Open your Bibles to the book of Proverbs. The book of Proverbs is almost right square in the middle of the Bible. If you come out in the book of Psalms, turn right and it will be the next book you come to. If you come out in Isaiah, you turn left and it will be the book just preceding it.
The message today is so simple that I hope you don’t miss it. I’ll give it to you in just one sentence with six words: The way of transgressors is hard. Most people don’t believe that. In fact, they believe just the opposite. They believe that the way of the transgressor is the way of thrills and excitement...
You know the magic word in America today is the word “success.” Everybody is interested in it. Everyone wants to buy books written about it. Everybody wants to hear speeches being made about it. We are success oriented, and I think the church ought to be interested in success as well. In fact I’m persuaded t...
Once we buried a young lady who was only 21 years old. She was killed in a head-on collision while on her way to church. The night before the funeral, my daughter asked why God allows things like this to happen.
I wish I knew. Things like this have puzzled saints, wise men, and philosophers since the world began.
There is simply no one easy answer as to why tragedies like this happen. The answer may lie in the fact that God made us free. He created us with the ability to make our own choices, and choices always involve consequences. If we are careless or foolish in our choices, or if others are, we may suffer because of them. If God did not allow us freedom, we’d be less than people. We’d be robots.
This may be the only explanation we will ever have for some suffering. However, we do not have to know why things happen in order to be victorious over them. On the cross Jesus cried out “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) But the heavens were as brass. God was silent. He didn’t even answer his own Son. Jesus might have despaired and become bitter against God. But instead he said, “Father, into thy hands I commend [entrust, hand over] my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
This kind of faith is far more important than any answer we might receive. In our lives, as in the life of Jesus, it is faith that makes the difference between victory and defeat.
So keep believing in God no matter what. Commit your life to him and regardless of what happens, God will help you.