Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 12

The Awe and Wonder of My Childhood Christmases Pointed to Jesus

I grew up near Gresham, Oregon. I treasured those Christmases when it snowed. I loved sledding and running in the snow with my Golden Retriever Champ, and snowball fights with the Kims and Swans and my best friend Jerry Hardin.

With my wife Nanci and daughters Karina and Angela, I had many wonderful Christmases later, only a mile and a half from my childhood house. But when I remember my first Christmases, I see above all the smiling face of my mom, who left this world in 1981. I wasn’t raised in a Christian home. No one in our family attended church or understood the meaning of the Son of God’s incarnation and redemption. Yet, somehow, my mom embodied Christmas. She decorated the whole house, nativity scene included, and to this day I can’t think of Christmas without picturing her. My dad was a tavern owner, a no-nonsense tough guy, but even he was won over by my mom’s love for Christmas.

My family celebrated on Christmas Eve, when we had our big meal, a Thanksgiving-like feast complete with turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, homemade rolls dripping with butter and strawberry jam, and big glasses of cold milk.

On Christmas morning, we’d open our mom-sown stockings, ignore the obligatory toothbrush, and sort the malted milk balls, Butterfingers, Snickers and Whitman’s Samplers, in those little yellow boxes with the green italic font, containing four chocolates. My brother Lance and I would trade with each other for the ones we liked best.

It wasn’t until I was fifteen, a sophomore at Barlow High School, the second year the school existed, that I personally came to know Jesus and first learned the true meaning of Christmas, that the God-Man came to live in our world to bring us forgiveness and salvation, and to show us how to love Him and each other.

Yet I still look back at all those childhood Christmases with awe and wonder. There was something so good and right and happy about my mom’s Christmases that even though Jesus wasn’t yet in my life or hers, I can retroactively read His loving presence back into my childhood, knowing His eye was already on me and has been ever since.

Happy birthday, Jesus!

One Conspiracy Theory That Is Grounded in Scripture

Evangelist and author Greg Stier shared this on X:

WHY I’M A CONSPIRACY THEORIST!

Behind every evil in this world there is a closely knit network of highly resourced influencers who manipulate the system (Hollywood, politics, media, etc.) and are conspiring to take down evangelical Christians and destroy the global church.

It’s not the Illuminati.

It’s not extreme left wingers.

It’s not the Deep State.

It’s deeper than that.

It’s Satan and his invisible army of fallen angels, nicknamed “demons.”

They never sleep. They are organized and synthesized to terrorize believers and compromise the church.

And believers in Jesus know this—they hate you with an unimaginable hatred, because we have received by grace what they failed to take by force…the kingdom of God (Revelation 1:6.)

Our struggle is not against flesh and blood (progressives, atheists, LGBTQ, etc.); it’s with the invisible enemy who is pulling their strings.

Our solution is not moral, political, or societal reformation. It’s in spiritual transformation.

But this transformation won’t take place without a confrontation. It won’t take place without a fight.

So get prayed up, put your armor on, and be battle ready to fight for lost souls and rescue them from Satan’s grasp.

The conspiracy is real. The danger is real. The Devil is real.

But through Christ, our victory is sure!

Heed the words of the Apostle Paul who challenged us to face this conspiracy head on:

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:12,13)

Greg’s words are in line with the premise behind my novel Lord Foulgrin’s Letters: given demons’ insights into reality and their plot to deceive and destroy us—this is one conspiracy theory that’s right on target—wouldn’t it be a major coup for us to place a wiretap in hell’s war room? What if we could plant a bugging device where we could overhear our enemies assessing our weaknesses and strategizing how next to attack us? The book contains letters written by a demon to his subordinate Squaltaint. Lord Foulgrin advises Squaltaint how to tempt and deceive Jordan Fletcher, the human "vermin" or "sludgebag" to whom he's assigned. 

Lord Foulgrin’s Letters isn’t necessarily dark, though it is very sobering at points. There’s satisfaction in knowing you’ve heard the opposing coach sketch out his plays for the second half and you know what to expect, how to fight back and win.

Here’s an excerpt from the book:

My impudent Squaltaint, You admit Fletcher’s been praying “deliver us from the evil one”? He’s even taped a card on his dashboard saying, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”? You complain this makes you jumpy. You whine that with everything going on in his life, sometimes you can hardly stand to hang around him.

Oh, you poor devil. You have my deepest sympathy.

Moron! Whatare you looking for, group therapy? Erebus has no counseling depart­ment. Get over it, fool.

Your reports are woefully incomplete, but it’s obvious the Enemy is accomplishing far too much in Fletcher. You gloat that although he was on his knees forty minutes, you managed to distract him most of the time from focusing on the Enemy. But you minimize the monumental—the man was on his knees forty minutes?

I fear no prayer spoken to some vague “higher power” who’s nothing more than an invention of their own minds. But since Fletcher’s view of the Enemy is being shaped by the forbidden Book, it makes his prayers dangerous. The threat of forbidden talk isn’t in what they’re saying as much as who they’re saying it to. This is why the posture of his prayer concerns me. If he’s on his knees or facedown on the floor, he may begin to believe in his own unimportance and the greatness of the One he prays to.

Make them think they’re “just” praying, as if it were not action of the most potent kind. Prayer isn’t simply preparation for battle, it is the battle. I fear nothing of prayerless studies, prayerless work, or prayerless parenting. I laugh at their most diligent efforts and most profound insights when disconnected from prayer. The forbidden talk is what infuses them with the Enemy’s presence and power. Minimize it at all costs.

