Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 106
Q: When you ask God to do something for you, but then nothing happens, does that mean He’s giving you a definite “no,” and you shouldn’t keep bothering Him about it? A: We should never think that we are “bothering” God when we turn to Him in prayer! God loves us, and just as parents take delight in their child’s first words, so God takes delight in the prayers of His children. Jesus said, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask h...
Q: I don’t go to church anymore, because the people in the last one I went to weren’t very friendly, and all they did was criticize and gossip about everyone, from the pastor on down (probably including me). That’s not the way Christians are supposed to act, is it? A: No, it’s definitely not how Christians are supposed to act. When we commit ourselves to Jesus and become His followers, our lives should be marked by love and compassion, not criticism and gossiping. The Bible says, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned...
Q: I graduated from college last December, and I was excited because the job I got meant I’d be moving to a large city—which I’ve always wanted to do. But I’m so lonely here that I’m beginning to wonder if I made a mistake. Do you think I did? A: Elsewhere in your letter you admit that you never thought to pray about your decision or seek God’s will for your future. One reason I wanted to reprint your question is because I hope it will encourage others to pray when they face decisions like this. God is concerned about every detail of our lives,...
Q: My biggest fault (or so people keep telling me) is impatience. Like most people, I’m impatient when big things go wrong, but little things get under my skin also. I guess I was born this way, and I’m not sure I can do anything about it. And anyway, what difference does it make? A: Have you ever asked yourself why people keep telling you about this? The reason, I suspect, is because your impatience makes it very difficult for them to be your friend—and that’s one reason why you need to overcome this. The Bible says, “Whoever is patient h...
Q: How much do you have to believe about God in order to get into Heaven? I’m getting older, and I don’t want God to slam Heaven’s door on me when I die. A: Only one thing will keep us out of Heaven—and that is our sin. And only one thing will enable us to enter Heaven—and that is to be cleansed of our sin. Let me explain. You may not think of yourself as a bad person—and compared with some people, you probably aren’t. But God is absolutely holy and pure, and even one sin—just one—is enough to banish us from His presence. That may be hard for y...
Q: I saw an article in our newspaper the other day about a local group of people who say they believe in witchcraft and black magic and things like that. Do you think they are sincere, or are they just trying to get attention? A: I don’t know this group’s true motives, of course—but I can assure you that some people today do believe in the kind of occult practices you mention. Furthermore, not only do they sincerely believe in them and practice them, but they often seek to persuade others to believe in them also. The Bible is very clear, howev...
Q: We have legal custody of our son’s children, because he’s in prison for another 20 years, and his wife’s left him and is into all sorts of bad things. But now she’s threatening legal action if we don’t give them back. We love them, and we can’t stand the thought of giving them up. Is it morally wrong for us to want to keep them? A: No, it’s not morally wrong for you to want to keep custody of these children; you love them and you want what is best for them. You’re concerned about their future, and from what you say, they probably wouldn...
Q: Since the Bible says God created everything, doesn’t this mean He also created the devil? And if He created the devil, doesn’t this mean God is actually responsible for all the evil in the world? A friend of mine who likes to argue about religion asked me this, and I didn’t know what to say. A: I seriously doubt if your friend really wants an answer to his question; I suspect instead that he is only using this as an excuse to keep from facing his need to repent of his sins and submit his life to Christ. Unfortunately some people are like...
Q: Last week I went to a bookstore to buy a Bible to give to my nephew for his birthday (he’ll be 14), but I got discouraged and finally gave up because there were too many choices. Why are there so many different Bibles? A: Don’t give up; nothing you could ever give your nephew is more valuable than a Bible. Remember: The Bible is God’s Word, and God gave it to us to guide us and help us come to know Him. The Psalmist wrote, “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9). Let me suggest t...
Q: Our church’s education committee really wants me to teach the high school class, but I’m not sure I want to take it on. I’ve never done anything like this, and to be honest I’m not sure I want to give up my time. Am I just being selfish? A: Only you can answer this question, of course, but I hope you’ll be honest about your motives—and if they are selfish or wrong, I hope you’ll ask God to change them. The Psalmist prayed, “Search me, God, and know my heart. … See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psal...
Q: Both my parents were alcoholics, and I always vowed I’d never go down that path. But now I’m in my 30s, and I’m afraid I’m about to go the same way they did. What’s wrong with me? I hate myself for being so worthless. A: I don’t need to tell you that you’re about to go down a dead-end road; you saw what happened to your parents. One reason I wanted to reprint part of your email here is because I hope it will warn others who are in danger of making the same mistake. Don’t beat yourself up, however, or tell yourself that you’re worthles...
Q: I know we’re supposed to trust God instead of worrying all the time, but I just can’t help it. Our budget is very tight as it is, and I worry constantly about what will happen if one of us loses our job or something. How can I stop worrying so much? A: It’s not wrong to plan ahead or budget our money; if we don’t, we easily end up spending money we don’t really have on things we don’t really need—which is wrong. The Bible says, “The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways” (Proverbs 14:8). But planning ahead isn’t the same as...
Q: I admit I’ve always been kind of a “Christmas and Easter” Christian, since those seem to be the only times I manage to make it to church. What would you say to someone like me? A: The first thing I’d say is that I’m glad you at least make it to church twice a year! Even if God and church don’t mean very much to you right now, at least they must mean something—and in our increasingly secular age, this is noteworthy. But I’m also glad for another reason: God could use these two days to speak to you and give you a new understanding o...
