Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 30

Kirk Cousins, Focus on the Family, and How God Uses Opposition to Spread the Truth

Kirk Cousins, quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, and former QB of the Washington Redskins, is a faithful and Christ-centered brother. We’ve gotten to know each other well over the last seven years, seeing each other once or twice a year and often texting. Several years back Nanci and I spent three days with Kirk and his wonderful wife Julie in their home and saw up close their hearts and character. (Here’s a Q&A I did with Kirk on Heaven, happiness, and generosity.) Those who have seen the Netflix series “Quarterback” know why so many viewers came to deeply appreciate and respect the Cousins. The family’s Christian faith was clear, and many reviewers, including no doubt some unbelievers, singled out Kirk as their favorite of the three QBs featured.

Despite the fact that those who know him personally realize he is a caring and loving person, Kirk has received heavy criticism recently from LGBQT advocates for simply appearing on a Focus on the Family program, even though he said nothing whatsoever about LGBQT issues. One article begins, “Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is under fire from angry fans after he sat down with Focus on the Family, an anti-LGBTQ+ hate group, for a conversation about faith and marriage.” It says,

Cousins engaged in a discussion with Focus on the Family's Chief Operating Officer Ken Windebank. The conversation revolved around Cousins' faith and the significance of marriage. Notably, Focus on the Family espouses fundamentalist Christian beliefs, including anti-LGBTQ+ stances and support for conversion therapy, among other contentious positions. During the half-hour dialogue, Cousins didn't explicitly delve into LGBTQ+ matters. Still, his alignment with Focus on the Family's values becomes apparent through his rhetoric.

After I shared the article with our EPM staff, my assistant Amy Woodard responded with these thoughts, which I really appreciated:

It’s too bad Kirk is receiving this unfair criticism (and Focus on the Family too!). But what made me chuckle is that the article quoted the statements (below) trying to discredit him, but all it does is share God’s truth with their audience! Then at the end of the article, it links to the entire 34-minute video with FOTF where they can watch and listen to Kirk talk about what it means to trust God and walk with Him.

It reminds me of Philippians 1 where Paul is in jail and says that God is using it to advance the gospel, since the whole palace guard knows why he is there, and it’s giving people confidence to proclaim the gospel even more. Verse 17-18 says, “The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I in chains, but what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

It’s not fun to be unfairly criticized and misrepresented, but I hope Kirk is encouraged that without intending to, even his critics have helped spread his message, including biblical truth about the family and the good news about Jesus. The article said the following about Kirk, then quoted his biblically based words (see Galatians 6:7-8).

He shared thoughts on the consequences of life choices, echoing a belief in reaping outcomes based on actions taken:

"There are consequences to the choices you make in life. Good or bad. And if you sow good things you’ll reap good things. But if you sow poor decisions, you’ll reap poor decisions."

And at another point, he addressed his discomfort with how culture has drifted away from matters of faith, referencing one of his mentors within the organization:

“He challenged us to understand that that meant following Jesus, even if it cost you something. So if culture goes this way and Jesus went this way, even if it cost you something. I’m going to be a fully devoted follower, even if it costs me something."

"I’m going to trust Him and build my life on His truth."

Randy again: Seriously, isn’t this exactly what you would want readers of that website to hear?

Here’s the full video of Kirk sharing what it means to live as an ambassador for Christ:

Consider how these passages relate to the adversarial statements about Kirk Cousins and Focus on the Family, and how they apply to our own lives in light of God’s sovereignty and hidden purposes:

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).

“You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done…” (Genesis 50:20).

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

 “The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths” (Psalm 135:6).

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

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Thousands of Years Before Bethlehem

Note from Randy: Pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie has a new advent devotional out called Heaven’s Light Breaking. He shares wisdom, Scripture, and prayers to help you connect with God and find hope and peace amid the holiday rush.

Greg writes, “God entered our world. He walked in our shoes, lived our life, and died our death. God came near. I pray He comes near to you this Christmas season and that this book might play a small part.” I hope you enjoy this introduction from Heaven’s Light Breaking.

“My King who is alive from everlasting ages past!”

Micah 5:2, TLB

Have you noticed it? Behind the scenes, many of today’s scientists, historians, and educators have been working overtime trying to remove the familiar calendar designations of “BC” and “AD.”

It’s a small, subtle thing, of course.

But it has worlds of significance.

As we all know, BC means “Before Christ.” And AD stands for “Anno Domini,” a Latin term meaning “Year of Our Lord.” According to one keen observer, “The change was made to mask the Christian basis for the dating system, in a bid to accommodate non-Christians and maintain political correctness.”  Now you are seeing BCE, which means “Before Common Era,” and CE, which means “Common Era.”

To put it plainly, some people want to remove Jesus—or any hint or trace of Him—from our calendars and textbooks and culture. They don’t want to be reminded of His name. They don’t want to admit that He was born of a virgin mother in a stable in Bethlehem. They don’t want to acknowledge that He walked this earth, died on a cross, and rose from the grave. They don’t want to be reminded that Jesus changed history. They don’t want to admit the truth that for 2,000 years our calendars have hinged on the day of His birth.

That hinge is Christmas.

When the Son of God was born to Mary in Bethlehem of Judea, everything changed. Through time and eternity, nothing would or could ever be the same.

Christmas changed everything.

Christ changes everything—and all the politically correct scholars and “woke” writers in all the newsrooms and universities of the world can’t change that truth. It is the hinge of history. When God Himself entered the world in human form, when the great Creator of the universe became a baby boy, planet Earth was transformed forever. And so were we.

