Recently there have been several videos released that expose Planned Parenthood’s practice of killing children born alive and selling their body parts off to the highest bidder. Abortion has been nationally legal in America since 1973, but only recently has it once again become a national focus. Over the last 40 years, technology and medical science have shed a great deal of light on the development of a preborn baby that we could not see before. But there are still some evil people out there who support the ending of a pregnancy/life for various reasons including the idea that the baby may not be wanted by the mother. Apparently, if a woman has sex and then decides that she doesn’t want a baby, it is better to kill the child than have the child born into a situation where he/she is not wanted. This is wicked and unacceptable. But it is a view shared by many. Even the President of the United States shares this view. On March 29, 2008, at a ‘townhall meeting’ while running for President of the United States, Barack Obama said, “I’ve got two daughters… 9 year old and 6 years old... If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.” This nation elected a man who sees an unplanned child as punishment. Think about that for a minute. Punishment? A child is punishment? How evil is a culture that views children as unwanted and a form of punishment just because they weren’t expected? So now we offer services through Planned Parenthood that kill unwanted children after they are born. We really are monsters. Unfortunately even some people who claim to be Christian are willing to allow for the practice of abortion in certain or all cases. This is not Christian because it is not like Christ. What did Christ say about children? Well, there is a story in the Bible that tells us His view about this very thing… Then children were brought to Him so He might put His hands on them and pray. But the disciples rebuked them. Then Jesus said, “Leave the children alone, and don’t try to keep them from coming to Me, because the kingdom of heaven is made up of people like this.” After putting His hands on them, He went on from there. (Matthew 19:13-15) Anytime you try to prohibit the life movement of children, you are opposing Christ. On that day, the disciples saw the children as a distraction, disturbance, or disruption. But Jesus saw the children as a display of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus desires children. He made sure they could come freely to Him. He called for them to come. He did not see them as unwanted. That idea would have never crossed His lips. So it should never cross ours. In another place Jesus warned against being a stumbling block for children… “Whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me—it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42) We should not only hold a high view of children ourselves, but we should vocally oppose any view that is against the free life of the unborn. When there is a conversation about abortion, speak up. Speak strongly on the issue. These people can’t speak for themselves. So they need a voice. Today make sure your view of children lines up with the One who makes every child. Children are not a punishment as President Obama believes. They are precious as Christ taught. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry.
Some sports are more dangerous than others. Injuries happen in every sport, but some are kind of ridiculous. Usually the higher the level of competition the higher the level of emotion, as there is more on the line. But mostly passion is determined by the ones participating. I’ve seen back lot pickup games where you would have thought they were playing for the national championship. On the other hand, I’ve seen professional games where I thought they should take the pulse of the players just to make sure they were alive.
Anticipation, excitement, and celebration are all passionate elements of sports. So is frustration. Sometimes frustration takes center stage. We’ve probably all seen the angry golfer sling his expensive club into the water hazard. Who can forget John McEnroe smashing his tennis rackets in anger as he yelled at the judges? Sometimes these outbursts become ‘comical’. But sometimes they become dangerous. In sports where helmets are used, these articles of protection are sometimes the recipients of the frustration. Here is how one recent situation was reported by Mark Townsend… “Every time we see an angry baseball player throw his helmet or smash his bat in the dugout, we hold our breath hoping no innocent bystanders are struck or injured by the flying debris. That was the case again on Saturday night when San Diego's Justin Upton returned to the dugout angry after being picked off by Colorado's John Axford. Upton attempted to spike his helmet into the ground in frustration, but lost his grip and instead sent it flying toward his teammates sitting along the dugout fence. Among those sitting, minding his own business, was first baseman Yonder Alonso. He never saw the helmet coming and ended up getting clipped across the head.” Alonso ended up having to leave the game. The video below shows Upton walking through the dugout, frustrated, and upon getting to the end of the dugout slinging the helmet. As soon as it leaves his hand, he realizes the helmet is heading for trouble. His face changes from anger to fear as he turns to find it hitting his teammate. Frankly, this scene is played out without the injury multiple times in every baseball game. This time however it went