What an amazing morning we had at church today!
As we vote on Tuesday, there are 3 issues that simply cannot be ignored. Issues that I know God does not ignore.
1. Sanctity of Life
2. Sanctity of Marraige
3. Security of Israel
My DH wrote an amazing note on his Facebook page, I'll paste it in here:
"God spoke through our pastor this morning on the importance of making wise choices. The text was from 1 Samuel 8, where the elders of Israel come to Samuel and demand a king. In and of itself, that doesn't seem to be a bad thing, after all God did intend for Israel to one day have a king. However, it was to be on His terms and in His timing, not Israel's.
As 1 Samuel continues on, God warns the people through Samuel that it will not be a good thing unless they do it His way. The people said, So, we want it our way. God said, Ok, have it your way. The results weren't pretty. They ended up with Saul as their first king and things didn't go very well for them. (The rest of the story is in 1 Samuel).
So what does this have to do with our election? Everything. We have a big decision to make on Tuesday. As Christians, we should be praying about who God want's us to vote for and about what issues God thinks are important. We shouldn't vote on party lines just because we've been a Republican or Democrat all of our lives.
What issues does God think are important? There are 3 that I believe that God says are very important and believe it or not, the ECONOMY is not one of them.
(I am borrowing the titles from my pastor and I thank him for reminding me how important the third issue is.)
First, there is the Sanctity of Human Life.
God is very clear in His Word that murder is wrong. Exodus 20:13 (NASB) says "You shall not commit murder", Exodus 21:12 - 36 speaks very clearly about how murder is to be dealt with. In fact, Exodus 21: 22 - 25 speaks about the punishment for a person who causes a woman to give birth prematurely and Exodus 21:15 speaks about the punishment for a person who strikes his father and mother. Given this, how can we say abortion is ok or assisted suicide is ok? I also recommend reading Deuteronomy 19 and 21 were God talks about innocent blood and how serious He takes the shedding of it.
But what of those that do not think that life begins until birth? The Bible is very clear that life does begin at conception. Job 31:5, Psalm 22:9-10, Psalm 139:13-16, Isaiah 44:2 and 44:24, Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:15, Luke 1:41-42, Galatians 1:15 all speak of life in the womb and God know who we are and what are lives will be from the moment he formed us in our mother womb. In addition, God's Word goes on to say in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 that our bodies are not our own, they belong to God.
Next, there is the Sanctity of Marriage.
From the very beginning, God has ordained marriage as one man and one woman. In Genesis 2, when God said it wasn't good for man to be alone, He did not give Adam a dog or a cat and He certainly didn't give Adam another man. Instead, God created woman and gave her to Adam and set it up so that "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." Genesis 2:24 NASB. (See also Gen 1:27-28 and Matthew 19:5)
Just as with abortion, God is very clear throughout His Word that homosexuality and beastiality is wrong and the he never intended for marriage to be between anyone but man and woman. In fact, everytime God's Word speaks of marriage from the Old Testament to the New, It speaks of marriage being between man and woman. Now, what scriptures deal with homosexuality and beastiality? Genesis 19 (By the way, have you ever wondered where the term sodomy comes from? Now you know.), Leviticus 18:22-23, 20:13, 15-16, Deuteronomy 23:17-18, Romans 1:24-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Timothy 1:8-11 and Jude 7.
Oh, and if you pay attention to Romans 1:24-27, God through Paul says that there is no genetic disposition towards homosexuality. "For their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts...". If homosexuality is unnatural, then it can't be in our genetic makeup.
Finally, there is The Security of Israel.
What, what does this have to do with anything? The Jewish people are God's chosen people, pure and simple. Even when they rejected Him, He still called out to them to return and He still judged nations based on their treatment of His people. In Genesis 12:1-3, God tells Abraham that he is going to make him into a great nation. In verse 3, "And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse." (NASB).
I firmly believe that God still judges nations today based on this. As our pastor said this morning and as I have believed my whole life, America has been blessed by being an ally of Israel. Dangerous times are ahead of us if we turn our backs on Israel and the Jewish people.
Now, what of the economy since that seems to be an issue right now? Well, spend some time tonight and tomorrow reading through Samuel, Kings and Chronicles. If you can find any place where God judged the kings of Israel and Judah based on their economic policies, let me know, because I don't see it. They were judged based on their obediance to God and God alone.
