Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 12

When Grief Leaves You Feeling Hopeless and Purposeless

Our ministry sometimes hears from those who are grieving and feel completely hopeless and purposeless in life. There’s no doubt that grieving a loved one’s death is a long, often lonely, always painful process. But I encourage those of you who might feel you now have no purpose: don’t throw away the calling God has for you to serve Him here until your time is done and He takes you home.

(Let me preface this blog by saying: if you have even fleeting thoughts of suicide, reach out right away for biblical perspective and counseling. Go to your friends and your pastor. Make an appointment with your physician. Rely on the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ, the local church. Contact www.christiansncrisis.com, https://samaritanshope.org, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, or text 741741 for crisis texting.)

I have advised friends who are struggling with feeling depressed to take a break from reading Christian books that are duty-driven, as the “do more” approach can lay unnecessary guilt on those who are vulnerable. Of course, books that are convicting and more demanding are exactly what some readers need! But not what the person already feeling hopeless needs. Start by reading books on God’s character such as A. W. Tozer's The Knowledge of the Holy and Dane Ortlund's Gentle and Lowly. I also recommend these three books on grace, each different than the other: Phil Yancey’s What’s So Amazing About Grace?, Max Lucado’s Grace: More Than We Deserve, Greater Than We Imagine, and Chuck Swindoll’s The Grace Awakening. (Check out this list of podcasts and books for more recommendations.)

Take walks where you can look at God's creation. Two of the Great Physician’s effective therapeutic treatments are sun and fresh air. Make time outdoors part of your daily plan. It could be working in the garden or a daily walk, but either way, get out and do something. It doesn’t have to be a cloudless day to benefit from sunlight or fresh air.

Whether or not you’ve ever had a pet, especially if you live alone, I highly recommend you consider getting one. If you want to try one out, ask to borrow a friend’s dog for a week and see what you think. They’re not for everyone, but for many people, their very best grief therapy can be found in a pet.  You do not have to be an animal lover. (But beware, because soon you likely will be.)

If you have a dog or cat or some pet to take care of, you will have a productive purpose, even if it’s on a small scale. I know that since Nanci went home to Jesus almost three years ago now, my little dog Gracie has been an incredible comfort and encouragement to me. She causes me to laugh and keeps me active.

In order to break out of that hopelessness, you need to make some changes to your life. Talk to your pastor, talk to a good Christian counselor, go to a grief recovery group. And seriously, look at getting a pet to be your companion and for you to take care of. God is not done with you yet. He has a purpose for you still being in this world. You need to look for that purpose, you need to find that purpose, and you need to hang on and change your routines to make them healthier, and God will bless you if you do that.

Don’t think just in terms of your own preferences; think of God’s calling to you and the purpose He still has for you even if you can’t see it. Get more involved in church, in a Bible study or in a small group. The small group of men that I’m in is an important part of my weekly routine.

Ask friends and family what they think your gifts and strengths are and how God might use you in ministry to others. When you have lost your sense of identity and hope, it’s a great time to ask yourself, “Who am I now?” God knows. Ask Him. (See also Rediscovering Your God-Given Identity after Loss.)

You may have to wrestle with it a bit and figure out what new directions God might have for you. No rush. On the other hand, feel free to begin making plans, perhaps to see places and visit people you haven’t had a chance to before. Or see old friends and go to old places.

Good grief recognizes the reality of the loss and understands that you’re not the same person before the cause of grief happened. But it also recognizes, slowly but surely, that life does indeed go on, and needs to, and it can even keep getting better as progress is made. It also realizes the reality of the sad dance of up and down, back-and-forth, two steps forward, one step back, then one step forward, two steps back. “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven…A time to cry and a time to laugh…A time to grieve and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,4, NLT).

Remember, you are more than your loss. More than your pain. More than your grief. So don’t let grief and pain become your idols. Instead, let them point you to the only One worthy of worship.  

What If You Only Had One Week to Live?

I asked the men in my weekly small group, "If you knew today you had only one week to live, what would you do?” We came up with a number of answers and then asked ourselves why we wouldn't do those things soon—this week or this month or at the next family gathering—since none of us knows when we will die.

