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Q: How good do you have to be before you can become a Christian? My parents were very anti-religion, but now that I’m an adult I feel a need for God. But maybe I’m not good enough to be a Christian. A: I have good news for you: God loves you just as you are, and He wants to welcome you and make you part of His family just as you are! The only thing He wants from you is your trust. Think of it this way. If you are sick, do you have to wait until you’re well before the doctor will agree to see you? No, of course not. Your doctor wants to see y...
Q: I haven’t heard from my two sons for several years—no Christmas cards, no Father’s Day cards, no emails, nothing. I know I was probably a lousy father, but shouldn’t they at least try to keep in touch with me? My daughter does, thankfully. A: One of life’s most heartbreaking lessons is that when we mistreat others, they often end up mistreating us. I wish it weren’t so; we ought to learn to forgive even those who deeply hurt us (as Jesus urged us to do). But it happens all the time, and it’s hard to reverse it. The Bible warns, “A man reaps...
Q: I know preachers like to tell people how bad they are and that they ought to feel guilty over their sins. But I don’t feel guilty over anything, because I don’t believe there’s such a thing as right or wrong. What would you say to someone like me? A: The first thing I’d say to you is that your letter made me very sad. By believing that nothing is either right or wrong, you are putting your faith in something that simply isn’t true—and eventually your disregard for right and wrong will hurt both you and others. The Bible warns, “Woe to those...
Q:After college, I ended up taking what I thought was a temporary job, and five years later I’m still in it. Why hasn’t God given me something exciting, instead of a job I don’t really care about? A: Millions of Americans are celebrating Labor Day, an annual holiday set aside to honor our working men and women, and to express gratitude for the important contributions they make to society. Where would we be without them? But Labor Day, I believe, should also be a time when we ask God to help us see our work from His point of view. Let’s be hone...
Q: I don’t understand my cousin. Whenever I talk with her about Heaven or salvation, she just laughs and says she’s not going to worry about it, because it will all work out in the end. Why is she like this? A: Unfortunately your cousin has deliberately blinded herself to the fact that some day she will enter eternity and stand before God—and then it will be too late. The Bible warns, “People are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Why is she like this? She’s not alone; many people willfully refuse to t...
Q: What do you think is the biggest problem facing the world today? We’ve been having a discussion about this in our Bible class at church, but we can’t seem to agree. A: The biggest problem facing the world today is the same as it always has been: the human heart. The Bible puts it bluntly: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Think about it a minute. If we could only get rid of our pride and selfishness, we’d have a perfect world. We’d live in harmony with each other, and we’d no...
Q: I’ve always had physical problems that limit my ability to walk or do most of the things that normal people do. As a result I have very few friends, and sometimes I wish I’d never been born. Why did God let this happen to me? Does God hate me? A: I don’t know exactly why God allowed this to happen to you—or for that matter, why He allows evil of any kind to exist. In Heaven we’ll fully understand this—but not now. The Bible speaks of “the mystery of iniquity”—and that’s what evil is: a mystery (2 Thessalonians 2:7, KJV). But I do know this:...
Q: I know Jesus said we ought to love people, but how do you love someone who’s really hard to get along with? My aunt is like this, always criticizing everyone and in general just being disagreeable. We dread it when she comes to visit. A: You’re right, I’m afraid; some people are simply hard to like. Sometimes, of course, we are at fault—and if so, we need to be honest about it and try to change our attitude. But unfortunately some people seem to take almost a perverse delight in criticizing others or antagonizing those around them. Sometimes...
Q: Where did God come from? Our six-year-old son keeps asking me, and I don’t know how to answer him. Or should I even try? A: I’m thankful your son wants to know about God, and I hope you’re encouraging him and doing all you can to answer his questions. The Bible says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6). God has always existed, and He always will—because He had no beginning and He will have no end. I know that’s hard for us to understand, because everything arou...
Q: My sister and her husband are always praying about decisions they have to make, but I think they just need to use their brains to decide what to do. After all, why did God give us a brain if He didn’t expect us to use it? A: Praying about decisions we need to make doesn’t mean we stop thinking about them—not at all. In fact, we should be asking God to help us understand our choices more clearly, and to decide which is best. The Bible says, “How much better to get wisdom than gold” (Proverbs 16:16). What your sister and her husband are actua...
Q: When I was younger I did some pretty bad things, and the older I get the more guilty I feel over them. I want to ask God for forgiveness, but I haven’t because I honestly don’t believe He’ll forgive me. Why should He? I can’t even forgive myself. A: God is willing to forgive you for one reason: He loves you. If He hated you, or if He despised you because of what you’ve done, then you wouldn’t have any reason to expect Him to forgive you. But He loves you! This doesn’t mean God overlooks our sins or pretends they never happened—beca...
Q: I’ve heard a lot about asteroids that might hit the earth, or new diseases that could destroy all life, or new weapons of war, and I can’t help but be worried about the future. Is this the way the world is going to come to an end? A: The world as we know it will only come to an end in God’s time and in God’s way—and only when He intervenes to usher in a perfect world of peace and righteousness. As the Bible says, “In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13)....
Q: I’ve heard a lot about asteroids that might hit the earth, or new diseases that could destroy all life, or new weapons of war, and I can’t help but be worried about the future. Is this the way the world is going to come to an end? A: The world as we know it will only come to an end in God’s time and in God’s way—and only when He intervenes to usher in a perfect world of peace and righteousness. As the Bible says, “In keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13)....
