Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 2

Heaven, a Death-Row Prisoner, and the Wonder of God’s Grace

Years ago in the Midwest, a woman was looking for a way to reach out. She made contact with a death-row prison ministry, and began writing to a man named Durlyn who’d been convicted of horrible crimes. 

For years she witnessed to this man, but never met him until sixteen years went by, and Durlyn’s execution was scheduled—for November 19, 1997. She felt it was time then for her and her husband to make the ten-hour drive to meet him.

Their visit was powerful. Durlyn told them that when he first received her letters, he was determined to remain a hardened criminal. But God used her diligence and love, along with other Christians He brought into his life, to soften Durlyn’s heart and draw him to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

She’d sent him a copy of my novel Dominion. In his thank-you letter to her he’d written, “Once it gets to the part about the Lord and Heaven and what all takes place, your mind just opens up. Being at home with God and His angels, that’s a lot to think about.”

Durlyn told her he stopped reading Dominion when he got to the part about God showing one of the characters around in Heaven and telling her, “This is all yours.” Durlyn wanted to save this last part of the book to read the day before he was executed. In so many ways, he said, the book seemed to have been written just for him.

She contacted me to ask if I would write Durlyn a letter. This is what I wrote:

Dear Durlyn,

I’m glad our Lord has spoken to you through Dominion, and above all I’m delighted you’ve come to know Jesus.

None of us deserves God’s grace—if we deserved it, we wouldn’t need it. Despite our complete unworthiness, He offers us the gift of eternal life, based on His death for our sins on the cross. It’s an awesome thing to realize God has seen us at our worst and still loves us.

No matter what sins we’ve committed, Durlyn, I know that if we’ve both repented and accepted Christ’s gift of eternal life, we are brothers and will see each other again on the other side. I look forward to meeting you there.

I have a request for you. My mother, a devoted follower of Christ, died sixteen years ago. My father was very hostile to the gospel. After years of saying “no” to God he accepted Christ as his Savior five years ago, at the age of 84. Dad died in February, at 89, and my family and I were with him when he made the exodus from this world to the next. In fact, Dad’s birthday — his 90th—is November 19th.

So, Durlyn, since you’re scheduled to die that day, I’d like to ask you to give my Mom and Dad a hug for me, and say Happy Birthday to Dad. I suspect they’re seeing a lot of what’s going on here, but please tell them I love them and can’t wait to see them again.

And when you talk with our Lord, even though He knows this and everything else, tell Him how much I love and how much I look forward to seeing Him face to face. I tell Him that myself, but if you wouldn’t mind passing on the message, I’d appreciate it.

I’ve marked my calendar and will be praying for you between now and the 19th. I look forward to meeting you, brother. It won’t be long before we’re both living in the world for which we were made.

Your friend,

Randy Alcorn

Yes, Durlyn, you were right—for those of us still waiting to join you there, our future in Heaven offers so much to think about. How thankful I am to God for what He’s already revealed to us about it.

Recommended Reading Dominion The Grace and Truth Paradox

For Those Who Love Jesus, Death Is a Temporary Separation

While my book Heaven centers on the New Earth, the eternal Heaven, we often receive questions about what it’s like for believers who die now and go to the present Heaven (what theologians call the “intermediate state,” a transitional period between life on Earth and the future resurrection to life on the New Earth). A reader asked me, “In your book you state that when a Christian dies part goes to the grave and part goes to the feet of Jesus Christ. Where can I find that in the Bible?”

Jesus told the dying thief on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). The apostle Paul said that to die was to be with Christ (Philippians 1:23), and to be absent from the body was to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). After their deaths, martyrs are pictured in Heaven, crying out to God to bring justice on Earth (Revelation 6:9-11).

I share more in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXLt3uao8vA

I mentioned the analogy of someone stepping outside a room, and how they’ve simply changed locations, not ceased to exist. In my book Heaven, I included a story about five-year-old Emily Kimball, which over the years, readers have told me has helped them and their loved ones:

When Emily was hospitalized and heard she was going to die, she started to cry. Even though she loved Jesus and wanted to be with him, she didn’t want to leave her family behind. Then her mother had an inspired idea. She asked Emily to step through a doorway into another room, and she closed the door behind her. One at a time, the entire family started coming through the door to join her. Her mother explained that this was how it would be. Emily would go ahead to Heaven and then the rest of the family would follow. Emily understood. She would be the first to go through death’s door. Eventually, the rest of the family would follow, probably one by one, joining her on the other side.

The analogy would have been even more complete if the room that Emily entered had had someone representing Jesus to greet her—along with departed loved ones and Bible characters and angels. Also, it would’ve helped if the room she walked into was breathtakingly beautiful, and contained pictures of a New Earth, vast and unexplored, where Emily and her family and friends would one day go to live with Jesus forever.

As painful as death is, and as right as it is to grieve it (Jesus did), we on this dying earth can rejoice for our loved ones who are already in the presence of Christ. When they die, those covered by Christ’s blood are experiencing the joy of His presence. (Scripture clearly teaches that there is no such thing as “soul sleep,” or a long period of unconsciousness between life on Earth and life in Heaven. The phrase “fallen asleep” in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 and similar passages describes the body’s outward appearance at death.)

As Paul tells us, though we naturally grieve at losing loved ones, we are not to “grieve like people who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Our parting is not the end of our relationship, only an interruption. We have not “lost” them, because we know where they are.

And one day, we’re told, in a magnificent reunion, they and we “will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:17-18).

