Randy Alcorn's Blog, page 78

Giving Thanks to Jesus

As it has been for many of you, 2020 has been a difficult year for Nanci and me for many reasons. But the more difficult the year, the more we need to take time to focus on giving thanks and praising our God of grace. Proverbs 19:21 declares, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.” We should thank God no matter what, trusting in His wisdom, goodness, and love.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss writes, “The person who has chosen to make gratitude his or her mindset and lifestyle can view anything—anything!—through the eyes of thankfulness. The whole world looks different when we do.”

A year ago Nanci was in the hospital having her first lung surgery, and I was able to bring her home Thanksgiving night. We are grateful beyond words for the three encouraging test results we got in the past week. “The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him” (Psalm 28:7).

Like some of you, it’s also tough for us not to be with some of our family in this season, though we’re grateful we can be with those who live nearby.  I remind myself God has multiple purposes for COVID and the restrictions, as He does everything. And He truly will work it altogether for our good and His glory, just as He promises in Romans 8:28-29. So thankful for that!

As the stresses of life and our unique situations and losses press on us, here are eternal words to ponder and treasure that outweigh all temporary losses: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Hope you enjoy the following excerpt from my book It’s All About Jesus. God bless you, and may you have a Happy, gratitude-filled Thanksgiving.

Trusting our Sovereign King with heartfelt gratitude,

Randy

Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Ephesians 5:19-20 NIV

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  Colossians 3:16-17 NIV

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

When we learn to read the story of Jesus and see it as the story of the love of God, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves—that insight produces, again and again, a sense of astonished gratitude which is very near the heart of authentic Christian experience.  N.T. Wright

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.  Randy Alcorn

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?  Nancy Guthrie

Scripture commands us, “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). Who is more excellent and worthy of praise than Jesus Christ? We should trace all secondary joys and pleasures back to him as we’d trace a sunbeam back to the sun. We should thank him and worship him, so that when we ponder and delight in every good thing he gives us, we’ll be thinking of and delighting in Jesus.  Randy Alcorn

Jesus went without comfort so that you might have it. He postponed joy so that you might share in it. He willingly chose isolation so that you might never be alone in your hurt and sorrow. He had no real fellowship so that fellowship might be yours, this moment. This alone is enough cause for great gratitude!  Joni Eareckson Tada

Just get to know Jesus… not who you want Him to be or who other people say He is. Get to know Him through the power of the Spirit as you study the Word. The more you get to know Him the more thankful you will be for Him.  Deb Wolf

Help us not only to receive him but to walk in him,
depend upon him,
commune with him,
follow him as dear children,
imperfect, but still pressing forward,
not complaining of labour, but valuing rest,
not murmuring under trials, but thankful for our state. The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions

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.  Randy Alcorn

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Encouragement for the Depressed from Charles Spurgeon

During this global pandemic, depression and suicidal thoughts are on the rise. That makes the release of the short book Encouragement for the Depressed, with a sermon from Charles Spurgeon, timely. The book description says, “Having battled depression and discouragement himself for most of his years in ministry, Spurgeon encourages the downtrodden to hold fast to the promises of God, for he is steadfast and will comfort his children as they walk faithfully with him.”

I share in my book Happiness how as a teenager, before knowing God, I had nothing much to fight depression with. Now I have far better tools—first and foremost an awareness of the presence and grace of God. The following is the foreword I wrote for Encouragment for the Depressed, sharing how God has used Spurgeon’s words about depression in my life. If you’re struggling, I pray this helps you. Please don’t suffer alone. Reach out to get prayer and encouragement from trusted friends and if needed, help from medical professionals. (There are medications that help some people, and I’m grateful for that, as they’re part of God’s common grace.)

Hardly anyone outside of Scripture speaks to me like Charles Spurgeon does. He had incredible depth and biblical insight, and his sermons and writings, full of grace and truth and sheer eloquence, always draw me to Jesus.

Spurgeon preached to approximately ten million people in his lifetime, often speaking ten times a week. His 3,561 sermons are bound in sixty-three volumes, and in addition he wrote many books.

Wonderful as those accomplishments were, they put demands on his life that no doubt contributed to his battles with depression—not least of all that he often worked eighteen hours a day!

Spurgeon took great solace in Scripture, especially in the Psalms he loved so much, as evidenced in his massive commentary set The Treasury of David. God’s words, as Spurgeon well knew, are far more valuable than anyone else’s. God promises that his word “shall not return to [him] empty, but it shall accomplish that which [he purposes], and shall succeed in the thing for which [he] sent it” (Isaiah 55:11 ESV). God does not make that promise about your words or my words or even Spurgeon’s words, but only his word. In the face of great criticism, Spurgeon took great pains to conform his preaching and writing to Scripture. We need to hear Spurgeon’s voice because he was faithful to speak God’s word, and today there aren’t nearly enough voices like his.