This is not morbid; it is just facing head-on what Scripture says—that our days are numbered. (A vivid reminder of this for me is seeing Nanci’s gravestone that has my date of birth only, then a dash. It awaits my date of death.) You are not going to live a moment shorter because you pause to think about death. You are not going to live a moment longer if you refuse to stop and think about death.

The question is, how prepared for death will you be if you have given minimal thought to it? How prepared for what lies beyond this life might you become if you gave it substantial thought, guided by God’s Word and His Spirit? As Matthew Henry said, “It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day.”

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Our lives on earth are a dot. It begins, it ends, it’s brief. But from that dot extends a line that goes out into eternity and never ends. If we’re wise, we’ll live not for the dot but for the line.

So I encourage you to ask yourself that same question: “If I died exactly one week from now, what would I wish I would have done?” Then, start doing those things. If you have something you’ll wish you had said to your loved one before they unexpectedly died, may I suggest that you say it to them today? I don’t mean tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year—I mean today. Hopefully both you and that loved one will still be around for a while. But the time will come when they won’t be around, or you won’t be around—and in fact, at some point neither of you will be around, so be realistic. Use your time wisely now to speak into the lives of those around you.

Let’s live each day with an awareness that one of these days will be our last day in this world under the curse. That’s partly good news because no longer living under pain and suffering and grief will be a good thing. But while we’re still here this is still a world of unparalleled opportunity, let’s use it well!

God Is Just as Good When He Doesn’t Do What We Want

There is a great phrase many say: “God is good.“ That is certainly true and an appropriate thing to proclaim. However, many of us say it routinely only when life goes our way. “Traffic was easy today, I made all the lights, and I wasn’t late for work or class—God is good!” When we hear that God has healed someone, inevitably someone says, “God is good.“ True enough.

But when God chose not to answer our prayers for my wife Nanci‘s healing after 4 1/2 years of almost never missing our evening prayer time, does that mean God was, in our case, not good? Of course not. God is not only good when He does what we want, but also when He doesn’t do what we want. This is when people who lose their faith are right in losing it, because they are losing a faith that is not a true biblical faith.

As long as we hold on to vestiges of prosperity theology (which teaches that God will bless with material abundance and good health those who obey Him and lay claim to His promises), we set ourselves up to lose our faith, and perhaps ultimately to walk away from God. Because if God has to do what we want in order for us to be happy, then He is not our master but our servant.

I believe prosperity theology is from the pit of Hell. It confuses and misleads people about God and what He has and has not promised. When my friend Greg was dying when I was 16 years old and he was 18, I thought I knew beyond any shadow of doubt that God would heal Him. I claimed the reality of that healing, fully expecting it. When he died, I learned the painful lesson that we do not necessarily get our way when we pray.

It doesn’t mean God does not answer prayer; it doesn’t mean that God is not honored by our prayers. It certainly does mean that we need to be careful when we claim Christ has promised things, because when we proclaim false promises, we misrepresent Him, undermine His truths, and distort the reality of how He loves His people.

Vaneetha Rendall Risner writes:

Why does God answer yes to some prayers and no to others?

Why does God miraculously heal some people and not others?

Why does disaster strike one city and not another?

Can we simply draw straight lines between our requests and God’s answers?

Years ago my infant son Paul died unexpectedly and an acquaintance said when he learned of our loss, “Don’t take this wrong, but we prayed for all of our children before they were born. And they were all born healthy.” We had no words.

In Acts 12, James was killed and Peter rescued and I wondered why God let James die and Peter live. Did God love Peter more than James? Was James’s life less important? Were people not praying for James?

Looking at the fuller counsel of the Bible, we know God has plans that we do not understand. Living or dying, being spared or being tortured, being delivered in this life or the next is not an indicator of God’s love for us or the measure of our faith. Nothing can separate us from God’s love, and our future is determined by what he knows is best for us.

Still, prosperity gospel proponents have told me that if I had prayed in faith, my body would have been healed, my son would have been spared, and my marriage would have been restored. It was all up to me. If I just had the faith, I would have had a better outcome. Their words have left me bruised and disillusioned, but that theology is not the gospel. God’s response to our prayers is not dependent upon our worthiness but rather rests on his great mercy.

If you are in Christ, God is completely for you. Your struggles are not because you didn’t pray the right way, or because you didn’t pray enough, or because you have weak faith or insufficient intercessors. It is because God is using your suffering in ways that you may not understand now, but one day you will. One day you will see how God used your affliction to prepare you for an incomparable weight of glory. This is the gospel. And it holds for all who love Christ.

