Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 14

Quality, Engaging Books to Teach Younger Kids about Generosity

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Learn more and start your free trial!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Insanity of Pride, the Blessing of Humility

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

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

Here are some highlights from Daniel 4:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Giving Brings Greater Blessing Than Receiving

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Don’t Miss These Top Blog Posts of 2024

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

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

Three Lessons from Joni Eareckson Tada on Resilient Joy in Pain

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

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

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

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

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

The Incredible Blessing of My Father’s Difficult Final Months

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

Outrage Is Not a Fruit of the Spirit

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

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

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

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

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

Why Doesn’t God Make His Existence More Evident?

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

Healthy Grief Is Centered on God’s Promises

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

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

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

How You Can Help Persecuted Believers in Nigeria Grieving Their Murdered Loved Ones

Note from Randy: My thanks to Stephanie Anderson on the EPM staff, and Kathy Norquist on the EPM board, for their help putting together this information.

Christmas is a time of celebration for millions of believers around the world. But for some of our brothers and sisters in Christ, Christmas 2024 meant persecution and grief. Open Doors Canada Reports, “The Week of Christmas 2024 brought with it multiple fatal attacks on Christians in parts of Sub-Saharan Africa.”

My Nigerian friend Samuel Kunhiyop keeps our ministry updated with what is happening in Nigeria. His most recent news was that on December 22, 15 Christians were brutally murdered in the town of Gidan Ado.

Sam writes:

“The highway runs through the middle of the town. I drive through that almost every week and am very familiar with the town. The inhabitants of the village are 100% believers, and our church has most of the believers attending the church. They are all farmers all year round. On that fateful night, Christmas Eve, the terrorists attacked innocent people around 7:30 pm and murdered 15 men who were carefully selected and shot in the head. It was just gruesome and inhuman. All those murdered were breadwinners in their various households. 13 were buried in a mass grave and two were buried individually. Now, apart from the destruction of property, we have 15 widows and orphans who have lost their husbands and fathers within a very short time. You are probably asking, what is the government doing? All they say is that they are investigating—a very familiar story we hear all the time.”

A heartbreaking video that Sam shared shows the stark and horrible reality of these murders, including widows weeping for their lost husbands. (You can watch it here, but please be aware that it includes disturbing footage of those murdered, demonstrating the level of atrocities committed.)

Please pray for these dear people and the ongoing fear and vulnerability of the people in the region. There is much frustration and heartache for the people who are left without protection. Pray the government authorities will take action and bring justice to the perpetrators.

In addition to praying, these 15 families need food for the next few months until the rainy season begins in May. If you’d like to give, you can donate through EPM and select the special fund “Persecuted Church.” Through January 31, 100% of what’s given to this fund will be directed to BILD International, an organization partnering with Samuel to help persecuted believers in his region.

Sam writes, “I wish we can get the international community to be aware and condemn these atrocities and criminality against fellow human beings created in God's image.”

He added, “Thanks for sharing our pains and praying.”

Consider Reading the Bible Chronologically This Year

Countless Christians believe that Bible reading is their duty—something holy people do. What many don’t understand is exactly what Scripture really tells us: that meditating on God’s Word can and should delight us, infusing us with heartfelt happiness (see Psalm 1; the world translated “blessed” is asher, which means “happy”). David said of God’s words, “More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10). Throughout the difficulties and joys that 2025 will bring, you’ll find abiding happiness as you go back to God’s Word again and again.

One Bible reading program to consider is the Bible Recap, a chronological read through with Tara-Leigh Cobble. Several of our EPM staff did it in 2024, and highly recommend it. You read 2-3 chapters of Scripture each day, then listen to a (free) 7-10 minute podcast where Tara-Leigh helps you understand what you read, where it fits in Scripture, and what we learn about God from it.

One of our staff members says, “It’s like going through the Bible with a wise friend who can help you make sense of what you’re reading. That’s especially helpful when you get to some of the tricker passages of the Bible! My knowledge of Scripture and God’s character has grown so much doing this read through.” You can learn more about the Bible Recap here.

Why can a chronological read through be especially helpful? Tara-Leigh Cobble writes in her book The Joy of the Trinity:

Contrary to popular thought, God doesn’t undergo a personality transplant at the end of the Old Testament. When we follow the story line of Scripture, we see a God who created mankind out of an overflow of love, who clothed Adam and Eve before they even repented, who rescued the Israelites out of slavery, joyfully choosing to set up camp in their midst and repeatedly forgiving them, blessing them, and reminding them He was sending a Messiah to rescue them. This is the heart of God evident in the scope of the Old Testament’s metanarrative. All along He dropped hints of what was coming, and then He delivered on His promise!

