Our Daily Bread NLT Devotional Bible
Enhance your daily devotions and go deeper into God’s Word with the Our Daily Bread Devotional Bible! Click [here] to order the book.
Out in the Cold
In desperation, a woman called the housing assistance center where I worked. A heating problem had turned her rental home into a freezer with furniture. Panicked, she asked me how she would care for her children. I hurriedly replied with the scripted official response: “Just move into a hotel and send the landlord the bill.” She angrily hung up on me.
I knew the textbook answer to her question, but I had completely missed her heart. She wanted someone to understand her fear and desperation. She needed to know she wasn’t alone. In essence, I had left her out in…
What will be your Legacy?
Each day we write another chapter in our personal legacy. We get to choose many aspects of how we’ll be remembered. So when you finally leave this earth what will be your story? Today on Discover the Word, the team wants to discuss how they want to be remembered, and that’s as people who “lived […]
Called by Name
When I first meet a new group of students in the college composition class I teach, I already know their names. I take the time to familiarize myself with their names and photos on my student roster, so when they walk into my classroom I can say, “Hello, Jessica,” or “Welcome, Trevor.” I do this because I know how meaningful it is when someone knows and calls us by name.
Yet to truly know someone, we need to know more than that person’s name. In John 10, we can sense the warmth and care Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has for…
Stuck in your own “shame fest”
Ever been to a “shame fest” where you get stuck focusing on your regrets, mistakes, and disappointments? Today on Discover the Word, the group shares a candid conversation on their personal experiences with pity parties and how to decline those invitations. “The Beauty of Broken”—be listening today on Discover the Word!
Our Way of Life
I was struck by a phrase I heard quoted from a contemporary Bible translation. When I Googled the phrase “our way of life” to locate the passage, many of the results focused on things people felt were threatening their expected way of living. Prominent among the perceived threats were climate change, terrorism, and government policies.
What really is our way of life as followers of Jesus? I wondered. Is it what makes us comfortable, secure, and happy, or is it something more?
Paul reminded the Christians in Ephesus of the remarkable way God had transformed their lives. “God, who is rich…
Reasons to rejoice when life is hard
A happy family. A fulfilling career. A clean bill of health. It’s easy to be grateful for things that go well. But being thankful for events that turn our life upside down? Join us today on Discover the Word as we explore reasons to rejoice even when life is falling apart. “The Beauty of Broken” […]
Leaving the Past Behind
Chris Baker is a tattoo artist who transforms symbols of pain and enslavement into works of art. Many of his clients are former gang members and victims of human trafficking who have been marked with identifying names, symbols, or codes. Chris transforms these into beautiful art by tattooing over them with new images.
Jesus does for the soul what Chris Baker does for the skin—He takes us as we are and transforms us. The Bible says, “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Cor. 5:17 nlt).…
I was brought up in church from what I remember in my childhood. I gave my life to the Lord at the age of 17. Throughout my younger years , I struggled with religion and my place in God's kingdom and His plans for my life. I have had a lot of evangelists and ministers prophesies on my life, my future, and my place in God's kingdom. I tired to live up to all the things that I had heard, wanting to please God in every way possible. I was a woman seeking after God's own heart. For years, I labored in the church, I taught Sunday school to the youth, I sang in the mass choir and the gospel choir. I began to follow a daily routine of what was expected out of every day Christians, and I was not happy. I felt like I should've been doing more. In the year 2008, I began to go into renal failure. I was very sick and wasn't able to attend church like I normally did. I continue to send my four children to church in my absence. There were times when I was so sick that I wanted to end my life. I can remember a vision I had during this difficult part of my journey. I visioned a pack of wolves circling my bed with flaming red eyes. I was so afraid , I called out to Jesus and the wolves disappeared. Later my Bishop at my church told me that it was evil waiting on me to take my soul. I don't know if that was true or not, but, the vision was real. The following year I was in complete renal failure and I began dialysis treatments three day a week. 22 moths of being on dialysis, I received a kidney and pancreas transplant. I was back and I had a brand new purpose in the church. I felt the passion of my new found love for God. I was so happy about my blessing , that I was spreading the gospel like wildfire. I couldn't be move. In 2012, I was struck with E. coli. I was in a coma for four days. The transplanted kidney underwent so much trauma that I had to get a couple of dialysis treatments to get it functioning again. From then until now I continue to have trouble with my kidney that I was recently placed back on Dialysis. My kidney gave out on me last July.At the time I was in school, taking care of my sick mother and raising my own family. My mother passed while was attending school and It took a lot out of me. I was going to dialysis and doing my internship to become a medical assistant. I made it through. I give all the GLORY and HONOR to my LORD and SAVIOR. I save my testimony with everyone that I meet. I encourage my children everyday that no mater what kind of adversity you face, "with Christ, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE". Currently, I work in a multi-specialty pediatric office, and I get my dialysis treatments on a nocturnal shift. Spending the good news and my testimony. GLORY TO GOD. I ask that you continue to keep my family and I in Prayer.
If I Ever Forget
God, you are the only thing that matters. Don’t let me forget that you rescued me, filled me with life, and gave me purpose. Remind me of your goodness and your love. When my head gets clouded in this crazy life, remind me. Remind me.
Repairing sibling relationships
They were the people we grew up with. And whether we enjoyed a close relationship with our siblings, fought like crazy, or never really knew them, our brothers and sisters can be some of the hardest people to love! Today on Discover the Word, we talk about how biblical love can repair and reinforce sibling relationships. […]
No Drifting
At the end of one school semester, my wife and I picked up our daughter from her school 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. On our way back home we detoured to a nearby beach resort for snacks. While enjoying our time there, we watched the boats at the seashore. Usually they are anchored to prevent them from drifting away, but I noticed one boat drifting unhindered among the others—slowly and steadily making its way out to sea.
As we drove home, I reflected on the timely caution given to believers in the book of Hebrews: “We must pay the most careful…
Shocking Honesty
When the minister asked one of his elders to lead the congregation in prayer, the man shocked everyone. “I’m sorry, Pastor,” he said, “but I’ve been arguing with my wife all the way to church, and I’m in no condition to pray.” The next moment was awkward. The minister prayed. The service moved on. Later, the pastor vowed never to ask anyone to pray publicly without first asking privately.
That man demonstrated astonishing honesty in a place where hypocrisy would have been easier. But there is a larger lesson about prayer here. God is a loving Father. If I as a…
A Firm Place to Stand
The historic riverwalk area of Savannah, Georgia, is paved with mismatched cobblestones. Local residents say that centuries ago the stones provided ballast for ships as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean. When cargo was loaded in Georgia, the ballast stones were no longer needed, so they were used to pave the streets near the docks. Those stones had accomplished their primary job—stabilizing the ship through dangerous waters.
The days in which we live can feel as turbulent as the high seas. Like sailing ships of old, we need stability to help us navigate our way through the storms of life. David…