Job 2:10 says, “Should we receive good from God and not trouble?” If we believe God is distant and not involved in the details of our lives—or at least not the bad details of our lives, but only the good ones—or if we come to believe, contrary to His Word, that God lacks power, we believe fundamental falsehoods. Likewise, if we believe He lacks knowledge and our loved one died simply because of someone’s negligence and therefore their death was not the will of God, then we are in a bad place. The grief process must include eventually accepting what has happened. Holding false beliefs about God will prevent us from that acceptance.

We must embrace both God’s love AND His sovereignty—not one instead of the other. If you only embrace His love, you will be confused and hurt when life gets hard. If you only embrace His sovereignty, you will resign yourself to thinking your life is driven by a cruel, impersonal, and distant God, and you’ll forget His plan to work in your best interests. “Yahweh is good to all, and His compassions are over all His works” (Psalm 145:9, LSB).

Quality, Engaging Books to Teach Younger Kids about Generosity

Training children about money and possessions begins at birth. For better or worse, we are their tutors, every hour of every day. Albert Schweitzer put it this way: “There are only three ways to teach a child. The first is by example; the second is by example; the third is by example.”

Our perspective on money and possessions—and how we handle them—lies at the very heart of the Christian life. That’s no overstatement. The Bible emphatically demonstrates that our view of money and possessions is of utmost importance. What we do with them influences eternity.

Nothing will hinder or prevent a child from developing a rich relationship with God like a life centered on things. The greatest legacy we can leave our children is our example of a meaningful spiritual life which includes a God-honoring attitude toward money.

Conrad Dueck asks, “How many of you would ever put your kid on a canoe in a river without teaching them how to paddle, giving them safety instructions, or providing them with a paddle and lifejacket? That would be stupid, right? But that is what many parents do when they send their kids out the door to college without first teaching them how to control their spending, earn money, avoid debt, and be wise with credit cards.”

And I would add that the foundation of handling money wisely is learning to live a generous life as a steward of the money and resources God has given us. If you have younger kids or grandkids, a great way to teach them about generosity is through the Generous Kids Book Club. They’re produced by I Like Giving, a wonderful organization founded by my friend Brad Formsma, focused on creating a worldwide generosity movement. (I had the privilege of being on Brad’s podcast, the WOW Factor, to talk about grieving with hope, and that episode releases today. And by the way, I got from I Like Giving several of the stories I featured in my book Giving Is the Good Life. That book actually contains over 100 very short giving stories that will broaden your imagination when it comes to ways to give and the creativity and joy of giving.)

The Generous Kids books are an excellent resource for grandparents to engage with their grandkids around values that matter and share with them the generous life message. I have gone through three of those books and really enjoyed them!  (There’s also a homeschool curriculum called Generous Students.)

My former assistant and current board member Kathy Norquist shared one of the books, Jasper G and the Me-Thinking Madness, with her six-year-old grandson. After reading the book to him, Kathy’s daughter-in-law wrote, “Leo liked the book! And me, too. I like rhyming books and especially ones that have good biblical content. Leo is now sleeping with the Jasper G stuffie.” 

Kathy writes, “Leo will be very excited as I periodically gift him another one from the book bundle! He loves books that relate to others. And what a great idea to include the stuffed Generosity Giraffe!”

Generous Family, part of the I Like Giving, has some more great free resources for families, including videos and a generosity adventure guide. It warms my heart to think of kids being helped in the arena of giving by this great material! Check them out to share with your family and church.

Try Logos Bible Software for Free and Go Deeper in Your Bible Study

The things we enjoy most about life are the things we also know the most about. My wife Nanci, an avid lover of dogs, had an app on her iPad that quizzed her on dog breeds, and out of hundreds of breeds in the world, she could name even the most obscure. The interesting thing is, the more she learned about dogs, the more she loved dogs. And the more she loved dogs, the more she learned about dogs. It's a cycle that feeds itself.

If you're not getting a lot out of your Bible study, or need a fresh approach, that’s the best argument for studying your Bible more, not less. Eventually, a breakthrough happens. We find ourselves thinking and talking about whatever we’re choosing to study and read about. So whatever makes Bible study more attractive to you, as long as you end up doing the work that needs to be done to feed your soul, the better.  

