Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 75

God Is Preparing a Place for His Children—and Eagerly Awaits Their Arrival Home

Years ago, knowing our children were coming, Nanci and I prepared a place for them. We chose the room, picked out the right wallpaper, decorated and set up the crib just so, selected the perfect blankets. The quality of the place we prepared for our daughters was limited only by our skills and resources and imaginations.

Since our Lord isn’t limited in any of those categories, and since He loves us even more than we love our children, what kind of a place can we expect Him to have prepared for us? It will simply be the best place ever made by anyone and for anyone. 

God Himself prepared mankind’s first home on Earth. “Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food” (Genesis 2:8-9). The phrase “planted a garden” shows God’s personal touch, His intimate interest in the creative details of mankind’s home.

In the same way that God paid attention to the details of the home He prepared for Adam and Eve in Eden, Christ is paying attention to the details as He prepares for us an eternal home in Heaven: “My Father’s house has many rooms . . . I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2, NIV). If He prepared Eden so carefully and lavishly for mankind in the six days of creation, what has He fashioned in the place He’s been preparing for us in the two thousand years since He left this world?

Our home is being built for us by the Carpenter from Nazareth. Building is His trade. A good carpenter envisions what he wants to build. He plans and designs. Then he does his work, carefully and skillfully fashioning it to exact specifications. He takes pride in the work he’s done and delights to show it to others. And when it’s his own children or his bride he’s made it for, he takes special delight!

A. W. Tozer wrote, “Did you ever stop to think that God is going to be as pleased to have you with Him in heaven as you are to be there?”

Incredible as it seems, Jesus desires our company. Your new home, liberated from sin, curse, and suffering, is nearly ready for you (and one day will be located on the New Earth, our ultimate and eternal home).

Moving day is coming.

God preparing a place for each of His children is the theme of a poem titled “Preparations,” sent to me by reader Kelsey Dillon. She says, “I read your book Heaven last year and was inspired by it to create a poem.”

Thank you, Kelsey:

I went into my nursery earlier and couldn’t help but smile
At the already constructed wooden crib wrapped in a fitted sage sheet
A horizontal frame for the yellow newborn gown spread smoothly atop
Complete with a tiny white stretchy cap nestled a few inches above
Unfilled at present, but ready for an impending resident
I’ve been waiting for you for a very long time, you see
Waiting for the day when I could get this room ready
It’s almost there, but not quite
So as much as I long for you to be here, to rock you in this chair,
To nuzzle your nose while you kick and squirm on the changing table
And coo and giggle, or maybe just hiccup all night long
You can’t come
Not yet
It’s not quite ready
Not fully prepared
Give me a month or two and I’ll be ready to get you
And bring you home to a place you’ve never known
But I hope will feel familiar
And you’ll open your eyes and see the joy in the faces
You won’t recognize, but by the clearer tones
Of mumbled speech you only heard in part from the inside
You’ll start to make sense
Of a world you could have never imagined
But that has been waiting in great anticipation of you
And of watching you become
And nothing you could have done
Would make us more thrilled to welcome you in
I can’t wait for you to be home

