The Fundamentally Wicked Right of Self
The Fundamentally Wicked Right of Self
By Joy Lucius
On the last day of May, the state legislatures of Illinois and Nevada passed radical bills that label abortion a “fundamental right” of women.
Unless, of course, that “woman” is a pre-born individual in the womb of her mother. In that case, Illinois and Nevada could care less about her fundamental rights as a woman.
I got to thinking about the profundity of that misleading phrase – fundamental right. For the truth is, all my rights as a woman, or even my rights as a human being, are superseded by the rights of God, my creator.
The best decision I ever made as a woman was when I surrendered my own selfish rights and desires in exchange for His. Since He alone is holy, righteous, and true, it is only in total surrender to Him that I finally found true freedom.
Galatians 5:1 puts it this way, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Do not be deceived! Laws like the ones passed in Illinois and Nevada are not freedom; they are bondage. It is an absolutely pure and evil sin to think that anyone, especially the mother of an innocent pre-born baby, has the fundamental right to kill another human being.
Stop and truly think about that for a moment. A nation that will ensure its women the fundamental right to abort and kill their own children is operating under a deep and dark delusion. A deep and dark sin.
Life is precious. And whether that life was conceived with anticipation or in the worst of situations, a baby is not a mistake or an inconvenience.
God does not make mistakes. He created each of us just as He wanted us, with a purpose and a plan. He has ordained and equipped each human with the very gifts and callings needed to accomplish His good and perfect plan.
In other words, we are perfectly designed for an exact purpose.
How comforting! How compelling!
But the catch is knowing God and loving God enough to discover what our purpose is in Him. To find out what He wants for us.
It’s not whatever makes us feel good or whatever we choose. We have a divine purpose, an eternal destiny. And SELF does not play into that heavenly mandate. His purpose will ultimately honor His Father. And His plan will further the kingdom of God as well – and not the kingdom of SELF.
In fact, it’s just the opposite. We are called to lay down our lives, our desires, our motives, and even our dreams. Then, and only then, we can pick up His cross and fulfill His purpose for us.
As a young person (and even now, as an older woman), that sounds very unfulfilling and very undesirable. It also sounds way too hard, too demanding, and even dangerous.
Plus, the thought of giving up total control of what we want to do with our lives is unfair. Why can’t we do and be what we want? Why?
Well, the truth is that God alone knows the true desires of our hearts. What we imagine will bring happiness and fulfillment will ultimately leave us empty and alone – without peace or joy.
See, the thing is that we can never find exactly what it is we are looking for in life without first finding Christ and following His path and plan.
And here’s the best part – the Word tells us that the plans and purposes He has for us are so good that those plans far surpass anything we can even dream or imagine. We are also assured that whatever burden or yoke we carry for Christ will be much easier than the weight of this self-centered world in which we live.
Before Christ came and died for us, we had no rights whatsoever. We were doomed to an eternity forever separated from God. But our right to life in Christ was so fundamentally important to God that He sent His only Son to die for our freedom.
The truth is, surrendering to Christ is a win-win proposition.
So, why wait? Give up your own rights, your own desires, and let His Holy Spirit direct your path. His way will not only be easier in the end, but His path will lead to total fulfillment. And the earthly rewards along His path (as well as the eternal rewards) will outshine anything that the fundamentally wicked right of SELF could ever accomplish.