To use Psalm 1 as an example, as you learn more, you can branch out to see what some of the Puritans had to say about Psalm 1, and what Spurgeon had to say in his Treasury of David. Look at great commentaries on the Psalms. Read what Calvin had to say about the Psalms. Listen to Piper or Keller preach on them. Follow some of the delightful rabbit trails you go off on using the Logos software, one of my favorite tools for writing. (I can usually find exactly what I need, but often I discover something better than what I was looking for!)

The more you learn about Scripture, the more excited and engaged you get, and the more you can't wait to get back to it. If you stay away from the Bible and minimize it, or view it as a duty to get out of the way so you can get on with the things in life that really interest you, you're going to be missing out on the joy of exploration and discovery, and the opportunity to draw closer to Jesus.

Speaking of Logos Bible software, I love it and believe in it, and have used it for years. Quality Bible study takes place far more quickly and extensively than using traditional methods. All the time once spent searching bookshelves and flipping pages—the study equivalent of panning for gold—can be used instead to contemplate what you quickly discover. The sheer number of quality resources available from Logos is staggering. I haven’t written any books in the last 25 years without using Logos to research them.

Logos used to cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to have access to. They recently announced a major change by offering a subscription model starting at $10 a month that gives access to up to 500 books. This suddenly makes it affordable for almost anyone! Most Americans have 3-5 entertainment subscription services that average $10-$15 per month, with the premium no-ads ones sometimes even more. Consider dropping one of your streaming subscriptions and picking up Logos, and you're paying no more than before. Drop two and pick up Logos and you’ll be saving money! And if you want to, you can start buying resources to add to the ones you get with the subscription. (Once you get into Logos, you’ll be prone to do less streaming and more Bible study, not because you have to, but because you want to.)

There is great value in going to the right sources for Biblical answers. In this internet age, many people are searching on Google and looking to AI for answers about the Bible. Logos is the better source. The new version of Logos has introduced AI—but AI in Logos; not connected to the Internet—and using solid biblical sources such as commentaries, Bible dictionaries, Bibles, etc. The software is also mobile, so you can take the power of deep Bible study with you everywhere.

My longtime friend Scott Lindsey, executive director of Logos, is generously offering a 60-day free trial of Logos to readers of my blog. I can’t stress what a great opportunity this is! Go to this page to get started. (You will need to enter a credit card to get the free trial, but they provide reminders when the trial is close to ending, so you can easily cancel. Also, neither EPM nor I am receiving any financial incentive to share this offer; I simply am excited about getting more people into studying Scripture more deeply! Logos is a great means to that end.)

Logos writes, “FREE training and customer service. We will help you do better Bible study in 2025.”

If you want to hear some enthusiastic endorsements of Logos check out this page. There’s a good chance you’ll see your favorite author or Bible teacher and hear what they say.

Learn more and start your free trial!

What Will the Role of Angels Be on the New Earth?

Under God’s direction, angels serve us on Earth (Hebrews 1:14). Michael the archangel serves under God, and the other angels, in various positions, serve under Michael (Daniel 10:13; Revelation 12:7). In Heaven, human beings will govern angels (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

It’s a bit difficult to know the role angels will have on the New Earth. I assume they will be visible, though even that’s not certain. Presumably, their role as servants of those who will inherit salvation (though on the New Earth that will already have happened) would continue in keeping with God’s purpose for them. 

I see the present Heaven as primarily the home of angels from the time they were created, and the temporary home of human believers between their deaths and resurrections. In contrast, the future Heaven on the New Earth will be primarily the home of humans. Perhaps it will become just as much the home of angels, though their intrinsic nature as spirit beings and not physical makes it an interesting concept. Humans were made from the Earth and for life on the Earth, which is different than angels. (However, we know that angels can exist in a physical world because they exist in this one, not just in Heaven. In fact, angels sometimes, perhaps often, take on human form, as Hebrews 13:2 makes clear.)

