Keeping it Straight

I've been reading a book by Roger Resler titled Compelling Interest with the subtitle, The Real Story Behind Roe v. Wade. Interesting book. But it's ... frustrating to read. Resler lays out in detail the mistakes made by the lawyers defending the Texas abortion law in question in Roe v. Wade and the mindset of the pro-abortion crowd that is twisted up in both anti-faith and necessary-faith views. They specifically targeted religious beliefs (even though the starting point of the pro-life view is life, not religion) yet demand that we succumb to some nebulous, untestable, untenable concept of "personhood" that, well, you'll just have to take on faith. The frustrating part is how far they've gotten on this shoddy argument, how deeply it is ingrained in our culture, and how hard it is to get anywhere with reasonable, rational discussion on the subject.

Now, today is Sunday, so I'm not writing to debate or complain. I'm writing on Sunday, as is my habit, to bring attention to God. So I thought about Psalm 115.

Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth. Why should the nations say, "Where, now, is their God?" But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases (Psa 115:1-3).

The two things, then, that I need most to keep in mind, both to remind me of our wonderful Father and to give me that peace that passes understanding in trying times. First is our number one problem. We seek our own glory. We worship the creature rather than the Creator. And I need to be reminded ... often ... that it is God's glory that we seek and God's good Name that we uphold. Good is only that which is done by God and for God, and the good we need to seek is the good that brings Him (not us) glory. Nothing else -- not appreciation or favor or comfort or power or acclamation or anything else -- matters.

Second, while the world around us really likes to taunt us with "Where is your god now?", it just doesn't matter. "Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." Whatever He pleases. I suppose I can leave that up to Him, can't I? And that's good to know, too.