Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 125

Should Christians Avoid Business or Personal Connections with the Marijuana Industry?

Recently, a strong Christian friend, who owns a business here in my home state of Oregon, asked my opinion about his doing work that would either directly or indirectly facilitate the legal growing and selling of marijuana. I’m sharing my edited response to him because this is a subject that is relevant for many, and will only become increasingly so as more states legalize marijuana.

My personal counsel to him was to stay away from any business or personal connection with the marijuana business, whether direct or indirect. It’s important to clarify that I believe medical marijuana is sometimes beneficial, and I have counseled believers in serious pain to try it when other alternatives have not worked for them. The stigma of marijuana use shouldn’t prevent someone from a treatment they would otherwise have embraced.

Nearly all medications that relieve pain or adverse symptoms can reduce awareness and are potentially addictive, but can still be used wisely and moderately. (This 2011 article is somewhat dated, but contains some good insights on Christian views of medical marijuana, especially the final portion from Ed Welch.) Having said this, medical marijuana is not what this blog is about.

While some evangelicals see recreational cannabis as a gray area, I think its dangers to people, especially to young people, are very significant. People debate it, like they do everything, but I’m convinced it is harmful in and of itself, and that it can be and often is a gateway drug. (Just ask those whose loved ones have been drawn into hard drugs, and often you’ll find they started with smoking pot.)

The American College of Pediatricians reports:

Marijuana is addictive. While approximately 9 percent of users overall become addicted to marijuana, about 17 percent of those who start during adolescence and 25-50 percent of daily users become addicted. Thus, many of the nearly 6.5 percent of high school seniors who report smoking marijuana daily or almost daily are well on their way to addiction, if not already addicted. In fact, between 70-72% of 12-17 year olds who enter drug treatment programs, do so primarily because of marijuana addiction.

The fact that recreational use is legal now in Oregon doesn’t mean that much in a state that legalized abortion four years before Roe v. Wade and was also literally the first principality in human history to legalize physician assisted suicide (it wasn’t even legal in the Netherlands then). As if this weren’t enough for Oregon to be famous for, last month, Governor Kate Brown signed House Bill 3391, making Oregon the only state in the U.S. without any laws that restrict or limit abortion, and one of only a handful of states that chooses to use taxpayer money to pay for elective abortions. 

Of course, there are Christians who defend it and say it’s no different than alcohol. But while it’s possible to drink alcohol in moderation, i.e. to avoid intoxication, it’s virtually impossible with marijuana. I have read what users say, who claim four puffs is all it takes for intoxication, and some say one to three puffs will get them high. And who takes just a puff or two? Do people really take just one puff then stomp it out? That would be like getting intoxicated on one or two sips of wine, then pouring the rest down the drain. That’s just not going to happen.

Would I want my grandsons to try marijuana? No. Why? Because I love them and don’t want them to go where it leads. Even if it doesn’t become the gateway to other drugs (which it very well may), it would mess with their minds and bodies, dull their consciences, and impair their walk with Jesus and testimony for Him.

This is why I would stay away from furthering the marijuana business, as well as for the reason of seeking to be a good example to both believers and unbelievers. If someone asked you, “What businesses do you service?”, would you be embarrassed to say one of them is a cannabis retailer or a marijuana grower? That’s probably a clear sign you shouldn’t do it.

For business people who provide goods and services, I would ask these questions if you are considering doing business with legal cannabis retailers:

Would I be empowering or enabling their business, and thereby effectively participating in their negative influences?
Would I be legitimizing or endorsing the use of pot?
What message would I send to others, young or old, by my involvement?
Would I be, or appear to be, compromising convictions for the sake of money?
Would Jesus bless my work?
How would this fit with 1 Corinthians 10:31? “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”

Here are some articles I found informative and helpful:

The Legalization of Marijuana: What Christians Should Know
A Portland pastor who used to smoke marijuana has some helpful thoughts: Marijuana to the Glory of God
This article is mostly about recreational marijuana but touches on its medical use: Medical marijuana - what does the Bible say?
Don’t Let Your Mind Go to Pot
This longer article by a believer who’s a former pothead has some good insights: What Should Christians Do as America Goes to Pot?
Finally, Sam Storms, has some helpful thoughts: 10 Things You Should Know about Marijuana and the Christian

Photo: Pixabay

God’s Revealed Truth Is Something We Discover, Not Invent

I know some people, including a few old friends, who say they are still following Jesus, but are walking away from God’s truth. They’re no longer believing that people need to trust Jesus to be saved and rescued from Hell (some don’t believe in Hell at all), and are no longer affirming that the Bible is entirely true or that Jesus is the only way to Heaven (John 14:6). They’re following the latest drifts of our culture and trying to be popular on social and moral issues, rather than holding on to God’s revealed truth in Scripture. 

