January 17, 2006

Number 3

VIEWPOINT

It was the 1850s, and the major thing happening in the United States was the debate between Stephen Douglas and a backwoods attorney named Abraham Lincoln.  Douglas was “pro-choice” on slavery and argued that the Supreme Court had spoken in the Dred Scott decision (1857) establishing that owning slaves was a basic constitutional right. Douglas said that he himself was opposed to owning slaves and that he would never own a slave.  Yet, he argued that it was a slave owner’s right “to choose” to own a slave.

Does this sound familiar?  How many politicians have said “I’m personally against abortion, but I think a woman has the right ‘to choose’ what she does with her body.”

Abraham Lincoln stated, “No one has the right to choose to do what is wrong.”

Tommy Tidwell, in the South Cobb Sower, continues the thought with these words: “This is a simple principle, a principle which is still sound today.  But for some reason today, we think that people have the right to choose to do what is wrong.

“In trying to overcome this, many today argue that we don’t have a set standard of what is right or what is wrong, that it is up to the individual to decide what is right or wrong for them. But consider where this thinking will eventually lead.  Suppose a man thinks it is right for him to kill another on the basis of gender, race, or just because he chooses to kill, and likes to do it. Is it wrong for them to do so? Using the above-mentioned argument then it is all right for a man to kill another.  Further, let us suppose that another chooses to steal what someone else has — again, is it wrong for  him  to do  so?  Not according to the above argument.  But there really is a standard of right and wrong — it resides within Almighty God.

“This thinking has muddled our society, however, to the point today that people think they have a right to choose to sin.  From the arguments made concerning the right to “choose” to kill a baby in a womb, to the arguments made by homosexuals insisting that their rights be respected, we observe people demanding the “right to choose.”

“Christians, though, know that we don’t have the right to choose — we made a choice that affects all other decisions — a choice to be Christians and serve the Lord.  When we made that choice, we also affirmed our choice to let God’s Word and God’s Word only be our standard of authority (2 Peter 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:15–16).  It was upon this basis that Abraham Lincoln made the statement that he made.”

“No one has the right to choose to do what is wrong!” 

I look forward to seeing you Sunday with a Bible, a smile and a positive word!                                                                                                                 RA

About a Minute

An old graduate had been called upon unexpectedly to speak at a chapel session during his college visit, and being unprepared he asked the students what they wished him to talk about. 

“About a minute,” someone called out.  Which he did, as follows:

“In an old school book I read this: ‘Lost, yesterday, between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with 60 diamond minutes.  No reward is offered for they are gone forever.’

“You and I have two great gifts that go along with life: energy and time.  We cannot waste either without great loss to ourselves.  We may fool ourselves into thinking that little things do not matter, but they are really the only things that do.  A minute may seem little, but it is large enough for the greatest people to build their lives upon.  You may say ‘thank you’ several times in 60 seconds.  You can launch a cheery word to some discouraged pal in a minute.  You can look up from the dining table and thank your mother or sisters or your wife for the artistry of the cooking.

“You can get a new idea in a minute, or learn something well worth remembering in the same short time.  It takes but a minute to read 10 verses of the Bible.  You can change the course of your life in a minute.  You can sing a stanza of some cheery song or let prayers for personal guidance run through your mind.  A phone call to inquire about a sick friend takes but a minute.

“The use of minutes makes or mars our days, when it is all over — it takes only a minute to stop breathing.