Jesus, of course, did not begin life when He was conceived in Mary’s womb or when He was born in that humble animal shelter. He has always existed as the Son of God, the third Person of the Trinity.

The real story of Christmas goes way, way back before Bethlehem, before Mary and Joseph, before the shepherds and wise men and innkeepers and King Herod and all of the people who played a part on that best of all nights 2,000 years ago.

How could that be? How could there be a Christmas story before Jesus came?

The answer is simply this: The story of Christmas is actually an integral part of an even greater story that goes all the way back to the beginning. It is the story of our redemption.

God had a plan to save humanity before it ever fell away from Him. God had a plan to offer salvation to you and to me before we ever saw the light of day.

Jesus knew you BC.

Think about that for a minute or two. He loved you thousands of years before Bethlehem. David the psalmist exclaimed, “You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book! How precious it is, Lord, to realize that you are thinking about me constantly! I can’t even count how many times a day your thoughts turn toward me” (Psalm 139:16-18, TLB).

Yes, at the right moment the Lord came to us, born on a back street in the backwater town of Bethlehem. As it says in the book of Galatians: “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4, NKJV). A better translation would be: “When the time was just right, God sent His Son…”

That is where He began life on earth, as the God-Man. This is where He first drew His lungs full of the air He had created. But the life of the Son of God goes back to the beginning of the beginning of the beginning. And before that! Speaking over seven centuries before the Lord’s birth, the prophet Micah wrote these words:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,

Though you are small among the clans of Judah,

Out of you will come for me

One who will be ruler over Israel,

Whose origins are from of old,

From ancient times.”

(Micah 5:2, NIV)

“Origins from of old!” Another translation captures it like this: “O Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are but a small Judean village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from everlasting ages past!”

The truth is, Jesus knew you and loved you before you were you.

Before your parents met.

Before your parents’ parents’ parents met.

Before our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence.

Before Columbus set out from Spain.

Before Bethlehem.

Before Adam and Eve drew a breath.

Before the first star caught fire in the vault of space.

Before all Creation.

Never, never imagine that your life is random or without meaning. How could it be, when the Lord and Creator of the universe has loved you a million years before you were born.

Excerpted from Heaven’s Light Breaking: A 25-Day Advent Devotional .

Photo: Unsplash

Why Love Is Love Doesn’t Square with Scripture

Note from Randy: Rosaria Butterfield is an author, pastor’s wife, homeschool mom, and former professor of English and women’s studies at Syracuse University. This sister in Christ was previously, in her words, “a queer activist.”  God has done a remarkable work in her life, and Rosaria has become a wonderful communicator who doesn't shy away from tough topics.

Rosaria is the author of The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert; Openness Unhindered; and The Gospel Comes with a House Key. Her new book is Five Lies of Our Anti-Christian Age, and she addresses the propaganda modern culture has embraced about sexuality and spirituality, using the word of God to help illuminate each topic.  (You might like to watch her interview with Kevin DeYoung, going through each of the lies.)

I listened to the audio version of this book, and I can’t tell you how encouraging it was for me to hear Rosaria read it and to hear the inflections of her voice. It made it feel very personal. Whether or not you listen to many audiobooks I’d highly recommend that you do so with this one. Though I have not yet met Rosaria face-to-face, when I do meet her one day, I will tell her how deeply I appreciate her heartfelt love for Jesus and her boldness in standing for His truth. God bless you, precious sister.

Unpacking “Love Is Love”
A Rallying Cry for a Movement

I started seeing the slogan “Love is love” pop up everywhere in 2014.

Pithy and practical, the slogan humanized the LGBTQ+ experience. It steadied all gospel discussions of homosexuality on common grace, not saving faith. No dying to self, renouncing sin, or battling the evil in our hearts or the world. “Love is love” declared that we are more alike than different, that feelings are authentic and therefore good, and that homosexual relationships should be valued and honored.

“Love is love” became a powerful rallying cry, and it produced a mandatory constituency in the gay rights movement: allies—that is, heterosexual people who provided legitimacy, visibility, and cover, making the LGBTQ+ movement almost look wholesome. “Love is love” proudly pronounced that the lover's authenticity determines the love's integrity. Who can judge love? it asked. The phrase seems innocuous and non-threatening. But inherent in its appearance was the deception that Eve met in the garden with Satan: Did God really say that love’s virtue is in the eyes of the beholder or that it is inherently good no matter the object?

Does God define love, or do I? Is God love, or are my feelings my God?1

It can’t be both.

“Love is love” declares that love stands on its own with integrity, meaning, and grace. But the Bible doesn’t square with this. The Bible says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and “Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6). In grammatical terms, “love” is a transitive verb. The integrity of “love” is found in its corresponding object. If you love what God loves, then love is a moral good. But if you love what God hates, love is a twisted sin. To suggest that love has integrity on its own terms is to render it an idol and wrench it from its moral anchor: the God of the Bible. Indeed, “Love is love” demonstrates the LGBTQ+ movement’s rejection of the biblical God for idolatrous lust.

“Love is love” exchanged compassion for the lost (knowing that people who live in the sin of homosexuality are dying in their sin and need God’s salvation and rescue) with a new definition of kindness (one that appeased sinful desires over God’s power to create new creatures whose progressive sanctification releases them from the bondage of sin). “Love is love” says you are fine as you are, and the only problem you have is the closed-minded Christians standing in the way of your political rights.

