Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
~Luke 24:1-7

One of the things that I fondly remember about Easter as a child was the hunting of Easter eggs. While our parents only did this for a few years of our childhood, I remember seeing Easter Egg Hunts on church lawns, park districts and in various other locations in the neighborhood.

The game of “hunting” for something that is hidden or concealed was always fun. “Hide and Seek” was always a blast.

Now hunting for something that has been hidden is different from hunting for something that is lost. For example, hunting for the other sock to match the one you want to wear can be frustrating. The same goes for the “hunt” for our car keys, wallet, or reading glasses.

Some women I know love to “hunt” for a good sale on shoes. Some men I know love to “hunt” for deer, duck and quail.

Everywhere we turn and no matter the age, we are constantly “hunting” or searching for something. Luke’s Gospel tells us that Mary and Mary Magdalene went to the tomb looking to minister spices and fragrant oils on the body of Jesus.

When they arrived they couldn’t find Him. He was gone. So they started “hunting” around the tomb trying to see if they could find any trace of where He would have been taken. Then an angel appeared and explained that Jesus had risen from the dead, just as He had promised.

Today, many people are searching or “hunting” for things that they believe will make them “happy” or “complete.”

Some are hunting for financial success or security.

Some are hunting for fame and popularity.

Some are hunting for peace and tranquility.

Some are hunting for happiness, adventure, and accomplishments.

Some are hunting for ways to be numb, disconnected, and oblivious to what is going on around them.

Yet the God of the universe, the One who not only sustains our every breath but who gave us His Son to redeem us, calls us to seek Him. In fact, the Bible has dozens of verses about the importance of seeking God. When I did an Internet search on the phrase “seeking God” I got a link to 85 Bible verses on the topic.

Here are just a few that underscore the importance of seeking God through His Word:

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity;
~Jeremiah 29:13-14a

The Lord is with you while you are with Him.
If you seek Him, He will be found by you;
but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you.
~2 Chronicles 15:2b

Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
~1 Chronicles 16:11

O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.
~Psalm 63:1

Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you.
~Matthew 7:7

I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
~Psalm 34:4

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.
~Psalm 9:10

Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
~Isaiah 55:6

Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
~Psalm 105:4

For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel:
“Seek Me and live.”
~Amos 5:4

I was sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’
To a nation that was not called by My name.
~Isaiah 65:1

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
Who seek Him with the whole heart!
~Psalm 119:2

The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.
~Psalm 34:10

But without faith it is impossible to please Him,
for he who comes to God must believe that He is,
and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
~Hebrews 11:6

But from there you will seek the Lord your God,
and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
~Deuteronomy 4:29

The humble shall see this and be glad;
And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.
~Psalm 69:32

Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
~1 Chronicles 16:11

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
~Matthew 6:33

It all starts with an honest and humble search. The Word of God promises that we can find it all in Christ Jesus.

I want to encourage every reader to do your own Internet search on the phrase “seeking God verses” and do a Bible study of your own. You could also make this a family project as you look up the verses and read them aloud. I have no doubt that it will bless, encourage and better educate everyone who takes time to read the dozens upon dozen Scripture verses on the topic.

(Consider also the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10. Did he seek Jesus? Did he find Him? What were the consequences?)

If a woman decides to abort her child, but chooses to put the child up for adoption using an artificial womb, does that make it a pro-life decision? A challenging question to be sure. The very kind of issue that comes under scrutiny at The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity (CBHD) in Deerfield, Illinois.

Several days ago, IFI published my first article on the subject of ectogenesis—enabling life to develop outside of a natural womb. Today, the conversation continues with Dr. Matthew Eppinette, the Executive Director of the CBHD.

When I asked him if the ectogenesis debate involves moral or ethical issues he simply replied, “Yes.” He noted that

the important thing is that in both [moral and ethical] we are concerned about how to live, which, as theologian James William McClendon said, “is a question no one can escape.”

Dr. Eppinette read the article I sent to him titled, “Artificial Wombs will Change Abortion Rights Forever.” He was impressed that the writer did a good job of working through various scenarios. Despite a more generally liberal slant to the publication Wired, he felt they offered strong questions about the headline they chose.

Will artificial wombs change abortion rights forever? Doubtful. As Dr. Eppinette says, “Perhaps most women would be unwilling to have their unborn child placed in an artificial womb rather than continue their pregnancy.” He adds, “Technological advances do change ethical conversations simply by creating additional options.”

The Wired article makes clear that ectogenesis will not ultimately upend abortion debates.

Okay, but… could ectogenesis advance the cause of the pro-life community? Or might it work against us? Dr. Eppinette is concerned that by embracing the ectogenesis technologies as an alternative to abortion, we might be alienating human beings from one another.

How so? We might find ourselves leaning heavily “into cultural narratives of radical individual autonomy rather than acknowledging the deep dependence that human beings have on one another.” That would likely happen no matter how much we might want to avoid acknowledging it.

He cites on this point Carter Snead’s book What It Means to be Human. This work considers the “Virtues of Acknowledged Dependence”—things like justice, generosity, hospitality, compassion, gratitude, humility, and openness, among others.

Dr. Eppinette explains that caring well for mother and child both during pregnancy and long after, are “far more important to pro-life work than technological solutions.” And thus we see why, like most issues surrounding “life,” complexity remains.

But how might this birthing option change opportunities for parents hoping to adopt? In other words, some women might choose to forego abortion and instead transfer the baby into an artificial womb so that someone could adopt the baby. To which Dr. Eppinette replied,

It does not seem possible to know whether or how often that might happen, but I am skeptical that this will be a frequently chosen path.

Finally, I asked if the CBHD has a position paper on ectogenesis. While they do not, Dr. Eppinette recommended this 2021 article: “Artificial Wombs: A Theological-Ethical Analysis about Partial Ectogenesis.”

In reading the aforementioned article, one paragraph personally troubled me. A reference was made to a 1971 essay on A Defense of Abortion by philosopher Judith Thompson. She argued this:

That even if a fetus is a person at the moment of conception, a woman’s bodily autonomy…means that it is morally acceptable to remove the fetus from her body. The ensuing death of the fetus is an inevitable consequence of ending the pregnancy, rather than the woman’s intention. This means that abortion is more an act of self-defense on the woman’s part than an intentional killing.

My, what ludicrous lengths we will go to to justify our actions. And to attempt to absolve ourselves of the guilt that often results.

Those who seek the wisdom of the Divine should consider these words in Job 10:11-12: “You clothed me with skin and flesh, and you knit my bones and sinews together. You gave me life and showed me your unfailing love. My life was preserved by your care.” (NLT)

May those who love God be of like mind and do the work of preserving life.

