Life--Something I'm Passionate About

Passion and Compassion

I have just finished Jessica Shaver's book Gianna Aborted... and Lived to Tell About It on the life of Gianna Jessen. As I read the book, it sparked a passion and compassion in me. I appreciated that it told the mother's story. It really gave me compassion for Gianna's biological mother, Tina. The book also put a face on the babies that are aborted daily by giving me someone to identify with. As I read about the life of Gianna, I was struck with the fact that her life was almost ended before her story was ever told. She personalized the "blobs of tissue" for me. The book also exposed how her mother had been lied to and was repentant when her baby was born alive. Tina realized what she did was wrong and was truly sorry. I feel deep compassion for women like Tina. I feel deep compassion for anyone who has had an abortion.

Personalized

As I read the book though, I realized that although I already believed in life from conception, it had not really registered in my mind fully. Aborted babies were not personal to me. In a way, I thought of these babies as someone never given a chance to live out their story. What I failed to realize though, was the fact that these babies' stories had already begun. I was against abortion, but I had a misunderstanding. I thought  the babies were alive, but I contradicted myself in thinking they had not been given a chance to live. Life in the womb is still life. It is still a story. It is how everyone's story began.

What Would You Do?

As I sat pondering all of this, I asked myself, "If these are living children, what would I do in any other situation where children were being murdered? If I knew innocent children where being slaughtered legally and that somebody was making a living off of it, I would do something!" What would you do if you knew that children were being murdered in a particular building nearby?  Babies in the womb are alive even though we cannot see them. Abortion is no different. It is the American Holocaust. We must pray, speak, and act!

Something Worth Fighting For

Unborn babies' lives are worth fighting for, but how much more is the life of people's souls! People need the gospel. My life goal is not to end abortion. That will be ended when God comes back. I will give my life for the sake of Christ. If I give my life to any other name or cause, I have only been successful in making an idol. True success was accomplished when Christ triumphed over death on the cross. My life goal is to glorify God and to spread the gospel. There is no greater name nor cause! If you want to live your life well, give it up for the only One who is worthy!

Two Victims

We should stand up for these babies, but never forget we must speak truth to their mothers too! The baby is not the only victim. The mothers are victims to lies! As scripture says " the truth will set you free". These women need to hear the truth.

Concluding Thoughts

I'd like to end with these verses: "Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all the unfortunate.

Open your mouth, judge righteously, and defend the rights of the afflicted and needy." Proverbs 31:8-9

                              Life is precious, no matter how small!

Forgiven as We've Been Forgiven

A Testimony of Forgiveness
Gianna Jessen, the abortion survivor I mentioned in my last post, said of her biological mother, " Her sin almost killed me, but my sin did kill Jesus, and I've been forgiven on the cross, so I can forgive her also." I think we can learn a lot from her example. I have found this to be true as well. If I focus on what I have been forgiven, it is easy to forgive others. Their offenses seem strangely small when I consider how many offenses that Christ covered for me!

The Command to Forgive
Collosians 3:13 "bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you." We should forgive JUST  AS the Lord has forgiven us. He forgave us freely, sacrificially, and without reproach.

Why We Should Forgive
Matthew 18:21-35 "Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’  But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." 

Why Christians Should be The Most Forgiving People

This passage really speaks for itself! How do you think God feels when we will not forgive a smaller debt than we have been forgiven? We are commanded to forgive one another! Scripture also warns us that if we do not forgive others, our Heavenly Father will not forgive us. Christians should just be waiting around every corner, on top of every hill, and in every nation to forgive others. We should be willing to forgive and even glad to do it. We have been forgiven everything so would should be able to  forgive anything!

Something to Study

I've been learning how to study the Scriptures inductively. The lady who taught me how warned me that it would be easy to get caught up in the "doing" of it. Little did I know just how easy it would be. I was very excited because I was seeing so much deeper into Scripture than I had ever seen before. I was learning all kinds of things during my study time, yet something happened, and studying lost its joy for me. I could not understand why my zeal was dwindling, and then I realized that I was approaching God as something to be studied - not someone to be loved. Of course we should study God! Of course we should dig deeper into Scripture, but we should not forget to fall in love with God.

I took a break from studying for a little while, and started reading the Gospel of John. Scripture says we love God because He first loved us. I wanted to renew my zeal and passion for Christ, so I thought I had read about the ways that Christ loved us. The greatest, most enthralling love story of all time is found in this book! And best of all, it is mine! How He loves me! I am but dust compared to Christ; nay, I cease to exist compared to Him... BUT HE LOVED ME! I was not seeking Him, BUT HE SOUGHT ME! I was separated from Him because of my sin, BUT HE RECONCILED ME! I was perishing, BUT HE RESCUED ME! I had nothing to offer Him, BUT HE GAVE HIS LIFE FOR ME! I am created; He is eternal, YET HE LEFT HIS THRONE AND BECAME LIKE ME SO THAT HE COULD RESCUE ME! There is no greater Being by which one can be loved, and there is no greater love than the love of God! I am loved by Christ! It is not a chore to read about this Man!

 A girl who gets a letter from her lover never loathes reading it. She can barely breathe while she reads it because of her excitement. If you have gotten caught up in studying and have lost your zeal, take time to "kindle afresh the gift of God"(2 Tim 1:6). Fall in love with God again. Think about what He has done for you! We should not think of reading God's Word as a chore; we should hardly be able to keep our minds off the things of God! Study the Word, and take care that you do not study to merely increase your knowledge. Study to increase your zeal for God and love for others. May we not get caught up in studying a thing, but loving our God.