You brag you’ve befuddled him in his daily Bible study. What will you boast of next— that you made him hungry while he’s fasting? The fact he’s having a daily Bible study shows your failure. Even if forbidden talk and Bible study seem fruitless for a while, if Fletcher keeps at it, the Enemy will suddenly set his study and prayers on fire. Before you know it, the sludgebag’s heart will burn with praise, adoration, and every foul thing you can imagine.

Convince Fletcher that today he doesn’t have time for the Book and the talk. Then do it again tomorrow and the next day and the next. He’ll never make a conscious decision to stop prayer and Bible study, but the bottom line will be the same.

Turn forbidden talk and Bible reading into an intention, something he’ll do when he has time. Then all you have to do is make sure he never has time. The intention to pray and read the Bible is no threat whatsoever to us. It’s the actual doing it that’s the danger. When it’s put on the calendar, when the alarm clock is set because of it, that’s when it’s time to panic.

After reading his Bible, praying, going to church, and sharing his faith, he always feels better, doesn’t he? Then why is it the things he feels best after doing are the things he most doesn’t want to do? This is a question for you, not him. The obvious answer is us. If he realized there’s a supernatural explanation for his reluctance to do what brings him joy, we’d lose our clandestine edge. He’s increasing in humility? Then make it a point of pride. If he becomes aware of his pride about being humble, then confesses it, make him proud he was humble enough to confess his pride at being humble.

You deliberately neglected to tell me they decided to forgo a new car to give to the needy. If the Enemy is getting hold of their money, it’s a sure sign He’s gotten hold of their hearts. The worst is, everything they give away increases their joy.

Conhock told me the vermin and his wife agreed to go on that summer missions trip. Do you see what’s happening? They’re relocating their treasure, and the Enemy’s relocating their hearts. You’re being beaten at every turn, Squaltaint. What more can go wrong?

If Fletcher sells the boat, next thing you know he may sell his second house and do Satan-knows-what with the money. If he becomes free from debt, he’ll be more free to serve the Enemy, more free to say yes to His promptings, to make a habit of these miserable missions trips, to pull up stakes and follow Him elsewhere, or serve Him where he is now with far less distraction.

What can I say to convince you of how disastrous this is?

You must persuade Fletcher that when the Enemy provides more money He’s expect­ing them to raise their standard of living, not their standard of giving. Remind him of a thousand practical reasons it’s nuts to give up a new car. Let him buy up shares of Microsoft or General Motors, but never the Enemy’s kingdom. Keep his vested interests on earth, not heaven.

As long as the check hasn’t been put in the plate, it’s not too late to persuade Fletcher and his wife to postpone their giving. Do it like you postpone prayer, Bible reading, baptism, evangelism, and everything else. There’s a word for postponed obedience: disobedience. That’s what we’re looking for.

You must take decisive action to bring him down before the Enemy’s hold on him tightens further. Work relentlessly to link him back to his secretary. It’s still not too late, I tell you! He must look at her, think about her, lust for her. Go after him—hunt him down as you would a wild animal. Lead him by his glands to the slaughter.

Where’s your vision, Squaltaint? A broken home, betrayed wife, violated children. We can breed from them another generation of heartbroken hardened little vermin with no concept of moral permanence. They’ll grow up suspicious and skeptical of marriage. If they enter it, divorce will be the back door to which they run. Wife and children will be embittered toward the Enemy because they’ve been betrayed by a man who professed to be His follower. It can still happen, I tell you, Squaltaint. Don’t give up!

Do not disappoint me! We must take him down; we must have him; we must consume him.

If you don’t pry Fletcher from the Enemy, I won’t be able to protect you from the consequences.

Empowered by my hatred,

Lord Foulgrin

Heaven: 20 Years Later

Note from Eternal Perspective Ministries: October 2024 marked the 20-year anniversary since the release of Randy's book Heaven. By God's grace, over one million copies have been sold. In this interview, Randy reflects on writing the book and what has changed since it was first published.

What prompted you to study and write about Heaven?

A close friend of mine, Greg, died when I was in high school. I was a brand-new Christian, and it affected me profoundly. Then after I’d been a pastor five years, my mother died in 1981. The last month before she died, nearly every day I read to her from the final two chapters of the Bible, Revelation 21 and 22, which portray the eternal Heaven as centered on the New Earth. Though we had never discussed it in Bible college or seminary, I found compelling this picture of a resurrected world where people with real bodies will live in a redeemed culture forever centered on Christ the King of Kings.

As the years went on, as a pastor I was at the bedsides of many dying people and spoke at their gravesides and memorial services. Eleven years to the day after my mother died, my best friend from childhood died, and I had the privilege of being there with Jerry when he left this world for a far better one.

After writing my novel Safely Home in 2001, I decided to write a big book on Heaven, emphasizing not just the present Heaven where we go when we die, but the eternal Heaven where God promises to put His throne on the New Earth and dwell with us.

Big books full of Scripture, theology, and quotations from people long dead don’t normally sell well. Yet to my surprise, and the publisher’s, over a million copies of Heaven have sold. Innumerable readers, including pastors, have told me their views of the afterlife have radically changed. No one has been more surprised than I’ve been!

What was most challenging about writing the book? What has brought you the most joy?

In my research for Heaven, I read over 150 books on the afterlife, most of them long out of print. I did this over a three-year period, and of course, the more you research, the more material you have to handle, and the more you have to cut. If you do five or six revisions on a book manuscript, as I usually do, it’s easy to lose sight of the end.

