Dead people don’t come back and tell us what they’ve experienced. But we can know some things based on the Bible’s explanations. We don’t just disappear after we die. We live on in another location. Followers of Jesus go to live with Him in Heaven. On the cross, Jesus told the thief crucified next to Him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). In Christ’s story about the rich man and Lazarus, at the moment of death,... Read more
In my dialogues with lifelong evangelicals, I’ve found that a surprisingly large number apparently believe they will spend eternity as disembodied spirits. I sometimes ask, “You do believe in the resurrection, right?” They will say yes, knowing they should, but they go right on to question whether in the eternal Heaven on the New Earth there could be eating and drinking, swimming, running, biking, hugging, reading, painting, and any other activities embodied human beings do. God’s revelation concerning the resurrection... Read more
“How sweet Your word is to my taste—sweeter than honey in my mouth.” (Psalm 119:103, HCSB) “The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.” —A. W. Tozer George Müller (1805–1898), an Englishman who... Read more
Late one rainy night years ago, my wife and I were leaving a movie theater when Nanci noticed an older man in the parking lot leaning on a walker, struggling. I helped him get into his car. Since he was so exhausted, I asked if I could drive him home. He declined, but I said we’d follow him home in case he needed help. As he pulled out, driving erratically, we prayed he wouldn’t find the street. Our prayers were... Read more
“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” — Isaiah 49:15–16 Though I can’t prove it, I’m convinced God prevents far more evil than He allows. When His people are discouraged, God says that He can no more forget us and fail to... Read more
I enjoyed talking with Scott Linebrink on his podcast, Get in the Game, about sharing the Gospel and being generous with our money and spiritual gifts. Scott was a Major League baseball pitcher for twelve years and now serves as Partnerships Director for Water Mission, a great ministry and one I encourage people to support. Here’s a short clip from our conversation: You can listen to the full interview here. Read more
There are many possible motives for lending money. One is to meet another person’s need; another is to profit from the loan by charging interest. Nothing is inherently wrong with lending. It’s a mark of God’s blessing to be in the position to make a loan (Deuteronomy 28:12). The righteous is one who gives and lends (Psalm 37:21, 26). God approves of the generous person who lends freely (Psalm 112:5). In certain cases, lenders graciously forgave debt (Matthew 18:32-33). In Israel,... Read more
Several years ago I spoke at the Canvas Conference, which was a great two-day conference on human creativity and beauty with biblical, gospel-centered theology. In this video clip, I answer a question about whether we will have creativity and use it in eternity: Here are some related thoughts: God gave people creativity in their unfallen state, which remained but was twisted when we fell. He will surely not give us less creativity in Heaven but more, unmarred by sin, unlimited by... Read more
Alex Harris is a wonderful brother, and a true servant leader. When he attended Nanci’s memorial service on May 15, I wasn’t the only one who noticed he stayed until the very end doing the clean-up and didn’t stop until the job was completely done. The fact that Alex is a young man, and was wearing a suit, stuck out. I’ve shared about him and his twin brother Brett on my blog over the years. Together they wrote Do Hard Things when... Read more
Concerning money and possessions, the Bible is sometimes extreme, sometimes shocking. When we come to Scripture, it’s for comfort, not for assaults against our worldview, right? Let God talk about love and grace, thank you. Let us talk about money and possessions—then do with them whatever we please. Were we honest, that’s what many of us would say. Some believers ask each other tough questions: “Have you been spending time in the Word? Sharing your faith? Guarding your sexual purity?” Yet how often do we... Read more
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