The website CBHD.org offers a wealth of information on a wide variety of bioethical issues.

On June 1, 2022, Gov. J.B. Pritzker sent out a tweet celebrating the month of June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month. Throughout his term in Springfield, Pritzker has been vocal in his support for radical left-wing policies and social issues. He has pandered to the “LGBTQIA” community and has been a regular participant in “Gay Pride” activities across Illinois. In his statement last year, he declared that

Celebrating the diversity of our society has been a cornerstone of my administration. And during LGBTQ Pride Month, I remain committed to help Illinois become a beacon of hope for our LGBTQ+ community nationwide. Our state has brought inclusive LGBTQ+ curriculums into our schools. We expanded Medicaid coverage for gender affirming surgery. We required single occupancy restrooms be designated as gender neutral. And so much more.

He has gleefully supported LGBTQ+ bills passed by the Illinois General Assembly this session, including the REACH Act (mandatory sex education for K-12), LGBT History mandate, the marriage license corruption bill, co-ed bathrooms in public schools, tampons in boys public school bathrooms, and HIV decriminalization. He’s even raised the rainbow flag atop of the Rotunda on the Illinois Capitol and the Governor’s Mansion.

Is it any wonder that he received the Ruth Ellis Award at the Coalition of Rainbow Alliances’ (CORAL) Ritz gala in March? J.B. Pritzker has been not only an ally but also a relentless cheerleader for all things LBGTQIA. In fact, according to ABC Chicago news, while speaking at Equality Illinois’ annual brunch, Pritzker proclaimed:

Maybe in Florida, they don’t say ‘gay,’ but here in Illinois, we say ‘gay.’ Cheers …

As the Left deepens its embrace and exaltation of sexual immorality and thumb their noses at God’s precepts, Christians must not compromise. As followers of Jesus Christ and ambassadors of truth, we do not celebrate what the Bible identifies as sin. Any sexual behavior outside of marriage (one man, one woman) is sin. Isaiah 5:20 warns,

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

We do not support the use of the rainbow—a symbol of God’s promise—to celebrate “pride” and sexual immorality. Proverbs 8:13 is clear:

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverse mouth I hate.

Psalm 5:5 tells us that those who are puffed up with pride shall not stand before Him, and Romans 12:9 instructs us to “abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” In Ephesians 5:11 we are told to have nothing to do with the works of darkness, “but rather expose them.” And we expose them with the Word of God. That is the standard by which we all will be judged.

If we love our neighbor as we should, we are compelled to oppose the celebration of sin and encourage faith, hope, trust and obedience to God’s Word.

And that brings me to one last, vitally important point: Scripture teaches us that we are all sinners in need of a Savior. There is nothing we can do to clean ourselves up or earn God’s gift of eternal life. It is simply and profoundly available to all who will humble themselves, own up to their sin, repent, ask God’s forgiveness, and submit to His Lordship. There is no other way.  Acts 4:12 says it all:

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

God then calls us to trust and obey His instructions. As we read the Bible and grow in faith, we come to understand that we can trust that God’s ways are best. Perhaps some of the most powerful words in Scripture are repeated frequently because God wants us to understand, “He will not leave us nor forsake us.” In a culture and time when we are drifting far from God and His principles for godly living, this promise is not only comforting but also encouraging. Romans 8:31-32 tells us that God is for us! We can live confidently and contently in Him and through Him.

2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” God hates our sins, and every sexual sin committed in the name of rebellion or pride. Yet He extends His love to the lost people who commit these and other sins, urging all of us to turn to Him “and be converted, that [our] sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)

Our culture deals with the pervasive sin of sexual immorality to the point where many people just view sex outside of marriage (in every way possible) as “normal.”

It’s a serious problem, and the root of a lot of the current cultural chaos.

At Illinois Family Institute’s 2023 Worldview Conference, Dr. John Diggs spoke on “The Consequences of Sexual Immorality.” He does a deep dive into the consequences of sexual immorality, including STD’s, why it’s such big deal, and how the confusion about gender increases unbiblical disorder.

Please watch and share!

Sometimes our pro-life arguments can become overcomplicated by statistics, rabbit-trails, and long rebuttals to straw-man arguments from the other side. We want to defend the pro-life position with everything we can muster, but sometimes it seems like we must have an answer to every argument from a pro-abortionist to properly defend life.

Fortunately, that is not true. All we need to know in order to effectively engage is a simple syllogism and three questions, which you can find here:

In this video, Scott Klusendorf, a pro-life speaker and author with the Life Training Institute, speaks at Illinois Family Institute’s 2023 Worldview Conference on “The Issue of Abortion” and what we need to engage.

You’ll want to re-watch this multiple times, both for the instructive content and humor!

Americans are big on choice. We can choose restaurants, automobiles, our clothing, and even where to live. We can make good choices and bad choices. Our prisons are packed with those who’ve chosen the wrong path. Leaders in government often make us wonder, “What were they thinking?”

One of the saddest of choices millions of Americans have made is the decision to terminate a human life through abortion. In bizarre fashion, we even call this a “pro-choice” decision. Frightening.

The progressive “choice” crowd is always looking for an out—a way to justify the gruesomeness of killing a baby. But there is a secondary issue at play in the discussion: the term “unwanted pregnancy.” This raises the question, what if there were a way for a woman to end her pregnancy without ending the life of the child?

Sound a bit twisted? I recently came across an article describing the growing interest in ectogenesis. It was in an April 2023 edition of Wired magazine and titled, “Artificial Wombs will Change Abortion Rights Forever.” Now THAT caught my attention.

To get a better grasp on the subject, I contacted Dr. Matthew Eppinette, director of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity (CBHD) at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois. He graciously provided helpful answers to several of my questions.

Before we discuss “artificial wombs,” you should know a bit about the CBHD’s work. Dr. Eppinette explains,

CBHD addresses a full range of bioethics issues—what to pursue and what not pursue when it comes to matters of life and health. Said simply, issues involved in Taking Life, Making Life, Sustaining Life, and Faking Life.

Obviously, “Making Life” issues include questions arising from reproductive technologies that allow for the creation of human life in laboratory settings. Thus this issue of artificial wombs (ectogenesis) is in their wheelhouse.

