger, enlightened generation will rule the day.
To be quite honest, the day may come when same-sex marriage is the
law of the land, but that doesn’t mean that it will not fail, and
ultimately, society will rue the Court’s ruling of June 26, 2013.
Now, I fully expect my words to be cited by gay activists as
representing yet another example of a close-minded conservative who was
too proud (or bigoted or ignorant, or all of the above) to see the
handwriting on the wall and quit before being totally disgraced.
(Actually, there’s one more insult to be flung at me: I can’t give up my
opposition to same-sex marriage because I make too much money on the
issue. But of course!) Please feel free to cite me.
The truth be told, on January 1, 2008, I wrote down these words in
my personal journal: “The first qualification for someone engaged in
confronting homosexual activism is that you’d rather not do it because
you’ve put yourself in the shoes of those you’re opposing, you see the
world through their eyes, and you feel their pain.”
While gay activists will howl when they read this, God knows how deeply I meant it then and how deeply I mean it now.
So, this is not a personal battle for me. “My side” didn’t lose to
“their side” on June 26th, and gay leaders are not my enemies (although
I’m sure many perceive me as their enemy).
This is simply a matter of right and wrong, a matter of
understanding that God’s ways are best for a society and that God only
intended a man to marry a woman. In other words, just as there are
universal principles that are always true, even when people mock them
and reject them, God’s principles are universally true, even for
atheists and agnostics. That’s why Proverbs 14:34 says that,
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” –
whether we believe it or not.
And so, unless an apocalyptic scene unfolds in which society
completely collapses in the next few years and Jesus returns to put an
end to human folly – in which case homosexual activism will be seen as
just one of many signs of societal decay – I remain confident that the
same-sex marriage experiment will ultimately fail.
First, homosexuality is not a new phenomenon, nor is it only
recently that homosexual men and women began to engage in long-term
relationships, yet it is only in the last few years that the world has
thought to redefine marriage.
Of course, the terms “homosexual” and “sexual orientation” are of
relatively recent vintage (especially the latter), but there is ample
documentation through the ages of people with exclusive (or,
predominant) same-sex attractions, often legitimized by society, and yet
virtually no one thought to change the nature of marriage.
It was understood that men and women coming together in marriage
had a certain function in society and that it was more than simply
romantic and sexual attractions. Today, though, we are tampering with
the very foundations of human society by redefining marriage, and in the
end, when you tamper with the foundations, the whole building
collapses.
Second, gay activism is its own worst enemy, since the very slogans
it uses undermine its cause, like the latest, “Love is love” (echoed by
President Obama!) – yes whoever you love, love is love – which
ultimately must lead to polyamory, polygamy, and even consensual adult
incest. (Once again I hear the howls, but already, this is an
observation more than a prediction.) Otherwise, it is not full marriage
“equality”; otherwise, it discriminates against other sexual minorities
and their expressions; otherwise, not everyone has the right to “marry
the one they love.”
So, if same-sex marriage succeeds, it will ultimately succeed in making marriage utterly meaningless.
Third, because gay activism is so committed to validating virtually
all sexual identities, it makes male-female distinctives into the enemy
(see my recent article “The Little Boy Who Is a She-lebrity” for one
example of many), thereby declaring war on gender distinctives. This too
is a war that either fails the more it succeeds or else proves itself
utterly futile, seeking to undo the very nature of who we are as a human
race.
Same-sex marriage, then, will either prove to be an unrealistic,
even destructive social experiment, or it will so misshape society that
the very thing it fought for will no longer have relevance. Either way,
it will ultimately fail.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Messages From Heaven: Responding to the Unbelievers in Your Life!
Messages From Heaven: Responding to the Unbelievers in Your Life!: What if my spouse or a family member isn't a Christian? Many, if not most, believers have at least one family member who doesn't ...
Responding to the Unbelievers in Your Life!
What if my spouse or a family member isn't a Christian?
Many, if not most, believers have at least one family member who doesn't share their faith. The thing to remember is that there are in essence three components involved in any relationship you have with another person: You, the other person, and the unique relationship that exists between the two of you. That's all of it, right there: That's the whole Relationship Combo. You handle correctly each of those three aspects of every relationship and each of those relationships will come out all right.
So the guiding question is, what attitude-what guiding principle, what constantly motivating emotional truth-should you take care to bring to each of those three dimensions in your relationship with a nonbeliever, and especially with one who's a family member?
About yourself, be humble.
Toward the other person, be loving.
Toward the relationship between the two of you, be patient.
Humility, love, and patience. There is no mountain these three can't move.
Let's take a quick look at each.
Humility
You must keep your awareness of this quality at the fore of your consciousness whenever you're relating to a nonbeliever with whom you're close. Failing to do so is likely to result in your demeanor becoming strident: You will (however subtly) begin preaching, lecturing, telling them what, how, and who they should be. That's not the kind of oil that keeps the wheels of a relationship spinning smoothly.
We all know we must be humble before God. Let us also not forget to be humble before the people in our lives-each one of whom is, after all, an illustration of God's greatest creation, and made in his image. Remember: You didn't deserve to be saved. Being chosen by God isn't anything to be proud of. It's something to be grateful for.
Love
As God loves us, we must love others. Of course, this can be difficult-just look what it cost Christ to unconditionally and absolutely love us. If our Lord can suffer that, we can suffer whatever psychological or emotional pain it causes us to remain loving toward someone-and especially toward any nonbeliever, for whom we can trust that God has an acute interest.
God wants us to love others, to be his loving agents on earth. Simply love the nonbeliever in your life. Christ will take it from there.
Patience
This is God's world, not ours. We keep time; we have watches and calendars and clocks and so on. God sits at the heart of eternity. You can bet on this: He's not wearing a wristwatch. When it comes to the relationship between you and a nonbeliever-and particularly a nonbeliever to whom you're necessarily close-be patient. Wait. Never stop waiting. Have no agenda. Let God's will, in God's time, shape the relationship.
When you're involved with a nonbeliever, you're involved in one of the most important, precious dynamics given to any believer. Don't try to start driving that relationship in the way you think it should go. Give God the wheel. All you have to do with your nonbeliever friend is climb into the backseat with them-and then, side by side, relaxing and looking out the window, the two of you can enjoy the ride together.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Peter 2:12).
Of course, sometimes people aren't happy to let you be you, while they are who they are. Sometimes people throw hostility (and more) your way just because you're Christian.
