Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 25

If Jesus Triumphed Over Sin and Death, Why Does Our World Still Contain So Much Evil and Suffering?

C. S. Lewis articulated the erroneous conclusion many people come to: “If God were good, He would wish to make His creatures perfectly happy, and if God were almighty He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore, God lacks either goodness, or power, or both.”

Put another way, if Jesus triumphed over sin and death, why does our world still contain so much evil and suffering? Why are we still sinners, why do many of us get sick, why are some of the godliest people in the world poor, and why do all of us die? If God is happy and wants us to be happy, why doesn’t He bring us complete happiness now?

There are varying responses to these excellent questions, and the good ones all require trust that a good, loving, holy, and just God knows what He’s doing. By delaying His final judgment on evil and waiting longer to wipe away all tears from His children’s eyes, He’s giving more people a chance to repent and trust Christ (see 2 Peter 3:9).

Meanwhile, God is giving His children more opportunities to grow in faith (see 1 Peter 1:6), He’s developing our character through trials (see Job 23:10; Isaiah 48:10), He’s increasing our perseverance and hope (see Romans 5:4), and He’s bringing more ultimate good to us and glory to Himself (see Romans 8:28-29).

God has redeemed us “so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7). Throughout eternity, God will unfold more and more of His grace and kindness. As wonderful as Eden was, without sin and suffering, would Adam and Eve have reason to praise God for His grace? No. Certainly they could see God’s goodness, but grace is unmerited favor to those who deserve Hell. Therefore, they had less reason to praise Him than we do.

Experiencing God’s grace now will pay off in eternity, too. We may want to skip this growth process and be ushered directly into eternal happiness, but that wouldn’t accomplish God’s highest purpose. He plans to remake Earth into an eternal world where righteousness reigns because He has marvelously overcome evil, starting in the hearts of His beloved children.

Corrie ten Boom, who survived a Nazi death camp, said, “Every experience God gives us . . . is the perfect preparation for a future only He can see.”

Charles Spurgeon said, “In heaven we shall see that we had not one trial too many.” Reveling in God’s sovereign grace, Spurgeon exclaimed, “Cheer up, Christian! Things are not left to chance—no blind fate rules the world! God has purposes and those purposes are fulfilled; God has plans and those plans are wise, and never can be dislocated!”

We can be confident that one day, happiness, not sorrow, will have the last word—and it will have the last word forever.

For more related to the subject of suffering, see Randy’s book  If God Is Good , as well as the devotional  90 Days of God’s Goodness  and book  The Goodness of God . 

Photo: Pexels

What Do Secular Studies on Happiness Have in Common with the Bible?

The former chapel dean at Duke University tells about a recruiter coming from Teach For America, an organization that strives to place talented graduates as teachers in some of the lowest-rated public schools. She described the schools in the program and how two of their teachers were killed on the job in the past year. After surmising that none of the students would be interested, she closed the meeting, mentioning where students could find brochures.

Students rushed to grab the limited number of brochures, some literally fighting to get one. This story reveals something interesting about these students’ longing for meaning—they weren’t happy people willing to give up their happiness in exchange for noble service. Many were almost certainly unhappy people who were moved to do something great and fulfilling with their lives—something that wouldn’t take away happiness but bring it! Yes, they were considering turning their backs on safety, prestige, and affluence. But they had no plans to turn their backs on happiness.

Secular research confirms the benefits of happiness and the downsides of unhappiness. It also shows that there are steps we can take to raise our level of happiness, including our need for adventure and fulfillment. When scientific studies confirm the observations of the wise and are in harmony with Scripture, they’re worth noting.

Research repeatedly parallels biblical principles.

In the late 1990s, Martin Seligman, the president of the American Psychological Association, noted psychology’s emphasis on the negative side of life, including depression and anxiety, while ignoring the positive, including happiness and well-being. His observation spurred new research and hundreds of articles on happiness.

For instance, modern happiness studies demonstrate that wealth, success, power, and popularity are not predictors of happiness. People who choose gratitude and engage in respectful, others-centered relationships are happier than those who are self-focused and driven by feelings of entitlement.

With their talk of being thankful, serving others, and giving generously of time and money—accompanied by the assurance that money, sex, and power won’t buy happiness— progressive secular psychologists sound remarkably like old-fashioned preachers!

Consider the results of a Duke University study that concluded happiness is fostered by eight factors:

Avoiding suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness.
Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads to depression.
Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions that can’t be changed. People are happier when they cooperate with life instead of trying to run from it.
Staying involved with the living world. Happiness increases when people resist the temptation to become reclusive during periods of emotional stress.
Refusing to indulge in self-pity when handed a raw deal. It’s easier for people to achieve happiness when they accept the fact that nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune.
Cultivating old-fashioned virtues—love, humor, compassion, and loyalty.
Not expecting too much of oneself. When there is too wide a gap between self-expectation and a person’s ability to meet the goals he or she has set, feelings of inadequacy are inevitable.
Finding something bigger to believe in. Self-centered, egotistical people score lowest in any test for measuring happiness.