Recommended Reading 50 Days of Heaven (Special Edition) Grieving with Hope Tell Me About Heaven

The True Gift of Discernment Humbly Displays the Fruit of the Spirit

I read comments from someone who thought they had the gift of discernment and lamented that no one talks much about this spiritual gift. I agree that it’s often avoided. This might be in part because many spiritual gifts, such as teaching, giving, encouraging, and serving, seem simpler to understand. And it might be in part because this is a sensitive subject to address with those who feel they have this gift, which is described in 1 Corinthians 12:10 as “the ability to distinguish between spirits.”

I have discovered that often, when people tell me they have the gift of discernment, instead of having a clear understanding of what biblical discernment refers to (distinguishing between what’s good and evil), they have total confidence their opinion is the correct one. Because they are identifying God as the source of their gift, their position, in their thinking, is unassailable. In essence, their opinion is God’s opinion.

Now, if that conclusion comes from careful study of the Word and consultation with wise brothers and sisters in Christ, they may have reason for some (though not total) confidence. But when they reason simply from their “gift of discernment,” I admit I am suspicious. In several cases, I have thought the person who says, “I have the gift of discernment” is like the person who says, “I’m always the smartest person in the room.”

The Danger of Pride

“Discernment” to some people means they know what is right and true, and most people don’t. Other Christians may have studied the Bible more, prayed more, and come to their conclusion after many more hours of thought and study and life experience, but this usually doesn’t concern the person who thinks they have the gift of discernment. Why? Because they believe that even without the research, prayer, discussions, and life experience, and with no skill at self-correction, God has given them the gift to know what is true and what is not. 

I’ve heard people mention that their gift of discernment often recognizes pride in other people. Personally, I have found that sometimes the one who is confident they have the gift of discernment may be most prone to pride. What can be more prideful than believing you can immediately and always see truth? (Obviously it’s possible to be humble or proud with any gift. I’ve just seen apparent pride more often with those certain they have the gift of discernment.)

To such people everything is black and white; there is no gray. These are often those who do not practice Romans 14–15, because issues such as what day to worship and whether or not to eat meat are already settled in their minds. They are on one side or the other. But the whole point of Romans 14–15 is there are people on both sides of some second- and third-level issues who can equally please God.

I cannot think of a single spiritual gift that people have told me they have more often than discernment. Not that I hear it all the time; maybe just a few times a year, but cumulatively I’ve heard many people say it. Who else is coming up and declaring that they have a particular gift, and therefore, we should take more seriously what they are saying? Shouldn’t we take what people say and evaluate it with biblical wisdom, whether or not they claim to have a particular gift of teaching, prophecy, word of wisdom, or discernment of spirits?

While Scripture is clear there is a gift of discernment of spirits, I also believe that some people dangerously assert that gift in order to assure themselves and others they are right while others are wrong.

When I am teaching, I would never feel right about saying, “I have the gift of teaching, so you should believe what I am saying.” (James 3:1 warns us: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”) We should be wary if someone says, “I have the gift of exhortation or word of wisdom, therefore you should listen to me” or “I have the gift of giving, so my giving decisions and recommendations are always right.” Whatever our gifts, we can still be totally misguided—and even sinful—in our exercise of them.

Sometimes two people who claim the gift of discernment believe two radically different things. They are certain that a particular politician is of God, or of the devil. They know that a given Christian leader was a bright light from God, or that he was the devil incarnate, or at best a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Authentic, biblically-based discernment understands nuance and is capable of balance.

I don’t intend to be critical, and I certainly I believe there is a true gift of discernment. But in many years of discussions, I’ve come across dozens of people who have told me they have the gift of discernment, yet seem very undiscerning in their tendency to quickly, without discussion or compassion, condemn others, or to make every issue equally important or equally clear. 

The Danger of a Critical Spirit

Unfortunately, what some call a spirit of discernment might simply be a critical spirit. It becomes easy to take the spiritual high ground—judge and condemn and label and categorize people—because the “gift” entitles them to do so. Hence, the Bible’s warnings against unrighteously judging and condemning somehow don’t apply to them. Honestly (and I hate to say this), I have rarely met someone who says they have the gift of discernment who does not display a critical spirit. On the other hand, I can think of a number of people who I believe do have the gift of discernment, but they humbly demonstrate that discernment, rather than talking about it. Somebody with the gift of helps or mercy does not have to tell us they have it because their gifting is obvious through their actions and words.

All of us should examine our motives before confronting others and sharing our opinions. None of us get a pass from Scripture’s injunction to guard our hearts, be quick to listen and slow to speak and slow to anger, and to not assume our motives for our judgments are always right (cf., Proverbs 4:23, James 1:19). 

The person who thinks they have the gift of discernment may or may not not think in biblical terms. When others don’t listen, it’s their fault for not recognizing that special gift. The “gifted” one just knows they are right and it’s their duty to straighten other people out. Ironically, what such a person lacks is true discernment. And sometimes what they possess is not so much discernment as the blindness and lack of self-awareness that goes with pride. But true wisdom and discernment are humble: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom” (James 3:13).

Discernment and the Fruit of the Spirit

When I find myself critical of others, I have to remind myself not to be prone to quick and unfair judgment, and to give other people the benefit of the doubt. The truth is, just as we are all to serve God whether or not we have the specific gift of service, we should all practice God-honoring discernment. Believers are to “test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21) and to have our “powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14). God call us to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). 

I love to see people exercise true biblically-based discernment that displays the fruit of the Spirit. Anyone who feels they have the gift of discernment would do well to give their opinion, and make sure it is accompanied by evidence of quiet contemplation of Scripture and careful thought about the issue—always being open to the possibility that they may be wrong. Because all of us—whether or not we have the gifts we think we do—often are.

