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Jul 08
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The Pesky Reality About Our Trials

By Christian Living, Heaven, Salvation No Comments

None of us ever ask God for trials.

We pray for healing instead of sickness, peace instead of conflict, and provision instead of uncertainty. Adversity interrupts our plans, steals our comfort, and exposes our weaknesses. Hardship arrives uninvited, overstays its welcome, and forces us to ask questions we never expected to face. These intrusions are pesky because of the havoc they wreak.

The most disconcerting reality about life’s troubles, though, is not found in the wake of its collateral damage. The greatest nuisance is not the pain our trials bring but the truth they expose. In one sense, our burdens build faith into our lives in a profound way (James 1:2-4). But, in a different sense entirely, our problems have a way of exposing genuine devotion to Christ or the lack thereof.

Jesus concluded the Sermon on the Mount with a familiar story about two men who built two houses on two contrasting foundations (Matt. 7:24-27). Outwardly, the homes appeared nearly identical. Their materials were the same and their design was consistent. The difference, however, remained unseen to the human eye beneath the surface. The first house enjoyed the firm foundation of a rock while the other emerged above the shifting sands.

Over the course of time, both homes encountered the same rain, floods, and winds. It was only after the storm struck that the critical distinction between the structures was clear. One house stood tall because of the security beneath it. The other had a great fall due to its faulty footing. Jesus’ parable is obviously about much more than residential construction. His lesson focuses on how we live our lives. Like these homes, we cannot fully discover what we are made of until the wind begins to blow.

The storms did not build the foundations; they exposed them. That truth should make every Christian stop and think. Adversity has its way of uncovering who we really are and what our foundation is (or is not). Even more remarkable, though, is that the fuller context of Matthew suggests these verses are not primarily about our earthly challenges and difficulties.

Christians, like all people, will face hard times. But the emphasis here points us to a greater storm that is coming. Previously, Jesus warned that not everyone who professes to know Him will be welcome in the kingdom of God (Matt. 7:21-23). The clouds of divine judgment are forming and one day every person will stand before the Lord to give an account. Justice will rain down; holiness will flood the earth; and the relentless righteousness of God will blow across our sinful lives.

No wonder our Savior issued numerous warnings about the coming judgment of God. He told us there are two gates, one that is small and the other that is wide, and two paths, one that is narrow and the other that is broad, from we must choose to enter. (Matt. 7:13-14). He warned that there are two kinds of fruit (good and bad), and that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit (Matt. 7:16-20). Two different confessions will separate the sheep from the goats (Matt. 7:21). And now, lest we miss the point, there are two differing foundations upon which we can build our lives.

This impending storm transforms the way we view our temporal problems. Trials become much more than unwelcome interruptions; they are dress rehearsals for eternity! Every burden we face exposes whether our faith rests fully on Christ or merely upon the sands of religious activity. Adversity has a pesky way of laying bare what lies beneath the surface.

The Bible consistently teaches that genuine faith perseveres. James explains that trials produce endurance (James 1:2-4). Peter says God refines our faith like gold in the fire (1 Peter 1:6-9). Paul reminds us that suffering produces perseverance, proven character, and hope (Romans 5:3-5). None of these passages indicate that our commitment through hardship earns salvation. Instead, persistence through difficulties reveals the reality of saving faith. In other words, earthly storms give us a glimpse of what will happen when we stand before God one day.

If we consistently abandon Christ due to our weariness, we should honestly examine whether we have ever built our lives upon Him. On the other hand, believers who continue trusting, obeying, and loving Christ through the hurt and pain of a fallen world gain increasing assurance that their lives rest upon the only foundation that cannot fail. Our perseverance does not determine God’s verdict. It points toward it.

One day every person will face the greatest storm of all when we stand before the Lord. Those who build their lives on Jesus Christ need not fear that day because our Savior already endured God’s judgment in our place. Until then, every earthly trial reminds us to keep trusting Him. Those who stand upon Jesus through the temporary storms of our broken existence can look toward eternity with confidence—not because of our strength—but because the Rock beneath us will never fail.

