Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 14

Men, Abortion, and Being Pro-Woman

Pro-choice advocates often say that pro-life men are anti-woman, and the pro-life movement is a way for men to deny women’s rights and control their bodies. One pro-choice writer says, “American anti-abortion policy has always been about controlling (white) women and pushing them into their ‘proper’ place: being subservient and making more babies.”

How ironic. Abortion allows and even encourages men to sexually exploit women. If the woman does get pregnant, the man can hand over a few hundred dollars and buy a dead child. (He may feel almost heroic for doing so.) When the man is long gone, with no child to support, the woman is left with the burden of having killed her child. “Abortion rights” bring out not the best, but the worst abusive and controlling behavior in men.

Pro-life men are also told by some pro-choice advocates, “No uterus, no opinion” and “No womb, no say.” But abortion is a human issue, not a gender issue. Facts, logic, reason, and com­passion have no anatomy. Whether they are espoused by men or women is no more relevant than whether they are espoused by black or white people. The point is not the gender of those advancing arguments, but whether or not the arguments are accurate. To believe otherwise is simply sexism. 

If men are disqualified from the abortion issue, they should be disqualified on both sides. The vast majority of doctors who perform abortions are men, as are most pro-choice members of congress. Why do pro-choice advocates embrace the judgment of the all-male Supreme Court that legalized abortion in 1973? And why do pro-choice groups donate sizable campaign funds to male legislators who endorse abortion? If men should be eliminated from the abortion debate, shouldn’t they be eliminated from both sides?

Both men and women can care deeply about women receiving equal opportunities, rights, and protections, yet oppose abortion because it harms children (of whom half are female) and women.

Finally, if pro-life men’s motives are suspect as self-serving, then pro-choice men’s motives should also be suspect. I sometimes wonder this when I see prominent males who are pro-choice spokesmen: have some of them congratulated themselves for being women’s advocates while paying for the abortions of multiple women for whom they are now free to give no emotional support in their darkest hours?

I encourage you to download (without cost) my short book Pro-Choice or Pro-Life: Examining 15 Pro-Choice Claims—What Do Facts & Common Sense Tell Us?  It will equip you in your conversations and also is a great book to share with those who are pro-choice or are on the fence. The book is also available in print from our ministry for an affordable price. 

Walking with Jesus in Grief: My Interview with Sean McDowell

When God created humankind, death didn’t exist. Death is the result of our broken connection with the Giver of life. It is normal in the sense that unless Jesus returns in our lifetime, we will all die. But that doesn’t mean death was God’s ideal. It was and is an aberration, a tragic consequence of the fall. A world with death is like a masterpiece on canvas ruined by vandals that only the Master Artist can restore to His original design. Only He transform the maliciously marred painting into a greater work of art than the original. Only He can take the spoiled remnants of Eden, and by His redemptive work, make them into a greater masterpiece than the original.

For God’s people, death is temporary, not permanent. Knowing that can rob death of its sting, reducing it to temporary separation rather than a permanent end. Since death is our greatest enemy and biggest loss, grieving deeply and well is our best possible response. God made us to live, not die. Through His own suffering and death, only He can lessen and ultimately lift the torment of suffering and the sting of death.  

In the journey of grief, we are not alone—one of the names of Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” Jesus is my closest and dearest friend. I can’t imagine life without Jesus. But in particular, I can’t imagine life without His friendship and my daily awareness of His presence and love and grace.

I was on Sean McDowell’s podcast, talking about walking with Jesus in grief, and my new booklet Grieving with Hope. Sean is a wonderful interviewer, and asked such great questions about Nanci, our relationship, her illness, and life beyond her homegoing to Heaven:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlUpmyG2V1k?si=Wn_oax09BUHrmZL-

I was deeply touched by these comments left on YouTube by listeners:

“Don't become bitter at God for what He chooses to do. He loves me even more than I love myself and He knows what's best. Trust Him no matter what hard things you go through in your life.” I needed this today. I'm being treated with radiation for a spinal tumor. I have young children and it's hard to trust God and not become bitter that I can’t be the mom I want to be right now. Thanks.

I appreciate so much this video and testimony. My husband went to be with Jesus a year and a half ago. So many things your guest shared describe what I have been going through and learning from the Lord. My husband also was in ministry for many years and in just the same way we were very best friends for 52 years. His faith that he demonstrated all his life inspires me to keep my focus on eternity just as he did. Thank you again, dear brothers.