In all these ways, “Love is love” has had the social effect of normalizing what God calls abomination. “Love is love” is not a Christian slogan because it condemns people. Christians don’t throw people away; we know we are all born in Adam, loving something God hates. And we will fight this internal corruption—what the Bible understands as indwelling sin—until glory. But as we fight our sin, we grow in sanctification and live in the newness of life in Christ and the love of the visible church (Gal. 2:20).

“Love is love” became the motto of the gay marriage movement, a movement that, almost as soon as it hit the ground, rebranded itself from “gay marriage” to “marriage equality.” What’s in a slogan? A lot. “Gay marriage” signifies the entrance into uncharted territory, while “marriage equality” signifies a corrective shift, the righting of past wrongs, and the speedy sail to the “right side of history.” “Love is love” was the wind beneath the sails of a new anti-Christian age, the post-Obergefell world.

“Love is love” asks for empathy as it subtly redefines the institution of marriage. Empathy means standing in someone’s shoes, feeling their pain, and not rushing in to solve their problems. But people dying in sin need rescue. “Love is love” rejects this and instead asks you to jump in the lake and stand in the shoes of the drowning person. What kind of compassion is this? The Lord Jesus died for the sins of his people so that we could offer rescue, hope, and change.

“Love is love” says, “We’re all the same; we all have feelings of love and affection, and love is always good.” “Love is love” also has a grammatical thrust. “Love” is the subject; “is” is the linking verb; and “love” is the predicate adjective. The grammatical thrust anchors love’s morality in its self-referential meaning. But the Bible anchors love in the moral law of God. Why does this matter? Because “Love is love” rejects that anyone needs a gospel rescue. It rejects the grand story of creation, being made in the image of God, falling with the imputation of Adam’s sin, requiring the blood of Christ for rescue and ransom, and living in Christ as victors over sin and ambassadors of God’s call to all to repent and believe. The only relevance and place left for religion is the gutted faith of neo-orthodoxy that says Jesus is welcome to bless and affirm, but not to judge or to ransom.

Strategic Developments Made by “Love Is Love”

“Love is love” was strategically brilliant, encapsulating three necessary components for the LGBTQ+ movement to advance.

“Love is love” redefined personhood and declared gay is good and immutable. “Love is love” captured the Freudian idea that “sexual orientation,” a 19th-century category invention, is stable, fixed, morally neutral, and determines who you are (not simply how you feel or how your sin nature has deceived you). However, the truth is that there is no such thing as an “LGBTQ+ person” because personhood is bound up with image-bearing a holy God in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness (Gen. 1:27), and LGBTQ+ is captive in the world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph. 2:2–3). For those of you who want to evangelize “the LGBTQ+ community,” please know what you are saying. If God blesses your work, then there is no “LGBTQ+ community” because a saved person isn’t a slave to sin, either at the level of practice or in self-identity. I know. I was once lesbian, but God saved me, and in saving me, he plucked me out of the fire and brought me into the church. Born-again people die to sin, take up their cross, and follow Christ out of the gay bar. And we don’t go back.
“Love is love” reevaluated the categories of sin, sickness, personal freedom, and liberty. Another Freudian idea embraced by the evangelical church today is that homosexuality is first a form of suffering—and that suffering can lead to sin, but it doesn’t start out that way. But this is a falsification of what Genesis 3 tells us about the fall of man. Adam’s sin was imputed to us as our own. We are responsible for our “original sin,” not victims of it. Because we love the darkness (John 3:19) and we love our sin, our job is to hate our sin without hating ourselves.
“Love is love” produced reiterations of itself as slogans quickly replaced doctrine. “Love Wins” became a celebration of gay marriage’s legal victory in Obergefell vs. Hodges (2015), the Supreme Court case that legalized gay marriage in all fifty states. Obergefell also redefined “harm” from material (job loss, etc.) to the subjective. The “Dignitary Harm Clause” demands that you “affirm” someone’s LGBTQ+ identity so as not to “harm” their dignity. Well, here’s a news flash: the gospel harms all of our sinful identities, including those that now have legal protection. The consequences for what it means to live as real Christians in the world are serious: to comply with this law, you will need to honor everyone’s pronouns of choice lest you not only be labeled a bigot but be prosecuted as one. When the civil magistrate doesn’t punish the wicked, it will eventually punish the righteous.

Finally, the relative ease with which “Love is love” slipped into the moral framework of our age exposed that the evangelical church was not in a fighting mood. It was busy with the mission of being a soft presence in the world and didn’t believe that the sheep needed protection from the wolves. It exerted its false and foolish confidence that no spiritual war rages in my sweet town and no enemies pursue.

Have you noticed that LGBTQ+ allies, who ten years ago wanted you to “leave consenting adults alone,” now defend the rights of “trans girls” to play sports and use the locker room of their choice? How quickly allies became groomers. And yet, as Christopher Rufo has pointed out, there is no such thing as a “trans child.”2 Has anyone reading this spoken or attended a school board meeting at your local government school lately? I have. And the only time the word “pervert” was used was against the Christians who spoke against transgender ideology. The goalposts have been moved, and even though God is not constrained by this, you are and I am. Christians need to know what time it is and deal honestly with the world in which we live.

Because the visible church is apparently slumbering, the slogan “Love is love” has allowed Satan to drag us to Babylon by the nose. It’s high time for a wake-up call.

Notes:

An excellent book on the subject is Kyle Borg’s What is Love? Pittsburgh, PA: Grassmarket Press, 2022.
Christopher Rufo, “Trans Kids are the New Totem of the America Left,” Manhattan Institute, March 16, 2023.

Article by Rosaria Butterfield, Originally published and used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org .