How to Respond to Attacks on Your Faith
How should you respond if someone is attacking your faith in Christ? It depends. If someone is being virulent to you about Christianity, the best thing to do is politely walk away. It's usually not helpful or productive to try to thoughtfully or rationally engage such a person. As the inimitable British playwright George Bernard Shaw wrote, "Never wrestle with a pig. You get dirty; and besides, the pig likes it."
Not that the person denigrating Jesus is a pig. Still, what kind of person makes a point of maligning the faith of another? That really is a pretty ...oinky thing to do.
Interesting, isn't it, how some people seem to focus-if not to say obsess-on the idea that Christianity is something against which they personally, fervently, and usually quite vocally need to react? It's not hard to imagine that what such people actually want is to engage in an honest and open conversation about the faith; why poke a bear with a stick if you truly have no interest in the bear? So to the extent you find it feasible or possible, always remain open to the possibility that what the person who seems to hate Christianity might be responding against is an inextricable (and perhaps even subconscious) pull toward the very object of their disdain.
Bottom line: If it's someone you don't know who's attacking your faith, exit gracefully-but exit, and don't look back. If it's an acquaintance you're basically or conditionally linked to for a while-a coworker, a classmate, that sort of person-then be patient, and polite, and if they grow too offensive, ask them to please stop speaking to you as they are, to please have the same respect for your beliefs that you have for theirs. (And do ask them to talk to you about their beliefs! Start a dialogue!) Always, in both cases, remain open to the possibility, no matter how apparently small, that at some level all the other person really wants is to just talk about Jesus.
Maybe a little martial-arts principle will help. Rather than knock heads, go with the attacker's momentum and enjoy the engagement. And turn it into a practiced, developed skill. The truth is, there always will be people who are either going to be mean to you or do mean things to you. And once they do, you have a new responsibility to get over it rather than live under it.
Many, if not most, believers have at least one family member who doesn't share their faith. The thing to remember is that there are in essence three components involved in any relationship you have with another person: You, the other person, and the unique relationship that exists between the two of you. That's all of it, right there: That's the whole Relationship Combo. You handle correctly each of those three aspects of every relationship and each of those relationships will come out all right.
So the guiding question is, what attitude-what guiding principle, what constantly motivating emotional truth-should you take care to bring to each of those three dimensions in your relationship with a nonbeliever, and especially with one who's a family member?
About yourself, be humble.
Toward the other person, be loving.
Toward the relationship between the two of you, be patient.
Humility, love, and patience. There is no mountain these three can't move.
Let's take a quick look at each.
Humility
You must keep your awareness of this quality at the fore of your consciousness whenever you're relating to a nonbeliever with whom you're close. Failing to do so is likely to result in your demeanor becoming strident: You will (however subtly) begin preaching, lecturing, telling them what, how, and who they should be. That's not the kind of oil that keeps the wheels of a relationship spinning smoothly.
We all know we must be humble before God. Let us also not forget to be humble before the people in our lives-each one of whom is, after all, an illustration of God's greatest creation, and made in his image. Remember: You didn't deserve to be saved. Being chosen by God isn't anything to be proud of. It's something to be grateful for.
Love
As God loves us, we must love others. Of course, this can be difficult-just look what it cost Christ to unconditionally and absolutely love us. If our Lord can suffer that, we can suffer whatever psychological or emotional pain it causes us to remain loving toward someone-and especially toward any nonbeliever, for whom we can trust that God has an acute interest.
God wants us to love others, to be his loving agents on earth. Simply love the nonbeliever in your life. Christ will take it from there.
Patience
This is God's world, not ours. We keep time; we have watches and calendars and clocks and so on. God sits at the heart of eternity. You can bet on this: He's not wearing a wristwatch. When it comes to the relationship between you and a nonbeliever-and particularly a nonbeliever to whom you're necessarily close-be patient. Wait. Never stop waiting. Have no agenda. Let God's will, in God's time, shape the relationship.
When you're involved with a nonbeliever, you're involved in one of the most important, precious dynamics given to any believer. Don't try to start driving that relationship in the way you think it should go. Give God the wheel. All you have to do with your nonbeliever friend is climb into the backseat with them-and then, side by side, relaxing and looking out the window, the two of you can enjoy the ride together.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us (1 Peter 2:12).
Of course, sometimes people aren't happy to let you be you, while they are who they are. Sometimes people throw hostility (and more) your way just because you're Christian.
How to Respond to Attacks on Your Faith
How should you respond if someone is attacking your faith in Christ? It depends. If someone is being virulent to you about Christianity, the best thing to do is politely walk away. It's usually not helpful or productive to try to thoughtfully or rationally engage such a person. As the inimitable British playwright George Bernard Shaw wrote, "Never wrestle with a pig. You get dirty; and besides, the pig likes it."
Not that the person denigrating Jesus is a pig. Still, what kind of person makes a point of maligning the faith of another? That really is a pretty ...oinky thing to do.
Interesting, isn't it, how some people seem to focus-if not to say obsess-on the idea that Christianity is something against which they personally, fervently, and usually quite vocally need to react? It's not hard to imagine that what such people actually want is to engage in an honest and open conversation about the faith; why poke a bear with a stick if you truly have no interest in the bear? So to the extent you find it feasible or possible, always remain open to the possibility that what the person who seems to hate Christianity might be responding against is an inextricable (and perhaps even subconscious) pull toward the very object of their disdain.
Bottom line: If it's someone you don't know who's attacking your faith, exit gracefully-but exit, and don't look back. If it's an acquaintance you're basically or conditionally linked to for a while-a coworker, a classmate, that sort of person-then be patient, and polite, and if they grow too offensive, ask them to please stop speaking to you as they are, to please have the same respect for your beliefs that you have for theirs. (And do ask them to talk to you about their beliefs! Start a dialogue!) Always, in both cases, remain open to the possibility, no matter how apparently small, that at some level all the other person really wants is to just talk about Jesus.
Maybe a little martial-arts principle will help. Rather than knock heads, go with the attacker's momentum and enjoy the engagement. And turn it into a practiced, developed skill. The truth is, there always will be people who are either going to be mean to you or do mean things to you. And once they do, you have a new responsibility to get over it rather than live under it.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Messages From Heaven: Five Things I Wish I'd Known Before Marriage!
