Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People? (Pt. 1)

In these tough economic times it seems more and more people are finding themselves in difficult and unfortunate scenarios. After receiving some unfavorable news, one of my Facebook friends recently updated their status by asking the question: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” I will make a humble attempt to answer this very important and inquisitive question.

In order to answer this question correctly, I need to use the best selling book of all time as a reference—the Holy Bible. In regards to this question, the Bible gives us illumination on two essential facts: (1) All people will experience trouble in life, and (2) all people are sinners.

The Bible teaches us that trouble is an inevitable part of life. In John 16:33 Jesus said: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Jesus also taught that everybody experiences storms sooner or later. Therefore, those who are wise build on His teachings in order to prevent their house from collapsing when the inclement weather of life arrives at their doorstep. Those who are foolish don’t build their lives on Jesus’ teaching, and as a result, are not prepared when the storms arrive.

24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." (Jesus in Matthew 7:24-27)

Those who are wise and possess a Biblical worldview actually expect bad things to happen in life. The difference with these people is the storms of life do not destroy them because they build their lives with a strong foundation on the Rock of Christ.

Before I fully answer my Facebook friend’s question that many people ponder, and give the redemptive purpose of suffering, I must first address the presupposition that people are good. According to Romans 3:23, every person has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. How many times does a person have to sin to be a sinner? One! We have all sinned at least once; therefore, we all are sinners. An honest inspection of every person’s life would reveal much more than just one sin.

Please allow me to reiterate this point. The Bible teaches that people are not inherently good. When Adam and Eve sinned, all who were born after them were tainted with a sinful nature. Every night every news station reminds us of this fact as they report on the dirty laundry of humanity. That is why Jesus descended from heaven to die on a cross for the sins of humanity. All who put their faith in Him can receive His grace and be “born again” with a new righteous nature (Romans 5:12-20 and Romans 6).

Possessing the knowledge that goodness is not an innate human trait, and trouble is an inevitable part of our existence, will aid us in better understanding how to deal with trials and properly process them. It also helps us better appreciate the common grace God gives to us all as we experience the good things in life. Finally, it humbles us to seek the redemptive grace we all need from Jesus Christ to change our sinful nature.

Stayed tuned for Part 2!

The Amazing Rescue

At Camp Hope at a San Jose Mine in Chile, 33 miners were trapped more than a half-kilometer underground after a mine collapse on August 5. They were not discovered alive until more than two weeks later. They survived underground longer than anyone on record and were rescued last Wednesday when workers lowered a specially built narrow cage down a newly drilled shaft and pulled the miners to safety one by one.

The drama was watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world. It is interesting to note that the whole world seemed to unite behind such a worthy cause.

In Luke 15 the Pharisees and teachers of the law were muttering because Jesus spent His time ministering to sinners. Jesus used this moment as an opportunity to remind them that people who don’t know Him are lost and destined for eternal destruction.

While watching the amazing miner rescue, I could not stop thinking about this teaching of Jesus in Luke 15. In this chapter of Scripture, Jesus responded to their muttering by teaching that a sheep, a coin, and a son were missing. A great celebration broke out after each one was found.

The point Jesus was teaching in Luke 15 is that no mission is more important than finding the lost, especially when it involves saving lives. When something valuable is lost, finding it becomes top priority. A human life is valuable, but a soul is even more precious because it lasts forever while our physical bodies eventually pass away.

Yes, it is crucial to find a lost sheep, coin, son or miner. Finding that which is lost results in wonderful celebrations. Similarly, saving souls is so vital that all of heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents and receives Jesus as his or her Lord and Savior. Jesus said in Luke 15:7: “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

As we celebrate the successful recovery of the 33 Chilean miners, lets remember that Jesus descended from heaven, the ultimate Camp Hope headquarters, to seek and save those who are lost on planet earth. Just as we witnessed during the miner rescue, this is a mission that can unite the world.

Jesus has called us and commissioned us to join Him in the most amazing rescue in the history of the world: the salvation of souls! This must be our top priority!

