Recognizing physical life as a wonderful gift is a moving and mobilizing experience:
A young mother saw a documentary film series about where modern culture was heading in its devaluing of human life. She was moved to help organize a crisis pregnancy center. Nearly 40 years later, she’s still serving there. A pastor saw the tragedy of on-demand abortion. He was moved to learn more, to get involved, to protest on the front line of the battle. A young couple, excited about their pregnancy, anticipating their third child, learned that the child could not live long beyond birth. As they processed this before the Lord, they were moved to start a Facebook group sharing their family’s story, and thousands of lives were touched. Individuals found healing. At least one unborn baby, who could have been aborted, was allowed to live.
To recognize physical life as a wonderful gift from God, and then to see someone lose it, or waste it, or destroy it—this is alarming, disconcerting, moving. It’s not only moving, it’s mobilizing. It led these people and many others to speak and act, that lives might be preserved. These people are moved to try to save a life… Who’s moving them? God, who freely gives this gift of life to all human beings.
Recognizing spiritual life—eternal life—as a wonderful gift, is a moving and mobilizing experience:
A young man, hearing that people were living and dying without ever hearing the name of Jesus, was moved to become a missionary to an unreached people group. Many years later, he continues to serve, now seeking to understand what barriers prevent these unreached people from receiving the message of Christ and how to overcome those barriers. A group of pastors looked at a large metropolitan area with so many people who do not know Jesus, and saw too few churches there proclaiming new life in Christ. The pastors began to pray for those people, and to talk to their own churches. They were moved to form a church-planting effort to reach people—to save people—in that major city.
To recognize spiritual life as a wonderful gift from God, and then to see someone dying without it, missing out on what God has for them—this is alarming, disconcerting, moving. It’s not only moving, it’s mobilizing. It led these people and many others to speak and act, that lives might be saved for eternity. These people are moved to try to save souls… Who’s moving them? God, who longs to freely give this gift of new life in Christ to all human beings.
Does God’s gift of physical life move you to action? Does God’s gift of spiritual life in Christ mobilize you to action?
Rev. Brent Juliot serves as pastor of Oak Ridge Lutheran Brethren Church in Menomonie, Wisconsin.