Spurgeon also serves as a reminder that people of great trust in God can nonetheless be brought low in depression. While that thought may be, well, depressing to those who haven’t experienced depression, it is liberating to those of us who have.

I have known depression at 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. During that time, I was encouraged by the perspectives of Spurgeon, whose long-term struggles with depression were far worse than mine. I blogged about my depression and shared a few Spurgeon quotations that can be found in this book.

Many people have since written to tell me their own stories of how God has used Spurgeon’s perspectives on depression in their lives. After I wrote a subsequent blog post about Spurgeon and the suffering he endured, I received this note: “I was depressed because once again I was not feeling well. It’s amazing to realize even great leaders suffered so much. It gives me hope, as I suffer from near constant pain. Thanks. This really encouraged me—I needed it!”

Would Spurgeon have ever guessed that nearly two centuries later his sufferings from depression would be a source of comfort to God’s people? (Who is being, and will be, touched by our sufferings and our perspectives that we won’t know about until eternity?) I am confident that God will use Spurgeon’s words in this little book to encourage many more believers who struggle with depression.

Spurgeon writes, “I have suffered many times from severe sickness and frightful mental depression seeking almost to despair. Almost every year I’ve been laid aside for a season, for flesh and blood cannot bear the strain, at least such flesh and blood as mine. I believe, however, the affliction was necessary to me and has answered salutary ends.”

Those words were written by a man who lived with great physical pain for a large part of his life. While his dear wife, Susanna, was bedridden for decades, Spurgeon contracted smallpox and suffered from gout, rheumatism, and Bright’s disease (inflammation of the kidneys). His health became progressively worse, so that nearly a third of his last twenty-two years were spent away from the pulpit. This physical hardship took a great emotional toll on him.

When Spurgeon was twenty-two years old, a tragedy took place that still haunted him years later. He was preaching for the first time in the Music Hall of the Royal Surrey Gardens because his own church wasn’t large enough. The ten-thousand-person seating capacity was far exceeded by the crowds pressing in. Someone shouted, “Fire!” and though there was no fire, the resulting stampede caused many injuries and the deaths of seven people. Years later, Spurgeon said this horrifying incident took him “near the burning furnace of insanity.”

Still, Spurgeon found that his great suffering drew him closer to God. In an address to ministers and students, he said, “I daresay the greatest earthly blessing that God can give to any of us is health, with the exception of sickness. If some men whom I know of could only be favored with a month of rheumatism, it would, by God’s grace, mellow them marvelously.”

Spurgeon said of pastoral ministry, “Our work, when earnestly undertaken, lays us open to attacks in the direction of depression. Who can bear the weight of souls without sometimes sinking to the dust? Passionate longings after men’s conversion, if not fully satisfied (and when are they?), consume the soul with anxiety and disappointment. To see the hopeful turn aside, the godly grow cold, professors abusing their privileges, and sinners waxing more bold in sin—are not these sights enough to crush us to the earth. . . . How often, on Lord’s Day evenings, do we feel as if life were completely washed out of us! After pouring out our souls over our congregations, we feel like empty earthen pitchers that a child might break.”

He also wrote, “I am afraid that all the grace I have got of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours might almost lie on a penny. But the good I have received from my sorrows and pains and griefs is altogether incalculable. Affliction is . . . the best book in a minister’s library.”

Like the apostle Paul, the often jovial Spurgeon was “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing” (2 Cor. 6:10 ESV). Near the end of his words in Encouragement for the Depressed, Spurgeon says, “Glory be to God for the furnace, the hammer, and the file. Heaven shall be all the fuller of bliss because we have been filled with anguish here below, and earth shall be better tilled because of our training in the school of adversity.”

Thank you, Charles Spurgeon, for your integrity, devotion to God’s word, honest sharing of your own weaknesses, and unquenchable passion for God not just in times of good cheer, but in times of desolate darkness. And thank you, sovereign Lord, for encouraging us through your servant, who, like Abel, though he is dead (while fully alive in your presence), still speaks through his example and life-giving words (Hebrews 11:4).

May God give us ears to hear, and may our hearts be full of hope and expectancy as we await the day when King Jesus, true to His blood-bought promise, will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4).

Photo by Jan Tinneberg on Unsplash

Does Isaiah 65:17 Mean We Won’t Remember Our Previous Lives When We’re in Heaven?

One of the questions I’m often asked about Heaven relates to Isaiah 65:17. A reader recently asked, “What does it mean ‘the former things will not be remembered nor will they come to mind’? Is this speaking about the old earth itself or are we not going to have any memories of the past including family, friends, talents, life?”

I share some thoughts related to this verse in a video answer, and more in the text below:

Isaiah 65:17 is linked to the verse before it: “For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from My eyes.” This does not suggest literal lack of memory, as if the omniscient God couldn’t recall the past. God knows everything. Rather, it is like God saying, “I will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34). It means He will choose not to call to mind or to hold against us our past sins.