I really enjoyed hearing about Nanci. Even as a believer (since the age of 13) I’ve not been around many people who love to laugh. What a GIFT! I find myself looking forward to her laugh one day. Hugs to you, Randy!

I love this. It was so beautiful. I fell in love with Nanci.

The Twentieth Anniversary of the Heaven Book

After her four-year battle with cancer, I said goodbye—for now—to my wife and soulmate Nanci. My grief, though deep, is informed by God’s sovereignty and love. I know that Nanci is no longer suffering and is happier than she has ever been.

But the story isn’t over; the best is yet to come. Nanci went ahead to the present Heaven, which is “better by far” than this present world (Philippians 1:23). One day, after the resurrection, God will relocate us to the future Heaven, centered on the New Earth, where “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4). So while Nanci lives in a wonderful place without pain, she and all God’s people there are looking forward to the resurrection, and the New Heaven and the New Earth.

Nanci and I talked often about what living as embodied people will be like on a resurrected Earth—a world with trees, rivers, animals, eating and drinking, reunions, old and new friendships, and above all, a place where we will worship God without sin to hinder us! Because we will still be God’s image bearers, reigning over a risen Earth, I believe we will enjoy art, literature, sports, drama, technology, and all other products of God-given creativity and glorified imaginations.

I am eternally grateful for those conversations, which began decades before Nanci was diagnosed with cancer. In her last days here on Earth, I saw her outwardly wasting away, yet because she fixed her eyes on Jesus and her unseen home, I saw her inwardly being renewed (see 2 Corinthians 4:16). Now that she has relocated to Heaven, an eternal perspective has helped me grieve in healthy ways. Nanci’s death was not the end of our relationship; reunion awaits.

God’s Word tells us, “In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). Yet today most Christians haven’t had their imaginations captured by that promise. God never abandoned His original plans and purposes. Not only does He not give up on us, He doesn’t give up on the creation He called “very good” (Genesis 1:31). He will redeem this earth as surely as He redeems His children. Where Adam and Eve failed, Jesus succeeded. Righteous humans will indeed rule a righteous Earth forever!

When Heaven was released in 2004, people said, “How can this be true, since I’ve never heard it before?” I understood—I’d never been taught these ideas in Bible college, seminary, or church. Here’s the irony: in an age when people often twist biblical truth to make it appealing, what Scripture actually says about Heaven is far more attractive than the ghostly, vague view of the afterlife that plagues countless believers.

Big books full of Scripture and theology and quotations from people long dead don’t normally sell well. Yet to my surprise (and the publisher’s), well over a million copies of Heaven have sold (over two million, including related books and a booklet). Innumerable readers, including pastors, have told me it radically changed their view of eternity. Rarely does a day go by when I don’t receive encouraging messages about the book. These are just a few:

“Within a week of losing our 16-year-old son, I ordered Heaven. It has saved my life.”

“I started reading your book, and it’s put everything in perspective. I didn’t even realize that I had wrong beliefs about Heaven. It has renewed my faith.”

“My dad was on hospice for nineteen months. He read Heaven three times before he went there. This book, along with the Bible, was his preparation for Heaven!”

“I gave your book to a friend who was in poor health. Before she died, she told me she had accepted Jesus. I’m so grateful I’ll see her again.”

“I gave Heaven to my son-in-law who was dying. He read through the first seven chapters and gave his life to Jesus. He died a few weeks later.”

“After losing my fourteen-year-old to suicide, I questioned many things, including my faith. Your book Heaven and the Bible are the two things that bring me great comfort each day.”

My prayer is that readers of the book will experience what my precious wife and I did—the heartfelt happiness of knowing Jesus and anticipating eternal life on the glorious redeemed world He is preparing for us!

The 20th Anniversary edition of Randy's book Heaven  is now available from EPM.

Some Biblically-Based Resources for News and Current Events

These days, we’re continually bombarded by “news” (which is sometimes more sensational than informative) that dwells on the sufferings, tragedies, and negatives of life. This unceasing avalanche of bad news, as well as rampant political tribalism, suspicion, and critical opinions, can quickly bury what Scripture calls “the good news of happiness” (Isaiah 52:7) and “good news of great joy” (Luke 2:10).