While reading this study, I found myself writing Bible verses in the margins, summarizing the findings: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39), “Give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), “[Forgive] each other . . . as the Lord has forgiven you” (Colossians 3:13).

Compare this list point by point to the study’s eight-part conclusion:

Jesus, on not holding grudges: “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mark 11:25).
The apostle Paul embraced not living in the past: “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Jesus instructed us not to worry about things we can’t change: “Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. . . . Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” (Matthew 6:25, 27).
Solomon spoke of the importance of engaging in human relationships: “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).
Paul knew that contentment is the antidote to self-pity: “I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need” (Philippians 4:11-12).
The list of virtues described by secular psychologists looks very similar to this one: “Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love” (2 Peter 1:5-7).
We’re reminded of our limitations and need of mercy and grace: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Jesus said we should focus on what’s bigger than ourselves: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Furthermore, we are better off with others-centered humility than self-centered arrogance: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (Philippians 2:3, NIV).

Only the cross can bridge the gulf between modern psychology and true happiness in God.

Secular studies, naturally, say nothing about our need to know and love the God of the Bible. Without a personal relationship with God, we won’t enjoy true peace and happiness.

A naturalistic worldview that embraces randomness, ultimate meaninglessness, and survival of the fittest doesn’t lend itself to happiness.

Psychologists and self-help books offer proven methods for increasing a subjective sense of happiness. However, without faith in Christ and the indwelling Spirit as an agent of change, we’re left without a solid foundation for happiness. A self-achieved, tolerable happiness can anesthetize us into becoming mere sin managers, distancing us from our desperate need for God. Even when this strategy appears sufficient for now, it can’t survive the Day of Judgment.

The problem of how to reconcile evil people with a God who hates evil calls for no less than the greatest solution ever devised—one so radical it appears foolish to the sophisticated—and that is the cross of Christ.

Psychologist David Powlison says, “Don’t ever degenerate into giving good advice unconnected with the good news of Jesus crucified, alive, present, at work, and returning.” Good advice is always better than bad advice. Yet those trapped in a burning building need more than advice—they need good news coupled with practical action. People who are Hell bound need someone who will brave the searing flames, usher them from sin’s destruction, into everlasting happiness.

Our desire for happiness points to our need for Christ.

The human deficiency of both holiness and happiness points to our separation from God. The prospect of happiness, peace, and contentment can lead people toward a need that’s beneath the surface and less obvious to them: holiness.

J. C. Ryle said something as true today as when he wrote it in the 1800s: “A merry heart, and a readiness to take part in all innocent mirth, are gifts of inestimable value. They go far to soften prejudices, to take stumbling-blocks out of the way, and to make way for Christ and the Gospel.”

This doesn’t mean the Christian life will be smooth or easy. God promises, We’re told not to be surprised when we face great difficulties (see 1 Peter 4:12).

Yet many of the same passages that promise suffering also offer joy (see James 1:2-3). Jesus says, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NKJV).

Though people don’t intuitively realize their desperate need for atonement and redemption, they do instinctively know that they want to be happy—and they are troubled when they aren’t. Happiness, then, is a bridge we can cross to present the gospel.

To dive more deeply into happiness, see Randy’s big book Happiness , which this blog is adapted from, or the devotional book 60 Days of Happiness .

Photo: Pexels

 

God’s Purposes Prevail in Both Good News and Bad News

Note from Randy: Here is another gem from Nanci’s journal she kept during her cancer years. She wrote this while anticipating some bad news about her health, and about our dog, Maggie.

When someone survives an accident or gets a negative biopsy report, we sigh in relief and say, “God is good.” We’re right to give heartfelt thanks. But God remains just as good if the person dies or the biopsy report brings bad news. God is good even when we can’t see it.

Both Scripture and human experience testify to the surprising good God can bring out of evil and suffering. God calls upon us to trust Him, that He will work all evil and suffering in our lives for good. We can learn to trust God in the worst of circumstances, even for what we cannot currently see—indeed, that is the very nature of biblical faith (see Hebrews 11:8, 13, 27, 32–39).

As Nanci reminds us, God’s purposes will prevail in our lives, whatever we face.

“He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in Yahweh” (Psalm 112:7).

This morning, I absolutely marvel at the mercy of my God for me in placing this verse and the following commentary of Spurgeon in my devotional book on this day.

In an hour and a half, I am taking Maggie to the vet to check on a lump she has on her spine. I may get some bad news about my dog. [Note from Randy: It was indeed bad news; Maggie was diagnosed with a terminal cancer.] And later today I will receive news from the tumor board about their assessment of my condition and their recommendation for my treatment. I could get some very bad news about my prognosis or the need for harsh and difficult treatments.