The marriage of the God of Heaven with the people of Earth will also bring the marriage of Heaven and Earth. There will not be two universes—one the primary home of God and angels, the other the primary home of humanity. Nothing will separate us from God, and nothing will separate Earth and Heaven. Once God and mankind dwell together, there will be no difference between Heaven and Earth. Earth will become Heaven—and it will truly be Heaven on Earth. The New Earth will be God’s locus, His dwelling place. This is why I do not hesitate to call the New Earth “Heaven,” for where God makes His home is Heaven. The purpose of God will at last be achieved: “To bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ” (Ephesians1:10).

Not only will God come to dwell with us on Earth, but He will also bring with Him the New Jerusalem, an entire city of people, structures, streets, walls, rivers, and trees that is now in the present, intermediate Heaven. If you’ve ever seen a house being relocated, you appreciate what a massive undertaking it is. God will relocate an entire city—Heaven’s capital city, the New Jerusalem—from Heaven to Earth. It’s a vast complex containing, perhaps, hundreds of millions of residences. He will bring with it Heaven’s human inhabitants and angels as well.

I think the angels’ roles on the New Earth, where there is no danger, shift from protection to guidance. The fact that they have served us on Earth will make meeting them in Heaven particularly fascinating. They may have been with us from childhood, protecting us, standing by us, doing whatever they could on our behalf (Matthew 18:10). They may have witnessed virtually every moment of our lives. Besides God Himself, no one could know us better.

I envision us getting to know angels, including the ones who were directly engaged in our lives and perhaps did battle with demons on our behalf, as depicted in Daniel. Perhaps they will be our assistants and guides and explain some of what they observed happen to us on the old earth. Maybe they will fill us in on “the rest of the story.”  They might have inside information even though they too will be newcomers to the New Earth. Certainly, they will have ancient knowledge of the person of God and His ways, not yet known to us. The angels will be able to recount the creation of the original universe (Job 38:1-7).

What will it be like not only to have them show us around the intermediate Heaven but also to walk and talk with them on the New Earth? What stories will they tell us, including what really happened that day at the lake fifty years ago when we almost drowned, or that time thirty-five years ago when we avoided a fatal car crash? They’ve guarded us, gone to fierce battle for us, served as God’s agents in answer to prayers. How great it will be to get to know these brilliant ancient creatures who’ve lived with God from their creation! We’ll consult them as well as advise them, realizing they too can learn from us, God’s image-bearers. Will an angel who guarded us be placed under our management?

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2). Perhaps we’ll be welcomed into the homes not only of people but also of angels, who will reciprocate the hospitality we showed them on the old Earth.

Don’t you look forward to meeting them and asking them questions?

The Insanity of Pride, the Blessing of Humility

I think one of the most powerful and chilling portrayals of the insanity of rejecting God—which we do whenever in words or actions we proudly affirm our greatness and achievements—is Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4.

It doesn’t get the attention of the fiery furnace in chapter 3, the lions’ den in chapter 6, or even the handwriting on the wall in chapter 5. But Daniel 4 is a stunning and insightful look into the fact that it is not merely wrong, but incredibly STUPID and self-destructive to choose the path of arrogance in the face of almighty God. It is a good passage for those who use the very breath and speech that are a gift of God to curse Him, and a good passage for the rest of us as well.

Here are some highlights from Daniel 4:

“I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at ease in my house and prospering in my palace. I saw a dream that made me afraid.... ‘tell me the interpretation, because all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known to me the interpretation, but you are able, for the spirit of the holy gods is in you.’ (v. 4-5, 9)

“Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, [said].... ‘you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and you shall be wet with the dew of heaven, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will. And as it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be confirmed for you from the time that you know that Heaven rules. Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you: break off your sins by practicing righteousness, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the oppressed, that there may perhaps be a lengthening of your prosperity.’ (v. 19, 25-27)

“All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, and the king answered and said, ‘Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?’ While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, ‘O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.’ Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws. (v. 28-33)

“At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever, for his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation; all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’ (v. 34-35)

“At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my majesty and splendor returned to me. My counselors and my lords sought me, and I was established in my kingdom, and still more greatness was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” (v. 36-37)

The above is the English Standard Vision (ESV). I like the New International Version’s translation of verse 26: “your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that Heaven rules.” And verses 34-35, “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases.”

Notice the exact moment when Nebuchadnezzar ceases to be insane: when “I raised my eyes toward heaven, my sanity was restored.”