The Amazing Race

The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams. Contestants strive to arrive first at "pit stops” at the end of each leg of the race to win prizes and to avoid coming in last, which carries the possibility of elimination or a significant disadvantage in the following leg (segment).

This past weekend our church, Every Nation Tallahassee (ENT), hosted our annual Fall Festival at the Florida State University Reservation. We ate great food and had a wonderful time of fellowship and fun. One of the games that made our Fall Festival such a blast was our own version of The Amazing Race. Congratulations to our first place winners Jonathan and Lauren Arias. They are fortunate that I chose not to compete!

While I was watching my fellow members of ENT compete in The Amazing Race, I started to think about Apostle Paul's description of what it is like to live out the Christian faith. 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 says:

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

I’ve heard many preachers compare Christianity to a marathon, but I think it is more like The Amazing Race. Christianity is about living in obedience to Jesus as you walk with Him and pass the tests of life at each “pit stop” along the way. There is no better person than Jesus to help us win this race because He has already won the most amazing race of all time.

Let’s do a recap on Jesus’ major “pit stops” during His amazing race on earth:

1. The virgin Mary gives birth to Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
2. Joseph is warned by an angel in a dream that King Herod is going to try to kill the baby Jesus. They successfully escape to Egypt.
3. Jesus does not yield to the temptations of the devil in the desert after forty days and forty night of fasting.
4. Jesus lives a sinless life while living and ministering on planet earth.
5. Jesus, in obedience to God the Father’s will, dies on a cross for the sins of humanity.
6. On the third day, Jesus is resurrected from the grave proving He is the Son of God.

Apostle Paul had a life changing experience when he received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He went from being a chief persecutor of Christianity to one of the greatest church planting apostles in history. Facing certain death in prison for his faith, he had confidence that he was going to receive the reward for finishing strong in his amazing race. In 2 Timothy 4:6-8 he writes:

6For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. 7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

We can face eternity with expectation and hope when we live our life on earth in obedience to Jesus Christ. He will give us the grace, wisdom and perseverance we need to run our amazing race in life well. With Christ leading the way, we can pass the test at each “pit stop” and receive an award that has eternal significance, glory and honor. Run well my friends!

Love Is Expressive and It Is Costly!

12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends". Jesus Christ in John 15:12-13

When you truly love someone, you express that love with nothing less than a wholehearted commitment. When Jesus wanted to demonstrate his love for humanity, He did it by suffering an excruciating death on a cross. He laid down his life to set us free from our sins. His love was expressive and it was costly!

Why do I love Jesus Christ so much? I love Him because He first loved me and He proved his love for me like no other person in history. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us". Wow! It’s not like I was a nice guy when Jesus died for me. No, I was a sinner! However, He loved me so much He still chose to painfully demonstrate his love for me. Love is expressive and it is costly!

When I was ready to ask Cindy to marry me, I wanted to verify how much I was in love with her. I knew I couldn’t ask her to marry me without giving her a ring to put on her finger. So, I began my search for the perfect ring. During my search, I never once thought about going to the grocery store gumball machine in hopes that my quarter would reward me with a candy ring to give to my future wife. Instead, I took most of my life savings to an expensive jeweler in town and purchased a beautiful diamond ring. I could not ask her to marry me empty handed. Love is expressive and it is costly!

After putting the ring on her finger, I told Cindy how much I loved her and how I was making a commitment to give her my best for the rest of our lives. I would have never given her the ring and told her these words if I did not know for certain that she was wholeheartedly committed to me.

A wholehearted commitment to love demands an equal response in return. Just as I expected Cindy to love me back in return for loving her, Jesus expects us to love Him the same way He loves us. That is why He gave us the Great Commandment in Matthew 22:37. It says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Love is expressive and it is costly!

Since Jesus fully demonstrated his unwavering love for us on the cross, He can require the same love in return from all those who desire to be in relationship with Him. Instructing people to obey the Great Commandment would not only be disingenuous, but also unjust if Jesus didn’t first prove His love for us.

True love gives everything and requires everything in return. Nobody has ever made this more evident than Jesus Christ, and nobody deserves the best of our love more than Him. His love for us is expressive and it is costly! Our love for Him should also be expressive and it should be costly!