My heart is heavy for them. It’s easy for all of us to distance ourselves from some truths, especially when it means we can fly underneath the culture's radar and avoid becoming a target. 

Jesus said some strong words: “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16-17).

Maybe you’ve seen this going on around you, or sometimes in your own heart. Here are some related thoughts from my book Truth. I hope maybe there’s something you’ll find helpful or encouraging or that the Lord might use in your life:

In The Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo Baggins says to his young cousin, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”

To “keep our feet” in this world requires putting our weight upon what is true.

Theologian J. Gresham Machen wisely said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of truth.” Yet we are constantly bombarded with lies that attempt to do just that.

Truth is not something we invent, only something we can discover. God reveals it to us in His Word.

Truth is rooted in the eternal, all-powerful, and unchangeable God. Therefore His promises cannot fail: “Every word of God proves true” (Proverbs 30:5 ESV).

The Holy Spirit leads people into truth (John 16:13). We’re commanded to know the truth (1 Timothy 4:3), handle the truth accurately (2 Timothy 2:15), and avoid doctrinal untruths (2 Timothy 2:18). Christ’s disciples do the truth (John 3:21) and abide in the truth (John 8:31-32). The “belt of truth” holds together our spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:14). God “does not lie” (Titus 1:2). He is “the God of truth” (Isaiah 65:16 ESV).

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).

Christ, as the Living Word of God, is inseparable from truth. He not only is the Truth (John 14:6), he is the source of all truth, the embodiment of truth, and the ultimate reference point, in concert with His revealed Word, for evaluating all truth-claims.

Those in countries where democratic ideals are embraced might have the illusion they should have a voice when it comes to truth. But the universe is not a democracy.

Truth is not a ballot measure. God does not consult us to determine right and wrong. It’s we who must go to revealed Scripture to find out what we should believe. Our culture appeals to whatever now is; God appeals to his intentions and design, to what ought to be.

When we wonder what’s right, we’re to turn to God’s Word: “For the word of the Lord is right and true” (Psalm 33:4). As Psalm 119 depicts in every one of its 176 verses, God’s truth is at the heart of the spiritual life.

Christ the Truth-Teller v. Satan the Liar

Unlike God, the devil promises without delivering. He’s always denying, revising, or spinning the truth, rearranging the price tags. Jesus called him a “liar, and the father of lies.” He said, “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language” (John 8:44).

Everyone speaks their native language fluently. Have you ever known people who lie so convincingly that it’s difficult not to believe them? Satan’s the best liar in the universe. “Go ahead, you deserve it. This won’t hurt anybody.” He’s articulate, smooth, and persuasive. He murders people, and he lies to cover his murders.

When we speak the truth, we speak Christ’s language. When we speak lies, we speak Satan’s language. Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice” (John 10:27). He says, “But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will flee from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice” (v. 5).

We’re to become familiar enough with God’s Word that we learn the sound of our Master’s voice, and can tell the difference between his voice and the devil’s impersonation.

Examining Truth-claims

In an age of endless Internet gossip, tabloids, false advertising, lying politicians, and “made up reality,” how important is the truth? Reformer Ulrich Zwingli wrote, “The business of the truth is not to be deserted, even to the sacrifice of our lives.”

Luke makes a profound observation: “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).

They searched the Scriptures—probing, not just skimming. The Bible should be primary, all other truth-claims secondary. We need a worldview informed and corrected by God’s Word.

They searched the Scriptures daily. (People died to get the Bible into our hands; the least we can do is read it!) Unless we establish a strong biblical grid, a scriptural filter with which to screen and interpret the world, we’ll end up thinking like the world. We desperately need not only Bible teaching, but group Bible study that explores the text and applies it to daily life.