My wife Nanci wrote in her journal, “Please, Lord, whenever my heart leans toward anxiety and dread, bring me back into a Holy Spirit-led season of praise and thanks to You—the giver of all good things!”

Nanci wrote that while facing her cancer, but her wise words can be applied to current events, too. We shouldn’t feed ourselves primarily on news headlines, but on the good news of gospel truth.

Yet I don’t favor living in a cave, blissfully ignorant of the world’s woes and the suffering and difficulties around us. Rather, we’re to focus our thoughts on true eternal realities. Remembering God’s presence, praying, and feeding our minds with good things that honor our King—these practices will increase our joy while starving our anxiety.

That means when we do read the news, it’s important we analyze current events from a biblical perspective, always remembering what Scripture has to say. One source I highly recommend that does that is The Remnant, which is sent out three times a week by email. I think it is a very helpful, biblically-based, discerning, and concise summary of vital things going on in the world.

For example, in response to the recent headline “North Korea and Russia Teaming Up?” they wrote:

Sadly, wars and alliances between evil actors are possible on this side of the Fall (Romans 8:22). Thankfully, this is temporary. They're only possible on this side of the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 22:3). There is an expiration date on evil, and only God knows when that date will arrive (Romans 16:20). 

Jesus told us that we would hear of "wars and rumors of wars" in these last days but instructed us not to be alarmed, declaring that "such things must happen, but the end is still to come" (Matthew 24:6).

"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God" (Psalm 20:7). An antidote to our worry is to take our eyes off of the happenings in the world and fix our eyes on the Lord. He is in control (Psalm 103:19), and He is good (Psalm 145:9).

God is the one who will ultimately settle disputes between nations (Isaiah 2:4). One day, there won't be any more wars, for the former things will have passed away (Revelation 21:4). Continue to pray for peace and for Christ to come back quickly (Philippians 3:20).

Kathy Norquist, a board member at our ministry, recommends The Pour Over, which is also an email list that sends out Christian responses to news headlines. They describe it as: “The biggest news of the day, summarized in a way you'll actually understand and enjoy, paired with brief Christian perspectives.”

If you enjoy listening instead of reading, The World and Everything In it is a daily podcast from WORLD Newsgroup with headlines, field reporting, interviews, and expert analysis. And Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has a podcast called The Briefing, which provides a daily analysis of news and events from a Christian worldview.

Photo: Unsplash

Why Does How We View Money Matter?

If the Bible were written today and judged by what it says about money and possessions, it would never be published. If it were published, it would be mercilessly panned by its reviewers and not see a second printing.

When it comes to money and possessions, the Bible is sometimes redundant, often extreme, and occasionally shocking. It turns many readers away, making it a hard sell in today’s marketplace. It interferes with our lives and commits the unpardonable sin—it makes us feel guilty. If we want to avoid guilt feelings, it forces us to invent fancy interpretations to get around its plain meanings.

We come to the Bible for comfort, not financial instruction. If we want to know about money, we’re more apt to read the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Forbes, or Money. Let God talk about love and grace and brotherhood, thank you. Let the rest of us talk about money and possessions—and do whatever we want with them.

How could the Bible’s Author and Editor justify devoting twice as many verses to money (about 2,350 of them) than to faith and prayer combined? How could Jesus say more about money than about both Heaven and Hell? Didn’t He know what was really important?

When I was a pastor, I planned a three-week sermon series on money. I began by compiling a cross section of Bible passages. Every passage led to another and another. I quickly became convinced that God cares a great deal about our money—a great deal more than most of us imagine.

The sheer enormity of Scripture’s teaching on this subject screams for our attention. And the haunting question is, “Why?” Considering everything else He could have told us that we really want to know, why did the Savior of the world spend 15 percent of His recorded words on this one subject? What did He know about money and possessions that we don’t?

Hitting Close to Home

And what are we to think of all the current teaching on money and possessions that emphasizes what does not apply to us? Confident voices assure us that the Old Testament practice of tithing doesn’t apply to us, that the New Testament practice of sacrificial giving by liquidating assets and giving to the poor doesn’t apply to us, that the biblical prohibitions of interest and the restriction of debt don’t apply to us, that the commands not to hoard and stockpile assets don’t apply to us, and so on. It’s time to ask, “What does apply to us?”

