Be Speechless

I'm nearly speechless.

Hopefully you got the chance tonight to see the amazing lunar eclipse tonight. The artwork God puts on the earth and throughout this universe absolutely amazes me. Our God must be so incredibly creative.

Just think about it.

He (a three-in-one, uncreated, perfect being) has been around forever. He has dwelt with wisdom and filled space with his bigness. Only, in a sense, there isn't any space. So, just because he is a God of creativity, he creates light. (Interestingly, he didn't seem to create darkness...just light to fill it, demonstrating that he is the light). Through this he created what would become the earthly sense of time, something from which God lived and continues to live completely apart. Just these two things are unfathomable. Imagine living in total darkness of which you occupy every space for your entire life (having absolutely nothing else), and then just suddenly having the idea for light and color, and the idea for an abstract sense of time. Yeah, that's right...humanly, that's not really possible (exemplifying the fact that we are creatures and not self-creating). But that was just day one for God.

Day two came and God created the heavens and the earth. Now, even though all there's ever been was an abstract, timeless, dark void, there's suddenly light, color, time, and a physical nature.

But that wasn't enough.


On day three God created seas and land and their separation. On top of creating a planet, God opts to give it both solid and liquid aspects.

And still, God had more creativity coming.

Now, with the earth in place, God decided to add a whole solar system to light up his creation (using his earlier concepts of light and time). And then, just because God really loves creating things, there are birds, fish, land animals, plants...it's amazing.

Yet, God wasn't quite done.

In an incredible act of love and creativity, he created people. Living, breathing, thinking, heart-pumping human beings. And he gave them not just the beautiful Garden of Eden that we tend to think of, but also the rest of the earth. These people were seriously blessed and loved. The only thing was they couldn't eat from this one tree.

And, well...they did.

Unfortunately, the appropriate punishment for this was death. And God is just, so he assured them of their death and many other miserable things while they still lived.

But he was merciful. So, so merciful. He could have not made them or anything in our world in the first place. But he made it anyway.

He could have chosen to kill them the second they messed up. But he didn't.

He could have chosen to leave them hopeless forever. But he didn't.

He let them have children. He gave them the whole earth except for the Garden of Eden. He blessed them with long lives. Best of all, he promised that one day, a Savior would come and offer hope. Justice and mercy have never mingled so beautifully as they have in the being of our God.

That Savior came. Because death was the punishment, but only a righteous person could satisfy the requirement of perfection before a holy God, Jesus came down. God became man.

That's like you becoming your childhood plaything. (Not that we are God's playthings, but I think you get my point.) That's like a US President becoming a rat while still being the President. Yet far, far worse.

It is the king of the whole universe, the one responsible for creating things like we see in space tonight, for designing DNA, for coming up with a concept of time and a sense of light, suddenly reducing himself to the level of something, though once beautiful, which has reduced itself to scum. On top of that, it's that king reduced to scum living the lowest life of all the scum. And then dying the most painful, humiliating death for the lowest of the low scum. While he was still the king.

And yet, Jesus asked for this. This is the really incredible part: he planned this before he ever set the universe in motion. He knew we'd mess up. And he asked the Father for a gift of a redeemed mankind, offering up even his own life. That's how selfless and beautiful this God is, that he would die for his creation, simply to give them redemption. He didn't have to. But he did.

Miraculously, though, he didn't just stay dead. Because he is God, and he promised in milennia past that he would crush death and evil, he did just that. He literally went and defeated death. In other words, he dealt with the devil, did battle in the depths, and arose victorious, because he is God.

And on the third day after his death, he rose to earth. Shortly afterward, he went to heaven to be reunited with his Father, and to do something amazing again: to prepare places for us, broken sinners, in heaven. All we need to do is trust him with our lives. He promises that if we do so, he will send his own spirit to dwell in us and guide our steps.

But, the story gets even better! When all is said and done, when all who have faith in Christ have been called up to him, he will make the final blow on death, causing all those who did not follow him to live separate from him in a miserable place called hell...and bringing heaven onto earth for those who follow him. Literally. The whole earth will be restored and, in the words of the Bible, the lion will lie down with the lamb. There will be no conflict. No pain. No sorrow. Just pure, beautiful love for each other, for the world, and for the God who did all this for us. The God who is so eternal. So creative. So just. So merciful. So loving. So awe-striking. So miraculous. So beautiful. So GOD.