The test of whether Scripture is my authority is this: Do I allow God’s Word to convince me to believe what I don’t like, what’s contrary to what I’ve always believed or wanted to believe? Do I believe it even when it offends me? Am I willing to bow my knees before God and accept his truth even when my life would be easier, for the moment, if I didn’t?

“Truth is truth even if no one believes it; a lie is a lie even if everyone believes it.”

Photo by Daniil Silantev on Unsplash

Under Grace, Not Sin

God’s grace is His giving to us, at great cost, the goodness we don’t deserve.

Sin always has been and always will be irrational. It seems to make sense for the moment, but it lacks all perspective and denies reality so that truth eventually catches up with it. Scripture tells us, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable” (Hebrews 4:13, NLT). God warns us that “you may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23, NIV).

While the Christian life is certainly fraught with temptations and struggles, Christ’s work on our behalf is sufficient to give us victory over sin so it does not master us. We are not “under sin” or “under law,” but we are still under something, something unbelievably wonderful: grace. “For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14, NASB).

If we believe that “God is for us” (Romans 8:31), then even when Scripture exposes our sin, we still trust Him, because He desires to meet and defang our sin with His forgiving and empowering grace.

Perspectives from God’s Word

“See if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:24).

“I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and you forgave the iniquity of my sin” (Psalm 32:5).

Perspectives from God’s People

“Sin is the mouthiest of backseat drivers, the one who, as often as we allow it, hurtles over our shoulder, elbows us in the face, and grabs for the steering wheel.” —Jonathan Parnell

“Sin is treason, not sinus trouble. God forgives sin; he does not heal sin.” —Rosaria Butterfield

Today’s blog is excerpted from the new expanded edition of Randy’s book Seeing the Unseen. This 90-day devotional equips and inspires readers to live with a right view of eternity that can shape the way they think and live today. Each brief devotion includes Bible verses and inspirational quotes, along with Alcorn's uniquely powerful insights, to help readers better understand the eternal realities that should guide a Christian’s daily life.

Photo by Nathan Anderson on Unsplash

How Should We Approach Debt?

One hundred years ago, debt was regarded as an earned privilege for the few. Now it’s seen as an inalienable right for all. Borrowing has become an integral part of our lives.

Why do I receive mailings telling me that $5,000 or $10,000 or $20,000 has already been approved for me and to receive it I need only send in the enclosed agreement? Why do banks and credit companies beg me to borrow from them, listing dozens of ways I could use the money? Why are people so anxious to lend me money? The answer is simple—they want me to borrow because they will make a lot of money from my debt.

Several years ago, I put together Scripture related to debt, as well as some self-examining questions to ask ourselves: Debt: Who You Gonna Serve?

You might also like to check out these past blog posts on Nine Consequences of Debt and 11 Questions to Ask Ourselves About Debt.

I’ve received questions over the years about specific types of debt, including How Should Christians Approach Home Mortgage Debt?, What About Student Debt?, and Should We Have and Use Credit Cards?

Those working to get out of debt often have questions about how to balance the goal of being-debt free with faithfulness in giving. In this 3-minute video, I discuss the question of “Should I Tithe or Pay off My Debt First?” (See also Paying Down Debt and Giving.)

For more on stewardship and debt, see Randy’s books The Treasure Principle, Managing God’s Money, and Money, Possessions, and Eternity.

Photo: Pixabay

How Do Most People Respond to What You’ve Written About Happiness?

I find that most Christians are surprised but open to these ideas about happiness, including that God is a happy God and offers us His own happiness. Yet some remain doggedly determined to believe and teach that God doesn’t want His children happy and happiness is inherently wrong. This is so strange, because what loving father doesn’t want his children full of joy and happiness, in the right sense? 

In many cases believers respond to my books on the subject as I would respond to others who’ve adopted a modern feel-good message that is contrary to Scripture, such as universalism or the concept that there is no hell. 

Because they’ve heard in Bible teaching churches that God wants us to be holy, not happy, and because they’ve read favorite Christ-centered writers who have said this, they conclude that the concept God is happy and that He wants His children happy is a modern idea that is really a heresy. 

