Value Life

The national conversation has been sidetracked as a war between the NRA and kids leading rallies.  The national conversation must focus on what matters—valuing life.  It’s good that these young people want to be involved and are passionate and that this country provides among other liberties, the right to free speech.  It’s also includes freedom for organizations such as the NRA and ACLU to espouse what they believe as an extension of those whom they represent, but there is so much effort being expended by so many without any clear focus on the precipitating issue.  What issue?

Life—human life from the first heartbeat in the womb to the last heartbeat whenever that may be—has value.  It is sacred. 

I listened to some of the speakers at today’s rallies.  I hear politics but not life.  I hear elections but not solutions.  I hear a nation that wants to proceed without God.  I hear calls for fundamental changes without a true moral compass. 

I feel the emotions of many but see the lack of clarity.  Those behind the scenes who deny God and want him to be completely alienated in our land are pushing an agenda that is not about safety or guns or schools or even the welfare of our children.  It’s about power, worldly power, that defies God.

I haven’t heard anything from today’s events that would turn this nation back to God.  May God have mercy on us all for our own godless desires have consumed us.

God is a forgiving God.  Let’s return to him before it’s too late.

I choose respect!

Time and time again I see that people—many of my generation—have chosen to be victims.  The biggest indicator here is respect.  Many feel that they cannot respect our president for a laundry list of reasons.  That’s just a lie.

Respect is something that we own or choose not to own.  Many say, I can’t respect a man or a woman who…  You can fill in the blank.  The truth is that we choose to be people of respect or people of disrespect.  Respect is about us and not the other person.

Respect is not like.  There are a lot of people that I don’t really like.  There are a lot of policies that I don’t like.  There and people and policies that I don’t like when they are paired.  But if the man is the president of this republic, he will receive my respect.  If it is the law of the land, it receives my respect and usually my compliance.

The beauty of our democratically based republic is that both people and laws may be changed.  There is no need to demean those we don’t like.  When we do, we demean ourselves.

I really did not find much to celebrate during the 8 years of the Obama administration.  I thought Obamacare crippled many a working person and many small businesses; nonetheless, I still respected the office of the President of the United States, prayed for him frequently, and abided by the laws of the land.

Today, men and women that I once thought worthy of calling friend have opted for disrespect as a way of life.  They say they can’t do anything else.  It is out of their control.  That’s just not true. 

The truth is that respect is always within our own control.  It is not governed by the actions of another.  I don’t ask anyone to like our president.  If he wanted likes, he would have started Trumpbook and enjoyed the rest of his days without the hate he is bombarded with daily.  He was elected by the longstanding laws of our nation and is our president. 

Our part is to respect the office and our laws.  One day, he won’t be president anymore. Many who broadcast hate and disrespect now can’t wait for that day, but I wonder if anyone will remember what respect was.  I doubt it because it was never about the one whom received your disrespect.  It is always about the one choosing to wield it.  It has always been about who we are.

Contend for your cause with all the passion that you can muster but remember our political and philosophical differences do not make us enemies.  Respect is our choice.

I choose respect!

About that Jimmy Carter quote...

About once a quarter I see the picture of President Jimmy Carter circulating with a quote attributed to him abut using tax dollars to help the poor if we want to call ourselves a Christian nation.  It has a certain ring to it.  I respect the good works that President Carter has done since he left office.  His grace and service and a wonderful model, but there are a couple of problems with the quote.

First, Jimmy Carter didn’t say this.  It sounds like something that he would have said but he didn’t.  Next, the principle being put forth is from the world not from God.

Hold your holy horses, Tom; how can you say that.  It’s about helping the poor.  C’mon that’s got to be directly from God. 

God’s directions and the teachings of Jesus are given to us.  We are to speak the truth, love our neighbor, help the poor, and bring people into the family of faith so that they know abundance.   Abundant life is for all and the Lord’s directions are to his people.  The problem with this quote is that it delegates loving our neighbor to our government. 

When people are overlooked, we can blame the government.  When people abuse the system, we can blame the government.  We can wash our hands of this whole love your neighbor business and turn it over to the government. 

That sounds like a plan and it is.  It is just not God’s plan.  We have conformed to the patterns of the world long enough.  It’s time to get back to God’s way of helping the poor.

Do you realize that if every Christian tithed, yes tithe means 10% and you don’t have to tithe to receive your salvation, but if everyone Christian tithed, God’s storehouse would be full?  What does that mean?  The church could help the poor as it was designed to do.   

Government programs would be next to irrelevant and God’s people who tithed would be blessed beyond measure.  That’s God’s model.

If we want to be a Christian nation, we must first be a nation of Christians.  A Christian by definition is one belongs to and who follows Jesus.  Jesus is our Lord and Master.  We obey his commands and they are not burdensome to us. 

Christians don’t look to government for how to love our neighbor.  We look to the commands of our Lord.  If we truly follow Jesus, we will give far beyond the tithe and the poor need not be poor anymore.  And let’s not forget, we won’t just give out food and money.  We will bring people into the body of Christ where they will know true abundance that we know through inclusion. 

President Jimmy Carter has been a wonderful model of Christian service over these past three decades.  Let’s not discredit his good works by attaching faulty thinking to his picture.  Let’s be a nation of Christians first.  Being known as a Christian nation will follow.

Jesus always met the physical need before the spiritual need?

Here’s one that you hear a lot, even from longtime Christians. 

“Jesus always met the physical need before attending to the spiritual need.” 

It’s just not so.  Read your Bibles.  Jesus always took care of what was most important.  That most often involved the truth or forgiveness or some manner of teaching and instruction.  Where there was seemingly unprompted healing, Jesus noted that it was faith that was first present.   He came to earth on a mission to take care of the most important thing—being the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the world.

Does that mean that we don’t take care of physical needs?  Of course not.  We are to help people who are hungry, need clothing, and even in prison; but this idea that has permeated the last several decades of church thinking has been destructive.  Why?

Because too often we meet the physical need—food, help with a bill, gas money, etc.—and forget to share the gospel.  We never get around to inviting people to come and know the Lord and enjoy the fellowship of believers.  Sure, we throw in a “God loves you” with every basket of food and a couple of invitations to a church service, but we bury the lead.

We are people who belong to the Lord, share his good news, and are doing our best to have God’s heart and desire—that none perish.  We are being made into love as he is Love.  How can we relegate the good news that we carry to an afterthought?

Why does this matter?  We must conform to the pattern of the world no more.  The Lord, not the world, must define our ministries.  The good news can never be reduced to an afterthought or be of secondary importance.

Let’s reach out with the gospel, connect the disconnected, and bring all of God’s children into the fellowship of believers where they know true abundance.  This is love.