How do we stop the madness of pride and the insanity of sin? We stop it by raising our eyes toward Heaven and by realizing that we are nothing and He is everything, and that the universe is not about what pleases us, but what pleases God. (This is an argument for starting each day in Scripture to recalibrate and make sure our compass is pointing true north, to the person of God.)

Daniel 4 is a story full of theology and wisdom: not only for those who deny the Holy Spirit, but for we who name Christ, yet often ignore God and imagine that we can accomplish anything without His provision of grace and empowerment. As Christ put it, “Apart from me you can do nothing.”

First Peter 5 says, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time” (v. 5-6).

So what’s right is smart, and what’s wrong is stupid. Always. Humility preserves us; pride destroys us. Acting in arrogance is like wearing a sign that says, “Kick me.” Being proud is a prayer to God: “Strike me down.” It’s a prayer He’s certain to answer.

Every day, every hour, we choose either to humble ourselves, in which case God promises to give us grace, or to be proud, in which case God promises to oppose us.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Let’s see, door number one, or door number two. Which do I want, God’s opposition or God’s grace? It’s my choice, and the way I cast my vote is with pride or with humility. By the way we live, you’d think it was a tough call, wouldn’t you? In fact, it’s only a tough call for the insane, those who are out of touch with reality.

Which would I rather put myself under...God’s curse or God’s blessing?

Does Believing in God’s Sovereignty Mean We Must Be Fatalists?

The EPM staff posted this video on Facebook of my answer to the question, "When Someone Dies Young, Did They Die Before Their Time or Did They Die at the Appointed Time?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umvZTk90gY4?si=MwuDRyTkqkXHisnU

A commenter replied: “What about babies who die by abortion? I cannot believe God would ordain a child to be killed by abortion. If everything is pre-ordained, why worry about fighting against anything, like abortion? God ALLOWS Satan to do so much and wants us to take responsibility for standing up for what is right. Otherwise, we are all just puppets.”

I appreciate the honest questions this commenter asks. Yes, the question of how human choice and divine sovereignty can coexist is big and difficult, but it’s also vitally important for Christians to consider.

The philosophy of fatalism holds that everything, including evil, suffering, and damnation, happens inevitably, with human beings powerless to effect change. Fatalism predominates among many (not all) Hindus and Muslims. The Arabic term Insha’Allah implies that whatever happens is God’s will.

Unfortunately, some Christians—hyper-Calvinists, for instance—also reason like fatalists: “If people are elect, God will save them; if they are not, no effort to convert them can bear fruit. Therefore, missions and evangelism are senseless.”

But Christianized fatalism doesn’t end there. I have heard this logic on several occasions, though in language less blunt than my paraphrase: “A sovereign God decrees racism, slavery, and sex trafficking; they exist, and His will cannot be thwarted, therefore they are His will—so why should we battle them? To do so would be to fight against God.”

I’ve been told by several evangelical pastors that we should accept abortion as God’s way of populating Heaven, since if those aborted babies were allowed to live, most of them would never be saved.

In contrast, the Bible calls upon people to choose to take action, speak up for, and help the poor and needy (see, for example, Proverbs 31:8–9 and James 1:27). This is the polar opposite of fatalism.

Albert Einstein said, “The world is too dangerous to live in—not because of people who do evil, but because of people who sit and let it happen.” Some of that stems from indifference, some from fatalism.

Since God can use even evil for His glory, if I try to stop a sin, am I in danger of trying to thwart God’s will? No, because God commands us to intervene to stop injustice, so that His moral will can be done.

Scripture teaches that humans make real choices and that we must resist evil, yet God remains sovereign in a nonfatalistic way. He offers us choices and encourages us to pray that He bring about changes, and to do what we can to change our lives and the world itself. God uses the proclamation of His Word to save the lost (see Romans 10:14–15). Paul says, “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

This is not the language of icy predetermination that supposes God has no passion to reach the lost, or that human beings have no role in His plan to do so. Any theological position that prompts us to think otherwise is foreign to God’s Word and to the original followers of Jesus.

Some professing compatibilists talk like hyper-Calvinists. (Many Calvinists call themselves “compatibilists” —which is what I actually am, by the way—because they too believe human free will is compatible with God’s sovereignty. Yet they see this compatibility in different ways than Arminians do.) They minimize human choice, as if it were invented by Arminians rather than God. Isn’t it disingenuous for a compatibilist to imply that God’s sovereign determination negates rather than embraces meaningful human choice? Why does God reward those who help the poor and share the gospel, and hold accountable those who don’t? Doesn’t it glorify God more to see Him as sovereign over a universe full of choice-making creatures than as a puppeteer?

