God Cares for Every Life
Dear Calvary Family,
Last week, I talked about placing others above ourselves and recognizing the privilege we have as recipients of the grace of Jesus Christ.
Today, I want us to consider how we use our positions of influence, power, and privilege to promote and value life. All life.
The Bible tells us that human life is a sacred gift from God and innocent life should not be taken. Humans are created in the very image of God and I believe that life begins at conception. The image of God is not conferred as the baby exits their mother's body, it is given when that life is created. I also believe that we bear the image of God throughout every stage of our life - young, old, and every stage in between (even middle school!) I believe that people from every culture, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic level all bear the image of God equally.
God cares about the unborn life. Psalm 139:13-16 says, "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them." We fight for the unborn and seek for all to be given a chance at life. We support adoption, involvement in the foster care system, Safe Families for Children, financial giving, and other support for people in need.
God cares about the end of life. Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 says "There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--a time to give birth and a time to die." We honor those nearing the end of their lives and allow God's timing to dictate when death occurs, not our own.
God cares about the defenseless life. In Luke 5 we see a beautiful story of friends bringing their paralyzed friend to Jesus. In Luke 10 we see the story of the Good Samaritan helping the man who was beaten and robbed. We love enough to do something for the unborn, the abused, the assaulted, the poor, the disabled, the refugee, the stranger, the fearful, the sick, and others in a defenseless position.
As followers of Jesus, God gives us the role of caring for people in need. As the church, we can show Christ to a lost world by caring for the unborn, the dying, the broken, and the defenseless.
Jesus calls us to be people who are actively investing in promoting life, every life, regardless of the state of that life. How can we personally respond and contribute to life being valued and preserved? By educating ourselves on all the issues that contribute to life not being valued. By voting according to our beliefs for what will most contribute to life. By lovingly caring for individuals who have made decisions they regret. By responding to the needs that cause people to not value life.
And that is a great privilege.
May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Pastor Eric Wakeling