Virtual Devotions

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” – Psalm 139:13-14

Dear Friends,

This verse is well known to many of you.  We hear it quoted often in the debate over abortion.  Truly, all of us are God’s creation and all human life is to be respected from the moment of conception until natural death.

While abortion is a terrible sin against the unborn, I have a growing concern for a sin equally as terrible against the aged and infirmed.   As we hear more and more about controlling the rising cost of healthcare, one euphemism is continuously rearing its ugly head – “healthcare efficiency.”  The general idea is that too much money is wasted in America on treatments and procedures for those who have little or no life expectancy.  In simple terms, if a treatment or procedure will cost more than the “value” of the extension of the individual life, then the limited healthcare dollars should be spent on someone who brings more “value” to society leaving the less “valuable” person to die.

Now, this devotion is something I began writing a month ago, but I didn’t release it then because it wasn’t clear to me how to address this from a faith perspective.  After reading, “Aligning a medical treatment plan with God’s plan,” a recent article in the LA Times, now I know.  This article reveals that patients who have faith are more likely to pursue “heroic end of life measures” and “more aggressive treatment than is medically unwarranted.”  Procedures that “didn’t improve a persons long-term chances” and subjected them to “needless suffering before they die.”   In the concluding statements, the article reads, “If doctors are more successful at bridging the divide between religious beliefs and end-of-life care, the financial savings could be significant.”

Pulling this all together, I see an alarming trend of modernized healthcare (a euphemism for nationalized healthcare) in which treatments are withheld from those whom the government views as “expendable” and where patients are told to check their religious beliefs at the door.  While this may sound like 1984 to you, it shouldn’t.  The decision has already been made that babies in the womb are expendable.  Why not now go after the next most vulnerable class, the aged?

So how does this relate to you as a person of faith?  First, be assured of your faith.  This may sound strange, but if you have the peace of God’s forgiveness and promise of eternal life through Christ, I believe you will pass in peace and those who survive you will be comforted by the assurance of your salvation.  Second, turn to God in prayer.  Pray that God will work in the hearts of those making healthcare policy decisions so that the weakest in our society are protected.  Also, spend time with God in quiet supplication asking for understanding and guidance in this area. 

Next, discuss this with your spouse or the person responsible for making your healthcare decisions in the event you are incapacitated.  Discuss it with your clergy as well if you feel that will bring greater clarity to your decision.  Then, go see an attorney and have a healthcare power of attorney and a “living will” written.  The healthcare power of attorney will state whom you have chosen to make medical decisions on your behalf and the “living will” will state your intentions for prolonged medical care.  This may state that you want every means possible used to keep you alive or it may state that you prefer not to have artificial apparatus employed at all.  Whatever your decision, have these documents written by an attorney.  Please don’t just pull them off of the Internet or use a template.  And lastly, discuss your decision with you immediate family and anyone else you deem necessary so that if the time comes, everyone involved will know your decision.

Again, above all, be assured of your salvation.  If you have turned to Christ in repentance and faith, no matter when and how you die, you will rise again with Him. 

In Christ,

David

^“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” - Philippians 3:20-21

Dear Friends,

In A.D. 61, the apostle Paul was under house arrest in Rome.  Though confined, he was still able to preach to those who visited him and write to edify the churches he established.  One such letter he wrote at this time was his letter to the church at Philippi.

Paul’s fate was uncertain and the Philippians were beginning to experience persecution as well.  So Paul wrote an encouraging letter to them telling them that no matter what happened to him or to them, they should continue on being steadfast in the faith.  He reminded them that the destiny of the enemies of the cross is destruction, but for the believers their destiny is to return to their home in heaven.

This is a thought I have been comforting myself with in recent days.  I travel a great deal by car because of my job and while driving I tend to listen to either talk radio or Christian preaching.  I’m finding that more and more the talk radio is bringing me down, but the Christian preaching is bringing me up.  With all of the talk about the economy and other political issues, it brings everything back into perspective when I am reminded that while I am a citizen of the U.S.A., I am first a citizen of heaven and someday by God’s grace I will ascend back home.

Not that I am suicidal or anything, but I share the same perspective as Paul.  To live means that I can continue to fulfill the work that God has set before me to bring glory to His name.  Yet someday, God will call me home and I will be better off and all the cares of this world will be behind me.   And either in living or in dying, I am in Christ.

So if you are a believer, do not worry.  You know that God will provide for whatever it is that you need.  Your job may come and go, your 401(k) may rise and fall, but in the end you will be with Him in heaven.  Time on earth is short.  Don’t give it much thought.  Time in eternity is forever.  Think about this always.

In Christ,

David

For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men? – 1 Corinthians 3:4

Dear friends,

The church at Corinth was plagued with jealousy and quarreling, which manifested itself as divisions within the church.  In an apparent effort to differentiate themselves some claimed to follow Paul while others claimed to follow Apollos and even some Peter.  In a forceful letter to the church at Corinth, Paul admonished them saying that it is right only to follow Christ.

Recently, you may have read about the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS).  The two angles on this report have emphasized either the rise of non-religion or the decline of Christianity.   But, as with most of the results you read in the mainstream press, there is more in the survey than you are being told.  To get the full picture, you need to go to the survey source, The Institute for the Study of Secularism In Society and Culture (ISSSC).  Now, if that title doesn’t raise a red flag of potential bias, nothing does, but let’s move on to the survey.

First, non-religion is truly on the rise.  This should not be a surprise for the Bible teaches that people will trade the truth for a lie.  But what you aren’t reading in the newspapers is that the reported 15.2 % of non-religious people are not atheist or agnostic.  Actually, self-reported agnostics are less than 1% of the population and atheists are fewer still.  The majority of the non-religious people, 89% of them, simply claimed no religion or belief at all.   Sadly, 25% are former Catholics.  These folks are truly lost and offer a great witness opportunity.