What is bad news? How can I not be afraid of it? Trust in Yahweh is yielding to His plan, His news. Whatever news I get today—though it may be “bad”—is not something to be feared if my heart is firmly trusting in God.

God causes all things—even “bad news”—to work together for my good because I love Him and am called by His purpose.

God’s purpose will prevail. God works with good news as well as bad news.

He is with me in all things—“good” and “bad.”

Spurgeon wrote:

Suspense is dreadful…Faith is the cure for this condition of sadness. The Lord by his Spirit settles the mind in holy tranquility, and all fear is gone for the future as well as for the present. The firmness of heart of which the psalmist speaks is to be diligently sought.

It is not believing this or that promise of the Lord, but the general condition of unstinting trust in our God. It is the confidence which we have that he himself will not harm us, nor will he let anyone else harm us. This constant confidence meets the unknown things of life as well as the known things. Let tomorrow be what it may, our God is the God of tomorrow. Whatever events may have happened, which to us are unknown, our Lord is God of the unknown as well as the known. We are determined to trust the Lord, come what may. If the very worst should happen, our God is still the greatest and best, therefore we will not fear…The Lord lives, and what can his children fear? —Charles Spurgeon (Faith’s Checkbook devotion for February 27)

I would not trade my cancer journey for anything because of the growth in my love, adoration, and trust in my God.

Photo: Unsplash

Will We Ever Disagree in Heaven?

Because we’re finite and unique and because we’ll never know everything, we may not agree about everything in Heaven. We’ll agree on innumerable matters and wonder how we ever thought otherwise. But we’ll still likely have different tastes in food and clothes and music and thousands of other things. We will have discussions, perhaps even debates, about things we won’t yet understand. Of course, there will be no personal attacks, no ill-informed biases, and no prideful refusal to grant a valid point.

Some of us will have insights others don’t. Some will have a better understanding in one area, others in a different area. Our beliefs can be accurate but incomplete, since we’ll not be omniscient. Adam was without sin, yet he needed more than himself. Even before sin, surely he and Eve brought different perspectives. Not all disagreement is rooted in sin.

The companionship of other finite beings involves discussion and dialogue, which creates progress through synergy. That synergy involves differences and even disagreements. Could Michael and Gabriel, two sinless beings, have different opinions on a military strategy? Could they think differently enough to disagree? Why not?

C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and other friends in their group called The Inklings often argued ideas with each other. On the New Earth, could Jonathan Edwards, G. K. Chesterton, Francis Schaeffer, Charles Spurgeon, and John Wesley agree on 90 percent of the issues, yet still challenge one another’s ideas in what’s still unknown to them, stimulating each other to a greater understanding? Could they even say, “Let’s think and talk to the King, approach an angel or two, bounce our ideas off Paul, Luther, and Augustine, and then meet again and share what we’ve learned”?

Even though Christ’s insights would be absolutely accurate, that doesn’t mean we’ll always fully understand them. God has made us learners. That’s part of being finite.

If we will always and automatically see all things alike, then why will there be rulers and judges on the New Earth? In a perfect world, why would there be a need for authority? Because that’s the way God has made us. He’s the ultimate authority, but He delegates authority to mankind. It’s not sin that necessitates authority; it’s simply God’s design, existing first within His triune being (John8:28). Since we’re told that we’ll judge angels, will there be disagreements to pass judgment on? If sinless people see differently, might they still need wise counsel?

Uniqueness and differences existed before sin and will exist after it. Only God has infinite wisdom and knowledge. We should expect some differences in perspective, but we should also expect an ability to resolve them without rancor or bruised egos. Imagine the ability to question and challenge without any malice and to be questioned and challenged without a hint of defensiveness.

Wouldn’t that be Heaven?

Browse more resources on the topic of Heaven, and see Randy’s related books, including  Heaven .

Photo: Pexels

Christ’s Gentleness Makes Him Great

Note from Randy: One of our challenges is to look at the complete Jesus revealed in Scripture. We dare not remake Him in our image, reducing Him only to our favorite attribute, love. By seeing Him in His holiness and love, His truth and His grace, we’ll learn to see the fullness of His beauty. Gentleness is also part of His character, but we dare not mistake that gentleness for weakness.

C.I. Scofield said, “There is in the Lord Jesus a perfect evenness of various perfections. All the elements of perfect character are in lovely balance. His gentleness is never weak. His courage is never harsh.” And Thomas Watson wrote, “Jesus Christ is tender without being weak, strong without being coarse, lowly without being servile.”

Hope you enjoy this article from Desiring God’s David Mathis on King David’s strength shown through gentleness, and how that reflects the perfect gentle strength of our Savior.   

Gentleness Made Him Great: Learning from the Strongest of Men

By David Mathis

We felt safe with Seth.

I was 16 years old, in tenth grade — right in the middle of those promising and perilous teenage years — when he came to our church as the new youth minister. I was surrounded by the pressures and confusion of adolescence, and yet Seth Buckley brought a clarifying, stabilizing presence. He embodied mature Christian manhood, with both strength and gentleness.

