What God Can Do

Last night I attended the 30^th anniversary banquet of CareNet Pregnancy Resources, a ministry to women considering abortion and all those scarred by guilt and shame because of a past choice for abortion. When 8 individuals presented their stories of children born because someone loved them or of finding healing for their broken heart – well, my heart melted. 

A father’s kind of joy welled up inside of me. Why? Because I, along with a small group of dedicated people, felt God’s prompting 31 years ago and we worked to form this ministry that is still making an impact for Christ and His Kingdom!  When we laid the foundation for what was then called the Pregnancy Center of Warren we had dreams about giving women a reason to choose life for their unborn child. 

So many years later, only God knows how many children are alive, how many people have found new life in Jesus.  Absorbing the presentation last night, my emotions were much like those that I feel when I look at my adult children – now productive parents, loving spouses, and faithful Christians. All that hard work of training, discipline, and love paid off!   I am now 61! Life expectancy statistics tell me that I am living in the final quarter. I am enjoying this time of harvest, seeing seeds planted grown and ripened!  God willing, I will yet have time to write more stories, create more opportunities for others, and see the rewards of those efforts. I am not yet ready to sit down on the porch swing in retirement. There is so much need in our world. Jesus says, “Open your eyes. The fields are ready for harvest. … but laborers are few.”  

Take some advice from a guy who has a lot more past than future, now is the time to get involved. I cannot imagine coming to this stage in life with only regret over wasted years.  Have I made some poor choices? Yes I have.  Are there some regrets? Of course.  On the whole, however, I reflect on so many choices that seemed so inconsequential at the time which have been used by God beyond my wildest expectation and, seeing His blessings that flow from decisions of obedience and service, I am filled with joy.

Are you investing yourself in doing things that matter?
Are you listening for God’s voice, responding with obedience, pushing past apathy today?
What kind of story are you writing with your life, friend?

It is never too late to write another chapter. In my prayer before I fell asleep last night, the Lord brought to mind the closing 2 years of my marriage. Bev and I enjoyed a rich, loving, sometimes tempestuous love affair for 40 years. We were partners in ministry. When she was diagnosed with late stage ovarian cancer and we knew that time was short, we fell in love all over again.  Three months before she died, she wrote an email to a friend in which she said “Jerry and I have found love like we never knew before.” Indeed, we did.  And in that reminder, I prayed that God would use my life to make these years the best, the richest in ministry, that I would love Him more deeply than ever before!

There is no joy like knowing the smile of our Father. So, listen; obey; serve; and patiently wait for the harvest. It will surely come.

Here is a word from the Word. May the Spirit bless your understanding as you read.

"A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream!
We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy.
And the other nations said,
“What amazing things the Lord has done for them.”

Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!
Restore our fortunes, Lord, as streams renew the desert.

Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.
They weep as they go to plant their seed,
but they sing as they return with the harvest." (Psalm 126, NLT)

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Come Ye Thankful People Come

Come ye thankful people come

Raise the song of harvest home

All is safely gathered in

Ere the winter storms begin

God our maker doth provide

For our wants to be supplied

Come to God's own temple come

Raise the song of harvest home

All the world is God's own field

Fruit unto His praise to yield

Wheat and tares together sown

Unto joy or sorrow grown

First the blade and then the ear

Then the full corn shall appear

Lord of harvest grant that we

Wholesome grain and pure may be

For the Lord our God shall come

And shall take His harvest home

From His field shall in that day

All offences purge away

Give His angels charge at last

In the fire the tares to cast

But the fruitful ears to store

In His garner evermore

Even so Lord quickly come

To Thy final harvest home

Gather Thou Thy people in

Free from sorrow free from sin

There forever purified

In Thy presence to abide

Come with all Thine angels come

Raise the glorious harvest home

George Job Elvey | Henry Alford | Ken Barker | Word Music Group

© Words: Public Domain

Loving Life -from the first moment to the last

The Presidential debate last night included a direct question about abortion. After all these years the discussion of this critical issue seems to have made little headway. One of the great tragedies is that the question almost always becomes derailed into a discussion of ‘rights’ so that those who oppose abortion on demand are made to look like they are oppressing women; or it is answered sensationally obscuring the very real and painful issues that arise out of an unplanned pregnancy.  Almost no one talks about the ‘life’ of the unborn or the science that shows us that life is an unbroken chain from the moment of conception to the last breath before death.  