Dr. Eppinette explains,

Ectogenesis is the process of gestating a baby outside the body of a woman. To some degree, a version of ectogenesis occurs in IVF (In Vitro Fertilization), where eggs are fertilized in Petri dishes and allowed to develop briefly before being transferred into a woman’s uterus, placed into frozen storage, or discarded. In general, though, ectogenesis has to do with bringing a child toward full term in some technological device, outside of a womb.

Stages of this are currently being done. Most labs hold to the “14-day rule,” which forbids keeping human embryos alive in laboratories for more than 14 days.” Dr. Eppinette notes, however, there is increasing pressure “to extend the 14-day rule to 21 or even 28 or more days.”

Some of the experimenting has been done on lambs showing that a developing lamb fetus can be removed from the ewe’s uterus and gestated in an artificial womb until ready for birth. A gap exists between 14 or so days and several weeks in humans. So, to Dr. Eppinette’s knowledge, this line has not yet been crossed. Thus, no successful removal from an animal embryo from conception to birth has taken place entirely in an external womb. That, by defintion, is ectogenesis.

But wait…there must be some positive, real-life value to this “technology.” And there is. Dr. Eppinette offers this scenario. Consider a child being born very prematurely. (No child has survived in under 21 weeks of gestation). In this case, the baby spends weeks to months undergoing very intensive care. This child often faces significant developmental delays and even continued challenges throughout life.

However, a child reaching 18-24 weeks gestation could be transferred into an artificial womb. This would allow the baby to continue to develop for several more weeks before being fully delivered. Dr. Eppinette terms this “partial ectogenesis” and would be the most likely scenario in which this will be used.

But like any emerging technology, there are downsides. Among them, as Dr. Eppinette explains,

are all of the unknowns that go on between the body of the mother and the body of the child during pregnancy. We are only at the beginning of understanding the interplay between the two bodies and perhaps even more, between the mother’s body and the child’s mental and emotional development.

There’s more to be said on this. My next blog will include Dr. Eppinette’s answer on “will artificial wombs change abortion rights forever.”

For now, let’s ponder in amazement what King David wrote in Psalm 139, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  Verse 14 (ESV)

For more information, contact The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity.

Parenting is tough. Aside from having to keep little people (often with sizeable attitudes) alive, parents are also entrusted with the responsibility of training their child in the way he (or she) should go – so that they love the Lord and live it out.

That last one is difficult and can easily fall by the wayside. So whether you’re a new parent who’s struggling, or a confident experienced parent, this sermon by Dr. Rob Reinow from Visionary Family Ministries is a must-see.

Focusing on Deuteronomy 6:5-9, he shares how God created and designed discipleship to take place inside the home and the when and how for parents to instruct their children.

It’s incredibly helpful for parents from any walk of life – give it a watch and share it with parents and grandparents in your circle!

I grew up as a “Cashew.” For those who are unfamiliar with that term, a “cashew” is a person with one Catholic parent and one Jewish parent. Though in my case, neither of my parents practiced their respective faiths very often.

I distinctly remember when I was a child, my mother taking me to church a couple of times on Christmas Eve for midnight Mass. On Jewish holidays, I’d sometimes go over to a cousin’s house the day after Yom Kippur to “break the fast” (even though we never actually fasted…but that was not brought up).

That was the extent of my religious upbringing. I lived as a pagan for the first 22 years of my life.

When the Lord radically saved me in August 2002 through a Bible study with a Korean missionary, I had a very strong desire to share the gospel with everyone I knew, especially the Jewish side of my family because I knew that they outright rejected Jesus as Messiah. One day, early on in my walk with the Lord, I read the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:16,

…I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile.

I was struck that the verse talks about both sides of my family, and since it says, “to the Jew first,” I decided that my dad’s side would be the ones upon whom I would focus my early evangelistic zeal. Though sometimes that zeal was mixed with a certain youthful lack of wisdom, it was always with the intention to see my family come to faith in Christ.

Romans 1:16 is a fascinating verse because it contains Paul’s own “Ordo Missionis” – his Order of Missions. A further study of the Book of Acts confirms this, because even though the mighty Apostle says in Romans 11:13 that he was commissioned as the “Apostle to the Gentiles,” whenever he traveled on his missionary journeys, he went to the synagogue first to preach Jesus to the Jews (See: Acts 13:5, 13:14, 14:1, 17:1-2, 17:10, 17:17, 18:4-5, 18:19, 19:8, 21:27, and 28:17-30).

For Paul, preaching the Good News of the Risen Messiah to his kinsman was his priority for two reasons. First, because of his love for his people and deep desire for them to know the Messiah, whom he had previously fought so hard against. And Second, because Paul was convinced that their salvation would mean “life from the dead” (Rom 11:15).

These simple Bible truths drove my own passion as well. So then, even within Paul’s own ministry in Acts, he always went to the Jew first. Think about that. The Apostle to the Gentiles always went into the synagogue in every town to preach to the Gospel to the Jewish people. Paul’s ministry should be an example to us, but I don’t think his pattern of evangelism happens much anymore.

To be sure, “to the Jew first” certainly doesn’t mean “to the Jew last” or “to the Jew never.” Jewish ministry is important to God. Jesus says, “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few, therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.”

There is a great need for Christians to have a heart to share the Gospel with Jews. There are indeed very few missionaries to Jewish people, and what has happened as a result is that the Jewish people today, en masse, are like sheep without a shepherd. I have done Jewish missions work in some capacity for almost 20 years, but the Jewish people are still mostly an “unreached” people group, even in America.

As hard as that may be to believe, consider this: how many Jewish missionaries does your church support? Perhaps you DO have one or two, and that’s great! But then my follow up question is, how often to YOU personally share the Gospel? To the Jew first and also to the Gentile – that was Paul’s order of missions.

What is yours?

I am writing this article to encourage my brothers and sisters to have a heart for their Jewish neighbor, and witness to them in a loving, sensitive, and appropriate way. Not boasting over those branches that were cut off, but pleading with them to be grafted back in. They need the Good News! They need to hear that Jesus the Messiah of Israel has come, and He has opened heaven to all who believe in Him, through his atoning death and resurrection. Keith Green, my favorite Jewish singer once sang:

“Oh, bless me, Lord! Bless me, Lord!” You know, it’s all I ever hear! No one aches. No one hurts. No one even sheds one tear. But, He cries, He weeps, He bleeds. And He cares for your needs. And you just lay back and keep soaking it in.

Oh, can’t you see such sin?! ‘Cause He brings people to your door, and you turn them away, as you smile and say: “God bless you! Be at peace!” And all Heaven just weeps ’cause Jesus came to your door. You left Him out on the streets…

I certainly don’t want to be that kind of Christian, yet I still see so much of it in me. So much selfishness, so much fear, so much navel-gazing, so much laziness…God have mercy. But how can I stay silent? My Jewish neighbors need Jesus! There is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved!