None could question his physical strength. He had played linebacker at Alabama, and he could squat and bench far more than any of us high-school athletes. Yet he played the guitar and sang solos. And his tender heart for Jesus, and teenagers, came through, often with tears, in heartfelt rehearsals of the gospel every Wednesday night.

The reason we felt safe with Seth wasn’t because he was weak. He emphatically was not. He was strong — both physically and emotionally. And he was gentle. That is, he knew how to use his strength to life-giving ends. To the gift of his strength, he had added the virtue of gentleness.

Neither effeminate nor brutish, neither soft nor violent, Seth modeled for us teenaged men-in-training the kind of men we wanted to be deep down — the kind of men the gospel produces over time. In this way, knowing Seth helps me imagine what it may have been like to know King David.

Expert in War

We might remember David as “the sweet psalmist of Israel” (2 Samuel 23:1) and forget he was first a fearless, strong, and skilled man of war. But a striking scene at the end of his life gives a fuller picture of David than the simple singer-songwriter. When David’s son Absalom rebels against his father, marches on Jerusalem, and sends David momentarily retreating, David’s friend Hushai plays loyal to Absalom in order to defeat the rebel counsel. As he makes his case (which carries the day), he characterizes David, in terms that all agreed with:

You know that your father and his men are mighty men, and that they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is expert in war. (2 Samuel 17:8)

Not just his men, but David himself is mighty — and expert in war. And this wasn’t new. When we first meet David (even before Goliath), he is introduced as “a man of valor, a man of war”:

Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him. (1 Samuel 16:18)

In the following chapter, the Goliath account, we learn that David has already killed lions and bears (1 Samuel 17:34–36). He has the courage to face the giant, and the skill to conquer him. And though still a youth, David is strong enough to take Goliath’s massive sword, draw it from its sheath, and take off the giant’s head (1 Samuel 17:51). Soon the imposing Saul, who stood head and shoulders above the rest, would hear his people singing of David’s strength: “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7).

What Made Him Great?

Psalm 18, which David wrote in praise of God’s lifelong deliverance, celebrates the physical strength and ability that God had given and honed in his anointed. David “can run against a troop” and “leap over a wall” (Psalm 18:29); he says that God “equipped me with strength” (Psalm 18:39) and “made my feet like the feet of a deer” (Psalm 18:33). God “trains my hands for war,” making his arms strong enough to “bend a bow of bronze” (Psalm 18:34). And yet, right here, in mention after mention of his human strength, David celebrates the surpassing quality of gentleness. Strength and skill may have made him a good warrior and king, but “Your gentleness,” he says to God, “made me great” (Psalm 18:35).

Strength, valor, and experience made David “expert in war,” but it was God’s own gentleness (which David learned firsthand) that made David great. Not only had the omnipotent God been gentle with his Anointed, in his finitude and many failings, but God’s gentleness had come to characterize David’s own leadership. As Derek Kidner comments, “While it was the gentleness God exercised that allowed David his success, it was the gentleness God taught him that was his true greatness” (Psalms, 95).

Where do we see this greatness? When did David add the surpassing virtue of gentleness to the valuable ability of his strength? Psalm 18 appears in 2 Samuel 22 at the culmination of the book, and two key mentions of David’s gentleness earlier in the story set up this climactic line and lesson.

Gentle with an Enemy

After the death of Saul, David’s commander, Joab, avenges the personal loss of his own brother. Saul’s commander, Abner, had struck down Joab’s brother, Asahel, after he had pursued Abner after battle. Abner had warned him to turn aside, and Asahel would not, and Abner struck him in the stomach. “A long war between the house of Saul and the house of David” followed, with David growing “stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker” (2 Samuel 3:1).

In time, Abner sought peace with David and delivered the rest of the kingdom to David. They feasted together, and David sent Abner away in peace. But Joab then drew Abner aside (under the pretense of peace) “to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother” (2 Samuel 3:27). The contrast between David and Joab is stark and pronounced. Both can be fearsome in battle. Both are strong, brave, and experts of war. But Joab, while an asset in war, is a liability in peace.

Joab’s unrighteous killing of Abner threatens the consolidation of the nation under David’s rule. So, David publicly mourns the death of Abner so that “all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s will to put to death Abner” (2 Samuel 3:37). David speaks to his servants to make clear his differences from Joab, the son of Zeruiah:

Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? And I was gentle today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. The Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness! (2 Samuel 3:38–39)

Gentle with a Traitor

Second, near the end of David’s reign, when Absalom has rebelled against him, David sends Joab and the army out against Absalom, but with specific instructions. In keeping with his pattern of exercising strength, and adding to it the virtue of gentleness, David orders Joab, in the presence of many witnesses, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom” (2 Samuel 18:5).

