Coffee With The Lord

There she was, obviously well-fed, wearing designer clothes, an expensive purse under one arm, a cell phone hanging out of her pocket, standing by her Mercedes, screaming about how she was “oppressed,” all the while being protected by a policeman in her vitriolic exercise of “free speech.”

I have to admit this thought entered my mind… She need to see and identify with someone who is truly “oppressed!”  Believe me, there are silent multitudes today who are truly oppressed!  They are not the screaming ones… They are locked up in filthy jails for simply following Jesus and sharing their witness, they live in rat infested shacks on dirty streets filled with sewage, they scrounge for food in the garbage cans of their oppressors, they are beaten bloody for not meeting their quota in a sweat shop, their young women are stolen and raped to satisfy the sexual desires of a pervert, they run for their lives with their infants every time another bomb goes off, and their oppressors chop off their head for refusing to pledge allegiance to a false God… Those are just some of the truly “oppressed!”

This morning I read a Psalm that declares there is hope for the oppressed!  It offers praise to the One who proclaims Himself to be their Savior and defender!  Here is what it says…

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.  I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High… The Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness.  The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.  And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.  Sing praises to the Lord! Tell among the peoples his deeds!  For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted! … For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever!  Arise, O Lord! Let not man prevail! … O Lord! Let the nations know that they are but men!” (from Psalm 9)

Oh, this morning I turned these words into my prayer for the truly “oppressed” in our world!  And God helping me, I purpose to do what I can for them, pray for them daily, and support organizations and agencies that seek to meet their needs and defend their cause with integrity and faith!

Birthday celebrations are fun! We say “Happy birthday!” to one another, give birthday cards, sing a happy little song, give gifts to people on their special day, have a decorated cake, enjoy a celebratory meal somewhere, and really try to make the day special. I like birthdays!

The question that came to my mind this morning during “coffee with the Lord” was, does anyone remember their “spiritual birthday” and celebrate it? I’m sure you remember that Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I say to you, ‘You must be born again!’” (John 3:5-7) Now, I came to Christ at a very early age and consequently I don’t remember the exact date of my “new birth.” But perhaps you do remember the exact time and place when you were “born again” But do you celebrate your “spiritual birthday?”

Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were like a big “spiritual birthday” celebration for the Children of Israel! They were told, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery. For by strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place! … You shall tell your son (or daughter) on that day, ‘it is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt!’ … For with a strong hand the Lord brought you out of Egypt!” (from Exodus 13:3-10)

So here’s one voice encouraging you to remember and celebrate your “new birth” – your spiritual birthday – the time when you experienced forgiveness for your sin, experienced spiritual freedom, and were given new life in Christ! I don’t know what you’ll decide to do on that day… but do something special! Be creative – make it meaningful! Got any ideas? And if you, like me, can’t remember the exact day it happened, do what I’m going to do… celebrate your “spiritual birthday” the day AFTER your natural birthday… Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a 2-day celebration now, is there?