I am going to go out into the mission field with a renewed sense of love and compassion for my people. Will you join me? Open your mouth and share the Gospel with your Jewish neighbor today. Don’t be afraid! Listen to Paul who says, “follow me as I follow Christ!”

O Zion, You who bring good tidings, Get up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, You who bring good tidings, Lift up your voice with strength, Lift it up, be not afraid; Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” –Isaiah 40:9

Protect Children & Taxpayers From Radical Gender Ideology

On May 15, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) introduced two bills to the U.S. Senate—one that would prohibit federal funds from supporting gender transition procedures, and another that would altogether ban such procedures on minors.

These bills are so radical in light of contemporary opinion, yet so simple and straightforward in achieving their goals, that when I read their respective texts, I was awed that the U.S. Senate still contains the type of statesman who will stand for the truth in this way.

And Marshall isn’t alone; co-sponsoring one or both of these bills are U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Braun (R-IN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Steve Daines (R-MT), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Mike Lee (R-UT), Markwayne Mulllin (R-OK), James Risch (R-ID), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Josh Hawley (R-MO).

On the one hand, the End Taxpayer Funding of Gender Experimentation Act of 2023 (S. 1595) would prohibit several of the current ways that federal dollars can fund gender transition procedures. Under this bill’s provisions, federal funds may not directly fund gender transition therapy or surgery. Neither may they be shuttled into health care plans that include such practices in their coverage.

Further still, no health care service that is furnished by a physician employed by the federal government or even furnished in a facility owned by the federal government may provide gender transition procedures.

The bill does clarify that non-federal health care providers would be free to provide such treatment, and that customers would still be free to seek out separate (non-federal) plans that cover such treatment should they want it. Yet, the federal government must stay out of it.

On the other hand, the Protecting Children From Experimentation Act of 2023 (S. 1597) takes it a step further when dealing with minors; it would ban gender transition procedures for minors in almost all cases—excepting rare medical situations. Under its provisions, any physical or mental healthcare professional would be fined (or face up to five years in prison) for performing or even referring a gender transition procedure.

The bill makes sure to clarify that minors may not be prosecuted for receiving such treatment; however, recipients of the treatment are allowed to bring civil action for relief against the physician who performed it.

Marshall and his colleagues’ stand for the truth deserves three whole-hearted cheers. They are daring to suggest that physicians performing supposedly “essential” gender transition care should be imprisoned! While it seems harsh, it is not any less harsh than the “care” they are purporting to provide—nothing less than a 21st-century version of the self-mutilation practiced in pagan rites for millennia, an abomination which defiles God’s created order bestowed to each one of us since our conception.

Now, it’s one thing to sit back and cheer for U.S. Senators who are willing to take stands like this, drawing clear lines between black and white in a world filled with multitudinous shades of grey. But politics is not a spectator sport. “The people” are more than just the hypothetical but fictitious “12th man” on the football team. “The people” send the players onto the field, tell them how to play, and recall them when they don’t do their jobs right.

Many of Marshall’s colleagues are assuredly shocked at his audacious proposal. But it’s audacious when viewed from a worldview that presupposes society has already settled the question—or at least the toleration—of gender transition procedures.

Thankfully, U.S. Representative Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) has introduced the same legislation in the U.S. House (H.R. 3328 and H.R. 3329), which has 40 co-sponsors, including U.S. Representatives Mike Bost and Mary Miller from southern Illinois.

If we all called or emailed our representatives right now and let them know that we—their very own constituents—agree with Marshall’s stand for the truth, the excuses to dismiss his position as audacious and radical, will start disappearing. Let them know that you sent them on to the field to represent you, and you will not tolerate government support of lies.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send a message to U.S. Senators Dick Durbin, Tammy Duckworth and your local U.S. Representative to ask them to support or even co-sponsor these two bills. Impressionable children should not be making life-altering, body-mutilating decisions about their sexuality and adults should not be pushing woke sexual anarchy either.

U.S. Representative LaMalfa rightly points out in his press release,

let kids be kids and wait until adulthood to make a choice they likely wish they hadn’t as a child. Adults and the medical field shouldn’t be allowed to coerce this “woke” agenda onto them when they should be their protectors. Adults need to realize that their coercion is abuse, and should face appropriate consequences.

Nothing opens your mind to new worlds and new possibilities better than a book. Stories can communicate ideas, themes, and lessons considerably better than a lecture does. Children love to act out the stories of their favorite characters, adopting their mannerisms and wishing to be them. You probably can think of a book that has impacted you deeply and maybe even encouraged you to change your behavior in some manner.

Stories are incredibly powerful, sometimes bringing about great change in a culture.

Throughout history, various groups and organizations have banned books for a myriad of reasons: they were deemed inappropriate or immoral, the ideas proliferated were considered dangerous or heretical, or a tyrant thought they would stir up unrest and opposition to his rule.

Book banning is not a good thing. Because of the innate sinfulness of humanity, banning one book opens the door for unjust people or groups to ban anything they choose.

Lately, so-called book banning has been forefront in the news; a story complicated by the narrative the media is spinning. In 2020, when everything shut down due to Covid, public schooling moved to Zoom, and parents could see what their children were being taught and the material they were assigned, including the books their kids were reading.

At some point during all of this, it was discovered that there are books in elementary through high school libraries that are highly pornographic. This is not an exaggeration. If you don’t believe me, watch this video posted by a concerned mother  (WARNING: graphic content).

Understandably, parents began forming groups to advocate for having more of a say in what their children are learning in public schools and began rightly contesting books such as Gender Queer, All Boys aren’t Blue, and Lawn Boy, reading them out loud at school board meetings, requesting that schools remove them from their libraries, and asking that they provide age-appropriate reading material only.

Now the media is attacking parents and parental rights groups like Moms for Liberty. The story is being framed to make it look like these parents are trying to ban books because they are bigots who don’t want their children exposed to “diverse” ideas. They’re comparing concerned parents to Big Brother in George Orwell’s 1984 (which is ironic, since in 1984 it was Big Brother that was providing people with porn).

Without coming right out and saying it, they’re purporting that schools should have these books in their libraries precisely because parents don’t want their kids to read them. The idea seems to be, “What if those poor kids feel uncomfortable with who they are and need a place to express themselves and learn about every aspect of the LGBTQIA agenda without the involvement of their mean, strict parents?”

