"Laziness Ruins Happiness"

Here is a link to a helpful article by Jon Bloom, over at Desiring God, called "Laziness Ruins Happiness." Don't be lazy. Take some time to listen to it or read it.

A few quotes:

diligence is a “heavenly virtue” because it is a means of cultivating godliness — increased capacities to deeply delight in God and his gifts. 

how we behave, over time, reflects what we believe; what we do reflects what we desire; our labors reflect our loves. 

When Scripture commands us to “be all the more diligent” (2 Peter 1:10), God is calling us to work hard toward the right ends (growing in godliness), in the right ways (what God commands), for the right reasons (love). 

Seven Ways to Prepare for a New Year

Some of you are on break (students). Others are just as busy as ever. All of us are about to begin a new year. Regardless of the extra time or lack thereof, it is an excellent time to give thought to your ways. Here is a list of a few ideas or resources to help you humble yourself, thank God, and plan for growth (feel free to suggest your own ideas):

1. Take a personal, spiritual retreat - schedule a time of silence and solitude (see this blog post on what it is and this one on how to plan a four-hour retreat)
2. Go through Don Whitney's Ten questions to ask yourself at the start of a new year (you could include this in a personal retreat if you want or do it on its own).
3. Read a good Christian book to encourage your walk with God (a Christian biography, a book about God's character, etc.).
4. Read a good Christian book to help you grow in your ability to minister to others (a book on how to disciple others, a biblical counseling topic, or an apologetic issue).
5. Make a list of 25 things you are thankful to God for from the past year (pray to thank God for them while you write them down). 
6. Think of one new habit you want to begin in the new year. Write it out and the practical steps you will take to make progress. 
7. Think of one area of godly character that you want to make progress in (maybe look over the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 or the elder qualifications in Titus 1 to get some ideas). Next, write out what you need to "put off" and the biblical replacement you need to "put on." Then, come up with a verse or two to memorize on that issue. 

However you do it, spend some time reflecting on the past and looking to the future. Do it all with a heart aimed at thanking God and depending on him.

Praying for the Challenge to Roe (Tomorrow's Court Case)

Tomorrow (December 1, 2021), the Supreme Court is set to hear Dobbs vs. Jackson Health. This is a case that directly challenges Roe v. Wade and could overturn the law that a previous Supreme Court manufactured. Here are two things you can do.

Make time to pray (If you don't have time, maybe you can fast to make more time).

Pray for Lynn Fitch, the Mississippi attorney general who is arguing that there is no right in the constitution to end the life of an unborn baby. 

• "Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy" Proverbs 31:8-9 
• A truthful witness saves lives, but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.Prov 14:25 
• Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness utters deceit.Prov 12:17 

Pray that the opposing counsel would have their lies revealed and their desire for blood overcome

•  Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.Psalm 7:14-16
•  For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.Psalm 5:4-6
•  Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness,Is. 5:20

Pray that the Justices will seek to do what is just (preserve innocent life)

• He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.Psalm 37:6 
• Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path,10 for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; 11 discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, 12 delivering you from the way of evil,  from men of perverted speech, 13 who forsake the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness,14 who rejoice in doing evil and delight in the perverseness of evil, 15 men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.Proverbs 2:9-15 

I encourage you to be ready to make the case for life 

People might be talking about the issue, and you should be ready to open your mouth for the voiceless and defenseless.  Here are some resources

• A Letter to the Tallahassee City Commission Regarding Their Resolution Supporting Abortion
• Resources to Help You Speak for the Unborn

Thinking about Things That are Above

 I preached this past Sunday on "Living in Light of the Resurrection — Setting Our Minds on Things Above." Since Jesus has been raised from the dead, heaven is not a wishful thought to help ease our pains. Rather, it is a reality to be cherished (which means we must think about it). 

Below are a couple of resources you might find helpful in cultivating a mind that is set on things above (They helped me in preparing).

• Jonathan Edwards Sermon "Heaven is World of Love"
• Jonathan Edwards Sermon "THE CHRISTIAN PILGRIM; OR THE TRUE CHRISTIAN’S LIFE A JOURNEY TOWARDS HEAVEN" (you have to use the arrow keys to buttons to each page of the sermon)  Here is a shorter synopsis of some of its main points
• Gavin Ortlund "The Eternal Shore Five Things We Forget About Heaven" (this is where I got the swimmer illustration)
• One more that I didn't reference but have found helpful in the past is Richard Baxter's book The Saint's Everlasting Rest

A Letter to the Tallahassee City Commission Regarding Their Resolution Supporting Abortion

Below is a letter I am sending to the City Commission regarding their proposed resolution to support abortion (click here to read the resolution).  

You can send them an email too (it doesn't have to be a long email - just voice your opposition).  Here is the link to email them (and here are their email addresses: mayor@talgov.com; jack.porter@talgov.com; jeremy.matlow@talgov.com; curtis.richardson@talgov.com; dianne.williams-cox@talgov.com)  

The meeting is tomorrow (9/22/21) at 3pm. You can also sign up to speak "virtually" by clicking here, or you can show up at City Hall to speak (assuming there is space). 

Letter to the Tallahassee City Commission

Dear Commissioners,

This resolution claims to uphold fundamental human rights and dignity. I assert that it does the opposite for two reasons: 1. It ignores the dignity of the weakest members of society, and 2. It undermines the dignity of women.