Photo: Unsplash

Jesus: Good News of Great Happiness

The angel’s message to the shepherds at Jesus’ birth condenses the gospel to its core. He said, “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). The gospel isn’t for some; it’s for all. The Greek adjective translated “great” here is megas—this isn’t just news, but good news of “mega-joy.” It’s the best news there has ever been or ever will be.

What characterizes this good news is a deep, everlasting joy for any who will receive it. The Contemporary English Version renders the verse this way: “good news for you, which will make everyone happy.”

Isaiah wrote, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness.” And Paul clearly refers to Isaiah 52:7 in Romans 10:15 as he references the gospel, demonstrating that this “good news of happiness” is in fact nothing else but the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ.

If the gospel we preach isn’t about happiness, then it contradicts God’s words in Isaiah 52:7. The gospel offers an exchange of misery-generating sin for happiness-giving righteousness provided by Jesus Himself. In bowing to Him, the shepherds bowed to joy incarnate, happiness in human flesh.

Joy, exultation, and happiness are proper responses to Jesus.

Each stanza of “O Come All Ye faithful” contains sentiments of true happiness: “joyful and triumphant,” “sing in exultation,” “born this happy morning.”

A gospel not characterized by such overwhelming gladness isn’t the gospel. Think about it—delivery from eternal damnation is delivery from eternal misery.

Those who trust and serve Christ receive this mind-boggling invitation: “Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:21, NIV). Those who trust in riches, in contrast, are told, “Weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you” (James 5:1).

Our happiness is certainly not the only thing the gospel is about. However, it’s one of the wonderful things Christ accomplished through His redemptive work.

As a young believer, I often heard testimonies in which people happily recalled the day of their conversion. Years later, it dawned on me that instead of only being happy about what Jesus did in the past (on the cross and at my conversion) and what He’ll one day do (at His return), I should be happy in what He’s doing today. The psalmist was onto something when he said, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). Yes, he spoke of one particular day, but God has ordained all our days.

I have a friend who genuinely believes that nearly every meal, get-together, retreat, or vacation is the best he has ever experienced. His capacity to enjoy the moment and savor present happiness becomes a treasured memory of past happiness. The present is the only place we live. Circumstances constantly change, and good news comes and goes, but the Good News of happiness has come, it is still here, and it will never go away!

Happiness is our natural response to good news.

The Westminster Shorter Catechism begins with the question, “What is the chief end of man?” and offers the reply, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” For theologians to come up with “glorify God” is no surprise. But to enjoy Him forever?

Why not “obey or fear” Him forever?

The catechism writers understood that the Good News includes more than one dimension. There’s the God who deserves to be glorified, and there are the people He created not only to glorify Him but to enjoy Him and delight in Him unendingly.

When we hear good news, what’s our reaction? Happiness, excitement, wonder, and celebration, right?

The gospel is a concrete, reality-grounded call to happiness. Jesus really did become a man, go to the cross, and rise from the grave. He truly is with us and in us now and will return again one day. These facts are what separate the gospel from wishful thinking.

In Hebrews 3:13, God calls us to happiness this way: “Encourage each other daily, while it is still called today” (HCSB). If God wants us to be happy in Him, today (not tomorrow) is the time to experience Christ-centered happiness.

Choosing to rejoice by rehearsing reasons to be happy and grateful even in the midst of suffering is an affirmation of trust not only in what God has done but also in our belief that He will bring a good end to all that troubles us. The gospel infuses hope and joy into our circumstances because it acknowledges God’s greatness over any crisis we’ll face.

Today’s happiness in Christ is drawn from an infinite deposit of happiness that God has already placed in our account. It isn’t something we have to wait to experience after death, though only then will we experience it completely.

If the gospel doesn’t bring us true happiness, then what we believe is not the gospel. When a pastor or author says, “God never intended for humans to be happy,” it may sound spiritual. But unless being happy is a sin, it’s not true.

Unfortunately, we diminish the Bible’s overflowing happiness when we separate “holy” things that give us joy, such as prayer, Bible reading, and church, from “worldly” things that bring us happiness, such as pets, hobbies, barbecues, vacations, and sports. This turns us into spiritual schizophrenics, creating false divisions between “Jesus time” and “world time,” “God time” and “me time.”

How can we “glorify God in everything” and “pray without ceasing” if we can’t glorify God and pray while working, riding a bike, playing games, or watching a movie?

The truth is, the Good News should leak into every aspect of our lives, even if we’re not consciously talking about God or witnessing to someone. Every time we ponder the gospel, live by it, share it, and anticipate its culmination in a world without sin and death, “good news of happiness” will permeate our lives with . . . well, happiness.

That’s exactly what happened when Paul and Barnabas took the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul said, “We bring you the good news [glad tidings (KJV)]. . . . And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing [the Gentiles were very happy to hear this (CJB)]. . . . The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit [The disciples were overflowing with happiness (CEB)]” (Acts 13:32, 48, 52).

Fred Sanders writes in The Deep Things of God, “A gospel which is only about the moment of conversion but does not extend to every moment of life in Christ is too small. A gospel that gets your sins forgiven but offers no power for transformation is too small.” I would add that a gospel incapable of making you happier than you have ever been is too small.

God timed the incarnation of Jesus—joy personified—perfectly.

“When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman . . .” (Galatians 4:4, NIV). God’s timing in sending Jesus wasn’t just perfect for the world in general; it was ideal for Israel in particular. The hand of Rome was heavy on the Jewish people, and life under an emperor who claimed to be a god was particularly oppressive to those who believed in the one true God.