Not only is this a twisted spin on the facts, but it is a downright lie. Banning a book means that the book is banned. It’s illegal to buy, sell, read, or own, and anyone caught with it would face punishment. That isn’t what these parents are requesting. Asking that a book be removed from a school library because of inappropriate content doesn’t vilify the parent.

Similarly, we wouldn’t blame a parent for taking a phone away from their child who is doing things he or she isn’t supposed to with it. Children aren’t allowed to go to tattoo parlors or tanning salons, and we rate movies based on the content because there are things children (and people in general) should not see.

Requesting only age-appropriate content in public schools doesn’t constitute a ban.

Much of the reasoning behind the media’s spin of the story is because most, if not all, of the contested books are LGBTQIA+ related. Our culture is obsessed with self– personal autonomy, total unrestricted freedom, and the pursuit of making oneself happy. It’s a worldview that says, “Anything goes, but if you get in the way of my anything, you need to go.”

But freedom in this world isn’t unlimited. Free societies still have laws and legal consequences for breaking them because people do bad things. If those things were allowed to continue without repercussions, society would collapse. Insisting on having the freedom to gratify the desires of the flesh ends up in slavery to death and eternal destruction.

The backbone of true freedom is Biblical morality.

Some things absolutely should be illegal. In reality, the LGBTQIA+ movement has to do with a grotesque focus on sex. It’s openly targeting children, who, be they seven or seventeen, ought to be guarded against, not exposed to pornography. Adults shouldn’t be filling their minds with it either.

Stories have the power to change minds, for good or for evil. Requesting that a school provide only age-appropriate material is a good thing, and very different from book banning.

There is an old hymn, that you might have sung, in which the song writer notes, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. . . .” We do so quickly forget and devalue the great things we have been given. From ancient times civic leaders have been wise to erect memorials to citizens who have sacrificed or done great things for their countries.

And so do we. It is sobering to walk among the graves at Arlington National Cemetery, or read the names on the Vietnam Memorial, or sit quietly at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and to recall that our freedoms and prosperity have come at a great price. It is even more striking when you consider that those who paid the greatest price were robbed of the blessings they so willingly died to secure. For us to be ungrateful would be the height of arrogance, as if we deserve their sacrifice!

We often wonder why God allows the tragedies of war, when so many of the nation’s best go away and never come home again. It may be that the sacrifices of young men, who are just reaching adulthood and have so much to look forward to, are the closest human proximation to the sacrifice of the greatest Son, who gave all to bring liberty to those who believe! It is to our shame that Jesus Christ, the day before His trial and execution, had to institute what we call communion, or “The Lord’s Table” for the primary purpose of reminding us of Him and of His sacrifice. We are so prone to forget!

Sadly, most of us think of furniture sales and cookouts whenever the Memorial Day weekend comes around; but we ought to rethink how we spend that time. No, l am not saying we shouldn’t get together with family and friends to enjoy the blessings of liberty and prosperity, but we would do well to also remind ourselves and our children of the scarcity and the high price of liberty.

Most people, through approximately six thousand years of human history, have lived under the thumb of one tyrant or another. They were called kings, emperors, Pharaohs, Comrades, or something of the like. While the titles changed, the lives of average citizens living under their rule could be described generally as somewhere between difficult and soul crushing. We Americans, on the other hand, have been uniquely blessed from our founding, and while some have not shared fully at the table, the best solution to that failure is not to push everyone else from the table, but rather, expand the table so that all may participate. No good person would say (as Leftists declare) that since all have not been equally blessed, no one should be blessed at all!

So, what is it that we celebrate on Memorial Day? Why should we take time to focus on what most Americans have come to think of as normal living? We celebrate liberty because it is so rare and costly, but also because it is the condition we were created to enjoy. One might say that it is like water for fish, or air for birds. God’s design for mankind was, from the beginning, to be a life of doing whatever we wanted!

In Genesis chapters one and two we discover God creating Adam and Eve and giving them liberty to do anything they wished, except to eat from that one tree.  Talk about freedom! No other humans  have ever lived with such minimal restrictions.  It was truly paradise!  The fact that they lost it by rebelling does not diminish the truth that it was God’s intention that we be free.  Such is the way of love.  You want those you love to be free.

The United States’s Founders, guided by biblical principles, and controlled by strong personal discipline, created a nation that was closer to God’s ideal than any other nation in history. How many immigrants, fleeing oppression elsewhere and arriving here with nothing, but investing energy and talent, have found themselves exclaiming, “America! What a country!”

What a country, indeed!

But one can only be allowed to do whatever he desires to do, if his desires are good. And thus, the tragic human contradiction. We want to be free to “follow our heart,” but we constantly butt heads with others who also seek to follow their hearts. Conflict is the story of mankind, and it is the reason behind the day we are considering: Memorial Day.  Conflict between nations led by tyrants following their own heart’s desire to conquer, and countries that do not wish to be conquered has been raging from time immemorial.

If you feel compelled to be angry, be angry at those who, for their own grandiose ambitions, send their nation’s youth to slaughter another nation’s youth. Be angry with them, not the country that was forced to defend itself. No, be grateful that so many bright and generous young people from your neighborhood and city took it upon themselves to protect you and your family from tyranny!

And thank God, who in His sovereign grace provided that a nation so great and free should survive as long as it has, in spite of enemies within and without.

Liberty is fragile. It is dependent upon citizens understanding history, appreciating liberty, willing to correct the wrongs, be patient in the process, and discipline themselves to “know the truth” and obey it.  Jesus told us that “the truth will set you free.” And so it is.  In reality, living by truth, God’s truth, is the only pathway to liberty.

This Memorial Day, take these principles to heart. Get to know God and His principles through His Word. Trust Him to keep His Word, and thank Him for what He has sacrificed to provide you forgiveness, and for what so many brave Americans have sacrificed so that you might be free and live free!

March 22nd was a very difficult day for me. It has taken some time for me to even be able to write meaningfully about the “event” of that day. We bade a not-so-fond-farewell to our treasured rat terrier, Pepito. My buddy. My blessed companion. He needed to go. His last days were very difficult. He died in my arms. And I wept.

One of the lesser known songs from years past in Christian radio is titled, “Goldie’s Last Day.” It’s from a 1993 album by the same title from a group called PFR (Pray for Rain.) Here’s the first verse:

Puppy love, puppy love
Yes, she gave all she had
Not like a brother or sister
More like a Mom or a Dad
We never asked her, never gave her a choice
We just barked out commands
Sit, Stay, Don’t beg
Stop licking my hands
Those days are gone now
I wish Goldie could come out and play
Goldie’s last day, Goldie’s last day

Anyone who has lost a beloved pet knows the pain that death brings. And we try to cope in many different ways. One of the more misguided of our efforts is to claim our pet has “crossed over ‘the Rainbow Bridge’.”

