DISMAL DATE

From My Perspective - - -

There are many dates that are worthy of special note, such as July 4th – Independence Day; December 7th – Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor (“A Day that lives in Infamy”); September 11th – Terrorism at World Trade Center; etc. In our personal lives, birthdays and anniversaries are important, as are special events in family life, such as children and grand-children’s graduations and other special events in their lives. There is another day that should live in infamy – January 22, 1973. Why? It was on this day forty years ago when the United States of America made it legal to begin a holocaust/carnage upon the unborn.

Wikipedia contains this brief summary: “The Supreme Court issued its decision on January 22, 1973, with a 7-to-2 majority vote in favor of Roe…The Court deemed abortion a fundamental right under the United States Constitution, thereby subjecting all laws attempting to restrict it to the standard of strict scrutiny…The Court asserted that the government had two competing interests – protecting the mother's health and protecting the potentiality of human life…the Court stated that during the first trimester, when the procedure is more safe than childbirth, the decision to abort must be left to the mother and her physician. The State has the right to intervene prior to fetal viability only to protect the health of the mother, and may regulate the procedure after viability so long as there is always an exception for preserving maternal health. The Court additionally added that the primary right being preserved…was that of the physician's right to practice medicine freely absent a compelling state interest – not women's rights in general. The Court explicitly rejected a fetal right to life argument…”

The dismal result forty years later is the fifty-six-million abortions that have already occurred. Equally dismal is a survey in 2013 that indicates sixty-three percent of those polled do not think the Abortion ruling of the Supreme Court should be over-turned. There is an interesting hypocrisy that unfolds in the debate and discussion as it pertains to Gun Legislation and the protection of human life. On December 14th, 2012, twenty children and six adults were senselessly murdered at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Almost immediately, there was an outcry to limit the type gun and ammunition clips that could be purchased in this country so that such instances of murdering the innocent could be averted and/or avoided. The deaths of twenty children stimulated this outcry – whereas – the slaughter of fifty-six-million infants in the womb is ignored and condoned.

The problem is exacerbated by a populace that has (a) grown weary of the issue and (b) ignored any Biblical expression regarding the right to life. Thirty years ago, George Barna concluded in one of his surveys that “…only half of the country’s Protestant pastors have a biblical worldview, which he defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists, that it is based upon the Bible, and having a biblical view on six core beliefs (the accuracy of biblical teaching, the sinless nature of Jesus, the literal existence of Satan, the omnipotence and omniscience of God, salvation by grace alone, and the personal responsibility to evangelize).” Lost in the shuffle of this ministry malaise is the moral standard of God that should govern what one believes about God and what duty God requires of mankind. It has been said: “We cannot plead ignorance as an excuse for disobedience or apathy…God holds us accountable to the standards of His Word, whether we know those standards or not. We dare not be uninformed!”

We need to remind ourselves of Proverbs 24:11-12, “Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, Surely we did not know this, does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?” We should also be mindful of the preciousness of life. In Psalm 139:13-16, “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. and in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” Consider these things with me.

LEAVING A LEGACY

From My Perspective - - -

We’re about ready to complete the second week of the New Year 2013. You may have begun this year with high hopes and ambitions expressed in Resolutions. Usually, ones resolutions focus on fleshly habits and desires, such as – lose weight, exercise more, be more friendly, get family priorities instituted, etc. Very seldom, very rarely does ones resolutions deal with Attitudes and Spiritual Commitment. This would be the place for focus on spiritual development and growth, such as displaying a more forgiving spirit; being more ambitious in terms of Kingdom priorities; displaying the reality of the fruit of the spirit in one’s life; being more kind and tenderhearted toward others; desiring to seek to live more in the presence of the Living God; and being committed to taking a serious God seriously.

In Alabama, when one thinks of Paul William “Bear” Bryant, his/her mind and conversation shift immediately to football and his unique coaching ability. In that regard, Bear Bryant is legendary. However, how many know that he kept a daily devotion in his wallet that was meaningful to him and expressed a goal of his life? The devotion, part of his legacy, reads:

“This is the beginning of a new day, God has given me this day to use as I will. 

I can waste it or use it for good. What I do today is very important. 

Because I am exchanging a day of my life for it. 

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever. 

Leaving something in its place I have traded for it. 

I want it to be gain, not loss – good not evil. 

Success, not failure in order that I shall not forget the price I paid for it.”