Messages From Heaven: Five Things I Wish I'd Known Before Marriage!: When Marry and I were preparing to be married, we went through counseling and got a lot of good advice. But there are some important thing...
Five Things I Wish I'd Known Before Marriage!
When Marry and I were preparing to be married, we went through
counseling and got a lot of good advice. But there are some important
things that we did not fully understand. So if I were talking with a
premarried couple, here's what I'd tell them about the "Five Things I
Wish I Had Known Before I Was Married":
#1: Marriage is not all about you. It's not about your happiness and self-fulfillment. It's not about getting your needs met. It's about going through life together and serving God together and serving each other. It's about establishing a family. It's about committing your lives to each other even though you may be very different in 10, 20, or 40 years from the people you are now.
#2: You are about to learn a painful lesson — you are both very selfish people. This may be difficult to comprehend during the happy and hazy days of courtship, but it's true, and it shocks many couples during their first years of marriage. It's important to know this revelation of selfishness is coming, because then you can make adjustments for it, and you will be a lot better off.
#3: The person you love the most is also the person who can hurt you the deepest. That's the risk and pain of marriage. And the beauty of marriage is working through your hurt and pain and resolving your conflicts and solving your problems.
#4: You can't make it work on your own. It's obvious that marriage is difficult — just look at how many couples today end in divorce. This is why it's so critical to center your lives and your marriage on the God who created marriage. To make your marriage last for a lifetime, you need to rely on God for the power and love and strength and wisdom and endurance you need.
#5: Never stop enjoying each other. Always remember that marriage is an incredible gift to be enjoyed. Ecclesiastes 9:9 says, "Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun."
Enjoy the little things of life with your spouse: the food you enjoy together at home or in restaurants...the movies you like...the little inside jokes nobody else understands except for you...the times you make each other laugh...the games you play together.
And focus on making memories together: Plan special dates and weekend getaways. Make sure you reserve time for each other after you have kids. When you are old, you won't look back and remember how great it was to buy that new furniture or watch that great show on television. You're going to remember what you did together and saw together and created together.
How about you? If you were talking to an engaged couple about what you wish you'd known before marriage, what would you say? Write down your thoughts in the comments section below.
#1: Marriage is not all about you. It's not about your happiness and self-fulfillment. It's not about getting your needs met. It's about going through life together and serving God together and serving each other. It's about establishing a family. It's about committing your lives to each other even though you may be very different in 10, 20, or 40 years from the people you are now.
#2: You are about to learn a painful lesson — you are both very selfish people. This may be difficult to comprehend during the happy and hazy days of courtship, but it's true, and it shocks many couples during their first years of marriage. It's important to know this revelation of selfishness is coming, because then you can make adjustments for it, and you will be a lot better off.
#3: The person you love the most is also the person who can hurt you the deepest. That's the risk and pain of marriage. And the beauty of marriage is working through your hurt and pain and resolving your conflicts and solving your problems.
#4: You can't make it work on your own. It's obvious that marriage is difficult — just look at how many couples today end in divorce. This is why it's so critical to center your lives and your marriage on the God who created marriage. To make your marriage last for a lifetime, you need to rely on God for the power and love and strength and wisdom and endurance you need.
#5: Never stop enjoying each other. Always remember that marriage is an incredible gift to be enjoyed. Ecclesiastes 9:9 says, "Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun."
Enjoy the little things of life with your spouse: the food you enjoy together at home or in restaurants...the movies you like...the little inside jokes nobody else understands except for you...the times you make each other laugh...the games you play together.
And focus on making memories together: Plan special dates and weekend getaways. Make sure you reserve time for each other after you have kids. When you are old, you won't look back and remember how great it was to buy that new furniture or watch that great show on television. You're going to remember what you did together and saw together and created together.
How about you? If you were talking to an engaged couple about what you wish you'd known before marriage, what would you say? Write down your thoughts in the comments section below.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Messages From Heaven: Spiritual Cruise Control! Don't Get Stuck Take Con...
Messages From Heaven: Spiritual Cruise Control! Don't Get Stuck Take Con...: One of the biggest trends in the automotive industry during the late 1990s and the first part of this century was the sport utility vehicl...
Spiritual Cruise Control! Don't Get Stuck Take Control!
One of the biggest trends in the automotive industry during the late
1990s and the first part of this century was the sport utility vehicle,
or SUV. Maybe they became popular because we baby boomers didn’t want
to acknowledge that we had reached middle age or beyond, and we felt
better driving some big, beefy vehicle with gnarly tires.
Most of these vehicles were built with four-wheel drive capability, but I’ve often wondered how many people actually use it. In fact, I would venture a guess that most people who have four-wheel drive capability on their SUVs wouldn’t know how to use it if they had to. Essentially, these people have vehicles that were designed for one thing but are used for another.
In the Book of Ephesians, we learn a little bit about our spiritual horsepower: all that God has given to us and all that God has done for us. The problem is that a lot of us are in spiritual cruise control. We are not pursuing God. We are not following after righteousness. We have the four-wheel drive, but we are not moving forward.
We need to put what we have into gear and use it. There are mountains to climb. There is rugged terrain to navigate. There are opportunities for growth, but many of us are kicking back.
The Christian life is like a greased pole: either you are climbing or slipping. How about you? Are you climbing? Are you growing? Are you maturing? Or are you going backward?
It is time for us to use what God has given so we can go out and do some serious spiritual four-wheeling.
One characteristic of the Bible is that whenever it tells us to not do one thing, it gives you another thing to do in its place. This is very important. We are told to not do certain things, but to do other things instead.
For example, in Ephesians 4 we read, “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (verse 28 nkjv). In other words, those who have stolen need to stop stealing and do something productive so they can give to others.
Then, in verse 29 we’re told, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (nkjv). Instead of foul things coming out of your mouth, let good things come out.
And 2 Timothy 2:22 tells us to “flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (nkjv). Flee and follow. Run from anything that stimulates lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do what is right.
Psalm 1:1 reminds us, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful...” (nkjv). That is what he doesn’t do. But in contrast, “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” (verse 2 nkjv).
The best way to not go backward is to go forward. The best way to not lose ground is to gain ground. The best defense is a good offense. As we move forward spiritually, we won’t do the things God tells us not to do.
