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22ec406
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Biblical religion . . . views the whole course of history as a movement from a garden to a city, and it fundamentally affirms that movement. . . . Redemption in Jesus Christ reaches just as far as the fall.
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Randy Alcorn |
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e278d37
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Christ's resurrection is the forerunner of our own, and our resurrection is the forerunner of the earth's.
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Randy Alcorn |
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f8b0db1
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What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." --A. W. Tozer"
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Randy Alcorn |
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89576a7
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I shovel out the money, and God shovels it back--but God has a bigger shovel." -- R. G. LeTourneau"
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Randy Alcorn |
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13caeff
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God cannot give us happiness apart from Himself, because there is no such thing." --C. S. Lewis"
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Randy Alcorn |
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afb5fa1
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There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our charitable expenditure excludes them." --C. S. Lewis"
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Randy Alcorn |
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b0112e2
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The beginning of the way to heaven, is to feel that we are on the way to hell." --J. C. Ryle"
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Randy Alcorn |
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f8bae0b
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God isn't just preparing a place for us. He is preparing us for that place.
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Randy Alcorn |
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54ca229
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The power of the words we speak is far greater than we realize. "Life and death is in the power of the tongue" (Proverbs 18:21)."
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Randy Alcorn |
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4a8dffd
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Romans 8 contains a powerful theology of suffering. There's the groaning of those dying without hope, and in contrast, the groaning of those in childbirth. Both processes are painful, yet they are very different. The one is the pain of hopeless dread, the other the pain of hopeful anticipation. The Christian's pain is very real, but it's the pain of a mother anticipating the joy of holding her child. It
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Randy Alcorn |
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f6e9a42
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It is no coincidence that the first two chapters of the Bible (Genesis 1-2) begin with the creation of the heavens and the earth and the last two chapters (Revelation 21-22) begin with the re-creation of the heavens and the earth. All
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Randy Alcorn |
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c580ca9
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We're told that a time is coming when God will restore everything. This is an inclusive promise. It encompasses far more than God merely restoring disembodied people to fellowship in a spirit realm. (Because living in a spirit realm is not what humans were made for and once enjoyed, it would not qualify as "restoring.") It is God restoring mankind to what we once were, what he designed us to be--fully embodied, righteous beings. And restori..
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Randy Alcorn |
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ea82b23
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God has his hands on the earth. He will not let go--even when it requires that his hands be pierced by nails. Both his incarnation and those nails secured him to Earth and its eternal future. In a redemptive work far larger than most imagine, Christ bought
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Randy Alcorn |
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6a514ad
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Heaven, then, is not our default destination. No one goes there automatically. Unless our sin problem is dealt with, the only place we can go is Hell, our true default destination when we die.
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Randy Alcorn |
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2566274
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God has his hands on the earth. He will not let go--even when it requires that his hands be pierced by nails. Both his incarnation and those nails secured him to Earth and its eternal future. In a redemptive work far larger than most imagine, Christ bought and paid for our future and the earth's. A
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Randy Alcorn |
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7d5b277
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any faith that leaves us unprepared for suffering is a false faith that deserves to be abandoned. Genuine
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Randy Alcorn |
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72840be
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We've been conditioned to associate governing with self-promoting arrogance, corruption, inequality, and inefficiency. But
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Randy Alcorn |
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d2e13c9
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Some of the best portrayals I've seen of the eternal Heaven are in children's books. Why? Because they depict earthly scenes, with animals and people playing, and joyful activities. The books for adults, on the other hand, often try to be philosophical, profound, ethereal, and otherworldly. But that kind of Heaven is precisely what the Bible doesn't portray as the place where we'll live forever. John
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Randy Alcorn |
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5c0b159
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Every item I add to my possessions is one more thing to think about, talk about, clean, repair, display, rearrange, and replace when it goes bad.
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Randy Alcorn |
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5f382c8
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Yes, Satan rebelled. Yes, Adam and Eve freely chose sin, and with it death and suffering. And yes, the all-powerful, happy God could have intervened to prevent those choices. If that intervention would have brought him more glory and us more good, no doubt he would have done it. But God, in his wisdom, determined that not even rebellion and sin could thwart his plan to further his happiness and that of his people.
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Randy Alcorn |
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daf81fb
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Now, in comparison to both Matthew 17 and Revelation 1, it appears that the risen Christ, before his ascension, was not yet fully glorified. If he would have been glorified, surely his identity would have been immediately apparent to Mary Magdalene (John 20:14), the disciples on the Emmaus road (Luke 24:15-16), and Peter and the apostles when they saw him on the shore (John 21:4). Consider
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Randy Alcorn |
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53fd5d2
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When you pretend you don't feel hurt or angry or devastated, you're not fooling God. Be honest! Don't misunderstand; I am not encouraging you to be angry at God or to blame him. He deserves no blame. Rather, I am encouraging you to honestly confess to God your feelings of hurt, resentment, and anger. Often we look at suffering from our perspective and forget that God sees from another vantage point.
