TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live. (Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• One week ago, Roe v. Wade was overturned — the answer to countless prayers prayed for the last 50 years. Christians should rejoice! God has answered this prayer. As this decision has now been moved to the states, we still need to pray that the sanctity of life will be valued and respected.
Y’all, I’ve had to tame this blog way down. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last week, you know much of what I will say about this… but humor me a few points:
- Abortion has never been a Constitutional right. There are 27 Constitutional rights — but nothing about abortion on that list. Moreover — laws aren’t made in the courtroom. They are made by Congress. It’s only the courtroom’s job to uphold them. So this decision righted a wrong decision that was a gross overstep by the Supreme Court 50 years ago.
- Abortion isn’t “health care,” and pregnancy isn’t a health issue; it’s a condition.
- In America, less that half a percentage of all rapes are due to these to reasons, yet rape/incest are among the loudest reasons given in favor of abortion.
As I said — Christians should be joyful! Prayer works! But I confess that I’ve been greatly concerned by the silence of many Christian leaders and organizations. I’ve paid attention, and many I followed (and even, in one case, volunteered for) have missed a golden opportunity to speak truth and defend the rights of the unborn. I am most deeply disappointed by their silence. I did reach out to one group to ask about it, and the response said, “{we} cannot engage in partisan political activity, which is why you have not seen a statement.” They cited their tax status as a reason, but that’s not true. According to the IRS, a 501c(3) is “absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.” That speaks of a campaign; it doesn’t say an organization can’t speak up on an issue. Besides — the issue of abortion may be fought on the political battlefield, but at the end of the day, it’s a moral matter. It’s high time Christians stand up to let the world know that just because a government calls something “right” doesn’t mean it is.
Abortion is a moral matter because we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). Life begins at conception (remember, life doesn’t come from non-living cells! That’s common sense and science!) God forms all life (Psalm 139:13-14).
My friend Sandra put it beautifully. She gave me permission to share her words: “We should always be pro-choice… And our first choice should be to choose God. God’s Word instructs us to ‘choose life, that you and your offspring may live’ (Deuteronomy 30:19). How I wish we could impress that understanding upon the pro-choicer to re-direct the focus off of pro-choice for SELF to pro-choice for GOD and pro-choice for the LIFE of a child.”
Friends, God is giving our nation an opportunity to make a new choice. He’s giving us the chance to choose life. And better yet, we have the promise that when we choose life in Jesus Christ — He will give it abundantly. John 10:10 says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” The ultimate thief, our enemy Satan, has been stealing the lives of millions of children… he has been robbing families of memories, laughter, and love… he has been robbing the world of the potential those children could have brought to the table for the last 50 years… he has been misleading people, and his lies have destroyed lives… those lives have even infiltrated the church with too many “well-meaning” Christians choosing what the world says versus what the Word says.
As Christians, I realize it’s hard to stand up and speak truth in the face of this level of anger. I’m in the same boat. I haven’t posted anything to my personal page, and largely because of my job, I choose not to engage in divisive topics on my personal profile. So I get it. But I’m grateful to have Sandra’s wise words to lean on in the event I need them.
I choose God, and because I choose Him, I choose life.
My heart hurts for the women who find themselves in difficult situations. I know they are scared, and the circumstances aren’t always ideal. But there are options. We need to pray for them to look for their options and choose life. A baby is never a burden but is always a blessing.
The battle continues…
Today, as you pray, let’s continue to pray for more people to choose life. Ask the Holy Spirit to intervene in hardened hearts, and soften them. Ask Him to guide women and families as they make decisions about unplanned pregnancies. And continue to pray for our leaders…
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the NKJV translation.