This doesn’t mean that we won’t be tempted by those things. It doesn’t mean they won’t come knocking at the door of our hearts and imaginations, asking if they can come in. But it does mean that we will have a firmer resolve to resist them, because we are too busy doing the things of God.
As the hymn says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”
If you will commit yourself to grow in your love for Jesus Christ and be enamored with Him and dedicated to Him, then you will see this world for what it is.
God tells us what to stay away from for our own good, but He also tells us what to do for our own good as well. Our responsibility as followers of Christ, as those who have a guaranteed hope of heaven, is to do what we can to reach others with the Good News.
May God help us to do just that.
Most of these vehicles were built with four-wheel drive capability, but I’ve often wondered how many people actually use it. In fact, I would venture a guess that most people who have four-wheel drive capability on their SUVs wouldn’t know how to use it if they had to. Essentially, these people have vehicles that were designed for one thing but are used for another.
In the Book of Ephesians, we learn a little bit about our spiritual horsepower: all that God has given to us and all that God has done for us. The problem is that a lot of us are in spiritual cruise control. We are not pursuing God. We are not following after righteousness. We have the four-wheel drive, but we are not moving forward.
We need to put what we have into gear and use it. There are mountains to climb. There is rugged terrain to navigate. There are opportunities for growth, but many of us are kicking back.
The Christian life is like a greased pole: either you are climbing or slipping. How about you? Are you climbing? Are you growing? Are you maturing? Or are you going backward?
It is time for us to use what God has given so we can go out and do some serious spiritual four-wheeling.
One characteristic of the Bible is that whenever it tells us to not do one thing, it gives you another thing to do in its place. This is very important. We are told to not do certain things, but to do other things instead.
For example, in Ephesians 4 we read, “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need” (verse 28 nkjv). In other words, those who have stolen need to stop stealing and do something productive so they can give to others.
Then, in verse 29 we’re told, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (nkjv). Instead of foul things coming out of your mouth, let good things come out.
And 2 Timothy 2:22 tells us to “flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (nkjv). Flee and follow. Run from anything that stimulates lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do what is right.
Psalm 1:1 reminds us, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful...” (nkjv). That is what he doesn’t do. But in contrast, “his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night” (verse 2 nkjv).
The best way to not go backward is to go forward. The best way to not lose ground is to gain ground. The best defense is a good offense. As we move forward spiritually, we won’t do the things God tells us not to do.
This doesn’t mean that we won’t be tempted by those things. It doesn’t mean they won’t come knocking at the door of our hearts and imaginations, asking if they can come in. But it does mean that we will have a firmer resolve to resist them, because we are too busy doing the things of God.
As the hymn says, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”
If you will commit yourself to grow in your love for Jesus Christ and be enamored with Him and dedicated to Him, then you will see this world for what it is.
God tells us what to stay away from for our own good, but He also tells us what to do for our own good as well. Our responsibility as followers of Christ, as those who have a guaranteed hope of heaven, is to do what we can to reach others with the Good News.
May God help us to do just that.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Messages From Heaven: Redefining the Family! Should We?
Messages From Heaven: Redefining the Family! Should We?: I read recently that the definition of the family needed to be revised in light of cultural changes. The writer said a family should be th...
Redefining the Family! Should We?
I read recently that the definition of the family needed to be
revised in light of cultural changes. The writer said a family should be
thought of as "a circle of love," including any individuals who were
deeply attached to each other. Somehow I know this is wrong but can't
articulate why. How do you see it?
I am familiar with the effort to redefine the family. It is motivated by homosexual activists and others who see this institution as a barrier to the social engineering they hope to accomplish. But what is the traditional definition of the family? It is a group of individuals who are related to one another by marriage, birth, or adoption-- nothing more, nothing else. The family was divinely instituted and sanctioned in the beginning, when God created one man and one woman, brought them together, and commanded them to "be fruitful and multiply." This is where we begin, and this is where we must stand.
By contrast, if the term family refers to any group of people who love each other, then the term ceases to have meaning. In that case, five homosexual men can be a "family" until one feels unloved, and then there are four. Under such a definition, one man and six women could be regarded as a legal entity, reintroducing the debate over polygamy. We thought we settled that issue in the last century.
It would also be possible for parents who dislike a rebellious teenager to opt him out of the "circle of love," thus depriving him of any legal identity with the family. With such amorphous terms, wives would have no greater legal protection than female acquaintances with whom men become infatuated. We end up with an unstable social structure rife with potential for disaster.
There is good reason, then, to defend the narrow legal definition of the family as understood over the centuries. After all, the family as I have characterized it is not merely human in origin. It is God's marvelous creation. And He has not included casual social relationships--even the most loving ones--within that bond of kinship. Nor should we.
I am familiar with the effort to redefine the family. It is motivated by homosexual activists and others who see this institution as a barrier to the social engineering they hope to accomplish. But what is the traditional definition of the family? It is a group of individuals who are related to one another by marriage, birth, or adoption-- nothing more, nothing else. The family was divinely instituted and sanctioned in the beginning, when God created one man and one woman, brought them together, and commanded them to "be fruitful and multiply." This is where we begin, and this is where we must stand.
By contrast, if the term family refers to any group of people who love each other, then the term ceases to have meaning. In that case, five homosexual men can be a "family" until one feels unloved, and then there are four. Under such a definition, one man and six women could be regarded as a legal entity, reintroducing the debate over polygamy. We thought we settled that issue in the last century.
It would also be possible for parents who dislike a rebellious teenager to opt him out of the "circle of love," thus depriving him of any legal identity with the family. With such amorphous terms, wives would have no greater legal protection than female acquaintances with whom men become infatuated. We end up with an unstable social structure rife with potential for disaster.
There is good reason, then, to defend the narrow legal definition of the family as understood over the centuries. After all, the family as I have characterized it is not merely human in origin. It is God's marvelous creation. And He has not included casual social relationships--even the most loving ones--within that bond of kinship. Nor should we.
Messages From Heaven: Should Homosexuality Be Accepted as a Healthy Life...
Messages From Heaven: Should Homosexuality Be Accepted as a Healthy Life...: Homosexual activists claim their lifestyle, which in some cases includes thousands of sexual partners, should be sanctioned, protected, an...
Should Homosexuality Be Accepted as a Healthy Lifestyle?
Homosexual activists claim their lifestyle, which in some cases
includes thousands of sexual partners, should be sanctioned, protected,
and granted special rights by society. Their rationale is that since
their sexual nature is inherited, it is involuntary and therefore should
be considered morally neutral. Would you critique this stance?
