Thursday, November 6, 2014

Life: Stand. Savor. Speak.

In Psalm 139, we see a passage of Scripture that reinforces the Biblical concept of God, our Creator, the One who ordains our lives:
13For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.14I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

If our lives are created and ordained by God, then who are we as human beings to try to determine whether or not an unborn child lives or dies?  Or, who are we to try to manipulate the date for our death?   We recognize and rejoice that we are all intricately created by the Lord Himself, formed by Him, and endued with a purpose.  There are no worthless or expendable people - no, we all have value before a loving God, and His glory and design can be seen in and through each of us!

In Jeremiah 1, we read about an exchange between God and the prophet:
4Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:5"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
God's Word to Jeremiah: I formed you in the womb!!

Faith Radio delights in standing with area ministries that God is using for His glory.  Throughout today, we stood with Baptist Hospice to invite people to come out and give blood, to give the gift of life in honor of our veterans who have surrendered their lives to save others.   Earlier this week, we spotlighted the work of the Montgomery Baptist Association and its Christmas Toy Sale.   And, on Monday, you'll hear from Luis Gonzalez, who received a shoebox gift from Operation Christmas Child while growing up in Panama.

Tonight, I have the opportunity to be part of the Sav-a-Life of Montgomery Gala at Frazer United Methodist Church, as hundreds will gather to recognize the gift of life that the Lord has given to all of us and realize that each of us has been created by Him and endowed with a calling to serve Him faithfully.

And, we can be challenged to enunciate the value of human life, as created by the Lord, our Great Creator – we can compassionately speak out on behalf of the pre-born and speak grace and truth to the mothers and fathers who are facing an unplanned pregnancy.

And, the momentum is on the side of life, I believe.

Blogger Jill Stanek reported on a May Gallup poll, which said that 47% of Americans considered themselves “pro-choice,” while 46% said they were “pro-life.” She points out that in 1995, 56% of the public considered themselves pro-choice and only 33% pro-life. But the lines slowly drew closer until 2009, when for the first time a majority of Americans (51%) said they were pro-life. Since then, six of 10 Gallup polls have come down on the pro-life side. One poll showed a tie.

She also relates that the poll found 50% of Americans think abortion should be legal “only under certain circumstances.” When you add the pro-life position that abortion should be legal in all circumstances, that comes to 71% who think abortion should be restricted or outlawed. Stanek said that those numbers were somewhat close to a Politico poll, which found 80% of Americans want abortion restricted.   She takes the website to task for spinning the results this way:
When it comes to abortion rights, however, midterm voters are more aligned with Democrats than with Republicans: 54 percent say they support the right to an abortion either with no restrictions (19 percent) or some restrictions (35 percent).
Forty-five percent said there should be either a near-total abortion ban with some exceptions (34 percent) or a total ban on the procedure (11 percent).
But, if you look at it another way, you find that only 19% of Americans favor unlimited abortion. And, 70% of those surveyed said that abortion was either very or somewhat important to them in determining which candidate to support.

And, candidates who spoke boldly on the pro-life issue were victorious across the nation.

Baptist Press quotes Dr. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, who said the election illustrates that "the pro-life issue persists and can win," which he deemed the "most important aspect" of Election Day 2014.

In a written statement, Moore said: "Candidates who articulated explicitly their commitment to life won, and those who expected to use abortion as a 'wedge issue' to benefit the 'pro-choice' cause lost…We should pray now that the newly elected Congress and the president will be able to work together for just policies that protect and promote human dignity, family stability and religious liberty."

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, said the "overwhelming victory for pro-life candidates signals the fact that the bottom has fallen out of the abortion-centered 'war on women' strategy."

Think with me for a moment: why do 7 or 8 of every 10 people want abortion restricted? If it were such a good thing, wouldn’t people be more open to more and more abortion? 

But it's not, and we know that and the Bible supports that position...

I believe that there is an underlying American conscience, a foundational morality and even a God-awareness that teaches people that there is something that is just not right about taking a life in the womb. And, it is certainly right to preserve life and to show women and their families that there are choices for them that we can offer. And, there are believers in Christ that will stand with them and walk with them through this righteous decision.

Our challenge as believers in Christ is to continue to stand strong.  The momentum is on our side. And, we recognize that God's Word teaches us about the sanctify of life - we should always look for ways to preserve life...from the womb to natural death.

We continue to savor the hand of God as He continues to work through pro-life ministries across our area and throughout the nation. We also savor the fellowship that believers can have around a common goal of defending life.

We can consider how we can go forth to speak on behalf of life.  We can courageously share the good news of our Creator, who has deemed all life to be precious.  Plus, we can take practical steps to proclaim that message.

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