In eternity, past sins will not plague us or God, nor interfere with God’s acceptance of us. Likewise, both God and we will be capable of choosing not to recall our past troubles and sorrows and sins in a way that would diminish the wonders of Heaven. However, it seems likely that recalling the reality of such troubles and sorrows and sins would set a sharp contrast to the glories of Heaven, as darkness does to light, as hell does to Heaven. This contrast would be lost if the sense of what sorrow is was entirely forgotten. (If we ever forget we were desperate sinners, how could we appreciate the depth and meaning of Christ’s glorious work for us?) It is even possible that an awareness of the perfect justice of hell will enhance the depth of gratitude to God of those in Heaven.

Even in the New Heavens and Earth there are memorials to the twelve tribes and the apostles (Revelation 21:12-14). Christ’s nail-scarred hands and feet in His eternal resurrection body (John 20:24-29) prove His suffering and redemption—and the fact it was necessitated by our sins—will not be forgotten! Hence, these passages clearly preclude the “we’ll remember nothing on earth” understanding of Isaiah 65:17.

Every believer’s crowns and rewards will continuously remind us of acts of faithfulness to God done in that window of opportunity on earth.

While God will wipe away the tears and sorrow attached to this world, the drama of God’s work in human history will not be erased from our minds. Heaven’s happiness will not be dependent on our ignorance of what really happened on earth. Rather, it will be greatly enhanced by our informed appreciation of God’s glorious grace and justice in what really happened on earth.

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

Photo by Karsten Würth on Unsplash

Why You Should Think Twice Before Switching Churches Right Now

Note from Randy: I appreciate this article from Ivan Mesa, with four things to consider if you’re thinking about leaving your church right now. Having been part of the same local church for 43 years, trust me when I say I am no stranger to problems in the church! But I am also no stranger to the beauty and goodness and local and global fruit of church life—though I would be had we chosen to walk away from church the various times we were tempted to.

Of course, God can legitimately call people to leave a church and go to or even start another one, and that happened to us 43 years ago! My concern is with people prematurely giving up on their churches during this extraordinarily difficult season. I have been seeing the same thing happening and it’s a great concern of mine. I encourage you to listen to Ivan’s wise advice. (Ivan titled his article “Stop! Think Twice Before Switching Churches in 2020,” but this is not just a question of 2020, but also of 2021, since most churches will continue to be restricted in the new year.)

Stop! Think Twice Before Switching Churches in 2020

By Ivan Mesa

The one thing we didn’t need at the beginning of the year was more time online and less time in church, but that’s exactly what has happened. And it hasn’t helped.

Over the past few months, I’ve heard from pastors across the United States, from Uganda to Canada to Australia, who report the same trend: members are leaving their churches and their churches are receiving an abnormal amount of visitors from other churches. Given all the political and cultural upheaval, this has become, for many, a season to test the waters and move on.

While there are a number of valid reasons that Christians change churches, I nonetheless want to say: think twice before switching churches during COVID-19. Not all changes are bad, but we can be far too casual about this weighty decision.

What to Consider Before Leaving Your Church

One columnist observed that 2020 started off like 1974 (an impeachment crisis), quickly became 1918 (a pandemic), turned into 1929 (economic crash), and is now 1968 (massive urban unrest). With everything politicized, with an unending torrent of bad news, and with algorithms that confirm and amplify our worst fears, no wonder it’s been a stressful year.

It’s a testament to the polarization of our time that some are leaving the same church for opposite reasons—the church has become too political or it’s not political enough. In these tribal times—at least in the American context—some say addressing racial injustice is to abandon the gospel while others say addressing some dangers of “anti-racism” is to promote white supremacy.

Realizing every context is unique and situations can be more complex than they appear, here are four things to consider if you’re tempted to leave your church during this once-in-a-century event.

1. Reconsider Reasons

With time for reflection, perhaps some have recognized severe spiritual deficiencies in their churches such that they can’t in good conscience remain. So this is as good a season as any to leave and join a different church.

But I’ve also heard everything from lack of childcare to COVID restrictions to “not feeling connected” as reasons for people leaving their churches. These days it seems anything—from the serious to the trivial—can become a justification for switching churches. After all, lingering frustrations are no longer offset by the positives of being together. Without proximity, angst rises unabated.

I’ve also seen the temptation for the political and cultural to trump the theological—or at least for everything to be viewed as one package. As Kevin DeYoung writes, “I fear that in the months and years ahead we will see Christians and churches and gospel movements reshuffling their associations based upon a unity not in shared Christological and soteriological truths but in the sameness of our political and cultural instincts.” We reveal Corinthian pride when we divide the body of Christ over important but temporal concerns (cf. 1 Cor. 3:5ff.).