And this thought caused my thinking to shift from thoughts of you to thoughts of You
I started to wonder what Your nursery might look like
With no scarcity of resources and no fear of spoiling the loved one
What would you have done?
How over-the-top have you already gone?
Do you wander around the empty halls
Of heaven’s city imagining what it will be like to hear
The laughter of Your children echoing throughout the walls?
Do you smile at the decorations you’ve picked out or I suppose concocted brand new?
And grin at the thought of holding us close each night?
Do you stand back and think “That’s not quite right, perhaps just a little to the left…ah, now that’s perfect! Very good.”
Have you lined the shelves with toys and treats and adventures that will captivate our imaginations?
Does your heart skip a beat when you look into our rooms?
Do you crave the joy of seeing our wonder as we discover all the preparations you’ve made
That will not be exhausted for trillions of years?
‘Streets paved with gold’ I suspect is a bit modest
A vast understatement of the splendor
Put together
By a tickled Father with no limitations, waiting to at last bring His babies home
And when I come, will I blink slowly, overwhelmed by colors I’ve never seen before and whose brilliance will take such getting used to, I can’t even keep my eyes open for more than a second or two
Seeing your face for the first time, will my heart beat slower, finally at rest
Snuggled on your bosom? Will there be skin-to-skin in heaven?
Where I not only hear your heart beating, but am wrapped up by the tangible warmth of your very Presence that regulates my breathing?
At last able to see in full what I only felt in part
Beholding a home I’d never known, but that would undoubtedly be familiar to my heart
The vague murmurings of such I could recall from my time in darkness
A place I’ve known all along
And never known at all
And even then, after opening my eyes,
Could I imagine all the all-satiating delights
That await?
Has Your patient waiting made our impending meeting that much sweeter in anticipation?

I hear you saying, “Just hang on a little bit longer. I can’t wait to bring you home, but it’s not quite ready for you and you’re not quite ready for it. Stay there, my little love. I know it’s dark and the more you grow, the more stuck you feel, but you’re yet premature. Another month or two and I’ll come get you. When you’re ready and so am I, then the preparations will be complete. And I will stand eagerly at the bedside while you arrive through the agony of the darkest night.

I can’t wait for you to be home.”

“Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful servants” (Psalm 116:15).

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

Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

Why “Happy New Year” Wishes Can Be Realistic or Unrealistic

I’ve been reflecting on leaving the year 2020 and entering a 2021 where there is a lot of hope (and I’m glad for that!) but no guarantee that many of our challenging circumstances will improve. I’ve seen much enthusiasm about getting past 2020, but I’m afraid not all of it is realistic.

We cannot base our hope in the fact that the calendar year has been moved by one digit. The COVID vaccination will not be a cure-all. The financial losses and failed businesses that began in 2020 will inevitably continue at least to a degree here in America, and certainly around the developing world, which doesn’t have the reserves we do. Even in prosperous nations, in 2021 as in all other years, individuals will still experience unanticipated disease, death, divorce, unemployment, and losses of every sort. That is not pessimism; that is simply realism in a fallen world stuck for now in that tough (though temporary) period between Eden and the New Earth.

So if by “Happy New Year!” we mean that all our problems are about to end with 2020, we’re being unrealistic. But if by “Happy New Year!” we mean that we can choose to be centered on Jesus and happy in Him no matter what this new year brings, that is not blind optimism; it is biblical realism. “Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the flocks disappear from the pen and there are no herds in the stalls, yet I will celebrate in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!” (Habakkuk 3:17-18, CSB).

True, reality-based optimism is centered on who God is and what His promises are. (And when it comes to eternity, Christians have every reason for optimism—we know how the story will end, or rather how it will culminate in a happiness that never ends!)

Here’s what I say in my book Happiness related to hope, optimism, and adjusting our expectations:

Our expectations profoundly affect our life experiences.

Frederick Langbridge (1849–1922) put it this way: “Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one the stars.”

We simultaneously expect too much and too little. We need to discover what we should expect less of and what merits higher expectations.

Positive people experience adversity, just as negative people do. Their expectations don’t control circumstances, but they do give perspective. Optimists see more goodness and find redemptive elements even in the bad times. Scripture says, “The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing” (Proverbs 10:28, NLT). Likewise, Proverbs 11:23 states, “The desire of the righteous ends only in good; the expectation of the wicked in wrath.”

The novel Pollyanna portrays a cheerful orphan girl whose minister father died. Pollyanna played “the glad game,” finding something to be glad about no matter how difficult her circumstances.

Today the story is often mischaracterized—people are derisively called “Pollyannas” if they seem foolishly optimistic. But Pollyanna’s optimism was learned from her father, who fought discouragement by counting the more than eight hundred “rejoicing texts” in the Bible. She states, “[Father] said if God took the trouble to tell us eight hundred times to be glad and rejoice, He must want us to do it.”

