ABORTION & THE BIBLE

It's true that the Bible never mentions abortion, but Holy Scripture still shows us God's feelings about the unborn & guides us in our look at abortion rights.

> "You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, & you shall not stand up agaist the life of your neighbor." (Lev. 19:16a) Who is my neighbor? Jesus made this clear in His parable about the Good Samaritan. ALL humankind is our neighbor, & that includes unborn humans.

> God provided serious consequences for those who caused a woman to miscarry. (SEE Lev. 21.) What is abortion if not a miscarriage? And what does this say about those who perform abortions, profit from abortions, pass laws promoting abortion, supporting, encouraging, glorifying, & lying about this unholy behavior?

> "Love the Lord your God with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your mind & with all your strength. The second is this:  'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31) When an unborn baby is killed, are we loving this child as we love ourselves? Not only that, but Jesus equated loving our neighbor with loving God. This also means that we are to love women who abort their unborn children.

> "Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to Me & do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.'" (Matt. 19:14) When we murder an unborn child, we hinder them from coming to Jesus. 

> "Therefore go & make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit . . . " (Matt. 28:19) The science of biology has determined beyond a shadow of a doubt that an unborn child, even at the moment of conception, is a human being. We are to baptize "all nations," & that surely includes children. When we abort a baby, we cannot bring him/her to baptism. What happens to this baby? We leave that to God's mercy.

REPENT

Lamentations 3:39-41.  "Why then should we, mere humans as we are, murmur & complain when punished for our sins? Let us examine ourselves instead, & repent & turn again to the Lord. Let us lift our heart & hands to Him in heaven, for we have sinned; we have rebelled against the Lord, & He has not forgotten it.” The Living Bible

REVERENCE

"Reverence is holy fear clothed with faith. Reverence acknowledges that the Lord is holy, that we are sinners, & that the Lor forgives sinners. Reverence is a holy respect befoe the Lord's power, majesty, & might. Reverence leavees us with astonishment, awe, & silent, faith-filled gratitude, knowing that the God of the universe--who could have destroyed you & me for our sin--chose to redeem us unto life." Matthew Richard, Minute Messages

LIFE'S BALANCING AGENT

"My faith has been a balancing agent in my life. Christ thrills me with who I am in Him, & reminds me gently who I am not. When I suffer, I know I'm still loved. When I'm on top of the world, I remember that my accomplishments mean nothing in light of eternity. The biggest surprise to me was to discover that Christ is real. He's not some nebulous concept, some idea or system or approach or philosophy. He's a Person, someone I can know." Orel Hershiser, Men's Devotional Bible

JUDGING

"As a God Guy you are to judge right from wrong, to see sin, & to educate people on their wrongdoing, but you are not to judge them as if there is something peculiar about them that isn't the same as you. Remember, you're a sinner too, just in different ways--after all, you know God & still you sin against Him . . . If you have trouble talking to people about Jesus, then maybe it's because you want them to agree with you so badly that you forget that saving them isn't your job, it's God's. Your job is to love them & to show them how being a Christian improves you as a person & makes you more compassionate & kind." Michael DiMarco, Devotion's for the God Guy

THE CHRISTIAN & WAR

"Looking at war from a Lutheran perspective begins with directing our eyes away from the world & toward Christ . . . As you see the war on your screens, let it drive you not to doubt God's good gifts but to cry out in faith with David. And then let it drive you to look to Jesus, the author & perfecter of your faith, who endured the greatest violence of all--the wrath of God poured out on Him--that you might thereby have eternal peace." Roy Askins, The Lutheran Witness, June/July 2022

TODAY'S HYMN

Where Charity & Love Prevail (LSB #845)

Where charity & love prevail There God is ever found; Brought here together by Christ's love By love are we thus bound.

With grateful joy & holy fear His charity we learn; Let us with heart & mind & soul Now love Him in return.

Forgive we now each other's faults As we our faults confess, And let us love each other well In Christian holiness.

Let strife among us be unknown; Let all contention cease; Be God's the glory that we seek; Be ours His holy peace.

Let us recall that in our midst Dwells Christ, His only Son; As members of His body joined We are in Him made one.

For love excludes no race or clan That names the Savior's name; His family embraces all Whose Father is the same.