Reimagining Pro-Life: 30 Days With Save the StorksExemplo

HEART //

Imagine how the disciples of Jesus must have felt when they first realized He was giving His life up rather than conquering and ruling here on earth as they may have imagined. They had given up their normal lives, given their reputations, their ambitions, everything for Him! They had lived with Him and seen incredible miracles, surely the worst thing they could imagine was being without Him (see Matthew 16:21-23 for a peek). And Jesus, in John 16:6-7 says his disciples “are filled with grief” about Him leaving, but that it’s actually better if He leaves and the Holy Spirit comes! What a statement about the incredible nature of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Better than Jesus in person, here on the earth? That’s got to be pretty good. 

Are we fully realizing what this means for our lives?

The Holy Spirit is our assurance that we are not alone. Jesus says in today’s verse, “I will not leave you as orphans.” We are His. In Him, we are safe. Even in this wild and crazy world, when we are with Him, we are okay. That’s probably how the disciples felt about being with Jesus, right? As long as they were with Him, as crazy as circumstances got, things always seemed to work out. And that same presence of God, of goodness, of real greatness, is with us in the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit. 

As we have learned throughout Identity Week, only God can give us wholeness in who we are. We are made in His image. We are healed whenever He lavishes His grace upon us. Our rescue and adoption transform us: instead of being lovers of ‘Self,’ we become lovers of God and want to help bring rescue to others. God calls us to live a righteous life, but He does not ask us to do it alone. The Father — in His perfection! — has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit, our Advocate, to steer our hearts away from sin and toward Christ. 

The Spirit enables us to obey God, which is to act like His kids because we are! After all, the best way for us to determine who we really are is by looking at what we consistently do. As children of God, we have been “created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Christianity is not a club or a hobby — it is a new life to live. As we move into Compassion Week tomorrow, we want you to keep this truth in mind: because we are children of God, He has prepared Kingdom work for us to do. And we can do all things through Christ! (Philippians 4:13)

// WORK

Today, ask the Holy Spirit to point out a person to whom you can show out-of-the-ordinary kindness. If you’re a young person, maybe you can eat lunch with someone who usually eats alone. Maybe you can play outside with a younger sibling who usually gets left out. Adults, maybe you can visit an elderly neighbor, or you can bring dinner to a sick friend. In a nutshell, pause the hustle and bustle of your life for a moment and remember the best of who you really are. Consider how you can brighten someone else’s day.

In showing genuine kindness to someone, we usually have to meet that person wherever he or she is at. We have to get up close and personal. That can be scary, but let God encourage you. Not only did the Son come to dwell among us, but the Holy Spirit has also come to dwell in us. It doesn’t get more up close and personal than that! He knows the needs of everyone in your life and wants to meet them through you. It’s not your strength, insight, or compassion that can transform a life — it’s His!

As we wrap up Identity Week and move into Compassion Week tomorrow, remember that you are defined by God. He is love, and He willingly meets us right where we are. As a pro-life people, it is essential that we are the same way — especially toward abortion-vulnerable women, who often feel voiceless, alone, and without options. Tomorrow, we’re going to begin to look at the ways that we can lovingly meet these moms where they are. We meet others with love because we have been met with Love!

Your media fast is now over! We hope that it has helped you to reconsider what you take in, what images influence you. As you jump back into media, whatever that looks like, keep listening to the Holy Spirit inside of you to guide you in what to look at, listen to, and how your identity can be influenced by your eyes and ears! Pray that God would continually keep your identity in line with how He defines you in Scripture.