One of the objectives of the new “economic stimulus” plan would add more birth-control and family planning services to the states. Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, believes that reducing the number of babies will lessen the costs and increase the national standard of living.
She said: “The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now, and part of what we do for children’s health, education and some of those elements are to help states meet their financial needs. One of those — one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception — will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.” Speaker Nancy Malthus - WSJ.com.
This is flawed thinking. Our country is currently not producing enough children to keep up with labor. How can sacrificing children, help our economy today. Europe and Asia are struggling under a diminishing population. Japan alone is projected to lose 21% of its population by 2050.
The Bible encourages God’s people to “multiply.” Currently, we are falling far short of that command.
As we prayerfully prepare for Inauguration day, I found this blog post to be helpful. Wes Toole takes an imaginary look at what his interview would be with the president-elect if he had the opportunity.
He writes:
“Who am I to advise a president? What could I say to him that he would not be told by a team of staffers and advisers that circle within his small galaxy on a daily basis?” That being said, if I had the opportunity to sit down and advise President-Elect Barack Obama on any spiritual matter, my side of the conversation might sound something like this…
If you are obeying the commands of Christ, you will probably find yourself feeling out of place in a world that does not follow Christ. In fact, you could say that if you are feeling very comfortable in this world and not out of place, you may not be living like Jesus would have you live. That’s difficult to digest, because we all want to “fit in” to some degree. Ultimately the place where Christians want to “fit in” will be heaven, since we will be spending an eternity there.
I read a story last week that caught my attention on this very subject. A tour was being given at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum when a woman mentioned that she was raising a particular type of cactus in a pot on her New York City apartment balcony. Another tourist was surprised at her being able to raise the delicate cactus in a non-arid environment and enquired about how she kept it without over-watering it. The NYC cactus owner replied, “I subscribe to the Tucson newspaper and every time it rained in the desert, I gave my plant some water.”
When we become Christians, earth is no longer our “natural habitat.” Our hearts and lives become more dependent on divine help from heaven. We have no idea how wonderful heaven will be. Before we get there, we need to be actively watching for heaven’s news here on earth. Heaven notices the events of earth. According to the Bible, heaven erupts in rejoicing when someone accepts forgiveness (In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10). The Book of Hebrews reminds us that those who have gone on before us become a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on in the race of life. (Hebrews 12:1) In the daily grind, it is easy to lose sight of the works of heaven around us that only God can do. Prayer, Bible reading, and worship are our subscriptions to the news of heaven.
I find that this story about the cactus also reminds me about prayer. Even from a distance, prayer actively engages me in the events of the world. I can participate in what God is doing around the world through prayer.
“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10.
Recently, I have been studying about Joseph, husband of Mary and adoptive father of Jesus. He had a difficult decision to make. As I looked more closely at his decision process, I realized that his big decision regarding what to do about Mary’s surprise pregnancy, was made up of a series of smaller decisions. Here’s an excerpt from the back of this mini e-book:
Do you find yourself struggling to make decisions about everything from what to eat for dinner to who to marry or where to live? The Bible is a book that shows us how to make good decisions. Every story of the Bible illustrates the positive results of good decision making or the negative results of bad decisions. The Bible also teaches us how discover God’s plan in our decisions.
Feel free to download this small book about decision-making. Pass it along to a friend that’s in the middle of a big decision. Apply it to your life and see how God would have you make decisions.
Mark Brown challenges me to consider how we will reach this generation. He claims that the proportion of online activity in the world is exploding exponentially while the church lags behind. He further claims that we must find new ways to interact with culture in a greater way than just putting up a website here and there. I encourage you to read his article and interact with this Anglican Priest (congrats Mark! on your recent ordination). He is also church planting in the virtual world through Second Life - a virtual world that effects real-life people.
Can you imagine an athiest being grateful that someone witnessed to them and still remain an athiest. The embedded video is a vlog of Penn of Penn and Teller Magic Shows describing such an encounter. He is an outspoken athiest and yet, he appears to be truly struck by an evanglistic encounter after one of his shows.
Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
How do you make decisions? Joseph was faced with the dilemma of his life: what to do about Mary’s extra-marital pregnancy. She had promised herself to him. They were to be married. Now she was going to have a child and he knew that it wasn’t his. Joseph chose to make a righteous decision, but he also chose to be compassionate about how he would carry it out. He would put her away quietly. That was his decision.
Then God stepped in. God showed Joseph how it was all part of his plan. He could be righteous, compassionate, and obedient to the Spirit of God. Why? Because God made him a promise and God always fulfills His promises.
Many believe that the Bible is outdated, outmoded. However, if we are willing to look into the Word of God and allow it to shape us, we begin to see that there is a great deal of wisdom in the scriptures that we need for today. I believe that God’s Spirit works in us just like He did with Joseph. We are to do what we can with what we know about God’s ways and then trust God to show us what we can’t see. Everything changed for Joseph when he discovered who the baby was. Everything changes for you when you discover who Jesus is. He is the Son of God and “by His wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
Discussion Questions:
1. What major decisions have you made this last year?
2. How do you make decisions? Is there a plan to your decision making?
3. How can you consider the person and character of Jesus more in your decision making?
