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Thursday,
January 23,
2020
Doris High
takes amazing bird photos including this woodpecker!
"Keep
Standing Firm"
Message summary: As we stand up for righteousness we may wonder if our efforts matter.
"I am
the only one left, and now they are trying to kill
me too" (1 Kings 19:10). "Yet I reserve seven
thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed
down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed
him" (1 Kings 19:18). "Therefore, my dear brothers,
stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give
yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because
you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain"
(1 Corinthians 15:58).
Tomorrow tens of thousands will gather in Washington, DC for the annual "March for Life" commemorating the 47th anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. I don't know how many will be there this year but in the past it's numbered in the hundreds of thousands. There will certainly be a very large crowd gathered, though likely the secular news media will do one of three things: ignore it, focus on some strange fringe group that in no way represents the true cause, or give coverage to the miniscule group of pro-abortion demonstrators who'll be out as well.
I first went down to the March For Life about 35 years ago when we lived in Saint Marys, PA. I have been down many times since most recently about 5 years ago. People come in from all over the country, such as my Aunt Mary. Even into her mid-seventies she traveled on a bus each year all the way from western Missouri.
You can count on them every year, rain or shine, bitterly cold or unusually pleasant weather. They take a visible stand to publicly proclaim, "We have not forgotten the estimated 61,628,584 unborn babies 'legally' murdered here in the US since 1973." * I have enjoyed my association with these dedicated pro-lifers over the years, and I bless them in their stand for life and righteousness tomorrow.
Today's text may seem an unusual one for today's topic and certainly there are verses more specifically related to unborn life which we have used when writing on this theme in the past. But today we consider the discouragement that we may face any time we take a stand on an issue in opposition to the world. Any of us standing up against the waves of evil flooding our world may wonder if we are really making a difference.
For many years our nation has been confronted with two fundamental violations in God's created order: the sanctity of life (God values all human life from conception to natural death) and the sanctity of marriage (God's design for marriage is one man and one woman committed for life). In the last several years a third violation has been popularized, one denying the foundational "male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27).
As we stand up for righteousness we may wonder if our efforts matter. We may sometimes feel alone; whether it's in our own household where other family members are not believers or in the workplace where there may be no other coworker who takes a visible stand for Christ.
Elijah was discouraged on Mount Carmel. Although he had just seen a mighty demonstration by Almighty God he still felt alone in his stand and expressed his weariness and discouragement by exclaiming, "I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too" (v.10). But Elijah was wrong, he was not the only one left!
God's word of assurance to Elijah is powerful and timely for us as well: "Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him" (v.18).
As we take a stand for Christ and stridently avoid bowing to the Baals of our age we may sometimes feel that we are alone. Be assured that God always has a faithful remnant that remains true to His Name. We want to be in that faithful remnant and continue standing firm for Christ and His righteousness today. We welcome each reader to join us. We are not alone!
Be encouraged and stand faithful today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Tomorrow tens of thousands will gather in Washington, DC for the annual "March for Life" commemorating the 47th anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. I don't know how many will be there this year but in the past it's numbered in the hundreds of thousands. There will certainly be a very large crowd gathered, though likely the secular news media will do one of three things: ignore it, focus on some strange fringe group that in no way represents the true cause, or give coverage to the miniscule group of pro-abortion demonstrators who'll be out as well.
I first went down to the March For Life about 35 years ago when we lived in Saint Marys, PA. I have been down many times since most recently about 5 years ago. People come in from all over the country, such as my Aunt Mary. Even into her mid-seventies she traveled on a bus each year all the way from western Missouri.
You can count on them every year, rain or shine, bitterly cold or unusually pleasant weather. They take a visible stand to publicly proclaim, "We have not forgotten the estimated 61,628,584 unborn babies 'legally' murdered here in the US since 1973." * I have enjoyed my association with these dedicated pro-lifers over the years, and I bless them in their stand for life and righteousness tomorrow.
Today's text may seem an unusual one for today's topic and certainly there are verses more specifically related to unborn life which we have used when writing on this theme in the past. But today we consider the discouragement that we may face any time we take a stand on an issue in opposition to the world. Any of us standing up against the waves of evil flooding our world may wonder if we are really making a difference.
For many years our nation has been confronted with two fundamental violations in God's created order: the sanctity of life (God values all human life from conception to natural death) and the sanctity of marriage (God's design for marriage is one man and one woman committed for life). In the last several years a third violation has been popularized, one denying the foundational "male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:27).