Perhaps one question to ask is why God put you in your church in the first place. If those reasons haven’t changed, it might be imprudent to leave. It’s also worth noting that COVID restrictions and this cultural turmoil are temporary; why make a long-term change before the dust settles?

2. Engage Leaders

With churches not meeting, it’s understandable that some Christians have temporarily gathered with other flocks. How tragic, though, when believers unilaterally leave without ever consulting their leaders—a form of ecclesial ghosting. Or worse, they not only leave but try to persuade others in subtle or not so subtle ways that staying is a problem.

Our leaders are those who will give an account for how they kept watch over souls (Heb. 13:17). If we remove ourselves from their oversight, we rob ourselves of a God-ordained means of spiritual flourishing. Scripture tells us that “in an abundance of counselors there is safety” (Prov. 11:14b). Why not trust God’s wisdom by gladly submitting ourselves to the decision-making wisdom of godly elders? Even if there are unbridgeable differences, why not engage the concerns forthrightly, with candor, grace, and love? 

No pastor ever took a seminary course on pastoring amid a pandemic, so be patient with them. Extend grace and give the benefit of the doubt (1 Cor. 13:7). Yes, pastors will make mistakes, and all of us in hindsight will wish we’d done things differently. But pandemic or not, “respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord . . . and . . . esteem them very highly in love because of their work” (1 Thess. 5:12–13).

3. Go Slow

In an age when brand loyalty is tenuous, we’re always one bad customer-service experience away from moving on—so it is with many Christians and church. Our commitment is only as durable as our “customer satisfaction” at any given moment, which is to say, not durable at all. We’re tempted to approach church membership more like a gym membership than a covenant relationship, with the option to “cancel” our membership when we’re not satisfied.

Even if there are good reasons for switching churches, there can be bad ways to go about it—ways that hinder witness, create needless relational hurt, and further divide the flock. A necessary ingredient we need in this—and most other difficult decisions in life—is time. We need time to discern our motivations; time to talk to our church leaders; time for us to pray together; time for mutual understanding; time for forgiveness and growth. Given our tendency toward microwave spirituality, we’d do well to slow down.

4. Stay Put (for Now)

It’s possible your church has abandoned the gospel by capitulating to woke ideologies or blood-and-soil nonsense. It’s possible 2020 has revealed dangerous and unbiblical notions. If that’s actually the case, faithfulness may require you to leave.

But what if you’re wrong? What if the passions of the day, amplified by the political moment and social-media discourse, are clouding your judgment? We rightly stress doctrinal purity, but have you considered how unity—just as vital a Christian virtue—is often neglected? Shouldn’t you be especially cautious about rending Christ’s body at such a vulnerable time?

It’s been a hard year. Many of us are struggling. But the local church is actually God’s mechanism for helping strugglers endure. That’s a truth often forgotten. It doesn’t help, of course, that the pandemic has made it easy to hide behind a screen or drift to a different flock. But unless there is rank heresy—and we should be slow to level this charge—or the leadership has departed from first things (1 Cor. 15:3), stay put. Be faithful. Live out your discomfort in the context of flawed people who know you and care for your soul.

Sometimes faithfulness means walking out. More often than not, though, it means staying put.

Ivan Mesa (ThM, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is an editor for The Gospel Coalition (since 2014), where he acquires books and oversees reviews, longform, and the Read the Bible initiative. He and his wife, Sarah, have three children and they live in eastern Georgia.

This article originally appeared on The Gospel Coalition and is used with the author’s permission.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

The Holiday Season, and Precious Times with Our Kids and Grandkids

Last December, in that pretty normal year called 2019, our daughter Karina Franklin and her family flew up from California to join Nanci and me along with our daughter Angela Stump and her family. Because of this weird season of COVID that began less than three months later, that was the last time our whole family was together.

Nanci and I were thrilled to have everyone in the same place and to eat and talk and laugh and have fun together. That time and all the others are even more precious given Nanci’s three-year battle with cancer and the challenges to gathering together because of the threat of COVID, especially to Nanci with her increased vulnerability due to her lung surgeries. Like many of you, we are cherishing family more than ever. My mind is still at that Christmas gathering, and I wish we could have another this year and for that matter, every month!  

It seems impossible that our daughters are now are 39 and 41 and that four of our five grandsons are teenagers. The oldest two, Jake and Matt, just turned 16. One has his driver’s license and the other likely will by the time this blog is posted. Grandson Ty will be 15 in March, Jack is 13 and David will soon turn 9.

While Karina and the Franklins were visiting us, our friend and EPM staff member Stephanie Anderson took photos of our family. (Stephanie is excellent at nearly everything she does, including being a wife and mom, and editing my books and blogs and directing our social media; on top of all that she has a terrific photography business too; our thanks for her wonderful photos. And thanks too for Nanci’s and my home church, Good Shepherd Community Church, for allowing us to gather on the church property.)