I had some very discouraging times where I was up half the night writing and asking, “Lord, is this going to make a difference? Is it worth it?” In that moment, it’s something you have to accept by faith—that a measurable result will come, even if the book isn’t read by people for another two years.

The payoff did indeed come when the book was published. Over the years, we’ve received hundreds of wonderful letters from people, including many who begin by saying, “My husband/wife/son/granddaughter/mother died, and your book has helped me in my grief.” I have found great joy in hearing how lives have been changed: people have come to Christ, grown and been stretched, or taken bold new steps in following Jesus.

When I receive such letters, it’s like God is graciously saying, “Yes, all the work you put into writing really is worth it.”

What are the most frequently asked questions about Heaven you receive?

Those who are grieving have many questions like, “Does my loved one still care about me? Are they aware of what’s happening on Earth? What are they experiencing in the present Heaven?” We’ve addressed these and similar questions on my blog and in Q&As our staff have helped me answer. 

Believers who have lost a spouse often have questions about the nature of marriage in Heaven. As I share in the book, there will be one marriage in Heaven, not many. Our marriage to Him is the true Marriage, of which the best of earthly marriages was a symbol and shadow. But while Jesus said the institution of human marriage would end, having fulfilled its purpose, He never hinted that deep relationships between married people would disappear. I was married to Nanci, my best friend and my closest sister in Christ, for 47 years. Will we become more distant in the new world? Of course not—we’ll become closer, I’m convinced. Of this I’m sure: what Jesus has for us in eternity will be wonderful beyond anything we can begin to imagine (and what we can imagine right now is pretty wonderful!). 

One subject the book did not address is that of cremation. We receive emails asking, “What about bodies that were cremated? How will that affect the resurrection?” While I do have some thoughts about cremation as it relates to the precedent we see in Scripture (I share those perspectives on my blog for those who are curious and are considering future decisions), my response is that our all-powerful God will have no trouble making a perfect resurrection body out of the fragments He will raise!

I’m also frequently asked about animals on the New Earth, and specifically whether it’s possible that our pets might be there too. I love animals, and especially the dogs Nanci and I have had over the years, so I completely sympathize with the heart behind such questions. That has prompted me to work on a theology of animals and Heaven, which will also release from Tyndale in the future.

What parts of the book have received the most pushback from readers?

Countless Christians in Bible-believing churches have been held in bondage for many years by false and widespread views of Heaven and eternity. Despite the clear teaching of Scripture, the pushback against the New Earth used to be very strong. (Many people had only heard the New Earth mentioned in reference to Jehovah's Witness beliefs.)

When Heaven came out in 2004, it was regarded as unique and radical, and by some as off-the-wall. There are readers and pastors who have struggled to embrace the Scriptural truth that the eternal Heaven will be a physical place. Once, after I preached about the Resurrection and New Earth, a fine Christian man said to me, “This idea of having bodies and eating food and living in an earthly place . . . it just sounds so unspiritual.”

Likewise, a Bible college professor took offense at my suggestion that culture—including inventions, concerts, drama, and sports—will likely be part of the New Earth. But if we will be God’s resurrected image-bearers living on a resurrected earth, why wouldn’t they be?

Yet there are many more readers who have resonated with what Scripture has taught all along. I believe more now in the truth of what the Bible teaches about Heaven than I even did when I first wrote the book. I would not have written it had I not believed it—but it was so different than 98% of what I was reading! I could only find references to the New Earth in mostly obscure books and a few reformed systematic theologies and serious books of reformed eschatology. 

I am from a dispensational background, but there is an unfortunate habit of dispensational writers to always think biblical references to the eternal New Earth are actually references to the millennium, which takes place on the old earth still under the curse. It is possible to believe in a literal millennium, but it is mandatory that biblically-based Christians believe in an eternal New Earth and that they not confuse the two. At best the millennium may anticipate or prefigure or be a sampling of the New Earth to come. But because it is a temporary period that happens on the old earth still under the curse and ends in death and destruction, and the New Earth is both eternal and from day one without sin, death, and suffering, the two should not be mistaken for one another.

What has changed in the 20 years since you wrote the book? Do you see a change in how Christians approach the subject of Heaven?

To be honest, it was remarkably difficult to find much at all about the New Earth in those 150 books I read in 1999-2003, and especially much that was biblically grounded. Information about the New Earth was maybe 1-2% of what I read, if even that, but it jumped out to me. Here was a central truth of Scripture that I had never once been taught in a church or Bible college or seminary! In my conversations with people, it was shocking what pastors and Christian leaders believed and did not believe about Heaven.

I have had people tell me (and I hope they’re right) that Heaven has had a major effect on changing the perspectives of evangelical pastors and laypeople on the subject of the New Earth. It’s true I have noticed a striking difference when I speak to groups today and when I spoke to them 20 years ago. Sometimes I still hear people say, “I’ve never heard that before,” but they are noticeably fewer. 

More than anything, I hear from people that they have a transformed picture of Heaven and the New Earth that’s helped them fear death less, focus less on bucket lists, and embrace the blood-bought promises of Jesus about the wonders of eternal life with Him and His people. If the belief that God’s people really will live happily ever after as resurrected people on a resurrected earth is a significant part of my legacy as a writer, I’ll certainly be happy and grateful to God!

How has Nanci’s homecoming to Heaven influenced how you talk and write about this subject?