Can we put Christ before all, deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Him (Matthew 10:38; Mark 8:34; Luke 14:27), with no apparent effect on what we do with our money and possessions?

Sometimes more can be learned from the passages of Scripture we ignore than those we underline. No wonder C. S. Lewis called God “The Transcendental Interferer.” God has this annoying habit of stepping into our lives even when we’ve pulled in the welcome mat and bolted the door. The more we allow ourselves to grapple with these unsettling passages, the more we are pierced. Jesus wounds us with His words about money. Then, just when we think we’re healed, we run into another sharp passage, and God’s Word pierces us again. Our only options, it seems, are to let Jesus wound us until He accomplishes what He wishes, or to avoid His words and His gaze altogether by staying away from His Word. The latter option is easier in the short run. But no true disciple can be content with it.

You may be thinking, I’d rather not deal with these issues; I’m content with what I’m doing. But are you really content? I, for one, hate to live with that nagging feeling deep inside that when Jesus called people to follow Him He had more in mind than I am experiencing.

The fear of dealing with what God expects me to do with my money is exceeded by the fear of not dealing with it. I don’t want to stand before Him one day and try to give an answer for how I could call myself a disciple without ever coming to grips with money and possessions. Not when even a cursory reading of the New Testament shows this issue to be right at the heart of discipleship.

I must quickly add that for me the process of discovering God’s will about money and possessions has been exciting and liberating. My growth in financial stewardship has closely paralleled my overall spiritual growth. In fact, it has propelled it. I have learned more about faith, trust, grace, commitment, and God’s provision in this area than in any other.

I have also learned why Paul said, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). I have found that cheerful givers love God and love Him more deeply 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 choices with my money and possessions. Both are supreme acts of worship. Both are exhilarating. Both are what we were made for.

What we do with our money will—and I choose these words deliberately—influence the very course of eternity.

My study of this subject has reinforced the reality that we were made for only one person and one place. Jesus is the person and Heaven is the place. Our purpose should pervade our approach to money. If it does, the door will be unlocked to exhilarating Christian discipleship, where “following Christ” is not merely a comforting but meaningless cliché; instead it is an electrifying, life-changing reality.

I believe that most of the financial matters we typically discuss are on the fringes of what’s important, light years away from the core of the issue. We tend to focus on things that belong at the tail end of stewardship discussions, not the beginning. In effect we’re trying to install the gutters before we’ve laid the foundation and started the framing. We must realize that many of the things our society considers to be at the heart of financial planning (such things as insurance, the stock market, and retirement, for instance) never existed before the modern era and still don’t exist in much of the world. That doesn’t mean they’re wrong—only that they are secondary.

Advice about how to accomplish our financial goals is valuable only if the goals we set are biblically based and Christ-centered. It’s not only important to know how to get the canoe down the river, it’s also essential to know where the river is taking you.

Before we learn the fine art of building a sturdy boat or the skill of staying in the boat as we head down the rapids, we should make certain that our desired destination is really downstream rather than upstream. Because if it’s upstream, we would do better to get off the river altogether, forget the boat, and plot our course by land. It may be a harder trip, but isn’t the whole point to arrive at the correct destination?

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). If we prefer to think as the world thinks about money and possessions, we needn’t change a thing. Conformity is as natural as swimming downstream. But if we’re committed to thinking about money and possessions as God does, it’s a different matter. We need to set aside the bookshelves and magazine racks filled with advice on how to make, spend, and invest our money and blow the dust off our Bibles. The Bible is the only book worthy of the title chosen by a popular financial counselor for his own book: The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need.

For more on this topic, see Managing God’s Money and The Treasure Principle. And for a deeper dive into how God views money, see Money, Possessions, and Eternity.

Photo: Pexels

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

Note from Randy: 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. My thanks to Care Net for this article.

Pastor Faces Daughter’s Unplanned Pregnancy with Courage and Compassion

by Tom Campisi

Dr. Heath Lambert, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, recently preached a message on The Prodigal Son.

The heartfelt sermon from Luke 15, which focused on the father’s unconditional love towards the once wayward young man, was shared in conjunction with some candid news about the pastor’s family—Dr. Lambert announced that his young, unmarried daughter was pregnant.

