The Unthinkable

Leviticus 20

Food for Life:

Leviticus 20
God lays down more instructions that will help the Israelites to separate themselves from the pagan culture around them and to separate, be holy, to the Lord. A particular unsettling and unimaginable ritual that the Ammonites' practiced was sacrificing their children to Molech! Molech was their national god and they did this in order to either appease angry gods or ward off evil spirits. God made/makes it clear in both the Old and New Testaments that human sacrifice is unthinkable!

I have committed the unthinkable. It is hard for me to write these words, as I think about having aborted my baby when I was young and before I knew Love and the grace and forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have received forgiveness from Jesus, and the Lord has brought healing in my life. He gave me opportunity to minister to others who were in similar situations as I was in. YET, this grace does not remove the fact of my actions and being able to remember what took place. The blood of Christ and receiving Him, His forgiveness does remove the spiritual consequence of my sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). But it does not remove the fact that there is one less person on earth - one less person to be revealed as the image bearer - one made in the image of God - on this earth.

Today America and many parts of the world are like the pagan cultures described in the days of old. While abortion is not a sacrifice to Molech for the warding off of evil spirits or to appease angry gods, it is a sacrifice to selfishness....remember, I committed this 'sacrifice' myself so I'm not pointing my figure at others...I have great compassion for those who are faced with situations that are difficult and for others who have aborted their babies, or who have encouraged mothers to do so. Yet, most times, the act of abortion stems from acts that are not what God intends for us. Acts of sexual immorality - either our own sin or the sins of others against us.

There are many victims in abortion. The baby's life is taken. The mother goes through tremendous grief, turmoil, and resultant consequences (even if she is not aware of it at the time); a father is without his child, grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, cousins, all are without a loved one. God has been sinned against because each baby is a gift from God, regardless of the circumstances of the baby's conception. The world is without a person who would have contributed to society. Each person is valuable regardless of circumstances of life, because each one of us are created, from conception, in the image of God.

So, even as I read about the Ammonites sacrificing their children to Molech, the unthinkable - I pause because of my action and because of America's (governmental) sanction on abortion. Not only in this country, but our promotion of abortion in other countries. God help us. God have mercy.

"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). This is a life-giving verse for me. I pray it would be for you - for those of you reading this that have, like me, been party to aborting a baby. The blood of Jesus has come for one such as me, such as you. This is why we need Jesus. Because we were born with sin nature and because we take actions into our own hands to manage situations in our lives that are outside of, that are an offense to, that are not the ways God intends.

And we are not condemned if we have received the gift of forgiveness through the grace in faith, the tender mercy of God. The only condemnation that stands is for those who have rejected Christ (John 3:17,18 - "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son").

"Thank You Lord for Your unfathomable forgiveness and mercy. Thank You Lord for the Love You poured out and continue to do so for me, for us, who act selfishly, unthinkingly, ignorantly, knowingly, and with disobedience. Who act in ways that are not made for us, that go against who we are created to be in You. Thank You that You have set us free from the power of (this) darkness and have brought us into Your marvelous Light. Bring healing Lord into the hearts and minds of those, who like me, have sacrificed their baby(s) at the seat of selfishness, fear, ignorance, pressure from others, and whatever other reasons contributed to their act. OH God, how we need You, thank You for rescuing us...from ourselves, for Your Glory, our good, and the good of others."