I doubt many people have talked about eternity more than Nanci and I did. Twenty-some years of my researching, writing, and speaking about Heaven gave us much to talk about! I am eternally grateful for those conversations that began decades before Nanci was diagnosed with cancer.

While what I learned during those hundreds (come to think of it, thousands) of hours of study was a great encouragement, it didn’t necessarily make saying goodbye to Nanci easy. All that study, however, bolstered my wholehearted belief that Nanci’s death was not the end of our relationship, only a temporary interruption. The great reunion awaits us, and I anticipate it and delight in imagining it with everything in me.

Paul said that “we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). My true home is where Jesus is. It warms my heart that Jesus and Nanci are in the same home. He is the One who makes Heaven such a wonderful place, all because He is such a wonderful person.

Nanci’s death has given me opportunities to write and speak about grief, and I hope, help readers have an eternal perspective. (My new booklet Grieving with Hope was born out of what I’ve learned during the last two and a half years since Nanci relocated to Heaven.)

How do you hope the message of Heaven will impact the church in the next 20 years?

My hope is that the church will increasingly be able to do exactly what Peter assumes all Christians are doing: “looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).

Peter links the promise of life together in the new universe with the call to be holy and pure and to live for Christ: “...You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God” (2 Peter 3:11-12). God wants us to use this time He’s given us to serve Him with all our hearts. I pray that’s what God’s people will do.

Joni Eareckson Tada writes in Heaven: Your Real Home,

When a Christian realizes his citizenship is in heaven, he begins acting as a responsible citizen of earth. He invests wisely in relationships because he knows they’re eternal. His conversations, goals, and motives become pure and honest because he realizes these will have a bearing on everlasting reward. …He gives generously of time, money, and talent because he’s laying up treasure for eternity. He spreads the good news of Christ because he longs to fill heaven’s ranks with his friends and neighbors.

Not only will an eternal perspective change our actions, but it will also change our attitudes. Living with eternity in mind will infuse us with a joy and purpose that can sustain us in daily life, even as we face suffering.

Charles Spurgeon wrote in his classic devotional Morning and Evening, “Christian, meditate much on Heaven, it will help thee to press on, and to forget the toil of the way.” If we are anticipating life on the New Earth, we will not view suffering or death the same—not our death, or the death of a loved one.

May the church live upon eternity’s joys now, discarding unbiblical and unworthy views of Heaven, and believing that the best truly is yet to come!

That Incredible Day When God Stepped through the Portal of Eternity

The following is an excerpt from my novel Deadline , which portrays the character Finney, now residing in Heaven, discussing the incarnation with an angel. I hope this fictional account will help you see Christ’s birth—and ultimately His death—from a fresh perspective.

Finney could see the luminous wonder in the deep-set eyes of the mighty warrior, who seemed at times tutor, philosopher, bard, and poet. Suddenly he realized Zyor was gazing deep into his own eyes, as if he saw something equally remarkable within Finney.

“I long to understand what it means that you, my master, were created in his image. There is something of his very essence in you. Something that permits you to see things that elude my grasp. For now, at least.” Zyor’s voice took on a wistful tone as he added, “But I think perhaps forever. For there are things about Elyon’s relationship with you, things which my kind shall always long to look into, which we may never understand.

“At the heart of the mystery, etched forever in my mind is that incredible day,” Zyor’s voice lowered to an intense whisper, “when Elyon stepped through the portal of eternity and left our world for yours. Creation was a wonder, but not a miracle. It pales in comparison to the true miracle, that he would become...one of you. The Creator becoming the creature. It could not be. And yet it was. It could not happen. And yet it did.”

As he beheld the wonder in Zyor’s eyes, Finney realized the angel was uncon­sciously demonstrating the very concept he had earlier expressed—the joy of learning, and the marvel of pondering what he might never understand.

“For a long time, as earth’s history progressed, certain things seemed pre­dictable. My comrades and I began to think we knew what would happen next, that we understood Elyon’s plan. Then, in a moment, our presumption lay shattered. We realized we knew nothing of the ways of God. We had not comprehended the unfolding drama of redemption. It was a terrible realization to learn how little we knew, even having been with him for so long. Terrible, yet,” and Finney saw a faint but distinct smile, “wonderful.

“He became one of you. Not merely like you as I myself have done, but one of you. Not for a moment, but for a lifetime...and for eternity. God became man. While Gabriel announced the miracle on earth, Michael announced it to us. I will never forget his words as he pointed through the portal and we gazed upon that teenage girl. You will meet her eventually, master Finney. She was lovely.”

In a voice that seemed to take on Michael’s texture and tone, Zyor proclaimed the archangel’s unforgettable words of old—“The unborn child now living in this Galilean peasant girl is the Creator of the universe.”

“When Michael saw the shock on our faces,” Zyor continued, “he added simply, ‘Elyon has become a human child. The Son of God is now the Son of Man.’”

Finney marveled not only at what Zyor was telling him, but that the angel had never ceased to wonder at an event millions on earth affirmed in their doctrinal statements with such little wonder at all, with hardly more than a second thought. To Zyor Christmas was not making a list and shopping at a mall. It was the heart and soul of the cosmos itself.

“And just when we thought Elyon could not surpass this greatest miracle with another, there came the greater one.” Zyor stood, and his voice trembled, not only with awe, but now with unmistakable anger.

“That little hill, where little men were permitted to do unspeakable things to Elyon’s Son. My comrades and I jammed against the portal, begging permission to break through and strike down the cowards, to unleash the relentless wrath of heaven’s army. We longed to raise our swords as one, to destroy every atom of the dark world. All that was in us thirsted for revenge. We ached to once and for all obliterate that cancer of rebellion against the Most High God.”

