I would like to know where all of God’s beautiful, four-legged creatures go when they die.  My grandson asked me this question right after his dog died.  Of course, I told him his dog went to heaven to be with God and is waiting for him... but the truth of the matter is, I don't really know where his dog went to!  I was always told that dogs and cats don't have souls, so if that's true... where would they go?

Sincerely,
Grammy Grief Counselor

Dear Grammy Grief Counselor,

Animals are a blessing from God, and your grandson’s fondness for his dog is shared by animal lovers the world ‘round.  Animals have the “breath of life” just like humans do (Gen 2:7, Gen 6:17).  This “breath of life” is also sometimes referred to as the “spirit” of a man or animal (Gen 7:22).  Animals have spirits, and humans have spirits, but humans were also made in the image of God (Gen 1:26).  Our spirits are eternal and will go up to be with the Father, and animal spirits are temporary and will return to the dust of the earth (Eccl 3:21).  God made our spirit of a different caliber than He made those of the animal.  Dogs don’t go to heaven, but we can feel confident that God has decided wisely on this issue like all others.  We may not always understand His reasons, but He always makes good decisions.

How do we know that God is always just?

Sincerely,
Fair Question

Dear Fair Question,

We know God is a just God because the Bible is a record of God’s decisions and behavior.  We know God is fair because Jesus is God (Jhn 1:1), and we can see the way He lived His life on this planet.  There was never a better, kinder, more trustworthy person on this planet than Jesus.  God’s track record speaks for itself.

Why did God choose the third day to raise Jesus up?  Is there a reason for the third day?

Sincerely,
Counting

Dear Counting,

There are several reasons that the Scriptures give us for why Jesus was raised on the third day, and there may be more reasons that God didn’t tell us.  The secret things belong to God (Deu 29:29)… some questions won’t get answered until we see Him in heaven.  Here is what we know:

1. Jesus was raised on the third day because that is when He prophesied He would be raised (Lk 24:7).  Jesus fulfilled every prophecy He made, right down to the details of how long He would stay in the grave.
2. Jesus’ burial is compared to Jonah’s time in the belly of the great fish (Matt 12:40).  The Old Testament was full of parallels to Christ because the Old Testament was a tutor to lead people to Christ (Gal 3:24-25).  Jonah’s three days and nights in the big fish were another example of an allusion to Christ.
3. Jesus’ three days in the tomb left no doubt that He was truly dead.  Jesus was in the tomb so that all could witness that He did indeed fully die and was buried (Acts 10:37-40).

As we said, there are probably more reasons that the Father had in mind when He chose to leave Jesus’ body in the grave for three days, but those are the reasons He has deemed appropriate for us to know from the Scriptures.

Why do people kill and lie for things?

Sincerely,
Bewildered

Dear Bewildered,

The Bible says that all sins are caused by one of three things – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 Jn 2:16).  When we lust and desire things enough that we are willing to get them by whatever means necessary, sin almost always follows.  Adultery, theft, murder, and lying all have the same roots.  James warns that the best way to prevent sin is to kill it at its source.  The book of James explains that all sin begins with a mental decision (Jas 1:13-15).  When we protect our minds and hearts by dwelling on good things instead of evil things (Php 4:8), we set ourselves up for success.  Sin always begins with the thoughts and intents of our heart.  Dwell on God’s Word and will, and you will properly mold those heartfelt intentions (Heb 4:12).

I have difficulty reconciling how Lot is considered righteous and worthy of saving when he unrepentantly offered his own daughters to rapists.

Sincerely,
Appalled

Dear Appalled,

Us, too!  The story of Lot offering his daughters to protect strangers makes our stomachs roll (Gen 19:6-9), and it is unfathomable to us how God could forgive such wicked behavior… but then again, we can’t imagine a God who would forgive David for murder (2 Sam 12:9), Abraham for letting another man take his wife (Gen 12:11-15), Peter for turning his back on Jesus in His darkest hour (Matt 26:73-75), or Paul for killing christians (Acts 26:10).  It all comes down to the unfathomable love of God, the depths of which we cannot plumb (Rom 8:38-39).  God doesn’t save us because we are perfect, but He reckons our faith as righteousness (Rom 4:5).  Lot was far from perfect, but he did trust God.  When God told him to flee the city – Lot listened.  No one else heeded God’s Word.  The righteous shall live by faith (Rom 1:17), and we have faith when we hear what God says (Rom 10:17) and do our best to act upon it (Jas 1:22).  Lot made some horrific decisions, but when push came to shove – he chose faith.  Lot was saved by the graciousness of a loving and benevolent Father.