Ignoring the Dignity of the Most Vulnerable

I am glad that you desire to affirm human dignity, especially of vulnerable ones. However, the resolution's central (yet unstated) premise is that the unborn human in the womb is of a different class of humanity and not worthy of protection when he or she is unwanted. 

We know that the person in the womb is a human (what else do human beings conceive?). We also know that from the moment of conception, this person is a boy or girl possessing his or her own unique DNA (it is not a part of the mother or simply a cell like a sperm or egg). So, why doesn’t this person have a right to life?

Here are some common reasons we think this person does not deserve the dignity of protection:

• Size – Yes, she is smaller than a toddler, but since when does size determine a person’s value?
• Level of Development – Yes, he is less developed than a newborn and a newborn than a toddler and toddler than a teenager. In none of these cases do we assume it is ok to end the person’s life. 
• Environment – Yes, she is in her mother’s womb, but since when does location determine a person’s right to life? She is exactly where she should be, much like an infant in the arms of her mother. 
• Degree of Dependency – We think that since he is dependent on his mother, she can choose to abandon him. But a newborn or toddler is dependent too (as is an adult under anesthesia or in a coma). We know it is wrong to abandon or kill people simply because they are dependent. 

So, while this resolution claims to promote the “fundamental right” of healthcare, we must consider the health of the woman AND the baby. Protection of life is not just a right for those who have power and a voice. We must open our mouths for those with no voice to defend themselves.

Undermining the Dignity of Women

This resolution undermines the dignity of women. Claiming that a right to end another person's life is necessary for a woman to possess dignity equal to a man is nonsense. In fact, it makes our whole society less loving. I have personally spoken with many women considering abortions who were coerced into it. Their partner, family, friends, and professors all essentially said, “Why are you making this so hard? Just get an abortion. And if you don’t, you should not count on our help because you chose not to have an abortion.” 

Reject Resolution No. 21-R-30 

I hope our national conscience awakens to the horrific injustice that abortion is – both against women and children. If we do, future generations will sit in judgment on resolutions like this. If you approve this resolution, your names, affixed to it, will stand as evidence that you actually encouraged oppression in the name of supporting the weak. 

Even if our country doesn't correct this grave injustice, there is a coming day of judgment. God, the creator of life, is the all-seeing judge. You might not like that, but your desire for human dignity shows that you live as if there is a God. Where else does the belief that all people have equal worth and dignity find its foundation? If it is just that you or I think it is right, what happens when someone or some nation thinks differently? The only unshifting foundation upon which human rights are built is the existence of a God who made us, from the moment of conception, in his image. 

I hope you will reject this resolution and resolve to help women and children maintain their dignity and rights.  

Respectfully,

Ben Khazraee 

A News Podcast Recommendation - The World and Everything in It

If you are looking for solid journalism from a biblical worldview, check out The World and Everything in It Podcast. I have been listening for well over a year and love it. It isn't sensationalized entertainment. It doesn't aim to keep listeners in a perpetual state of anger and anxiety. It is careful, factual reporting that focuses on many issues that actually matter from a biblical worldview. I listen most mornings on my commute. 

Resources to Help You Speak for the Unborn

The abortion debate is back in the national spotlight with a recent Texas law as well as a case that will be heard this Fall by the Supreme Court which directly challenges Roe v. Wade. We must pray for the injustice of Roe v. Wade to be overturned. 

But, we must do more than that. We must be ready to speak on behalf of the oppressed. The weaker and more defenseless they are, and the more irreversible the threat they face, the more responsible we are to use our voice. 

Proverbs calls us to this work. 

Prov. 24:10-12 says,

If you faint in the day of adversity,

    your strength is small.

Rescue those who are being taken away to death;

    hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.

If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”

    does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,

    and will he not repay man according to his work?

Proverbs 31:8-9 says, 

Open your mouth for the mute,

    for the rights of all who are destitute.

Open your mouth, judge righteously,

    defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Here are some resources to equip you to speak for the unborn:

Why Can't Christians Just "Get Over" the Abortion Issue? (Blog)

This is a brief blog post outlining the logic of why abortion is a major issue that we must never stop fighting. 

Scott Klusendorf - Defending Your Pro-life Views  (Video)

A short 3 minute video on how to make the pro-life argument. 

Abortion Is Immoral: An Animated Roadmap of the Argument (Videos)

A four-part animated video summary of an essay by Patrick Lee (ethicist) and Robert P. George (Princeton Law Professor): “What Is Wrong with Abortion." This one deals with more details of the legal and philosophical arguments against abortion. 

Abortion: From Controversy to Civility | Stephanie Gray | Talks at Google (long Video)

Another approach to making the pro-life case in a world that lacks a biblical worldview. Stephanie appeals to the idea of heroism and our obligation to protect the weakest among us even when it is costly (she gave this talk to google employees). 

Meet Baby Olivia | A Never Before Seen Look At Human Life In The Womb (Video)

This is a short 3 minute, medically accurate video of a baby maturing in the womb. 

Lessons Learned about Ministering Outside an Abortion Clinic part 1 (Blog)

A short article I wrote that reminds us that as Christians we have a message for those considering abortion and those who have had them.