Now, as you read this and read the scriptures that are referenced, I issue a challenge. If you, as a Christian, knowing God's word, can tell me how you can ignore these 3 issues as you vote, I want to hear about it. I want to know how you can reconcile economic policy over the killing of children, allowing homosexuals to marry and making peace with those that would attack the citizens of our country when we are not at war with them. Yes, I'm being blunt and harsh, but when it comes to the Word of God and the Truth there in, we must be. The stakes are too high and life is too precious to turn our backs on God anymore."
ETA: This is not attacking anyone. I am simply stating what the Bible says about these issues.
.jpg)
11 comments:
Wow! My Bible tells me to love others...this is very hate-full. My Bible tells me to leave the judging to THE Judge. My Bible says He made us all and He loves us all. Too bad those lessons were missed or ignored.
Why are so many who call themselves conservative Christians so threatened by homosexuals? Being gay is not catching and it is not a choice. God made these people and He does not make mistakes. IF it truly is an abomination to Him, why not show Christian love to gay people here and let Him deal with them in the afterlife?
In my opinion narrow minded bigotry is more of a threat to this country than allowing a man to love a man or a woman to love a woman. The key word there is 'love' and it would be nice if some of my Christian brothers and sisters could show some rather than disgust and hatred.
Hi Michelle, thank you for your thoughts.
I'm sorry if you find this hateful. My Bible says that homosexuality is wrong.
I do show Christian love to gay people, I have gay friends.
But it is not Biblical.
i tried to put that cartoon on my blog and it didn't work. :(
i appreciate your posts. it's weighing heavy on me as well.
i'm voting for the war hero lifelong public servant over the career campaigner.
obama said if one of his daughters were to make a mistake, he wouldn't want them to be punished with a baby. that's nice. so babies are punishment? i know many people who would be happy to adopt a beautiful little..."punishment".
Wow I will never come here again. I am a Christian Democrat. I get the feeling I am not welcome.
By the way, you number 2 was about marriage. You might want to do some research on McCain's first marriage. She was very faithful to him all the years he was a POW. She was in a very bad car accident and had to have over 30 operations. When McCain came home, he had an affair with Cindy and ask his wife for a divorce just when she was going in for her 22nd operation.
President Reagan and Nancy took her in and she worked for Nancy during the Reagan's 8 years. The Reagan's would have nothing to do with McCain. Check it out
Debbie Peysen
Hi Debbie ~
Thank you for your thoughts.
You are more than welcome here.
I am just stating what the Bible says on homosexual marriage.
I am by no means saying McCain is perfect but given the choice of McCain vs. Obama, I have to go with the one who stands up for morals.
God Bless!
michelleh and Debbie,
I don't know if you will read this or not, but in case you do...here goes.
You're both missing the point of the post. It's not about voting Democrat or Republican. We need both Christian Democrats and Christian Republicans. Nor is it about gay bashing and being homophobic.
The point of the post is two fold.
One: The Bible is very clear on what is right and what is wrong. If you read the verses provided in the post, you will find that God was very clear that certain things are wrong. There is no judgement, simply a statement of facts.
michelleh, as far as love goes, which is more loving, to tell someone they are wrong here and have them repent and have a chance to go to heaven, or to wait until they stand before THE judge and it is too late for them? Take the time to read through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. What you'll find is that Jesus loved people, and because he loved those people and wanted them to be in heaven, He told them to stop sinning. Again, which is more loving, to let your child pull a pot of boiling water off of the stove, or to yell "STOP" and risk hurting your childs feelings? It's the same principle, only not going to heaven is a whole lot worse than being scalded.
As far as number 2 and McCain's marriage goes, the problem is not the past, the problem is the future. McCain has promised to stand up for marriage between a man and a woman and has promised to stand up for the rights of the unborn. Obama on the other hand has promised to do all he can to strip the current laws that protect marriage and the unborn from the books.
I do agree with you, though. What McCain did to his wife was wrong. I hope and pray he has repented of it and is a Christian.
God says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NASB) That is part one of the warning I am sounding. I don't hate these people, I love them and don't want them to go to hell.
Two: Part two of the warning is that we as Christian's can't go on thinking everything is hunky dory and that we can let people run amuck and do as they please. God said we will pay if we do. Ignoring sin doesn't make it go away and doesn't make God happy. Nor do Christians who completely ignore His Word and do as they please. Some of Jesus's harshes words were for the "Christians" of his day because they refused to repent of their own sins. Christians will be held responsible for the decisions they make from voting to words uttered in exasperation. Take some time to re-read the post. Are the decisions we are making based on scripture or are they based on personal desires? I want my decisions based on scripture because I want to enjoy the rest of my life in America and I want my kids and grandkids to enjoy life in America. But, if Christians keep ignoring Gods Word, our kids and grandkids won't have an America to enjoy life in. So, we need to consider, does God consider the economy or abortion more important? Does God consider the economy or allowing anyone and everyone to marry how they choose more important? Those are the questions that must be answered, and as you answer them, you've got to remember that your answer doesn't just affect you. It affects the generations the follow.
