Make the Most of Your Time With Kings

 “God has helped me to this very day; so I stand here and testify to small and great alike.”
 – Acts 26:22

Mother Teresa dedicated her life to doing what Jesus Christ tells his followers to do in Matthew 25:35-36. She gave food to the hungry. She gave clean water to the thirsty. She gave a home to homeless strangers. She gave clothes to the naked. She gave free medical care to the sick.

And just three and a half years before she died, 83-year-old Mother Teresa was invited to Washington D.C. to be the keynote speaker at the National Prayer Breakfast. On February 5, 1994, Mother Teresa spoke to an audience of 4,000, which included some of the highest-level leaders in the United States, including President Bill Clinton. As the frail little Catholic nun stepped up to speak, her head didn’t even extend above the microphones mounted on the podium. Here is a small part of her impassioned message: “I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child.... Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.”

When given an audience that included the leader of the free world, that’s what Mother Teresa said. If you had been given that opportunity, what would you have said to them? Let’s take a look at what the Apostle Paul said when he was given a similar opportunity.

Paul had been cooling his heels in prison for two years while the corrupt Governor Felix waited for him to bribe his way out. Finally, Governor Felix was booted out of office, and Paul was called into court to stand before the new Roman governor of Judea, Porcius Festus. And Governor Festus responded ... by asking Paul if he wanted to go to Jerusalem and stand trial there.

Paul knew he’d been given the runaround by Governor Felix, and it seemed Governor Festus was doing the same. So, Paul gave him this very respectful but eloquent response: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” (Acts 25:10-11).

God had promised Paul that he’d get a chance to share the Gospel in Rome, and Paul probably decided it was time to “get this show on the road.” The quickest way to get there would be to claim his right as a Roman citizen to have his case appealed to the highest court in the empire. So, Paul asked for his court case to be transferred to the Caesar himself, Emperor Nero.

In Acts 26, before Paul was transferred to Rome, he was given the opportunity to share his personal testimony with a lower-level ruler: King Agrippa. Paul spoke to the king respectfully, saying that he considered himself “fortunate to stand and offer my defense” before King Agrippa. Then, in a courtroom filled with powerful leaders, he shared his testimony: the story of his own persecution of Christians, his life-changing revelation on the Road to Damascus, and his mission to share the gospel of Jesus Christ from that day forward. And in verse 26, he pointed out that the king was familiar with both the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah and the events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection. In front of everyone in the room—all the political, military leaders and religious leaders—Paul asked the king a question that could lead to him embracing the truth that Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the living God: “King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do” (v. 27).

But instead of responding with a genuine, heartfelt answer, King Agrippa took the easy way out by asking a question of his own: “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” (v. 28). That is what we called a missed opportunity. King Agrippa heard the good news of Jesus Christ, and I believe the Spirit of Almighty God was whispering in his ear, “Today is the day of salvation.” But King Agrippa said, “No!” He squandered that moment. He put Jesus off until tomorrow. And as best we can tell, for King Herod Agrippa II, tomorrow never came. He never turned from his sin and received the grace of Christ.

I’d like to share two life lessons that we can draw from this passage.

Lesson #1: When given the opportunity to stand before high-ranking leaders, treat them with kindness and respect. Regardless of the way Paul was treated by governing leaders, he spoke to them with kindness and respect. As Chuck Swindoll puts it: “When God grants us the rare opportunity to stand before prestigious people and high-ranking government officials, it is best to demonstrate courtesy and grace. Regardless of their lifestyle, speak with respect…. To come on like gangbusters will surely be an offense, and the door of opportunity will slam shut…. Despite his chains and their differences, [Paul] addressed them with kindness and respect.”

Lesson #2: Don’t squander your God-given opportunities to truly believe, repent and submit to God’s will for your life. King Agrippa heard Paul share about his experience on the Road to Damascus and how it changed his life forever. And King Agrippa COULD have had his own Road to Damascus experience right then and there. But foolishly, King Agrippa squandered his God-given opportunity. He chose not to believe, not to repent and not to submit to God’s will for his life. What a tragedy!