Tonight, I'm looking at the red slowly fading from the moon. And I'm realizing that my role in this whole world isn't really that big. But I know that there is a God out there who is huge and amazing and who loves ME. Who lives in me. Who knows me better than I know myself. Who sustains my very breath. Who has a unique call on my life. Who placed me in the universe. Who gave me hope. Who gives everything its being. Who will never, ever fade. Who lived and died for me. For you. For the broken, messed up world.

And I am speechless.

Shalom.

Meridian

Who You Are

My last post was all about who God is. The God who created things like what you see on the left (Mt. Everest). But I thought maybe it was time to talk about who you are...because of God. Yeah, I figured you'd know there was a catch. :)

Last night I had a brief conversation with one of my friends from debate. It was just a casual conversation about his public school sports teammates, but one little side comment he made struck me, caught me like an unsuspecting fish going for the bait. "If I hadn't been homeschooled, or hadn't been in the family I'm in...I..." Well, the rest was fine too, but that little statement just did a Hallelujah Chorus in my mind. If I hadn't. Wow.

So much theological meatiness to jump on there. So much philosophical questioning. So much certainty of the present. So much to praise God about. 

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Let's start with the word, "If." The Bible is pretty clear that God is sovereign over every teensy tiny little detail of the whole universe, but he paradoxically acts this way without being a robot operator. Most Christians agree that God knows everything that will go on, but doesn't mandate it. I understand how those conclusions are reached (believe me, I used to think something pretty close to that), but let's dissect that a bit. If God knows everything (which we all agree on), and God is sovereign (which we usually agree on), then God cannot possibly have known everything without having some hand in it. That's the most basic academic argument for God's sovereignty, other than "the Bible says so" (which, by the way, it does).

However, there's another argument that may hit home a bit more for you. Let's put it this way: God knows everything that will happen. He knows, then, that bad things will happen. But he is the God of all justice! If he truly upholds justice, is he going to just let things slide? No. Clearly throughout Scripture God issues judgement upon sinners. But he cannot possibly just fix all the problems. Then he'd have a little more power than your local plumber. God is all-powerful...let's just say he's got the whole world in his hands.

If that's true, then you and I are not random. In fact, the Bible *clearly* indicates that we were designed for a purpose, something the Westminster Catechism summarizes when it says that "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." Not only does God have a purpose on earth, he has an eternal purpose: that every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the God the Father. In a very glorious and mysterious way, God has already determined who will spend all eternity with him. That is, anyone who puts their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And of course, Paul made it clear that anyone who does so does it only because of the quickening of the Spirit. That is, God chooses to wake you from being dead in your sins to being alive in Christ. Nothing you do can make it happen: only God in his glorious mercy.

Whoa. Mind. Blown.

If God really has this great and awesome purpose for you, though, then he has not placed you in your circumstances randomly. You are not just the child of random Joe: you are firstly the child of the one living God, and secondly the child of the earthly parents God has bestowed you with. Whatever your situation, God has placed you there for a reason.

So now I'm guessing I've pretty well clarified that "if" isn't possible. But it gives those kind of statements so much greater meaning. If you don't follow, allow me to expound.

Since "if" is not possible, it means that you are in exactly the right situation for you right now. I'm not saying it's perfect: God's said that the world will not, and by God's very nature of righteousness cannot be perfect until he returns to set the world right. However, you and I can rest in the knowledge that God has a big plan for us, and that he chose this for us for a reason. Take my friend. He's homeschooled, he's from a great Christian family. God did not place him in some other family. He is not in a public school. If God had him in those circumstances, his plans would have been just as good and holy and righteous. But God placed him here. And that means that he gets to do what God is uniquely calling him to do.

In my own life, this is a very relevant issue. Sometimes I struggle with comparison of my circumstances to other friends' circumstances. Or I just wonder "what if." But that God placed me in the Paulton family, with the exact friends I have, the exact knowledge I have, the exact skills I have, right here in Colorado is amazing. It doesn't mean I won't go on and do other things: it means that I can go on and do those other things, because I was uniquely designed to do them.

There's a reason that Paul compared the Church to a body.

² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves^[d] or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
¹⁴ For the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? ¹⁸ But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts,^[e] yet one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” ²² On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, ²⁴ which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, ²⁵ that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. ²⁸ And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

 Maybe you are called to be a doctor. A pastor. A missionary. A politician. A writer. A teacher. An engineer. A musician. An artist.

