Newsletter for Sanctity of Life Sunday - Part 5

This is the fifth and final article in our family newsletter for the Sanctity of Life. It was written by me (David) and shows that the Bible goes far beyond simply being pro-life by upholding children as a gift, a treasure, a reward, and a heritage to be deeply desired.

Why It Is Not Enough To Be Pro-life

There are many Christians that will defend the precious life of the unborn. This commitment to those that are growing within the womb is both good and right, as supported by the many specific Scriptures that can be cited which necessitate a pro-life position. Consider the following wisdom from God’s Holy Word:

“ ... thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” (Psalm 139:13-16, KJV)

How utterly shameful it is that we are growing up at a time and in a nation where there are approximately 1.3 million of these precious lives that are senselessly discarded each year in the name of a woman’s right to choose. I applaud those that are willing to take a stand on the side of truth by defending these dear and helpless unborn babies. While being pro-life and believing that abortion is explicitly against the sixth commandment that God gave (“Thou shalt not kill”) is a necessary condition to having a Biblical viewpoint on the sanctity of life, it is insufficient. The Bible goes much further and much deeper in upholding the sacred nature of human life than simply being against the atrocity of abortion. As we look at the words of Scripture, please carefully reflect on your own thinking to determine if your view is indeed consistent with the teaching of God Almighty.

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127:3-5, KJV)

These verses explicitly state that children are a heritage and a reward! Yet, there are many professed Christians that do not speak of children with this same high regard. How often I have heard those that claim the name of Christ speak of children as a burden and say that they have no desire to grow their own families. Those same Christians are rightfully appalled at the tragedy of taking the life of the unborn, but unwittingly have much of the same underlying philosophy as those that are willing to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

Here are specific analogies between those that are pro-abortion with those that are pro-life, but wish to prevent the initial conception of a child:

• Both view an additional child as undesirable
• Both attempt to control the womb with their actions
• Both place their own comfort above the life of an unborn baby

How it must sadden the heart of the Lord that one of His greatest gifts is viewed not as a blessing to be eagerly desired, but as a curse to be earnestly avoided. Please do not misunderstand the words written in this article to mean that a person is in sin if he or she has fewer than a certain number of children. There is no specific minimum number of offspring that results in achieving favor from the Lord. As is true in so many areas of life, the real issue is a matter of the heart. God Almighty is the source of all wisdom and He can give you His heart regarding the proper view of children, including helping you to overcome your fears, your concerns, and your selfishness. Here are some questions to consider as you evaluate whether your own thoughts, words, and actions are God-honoring with regard to the subject of children:

• Am I thinking Biblically about the fruit of the womb by seeing children as a blessing from the hand of God Almighty?
• Am I upholding the blessing of children through the words that I speak by consistently pointing out to others the amazing gift that God has entrusted to parents?
• Am I acting upon the view of children as a heritage from the Lord by faithfully parenting the incredible trust that God has given me?
• Am I praying to the Lord to bless my family through the gift of many children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and future generations?
• Do I rejoice with those that announce that they are expecting a new baby regardless of the number of children that they already have in their family?
• If I have embraced worldly philosophy on children, am I willing to repent of this sin and humbly bow before the Lord asking for His forgiveness?

As you seek to obey the truth of God’s Word in the area of your perspective on children, may the Lord richly bless you with a faithful legacy involving many descendants that rise up and are mighty in the land!

Newsletter for Sanctity of Life Sunday - Part 4

The next article in our family newsletter for Sanctity of Life Sunday comes from my dearly beloved wife, Jill. She wrote a very insightful article on the use of our words and how what we speak has the power of life and death!

Words of Life and Death

Prov. 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (KJV)

Words. Kind words. Soft and gentle words. Encouraging words. Words of love. “You’re doing great!” I’m so glad you’re in my family!” “ I love you!” Words of life.

Harsh words. Sharp and cutting words. Discouraging and critical words. Hateful, angry words. “You can’t do anything right!” “I wish you had never been born!” “I hate you!” Words of death.

Words are not neutral. They can either “breathe life,” or they can “hasten death.” They can bestow a blessing, or pronounce a curse. Who has not had an illness or even just a melancholy day, but cheered up at the life-giving, thoughtful, encouraging words of a friend? Also, who has not felt the crushing weight from the words of a complaining critic? And words of anger and hatred are felt as stabs to the heart. Our physical life is preserved, but the spirit of death is felt nonetheless.

Do we claim to be pro-life with our commitment to never kill an innocent baby, yet frequently “murder” others with our harsh speech? Luke 6:45 tells us: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (KJV) As Christians, are we blessing God, but cursing men that are made in God’s image? This should not be so. (James 3:9-10)

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6) He expects us to be pro-life in our hearts, our actions, and our words. May we only send forth life-giving blessings whenever we speak. God bless you.