Worthwhile

My last post was on standing in awe of God's creation and what He's done. This film will cause you to do just that!  "God of Wonders Exploring The Wonders Of Creation, Conscience, And The Glory Of God" is an eighty-five minute film that will amaze you! "God of Wonders" is a breathtaking tour of God's  creation wonders, visible and invisible, and the greatest wonder of all- His redeeming love!

Stand in Awe

Have you ever looked at a small thing that God created, such as a seed, that made you realize the vastness of God? Have you ever marveled at how the seasons take place in order year after year, or have you ever tried to wrap your mind around how a small egg and sperm contain every bit of information for an individual human being? Do you wonder how their are no exact repetitions in snowflake designs or human DNA codes? Have you ever looked at your eye and thought about all that it does? Your eyes are constantly transferring information to your brain and interpreting it! You have to trust your eyes whenever you drive. If they relayed incorrect information to your brain, or if they were too slow at relaying it, you could wreck! Your eyes interpret so much information almost instantaneously! No one has a pair eyes exactly yours! Do you ever consider why your body can repair itself, why your heart beats rhythmically, or why you can remember?

 It amazes me to look at creation, yet how much greater, and complex is The Creator of all things! His ways and thoughts are so much higher than ours we can not even begin to grasp who He is.

Have you ever contemplated the awesomeness of God? Has His infinite power ever baffled you? Did you ever feel as though your brain would explode when you considered that God has always been and will always be? Think about who He is and stand in Awe!

The Power of God
*Hebrews 12:29 "our God is a consuming fire."
*Jeremiah 10:12 "It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom; and by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth;
¹³ He makes lightning for the rain, and brings out the wind from His storehouses."

*Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

*Hebrews 10:31 "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

The Wisdom of God

*1 Corinthians 1:25 "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men."

*1 Corinthians 3:19 "For the wisdom of the world is foolishness before God. For it is written, ' He is THE ONE WHO CATCHES THE  WISE IN THEIR CRAFTINESS'";

*Isaiah 55:8-9 "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord.'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'"

The Holiness of God

*1 Peter 1:6 "For it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.' "

*Isaiah 6:3 "And one called out to the another and said, ' Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of host, the whole earth is full of His glory."

The Goodness of God

*Psalm 38:4 "O taste and see that the LORD is good: how blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."
*Psalm 107:1 "Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, For His loving kindness is everlasting.

The Kindness, Love, and Mercy of God
*Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
*Romans 2:4 "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of god leads you to repentance?"
*John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

Stand in awe of this AWESOME GOD with me! Praise His name for His wonderful works! Fear the LORD and tremble before him! He is worthy to be praised!

⁹ 

The Untold Story

There is a silent Holocaust taking place in America. Millions of babies are aborted every year! The only people who know these babies' stories may be the mother and the doctor, but God knows about these lives that are murdered. In fact, He formed these babies and gave them a soul. May this song stir you to action! Speak up for those who are never given a trial! We can not be silent while the innocent perish! We must pray! We must speak! We must Act!

Verse 1
Tiny heartbeat

(A life size replica of a first trimester baby in the womb )

Tiny toes
What you'll look like
No one will ever know

Tiny fingers
No one will ever hold
Your precious life is a story
That will never be told

Verse 2
An empty cradle
You would have used
An empty table
That is missing you

An empty hole
In your mother's heart
An empty role in the world
That is your part

Verse 3
Without a trial
No chance to defend
They decided death
Was your sentence

Your lifeless body
Was thrown away
No tombstone

To mark your grave

Verse 4
Your baby may not
Have a voice
No one may ever
know your choice

But for every act
You will ever do
God will demand
An account from you

Verse 5
Is someone missing
From your world
A baby boy
Or a little girl

There is no sin
God can not forgive
Have faith in Him
And you will live


If you haven't already, be sure to watch Ray Comfort's film on Abortion, 180.  I posted it on my blog in a former post entitled: "One Million Views in 22 Days". Please encourage all your friends to view this short film. They can view it for free at 180themovie.com. Be creative and think of ways to support life in the womb!

Awkward Silence

You are having a conversation with someone, and it comes to a halt abruptly because neither of you can think of anything to say. You feel awkward because it was not a natural end to your conversation.  So what do you do? What should you say? Or should you say anything at all?

Your mind may be scrambling for something to say, but maybe you don't need to say anything. If you can't think of something to say that is of value, you'll find yourself saying things that you will regret. I think it is better to say nothing than to force conversation that is unnecessary and unfruitful.
Proverbs 10:19 says, "Where there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise."

If our words are fewer, our transgressions will be fewer. The less we speak, the less opportunities we afford our mouths to transgress. In Matthew 12:36 Jesus says, "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgement." We should use our lips with caution. We will not just have to give an account for unkind words but careless, idle words that do not edify. This is a sobering thought to me.

Maybe we could use a bit more of some good ol' awkward silence. The next time you do not know what to say, pray and ask God to show you whether you should speak or be silent. Ask Him what to say. Be sensitive and keep the Scripture in mind. He will show you what to say if you are His. Remember, silence is okay. Psalm 141:3 says, "Set a gaurd, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips." May God set a guard over our tongues, and may we be quick to listen and slow to speak!