1 Peter 3:8–9 (NIV): Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.
Last month, I shared my views on the sanctity of life. At the end of the article, I wrote: “As I look at my baby, I realize that many people are quick to remove someone’s dignity and worth. These people are ready to deny the sanctity of all life, replacing this truth with a belief system that benefits their ideals. I pray that God would give them mercy. And, I pray that my son would live in a society where all are provided dignity and worthy, whether they see the light of day or not, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are living or dying. Lord, hear my prayer.” I must continue this train of thought. Many people confronted by this viewpoint naturally think about the unborn or the elderly. The sanctity of life applies to these two extremes. However, the sanctity of life applies to all who live. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, so many people are not. We have conditioned ourselves to treat as inferior those who disagree with us. We see this in Facebook and other social media. We are encouraged to write phrases and words that we would never use to someone’s face. We turn on the television and scream epithets at faces who will never respond to us. In conversations with friends, we make threats against groups with whom we disagree, even though these are people just like us. What happened to a society that gave everyone worth? What happened to sympathy, love, and compassion? What happened to the Golden Rule? When Jesus walked this earth, he made friends with a man who would betray him. He ate and respectfully conversed with those who would kill him. While dying on the cross, Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of those who ridiculed him. After he rose from the grave, he offered salvation for all those arrayed against him. Jesus is our example. We are to repay evil with blessing. Let us show the sanctity of life.
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Peter SamplePastor of Calvary Bible Church, Neligh, NE. Missionary with RHMA. Husband to Maggie. Father to Grace, David, and Daniel. Saved by Jesus Christ Archives
April 2023
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