Can interruptions be sacred?
When you’re in a hurry to get to your destination, any interruption is unwelcome. But as we continue talking about “Life’s Shipwrecks,” we realize that when we choose to follow Jesus, there may be some sacred disruptions along the way!
Deceptive Currents
In his book The Hidden Brain, science writer Shankar Vedantam describes the day he went for a leisurely swim. The water was calm and clear, and he felt strong and proud for covering a long distance so easily. He decided to swim out of the bay and into open water. But when he tried to return he couldn’t make any progress. He had been deceived by the current. The ease of swimming had not been due to his strength but to the movement of the water.
In our relationship with God something similar can happen. “Going with the flow” can…
How to weather the storms of today
When we’re in the thick of those disastrous storms of life, we may wonder, “Where’s God?” or “Will He rescue us in time?” Today we continue our series by looking at the book of Acts to discover how to weather the storms of today by remembering God’s provision of yesterday.
Are some sins more wrong than others?
Many of us have a tendency to judge certain sins as worse than others. We say, “I have my struggles, but at least I don’t struggle with that.” Surely some attitudes and behaviors carry the potential for greater, far-reaching consequences than others. But that does not make one set of sins worse than another. The […]
On a Hill Far Away
I often find myself thinking back to the years when my children were young. One particular fond memory is our morning wake-up routine. Every morning I’d go into their bedrooms, tenderly call them by name, and tell them that it was time to get up and get ready for the day.
When I read that Abraham got up early in the morning to obey God’s command, I think of those times when I woke up my children and wonder if part of Abraham’s daily routine was going to Isaac’s bed to waken him—and how different it would have been on that…
The Greatest Thing
During a church service I spotted an infant several rows ahead. As the baby peeked over his father’s shoulder, his eyes were wide with wonder as he looked at the members of the congregation. He grinned at some people, drooled, and chewed his chunky fingers, but never quite found his thumb. The pastor’s words grew distant as my eyes kept sliding back to that sweet baby.
Distractions come in all shapes and sizes. For Martha, distraction took the form of cooking and cleaning—trying to serve Christ instead of listening to Him and talking with Him. Mary refused to be sidetracked. “Mary…
God Can Use You
No matter who you are or how much you know, God can use you to share His love and bring the Good News to them.
Start from Here!
On June 6, 1944, three American officers huddled in a bombshell crater on Utah Beach in Normandy, France. Realizing the tide had carried them to the wrong place on the beach, the trio made an impromptu decision: “We’ll start the battle from right here.” They needed to move forward from a difficult starting point.
Saul found himself in a difficult place, needing to make a decision after meeting Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-20). Suddenly, the location and direction of his life was revealed to him as a mistake, his prior life perhaps even feeling like a waste.…
Broken Things Why We Suffer
Broken Things Why We Suffer
"It is a book I feel God can use as an instrument to make us become more dependent on Him in a world that is so set on independence. I was greatly encouraged!"—K. H., Lincolnshire, England
Before M. R. DeHaan was teaching on Radio Bible Class, he was a physician and well acquainted with pain and suffering.…
An Evening with Our Readers
An Evening with Our Readers
The Staff of ODB in India would love to have a time of fellowship and meet with our readers in Hyderabad.
In addition to an exciting and inspirational message, our time of fellowship will include showing you the wide range of resources beyond the well-known Our Daily Bread devotionals … resources suitable for evangelism and outreach,…
How do we get ready for spiritual catastrophes?
Whether it’s an earthquake, a tornado, or a hurricane, it’s a good idea to have a disaster plan in place. Today we continue our study in the book of Acts for tips on preparing for spiritual catastrophes.
Are We Silent Before God?
A couple of years ago, I attended a large-scale youth prayer meeting. At one point, the pastor instructed the ushers to close all the doors in the hall and to switch off all the lights. As there were no windows, the place was pitch dark.
What We Do
When Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert died, a fellow journalist wrote of him: “With all his notoriety, honors, and celebrity, all his exclusive interviews and star-dusted encounters with movie greats, Ebert never forgot the essence of what we do—review movies. And he reviewed them with an infectious zeal and probing intellect” (Dennis King, The Oklahoman).
The apostle Paul never forgot the essence of what God wanted him to be and do. Focus and enthusiasm were at the heart of his relationship with Christ. Whether he was reasoning with philosophers in Athens, experiencing shipwreck in the Mediterranean, or being chained…
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My Angel…
On March 27 2007, I was on my way to my friend’s home. I had already turned my turn signal on and checked my rearview mirrow. All was fine. Then all of a sudden as I was turning into the driveway, I was hit from behind. The impact was so hard, it sent me airborne . As I was flipping threw the air I prayed with everything I had! God have MER…is as far as I got. Before I could say MERCY from behind my seat came 2 of the strongest and biggest arms and hands I have ever felt! They wrapped around me so tight and held me while the car was flipping. They were BIG HANDS!! From the top of my shoulder to my elbow. When the car finally stopped flipping and landed on its wheels, the hands let me go.
The vehicle behind me didn’t see me turning, he was reaching down to get his drink. He hit me at about 60 mph.
When it was over, I opened the door and was fine! The guy that hit me was ok as well.
When the rescue people arrived they kept asking me, Kim was there anybody else with you? I was speechless , all I could do was raise my arm and point to heaven!
God had mercy on me that night. He saved my life and shortly afterwards he forgave me of all my sins. I am honored to know without any doubt that I am now a child of The King!!
Planning for the unexpected and still yielding to God
When our plans go off course, is it up to us to get back on track? Or should we step aside and let God take the wheel? Today we’ll talk about the balance between the two as we study a lesson from the life of Paul.