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you are being offered your own Road to Damascus moment. You have the God-given opportunity to believe in Jesus Christ, turn from your sin and submit to God’s will for your life. The question is, are you going to respond like Paul or like Agrippa? Will you take hold of this opportunity, or will you squander it? 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church in Victorville. Pastor Dane’s latest book (Called to Persevere: One Man’s Journey to Overcome Pain, Disease and Disappointment with God) is NOW available at Amazon. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc or www.Called2Persevere.com.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

- Psalm 139:13-14

This past Wednesday marked the 47th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalize abortion in the United States. In its landmark Roe v. Wade decision on Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court concluded that the 14th Amendment protects a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy. Since Roe v. Wade was passed, more than 63 million babies have been aborted in the United States. To put that number into perspective, 63 million is more than the entire population of California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and New Mexico … combined.

That’s a huge number. And that’s a tragic number. Many of us are hoping and praying that someday soon, the Supreme Court will take a stand for the life of the unborn child. But regardless of what the Supreme Court does or doesn’t do, there’s a much bigger issue to consider. You see, as a nation, we have forgotten how precious human life is. In recent decades our culture has been steadily devaluing—cheapening--human life. And many of us in the church haven’t even realized it. We’ve become desensitized to the cheapening of human life.

But from the first chapter of the Bible, God makes it clear that He places great value on life. On the fifth and sixth days of Creation, God created the birds and fish and mammals, then culminated His work with the creation of man. As we read these great verses, you’ll notice a phrase being repeated along the way: “God saw that it was good.” The word “good” comes from the Hebrew word “tob,” which can also be translated as “beautiful.” Bottom line: Every living thing that God created is good and beautiful.

But of all the living things that God created, only human beings were created in the image of God. And in Genesis 2, we discover that man alone is created as a moral being with the ability to choose right or wrong, good or evil. And we learn in that same chapter that man alone is given the privilege of being in a relationship with God. The Bible teaches us these important lessons about the unique sanctity of human life:

1) God creates all life on earth as good and beautiful—but He creates human life as sacred. The word “sacred” means “connected to God and dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration.” Every human life is sacred, connected to God in a way that a dog or cat or dolphin’s life couldn’t be. Every human life is dedicated to a religious purpose: to take care of God’s creation and worship Him in a way that His other creations never could—to serve Him and work with Him to expand His Kingdom in a way that no other creature could.

Every human life is sacred. Therefore, all human life deserves to be respected and valued.

2) God creates human life in the womb; therefore, the life of the unborn child is good, beautiful and sacred. Genesis 1 makes it clear that God created human life as good, beautiful and sacred. And in Psalm 139, David makes it clear that God makes that life good, beautiful and sacred from the very beginning—in the mother’s womb. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb” (vs. 13). Before David was born God was knitting him together, piece by piece, in his mother’s womb. Before David was born he was already “fearfully and wonderfully made.” So, when the word of God tells us that the life in a mother’s womb is “human” life, it clearly indicates that the unborn child is connected to God, dedicated to a religious purpose, and that it should be respected and valued.

3) God has a purpose and plan for our lives before we are born. When it comes to the life of the unborn child, there have been many lies circulating over the past 47 years. We have been told over and over again that a baby in the womb is just “a clump of cells” or “a mass of tissue.” We’ve been told that it’s a “fetus” with human cells, but it is NOT a human being. But if you look at images of a fetus from just a few weeks old, those pictures are worth a thousand words. A tiny baby human looks like a human—because he IS a human, fearfully and wonderfully made, knit together in his mother’s womb. And as God tells Jeremiah in Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 makes it clear that God has a plan for our lives before we are born. But, sadly, abortion snuffs out the life of a baby that God is knitting together in a mother’s womb. And abortion snuffs out that human life in an incredibly cruel way.

If you believe God’s word to be true—if you believe that all human life is good, beautiful and sacred—you need to stand up and speak up for life, especially when it’s time to vote. Whether we’re talking about an unborn child or a toddler or a teenager or a homeless man at the offramp or a senior on dialysis … ALL human life is good, beautiful and sacred. And God has called us as His sons and daughters to be caretakers of His most precious creation. We are His ambassadors, commissioned by Him to stand up for, proclaim and defend the sanctity of human life: young and old, born and unborn, male and female, black and white, rich and poor, healthy and sick. All human life is fearfully and wonderfully made by our amazing Creator. And we need to do our part to speak this truth to everyone who will listen. 