Whatever you're called to do, the way God uses you will be unique. But here's the cool thing: regardless of what you're called to do specifically, we're all called to do one thing generally: proclaim God's great name, and make it famous in all the earth. Probably one of my favorite verses of all time, one I quote to myself multiple times daily, is 1 Peter 2:9 --

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may declare the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

 That's you and me. This is where we talk about the next part. If we were. Here's where it get's hard. The book of Romans puts it better than any other: before Christ, we're dead in our sins. That means that all the people out there who don't know the love of the Lord are dead. Corpses. Rotting souls. That sin that you see is just the maggot coming out. I don't want to be grotesque, but that's what deadness amounts to. Total lifelessness. Because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.

We may not know who God has chosen, but we know that he has chosen us to proclaim his glory. Peter isn't the only one who got this. Listen to Jesus himself in Matthew 28:

¹⁷ And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. ¹⁸ And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Some doubted, but then he said that he has all authority. And with his authority we are to go out and preach the Gospel to our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers, our world. When light pierces the darkness, it is a dramatic thing.

Our lives ought to be as Christ's, who though he was pierced, rose again, and lives for the glory of the Father:

⁸ Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹ For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰ The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

Can you imagine if you were born in a different circumstance? Maybe. But the thought of that drives us to an even greater realization: that we were born in the circumstances we were born in. That we serve the God we serve, and that we are his chosen people. Out of all the people he could have chosen, of the option to kill us all out or create other beings, God chose to live and die and live again for US. You. Me.

Even those in different circumstances are there by God's divine will, perhaps just so that He can use us as light, because HE is God. 

And, even though this post is titled, "Who You Are," I think you'll have to agree with me that this is more about who God is, and who we get to be as a part of it.

Relish in God's goodness, friends, and celebrate your brand-new identity in Christ!

Soli Deo Gloria!

~Meridian

First Grade Theology

Just finished VBS. Memorable quotes:

"You may now marry your lovely wedded husband."

"God made man upside right"

"God gave his only forgotten son."

Referring to a verse saying "Therefore God exalted him..." a child said, "For there God exasperated him."

And the best one...

Did you know that Jesus died for our starvation?

So, to sum up a first-grade theology God made man upside right, but we sinned, so he gave his only forgotten son. For there, God exasperated him, so that he would die for our starvation.

Yep. I had an awesome week. =D ♥

When God Smacks You in the Face

Alright, so he doesn't smack. God doesn't deserve to be turned in for child abuse. Actually, he loves us pretty incredibly deeply- infinitely -and I think that's deep enough for me. So, no, God doesn't really *smack* you in the face, but sometimes he gives you a revelation that's so obvious you think you might have been smacked.

I had one such revelation this weekend: perseverance. Before you close out this tab, though, and think, "Lame. Old topic. There is just not anything new here," allow me to set you straight: There is nothing new here, but I want to shed some new light on it. In just a few moments you will be done, and maybe you'll have some new inspiration to keep going.

The first thing I'd like to recommend is a book called, The Traveler's Gift. This book, of all the boatloads of books that I've read, has by far been one of the most inspiring and refreshing. Andy Andrews takes the reader on a crazy journey through time with a man who's not so sure he wants his life anymore, or if his dreams ever can become realities. In the process, seven phenomenal truths are laid out that will absolutely change your life forever if you take them to heart. As you might have guessed, perseverance is incorporated in there. But, since I don't want to spoil anything, I'll move right along to the next thing that stunned me: the Bible.

If you are at all familiar with the Gospel of John, you'll know that it is one power-packed book. I've been reading through it over the past few days, but one passage shocked me a little, simply because of it's profound truth: "I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” (John 4:38)


Wow. We get the benefit of those who have gone before us, and all we have to do is reap! So, why shouldn't we persevere? 


One final thing hit me, and it hit me hard: Jesus isn't giving up, so why should we? This was one of the main points of the sermon our pastor gave on Sunday. Essentially, he showed us our desperate need as sinners for a king, and presented the method of the King in saving us: the Gospel. Finally, he encouraged us, letting us know that our God isn't a quitter. He's not giving up. This battle may rage on, and be miserable, brutal, and cruel, and still our God will not quit. Simply put in the winsome words of Winston Churchill, "If you're going through hell, keep going."


I don't know what you are facing today, whether it's a joyous spring break, the death of a friend, a dream on the verge of breaking, or a dream just beginning to sprout, but whatever it is, embrace it, and keep going. Build that dream and run with it. Write that book. Travel to the ends of the world. But, as Winston Churchill (again ;D) said, "Never, never, never, never give up."


Meridian

Conquistadors

Joan of Arc, the savior of France

Everybody's heard of them. Not just the Spanish ones, either. Men like Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, and Alfred the Great, among them. All these men were called the great. Why? What makes someone so spectacular as to deserve the title great? 