Another historic person who left an important legacy is John Newton. Most know the name and associate it with the hymn, “Amazing Grace! How Sweet The Sound.” What captivated and brought John Newton to that time and place when he penned the words to that hymn? It is said of him: “He was, in his earlier life, a really thorough rascal, a genuine scoundrel, having been a slave trader and engaged in many of the other crimes and sins of his day. But God's amazing grace saved him, cleansed him and made him into a famous Preacher and Pastor. At the age of 82, Newton said: My memory is nearly gone, but I remember two things, that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior. No wonder he understood so well grace -- the completely undeserved mercy and favor of God. The Epitaph on Newton's tombstone reads: John Newton, Clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was, by the rich mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long labored to destroy."

A far greater testimony outlives Newton in the hundreds of hymns he wrote, not the least of which is Amazing Grace. He penned 12 stanzas to that Hymn but two that had special meaning for him were:

Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound! That saved a wretch like me!

I once was lost, But now am found Was blind but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear. And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear The hour I first believed!

What legacy will you leave behind and be remembered for? What will your epitaph be? What will be known and appreciated as your legacy? Hopefully, it will be similar to that of the Apostle Paul in II Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” At the end of the day, what Attitudes will you have adjusted? What Spiritual Commitments will you have made? What Legacy will you leave behind? Consider these things with me!

TERMINAL NONJUDGMENTALISM

From My Perspective - - -

An article on National Review Online website features an article by Wesley J. Smith entitled, “Human Exceptionalism.” The thrust of the article is: “Decadence is on the march! And now, a defense of pedophilia as just another ‘sexual orientation’ has been published in the mainstream left wing United Kingdom newspaper The Guardian.” The article espouses the following: ‘Pedophiles may be wired differently. This is radical stuff. But there is a growing conviction, notably in Canada, that pedophilia should probably be classified as a distinct sexual orientation, like heterosexuality or homosexuality…the Harvard Mental Health Letter of July 2010 stated baldly that pedophilia ‘is a sexual orientation’ and therefore unlikely to change’.” The article continues: “The idea, apparently, is to embrace pedophilia as a normal part of the human condition so that we can help those with the ‘orientation’ refrain…” such as: “…a broader, societal change is needed. Adult sexual attraction to children is part of the continuum of human sexuality; it’s not something we can eliminate…If we can talk about this rationally – acknowledge that yes, men do get sexually attracted to children, but no, they don’t have to act on it – we can maybe avoid the hysteria. We won’t label pedophiles monsters; it won’t be taboo to see and name what is happening in front of us.” Obviously, when the moral values base is jettisoned and the moral compass has been shattered, then an almost matter-of-fact approach is championed as being acceptable and a transitioning into  new norm.

Wesley J. Smith summarizes: “I am sorry, pedophiles can already get help in controlling their urges before they ruin a child’s life–and certainly, many do…But turning the abhorrent and pathological into the somehow acceptable will not protect children. Quite the contrary. Think about it: If the desire for sexual congress with children is just ‘another orientation’…and if some children supposedly ‘like it’ when they voluntarily engage in sex with adults…how long would the absolute rejection of cross-generation congress last? Not very. It wouldn’t be long until we saw the absolute prohibition on pedophilic sex downgraded to a mere ‘taboo,’ which, as the last fifty years teach us, are made to be broken.”

An article on the Focus On The Family website - “Talking to Your Kids About Sexual Abuse” by Jon Holsten – the following is stated: “The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, describes the natural progression of a culture bent on satisfying fleshly desires – a culture much like ours today. “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God he gave them over to a depraved mind to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity (Romans 1:28-29, NIV).” Parents who consider their children ‘safe’ from sexual victimization live in false security and set a dangerous course for their families. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that 67 percent of all sexual assault victims are children. Another study by the National Center for Victims of Crime (2000) shows that 33 percent of girls (1 out of 3) are sexually abused before the age of 18. Sixteen percent of boys (roughly 1 out of 6) are sexually abused before the age of 18. These alarming figures demonstrate why parents must work diligently to keep their children out of potential risky situations and teach them what to do if someone tries to exploit them sexually. The person most likely to sexually abuse your child is a person your child knows – and trusts. The sex offender looks for a child who trusts him and can be convinced to stay quiet about inappropriate physical contact. It could be a family member, close relative, neighbor, school teacher or trusted youth worker.”

Let us remember how God viewed such cultural trends and debasement. Genesis 18 and 19, along with Romans 1 are indicators that “Terminal Nonjudgmentalism” is totally repugnant to God. Genesis 18:20 states, “…the Lord said,"The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous…” That was the assessment before the total destruction of the cities and the inhabitants in them. The toleration of non-righteousness was repugnant to God and His complete judgment occurred. What America is forgetting and neglecting is Proverbs 14:34 (NKJV), “Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.” Consider God and His Standard. Consider these things with me.