Some commentators see weakness and indiscretion in David at this point; others see the gentleness that made him great. Peter Leithart comments,

These instructions were consistent with David’s treatment of all his enemies; he had treated Saul well, and just recently he had restrained Abishai from cutting down Shimei. He knew what Joab was capable of, and he wanted all his men to know that he treated enemies with kindness and compassion. David’s behavior again provided an Old Testament illustration of Jesus’s teaching about loving enemies. (A Son to Me, 278)

Joab, of course, defies David’s will and kills Absalom, again accenting the difference between the two men. Both are strong, but only one is great — and that through his gentleness.

Joab is the one-dimensional man of war — strong, tenacious, courageous in battle, a hero in combat. Yet his manhood is immature and incomplete. A liability at home and in peacetime, Joab is unable to cushion his strength and control his tenacity.

David, on the other hand, in masculine maturity, has learned gentleness and can thrive in all contexts. His abilities are multidimensional. He can lead a nation, not only an army. Both strong and gentle, he knows when to wield his strength and when, with admirable restraint, to walk in gentleness.

High and Exalted, Gentle and Lowly

In showing teenaged boys the strength and gentleness of mature masculinity, Seth showed us far more than the greatness of King David. While Psalm 18 gives tribute to God’s work in and through David, there is much in the psalm, writes John Calvin, that “agrees better with Christ” than with David.

When the apostle John, on the isle of Patmos, caught his glimpses of the glory of Christ, he witnessed the paragon of mature masculinity, complete in power and grace. In Jesus, he saw not only man but “the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). “His voice was like the roar of many waters,” and his face “like the sun shining in full strength” (Revelation 1:15–16). Later John would see this Lion of a man, sitting on a white horse, as the one who “judges and makes war” (Revelation 19:11).

From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. (Revelation 19:15)

Yet when the apostle looked between the angels and the throne of heaven, he “saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6). A lamb-like Lion, and lion-like Lamb, awe-inspiring in his majestic strength, and yet seen to be truly great as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of his people.

Jesus’s gentleness cushions the application of his great power as he marshals it in the service of his weak people. Do not mistake his gentleness for weakness. Gentle is not code for weak. Gentleness is not the absence of strength but the addition of virtue to strength — in men like Seth, King David, and most admirably of all, the Son of God himself.

The article originally appeared on Desiring God , and is used with permission of the author.

Photo: Unsplash

Why Does a Biblical Theology of Suffering Matter?

How we think about suffering will radically affect how we see God and the world around us. If you believe God should always bless you and your loved ones with material abundance and good health, you are setting yourself up to lose your faith. Actually, you should lose that faith, because it’s false. Replace it with true biblical faith.

Trials are an opportunity to jettison false ideas about God and ground ourselves in who He reveals Himself to be in His Word. Only faith in the true God can pass, and even find strength in, the most formidable of life’s tests.

Suffering will come; we owe it to God, ourselves, and those around us to prepare for it.

I did a podcast episode with Davey Blackburn from Nothing Is Wasted Ministries, and one of the questions he asked me was, “Why is a proper theology so imperative to us being able to walk through pain and suffering?” (Davey has experienced much suffering himself; read his story here.)

Listen to or watch our entire conversation:

Randy’s book If God Is Good brings fresh, realistic, and biblical insight to the subject of suffering and evil. Also see his devotional 90 Days of God’s Goodness, book The Goodness of God, and booklet If God Is Good, Why Do We Hurt?, which deals with the question and shares the gospel so that both unbelievers and believers can benefit.

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Brock Purdy’s Faith and Family Are a Great Super Bowl Story

Nanci and I watched the Super Bowl together every year since we met in 1969. She loves Jesus, people, dogs, and football. And I think she would enjoy the videos of a strong Christian athlete and his family I’m linking to in this blog.

(No offense intended to fans of the Kansas City Chiefs, a great team and great organization that has its own share of believers. The Purdy story is simply unique in so many ways, and I found the inside glimpses of their family to be to be rare and refreshing.)

First, though, always beware of Super Bowl halftime shows, which are sometimes immoral and not what Christian families will want themselves or their children to watch. But also, during the game, keep your eyes open for two new “He Gets Us” ads. I know the primary family that is funding these. Believing that many false perceptions of Jesus are out there that turn people away, their goal is to “reintroduce people to the Jesus of the Bible.”[If you want to know more about these, see this article.

Now for a remarkable Christian family dimension at the center of the Super Bowl this week. 49er quarterback Brock Purdy has had a storybook beginning to his NFL career. He was the very last player chosen in the NFL draft two years ago, and that player is called “Mr. Irrelevant.” Except Purdy has been anything but irrelevant. He began his NFL rookie season, 2022-23, as the third-string quarterback of the 49ers. After injuries to both quarterbacks ahead of him, Brock took over as starter. Most people’s expectations were very low.  But he ended up winning all five regular-season games he started. He led his team to a division title and an NFC Championship Game appearance, in which he was injured and the 49ers lost.