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Join us for our worship service Sundays at 10 a.m. at the new Dr. Ralph Baker School in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Human Life Is Sacred

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." - Jeremiah 1:5

Last Tuesday marked the 46th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalize abortion in the United States. In their landmark Roe v. Wade decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Amendment protects a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy. Interestingly, the 14th Amendment was intended to protect an individual’s rights while providing him/her with equal protection under the law. Evidently, the Supreme Court justices didn’t believe these protected individual rights extend to the unborn child. As a result, over 60 million pre-born babies have been aborted in the U.S. since 1973. That’s roughly equal to the entire populations of California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and New Mexico combined!

With this sobering reality in mind, Christian leader Dr. Frank Wright wrote, “Will a differently constituted U.S. Supreme Court make a difference in the defense of life? It could, but we have heard those promises before. Besides, a question more important than whether the courts will defend life is: Why is the culture running headlong after death?” Now, that’s a sobering question. Why is our culture running headlong after death?

Honestly, one of the main reasons is because we as a nation no longer read, understand, or embrace what God’s word says about the great value of human life. We have failed to embrace what God says in the very first chapter of the Bible—Genesis 1. He makes it clear that all life on earth is good and beautiful. But only human life is sacred, which is defined as “connected to God and dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration.” Every human life is connected to God in a way that a dog or cat couldn’t be. Every human life is dedicated to a religious purpose—to worship Him and love Him in a way that a rhino, monkey, or polar bear never could. As a nation, we have rejected these timeless truths.

And we have ignored and rejected the timeless truth of Psalm 139:13-15, where King David answers the “when” question: “When does God create human life as good, beautiful and sacred?” David answers—in a mother’s womb. David expresses amazement at the thought of God creating his kidneys, lungs, and heart before he drew his first breath. Without a doubt, human life begins in the womb. Therefore, the life of the unborn child is good, beautiful and sacred in the sight of God. From God’s perspective, a fetus is not a clump of cells, a mass of tissue, or an inconvenience. What the medical community labels a “fetus” is a child, created with great love and care by our Creator. As a nation, we have rejected this timeless truth.

The truth is: There are only four differences between an unborn child and a toddler, and none of these differences taken individually or together diminish the value and “humanity” of the unborn child. See for yourself. [These four differences form the acronym, SLED.]

SIZE. For years pro choice groups like Planned Parenthood have argued that a human fetus is not a human being because of its tiny size. But since when does human size equate to human value? Would anyone make the case that a 7-foot-tall NBA center’s life is 3 ½ times more valuable than a 2-foot-tall toddler’s life? Would anyone try to convince us that a teenager is twice as human as a two-year old because the teenager is twice as tall? No way! The size argument is completely illogical. Size has nothing to do with human value.

LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT. Abortion clinics have peddled the lie that because a child in utero is less developed than a baby, it’s not a human being. Because the heart isn’t beating until the second month and the pain receptors aren’t functional until the second trimester, it’s not a baby. But since when does level of development determine human value? Toddlers are less developed than teenagers. Teenagers are less developed than adults. Many adults have diabetes or other diseases that keep them from feeling pain, and some severely disabled adults aren’t self-aware. Would any reasonable person conclude that children and adults with developmental disabilities are less human than those who are perfectly healthy? I think not!

ENVIRONMENT and DEGREE OF DEPENDENCY. These last two differences between an unborn child and a toddler are equally important. Abortion advocates make the case that because a human fetus is inside his/her mother and is completely dependent upon her for survival, the fetus is not a human being. But under close scrutiny, both of these arguments fall apart. When toddlers change environments, do they change their value? Is a toddler in the house more human that a toddler in a swimming pool?  As for degree of dependency—Is a retiree on dialysis and oxygen less human than a senior with a clean bill of health? Hardly! You see, dependency is irrelevant to value. In fact, a greater level of dependency signals us as compassionate human beings to help and fight for the one who is dependent. Right?

Perhaps we will never fully understand why our culture has been running headlong after death. But of this we can be sure: God holds all human life—from the earliest stages in the womb to the final day of hospice care—as good, beautiful, and sacred. Therefore, we as His followers must also hold all human life to be good, beautiful and sacred. As God loves and defends human life, so too must we.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com  and join us for worship tomorrow at 10 am.

