The Lord is the Maker of all

"Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?" -Ex. 4:11

During my youthful years in college I took a summer biology course at an Arizona local community college to get ahead in units. (Woop woop on community colleges) It was an exciting course and I learned a lot about the laws and phenomenon of nature. When the textbook chapters "evolved" to the human life section, I found it quite fascinating to learn how our bodies are designed. My class got familiar with genes and DNA. We discovered that "accidental" defects in humans were a result of DNA mutation. For example, when the coding in a person's DNA gets messed up it complicates the rest of the DNA strand causing health issues. I.e. missing an organ, deformation, and a diseases similar to Down Syndrome.

It is interesting to note that the language used to describe the victim's symptoms were a mere "mistake" in nature's design. A child born with Down Syndrome is a result of a "chance" occurrence in the "normal" human race. In a normal human body, we are all made up of 23 pairs of chromatids. All of these pairs tell the body what color of hair, skin, sex, eyes, etc, you'll have. A person born with DS would have an extra chromatid in one of the pairs. Hmmm. Interesting you say? It is...

Modern medicine has not come up with a solution to cure this disease, therefore leaving the sorrowful parent(s) to decide whether they will keep the baby. Adoption and even abortion are common alternatives. Majority of the time the child would be admitted to a children's home to be taken care of by the state. Pro-choice activists arguing "economic weight" these people bring, have opted for aborting children with defects. Their reasoning would be that it "isn't fair" for those children to grow up with their differences. It would be less painful for the parent and child if the pregnancy was terminated, making the number of the disabled lower. Hmmm....

In one study, CDC used data from the U.S. Department of Education and the Social Security Administration to find the number of people with mental retardation in the United States in 1993. The study showed that about 1.5 million children and adults (ages 6-64 years) had mental retardation.

As Christians, let's not forget that all things are God's creation. He is the Maker of all things, nothing is a "mistake" or by "chance" (see above verse). But what about salvation? If we are to be saved by confessing Jesus and believing in our hearts, how can someone who can't think or talk like us be saved? Let's see what the Word says...

3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” -Mark 2:3-5

Ok, let's now consider the circumstance. Obviously, the paralytic couldn't walk so men (maybe relatives) had to bring him in through the roof (due to the mass crowd). When they lowered the man, it says that Jesus saw the faith of the men and forgave and healed the paralytic. If it was the men's faith that Jesus saw and acknowledged, it seems that the man could probably not talk or even think. Since he was on a bed, his case was probably severe (although I am no expert on the medical practices of the biblical Jews). The men had to carry the paralytic down to see Jesus.

Now applying this to modern disabled. Honestly, we do not know what is going on in the hearts of these people. Obviously since we serve an all Soveriegn Lord, their salvation is ultimately in His hands. However, God uses preordained means to accomplish His will. What if reading the Word and singing worship songs to the disabled, the Lord will look on our faith and forgive their sins? What if while sharing Jesus with these people, that in their hearts they believe unto salvation? We don't know, and it obviously isn't for us to know. And I do not think that it is necessarily "unfair" for those people, God has His ways of making things up to those "cheated." (See 1 Peter 4:19) But instead, I think that those people are created for us who are normal. What if it is a test of God to see if we are going to do what He has commanded us and preach to every person?

Life is the Lord's. He gives and He takes away. The heart belongs to Him, and salvation through His Grace by Jesus Christ. Next time you see someone who is in a wheelchair, or suffering from mental disability, meditate on these passages in scripture and be reassured no one is a mistake.

the beloved.

The Talia member pictures on the right column have been updated with links to mini-bio pages.

Ephesians 1:3-6

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

free

Starting today, November 5, 2008, Grace To You has permanently opened it's vaults of every recorded John MacArthur message, for free download.

gaze.

hi. from the newbie. hopefully this will encourage your soul.

Isaiah 55: 6-9

'Seek the LORD while he may be found;

call upon him while he is near;

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.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God knows, He sees, He ordains. Trust in the infinite.

election day

Today is election day. Regardless of the outcome, it helps me to remember:

Daniel 2:20-21

"Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might.
He changes times and seasons;
he removes kings and sets up kings;"

Daniel 4:17

"The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men."

Proverbs 21:1

"The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;
he turns it wherever he will."

Rest in God's sovereignty, knowing that He is in control of the government. Everything is going exactly how it was planned.

It is also important to remember what kind of attitude to adorn in regards to responding to our government.

1 Peter 2:13-18
"Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.

The interesting thing about Peter's letter is that he was writing to Christians living under the rule of Emperor Nero, who was torturing Christians. With this in mind, he tells them to "honor the emperor". This may be tough for us, but if Christians could do that under Nero, then I'm sure it's possible for Christians in America. My question is "are we honoring our rulers with our words?" 1 Peter's emphasis is the Christian's testimony ("Aliens and strangers" 1 Peter 2:11). Are people wondering what the reason is for the hope that is in us? (1 Peter 3:15) Do we look different from the world? Or are we complaining like EVERYONE else? I pray that the Lord takes control of my heart, and that I will always respond with "gentleness and respect" (v.16) I pray my focus will be on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3:18
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit"

Praying To Love God for Who He Is and Not What He Gives

As I was praying this morning and expressing my love for God I realized that much of my love for God is because of the things He gives me and not because of Who He is. In a way I was distracted with the gift and not enthralled with the Giver. St. Augustine captured the heart of what I am trying to say when he prayed to the Father and said, "He loves thee too little who loves anything together with thee which he loves not for thy sake." I decided to write out my prayer so that I could share it with you and that it might be a means to examining yourself and the purity of your love for God.

Father, let me love you for who you are and not what you give.

May I see nothing on this earth as more desirable than you

and may I see nothing in Heaven as more worthy than you.

May I treasure you most as I delight in you above all things.

May I count a thousand days on this earth as trivial

compared to one day in your house.

May the presence of others be like a mud pie

compared to the bountiful feast of your presence.

May life on this fleeting earth look like a raindrop

compared to the infinite fountain of your love.

May the treasures of this earth look like tarnish and rust

compared to your unfading and incorruptible glory.

May your gifts not become distractions from you

but avenues that lead me deeper in love with you.

God, you are ever-exceedingly enough.

AMEN.

“Repentance has nothing to do with what man has done. Rather it is man’s coming undone in respect to all human righteousness, followed by his going outside himself in faith to Christ alone for salvation.”
-C. John Miller