That’s why in the comprehensive Happiness book I spent so much time developing the theme of English-speaking Christians throughout history, back to the Puritans, regularly affirming that God is happy, wants us happy, and that holiness and happiness are ultimately inseparable. The anti-happiness mentality in the church has developed only in the last century, and it was a departure from what God’s people widely believed before that. While it did have some good intentions, namely to keep people from pursuing happiness in sin, I think it really backfired.

The irony is that this is actually a feel-good message that conforms to Scripture! It truly is good news, what Isaiah 52:7 calls the “good news of happiness” and what Luke 2:10 says is “good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

It reminds me of the people who‘ve not heard about the biblical concept of the resurrection and the New Earth, and don’t understand what that entails and implies. They read my Heaven book and other things and conclude, “I’ve never heard this in my church, so it can’t be true.” When I talk about eating and drinking, and celebrating and culture and arts and music and learning, and likely even sports on the New Earth, they think, “Here we go again, another feel-good heresy.”

Yes, we are right to oppose any message, feel-good or otherwise, that is opposed to God’s Word. But ironically, we cling to certain false doctrines believing them to be orthodox, including the concept of a ghostly afterlife for all eternity, and the notion that God doesn’t want us to be happy. The true biblical teachings on these subjects draw people toward the Bible and the Christian faith; the false ones push them away. 

It’s true the Bible teaches some hard things that people are prone to reject, and we dare not apologize for these. But how ironic that we take some wonderful things the Bible teaches and then seemingly work overtime to deny them or make them seem unattractive! 

It’s like we think the spiritual high ground is to portray the Christian faith as negatively and stoically as possible, so as not to succumb to what so many are doing which perverts the gospel of Jesus to make it palatable. 

But think of the promises of Jesus to set us free (John 8:32, Galatians 5:1, Revelation 5:1), to give us abundant life (John 10:10), and to enjoy Heaven and the New Earth as resurrected people forever while being delivered from the hell we deserve (Revelation 21–22). That part of Scripture is actually a feel-good message, and it's also true! If the “good news” of Jesus doesn't make us happy, we aren’t understanding what good news actually means.

For more on happiness, see Randy’s books Happiness and God’s Promise of Happiness, the devotional 60 Days of Happiness, and his DVD series Happiness 101. 

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Prosperity Theology Tells Us to Live Now as Kings, Not Servants

I’ve written in my books (including Managing God’s Money and Money, Possessions, and Eternity) and on my blog about the false doctrine of prosperity gospel. This philosophy teaches that the more money you give away, the wealthier you will become. Following God through giving and other forms of obedience becomes a formula for abundant provision and the celebration of prosperous living. This is, in essence, a Christianized materialism.

In this video, I talk about how such teaching is from the pit of hell.

See also “The Poison of Prosperity Gospel”, which includes a video with words full of truth from John Piper.

In Philippians 3, the apostle Paul discusses his credentials of success, his diplomas, and awards. These he once highly valued, but now he says, “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7-8). Actually, this translation is too delicate. Paul did not call his credentials and possessions “rubbish,” but dung. Excrement. That’s how he viewed the things he once valued, when stacking them up against Christ. Contrast that with today’s prosperity preachers, their heavy jewelry swaying as they strut across the stage.

As a result of following Christ, Paul lost everything. What little money and possessions might have passed through his hands he considered a loss. He describes his daily adversity, persecution for Christ, and nearness to death (2 Corinthians 4:7-12). Later Paul refers to his troubles, hardships, distresses, beatings, imprisonments, riots, sleepless nights, and hunger, as well as the experience of nearly dying, and being sorrowful and poor (2 Corinthians 6:3-10, 11:23-29).

Paul seems to make a case for what might be called “adversity theology,” or the “sickness and poverty gospel.” I wonder if in his dreams the apostle ever heard a faint chorus of voices from the future saying, “Paul, you don’t have to live like this—why don’t you trust God and live like a king’s kid?” The truth is, Paul heard some of these voices in his own day. In fact, Paul had to defend himself against the “super apostles,” well-off ministers who berated him because he couldn’t claim their wealth and prestige (1 Corinthians 4:8-13). He says to them, “Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings” (1 Corinthians 4:8). He adds, “We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored!” (1 Corinthians 4:10).

