The doctor said, “I’m sorry. There is something wrong.” His implication was that this baby wouldn’t make it and that this pregnancy should be terminated. As his nurse noted, “You can always try again later.” When my daughter called to tell me about the doctor’s assessment, I told her simply, “It ain’t over till it’s over. Give this to the Lord.”

Two weeks later, she went to a different doctor who told her there was a strong heart beat and the baby looked fine. It was a difficult pregnancy. There were numerous late night trips to the emergency room. At twenty-four weeks she was admitted to the hospital for continuous bed rest in an attempt to prolong the pregnancy. Jace David was born ten weeks early and immediately began fighting for every breath. Now he is almost two years old and is a delight to us all.

In the above verses God established the institution of human government and assigned its most important responsibility: protection of human life. In fact, God values human life so highly that when a human life is taken by either man or beast, the life of the guilty man or beast is required. The reason He gives for these extreme requirements is that He created man is His image. We are created to honor God.

Man’s inhumanity to man is a product of our fallen state. The most vulnerable are at the mercy of those who are more powerful. We market in the destruction of the unborn and discuss the “morality” of euthanizing the aged, the disabled and the infirmed. Our society is rapidly shifting to the belief that the government must take care of us and, as a result, that it owns the life of each citizen. Society challenges us to ignore the truth of God’s Word where we are taught that the One who created man is the only person who has authority over the life and death of man.

I am ever thankful that our God is a God of mercy, of grace, of reconciliation and of redemption. Our God can use anyone, even murderers like Moses and King David and Saul the Pharisee. God redeemed these men even while they were sinners. God chose Moses to free a nation of slaves and to lead them to become God’s own chosen people. God chose King David to establish the eternal throne on which the Son of David, King Jesus, will sit forever. God chose Saul to became Paul the Apostle who went on to write thirteen books of the New Testament to teach us who we are in Christ Jesus.

We are all sinners just like Moses and David and Saul. It is God’s desire that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of truth (1 Tim 2:4). All that is required is that we forsake the belief that we can make ourselves acceptable to God if we are good enough or generous enough or peaceful enough or “whatever” enough. We must forsake trust in our own ability and establish our trust in Christ ALONE.

Abram “believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). Jesus, the perfect God/man, was born of the virgin Mary. He died on a cruel cross to pay our sin debt, He was buried, and His body was raised by God the Father on the third day. He did this for you and for me and for all mankind. All we have to do is trust in Him instead of ourselves, and we must do it while we are still sinners. Jesus receives us NOT by faith plus good deeds—He receives us by faith in Him ALONE.

Questions to Ask Yourself

1. Have you trusted your eternal destiny to Jesus ALONE, or are you trying to make yourself acceptable to Him?
2. How can we minister to those who suffer from feelings of guilt for decisions made in the past?