Adam B. Dooley
July 8, 2026

Jun 18
Love0

Narrow Faith in a Broad World

By Christian Living, Eternity, Evil, Heaven, Judgment, Obedience, Priorities, Repentance, Righteousness, Salvation, Sin, Surrender No Comments

Nearly every area of life depends upon narrowness and exclusivity. None of us are eager to be a surgeon’s guinea pig on an operating table, preferring instead a physician who understands the single most effective method for heart surgery. After we board a flight, we trust that the pilot understands the right and wrong way to land the plane. Need a prescription filled? You will not seek out a pharmacist who is comfortable throwing whatever pills are available into your medicine bottle. When making a deposit at our local bank we settle for nothing less than a teller who transfers our funds into a specific account, without changing even one digit in the account number.

Instances like these powerfully demonstrate that narrowness and exclusivity are not only kind, but also the keys to avoiding calamity and heartache. Yet, when it comes to spiritual matters, many strangely conclude just the opposite. Ours is a world that often views moral truth claims as harsh, and their messengers as hateful and bigoted. In this climate, insisting that Jesus is the only way to heaven is out of bounds. Articulating biblical morality falls into the category of hate speech. Speaking with confidence or certainty emboldens critics to chide your hubris and hypocrisy.

But how do we explain this?

Why do so many resist the straightforward claims of Scripture?

Simply put, the path of the majority is broad and deceiving. Jesus explained, “The gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it” (Matt. 7:13). Though we should take no pleasure in it, the popular course of the masses leads to damnation and destruction. Inclusivism and tolerance are buzz words on the broad road. With no boundaries or restrictions, those on this path are free to live however they choose.

We could rightly call it “Just Be Yourself Boulevard.” Live your truth is the theme, and following your dreams is the primary ambition. Rightly, Jesus contrasted this enticing road to hell with the narrowness of the heavenly highway. “The gate is small,” our Lord insisted, “and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:14).

The implications here are as necessary as they are sobering. First, hell is real and eternal. Gehenna (Matt. 10:28, 18:9) was the most common word Jesus used to describe a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 13:41-42). With fire that is unquenchable, the torment of hell is everlasting due to the imposing glory of God (2 Thess.1:9). Unfortunately, our discussions of these realities demonstrate that we have no idea what we are talking about. We tell people to go to hell. People talk about partying in hell. We speak so flippantly about God’s final judgment that there is little to no fear of its coming.

Yet, according to Jesus, the majority of people, those whom we know and love, are on a devastating path that secures their future condemnation. Populating the broad path are the likely suspects. The fornicator is there. The adulterer is there. The homosexual is there. The liar, thief, agnostic, atheist, and humanist are all there. But there are also scores of religious people who blindly walk along this expansive route. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and denominations of all stripes are there, all of which have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof (2 Tim. 3:5).

That preacher who reduces salvation to earthly prosperity and gain? He’s on the broad road. That minister draped in a rainbow flag as she openly celebrates sin and encourages others to do the same? She’s on the broad road. Those denominations that brazenly ordain homosexuals to lead their congregations? They are on the broad road. The networks of churches across denominational lines that jettison biblical truth for worldly wisdom and philosophy? All of them are on the broad road.

So much of what passes for Christianity here on this earth is far from it in the eyes of God. It may sound harsh to point out the obvious, but isn’t warning those in danger really the most loving thing to do? The Bible repeatedly warns us to stay alert against falsehoods like these. “Certain persons,” lamented Jude, “have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ”(Jude 4).

So, what are we to do? Walking through the narrow gate of salvation requires leaving everything behind in order to follow Jesus. None of our worldly achievement, ambition, or affluence earns our right to eternal paradise. The narrow path is a vivid picture of how we live our lives, reminding us that God’s grace saves andsanctifies (Eph. 2:8-10). The Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus shared these words, is a record of the life changes that accompany a genuine walk with God. Obedience to Christ does not save, but it serves as powerful evidence that we are born again.

Thus, entering the kingdom of God begins with the realization that we are sinners deserving of death (Rom. 3:23, 6:23). Next, we are to repent of our sins in order to turn toward Christ (Acts 20:21). We respond to the gospel by confessing Jesus as our Lord in light of His resurrection from the dead (Rom. 10:9). Because these steps are the beginning rather than the end of our journey on the narrow road, we should repeatedly examine ourselves, looking for the signs of internal and external change, as the markers that our faith is real (2 Cor. 13:5).