Is It Too Late for America?

 "I am going to bring disaster on this place and its people … because they have forsaken Me…. [But] because you humbled yourself before Me … I have heard you, declares the LORD…. Your eyes will not see all the disaster I am going to bring on this place and on those who live here.”  - 2 Chronicles 34:24-28

It was circa 625 B.C. The setting was Judah, and the recipient of God’s message was King Josiah. The northern ten tribes of Israel had been conquered 100 years earlier by the kingdom of Assyria because God’s patience had reached its limit. He could only stomach so much idol worship, murder, sexual perversion, blasphemy and injustice.  So, God’s judgment had come in the form of the invading Assyrian army.

And now, Judah—which contained the two remaining tribes of Israel in the south—was headed for similar destruction. Like her Israelite family members in the north, Judah had experienced a moral tailspin. During his lifetime, King Josiah was able to turn the tide and lead his people back to solid moral ground. Unfortunately, his efforts were too little too late. During the reign of Josiah’s son, the army of Babylon captured the city of Jerusalem. It was the first of three Babylonian invasions that would strike Judah over a 20-year period. 

The fact is, prior to Josiah’s ascension to the throne, Judah had already crossed a spiritual line in the sand that had sealed her fate. The people’s sin had mushroomed to such an extent that God’s judgment had to fall upon the nation. Even the godly Josiah could not alter this divine imperative.

In recent years, I’ve wondered if the United States of America has crossed a similar line in the sand. While it is encouraging to know that a growing number of Americans are “pro life,” that doesn’t cleanse our hands of the blood from over 58 million abortions in America since 1973. American churches spend millions of dollars sending missionaries around the world, but American businessmen spend billions peddling pornography around the world. Although many U.S. churches are teaching God’s word and standing firm in the faith, far too many others are caving to societal pressure to be soft on sin and firm on political correctness.

I believe that a major spiritual revival is on the horizon, one that will sweep through churches like wildfire, setting the faith of Christians ablaze and resulting in the conversion of millions across the country. I have been praying for revival for over fifteen years, and I am convinced it’s coming in the near future. Yet I wonder … even if such a revival turns our nation back to God, will it be too little too late? Have we, like Judah, already crossed a spiritual threshold? Will God’s judgment fall upon our country anyway?

If we have not yet passed the point of no return, it’s clear that we are moving in that direction and have no time to lose. Christians must do here in America what God instructed King Solomon to do in ancient Israel. In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God laid out a four-step process for ushering in a national spiritual revival.

#1: We must humble ourselves. We have to honestly confess: We have become an arrogant nation. We have banned the Bible from our public schools. We have removed the Ten Commandments from our courthouses, and we have created our own self-serving morality. The first step to usher in revival is to get off our high horse and down on our knees before God.

#2: We must pray. Christians, we need to spend more time praying for our political leaders than we do criticizing them. Pray for them to be humble. Pray for them to bravely stand on the timeless truths of God’s word. Pray for them to be forgiven for their sin and follow Christ as they lead us.

#3: We must seek God’s face. We need to make sure that our prayers are not all about “Gimme, gimme, gimme.” Seeking God’s face involves hungering and thirsting for His presence, not just hungering and thirsting for the stuff His hands can give us.

#4: We must turn from our wicked ways. Without true repentance, there is no forgiveness of sin. And without forgiveness of sin, revival will never come. Repentance is not just a matter of feeling sorry for our sin. Repentance means acting upon our sorrow. It’s not enough to just be sorry Roe vs. Wade was passed; we must work to overturn it. It’s not enough to just be sorry that marriage has been cheapened in our country; we must work to strengthen it. It’s not enough to lament over how godless our public schools have become; we must strive to turn the tide by standing up for our kids’ God-given rights to pray, read Scripture and share their faith at school.

I hold out hope that there are enough Christians in this country who will cry out to God for a revival that will turn the tide. I hold out hope that there are enough people who will boldly proclaim God’s word, humbly repent of our sins, and prayerfully restore a solid moral foundation in our homes, churches, schools and government. If there are, there is great hope for our nation. Won’t you be one of the many who helps pave the way for revival in America?