In the 1980’s I was one of a group of Christians who took a public stand on the issue of abortion, not by attacking women, but by creating a place in our community that offered support, information, and resources for women who found themselves in crisis.  Tonight I will attend a banquet where funds will be raised to support that ministry that is ongoing.  It is deeply satisfying to know that there is a place where love is expressed with truth and practical support for women who are struggling to find their way to make a life-changing and difficult choice.  (CareNet Pregnancy Resources)

As a Christian I am unashamedly ‘pro-life!’ For me, that does not just mean that I am opposed to abortion on demand. To be truly ‘pro-life’ will move a person to oppose the death culture that embraces violence as a solution to conflict.  Loving ‘life’ will cause a citizen to work to hold authorities who operate with government sanction responsible to protect the lives of the poor and those without political influence and, in my opinion, will lead to great skepticism about the imposition of the death penalty, since it is applied so randomly and unfairly. And, being pro-life will extend to those who are approaching the end of life, especially the elderly.

Some question the reason that I am so convinced about the necessity of defending the lives of the unborn. More than once I have been asked, “Jerry, there is no passage in the Bible that says, ‘you shall not have an abortion’ so why do you believe it is an issue of moral concern.”  My conviction grows out of two principles that are supported throughout the Word.

The first is that the God is the Creator and Giver of life and His gift is a treasure and sacred to Him. From the first chapters of the Bible we learn that God condemns violence against people. Murder is prohibited in the first Law.  The Psalm reminds us that "You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:13-14, NIV)  Jesus raised the bar significantly by calling on those of us who love and follow Him to surpass the old standard by refusing even to express contempt for another person.

The second principle involves justice. God asks us to seek justice, to stand alongside of the weak, to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Who is more defenseless than the one still in the womb, totally dependent on another for survival?  Is the answer to attack the pregnant woman in defense of her unborn child? That is absurd!  We love both, speaking with compassion, and holding out our hand in support for that woman who is afraid, or uncertain.  We cannot claim to be ‘pro-life’ if we are unwilling to stay involved with the woman after her child is born, if we withhold support. However, compassion must never silence our commitment to the truth about the sacred gift called ‘life.’

Two things must be said.  This is not a simple or easy issue that can be stated in a sound bite or solved with a bumper sticker slogan! Life is complex as is love. So, to be ‘pro-life’ will require much thought and ongoing dialogue. As with so many issues, we too often choose to demonize our adversaries instead of trying to understand them.  While the basic truth is non-negotiable, the way that we express that truth must be sensitive, thoughtful, and compassionate. And, there is this – God loves and forgives.  The Word reminds us that we all have sinned and fallen short of God’s plan. Our only hope of finding eternal life is through faith in Christ Jesus who died for all of us and who lives to reconcile us to our Father. To single out the woman who has had an abortion and imply her decision is an unforgivable sin is unChristian!  We hold out loving hands that find those who are full of guilt and/or shame and we extend them the same hope of restoration that we found in Jesus.

So, I will stand for life, and do so with humility, with grace, and praying to know the compassion of Jesus even as my convictions extend to every human being, knowing that ‘they are precious in His sight.’

Here is a word from the Word. What a picture of grace. God, help us to be like You, loving, gentle, and full of compassion. "People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:15-17, NIV)
_____________

Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight.
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

-public domain

Will the world end if __________ is elected President?

America will elect a President in three weeks. Most of us are not too thrilled with the choices we have, are we? I know many people, from all persuasions who are feeling something like despair about the prospect of another Clinton administration or a Trump presidency.  I am not naïve and I know that the occupant of the Oval office in the White House has a pivotal role in shaping public policy. He or she will propose legislation, make war or work at peace, and appoint hundreds of Federal judges during the next four years. I am not minimizing the importance of this election, but I want to set it in context of Heaven's truth.