Don’t get me wrong. If God wanted to do so, He is fully capable of being a puppet master, sovereignly pulling every string of every creature in His universe to do exactly what He wants, all the time. That view of reality appears to be supported by some Scripture passages taken in isolation. But such a view is not taught by the larger context of the whole—of Scripture—nor by our human experience. I believe if we carefully listen to all God has to say, He’ll surprise us with the breadth, depth, and beauty of what He has revealed about both His sovereignty and our meaningful choice.

Giving Brings Greater Blessing Than Receiving

My book The Law of Rewards was first published in 2003, but in 2023, I had the opportunity to update it and also add some new material, especially as it relates to Nanci’s life, death, and relocation to Heaven. I continue to be excited about this small book and its potential for big impact in the lives as believers as they get excited about investing in eternity. (The updated book is available from EPM both in softcover and as a special edition with a leatherlike cover.)

My long-time friend Mart Green, of the Green family that owns Hobby Lobby, is the founder of Mardel Christian Stores. He kindly wrote, “Reading The Law of Rewards impacted me greatly. I have read many books on generosity, but this one fleshed out biblical concepts I had never heard before. I am a book guy, but I have handed out more copies of this book than any other—by far!”

So to answer the question in the title of this blog: how does giving bring greater blessing than receiving? By not giving, we don’t just rob God or rob others of blessing. We rob ourselves of the rewards God wants to give us. How many blessings have we kept from ourselves in the last year by failing to give as we could have? How much spiritual growth and joy have we missed out on by not living by God’s law of rewards?

For Nanci and me, the process of discovering God’s will about money and possessions was exciting and liberating. Our growth in financial stewardship closely paralleled our overall spiritual growth. In fact, it propelled it. We learned more about faith, trust, grace, commitment, and God’s provision in this area than any other. These choices required us to have some challenging giving discussions which ultimately strengthened our marriage, and bonded us around common goals of investing in eternity.

That unforgettable Monday morning in 2022, when I held Nanci’s hand as she exited her body and entered the presence of Jesus, I could picture Christ’s outstretched arms and hear his loving words, “Well done.” I could imagine her broad smile as he hugged her. Home at last! And I thought of all the people from all over the world she would then meet and get to know and love—those we had the privilege of helping through our giving, and who thereby received the gospel, food, clothes, clean water, medicines, Bibles, and good books. Sometimes I feel like part of me went to Heaven with Nanci. That’s not only because of our deep love for each other, but because she and I partnered together to invest in people for eternity. I so look forward not only to seeing old friends but to having Nanci introduce me to these new friends we invested in before we ever met them!

Paul said, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). I have found that cheerful givers love God, and that love grows deeper each time they give. To me, one of the few experiences comparable to the joy of leading someone to Christ is the joy of making wise and generous eternity-impacting choices with the money and possessions God has entrusted to me. Both are supreme acts of worship. Both are exhilarating. Both are what we were made for.

I believe that the knowledge of what eternity holds for us, and how that relates to our money, is the primary missing ingredient in most Christian books on finances. When we see money only as money, and not in light of its potential impact on eternity for others and for us, we walk away with a shortsighted vision that results in shortsighted financial decisions and lifestyles.

By looking at Jesus’ teachings about finances, I hope you’ll gain a clearer vision of the importance of living for eternity, of the types and extent of eternal rewards, and of the way God created us to be motivated by rewards. When you grasp the concept of delayed gratification in light of eternal rewards, your attitude toward giving will never be the same.

Let’s determine not to be rich fools disguised as disciples. Instead, let’s develop the heart of the poor widow, learning boldly to put all our resources at God’s disposal, as He has put all his resources at ours. I pray you will join a multitude of God’s people, past and present, in not just talking about God’s grace but also experiencing it at your heart’s deepest level.

On the wall of President Lyndon Johnson’s White House office hung a framed letter written by General Sam Houston to Johnson’s great-grandfather George Washington Baines, Sr. more than a hundred years earlier. Baines had led Sam Houston to Christ. Houston was a changed man, no longer coarse and belligerent but peaceful and content.