Newsletter for Sanctity of Life Sunday - Part 3

This article comes from Jordan (age 15) and is a review of a book that he received for Christmas which he excitedly read through twice in very short order! This book is a great call to uphold the sanctity of life no matter the cost!

Book Review of Glory, Duty, and the Gold Dome

I love books. I heartily agree with C.S. Lewis when he said, “Your book bill should be your biggest extravagance.”¹ A book review was the logical choice for my contribution to this issue of our newsletter. And Glory, Duty and the Gold Dome by Nathaniel Darnell was the perfect book for this issue because it deals with the sanctity of life for both injured and unborn people (in addition to being one of my favorite fictional books).

After a serious car crash, a young woman named Angela Bauer falls into a coma. Her estranged husband is eager to remove her life support, but a godly State Representative named John Richards, with aspirations to a U.S. Congress seat, steps in. Rep. Richards and his son Thomas fight against her husband and the courts to save her life—and that of her unborn baby. The Representative passes a bill (which the courts strike down) and calls on the Governor to intervene. His worst foes, however, come not from the courts, but the leader of his own party, Bill Wells, who calls himself pro-life, saying, “I go to church every Sunday. And we’re all pro-life, every one of us.”² But Rep. Wells has no scruples as to shedding blood for the sake of re-election.

“Look, John, I don’t care about the Bauers. That’s not the point. They’re a lost cause anyway. Nothing we could do would ultimately help them. What matters now is that we put out a resolution supporting them, and the other party makes a fuss opposing them. The voters see that and we ultimately get re-elected. What we’ve got to do is help ourselves.”³

Rep. Wells threatens to cut spending for many of Rep. Richards’ supporters in the House, who desert justice for the green dollars. But the most crushing blow comes from his son Thomas. He gives away their strategy plans to political foes. It is not a malicious act, but rather a well-intentioned unwise one done with the firm promise that this would seal his father’s election to Congress. After all, a seat in the U.S. Congress to uphold righteousness is more important than fighting for someone who’ll die anyway, right? But he did not realize that this would cause Rep. Richards—his loving father—to be arrested. Will Angela and her baby survive now that their foremost defender is behind bars? And will Rep. Richards get his U.S. Congress seat?

The main message of the book could be summed up in Representative Richards’ own words. Are you “willing to take the ball to the goal line?”⁴ , that is, will you stand firm on your convictions and see them through to the finish? A “conservative” or “pro-life” stand is not enough. Rep. Wells was both conservative and pro-life, but he was pragmatic, that is, to him, the end justified the means. “Do evil that good may come,” he might have said. Don’t waste time on some woman and her baby who’ll die anyway. What matters is that we get re-elected to keep the House conservative. Romans 3:8 speaks out against this:

“And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil that good may come? whose damnation is just.” (KJV)

We must rise above this cowardice. We must stick to Biblical principles, though the world ridicules us, and though our friends betray us. The Lord does see us, and He will ultimately reward a faithful stand for Biblical principles, if not here on this earth, then in heaven.

I freely admit that I cannot do this wonderful book justice, so I heartily recommend that you purchase it from Vision Forum—phone number 1-800-440-0022, website www.visionforum.com. It is also available at Mr. Darnell’s website, www.siresandsons.com

¹ Terry W. Glaspey, Not A Tame Lion: The Spiritual Legacy of C.S. Lewis and the Chronicles of Narnia, (Nashville: Cumberland House Publishing, 2005)—p. 120

² Nathaniel Darnell, Glory, Duty, and the Gold Dome, (San Antonio: Vision Forum, 2009)— p. 162

³ Ibid.—p. 163

⁴ Ibid.– p. 120

Newsletter for Sanctity of Life Sunday - Part 2

The second article posted from our newsletter was penned by Aidan (age 13) and discusses how abortion is morally wrong when the Bible is our standard, not simply because it is murder (which is wicked and heinous enough), but also because it violates other Scriptural commands and principles.

Why Abortion Is Sin

There are many reasons why abortion is sin.

It is obviously murder and the Bible commands in Exodus 20:13, “Thou shalt not kill.” (KJV) This commandment includes all people. So that means that abortion is the same as shooting someone because they do not like that person. Murdering anyone is certainly wrong, but especially unborn babies since they are helpless and cannot defend themselves. Some people might think that babies in the womb are not people because they do not look like a baby, and because they are not fully developed. They even call an unborn baby a fetus to make it sound like that baby is not a person and that it is okay to kill that baby. It is similar to saying that a two year old is not a person because he or she does not look like a one hundred year old.

Children are a gift from God, so God’s gift should not be harmed. You would not feel happy if someone would destroy your gift, so you can probably guess how God feels when people destroy His gift, and think that children are a hindrance.