Though the Jews had long hoped for God’s intervention, the promises of redemption and judgment on their enemies seemed no closer to fulfillment. Discouragement and pessimism were rampant.

When Christianity emerged, the appeal of Jesus’ teachings was widespread. He emphasized truth and virtue, as did Stoicism, and the goodness of pleasures and happiness—including eating and drinking—as did Epicureanism. He also offered a true relationship with God, which the mystery religions fruitlessly sought. Just as He does today, Jesus offered the genuine happiness everyone wanted but had not found.

Wise happiness-seekers accept God’s offer of eternal, unending happiness.

Jesus tells a story about a great party thrown by God: the great banquet (see Luke 14:15-24).

When a good, happy king (who represents God), with vast wealth and unlimited resources threw a party, the people the king invited made all kinds of excuses for not coming. When those who were invited refused, the king sent invitations to anyone his servants could find. So the wedding hall was filled with grateful people.

This parable exemplifies God’s sincere invitation to happiness and our tendency to turn down His invitation to pursue things we believe will make us happier.

Refusing the King’s invitation to endless celebration in His presence is refusing happiness itself.

The moral of the story? When God invites you to a party, say yes. You’ll be happy you did!

Adapted from Randy’s book Happiness .

 

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Giving, the Gift of Happiness

Sociologist Christian Smith’s study on generosity yielded this observation: “People rightly say that money cannot buy happiness. But money and happiness are still related in a curious way. Happiness can be the result, not of spending more money on oneself, but rather of giving money away to others. . . . The data examined here show this to be not simply a nice idea, but a social-scientific fact.”

Sure, receiving a gift is great, and our hearts should be full of praise to God for what He has given us—first and foremost His Son, but also thousands of other smaller gifts we seldom think about. We should be profoundly grateful for what others have given us too. But have you ever worked hard to find the perfect gift for someone you love? Or thrown a surprise party for someone or given them tickets to a concert or game? Or given a bag of groceries to a person in need? Don’t you get great happiness in the planning and giving of that gift? And isn’t your joy multiplied by the receiver’s joy?

No Greater Privilege

The thought that giving makes us happier than receiving seems counterintuitive. What could be better than receiving a gift? Don’t we love Christmas and our own birthdays? Isn’t it fun to get a package in the mail?

Once, I received a totally unexpected gift of a framed black-and-white photograph of me sitting at a desk in 1985, in front of my first book and my first computer (a Kaypro, for those over fifty who remember or care). My friend tracked down and bought the photo, taken by a photographer from the local paper more than thirty years ago.

Looking at the photo was like time traveling, and it brought back a flood of memories. Did my joy in receiving negate what Jesus said? No, because when I contacted the woman who had given it to me, she told of her utter delight in finding, framing, and sending it to me. As much as I enjoyed receiving it, she seemed to enjoy giving it even more. And though I’ve received a lot of great gifts over the years, many of those that make me smile the most are those I’ve given to my wife, daughters, friends, people I met in a store or on a plane, and even people I haven’t met who have received food, clothes, clean water, and the gospel through organizations my family and I have supported.

If we understand what Scripture says about how giving touches lives for eternity, stores treasures for us in Heaven, and brings us great happiness here and now, we’ll realize there’s no greater privilege than to live lives of overflowing love and joyful generosity. It’s a no-brainer.

The Payoff of Loving Jesus and Others

On a trip to Ukraine, my pastor friend and I spent the evening with a large family, feasting and singing hymns and laughing and exalting Jesus together. We felt bad when we learned our hosts had served an entire month’s ration of butter at the meal, but we were assured there was nothing they would rather have done than open their hearts and home to brothers in Christ. It was humbling to be served when we had envisioned ourselves going to serve them. Giving is a great equalizer among God’s people.

To the selfish person, the giver’s behavior appears foolish and against his best interests. (Why part with a month’s ration of butter to serve rich visitors who have unlimited amounts of butter at home?) Scripture says the opposite: “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty” (Proverbs 11:24, NIV). The Message puts it this way: “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.”

I’ve certainly known generous people who were facing serious problems, but I’ve never known a generous soul—of any income level—who was chronically unhappy. Sure, we all struggle with life’s tough circumstances. But I’ve found in life what studies confirm: even in hard times, loving, generous people always default not only toward gratitude but happiness. That wonderful Ukrainian family might have missed their butter, but the payoff of loving Jesus and us by showing hospitality was, to them, a far greater treasure.

See more resources on money and giving, as well as Randy's related books, including  Managing God's Money  and  Giving Is the Good Life .

Photo: Pexels

Sixty Years Later, C. S. Lewis’s Voice Still Speaks

I shared these reflections on my Facebook page last Wednesday, but I wanted to also share them on my blog and add some other important things about C.S. Lewis.

Wednesday, November 22, flooded me with memories of exactly 60 years ago, as a nine-year-old third grader at Orient Elementary School. I remember the exact place I was standing on the stairs, walking from one room to another about 10:40 AM when a teacher, also on the stairway, said, “President Kennedy has been shot.” Within the hour we got the news that he was dead. It affected all the teachers and students dramatically.

When I got home from school that day, my mother was in front of our black and white TV weeping. JFK was young and strong and athletic, very popular among children. We talked about him in class all the time; it was very different from today’s world. All of our lives changed that day, as it all seemed so unthinkable. That Thanksgiving and Christmas our country was under a shadow.  The president was a superhero to us (not so much to many church families, but I didn’t grow up in a church family).