Let me answer that question by asking two of my own: "What if?" and "So what?"
What if it could be demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that homosexuality is, as activists claim, genetic, biochemical, and neurological in origin? We would still want to know, so what? The homosexual activist community would have us believe that because their behavior is genetically programmed and beyond their control, it is morally defensible. That is not supportable. Most men have inherited a lust for women. Their natural tendency is to have sex with as many beautiful girls as possible, both before marriage and after. Abstinence before marriage and monogamy afterward are accomplished by discipline and commitment. If men did what they are genetically programmed to do, most would be sexually promiscuous from about fourteen years of age onward. Would that make such behavior any less immoral? Of course not.
What if a pedophile (child abuser) could claim that he inherited his lust for kids? He could make a good case for it. Certainly his sexual apparatus and the testosterone that drives it are creations of genetics. Even if his perversion resulted from early experiences, he could accurately claim not to have chosen to be what he is. But so what? Does that make his abuse of children any less offensive? Should society accept, protect, and grant special civil rights to pedophiles? Is it blatant dis- crimination that they are tried, convicted, and imprisoned for doing what they are "programmed" to do? No! The source of their sexual preference is irrelevant to the behavior itself, which is deemed to be immoral and reprehensible by society.
What if it could be demonstrated conclusively that alcoholics inherit a chemical vulnerability to alcohol? Such is probably the case, since some races have a much higher incidence of alcoholism than others. But so what? Does that mean alcoholism is any less a problem for those families and for society in general? Hardly!
I hope the point is apparent. Being genetically inclined to do immoral things does not make immoral behavior right. There are many influences at work within us, but they are irrelevant. I know of no instance in Scripture where God winked at evildoers because of their flawed inheritance or early experiences. In fact, the opposite is implied. In the book of Genesis we are told that an angel informed Ishmael's mother that the child she was carrying would be "a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers" (Genesis 16:12). In other words, Ishmael was genetically inclined toward violence and rebellion. Yet there is no indication that he enjoyed a special dispensation from God that excused his sinful behavior. Each of us is accountable for what we do, without excuses and rationalizations. That's why we all need a Savior who died to eradicate our sins, regardless of their source.
There is one other "so what" with which we must deal. If homosexuals can claim to be genetically predisposed to lust after their own sex, why does that make their circumstances different from unmarried heterosexuals? Single individuals are certainly programmed by heredity to desire fulfillment with the opposite sex, but they are called to a world of purity. I know that is a tough requirement--especially for those who will never marry--yet this is my understanding of Scripture. Promiscuity for unmarried heterosexuals is the moral equivalent of promiscuity for homosexuals. Liberal ministers who are revising church standards to sanction sexual expression by homosexuals must, I would think, extend the same concession to heterosexual singles. But before they do, some scriptural justification should be found to support the "new morality." I think none exists.
Let me answer that question by asking two of my own: "What if?" and "So what?"
What if it could be demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that homosexuality is, as activists claim, genetic, biochemical, and neurological in origin? We would still want to know, so what? The homosexual activist community would have us believe that because their behavior is genetically programmed and beyond their control, it is morally defensible. That is not supportable. Most men have inherited a lust for women. Their natural tendency is to have sex with as many beautiful girls as possible, both before marriage and after. Abstinence before marriage and monogamy afterward are accomplished by discipline and commitment. If men did what they are genetically programmed to do, most would be sexually promiscuous from about fourteen years of age onward. Would that make such behavior any less immoral? Of course not.
What if a pedophile (child abuser) could claim that he inherited his lust for kids? He could make a good case for it. Certainly his sexual apparatus and the testosterone that drives it are creations of genetics. Even if his perversion resulted from early experiences, he could accurately claim not to have chosen to be what he is. But so what? Does that make his abuse of children any less offensive? Should society accept, protect, and grant special civil rights to pedophiles? Is it blatant dis- crimination that they are tried, convicted, and imprisoned for doing what they are "programmed" to do? No! The source of their sexual preference is irrelevant to the behavior itself, which is deemed to be immoral and reprehensible by society.
What if it could be demonstrated conclusively that alcoholics inherit a chemical vulnerability to alcohol? Such is probably the case, since some races have a much higher incidence of alcoholism than others. But so what? Does that mean alcoholism is any less a problem for those families and for society in general? Hardly!
I hope the point is apparent. Being genetically inclined to do immoral things does not make immoral behavior right. There are many influences at work within us, but they are irrelevant. I know of no instance in Scripture where God winked at evildoers because of their flawed inheritance or early experiences. In fact, the opposite is implied. In the book of Genesis we are told that an angel informed Ishmael's mother that the child she was carrying would be "a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers" (Genesis 16:12). In other words, Ishmael was genetically inclined toward violence and rebellion. Yet there is no indication that he enjoyed a special dispensation from God that excused his sinful behavior. Each of us is accountable for what we do, without excuses and rationalizations. That's why we all need a Savior who died to eradicate our sins, regardless of their source.
There is one other "so what" with which we must deal. If homosexuals can claim to be genetically predisposed to lust after their own sex, why does that make their circumstances different from unmarried heterosexuals? Single individuals are certainly programmed by heredity to desire fulfillment with the opposite sex, but they are called to a world of purity. I know that is a tough requirement--especially for those who will never marry--yet this is my understanding of Scripture. Promiscuity for unmarried heterosexuals is the moral equivalent of promiscuity for homosexuals. Liberal ministers who are revising church standards to sanction sexual expression by homosexuals must, I would think, extend the same concession to heterosexual singles. But before they do, some scriptural justification should be found to support the "new morality." I think none exists.
Messages From Heaven: Abortion in Cases of Rape, Incest, Disability?
Messages From Heaven: Abortion in Cases of Rape, Incest, Disability?: There are those who think your position on abortion is extreme because you wouldn't even permit it in cases of incest, rape, or when t...
Abortion in Cases of Rape, Incest, Disability?
There are those who think your position on abortion is
extreme because you wouldn't even permit it in cases of incest, rape, or
when the child is defective. How do you justify such a position?