The day came for Houston to be baptized—an incredible event for those who knew him. After his baptism Houston offered to pay half the local minister’s salary. When someone asked him why, he said, “My pocketbook was baptized too.”

Sam Houston demonstrated the reality of God’s grace to him by reciprocating that grace through giving.

As Sam Houston did, may we learn together the truth that Martin Luther recognized when he said that for each of us there must be not only the conversion of the heart and mind but also the conversion of the purse.

Don’t Miss These Top Blog Posts of 2024

A reader of our blog kindly wrote us, “Thanks for the resources and articles over the years. God used your website to draw me to faith and help me grow.” And a commenter on Facebook said, “Thank you for all of your encouraging posts throughout the year. You make a difference!”

Words like those really encourage both me and our EPM staff as we share resources that point readers to an eternal perspective. Here are 10 most popular blogs in 2024, in case you missed when they were first posted, or want to re-read them:

Three Lessons from Joni Eareckson Tada on Resilient Joy in Pain

In this touching article, Joni writes, “Resilient joy makes hope come alive, so much so that we can be ‘sorrowful, yet always rejoicing’ (2 Corinthians 6:10).” This sister is pure gold. She lives what she writes. As you read her words, sit at her feet and learn what it means to trust in Jesus and find great joy, even when life is hard and painful.

John Piper on Brokenhearted Boldness: A Christian Alternative to Outrage Culture

This article addresses some of what I’ve been struggling with over the last several years: a new wave of evangelical outspokenness that considers itself courageous and bold, but is often just self-obsessed, proud, entitled, boastful, whiny, and quick to take offense and cast blame (e.g. everyone who doesn’t agree with me is an insensitive fool, a coward, or a liberal).

What I’ve Learned about Grieving with Hope in the Two Years Since Nanci’s Homegoing

There is something in me that does not want to ever “get over” my loss of Nanci. Yet I also recognize that God has been doing a work of grace in my life over the last two years, and bringing me comfort that allows me to go forward without her. Greatly helped by the anticipation of being with her again in the presence of Jesus! 

The Incredible Blessing of My Father’s Difficult Final Months

Ruth Wood, reader of our magazine Eternal Perspectives, shared this wonderful follow-up to my article God’s Heart for the Elderly and Infirm Reminds Us of the Sanctity of Senior Life. What she wrote is remarkable and powerful, demonstrating a miracle of grace that took place in her dad’s life.

Outrage Is Not a Fruit of the Spirit

We are not called to be a herd of online bullies, rushing to judgment and egging each other on to defame our brothers and sisters. (Some of whom may well be more faithful and honorable in God’s sight than we are.) We desperately need the Lord to do a transforming work in all of our hearts and lives. 

A Pastor’s Response, Full of Grace and Truth, to His Daughter’s Unplanned Pregnancy

I love Pastor Heath Lambert, and I also love his love for his family. This had to be a hard sermon for him to give, but what good words to say about his daughter and the father of her child! And he celebrates the baby, his precious grandchild, while calling the sin by name. This response is full of grace and truth, and made my heart sing.

God Will Give Us More Than We Can Handle—But Not More Than He Can

My thanks to Mitch Chase, associate professor of biblical studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, for this response to “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” Whether or not you agree with everything he says, he makes some significant points that I believe can be very helpful.

Why Doesn’t God Make His Existence More Evident?

As Sean McDowell explains in the following article, God has given us evidence for a rational faith and has made Himself known—for those who are willing to see. May God give us eyes of faith to see how He demonstrates His existence every day in hundreds of ways, most of which we take for granted.

Healthy Grief Is Centered on God’s Promises

The Bible says this about grief: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.” Grieving as if we have no hope is the wrong way to grieve. And grieving while embracing Christ’s rock-solid promise of His second coming and our resurrection—and that of all who love Him—is the right way to grieve.

Humbly Admitting We Are Vulnerable to Sexual Temptation Is the First Step to Avoiding a Fall

Our enemy the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour, and the landscape is littered with people he has destroyed. Obviously, he can do more damage to God’s kingdom by taking on Christians (once set on a path of destruction, drug addicts don’t need as much attention from him), more damage still by taking on Christians of influence and notoriety, and the most damage of all by taking down Christians who are doing strategic work that is close to God’s heart.