Years later, after I had come to Christ and was by then reading every book by C. S. Lewis I could find, I discovered that Lewis had died the same day as Kennedy. Still later I learned it was just one hour earlier. Two immensely powerful figures in my life, one who would eventually exert far more and lasting influence than the president.

Samuel James writes, “It is a remarkable providence that John F. Kennedy and C.S. Lewis died on the same day. It is likewise remarkable that while Kennedy obtained the most powerful office in the world, it is the professor, the letter writer, and the storyteller Lewis whose prophetic voice rings out most audibly and most wisely from the grave.”

(See his article A prophetic voice rings out.)

Finally, this article from Trevin Wax on Lewis’s last days is touching. Trevin writes,

Lewis said goodbye to his closest friends, perhaps like Reepicheep as he headed over the wave in his coracle in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader—“trying to be sad for their sakes” while “quivering with happiness.” The joy—the stab of inconsolable longing—that animated his poetry and prose was on display in how he died, in those weeks of quiet rest, as he endured his physical maladies with patience and good humor, in full faith that this earthly realm is just a prelude to the next chapter of a greater story, a new and wondrous reality suffused with the deep magic of divine love.

See Randy’s blog about C. S. Lewis’s influence on his life and writing, as well as his conference message about C.S. Lewis on Heaven and the New Earth.

JFK photo: Wikimedia Commons

May Christ’s Promise of Eternity with Him Cause You to Rejoice This Thanksgiving

Tomorrow will be our family’s second Thanksgiving with Nanci in Heaven. I am so deeply grateful for the life God gave us together, and it is impossible to be this grateful without also being happy. This is 2 Corinthians 6:10, “sorrowful yet always rejoicing.” And it is not just words or pretense; it’s an absolute blood-bought reality, a certainty that I feel deep in my heart and bones. I sense continuously His presence. “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from Yahweh, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:1-2).

Of all people, God’s people have the best reasons to rejoice at Thanksgiving. After all, our names are written in Heaven not because we were smart and strong and moral. Rather, “because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30). In other words, Jesus became for us, and remains for us, what we could never be for ourselves. And that should overwhelm us with unending gratitude.

Author Nancy Guthrie writes, “God is calling us to receive with thankful joy our Savior. He is calling us to join in the heavenly celebration, that we might be happy as He is glorified. God has come to us in Christ to bring glory to Himself in the highest as He grants us peace here in our lives. What can we do but rejoice?”

I am continuously grateful to Jesus, the Creator and Master Builder, who has paid the price of redemption and will one day completely fix all that’s broken and bring into full flower the New Heavens and New Earth, the home of relentless and unending happiness.

Helen Keller blind and deaf since a toddler, wrote, “For three things I thank God every day of my life: thanks that he has vouchsafed me knowledge of His works; deep thanks that He has set in my darkness the lamp of faith; deep, deepest thanks that I have another life to look forward to—a life joyous with light and flowers and heavenly song.”

One day, Nanci and I—and all of God’s risen people—will behold “the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. …No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face…” (Revelation 22:1-4).

I am also so grateful for your support of EPM’s ministry, whether that’s through prayer, giving, or reading and sharing our resources. Whatever challenges and joys you might be facing this Thanksgiving season, I trust you will experience the presence and love of King Jesus. May we all anticipate the glorious fulfillment of God’s great promise that in the coming ages He will continuously reveal to us the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. And until then, even today, may He give us glimpses of that grace and kindness for which we owe Him all gratitude and praise.

Photo: Unsplash

Controlling the Chaos of the Holiday Season

Stress studies show that a sense of control is essential to mental health. Those who survive captivity with the fewest mental scars are those who maintain as much control as possible even when so much is out of their control. They may treat their cell as a home, rearrange the “furniture,” save food and share it with others, write notes to themselves, make plans for their days, order their lives in simple ways. Prisoners who lose their sense of control lose their purpose, their self-respect, and eventually their minds.

Most of us are not prisoners, but all of us, for better or for worse, face the holidays year after year. From mid-November to early January, our lives change, bringing many things that are delightful, but which increase our pressure and fatigue. For many, the holidays seem out of control, the chaos inevitable.

Plan Now, Play Later

Much of both the financial stress and the time crunch can be avoided with planning. Buy Christmas presents in advance (when they’re on sale); plan the dinner now, watch for food sales and buy, prep and freeze it early; say “no” to extra engagements around Christmas; buy next year’s cards the day after Christmas (best sale day of the year) and begin writing them in October (do wait until December to mail them). Nanci and I don’t send Christmas cards, we send Thanksgiving cards. It’s more special then, and we don’t have to add it to December’s responsibilities.

To avoid the Christmas chaos of children opening ten presents in one night, spread out the presents the week before Christmas, letting them open one a day. Or, better yet, simplify by making useful gifts for each other and encouraging grandparents and friends to limit presents to one per person. Gifting to the needy something related to and in honor of your family members’ interests through Samaritan’s Purse, Africa New Life or similar ministries adds an eternal benefit along with the benefits of ease (no wrapping, broken and missing parts or storage issues).

Set aside time to read the Christmas story unrushed.

This is just a beginning. You can make dozens of changes. You cannot eliminate all holiday stress of course, but you can certainly minimize it. And if you don’t, remember, it’s not because you couldn’t but because you didn’t. It’s your choice.

For years I lived under the tyranny of the telephone. I treated the ringing of the phone as a divine mandate, and I missed too many dinners and bedtime prayers with my daughters because of that phone—no, actually because of my choice to answer the phone.

