God is the Great Storyteller. With grand artistry, He brings forth a beautiful world in a spectacular universe. As the culmination of His creativity, He fashions Adam and Eve. He could have shielded them from Satan’s temptations, warding off evil, suffering and humanity’s curse. But He didn’t. So the man and woman rebel against God, and evil enters the world. Thousands of years go by as humanity’s struggle intensifies. God promises a Redeemer, and with eagerness His people look for... Read more
Some time ago Greg Laurie asked me to speak in November at his Harvest Fellowship churches in Riverside and Orange, in Southern California. Before I left, I was thinking it was bad timing because my wife Nanci was going to the hospital the following Tuesday for a major surgery to deal with cancer that has moved to her lung. But Nanci still wanted me to go speak since she was fine watching football with our dog Maggie. :) As I was preparing... Read more
There are two sides to the issue of savings. On the one hand, Scripture tells us that the wise man anticipates future needs, while the foolish man spends and consumes all his resources with no thought for the future: “In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has” (Proverbs 21:20). Even ants store up provisions for the coming winter (Proverbs 6:6-8). It’s a shortsighted person who fails to... Read more
Do you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist? We have no guarantees about how our circumstances will turn out in this life. But when it comes to eternity, Christians have every reason for optimism—we know how the story will end! The following is from Charles Spurgeon’s sermon “God Rejoicing in the New Creation,” given on July 5, 1891: It is a present and a lasting joy: “Be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create” (Isaiah 65:18). Be... Read more
The fact that a term or phrase can be used by one person one way, and mean something completely different to another person, is nothing new. But as people who believe that words matter—because God communicated to us using precise words, right down to the smallest jot and title—we as Christians should be especially thoughtful in how we use terms, and educate ourselves about what others mean when they use them. We’d be wise to carefully articulate what we do... Read more
As we enter the Advent season, there’s no more worthy subject to set our minds on than Jesus Himself. He is “the Alpha and the Omega…the Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13), the One this Christmas season is all about. (And the One the rest of the year should be about too!) Christmas is about Jesus pouring Himself out and condescending to be truly one of us. His humility in His incarnation and atonement is beautifully reflected in Philippians 2:6-11,... Read more
Please take nine minutes to watch this video, beautifully produced by Desiring God, featuring a woman crippled because of a doctor’s mistake, who lost her child’s life because of another doctor’s mistake, whose husband left her for another woman, and who has surely faced far more than her share of grief. If that sounds depressing, watch it anyway, and see your heart encouraged: Please don’t skip the video, or if you read first what I’ve written below, end by watching it.... Read more
In describing the New Jerusalem, the apostle John writes, “The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass” (Revelation 21:21). The pearls John describes are gates set in walls that are two hundred feet thick. Commentators routinely suggest, “Of course, these are not actual streets of gold.” But why do they say that? In part, at least, because of their christoplatonic assumptions. Disembodied spirits... Read more
The following is an excerpt from my new book Giving Is the Good Life. I hope it encourages you to look today for God-given opportunities to experience the adventure of giving! The popular expression “random acts of kindness” is catchy and good hearted, but as believers in a sovereign God, we should see how He orchestrates our lives, including the people we know and the needs He brings across our path. Cathy Osbun, a friend of EPM (our ministry), told me... Read more
I wrote this article years ago, but I’m sharing it again on my blog as it’s still timely, especially as we enter the holiday season. From mid-November to early January, our lives change, bringing many things that are delightful, but which increase our pressure and fatigue! May this article remind you to focus on what’s truly most important in this season, and to take time to sit at Jesus’ feet. —Randy Alcorn There was work to be done. After all,... Read more
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