Pollyanna’s happiness didn’t involve denying reality but affirming realities invisible to pessimists. Hers was a childlike trust in God that modern cynics should learn from, not mock.

Disneyland claims to be the happiest place on Earth, but research indicates otherwise. According to Morley Safer on 60 Minutes, the happiest nation on Earth proves to be Denmark. The United States, despite its greater wealth, ranks twenty-third, and the United Kingdom, forty-first. Denmark’s remarkable secret to topping the happiness chart? Low expectations. The interviews on 60 Minutes demonstrate that Danes have more modest dreams than Americans and they’re less distressed when their hopes don’t materialize.

The general view of life in Denmark is compatible with the doctrine of the Fall: instead of being surprised when life doesn’t go their way, Danes are grateful that things aren’t worse, and they’re happily surprised by health and success. If they have food, clothing, shelter, friends, and family, life seems good.

There’s a biblical basis for both realistic and positive expectations. We certainly live in a world with suffering and death. But as believers, we understand that God is with us and won’t forsake us, and that one day we’ll live on a redeemed Earth far happier than Denmark or Disneyland on their best days!

When you expect less of a fallen world, you can be content with less—and happy when more than expected comes to you.

We should lower our expectations concerning all the advantages we think life should bring us while raising our expectations concerning Christ and what He is daily accomplishing in us.

I have two good friends: one a pessimist, the other an optimist. Sometimes the optimist fares better because he sees the positives he expects. But he can also be emotionally devastated when life takes bad turns he never anticipated.

When things go sideways, my pessimist friend is neither surprised nor distraught; he expected nothing more. Yet because of his mindset, he sometimes fails to see the magnificent, happy-making things God does every day.

The happy middle ground of biblical realism falls somewhere in between, allowing us to honestly face life’s difficulties while trusting God’s sovereignty and joyfully anticipating what lies ahead of us.

Our degree of happiness in life largely depends on:

the amount of happiness we believe should be rightfully ours
our ability to find delight in a fallen world God will redeem
our ability to see the little things—the ten thousand reasons for happiness that surround us that we easily ignore

C. S. Lewis said,

If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it’s not so bad.

Imagine a set of people all living in the same building. Half of them think it is a hotel, the other half think it is a prison. Those who think it a hotel might regard it as quite intolerable, and those who thought it was a prison might decide that it was really surprisingly comfortable. So that what seems the ugly doctrine is one that comforts and strengthens you in the end. The people who try to hold an optimistic view of this world would become pessimists: the people who hold a pretty stern view of it become optimistic.

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

Alisa Childers on Doubt, Progressive Christianity, and Rediscovering the Solid Rock

It’s become increasingly popular for people to share their “de-conversion stories,” talking about how they moved from belief in Christ and the Bible to a design-it-yourself type of spirituality, or even out right atheism. Deconstructed faith stories are the new normal. We all know people who once seemed to be solid Christians but have walked away.

Alisa Childers’s story of her own reconstructed faith is a breath of fresh air. She shares her doubts and struggles and the journey God led her on to rediscover the solid Rock on which she stands. Her excellent book Another Gospel A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity is full of hope and sound reasons for faith in Jesus and God’s Word.

Watch Alisa share more about progressive Christianity and why she wrote her book:

Read an excerpt from Another Gospel, and listen to Alisa’s excellent interview with Collin Hansen, titled Why Progressive Christianity Can’t Bring Reformation.

Sending Hope to the Hopeless: Books for Prisoners

Our ministry received this note a few days ago from a prisoner we sent one of my books to. We’ve edited it lightly for readability:

Hi, Happy Holidays Eternal Perspective Ministries. I just want to thank you guys for the tremendous job you guys do “sending hope to the hopeless.” I was sitting in my cell and thinking about all the damage that I had done to my loved ones in order for them not even want to answer the phone when I call. They see the call is from the Detention Center, and there’s no answer. So by now you can imagine how big of mistakes I did to them. That has finally led me to read the Bible the right way and really start to understand its real meaning.

