Just one more day until Independence Day! Because of the Lord's mercy, He has allowed us to come to this day and preserved our country and our freedoms. Many thanks goes to Lord, the Preserver of life.
We look around us and see many frightening things happening. There are shootings, fires, floods, droughts, and so on. Yet, we are still here. God has preserved us alive and free to this day.
We also look at what is happening in our nation, and it frightens us. But the real problem is not bad government, unjust laws, or mis-interpretation of good laws. Although we should be good citizens and try as hard as we can to see that good people get into office, we cannot look to government to help us or blame it for our problems. The real problem in America is sin.
One of the most grievous sins in America is the shedding of innocent blood. The most common way in which this takes place is through abortion. Millions and millions of babies have been slaughtered through abortion. Some of the things that take place in abortion clinics are beyond comprehension. Live Action did some undercover investigation into America's abortion industry. Not only are babies brutally murdered, but what happens is so uncaring. The atrocities are almost unimaginable. Live Action's website explains more about it.
But abortion is not the only way innocent lives are being taken. Birth control pills sometimes result in loss of life to a newly conceived child. Many Christians do not realize this or do not want to believe it, but it is true. Although the birth control pill is really designed to prevent fertilization and thus prevent pregnancy, it can cause the baby to be aborted if break-through fertilization occurs. This site tells about types of birth control and which ones can cause an abortion. The issue here is not whether or not a family should have lots and lots of babies. God does not necesarrily intend for each family to have lots of children. But the issue is what is safest for the mother and the baby and what is right. Human life is precious. Various birth control methods have a failure rate of 5% to 10%. If a mother is taking a pill, knowing that this is a possibility, and the death of a newly conceived baby does result, the mother is responsible for the life (and death) of that baby. Another article on a different site tells more about it. This is a serious thing for Christians to remember. Let us pray that we Christians will not in any way be involved in or be adding to the innocent deaths of the abortion industry.
God is grieved with the shedding of innocent blood and will deal with it very severely. It is one of the sins for which he judged Israel. Manasseh had filled Israel with innocent blood, and the Bible says, "3Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; 4And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon." (II Kings 24:3,4)
Let us acknowledge and confess our sin and repent, turning to God for mercy, before we go deeper into sin. Our hope is not found in different judges or better laws. It is found in God. God says, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. " (II Chronicles 7:14) This promise is made directly to Israel, but God's character never changes. God is a God of mercy and compassion. "But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth." (Psalm 86:15) Let us look unto Him.