May God preserve us all from pride and enable us to use our gifts to glorify Him and build up His body.

Recommended Reading Face to Face with Jesus It's All About Jesus

Our Inability to Understand God’s Purposes in Suffering Should Not Surprise Us

Sometimes we make the foolish assumption that our heavenly Father has no right to insist that we trust Him unless He makes His infinite wisdom completely understandable to us. But if God offered us constant explanations for the circumstances we face, our lives would not be free or normal, and would not allow for faith or trust.

I think of my friend John Franklin, who was playing softball when he was then a healthy thirty-nine-year-old. John developed a headache and neck pain, so he took himself out of the game. By the time the game finished, he needed help walking.

Taken to the hospital, John became completely paralyzed and unable to speak. Soon he was breathing with a ventilator. John spent seven weeks in ICU and another four months in the hospital. He underwent speech therapy, then a few years of occupational and physical therapy. Now, many years later, John remains restricted to a wheelchair. Doctors never discovered why it happened.

John’s youngest son, six years old when his father became disabled, wrote me, “I remember always being so mad that God did this to him. One day I asked my dad why he wasn’t angry. He said, ‘Why should I accept good from God and not evil?’ I think my jaw dropped and at the time I was angry at him for saying that. But that experience has forever shaped my view of God and evil.”

This wonderful family has certainly seen God at work. But they still have no clear explanation of His purpose for John’s disability.

Consider what our lives would be like if God regularly explained to us why He allows everything that disappoints us.

Suppose you’re a teenage girl, sick on prom day. God could whisper, I let you get pneumonia so you wouldn’t bond with that young man who wouldn’t be right for you, and so your parents would go get you your favorite dessert, where they’ll see a help-wanted poster and tell you so you apply and get the job, and meet the girl who will become your best friend and help you twenty years from now when your husband gets cancer, and...

“Whoa! My husband? What’s he like? And why would you let him get cancer?”

In order to make you more Christlike and help you become more of a servant and...

“But I don’t want to be a servant. And cancer terrifies me!”

...and teach your husband to depend on me, and draw your children and grandchildren closer to you, and...

“I’ll have children and grandchildren? How many? Girls or boys? But how will they deal with their father’s cancer?”

Do you see where this is going? And it’s just one “simple” event. How could God explain His purposes without revealing to us the life He intends for us to live later, not now? And without imparting the grace that He will give us just when we need it, not in advance?

The God of providence weaves millions of details into our lives and into all the lives around us. Maybe He doesn’t have one big reason for bringing a certain person or success or failure or disease or accident into our lives; in fact, He may have hundreds of little reasons.

In order to understand God’s explanations, we would have to be God.

Recommended Reading 90 Days of God's Goodness If God Is Good (Paperback) The Goodness of God

God’s Limits Are a Sign of His Power

In this YouTube short video, Sean McDowell explains that God’s limits are a sign of His power:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiHH_OEarF0

I love the way Sean McDowell thinks and communicates. When he spoke at our church, it was powerful, great for young and old alike. These are some supplementary thoughts that I would add to what he said in the video. Some of them make the same points, but I develop them differently and cite pertinent Scripture.

1. God cannot contradict His own character. 

Second Timothy 2:13 tells us that “he cannot deny himself.” Luke 1:37 says with God, nothing is impossible.

Back in the 1970s when I was a brand-new Christian, it was popular for people to ask questions like, “Can God create a stone so heavy that He cannot lift it? If not, then He is not all powerful, and if so, He is not all powerful. Therefore, if it is impossible, that contradicts Scripture.” To some it seemed convincing, but it was just a ridiculous self-contradiction that proved nothing at all. If God is all powerful, then of course He cannot create a stone so large He cannot lift it. That doesn’t prove anything negative about God; it just affirms His attributes do not violate His own nature.

2. God cannot lie.

Hebrews 6:18 says, “It is impossible for God to lie.”

All human morality is properly derivative of the character of God.  God is a truth teller; therefore, truth telling for humans is a virtue. As the embodiment of truth, God cannot deceive or contradict Himself. (It’s true that there are a few difficult passages related to God appearing to deceive people--one of those is sending a lying spirit to mislead Ahab, see this explanation.)

3. God cannot change. 

In Malachi 3:6 God declares, “For I am Yahweh, I do not change.”

The classic theological doctrine of God's immutability means He does not and cannot change. His nature, purposes, and promises are therefore absolutely dependable. This is a source of comfort, because God’s faithfulness remains constant. Otherwise, He could love us today, but in the future stop loving us.

4. God cannot be tempted and cannot sin.

James 1:13 says God “cannot be tempted by evil.”

Because God is holy and righteous, He cannot act against His moral nature.

5. God cannot be unjust.

Hebrews 6:10 says “God is not unjust.”

Justice is an integral part of God's character, so He cannot act unjustly or unfairly. This does not, of course, mean that He will never appear to be unfair to us. But the problem is, we are both fallen and finite, so we are not always in a position to accurately judge God's own justice and fairness.

6. God cannot fail and cannot break His promises.

Luke 1:37 is a wonderful comfort: “For no word from God will ever fail.” And Numbers 23:19 says, “Has he spoken, and will he not do it? Has he promised, and will he not fulfill it?”

God's plans and purposes will ultimately succeed. His sovereignty ensures that nothing can thwart what He intends to accomplish.

That's why I totally agree with what Sean McDowell says in this clip. God's limitations are not weaknesses, but rather, expressions of His perfect nature. 

