Video from the March for Babies

The Sheep of His Pasture

A while ago I was at a church prayer meeting, and I had this vision. Now, in spite of attending a Pentecostal church, I don’t go around getting visions that often. But this particular occasion, I did.

I saw a flock of sheep grazing peacefully. A wolf sidled up to one of them, and was about to attack. So the sheep bared its teeth at the wolf like a dog. And the wolf nearly fell over laughing. Even I had to struggle to contain myself. I mean, it was FUNNY. This sheep thought it could protect itself just by baring its teeth. And it didn’t look threatening at all, just incongruous.

God pointed out to me that this is often the way that I behave. I think I can protect myself. And aside from maybe making the enemy laugh to death at my feeble attempts, I’m pretty useless. I need the good shepherd. I can’t defend myself.

We are the sheep of His pasture (see Ps 100). And as His sheep, He will protect us. We don’t need to be attempting some ridiculous attempt to save ourselves – it will just fail. At best, it will be sadly funny. But His protection is complete We can never be taken out of the palm of His hand.

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39

Jonathan Edwards

The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams. But God is the ocean. Therefore it becomes us to spend this life only as a journey toward heaven, as it becomes us to make the seeking of our highest end and proper good, the whole work of our lives; to which we should subordinate all other concerns of life. Why should we labour for, or set our hearts on, any thing else, but that which is our proper end, and true happiness?

From “The Dissertation Concerning the End for Which God Created the World.”

How Are You Dressed?

1 Timothy 2:9-10

...likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness—with good works.

You know, girls put a lot of effort into looking nice. Some put more in than others. It amazes me at times just how much time, effort, and money some of the girls in my church spend on their appearance. (To give you an idea, my small group’s jokes about girls all have to do with shopping, and their jokes about boys are all to do with eating.)

The thing is, our outward appearance is not that important. I’m not saying that we should all go around looking like slobs, but simply that there are much, much more important things out there. And there are far more important ways to be dressing than with clothes. God commands us to clothe ourselves in good works.

And that’s something that the church in general is lacking. I mean, sure, there are some people out there who give themselves completely to others, in a variety of capacities, but there are also those who think that giving a few coins to people asking for money to cure heart disease is plenty. That is not sufficient. It is not what God has commanded.

Whilst our righteousness in the sight of God is nothing but filthy rags, the people around us see our works and come to praise our Father in Heaven. They see how Christ has transformed us, and they praise God for it, even if they refuse to come to Him themselves. That should be our aim. To be so clothed with sweetness, goodness, and kindness that those around – especially those who do not know Christ, praise God because of us.

So, how are you dressed?

CS Lewis

If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory, and Other Addresses

180

For those who haven't seen Ray Comfort's new doco yet...

March For Babies

Yesterday was the 3rd March for Babies, to protest the change in abortion law in Victoria. I went, and took a friend (Stephen, from Frankston centre, my housemate’s boyfriend).

For those who aren’t aware, the current laws in Victoria not only allow what most people think of when they think of abortions (i.e. early term abortions) but have a great deal of more horrifying implications. Whilst ANY abortion is murder, the fact is, it is so much more obvious when the baby is older what you are doing.

The current laws (passed in 2008) include these particularly horrifying implications:
• Abortion is legal for any reason when the baby is up to 24 weeks (this is particularly horrifying to me – this is nearly 6 months along. I was born when my mother was 6 ½ months along, and that was 27 years ago, when the technology to keep premmie babies alive was much less)
• Abortion up to BIRTH is legal as long as two doctors (the abortionist and the abortionist in the next room) approve
• No pain relief is required for the unborn child
• No requirement to offer medical assistance to babies born ALIVE after “failed” abortions
• No counselling of health risks for mother prior to an abortion
• No ability for doctors, nurses or other health workers to not refer, assist, and perform abortions for reasons of conscience
• No reporting of minors to their parents should a minor request an abortion
• No mandatory reporting of minors who come in with a suspected abuser for an abortion

These are truly horrifying laws. I am completely opposed to all abortion, but this is something different. Not giving medical assistance to a live baby? How much more obvious can you get that abortion is murder?