Only in rare instances when the life of the mother is literally at stake do I feel we have the moral authority to destroy a developing fetus. My reasoning is based on this simple question: Is there any fundamental difference between a baby who resides in his mother's uterus and one who has made an eight-inch journey down the birth canal? If so, what is that difference? At what point in the birth process does God's mantle of humanness fall upon an individual? Is there anything particularly mystical about the expulsion from the mother's body that could account for a transformation from mere protoplasm to a human being with an eternal soul? I think not. Surely the Lord does not look upon the baby inside the uterus with any less love and concern than one who enters the world a few minutes later. The only difference between them is that one can be seen and the other cannot.
If that premise can be accepted, then it is equally immoral to kill either those born or those yet to be born. Physical and intellectual health and the nature of conception are irrelevant to the issue. Even most pro-abortionists would not propose that we destroy children arriving in the delivery room with unexpected deficiencies. Indeed, the authorities would charge them with murder for killing a neonate who lacked adequate cognitive function or who had only a few weeks to live. We would be obligated morally and legally to let nature take its course, regardless of the severity of the baby's condition. Likewise, we would not kill a one-day-old infant who was conceived in a rape or an incident of incest.
Once born, the deliberate destruction of life is unthinkable. Why, then, is such a baby considered "fair game" when he resides within his mother's uterus? It is true that the law sometimes recognizes a different status for those born versus those unborn, but the law in those instances is wrong. There is no biological or moral basis for this distinction. Infanticide merely seems acceptable when we don't have to witness the death process of a tiny victim we have not yet met.
Therefore all the arguments in favor of terminating the defective or handicapped unborn child must be weighed against this understanding, including, "he's going to die anyway," "he'll only suffer if we let him live," "his life will only bring pain to his parents," "he has no chance of living a normal life," and "this is really the best way out for everyone concerned." When applied to the baby who has managed to limp into this world, the evil of these rationalizations becomes apparent. No justification will permit us to give a newborn a lethal injection of cyanide. But hours earlier, when the mother's contractions have not yet begun, some would feel righteously justified in tearing the same defective or ill-conceived infant to pieces. The proposition is categorically immoral in my view.
I am aware that these views are infinitely easier to articulate from a philosophical or theological perspective than they are for the mother or father who must face them personally. Of special concern is the woman who is carrying a baby conceived during a rape. Her pain and agony are beyond expression. I am convinced, however, that such a mother, if she carries the baby to term and either keeps her baby or places it up for adoption, will never regret her decision. What is right and moral for the unborn child is ultimately best for the mother and father, too. I know this statement will be inflammatory to some, but it is what I sincerely believe.
Only in rare instances when the life of the mother is literally at stake do I feel we have the moral authority to destroy a developing fetus. My reasoning is based on this simple question: Is there any fundamental difference between a baby who resides in his mother's uterus and one who has made an eight-inch journey down the birth canal? If so, what is that difference? At what point in the birth process does God's mantle of humanness fall upon an individual? Is there anything particularly mystical about the expulsion from the mother's body that could account for a transformation from mere protoplasm to a human being with an eternal soul? I think not. Surely the Lord does not look upon the baby inside the uterus with any less love and concern than one who enters the world a few minutes later. The only difference between them is that one can be seen and the other cannot.
If that premise can be accepted, then it is equally immoral to kill either those born or those yet to be born. Physical and intellectual health and the nature of conception are irrelevant to the issue. Even most pro-abortionists would not propose that we destroy children arriving in the delivery room with unexpected deficiencies. Indeed, the authorities would charge them with murder for killing a neonate who lacked adequate cognitive function or who had only a few weeks to live. We would be obligated morally and legally to let nature take its course, regardless of the severity of the baby's condition. Likewise, we would not kill a one-day-old infant who was conceived in a rape or an incident of incest.
Once born, the deliberate destruction of life is unthinkable. Why, then, is such a baby considered "fair game" when he resides within his mother's uterus? It is true that the law sometimes recognizes a different status for those born versus those unborn, but the law in those instances is wrong. There is no biological or moral basis for this distinction. Infanticide merely seems acceptable when we don't have to witness the death process of a tiny victim we have not yet met.
Therefore all the arguments in favor of terminating the defective or handicapped unborn child must be weighed against this understanding, including, "he's going to die anyway," "he'll only suffer if we let him live," "his life will only bring pain to his parents," "he has no chance of living a normal life," and "this is really the best way out for everyone concerned." When applied to the baby who has managed to limp into this world, the evil of these rationalizations becomes apparent. No justification will permit us to give a newborn a lethal injection of cyanide. But hours earlier, when the mother's contractions have not yet begun, some would feel righteously justified in tearing the same defective or ill-conceived infant to pieces. The proposition is categorically immoral in my view.
I am aware that these views are infinitely easier to articulate from a philosophical or theological perspective than they are for the mother or father who must face them personally. Of special concern is the woman who is carrying a baby conceived during a rape. Her pain and agony are beyond expression. I am convinced, however, that such a mother, if she carries the baby to term and either keeps her baby or places it up for adoption, will never regret her decision. What is right and moral for the unborn child is ultimately best for the mother and father, too. I know this statement will be inflammatory to some, but it is what I sincerely believe.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Messages From Heaven: Erosion and Faith!
Messages From Heaven: Erosion and Faith!: I remember only two things from my high school chemistry class. First, I got rid of a wart on the back of my right hand through applicatio...
Erosion and Faith!
I remember only two things from my high school chemistry class.
First, I got rid of a wart on the back of my right hand through
applications of sulfuric acid for thirty-three consecutive days. Second,
I watched the slow death of a frog in an unforgettable experiment.
My teacher placed the hapless creature in an oversized beaker of cool water. Beneath the beaker he moved a Bunsen burner with a very low flame so that the water heated very slowly—something like .017 of a degree Fahrenheit per second. In fact, the temperature rose so gradually that the frog was never aware of the change. Two and a half hours later the frog was dead . . . boiled to death. The change occurred so slowly that the frog neither tried to jump out nor released a complaining kick.
Attentive as I was to the gruesome demonstration, I never realized I was witnessing a profound principle that would remind me of that frog for the rest of my life. The principle, in a word, is erosion.
The first eleven chapters of 1 Kings record the erosion of a great man, in fact, the greatest of his day. Blessed with royal blood and an abundance of brains, Solomon was a natural for the throne of David. He was tutored at the feet of Nathan, groomed through the heart of Bathsheba, polished under the eyes of David, and matured by the hand of God. The mark of excellence was upon him.