I meant to comment on this post the other day, but my computer froze up, and I didn't get my comment in. Then I didn't come back to do so. I did, however link to this post on my blog.
I think this is one of the best posts I've read in a long time! It is in no way hateful at all! It states the facts, as the Bible says, and I think it is well written. Thank you for sharing this. And you are a testament to your faith and showing much love by allowing the negative comments to remain and responding in such a nice way. I applaud you for that. I probably would have had to hit delete on those, as I have a much more difficult time being so graceful! This is why I'm not usually brave enough to blog about important issues such as these - I don't handle the negativity very well!
I just wanted to say - I love this post and thanks again for publishing it!
God Bless You!
(And now I'm praying for this country more than I ever have before! And putting it in God's hands!)
Jennifer, thank you so much for you kind words. They mean so much.
We are joining with you in fervent prayer for our country.
God Bless!
I would very highly recommend you order "What the Bible REALLY Says About Homosexuality" at Amazon. It will change your life. It is an in-depth scholarly view of the Bible texts you refer to. It will open your eyes like never before!
I am a pro-choice Christian who used to be strongly anti-abortion.
I studied hours and hours. Google the term nephesh. It is the biblical term for fetus and you will find that God's definition of life is BREATH OF LIFE and he does not consider a fetus equal to a born child. If he did the Bible (using your own example) would not charge only a fine for causing a miscarriage. If it were equal life the person would get the same penalty as killing a born child. Please study the original language and I will be praying that the Holy Spirit teaches you that understanding, and compassion, and grace, are those things through which we interpret the Bible. Your understandings of Biblical texts on all of these subjects are very fundamentalist and literalist. You must look for the TRUE meaning and intent and the Bible will show you the truth.
Dear Anonymous,
There are several problems with the book you mention, least of all the fact that the book assumes that the Bible is full of errors. Starting with that assumption, of course someone is going to say homosexuality is ok. If fact, if you assume the Bible is full of errors, you can justify anything you want, including murder. Instead of assuming the Bible is full of errors, assume for a minute that it's telling the truth. Now go back and read it. IT will open your eyes like never before.
Now regarding abortion. Let's take that scripture passage you cited in my example. Read it again. You'll find that if there is no harm done, a fine was to be paid, "But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise." (Exodus 21:22-25)
Life for life? That sounds like God took it pretty seriously to me and required more than a fine for a miscarriage resulting in death of the baby.
If God doesn't consider a fetus equal to a born child, then how do you explain Job 31:15, Psalm 139:13-16, Luke 1:15, Luke 1:41-42, etc? They all clearly state that God formed us in our mother's womb and even go as far as to say John the Baptist would be filled with the Holy Spirit while in his mother's womb! If God doesn't consider a fetus equal to a born child, then why bother filling a fetus with the Holy Spirit?
Finally, yes, my "understandings of Biblical texts on all these subjects is fudamentalist and literalist". I'm not ashamed of that at all. But you're wrong if you think that a fundamentalist is not compassionate, understanding and full of grace. And you're wrong if you think that a fundamentalist and literalist interpretation of the scripture is not right. Jesus was pretty literal when He said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." Jesus was also pretty literal when He told the people that followed Him to repent from their sins for the Kingdom of God was at hand.
And that brings me to my last point. Telling someone that what they are doing is wrong is not hateful, mean, spiteful, uncompassionate, intollerant. Telling someone that what they are doing is sin and that their is a better way and that way is through Jesus is the most loving thing a person can do. Ignoring a person's sin, or telling them it's ok, God understands, is the most cruel and hateful thing a person can do. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 says, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effiminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the king of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." What is more filled with understanding, compassion and grace than pointing someone to Jesus Christ? Somone in an earlier comment made the suggestion that "why not show Christian love to gay people here and let Him deal with them in the afterlife". Showing Christian love is pointing them to Christ and part of that pointing is telling them that they are wrong. And as far as letting God deal with them in the afterlife? It's too late at that point for them to reach Heaven.
Post a Comment