If these claims were untrue, all talk of the narrow road would indeed be an insult. But, if Jesus was telling the truth, and He was, the most loving, compassionate act is to warn people of the deception and danger along the broad path. So which road are you traveling? All who are willing are welcome on the narrow road, but it requires total surrender. Choose wisely. Your eternity depends on it.

Adam B. Dooley
June 18, 2026

Jul 22
Love0

Can We Be Too Heavenly Minded?

By Heaven No Comments

History credits Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. with the assertion that some Christians are so heavenly minded that they’re no earthly good. The same sentiment found its way into Johnny Cash’s 1977 album The Rambler when he recorded the song “No Earthly Good.” But is the idea true? Or is it really just the opposite? Despite contemporary notions that Christianity is a plague on society, believers anchored to eternity have often led efforts aimed at the betterment of their surroundings in the here and now.

Though secular elites now posit the modern university as the alternative to religious superstition, many of America’s oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning were started by devout Christians. The vision of the Puritans birthed Harvard and Yale. The motto of Princeton, started by early Presbyterians to train ministers, still reads, “Under God She Flourishes.”  Brown University was the dream of the earliest Baptists in America. Dutch Reformed believers boast of Rutgers University. The same religious influence is just as obvious across the Atlantic. Oxford, Cambridge, and the University of Edinburgh all have thoroughly Christian roots. Sadly, a robust commitment to Scripture has waned in most of these organizations, but their origins remain clear, nonetheless.

 Ever wonder why so many hospitals bear denominational labels or are run by Christians? At the risk of being overly simplistic, caring for the sick is intrinsically biblical. Our contemporary hospital system is the fruit of a Judeo-Christian ethic. As early as the fourth century, Christ followers began ministering to those who were ill in their homes. Albert Jonsen, in his Short History of Medical Ethics, reminds us that the first Christian hospital appeared during the same period at Caesarea in Cappadocia. Currently, over 700 faith-based hospitals exist in the United States.

The same pattern exists for orphanages. More than 8000 faith-based adoption agencies currently serve our nation. On the other side of the equation, evangelicals are twice as likely to adopt as are their secular counterparts. Names like Amy Carmichael and George Mueller are historical reminders of heroic saints who started orphanages and schools in order to rescue endangered children.

I do not mean to imply that only Christians do noble things; nor do I wish to insinuate that followers of Jesus have never fallen short of the standards and expectations of Scripture. Sometimes, even in the name of God, believers justify the unthinkable and bring shame to the name of Christ. Yet, the notion that casting an eye toward heaven leaves Christ followers blind to the needs around them seems contrary to reality. In fact, the most committed believers seem to be motivated by their eternal hope, not despite it.

William Wilberforce worked tirelessly to end slavery. Dietrich Bonhoeffer resisted Adolf Hitler and rescued Jews from the Nazis. Florence Nightingale founded modern nursing. Clara Barton established the American Red Cross. John Witherspoon helped craft the Declaration of Independence and promoted the virtue of freedom in a moral society. On and on I could go, but the point is that eternal priorities do not distract from the common good, they promote it.

In his letter to the Colossian church, the Apostle Paul captured the impetus behind the Christian pursuit of making the world a better place—Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve(Colossians 3:23-24). In other words, eternal rewards accompany eternal life. Though salvation is a complete work of grace that cannot be earned or deserved, God is eager to celebrate our faithful acts of obedience. The privilege of being in God’s family brings with it the responsibility of living fully yielded to the Lord.

A similar instruction appears in Paul’s Corinthian letter as well—we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad (2 Cor. 5:9-10). Our longing to see God should inspire us to please God. The more heavenly minded we are, the better off our friends on this earth will be.

Adam B. Dooley
July 22, 2025

**This article originally appeared on September 12, 2024.

Jun 12
Love0

When Faith Becomes Sight?

