It’s a Wonderful Life?
Some Christians don’t like it when they hear other believers witnessing to sinners by saying, “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” (Personally I prefer to use the term “awesome.”) Recently I saw a video produced by an evangelistic ministry that questioned how one could tell somebody who would later perish in a terrorist attack that God has a wonderful plan for his life. First, God is not looking to shorten people’s lives. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” I’ve heard numerous testimonies of people who escaped tragedies like 9/11 because they listened to the leading of the Lord. Opponents of the “good plan” doctrine will cite examples of Christians who have been imprisoned, tortured, or killed for their faith. It’s true that 2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer p...