There was much to it. For a man to really be a "great" man, it seems that by history's standards, he must have great wit, survive some great calamity, be educated by a great man, have a great religious standard, rule or conquer a great kingdom, be great in his treatment of his subjects and soldiers, write a few great things, and stand out as a great leader. Phew. That's a lot of greats.

Still, this is such a low, low standard for being great. If a man truly was great with every bit of his heart and soul behind it, he would have to do much more. Being truly great would mean to know everything that ever was, is, or ever shall be. It would mean living through life's greatest disasters, and yet having the greatest wealth and privilege as well. To be a great person in your very essence would force a person to be the ultimate educator, to author your own religion, to be the awe of everyone who ever lived, and at the same time the pure hate of these very people. To write the greatest masterpiece ever written, and to make it exceed not by just a little the other works. To be the most powerful leader, and yet the humblest servant. The most loving person, but the one most likely to invoke fear in any individual or group, no matter how powerful. To be nothing but absolute good, and to have no traces of evil or sin in your life. To be God. 


"Wait a minute!," you're thinking, "To be great, you don't have to be God." Well, technically, no, but if you want to come anywhere close to the epitome of greatness, you'll have to come pretty stinking close to being God. Don't hear what I'm not saying: that these men should stop being called great. No, of course not! They were fantastic as men, and I admire them ever so deeply, but the reality is they weren't God. But even the Creator of the Universe -- the Creator of time itself! -- chose not to stop with being great. No, he went much farther.

Willing to suffer, God died on our behalf. We who were ugly, disgusting, unworthy, sinners, an insult to the very name of God -- he died for us. Jonathan Edwards said it well:

The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked; his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else but to be cast into the fire; be is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times so abominable in his eyes as the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet it is nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment. 'Tis to be ascribed to nothing else, that you did not go to hell the last night; that you were suffered to awake again in this world, after you closed your eyes to sleep. And there is no other reason to be given why you have not dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God's hand has held you tip. There is no other reason to be given why you haven't gone to hell since you have sat here in the House of God, provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship; yea, there is nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you don't this very moment drop down into hell...And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open, and stands in the door calling and crying with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to Him, and pressing into the kingdom of God. Many are daily coming from the east, west, north, and south., many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to Him who has loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.

If you couldn't read that, just copy-paste it into a document and enlarge it. It takes up a lot of space, but you need to read it. Now.

The point is, God is completely great in every way, if he would do this for us! And even if he didn't do it, he still is worthy of every praise. 

So why did I call this post "Conquistadors"? I did so because that is what we are called to be. See Matthew 28 and the book of Acts for proof. If we serve such a great God, shouldn't we want to get out there and spread the message of his loving grace toward us? And if this is the case, why shouldn't we be conquistadors for the Cross?

Alfred the Great, Charlemagne, and Constantine are three fantastic examples of rulers who were used by God to save their nations. All three of these men, though, did it partly by conquering in battles, and much by conquering hearts. They showed their people the Living God, and the people wanted more of him. Mini-renaissances happened in these nations. Often it began with a single step of action for the Gospel, which is something each of us should aspire to accomplish. That first step is hardest, and from there you have to go if you've really experienced the love of God. Loving God makes you want others to have him for a king, and it makes you want to serve him in every action. As St. Augustine said, 

"Love God and do what you please."

We should want to spread his kingdom.

How this should be done is a question that has spanned the ages. Martin Luther King, Jr. believed firmly in peace. The Crusades were not afraid of violence. The Separatists of England chose to start over all together. But, regardless of how it is done, there is no question as to what must be done. The how depends on the situation, but the what remains. Go into all the world. And don't turn back. There are two things Mr. Baker told me which I will never forget. The first,

"Move forward, be swift, never let the dust of the earth touch you."

In other words, don't doubt what you're called to do for a single moment if you know you're called to do it. And finally, I leave you with my favorite thing he's ever taught me,

 Theorein- Greek, verb: the act of gazing intently

Mr. Baker showed us a depiction of Moses gazing at the burning bush, awed at the majesty of God. What are you gazing intently upon? Does it strike your heart with terror, and yet with a firm, unshakable love? Is it the God of the Universe, who holding you over the very gates of hell, chose to rescue you and call you his child, his beloved? I challenge you to love him for that, and simply for being God. I challenge you, and myself, and any brother or sister out there, to go all out for this God. Be changed. Tell everyone about him. Dance the dance, sing the song, know the Book, love our Lord. One step can change the world. Be conquistadors.

