"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." I Peter 5:8
Before I dive into the issue that has been so tugging at my heart since hearing of a friend's separation, let me say Happy Thanksgiving! "Thanks, Chris!" You say, "But I have a feeling this is as good-feeling as it's gonna get!" Yep! Sorry!
But I felt that I must share what's on my heart. What do our children have to look forward to? Holidays with a new family twist? Choosing between Mom & Dad? What life is that for a child? They already have to grow up too fast as it is!
"I hate divorce," says the God of Israel. God-of-the-Angel-Armies says,"I hate the violent dismembering of the'one flesh' of marriage." So watch yourselves. Don't let your guard down. Don't cheat. (Malachi 2:16, Message) Violence dismemebering... That is a graphic word picture!
God clearly feels strongly about this! Jesus said that it was because of the hardness of heart that Moses allowed for divorce. But except for maritial unfaithfulness, divorce is NEVER God's way of dealing with problems in your marriage.
I also believe that God hates divorce because it affects the generations to come. When God brought Adam & Eve together, one of the purposes was for godly offspring. How are we to raise our children in the fear & reverence of God Almighty if we ignore this strong command?If we say we love God , but hate each other, (especially our spouses), we are liars & the love of Father God is not in us! WOW!
Like Jonah, we run when we know God is telling us to stay when we don't feel like it! It's one thing if there is abuse or sexual unfaithfulness to leave. It's quite another to do so, simply because we no longer feel "in love".
When I found out I was pregnant with Asher, it wasn't exactly a good time for us! Jeremy was still in seminary & we both were working like crazy! Jeremy responded in anger & pushed me away emotionally for about 4 months! I finally got sick of being treated so disrespectfully & decided to leave him. I called home & then started pulling clothes out of my closet. Jeremy was at work. It was the perfect opportunity. I thought it would be ok. I thought surely God understood! But as I packed, the Holy Spirit spoke & said, "You can't leave him. Let Me deal with his heart. You stay put." I threw a fit at first, but then I obeyed. And the Lord did exactly what He said He would do! Jeremy came around & both of our worlds changed! Because I stayed, my boys have both parents in the home. Children NEED that!
Please, if you are reading this and it is within your power, stay! I'm not asking you to put your children in harm's way, of course. If that's the case, then, yes, go! But be opened to God. Remember, nothing is impossible with God with faith! My parents divorced. My father refused to quit doing drugs & my sister & I were very much at risk. My mother felt she had to protect us. In contrast, Jeremy's parents divorced. His dad walked out, never giving a reason. It has been a source of contention between his sons & himself for years!
One other thing: Don't EVER bad-mouth your ex (or soon-to-be ex) in your childrens' hearing! It demeans both you and your ex in their eyes!
Again, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. And know that I am when I say that I'm praying for each one of you!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
The Difference Between the Two...
Do you ever mentally debate hot button issues, pretending to talk to the blasted politician or"expert" on TV? Admittedly, I do!
Especially when it comes to matters of life & death. From conception to natural death. From abortion to terrorism.
I was watching a video for my ethics class @ TCC. The issues? Exactly the ones I mentioned above. What I came away with was this: We don't respect life. We haven't since Eve took the first bite of that darned forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden! I wish I could sit down with Adam & Eve & see what was going on in their heads! Did they not understand what God had told them? Did they understand & chose not to believe God? Did they not understand death & all that it envelopes? Was the serpant that crafty of a salesman.. err... reptile? I won't know until I get to Heaven!
But I digress...
I started thinking about two age-old debates: When is taking life justified & when is it not? Take abortion vs. death penalty for example. I think we can all agree that there would be no abortion without a "product of intercourse". So in that, when does life truly begin? At conception? At birth?
I believe life begins at conception. When God stated in His Word that He knew us before even a single day in our lives past, that makes me pause & wonder why nobody is preaching that from the pulpit? God Knew us before we were even a twinkle in our parents' minds! He KNOWS us!
So why, pray tell, are we killing the most vulnerable & innocent of all of the human race? Seriously! Why???