very wrong. Baseball has injuries, some of which are violent. But it isn’t as injury riddled as some of the other sports. But when you throw a helmet in a dugout, you are kind of opening the door for some bad things to happen. Upton’s anger hurt his teammate. He lost control. He thought he was in control. But when the helmet left his hand, he did not control it. How often do words leave our mouth in frustration or anger and hurt one of our teammates, spouse, child, friend, co-worker? How many times have you said something only to have to say, “I didn’t really mean that?” Our words are like a flying plastic helmet bouncing around in an enclosed concrete dugout. No one believes Upton intended to hurt Alonso. But he didn't do what he could to not injure his teammate. The Bible talks about the dangerous power of loose words… “There is one who speaks rashly, like a piercing sword; but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” (Proverbs 12:18) “Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21) “The one who guards his mouth and tongue keeps himself out of trouble.” (Proverbs 21:23) The apostle James gives us an extended version of a warning on words in his letter… “Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell. Every sea creature, reptile, bird, or animal is tamed and has been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it. Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.” (James 3:3-12) Your tongue is like a helmet. It can protect, or it can be flung out there and become a weapon that hurts people you never intended to hurt. Once words leave your mouth, you don’t get to controls them. So control them before they enter the atmosphere. Nothing slips out of your mouth. Nothing. You are responsible for every word today. You can be sorry for what you say, or you can be sure of what you say. It is your choice. Do not injure the people on your team because you are upset. That makes absolutely no sense. Your frustration is not more important than your relationships. As a side note... Alonso, after being struck in the head by Upton's helmet then goes off and turns over the bubble gum container, and other things in the dugout. Not only can our words hurt others... they can also start off a chain reaction of angry responses. It rarely ends well. I don't think we can be reminded too often to watch our words. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry. While at the Wilson County Fair last weekend my wife and I sat in on the talent show. One of the musical acts was a young lady singing a song made famous by Whitney Houston. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard the song since the mid-1980s, but this time I really listened to the words. And I was really saddened. The song is titled, The Greatest Love Of All, written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed. It is widely heard as a ballad of self-empowerment, and encouragement to empower the next generation. But the lyrics tell a deeper story of self… I believe the children are our future Teach them well and let them lead the way Show them all the beauty they possess inside Give them a sense of pride to make it easier Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be Everybody searching for a hero People need someone to look up to I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs A lonely place to be So I learned to depend on me I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadow If I fail, if I succeed At least I live as I believe No matter what they take from me They can't take away my dignity Because the greatest love of all Is happening to me I found the greatest love of all Inside of me The greatest love of all Is easy to achieve Learning to love yourself It is the greatest love of all And if by chance, that special place That you've been dreaming of Leads you to a lonely place Find your strength in love There is some good advice in there. But the problem is that the good advice is mixed in with some lousy philosophy. Along the way we are told to believe that we have greatness inside of us. We are encouraged to see children with outstanding possibilities. We are discouraged from letting others hold us back. These are nice, and even good things. But the overarching theme of the song… the underline of the song is, “Loving yourself is the greatest power.” It is basically a humanistic anthem, born out of the 1960s and 70s. The idea is that the singer has never found anyone who will fulfill their needs, so they turn to depend on their own self. It is in this self-love that they find their greatest fulfillment and strength. The song received great acclaim in the popular culture, and won Whitney Houston multiple awards. It also won the girl at the fair second place in the talent show. But Whitney Houston was the second artist to make the song famous. And even as she was climbing the charts with the hit, one critic reflected, "We had laughed at that song during the seventies as a mawkish ode to self-involvement, not dreaming it would ever be taken seriously. But last year we laughed again—nervously—because Houston seemed to be using it as a theme song for her own aggressive ambition." – Armond White I suppose part of the sadness in hearing this song comes from knowing the tragic life circumstances that led to Houston’s ultimate death. She grew up in the church, but eventually found trouble in the world of fame. She was a true superstar with unbelievable talent. In 2009, Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time. But drugs and bad