Once again, we have entered the Fall season. It won’t be long before the air grows cold and the leaves begin to change. The Lord demonstrates his creativity and wisdom over and over again. Who else could make something that is dying look vibrant and beautiful? As C.S. Lewis wrote, “He gives them the seasons, each season different yet every year the same, so that spring is always felt as a novelty yet always as the recurrence of an immemorial theme.”^[1] As creatures living in God’s world, we have an idea of what is coming next with the changing of the seasons.

On the other hand, we are still surprised at times. There are good surprises and other times challenging ones. For instance, we can be caught off-guard by the power and effects of the weather. We have incredible technology and can see weather patterns developing. Yet, storms like Hurricane Helene can devastate us. As of now, we are aware of over 200 people who have died.[2] There are countless others who are stranded or missing.[3] As of now there are at least 3 million people who are still without power.[4] Please be in prayer for those who are affected by this storm. It is a reminder of how fragile life can be, and also of our limitations as human beings. The book of Isaiah says, “Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?” (Isa. 2:22). As we read the pages of Scripture we are reminded repeatedly of the limited nature of mankind. The LORD tells us in Genesis, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen. 3:19). We can be here today and gone tomorrow.

Friends, God made us in his own image, but we are not him (Gen. 1:27). We were made for him and we need him (Rev. 4:11). As created beings we are under our Creator’s authority and are accountable to him. One day each of us will face our Creator – the saved (Rom. 14:10-12; cf. 1 Cor. 3:11-15) and the unsaved (Rev. 20:11-15). This One, who spoke all things into existence and rules them by his powerful word, has revealed his standards in the Scriptures. So, we would do well to know what he has said, and also to do what he has said.  

Brothers and sisters, we are living in a time when people use terms like reproductive freedom, bodily autonomy, diversity, equity, and inclusion (i.e. D.E.I.), to name a few. It is important for us as believers to understand what is meant by such terms because we live in a world where these terms are used. Ironically, reproductive freedom refers to ensuring legal access to abortion. So, reproductive freedom is the freedom not to reproduce. We are Americans. We love freedom. Our history contains a War for Independence. So, what kind of American are you if you are against freedom? The language is weighted. But, do you notice that the particular language used intentionally creates a cognitive distance between what is being said and what is being done? This is no accident. It attempts to remove the shock from the practice in question by creating an intellectual fog. As believers in Jesus Christ we must cut through the fog. Paul writes, “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:4–5).

According to the way that God has designed us, when a man “knows” a woman, babies are the expected result (cf. Gen. 4:1-2). So, if we do not like the natural outcome of our actions, do we have the authority to erase the outcome? Abortion is so common in our world that many of us have not lived in a time without such a practice. The arguments and the terms have changed, but the outcome of the practice is the same. Where do we, as Christians, find our standard regarding such a practice? The obvious answer is the Word of God. But, is this from where we draw our convictions? Or, have we bought the lie that people can interrupt, change, or negate what God has established without consequence? Next time you hear terms, consider what they mean and what God’s Word has to say about them. I have given you just one example. Take care, dear Christians, that your convictions are formed by God’s truth, his standard of right and wrong. Do not let carefully crafted language, or manipulative tactics shape your standard. As Paul writes in Romans, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:1–2).

---

^[1] C.S. Lewis, The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics (United Kingdom: HarperCollins, 2007), 258.

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/03/hurricane-helene-death-toll-power-outages

[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgmgz3elmjxo

[4] https://www.npr.org/2024/09/30/g-s1-25406/helene-death-toll-damage