Paul faced off with these prosperity preachers, pointing out that they’d jumped the gun on reigning with Christ by living now as kings rather than as servants. Paul’s point is clear: Don’t try to reign prematurely! Dress like a servant. Let God put robes of honor on you when He brings you to His kingdom. Don’t put them on yourself now!

Trillia Newbell posted this recently on Twitter: “I’ve never cried over a tweet, until today. 2.7 million people potentially saw this falsehood. This is why we preach the gospel:” She followed with the tweet: “If you obey GOD you will never be broke another day in your life.”  T.D. Jakes #anditcametopass  

Many responders to Trillia’s post, and to others who retweeted it, seemed perplexed, and some were even angry. A number of them asked, what was her problem with what T.D. Jakes said? That they would even ask shows us how deeply rooted in our thinking the health and wealth gospel can become.

Christianity Today recently published an article written by Costi Hinn (the nephew of faith healer Binny Hinn) about being freed from the clutches of the prosperity gospel and false teaching. It’s well worth reading:

Benny Hinn Is My Uncle, but Prosperity Preaching Isn’t for Me

Almost 15 years ago, on a shoreline outside of Athens, Greece, I stood confident in my relationship with the Lord and my ministry trajectory. I was traveling the world on a private Gulfstream jet doing “gospel” ministry and enjoying every luxury money could buy. After a comfortable flight and my favorite meal (lasagna) made by our personal chef, we prepared for a ministry trip by resting at The Grand Resort: Lagonissi. Boasting my very own ocean-view villa, complete with private pool and over 2,000 square feet of living space, I perched on the rocks above the water’s edge and rejoiced in the life I was living. After all, I was serving Jesus Christ and living the abundant life he promised.

Little did I know that this coastline was part of the Aegean Sea—the same body of water the apostle Paul sailed while spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. There was just one problem: We weren’t preaching the same gospel as Paul.

Read the whole article.

Photo: Pixabay

Why I Signed a Statement in Defense of the DACA Dreamers

In August I signed the Nashville Statement about marriage, addressing gender issues and homosexual marriage. While controversial and perhaps in some parts imperfectly worded, I still believe that was the right thing to do.

Recently I also signed an Evangelical Leader Statement of Principles on Dreamers, which focuses on encouraging solutions for those in the now rescinded DACA program. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, approved under the Obama administration, was for 800,000 immigrants who entered the country illegally as minors and have no criminal records. The program, which was simply a stopgap and never a permanent solution, gave these children who’ve grown up in the U.S. and want to make something of their lives a chance to get an education and remain in the country. DACA was rescinded by the Trump administration in September.

The Dreamers and DACA

Here’s more explanation from the ERLC (Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention) about the Dreamers, and DACA:

The term “Dreamers” (sometimes DREAMers) refers to young undocumented immigrants who would qualify under the DREAM Act for permanent residency in the United States. The DREAM Act (an acronym for Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) is proposed federal legislation that would provide permanent resident status on a conditional basis for certain long-term residents who entered the U.S. as children.

Even though the DREAM Act was never passed, the term “Dreamers” is still sometimes used to describe young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as minors, are pursuing or have pursued education, and have never been convicted of felonies or multiple misdemeanors.

Frustrated by the failure of Congress to pass the DREAM Act, President Obama implemented in 2010 through executive fiat the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Deferred action is a use of prosecutorial discretion in immigration cases to defer removal action against an individual for a certain period of time. President Obama directed the Department of Homeland Security to consider request for deferred action for certain people who came to the United States as children and met qualifications similar to the DREAM Act. (This is why people who qualify for DACA are sometimes referred to as “Dreamers.”)

The ERLC has always called for a legislative fix to this problem and disagreed with President Obama’s decision to act unilaterally. But regardless of whether we feel the executive order should have been issued in the first place, thousands of young immigrants who are paying taxes and contributing to their communities stepped forward in good faith to correct a legal situation for which they should not be held responsible. They should be rewarded, rather than punished, for their attempt to comply with the law.

Read more on the Dreamers here.

Encouraging Legislative Action

Personally, I love to see evangelicals coming out not only against what we believe is wrong, but also in defense of minorities and advocating for giving a chance to the children of illegal immigrants who were promised something by our country. (See Evangelical leaders call for help for Dreamers.)