For the first time Finney saw in Zyor seething anger, fierce rage erupting to the surface. The angel paced back and forth like a caged lion, seeming suddenly much taller and more powerful, no longer the gentle teacher. Finney backed out of his way as Zyor metamorphosed, appearing as a towering oak tree blown in a storm of wind and lightning, casting a menacing shadow and whipping out wildly with its branches.

Then suddenly it was over. The angel sat down, the anger subsiding as swiftly as it had materialized.

“But Michael would not permit us,” Zyor said softly. “For Elyon would not permit him.”

For a moment Finney thought he saw a tear in Zyor’s eye, but told himself angels did not cry. Did they? Yet now it was clear. Zyor was touched by emotion Finney had assumed him incapable of. And something else was happening. Zyor was becoming a blur. Finney’s own tears obscured his vision now.

“We writhed in agony,” Zyor continued. “We had never thought such pain possible here in the perfect realm. And yet we grew to know—though not completely understand—that all this was necessary to meet the demands of Elyon’s jus­tice and his love. He did not need us to rescue him. With a single word, with merely a thought, he could have unmade all men, destroyed the universe, purged all creation of the ugliness that nailed him to that cross. But he did not. He would not. He did not go there to be rescued. He went there to rescue.”

Zyor buried his face in his hands. Finney noticed for the first time how huge and hard and callused those hands looked, in stark contrast to the gentle softness of his face. Finney also realized in this quiet moment that the Bible’s promise of no more crying or pain was indeed for a day yet to come.

As wonderful as this place is, Finney thought, it cannot be everything that heaven will be until Elyon’s plan is completed on earth.

“I can say the words which attempt to explain what happened on that day when Elyon’s Son died...” Zyor drew a deep breath. “But they are only words. I will never understand it. Yet I will never give up contemplating it. And I will never run out of time to do so, nor ever lack the company of those who share my quest and are eager to contemplate the wonder with me. And of all the adventures eternity will bring—most of which I can no more guess than you—the fact that Elyon was slain to buy the souls of men will overshadow everything. May his name be forever praised.”

The Benefits of Following Jesus Always Far Outweigh the Costs

Every sacrifice we make in following Christ will always result in our long-term good—but it’s more than that. It will also most often result in our short-term happiness. Listen carefully to the words of Jesus to His disciples:

Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. Mark 10:29-30, emphasis added

Those who have been cast out of their biological families for following Christ now have God’s family to welcome them. Even if they don’t own their own houses, they have hundreds of houses to stay in, where they’ll be warmly welcomed. Jesus promises not only eternal happiness but a hundred times more happiness here and now. (Prosperity preachers who speak of the “hundredfold blessing” conveniently ignore Christ’s balancing words: “with persecutions.”)

This means that for God’s children, even when we make the greatest sacrifices, there is no pointless suffering. Of course, much may appear pointless since we are finite and fallen, incapable of understanding the purposes of God in his infinite wisdom. But God is never pointless nor off point. That’s why Job could cry out in his agony, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15, KJV).

C. S. Lewis wrote, “While what we call ‘our own life’ remains agreeable, we will not surrender it to Him. What then can God do in our interests but make ‘our own life’ less agreeable to us, and take away the plausible source of false happiness?”

What does my suffering do for me, then, whether it is suffering for Christ or the ordinary suffering of life in a sin-stained world? It makes me see how implausible it is that I can find true happiness outside of God. That’s just one of the ways my suffering is purposeful. When what I once leaned on for happiness—even if it is acceptance from my family and friends—crumbles into dust, the way is cleared for me to see that God still stands and is the one solid foundation on which to build my life and happiness.

One day God’s children will look back on this life with complete clarity. When we do, I believe we’ll see that our only true sacrifices were when we chose sin instead of Jesus.

In 1857, pioneer missionary to Africa David Livingstone addressed students at Cambridge University. Keep in mind that Livingstone was not attempting to sound spiritual—he was simply being honest about his experience of happily following Jesus:

I have never ceased to rejoice that God has appointed me to such an office. People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. . . . Is that a sacrifice which brings its own blest reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny hereafter?—Away with . . . such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, or danger, now and then, with a foregoing of the common conveniences and charities of this life, may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink, but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing when compared with the glory which shall hereafter be revealed in, and for, us. I never made a sacrifice. (emphasis added)

When we meet Jesus face to face, behold His nail-scarred hands reaching out to us, and see the look in His eyes when He says, “Enter into your Master’s happiness,” I believe we will gain a new perspective on this life. Quite simply, we’ll see that when it came to following Jesus, the benefits always far outweighed the costs . . . each and every time.

Browse more resources on the topic of happiness, and see Randy's books, including  Happiness  and  Does God Want Us to Be Happy?

God with Us Is Exquisite Delight

Note from Randy: No preacher of God‘s Word speaks to me more powerfully than Charles Spurgeon. His are the words of an old friend, though sadly many of my other friends don’t yet know him. Many thanks to Geoffrey Chang for giving us Spurgeon's rich insights into Christ’s incarnation. May this excerpt from A Wondrous Mystery help you contemplate Immanuel, God with us!

