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Repentance

Jan 14
Love0

How NOT to Respond When People Are Hurting

By Brokenness, Happiness, Repentance, Suffering, Trials No Comments

A family of four dies unexpectedly on the highway.

A routine visit to the doctor’s office reveals a terminal illness.

A late Friday afternoon meeting concludes with a single father losing his job.

A tornado rips through a small town leaving nothing but debris in its wake.

A vacation trip turns tragic with the disappearance of a young child.

Examples like these illustrate how vulnerable all of us are to the unexpected tragedies that can change our lives forever. Thankfully, the most severe hardships often bring out the very best in our neighbors who are eager to love, support, and encourage the downcast. Good friends are often God’s healing balm in our lives when everything else falls apart.

An ugly underbelly, however, also exists when adversity knocks on our door. Demeaning insecurities often plague us when trials invade our lives. We wonder if God still loves us. We worry that our pain is the direct result of our sin. We grieve what we perceive to be the absence of God in our lives.

Though these attitudes won’t cause us to stumble when we aren’t on the receiving end of calamity, there are other temptations when we witness others hurting. Most of us would never vocalize our darkest thoughts, but sometimes we sit in judgment over the misfortunes of others as if they are deserving of the difficulties we avoid. By inflating our sense of self-righteousness, we magnify the perceived inadequacies of those in the fires of misfortune. Driven by inward arrogance and outward apathy, our presumption reeks of sanctimonious foolishness.

Considering these dangers, allow me to offer a necessary biblical principle to remember when hardships arise. Namely, the presence of tragedy does not reveal the presence of sin.  In Luke 13 Jesus addresses a well-known atrocity that left the Galileans bewildered and confused. Apparently, Pilate killed a group of Jews who were making sacrifices in the temple because he suspected them of sedition. Unfortunately, the common belief then, and even today, was that victims of such calamities were guilty of extraordinary sins.

Though unspoken, this idea also suggests that those who emerge unscathed from close destruction must do so because of their unparalleled morality. Interestingly, however, is that Jesus refused to assign guilt to those who were killed even as He resisted the urge to assign innocence to those who were not. The positive or negative nature of a people’s circumstances is not an indicator of their need or lack thereof for repentance.

Jesus simply answers, “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:3).” Then, to drive the point further, our Savior shares another example about the danger of presumptuous interpretation when trials come. When a tower in Siloam fell and killed eighteen people, Jesus again refused to make reckless judgments (Luke 13:4). Though our Savior does not deny that some events are acts of judgment or that sin often causes pain, He does insist that we should never feel safe or proud because bad things do not happen to us. Again, He simply retorts, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:5).”

My first reaction to any disaster should not be a moral evaluation of those who suffer and those who do not. Many wicked people live carefree lives, and many godly individuals face immense challenges. Could it be that God sometimes uses calamity to bring those of us who are spectators to repentance rather than to punish those who are immoral? Do bad things sometimes happen for reasons we do not understand? The painful realities of a fallen world should lead to our humble repentance rather than our boastful reassurances.

So how should we respond to blessings, trials, and hardships?

First, we should humble ourselves. Humble yourself before God and yield to His plan even when you are hurting. Humble yourself if you emerge unscathed after life’s storms. Humble yourself as you enjoy the blessings of safety and tranquility. Refuse to use God’s blessings as an occasion for boasting.

Second, we should pray for our neighbors when they hurt. Pray for wisdom about how you might encourage them. Pray that God will bring our community together when we face difficulties. Pray for a deeper, more sincere walk with God. Pray with thanksgiving for God’s mercy and protection each day of your life.

Third, we should love more. Love God more than you did before your life fell apart. Love your neighbors as yourself when they suffer. Love your community and friends as precious parts of your life. Love your enemies when tragedies strike by burying past grudges. Love your place of worship and the believers there.

Finally, we should thank God. Ask Him to make you more aware of the blessings you take for granted. Thank God for His protection and care over the course of your life. Thank God for His unconditional love. Thank God that our circumstances do not reflect our eternal value. Thank God for the strength to endure our worst days.

Adam B. Dooley
January 14, 2026

Sep 03
Love0

A Sin Unlike Any Other

By Christian Living, Holiness, Homosexuality, Repentance, Sin No Comments

Of all the strategies that Satan uses to sow destruction into the lives of Christians and unbelievers alike, none are more deceptive nor comprehensive than the lies surrounding human sexuality. Littered among the movies we watch, the music we listen to, and the commercials we mindlessly absorb are both subtle innuendo and explicitly obscene enticements which woo us away from the sanctity and design intended for one of God’s most wonderful gifts. Ours is not, however, the first generation to taste the rotten fruit of the sexual revolution.