I too think President Obama and President Trump should not have made, nor make, unilateral decisions altering public policy, but when this is done we need to try our best to be just and fair in resolving them.

Here’s an excerpt from the statement I signed, explaining more about its aim of encouraging legislative action:

We support the underlying policy aim of DACA because we believe this is a special category of immigrants who are not legally culpable, who in most cases have no home other than the United States, and who are a blessing to their communities and to their churches. At the same time, many of us shared a skepticism about the prudence of accomplishing the aim solely through temporary action of the Executive Branch. Indeed, the reversal of this policy and the uncertainty created for existing DACA recipients prove that a proper solution requires legislative action.    

Biblically understood, a just system of law always has in view human flourishing. We advocate for change to particular laws when needed because of our respect for the rule of law. Many of us have participated in our nation’s debate over immigration policy reform for well over a decade, and these conversations within our churches about the national immigration crisis have produced significant consensus among members of our churches and communities.

We now call on Congress for a timely solution on a narrow issue of national consensus: provide a legal remedy for the subset of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children by their parents, those immigrants commonly called Dreamers.

The statement focuses on six basic principles:

We believe it is unjust to punish children for offenses they did not commit. 
We believe America’s borders must be secure.
We believe we should welcome Dreamers of good moral character and who are working hard to contribute to our country.
We believe Dreamers deserve to be recognized as our fellow Americans.
We believe our government should provide a pathway to permanent legal status and/or citizenship for eligible Dreamers.
We believe a just government works to maintain the integrity of families. 

Read the whole statement here. I appreciated the opportunity to sign this letter, not only to make a statement about what I believe is right and God-honoring, but also because I am alert to the situations of some of these young people as a result of being in the process of becoming a mentor for minority students who aspire to go to college. One of the students they asked me to consider working with is a gifted writer and also a Dreamer, and now he fears he will be deported and unable to go to a high-quality college he’s already been accepted at.

What God’s Word Says about Sojourners

I think many people, sometimes unfairly and sometimes not, perceive evangelicals as against hope and opportunity for these young Dreamers who have much to gain but also much to contribute to our country. Christians are routinely accused of only caring about abortion and homosexuality, and not caring enough about already born people, including the poor and needy and immigrants. This accusation may be true in some cases, and we must all be ready to ask the Lord what more we can do to help people in His name. (Of course in many cases, people concerned about abortion and moral issues are the very same people who open their homes to provide foster care, adopt, and give financially to help the impoverished and the needy, including victims of the many recent natural disasters.)

Scripture has much to say about caring for aliens and sojourners. What follows does not mean America cannot and should not have carefully-governed immigration policies or border control. I actually think we should. But I also think supporting the Dreamers is the sort of limited but meaningful effort that could honor God by helping people and at the same time not put our country at risk. Putting politics and pragmatics aside just for the moment, please allow these passages to speak to your heart:

“The same law will apply to both the native and the alien who resides among you” (Exodus 12:49).

“Moses had said, ‘I have been a resident alien in a foreign land’” (Exodus 18:3).

 “You must not exploit a resident alien or oppress him, since you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 22:21, CSB).

“You must not oppress a resident alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be a resident alien because you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9, CSB).

“He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).

“Thus says the Lord: Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place” (Jeremiah 22:3).

“Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart” (Zechariah 7:10).

Scriptures like these remind us there is more we all can do to help needy and vulnerable people, both around the world and in our communities. One place to start might be by signing this letter I and others have signed, and sharing it with your sphere of influence. And let’s all pray for a real solution for these Dreamers, who are real individuals with real stories and hopes and ambitions.

Following Jesus Wherever His Teachings Take Us

I am well aware that some of the people who were outraged that I signed the Nashville Statement will be pleased that I signed this statement on the Dreamers. I also realize that some who were pleased I signed the Nashville Statement will be bothered that I signed this one.

The truth is, life is much easier when your goal is to be consistent with a political philosophy, whether that’s conservativism or liberalism. But easier does not mean right. I believe that we as Christ-followers should never put our conservativism or liberalism above our mandate to follow Jesus. If I believe my position and action on a particular issue is consistent with the character and teachings of Jesus, who is full of both truth and grace, I should not care whether I am siding with conservatives or liberals. If my goal is to please conservatives or liberals, then I am not a servant of Jesus (to paraphrase Galatians 1:10). No political philosophy redeems us—only Jesus does that.