Purdy continued as the 49ers’ starting quarterback in this year’s 2023 season, where he led them to a repeat division title and then to Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII. Brock led the league in several passing categories. And set the 49er’s all-time single season passing yards record. He also earned a Pro Bowl nomination.

I’ve chosen and linked to a number of videos below, some of them very short, that will give you what I consider to be a really unique and encouraging picture of Brock, his dad and mom, and sister and brother. Even if you’re not a football fan, I believe you will be encouraged by these.

Brock Purdy talks about his faith and coming from behind to win the 2024 NFC championship, 60 seconds:  

Brock Purdy talks about confessing sin and following Jesus, 60 seconds:

Purdy on faith and family at a Press Conference, 40 seconds:

Check out the Purdy Family (These are gold; if you love families, you will love these.)

Just two days ago, my friend Jason Romano of Sports Spectrum (a great magazine and podcast) interviewed Brock Purdy’s father Shawn about his son’s incredible journey to the Super Bowl, 30 minutes:  

Brock Purdy’s big sister and little brother talk about their parents and their brother starting in the Super Bowl, 7 minutes (the warmth of affection for family here is beautiful):

Brock Purdy’s mom, also interviewed by Jason Romano of Sports Spectrum (17 minutes and delightful):

Brock Purdy interviewed 11 months ago after his amazing first season with the 49ers:

Finally, here’s a classic Ray Comfort (one of the most unconventional and creative Christian leaders I’ve ever known) 20-minute gospel presentation woven together with Brock Purdy’s statements about Jesus. In it he shares the gospel and you get to hear people’s responses to his questions, as he leads them toward Jesus:

When One Day Your Present Life Is Forgotten on Earth, God Will Forever Remember and Care

Our lives are so brief, they may seem like pebbles dropped in a pond. They create ripples for a moment, tiny wrinkles that smooth out, then are gone forever. Abandoned tombstones with names no one remembers are stark reminders of our eventual anonymity in this world. What do you know about your great-grandparents? What will your great-grandchildren know about you?

Our brief stay here may appear insignificant, but if we spend our lives honoring Jesus and being generous, thereby storing up treasures in Heaven, our lives will have everlasting value. The Bible tells us that although others may not remember us or care what our lives here have been, God will remember perfectly, and He cares very much—so much that the door of eternity swings on the hinges of our present lives.

For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of Yahweh is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments. (Psalm 103:14-18)

Malachi 3:16-18 is a remarkable passage that tells us God documents the faithful deeds of His children on Earth: “Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. ‘They will be mine,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.’ “

God is proud of His people for fearing Him and honoring His name, and He promises that all will see the differences between those who serve Him and those who don’t. Those distinctions are preserved in this scroll in Heaven.

The king often had scribes record the deeds of his subjects so that he could remember and properly reward his subjects’ good deeds (Esther 6:1-11). While God needs no reminder, He makes a permanent record so that the entire universe will one day know His justification for rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked.

Other passages describe a scroll in Heaven. Jesus opens a great scroll (Revelation 5:1, 5), and an angel holds a little scroll (Revelation 10:2). The psalm writer David said, “Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll—are they not in your record?” (Psalm 56:8). He asked that his tears be kept in Heaven’s permanent record.

There’s no hint that God will destroy any or all of the books and scrolls presently in Heaven. It’s likely that these records of the faithful works of God’s people on Earth will be periodically read throughout the ages.

The books contain detailed historical records of all of our lives on this earth. Each of us is part of these records. Obscure events, words heard by only a handful of people, will be known. Your acts of faithfulness and kindness that no one else knows are well-known by God. He is documenting them in his books. He will reward you for them in Heaven.

How many times have we done small acts of kindness on Earth without realizing the effects? How many times have we shared Christ with people we thought didn’t take it to heart but who years later came to Jesus partly because of the seeds we planted? How many times have we spoken up for unborn children and seen no result, but as a result someone chose not to have an abortion and saved a child’s life? How many dishes have been washed and diapers changed and crying children sung to in the middle of the night, when we couldn’t see the impact of the love we showed? And how many times have we seen no response, but God was still pleased by our efforts?

God is watching. He is keeping track. In Heaven, He’ll reward us for our acts of faithfulness to Him, right down to every cup of cold water we’ve given to the needy in His name (Mark 9:41). And He’s making a permanent record in Heaven’s books.

Browse more resources on the topic of Heaven, and see Randy’s related books, including  Heaven .

Photo: Pexels

Your Shepherd’s Lovingkindness Pursues You

Psalm 23 was the first passage I memorized as a brand-new Christian, at age 15. I remember loving those words. I am amazed at how much more they mean to me now because of the suffering and grief I have both witnessed and experienced since then:

1 Yahweh is my shepherd,

I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside quiet waters.