Of course, if we drop down in the middle of the Old Testament in a time when He’s punishing the Israelites, He seems harsh. We won’t understand why His laws were helpful and necessary. We’ll fail to notice He’s already told them repeatedly not to do that specific sinful thing, told them what type of punishment to expect if/when they do it, and then continued to provide for them and protect them despite their rebellion. With our limited information, we’ll view Him as strict or angry, and we won’t draw near to Him. We’ll prefer to stay in the New Testament where we can read about Jesus, who paid for all the sins we know we’ve committed. This is a common problem we encounter when we don’t read the story of Scripture chronologically (in the order it happened, not the order it is laid out). Reading the Bible at all is an important endeavor, but reading chronologically can help us get to know God in the order He chose to reveal Himself through progressive revelation.

There is a necessary process of the gospel: we must be confronted with God’s laws and requirements, see that we fall short and can’t obey His laws, and realize our need for rescue. Jesus came to be that Rescuer. He not only paid our sin debt, but He also granted us His righteousness! This is how progressive revelation works in our relationship with God, and it’s the reason we still desperately need the truths of the Old Testament to see Him rightly!

Ligonier Ministries also has a great list of Bible reading plans to choose from.

Whatever Bible reading program you decide on (and I highly recommend you choose one and stick with it), may your coming year be filled with the deep, abiding joy and happiness of knowing Jesus Christ!

Biblical Optimism for the New Year

Regardless of our expectations or resolutions, this new year, like every year since we were evicted from Eden, will bring both wonderful and profoundly difficult moments.

What we need is a perspective on our coming year that’s hopeful, yet grounded in eternal certainties. No Christian should be a pessimist. We should be realists—focused on the actuality that we serve a sovereign and gracious God. Because of the reality of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and His promises, biblical realism is, ultimately, optimism.

If we build our lives on the solid foundation of Jesus Christ’s eternity-shaping redemptive work, we can be optimists. Why? Because even our most painful experience is but a temporary setback. Our pain and suffering may or may not be relieved in this life, but will certainly be relieved in the next. That is Christ’s promise—no more death, crying or pain; he will wipe away all our tears (Revelation 21:4). Indeed, any other foundation is sand, not rock. It will inevitably disappoint us

Knowing that our suffering will be once and for all relieved and God will use it for our eternal good (Romans 8:28) doesn’t make it easy, but it does make it bearable. So too does the promise, “The sufferings of this present time aren’t worthy to be compared with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). Same for the profound truth that our present sufferings are light and momentary, but are achieving for us something weighty, glorious and eternal (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Locking our minds onto these truths allows joy in the midst of suffering. Jesus said, “Happy [makarios] are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you. . . . Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven” (Luke 6:22-23). We who will one day enter into our Master’s happiness can frontload that happiness into our lives today.

Paul said, “I rejoice in my sufferings” (Colossians 1:24), and James said, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). The apostles didn’t enjoy suffering, but they rejoiced in the midst of it, because they trusted their gracious God’s sovereign plan. They believed in His constant presence, that we are more than conquerors through Him, and nothing shall separate us from the love of Jesus (Romans 8). They looked forward to Christ’s return, their bodily resurrection, and the redemption of God’s creation.

Christ said to His disciples, who would suffer much, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Our optimism isn’t “health and wealth gospel” wishful thinking which claims that God will spare us from suffering here and now. Peter said, “Rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13). Christ’s future glory, in which His children will participate, is the reason for our present rejoicing while suffering.

As Christ’s followers, we know this world isn’t evolving into something better. Even if bright spots seem few, we have much to be grateful for. Thanking God and others feeds our perspective and helps us enter into our Master’s happiness today. It then spills over to those around us.

Understanding the biblical doctrine of Heaven, the New Earth and the resurrection will shift our center of gravity and radically change our perspective. We'll realize we never pass our peaks in this life. We don’t need a bucket list because we'll live forever as part of a great adventure far better than anything here and now. This realization is what the Bible calls “hope,” a word used six times in Romans 8:20-25, the passage in which Paul says that all creation longs for our resurrection and the world’s coming redemption.

Don’t place your hope in favorable circumstances, which cannot last. Place your hope in Christ and His promises. Jesus promised He will return, raise us, and live with us on a new, Redeemed Earth, where we’ll behold God’s face and joyfully serve Him forever (Revelation 22:3-4).

I’m not optimistic about everything, but I am very optimistic about the future of all who trust Jesus. Our glass is already half full and will one day, for God’s beloved children, be completely and eternally full to overflowing.

In Tolkien’s Return of the King, Aragorn says, “Dawn is ever the hope of men.” King David wrote, “Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

The night may seem long for God’s people, but the truth is: once morning comes, it will never end. Neither will Joy.  Every day will be better than the one before. It isn’t Pollyanna but Jesus who promises we really will live happily ever after.