Now to the death penalty. Unlike unborn babies, death row inmates have appeal after appeal, sometimes stretching into decades after the original crime of murder was committed. Before DNA testing, all investigators could do was follow the known evidence. Now, I know what you're thinking, "But, Charisa, there are innocent people on death row! Aren't you going to defend them?" And my answer to those questions is yes there are innocent people on death row. And, yes, I would defend them! And now that there is DNA testing, it should stand to reason that the innocent get to go free--eventually. At least I hope that's the case with as many appeals as they get!
The government does not wield the sword for nothing! If you murder someone, you should pay! Is God going to judge them? Of course! But God designed the authorities to give justice a face here on this side of Heaven. Timothy McVeigh deserved to die by the GOVERNMENT'S hand, not the people's!
Ok, so with that being said, let's see if we can put the whole pro-abortion/anti-death penalty (& vice versa) in context. Abortion destroys innocent lives. The death penalty is the God-given government's way of dealing with violent & cold-blooded murderers who care nothing about their own lives, much less the life of others around them! Yes I'm pro-death penalty, provided the government can prove to me that they are indeed the perpetraitors. Yes, I'm against abortion, even in cases of rape. It's NOT the baby's fault he or she was conceived. They HAVE no appeal process or last minute cry for mercy. Convicted murderers do!
I know many of you know someone or have had an abortion yourselves. I'm not attacking you. I'm not trying to open old wounds. Your baby returned to the arms of Father God. Rest in that. I am only trying to get the point across.
The point is this: If we had respected life, starting in the Garden waaayyy back there, to present day, well, there would be no need for abortion OR the death penalty.
Especially when it comes to matters of life & death. From conception to natural death. From abortion to terrorism.
I was watching a video for my ethics class @ TCC. The issues? Exactly the ones I mentioned above. What I came away with was this: We don't respect life. We haven't since Eve took the first bite of that darned forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden! I wish I could sit down with Adam & Eve & see what was going on in their heads! Did they not understand what God had told them? Did they understand & chose not to believe God? Did they not understand death & all that it envelopes? Was the serpant that crafty of a salesman.. err... reptile? I won't know until I get to Heaven!
But I digress...
I started thinking about two age-old debates: When is taking life justified & when is it not? Take abortion vs. death penalty for example. I think we can all agree that there would be no abortion without a "product of intercourse". So in that, when does life truly begin? At conception? At birth?
I believe life begins at conception. When God stated in His Word that He knew us before even a single day in our lives past, that makes me pause & wonder why nobody is preaching that from the pulpit? God Knew us before we were even a twinkle in our parents' minds! He KNOWS us!
So why, pray tell, are we killing the most vulnerable & innocent of all of the human race? Seriously! Why???
Now to the death penalty. Unlike unborn babies, death row inmates have appeal after appeal, sometimes stretching into decades after the original crime of murder was committed. Before DNA testing, all investigators could do was follow the known evidence. Now, I know what you're thinking, "But, Charisa, there are innocent people on death row! Aren't you going to defend them?" And my answer to those questions is yes there are innocent people on death row. And, yes, I would defend them! And now that there is DNA testing, it should stand to reason that the innocent get to go free--eventually. At least I hope that's the case with as many appeals as they get!
The government does not wield the sword for nothing! If you murder someone, you should pay! Is God going to judge them? Of course! But God designed the authorities to give justice a face here on this side of Heaven. Timothy McVeigh deserved to die by the GOVERNMENT'S hand, not the people's!
Ok, so with that being said, let's see if we can put the whole pro-abortion/anti-death penalty (& vice versa) in context. Abortion destroys innocent lives. The death penalty is the God-given government's way of dealing with violent & cold-blooded murderers who care nothing about their own lives, much less the life of others around them! Yes I'm pro-death penalty, provided the government can prove to me that they are indeed the perpetraitors. Yes, I'm against abortion, even in cases of rape. It's NOT the baby's fault he or she was conceived. They HAVE no appeal process or last minute cry for mercy. Convicted murderers do!
I know many of you know someone or have had an abortion yourselves. I'm not attacking you. I'm not trying to open old wounds. Your baby returned to the arms of Father God. Rest in that. I am only trying to get the point across.
The point is this: If we had respected life, starting in the Garden waaayyy back there, to present day, well, there would be no need for abortion OR the death penalty.
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