God is sovereign over all, sovereign over Nanci’s health and mine, sovereign over COVID and the results of elections, sovereign over every personal hurt, struggle, and loss. Sovereign over when we can and can’t get together with all the family we love. “The lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him… The LORD has established His throne in the heavens; And His sovereignty rules over all” (Psalm 103:17, 19).

One of the most beautiful aspects of His sovereignty is how He puts us in certain times and places (Acts 17:26-27) and brings us together as married couples with children and grandchildren. Right now as I’m typing, as I think about and pray for each member of our family, my eyes are full of grateful tears. “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds” (Psalm 9:1).

There are dozens of great family photos I just looked through again, but I love most the informal ones, with smiling and laughing and eye contact with each other, so I’ve selected a number of them. Stephanie did a great job encouraging us to enjoy the moments together, and I treasure those happy family memories and many more, past and present and future, that they represent. I hope and pray you will find yourself with family and friends over this year’s holidays. I know it can be a difficult time of the year for some since families are far from perfect. If this is true for you, I hope you will connect with fellow members of God’s family and experience fun and laughter and happiness and encouragement as you celebrate the grace of our Lord Jesus.

Jake, Angela, Dan, and Ty Stump:

David, Dan, Karina, Jack, and Matt Franklin:

(In the slideshow below with more photos, I made one small contribution. At the photo-shoot I asked Stephanie to take a photo with my grandsons pointing up to the sky. Later I tinkered with the sky in the photo to make it into a sci-fi scene. Since my grandsons and I both love that sort of thing, I thought the final product was fun.)

The Stand That Saved a Child’s Life

In response to my blog post Is It Judgmental and Unloving to Believe That Abortion Is Child-Killing?, a reader shared this touching true story, which we’re sharing with her permission:

When we were missionaries in Eastern Europe, a sister who attended our church asked my husband to take her to the hospital so she could get an abortion...her situation was desperate...she lived in a slum, and had three kids all under five and a husband that did not work and drank heavily.

My husband explained he could not do it as it would be condoning murder and assured her we would be with her and give her the help and supplies she needed to have the baby...but she was desperate so [she] couldn’t comprehend any other solution to her plight and became very angry with us. A few days later we [met with] her and the Lord had done a marvelous work in her heart so that she had decided to keep the baby.

We were true to our word, and through the help of other brothers and sisters back home everything was provided for the baby...today he is a young man in his 20s.

Thank God my husband stood firm.  —P.A.B

I love the grace and truth that was modeled in the response to this woman, and the actions that followed their promise of help. “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions” (1 John 3:18, NLT).

Of course, speaking the truth in love, standing for life, and encouraging others to do the right thing doesn’t always mean they’ll do it, or that they will like you. But even then, real love doesn’t quit or give up; it will offer help and point to Jesus Christ as the only true source of hope, healing, and forgiveness.

Years ago, when she was in high school, one of my daughters had a friend who found herself pregnant and was determined to get an abortion. My daughter, along with an older friend, showed up outside the clinic at the time of the appointment and pleaded with her friend and her friend’s mom to save the life of her baby. She offered help and support, including free babysitting. Sadly, the friend went through with the abortion. Though what my daughter did was obviously difficult, later she heard from someone else that her friend actually respected her for doing it, and most importantly, I believe God was honored by her actions and words. “Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter” (Proverbs 24:11).

If you’d like to be involved with helping women facing unplanned pregnancies in your area, I encourage you to contact your local pregnancy resource center (find one in your area). Also, check out Embrace Grace, a group that exists to “equip churches on how to love and support the single and pregnant young women in their communities.” They partner with pregnancy resource centers to refer women to local churches where they can join a support group and receive help and love.

May we back up our pro-life convictions with courage, grace-filled words, and loving actions!

Download the PDF of Randy’s new book Pro-Choice or Pro-Life: Examining 15 Pro-Choice Claims—What Do Facts & Common Sense Tell Us? 

In this thoroughly researched and easy-to-read book, author Randy Alcorn examines fifteen major claims of the pro-choice position and shares fact-based, rational responses. If you have mixed feelings about abortion, as many people do, this book can be part of your quest for truth. If you’re pro-choice or pro-life, it can help you think through your position.

If we have any hope of understanding and engaging with each other, let’s move our dialogue beyond bumper stickers, memes, and tweets. Randy encourages readers to listen carefully to arguments on both sides of the abortion debate, and to look at the evidence and weigh it on its own merit.

The print book is available from our ministry for an extremely low cost ($1.00 per single copy; 90 cents per copy on orders of 100 or more; 80 cents per copy on orders of 1,000 or more, plus shipping.

Photo by Xavier Mouton Photographie on Unsplash

How Do We Forgive Those Who Wrong Us and Either Can’t or Won’t Ask for Forgiveness?