It’s suggested that the pet Rainbow Bridge idea may be connected to the Bifröst bridge of Norse Mythology. There, the idea is presented that a rainbow bridge reaches between Midgard (Earth) and Asgard, the realm of the gods.

Then there’s a book called Beautiful Joe’s Paradise by Margaret Marshall Saunders. In this work, we find pets awaiting their owners in a grassland. In this “divine” location, they offer help so others can heal from cruelty endured during their earthly lives. No mention is made of a “Rainbow Bridge,” however.

Instead, the idea apparently derived from a poem by Paul C. Dahm. This man was a grief counselor in Oregon. The Rainbow Bridge poem was originally composed in prose style. Here’s a sampling:

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

To use another animal reference, “Hogwash!” The Rainbow Bridge is a nice sentiment perhaps. But written only to comfort humans of their loss. There’s no sniffing in the meadows of the afterlife for animals. Because they have no afterlife.

Think about it. If the Rainbow Bridge existed, do we really want to see alligators, coyotes, lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!) crossing over? I doubt even cats would participate in the crossing. Way too independent!

Now there may well be a complete set of animals in the new creation. (Avoid the dinosaurs, please.) What makes mankind unique from all other creatures put on earth by God is that we are made in His Image. Homo sapiens are the only known species in creation who can respond to God by learning to love Him “with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” (Mark 12:30-31, NLT)

There is simply no biblical support for the idea that animals have souls that move into eternity. I wish they did. (Well, maybe not one of the dogs I had.) I thought my little Pepito was one of the sweetest dogs to ever walk the planet. I am grateful for the blessing he was in my life and how much joy he brought to our family. Parting was so much more than sweet sorrow.

People also often say that humans become angels when we die. No we don’t. Jesus answered the Sadducees on a marriage question by telling them in heaven we will be “like angels,” not that we become angels. They’re a different breed in God’s creation.

Related to that, in the passing of a loved one you might hear, “God must have needed another angel.” Not true. God has all the angels He needs.

Friend, do not fret over the eternity of saved souls. God’s future Kingdom will be so grand and glorious you will bask in the Light of His very Presence. Let that assurance be your comfort in all loss. And be thankful for the animal friends God blessed you with. Farewell, my little Pepito.

Things are truly upside-down. Christians, who have been scorned forever as weak and milk-toast, are suddenly public enemy number one. And while Christianity has been the source of thousands of American charities and the inspiration for hospitals, medical care, and education worldwide, it is now labeled by the Left as hateful and bigoted. Then we see destructive anarchist groups like Antifa and BLM glorified in the Media and academia as forces for good! How could this be?

The Left has had an advantage over conservatives in shaping the public’s perception of things for many years because they have controlled the narrative. They have presented themselves as caring and compassionate, sympathetic to the poor and the disadvantaged. And, because of the Christian ideal of giving people the benefit of the doubt, we have accepted that maybe they were truly concerned for those who are less advantaged.

However, because Leftists now have so much power, they no longer feel the need to hide their true objective. They seek political dominance and the elimination of Christianity in all public forums and will do whatever is necessary to accomplish those goals. They have portrayed themselves as selfless champions of the downtrodden, and conservatives as greedy. However, we must no longer tolerate that narrative. It is a lie, and their duplicity is clear to all whose eyes are open.

Leftists have done well at creating the perception that they are not in politics for money, thus masking their greed. But make no mistake! They are as greedy as one can be. However, if you have enough power, you do not need personal wealth because you control other peoples’ money.

With the power to tax, politicians can live as if they are wealthy by legally confiscating and spending other people’s money. Creating wealth is difficult and requires certain skills and discipline. But if you are not talented in this area and are lazy and unethical, politics provides you with a vehicle to achieve your dreams without the hard work and risk that capital creation requires.

What we have seen over the last 60 years is the Left demonizing those who create wealth in order to justify confiscating it.

At the same time, the leftists, who disdain wealth creators, have convinced the public that they (the Leftists) are better and more selfless stewards of that wealth. Thus, we have people who are incapable of creating wealth, taking it from those who do and spending it according to their own desires and accruing to themselves more power in the process. It is interesting how many politicians have become multimillionaires even as they denounce those who created the wealth in the first place.

We are now governed by people who have no idea how to create or wisely manage wealth, and whose real motivation is that of controlling the rest of us. They are the embodiment of greed. They are concerned primarily for themselves and serve others only as a means of accruing power and wealth to themselves.

While one would expect that they would alienate most everyone because of their greed, they have managed to gain a substantial following among three groups who sustain them in power: those who are content to take a handout and produce nothing, those who are genuinely needy and have become dependent upon the politicians, and a third group who are equally cynical and see an opportunity to accrue some personal power and prestige by supporting the Leftists and their sordid process.

Sadly, the Media, whose primary responsibility is to hold public figures accountable, cover for their corruption. There is no way to describe it other than that of non-producers stealing and controlling what the producers have created. They are truly parasitic.

This brings us to the very important question: what does the Bible say about all this?  As “pilgrims” here are we to be compliant and silent? Compassion and generosity are certainly Christian values! But as an aside, let us put to rest the nostrum that Leftism is compassionate. It decidedly is not! After decades of the federal government spending literally trillions of dollars on numerous supposedly compassionate programs, the poor remain poor and the powerless remain powerless.

If these programs are as bad as they appear, we should turn our attention to their impact on society in general and on those who contribute. Is it moral to confiscate resources from those who create and earn it only to squander it on ineffective programs? I believe the evidence suggests that the exorbitant taxation upon the middle and upper classes in America over the last 50 years has been both immoral and counterproductive.

So, what does the Bible teach about such things? One need not be a Bible scholar to know that stealing is wrong. Therefore, without having good reason the government should not take from one citizen to give to another. Having the government’s imprimatur does not change the reality that transferring wealth from earners to non-earners without Constitutional authority is theft.  The right to personal property guaranteed in the Constitution is not simply to provide for an individual’s greed, but rather to protect his life.

Unprotected property rights place every citizen’s life at risk. If the government can take, at will, one’s wealth, it can starve that person to death. And the fact that even after trillions of dollars have been transferred, primarily from earners to non-earners, there are still many millions in poverty underscores the need to rethink our “compassionate” welfare system. As constructed, it is a colossal failure.