…“God with us” is exquisite delight. “GOD with us”: all that “God” means, the Deity, the infinite Jehovah with us; this, this is worthy of the burst of mid-night song, when angels startled the shepherds with their carols, singing “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14). This was worthy of the foresight of seers and prophets, worthy of a new star in the heavens, worthy of the care which inspiration has manifested to pre-serve the record. This, too, was worthy of the martyr deaths of apostles and confessors who counted not their lives dear unto them for the sake of the incarnate God; and this, my brothers and sisters, is worthy at this day of your most earnest endeavors to spread the glad tidings, worthy of a holy life to illustrate its blessed influences, and worthy of a joyful death to prove its consoling power. Here is the first truth of our holy faith—“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16).

He who was born at Bethlehem is God, and “God with us.” God—there lies the majesty; “God with us,” there lies the mercy. God—therein is glory; “God with us,” therein is grace. God alone might well strike us with terror; but “God with us” inspires us with hope and confidence.

Let us admire this truth: “God with us.” Let us stand at a reverent distance from it as Moses when he saw God in the bush stood a little back, and put his shoes from off his feet, feeling that the place on which he stood was holy ground. This is a wonderful fact, God the Infinite once dwelt in the frail body of a child, and tabernacled in the suffering form of a lowly man. “God was in Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19 KJV). “He made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7 KJV).

Observe the wonder of condescension contained in this fact, that God who made all things should assume the nature of one of his own creatures, that the self-existent should be united with the dependent and derived, and the Almighty linked with the feeble and mortal. In the case before us, the Lord descended to the very depth of humiliation, and entered into alliance with a nature which did not occupy the chief place in the scale of existence. It would have been great condescension for the infinite and incomprehensible Jehovah to have taken upon himself the nature of some noble spiritual being, such as a seraph or a cherub. The union of the divine with a created spirit would have been an unmeasurable stoop, but for God to be one with man is far more.

Excerpted from A Wondrous Mystery: Daily Advent Devotions by Charles H. Spurgeon © 2024 by editor Geoffrey Chang. Used with permission of New Growth Press. May not be reproduced without prior written permission. Available for purchase at newgrowthpress.com.

A Sober Reminder: the Same Sins Can Disqualify Believers at the Beginning of Life and Near the End

Note from Randy: Immediately after speaking at a pastors’ luncheon in Portland a few months ago, on the subject of sexual purity, I went to my car and turned on my phone, and the first thing I saw was an email about speaker and pastor Steve Lawson—yet another prominent Christian leader going down in flames and taking down his family with him. It’s so heartbreaking at every level to think that this relationship started when the woman was 25 and he was 68. Whatever it was, that relationship was going on when he spoke and taught at conferences, churches, and seminaries for the last five years.

There is a message here for all of us, whether we’re in ministry or not, about self-deception: imagining that we are smart enough to get away with things when we ultimately cannot get away with them EVER, because of our all-knowing God. (But also even on the human plane, anyone is a fool to think he can get away with something like this!)

It should make all of us examine our lives and say, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” What has happened to Steve is a severe warning to us all, and has made me more alert than ever.  May we truly take heed.

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7). God help us to examine carefully our thoughts and lives, the daily choices we make, and the little compromises that cumulatively become moral disasters. My thanks to Tim Challies for this article, which encourages us all to finish our race well, to God’s glory.

The Sins of the Elderly and the Sins of Youth

By Tim Challies

The news about Steve Lawson hit hard. It’s not that Steve and I have ever been particularly close. In fact, I can’t think of a time he and I interacted outside the context of a conference. But he has been a steady presence at events for as long as I have been attending them. I don’t know how many times he and I were on the same list of speakers, but I would guess at least a dozen. Many times I benefited from his teaching, preaching, and writing. Always I was glad to learn that he and I would be in the same place at the same time.

For those reasons, it was shocking to learn that his elders had determined he is no longer qualified to be a pastor and his ministry board that he is no longer qualified to be a teacher and preacher. When I heard the news I couldn’t quite believe it and hoped for a time that it would be shown to be false or proven to be an overreaction. Alas, it was not to be. I was grieved to learn he had committed the kind of actions that harm relationships, shame family, and bring reproach on the church. On a more personal level, I was alarmed to see that a man can proceed so far in life and ministry and still grow careless, or entitled, or whatever combination of factors led first to desires, then to actions, and then to consequences.

I think I sometimes believe that it is the purview of young men to fight the hardest fights and battle the deadliest enemies, the task of middle-aged men to mop up the last pockets of resistance, and the privilege of older men to enjoy the fruits of a lifetime of obedience. That seems fair to me, that God would reward diligence in the early and middle years with ease in the later years.

I know better, of course, because I have read enough books by elderly saints to know that even the godliest among them must not yet coast and cannot yet rest from his labors. But perhaps I thought the sins of the later years would be more like foibles, that they would be the kind of embarrassing but understandable stumbles of the elderly. Maybe I thought the sins of old men were jokes that may no longer be deemed appropriate or the refusal to let go of leadership roles they have held for too long. Maybe I thought their temptations were a bit of obstinacy or a stubborn fixation on the old ways of doing things.

But now I know that the sins of the elderly can be the sins of youth, that the factors that commonly disqualify men at the beginning of a life can disqualify them near the end. It startles me. It scares me. It discourages me. Maybe it even makes me waver in my confidence that any of us can make it safely over the finish line—safely and without disgracing ourselves and, even worse, bringing reproach on our families, our churches, and our God.

