Responsibility

by

Murder! She Cried

Romans 1:28-32 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

With everything that went on around the inauguration of the 45th president, Donald Trump, it’s ironic that we have women who were so concerned about murder that they would actually do a march shortly after he became president.

The irony is not that someone would do a march against murder. That is something we would expect out of a country like America. We are, after all, a moral country…aren’t we? Who would think that murder would be something to march for instead of against? What person in their right mind would encourage others to murder and even demand others do the same? Wasn’t the government put in charge to make sure evil doers are punished for their sin instead of rewarded for sin?

Of course, the law is that we can’t murder just anyone. If you went out to murder someone there would be an outcry of protestation and outrage. The police would look for the murderer and they would probably get many years and possibly even life in prison, if not the death penalty.

The irony is that these women were doing a march FOR murder…murdering the babies in their womb.

Of course, these little lives aren’t anyone special. They are only bits of tissue in the womb that are nothing until they come out of the womb. How can we claim them to be anything but tissue? After all, they aren’t viable outside of the womb so they are meaningless to our life. Besides, they are in my way of everything I want to do. They are a responsibility I don’t want to take on because I have a life to live.

My life is more important than this baby in my womb. You know, I don’t care if this baby is dismembered, I don’t care if this baby dies a horrible and obscure death, I don’t care about anything but my life and what I can get out of it. My life is more important. It doesn’t matter that it takes both a male and female to bring a life about. This is my body and this alien object is in my body so I will do whatever it takes to get rid of this creature that has invaded me.

abortion

Shhhhhh!!! We don’t want to make it sound too harsh lest someone is offended by what we’ve said.

Ironically, the law has allowed for murder to take place…murder of the most innocent of our kind. Of course, they won’t say the actual word, murder, but pro choice means murder. I won’t even bother mentioning the possibility of those who could have been our doctors, lawyers, preachers, etc.. Yet, this isn’t even the most important fact of these little ones who are being murdered daily. The very children who are our future generations are being offered on the altar of convenience.

What a backwards world in which we live. We have women who are supposed to have the mothering instinct within their hearts and yet they are demanding they be allowed to murder their babies. This is so contrary to what God has placed within the woman that it defies believability. It is also unbelievable that there are some who would claim the name of Christ and be in total agreement that the murder of an unborn baby is totally ok. It seems like this day and age is a cry for murdering the babies.

Will we cry to the Lord for the lives of these little ones who have done nothing wrong to deserve the murder and dismemberment? Taking a stand is good and right but we also have a responsibility to pray. May our hearts cry out to the Lord for the least among us and may we speak forth the truth of His Word to a generation of people who hate God.

Psalm 94:3-8. LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage. They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless. Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?

by

Being Thankful In Everything

One of the comments in response to my previous post shared another aspect of contentment that is vitally important in our lives. Robert kindly pointed out the aspect of being thankful in everything. Contentment is not just a matter of not fretting; although, it is important that we not fret when things don’t go our way. Contentment is also a matter of being thankful for what we have and what we don’t have.

We live in a culture of ungrateful people. You can help someone and never hear a thank you from them but end up being treated as if you caused them problems and they are entitled to what you gave them. This attitude permeates our culture but we, being true believers, should not have this attitude. When someone helps us out our very attitude should be gratefulness towards that person and we should let them know it. Even more importantly, we should be thanking the Lord that He moved their hearts in that direction.

bethankful

When the Lord takes something from us, we should be thankful for His loving ministrations. It is very possible we didn’t need whatever it was taken from us or not given to us. Maybe the thing we want will end up a stumbling block to us, maybe we will put that before the Lord in our worship, maybe we need to spend time with the Lord before He is willing to give us anything extra, and who knows what else could be the reason for Him to deny that specific thing to us. That is His peculiar knowledge that He may or may not reveal to us in time.

Charles Spurgeon was known to pray that if something he wanted was not good for him then he would rather the Lord keep it from him. This should be our desire, as well. Even the Lord prayed, not My will but Thine be done. Who are we to think that God has to give us something just because we demand it or deem it to be in our own best interests?

Contentment is not based on just one thing we receive or don’t receive in our lives. It is based on the whole of our lives. 1 Thess. 5:18 is very clear in that in everything we are to give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us. It’s based on no matter what happens or doesn’t happen, whether things are good or bad, whether evil is being done to us or good is being done to us…let us thank the Lord for all things. Is this easy? No, of course not but it’s the will of God and, as true believers, we are responsible to obey God. We should do it joyfully not just because it’s our responsibility but even more so because we love Him and want to obey Him in everything.

Wherever the Lord has placed us, let us be content in whatever situation we are and with whatever He deems necessary in our lives. Let us give ourselves wholly to being “content with such things as we have because He said, I will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5).”

by

Sermon of the Week: “Responsibility, The Duty of Fathers” by Paul Washer.

Your Sermon of the Week is part three of a four-part family series by Paul Washer. This one is entitled Responsibility, The Duty of Fathers. Listen to it here or download it here. Paul Washer delivers a profound sermon on the family that should be heard by everyone. I encourage you to check out parts one and two.