Recommended Reading If God Is Good (Paperback)

Charlie Kirk, the Brevity of Life, God’s Sovereignty, and Our Rock-Solid Hope

Like countless others, I was greatly saddened by the murder of 31-year-old Charlie Kirk, the founder and president of Turning Point USA, a few days ago. My prayers have been with his family and friends and church. Many of us have wept for their pain and suffering, and wept for our country as well.

I am very grateful Charlie expressed a genuine faith in Jesus. Here are a few direct quotes from him. 

On his Instagram: “I believe in the Bible, and I believe that Christ rose from the dead on the third day. This is the foundation of my faith and guides my actions.” 

In Charisma magazine: “Jesus Christ was God in human flesh. Who first and foremost taught us how to live and secondly and most importantly He was a gift to us; that if we accept Him as our Lord and Savior then we can have eternal life…”

Charlie’s Example of Respectful Disagreement through Dialogue

I want to make clear Charlie Kirk’s murder would have been a great tragedy, and arguably an even greater one, had Charlie not been a Christian (greater because he would not have gone to Jesus when he died). Regardless of his faith, had he been liberal instead of conservative, his assassination would have still been just as much an act of evil. True, in the prolife arena, which every reader of this blog knows is close to my heart, Charlie was a remarkably powerful spokesman to whom I said amen when I heard him talk about abortion. (If you don’t know who Charlie was, see for instance his respectful and logical dialogue with a prochoice young woman.)

I did not know Charlie Kirk personally, never met him, and didn’t listen to him often except in the prolife arena. Occasionally, I would watch clips on other subjects sent to me, and often admired his logic. Sometimes I heard him say something I did not agree with. But so what? Nothing unusual about that—I sometimes disagree with close friends and my spiritual leaders, and they disagree with me. I would've preferred that Charlie sometimes be more critical of our president in certain areas, and thought him doing so would have given him more credibility all those times he agreed with him. But, again, so what? 

Charlie Kirk was a good man with earnest beliefs, who defended them with uncommon logic. He was a role model to college students across the country, not just telling them to speak up, but showing them how to speak the truth in love. He was also a brother in Christ, though of course many Christians sometimes disagreed with him, just as many disagree with me. This just comes with the territory, because free speech and open debate are fundamental to who we are as a country. It's one of our greatest strengths.

Charlie Kirk was a proponent of political discourse without the yelling and screaming and name-calling that is not only disturbing, but totally ineffective. I really appreciate that. In both national politics and the leadership of Christian churches and organizations, I believe leaders should be willing to challenge even their own friends and allies when necessary, but again only speaking the truth as they see it in a spirit of love.

In any case, the response to political conflicts should never be violence. Murder is never the answer to someone exercising free speech and publicly sharing their opinions. Murder should be regarded as 100% evil regardless of what areas we might disagree with someone in. I believe in the right to self-defense, yes, but assassination is not self-defense.

None of us is ever going to agree with anyone ALL the time (and if we do, it usually means we are not thinking for ourselves). But I did see clips where Charlie was exceptionally kind to those who openly and aggressively challenged him, which he invited them to do. He believed in open dialogue on points of disagreement, and in being logically consistent, and in not being defensive, and I loved that. (We should listen to those we disagree with because if we don’t, all we will have is dialogues of the deaf.) Charlie made clear to the young that they should love their country despite its flaws, and that they should labor to make it better. He showed them that they could stand up for their beliefs without a hard heart, hatred, and antagonism. That is something that not just the young but the old need to learn. Thank you, Charlie Kirk. And thank you, Jesus.

As followers of Jesus, none of us should blindly follow anyone. We follow King Jesus above all, and that will mean agreeing with some people often, but not always, and disagreeing with others often, but not always. And it means actually listening, then looking for common ground, which I remember Charlie Kirk doing in some of his dialogues I watched. He would say something like, “Let's establish first what we actually agree on.” May we all follow his example in doing this as we communicate both inside and outside our churches, and for that matter in our homes, in our marriages and as we raise our children. 

The Death of a National Figure Impacts Us All

When texting with one of my grandsons about Charlie’s death a few hours after he was killed, I told him that I grew up with vivid memories of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy when I was in third grade. I remember where I was standing on a particular staircase at Orient Grade school when I heard the news. I sat with my mom and brother in front of the black and white TV, watching the news coverage for hours that turned into days. Fast forward five years to the spring of my eighth grade year at Orient, when Martin Luther King was assassinated.

Hours after King’s assassination, Bobby Kennedy set aside his prepared campaign speech at a political rally. The microphone caught him asking someone, “Do they know about Martin Luther King?” and when told they didn’t, he started by asking people to lower their signs. Then he said, “I have bad news for you, for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world, and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and killed tonight.”

Loud cries of shock followed, and many in the crowd wept. RFK said nothing political, nothing about his campaign, and spoke impromptu for less than six minutes to a stunned and mourning crowd, because human life is far more important than politics.

Kennedy’s next words were these: “In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in.” This question applies to us in light of Charlie Kirk’s murder as well. (Kennedy’s entire five-minute speech that day is well worth watching.)

As a fourteen year old who had never heard the gospel and did not know God, I too wept over the murder of Martin Luther King. That spring, before the Oregon primaries, I was involved in Bobby Kennedy’s presidential campaign, going door to door passing out literature. Then, just two months after King was murdered, so was Bobby Kennedy. I was devastated. Bobby Kennedy was to me what Charlie Kirk was and is to many young people across our country, even many who disagreed with him but came to respect him.

As a young teenager who had no spiritual life, my head full of vivid memories of watching hours of the televised killings and related news and the funerals of JFK, MLK, and RFK, I was haunted by a sense of hopelessness. I knew the world was a mess, and in the next few years I would come to realize that I too was a mess, and was prompted to turn to Jesus.