I was in a small town in Romania last week to speak at a youth event. I was blessed to see hundreds of teens and young adults singing God’s praises, praying together, and eagerly listening to the Word. It seemed to be as far removed from North America as it could be. Yet even there young men came up to me to express their sorrow at the situation, to tell about their confusion at the downfall of a man they had so much admired, and to ask what could possibly have led him to do something so wrong. I had no answers for them but understood it as evidence of how wide the ripples extend when a man builds a ministry and then destroys it, when he gains a reputation and then shatters it. It was after speaking to these young men that I began to write down some thoughts about it all.

Yet despite all the sadness, I do see a few reasons to be hopeful.

First, I know it can seem at times like there is an epidemic of Christian leaders committing acts of immorality and destroying their ministries, but it is important to remember that there are far more who remain faithful to the end. In fact, part of what makes a situation like this so shocking is its rarity. I could name 100 pastors who ended their ministry well for every one I could name who did not.

Second, I was heartened to see the local church seemingly respond decisively and appropriately with conferences and para-church ministries alike following its lead. This is the way it should be, but rarely the way it actually is. I also appreciate that the local church was measured and discrete in the information it shared. I have a lot of sympathy and respect for the elders who had to attempt to say enough but not too much, to express the guilt of the one who committed the sin but perhaps also to protect those who were innocent or otherwise deserving of privacy.

Third, I was encouraged to hear other Christians expressing their determination to avoid such scandals in their own lives. This determination is not mere grit or legalistic tenacity, but a deeper dependence upon God and a deeper commitment to his means of grace. Many men and women alike have been reminded that sin and temptation will remain deadly foes until we are with Christ in glory. Over the past few days the words of “For All the Saints” have been often in my mind, including the ones that open it: “For all the saints who from their labors rest.” There will come a day when we rest from all of our labors and are declared saints triumphant. But until then, we are saints militant, battling deadly foes moment by moment and day by day all the way to heaven.

I hope and pray there are encouraging updates still to come—a local church that has been faithful in difficulty, a man who has received the Lord’s loving chastisement, a wider church that has faithfully interceded and pleaded for God’s mercy and, of course, forgiveness and healing for all harmed. Added to my prayers for all involved is that God will use this sad situation in the lives of many people to motivate them to pursue God more earnestly, to lay their sins and temptations before him more humbly, and to apply his promises more completely. May God grant this grace.

This article originally appeared on Challies.com , and is used with permission of the author.

What Are Treasures in Heaven?

A reader on my Facebook page asked this question about the nature of treasures in Heaven: “What does that even mean to ‘store your treasures in heaven’? What treasures are we storing up?!”

The Greek word translated “treasures” or “riches” in Matthew 6 normally means “accumulated wealth in the form of money, jewels, or other valuables.” That’s exactly what Christ’s disciples would have immediately thought of: tangible wealth, valuable assets, precious possessions.

It’s true that when Jesus speaks about “treasures in heaven,” we don’t know the exact form those treasures will take. Treasures in Heaven could be of material or spiritual nature, but either way they are real, meaningful rewards for God’s people who give generously.

In Matthew 6, Jesus tells us to transfer our wealth from one place to another. When we die, earthly treasure will no longer be ours, but wealth we’ve transferred to Heaven will remain ours forever.

God will also give us eternal rewards for doing good works (Ephesians 6:8; Romans 2:6, 10), persevering under persecution (Luke 6:22–23), showing compassion to the needy (Luke 14:13–14), and treating our enemies kindly (Luke 6:35).

We’re told that “the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever” (Daniel 7:18, ESV). What is “the kingdom”? Earth. On the New Earth, God’s children will reign with Christ (Revelation 20:6). Faithful servants will be put “in charge of many things” (Matthew 25:21, 23).

Scripture refers to five different crowns, which may or may not be literal but clearly represent ruling positions in God’s kingdom. Treasures in Heaven, then, will surely include the rewards of God entrusting His faithful children with positions of leadership in proportion to their service on Earth (Luke 19:12–19).

Once we grasp what Heaven really is and will be, we can begin to understand what Christ meant when He talked about storing up treasures there.

Years ago, I did a Q&A with Wayne Grudem at a theology conference. One of the questions we discussed was “What Is the Nature of Heavenly Treasures and Rewards?” (Wayne and his wife Margaret and I, as well as my friend Steve Keels, developed a wonderful friendship together at this conference. You will see the degree of my respect for Wayne Grudem when he compliments something I say, and I didn’t quite know what to do with it!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e31fHGD4IqU?si=XF-vDqZ4MWKPUTua

See also Will Our Relationships with Others in Heaven Be Part of Our Eternal Rewards? and The Treasure Principle. 

Does Scripture Show God Has Emotions?

I wrote about God’s emotions in my Happiness book, but recently ran across this past video, answering a question about whether God has emotions:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLMs33O9hbA?si=fH02hMuAkXRob4kE

Some people suppose happiness is uniquely human, unrelated to God’s nature: as He gave us a body and hunger, which He doesn’t have, He gave us a capacity for happiness, which He also doesn’t have. I believe something radically different—that God wants us happy because He’s happy! He treasures His happiness and treasures us, and therefore He treasures our happiness! Old Testament professor Brent Strawn writes, “In the Bible, God is happy, and God’s happiness affects and infects the rest of the non-God world, humans included.” The last part of the sentence hinges on the first: if God isn’t happy, he has no happiness with which to “infect” us.

Scripture sometimes speaks of God in anthropomorphisms, meaning He’s described as if He has a human form. For example, the Bible talks about Him having a hand, a face, and eyes (see Exodus 7:5; Numbers 6:25; Psalm 34:15), even though He has no body (see John 4:24). Similarly, some speak of anthropopathisms, indicating that Scripture ascribes emotions to God to show He relates to humans, though He doesn’t really have emotions himself.