I say this because I am often stereotyped by liberals as being an uncaring conservative because I oppose abortion (as if not wanting children to die or women to be exploited and hurt is being uncaring). And I am sometimes stereotyped by conservatives for being a bleeding heart liberal for taking seriously the notion that racism and racial injustice is sometimes still a problem in America.

If you’d like to understand better my perspectives on the idea that conservatives and liberals are both sometimes right and sometimes wrong, see my article “Conservative, Liberal or Christian?” In it, I explain why it shouldn’t matter to us as Jesus-followers whether we “look conservative” or “look liberal” on any issue, only that we follow our King wherever His teachings and example take us.

Related books by Randy Alcorn: Truth: A Bigger View of God’s Word, Grace: A Bigger View of God’s Love, and The Grace and Truth Paradox.  

Photo by Samuel Schneider on Unsplash

Recent Interviews about Heaven, from Two Christ-Centered Churches in Texas

I recently got back from a trip to Texas, where I spoke at two churches and at a fiction writers’ conference.

I enjoyed speaking in Plano at First Baptist Prestonwood, a mega-church that is Bible-based and Jesus-centered. I thank God for Jack Graham and the other pastors and staff. In this picture taken there, I’m with Pastor Johnson Bakashaba, who has a ministry in Uganda, and who was excited to read Heaven.

I also enjoyed having lunch with some extended family in the church restaurant. (Yes, I said the church restaurant. It’s huge and the food is amazing.)

Here’s the service from Prestonwood, an interview about Heaven. (The interview starts at the 52 1/2 minute mark.)

This was my first time at Church at the Cross in Grapevine, with my friend JR Vassar. I love that church, another body of believers bringing Jesus to their community. 

Here’s the service, also focused on Heaven. 

I also really enjoyed my time with ACFW, the American Christian fiction writers’ conference. I have many long-time friends who are fiction writers that I rarely get to see, and it was a great joy to be with them and laugh and reminisce and catch up, as well as to meet new writers.

Several of us “old friends” shared a meal together before the conference began:

It was a great and productive trip, but after nine days it was so good to get back to Nanci and our Golden Retriever Maggie. It was also very fun to get back to watch my grandsons play football!

The Problem of Evil and Suffering in Las Vegas and Elsewhere

Words are sadly inadequate as a response to all the recent natural disasters, and this week we had to face the added dimension of human evil in the Las Vegas murders. This isn’t the first time, and won’t be the last, that we who are Jesus-followers either ask or are asked by others, “How can a good and loving God allow such tragedies?”

When tragedies come, our thinking may quickly become confused, even distorted. In this eight-minute video interview with Greg Laurie, I share a perspective on suffering when we’re in the very thick of it.

You cannot resolve the problem of evil and suffering in this lifetime. Present suffering must be seen in light of the promises of God in eternity. Here’s a five-minute video where I explain this further. 

We wonder, “Why doesn’t God do more to restrain evil and suffering?” Severe suffering seems unacceptable to us because we’re unaccustomed to it, and also because we draw wrong conclusions about God. I personally believe God restrains the great majority of evil and suffering that we would have to face in this world without His intervention. Here are further insights in two parts:

Restrain Evil Part 1

Restrain Evil Part 2

Even when the pain seems pointless, we can still learn to trust God.

I appreciated this article from Desiring God: One Day Never Again (May Heaven Fall on Las Vegas)

One late-night television host lamented that “this shooting feels like someone has opened a window into hell.” He’s tapped into at least one truth—the evil prince of darkness certainly had a hand in this tragedy. But God does not turn His back on hurting people. He sees. He knows. When Hagar tried to flee trouble, the Lord spoke to her and she recognized Him as “the God who sees” (Genesis 16:13).

Song-writer Jeremy Camp put it this way: “We may faint and we may sink; Feel the pain and near the brink; But the dark begins to shrink when you find the One who knows…Every hurt and every sting; He has walked the suffering; He knows.”

