Unless you live under a rock, you have probably heard of many of the recent events that have made the news. There are stories on which kind of lives matter, hashtags on Facebook and Twitter about the various colors of lives that matter, and then, the memes that pop up about how all lives matter and the like. People have the freedom to click on and choose which ones they like, which ones happen to fit with their sensibilities, and lines get drawn. People look to see how they can find something wrong with the messages from the "other" side, and gossip, slander, and the like begin to take place.
Really, this is a complex situation. For today, I simply want to look at one part of this complex problem that our country faces, that of the value of all life. Our value of life comes directly from our faith in what our God says about life. That makes this part of the situation something well worth taking a few moments to reflect upon.
For Christians, we hold to God's Word that He is the author and creator of all life. Now, that has some meaning for us when it comes to how we view life. If God is the author and creator of life, that means that He is the one who gets to call the shots. He determines when life begins and when life ends. He determines what is right and what is wrong in how we view life and others in life. Even if He determines that one person should die at what seems an inopportune time in our eyes, that's His call. He is the author and creator of life, and so that authority is in His hands.
When we take it upon ourselves to determine the value of another's life, we step over our authority and into God's area of authority. Now, most of us might consider that we don't do that, and yet, the deep reality we face is that we all make value judgments on others regarding the value of life. If we think that someone is living in a way that we don't agree with, we have made a value judgment on their life. If we believe that certain people should receive certain rights, and others should be withheld from those rights, we have made a value judgment on their life. Shoot, to put it in a way that touches so many people that live where I live, if you think that you have the right to that place in traffic, and indicate that another doesn't deserve it, you have just valued yourself as more important than they are, which is a judgment on the value of their life. In essence, that kind of thing says, "I am more important than you, and you had no right to cut me off." Even though it seems a smaller matter than those that make the news, it is still a trepass into God's authority.
Perhaps that is why stories such as all these that are making the news disturb us so much. Deep down, we cringe at what they are doing, but our consciences may be reminding us that we do the same thing, though perhaps in more subtle ways. And yet, whether it is a toe over the line, or a gigantic leap over the line, we still have trespassed on God's authority. That, my friends, is not a pleasant place to be when we consider the eternal repercussions.
Yet, God shows just how much He values all life. He sent His Son to rescue all people of this world from being valued less by others. God valued each and every life as a precious one worth redeeming, even at the cost of His own life. God doesn't make that gift conditional on anything that we can do. He simply says, "Believe that I value you enough to do this for you."
My friends, that means that, as you watch the news and you find yourself lining up on one side or the other of these various stories, remember that only God places the true value on life. Give thanks that He has valued your life as much as He does, and perhaps take a moment to pray for a new spirit within you, one which would likewise see His value for those lives with whom you align as well as those who may stand on the opposite side.
Really, this is a complex situation. For today, I simply want to look at one part of this complex problem that our country faces, that of the value of all life. Our value of life comes directly from our faith in what our God says about life. That makes this part of the situation something well worth taking a few moments to reflect upon.
For Christians, we hold to God's Word that He is the author and creator of all life. Now, that has some meaning for us when it comes to how we view life. If God is the author and creator of life, that means that He is the one who gets to call the shots. He determines when life begins and when life ends. He determines what is right and what is wrong in how we view life and others in life. Even if He determines that one person should die at what seems an inopportune time in our eyes, that's His call. He is the author and creator of life, and so that authority is in His hands.
When we take it upon ourselves to determine the value of another's life, we step over our authority and into God's area of authority. Now, most of us might consider that we don't do that, and yet, the deep reality we face is that we all make value judgments on others regarding the value of life. If we think that someone is living in a way that we don't agree with, we have made a value judgment on their life. If we believe that certain people should receive certain rights, and others should be withheld from those rights, we have made a value judgment on their life. Shoot, to put it in a way that touches so many people that live where I live, if you think that you have the right to that place in traffic, and indicate that another doesn't deserve it, you have just valued yourself as more important than they are, which is a judgment on the value of their life. In essence, that kind of thing says, "I am more important than you, and you had no right to cut me off." Even though it seems a smaller matter than those that make the news, it is still a trepass into God's authority.
Perhaps that is why stories such as all these that are making the news disturb us so much. Deep down, we cringe at what they are doing, but our consciences may be reminding us that we do the same thing, though perhaps in more subtle ways. And yet, whether it is a toe over the line, or a gigantic leap over the line, we still have trespassed on God's authority. That, my friends, is not a pleasant place to be when we consider the eternal repercussions.
Yet, God shows just how much He values all life. He sent His Son to rescue all people of this world from being valued less by others. God valued each and every life as a precious one worth redeeming, even at the cost of His own life. God doesn't make that gift conditional on anything that we can do. He simply says, "Believe that I value you enough to do this for you."
My friends, that means that, as you watch the news and you find yourself lining up on one side or the other of these various stories, remember that only God places the true value on life. Give thanks that He has valued your life as much as He does, and perhaps take a moment to pray for a new spirit within you, one which would likewise see His value for those lives with whom you align as well as those who may stand on the opposite side.
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