Meridian

How the Classics Have Formed My Worldview: On Human Nature

Over the next few days I want to do some posts quoting the classics and showing how classical literature has formed my worldview, formed Western society, and confirmed the formation of Christian doctrine. I am now in my fourth year of officially studying the classics, and I am thriving on it. Hopefully I will be posting 3 quotes or so for 3-5 days, depending on how many quotes I dig out of my files. Some people lately have been questioning my classic-reading, and some of my worldview as well, so here I present you with something of an explanation, including Bible references to back myself up. :) The Bible is my basis for all these things, but I want to show how reading the classics is beneficial to the Christian. Some things I can guarantee you you will wholeheartedly agree with, and others you will strongly disagree with, but here I go anyway. Today's topic: Human nature.

Classical quotation: "You wish to be called righteous, rather than to act right." -Aeschylus
Scriptural evidence: ¹ Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ² "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat." ³He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?" -Matthew 15:1-3
My interpretation: The Pharisees are known to Christians for their hypocrisy. Yet, in some passages, Jesus actually compares any human to a Pharisee. We all want to be called righteous people. Everybody, whether admittedly or not, wants to be reverenced. But we kind of want to be the bad guy, too. This is sin in our lives. Aeschylus had it exactly right: we all want to be known as the good guy, but secretly, we don't want to bother with actually being the good guy.

Classical quotation:
"The soul, which is created apt for love,
The moment pleasure wakes it into act,
To any pleasant thing is swift to move.


Your apprehension draws from some real fact
An inward image, which it shows to you,
And by that image doth the soul attract;


And if the soul, attracted, yearns thereto,
That yearning's love; 'tis nature doth secure,
Her band in you, which pleasure knits anew.


And as fire mounts, urged upward by the pure
Impulsion of its form, which must aspire
Toward its own matter, where 'twill best endure,


So the enamoured soul falls to desire-
A motion spiritual- nor rest can find
Till its loved object it enjoy entire.


Now canst thou see how wholly those are blind
To truth, who think all love is laudable
Just in itself, no matter of what kind."
-Dante

Scriptural evidence: "but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful." -Mark 4:19
My interpretation: Go back to Genesis 1. Read it. In the beginning, whenever God created anything, he called it "good." Then read 1 John 4. You'll discover that God is love. While you're at, skip back to Genesis 3. Then read Mark 4. Read the whole chapter. If you want to know the end of the story, read the book of Romans. But for now let's focus on man's sin problem. See, we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1), and we have been declared good by God. This God is love (1 John 4), which means that if we are created in his image we have a love capacity as well. But we have a sin problem (Genesis 3), and so we are left broken, and no longer good. We are all born that way. We are marred by sin. Still, God in his goodness has left us with pieces of himself, because he loves us still. So, we go after anything resembling love. Sometimes we get it. Other times, we miss. More often than not, we get a generic replica of the real thing. Many times, it turns out to be worse than that: it is folly, sin. Satan messes with us. Read The Screwtape Letters if you want to know how. Dante was right: we are blind, and completely hopeless. We need a Savior (book of Romans) to take our sin and desperation completely away.

Classical quotation:
"My sin was all the more incurable because I imagined that I was not a sinner." -St. Augustine
Scriptural evidence: "³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. ⁴In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants^[a] for Jesus’ sake."
-2 Corinthians 4:3-5
My interpretation: the Gospel that is veiled proclaims that men are sinners. This is a secret kept by the world that Satan would have no man know, but the work of Christ prevents him from having his way.   At some point or other, whether here on earth in finding salvation through Christ, or at the judgement day when all men who are not already proclaiming Christ as king shall be condemned, all men shall have to see their sin for what it is. Still, man's nature will reign for a little while in every human (except for Jesus, of course). Thus, we are like Augustine. We do not understand our own sin until God's revelation touches us.

Today I talked a lot about sin. There is hope though! I love this hymn, and I hope it penetrates you as deeply when you are reading this as it penetrates me now.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound;
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear;
And Grace my fears relieved!
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come.
'Twas Grace that brought me safe thus far,
And Grace will lead me home.

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun;
We've no less days to sing God's praise,
Than when we've first begun.

In Awe of Him,
Meridian

Medical Ethics: "The Next Death-With-Dignity Battleground"

For those of you who wanted to see my full commentary on this article, here is the complete article along with all my comments.