Wisdom, loyalty, diplomacy, faithfulness, and efficiency characterized the attitudes and acts of David’s gifted son for the first few years of his kingship. Best of all, “Solomon loved the LORD” (1 Kings 3:3) and carefully walked in His ways. His achievements, power, international influence, and wealth were nothing short of phenomenal:
Things slowly began to change, however. Almost as if he had attained the mastery of man and God, he seized the reins of compromise and wrong and drove himself to the misty flats of licentiousness, pride, lust, and idolatry. Like insane Nero in later history, Solomon became irrational, sensual, and even skeptical of things he once held precious.
Layers of dust collected in the majestic temple he had built, now that the monarch had turned his attention to another project: the building of strange edifices for the strange gods he and his strange wives were now serving. Solomon (like many another absolute monarch, super salesman, top business executive, athletic prima donna, or film star playboy) simply drove too fast and traveled too far. The vultures of his own vulnerability soon spotted his carnal carcass and began to feed upon his vitals. The termination of his now sterile life came prematurely.
The son of David died a debauched, effeminate cynic, so satiated with materialism that life was all “vanity and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:26). He left a nation confused, in conflict, and soon to be fractured by civil war.
Deterioration is never sudden. No garden “suddenly” overgrows with thorns. No church “suddenly” splits. No building “suddenly” crumbles. No marriage “suddenly” breaks down. No nation “suddenly” becomes a mediocre power. No person “suddenly” becomes base. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, certain things are accepted that were once rejected. Things once considered hurtful are now secretly tolerated. At the outset it appears harmless, perhaps even exciting, but the wedge it brings leaves a gap that grows wider as moral erosion joins hands with spiritual decay. The gap becomes a canyon. That “way that seems right” becomes, in fact, “the way of death.” Solomon wrote that. He ought to know.
Take heed, you who stand; take heed, lest you fall! Be careful about changing your standard so that it corresponds with your desires. Be very cautious about becoming inflated with thoughts of your own importance. Be alert to the pitfalls of prosperity and success. Should God grant riches, fame, and success, don’t run scared or feel guilty. Just stay balanced. Remember Solomon, who deteriorated from a humble man of wisdom to a vain fool in a rather brief span of time.
I’m now grateful for that chemistry class experiment I witnessed. At the time I kept thinking, “What a drag.” No longer. The memory of that frog has kept me out of a lot of hot water.
My teacher placed the hapless creature in an oversized beaker of cool water. Beneath the beaker he moved a Bunsen burner with a very low flame so that the water heated very slowly—something like .017 of a degree Fahrenheit per second. In fact, the temperature rose so gradually that the frog was never aware of the change. Two and a half hours later the frog was dead . . . boiled to death. The change occurred so slowly that the frog neither tried to jump out nor released a complaining kick.
Attentive as I was to the gruesome demonstration, I never realized I was witnessing a profound principle that would remind me of that frog for the rest of my life. The principle, in a word, is erosion.
The first eleven chapters of 1 Kings record the erosion of a great man, in fact, the greatest of his day. Blessed with royal blood and an abundance of brains, Solomon was a natural for the throne of David. He was tutored at the feet of Nathan, groomed through the heart of Bathsheba, polished under the eyes of David, and matured by the hand of God. The mark of excellence was upon him.
Wisdom, loyalty, diplomacy, faithfulness, and efficiency characterized the attitudes and acts of David’s gifted son for the first few years of his kingship. Best of all, “Solomon loved the LORD” (1 Kings 3:3) and carefully walked in His ways. His achievements, power, international influence, and wealth were nothing short of phenomenal:
Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men . . . and his fame was known in all the surrounding nations. . . . So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon. (1 Kings 4:29-31; 10:23-24)It has been proved that his annual income reached well into the millions. The unparalleled achievement of his life was the design and construction of Solomon’s Temple, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. After the suspicious queen of Sheba came to visit his kingdom to satisfy her mind that all she had heard was not merely an exaggeration, she humbly admitted:
I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard. (1 Kings 10:7)Candidly, Solomon had it all.
Things slowly began to change, however. Almost as if he had attained the mastery of man and God, he seized the reins of compromise and wrong and drove himself to the misty flats of licentiousness, pride, lust, and idolatry. Like insane Nero in later history, Solomon became irrational, sensual, and even skeptical of things he once held precious.
Layers of dust collected in the majestic temple he had built, now that the monarch had turned his attention to another project: the building of strange edifices for the strange gods he and his strange wives were now serving. Solomon (like many another absolute monarch, super salesman, top business executive, athletic prima donna, or film star playboy) simply drove too fast and traveled too far. The vultures of his own vulnerability soon spotted his carnal carcass and began to feed upon his vitals. The termination of his now sterile life came prematurely.
The son of David died a debauched, effeminate cynic, so satiated with materialism that life was all “vanity and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 2:26). He left a nation confused, in conflict, and soon to be fractured by civil war.
Deterioration is never sudden. No garden “suddenly” overgrows with thorns. No church “suddenly” splits. No building “suddenly” crumbles. No marriage “suddenly” breaks down. No nation “suddenly” becomes a mediocre power. No person “suddenly” becomes base. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, certain things are accepted that were once rejected. Things once considered hurtful are now secretly tolerated. At the outset it appears harmless, perhaps even exciting, but the wedge it brings leaves a gap that grows wider as moral erosion joins hands with spiritual decay. The gap becomes a canyon. That “way that seems right” becomes, in fact, “the way of death.” Solomon wrote that. He ought to know.
Take heed, you who stand; take heed, lest you fall! Be careful about changing your standard so that it corresponds with your desires. Be very cautious about becoming inflated with thoughts of your own importance. Be alert to the pitfalls of prosperity and success. Should God grant riches, fame, and success, don’t run scared or feel guilty. Just stay balanced. Remember Solomon, who deteriorated from a humble man of wisdom to a vain fool in a rather brief span of time.
I’m now grateful for that chemistry class experiment I witnessed. At the time I kept thinking, “What a drag.” No longer. The memory of that frog has kept me out of a lot of hot water.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Messages From Heaven: Messages From Heaven: God Has a Future for You!
Messages From Heaven: Messages From Heaven: God Has a Future for You!: Messages From Heaven: God Has a Future for You! : When the apostle Paul was imprisoned for proclaiming the gospel, he was no doubt feeling...
Thinking Biblically!