That’s why I am especially sorry for the countless young people, believers and unbelievers alike, who followed Charlie Kirk. Many of them are now feeling exactly what I felt back in those days. You come to believe in and love certain public voices, and when they are killed, it’s like a part of you dies with them.  

One of my grandsons, age 19, who appreciated Charlie Kirk, texted me hours after his death: 

So awful for his family and our country. This is a dark time, and I pray things don't escalate to more violence. Sobering to know how awful a thing this killing is and yet to know that without Jesus we would all be going to the hell we deserve.

May We Number Our Days

While most people writing about Charlie Kirk’s murder are rightly focusing on the injustice and tragedy, I want to focus on something a bit different: the sobering reminder that none of us are promised we’ll be alive in this world tomorrow. (Because our loving God is in control, this is not fatalism.)

“No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death” (Ecclesiastes 8:8). It is presumptuous to think otherwise. We often live under the illusion that our lives are in our hands. But God’s Word warns us otherwise:

“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:13-16).

Our life on Earth is brief—“All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:6-8). Understanding this is the key to being wise rather than foolish. In the oldest psalm, Moses prayed, “Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

It might seem that acknowledging we aren’t in control would raise our level of fear. But that’s not true. Recognizing God’s in control should allow us to relax, resting in His sovereignty. A spirit of fear and timidity is not from God (2 Timothy 1:7).

Corrie ten Boom said, “There are no 'if's' in God's world. And no places that are safer than other places. The center of His will is our only safety—let us pray that we may always know it!”

Our Hope in Jesus Is Unshakeable

In a time of dark suffering and dread, David affirmed, 

The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?... Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confi­dent.... Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.... I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Psalm 27:1, 3, 10, 13–14)

The hope of God’s people shouldn’t be the illusion that we won’t suffer. Our hope should be in Jesus Christ, and that one day God will end our suffering (Revelation 21:4). Our hope should be in the fact that nothing in this world or outside it—no tragedies or accidents or terrorist attacks or anything else—shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).

To many of us, “hope” sounds wishful and tentative, but biblical hope means to anticipate with trust. We expect a sure thing, purchased on the Cross, accomplished and promised by an all-knowing God.

Ten years ago Nanci placed these words from Lamentations 3 on our bedroom wall. I still see them every day: 

21Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

Hope points to the light at the end of life’s tunnel. It not only makes the tunnel endurable, it fills the heart with anticipation of a world alive, fresh, beautiful, without pain, suffering, terrorists or war. A world ruled by the only One worthy of ruling (see Revelation 5:12). Though we don’t know exactly when, we do know for sure that either by our deaths or by Christ’s return, our suffering will end. From before the beginning, God drew the line in eternity’s sand to say for His children, “This much and no more, then endless joy.”

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, NASB).

The night may seem long for God’s people, but the truth is this: once it comes, the morning will never end.

Neither will the joy.

Recommended Reading In Light of Eternity

Are You Weary in Life’s Race? Ask Your Savior for His Empowerment

Life in this world—the way it is now and the way we are now—can be difficult, can’t it? It’s easy to become burdened, discouraged, depressed, or even traumatized when you suffer the loss of a loved one, when your health is failing, or when your dreams—your family, career, or lifelong ambitions—have crumbled. Perhaps you’ve become cynical or have lost hope. Some seasons of life can seem like a series of twists, turns, and dead ends.

God gives each of us a race to run. To finish well we must develop perseverance. The Christian life is not a hundred-meter dash but a marathon, requiring patience, endurance, and discipline. But how do we find the strength to finish our race well? 

Heaven Is Our Finish Line

When the apostle Paul faced hardship, beatings, and im­prisonment, he said, “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14, NIV). What gave Paul the strength and perspective to “press on toward the goal”? A clear view of Heaven.

A study was done in which one group of Israeli soldiers was told it would go on a march, but was not told if or when the march would eventually end. Another group was told the length of the march.

Both groups were tested for their stress response. Although they marched not one foot further than those in the other group, those who didn't know if or when the march would end registered a much higher level of stress. Why? Because they felt helpless—hopeless—wondering if they would ever be allowed to rest.

We do not know exactly when, but as followers of Christ, we do know there is a finish line. We will not run forever. We will rest.

Think of it: Jesus, at unfathomable cost to Himself, purchased for us a happy ending. A happy “ending” that will never end. Anticipating our future on a resurrected Earth with Christ can empower us to persevere in a difficult marriage, remain faithful to the hard task of caring for an ailing parent or child, or stick with a demanding job. Samuel Rutherford wrote, “Our little time of suffering is not worthy of our first night’s welcome home to Heaven.”

If you believe this, you won’t cling desperately to this life. Your solid hope will give you strength to persevere when things get tough. You’ll lift your face, stretch out your arms, and continue running in anticipation of the greater life to come. (I must mention suicide here because the idea seduces some people. The fact that Heaven will be so wonderful shouldn’t tempt us to take shortcuts to get to the finish line. As long as God keeps you here on Earth, it’s exactly where He wants you.) 

Our Savior Is Waiting

Hebrews 12:1 tells us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” creating the mental picture of the Greek competitions, which were watched intently by throngs of engrossed fans sitting high up in the ancient stadiums. The “great cloud of witnesses” refers to the saints who’ve gone before us, whose accomplishments on the playing field of life are now part of our rich history. The imagery may also suggest that those saints, the spiritual “athletes” of old, are now watching us and cheering us on from the great stadium of Heaven that looks down on the field of Earth.

The author of Hebrews goes on to admonish us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The following verse commands us: “Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:2–3, NIV).