Note from Randy: The following article is excerpted from David Powlison’s excellent book Good and Angry: Redeeming Anger, Irritation, Complaining, and Bitterness. I personally benefited from his outstanding book, and highly recommend it. Here David addresses Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness, and how that works when those who’ve wronged us either can’t or won’t ask for forgiveness.

What if the other person does not ask forgiveness or even admit any wrong? The Bible addresses this in a deft way. Forgiveness comes in two forms. First, and foundationally, you forgive another person before God, whether or not that person admits or even recognizes any wrong. This is attitudinal forgiveness. Listen to how Jesus speaks of this vertical-dimension forgiving of another person: 

“Whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11: 25) 

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:9-15) 

In both cases, you are talking with God, not the person who wronged you. That person is not part of this conversation. You stand alone before God your Father dealing with your own attitudes. In the Mark 11 passage, Jesus says to deal with whatever you have against anyone else. He doesn’t even tell you to try to sort out what really happened, and whether it was a real wrong or only a subjective feeling of offense. Conflicts can be impenetrably complex. Did you actually do something against me? Or did I misunderstand what you were doing? Or was I just being hypersensitive? Often it’s hard to know what really happened because so much was happening in both parties. Trying to figure out the definitive explanation leads to more disagreement and outrage. Instead, Jesus simply says that if you have anything against anyone, forgive. 

In the Matthew 6 passage, Jesus emphasizes dealing with real wrongs: “our debtors” are people who owe us. The mercy of God, our Father in heaven, (remember Psalm 103’s fatherly compassion) is front and center in helping us. This vertical aspect of forgiveness deals with our attitudes. Its purpose is to change you, not to deal with the other person. It prepares you, so you will go to the other person already willing to be merciful. You are no longer holding the grudge, building up bitterness, on the defensive, on the offensive. 

The second aspect of forgiveness is transacted forgiveness. Again, listen to how Jesus describes it: “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.” (Luke 17:3-4) 

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over … Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:15, 21-22) 

Notice that here Jesus envisions a conversation with the other person. You bring it up constructively; the other person asks to be forgiven. The interpersonal interaction is able to be both candid and full of mercy (a rare combination!) because the attitudinal forgiveness has already happened. It is also worth noticing that in both cases, Jesus chooses to portray the other person as a repeat offender! He or she keeps doing it, even after admitting it’s wrong. That’s realism. That’s why we need patience. That’s why we are continually driven back to our Father to seek forgiveness ourselves and to again work out the attitudinal forgiveness. Then we can again move toward the other person to seek transacted forgiveness. 

This combination of attitudinal and transacted forgiveness helps make sense of many common and extremely tangled situations. Here are three. First, what if the other person won’t hear you out? He or she gets defensive and self-righteous, counterattacking when you were seeking to be constructive. Again, we are driven back to our Father to forgive attitudinally. This vertical dimension of forgiveness must always happen, and it keeps your attitude in check. The horizontal dimension is a more uncertain and hazardous road, a goal to pursue, not a certainty. It takes two to reconcile, just like it takes two to make a war. But one can forgive, even when the other is still at war. It is called loving your enemy. 

Second, what if the person who hurt you is off the scene — perhaps dead, perhaps long vanished out of your life, perhaps too hostile or even dangerous to approach? The attitudinal forgiveness means you can always deal with the things that poison your own heart. Transacted forgiveness and actual reconciliation are desirable fruits, but not always attainable. But, by God’s mercy, we can always establish our hearts in mercy. We are not left in limbo when there is no possibility of a reconciling interaction. 

Third, seeing that our forgiveness of others has two interconnected parts helps us navigate the opposite messages that one often hears in Christian circles. Some in the church teach, “If you forgive from the heart, then you don’t need to go to the person.” Others teach, “Unless the other person asks for forgiveness, you don’t need to forgive.” Each focuses on a half truth — and draws a false conclusion. When you put together both halves of what Jesus did and taught on forgiveness, you get a coherent truth. 

So if you forgive from the heart, then you become able to go constructively to the other person when it is called for. Not to go would be not to love. But, if the other person will not ask for forgiveness or if it would not be wise to approach the other person, then transacted forgiveness and reconciliation can’t take place. But you are reconciled with God and able to forgive. Not to forgive would be to harbor bitterness. 

Forgiveness is a conscious choice formed through knowing God’s mercy to you. It clearly recognizes that what happened was wrong. It makes no excuses for what happened. And then it lets it go.   

This excerpt from Good and Angry is used with the permission of the publisher.

See also Randy's book  Beautiful and Scandalous: How God's Grace Changes Everything .

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Will Our Time and Efforts Invested in Hobbies Be Considered Worthless at the Judgment Seat of Christ?

