Category: . . . Suffering & Sorrow
God’s Way, Not Ours: Kingdom Advance Out of Something Awful
The story of the death of the first martyr of the early church, Stephen, is both ugly and spectacular (see Acts 7:54-60). The ugliness of Stephen’s murderers is found in such phrases as these: “they were enraged” (v. 54); “they ground their teeth at him” (v....
Embracing God’s Training
Every significant task on earth requires training. The homemaker, the accountant, the pastor, the CEO all must learn somewhere and somehow. To do life in the way God intends requires training, and God Himself, our Father, is the master trainer. IT’S HARD Ask anyone who has...
The Future of Crying
It’s okay to cry. Perhaps the most obvious verse to prove this is John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” And not only did Jesus cry, so did the the apostle Paul. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish...
Jesus’ Counter-Cultural Love
How do you define love? In our age of indulgence, many define love this way: giving another person what he wants, regardless of what may be best for him. For example, if a 30-year old pregnant woman wants to murder her unborn child because she doesn’t...
Shine as Lights in the World
At one point in Paul’s letter to the Christians in Philippi, he reminds them that they are to show themselves to be “blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in...
Our Blessed Hope
I was visiting a wonderful, godly lady yesterday who has faced tremendous, continual suffering in this life. She nearly died recently, unconscious and failing for many days, and then she woke up, right on the brink of death. She told me that when she awakened, she...
Four Truths for Stressful Days
After more than a year of wrongful imprisonment, Adoniram Judson, 19th Century missionary to Burma, was unexpectedly released. But the damage was irreversible. His wife Nancy had nearly killed herself trying to provide him food and care while he was being mistreated. This led to rapid...
When It Seems Like God Doesn’t Love Me
Certain sufferings can make us ask hard questions about God. “Is it really true that there is a God who loves me? I have thrown myself on the Lord, I have prayed with real trust in him. But nothing, no response. Why am I still suffering?”...
In Hope You Have Been Saved: Suffering and Realistic Eschatology
I spoke with a friend last week, a man who has shown godly perseverance through a lot of health problems. But now he’s facing a new problem: his kids are suffering chronic pain. This has been tough on his family, he admitted to me, and tough...
The Hard Road is Where You’ll Find the Lord
Recently, there has been a lot of construction downtown where I live. Cones, dusty white rock, makeshift fences and lots of expensive equipment have lined the streets for months. This makes it difficult to drive near the downtown square, very difficult actually, because most of the...