Although the senior pastor would have preferred to keep the information private, “the nature of my ministry means that the consequences of her private sin will be more public than it would be for most young women in her situation.”

In the sermon, Dr. Lambert talked about the disappointment he felt in finding out the news, but also expressed pride in how his daughter and the father of the child expressed repentance and were taking responsibility for the baby going forward. Like the father in The Prodigal Son parable, he found reason to rejoice.

“I hate the sin that got us where we are, but I already see a lot to celebrate,” Dr. Lambert said. “I have celebrated the honesty and humility demonstrated by my daughter. I have celebrated the character and integrity of this young man who has demonstrated courage and conviction that I couldn’t have dreamed of having when I was his age.”

Dr. Lambert also celebrated the gift of life as a sonogram appeared on the screen at the church.

“I want to introduce you to my grandchild,” he said.

“We have a few things in common. At 44 (years old), nobody asked me if I wanted to be a grandpa; Nobody asked (him or her) if they wanted to be alive, but God knew. God’s gift of Life is wonderful and precious. However [the baby] gets here, we are going to celebrate it…I’m going to love this little child…I’m already praying that we are able to lead this precious angel to Jesus Christ and baptize this baby right over there…”

In his message, Dr. Lambert—the author of several books, including The Great Love of God: Encountering God’s Heart for a Hostile World—stressed the reality that no sin was beyond the forgiveness and mercy offered by the Father.

“We all need to learn to live in an atmosphere of Grace… We have to be a Christian family that loves one another, accepts repentant Sinners, and extends the same kind of love and forgiveness that we all have to receive from our father.”

Dr. Lambert said he was approaching the situation by “listening, loving, and trusting.” He was listening to the counsel of close friends and pastors; loving his daughter and his family; and trusting God that all things would work together for good (Rom. 8:28).

Dr. Lambert’s courageous and loving example in the way he is navigating this challenge is an excellent model for churches when it comes to engaging those faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The data reveals that church communities need to do better.

In a blog post, Andrew Wood, Care Net’s Senior Executive Director of Church Engagement, describes how Care Net’s research and other studies corroborate the fact that two out of five women who have had abortions were attending church at least once a month at the time of their first abortion.

“Abortion is a problem in the church, not just ‘out there,’” he said.

“We can’t just delegate this sensitive issue to pregnancy centers when we have men and women considering abortion right in our midst.”

Wood says the church needs to do more than just oppose abortion. The heart of our challenge and calling is to provide alternatives that affirm life in all its complexity and potential.

“We need to learn to speak to the fears and idols of their hearts with compassion, hope, and help,” he said.

Churches would do well to emulate Dr. Lambert’s example of a loving father and his desire for future discipleship in welcoming his grandchild. This is exactly the kind of posture at the heart of Care Net’s Pro Abundant Life movement.

This article originally appeared on the Care Net blog , and is used with permission.

Photo: Pexels

Happy Are the Pure in Heart, for They Shall See God

A reader sent me this message related to my book The Purity Principle:

Dearest Randy,

I am one of the thousands who have extremely benefitted from this book.

Ever since I became a Christian (almost 4 decades ago), I have been struggling with sexual lust. And it has been a wearisome battle.

Over the years, I have been devouring books just to take hold of a particular principle that can help when I go through those terrible episodes of temptations.

From John Owen’s Mortification of Sin to John White’s Eros Defiled and Eros Redeemed, I zealously poured over the pages of many, many books.

Then I came across your book The Purity Principle, and what’s encouraging is that your simple, yet profound canon: “Purity is always smart, impurity is always stupid.” It has helped me tremendously during episodes of temptations. And that the best way to battle sexual lust is by turning to and seeking a higher pleasure, that is, God Himself and the provisions He has given in marriage.

I’ve devoured your book, and I felt as if a heavy chain that has been fastened on me for so long has been unshackled.

I cannot thank you enough for this book. And I’m buying more of this book so that I may share it men who, like me, have been severely struggling with sexual lust.

Thank you so much and may the Lord continually bless your ministry.

This man discovered that when his thirst for joy is satisfied by Christ, sin becomes unattractive. This allows us to say no to the passing pleasures of immorality, not because we don’t want pleasure, but because we want true pleasure—a greater and lasting pleasure that can be found only in Christ. We don’t pursue purity for purity’s sake; but because we want to pursue Christ.