Finally I discovered something that changed my life: phone calls are seldom from Mt. Sinai. There are few true emergencies and it won’t hurt people to wait an hour or a day for me to call. When my daughters were growing up there weren’t cell phones, and one of the best things about going out for the evening as a family was that nobody could reach us! We can do the same thing now—but it requires silencing the phone. You don’t have to see who’s calling, texting, tweeting, Facebooking, or…fill in the blank. In fact, if you do, you’re saying they are more important than the people you are with. As Jim Elliot once said, “Wherever you are, be all there.”

The phone is our servant, not our master. I still get notifications on my phone at all hours. I just don’t necessarily answer them right away! And I live guilt-free, because I know it’s what God wants. Looking back, I’m amazed and embarrassed that until I was thirty I let that piece of technology disrupt me and my family. All because I didn’t take control. Thank you, Lord, for waking me up when you did!

Dealing With Your Own Stressors

Whether Christmas or the telephone are a problem for you, or you worry about losing your job or you’re concerned about a friend who is facing a divorce, list circumstances or situations in your life that trigger a stress response. Put them in one of the following categories: uncontrollable, controllable, and partly controllable.

After you identify the sources of stress and determine which ones you can control—even partially—jot down specifically what you can do about them. Make your plan, schedule the time to do it, then follow through and implement the necessary changes.

While there is much we can’t control, we can always follow God’s formula for dealing with stress by praying. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6, ESV). Sometimes we desperately want to take control when we cannot. But we know and trust the One who is in control and that’s where we rest.

Can You Take Control and Still Trust God?

How do self-control and spirit-control relate to each other? How can we reconcile those passages of Scripture that emphasize waiting on a sovereign God with those that emphasize our responsibility to take action? This is a tension that Paul felt, but clearly he saw God at work through his own efforts: “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which he so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:29).

There is a time to work for change, a time to leave change to God, and a time to accept the fact that change will probably not happen. My own rule of thumb is “Don’t play dead, but don’t play God.”

One of the most significant findings in psychology in the past twenty years is that individuals can choose the way they think. This corresponds with Scripture, which tells us we are to “be transformed by the renewing of [our] minds” (Romans 12:2, ceb), and that we should think about things that are good and praiseworthy (see Philippians 4:8).

The Christian life is supernatural but not enchanted. God doesn’t magically make us happy despite the fact that we make work, sports, leisure, or sex into our idols. If we choose to seek happiness elsewhere, God won’t force himself on us. And He certainly won’t give us happiness in what distances us from Him.

Happiness comes naturally in the same sense that fruit comes naturally from a tree. If the tree gets sufficient sunshine and water, if the ground is rich in nutrients, if the tree doesn’t contract diseases, then yes, it “naturally” produces fruit. We must plant ourselves in the rich soil of God’s Word, soak in the living water of God and His people, and bask in the radiant sunlight of His grace. We must take the steps to help and serve others, loving not only God but also our neighbors. Only then, as we change our minds and actions, will newfound happiness come “naturally.”

So, adapt to what you cannot control, control and influence what you can, and leave the rest to Him. And remember—when you do, it will be in infinitely bigger, better, stronger hands than yours.

For more, see Randy's book Help for Women Under Stress.

Photo: Unsplash

How Anticipation for Heaven Changes Our Lives Now

In this video from my class Eternity 101, I talk about how anticipating Heaven motivates us to live life differently now:

Below is an expanded transcript of what I share in the video:

Charles Spurgeon wrote in his classic devotional Morning and Evening, “Christian, meditate much on Heaven, it will help thee to press on, and to forget the toil of the way. This vale of tears is but the pathway to the better country: this world of woe is but the steppingstone to a world of bliss. And, after death, what cometh? What wonder-world will open upon our astonished sight?”

This is what we need to do. In the spirit of C. S. Lewis and Charles Spurgeon, we should anticipate the world to come. And if we are delighted by that anticipation—because we know the God who lives there; we know the Carpenter from Nazareth, who’s gone to prepare a place for us—it will radically change us and get hold of us. We will not view death the same. Not our death, or the death of a loved one.

It doesn’t mean we’ll look forward to death because death involves some level of suffering. And it doesn’t mean we’ll be glad that our loved one is gone, of course. But it does fundamentally change the game…big time!

In this excerpt from my novel Deception, Detective Ollie Chandler looks to his friends, Jake Woods and Clarence Abernathy, for a reason to anticipate Heaven:

“Why would anyone want to go to heaven? When my grandmother spoke about heaven, it was the last place I wanted to go. Who wants to be a ghost anyway? My idea of utopia was a place like earth, where you could have fun and ride bikes and play baseball and go deep into the forest and dive into lakes and eat good food.”

“Sounds to me like the New Earth,” Clarence chimed in from the backseat.

“Exactly,” Jake said. “The Bible says the heaven we’ll live in forever will be a New Earth, this same earth made new, without the bad stuff. God doesn’t give up on His original creation. He redeems it. And we’ll have these same bodies made better. The Bible teaches the exact opposite of what you’re saying—we won’t be ghosts. We’ll eat and drink and be active on a redeemed earth.”

“So you’ll still be Jake Woods?” I asked.

“Yeah—without the bad parts. We’ll be able to enjoy creation’s beauty and rule the world the way God intended us to. Baseball and riding bikes? Why not?”

 “Wish I could believe that.”

“What’s stopping you?” Jake asked.

God evicted the devil from Heaven; now our enemy wants Heaven to sound boring to us, because that implies God is boring. He doesn't want us to be so excited about Heaven and the New Earth that we would want to share the Gospel with people so they too would anticipate living forever with God and His people.