Don’t get me wrong, I always have tried to have a close relationship with our Creator. It’s just that this time I really got offline.

Again, thank you, and thank you for the book. It just got here on time as my birthday present. I am never going to forget how just when I was sitting in the jail cell thinking that the next day was going to be my birthday, I get a present that had a message that I was just waiting for.

Matthew 7:7 – “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you” – Forgiveness from my family.

In his letter, he mentioned his birth date, which is six months to the day after my youngest daughter Angela’s. It touched me to think of how different people’s lives turn out.  

Thankful for all those who don’t have to live lives like this guy has, and haven’t broken their families like he has, and thankful also that the Holy Spirit appears to be working in him. Praying the transformation will continue and that he will become the kind of man his family might forgive. But thankful above all that God has and will forgive him.

I love the simplicity of his letter and am touched even by the childlike spelling which probably reflects his disadvantages growing up, and which you can see image at the top of this blog. (I did nothing—none of us did—to deserve a decent family and a good education.)

Many thanks to Amy Woodard at EPM who follows up with prisoners and oversees the sending of the books. Across the nation, God is at work in prisons, drawing men and women without hope to Himself. Continue to pray for them, as they face extra challenges in this era of COVID.

If you’d like to partner with us in reaching prisoners for Christ, we’d be honored if you’d prayerfully consider supporting Eternal Perspective Ministries with a year-end gift. Financial gifts to our General Fund support our operating expenses and staff, and allow us to continue giving away the royalties from my books. (On our donation page, you can also give to our Books for Prisoners Project to directly support that part of our ministry.)

Note that a tax-deductible  online gift  in 2020 must be received by 11:59 p.m. PT on December 31.

If you wish to mail a check, our new address is 39065 Pioneer Blvd., Suite 100, Sandy, OR 97055. All envelopes must be postmarked by 12/31/20. 

Because Jesus Offered Himself for Us, We Won’t Find No Vacancy Signs in Heaven

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7)

When you’re traveling late at night without reservations, nothing’s more discouraging than finding only “No Vacancy” signs.

Jesus knew what it was like to have no vacancy in the inn. Human logic says the King of kings should have been born in a palace, surrounded by luxury. Instead, the only door open to the humble Savior was a dirty stable. Amazingly, and revealingly, this was all by God’s design.

Why is this good news for us? Because the Savior offered Himself on our behalf, we won’t find “No Vacancy” signs in Heaven. If we’ve made our reservations by accepting God’s gift in Christ, then Heaven is wide open with plenty of room for all of us.

“By his own descent to the earth he has prepared our ascent to heaven.” —John Calvin

For more reflections on our Savior, see Randy's books Face to Face with Jesus and It's All About Jesus.

Photo by Samuel Holt on Unsplash

Contemplate the Goodness of God in Becoming One of Us

I’ve been reflecting on Hebrews 2 and 4 lately, and what they tell us about the goodness of God in becoming one of us.

Hebrews 2:17 says, “Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God.” Jesus lived under the curse and was subject to human sufferings. He sympathizes with our weaknesses and became subject to them—including the exhaustion, the weariness, the sadness. Jesus knows what it’s like to have loud cries and tears (Hebrews 5:7). This is a God we can fully trust! This is a God who understands our suffering not just because He’s omniscient, but because He’s come down and experienced it (and gone through a worse form of suffering than any of us will ever face).

Tim Keller writes in Hidden Christmas, “If God has really been born in a manger, then we have something that no other religion even claims to have. It’s a God who truly understands you, from the inside of your experience.”

When you’re tempted to doubt the God you believe in, think of the God who became one of us. If we contemplate that this Christmas, it will be a very rich Christmas, even as we face heartache, disappointment, and suffering.

I share more reflections on Hebrews and Jesus, the God-man, in this video:

For more on Jesus, see Randy’s books Face to Face with Jesus and It’s All About Jesus.

