So baby murderer Kermit Gosnell has given up his right to appeal his sentence “in exchange for avoiding a possible death sentence,” CNN.com reports on its “Justice” web page. You may be thinking, some justice that this murderer gets life after taking so many innocent ones. I know exactly how you feel.
However, I want to go back to what I wrote yesterday:
Yesterday Kermit Gosnell was found guilty on three of the four charges of baby murder. Much rejoicing was seen on social media and some not so Christlike comments followed on. While I understand the desire for vengeance, no one fights this urge greater than me, we must remember that we have a God of justice even when injustice seems to rule the land. Solomon reminds us:
Last week was a tough week for me. Dealing with the issues of life was trying enough, but knowing what our present government has become in light of the Benghazi hearings it is enough to think of our nation as hopeless. If I were to look horizontally, that is all around me, for signs of hope I would have good reason to think of things as hopeless. But while I am living in this world, I am not of it because I am a child of the one true King as the Matthew West song proclaims.
The early church in Thessalonica felt this same despair in worrying of whether or not they had missed Jesus’ second coming. The Apostle Paul assure this church they had not and that no matter what they were facing, or whatever we are facing, the church is to stand fast in the truth of the gospel. That seems easier said then done when we are hard pressed on all sides but Paul gives us the key ingredients to rock solid faith:
What is hope, other than something needed in large portions today? Hope is defined in my Thomson Chain-Reference Bible as “a confident expectation in things beyond this world.” We could use mega doses of such hope in today’s world. So many I know look at the state of our union and believe the situation to be hopeless. Perhaps it is and although I love my country, I’m not banking on my nation and its survival. My hope is not horizontal; it is vertical.
I am counting on what the Psalmist was looking towards and fashioned his life thusly:
Our pastor Bro Dennis is beginning a men’s study on leadership. Men, if you are a member of Midway Baptist Church or live in the Florida Panhandle, please consider this an invitation to join us on Monday evenings from 6:00 – 7:30 (Bible Study begins at 6:30).
I am so looking forward to this teaching.
You’ve no doubt heard of the Pennsylvania Army Reserve officer who gave a briefing on religious extremism and put evangelical Christianity at the top of the list followed by Catholicism. Just for the record, this was the sole act of one misguided reserve officer and not the point of view of the United States Army, at least not officially.
A colleague of mine sent me the link to the article and said, “The Army has just labeled you as an extremist.” My reply to him was, “Yes, if only we were as extreme for Christ as some believe us to be. This country would not be in the mess it is in today.”
Is there anything more frustrating for a Christian than someone you have witnessed to who believes in Christ but will not confess Him because of how it may be received by others? That frustration is not a rare emotion; in fact a couple of days before Christ was crucified, He experienced that same frustration:
Last night I presented this question to my social media followers and blog email list:
My pastor uses a most excellent word for perseverance: stickability. It means sticking to the task no matter how great the challenges. It means never giving up on God because He is never giving up on us. It means giving all diligence to our spiritual growth.
We have many enemies in this world. Our greatest enemy, for those without Christ, is death. Death is the enemy of God. God created life; Satan created death, despair, and disease. Suffering is the antithesis to creation. As you read the creation story in Genesis 1 you see death, despair, and disease were not a part of the original plan. In fact when God finished, the Bible tells us:
My apologies for taking so long to get to our second characteristic in spiritual growth – knowledge. After virtue comes knowledge, the type of knowledge that we get from learning about God through His holy word. We are students of God.
In his second epistle, the Apostle Peter gives us seven steps to spiritual growth.
So how do we keep from backsliding, and once we find ourselves in such a state how do we get back? The answer is simple but the execution is not always easy. It dovetails with trying to figure out God’s will for our lives. I’ve written this before but it bears repeating: so many Christians struggle with trying to figure out God’s will for their lives. Well, do you do what you already know what God wants you to do? If you know what God wants you to do, then do what He wants you to do. Jesus said:
We never just walk away. We are prone to wander. That’s why Jesus called us sheep. Without following the sound of our Shepherd, by not remaining with the flock, we wander off. We walk into all types of danger. That’s why Jesus told the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Matthew 18 of the rejoicing of one found, not one saved, but of one found that has returned. (see Luke 15 for one saved).
Moral courage seems to be in short supply these days, particularly in Washington, D.C. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives is set to vote on increasing the debt limit as early as today. I’ve read any number of pragmatic opinion pieces on why the Republicans have no choice but to raise the limit.
Of course they have a choice. It isn’t a matter of choice, it’s a matter of courage.
Why redemption? Why do we need a Redeemer? I think we answered the part of the price of sin and its unquenchable cost. But what of after we are saved? Do I still need a Redeemer if I have salvation in hand? How does Christ the Redeemer help me after I am saved?
We, although saved from it, we are still living in a fallen world. And if the world looked like Hiroshima after a nuclear strike, then no doubt we would not be enamored with it. And yet we live in a lovely world, a lustful world filled with wonders and wants that our flesh greatly desires even after redemption. We still look at the world with loving and longing eyes and we do so for only one reason.
How do we deal with the horrors wrought about the people of Newtown, Connecticut and our nation as a whole? Where do we turn to in such dark times? The ever-present punditry are spewing out their normal tripe, be it right or left-leaning, like an unstoppable sewer. Neither side has it right because each is looking to man.
It is my natural inclination to look to my own wisdom and opinion to determine the right course in such dark times but I am trying to learn to no longer rely solely upon myself. I am untrustworthy; at best I am a depraved man saved by grace and molded by the Holy Word of God. So that’s where I’ve turned these last few days; to prayer and my Bible.
I wanted to share an encouraging note I received from one of my devotional readers; she is somewhat new to our group (now numbering 212). Tara wrote in response to my taking a devotional hiatus, and I publish this somewhat unwillingly because I do not want to draw attention to myself, but I felt a strong urging from the Lord to share this with you.
This dear sister-in-Christ so clearly addresses what we all struggle with; how to best serve the Lord. Here is her response:
The future and the unknown can be daunting. For that matter, this present day and its uncertainty can overwhelm us. If we look around we do not see much in which to hope. Looking with temporal eyes will cause fear almost every time. Fear comes in all sizes and shapes and can be triggered by almost anything.
Some fear is good; fear can keep us safe from physical harm. Parental fear can keep us on the right path, providing we have parents worthy of fearing. Fear can keep us from doing foolish things.
So it all comes down to not trusting ourselves anymore. If we are people of faith, then we will trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and find firm footing. Our feet will not slip because we are planted on a firm surface. Jesus equated it to building a house:
