Trust AND Obey » General Opinion

The Jar

Dave Miller — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:00:17 +0000

All I remember of the beginning is that I was standing in a kitchen in a well-appointed home. It was daytime and there was a well-dressed woman sitting at a table across the room having coffee. I was standing next to a microwave on a countertop and there was a clear glass jar next to it. In the jar was a baby in an amniotic bubble and it was alive.

The baby had bluish, transparent skin and I could see tiny internal organs and a beating heart. At the baby’s midsection, I saw two ovaries. She was a girl. I looked up at her expressionless face and she opened her eyes, they were like milk chocolate; a beautiful little brown-eyed girl. She blinked and looked at me, and I started crying.

I was crying because I had helped to put her where she was. She was still alive, but wouldn’t be for long.

Turning to the stylish woman at the table, I intoned through my tears, “Why did you do this!?”

“You know why,” she answered incredulously, “I’m having company over today and I can’t be pregnant for company!”

I knew I had to get this baby back to where she belonged, and fast. But this didn’t make sense; I’m a handyman, not a doctor.

The woman seemed annoyed, “I told you I needed to have some things done around my house to make it presentable. You agreed to help me do that. This was just part of your job. What’s your problem?”

My knees buckled; I sank to the floor. Lying on my right side, I curled up and sobbed. My heart weighed a thousand pounds and my head threatened to burst.

“I didn’t agree to help you kill your…” It came out like a shout and a moan. I had to stop and hold my breath. My stomach was full of stones. I felt like vomiting.

And that was the end.

My dreams are like that usually. They start in the middle and are over before they finish.

I haven’t been able to put it out of my head today. I still have a remnant of that sickening feeling that I’m an unwitting accessory to the murder of an innocent. The baby in the jar was going to die and I couldn’t do anything about it.

Yesterday I read an article about seven former Planned Parenthood employees who are willing to testify before congress that the national abortion factory that is the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) regularly uses taxpayer monies to fund abortion on-demand.

PPFA receives more than one million dollars a day from federal and state sources which, by law, may NEVER be used for elective abortions. Malfeasance by Planned Parenthood is a well-known secret that shouldn’t surprise anybody; the lack of congressional oversight is criminal and, again, shouldn’t surprise anybody.

In the time it took you to read this article another brown-eyed girl has been killed by an employee of Planned Parenthood. If you are a taxpayer, you helped kill her.

But this is just part of your job, citizen. “What’s your problem?”

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; Jeremiah 1:5a

Keep It Shallow

Dave Miller — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 18:00:01 +0000

I was recently ‘de-friended’ on Facebook.

In the story of my life, I suppose it isn’t a very big deal, but I’m definitely a little saddened by it. I was de-friended by someone who I knew in high school and hadn’t seen or talked to in nearly 30 years. He didn’t like my politics or my religion, so he cut me off. It’s his Facebook, it’s his choice. I’m not angry about it, but I am a little sad.

What I’m saddened most about, I think, is that I failed to reach my friend with the good news of Jesus Christ. I think I came off as an intolerant, hyper-critical, “I’m better than you are,” Christian. Looking back at the messages and posts we exchanged, I don’t see any of that in what I wrote, but I have no doubt that he perceived my words in that way. I write as one convinced of the veracity of the Gospel and brook no untruthful, worldly foolishness.

I guess I have to keep reminding myself of this: 1 Corinthians 1:18.

A lot of people today don’t want to discuss deep subjects. “Keep it light, keep it shallow,” is their mantra. On Facebook it takes the form of posting pictures, silly videos, or hollow, pseudo-spiritual quotations. Some people just post about drinking and eating all the time; others just play games all day. In meatspace (as opposed to cyberspace), it takes the form of talking about the weather, sports or just gossiping. Some venture into deeper waters and talk about relationships and politics, but that is usually just among very good friends.

We seldom talk to casual acquaintances about deep, meaningful subjects; things like life and death, salvation and damnation, or right and wrong. American society fosters shallowness by showcasing the insipid and inane, by making celebrities of criminals and sociopaths, and by exalting people like Joel Osteen and Joyce Meyer as “spiritual.” Meanwhile, Christians who discuss the person and work of Jesus Christ are shunned for being insensitive or even bigoted.

I guess I have to keep reminding myself of this: 1 Corinthians 1:18.

If I could say one more thing to my former Facebook friend, I think it would be this: I love you and care about you more than your ‘friends’ who just want to make your time on earth happy and carefree. Rejecting me as a friend doesn’t equate to rejecting the Gospel and I will pray that God will save you from yourself someday, just as He saved me. I’m not any better than you are, I’m just a wretched beggar who found some food and wants to share it with his friends.

“Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die,” is the highest truth for those who reject Jesus as Savior and Lord.

I guess I have to keep reminding myself of this: 1 Corinthians 1:18.

It is at the same time a joyful and depressing verse.

You Got Lucky!

Dave Miller — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:40:32 +0000

How often do you refer to luck in the average day? “I was so lucky to avoid that traffic jam,” or, “I got that job totally by luck.” How about, “Lady luck smiled on me,” or even wishing someone “good luck” when they’re going to the doctor.

There are also many sayings having to do with luck and good fortune, “Luck favors the prepared,” and “It’s my lucky day!” And how many times have you heard about someone who supposedly has “the luck of the Irish.”

Even the word ‘fortunate’ infers that chance or luck had something to do with an outcome. “Fortunately, I had remembered my umbrella,” or “Unfortunately, I got lost.”

Christian, do you credit luck or fortune for things that you should be crediting to God?

Every off-hand remark about luck or fortune is a slap to the face of God who works all things together for good to those who love him (Romans 8:28), and we will be held accountable for all our words one day (Matthew 12:36).

Even attributing difficulties to ‘bad luck’ or ‘karma’ is an affront to our sovereign God who brings prosperity and calamity (Isaiah 45:7) and makes it rain upon the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:45).

Do you think God only wants to be acknowledged for bringing good things to your life? Is he not glorified in both times of trial and times of joy?

Christian, in all things, acknowledge the hand of God.

Luck and fortune do not exist.

Never Forget What?

Dave Miller — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 17:03:46 +0000

Never Forget. Yes, but never forget what?

Never forget that this was not a tragedy. A tragedy is when people die accidentally, like in a hurricane or an earthquake. This was not a tragedy; this was an atrocity. This was an atrocity committed by muslim savages in the name of allah in obedience to their ‘holy’ book.

Never forget that sick feeling you had in your stomach when you first heard the news and realized what was really happening. Never forget the anger that rose up within you when you saw muslims celebrating in the middle east.

Never forget that radical islam wants you and your children dead – especially if you are Christian.

Never forget.

Pray For It

Dave Miller — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:17:40 +0000

I’ve been working on an essay about the inerrancy of the bible, but need to post this real quick instead.

Christopher Hitchens, polemicist extraordinaire, has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer. He has canceled his current book tour and will begin chemotherapy immediately. Read more here.

Hitchens is a devout atheist and would most certainly request that nobody waste their time praying for him. Hundreds of thousands of Christians will ignore his preference and pray for his full recovery anyway.

I’m going to stop short of encouraging anyone to pray for Hitchens’ full recovery. I think we should be praying for God to break his pride and do whatever is necessary for Hitchens to repent and believe. (Matthew 5:44) His recovery or death matters much less than the disposition of his eternal soul. (Luke 12:20)

I think we should be praying for whatever will reveal God’s glory in the greatest way possible. (Philippians 2:10-11) If that means that Christopher Hitchens dies of cancer, pray for it. If that means that he recovers fully, pray for it. If it means that you or I die tomorrow, pray for it. Whatever is the will of God and will bring Him the greatest glory, pray for it.

The Paradox of Humility

Dave Miller — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:11:09 +0000

Two weeks ago at church, our council of Elders called a man up to the front of the church before the worship service began. They presented him an award for being the most humble Christian at our church. The award was a tiny lapel pin a little smaller than a dime. The man accepted the award with a tearful and red-faced “Thank you all, so much” and returned to his seat. Last Sunday, the man came to church wearing the pin in the lapel of his jacket and the head elder took it away from him because he showed pride by wearing it and didn’t deserve it anymore.

This actually didn’t happen. It is an old joke rephrased. Nevertheless, humility can be a difficult concept to understand. Last week I listened to a two-part sermon preached by John Piper entitled Battling the Unbelief of a Haughty Spirit. You can download it and listen to it yourself here:

Battling the Unbelief of a Haughty Spirit Part 1.mp3

Battling the Unbelief of a Haughty Spirit Part 2.mp3

When I listen to podcast sermons (usually about a dozen each week) I like to take notes on the parts that hit me hard, or speak to my heart. Sometimes I’ll stop the playback and just start writing about instances where I have personally experienced what the preacher is talking about.

Here are the notes that I took while I was listening to the sermons linked above. If you get anything out of this, I encourage you to download and listen to the entire sermon. Not all of what appears below is Piper’s and not all of it is mine.

All acts of unbelief and all acts of sin flow from selfishness and pride. We know what selfishness is, but pride is more complicated. There are two main forms of pride. The first is our traditional understanding of pride that John Piper defines very well as “…knowing we’re good and wanting others to know it.” This is what the bible calls boasting. The other, trickier, sneakier form of pride doesn’t look like this at all; it is called false humility. False humility is when we go out of our way to demonstrate to people how humble we are. Yes, you can be prideful about being humble just like the man in the old joke.

If you are a Christian and you know anything at all about humility, I am confident that you have encountered this type of pride at least once. Here are two examples: The man who volunteers for the worst task at a church function and then for weeks afterward, brags about doing such a menial job. The woman who helps somebody anonymously and then “lets slip” what she did to one friend who she knows can’t keep her mouth shut. These are examples of a craving that people have for other people to think well of them.

Each of these forms of pride is an example of making much of yourself. As Christians, we should be delighting in Christ alone and in God’s mercy to us.

Isn’t it funny, considering our size and place in the universe, that we humans would struggle with genuine humility?

True humility means casting everything on the Lord. Casting your anxieties on the Lord is humility, because proud people don’t feel that they need help from the Lord. Pride makes people deny their anxieties and want to look like they’ve got it all together. Piper says, “…how easy it is to ‘be made much of’ even for my self-denial.” We have to be such cool customers. God is our LAST refuge instead of our first thought. We are afraid to be vulnerable. We are afraid to look human.

Piper says, “God loves people, but hates pride.” The condition of your heart is of utmost importance. It is almost impossible for anyone to tell the difference between genuine humility and false humility in another person, but it is easy for us to know it in ourselves. This is a skill that we work inwardly on ourselves, not an outward skill that we work on others.

If we are making much of Christ and little of ourselves, then we are practicing humility well. And the proper response is to make much of Christ for granting us a humble heart.

What did you get for Christmas?

Dave Miller — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:22:56 +0000

I got a restaurant gift card from my boss. I got a Sony Reader from my kids. I got shirts and Bible software from my wife. I got gift cards and ammunition from my step-dad. I got cookies from my grandmother. I got, I got, I got!

Is Christmas about getting or giving?

From the time we are children, our parents, our teachers, and most animated Christmas specials tell us that Christmas is about giving, not getting.

I got my doubts about that.

Listen to people talk at the office, on the phone or in a restaurant in the days following Christmas and you will almost certainly hear the words, ‘I got’ followed by something that sounds like the first paragraph of this article.

How I would love to hear someone say:

I got back from a mission trip.
I got my neighbor to come to church with me.
I got forgiven.
I got saved.

If you heard a particularly uplifting “I got…”, please leave it in the comments section. We could all use some positive news this time of year.

Thankfulness

Dave Miller — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:49:46 +0000

I’m now winding down now from a long day at my in-laws and feeling very thankful to be home with my family. We are watching the Disney movie Cars and I am contemplating another piece of pumpkin pie.

In Tabletalk magazine today, the scripture reading was Ephesians 2:1-10 and I’ve reproduced it below with a change in pronouns to make it more personal. Read this aloud to yourself and tell me that you don’t feel thankful.

May God’s blessings be upon you this Thanksgiving.

And I was dead in my trespasses and sins, in which I formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them I also formerly lived in the lusts of my flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and was by nature a child of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved me, even when I was dead in my transgressions, made me alive together with Christ (by grace I have been saved), and raised me up with Him, and seated me with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward me in Christ Jesus. For by grace I have been saved through faith; and that not of myself, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that I may not boast.

Who Sits on Your Throne?

Dave Miller — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 02:21:37 +0000

There is no such thing as a carnal Christian

- Paul Washer-

Take a look at the graphic below. Which of the two circles represents your life most closely? Be sure to read the descriptions carefully.

There is a third circle that is also a possibility. It is a blend between the two circles above, the dots might be a little more organized than the Self-directed life, but not as organized as the Christ-directed life. Christ is inside the circle, but Self is still on the throne. This circle is typically known as the “Carnal Christian” circle. See below and read the descriptions carefully.

In the “Carnal Christian” circle above, Christ is a part of your life, but you have not fully yielded to Him and probably about half the bullet points apply to you. Sadly, this is the most fitting description for most people who claim to be Christians. In my experience, more than half of the people sitting in church on any given Sunday fall into this category.

Perhaps you are one of them. Until relatively recently, so was I. Are you trying to take the Bible more seriously, trying to live a better life, trying not to worry, trying to pray a little more often, trying to consider what Jesus would do before you decide what you will do? Doing these things usually just leads to a legalistic attitude where you do your best and hope it is enough. Sadly, according to Matthew 7:22-23, most of the people who try to “do” their religion this way will be turned away from the Kingdom of Heaven.

Now, take a look a this short video from OneTimeBlind.

The hard news of Christianity is that until you relinquish complete control of your life to Jesus and let His will be your will, you will not be living in Him and will have no part of the Kingdom of heaven when this life is over.

The good news of Christianity is that when you relinquish complete control of your life to Jesus and let His will be your will, you will be living in Him and will have a part of the Kingdom of heaven when this life is over.

Repent and believe, trust and obey.

Have Faith – Go Vote

Dave Miller — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:40:57 +0000

[This article was originally published on November 2, 2002]

Why Vote?

I’ve been puzzling over that question for a few days so I decided to enlist the help of my family and friends in getting an answer. I asked the same two questions of each person, “Do you vote?” and “Why?” The answers didn’t vary greatly, but the reasons why did.

One of my co-workers said that he votes because it is the best way to express his political beliefs. He decides whether or not he supports someone, then votes accordingly. In his words, “If I don’t like a guy, I vote the bum out!” He makes it sound like he is the only one voting in the election. My impression is that he believes his vote really makes a difference. Almost to the point of believing that his vote is the only one that does make a difference! He is a man of great faith in more ways than I can list.

My minister initially said that he votes because it makes him feel patriotic and because it is the responsibility of every good citizen to vote. He admits, though, that the real reason is because his grandmother worked the polls for many years, and he feels he has a duty to her memory to vote in every election. She worked every Election Day, even late into her life. This was her way of teaching her entire family the importance of voting; not just by telling them, but by showing them.

My mother votes regularly as well. She draws a parallel between voting and singing in the church choir. “My voice alone may not be heard by anyone, but by blending with the other voices in the choir, I know I add strength to the sound and make a difference.” Her sister sees voting as a privilege, one that many people do not have. She goes to the polls with a thankful heart, fully cognizant of the suffragettes who had to fight for the privilege of voting.

I was very interested to learn that the word “suffrage” has an alternate meaning, “A short intercessory prayer.”

The more I understand people’s reasons for voting the more I realize that the act of voting and the act of praying are very closely related. There are, of course, differences between voting and praying. Most obviously, we don’t send our votes to an all-powerful, all-knowing benevolent Creator. (Though I’m sure there are those who have exactly that view of our government.) Also, we usually get the results of our voting in a very short time. Praying doesn’t always provide feedback so quickly.

In each case, though, the participant must have a great deal of faith. Faith in themselves to make an informed decision. Faith in their fellow man to do the same. Faith in the poll workers to do their job correctly. Faith in the board of elections to count every vote and tabulate them correctly. Faith in the chosen candidates to perform their duties honorably and uphold their oath of office. And especially, faith that our great nation will continue to be great.

Likewise, when we pray, we have faith that we are praying for something worthwhile. We have faith that God will hear our prayers. We have faith that God will answer our prayers. We have faith that God will do what is right for us regardless of what we were praying for in the first place.

Whether you vote because you feel patriotic, or you feel duty-bound, or because you are thankful for the privilege, or even just because your grandma would want you to, doesn’t really matter. If you want a certain candidate elected, or a particular issue passed, don’t just pray for it to happen. Do what you can to make it happen.

Have faith, go vote.