LIFE

Sunday devotional, 1/20/13

How important is my life?  That might depend upon the perspective.  To those close to me who love me, my life means a lot to them.  But to those who have never even met or heard of me, what is my life to them?  There might be some indirect or remote connection that could have an effect on them, but my life may be inconsequential to them.  What about those who do not like me or even hate me?  Perhaps they feel they would be happier if I were not alive or had never even been born.  

God's perspective however is that every life is important to him.  He loves every single person the same, whether alive now or in the past.  He desires the best for all of them and wants all to be saved.  He even loves those not yet born, forms them inside the womb and makes plans for them.

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.  When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body.  All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  Psalm 139:13-16 NIV  

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 NIV

Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the LORD called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name. Isaiah 49:1 NIV

This understanding of the form inside the womb already being a person as described in the Bible has been distorted and denied by many in our world today.  But we cannot deny what God's word says.  Understanding the conceived egg to be a person makes it clear whether it is right to have an abortion or not - if we see it as a human being in process, the same as you and me, then ending that life is murder.  Many people today argue that it is a woman's choice whether to have an abortion.  But if it is a life, a person, then there is no choice whether to end that life or not.  Others say that it would be better not to bring that child into the world if it is unwanted - but what about all the people waiting to adopt an infant?  It is also argued that some people are unable to bring themselves to allow someone else to adopt their baby - so it is more acceptable to murder that baby?  If it is not OK to murder it after it passes out of the womb, it is not OK to murder it before it is born if we see it as a person the moment of conception.  What about the mother who feels she will be unable to provide appropriate food and shelter?  God promises to provide all that is needed, maybe not all that is wanted, but all that is necessary:

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  Matthew 6:25-26 

God did this for Hagar when she was kicked out, homeless, wandering, and ran out of even water.  She left the baby and walked away, sobbing, because she did not want to see her son die.  But God provided what was needed and they survived. (Genesis 21:8-21)

This sanctity of life applies to all people, even the old, the suffering, the impaired, those clinging to life on artificial support, the handicapped, everyone.  We are not to decide whose life is important and whose is not.  God has deemed all to be important.  He never singles anyone out as being not worthy of life, nor should we. This brings about many difficult decisions.  Remembering that every life is important helps, but we still must come to God in prayer at times as life and death situations come up for us.  Even if in the past we have made these decisions differently than we would today, we can come to God for forgiveness.  He still loves us, no matter what, as long as we do not reject him.

Today is Sanctity of Life Sunday.  May we be a positive witness to the world as to the importance of every life.

written by Jan Andersen