April 12
Josh 5:1-7:15 | PS 81:1-16 | Prov 13:1 | Luke 15:1-32
Everything that has happened in our lives makes up our testimony and assists us in our outreach to others. The other day I was called by one of my patients. She had difficulty conceiving with her first two children, and now a bit older found herself surprisingly pregnant with her third. She was contemplating abortion, so a friend who knows both of us well, advised that she reach out to me. I first asked her to speak and to explain her concerns to me. I then went on to explain the circumstances surrounding my own birth. I was the last of five children. My oldest brother was 23 years older than me. At the time of my birth my mother was 45 and my father was approaching 50 years of age. No, I was not planned, but I was by God. I never use the word "accident", because God's purposeful hand is on each and every one of His creations. I explained that each child is genetically unique and can never be duplicated. So, if my mother had opted to abort me, then her physician that she has chosen would never have existed. I then went on to explain how God gives us the wisdom for this day, and that worrying about future finances, and how it would all work out, is something which will work itself out. We tend to place undue burdens on ourselves. Many concern themselves with how they will pay for all those colleges, as though paying for your child's college is part of their job description. She explained that her husband is a man without faith, and that he was listening to everything by speakerphone. I then prayed with both of them over the phone. She has made an appointment to see me later this week.
Jesus gives us a parable in Luke 15:4-7, "“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance." In this story, Jesus is the shepherd who went out to find the lost one, the sinner who had gone astray. We then read in 15:8-10, "“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”" In this example, the woman is a type of the Holy Spirit who is constantly searching for the lost until they are found.
It can all seem overwhelming at times, but that is because we place more upon ourselves than we are supposed to. We can't reach everyone, but we can reach someone. We don't keep a scorecard, and in truth, more often than not, we don't know how our conversations end up. I still don't know how this woman will decide. Though I don't do, nor assist in any way with abortions, I will continue to love her, and I know that the words that God gave me to give to her were not wasted. Our church has a ministry called the Bridge Women's Center. Among other things, we have two “stork buses”, called Hannah and Joshua. It is a vehicle which contains an ultrasound machine, and is filled with multiple workers armed with God's message of salvation. The van is parked adjacent to abortion centers and seeks to offer life, not only to the unborn child, but also to the mothers and fathers who do not know Jesus. At this point there have been around six hundred babies who have been saved from abortion, and many of the parents have chosen to follow Jesus. But if that number was only one, and not six hundred, it would still be worth it, for "there is joy in heaven" even over one who is saved. So, please step out in your mission field. And yes, you do indeed have one. Don't get intimidated, just step out, one person at a time, and allow yourselves to be the vessels that God can use. Our job is to be faithful, the Holy Spirit will do the rest.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: