Why We Now Have Socialized Health Care

Like many Americans, I'm not extremely thrilled about the new health-care bill that was recently passed. But one question keeps ringing in my mind: why do we have such a bill?

It's easy for the Church to put the blame on liberal politicians and other sources like that. But I don't think they are to blame. We, the Church, are to blame.

It's not because we didn't vote "our candidates" in. It's not because Obama is out to ruin our country. It's not because we haven't stood up for the moral high ground that we all tend to do. It's because we failed to do what Jesus has called us to do.

The Greatest Commandment
Jesus summarized the Law with the greatest commandments: 1)Love God, and 2) Love people (see Luke 10:25-37). And one of the ways that we show our love for others is by helping them in their need. This is not the work of the government; it is the work of his Church.

So, when we look at this health care bill and are tempted to despise those who put it in place, I hope we pause to ask ourselves some questions:

• Where was I when millions were uninsured?
• Where was I when people could not afford the treatment they needed?
• Where was I when those who needed help had nowhere to turn?

The government has only stepped in to do what the church has failed to do: to help people in need, no matter the personal cost. The government has set up this health care plan because somewhere along the line, we as Christ's representative, have let down those in need and so let down our God.

Rather than point the finger outwardly, let's take a long hard look at our own hearts and see if we have failed to love people; then let us repent, and seek to help those in need as Christ would have us do.

What do you think? Has the Church failed in helping those in need? What can we do to better obey Christ's command to love others?

Hope in the Midst of Struggle

Sometimes life is hard. Other times, it's just downright impossible. At times it's livable, but this is mostly during the sleeping hours. We are all faced with different kinds of setbacks, hurts, diseases, temptations...you get the picture. A friend of mine recently wrote a short yet thoughtful post about pain and God's use of it. It's a good reminder to pay attention to our hurts and pains.

Lately, my life has felt absolutely chaotic. My emotions have been out of control, and it seems as if I might just come undone. I don't want to go into detail, but let's just say that EVERYTHING feels like it's changing. And while it is difficult to try and process, I know deep down that it is good. Not because of what I see on the surface, but because I know something about God. We hear the verse all the time, but we come to feel the verse in the midst of life's storms.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Whether pleasure or pain, God is working in it to make us like Christ. That's the confidence I have in the midst of chaos. The following song from Sanctus Real is a beuatiful reminder of this truth. Take a few minutes to listen to it, or see the lyrics below the video.

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
All I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Revaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow your will
or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is you want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to to release all my held back tears

Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly

Whatever you're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This something bigger than me
Larger than life something heavenly
Something heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time breathe in and let everything out

What's So Good About Good Friday?

A few years ago I gave a message to a youth group in Turkey with this title. The point: what is it about the horrible torture and brutal murder of Christ that leads us to refer to today as Good Friday? It seems kind of odd that his pain, suffering, and tragedy could ever be considered good. So I would like to take up the question again: What is so "good" about Good Friday?
I've heard people say that the cross was the victory of Satan. But this, according to the Bible, is wrong. Satan did not win at the cross. In fact, he actually destroyed himself. We give him too much credit if we even say that it was his idea. The cross was God's idea. It was God's doing. Don't believe me? Good. Check out what the Bible says:

"Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief" (Isaiah 53:10)

"Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men" (Acts 2:23)

"for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place" (Acts 4:27-28)

Even though other people carried it out, the cross was God's idea and God's doing. And it was for our good. Consider with me three truths from Colossians 2:13-14:

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

We Were Dead, But By the Cross We Can Be Made Alive
Because we do not trust God, we are dead in sin (see Ephesians 2:1). But now, because of the cross, God makes us alive. Those who trust in Christ have been brought from death to life.

We Were Debtors, But by the Cross Our Debt is Cancelled
The debt record against us was huge. "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). We could not pay this back, no matter how hard we tried. Our fate with this debt is eternal separation from God. We are doomed to Hell if not for help. And now we can be forgiven. How? By the cross. God nails our sin to the cross and we bear it no more.

Satan and His Forces Are Now Disarmed and Defeated
Satan is our accuser (Revelation 12:10). He seeks to condemn us because of our sin against God. But, as we just saw, God took our sin and nailed it to the cross. So what does Satan have to say now? His mouth has been shut. He can't bring up our sin anymore. He has nothing to hold against us before God. And so he is shamed for trying to do so.

What's So Good About Good Friday?
So now we end where we began. I now ask the same question to you: what do you think makes good Friday good? Is it a day off from work? Is it the signaling of Spring Break? Maybe travel with family or something of the likes? Or is it the most precious day when God took away your sins, nailed them to the cross, shut up your accuser, and gave you new life? Is Christ the reason for your Good Friday? I pray that he is. If he's not, turn to him now. Trust him and follow him.