5but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. 36They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. 37They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods. 38They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood. 39They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
I’m just going to say it…I don’t think we hear enough sermons on this particular verse. Wait. Have I ever heard any sermons on this verse? I remember when I was first coming into the family of God that sermons were convicting. They would motivate you to straighten up and fly right! Maybe that was just the sermon I needed to hear, so the Holy Spirit prompted the Preacher to preach it to the entire congregation? Ummm I don’t think so! Everyone needed to hear it.
This particular verse stuck with me and still resonates within me. I graduated high-school in 1972. It was the year debates were going on all the time about the legality of abortion.I was really quite naive about this, so my more informed friends had to educate me about what they did to remove what they called ’tissue’ from a woman’s body. I was horrified! I got involved. I wrote letters, articles to our school paper, made signs and protested in groups. Anywhere that would draw some bit of attention, a group of us went with our ‘STOP KILLING BABIES’ signs. Well, you know how that turned out.
Nineteen seventy two was the last year it was illegal to murder a human inside their Mom. It’s a sobering thought isn’t it? Since then I cannot say our morals have improved. Without the fear of consequences from God, people just don’t care who they hurt, as long as their rights are not impinged.
The verse says it so well; ‘they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.’ Here it gets sticky. When our children were young we had rules about whose homes they could go to. I did not want them exposed to ungodly habits or subject them to unscrupulous morals. Of course, they thought it was restrictive. It was. But we believed we were the guardians of their innocence and safety. As the adult in finding themselves in an unwanted pregnancy, that Mom is the guardian of that human’s innocence and safety. That baby can do nothing at this point in development to protect itself from the decision of it’s own mother to destroy innocent life. When so many families are hoping to adopt a baby, some Mom’s are throwing them away. I cannot believe that God is pleased with this behavior. In Biblical times, they sacrificed their children to a god called molech. Now, we sacrifice them to the god called convenience.
I sometimes like to say that I am ‘pro-choice’. In a relationship that has the potential to create life, you, girl, make the choice BEFORE you get to the point of no return in the relationship, you say NO! I speak from experience, as most girls have. You stop before. And in reality, you make up your mind long before that moment! You decide BEFORE you get into a compromising situation that could potentially result in a life being created, that you don’t want! I know I am being somewhat bold here, but, it is time we stopped looking past the elephant in the room, and told it to leave! Now, please know that I have great forgiveness for the woman who had an abortion. God has forgiveness too. Just ask! I also know that if an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy is growing, there are many people just waiting to hold a sweet baby and raise that life as their own. There are Options!
Finally, if you are of child bearing age, please think about the consequences of your behavior-the life you create could be your son or daughter! Are you ready for that responsibility?
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