John Piper writes of these verses, “But we do not look sideways to the saints as we run. Our main motivation comes from looking straight ahead at Jesus. He finished the same race of human life. Only he never sinned, and so his race was perfect. When he finished his race, he finished our salvation. So we run, ‘looking to Jesus, the founder and finisher of our faith.’”

Jesus Christ, the Rock of salvation, is the One who has promised to prepare a place for those who put their hope in Him, a place where they will live with Him forever. If we can learn to fix our eyes on Jesus, to picture our eternal home in our mind’s eye, it will comfort and energize us, giving us a clear look at the finish line. And if we’ve served Him here, His welcome will be glorious!

In his book Things Unseen, Mark Buchanan describes the Christian’s life race and Jesus’ role encouraging us on: “You’re heaven-bent. You eagerly await a Savior who, in turn, eagerly awaits you. There’s a huge company with you, cheering every move you and your Savior make closer to each other. He pours out grace for you to finish the race. He pours out more grace when you stumble, grow weary, fall down, lose heart. He stands at the head of the course and, while all the saints who have gone before line the roadway and cheer riotously, He stretches out His arms wide in exuberant welcome, exultant congratulation.”

I imagine myself seeing Jesus, falling to my knees, having Him reach out and pull me up. To think of Him welcoming me not just once, but for all eternity, is sheer joy.

Shut your eyes and picture seeing Jesus and being embraced in His arms when you cross life’s finish line. What a wondrous thought!

The Promise of Eternal Reward

It’s not only the anticipation of seeing our Savior that should propel us forward; it’s also the joy of pleasing Him. Jesus has promised reward for those who’ve faithfully served Him: “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done” (Revelation 22:12).

Moses remained faithful to God because “he was looking ahead to his reward” (Hebrews 11:26, NIV). Likewise, Paul ran his race with his eyes on Heaven’s prize, which motivated him to run hard and long. He was unashamedly motivated by the prospect of eternal reward, and acknowledged it freely and frequently (1 Corinthians 9:24-25; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 5:9-10; 2 Timothy 4:7-8). “Run in such a way as to get the prize,” he said, and on the verge of death he spoke longingly of the crown the Judge would award him in Heaven. He encouraged believers with these words: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

Jesus tells us that one day His faithful servants will hear their Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master” (Matthew 25:23).

Think about those incredible words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Memorize them. They are the words we long to hear, the words we were made to hear.

What changes might you need to initiate today so that you may one day hear those words from God? If you don’t yet know Jesus, it’s not too late. Confess your sins and humbly accept the gift of His atoning sacrifice on your behalf. If you do know Him, make your daily decisions in light of your destiny. By God’s grace, use the time you have left on the present Earth to store up for yourself treasures on the New Earth, to be laid at Christ’s feet for His glory (Revelation 4:10). Run your race of life to honor Him.

And should you wonder if there’s anything you’ve done that God could possibly reward, be encouraged by 1 Corinthians 4:5 which talks of the judgment when “each will receive his praise from God” (NIV). He will find something to reward you for. Will you seek to do more rewardable works for Him?

When we hear Jesus say “Well done,” we'll know that any sacrifice we made, any difficulty along the way, was nothing. Meanwhile, we can rejoice in suffering in the same way that Olympic athletes rejoice in their workouts—not because we find it easy, but because we know it will one day result in great reward.

He Gives Renewed Strength

Many are familiar with the beautiful promise of Isaiah 40:31: “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (NIV).

Joni Eareckson Tada writes about this verse: 

The beginning of the Christian life was exhilarating: lots of smiles and handshakes and encouragement. Your emotions soared. And the end? Well, it’s going to be wonderful meeting Jesus face-to-face.

But now you’re in the middle. There are miles behind you and miles to go. You don’t hear any cheers or applause. Your commitment to simply keep putting one tired foot in front of the other begins to flag and fade. Ah, but the promise in Isaiah is just as true now as then. Friend, if you walk in the Spirit, your strength will be renewed. You’ll run and not be weary. Even in the long, gray, middle distance, you will walk and not be faint. So friend, don’t faint; don’t give up. The finish line is just over the horizon and, oh, what a rich reward awaits you. Every step brings you closer to home, so fix your eyes on the One who awaits you there. You’re halfway home. 

With God’s help, we can submit to the discipline of the life circumstances He’s entrusted to us. May we rejoice not merely when those circumstances please us, but even when they don’t, because we know God is sovereign, all-knowing, and all-wise, because He has delivered us from Hell and promised us Heaven, because He is working together all things, even the worst things, for our good (Romans 8:28).

So are you weary in life’s race? Ask your Savior for His empowerment to finish strong, and keep your eyes on the heavenly finish line. By His sustaining grace, you’ll make it.

Recommended Reading 50 Days of Heaven (Special Edition) 90 Days of God's Goodness Seeing the Unseen, Expanded Edition

Fearing God Drives Away Other Fears

Writing on Psalm 23:4 (“I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me”), Charles Spurgeon said these wonderful words:

The worst evils of life are those which do not exist except in our imagination. If we had no troubles but real troubles, we should not have a tenth part of our present sorrows. We feel a thousand deaths in fearing one, but the Psalmist was cured of the disease of fearing. “I will fear no evil,” not even the Evil One himself; I will not dread the last enemy, I will look upon him as a conquered foe, an enemy to be destroyed, “For you are with me.”