And I also think our anticipation calls us to live at a greater level of purity, a greater level of service in this world. In 2 Peter 3, we’re told about the new heavens and the New Earth, in which righteousness dwells. Then Peter wrote, “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.” He proceeded all that with verse 11, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the new heavens and the New Earth.”

Peter links the promise of life together in the new universe with the call to be holy and pure and to live for Christ. God wants us to use this time He’s given us to serve Him with all our hearts. I pray that’s what God’s people would do.

From Eternal Perspective Ministries: Right now you can purchase Randy Alcorn’s Heaven for Kids on sale from our ministry for $7 (50% off $13.99 retail)! Plus get free media mail shipping on orders over $30 with code 23THANKS. 

"I and a fellow teacher have found Heaven for Kids uses a question and answer format that is not just for kids. I and several adult friends of mine have read this book and find it very enlightening and informative. It truly makesyou look forward to the better place God has prepared for His believers—especially in light of all the turmoil and disturbing issues of the world today." —Reader Review

Sale ends Monday, November 20 at noon PT. Free shipping offer ends Friday, December 8. Available for U.S. continental orders only.

Photo: Pexels

Two Wonderful Opportunities to Give to the Needy in the Philippines This Christmas

My friend Doug Nichols is the founder of Action International Ministries, a wonderful missions organization, and he now travels and serves as a global missions advocate, serving internationally with Commission To Every Nation (CTEN).

Doug shared with me about two Christmas missions projects, and though I rarely highlight specific giving opportunities on our website, I’m making an exception for these. I am struck at how inexpensively many people can be helped:

1. Christmas Ministry to Needy Children in the Philippines.

There are up to two million street children in the Philippines, with 200,000 in Metro Manila alone. Many more extremely poor children are in unreached depressed villages and areas throughout the country.

Our Lord said, “Allow the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them…” (Matt. 19:14).

During the November/December Christmas season in the Philippines, small churches and ministries in poor areas seek to have some type of Christmas Gospel outreach to these neglected and needy children.

Street and poor children see other children attending parties, eating, and receiving gifts, yet they have nothing.

Several of our ministry partners and churches are planning “Children’s Christmas Outreaches” for these most needy children with games, a large meal, and especially the gospel; however, they have little or no funds to do so especially as they have little or no funds for their own families. 

We can help our ministry friends with the small expense with a budget of only $4 per child. This small amount will provide a special Christmas event for these children with a large healthy meal, the gospel and perhaps a small gift!

This year, with so many hungry and needy in the Philippines amongst the poor, we have a burden to help these Christmas Outreaches to reach up to 3,000 needy children!

This is a huge undertaking, and we ask for your prayer and participation!

For example, the budget to serve 50 needy children at a special Children’s Christmas Outreach with a meal and the gospel would be $200, which is only $4 per child.

Perhaps you, your family, or your church would consider sponsoring one of these Christmas Gospel outreaches for 50 children with $200, or 500 children with $2,000.

2. Pastors’ Timothy Study Commentary Seminars ($10 per pastor).

By God’s grace, we have received 1,000 free copies for pastors in the Philippines of the excellent $24 “Study Commentary of 1 & 2 Timothy” by Dr. William Barcley, Senior Pastor at Sovereign Grace Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, and Adjunct Professor at Reformed Theological Seminary.

Our 12 main ministry partners will conduct “Timothy Book” Seminars for 1,000 pastors throughout the country.

For example, in a seminar for 20 pastors, they will spend a day with a pastoral leader going through this practical commentary to help them with their shepherding and especially in preaching and teaching of the Word.

The seminar will begin with an early breakfast, then several lecture/study sessions in the Timothy commentary, a full healthy meal at noon, then more study time and closing with a light snack.

There is no charge for the seminar and book (valued at $24) for these pastors, most of whom are very poor and have no training. Just the expense of travel to the seminar will be a great financial burden for them. 

Our cost is $10 per pastor which covers all expenses. The total seminar expense for 20 pastors is $200, 30 pastors is $300, for 1,000 pastors our total need is $10,000.

Also: Shipping of Timothy Study Commentaries ($54 ships a 100 lb. box of 96 Commentaries).

Our ministry team in Seattle is packing these donated copies of the “Study Commentary of 1 & 2 Timothy” to ship to the Philippines.

As 96 copies of the commentary are packed in each large 100-lb. box, we will be shipping 12 boxes at $54 each box, for a total need of $648.

I’d love to suggest that you consider giving an extra $200 this Christmas to go to one of these causes, or $400 to go to both. That is a very small amount of money, considering how much many of us tend to spend on gifts and activities this time of year. Imagine—just $4 to share the gospel and God’s love with a child! And only $10 to serve a pastor in need of support and training. One ministry partner wrote Doug about the 2022 outreach to needy children: “[At] last year’s event, in two places alone, more than two hundred children accepted Christ and many of them continue in the Lord.”

Giving to help children (and our brothers and sisters in Christ) recognizes their value to Jesus and their special need for care and protection. He says, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Consider sharing this with friends or your small group and encourage them to get in on this opportunity. Let’s invest this Christmas in the lives of the needy, knowing there is no better way than giving to honor Jesus, the one who gave Himself for us: “Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

For ease of giving, through the end of November, you can donate to these outreach projects by giving directly through EPM, and 100% of all donations will be passed on and split between these two worthy causes. Select “Missions Fund” on our donation page. If you’d prefer to send a check, you can make it payable to Eternal Perspective Ministries and send to: 39065 Pioneer Blvd, Suite 100, Sandy, OR 97055. Be sure to write “Philippines” in the notation area.