Remember Me

Today is Memorial Day in the United States. It is a day of remembrance for those that have passed on. Many veteran groups use this day to honor and commemorate the fallen soldiers. Families use this day to remember the loved ones that have gone on before us. It is a day to remember those that have had an impact on our lives. It is also a day to remember those that didn’t get a chance to have an impact on our lives, or those that we have ignored their impact.
On January 22, 1973, the United States government legalized murder to a group of human beings that can not protect themselves, that can not speak out, and that can not show the pain that they are suffering. Humans that do not choose the life that they are given, a life that, to say loosely, they are born with. They don’t make a choice that can bring unfair and unwarranted discrimination upon them. They are considered to be a lesser type of human being.
What caused this discrimination? Is it their skin color? The United States has had a history of racial intolerance, but this isn’t based on their melanin. Is it their gender? This murder can happen to either male or female. Is it their religion? Again, this murder can invade all types of religions and faiths. Unfortunately, certain Christian denominations and Islamic sects have even supported this murder. Is it their socio economic status? Rich or poor, this form of murder is indiscriminate. Is it their lifestyle? These humans that are murdered daily, haven’t had the time to gain their sexual identity. So it is unclear if they have chosen the homosexual lifestyle or not.
What is this murder that affects all types of people, yet only discriminates against on certain type of person. This murder is simply known as Legalized Infanticide. Or in a more popular politically correct term: Abortion.
A couple of years ago, on Focus on the Family, Dr Dobson had a guest who spoke on abortion. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the guest, but I do remember the acronym that he gave: SLED. It is an acronym used to debate the merits of abortion by using the definitions that abortionists used to support their cause. Size, Location, Environment, and Level of Dependency. Please check out this site to get a better understanding. http://www.frontlinemin.org/abortion.asp
My primary argument against abortion is using the reverse method of death. I approached a doctor when I was still in high school and was greatly troubled by the abortion laws. I asked him what determines if a person is dead. Is it the heart stops beating? No. Is it the lungs, kidneys, and other organs don’t work? No. What determines when a person is legally dead? His answer: When there is no more brain activity, the person is no longer considered living. Therefore, brain activity determines life. If there is brain activity, there is life. Machines can help keep everything else going, and even substitute for other organs that have failed. Machines can not keep the brain going. Simply put, brain activity = life, no brain activity = death.
This memorial day, let us remember the 43 million plus humans that have been murdered since 1973.
Who is the other person we should remember? Who has had an impact on our lives, that we have seemed to ignore, or forget? That person is Jesus Christ.
Even though this isn’t Christmas or Easter, we must remember the sacrifice laid down by Jesus Christ. He did more for humanity than any other person in existence. He may not have been the one that invented penicillin, the wheel, or slice bread. He may not have invented the automobile, telephone, or the internet, but what he did is more great than any of those things. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21). Jesus gave us the way to righteousness. He took upon himself the sin of the world, so that we can have communion with God, without having to go through a multitude of mediators.
It is through Jesus that we get eternal life. “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
We have to confess that Jesus is our Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom 10:9)
When we confess that Jesus is Lord, t hen we must obey his commands, “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15)
Let us remember what Jesus has done for us. He has granted us the way to eternal life, through his death and resurrection.
Have a blessed Memorial Day and a blessed week

Resurrection Day

"In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!" (Luke 24:5,6 NIV)

With those words, all mankind was forever changed. Jesus was alive, not dead. He has risen! What a glorious announcement, at a dark time.

What's so important about Jesus' resurrection? It is the way to eternal life. "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9 NIV) The emphatic will, not should, or might, but WILL be saved.
Confess that Jesus is Lord. What is a lord? A lord is one who holds dominion over someone or something. A lord is one who is ,in essence, the boss. If you say that Jesus is your Lord, you will do what He commands. If you do not do what He commands, is he truly your Lord? He is to have all authority over you. That is a tough order in today's democratic society, where we can do what we want to do, and not worry about the consequences. But I tell you this, if Jesus is your Lord, you will do what He commands. If you do not do what He commands, is he truly your Lord? "If you love me, you will obey what I command. . . If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey by teaching. These words you hear not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." (John 14:15,23-24 NIV)
Believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. With this belief comes knowledge. You will absolutely know without question that God raised Jesus from the dead. There will be know doubts running amok in your heart. By knowing that God has the power over death, you know that He will raise you also from death, to spend eternity with Him. "For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." (Rom 10:10 NIV)
Your heart is important when dealing with sin. Most sins start out in the thoughts of the person. Hatred, lust, coveting, etc. these sins start out in the heart. Therefore, it is also your heart that is made pure in thought. It is your heart that justifies your beliefs. Talk to any person and you will find their hearts passions, for it is the driving force behind their motives and their actions. Therefore, do you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, or are you just going through the motions. Going to church, singing the hymns, shaking hands, giving your tithes and offerings, only to live sinfully in the world, forgetting (or not even acknowledging) Sunday.
Salvation can be summed up in a three step ABC process. Admit. Believe. Confess.
Admit that you are a sinner and in need of a Savior. Believe that Jesus died on the cross, and was raised back to life by God. Confess that Jesus is Lord. You will be saved. Now the hard part. LIVE IT!! Obey the commands of Jesus.
What I like best about the this account is the question that was posed to the women. 'Why do you look for the living among the dead?' Jesus is not dead. It is not a Christians responsibility to prove the Jesus lived 2000 years ago. It is a Christians responsibility to show the Jesus is alive today.
Have a blessed Easter
Daniel G Vandenburg
ps Listen to Newsong's "Arise My Love"