Also, abortion is selfish and self-centered that people are willing to hurt a helpless, innocent, unborn person just so that they can do what they want. They should instead be thinking of what others need, not of what they want, and putting yourself above others is wrong. The Bible says, “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think.” (Romans 12:3, KJV) This verse includes all people, not just males.

Another thing people might think is that the world is over populated. But someone figured out that everyone in the world could easily fit in the state of Alaska, so that idea is not true. Even if the world was full, that would be good because the Bible states, “God blessed them (Adam and Eve) and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1:28, NIV)

These are some of the reasons why abortion is wrong, and why it should not be done.

Newsletter for Sanctity of Life Sunday - Part 1

We have embarked on an exciting new adventure as a family whereby we have created our very first family newsletter. For this initial newsletter, each member of the family wrote an article related to the sanctity of life. The articles contained in this newsletter will be posted on this blog for your edification and encouragement in living a life of godliness.

The first article is written by Amara (age 8) and recounts the blessing of receiving the news that we were going to have a baby, along with her joyful expectation of the arrival of her baby sister.

Good News!

God has answered our prayers. We were praying for a baby. One exciting winter day, Dad told my family (including me) that Mom was going to have a baby. I shed tears at the thought of having a little baby brother or sister. I had two older brothers, Jordan (14) and Aidan (12). At Christmas, we told our Grandparents that Mom was going to have a baby. We told our church, too.

The first time our family went to the doctor’s appointment, I got to see the baby! And I got a picture of the baby inside Mom! As Mom and the baby kept growing, my family and I got to feel the baby moving around. Occasionally we would feel the baby’s hiccups.

None of us knew if the baby was a boy or girl. “It was more exciting that way,” Mom told us. Dad did not want to know either. So, we waited until the baby was born.

Winter ended and spring came. We prepared for the baby by making food and cleaning the house. Then spring left and summer came. Summer was exciting because that was the season that the baby was going to be born! “July 10^th is when the baby is going to be born!” said Dad.

Finally it was July 10^th! We drove to the hospital and waited until Mom was called back. When dad came to tell us, we were very excited. It’s a girl! Tirzah Mercy Jachim! Then dad took us back to see the baby. The first time I saw the baby, I noticed the gift of God in babies. SINCE BABIES ARE GIFTS FROM GOD, WE SHOULD NOT HARM THEM. In Psalm 127:3, the Bible says

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” (KJV)

Rise Up, O Church of God - Part 1

The Church in a nation has a tremendous opportunity to influence whether that nation will know God’s blessing as we are told in 2 Chronicles 7:14:

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Thus, if we look around us and see that our nation is in a moral slide, then as the Church of Jesus Christ, we must fall on our faces before the Lord and turn from our wicked ways. It is the responsibility of the Church to cry out to the Lord for the healing of our land. O, how this is needed in the United States of America today!

Let us look where the Christian Church in the land of the free and the home of the brave has fallen short and is in need of repentance before the Lord. As we shall discover, these compromises within the church have rather sobering parallels within the American culture. However, the situation is not without hope as there are very practical solutions offered by God’s Holy Word to reclaiming dominion in our society for His honor and glory.

First, while much of the Church has been properly outraged at the sin of abortion, it has not shown a love for new life in heralding children as a gift from God. In general, the Church views children in a very similar manner to the world—namely, as a burden and not as a blessing. There are many in the Church that look upon children as being too expensive both financially and emotionally. This attitude shows up in both words (via comments such as, “We are DONE having children” or “We can’t afford to have another child”) and actions (including medically invasive procedures to ensure that the child-bearing years are stopped short). O, how it must grieve the heart of our Lord to see and hear His people fighting to prevent one of His greatest treasures from entering into this world.

Many within the Church consider themselves pro-life since they have a belief that life begins at conception and they have a great repulsion over terminating a life within the womb. Holding to these convictions is very noble and right and are certainly necessary to claim a pro-life position—but are they sufficient? Is a desire to see the children that are conceived to be given the opportunity to enter into this world all that is required to be a pro-life advocate? Or is there more to being pro-life than simply being anti-abortion?

God’s Holy Word provides the answer:

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127:3-5, KJV)

Consequently, our attitude towards children should be one of viewing them as a heritage from the Lord! We should see children as a great blessing and an asset in helping fight the battle against the Satan and the forces of darkness. We show a love for life by praying for God to bless us with more children and encouraging others within the body of Christ that children are indeed a great gift from the hand of the Lord. If this nation is to have a proper perspective on the future generations yet to be born, the Church must repent of its worldly mindset toward the heritage of the Lord and must proclaim the Biblical truth that children are one of the greatest earthly treasures from Almighty God! If the Church will rise up with respect to the love for life, then, perhaps, God will rid our nation of the horror of taking the lives of the innocent unborn.

~David