3 He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name’s sake.

4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil, for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You have anointed my head with oil;

My cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and lovingkindness will pursue me all the days of my life,

And I will dwell in the house of Yahweh forever.  (LSB)

Most of us are accustomed to translations of verse 6 that say God’s goodness and mercy will “follow” us, but the Hebrew here is stronger. It is the same word used of pursuing a chariot and a fleeing army in battle (Judges 4:16). Yes, the pursuer is following, but with a high degree of intensity. God’s goodness and lovingkindness won’t simply amble along behind us; they pursue and catch us. Don’t you want to be caught by God’s goodness, love, and kindness?

Just as the psalm starts with Yahweh (the personal name of God, often translated with all caps LORD), it ends with Him. Yahweh is our shepherd, and that same Yahweh is the one whose place we will live in forever. What beautiful bookends to a priceless song.

During her cancer years, Nanci wrote a prayer based on Psalm 23. It has spoken to me over the last five years, and I hope it speaks to you too, as you reflect on your heavenly Shepherd and the ways He leads and cares for you through every circumstance:

Please, Shepherd of my life,

Cause me to want nothing more than to have you as my Shepherd.

Reveal to me that the pastures and waters to which you lead me are green and still—because you are there!

Enable my heart to receive the restoration of my soul by your Holy Spirit.

Renew my conviction that, for your name’s sake, righteousness is the direction of every path you have for me.  

May your Holy Spirit—the Comforter—banish all fear of evil as I walk through this valley—because you are with me!

Open my eyes and my ears to the protection and comfort of your rod and staff.

Help me experience the table you have prepared for me in the presence of my suffering.

Don’t let me overlook—or fail to ask for—your every healing drop of oil on my head.

Keep my perspective on my daily overflowing cup of your goodness and mercy.

Direct my longing toward my place with you in your house, forever!

Finally, I recently listened to Phil Wickham’s rendition of Psalm 23. This is so beautiful:

Photo: Pexels

Three Lessons from Joni Eareckson Tada on Resilient Joy in Pain

Note from Randy:  I have the greatest appreciation and respect for Joni Eareckson Tada. With her warm-hearted exaltation of God’s sovereign love, she has profoundly impacted my life and Nanci’s life, along with that of countless others. She’s a living example of Psalm 119:71, which says: “My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees.”

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

(Joni was recently on Alisa Childers’s podcast, talking about her new book Practicing the Presence of Jesus and the nearness of Christ in 50 years of suffering. It’s a touching interview.)

I Sing My Way Through Pain: Three Lessons in Resilient Joy

Joy is found in the strangest places. Take this parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44). When we read this, we may assume the field is attractive, something we would love to purchase anyway: a sun-drenched meadow dappled with wildflowers, or a garden plot with rich soil ready for tilling.

But life is not like that. We can see the field in this parable as representing what God would have us embrace for the sake of our joy. His lot for you may not be attractive; it may resemble a sandlot with broken bottles, rusty oil cans, and old tires scattered around. It may be a bleak field, with nothing about it even hinting of wealth.

Until you discover it hides a treasure. Then the scrap of hard dirt and weeds suddenly brims with possibilities. Once you know great riches are concealed there, you’re ready to sell everything to buy it. It’s what happened to me.

Striking Gold

Early on in my paralysis — and almost by accident — I unearthed an unexpected treasure. I opened the word of God and discovered a mine shaft. I dug my paralyzed fingers into a weight of incomprehensible glory, a sweetness with Jesus that made my paralysis pale in comparison.

In my great joy, I went out and sold everything, trading in my resentment and self-pity to buy the ugly field nobody else would want. And I struck gold.

After decades of using the pick and shovel of prayer and Scripture, my field has yielded the riches of the kingdom of heaven. I have found a God who is thunderous, full-throttled joy spilling over. His Son swims in his own bottomless ocean of elation, and he is positively, absolutely driven to share it with us. Why? As he puts it, “[so] that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). Jesus is after nothing less than our full joy.

But deep in the bedrock of Scripture, my shovel hit something hard and unyielding. God is nobody’s water boy. As the solemn Monarch of everything and everyone, he shares his joy on his own terms. And those terms call for us to suffer — and to suffer, in some measure, as his beloved Son did when he walked on earth (2 Timothy 2:12).

Rejoice in Hope

No one understands the relationship between joy and suffering better than the Son of Man. My God became human, his love insisting that I not be alone in my struggles. When I hurt, he knows. But Jesus does not merely sympathize with me; he’s done something about it. Through his death and resurrection, he has freed me from sin’s power and, in part, from the suffering that results from it. And he will free me fully in the age to come.

That coming age is my joyous hope! It’s hope that sees Jesus on his throne with his kingdom filling every corner of the cosmos. Hope that envisions sorrow and sighing erased from the face of the universe. Hope that eagerly awaits the moment when pain and tears will be banished and evil punished.