Foundational to the issue is the fact that government is incapable of ministering compassion. It must fall to other social institutions and organizations, such as churches, to resolve the poverty problem.

The Bible notes that “wisdom is justified of her children,” (Luke 7:35), meaning that the wisdom of an act is revealed by its consequences; and Jesus stated that “a tree is known by its fruit,” (Luke 6:44). Therefore, if a particular activity repeatedly produces bad results one can assume the act is foolish and ought to be discontinued. One’s intentions mean nothing in this.

While the Left burnishes their “compassion badges,” boasting of how much they care, virtually everything they have done for over fifty years has produced nothing but heartache, misery, poverty and increased public unrest. It cannot be ignored that as Christianity has been pushed to the fringes of society there have been tragic increases in crime, depression, suicide, divorce, sexual perversion, and confusion.

Setting aside for the moment those who cannot provide for themselves, the Bible is very clear that anyone who refuses to work should not eat. Witness the sorry tales of so many lottery winners to understand that we do not do well with unearned wealth! Therefore, government should do nothing to facilitate a comfortable life for those unwilling to work. Sources, secular and sacred, confirm that generally, those who are diligent, disciplined, and work hard do not go hungry.

Scriptures tell us that God gives rain to those who love Him and those who don’t. He is gracious! This does not mean that His provision will always be abundant. We should all be grateful to him for his care and provision for us whether it be modest or abundant. It may be that one of our biggest errors, culturally, is that we have raised a generation of Americans who believe they are owed a rich and comfortable existence even though they have done little or nothing productive. To give it to them would be immoral and destructive!

Colonial Jamestown, VA scholar, Martha McCartney, wrote in Encyclopedia Virginia, (Dec 7, 2020) that Captain John Smith, early President of the colony, would have nothing of slothfulness, declaring that

“the labours of thirtie or fortie honest and industrious men shall not be consumed to maintaine a hundred and fiftie idle loyterers.”

Whatever his motives, it is quite clear that his stubbornness preserved lives. Very few died under his leadership while a large number perished under the leadership of his successor who was not so strict. As McCartney noted,

“Regardless of whether Smith recognized this fact, he found that even small amounts of work improved both the material life and health of the colonists.”

These realities are so obvious that no politician can honestly deny them. To create a public welfare system where productivity and hard work are discouraged by the government’s confiscation of wealth from producers to distribute it to those who are unwilling to work is simply immoral and will, if not corrected, contribute to the collapse of the entire economy. It is impossible for our politicians not to understand this, therefore, we need no longer accept the notion that they are well-intentioned but misguided.

No, they are simply greedy, either for money or power, or both. They are snakes in the grass who ought to be exposed for what they are. Their programs have produced virtually nothing of value and instead an abundance of suffering.

In seeking a biblical perspective, the faithful Christian should consider two primary principles: First is his responsibility to the poor. Numerous biblical texts in both Old and New Testaments give God’s answer. On one hand, Christ Himself noted that, “the poor you have with you always.” This is merely a sad acknowledgement of reality. People are poor for a variety of reasons, many of which are intractable.

This must not be construed as cause for doing nothing. Many Christians and others have seen the impossibility of eliminating poverty as cause for discouragement and apathy.

However, Christ’s parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us that while we may not be able to do much about poverty across the globe, we can do something about people in need who cross our paths regularly. Therefore, the Christian ought to be known for wise generosity: encouraging work for those able, and compassionate giving to those who cannot provide for themselves.

Which leads to the second principle: Just as it is wrong to ignore genuine need, it is wrong to indulge the indolent. The Scriptures teach that if a man refuses to work, he should not be given food. It is for his own betterment that others refuse to support him in his slothful choices. He will gain more than a meal when he learns the value of hard work.

America is at a fork in the road. Will we return to the imperfections, yet relative goodness of a society guided by the principles and truths of Christianity and the Bible, or adopt Marxism and fall back into the despotism and misery that has otherwise characterized human history from its beginnings?

The choice seems pretty clear to me!

Thursday, May 18, 2023 marks the 1,993rd anniversary of the ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven. Unlike Christmas and Easter, this celebration of the culmination of our Lord’s earthly ministry does not receive much attention culturally. In some nations, Ascension Day was a public holiday, but in our post-Christian era, we have adopted new “holy” days.

So, what happened on that amazing day almost 2,000 years ago? Jesus and his disciples were gathered on the Mount of Olives just across the valley from Jerusalem, and in the sight of His disciples, Jesus was taken up into heaven. From the description that we are given in Acts, Jesus entered the Shekinah cloud, the supernatural cloud that was sometimes manifested to show God’s presence.

Through His ascension, Jesus Christ now rules from Heaven at the right hand of the Father until He returns to judge the living and the dead.

“This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” ~Acts 1:11b

It is important to keep in mind that Jesus, the eternal Son of God, exists in Heaven in His glorified human body. His physical body is not present on the earth any longer. However, because of His truly divine nature, we are not separated at all from our risen and ascended Lord. In addition, we have the continued ministry of the Holy Spirit. We should commemorate the powerful coming of the Holy Spirit just ten days after Ascension Day, on Sunday, May 28, 2023.

Question 49 of the Heidelberg Catechism asks, “What benefit do we receive from Christ’s ascension to heaven?”

Three points of benefit are shared in the answer:

First, our Advocate, the one who intercedes for us and rules over us, is in the presence of His Father in heaven.

Second, we have our flesh in heaven, which provides us complete assurance that He, as the Head, will also one day take us to Himself.

Third, we have been given the Holy Spirit as the assurance that our great God will complete the work of redemption and the renewal of all creation. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are able to seek those things which are above and not just things on the earth.

So, what does this all mean for us as Christians living in an increasingly hostile world now, where it seems that things are only getting worse? The Christian life is always one of faith, based on the truth God has given to us, and it is assured through the Holy Spirit. The prophet Habakkuk, in assessing the tumult of the nation of Judah and the horror of the coming Babylonian invasion, was told the just shall live by faith. The key to faith is knowing the truth that God has revealed to us.

“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” ~1 John 5:4

Second, we consider that we are not the first generation to live through incredible difficulty. As much as we lament the situation we are facing, we must keep in mind that those who came before us endured even greater trials. They were strengthened as they looked to the Lord; we must do the same.

Third, the glorious truth of our Lord’s ascension and victory must be kept in mind especially when we are tempted to compromise. Satan has nothing to offer us. The world has nothing to offer us. Let us make sure we keep our focus where it ought to be.