When You’re So Depressed You Don't Want to Be Around Others...and What to Do If You Have Suicidal Feelings

Studies show that depression and suicide rates are climbing due to COVID-19 and the disruption of normal life and social structures. More Americans are lonely than ever before, and even teens are at higher risk. Healthline reports, “Struggles with mental health issues or substance use were reported by nearly 41 percent of adults who responded to a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey.” Even before 2020, overall suicide rates were on the rise, the CDC says.

Christians certainly aren’t immune to depression and suicidal thoughts. I have known depression first-hand at different times in my life. Several years ago, for no apparent reason, a cloud of depression descended on me. Day after day, it was my constant companion. God used it in my life, teaching me to trust Him, and giving me some intimate times with Him. But it gave me greater compassion for those who struggle with depression.

In this video, from an interview for my home church about the topic of happiness, I talk about being so depressed that you (or I) don’t want to be around others. Though I have never considered suicide, in my lowest moments I have wanted God to take me out of this world to be with Him. Many good and godly people have been plagued by suicidal thoughts. Here are some thoughts I shared in that interview that I hope might help you as you deal with depression, even if it’s so bad you are tempted toward suicide:

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out for help. You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

See also the video Walking with God Through Depression, and the articles Shedding Light on Depression and Thoughts of Suicide and Suicide, Heaven, and Jesus—the Final Answer to Our Sorrow. 

Photo by Valeriia Miller on Unsplash

Touching Stories from Readers About Randy's Novel Safely Home and Books on Heaven

Nanci and I were touched by these recent notes EPM has received from readers. We’re so grateful to be part of this eternity-shaping ministry! —Randy Alcorn

Safely Home influenced our family! We adopted a precious baby from China in 2003. I felt we should adopt one more, but my husband was unsure; we had four birth children plus one adopted. While reading Safely Home, God stirred in my husband's heart and he said YES to one more! They are now 17 and 14, and they both love the Lord! Thank you for writing your books for the Glory of God. —A.S. (Photo used with permission)

Just a quick email to let you know how much your books and resources have helped me and my counseling patients. …I call your book, Heaven, the encyclopedia of all biblical info on Heaven....THE GO-TO-BOOK....of course, second to the Bible. 

…as a licensed clinical psychotherapist and Christian therapist, I give the little booklet of yours on Heaven to my patients when we are working through grief of losing loved ones, when working on fear of dying, to oncology patients, those searching for encouragement or meaning in life, and sometimes, as a graduation-from-therapy gift (letting them know that I've enjoyed our journey and hope we will be neighbors in eternity). —G.W.B

I believe your book Wait Until Then was used by God at the perfect time to help my 8-year-old son (who was adopted from Haiti).

A few evenings ago my son had been in bed for about an hour but was not able to sleep. Nights are a scary time for he and his older brother as we believe they encountered voodoo and/or witchcraft in Haiti... On this particular evening, a few nights ago, my son couldn’t sleep and told me he was scared to die, followed by deep sobs. I held him in my lap and assured him that he was not alone in his fear as even grown-ups fear death. I went on to share with him the Gospel and why we don’t have to fear death if we know Jesus.

As I was holding my son on my lap and praying with him, your book Wait Until Then flashed across my mind.  ...Throughout the entire story my son sat very still, eyes wide, drinking in every word... Your book brought answers, the Gospel, and a clear picture of what Heaven will be like, helping to significantly relieve my son’s fear. —J.G.

(This book is now out of print but copies are available through Amazon.)

An Invitation from Eternal Perspective Ministries

Join Us in Providing a Much-Needed Eternal Perspective in 2021

COVID-19. Societal unrest. Political turmoil. Natural disasters. The year 2020 has brought plenty of challenges, to say the least. Never have we more needed a daily dose of eternal perspective to keep our eyes fixed on Christ and to trust His sovereign purposes.

Helping God’s people embrace that eternal perspective is at the heart of all that EPM does, and it’s been our privilege to provide Christ-centered, eternity-minded content throughout 2020.