But that hope — the better country of Hebrews 11:16 — is still in the future. I’ve likely got miles to go before I sleep, and it’s getting harder to adjust to the harsh encroachments of older age and increasing pain. I could easily throw down my pick and shovel, collapse by the edge of my ugly field, and say, “God, I am so tired of this. Please, no more.”

So I stoke my hope. I am heartened by my precious Savior and the way he endured unthinkable suffering for the joy set before him. I follow him, parking my wheelchair on Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Now, it’s easy to see why God commands us to be constant in prayer, for it can be a struggle to pray when you’re suffering. And we understand why God commands us to be patient in tribulation, for it’s hard to muster patience when you’re in misery.

But it’s really hard to rejoice in hope — hope can feel so far off, vague, and nebulous. Yet God commands it. For if Jesus laid aside his robes to put on the enormous indignity of human birth for our sake, then his Father has the right to command our joy. He has the prerogative to call forth in us a happiness that’s commensurate with his Son’s sacrifice. We are to cultivate a joy that’s worthy of Jesus, our Blessed Hope (Titus 2:13).

Rejoice in Suffering

“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3). I cultivate a habit of welcoming trials because it produces perseverance that results in godly character — the kind of character that easily grasps the appeal of Christ’s loveliness and yearns to see his magnificent denouement with his kingdom completed. This marvelous hope is enlarged every time I choose joy in my afflictions.

Hope then no longer seems far off, but very near. Not vague and nebulous, but concrete and real. Hope fills my vision with Jesus, making my pain seem light and momentary compared to the glory to be revealed. So when suffering begins to wither my resolve, I stoke my hope by taking several steps.

I sing my way through suffering. Whenever I feel downcast, I ask a few friends to pray, and then I worship Jesus with robust hymns filled with solid doctrine. Hymns that focus on the worthiness of Christ have enough spiritual muscle to barge into my discouraged soul and shake awake a hopeful response. When my weak mind is too foggy to put two sentences together in prayer, my heart defaults to hymns I’ve memorized, like “Crown Him with Many Crowns”:

Awake, my soul, and sing
     Of him who died for thee,
And hail him as thy matchless King
     Through all eternity!

I busy my heart with good things. I’m no fan of television. If a story does not convey moral virtue or truth that points to God, it will dull my heart before the first commercial. Why yield the precious real estate of my brain to that which flattens my spirit? Instead, I busy my heart with good books and videos, art, memorizing Scripture and poetry, and pursuing uplifting friendships that nourish my soul. “It is entirely fitting that our hearts should be set on God when the heart of God is so much set on us,” wrote Richard Baxter. “If God does not have our hearts, who or what will have them?” (The Saints’ Everlasting Rest, 102–3). When suffering overwhelms me, I crowd my heart with Christ.

I serve others who hurt worse than I do. There are always people in worse shape than I am, and my job is to go find them and encourage them in Christ. It’s what Jesus did in his last hours on the cross. In spite of his unfathomable pain, he looked out for the interests of his mother and the thief next to him, and he even pronounced forgiveness on the brutal men who tortured him (John 19:26–27; Luke 23:34, 43). I want to serve like Jesus in the same manner, so I invest my time in Joni and Friends and minister to the world’s families that struggle with disability. It’s always better — and more joyful — to give them relief than for me to receive it.

Resilient Joy

As we rejoice in our suffering, we experience a joy that’s otherworldly. It never asks, “How much more can I take?” but readily adapts to difficult situations with enough elasticity to spring back into shape if disappointed. Resilient joy makes hope come alive, so much so that we can be “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10). I can be enjoying a glorious symphony or watching a breathtaking sunset, delighting in my backyard roses, or thanking God for his awesome creation, and still, there will be an accompanying sorrow. Part of my sorrow is related to my paralysis and pain, which never goes away; the other part is a heart-wrenching awareness that my crucified Lord gave his life so that I might enjoy the beauties of this world.

Suffering has made me hypersensitive to God’s joys. Such joy is an emotion and a fruit of the Spirit — it is deep and profound, yet tickles at the edges with an almost giddy delight over the prospects of its heavenly hope.

This sort of hard-fought-for joy swells Christ’s heart with gladness. The day is drawing near when Jesus will completely free us from all sin and suffering and present us “before the presence of his glory and with great joy” (Jude 1:24). And when joy becomes a way of life in your suffering, you prove the exceeding worthiness of Christ, which, in turn, will increase his joy in presenting you before the Father. I do not want to diminish that wonderful moment in any way. So joy is not an option. It is commanded for the sake of Christ.

That crowning day is drawing close for this aging quadriplegic. There’s no time to waste. So, it’s back to my sandlot of broken bottles and weeds with my pick and shovel. Back to the bleak field of pain and paralysis, for which no one would even put up collateral. From the beginning, God had set his eye on that ugly field for me, and I couldn’t be more grateful. And I certainly couldn’t be more joyful.

This article originally appeared on Desiring God , and is used with permission of the author.

Photo: Unsplash