Jesus described seeing God as something wonderful, declaring “Blessed [happy] are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Commenting on this verse, Jonathan Edwards said, “It is a thing truly happifying to the soul of man to see God.” (Don’t you love the word happifying?)

While one day we will literally see Christ face to face, even now we can “see” Him as we pursue knowing Him. “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand” (Colossians 3:1, NLT).

We must choose between sexual fantasies and intimacy with God. We cannot have both. When we see that God offers joys and pleasures that sexual fantasies don’t, this is a breakthrough. But that breakthrough will come only when we pursue God, making Him the object of our quest—and when we realize that fantasies are only a cheap God-substitute. Running to them is running from God.

Garrett Kell, pastor at Del Ray Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, gave a chapel message this fall at Cedarville University on the subject of purity. Garrett says, “[God] is worth everything, and He is better than anything sin can ever offer you. So friends, pursue purity to get God.”

This is a great message for every Christ follower, whatever their age:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxp_8Sd6pu4?si=UR6iyqIUS447lI4L

Photo: Unsplash

Steven Curtis Chapman, the Hope of Heaven, and Turning to God in Loss

My daughter Angela and I were able to attend a Steven Curtis Chapman concert with some friends last month. Steven had asked to meet with me before the show to talk about how the Heaven book and Safely Home ministered to their family after their daughter Maria’s tragic death 16 years ago.

We prayed for him, and I encouraged him (and myself) to finish well. I saw strong indications of Steven’s spiritual depth—you often get that depth through turning to God in suffering and loss, as their whole family has.

If you want to see something powerful, go back in time to the Larry King Live interview with the Chapmans and three of their older children. What a marvelous thing it was for the family to agree to this interview instead of hiding from all the questions that were being asked. The gospel went far and wide through this 16 years ago, and has ever since as people see it for the first time or rewatch it. It certainly brought fresh tears to me.

There are four 7-minute or so segments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ySghBeUuNM?si=mJx2kszaFbXfb9DO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQkmTHsSzn4?si=Q3Hvq0tYNZbFxzY2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lISsO5fzN70?si=ST8gvLVmRP9k5XMo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azBcdKAM7as?si=omuNp9wUWL0SDZg0

One of the ministries EPM supports is Show Hope, which Steven and Mary Beth Chapman founded in 2003 after the adoption of their first daughter, Shaohannah Hope. Show Hope’s work is dedicated to breaking down barriers between waiting orphaned children and families. After Maria’s death, donations made in her memory helped build and launch Maria’s Big House of Hope—Show Hope’s flagship Care Center in Central China providing care for children with acute medical and special needs. 

Photo: Unsplash

Where Does Happiness Originate?

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.

To be godly is to resemble God. If God is unhappy, we’d need to pursue unhappiness, which is as likely as developing an appetite for gravel. If following Jesus means having to turn away from happiness, and we’re wired to want happiness, then we can only fail as Christians. Looking at Scripture carefully, we find a happy God who desires us to draw happiness from Him. Yet how many Christians have ever heard a sermon, read a book, had a discussion about, or meditated on God’s happiness?

Not once at church, Bible college, or seminary did I hear about God’s happiness. I have no doubt it would have been surprising, memorable, and encouraging. What better explanation for the flood of happiness that overwhelmed my life after coming to Christ than that my God, who created, redeemed, and indwelt me, was happy?

Though I studied the Bible continuously, somehow the hundreds of Scriptures indicating God’s pleasure, delight, and joy didn’t register. They were nullified by unbiblical statements I heard from pastors and authors, such as “God calls us to holiness, not happiness.” I’ve always been a voracious reader, inhaling books, including theological works, by the hundreds. But I didn’t read anything about the happiness of God until the late 1980s, after I’d been a pastor for ten years. John Piper’s books Desiring God and The Pleasures of God introduced me to a subject I should have heard about in my first few months attending church as a teenager.

Why did it take so long for me to hear what Scripture clearly teaches? Because God’s happiness simply wasn’t on my radar, nor that of my church or school. God’s love, mercy, and grace were affirmed—not just His justice and wrath—so perhaps I should have deduced that God was happy. But the thought never occurred to me.

