Christian Life

In this article, Dan Franklin gives great advice about understanding both sides of an issue. In today’s charged and divided culture, may God’s people model humility and wisdom in our communication, and bring more light and less heat to our dialogues with others.

We asked a Christian teacher we know and respect to share some thoughts in response to your question. Here is their advice.

Ray Ortlund writes, "The beautiful 'one another' commands of the New Testament are famous. But it is also striking to notice the 'one anothers' that do not appear there."

Love is not a contract in which one party must fulfill its obligations in order to receive love. I’m really grateful that God wants a relationship with us and not just lists of responsibilities we must fulfill in order to earn His love.

I received a letter from a reader, who mentioned four nonnegotiables of the faith and asked for advice how to live those out. Here was my response.

Low expectations of God reveal a blind pessimism about the power of God’s work. We sometimes raise our expectations to insist upon—even demand—complete divine healing or the perfect mate or job or church or children. And other times, we lower our expectations closer to those of atheists than of believers. 

Randy, I understand that you and I have the same affection for animals under our care as I’ve read an article you wrote concerning animals in Heaven. Is spaying and neutering our pets allowed by our faith? Personally, I don’t like the idea as it seems to control and alter what God has designed/created.

Question from a reader:

I’ve recently been questioning my faith even though I believe God is real. If you ask forgiveness and for God to come into your heart, does that automatically mean you’re going to Heaven? 

The following paragraphs from Oswald Chamber’s classic, My Utmost for His Highest, really connect with Nanci’s four years of yielding to God about all the things she was constantly uncertain about.