A reader wrote me this note with a question:

“I loved reading Heaven. It has really opened my eyes up so much to what we can expect from the New Earth and it has really encouraged me to see all of God’s (uncorrupted) Creation as ‘very good’ and not all ‘worldly.’

I do have one question. What are your thoughts on more ‘leisurely’ activities (like our hobbies, cooking, stargazing, reading, etc.) and how our works will be judged at the Judgment Seat? It seems like 2 Corinthians 5:10 seems to say that our deeds will either be ‘good’ (and be rewarded) or ‘bad’ (worthless) which won’t be rewarded. I would imagine that time spent reading a good book wouldn’t necessarily gain someone a spiritual ‘reward’ at the Judgment Seat but neither would I ever consider our (non-sinful) hobbies to fall under the category of ‘worthless’ (bad). Would this mean that any deed that we ever did that won’t gain us a ‘reward’ (crown, etc.) be considered ‘worthless’ as per 2 Corinthians 5:10?”

This is a really great question!

First let me say some general things about hobbies and leisure activities to create a context for answering it. When we worship God as God, everything else falls into place—and hobbies, sports, music, reading, and entertainment can all enrich our lives as intended. Scripture gives us this command: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). Eating and drinking are basic human activities. They are not only necessities but also physical pleasures that we’re to do for God’s glory. I ride my bike to God’s glory in this life. And I worship God while joyfully playing tennis and snorkeling, just as I worship Him while enjoying music, reading God’s Word, and playing with my dog. We can certainly worship God as we eat, drink, work, read, and enjoy hobbies, nature, and art.  

God is the source of all lesser goods, so that when they satisfy us, it’s God Himself who satisfies us. We should reject any view that seeks to divorce our experience of God from life, relationships, and the world—all of which God graciously gives us. Such a view sees the material realm and other people as God’s competitors rather than instruments that communicate His love and character. It fails to recognize that because God is the ultimate source of joy, and all secondary joys emanate from Him, to love secondary joys on Earth can be—and in Heaven always will be—to love God, their source.

Scripture says we are to put our hope not in material things but “in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). If He provides everything for our enjoyment, we shouldn’t feel guilty for enjoying it, should we?

In my book Money, Possessions, and Eternity, I write about how Scripture says we’re at war, and therefore we should make sacrifices commensurate to this crisis, that we may win the war. So yes, an unhealthy obsession and focus on things that won’t last isn’t our goal. We can’t forget that “Only one life; will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

But seen properly, even hobbies and leisure activities can draw our hearts to worship Christ and be part of what’s done for Christ’s glory. A wartime mentality can be taken to such an extreme that we feel it’s unfaithful to enjoy any possessions, pleasures, or special activities. That’s why I’m so thankful that in the midst of his command that the rich be generous, in 1 Timothy Paul reminds us that God provides everything for our enjoyment! Even in wartime, it’s important to have battle breaks. Soldiers need rest and recreation. Life isn’t just utilitarian. There’s nothing wrong with spending time on pleasures that renew and revive us, especially considering that our battle will last a lifetime.

I’m grateful to have fun possessions, such as a bicycle, tennis racket, and mask, snorkel, and fins. They aren’t necessary; yet they contribute to my physical and mental health. Our family spends money on vacations that aren’t “necessary,” yet they bring renewal and precious relationship-building opportunities. My wife and I sometimes go out to dinner, enriching our relationship and renewing our vigor to return to life’s battles. We can give away much or most of our income and seek to use our time wisely, yet still have breathing room for legitimate recreational spending and leisure time.

Paul says it is demons and liars who portray the physical realm as unspiritual, forbid people from the joys of marriage, including sex, and “order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:3-5). God is a lavish giver. “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

Because of the current darkness of our hearts, we must be careful not to make idols out of created things. But God isn’t displeased when we enjoy a good meal, marital sex, a football game, a cozy fire, or a good book. He’s not up in Heaven frowning at us and saying, “Stop it—you should only find joy in me.” This would be as foreign to God’s nature as our heavenly Father as it would be to mine as an earthly father if I gave my daughters a Christmas gift and started pouting because they enjoyed it too much. No, I gave the gift to bring joy to them and to me—if they didn’t take pleasure in it, I’d be disappointed. Their pleasure in my gift to them draws them closer to me. I am delighted that they enjoy the gift.

Of course, if children become so preoccupied with the gift that they walk away from their father and ignore him, that’s different. Though preoccupation with a God-given gift can turn into idolatry, enjoying that same gift with a grateful heart can draw us closer to God.  

God welcomes prayers of thanksgiving for meals, games, books, relationships, and every other good thing. When we fail to acknowledge God as the source of all good things, we fail to give Him the recognition and glory He deserves. We separate joy from God, which is like trying to separate heat from fire or wetness from rain.