Second, denominations are truly in decline.  The report tells us “Ninety percent of the decline comes from the non-Catholic segment of the Christian population, largely from the mainline denominations, including Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians/Anglicans, and the United Church of Christ.”  To me this is great news!  For too long, denominations have been dividing the Church, not uniting it.  We should not follow Luther or Wesley or Calvin, but we should follow Christ.

Thirdly, and what you will not read in the papers, is there is a growing religious population in the U.S.  In 1990, they represented 5% of the population, in 2001, 8.5%, and in 2008, 11.8%.  Are these people Muslim, Hindu, Buddhists, Wicca’s?  No, they are those who would identify themselves only as “Christian,” “Evangelical/Born-Again,” or “non-denominational Christians.”  And the numbers are larger than still.  The report states, “Significantly, 38.6 percent of mainline Protestants now also identify themselves as evangelical or born again.”

If the Apostle Paul were alive on earth today, I believe he would go berserk over the fractionalization of Christ’s Church.  However, by God’s grace the trend is moving away from divisions and toward unity under Christ.  So if you call yourself a Lutheran, do you follow Luther or Christ?  If you call yourself a Presbyterian, do you follow Calvin or Christ?  If you call yourself by any denomination, whom do you follow?  If you wish to be known as a Christian, then call yourself a Christian and follow only Christ.

In Him,

David

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

Dear Friends,

In these closing verses of the Gospel of Matthew known as the Great Commission, the resurrected Christ gives His final instructions to the disciples.  Four commands are specifically stated: go, make disciples, baptize them and teach them.  It seems like a simple formula, but start a conversation with a group of Christians about baptism and you’ll get an ear full.

Last night, I had dinner with a friend who told me that she was recently “rebaptized.”  That wasn’t the word she used, but it’s accurate.  She said that she had been “sprinkled” as an infant, but now that she is an adult and more affirmed in her faith than ever before, she felt the desire to be baptized by immersion as a testimony to her recommitment to Christ.

I can appreciate her decision because I made the same one nearly six years ago.  I too had been baptized as an infant.  But it wasn’t until April 27, 2003, that I truly became a believer, a born-again Christian.  About seven months later, I chose to be “rebaptized” by immersion as an outward symbol of the inward change I had experienced.

Others made a similar decision during the Reformation period starting at about 1525.  These people were called “Anabaptists,” meaning “rebaptizers.”  They too, after consulting the Scriptures, felt that it was more appropriate for believers, after a profession of faith in Christ, to be baptized rather than for babies, who cannot make a profession of faith.  Tragically for the Anabaptists, many were tortured, burned at the stake and often drowned as an ironic penalty for their beliefs.

Fortunately, that isn’t done anymore at least not in the United States.  As US citizens and as Christians, we have freedom.  In the exercise of that freedom we must be careful not to err against God or our brothers or sisters.  Based on my reading of the Scriptures, I accept believer’s baptism as the better way.  But if one’s conscience directs them to baptize their infant, I do not see that as being a blasphemy.  A Scriptural argument can be made for infant baptism as well.

In closing, rather than have baptism be a dividing point for Christians, let us instead be joined as brothers and sisters in Christ, going into the world making disciples by the spreading of the Gospel and baptizing them and their whole family and teaching them to obey Christ’s command to love one another as we love one another.

In Him,

David

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” – Matthew 6:19-21

Dear Friends,

In the Gospel of Matthew, we have the most complete account of Jesus’ teaching.  One of the most beloved episodes is the Sermon on the Mount found in chapters 5-7.

After instructing the people in the correct interpretation of the Law and the error of hypocritical worship, Jesus begins to teach on the true source of our financial security, the Father.  He tells us not to rely on our treasures, but to store up our treasures in heaven.  He goes on to tell us how we should not worry about food or clothes because the Father will provide all that we need.

As I write this weekly devotional, I see that the Dow has gone below 6,800 points today, its lowest point in nearly eleven years.  And as I have watched my portfolio sink to new lows, it makes me wonder how others are managing today’s financial turmoil.  I wonder if it will be as bad for them as it was for others in the Great Crash of 1929.

The market began its slide in September of 1929.  It continued, and on October 28 it fell 13%.  The next day it fell 12%.  When the market finally bottomed out on July 8, 1932, almost three years later, the Dow had lost 89% of its value.  Our current slide began in September of 2007.  If history repeats itself, we won’t see the bottom until July of 2010 at a low of 1,528 points.  Certainly, as in 1929,  people will be jumping off of buildings if that happens.

But the believer should demonstrate a different reaction to financial loss.  The believer should understand that everything that he or she owns has came from the Father and everything that he or she owns may be taken away as well.  And whether it is in giving or in taking, the believer must have faith that the Father is doing it for his or her own good.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers that they cannot serve both God and money.  And maybe that is what has happened in this country today.  Maybe too many people have made an idol of the big home, new cars and lifestyle that they really couldn’t afford, but coveted so dearly.  Maybe God has caused the stock market to crash.  Certainly, He is sovereign and even the market is at His command.  Maybe, He is just trying to get our attention.

So if you are a believer, rejoice when your portfolio sinks!  Again, I say rejoice!  For you know that your treasure, your hope of eternal life, is stored up in heaven.  Still, better yet, God has made a deposit in you, the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of what is to come.    Be assured that by His grace through faith in the resurrected Christ that you too will be raised with Him on that day.  That’s all the security I need.

In Christ,

David