October 26, 2011, 7:00 am

The Next Death-With-Dignity Battleground

By PAULA SPAN

Most fall weekends, you can find Randee Laikind buttonholing people at the Shelburne Falls Market in western Massachusetts, or wielding her clipboard on the town common in nearby Greenfield or Amherst.
“I try to be very polite,” she told me. “I say, ‘Would you consider signing this petition to put the Death With Dignity Act on the ballot, so Massachusetts citizens can vote on it?’”
Ms. Laikind, who’s 63 and no stranger to activism, has been a bit surprised by the response, or lack thereof. “I’ve never had anyone say no,” she said. “They don’t even ask me questions; they just say, ‘Where do I sign?’”
One Greenfield woman started crying. “She said, ‘If only this had been around last year when my father was dying.’” She added her signature, Ms. Laikind said. So did Ms. Laikind’s former internist, whom she ran into in a restaurant.
Since mid-September, a small cadre of similar volunteers has gathered about 70,000 voters’ signatures, aiming to make Massachusetts the fourth state where terminally ill patients may legally seek physicians’ help to end their lives. The organizers, who call their campaign Dignity 2012, need only 70,000 to put the question on the state ballot in November 2012, but to be sure they have enough to pass scrutiny, they’re aiming for 100,000. The signatures must be submitted by the end of November.

The proposed statute, closely modeled on an initiative that Washington State voters passed in 2008, would allow a patient who’s expected to die within six months to self-administer lethal medication.
It includes a long list of precautions and protections: a lot of physician counseling and information; two doctors verifying that the patient is mentally competent and acting voluntarily; a 15-day waiting period between a first and second request, and another 48 hours before the prescription can be filled. At least one of the two witnesses to the written request can’t be a relative or an heir. And of course, the patient can always change his or her mind.
“Thousands and thousands of people have personal experience that leads them to support this,” said Steve Crawford, a spokesman for Dignity 2012. “They understand that as advanced as our medical technology is, we can’t relieve everyone’s suffering. Those end-of-life decisions belong to the individual.”
If it succeeds, the petition initiative would place the Massachusetts Death With Dignity Act before the State Legislature. But no legislature has ever passed such a law. It’s a safe bet that Massachusetts lawmakers will duck the subject, leading to a ballot question in November 2012, leading to a major emotional clash in this heavily Catholic state.
The Massachusetts Catholic Conference has already denounced the initiative in a statement saying, “The Roman Catholic Bishops of Massachusetts stand firm in the belief that a compassionate society should work to prevent suicide, which is always a terrible tragedy, no matter what form it may take.” Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of the Boston Archdiocese called the act “a corruption of the medical profession” that violates the Hippocratic oath.
In the states where assisted suicide has won voter approval (Oregon in 1994 and again in 1997, and Washington in 2008) or has failed to win it (Michigan in 1998, Maine in 2000), advocates for people with disabilities, anti-abortion organizations, religious groups and others have battled it. But “the Catholic Church and its political arms provided the lion’s share of the campaign contributions to the opposition,” said Barbara Coombs Lee, president of Compassion and Choices, an end-of-life advocacy group. “These are big budgets.” In Washington State, Ms. Coombs Lee said, the campaign cost close to $7 million.
(Currently, supporters of legalizing assisted death for the terminally ill are mobilizing in Hawaii, where Compassion and Choices believes it is already legal under existing statutes, and in Vermont, where a bill has been introduced in the Legislature.)
We don’t know how things will play out in Massachusetts more than a year from now. But we do know, from Oregon’s long experience and Washington’s shorter one, what happens after all the furor, the ads, the charges and countercharges when a so-called death-with-dignity law actually takes effect.
What happens is less than one might expect.
In Oregon, 96 people obtained end-of-life prescriptions last year and 59 died after ingesting the medication, according to the state’s Department of Human Services. A great majority had enrolled in hospice programs and died at home. In Washington, in the first full year with the law in place, 87 people received prescriptions last year and 51, mostly cancer patients, used them to die. Again, most had enrolled in hospice and died at home.
Notice that more than a third of the patients who went to considerable trouble to avail themselves of lethal medications didn’t use them. They may have had a change of heart. They may have been persuaded by loved ones not to take their lives. Or perhaps the prescription represented a reassurance more than an exit plan.
That’s what Ms. Laikind thinks. Having helped found a hospice, she has spent a lot of time with people who are dying. “They lose so much dignity,” she said. “Decisions are made around them. I think they find it comforting to have the ability to take control, even if they decide not to use it.”

