LifeDate Winter 2024 – Life Shines in Darkness
by Virginia J. Flo, Director of Volunteer Relations
“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1).
How fortunate we are to have Jesus in our lives. We can never take that lightly as He literally suffered and died in our stead. And His resurrection overcame evil and the power of the devil. He brings light and life to a dark world filled with sin and illuminates the good we have in our hope-filled lives.
Yet the world has blurred the lines between right and wrong and, even more succinctly, good and evil. One would think everyone’s conscience would know better, but our world seems upside down. It can be difficult to know the truth from lies. This is when we need to use our Gospel-motivated voices For Life to tell the truth in love.
How do you discern right and wrong? As Christians we have learned to discern good and evil from God’s Word, especially from the Ten Commandments. We need those tablets of stone given to Moses on the mountain top. God knew sin would lead mankind down many dark paths, and the outcome is never good. Evil exists because of sin and the devil, and his wiles are leading the way. We must stand up for what is good and call evil, evil. Remember, we have Jesus, and He overshadows evil and illuminates good.
Just because something is legal doesn’t make it right. Laws are being passed legalizing abortion in many states. (Our former executive director, Rev. Dr. James Lamb, believes the meaning of the word “abortion” has been watered down from its real meaning: Allowing the killing of little girls and little boys in terrible ways before they are born.) Even if someone is not a Christian and doesn’t hold to the truth of God’s Word, they know killing someone is evil. Science has proven that life begins at fertilization. All the humanistic arguments about when life begins have been disproven. The evil that man has now contrived has new roots in a new phrase called “reproductive rights,” which tells a women she gets to play God and decide whether the living being in her womb gets to live or die.
Physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia laws are also being passed in states legalizing the killing of the elderly, sick, disabled, and those with mental illness. (Or as Dr. Lamb would say: The killing of born people before their time.) We can never forget God loves life, and we need to allow His plan to be fulfilled in our lives and not try to take control in ways leading to death. Man is very good at coming up with catch phrases that make it all seem okay and even honorable. Calling suicide Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) brings no dignity to suicide; it only diminishes the honor and respect the participating medical professionals at one time had. We could trust them to “do no harm” per the Hippocratic Oath. Today, the watered-down oath brings no dignity to the medical profession for those who aid in killing. Even worse, it openly rejects God’s plan for us.
Today, the world lives in fear of their plans changing because of a surprise pregnancy or unexpected illness, fear of what others will think—especially family, friends, and the church—fear of the cost to raise a child or the cost of getting old leaving less inheritance, fear of being a burden or suffering when there is available care, and simply fear of the unknown future with these new circumstances.
It is these very fears that Jesus overcame. As Psalm 27:1 reminds us, God will give us the strength to overcome any situation we face in this life. He is our stronghold. Pray and seek His guidance. He is there for us.
In his 1933 inaugural address, at the time of the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the phrase, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Yet only God makes truly guaranteed promises. We can trust in Him when our lives are hit with surprises that turn our world upside down. Always turn to the hope we have in Jesus. Avoid those traps of trying to rationalize evil acts that prematurely end lives. Jesus is the life that shines in darkness. May we live according to God’s Will and be illuminated by the good for which He lights up our Life.