“Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Sunday, January 22, 1984, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. I call upon the citizens of this blessed land to gather on that day in homes and places of worship to give thanks for the gift of life, and to reaffirm our commitment to the dignity of every human being and the sanctity of each human life.” (from Proclamation 5147 on January 13, 1984)
Today we should pause, as President Ronald Reagan wrote in the above proclamation, give thanks for the gift of life. It is not only just the abortion issue now. It is all of human life that is threatened. The elderly, the disabled, the mentally infirm are all at risk. You may say you do not believe there is problem. Countries around the globe are looking at euthanasia for those who no longer can contribute or if the person requests it.http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2018/01/18/palliative-care-nurses-quit-houses-of-euthanasia/
Taking a stand for all life matters to God. Ephesians 2:10 “ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
If you have been following “treadingwater” for a while, you know we just had several posts about man being stamped with the image of God.
Genesis 1:26-27 “Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [a]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
It was God’s breath that breathed into Adam life. The very Creator of the Universe gave man life and breath. That says that He values His creation.
Psalms 139:1-23
“O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even the darkness is not dark to You,
And the night is as bright as the day.
Darkness and light are alike to You.
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
16 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.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
20 For they speak against You wickedly,
And Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
My prayer is that we all read and meditate on these verses today. Listen to what the Word of God is saying. Every person whether a preborn child, an elderly person, disabled, mentally challenged, no matter the color of their skin has been created with the image of God. They deserve respect, honor and the right to a God-given life.
We as the body of Christ must pray as the psalmist prayed. “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” Psalms 139:23-24.
“In the Gospels, Jesus cried out time and time again: “If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9,23; 7:16; Luke 8:8; 14:35). And in Revelation 13:9, as the New Testament draws to a close, we read it again: “If anyone has an ear, let him hear.” The Old Paths Archive for Christians and Churches of Christ
Are you listening? God speaks through His Word.
2018 The year of listening.
Great Are You Lord by All the Sons and Daughters
