Scripture Gives Us Many Reasons to Be Happy

Last updated on: October 19, 2018 at 9:24 am By Randy Alcorn

When someone says, as many have, “Happiness isn’t in the Bible,” it’s not even slightly true. Even in versions that don’t frequently use the words happy and happiness, the concept is conspicuously present, not only in its many synonyms (see here and here), but in words such as contentment, peace, delight, and dozens of others in every translation. Consider this verse: “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights... Read more

The War on Unborn Black Children in the U.S.

Last updated on: October 15, 2018 at 10:30 am By Randy Alcorn

Recently prolife advocate Abby Johnson shared the picture below on her Facebook page, along with this caption: “The abortion war against black women is so real. This is on a billboard in Dallas.” Several years ago, John Piper preached on the question of “When Is Abortion Racism?” He said: In the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision of 1857, the Supreme Court held that Black slaves were property without rights as free persons. But today, we rightly view that as unthinkable. My hope is that... Read more

John Piper on Identifying and Fighting Besetting Sins

Last updated on: October 12, 2018 at 9:28 am By Randy Alcorn

Having turned 64 this year, this post from John Piper got my attention. It concerns what he learned about himself on a leave of absence at age 64. I prayed for him then, and now as I read this I also pray for myself. Since I consider John, and many others, my betters in countless areas, I look at his list of self-diagnosed sins (though with the help of others) and pray that God would point out my sins as... Read more

My Newest Book: Face to Face with Jesus

Last updated on: October 8, 2018 at 9:33 am By Randy Alcorn

Do you remember the day, the moment, you met the Son of God for the first time? No matter how long we’ve walked with Christ, there’s always more to discover and learn about Him. To truly know Jesus and follow His example, it’s essential that we continually study and contemplate His words and the incredible aspects of His character. That’s why I’m excited about my new book, Face to Face with Jesus: Seeing Him as He Really Is! It includes 200 mini-chapters... Read more

We’re Not Just God’s Servants, But Also His Children, Heirs, and Friends

Last updated on: October 4, 2018 at 1:39 pm By Randy Alcorn

I love to read Scripture, but I also love to listen to it on audio. There are free apps that offer you audio, including YouVersion, but I’ve used Audible.com to purchase and download the Bible read by actor and Christ-follower David Suchet, whose voice and inflections I love. Whatever audio version you use, there’s nothing like HEARING God’s Word. When you’re driving or doing something mindless, why not listen to God? I was listening to David Suchet reading Galatians, and I kept... Read more

Increased Persecution in China, and What China’s Digital Dictatorship Could Mean for Christians

Last updated on: October 1, 2018 at 10:20 am By Randy Alcorn

For years people have told me, including some who’ve read my novel Safely Home, that there is no more persecution of Chinese Christians. True, compared to earlier decades, religious persecution in some parts of China has not been as extreme. In some places there may be little or no persecution. Local officials may look the other way, even if they suspect Christians are meeting illegally (as most Christians in China do). In other cases, whereas Christians were once jailed for assembling... Read more

Why We Don’t Need to Be Anxious and Worry

Last updated on: September 27, 2018 at 9:41 am By Randy Alcorn

Worry is the product of high stakes and low control, coupled with expecting the worst. There’s no greater enemy of happiness. There’s a subtle aspect to worry: if we care, we think we should worry, as if that will help somehow. In fact, worry has absolutely no redemptive value. When good things are happening, we’re worried that bad things will come. When bad things happen, we worry that worse... Read more

A Dice Game, a Harley Davidson Motorcycle, and a Delightful Story about Generosity and God’s Providence

Last updated on: September 20, 2018 at 8:26 am By Randy Alcorn

Today’s guest post is by our dear friend Diane Meyer, who tells a great and fun story that really fits with the character of our generous, delightful God. Most giving stories I hear don’t involve a dice game and a Harley Davidson motorcycle. But that’s what makes this one so unique. However, the principles behind it don’t just apply to a game of chance. For instance, someone could start a business, set up a fireworks stand, or try to sell... Read more

Charles Spurgeon and the Importance of Consistency with Scripture in Theology

Last updated on: September 13, 2018 at 1:35 pm By Randy Alcorn

I think Charles Spurgeon comes as close as anyone I’ve read to articulating what Scripture as a whole reveals. Sadly, though I attended both a good Bible college and a good seminary, I never read Spurgeon or learned anything about him. I’d been a pastor for ten years before I discovered him, and then I couldn’t get enough of him. The Bible oozed out of his pores, and he let Scripture be Scripture, rarely twisting it to fit his theology.... Read more

Cultural Relativism, Even in the Face of Human Sacrifice

Last updated on: September 10, 2018 at 8:45 am By Randy Alcorn

Relativism dominates the thinking of most educated people (which means sometimes that uneducated people are morally smarter). The “it all depends” morality, controversial fifty years ago when called situational ethics, denies the existence of any objective standards of right and wrong. What’s wrong for one person, so it insists, may be right for another. One uses internal, not external, standards to judge morality. People who say they believe in such a shifting ethic, however, constantly make moral judgments. They may... Read more

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