But we know that when Scripture speaks of God having eyes, it means that He sees, and the mention of His ears means that He hears our prayers. While God is not a physical being, He is a spiritual being, and He does have attributes of personhood. Passages that ascribe to Him emotional qualities He doesn’t have would mislead us.

God commands us not to “grieve” the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). God is said to be “angry” (Deuteronomy 1:37), “moved to pity” (Judges 2:18), and “pleased” (1 Kings 3:10).

This passage about God’s compassion contains a remarkable statement: “In all their distress he too was distressed” (Isaiah 63:9, NIV). A form of the same word is used to describe both Israel’s distress and His own. Yes, our distress can involve feelings God doesn’t have, such as helplessness or uncertainty. But clearly God intends us to see a similarity between our emotional distress and His. If God experiences the full range of non-sinful human emotion, as indicated by Scripture, it stands to reason that He would feel happiness, too.

Spurgeon explained:

We have been educated to the idea that the Lord is above emotions, either of sorrow or pleasure. That He cannot suffer, for instance, is always laid down as a self-evident postulate. . . . For my part, I rejoice to worship the living God, who, because He is living, does grieve and rejoice! . . . To look upon Him as utterly impassive and incapable of anything like emotion does not, to my mind, exalt the Lord, but rather brings Him down to be comparable to the gods of stone or wood which cannot sympathize with their worshippers.

Ellen Charry writes, “If the doctrine of God cannot countenance God’s emotional life, there is something wrong with the doctrine—it is not fully responsive to the fullness of the biblical witness.”

God feels love, compassion, anger, and happiness. He’s never overwhelmed by unsettling emotions, nor is He subject to distresses imposed by others. But He does feel His children’s suffering deeply.

If your human father said he loved you but never showed it through his emotions, would you believe him? If we think God has no emotions, it’s impossible to believe He delights in us or to feel His love. That’s one reason believing in God’s happiness can be a breakthrough for people in their love for Him.

How Embracing Gratitude Leads to Generosity

Note from Randy: This article is a great reminder that gratitude is key to living a generous life. (I know and appreciate the writer, Sharon Epps, who is president of Kingdom Advisors. I’ll be speaking at their annual event in February.)

If we understand what Scripture says about how giving touches lives for eternity, stores treasures for us in Heaven, and brings us great happiness here and now, we’ll realize there’s no greater privilege than to live lives of overflowing gratitude and joyful generosity. It’s a no-brainer.

May you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving, celebrating all Jesus has done for us!

Embracing Gratitude: The Key to Generosity

By Sharon Epps

“And you shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house...” - Deuteronomy 26:11

For years, I’ve worked with individuals, churches, and advisors with one key purpose in mind: to help people use their resources to further God’s Kingdom through generosity. One of the greatest joys I’ve experienced is witnessing those “Aha!” moments when others realize that generosity is born from gratitude—gratitude for the time, talents, and treasures God has given us.

Gratitude begins with recognizing that we are made in God's image. As His image bearers, we are hardwired with certain traits, and generosity is one of them. However, generosity becomes challenging when we aren’t grateful. First, we must be thankful for life itself, for our families and friends, and for the resources God has entrusted to us. Most importantly, we must be deeply grateful for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, who gave His life so we could live with Him for eternity.

Practical Ways to Grow in Gratitude

There are many practical ways to nurture gratitude. Start by expressing it to God in prayer. A personal practice that helped me during tough times was keeping a gratitude journal. Every night, I wrote down three things I was thankful for. It wasn’t always easy, but it was a healing process that allowed me to see God’s blessings more clearly.

I found encouragement in 1 Thessalonians 5:18:

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

This verse helped me see that even in difficult times, gratitude can shift my perspective. When I recognize that everything I have comes from God, I can live open-handedly, trusting that He will provide.

Gratitude Fuels Generosity

Gratitude not only changes our perspective but also opens the door to generosity in ways beyond financial giving. For instance, when we’re thankful for our homes, we may feel more inclined to practice hospitality. When we appreciate the skills God has given us, we become more willing to use them to serve others. Gratitude helps us see that generosity encompasses much more than money.

As gratitude grows, so does humility. When we live with a grateful heart, we become more aware of the needs around us and are moved to help. Humility and gratitude go hand in hand, allowing us to put others’ needs before our own and live more generously.

Thanksgiving: An Opportunity for Gratitude and Generosity

With Thanksgiving around the corner, we have a perfect opportunity to focus on gratitude and express it through generosity. Here are some practical ways to make this Thanksgiving genuinely thankful:

Family Gratitude Discussions: Make a habit of having family discussions where everyone shares what they are thankful for—not just on Thanksgiving but throughout the year.
Thanksgiving Placemat Activity: Create construction paper placemats for each family member with their name at the top. During the meal, have everyone write why they are grateful for each person on their placemat.
Extend Generosity: Consider inviting a single parent and their children to your Thanksgiving meal or bring a turkey dinner to a neighbor in need. These small acts of kindness turn gratitude into action.

A Heart of Thankfulness

As we prepare for Thanksgiving, let’s remember that true gratitude leads to generosity.

Whether through family traditions or acts of kindness, we can show our thankfulness by blessing others. Let Ephesians 5:20 guide your heart this season:

“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Let’s make this Thanksgiving a time of genuine thankfulness and generous giving.

This article originally appeared on Faith Fi , and is used with permission.