God reveals this - "I am in charge of history!"  Certainly His rule sometimes not easy to discern. Consider Daniel.  Invaders from Babylon destroyed Jerusalem while he was still a teen. Daniel had to wrestle to reconcile the truth that God was revealing to him concerning His control of human events and what he saw happening around him. God’s Temple and Holy City was in ruins and His people apparently without a future.  Then, Daniel was led, along with hundreds of others, on a long trek to the capital of the empire. “How could any of this be the will of Yahweh?” he must have wondered. But, Daniel, despite tragedy, remained God's man and trusted God as the Sovereign of human affairs. The result was a man so in tune with the Spirit that he became God's spokesman to the super-power of his time.

He held onto his convictions, served the Lord, and endured.  In time, he rose to become the counselor to the Emperor. We can never forget that his principled stands cost him dearly.  His friends ended up in a fiery furnace. Daniel deal with palace intrigue and got thrown into the lion’s den, but he never wavered, never lost faith. When he was about 80 years old, the emperor saw a terrifying vision. Belshazzar, the regent of Babylon, whose arrogance far outstripped that of his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, was throwing a banquet when a hand appeared to write on the wall of the hall. No one could understand the cryptic phrase - MN MN TKL PRSN. Then the queen mother reminded Belshazzar of an old Jewish man who had counseled his grandfather. Daniel was called, and God revealed the meaning of the inscription: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Parsin" -- "Numbered, numbered, Weighed, and Divided!"

Boldly, Daniel pronounced the message of Heaven.  "Your Majesty, the Most High God gave sovereignty, majesty, glory, and honor to your predecessor, Nebuchadnezzar. He made him so great that people of all races and nations and languages trembled before him in fear. ... But when his heart and mind were hardened with pride, he was brought down from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. ...until he learned that the Most High God rules the kingdoms of the world and appoints anyone he desires to rule over them. You are his successor, O Belshazzar, and you knew all this, yet you have not humbled yourself. For you have defied the Lord of heaven ...you have not honored the God who gives you the breath of life and controls your destiny! So God has sent this hand to write a message." (Daniel 5:18-24, NLT) His message?  God rules!

Christian, “God Rules!” is not a message of fear. It is one of great comfort to us as we work out our salvation. Though the Lord calls us to be responsible, proactive, and engaged in the world in which we live, all the while we know that we are not in charge.  Oh, what peace can be found in the calm assurance that there is a competent Captain guiding us. Disciple, I want to urge you to trust that revelation today. Steady yourself in faith in God. He is capable of keeping you in the palm of His hand, no matter what happens in the election, no matter what, no matter what crisis appears, as if from nowhere, in your life.

Pray for eyes that see what God sees and a mind that thinks as He thinks as the Spirit gives revelation. In this election year when the rest of the country is so divided and angry, where there is anxiety about the future of this country... let’s be the people of the Lord. Let’s keep our identity in mind, steady ourselves in hope, be fervent in prayer, and seek peace.

And, remember the Truth found in this word from the Word. "Blessed be the name of God, forever and ever. He knows all, does all: He changes the seasons and guides history, He raises up kings and also brings them down." (Daniel 2:20-21, The Message)

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Here As In Heaven

The atmosphere is changing now

For the Spirit of the Lord is here

The evidence is all around

That the Spirit of the Lord is here

Overflow in this place

Fill our hearts with your love

Your love surrounds us

You're the reason we came to encounter your love

Your love surrounds us

Spirit of God fall fresh on us

We need your presence

Your kingdom come your will be done

Here as in heaven

A miracle can happen now

For the Spirit of the Lord is here

The evidence is all around

That the Spirit of the Lord is here

Chris Brown | Mack Brock | Matthew Ntlele | Steven Furtick | Wade Joye

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