We Knew It Would Come To This

We knew it would come to this, when we take the first step, more steps always follow. When abortion became legal in 1973, we told people this would escalate into bigger things. We told school students and people in other venues that killing people always leads to other forms of killing, they mocked us. When we told them there would follow laws about killing old people, they mocked us then too. When we told them that the Roe v Wade decision allowed for killing the baby all the way through the ninth month, they didn't believe us. Now we have "partial birth" abortion, where the babies can be partly out of the womb during birth, when they are killed brutally by scrambling their brains. Before partial birth abortion the babies are dismembered, without anesthetic, they are tortured and even left to die on counter tops, until they are dead to throw in trash bins. Why would we be so silly as to think that this killing mentality would stop at abortion. There is an old saying "once a dog gets the taste of blood, there is no way to stop him from killing again." Euthanasia has been legalized in Oregon now, there have been over 70 assisted suicides there since legalization, and just recently a young woman with brain cancer moved there to be killed this way. Anything after all this, should be expected. When killing becomes common place as with abortion, 56 million people murdered in the abortion mills now, there is no stopping any other form of legalized murder.

UK Mother Legally Ends Her 12-Year-Old Daughter's Life

A story making headlines in the UK makes it clear that some people, rather than viewing life as a gift from God, have decided to play god in certain cases to determine themselves when and how a person should die. Recently, the mother of a severely...

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Christ Can Fix A Broken Heart

Have you been elevated in your life, loved, praised and pampered as a child OR has your early life experience been one of misery, hate and emotional trauma?

Luke 14:26 "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

We have a tendency to think that when a child is excessively praised they will turn out to be better people, and there are those that think a child will grow to be a better person if they are beaten down or ignored, so as not to become arrogant.

Ephesians 6:4 "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

We exasperate our children in two ways, either by not enough discipline or discipline that is too harsh. Both ways lack the love of God in our hearts as we seek to train them properly.

Proverbs 13:24 "He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him promptly"

Sadly many parents don't understand the principles of discipline according to God's standard. They either pamper or condemn their children, both could not be farther from the truth.

I have known many people in my life in various conditions. I find that it is much harder to reach a pampered adult, than it is to reach those who have lived in misery. Those who have been pampered, tend to have such a high view of their importance that they have no need of instruction, they tend to know it all, they disdain any form of correction from anyone.

Proverbs12:1 "Whosoever loves instruction loves knowledge: but he that hates reproof is senseless."

The person who has been beaten down, has a low view of their self importance, they tend to wallow in self-pity, cogitating over and over their trials, using them for an excuse for evil behavior.

Both the pampered and the beaten down suffer from pride, using their own devices to get them where they want to be.

Both examples of people are what comes when someone relies on their own devices to elevate themselves. The pampered person is in love with themselves thinking that they have more to offer than anyone else. The denigrated person wallows because it affords him the excuses he needs to live as he pleases, blaming everyone else for their own sin.

Proverbs 15:32 "He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding."

Why would the beaten down soul be easier to reach? Perhaps because he is looking for validation, granted, in the wrong places, having a deep need for the love that only Christ can give.

The pampered person already feels the worldly love that was continually extended throughout their life and feels no need of Christ's love.

Today as I pondered the scar that is on my husband's leg from a childhood accident from an ax, I was reminded that scars, whether they are physical or emotional never go away. They are reminders of a life once lived, we can focus on them, or we can choose to focus on Christ.

The scar on the pampered person is the deep wound of self exaltation and the scar of the beaten down is one of complete lack of value.

When we find our value in Christ, we have no need of personal value, He is enough!

Emotional scars never go away but just like physical scars they can diminish in size and lighten in color, to the point that they are nearly invisible. They do not have any impact on our life, they just are there, if we keep Christ as our focus.

Often I tell people that our emotions do not have to be connected to who we are as a human being. They are like diminished physical scars, we can choose to ignore them. They do not have to control us. As time goes on the emotional scars diminish just like the physical scar. Neither one has to control our lives.

God allowed situations in our lives to bring us to Himself and to prune us. When we realize what God has done in us, using this life to train and teach us, then we can openly, honestly and confidently speak of the things we have been through without trepidation or embarrassment.

When we "lean into" our emotions we give them reign over us, they will always lead us away from Christ and victory, unless they are Christ centered.

Our world teaches us to focus on our emotion, Christ tells us the opposite.

Christ has scars in His hands and feet that show the great misery He incurred on our behalf and He will never lose those scars. He took our sin on the cross that we might not have to die for our own sin. When this happened, His Father in heaven could not look upon Him, it was so emotionally painful at the loss of His Father's gaze upon Him that He cried out in agony and grief at the temporary loss of His Father's attentions. He cried out "Father why have You forsaken Me."

After Christ had risen from the dead, He showed himself to the people and guess what He said:

Luke 24:38-41 "38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?"

John 20:24-28 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

Christ had a bigger reason to hate mankind than we think we have to hate Him or others. The very people He created, giving life to, while providing everything else for their existence and well being, hated and killed Him. If anyone had reason to harbor bitterness and hate for us, it would have been Christ. But He didn't do that, He gave up His life that we might live forever with Him.

Next time we feel self pity over our circumstances or are tempted to execute hate and revenge for perceived wrongs, we might want to remember that we were the ones who put Christ on that cross of torment, with our own sin.

Whether you were a pampered child or a broken child, you have need for Christ to change your heart and rule in it for eternity.

The best thing a new believer can learn is that "self awareness" needs to go. All our attentions must be on Christ alone. We love people, but they do not dictate our course, it is Christ in us that must determine our life.