One reader wrote, “I just finished reading your book If God Is Good… It has been very meaningful and helpful during these days of lockdown, riots, disease, etc. Thank you for sharing these insights, many of which I have shared with others.”

Another wrote Randy on Twitter to say, “Thank you Randy, you are a great encouragement in a year of insanity.”

Just a few days ago we received a letter from a prisoner saying, “I read all three books [Randy’s novels Deadline, Dominion, and Deception]. With nothing to lose, I began to pray for the first time to a God I didn’t know of at all, till I read your three novels. …Then something happened! I felt God speak to me from my heart. God has given me life, hope, comfort and joy! …God found me in a jail cell from your novels. …I’m now spreading God’s love to everyone at this jail. I read from a pocket Bible. I keep passing the three novels from cell to cell. I pray with all willing inmates and testify what God’s doing for me.”

We’re so grateful to be able to continue sharing the hope of Christ and of eternal life in Him!

If you have found our books, articles, social media posts, and/or magazine to be helpful during the challenging last year, would you prayerfully consider supporting EPM and being a part of this eternity-shaping ministry in 2021? Like many ministries have experienced, the pandemic has affected our donation levels. For those who are able to give, we would deeply appreciate your financial partnership and your prayers. The gifts we receive in December are vital to support our work in the coming year.

Please know that those of you who’ve partnered with our ministry through both giving and prayer play a vital role in our outreach. We’re deeply grateful for you.

Note that a tax-deductible online gift in 2020 must be received by 11:59 p.m. PT on December 31.

If you wish to mail a check, our address is 39065 Pioneer Blvd., Suite 100, Sandy, OR 97055. All envelopes must be postmarked by 12/31/20. 

Jesus Is Worthy of Our Trust, Even When Things Seem Dark

“And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth’” (Revelation 5:9–10).

This passage lauds Christ as the ultimate hero for two reasons: first for the suffering and death He endured for us, out of love; and second, for what He accom­plished through it. Christ’s suffering and death reversed the Curse so that one day God’s original design for our world would prevail.

Because Jesus willingly entered this world of evil and suffering and didn’t spare Himself, but took on the worst of it for my sake and yours, He has earned my trust for what I can’t understand. I and countless others have found Him to be trustworthy even when times are dark. As G.R. Beasley-Murray put it, “The Lord who vacated his tomb has not vacated his throne.”

Elisabeth Elliot wrote, “God is God. If He is God, He is worthy of my worship and my service. I will find rest nowhere but in His will, and that will is infinitely, immeasurably, unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to.”

Many Christians are not only weary from life in the COVID era but are also disillusioned and disappointed by political outcomes and financial prospects. But as this song powerfully conveys, God is on the throne and Jesus will win! This should lift heavy hearts and heavy spirits, and shift them to focus on God Most High, who is completely worthy of our trust. The message of the song is so powerful, and it’s beautiful coming from young people of various tribes and ethnicities. Listen to these words, and celebrate what they mean:

For more on trusting God’s sovereignty, see Randy’s book If God Is Good.

Photo by Carolina Jacomin on Unsplash

Reflections on Christ’s Birth

In this video, I read several quotes from the section of my book It’s All About Jesus about Christ’s birth. I hope these reflections will help you meditate on our Savior, because doing so will truly bring you great joy.

Have a Merry and Christ-centered Christmas!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  Isaiah 9:6

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child… Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”  Matthew 1:18-20

[Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.  Luke 2:7 NRSV

[Mary] looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can’t take her eyes off him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is he. She remembers the words of the angel. “His kingdom will never end.”

He looks like anything but a king. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And he is absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being.

Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter.  Max Lucado

They all were looking for a king to slay their foes and lift them high. Thou cam’st, a little baby thing that made a woman cry. George MacDonald

Where you would have expected angels, there were only flies. Where you would have expected heads of state there were only donkeys, a few haltered cows, a nervous ball of sheep, a tethered camel, and a furtive scurry of curious barn mice. Except for Joseph, there was no one to share Mary’s pain. Or her joy. Yes, there were angels announcing the Savior’s arrival—but only to a band of blue-collar shepherds. And yes, a magnificent star shone in the sky to mark his birthplace—but only three foreigners bothered to look up and follow it. Thus, in the little town of Bethlehem… that one silent night… the royal birth of God’s Son tiptoed quietly by… as the world slept.  Ken Gire

Late on a sleepy, star-spangled night, those angels peeled back the sky just like you would tear open a sparkling Christmas present. Then, with light and joy pouring out of Heaven like water through a broken dam, they began to shout and sing the message that baby Jesus had been born. The world had a Savior! The angel called it “Good News,” and it was.  Larry Libby

Joyful, all ye nations, rise.

Join the triumph of the skies.

With angelic host proclaim,

“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”  Charles Wesley

The birth of Jesus is the sunrise of the Bible. Towards this point the aspirations of the prophets and the poems of the psalmists were directed as the heads of flowers are turned toward the dawn.  Henry Van Dyke

The most outstanding record that is graven on the scroll of time is the date of the birth of Jesus Christ. No issued document is legal, no signed check is valid, and no business receipt is of value unless it bears the statistical reference to this great historic event.  Homer G. Rhea Jr.

For millions of people who have lived since, the birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it.  Frederick Buechner

The coming of Christ by way of Bethlehem manger seems strange and stunning. But when we take him out of the manger and invite him into our hearts, then the meaning unfolds and the strangeness vanishes.  Neil Strait

If Jesus were born one thousand times in Bethlehem and not in me, then I would still be lost.  Corrie ten Boom

So God throws open the door of this world—and enters as a baby. As the most vulnerable imaginable. Because He wants unimaginable intimacy with you. What religion ever had a god that wanted such intimacy with us that He came with such vulnerability to us?… So vulnerable that His bare, beating heart could be hurt? Only the One who loves you to death.  Ann Voskamp

A God who was only holy… would have simply demanded that we pull ourselves together, that we be moral and holy enough to merit a relationship with him. A deity that was an “all-accepting God of love… this God of the modern imagination would have just overlooked sin and evil and embraced us. Neither the God of moralism nor the God of relativism would have bothered with Christmas.  Timothy Keller

The baby of Bethlehem was Creator of the universe, pitching his tent on the humble camping ground of our little planet. God’s glory now dwelt in Christ. He was the Holy of holies. People had only to look at Jesus to see God.  Randy Alcorn

Long before silver bells jingled, Christmas lights twinkled, and horse-drawn sleighs went dashing through the snow, God reached down from heaven with the best gift of all. Love, wrapped in swaddling clothes. Hope, nestled in a manger.  Liz Curtis Higgs

In our world too, a Stable once had something inside it that was bigger than our whole world.  C.S. Lewis

Come to earth to taste our sadness,

he whose glories knew no end;

by his life he brings us gladness,

our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend.

Leaving riches without number,

born within a cattle stall;

this the everlasting wonder,

Christ was born the Lord of all.  Charles Wesley

Human logic says the King of kings should have been born in a palace, surrounded by luxury. Instead, the only door open to the humble Savior was a dirty stable. Amazingly, and revealingly, this was all by God’s design. Why is this good news for us? Because the Savior offered himself on our behalf, we won’t find “No Vacancy” signs in Heaven. If we’ve made our reservations by receiving God’s gift in Christ, then Heaven is wide open with plenty of room for all of us.  Randy Alcorn

No other God have I but Thee; born in a manger, died on a tree. Martin Luther

It's All About Jesus on Sale 

Randy Alcorn’s It’s All About Jesus is on sale from EPM for $9.99 (47% off retail $18.99), plus get FREE Media Mail shipping on every order when you use the code FREESHIP20.
 
Offer ends Thursday, December 15 at 4 p.m. PT. Free shipping offer is available for U.S. continental orders only

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