Q: I overheard someone say the other day that God had been speaking to them about something. (I think it had to do with something she was doing that God didn’t want her to do.) Do you think she actually heard a voice speaking to her? God never spoke to me that way. A: This person probably didn’t mean that God had spoken to her with an audible voice. He may do this rarely, even today—but this is not His normal way of letting us know His will. Instead she had probably come to sense in her mind and heart what God wanted her to do (or perha...
Q: I admit we never paid much attention to the television programs and films our children watched, but I’m beginning to wonder if we made a mistake. I guess we thought they’d learn how they ought to live by watching us, but now I’m not so sure. Have we missed something? A: Raising our children is one of the most important responsibilities God gives us, and neglecting it or leaving it to others can be disastrous. The Bible says, “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6)....
Q: I know you’d probably say we ought to be honest and always tell the truth, but in my experience no one really gets ahead if they act like that all the time. You have to cut a few corners if you’re going to be successful, no matter what the Ten Commandments say. A: You’ve probably looked around you and seen people who appeared to be getting ahead by being less than honest—and in the short term perhaps they were. But at what cost? In the long term they are on a dead-end road—and so will you be, if you decide to follow their example. You see,...
Q: We’re having a big family reunion this summer, and I admit my husband and I are kind of nervous because most of our relatives aren’t religious. We don’t want to come across as self-righteous killjoys, but I guess we ought to take a stand somehow for Jesus. Should we just not go? A: I sincerely hope you won’t avoid your family’s reunion—and instead of dreading it, I hope you’ll go with an attitude of anticipation and joy! And you will, if you see this not as a burden but as a God-given opportunity—an opportunity He is giving you to influenc...
Q: Where can I find God? Everybody seems to have a different opinion about this, but how do I know which one is right? Maybe they’re all wrong, and God doesn’t want to be found—or doesn’t even exist. A: The most important truth I can tell you is this: God not only exists, but He wants you to come to know Him as your closest and best friend! “You are my friends,” Jesus told His followers (John 15:14). And God has done everything He possibly can to make this a reality. God isn’t hiding off in some distant corner of the universe, hoping we’ll...
Q: I guess we’re what you’d call “Christmas and Easter Christians,” since those are about the only times we make it to church. But what’s wrong with that? We head to our lake cottage most weekends, and isn’t the Sabbath supposed to be a day of rest? A: You’re right, up to a point; God knows we need rest, and one of the reasons He established the Sabbath was to give us rest. One of the Ten Commandments states, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day … you shall not do any work” (Deuteronomy 5:13-14). But God’s...
Q: I think it’s arrogant for people to say they know they’re going to go to heaven when they die. How do they know? I’m just as good as some of them are, even if I’m not very religious. A: The greatest mistake anyone can ever make is to assume that they are good enough to go to Heaven. And yet countless people make this mistake every day, thinking their good deeds will somehow outweigh their bad deeds and make them eligible for Heaven. Why do I say this is a mistake? The reason, the Bible says, is because God’s standard is nothing less than per...
Q: Our neighbor is one of the grouchiest people I’ve ever met. He always looks on the dark side of things, and never has a good word to say about anybody; and yet he claims to be a Christian. Is this the way Christians are supposed to act? A: I’m sorry your neighbor is this way; no one likes being around a grouchy person. Jesus certainly wasn’t this way; people wanted to be around Him—even little children. The Bible says, “Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all” (Philippians 4:4-5). Only God knows your neighbor’s heart, of course, an...
Q: Why did God make me such a shy person? I want to make friends and be accepted by people, but whenever I get in a crowd I just freeze up and don’t even talk to anyone. Sometimes I wish I was someone else. A: We’re all different, and I suppose most of us have looked at someone who seemed more talented or personable than we were, and wished we were in their shoes. But of course we aren’t, and being envious of them never gets us anywhere. Job declared, “Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple” (Job 5:2). Instead of wishing you were...
Q: Why do I feel near to God one day, but then the next day I’ll feel like He doesn’t even exist? I wish my spiritual life wasn’t such a roller coaster. This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be, is it? A: No, it’s not the way God wants our relationship with Him to be. Instead, He wants our faith to be stable, and even grow stronger every day. The Bible says, “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you.” (1 Corinthians 15:58). How does this happen? I notice from your letter that you are married. How do you keep you...
Q: Wasn’t Jesus actually a failure? After all, at the beginning of His last week on earth He hoped people would make Him into their king, but by the end of the week everyone had turned against Him, and they ended up killing Him. A: Yesterday Christians across the world celebrated what has come to be called “Palm Sunday”—the day on which Jesus rode into Jerusalem and was welcomed by enthusiastic crowds waving palm branches. They shouted, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!” (John 12:13). But Jesus had...
Q: My sister used to be very active in her church, but now she’s dropped out and says she wants to spend her weekends doing other things. I admit, she doesn’t seem to miss church, but what can I do to encourage her to reconnect? A: People drop out of church for all sorts of reasons (and over the years I suppose I’ve heard them all!). And some are understandable—if a particular church isn’t preaching the Gospel, for example, or has no program for their children. Instead of completely dropping out, however, I always urge them to ask God to gu...