By Eternity, Future, Heaven No Comments

To the world, she was Francis, but to us she was Nanny. I first met her when my wife and I were dating. After eating at her table for the first time I knew this was a family I wanted to be part of. Even better, though, was the example set by her and her husband. The two were married for 64 years, providing an inspirational path to a young couple trying to find their way. As my wife’s grandmother on her mother’s side, she passed on her gentleness and warmth to the woman I love. She quickly became like another grandparent to me.

A few days ago, Nanny stepped into eternity to meet the Savior she loved. Even in our sadness as a family, the thoughts of her faith becoming sight give us great joy. Though we grieve today, we do not do so as those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). Both my wife and I live with the assurance that we will see her again.

But what will it be like when we do?

For some, discussions about eternity are no more than wishful thinking. Others imagine our forever abode as unappealing and boring. Mark Twain illustrated our hesitation through his fictional character Huck Finn, who thought heaven was a place where a person would “go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever.”  No wonder one skeptic remarked, “I’d rather be in hell with my friends than in heaven with all the church people.”

But are these characterizations fair? Is eternity just a never-ending church service? Should we really look forward to life after grave? Thankfully, the caricatures of heaven found in popular culture do not align with the biblical vision of eternal life. So, what can we expect in the land beyond the blue?

Heaven is a physical place. The Bible refers to heaven as both a country and a city. The description is appropriate because Romans 8:19-23 indicates that the created cosmos will one day be redeemed along with born again believers. The Apostle John describes the heavenly Jerusalem descending from heaven in order to function as the capital city of God’s kingdom (Rev. 21:2). The dimensions of this central municipality reveal its massive presence. With a length, width, and height of 1500 miles, a city this size would stretch from Canada all the way to Mexico, having the potential for over 600,000 stories rising into the air. Descriptions of heaven’s foundation, streets, and gates also underscore its physicality.

We will have physical bodies in heaven. Since Jesus is preparing a material home for our dwelling (John 14:1-6), it is no surprise that Scripture also teaches that we will have physical bodies once we arrive there. Just as God gives bodies to beasts, planets, the sun, moon, and stars (1 Cor. 15:39-41), we, too, can expect eternal bodies that will never die in the place called heaven (1 Cor. 15:42-44).

Still not convinced? The Apostle Paul maintains an inextricable link between the past resurrection of Christ and the future resurrection of saints (1 Cor. 15:12). Stated, differently, if there is no future resurrection of the dead, we have no assurance whatsoever that Jesus Christ was physically raised from the dead either (1 Cor. 15:13-17). Praise God that death is swallowed up in victory (1 Cor. 15:54)!

Continuity exists between this life and the next. Perhaps the greatest insight into our eternal paradise is the Garden of Eden. Though Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, His plan for them was eternal life where they would oversee and care for all of creation (Gen. 1:28). After the Fall, God drove them out of the Garden, but the rest of the Bible depicts His efforts to reclaim and restore all that was lost due to sin. Like a bookend to the story, the concluding chapters of the Bible (Rev. 21-22) celebrate the victorious redemption God will provide. But can you imagine the kind of world Adam and Eve could have built had they never died? Or if sin never hindered them?

Despite humanity’s fallenness, we currently enjoy technological and sociological advancements. Food, laughter, joy, and entertainment are blessings to our world even though we are not experiencing God’s original design for our existence. If these pleasures are still available now, can you even imagine all that God has planned for eternity? Think of heaven as thriving society where we continue to enjoy parks, theatres, museums, restaurants, concerts, parades, libraries, etc.

Seem far-fetched? Just ask yourself what kind of world Adam and Eve could have built had they never died? What contributions will we be able to make to the progress of history if the grim reaper never knocks on our door? How much music could Beethoven create? How many plays could Shakespeare write? How many inventions could Edison create? What if the greatest athletes never retired? What if history’s greatest performers could entertain us forever? What if you never had to say goodbye to your loved ones? What if our Nanny could still prepare a feast every Sunday afternoon? Simply put, what could we all accomplish if we lived forever?

The greatest reality of heaven, though, is that God will be there. Just as God walked with Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:8), He will be among us again in our eternal home (Rev. 21:3). We will see His face (Rev. 22:3-4) and the glory of Christ will illuminate that city. Once again, we will know eternal life and we will enjoy our God forever.

Adam B. Dooley
June 12, 2025

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