"Could a God who allows suffering really be good?"

"And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive." (Genesis 50:20)

TODAY’S BIG QUESTION: “Could a God who allows suffering really be good?”

The passage that we’re pondering today is really an amazing display of God’s plan which was set into place before the universe even began. Joseph had to go through incredible heartache as a result of the horrible sins that his brothers committed toward him. They hated him with a perfect hatred. They sold him into slavery, hoping never to see him again. It appeared that there was no hope that Joseph would ever again be happy.

But God was able to take an event even as terrible as this and use it for something beautiful. Through Joseph’s slavery, God was able to rescue the entire family of Jacob and turn them into the great nation of Israel. Wow! What a plan!

There is no such thing as random pain. God has a divine purpose for everything, and He can often accomplish things through suffering that He would not be able to accomplish in any other way.

Because God is omniscient (He knows everything), He truly sees the big picture. He truly knows what’s best for us. He knows what will bring the ultimate good for mankind. And He allows suffering at times to bring about that ultimate good – in mankind in general, and in your life in particular.

As a parent, I occasionally have to do the same thing with my kids. My daughter may not understand why we would have to take her to the doctor to get a shot, but that medical treatment would be for her ultimate good. I can see the big picture in a way that she does not fully understand … yet. At some point she will … perhaps.

One thing in this life about which you can be sure is that God loves you dearly. And the suffering that you experience is somehow related to His love for you. And this can only be understood fully as it is seen from His eternal, “out-of-this-world” vantage point.


TODAY’S BIG IDEA: “Suffering can be an extension of God’s goodness when it is viewed from the perspective of God and eternity.”

What to Pray: Pray that God will help you to trust in Him even when it hurts. Pray for God to help you to run to Him and not away from Him in times of trials.

-Chris Russell

“Who’s Running this Place?”

"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." (Colossians 3:16-17)

TODAY’S BIG QUESTION: “Who’s running this place?”

Imagine a universe in which everything is completely random. There is no order, there is no consistency, there is no purpose. What a horrible place that would be! Yet those who believe in a purely naturalistic explanation for the origin of the universe find themselves in precisely such a place.

I’m thankful that we can know that there is purpose, there is direction, and that there is order in the universe. This universe was designed, laid out, and is maintained by the Creator, the God of the universe, Himself. The laws of physics are such a beautiful picture of the great order that God gives to His creation. Not only has God created this world, but He is intimately involved in keeping everything running according to His perfect plan.

This truth actually brings us great comfort. I don’t know if you’ve figured this out, but I have noticed over the many years that I’ve been alive that life does not actually turn out the way that I thought it would when I was much younger. As a matter of fact, life regularly takes turns that I never would have ever imagined in my early years.

Unexpected tragedies come. We experience loss. We experience pain, heartache, sorrow, failure, and despair. But knowing that God reigns on His thrown on high is an incredible comfort. We can be assured that nothing takes place that is outside of His control. Take a moment to think about God’s perspective on this universe. Consider God’s perspective on your problems. God is not stressed out. God is not sitting on His thrown wringing his hands in worry about how things are going to turn out.

As you go throughout this day, take time to ponder God’s sovereignty. Meditate on the reality that He is in control of everything. Take time to ponder His sovereignty and how it makes a difference in your life. Consider how big of a deal that is.

TODAY’S BIG IDEA: “God is in control, and you can relax and trust in Him.”

What to Pray: ask that God will help you to trust in His sovereign control over your life, and pray that He will keep you from getting stressed out over those things that are in His control.

-Chris Russell

“How Does the Doctrine of Inspiration Affect My Life Today?”

"For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled." (Matthew 5:18)

Today’s big question: Is it true that we can’t really know what God has said because so much has been lost from the original manuscripts?

There is a disturbing myth being perpetuated in our generation that goes something like this: since it has been so many years since the original biblical manuscripts were written, and since they were copied so many times, we really can’t have any way of knowing what they actually said. This is a disturbing myth because it blasts away at the credibility and authority of the Bible itself.

Anyone with a basic understanding of the copying practices of the Scribes would understand that this myth is completely false. To say that they put extraordinary care into producing precise manuscripts is an understatement.

For instance, the Scribes used a counting system to help them check the accuracy of their copies. After completing a copy, they would count to the very middle word of that document. If that middle word did not match what they knew that word should be, then they would discard the entire copy. They would then count all the letters in the copy and find the middle letter. If that letter did not turn out to be what they knew it should be, then they discarded the entire document. And this is just one example of the many precautions they used in their copying work.

With these types of safeguards in place, it’s no wonder they were able to do their work with such precision. And the more copies that are uncovered from ancient times, the more we realize that God has kept His Word pure and whole.

The truth is that when we compare the preservation of God’s Word to the preservation of any other book from antiquity, we would have to conclude that something truly miraculous was going on with this document. God clearly preserved His Word for every generation.

Today’s big idea: You can study God’s Word with confidence knowing that He has preserved His message in its entirety.

What to pray: ask God to guide you through His Word and to help you to understand His plans for your life.

-Chris Russell