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Commentary: The article I have chosen to perform an analysis of today is titled "The Next Death-with-Dignity Battleground" and was published on October 26 of this year in the New York Times. In the article, journalist Paula Span addresses Dignity 2012, an issue that will be on the state ballot next November in Massachusetts. The measure is a petition of Massachusetts citizens seeking to legalized physician-assisted suicide in their state. Many of these citizens are seeking such a law from their own personal experience. As one interviewee put it, "If only this had been around last year when my father was dying!" The statute would apply to patients expected to die within six months. It also requires these seven things:

-Physicisan counseling
-Two doctors verifying the mental capacity of the patient
- 15-day waiting period between a first and second request for medication
-48 hours before the prescription can be filled
-At least one of the two witnesses to the request cannot be related or an heir to the person requesting meds
-The patient must be able to change his or her mind

As the state of Massachusetts is predominantly catholic, the state's Catholic Conference has firmly denounced the proposition stating that, "a compassionate society should work to prevent suicide, which is always a terrible tragedy, no matter what form it may take." Similar measures have been passed in Oregon and Washington, while such attempts have failed in the states of Michigan and Maine. The statistics from Oregon and Washington indicate that in the last year, of the 183 individuals who have received lethal prescriptions, only 110 died. Miss Randee Laikand, a leader in the movement, says that it is all about human dignity.

When I came across this article, I knew it pertained to the Hippocratic Oath because the second section in the oath explicitly addresses physician-assisted suicide. This article both mentions the Oath and contradicts it in the position it advocates.

Life is a gift. Because of this Biblical truth, we as Christians need to be concerned about protecting the value and dignity of this precious gift. While I am not catholic, I must agree with the Massachusetts Catholic Conference in their denunciation of the proposition. Suicide is tragic. The Bible explicitly says not to take life: that is God's to take! When someone gives you a gift, do you just get rid of it as fast as you can? No! Of course not! You value it, use it, and enjoy it! This is why human dignity exists. We do not have any right  to life, per se, as God's creatures, but since it is a gift, we should not take it! This is why human dignity exists. When Christians read articles like the one in the NY Times, we should be both saddened and moved to action. God calls us to lead and to be a light in the world. As a result, we should look into a action that involves the following things:

      1) We should be bathing this issue in prayer. Prayer is our most effective weapon against the wrong intentions of man, and it advances God's kingdom. Satan cannot stand where there is prayer.
     
      2) For those who are already legally receiving dosages of this lethal medication in Oregon and Washington, and those illegally receiving them elsewhere, we must reach out! It should be our desire that none should perish. So if we know someone trying to take these, or have pastoral gifts, it is our responsibility to get involved and show these people the Gospel! The Gospel really changes everything in every way. Many people wanting to commit suicide see it as a way out of life, but in essence they are just throwing themselves right into the mouth of Hell. As Christians, we should desperately want to see these people embrace the Gospel!

      3) We need to get involved in this issue, and make voters aware of what this legislation really means. Suicide affects more lives than one, and should not be taken lightly. People like the woman who began crying at her interview do not realize, or want to acknowledge, how deeply suicide affects the world. One person's life affects their next door neighbor, their family, their coworkers, their friends, their colleagues across the nation, and maybe even across the world. Suicide is not something to be taken lightly, and voters need to realize that. Giving them proper education on things like this can literally change the course of the world.

      4) We need to elect godly leaders into office who would not allow legislation like this to pass, and we need to contact those who are in office. As Americans, not getting involved is not taking advantage of the freedoms that we have, and not exercising our God-given privileges and responsibilities as good citizens. Lobbying and campaigning is hard work, and it certainly doesn't get any easier in more liberal states, but it is still well-worth it. I have seen godly leaders be elected and godly legislation be passed in some very unlikely states before, where God's people have gotten out and worked hard. It's worth it, because it protects life!

      5) We need to get godly doctors who will reach out to patients seeking lethal medication, rather than having doctors who will assist them. Such doctors should be willing to preach the Gospel, and counsel their patients accordingly, by not giving them the meds. In states like Oregon and Washington, that is a very hard thing to do, but a doctor who would stick with his Christian moral foundation in such a way should be highly revered. Doctors are supposed to be healers, not murderers. I know that is a strong word, but it is the truth.

In conclusion, human life is extremely valuable and precious, and any sort of suicide is atrocious, and we should seek at all costs to protect life. It is the most precious gift we have aside from our salvation, which in essence, is life itself. Let's get out there and be involved!

