Terri Schiavo ... What would Jesus do? WWJD?
mood: 
sad
sadMany have given this opinion & that opinion of late. I have opinions, feelings, wishes, dreams & desires as well. So does my wife, "Lydia." Indeed, given the option, I would want to live forever!* I believe that my wife fully shares that desire. We have talked about this before, and both of us desire to live for all eternity with Jesus Christ.
However, I do not at this point care to share all my opinions and wishes for what I want to happen to me in case I enter what some call a "persistent vegitative state." Rather, I want to seek out what is good, and right and true and noble and just.
What would Jesus do? WWJD for short is something that is a slogan for some. Others say, what did Jesus do? And the desired answer is, of course, that He died on the cross for your sins & mine and rose again the third day according to the scriptures.
Here is the question I wish to find an answer to today:
What did Jesus say? What does the Word of the Lord say about this situation?
I am convinced that the Lord God, maker of Heaven and earth and the sea and all things therein spoke long ago about exactly this sort of situation.
No, nothing is new under heaven. So let us seek God's wisdom & do what He wants us to do. This is what I want. This what I long for. Oh, then I would be richer than the sultan of Brunei!
As I have listened to the news, it has repeatedly amazed me. Indeed, saddened me, the lack of faith. Not the lack of faith in the abilities doctors, government leaders, priests, or opinion makers. It has become exceedingly obvious to me that we, the American people have lost faith in God. May He have mercy!!
The question was asked so many times, did the courts do the wrong thing or the right thing? What would you have done? Opinions, polls, and the contents of fortune cookes are all equally worthless in the vast eternal scheme of things.
In the end, what will matter is: What does God think? He is the Author of life and He is the one who cuts down the living.
Ultimately, God, is the Arbiter of life. The Lord Jesus is the mediator between God & man. He has become the Life-Giving Spirit!
What does He say? In Psalm 82 (NKJV) you will read this:
A Psalm of Asaph.
1 God stands in the congregation of the mighty;
He judges among the gods.
2 How long will you judge unjustly,
And show partiality to the wicked?
Selah
3 Defend the poor and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy;
Free them from the hand of the wicked.
5 They do not know, nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are unstable.
6 I said, "You are gods,
And all of you are children of the Most High.
7 But you shall die like men,
And fall like one of the princes."
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth;
For You shall inherit all nations.
The footnotes to the NKJV make clear that the "gods" are those who "judge" in this situation. When we set ourselves up to judge right from wrong, good & evil independent of God's voice, His Word, the Scriptures & the testimony of the Holy Spirit's work ... then we set ourselves up as gods. We are then saying "I know because of who I am what you should do and what you must suffer." At that moment, we separate ourselves from the mercy of God.
Who are the "mighty" that God would contend with today? The judges of the land, the opinion makers & broadcasters, those who would not defend the poor, those who would not interceed on behalf of the hurting, those who curse their neighbor, those who believe that they are the determiners of when life begins and when it must end, those who neglect the needs of the hungry, those who pass by the beggar and turn away from them, those who withhold what good they have, those who rule unjustly and do not seek mercy, those who speak only in behalf of themselves, those who seek to justify themselves, those who betray their wives and their children, those who are embittered against their enemies, those who do not seek life, those who do not seek peace and pursue it, those who base their laws on the thoughts of men rather than the will of God, those who listen to the praise of men rather than the Word of God, those who seek to honor the opinions of the people rather than worship the Only True God. These are the wicked ones. These are the "gods" that the Lord speaks of. These are the ones whom the Lord says must die!
Woe to me, for I am a man who is faithless, a sinner, wicked, and undone before the Almighty!
Lord God, take possession of that which is rightfully Yours! Jesus, you purchased our hearts, your purchased our souls, you paid the price for our sins and guaranteed that we would have a home forever with you. Lord, you are our hope, our wisdom, our holiness, our life. You are the Judge and you make us right. We look to You for wisdom. Lord, speak ... perhaps some of us are listening. If we are not, open our ears. If we are blind, open our eyes. Let us hear your song, let us see your face, let us touch but the trail of your robe and be healed! Let us pour out sweet fragrance and serve you always with a clean heart! Have mercy on us, for we have sinned, us and our fathers before us. This generation, and many generations before. This town, and cities accross the land. Lord God, I am guilty as charged, only your redemption, purchased by the blood of Jesus on the cross could cover over my sin and lift the shame. Only your life which overcame the grave could remove the curtain of mourning & death.
Yes, indeed, Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed! It's true! He's alive! He is still able to work miracles!! I have seen Him, yes the Lord Jesus, bring back those consigned to death. I have seen Him set the captives free, free from the nursing home, free from prison, free from the mental hospitals, and free from demonic position!
In Terri Schiavo's case, it was impossible for the doctors & her husband to save her. I have no doubt that all the money the world has to offer could not have saved her life! Terri would have been in hell long ago if her life depended on medical technology, money, and her husband! I do not say that to condemn her husband, doctors, or any court officials, executive officers, or legislator at any level. Indeed, if at your core, deep in your heart, you are trusting the US Congress, the US Constitution, your husband or wife, the doctors, or the some technology, ritual, or incantation to save you, my friend, you will most certainly be led astray.
