***Wednesday, Paul Hill will be put to death for the 1994 killing of an abortion doctor and his bodyguard in Pensacola, Florida.  Over these past 4 years, I have done numerous Devotionals on abortion.  It is not even a debatable issue.  There is no such thing as pro choice.  You are either pro life, or pro death, since that is what abortion is, the legal murder of an innocent life.  However, that does NOT give Paul Hill or anyone the right to play God and do exactly what they say they oppose.  There is only one real answer to the abortion issue, and that is to help people come to know Christ as their Savior and have their hearts changed.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL    TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2003
(Genesis 9:6, Exodus 21:12, Leviticus 24:17, Numbers 35:16, Numbers 35:31, Deuteronomy 19:11, Proverbs 28:17)

Whoever sheds the blood of man,
   by man shall his blood be shed;
for in the image of God
   has God made man.

Anyone who strikes a man and kills him shall surely be put to death.

If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death.

If a man strikes someone with an iron object so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death.

Do not accept a ransom for the life of a murderer, who deserves to die. He must surely be put to death.

But if a man hates his neighbor and lies in wait for him, assaults and kills him, and then flees to one of these cities, the elders of his town shall send for him, bring him back from the city, and hand him over to the avenger of blood to die.

A man tormented by the guilt of murder will be a fugitive till death; let no one support him.

SOURCE: (Genesis 9:6, Exodus 21:12, Leviticus 24:17, Numbers 35:16, Numbers 35:31, Deuteronomy 19:11-12, Proverbs 28:17) The New Student Bible, ©1992 Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids Michigan 49530

The death of Timothy McVeigh and capital punishment. For those who have been reading my Devotionals over the last 33 months know, I refuse to shy away from the issues that we deal with in our day to day lives, issues many ministers refuse to address primarily because they do not want to offend anyone. The fact is, the Word of God is an offense to all that do not believe. As those God has called in this day to share His Word with the people, it is not our job to worry about offending someone, simply sharing the absolute truth of the Word, and than leaving it up to each who hears to accept of reject what God says.

In 2002, I dealt with the execution of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. If all accounts of what he felt in his heart in his last days on earth are correct, he rejected God and is eternally separated from Him. NOT because of his heinous and horrific crime in killing 168 innocent people, but for rejecting Jesus Christ. I was saddened to hear the pastor of the United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City across from where the Mura Federal Building once stood, say on national TV that God would never forgive Timothy McVeigh. That is NOT what the Bible says.

The fact is, ANYONE, the "whosoever" of John 3:16, that truly repents of their sins and accepts Jesus Christ by faith will be saved. Even someone who committed such a horrible act of violence as Timothy McVeigh. The choice he made, is the same choice we all must make in this life. To accept God's gift of everlasting life by faith, or reject it.

Many have trouble accepting this truth. They have trouble accepting the fact that someone like a Timothy McVeigh could do something so horrible, yet still be eternally with God. But you see, we are ALL sinners. The Bible proclaims that ALL have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. In Ephesians chapter 2 it says "For it is by grace you have been saved, though faith... and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.... not by works, so that no on can boast."

You see my friend, God has made a way for everyone, even the Timothy McVeigh's of the world, to accept Christ by faith, repent of their sins, and be born again. Even though you may not have done anything as horrible as McVeigh did, the fact is, you are still a sinner, will be eternally separated form God just like Timothy McVeigh when this journey is over, unless you come to know Jesus as your personal savior.

The other issue that has stemmed from the execution of Timothy McVeigh is capital punishment. Many who oppose capital punishment say it is hypocritical to be opposed to abortion and yet support capital punishment. That is an apples and oranges argument. Abortion is the killing of an innocent life. Capital punishment is the killing of someone who is guilty of a serious crime against society. You can not even argue the two because one deals with an innocent life, the other deals with a guilty life.

Another false argument is that capital punishment is not a deterrent to others from committing the same kinds of horrible crimes. It is not supposed to be a deterrent. It is the penalty for committing such crimes.

You see, capital punishment has a very solid basis from scripture and ultimately is a decision each society must determine. One of the wonderful things about our country is that we can change laws that we feel are not acceptable. Let me just add, Liveprayer is here to pray for people's needs, not to debate social issues. For those who disagree with capital punishment, you have the right to form your own opinions. I try to use God's Word as my final authority on all matters, and you can not ignore the biblical predicate for capital punishment.

I love you and care about you so much. I have prayed extensively over these words today. I asked God that in the midst of the horror this one man has brought to so many, someone would read these words today and come to know Christ as his/her personal savior. Timothy McVeigh had the ultimate opportunity to accept Christ since he knew the date and time of his death. Most of us are not that lucky. We never know when we will die. When we do, our chance at accepting Christ is lost. I pray you don't wait too long.

I also want to pray today for the families who lost loved ones in Oklahoma City in that horrific event. I know from minister friends in the area, it was only God's grace that has allowed them to carry on after such a horrible tragedy. It again reinforces how quickly life can end. I am sure nobody expected to go to work at a Federal building that day and not come home.

Christ loves you so much He died for your sins. He is standing at the door of your heart today, knocking. It is no accident you are reading these words. I am praying that you will open your heart to Him, and let Him in. If you are not sure that you will be eternally with God when you die, if you have never made that commitment, you can do it today, right now. Simply go to  www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.html and you can have that assurance when your life is over, you will be with the Lord for eternity.

In His love and service,
Your friend and brother in Christ,
Bill Keller

If I can help you in any way you can contact me through my personal email at bkeller@liveprayer.com.

***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer Daily Devotional is now available via audio each day. Simply go to http://www.liveprayer.com/DailyDevotionalAudio.html. Click on "Search by Category", then locate DAILY DEVOTIONAL. I want to thank Ed Morando for making this service available for FREE to Liveprayer.com.

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