This is the joy of the Christian! “You are with me.” The little child out at sea in the storm is not frightened like all the other passengers on board the vessel, it is asleep in its mother’s bosom; it is enough for it that its mother is with it; and it should be enough for the believer to know that Christ is with him. “You are with me; I have in having thee, all that I can crave: I have perfect comfort and absolute security, for you art with me.” “Your rod and your staff,” by which thou governest and rulest thy flock, the ensigns of thy sovereignty and of thy gracious care—“they comfort me.” I will believe that thou reignest still. The rod of Jesse shall still be over me as the sovereign succour [help/support] of my soul.

My wife Nanci wrote in her journal a prayer based on Psalm 23 that included these thoughts about fear related to her stage-four cancer:

May your Holy Spirit—the Comforter—banish all my fears of evil (being out of control, letting pride inflate me, weakness, pain, loss of plans) as I walk through this valley—because you are with me!

Scripture is full of commands to fear God, and it is also full of commands to not be afraid. If we fear God, we need not be afraid of anyone or anything else. John Donne wrote, “As he that fears God, fears nothing else. So he that sees God, sees everything else.” Similarly, in Grow in Grace, Sinclair Ferguson writes, “The fear of the Lord tends to take away all other fears… This is the secret of Christian courage and boldness.”

If we don’t fear God, we have good reason to be afraid of other things. You fear God when you come to grips with the fact that He is in charge, and you are not. As Spurgeon put it, He is the sovereign help of our souls.

Yet despite being the sovereign King over all, He’s also near His children and cares deeply for them. “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). God, the Creator of the universe and fountainhead of all marvels, cares for you and me! Here’s another great Spurgeon quote: “God has never refused to bear your burdens, he has never fainted under their weight.”

In Psalm 16:8 David says, “I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” To set the Lord before me is to recognize His presence and His constant help. May we do the same.

Recommended Reading We Shall See God

Is Being Pro-Life Really Just “Pro-Forced Birth”?

Note from Randy: Abortion involves the life of a person and therefore becomes the concern of a decent society. Just as society would protect the life of the mother if someone tried to kill her, so it should protect the life of the child if someone tries to kill her. “Forcing” a woman to continue a pregnancy, which is a natural function of her body, is not barbaric or primitive, nor is it about pro-lifers exerting control over women’s bodies, as some claim. It’s simply protecting the life of a woman’s unborn child, even if she feels her pregnancy is a burden.

And given that abortion harms women both physically and mentally, it’s protecting her, too, though she may not immediately see it as such. In time, she will likely come to understand that her temporary burden was well worth it to know that her child was rescued from death, and now has a life to live. What’s truly barbaric and primitive is unnaturally ending the life of a helpless baby in her mother’s womb, which should be the safest place for a child.

In this article, Tim Barnett with Stand to Reason answers the claim that being prolife is just “pro-forced birth.” And I hope you’ll consider downloading a free copy of my book Pro-Choice or Pro-Life?, which will equip you to have pro-life conversations with others.

Are Pro-Lifers Just “Pro-Forced Birth?”

Words matter.

They’ve been used to rally troops and comfort widows as well as incite violence and intimidate opposition. Words inspire and illuminate, but they also deceive and distort. Words are powerful.

When it comes to moral issues, the stakes are high. Words can be used to either reveal or conceal evil. Someone once said, “When words lose their meaning, people lose their lives.” This dictum is no more obvious than in the abortion debate.

Abortion advocates are brilliant at playing word games. Using clever rhetorical moves, they are able to make protecting preborn children look bad and killing preborn children look good. Here’s an example.

More and more abortion proponents are referring to their opponents as “pro-forced birth” or “forced-birth extremists.” This label is designed to deceive by focusing on two words: force and birth. First, they want you to think pro-lifers are the ones using force. After all, they claim, pro-life people are taking away pregnant women’s freedom by forcing them to carry a child. On this view, pro-choice means pro-freedom and pro-life means pro-force. Second, they want you to think pro-lifers are merely pro-birth. That is, they only care about unborn humans until they’re born. After birth, they don’t matter.

The Good Place actress Jameela Jamil employed this rhetoric in a recent Instagram post. She wrote,

Not pro-life. Pro forced birth. That’s the correct terminology for anyone who discards the life, health, mental well-being, survival and freedom of the living… for the unborn. Who they will then equally disregard the human rights of once born.

This post has over 230,000 likes. That means a lot of people are persuaded by this use of language. But it’s all smoke and mirrors. Let me show you.

Deceptive Terminology Twists Truth

First, notice how this characterizes pro-life proponents as “forcing” something (i.e. birth) on pregnant women against their will. This is not a coincidence. It’s by design. One cannot help but think of other horrific examples of forcing people to do things against their will. Forcing a woman to have sex against her will. Forcing a man to work for you against his will. Forcing a child away from her family against her will.

When abortion advocates use the words “pro-forced birth,” they want you see a parallel to “pro-forced sex” or “pro-forced slavery.” This deceptive rhetoric tries to manipulate people into calling good evil and evil good. Unfortunately, it seems to be working.

In reality, pro-lifers aren’t forcing women to do something. Rather, they are telling them not to do something (i.e., do not kill another human being). This might be better described as restraining evil by threat of punishment.

We do this all the time, by the way. What pro-lifers are advocating here is nothing more than what ordinary people advocate when they restrict behavior that endangers the lives of other humans. For example, nobody seriously complains about being restricted to 25 miles per hour in a school zone with kids all around. People don’t protest because this restriction protects the lives of innocent children.

Calling someone “pro-forced birth” is a lot like calling someone “pro-forced speed limit in a school zone.” Both want to restrict acts that bring harm to innocent humans—whether unborn or born.

