Birds, Black Presidents, and Babies

Birds, Black Presidents, and Babies



BIRDS



When King David contemplated how many were God’s “wondrous deeds,” he said, “I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told” (Psalm 40:5). That’s how I have been thinking about God’s display of His sovereignty these last few weeks. God is patient and slow to anger. The crash of Flight 1549 illustrates God’s right to judge, and the landing represents God’s mercy. In Matthew 10:29 we find that God governs the fall of every bird, and I would say the crash of flight 1549 was designed by God. It is both a display of His sovereignty and His mercy. It is a call back to a shift from an anthropocentric view of life to a theocentric view. Read Acts 4:23-31.



BLACK PRESIDENTS



As a nation we have just elected Barack Obama, the first African-American President of the United States. As much as I reject President Obama’s stance on many moral issues, I am thankful that an African-American can be President of United States. This is God’s doing. “He removes kings and sets up kings” (Daniel 2:21).

How do we be a pro-life Christian under a pro-choice president? I Peter 2:13-17Peter did not live in a Christian nation. He knew the depravity of man and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. And yet he wrote, “Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him.” And, "Honor all men; love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king."



Here is John Piper’s answer to the question, "How do pro-life Christians honor a pro-choice president?"

1. Humbling Ourselves We will honor you, Mr. President, by humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God (1 Peter 5:6) acknowledging that we are ourselves sinners in need of mercy and forgiveness from God.

2. Acknowledging God's Image We will honor you by acknowledging that you are created in the image of God, an utterly unique, human being created in the image and likeness of the living God with untold potential.

3. Acknowledging God's Institution We will honor you by acknowledging that government is God's institution. You are in power by God's appointment and we honor that. It grieves us that you will not protect the unborn, the most innocent, weak, and helpless group of Americans. But we honor your God appointed role.

4. Honoring Laws Not Conflicting with Christ's Lordship We will honor you by submitting to law wherever they do not conflict with our higher allegiance to Christ the King of kings and Lord of lords. 1 Peter 2:13 says that we are to submit not for your sake but for the Lord's sake.

5. Not Withdrawing into Isolation We will honor you by not withdrawing and living in isolation from American culture. We will honor you by trying to do as much good as we possibly can, so that we will not be thought inconsistent in asking from you what we are not willing to do. See I Peter 2:15.

6. Opposing with Non-Violence We will honor you by opposing your position as long as we can with non-violence instead of violence, with reasoning instead of rocks, with rational passion instead of screaming, with honorable speech instead of obscenities, and with forthright clarity of language instead of dodging the tough realities and tough words.

7. Expecting Straightforward Answers And we will honor you by expecting from you straightforward answers to straightforward questions. You have immense power as President of the United States. To wield it against the protection of the unborn without giving a public accounting in view of moral and scientific reality would be dishonorable. We will honor you by expecting better.

8. Trusting the Sovereign, Loving Purpose of God Finally we will honor you by trusting that the purpose of our sovereign and loving God to defend the fatherless and contend for the defenseless and to exalt the meek will triumph through your presidency. And to that end we will pray for you as Christ our King commands us.



BABIES



What does the Scriptures say about this?



Psalm 139:13: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.”

Jeremiah 1:5:“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you….”

Job 31:13–15: “Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did not one fashion us in the womb?”The key person at work in the fashioning of the fetus inside the womb is God. The status of Job’s mother or the servant’s mother is irrelevant because mothers are not the main nurturers and fashioners during the time of gestation—God is. Mothers and fathers can contribute an egg and Sperm, but only God creates a person. It is an arbitrary assault upon the prerogatives of God the Creator to assume that we can destroy this person at anytime within the womb based upon our definition of personhood.

James 4:2 offers and interesting perspective, “You desire and do not have; so you kill.” What desire? -- Any self-autonomous freedoms that we want that does not restrict our plans for future happiness. But then comes the pregnancy and we cannot have. And so we use abortion as a birth-control measure to preserve our own freedoms and desires. Christians, we are called to speak the truth in love and mercy.

Look at Ephesians 5:8b-11. God calls us to be the conscience of the culture. Many believers only have a passive avoidance ethic, "Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness.” That's half your duty. But the next phrase states: "Rather even expose them!" Don't just avoid the works of darkness, but expose them.



We are guilty of silence when it comes to justice. We are guilty of speaking the truth, but not in love and mercy. We are guilty of condemning without offering hope and prayer and solution. We have a biblical obligation to speak the truth in love. We have a responsibility to rescue the innocent. We must put feet to our faith and intercede for the helpless. We must compassionately reach out to the perishing. I am embarrassed when I read what some of us write on the internet.



The belligerent and disrespectful words directed toward the president and those who have had abortions and who are pro-choice make me cringe at times. We are intercessors and rescuers. We do so with logical arguments, a Scriptural foundation, patient interaction, loving and merciful engagement, faith with feet, and prayer.There are many who have had abortions who bought into a lie and did not realize exactly what they were doing, and are now suffering the horrific consequence of emotional, spiritual, psychological, and possible present or future physical trauma. Someone must tell them that there is forgiveness and healing in Christ Jesus.God has been merciful to us.



God does not owe America anything. We owe him everything. I pray that the President of the United States, passengers of flight 1549, pro-choice citizens, and everyone who does not know Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior would turn to Him.God is sovereign and merciful. He stands today as Savior, He will stand one day as Judge.