Stand firm in your faith. Hold your ground. Never give in to things that go against Scripture. Use your voices so your beliefs will not be stamped out due to lack of being heard.
We live in an uncertain world that is on shaky ground. It’s like an earthquake challenging our ability to stay on our feet and not get sucked into the wide-open crevasses of anti-Christian ideology. The world’s challenge to Scripture seems logical to some as our freedom and our rights become the core of the discussions—making Christian positions seem out of date and no longer relevant to the world we live in now.
Life issues are often right in the center of any discussion regarding freedom and rights. Yet the world, while focusing on personal rights, puts the most vulnerable at both ends of life’s spectrum at risk by failing to acknowledge the most fundamental of all human rights—the right to life!
How can we remain silent when life itself is in question? Standing firm and trusting in Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior of life, and being willing to use our voices to speak up and share the truth about the value of human life is so very important as the world crumbles around us.
In this culture that ridicules our core beliefs, we tend to fall back when the fighting gets tough. Let’s remember what Martin Luther said: He could do nothing other than to stand firm and not go against his conscience and the clear teachings of Scripture.
But is simply standing firm in our beliefs but keeping it to ourselves enough? We surely can stand firm silently. That’s fairly easy. But there are things going on around us today that we cannot discount or ignore, things like God’s creation in the womb being disparaged and killed. Nor can we close our eyes to the danger of minimizing the value of human life at life’s end. Using “quality of life” as the value system by arbitrarily measuring who deserves to live and who should die is a pure and simple act of the devil. It reminds me of John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus overcame death, yet the world is so anxious to use death as a solution to life’s problems.
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:13).
This is our 2017 Life Sunday theme verse. From it we know Jesus is the whole armor of God, and we can lean on Him to avoid any fears we have of speaking up. We, as Christians, were given a voice, and yet we often are afraid to use our voice for fear of offending someone or being labeled as a radical or nonconformist. We are all guilty of not wanting to be unpopular, so we keep silent. Offending someone should never be our goal but rather speaking the truth in a loving and caring manner—that’s how we use our voices For Life.
Arguments from some about when life begins, which inexcusably focus on eliminating the rights of the baby in the womb, are a perfect opportunity to speak the truth in love. We need to do this because this is not an abstract issue. It is a matter of life and death. For example, Planned Parenthood’s harvesting and selling of baby parts in order to use them in research is totally acceptable to many. These babies are valuable because of who made them—not just for their “parts.” How can we not be outraged at the very thought of ripping apart babies so small and so vulnerable?
My heart goes out to those struggling with guilt from the secret sin of abortion—a burden carried by millions. These women and men should not be deprived of the forgiveness Jesus earned for them when they have a repentant heart. We need to speak up and let them know they can have the forgiveness Jesus bought for them through His life, death, and resurrection.
And, when the end of life is near, may we be willing to speak up for those who are the most vulnerable here as well. States across this nation are considering legalizing assisted suicide. We have a voice. We need to use it! Do not let the voice of the evil one be the most vocal. Be voices For Life!