Isaiah 55: Pt. 7- Come that you may know God

For me, this week has been a really incredible week of learning and soaking in the grace of God. Today I want to conclude my little mini-series by summing up everything I've been finding in this deeply rich passage.

Isaiah 55

The Compassion of the LORD

 ¹ "Come, everyone who thirsts,
   come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
   without money and without price.
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
   and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
   and delight yourselves in rich food.
³Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.
⁴ Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵ Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
   and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has glorified you. ⁶ "Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call upon him while he is near;
⁷let the wicked forsake his way,
   and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
   and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
⁸For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.
 ¹⁰ "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
   and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
   it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
   and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
 ¹² "For you shall go out in joy
   and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
   shall break forth into singing,
   and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
   instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the LORD,
   an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

To conclude this series, let's look at this one more time, verse by verse, in just a sentence or two each verse.

Vs. 1: God is calling us to come to him!

Vs. 2: If we come, we must come bare before him, so that he can be sufficient for us.

Vs. 3: When we come, we can listen. If we listen and hear, then we will live.

Vs. 4: When we listen, we should become leaders and witnesses.

Vs. 5: When we witness, the nations will come.

Vs. 6: When the nations come, they will seek God, and we must show them how.

Vs. 7: If they seek God, they will leave their wicked ways and God will have compassion on them.

Vs. 8: In his compassion, God is so different from us.

Vs. 9: God's ways are not our ways: he is so much greater and higher!

Vs. 10: In his greatness, God speaks his word, and it stays and takes root.

Vs. 11: Not only does God's word take root, it also succeeds in whatever it does.

Vs. 12: As God's word succeeds, joy and peace will result among the nations-- even the mountains will worship him!

Vs. 13: This joy and peace will be everlasting, and God's reign will be forever.

Isn't this just remarkable? What a mighty God we serve!

Isaiah 55: Pt. 3- Seek that God will be found

On day four of my journey through this passage, and just gaining from it so much! Today I want to illustrate the importance of seeking God, and the benefits therein.

Isaiah 55

The Compassion of the LORD

 ¹ "Come, everyone who thirsts,
   come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
   without money and without price.
² Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
   and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
   and delight yourselves in rich food.
³Incline your ear, and come to me;
    hear, that your soul may live;
and I will make with you an everlasting covenant,
    my steadfast, sure love for David.
⁴ Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples,
    a leader and commander for the peoples.
⁵ Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know,
   and a nation that did not know you shall run to you,
because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has glorified you.  
⁶ "Seek the LORD while he may be found;
   call upon him while he is near;
⁷ let the wicked forsake his way,
   and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
   and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.
 ¹⁰ "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
   and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
¹¹ so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
   it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
   and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
 ¹² "For you shall go out in joy
   and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
   shall break forth into singing,
   and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
   instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall make a name for the LORD,
   an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

Doesn't this just move you every time? I know it does that to me. Another notable aspect in here is how God calls us to seek him.

Vs. 6: Have you ever gone to a store, seen that perfect item, and then decided to wait? Of course, when you decided you were going to go ahead and get it, it was gone. Seeking God is not at all like shopping for the perfect fit, but it does relate. God, though eternal, will not always be available. You have been given your life at this moment in time so that you can seek God right now, and have him forever. The moment you leave this earth, though, that chance is gone. And it's not a chance worth taking! God assures eternal punishment of sins in hell for those who do not put their trust in him. But to everyone who does surrender all to him, he promises eternal rewards and joy with him in heaven forever. So, while you are able to grasp God right now, it would be a choice worth making. He is near, and he loves you. Jesus his Son was sent to die for your sins- and then on the third day he rose again so that we might be glorified with him in heaven! What greater God can you serve? He does not promise an easy, or even sinless life, on this earth. Think of heaven, though. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? It is far better to seek God now, and enjoy life with him forever.

Vs. 7: The question you may be asking if you have not already made this commitment is the question of how all this works. This verse answers the question. We are all wicked, evil, bad, however you want to describe it. Even if we did mostly good things, we still all do bad things. And a good judge, I hope we can all agree, would never say that someone who needs to be punished for a crime should get away because of all the good things he's done. It just doesn't work that way. God must punish sin. This is why he sent his sinless Son to die- because any sinful man (yes, that is all of us) would not be able to atone for sin. Only God can do that. So we first must turn to him, and then he will remove all that through the blood of his Son. What an amazing gift! Then God will draw you close to him and he will forgive and love you, seeing you as holy and as his own child.

This is the gospel at its most fundamental level: Take it, and live!

Tomorrow: Know, that you may worship

Living by his Grace,

Meridian