There is an alarming ignorance of who God is and what He is like,
even among professing Christians. This was shown in recent
poll conducted by Barna.
According to the poll, half of Americans who call themselves “Christian” don’t believe that Satan exists and fully one-third are confident that Jesus sinned while on earth. Further, 25% dismiss the idea that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches.
The pollster concluded, “Growing numbers of people now serve as their own ‘theologian-in-residence.’ One consequence is that Americans are embracing an unpredictable and contradictory body of beliefs.”
So it’s time to put our “thinking caps” on.
The Lord entreats us in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together” (NKJV), or another translation puts it, “Sit down, let’s argue this out!” (MSG)
When you become a follower of Jesus, you do not have to “check your brains at the door.” Christianity is a reasonable, even logical, faith.
That is not to say we don’t need to have great faith to follow Christ, but it is to say the teachings of the Bible quite simply make sense!
Far too many people, when stating their opinion, will say, “I think,” ”I feel,” ”I believe,” or “My God would never do thus and so.”
We need more “The Bible says,” because then we will learn to think, feel, and believe the right things. This is called theology, and we neglect it at our own peril.
Experience is never to be the basis for theology. Sound theology, however, is the basis for experience.
C.S. Lewis gave this warning years ago: “If you do not listen to theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones!”
We need, as Chuck Swindoll once said, “Sound theology without apology.” Because what we believe about God will affect the way that we live. As 1 Timothy 4:16 says, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (NIV).
According to the poll, half of Americans who call themselves “Christian” don’t believe that Satan exists and fully one-third are confident that Jesus sinned while on earth. Further, 25% dismiss the idea that the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches.
The pollster concluded, “Growing numbers of people now serve as their own ‘theologian-in-residence.’ One consequence is that Americans are embracing an unpredictable and contradictory body of beliefs.”
So it’s time to put our “thinking caps” on.
The Lord entreats us in Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together” (NKJV), or another translation puts it, “Sit down, let’s argue this out!” (MSG)
When you become a follower of Jesus, you do not have to “check your brains at the door.” Christianity is a reasonable, even logical, faith.
That is not to say we don’t need to have great faith to follow Christ, but it is to say the teachings of the Bible quite simply make sense!
Far too many people, when stating their opinion, will say, “I think,” ”I feel,” ”I believe,” or “My God would never do thus and so.”
We need more “The Bible says,” because then we will learn to think, feel, and believe the right things. This is called theology, and we neglect it at our own peril.
Experience is never to be the basis for theology. Sound theology, however, is the basis for experience.
C.S. Lewis gave this warning years ago: “If you do not listen to theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones!”
We need, as Chuck Swindoll once said, “Sound theology without apology.” Because what we believe about God will affect the way that we live. As 1 Timothy 4:16 says, “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (NIV).
Messages From Heaven: God Has a Future for You!
Messages From Heaven: God Has a Future for You!: When the apostle Paul was imprisoned for proclaiming the gospel, he was no doubt feeling a bit down and discouraged. Perhaps he was wond...
God Has a Future for You!
When the apostle Paul was imprisoned for proclaiming the gospel, he
was no doubt feeling a bit down and discouraged. Perhaps he was
wondering if he would ever be released. Then Jesus came to him with
these words: “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me
in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome” (Acts 23:11).
Paul could take comfort that there was a future for him because Jesus said, “You must also bear witness in Rome.” They wouldn’t kill him. He was still to bear witness in Rome. He had a future.
One of my favorite verses about God’s future for each of us is in the book of Jeremiah: “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
It is worth noting that these words were given to Israel when they were in captivity in Babylon. They had lost hope. They saw no future, and felt as if God had forgotten about them. But the Lord was saying to them (and us too), “I have not forgotten you, and there is a future!”
Note that God does not say, “I know the thoughts that I have thought toward you.” Rather, He says, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you.”
Now it would be wonderful enough to know that God ever thought of me as an individual. But it is not something God has merely done in the past. It is something He is doing in the present and will continue to do in the future.
Know this: God is thinking about you right now! He is not thinking about you merely as a member of the human race. He is thinking about you as an individual.
Psalm 40:5 says, “Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be counted to You in order. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.”
Think about that! God Almighty, the One who holds the heavens in the span of His hand, the One who spoke and creation came into being, is thinking about you right now.
Jeremiah 29:11 speaks of a future. Now the word used here for future could be translated “an expected end.” Another translation describes it as “a ground of hope” or “things hoped for.”
There will be an outcome in your life, regardless of what you are going through at present. There will be completion. God will tie up the loose ends. You are still a work in progress. God is still finishing you, so don’t be impatient. Don’t feel it’s over, just because you are not where you want to be yet.
We see only the beginning. God sees “the expected end” and it is good! God still had a future for Paul, just as He does for you.
Paul could take comfort that there was a future for him because Jesus said, “You must also bear witness in Rome.” They wouldn’t kill him. He was still to bear witness in Rome. He had a future.
One of my favorite verses about God’s future for each of us is in the book of Jeremiah: “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).
It is worth noting that these words were given to Israel when they were in captivity in Babylon. They had lost hope. They saw no future, and felt as if God had forgotten about them. But the Lord was saying to them (and us too), “I have not forgotten you, and there is a future!”
Note that God does not say, “I know the thoughts that I have thought toward you.” Rather, He says, “I know the thoughts that I think toward you.”
Now it would be wonderful enough to know that God ever thought of me as an individual. But it is not something God has merely done in the past. It is something He is doing in the present and will continue to do in the future.
Know this: God is thinking about you right now! He is not thinking about you merely as a member of the human race. He is thinking about you as an individual.
Psalm 40:5 says, “Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which You have done; and Your thoughts toward us cannot be counted to You in order. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.”
Think about that! God Almighty, the One who holds the heavens in the span of His hand, the One who spoke and creation came into being, is thinking about you right now.
Jeremiah 29:11 speaks of a future. Now the word used here for future could be translated “an expected end.” Another translation describes it as “a ground of hope” or “things hoped for.”
There will be an outcome in your life, regardless of what you are going through at present. There will be completion. God will tie up the loose ends. You are still a work in progress. God is still finishing you, so don’t be impatient. Don’t feel it’s over, just because you are not where you want to be yet.
We see only the beginning. God sees “the expected end” and it is good! God still had a future for Paul, just as He does for you.
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