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This article was sent to me by reader Charlene Nelson, who describes her journey in discovering the happiness God offers His children. Thanks, Charlene, for sharing how my book Happiness has encouraged you along the way. 

A great deal of evidence argues for God’s existence. In my book If God Is Good, I summarize just a few of these arguments.

My friend Greg Stier, from Dare to Share, posted this yesterday on X. It has nothing to do with politics. It’s a sober reminder for all of us, every day, to be prepared to stand before the God who says, “Each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27, NLT).

Last fall, I visited Shepherd’s House Bible Church in Arizona and spoke at their college/young adult ministry, The Fold. Though the focus was on young adults, many of the great questions I was asked are applicable to believers of all ages.

Proverbs 6:16-19 says there are six things God hates, seven things detestable to the Lord. “Hands that shed innocent blood” would apply to abortion. “A heart that devises wicked schemes and feet that are quick to rush into evil” could apply to sexual sin. But let’s not stop there. The passage also includes a “false witness” and one “who stirs up dissension among brothers.”

Following is a modified version of my letter to someone who was experiencing intense physical pain and contemplated suicide. I share it because, though we are a small ministry without the capacity to give ongoing counsel, no doubt others may find themselves tempted to end their life and need to find hope in Jesus, or know someone who faces a similar struggle.

The battle for human souls pivots on the issue of Christ’s identity. He’s the watershed, the dividing line between Hell and Heaven. Jesus made that clear when He asked His disciples about His divinity: “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ ” (Matthew 16:15).

“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). The Good News Translation renders this verse, “The joy that the Lord gives you will make you strong.” The passage isn’t simply about our joy in God but about the way God imparts His joy to us.

I believe there’s one central explanation for why so many of God’s children have such a vague, negative, and uninspired view of Heaven: the work of Satan. Our enemy slanders three things: God’s person, God’s people, and God’s place—namely, Heaven.

There are only seven copies of Plato’s writings, the first of which was copied by a scribe 1,200 years after Plato died! Yet the vast majority of people are confident that what we have is what Plato wrote. In contrast, there are about 5,686 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament and over 19,000 in Syriac, Latin, Coptic, and Aramaic.

Scripture says Christ gave “himself as a ransom for all people” (1 Timothy 2:6, NIV). Like many biblical terms, such as hope, love, and joy, we have to define what Scripture means by ransom.

In her journal she kept during her cancer years, Nanci quoted Charles Spurgeon: "Oh, that we may know our God—His power, His faithfulness, His immutable love. He is one whose character excites our enthusiasm. Oh, that we may know our God by familiar fellowship with Him."

On June 23, Randy is turning 70. In light of this significant birthday, some of the Eternal Perspective Ministries staff and board wanted to honor him by sharing how he’s pointed us to Jesus. We hope that by sharing how his life has helped us grow in our walk with God, it will be clear that the Lord has used Randy as a conduit of His grace.

Jesus tells us to lose our lives for His sake. He commands us to deny ourselves. And if self-denial and sacrifice aren’t enough, we’re to carry a cross—that dreaded instrument of execution. In terms of costliness, could Jesus have painted a more dreadful picture?