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It's been a while since I have posted and I have no real excuse other than being busy. So I will try to put some thoughts down. I was driving to work one day last week and listening to the radio. Because I got a little bored, I played radio roulette and came upon a station out of Beaumont that was playing some nationaly syndicated comedy morning show. And though I suspect they would eventually turn lewd, I chanced to listen for a while. And for a good long while, the comedy was not lewd. But they brought up a very interesting point. apparently it was the recent anniversary of Roe V Wade, the abortion case. The dj's brought up that the child who was actually the unborn baby at the time was born because the decision came too late. They joked about how his birthday must really be sorry for him, how he would likely need tons of counseling as he discovered his histroy and so on. The humor, while probably inappropriate, really got me to thinking about the reality of the situation. The reality was that here was a young man whose life really stands against a court order and an arguement. Here is the literally the poster for the purpose of life. His life stands as a testament to the foolishness, and the heartbreak of abortion. I know, most of the people reading this are people who would believe the same thing I do anyway. But for just a moment realize the stark reality of his life. No matter his failures or successess, no matter his heart breaks or triumphs, no matter his friends or enemies, his life touches and is real in a way that would have been stopped had he been born (in this case aborted) months later. Even in failure he represents the life that can be. And how empty other lives can be had he failed to be there.
Now jumping for just a moment to the spiritual--its the same thing in Christ. When a person is born again, even in defeat, failure, foolishness--there is a representation of Christ in a world around them. Not to mention the impact of the life when it's operating in the path of GOD. The new born person can touch others and love them. The new life can resonate with the love of GOD and actually lead to other new life. Others can be saved through the actions of the new life. And thus it goes on and on. Our lives in Christ are the testament to God's Mighty "What if." Our what if is really "what you can be." God takes what we are, which is lost and alone and not worth much in context. And He makes it into a new life full of possibility. Just as the man who wouldn't have been born got his chance to show what could be, so it is with us. Now I wonder....do you think he is glad he had the chance at birth? do you think that those who know and love him, even his own mother, are glad he was born? Maybe he labors hard to prevent others from not being born as he knows the terror first hand of what might have been. If not how sad for him. And yet for the Christian, shouldn't we labor just as hard to show others what we have gained?
posted by Darol at 3:12 PM

 
I Thessalonians has some tremendous impact if you are thinking about missions. Paul writes to the church and tell them just how much he cares about them. I mean in one chapter he tells them that when they are all standing before the LORD they will be his crown. Maybe at first that sounds cocky but to understand what he was saying removes it from the realm of arrogance. Paul is saying that he loves these people so much (he spends the first chapter telling of how they have received the Word of the LORD and how everyone talks about them not him) that considers them to be a prize. Most of think of our prizes or crowns as things we did right for GOD. These people were his crown. Imagine what it takes to a love a people so strongly that they are what matters most to him. He speaks of longing to visit them but because he can't he sends another in his place. The real meaning of that was that Paul was being persecuted where he was (again he speaks of that early on and is encouraged both by the fact that he knew it was coming and warned them and by the fact that they are faithful in both his persecution and their own). So he sends his helper, in his time of need, to others because he cares more for them than himself. Still not convinced? Then look no further than in Chapter 3 v. 9 where he actually says that he can not thank GOD enough for the joy he has in the presence of GOD because of them. That is amazing. To move beyond oneself so much to love others that your distress means nothing compared to being worried about theirs. To be so thankful to GOD for the joy of serving and loving those he has called you to love. That is impressive and that is GOD. And yet here I stand in a work place where I can't wait to leave, rather than minister to those who are down the hallway and yet I suffer no persecution other than my own little whines about this and that. I am tired. I am hungry. I can't get my work done. And on and on. Not that Paul was perfect. He wasn't.
But he loved the LORD and He loved others. And he gave his life loving others so that they became his joy. To be so thankful to GOD for the joy of being in GOD's presence because of those he loved. Make is so for us LORD.
posted by Darol at 10:36 AM