I believe it’s vital that we not leave our children and future generations of Christians to figure out for themselves that God is happy. Most never will. How can they, unless their families and churches teach them and demonstrate God-centered happiness in their own lives? We need to tell them that sin, suffering, shame, and unhappiness are temporary conditions for God’s people. We’ll once and for all be righteous, healthy, shame free, and happy. Once we’re in His presence, we’ll never again experience the anger, judgment, and discipline of God we see in Scripture (all of which are appropriate and important, but even now do not nullify His happiness or love).

I’m convinced that in the new universe—called in Scripture the New Heaven and the New Earth—the attribute of God’s happiness will be apparent everywhere. Upon their deaths, Christ won’t say to His followers, “Go and submit to your master’s harshness” but “Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21, NIV). Anticipating those amazing words can sustain us through every heartbreak and challenge in our present lives.

I share more in this video, answering the question, “Is God happy?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFRpqZaXqaE?si=MHob0XQJokqbsOUF

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

Photo: Unsplash

No Little People, No Little Places

Denny Hartford, the founder and director of Vital Signs Ministries, and his wife Claire truly live to the glory of King Jesus. I was touched by this story he shared in a ministry update:

Early in March, I was talking to a fellow at the coffee shop, and I mentioned that Claire and I were heading down to Wichita later in the morning to visit my little sister Sherry for a couple of days. My little sister is dealing with an early and very severe dementia. I explained Sherry’s plight to him, and he asked, “Why do you go down to spend time with her if you realize she might not even recognize you?”

I smiled and kindly, but carefully, replied, “Because I recognize her!”

The point being that the key to experiencing the blessings of God in one’s relationships is to love, honor, and serve others unconditionally—not because of what someone can do for you or what arbitrary and utilitarian tests they can pass to “deserve” being treated with honor and kindness. Christians are commanded to love as Jesus loves us and that means with grace, humility, courage, a willingness to sacrifice, and a persevering spirit. Yes, I love my little sister because of who she has been. But I also love her for who she is right now, physical and mental illness notwithstanding, because she is worth every bit of tenderness and respect and service I can render her. And, thank the Lord, because Sherry has trusted in Christ’s sacrifice on the cross to pay for her sins, I also love her for who she will one day be! Maranatha—come, Lord Jesus.

Along with ministering to my sister (embraces, music, conversation, helping her with meals and desserts, time enjoying the scenery outside, including the fox who lives in the woods behind the facility), the Lord gave us opportunities there in Wichita to touch other lives as well. Millie and Bertie to whom we brought sweet treats, swapped stories, read poetry, and talked of the splendors of Heaven. The nursing home staff to whom we brought our thanks, compliments (and donuts). The overworked “care pastor” from a nearby church who we were able to encourage. Two local musicians. A bookstore manager. People at the hotel. The girls working at the non-profit coffee shop. As Francis Schaeffer would say, “No little people, no little places.” Everything God gives us to do is big and beautiful and of eternal significance. So let’s not miss out on the chances God gives us every single day to make a difference to someone.

Denny mentioned Francis Schaeffer’s quote “No little people, no little places.” That was the title of a chapter in his book also titled No Little People, a collection of 16 of Francis’s sermons.

Schaeffer wrote, “Jesus commands Christians to seek consciously the lowest room. All of us—pastors, teachers, professional religious workers and nonprofessional included—are tempted to say, ‘I will take the larger place because it will give me more influence for Jesus Christ.’ … But according to the Scripture this is backwards: We should consciously take the lowest place unless the Lord himself extrudes us into a greater one.”

He continued:

We must remember throughout our lives that in God’s sight there are no little people and no little places. Only one thing is important: to be consecrated persons in God’s place for us, at each moment. Those who think of themselves as little people in little places, if committed to Christ and living under his Lordship in the whole of life, may, by God’s grace, change the flow of our generation. And as we get on a bit in our lives, knowing how weak we are, if we look back and see we have been somewhat used of God, then we should be…“surprised by joy.”

The humble willingness to help the needy and lowly has always set Christians apart, showing the world that we operate on a radically different value system. Christ says if we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, invite in the stranger, give clothes to the needy, care for the sick, and visit the persecuted, we are doing those things to Him: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat” (Matthew 25:34-35).

As Denny put it, “Let’s not miss out on the chances God gives us every single day to make a difference to someone.”

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