God’s Word has much to say on suffering because He experienced the greatest suffering imaginable on the cross for you and for me. I can’t think of a better way to end than to share Scripture to meditate on:

"We have suffered terror and pitfalls, ruin and destruction. Streams of tears flow from my eyes because my people are destroyed" (Lamentations 3:47-48).

"I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: 'Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.' You came near when I called you, and you said, 'Do not fear'" (Lamentations 3:55-57).

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:4).

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" (Psalm 147:3).

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you" (Psalm 56:3).

"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken" (Psalm 55:22).

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).

Further resources that might be helpful:

If God Is Good

90 Days of God’s Goodness

The Goodness of God

If God Is Good, Why Do We Hurt?

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Clothing Yourself in Humility Will Please Christ and Bring You Happiness

Here are some thoughts on how God values humility and what it looks like, based on 1 Peter 5:5-6:

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.

Humility isn’t pretending that we’re unworthy because it’s the spiritual thing to do; it’s recognizing that we’re unworthy because it’s simply true. We are sinners who deserve judgment and don’t deserve God’s grace. 

Trevin Wax says, “Hell is full of people who think they deserve heaven. Heaven is full of people who know they deserve hell.”

The prodigal son left in pride and returned in humility. After he lost everything, he decided to go back and say to his father, “I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men” (Luke 15:19). His father ran to him and threw his arms around him. That’s how God responds to humility.

Our True Condition

Pride pushes us away from God; humility draws us toward God. By choosing humility, we agree with God about our true condition and our true need for Christ.

We need Christ today just as much as we did the day we came to faith in Him. That’s a humbling truth we should never forget. No matter how self-sufficient we imagine ourselves to be, we are all perpetually needy.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). Do we want God’s opposition or do we want His grace? According to this verse, acting proudly is like wearing a sign before God that says “go ahead and oppose me.” That’s a prayer He’s certain to answer.  And the last person in the universe I want to oppose me is God!

Humility wears the sign “give me grace,” which is a prayer God is always happy to answer.

While pride twists and destroys us, humility preserves and protects us. Every day, every hour, often unconsciously, we choose either to humble ourselves or to be proud. Since pride tends to be our default condition, humility requires deliberate, intentional action.

We’re told to “clothe ourselves with humility toward one another.” Your clothes don’t magically appear on your body. You have to choose to put them on, and actually follow through. Humility won’t magically happen—you need to choose to take the time and effort to clothe yourself with humility.

A Test of Humility

For me, a major test of humility is how I treat my wife and also those in positions of service I encounter throughout my day, such as meal servers and gas station attendants and those who work at our ministry. A couple of weeks ago while I was traveling, it included hotel staff and flight attendants and the young guys driving me to the churches and conferences I was speaking at.

Even when we’re tired, how we treat those who serve us, and the respect we show them, is a test of humility and Christlikeness.

Speaking now specifically to men—for those of us who are married, our wives do so much for us and for our families. Even when you come home exhausted, still making an effort to serve your wife is huge. So ask her how her day was, genuinely listening, and helping her by doing something for her. Take time with your kids by listening to them, praying with them, and reading Scripture and Bible-based stories. Those things are precious. Serving them that way will mean the world to them, and in the long run to you also.

So as I was first writing this, while I was out of town, I was thinking and praying about what more I can do to serve my wife, and resolving to do it. (In fact, I did one small thing; I stopped to order flowers to be delivered, with a note that the occasion was “just because you’re you, and I love you so much.”)

The Stupidity of Pride, the Happiness of Humility

Here’s one major take-away for me from God’s Word about pride and humility in 1 Peter 5 and elsewhere: Being proud isn’t just wrong, it’s stupid. We’ll pay a terrible price for it, in damaged relationships and other ways. Being humble isn’t just right; it’s smart. It will not only please God and others, but it will also pay off for us, we’ll be happier and more at peace knowing God is using us to serve others.

If we don’t humble ourselves, God will humble us. If we do humble ourselves, “God will lift us up, in due time.”

Jesus, who washed the feet of His disciples, said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

I’m praying that God will daily show me and all of us ways to serve those who serve us.

“They that know God will be humble; they that know themselves cannot be proud.” —John Flavel

 “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”  —God (Isaiah 66:2)

Photo by Parker Burchfield on Unsplash