Every day we should see God in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the friendships we enjoy, and the pleasures of family, work, and hobbies. Yes, we must sometimes forgo secondary pleasures, and we should never let them eclipse God. And we should avoid opulence and waste when others are needy. But we should thank God for all of life’s joys, large and small, and allow them to draw us to Him. My taking pleasure in a good meal or a good book is taking pleasure in God. It’s not a substitute for God, nor is it a distraction from Him. In the words of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, it’s what I was made for: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”

Now I can return to this specific question about reward: when we use hobbies and leisure activities as an opportunity to worship and glorify and thank God, we are acting in faith. Faith is what pleases Him, and our seeking Him is what He will reward (Hebrews 11:6). So yes, I believe hobbies done to God’s glory could be something He might well reward. Either way, when done to honor Him, they certainly won’t be considered worthless in our gracious Father’s eyes!

God is the one who gives us our gifts, abilities, and resources, all of which we are to steward well, seeking to please our Master. The first person Scripture describes as “filled with the Spirit” wasn’t a prophet or priest; he was an Israelite craftsman (Exodus 31:1-6). God gifted and called Bezalel to be a skilled laborer, a master craftsman, a God-glorifying artist. The gifting and calling were from God (Exodus 35:30-35). He created each of us as individuals, with different interests and skills and talents, and using them to His glory is part of being a good steward. Different activities may even be a means of connecting with people we might otherwise never meet and provide opportunities to share about the God we love and serve!

Of course, if we participate in activities that don’t honor our Lord, or have pride in our abilities, or use them as excuse to neglect the other things God has commanded and called us to do, then yes, hobbies can become sin, and something God wouldn’t reward us for at His judgment seat.

If what you otherwise would have done with an hour spent on a leisure activity is pray, read the Bible, feed the poor, gather with your church, or share Jesus with your neighbor, then sure, just say “no” to the hobby!  But if you would have spent it doing a number of other discretionary things, then feel free to say “yes” to it. Do it wisely, do it God’s glory, and do it with joy and thanksgiving, knowing “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17).

Photo by Kirill Zharkiy on Unsplash

God Is Enough for You and the Emptiness You Feel

Nancy Guthrie is one of my favorite writers, not least of all because she’s saturated with God’s Word. In her new book God Does His Best Work with Empty, she affirms Jesus without ever offering cheap “get-on-with-it” advice that is code for “stop grieving, it makes us uncomfortable.” With honesty and transparency, Nancy affirms gospel truth that encourages, corrects, and empowers us to embrace the blood-bought goodness and joy of Jesus. This is a terrific book.

In this two-minute video, Nancy Guthrie talks about how so often we see emptiness in our lives as our biggest problem. But when God looks at the empty place, He sees it as His greatest opportunity. This is especially applicable to the difficult year many of us have experienced:

Read an excerpt from God Does His Best Work with Empty here.

Photo by Daniel McCullough on Unsplash

Our Sovereign King Is Always on His Throne

Whether you are encouraged or distressed by the results (thus far) of the 2020 election, there is great comfort in acknowledging and embracing Scripture’s teaching that God is sovereign over human events, including the outcome of elections. In Isaiah 46:10, God says, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please” (NIV). Those who believe in a God who knows “the end from the beginning” can relax because even though they don’t know what lies ahead, their sovereign God does.

“For dominion belongs to the LORD and He rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28, BSB). Because God has absolute power, no one—including demons and humans who choose to violate His moral will—can thwart His ultimate purpose. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will” (Proverbs 21:1).

The Lord “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11, NIV). Our fates do not rest in the hands of fallen humankind: politicians, lawyers, military officers, employers, or even spouses and children. If we believe this, our reaction to current events and to many of the difficulties we face will change. Problems will seem smaller, for although we can’t control them, we know God can—and that everything will work out for His glory and our good.

Charles Spurgeon said, “Cheer up, Christian! Things are not left to chance: no blind fate rules the world. God hath purposes, and those purposes are fulfilled. God hath plans, and those plans are wise, and never can be dislocated.”

Ultimately our hope must be in Jesus, this Sovereign over the nations: “O LORD, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you” (2 Chronicles 20:6).

Let these truths about God’s sovereignty, purposes, and trustworthiness bring you perspective and peace:

“The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, His sovereignty rules over all.” (Psalm 103:19, NASB)

“He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; ... the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men.” (Daniel 2:21; 4:17)

“It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.” (Psalm 118:8-9)

“…you are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is in your hand to make great and to give strength to all.” (1 Chronicles 29:12, CSB)

“He stands alone, and who can oppose him? He does whatever he pleases.” (Job 23:13, NIV)

“The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.” (Psalms 33:10-11)

“Do not trust in nobles, in a son of man, who cannot save. When his breath leaves him, he returns to the ground; on that day his plans die. Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. He remains faithful forever…” (Psalm 146:3-6, CSB)

“His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14, CSB)

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