Dane Davis is the Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information, visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com  and join us for worship tomorrow at 10 am.

The Bible Has the Answers

“For the word of God is living and active….Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” – Hebrews 4:12-13

Gender roles, gay marriage, abortion, immigration reform, gun control, health care, climate change, racism and terrorism: These are nine of 2017’s hot button issues that many people assume are beyond the scope of the Bible. But as I mentioned in last week’s column, the Bible has proven itself time and again to be the most relevant book on the planet. Not convinced? Let’s put God’s word to the test with three more hot button topics.

Hot Button Issue #1: Abortion. God’s word is clear that the pre-born baby inside a mother’s womb is a child created by God. King David writes in Psalm 139:13-16: “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…..When I was woven together…Your eyes saw my unformed body.” In Jeremiah 1:5 the Lord speaks bluntly to Jeremiah saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”

These passages reinforce what modern medical technology has discovered: Human life begins at conception. Although the Bible doesn’t specifically say, “Thou shalt not abort a pre-born baby,” it doesn’t really need to. After all, God’s Word is clear that the life inside a mother’s womb is a human life, lovingly knit together by God. And the Bible speaks clearly in Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17: “You shall not murder.” So, is it a big leap for Christians to claim that abortion is murder? Not at all! Abortion is—without a doubt—the ending of a human life. Although abortion is not the unforgiveable sin, it is a terrible sin that requires our repentance and Christ’s grace. And once we experience that grace, God’s Word calls Christians to support and defend human life at all stages (i.e., from the womb to the convalescent home).

Hot Button Issue #2: Gun Control. Obviously, guns didn’t exist in Bible times. But the following verses give us some general principles that are of help to us. For starters, in Luke 22:36 while Jesus was celebrating the Last Supper, he told his twelve disciples, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one.” This instruction has puzzled Bible scholars for centuries. Why did Jesus instruct his disciples to purchase a sword yet just a few hours later rebuke Peter for using his? Although we can’t be certain, it seems most likely that Jesus was advocating using a sword for self defense. In the Garden of Gethsemene, Peter received Christ’s rebuke for going on the offense. But perhaps he wouldn’t have had he been defending himself from a violent attack.

So, presumably, Christ advocates possessing a weapon for self-defense. But verses like Matthew 5:9, Matthew 5:38-39 and Romans 13:1 command us to pursue peace, turn the other cheek, and submit to the governing authorities. Taken together, here are some general biblical principles to keep in mind when considering the issue of gun control. #1: Christ never commands us to get rid of our weapons. #2: However, he wants us to be peacemakers. Christ calls us to practice turning the other cheek in our personal relationships. #3: The Lord expects us to abide by the laws of the land. Therefore, I don’t believe it’s biblically defensible for Christians to break gun control laws or stockpile illegal weapons.    

Hot Button Issue #3: Health Care. As health insurance premiums have shot up over the past ten years and the Affordable Care Act hasn’t panned out as advertised, health care has become one of the biggest hot-button topics in political circles. What can we do to improve our health care situation in the United States? Well, here are a few Scriptures to consider. In Matthew 14:14 we read, “When Jesus…saw such a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” And in Matthew 10:8 Jesus told his twelve disciples, “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”

Bottom line: Jesus prioritized caring for the sick. Jesus called his disciples to prioritize caring for the sick. And the New Testament reinforces this command for you and me. But at the same time, God’s Word doesn’t say that this is a job for the government. Perhaps, if Christians cared for the sick to the level that Jesus told us to, we wouldn’t feel such a pressing need for universal health care.

Yes, there are many hot button issues in our nation that aren’t easily remedied. But without a doubt, the Bible has answers: timeless principles that can be applied to any modern issue or challenge we face. Sadly, in our arrogance many of us stubbornly struggle to solve our problems on our own. We rack our brains trying to discover the solutions to our most pressing problems. All the while, many of the answers are waiting patiently in the pages of God’s Word.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.

Human Life Is Sacred

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;

I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

– Jeremiah 1:5

This Sunday, January 22, marks the 44^th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to legalize abortion in the United States. In their landmark Roe v. Wade decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14^th Amendment protects a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy. Interestingly, the 14^th Amendment was intended to protect an individual’s rights while providing him/her with equal protection under the law. Evidently, the Supreme Court justices didn’t believe these protected individual rights extend to the unborn child. As a result, over 58 million pre-born babies have been aborted in the U.S. since 1973. That’s roughly equal to the entire populations of California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona and New Mexico combined!