The Apostle Paul in Colossians 3, after challenging the believers in Colossae to keep their focus on things above, then gave warning about putting to death fleshly desires: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness. The wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

The victory belongs to Christ, but we must make sure we live and fight on His terms! Take time today to rejoice in the triumph of our Lord. May this glorious truth equip you for continued spiritual battle.

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” ~Romans 8:37

God is loving, we are told, and thus accepts us as we are.  The idea that God will judge people for their sins is now so unpopular that few are willing to state it publicly, and many pastors have sadly bowed to the pressure to present a palatable God, a doting “Grandpa” who silently approves of His children regardless of their conduct.

If you have been caught up in this heresy, I warn you to retreat to truth.  God not only has a much higher standard of righteousness than we do, His standard is absolute perfection!

Many years ago, I spoke with a friend, a biblical counselor, regarding the problem of perfectionism.  We have all dealt with perfectionists.  They can be demanding at times!  Maybe you are one!  My friend noted sternly that only God has the right to be a perfectionist for He alone is perfect!

Most of us are not perfectionists, but therein lies a different problem.  Because we do not demand perfection from others (how could we as often as we fail?), we assume that God does not demand perfection from us.  But He does!  Matthew 5:48 reads, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (KJV). No, He does not expect perfection immediately, but do not confuse His patience with tolerance.   At some point, we will be brought individually to account for every time we fail to match His perfect righteousness and holiness.   That ought to be very troubling to us!

God’s perfection is related to, among other things, His holiness, righteousness, and justice.  In all of His eternal existence God has never varied from absolute perfection.  He has never erred in even the smallest way.  And being Creator and Steward of the universe, He takes responsibility for everything that happens within its boundaries, which means that we all must live by His rules.

Our failure to match God’s perfections has an important moral element.  It is not just that we are not as strong or intelligent as God is, we adamantly refuse to do His will!  Every human act is tainted by self-will rather than God service.  Scriptures declare that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked,” (Jer. 17:9, NKJV).  The sad tale of mankind’s history is sufficient proof of this!  Everything we do is unsatisfactory to God!

Some philosophers have reasoned that God is so great that He is indifferent to what we do.  We neither add to Him nor take away from Him and thus we need not concern ourselves with the issue of our sinfulness.  It does seem unreasonable (to us) that God would care about what insignificant beings like us do.  However, it is due to His infiniteness that these things do matter.  Acts large or small to us are identical in scale to Him.  His infiniteness extends both directions on the linear scale.

God is not just infinitely greater than we humans. As Creator and Sustainer of the universe, He has the moral responsibility to separate from and condemn all who fall short of His holy perfections.  He commands, “Be holy for I am holy!”  Lest I be misunderstood, God cannot wink at human moral failure, which Scripture labels as sin.  It is in His eternal constitution to repudiate everything that fails to conform to His holiness.  He cannot soften His wrath against it.

In the same way that a company is responsible for the conduct of its employees, God is ultimately responsible for what transpires on planet Earth.  Ironically, while He hates wickedness, and has gone to great lengths to expose and oppose it, He is often blamed for the evils that sinners perpetrate day-after-day contrary to His will and word!  Because of His grace He is willing to “take the blame” for the moment but understand that such an injustice must and will be corrected.  He is blameless!

As Creator He is owed love, allegiance, and submission, yet people have thumbed their noses at Him and rejected His authority and His call on their lives.  Mankind’s failure is not only a matter of quantity, it is a failure of quality.  It is not that He expects us to accomplish ABC and we are only able to do A and B.  Rather, we spurn His commands and do the opposite.  He created us to bring glory to Him, but we shame Him instead.

Even we, having created a work of art, literature, or some other accomplishment, expect to get the credit for it.  Millions of lawsuits attest to the fact that we do not accept others getting or taking credit for our work!  But in our relationship with God, we do worse!  We not only fail to give Him the credit (glory) due Him for who He is and what He does, we seek to take His glory to ourselves!  We stand in awe of a DaVinci painting, or listen in rapture to a Beethoven symphony, but curse Christ, the God who with a word created the beauty of a sunset, a daffodil, and the glorious galaxies and seek to take credit for talents and abilities He “loaned” to us!

Glorifying God is not just crediting Him for who He is and what He does.  It is matching His moral perfections.  He is personally flawless and demands the same from His creation for which He is responsible.  He can tolerate no flaws in His universe.  Our every sin is a blight on His name and reputation and must be corrected.  He will not forever take the blame for our conduct, nor will He allow others to claim credit for His gracious acts.  Ultimately, He will set the record straight.

If there were aliens from other galaxies (and there are not), but if there were and they visited planet Earth, they might well ask, “Who is responsible for this horrific mess?”  A casual observer may blame God, but that conclusion would not stand.  Every broken heart, every dark blot on creation derives from the failure of created beings, not the Creator.  You and I cannot escape our accountability.  We must come to terms with God.

If you love God, you are offended by that which offends God, and you want His good name cleared.  You look with great expectation to the day when He will set the record straight and the guilty parties will be punished.  If you do not love God, I warn you that the days of evading your responsibility will have an end.

Judgement day is coming!  You may believe you can avoid God forever, but the Bible states that there will be a day when “every knee shall bow. . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,” (Phil. 2:10-11, NKJV).  This includes every soul in Heaven, Earth, and Hell.  And the standard by which each will be measured will not be one of their own devising, but rather the perfections of Jesus Christ!

In moments of quietness, when you have found yourself examining your own heart, you know that God’s word is true: you stand guilty.  We all stand guilty, not of mere incompetence, but of rebellion!  This fact is born out not only in our consciences, but in the dark and bloody history of humanity.  Rejecting this truth would be understandable if there were no escape from the resultant condemnation.  Denial is a common coping mechanism for those who have no hope.

But there is hope!  Wonderful hope!  And it only requires our acknowledgement of the truth, turning from sin (confession) and an acceptance of God’s forgiveness purchased by Christ on the cross!  And His forgiveness does more than simply wash away our sin.  It changes us!  First Corinthians 15:51 says that “we shall be changed,” and texts like Psalm 17:15 and I John 3:2 declare what that change entails: “We shall be like Him!”  We will be rendered perfect just as He is perfect!

Which brings us to the other side to this coin.  Because God is perfect, He will and must keep His word!  He said he would judge sinners, so He will.  But He also, as early as Genesis 3:16, promised to provide a Savior, and He has done just that!  While His perfections doom all who fall short of them, His perfections also provide grace to all who come under the shadow of His wings!

How can you say no?