The march was both incredibly encouraging and discouraging at the same time. It was wonderful to see the thousands of people who turned out in support of unborn life. It was especially encouraging to see that the “opposition” (which included the Sex Party, an Australian political party) numbered a maximum of 40 people. The difference in behaviour between the two groups could not have been more extreme. One had families, older people, people dressed modestly, speakers who were polite. Seriously, the most far-out behaviour I saw from the pro-life side were some Catholics behind us chanting out the “Hail Mary” prayer and another Catholic carrying a statue of Mary for the whole march. We were calm and polite.

The opposition were… not exactly the same. All were around my age, mostly the usual protest types, and dressed… not exactly modestly. At the front of their group they had three or four young women wearing midriff-exposing tops and short shorts, shouting obscenities and holding signs such as “I choose abortion because I choose to have a life” and “MINE” written over their midriffs with lipstick.A bit of a contrast. These women, and many others, need our prayers.

The discouraging thing was that there weren’t that many people my age range there. Aside from me and Stephen, I didn’t see anyone from our church, and I only saw one other person I know (the person who came to our church earlier in the year to give two classes on how we should be responding to abortion). I know many people who are pro-life, but they were not really pro-life enough to give up a few hours on their Saturday to protest these truly hideous laws.

If you are Australian, reading this, then I encourage you to write to your politicians, to see these laws change. They can be changed, but they won’t be if we don’t do something about it!

Here is the link to find the email addresses of your members of parliament

Here is a link to find out how your current member votes on pro-life issues

Finally, be in much prayer – for the babies, their mothers, those who have had abortions, and those who have performed abortions. God can heal them; He alone can heal them with the blood of Christ.

The Open Mind and Switzerland

It’s interesting to notice how many people think they are “neutral” when it comes to, well, pretty much everything, but especially spirituals matters. They think that they are going to decide, and until the forces are quite clear one way or the other, they’re going to sit on the sideline, watching the others, those committed ones, go at it. When there is a clear winner, that’s when they’ll join in. In the mean time, why should I give up my own rights, my own sovereignty, in order to really decide one way or the other?

Kind of like Switzerland in WW2. They weren’t for either side. They were neutral.

Except they kind of weren’t.

You see, there is no such thing as neutrality. Not truly. You have to give up bits in order to keep the opposition happy, just as Switzerland did a few dodgy things to keep Nazi Germany happy. A few little things, not so big in the grand scheme of things...

But not neutral.

You will always have to choose, at least a bit. You can’t sit on the fence, not unless you are willing to let at least one side pressure you into giving them concessions. In the area of Christianity, it’s so common to hear non-believers of all stripes asking for small concessions to their point of view. Not much. Just small ones. And agnostics and many Christians give it to them. Because we want to seem impartial. Tolerant. Neutral.

Let’s do away with this notion of neutrality. I am not neutral. I have thrown my lot in with Christ, and I am on His side, now and forever.

Lilias Trotter

Deeper and deeper must be the dying, for wider and fuller is the lifetide that it is to liberate--no longer limited by the narrow range of our own being, but with endless powers of multiplying in other souls. Death must reach the very springs of our nature to set it free: it is not this thing or that thing that must go now: it is blindly, helplessly, recklessly, our very selves. A dying must come upon all that would hinder God's working through us--all interests, all impulses, all energies that are "born of the flesh"--all that is merely human and apart from His Spirit. Only thus can the Life of Jesus, in its intensity of love for sinners, have its way in our souls.

Parables of the Cross

No Place Safer

Most people who know me know that I’m going to Uganda in November, to work in a school that has lots of HIV orphans. It’s funny at times to listen to the reactions of some people. I’ve had people go on for 10 minutes about how brave, noble, and self-sacrificing I am. (I responded with, “You’re joking right? I mean, this is me.”)

But I’ve also had some interesting reactions from two other people – Sonia (from work) and my Mum. It’s more or less the same response, just phrased differently. It’s the idea that Uganda is not safe. My Mum phrased her statement as: “You’re going to get raped, get AIDS, and die!” (My response: “All in 3 weeks?”)

But the thing is, to be doing God’s will is the safest thing you can be doing. I mean, sure, you can be tortured and die (not something I’d be thrilled about if it faced me), but spiritually speaking, doing God’s work is the safest thing we can possibly do.

In the end, there is no place safer than His hands.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)