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pain
prayer
honesty
god
confess
confession
hurt
honest
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Randy Alcorn |
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9b929c3
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Christ is and will forever remain both God (from Heaven) and man (of earth). I
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Randy Alcorn |
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ded6ca8
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Inside your body, even if it is failing, is the blueprint for your resurrection body. You may not be satisfied with your current body or mind--but you'll be thrilled with your resurrection upgrades. With them you'll be better able to serve and glorify God and enjoy an eternity of wonders he has prepared for you.
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Randy Alcorn |
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c54e72e
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The gospel is far greater than most of us imagine.
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Randy Alcorn |
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0e516a9
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If Christ is not Lord over our money and possessions, he is not our Lord.
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Randy Alcorn |
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af1e079
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God subjected the whole creation to frustration by putting the Curse not only on mankind but also on the earth (Genesis 3:17). Why? Because human beings and the earth are inseparably linked. And as together we fell, together we shall rise.
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Randy Alcorn |
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77c5722
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And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28, ESV)." --
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Randy Alcorn |
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e9eca88
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Forgiveness is not automatic. It's conditioned upon confession: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Christ offers to everyone the gift of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life: "Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life" (Revelation 22:17)."
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Randy Alcorn |
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c458173
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We don't believe 'in the power of prayer,' but in our all-powerful God who empowers our inherently powerless prayers." --Burk Parsons "The"
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Randy Alcorn |
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bc31e7e
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She was home (in Heaven). She was with the Person she was made for, in the place that was made for her.
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jesus-christ
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Randy Alcorn |
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31220b4
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Though the rest of the earth fell under human sin, Eden was for some reason treated differently. Perhaps it had come from Heaven, God's dwelling place, and was transplanted to Earth. We don't know. But we do know this: God came to Eden to visit with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8), which he would no longer do after Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden after the Fall.
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Randy Alcorn |
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02a4a7f
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Many come short, being satisfied with the works of God rather than hungering for and reaching on to God Himself." --A. W. Tozer"
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Randy Alcorn |
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d7419b2
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How we spend our time verifies what we value most: TV, the Internet, or God's Word?
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Randy Alcorn |
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500ca08
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Too often we assume that God has increased our income to increase our standard of living, when his stated purpose is to increase our standard of giving.
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Randy Alcorn |
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4ca22b2
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We are all theologians, either good ones or bad ones. I'd rather be a good one. Wouldn't you?
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nature-of-god
character-of-god
sovereignty-of-god
theology
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Randy Alcorn |
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edd5dc7
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If a thousand things that made sense to me had turned out wrong, perhaps this thing that didn't make sense would turn out right.
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Randy Alcorn |
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7a26635
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Jesus Christ said more about money than about any other single thing because, when it comes to a man's real nature, money is of first importance. Money is an exact index to a man's true character. All through Scripture there is an intimate correlation between the development of a man's character and how he handles his money. RICHARD HALVERSON
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Randy Alcorn |
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8602145
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Tolstoy said, "The antagonism between life and conscience may be removed in two ways: by a change of life or by a change of conscience." Many of us have elected to adjust our consciences rather than our lives. Our powers of rationalization allow us to live in luxury and indifference while others, whom we could help if we chose to, go hungry, are abused and exploited, or go to Hell."
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Randy Alcorn |
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ea0241a
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Do we seek happiness because we're sinners or because we're human? Should faith in God be dragged forward by duty or propelled by delight? Must we choose between holiness and happiness? Much
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Randy Alcorn |
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e78818e
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we inherited from our Eden-dwelling ancestors a sense of their pre-Fall happiness. Our hearts refuse to settle for sin, suffering, boredom, and purposelessness--we long for something better. Were we merely the product of natural selection and survival of the fittest, we'd have no grounds for believing any ancient happiness existed. But we are all nostalgic for an Eden we've only seen fleeting hints of. Unfortunately,
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Randy Alcorn |
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743ec86
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Happiness-seeking is built into every person, of every age and circumstance. I believe we inherited from our Eden-dwelling ancestors a sense of their pre-Fall happiness. Our hearts refuse to settle for sin, suffering, boredom, and purposelessness--we long for something better. Were we merely the product of natural selection and survival of the fittest, we'd have no grounds for believing any ancient happiness existed. But we are all nostalgi..
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Randy Alcorn |
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7aeb1b5
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The Bible indicates that God will not permit anything to happen that he can't use to bring ultimate good to his people and to glorify himself. That's his promise. Therefore, even the most terrible evil his children endure would not be pointless.
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Randy Alcorn |
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aaf0da1
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When an atheist enjoys the cool breeze of a sunny autumn day as he writes his treatise saying God doesn't exist, the ultimate source of his pleasure remains God. God is the author of the universe itself--including the powers of rational thought the atheist misuses to argue against God. David
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Randy Alcorn |