As we stand up for righteousness we may wonder if our efforts matter. We may sometimes feel alone; whether it's in our own household where other family members are not believers or in the workplace where there may be no other coworker who takes a visible stand for Christ.
Elijah was discouraged on Mount Carmel. Although he had just seen a mighty demonstration by Almighty God he still felt alone in his stand and expressed his weariness and discouragement by exclaiming, "I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too" (v.10). But Elijah was wrong, he was not the only one left!
God's word of assurance to Elijah is powerful and timely for us as well: "Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel--all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him" (v.18).
As we take a stand for Christ and stridently avoid bowing to the Baals of our age we may sometimes feel that we are alone. Be assured that God always has a faithful remnant that remains true to His Name. We want to be in that faithful remnant and continue standing firm for Christ and His righteousness today. We welcome each reader to join us. We are not alone!
Be encouraged and stand faithful today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, we look at Elijah who took a
mighty stand for You during the plague of unbelief
that spread throughout the land of Israel. And yet
there were moments when he allowed the mindset of
the unbelievers, instead of the absolutes stated in
Your Word, to weaken him, leading him to think that
he was alone in standing true for You. But You sent
word to Elijah, that You have a remnant more
interested in obeying You than bowing down to the
ever-evolving philosophies of their generation. When
we stand with You, Almighty God, we are a majority
no matter the number of evil forces we oppose. Keep
us looking upward as we walk onward in the truths of
Your Holy Scripture. In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.Pro-Life Prayer: Father, we thank You for the courageous girls and women who, in the most difficult of circumstances, choose to give life over choosing to dispense of their "problem". We thank You for the vast groups of men and women who lend support to crisis pregnancies, to those who take in and raise children who are given up for adoption. We thank You for those who have dedicated their lives to this tremendous cause, keeping it very much alive, so that those who accept it as a viable option due to its legalization in 1973 will come to realize that Your Word is the first and final authority on life, not the legislation and judicial fiats of our day.
Bless
those who speak, those who march, and those who work
among pregnant girls and women who are presently in
the very midst of making a life or death decision
regarding their unborn child. We also pray for those
who made the wrong choice to abort, that they may
find Your enduring grace that brings healing and
restoration. In many instances, You have used their
troubling experience to be an influencing voice for
others to make a right choice. We commit the
Pro-Life cause to You this day, in Jesus' name.
Amen.
We
have shared several times before but this true
event bears repeating: The church I pastored
in Massachusetts was located on US 44, a busy
highway that was the main east/west route through
the city of Taunton (and main route from Providence,
Rhode Island to Plymouth, MA). Our church had a
lighted message sign along the highway that was
changed virtually every week by Bill and Veda, a
very dedicated couple in the church. Bill went on to
be with the Lord in 2000 when we lived there. Veda
is still living, now in a nursing home, and we hope
to see her this weekend.
Through
this sign many people were regularly exposed to
spiritual truth in a very spiritually desolate
region of the country. Through the years we got a
number of positive remarks from passersby concerning
these messages which was very encouraging.
However a message we placed up in January one year got some very interesting feedback. We posted this simple, unambiguous, irrefutable message: "Abortion Stops A Beating Heart". A woman who'd seen the sign called my office extremely upset. She told me she thought there should be a law against posting such a message and threatened that she was going to check into it. She claimed her children were so upset they cried. Truth really hurts and in this case illustrates the awful blindness that sin causes.
However a message we placed up in January one year got some very interesting feedback. We posted this simple, unambiguous, irrefutable message: "Abortion Stops A Beating Heart". A woman who'd seen the sign called my office extremely upset. She told me she thought there should be a law against posting such a message and threatened that she was going to check into it. She claimed her children were so upset they cried. Truth really hurts and in this case illustrates the awful blindness that sin causes.
Another
note: In Monday's message we mentioned that
the previous day was Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.
A chaplain friend from New Jersey wrote expressing
disappointment that this was not mentioned in his
church. I am sure there were good causes that I
failed to mention when I was a pastor. However I do
see a trend of too many ministers avoiding truthful
proclamation if it might offend someone or be
perceived as "political". This is effectively
silencing the last bastion for truth in our falling
society. But be prepared to face opposition. I read
a story about a church in Columbia MO where the
pastor preached a sermon about God creating us male
and female and the church came under attack for
this! See here.
Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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