We all sin every day, but there are some sins that God names as those He hates. One is “hands that shed innocent blood.” With the Supreme Court decision on Roe v. Wade concerning abortion, we have reason to hope that laws can be passed to, at least, limit it. But laws don’t change hearts. There is only one real source of hope. We need to be sure we put our trust there. 

Also … do you have someone in your life who is difficult? Maybe it’s your boss, your co-worker, your mother-in-law, or a child you dearly love. Whoever it is (and most of us have someone), how do you think about that relationship and how well do you deal with it? 

Welcome to Soul Survival where I blog through the Bible in a Year along with Bible studies and other Christian living posts. This year I’ve added a couple of new features. First, check out the “Free Resources” tab at the top. You’ll find a downloadable, printable PDF with “Going Deeper Study Questions” for each Bible in a Year post. And … this year I’m also reading through the Bible on YouTube. You can check out my channel here. The daily emails now have a link to both the Soul Survival posts and the YouTube videos. I hope you’ll sign up.

Today’s Readings:

Exodus 17 & 18
Psalm 18.28-36
Proverbs 6.16-19
Matthew 22.1-22

Abortion, What God Hates & Our Only Hope

Proverbs 6.16-19:

Sins God Hates

We all sin every day, but there are some sins that God names as those He hates!

The first is pride or contempt for others, often revealed through a haughty look.

The second is lying. He hates fraud and deceit.

Next, he lists murder, the shedding of innocent blood. I want to take a little more time talking about this one. So first, let’s look at the rest of the list.

Next is planning and scheming wickedness, followed by running to do evil. Some people just seem to enjoy hurting others. In fact, they’re in a hurry to do so.

Next is a false witness who speaks lies. Again lying is singled out. This time regarding giving false testimony.

And then He emphasized sowing discord or disharmony among believers. When we gossip about one believer to another or plant seeds of discontent, we are doing what God hates!

Abortion: No Regard for Innocent Life

Finally, verse 17 says the Lord hates “hands that shed innocent blood.” And no one is more innocent than a baby, inside the womb or out, no matter how or when he or she was conceived, the nature of any physical condition, or any other circumstance.

Yet, you can’t watch the news or keep up with current events even nominally without realizing that as a nation we have little regard for innocent life in the womb. Numbers are hard to pin down but several sites I visited, said as of two years ago, over 63 million babies had been killed by abortion since Roe v. Wade in 1973. That figure alone should shock us. And it has grown since then.

There is hope that the numbers will begin to slow down since the Supreme Court overturned Roe, allowing states to put limits on abortion. Though, sadly, some states are ramping up the availability of abortions. 

We need to realize that our ultimate hope cannot be in our government. Laws don’t change hearts. Our hope must be in Christ and the Holy Spirit’s ability to change hearts as we share the gospel.

Our Responsibility

Our responsibility certainly involves speaking the truth in love. It should, also, include being part of the solution. There are things we can do like supporting a Christian pregnancy center or walking alongside a woman struggling with an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. But if we want to affect long-term change, we must be ready to share the gospel. Do you know how to share your faith? And are you willing?

Don’t let fear of rejection or something else keep you from obeying Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

If you’re not sure where to start, you might read these two posts and watch the videos. They may help you better understand how to explain the gospel.

“Do You Live with a Sense of Guilt?”

“Could You Be a Christian in Name Only?”

And I’ll link a 2-minute video at the bottom.

Also, check with your church and see what instruction they offer to help you evangelize more effectively. Or sit down with a mature believer and ask for his or her help.

Of course, the Great Commission involves more than just a one-time sharing of the gospel. It, also, involves walking alongside new believers (“teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you”) and helping them grow.

May God help us to win the battle for hearts, not just in the area of abortion, but in the war of light over darkness in the lives of those around us.

Today’s Other Readings:

Exodus 17 & 18:

Difficult People

What a group these Israelites were! They had been grumbling and complaining, accusing Moses of trying to kill them and longing to go back to Egypt as if it were the promised land. Remember that was the place where they had been forced to work as slaves.

Once again they turned on Moses. Even though they were being led by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night and even though God had repeatedly blessed them and cared for them, instead of trusting Him, they blamed Moses because they were thirsty.

The people were in such an uproar that Moses was afraid they would stone him. Most of us would have been tempted to throw in the towel and tell that ungrateful bunch they were on their own! But his response was to go straight to God. And God, in His mercy met their need supernaturally once again.

What do you do when faced with difficult people? Do you start complaining to your girlfriend, your buddy, your co-worker, or someone else? Do you simply throw in the towel? Or do you go straight to God?

I wonder how many times God has been ready to help us with difficult people, but we failed to acknowledge our dependence on Him by going to Him in prayer and asking for His wisdom and help.

Strong-Willed Children

Sometimes you have to wonder why God chose the Israelites as His covenant people. But He did. And He asked Moses to lead them.

Whom has he asked you to lead? A strong-willed child, a dawdler, a talker? Several unruly boys? An alien who inhabits your teenage daughter’s body? Or maybe it’s a class of rowdy 6th graders or a group of high school students?

If God has given you a child who is difficult for you, what is He doing in you? He chose that child for you just as He chose the Israelites. How does He want to use that child or difficult relationship to complete His work in you?

What Christ-like qualities is He developing in you through a difficult relationship? Is it His love? Joy? Peace? Some longsuffering maybe? Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control? (Gal. 5:22-23).

None of us will parent or handle difficult people perfectly, but if we fail to seek God and ask for His help, we will fall far short of what we can and should do.

There are many good, biblical books on the subject of parenting. If you’re parenting a difficult child, I would encourage you to check out one of them. Here are a few of my recommendations:

The Heart of Anger by Lou Priolo

Getting a Grip by Lou Priolo

Parenting by Paul Tripp

Age of Opportunity by Paul Tripp

Parenting the Difficult Child: A Biblical Perspective on Reactive Attachment Disorder by Linda J. Rice

If you’re in a difficult marriage, you might check out:

The God Empowered Wife by Karen Haught

Psalm 18.28-36:

His Perfect Way

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him (v. 30).

Not only is God perfect, holy, and just, but His way is perfect! He is never late, never wrong, always in control, and, if we belong to Him, always working for our good and His glory (Rom. 8.28-29).

Matthew 22.1-22:

Dressed for the Wedding

One day there will be a great wedding feast where God will celebrate His bride, the church. Jesus told a parable in Matthew 22 that points to that day.

Like the wedding guests in the parable, we all come to Him dirty and without proper “clothing,” sinners in need of cleansing and forgiveness. The “wedding garment” is His righteousness offered as a free gift. Those who were properly clothed had merely accepted the King’s gracious provision. Have you?

It’s only when we are clothed with His righteousness that we are able to love others with His love, grow through a difficult relationship, stand in the gap for the lost and innocent, and one day, attend the wedding supper of the Lamb!

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about idols of the heart and about the seriousness of promises. We will, also, look at pride, religious pretenders, and the devastating effects of adultery.

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss them. 

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.