The ancient city of Corinth was known for its many sexual perversions. Prostitution was a form of pagan religious expression, making it rampant. Homosexuality, particularly pederasty, was commonplace. Casual intimacy, adultery, and divorce were celebrated norms. In other words, Corinth was not all the different than our modern world where sexuality is an idol that controls many.

Another similarity with our current reality is that first century believers struggled to abandon their immorality due to the relentless, shameless influence of their surrounding culture. Their numerous, twisted justifications were the focus of Paul’s pen in his Corinthian correspondence. All things were lawful, they insisted, so the apostle reminded his audience that all things are not profitable nor healthy due to their addictive nature (1 Cor. 6:12).

Even worse was the Corinthian assertion that food was for the body and the body was for food, though God will one day destroy both (1 Cor. 6:13). The intended parallel served as their basis for minimizing all sexual activities as nothing more than bodily functions. Just as food is for the body, they reasoned, so sex is for the body; and just as the stomach is for food, so the body is for sex.

What emerged was a warped, carnal dualism which separated body and spirit entirely. Misguided claims included: What I do in my flesh has no bearing on my spiritual relationship with God whatsoever; because my sexuality is just an innate desire no different than hunger, there is no reason to suppress it; my body will die anyway, so all that matters is my spirit, not what I do in or to my body.

The same lies are still deceiving us today.

In her excellent book, Love Thy Body, best-selling author Nancy Pearcy accurately writes, “[We’ve been told] that our bodies are products of purposeless, amoral Darwinian forces and therefore they are morally neutral. The implication is that what we do with our bodies has no moral significance. The self is free to use the body any way it chooses, without moral consequences.” The consequences have been devastating and widespread.

A permissive hookup culture is unraveling marriages before they start. The convenience of cohabitation is significantly diminishing the likelihood of marital success at staggering rates. The allure of adultery frequently tears asunder the one flesh union God reserved for husbands and wives. An epidemic of pornography is trampling marital intimacy underfoot. The deceptiveness of homosexuality is openly defying nature itself in the name of love. The lie of transgenderism is actively destroying unsuspecting lives by heralding our rebellion against biology as a milestone worth celebrating.

In an effort to push back against the cunning temptations of the sexual revolution, the Bible offers both theological arguments and a practical plea. First, the resurrection serves as a stark reminder that God cares very much about our physical existence. Just as God the Father raised Jesus up from the dead, He likewise promises to raise us as well (1 Cor. 6:14). We will not live eternally as disembodied spirits, but as physical beings whose perishable bodies give way to that which is imperishable and immortal (1 Cor. 15:51-53). God has big plans for these frail bodies of ours!

Next, Scripture prizes our physical bodies as the dwelling place for Christ Himself, emphasizing the spiritual union existing between believers and our Savior (1 Cor. 6:15, 19-20). The Lord unites with us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We are never without Him nor free from His presence. Because sexual intimacy is meant to be an act of spiritual union that creates one flesh between a husband and a wife with God in the midst, sexual sin is about much more than simply breaking a rule (1 Cor. 6:15-16). Immorality connects a holy God to an unholy action.

Finally, the Bible offers a pastoral encouragement that is equally theological and yet, profoundly pragmatic. We should run from sexual transgressions, not because God is prudish, but because no other sin affects us like these (1 Cor. 6:18). Such actions violate our bodies and live with us long after we disobey. No matter how casually we might treat it, there is no such thing as casual sex.

Physical intimacy connects us with others so deeply it never leaves us. This is why people remain in toxic, even abusive relationships despite the pleadings of their loved ones. This is why some marriages start to unravel before they ever begin. This is why some spouses lie in bed at night fearful of who their partner might be thinking of. Scoff if you will, but as someone who helps couples pick up the pieces after the unthinkable happens, I can tell you that sexual deviations have adverse effects.

Even worse, no matter how hard we try to separate our relationship with God from how we express our sexuality, Scripture rejects such selfish compartmentalization. Despite our excuses and our insistence otherwise, we cannot be right with the Lord and rebel sexually. These prohibitions, though, are not meant to hurt us but to help us. As such, directives like these are meant to strengthen and encourage rather than to condemn.

Don’t believe me? Look no further than Paul’s description of believers in Corinth before they came to Christ. He admits that many were fornicators, adulterers, and even homosexuals preceding their new birth (1 Cor. 6:9-10). And yet, God washed, sanctified, and justified them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth (1 Cor. 6:11). The Lord will save anyone who calls out to Him in repentance and faith, no matter how great the sin, whether it be sexual or otherwise. The key, however, is to recognize immoralities as behaviors we should turn away from rather than glory in.

