When a person is saved, what causes them not to have compassion in there heart?

Sincerely,
Merciless

Dear Merciless,

When we first become Christians, we are only babies (1 Cor 3:1).  It is only after time and practice that we become mature and full-grown adult Christians (Heb 5:14).  Becoming a Christian doesn’t fix all over your shortcomings, and consequently, many Christians struggle with being compassionate, showing love, becoming unselfish, and a host of other internal battles.  We must be patient with one another as we all grow toward the Lord (2 Pet 1:6).

Why does the Bible seem to think either women are completely useless, women don't know anything, or women can't be good preachers or teachers for anyone (including men)?

Sincerely,
Woman Woes

Dear Woman Woes,

Any religious groups that treat women as inferior aren’t reading their Bibles.  The Bible clearly states that women are equal heirs of life with men (1 Pet 3:7).  Men and women are different, but different doesn’t mean one is better than the other.  The Bible is the only great religious document to treat women with such esteem.  Two books of the Bible are named after women (Ruth and Esther).  An entire chapter of Proverbs is dedicated to the worth and wonder of godly women (Proverbs 31).  While the Koran, Dharma, and Veda all treat women as inferior… the Bible protects your rights and esteems your value.

The Bible is clear that men and women have different roles within the church… but lots of things are different but equally wonderful.  Men are to lead the congregation as elders and deacons (1 Tim 3:2, 1 Tim 3:12). Women are to teach in more private settings and by their godly demeanors (Tit 2:3, 1 Tim 2:9-10). Husbands are to lead their families in sacrificial Christ-like love (Eph 5:25), and wives are to bind together their families by their respect for their husbands and love for their children (Tit 2:4, Eph 5:24). Yet, in all these differences, God makes it clear that neither male nor female is greater than the other (1 Cor 11:11-12).

A divorced man meets his ex-wife and second wife in heaven; what can he expect to be his relationship with both of them?

Sincerely,
Theoreticist

Dear Theoreticist,

Jesus was asked a very similar question by a group of Sadducees in Matt 22:23-28.  Jesus’ answer was simple – there is no marriage in heaven (Matt 22:30).

Thank you for answering my past questions.  I would like to ask another one please.  I have wanted so badly to change things in my life to overall happiness, to a fulfilling job, having friends, a relationship, etc.  I pray all the time and ask for these things and trust that God will show me the way.  I have been praying for about ten years now and still remain stuck in life and in pain.  After a while, I feel like maybe God wants me to search on my own to make a change.  I then look for answers on my own as well and fail time after time, becoming so discouraged.  Either way, I am unable to make a change with or without God’s help.  How do I know if He wants me to stop trying so hard or to look for answers on my own?  Is it His plan that I struggle all my life or that I just accept my life and be thankful for what it is?  I'm confused because I've always thought of Matthew 7:7.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Adrift

Dear Adrift,

Matt 7:7 (and more specifically Matt 7:9-11) teaches that if we seek God, He will provide… but it doesn’t mean He will provide for us in the ways we expect.  Sometimes children ask their parents for a cookie, and the parents give them broccoli instead because what the child really needs is healthy calories, not junk food.  God provides in a very similar manner.  He knows what we really need, and sometimes He answers our requests in unexpected ways.

In 1 Tim 6:6, the apostle Paul explained that trusting in God combined with an attitude of contentment yields great gains.  Sometimes, our lives are already blessed; we just fail to count those blessings.  If every door seems to be shut, then the answer may be to find peace where you are.  We aren’t clairvoyant, so we can’t tell you why God hasn’t had things change in your life, but we can tell you that there are blessings hidden in life if we will accept His will above our own.  Sometimes, life seems like just a struggle, but we forget that God is disciplining us for our eternal good (Heb 12:6).  We can guarantee you that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord, but that is only true when we accept His purposes for us (Rom 8:28).

     If His eye is on the sparrow (Matt 6:26), how are we to feel and react to the amount of suffering in the world?  I do not mean accidents or things that happen as a result of the free will of people – I'm thinking specifically of starvation, people who live with large families in small shacks, etc.  If God feeds even the birds, why does He allow children to starve?  How am I, as a Christian, supposed to reconcile this with the idea of a God who loves us and will care for us when we are in need?

Sincerely,
Well-Fed?

Dear Well-Fed,

God does keep a closer eye on us than He does the sparrows, but you must remember that Matt 10:29 says that even the sparrows that God cares for fall to the ground in death.  Death is inevitable ever since Adam and Eve’s sin (Gen 2:17).  We will all die, and sin’s destructive power is the source of all suffering.

You see, starving families are an act of mankind’s choices.  All experts agree that there is more than enough food to feed the whole world – starvation is due to oppression from others, a lack of compassion for our fellow man, and countless other sinful behaviors.  There is no valid reason for anyone to go hungry in this world – it is sin that causes all the harm we see to our fellow man.

God does watch over everyone, and He is intimately aware of every hair on our heads (Lk 12:7), but God must balance His love and desire to intercede for us with His promise to let us make our own choices and suffer the consequences (Gal 6:7).  All the great tragedies we see in this world are consequences of mankind turning its back on God.  From God’s standpoint, as horrible as it must be for Him to watch children suffer, He also knows that when children die, they go home to be comforted by Him.