relationships led her from a fairy tale dream to a freakish nightmare, being found dead in her bathtub, drowning with cocaine use listed by the coroner as a contributing factor. Beyond this, Houston, the woman who made popular a song about the self-empowerment of children had a daughter of her own (Bobbi Kristina) who quickly followed the same tragic path through bad relationships, rumored drug use, and eventually drowning in a bathtub. She perished at the age of 22, after a 6-month medically induced coma following the bathtub incident. The point is not that we shouldn’t love ourselves. At one point in Jesus’ ministry this exchange took place… One of the scribes approached. When he heard them debating and saw that Jesus answered them well, he asked Him, “Which command is the most important of all?” “This is the most important,” Jesus answered: Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.” Then the scribe said to Him, “You are right, Teacher! You have correctly said that He is One, and there is no one else except Him. And to love Him with all your heart, with all your understanding, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself, is far more important than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And no one dared to question Him any longer. (Mark 12:28-34) Loving yourself is good, and even important in context. We measure our love for others by our love for ourselves. But loving yourself is not the greatest thing, as songwriters Masser and Creed suggest. You cannot find all you need in loving yourself. You can only take you so far. Eventually you will find that you are no more dependable as a source of strength and hope than those others who let you down. No. Loving yourself is important, but not the greatest pursuit or place. The greatest love is loving God with everything you have. He is always faithful. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift in your life. He gives power and purpose. He will love you even when you are unlovable. He is genuine. He is your strength and the One who lifts you up. He fulfills your desire. He scatters loneliness. He is the greatest. So what do we do with a song that has a beautiful tune, a nice if misguided sentiment, but a horrible theme? Where do we send children to learn that there is great potential in them? I don’t know how you do that. But let me share another song with you this morning. It is a song I learned in elementary school. It has never won any awards. But it holds great truth… I am a promise, I am a possibility, I am a promise with a capital "P" I am a great big bundle of potentiality And I am learning to hear God's voice, and I am trying to make the right choice I'm a promise to be, anything God wants me to be I can go anywhere that He wants me to go, I can be anything that He wants me to be I can climb the high mountain, I can cross the wide sea, I'm a great big promise, you see I'll keep on listing to hear God's voice, And I'll keep trying to make the right choice I'm a promise to be, anything God wants, you're a promise to be, anything God wants We're a promise to be anything He wants us to be! Bill and Gloria Gaither You can find a video version of this song on the internet. I’m sure some would make fun of the lyrics and the music. It isn’t as culturally inspiring as Whitney Houston’s famous anthem. But it is more true than “The Greatest Love Of All”. Because this song actually points to the greatest truth of all. The greatest love of all is loving God with every part of your life and trusting that He will use you to do great things in His kingdom. Can you see the difference in which direction the ‘love arrow’ is pointing in these songs? In the first song it is pointing towards us. In the second it is pointing towards God. Both speak of personal potential and the value of children. But one finds success in who we are, while the other finds success in who God is in us. The former values your dreams by what you want to achieve. The latter gauges your dreams by what God can achieve through you. These may seem like small differences, but they are not. They are enormous, with eternal value. Today you get to choose who or what you will love most. Choose well. Loving yourself in proper perspective is good. Loving yourself as the greatest love is wrong and will lead you to a bad place. Loving God more than anything else will always result in the things you really want in life. Choose to love and believe in the right things. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry. Have you ever put together a nice event expecting people to show up, but when the day came, people didn’t? As an adult, you may be well-adjusted enough that such a situation wouldn’t rock your world. But imagine if you were a child and none of your friends came to your birthday party? That actually happened recently to a little girl in Spring Hill, TN. Here is the story from WKRN… Lauren Sassmannshausen put out the call for help on Facebook after none of the 30 invited guests, who had RSVP’d, came to her daughter Taliyah’s 5th birthday party. Once the party began, only a few adults had arrived, which were Taliyah’s aunts and her mother’s friends. “She kept asking me when her friends would be there and I kept saying ‘they’re coming baby,’” said Sassmannshausen. After an hour had passed and no other guests showed up, Sassmannshausen decided to post on the “I heart Spring Hill” Facebook page asking if anyone wanted to come celebrate. ‘It is seriously breaking my heart, we have PLENTY of food and drinks. We don’t care about presents, she just wants friends…We have a huge inflatable water slide and pool for all the kids to play in. PLEASEEEE come have fun!’ Within 10 minutes of posting, people began showing up. By the end of the day, more than 75 guests attended Taliyah’s party. “It just made my heart melt how people who don’t even know us care so much to make her birthday memorable,” said Sassmannshausen. Can you imagine what the little girl thought? She must have been so hurt. Can you imagine what the mother thought? She had put so much time, expense, and energy into making this a great day for her daughter. I’m sure she was hurt, disappointed, and probably mad. When I read this story I couldn’t help but remember a similar story Jesus told in the Bible… “A man was giving a large banquet and invited many. At the time of the banquet, he sent his slave to tell those who were invited, ‘Come, because everything is now ready.’ But without exception they all began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. I ask you to excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m going to try them out. I ask you to excuse me.’ And another said, ‘I just got married, and therefore I’m unable to come.’ So the slave came back and reported these things to his master. Then in anger, the master of the house told his slave, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in here the poor, maimed, blind, and lame!’ ‘Master,’ the slave said, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there’s still room.’ Then the master told the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and lanes and make them come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will enjoy my banquet!’” (Luke 14:15-24) Know this… you have been invited to the best party ever. It is an eternal party. You have received a personal invitation. The party is going to happen. The question is… will you be there? Most of the people reading this devotional have been exposed to the Gospel with many resources and opportunities to get in close with Christ. But many still struggle with engagement. It is as if we only tap into the relationship when we have a need, but not just to enjoy and celebrate our Master. Today Jesus is calling to you, “Come and dine.” Run to the celebration. If you do not take advantage of the invitation to the blessings God has for your life, someone else will. Don’t let someone take your place at the party table. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry. "History is harsh. What is done cannot be undone." - Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, speaking on the 70th anniversary of the surrender of Japan ending the 2nd World War. I like that statement. It is very powerful. In the speech he mentioned some of the atrocities Japan was involved in during the war, but never came out and apologized for them. Japan has apologized over and over again for their part, which included the ambush of the United States military in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. I don't think this man has to apologize again for the sins of his forebears. But think about his statement for a minute... "History is harsh." That is the reality in a fallen and rebellious world. We all have regrets. We all have scars. We all have lingering hurts. Sometimes we expect too much from history. The people who did those horrible things were just like us. We are all (everyone of us reading this) capable of doing the most horrific thing. "What is done cannot be undone." Sometimes we tend to expect too much from time. It has been said that time heals all wounds. Others have said that time wounds all heels. But it doesn't. Time only moves us further from the event in a chronological pattern. It separates us from the moment. In one sense, the further from the moment we get, the less it controls our lives. At the same time, the further we move from the event, the less we control the event. The apostle Paul dealt with victories and regrets of the past, and how that impacts one's present and future. Here's what he had to say... “Everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith. My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already reached the goal or am already fully mature, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Therefore, all who are mature should think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.” (Philippians 3:7-16) The Gospel of Jesus Christ is transforming. It changes our future, but it does not change what has already happened. History is harsh. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) What is done cannot be undone. The wages of sin is death... but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23) Your history is harsh. My history is harsh. We have done horrible things against God and others. But a million apologies cannot erase those things. What is done cannot be undone. So we must trust in Jesus to take our ashes and turn them into beauty. There is no other way to receive life out of death. Today you can live in your harsh past. You can live in the harsh past someone gave you. You can spend today trying to change what has been. Or you can live today building what will be. Your past is on the paper, but your future is still in the pen. [Bible quotes are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, unless otherwise noted.] Find more of David’s work at Heart Of Ministry. |
AuthorMy name is David, and I want to know God more, and help other people find Him. Archives
March 2019
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