Q: My husband just dumped me for another woman, and I am crushed. I don’t see how I can carry on, I feel so worthless and helpless. How could anyone be so heartless, abandoning not only me but our two children? Please pray for us. A: God gave marriage to us, and one reason He opposes divorce is because He knows the deep hurt it causes those who have been betrayed by their spouse’s unfaithfulness. The Bible says, “The man who hates and divorces his wife… does violence to the one he should protect” (Malachi 2:16). Your feelings are understan...
Q: I’ve finally had to face the fact that my main goal in life is to get other people to like me. I guess most people are like this, but sometimes I’ll go overboard trying to win someone’s favor, even if it means doing something that’s wrong. How can I quit this? A: You’re right; most of us like to be liked. And sadly, we may even do things we know are wrong (like lying about ourselves or doing things we know aren’t right) in order to get someone to like us. But such “friendships” are seldom lasting. The Bible rightly says, “What a person desir...
Q: I’ve gone through some hard times recently, and my aunt says I ought to be thankful because they’ll make me a better person. Is she right? I admit I’m having a hard time seeing things her way. A: We all want our lives to be smooth and trouble-free, of course—but unfortunately life isn’t always that way. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who was completely free of worries and problems. Job rightly said, “Man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7). The real question, therefore, is this: How will we react whe...
Q: My girlfriend and I are talking about getting married, but we’re reluctant to go ahead because so many of our friends have gotten divorced after only a few years. How can we be sure this won’t happen to us? A: I’m thankful you want your marriage to last—because this desire will be an important part of being sure it will last! Far too many couples, I’m afraid, enter marriage casually or thoughtlessly. But God gave marriage to us, and His perfect plan is for it to be a lifelong commitment of the husband and wife to each other. Jesus said, “Th...
Q: I don’t want to offend you, but why should I bother with God? My life is going along just fine without Him. In fact, He’d probably make me stop doing a lot of things I enjoy doing if I did turn to Him. A: Let me ask you a question: What do you suppose would happen to you if God didn’t “bother” with you? In other words, what would happen to you if God forgot all about you or ignored you or refused to have anything to do with you? I’ll tell you what would happen: Your life would end immediately, before you finished reading this sentence. W...
Q: My wife gets after me because of my bad language, and I admit I probably swear more than I should, but what difference does it make? No one thinks much about it anymore, as far as I can tell. A: Sadly our society has changed in the last 50 years or so; it seems like it’s almost impossible to read a popular book or watch a program on television today without encountering vulgar or profane language. What difference does your speech make as far as you and your wife are concerned? First, it obviously makes a difference to your wife, and if f...
Q: Why does God say we’re guilty when we do something wrong, since He already knows that we’re not perfect and we’re going to make mistakes? I think He ought to overlook our sins instead of making us feel guilty. After all, this is the way He made us. A: Let me ask you a question: If one of your children does something wrong (or even dangerous), do you simply smile and say, “Oh, well, it doesn’t make any difference. We know they’re not perfect”? I doubt it—because you know what is best for them, and you know you need to teach your children t...
Q: Why can’t families get along? My five siblings and I got together for Christmas dinner this year, and all we did was argue. I’m afraid we hardly ever have contact. This concerns me, but I guess it’s just been easier to go our separate ways. A: What’s easiest isn’t always what’s best, of course, nor is it always God’s will (in fact, it usually isn’t). I’m thankful you’re concerned about the divisions in your family—and I want to assure you that God is even more concerned than you are. Conflicts like this are never His will. Tragically, fam...
Q: I know you’ve said that God sometimes answers our prayers with a “no”—but if that’s the case, then why bother to pray? A: Yes, it’s true that God sometimes says “no” to our prayers—and with good reason, because He alone knows what is best for us. Just as a loving parent sometimes says “no” to their child’s demands, so our loving God sometimes says “no” to our demands. But sometimes God also says “yes” to our prayers—and that’s certainly one reason why we ought to keep on praying! But we don’t pray only to get things from God. Not only would...
Q: We want to make this a better Christmas, so we’ve decided to read some Bible passages together about Christmas. Where can we find them? A: I’m thankful you want to do this; could anything be more important than turning our hearts and minds toward Jesus, whose birth we celebrate at Christmas? Let me simply repeat some suggestions I’ve made before. Centuries before Jesus’ birth, God promised that He would send His Savior into the world. This week, therefore, I suggest you concentrate on prophecies from the Old Testament. You might begin w...
Q: Maybe some women can go through an abortion and never feel guilty, but I’m not one of them. I feel terrible over what I did, and every time I drive by a school playground I’m almost consumed with grief. Will I ever get over this? A: One of abortion’s unseen (and unacknowledged) consequences is exactly what you have experienced: deep regret and guilt over what happened. Tragically, however, sometimes a far different consequence takes place: spiritual and emotional insensitivity to what happened. This, I fear, is the reaction of far too many...
Q: A Sunday school teacher I had over 30 years ago died recently, and I feel bad because I never thanked her for what she did for me. We were a rowdy bunch and I’m sure she got discouraged, but she planted spiritual seeds in my soul that eventually grew. Maybe my letter will encourage other teachers. A: Thank you for your letter; I too hope it will encourage those who have been called to teach the Bible, especially to young people. We can trust God’s promise: “My word … will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve...