Adam B. Dooley
September 3, 2025

Jan 16
Love0

Why Did Jesus Tell Us to Mourn?

By Christian Living, Comfort, Grief, Mourning, Repentance, Sin No Comments

Though making an annual trip to St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee admittedly causes a certain amount of anxiety, there is no greater feeling than hearing that my son remains cancer free after a decade since being treated for leukemia. We praise the Lord each year after learning that his scans are clear, just as we did all those years ago when we first heard the word remission.

This trip felt different though, because of our visit with a beautiful little girl from our city who is just beginning the same journey we traveled back then. Her parents were strong and optimistic, but their tired eyes told on them. When we walked into that little hospital room, I immediately felt the same fears and anxieties that plagued me on the day cancer rocked our world for the first time.

I still remember the musky smell of the room. Cartoon characters decorated wood paneled walls and bundles of children’s books were on both sides of our chairs as we waited. When the doctor walked in, her facial expression communicated great concern. Bracing for the worst, I knew deep down that whatever came next would not be good. “I wish I had better news,” said the doctor, “but I believe your son has leukemia.”

As we talked with this family about navigating three years of chemotherapy, I realized that the backdrop of my son’s joyful news from earlier was coming to grips with the painful reality from his toddler years. Or, you could say that we had to receive the BAD NEWS of his diagnosis in order to receive and appreciate the GOOD NEWS of his health now. Ignoring his condition was never an option. Our soaring joyfulness today is proportional to the depth of our trepidation then.

Ironically, Jesus echoed the same pattern about our spiritual condition. The Bible teaches that the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news for any who will call upon the name of the Lord to be saved (Rom. 10:13). Welcoming the gift of His grace, however, requires admitting that our sin falls short of God’s expectation for our lives (Rom. 3:23). Denying our wickedness is equal to rejecting the divine cure.

The subject of sin is almost always controversial because ours is an age that resists any notions of absolute truth, much less concepts of right and wrong. Because much of our world mocks and dismisses scriptural norms, labeling Christian morality as hate speech is a common ad hominem tactic used to avoid biblical assertions. Added to these external factors is our internal struggle to frame calls to repentance as an affront to personal autonomy. Simply put, we don’t want to talk about sin, even to the point of resenting any brave soul willing to do so.

Even worse for some, is the idea that we should feel guilt or shame over any of our lifestyle choices. One weakness of the American Church is our eagerness to falsely associate jovial, lightheartedness with Christianity itself. We want greeting card theology, picture perfect smiles, unlimited optimism, and painless sacrifice. Prizing carefree thoughtlessness is our best effort to avoid guilt trips and low self-esteem. Sadly, the result is often a watered-down gospel that minimizes wickedness while celebrating superficial expressions of faith.

Jesus taught just the opposite. Blessed are those who mourn, He said, for they shall be comforted (Matt. 5:4). These words are not a call to grim cheerlessness. Neither are they intended to reassure us regarding life’s burdens and trials. Though there is much in our lives to grieve over, the focus here is not the hardships we necessarily endure. Instead, Jesus is teaching us exactly how to respond when we stray from Him.

The prophetic words of the psalmist serve as the background of this Beatitude (See Psalm 61:1-3). There, Judah mourned over their exile to Babylon, which was the severe consequence for their waywardness. Seeking to make the same application for believers today, Jesus is challenging us to lament, weep, and mourn due to the weight of our transgressions. We should mourn that our sins offend our holy God. We should mourn that we are so easily enticed by temptation. And we should mourn over the sins that blind and enslave the people we love.

Such a message is rarely popular, but according to Jesus, it is a blessing that leads to comfort. Learning to grieve over what causes grief is the first step toward healing and restoration (James 4:9). In fact, God promises to . .  .

  • Comfort us with the relief of His forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
  • Comfort us with the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:12).
  • Comfort us with the freedom of His presence (2 Cor. 3:17).
  • Comfort us with a hope for our future (Jer. 29:11).

In addition to these present realities, God promises the eternal comfort of His people in the place called heaven. He assures us of a future home where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13), where He wipes all tears from our eyes (Rev. 21:4), and where death is swallowed up for all time (Isa. 25:8-9). In other words, weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning (Psa. 30:5).

None of us enjoy sorrow, and it is always difficult to admit when we are wrong. Yet, when we understand lament as an opportunity, our lives change for the better. The Apostle Paul explained, “I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us (2 Cor. 7:9).”

