Laments make up more than one-third of the psalms. The contrast between Israel’s hymnbook and the church’s says a great deal about our failure to acknowledge suffering. If we don’t sing about suffering and struggle, why shouldn’t our people feel surprised when it comes? Read Psalm 88, arguably the most discouraging portion of the Bible: “My soul is full of trouble and my life draws near the grave…. You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.... Read more
It’s not always easy to witness the success of others without pangs of envy creeping in. I heard one story of a fortunate woman who won an extreme home makeover but whose neighbors were outraged at the invasion of their space by construction workers and film crews.They spoke critically of their neighbor, saying she probably didn’t know how to take care of a decent home.They called the police because of the disturbance, even though they knew it would be short... Read more
The problem of plagiarism by pastors and Christian writers is a real one, though I think it’s less widespread than some believe. From time to time, I’m reminded of how common it is for people to believe a writer or speaker stole his or her material. Sometimes material is indeed used word for word without crediting the source, and this is unethical. But other times, people assume an idea or material has been stolen when it isn’t the case. Mark... Read more
Denny Gradin was a missionary with a big heart for Spanish-speaking peoples. In August 2012, he was initially diagnosed with cancer, and two months later wrote his “Basic Truths That Guide My Life” in response to the questions he received about how he was dealing with his diagnosis. It continued to express his heart until the Lord called him home, 17 months later. Denny’s points also remind me of John Piper’s article “Don’t Waste Your Cancer,” another excellent perspective for... Read more
The world is full of desperate people thirsting for happiness. In their quest, they eagerly drink from contaminated sources of water, mistakenly believing it will satisfy their thirst. What they long for, and desperately need, can be found solely in the one and only “fountain of living waters”—God himself. God laments over the poor choices we make: “My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns... Read more
Tozer, one of my all-time favorite authors, makes a great analogy in this sermon, shared in the book The Attributes of God Volume 2: Deeper into the Father’s Heart. (Thanks to EPM’s Stephanie Anderson for skillfully shortening the original.) Hope you enjoy this too. —Randy The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. (Proverbs 3:19) He hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. (Jeremiah... Read more
Several years ago I had the privilege of doing a Q&A with Wayne Grudem. (I highly recommend his books Systematic Theology and Bible Doctrine.) In this video, Wayne and I respond to the question, “Is it wrong for Christians to spend money on entertainment and leisure?” As we shared in the video, Scripture says that God provides us with material things “for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17, NLT). When I speak on the subject of money and giving, I try... Read more
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. —2 Peter 3:8-9 For many, the most difficult problem with evil is its persistence. God “has set a day when he will judge the... Read more
Note from Randy: This is a letter I sent to a friend who’s a professional athlete, and was traded earlier this year to another team. He and his wife and children had to relocate to another city. I’ve deleted the specifics to make it generic and am posting it because 99% of it applies to any follower of Jesus who was happy where he or she lived, but needs to move elsewhere. Of course, some people are excited about moving,... Read more
Few of us are familiar with the culture Jesus lived in. In our culture, most humor is based on joke telling, verbal ambiguities, and physical comedy. Jewish humor often employed witty hyperbole—clever, startling, over-the-top statements—to get a laugh. Though some comedians today do this and we laugh, when we see Jesus use the technique in the Gospels, we usually don’t get it. Jesus certainly never employed the caustic humor of late-night comedians who ridicule the weak minded or the unfortunate.... Read more
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