So, first, abortion advocates use the language of “force” to twist truth. This rhetoric makes it sound like pro-lifers are the ones doing something wrong—forcibly causing some wicked act against pregnant women. The truth is just the opposite. They are trying to prevent a wicked act—the forced killing of an innocent human being. This leads to my next point.

Who’s Really Forcing?

Second, abortion is the “force” option—literally, pro-forced death. Let me explain.

“Pro-forced birth” is an inappropriate way to describe pro-lifers—those trying to prevent the killing of unborn human beings. But it’s also a strange way of characterizing birth. After all, birth is a natural consequence of a natural process. The result of an uninterrupted, healthy pregnancy is childbirth. No external force necessary.

Abortion, on the other hand, is the use of deadly force—an unnatural intrusion of lethal force against an innocent human being into the very space perfectly designed for the baby’s safe, natural development. Forcing a flood of poisonous fluid into a woman’s uterus to chemically burn a baby to death. Forcing a sharp scalpel into the brain of an innocent child and dismembering her in utero, then forcing forceps to remove her body parts piece by piece.

Every elective abortion uses deadly force to kill a human being. Every successful abortion ends with a dead human. Thus, abortion is pro-forced death. And that’s not rhetoric. That’s fact.

Isn’t it interesting, then, how proponents of the “pro-forced death” position try to saddle pro-lifers with the manipulative language of “force”?

However, once we pull back the veil on the rhetorical game that’s being played, we can clearly see what’s really going on.

Merely “Pro-Birth”?

One more thing. Some lies are repeated so often, people uncritically accept them as true.

Abortion advocates often describe pro-lifers as only caring about humans before birth but not after. This is demonstrably false. Pro-life people around the world are actively involved in efforts to help the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, build orphanages, fight sex trafficking, and all kinds of other humanitarian work.

And, for the record, there are more nonprofit, pro-life crisis pregnancy centers in this country—funded by the generous financial gifts and unpaid volunteer help of pro-lifers—than there are for-profit, abortion centers—funded by fees gathered from killing unborn humans and from tax dollars.

So, pro-lifers aren’t “pro-force,” and they aren’t merely “pro-birth.” And they certainly aren’t “pro-forced birth.” This is a deceptive language.

When it comes to moral issues, like abortion, we must always be alert for the word games, rhetorical ploys, and manipulative language that distort the truth and make something evil look good.

Originally published at Stand to Reason. Reprinted with permission.

Recommended Reading Pro-Choice or Pro-Life? ¿Proelección o Provida? (Pro-Choice or Pro-Life? in Spanish)

That Time J. I. Packer Read from the Heaven Book

Almost five years ago, J. I. Packer, one of my favorite writers and favorite people, went to be with Jesus.  There are many people I respect, but not many I’m in awe of. Dr. Packer is one of them. My life first as a child of God, and then as a pastor and writer, has been deeply affected by him.

When his book Knowing God came out in 1973, I was a young Christian. God used it in my life profoundly. It is still one of my top five books of all time. If you haven’t read it, order it now and get ready for a treat, and then read anything and everything by J. I. Packer. I have benefited greatly from Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, and years later God spoke to me through Keep in Step with the Spirit. My love for the Puritans deepened when reading A Quest for Godliness. I have profited too from his Shorter Writings and in speaking against the health and wealth gospel I have quoted from his unlikely named Hot Tub Religion. But start with Knowing God. (You can read chapter one here.)

Back in 2009, I was asked to be on a panel on Heaven and Hell at a book conference. When I asked who else would be on the panel, they mentioned J. I. Packer, and my response was, “I will do it as long as I can sit next to Dr. Packer.” (The organizers kindly accommodated my request!)

Thirty-six years after reading Knowing God as a teenager, it was surreal to be chatting and drinking Starbucks and hanging out with Dr. Packer before the panel started. In fact, as we talked, J. I. mentioned that he hadn’t had time to get coffee with his breakfast. Nanci quickly and cheerfully offered to get him a drink from Starbucks. With a twinkle in her eye, she told me later, “I got coffee for J. I. Packer!”

That time with him was great, but what really left me speechless was that during the panel discussion, J. I. reached in his briefcase and pulled out my big Heaven book and read from it! And not because he disagreed, which was initially the only reason I could think of for him referring to it.

J. I. Packer pulling out my Heaven book was REALLY too much. Then when he made a nice comment about my book, I dropped my face into my hands, and people started laughing. Later, looking over his shoulder, I could see the book was worn and he had marked it up. Knowing Dr. Packer had written about the great Puritan Richard Baxter, I was amazed and touched that he said my book was for the current time what Richard Baxter’s The Saints Everlasting Rest was in the seventeenth century. This was typical of his kindness and graciousness that encouraged so many of us.

At one point later in the panel discussion Dr. Packer answered a question, then leaned over and looked at me sincerely, whispering, “Do you think that was right?”

What I thought was, “You are J. I. Packer. I am an idiot.” What I said, nodding my head too emphatically, was “Yes.”

Here's the clip of J. I. reading that Richard Baxter quote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GJIcDmk-Rs?si=4H9nSJT1n683lp7G

This is the text of the Baxter quote he read:

If there be so certain and glorious a rest for the saints, why is there no more industrious seeking after it? One would think, if a man did but once hear of such unspeakable glory to be obtained, and believed what he heard to be true, he should be transported with the vehemency of his desire after it, and should almost forget to eat and drink, and should care for nothing else, and speak of and inquire after nothing else, but how to get this treasure. And yet people who hear of it daily, and profess to believe it as a fundamental article of their faith, do as little mind it, or labour for it, as if they had never heard of any such thing, or did not believe one word they hear.

Recommended Reading 50 Days of Heaven (Special Edition) Heaven Heaven Study Guide