No wonder Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Adam B. Dooley
January 16, 2024

Oct 01
Love0

Hurricanes, Floods, and Lies We Believe

By Grace, Repentance, Tragedy, Trials No Comments

Hurricanes, Floods, and Lies We Believe

Looking at the photos is not for the faint of heart. A weeping couple in Florida embraces over the rubble that used to be their home. Traffic stalls on I-40 in North Carolina due to missing pieces of the interstate after excessive rain and mudslides. An engulfed Nolichucky Dam in east Tennessee weathers twice the amount of water that flows over Niagara Falls. Overturned vehicles, floating houses, and leveled communities spanning over 600 miles are all clues that Hurricane Helene was no ordinary storm.

The state of Florida absorbed the initial brunt of the barrage as 140 mph winds first ravaged the Big Ben region, leaving splintered lives and busted power grids from Naples all the way up to Tallahassee. Next, Georgia suffered what Governor Brian Kemp described as a bomb that appeared to go off as Helene continued to march north, wreaking havoc from Valdosta over to Augusta.

Though the deadly hurricane soon downgraded to a tropical storm, unprecedented flooding persisted in upending the lives of people in South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Meteorologists estimate that 40 trillion gallons of rain fell on the southeast, an amount so staggering that some refer to it as apocalyptic. ABC News equates that much water with emptying Lake Tahoe entirely or filling the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium 51,000 times.

These floodwaters weigh a staggering 1700 pounds per cubic yard, causing immense damage as they descend from the saturated mountains of Appalachia. At the time of this writing, 400 roads remain closed in North Carolina. Over 130 people have died, and hundreds remain missing. Focusing rebuilding efforts is difficult because the needs are so great. The lasting impact from this once in a lifetime storm will be generational.

Nearly everyone is sympathetic toward those who are facing devestating loss due to Hurricane Helene. Rallying one another to support disaster relief work during a time like this is not a burden because most people are genuinely eager to help. There are unfortunate exceptions, however. Even as rains continued to fall over parts of the southeast, a former University of Kentucky staffer had the audacity to suggest that the storm might be God’s way of punishing MAGA populations for their hate and hypocrisy. Despite initially doubling down on her vile comments with even more offensive rhetoric, the self-described feminist poet eventually took her social media posts down.

I do not mean to suggest that only one side of the political aisle spews reckless remarks like these. Both the right and the left have an unspoken underbelly that we must be careful to resist despite its subtlety. Sometimes, when catastrophe strikes, we might instinctively place people into the categories of being deserving or undeserving of calamity. In other words, those in the path of the storm must have deserved it, and those outside its reach did not.

Thankfully, Jesus addressed this air of superiority that routinely plagues our perspective of tragedy. When the unthinkable happened south of Jerusalem in a place called Siloam, our Savior asked, “Do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? (Luke 13:4)” Certainly, this burden was different than a hurricane, but the principle regarding the afflicted remains the same.

To state Jesus’ inquiry differently, did the people in Siloam deserve to die? Where those people more wicked than you? By asking the question Jesus is highlighting our temptation to insist on the moral culpability of others while denying our own. We erroneously equate our safety with our perceived righteousness while assuming the demise of others is the consequence for their wickedness.

Jesus is not denying that tragedies of any kind can be acts of judgment, but He is insisting that it is not our job to discern what God is doing or to excuse ourselves from moral responsibility. We should never feel puffed up simply because bad things do not happen to us. God’s mercy, not our sinlessness, keeps us safe each day. The problems we face in life are not always reflective of our position before God. Don’t forget that Old Testament character Job suffered because He was righteous, or the opposite of what we would suspect (Job 1:8).

Do you secretly find pleasure in the misfortunes of other people, especially those you don’t care for? When you hear that someone has cancer, do you wonder if they had it coming? If you learn of someone losing their job, do you assume he deserved it? Is your attitude toward the family with a rebellious child that they must be terrible parents?

Jesus pushed back against such distorted thinking with a piercing declaration and instruction, “I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish (Luke 13:5).” From God’s perspective, hardship is sometimes as much about the casual observer as the person who is hurting. Has it ever occurred to you that God might use sweeping devastation, not to punish the immoral, but to challenge wayward spectators in need of repentance? The point of Jesus’ story is not about those who died, but those who remained.

Scripture clearly teaches that every person is a sinner who will face death as a result (Rom. 3:23, 6:23). Thus, Jesus insists “you will ALL likewise perish” apart from repentance. Eternal life requires our turning away from sin in order to follow Christ in faith. Thus, no tragedy should be an occasion to boast, but is instead, an opportunity to remember that God is merciful despite our sin rather than due to its absence. The burdens of others are an invitation to repent of our rebellion rather than laud our righteousness.

Adam B. Dooley

October 1, 2024

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