What we have seen of late in the news is a Crash Course in Killing ... The Way of Death. If you have not trusted in Jesus as your source of life, as your healer, as your hope, my friend, ... I love you ... I care about you ... but I must tell you, you are going to die! There is a murderer on the loose who is out to steal your soul, kill you & all your loved ones, and destroy all you have. He is called the serpent, satan, the devil, and the dragon. He is the enemy of your soul.
But, again, there is good news. Indeed, great news: Jesus is victorious over satan, sin, sickness, the law, and yes, even over death itself!!
Women, you do not have to starve yourselves to try to please your husbands. God loves you & He delights in you as you are faithful. Don't kill yourself trying to fit into the skimpiest pair of jeans or the hottest bathing suit. Rather, clothe yourself with good deeds, patience, humility and all wisdom. This is what all men what who have any sense.
Husbands, you do not have to have the skinniest wife to be cool reproductive, or otherwise manly. God will satisfy you & is honored when you are faithful to your wives even though it costs you great anguish of soul & are lonely. Yes, God loves you. He will meet your needs if you first seek to do what is right!!
"Be content with what you have, for He has said, 'I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you!' " Yes, God means that!
Government leaders, please be lovers of life & "err on the side of life" as a Dr. Jay Carpenter said, rather than choose death. Please, choose life. Let others choose life. Pray for the lives of those you have authority over you for you yourself must give account to the Lord over all.
Citizens of the US, yes the old U.S. of A., please, pray for your leaders. They need wisdom. Lots of wisdom. They desperately need help. The lawbooks need to be reformed. Don't just complain & vote. Pray & encourage what is good. Citizens of other countries, do not take life or liberty for granted. Please pray for the USA & the church here. We need you.
Saints of all lands and all levels of society, remember, "Our citizenship is in heaven, and we await a Savior from there!"
Doctors, God bless you. Please, keep your word & seek the health of your patients through God's power. The Holy Spirit will bless you if you seek His help.
You who are sick or have loved ones who are sick ... DO NOT GIVE UP! LIFE IS WORTH LIVING & WORTH PURSUING! LIFE IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD. GOD CAN, HAS, DOES, & WILL HEAL WHEN IT WILL MOST GLORIFY HIS NAME ... IF WE WILL ASK PERSISTENTLY. IF HE DOES NOT HEAL, DO NOT LOSE HEART!! GOD'S OWN SON DIED! HE KNOWS YOUR PAIN!!
It is also true that demons try to convince people not to eat and not to marry as though these are bad things. It is satan's lie that you can get away with sin. It is satan's lie that there is no hell. He would try to convince you that if you don't spend time seeking God now that you will still get to spend eternity with Him.
The priest, the pope, the pastor cannot save you by waving their hands, giving you special foods, or making appeals. That was made evident this past week.
BUT, Jesus can save you.
The doctors, the neurologists, the surgeons, the psychiatrists, counselors and other people in the helping professions will not be able to save you on the last day ... if they will even be able to keep you alive till next week.
Jesus can give you eternal life though. A life that is not only present, but never ending, never boring, never bad. Only Jesus. You need Jesus! I need Jesus. Everyone needs Him!
The courts cannot save you, nor the governor, the state legislators, the county judge or the Supreme Court, much less the US Congress, the president, or the secretary general of the UN. They cannot even save money for those who are planning to retire or balance a budget at the end of the year ... how do you expect them to save you!!!
Oh, my dear friend, you need Jesus. Cry out to Him! You need Him now. Let Him comfort your heart. Let Him take your tears. Let him heal your soul. Let Him mend your body. He alone is the Great Physician. He is the Prince of peace, the Great High Priest who knows & understand your pain & can do something about it. He can pray for you & He will hear. You will not be disappointed if you take your problem to Jesus! He guaranteed it & sealed the contract with his blood, His own life. That is why He is called the King of kings and the Lord of lords, gentle as a lamb yet stronger than any lion.
Jesus wants to be your friend. He would like to be your Advocate. Will you tell Him your story & give Jesus the power of Attorney over your life today?
BTW: Jesus referred to the passage above in His earthly ministry. To read the whole story, read through the Gospel according to John in the New Testament of the Bible ... pay special attention to what he says in chapter 10 of that book.
May God bless you & keep you in perfect peace as you stay focused on Him.
May you find His love to be strong as you gather with His children.
May the Lord speak comfort, yes, comfort to your heart as you read & hear His word.
Much grace,
Mert Hershberger
The above was simply a small attempt to bring Good News in a situation full of bad news. If you care to correspond with me, you may write to me @ "mertaka [at] everybody [dot] org". If you wish to preach this message, you are welcome to do so, but do not claim that it is your own & don't pretend that you got it from divine dictation or some other weird thing.
In case one needs reference to some basic facts in this case, you may want to briefly visit this site:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terri_Schi
(Not endorsing any opinions of that site.)
NOTE: Wrong spellings: Teri, Terry Shaivo, Schaivo, Shayvo, Schayvo, Shievo, Shyvo, etc.