Fast forward 44 years. Here we are just two months after our national elections, where well over 100 million Americans went to the polls and voted for a slew of candidates and a laundry list of propositions. And one of these propositions in the State of Colorado slipped under the national radar: Proposition 106. It passed by an overwhelming 2/3 majority, making Colorado the sixth state to legalize doctor-assisted suicide. 

With these sobering realities in mind, Christian leader Dr. Frank Wright recently wrote, “Will a differently constituted U.S. Supreme Court make a difference in the defense of life? It could, but we have heard those promises before. Besides, a question more important than whether the courts will defend life is: Why is the culture running headlong after death?” Now, that’s a sobering question. Why is our culture running headlong after death?

Honestly, one of the main reasons is because we as a nation no longer read, understand, or embrace what God’s word says about the great value of human life. We have failed to embrace what God says in the very first chapter of the Bible—Genesis 1. He makes it clear that all life on earth is good and beautiful. But only human life is sacred, which is defined as “connected to God and dedicated to a religious purpose and so deserving veneration.” Every human life is connected to God in a way that a dog or cat couldn’t be. Every human life is dedicated to a religious purpose—to worship Him and love Him in a way that a rhino, monkey, or polar bear never could. As a nation, we have rejected these timeless truths.

And we have ignored and rejected the timeless truth of Psalm 139:13-15, where King David answers the “when” question: “When does God create human life as good, beautiful and sacred?” David answers—in a mother’s womb. David expresses amazement at the thought of God creating his kidneys, lungs, and heart before he drew his first breath. Without a doubt, human life begins in the womb. Therefore, the life of the unborn child is good, beautiful and sacred in the sight of God. From God’s perspective, a fetus is not a clump of cells, a mass of tissue, or an inconvenience. What the medical community labels a “fetus” is a child, created with great love and care by our Creator. As a nation, we have rejected this timeless truth.

The truth is: There are only four differences between an unborn child and a toddler, and none of these differences taken individually or together diminish the value and “humanity” of the unborn child. See for yourself. [These four differences form the acronym, SLED.]

SIZE. For years pro choice groups like Planned Parenthood have argued that a human fetus is not a human being because of its tiny size. But since when does human size equate to human value? Would anyone make the case that a 7-foot-tall NBA center’s life is 3 ½ times more valuable than a 2-foot-tall toddler’s life? Would anyone try to convince us that a teenager is twice as human as a two-year old because the teenager is twice as tall? No way! The size argument is completely illogical. Size has nothing to do with human value.

LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT. Abortion clinics have peddled the lie that because a child in utero is less developed than a baby, it’s not a human being. Because the heart isn’t beating until the second month and the pain receptors aren’t functional until the second trimester, it’s not a baby. But since when does level of development determine human value? Toddlers are less developed than teenagers. Teenagers are less developed than adults. Many adults have diabetes or other diseases that keep them from feeling pain, and some severely disabled adults aren’t self-aware. Would any reasonable person conclude that children and adults with developmental disabilities are less human than those who are perfectly healthy? I think not!

ENVIRONMENT and DEGREE OF DEPENDENCY. These last two differences between an unborn child and a toddler are equally important. Abortion advocates make the case that because a human fetus is inside his/her mother and is completely dependent upon her for survival, the fetus is not a human being. But under close scrutiny, both of these arguments fall apart. When toddlers change environments, do they change their value? Is a toddler in the house more human that a toddler in a swimming pool?  As for degree of dependency—Is a retiree on dialysis and oxygen less human than a senior with a clean bill of health? Hardly! You see, dependency is irrelevant to value. In fact, a greater level of dependency signals us as compassionate human beings to help and fight for the one who is dependent. Right?

Perhaps we will never fully understand why our culture has been running headlong after death. But of this we can be sure: God holds all human life—from the earliest stages in the womb to the final day of hospice care—as good, beautiful, and sacred. Therefore, we as His followers must also hold all human life to be good, beautiful and sacred. As God loves and defends human life, so too must we.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.