Jesus Among Other Gods

Evil seems mysterious only because we are engulfed in it as people who both suffer and cause suffering.

Evil is real. But the problem of evil has ultimately one source: our rebellion against God’s holiness.

When your life is free from pain, don’t allow your life to run free from God.

Meaninglessness doesn’t come from being weary of pain but from being weary of pleasure. Pain often forces us to find God. Pleasure frequently causes us to ignore Him.

Meaningless comes from drowning in the oceans of our pleasures. Pleasure gone wrong is a greater curse than physical blindness.

God is working a plan to end evil.

suffered the full brunt of undeserved pain. Jesus had done nothing wrong, yet He was nailed to a cross. If anyone had reason to cry “Foul!” and demand relief from suffering, it was Jesus. And yet Jesus stayed on the cross to destroy sin and death for any who would trust in Him.

• the destructiveness of evil, which is the cause of suffering,

• the ability to withstand undeserved suffering, and

• the plan of God to put an end to suffering.

Goodness involves a choice. It’s a life willingly and totally lived for God even when that choice is hard and costly. It’s a love fromGod and forGod that carries us through life’s hardest battles.

Love is at the heart of God’s big plan for us and our world. God’s intent is that we experience His love—a sacredlove. Experiencing His love is how we have the right kind of love to pass on to others (1 John 4:19).