Philip The “Cautious Disciple”
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. That’s the lesson we’re learning today on Discover the Word. The team kicks off a new study on Jesus’s “cautious disciple,” Philip, and learns that when it comes to following Jesus, it’s worth taking some risks. Find the boldness to put your full trust in Christ when you listen today to Discover the Word!
The Concept of Divine Control
Jesus is laying down the rules of conduct in this passage for those people who have His Spirit. He urges us to keep our minds filled with the concept of God’s control over everything, which means that a disciple must maintain an attitude of perfect trust and an eagerness to ask and to seek.
Why Do I Long to Feel Loved?
I grew up in a warm and affectionate family, and have never needed to work for my family’s love.
However, I’ve found that I am easily jealous for the affections of my close friends. Whenever my close friends are more concerned for other friends than they are for me, I feel an inexplicable sense of disappointment.
No Co-Signer Required
When a person without a long history of paying his or her bills on time wants to obtain a loan to purchase a home or car, lenders are often reluctant to take the financial risk. Without a track record, that person’s promise to repay what he borrows is insufficient for the bank. The would-be borrower usually resorts to finding someone who does have a history of making good on their debts, asking them to put their name on the loan too. The co-signer’s promise assures the lender the loan will be repaid.
When someone makes a promise to us—whether for financial,…
My Life’s Spiritual Honor and Duty
I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians… —Romans 1:14
Paul was overwhelmed with the sense of his indebtedness to Jesus Christ, and he spent his life to express it. The greatest inspiration in Paul’s life was his view of Jesus Christ as his spiritual creditor. Do I feel that same sense of indebtedness to Christ regarding every unsaved soul?…
The Best Gift
When I was packing up to go home to London, my mother approached me with a gift—one of her rings I had long admired. Surprised, I asked, “What’s this for?” She replied, “I think you should enjoy it now. Why wait until I die? It doesn’t fit me anyway.” With a smile I received her unexpected gift, an early inheritance that brings me joy.
My mom gave me a material gift, but Jesus promises that His Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask (Luke 11:13). When parents who are marred with sin can provide the necessities of life—fish…
Suffering Afflictions and Going the Second Mile
This verse reveals the humiliation of being a Christian. In the natural realm, if a person does not hit back, it is because he is a coward. But in the spiritual realm, it is the very evidence of the Son of God in him if he does not hit back. When you are insulted, you must not only not resent it, but you must make it an opportunity to exhibit the Son of God in your life. And you cannot imitate the nature of Jesus— it is either in you or it is not.
Hiding Our Hurts
I was guest-speaking in a local church and my topic was an honest story about presenting our brokenness before God and receiving the healing He wants to give. Before closing in prayer, the pastor stood in the center aisle, looked deeply into the eyes of his gathered congregants, and said, “As your pastor I have the privilege of seeing you midweek and hearing your heart-breaking stories of brokenness. Then in our weekend worship services, I have the pain of watching you hide your hurt away.”
My heart ached at the hidden hurts that God came to heal. The writer of Hebrews…
Asking The Right Questions
Before a judge issues a verdict, all the evidence has to be considered! And today on Discover the Word, we consider the evidence that took Thomas, “The Disciple of Doubt” from skepticism to belief. Learn how your faith can grow when you start asking the right questions, today on Discover the Word!
The Price of the Vision
Our soul’s personal history with God is often an account of the death of our heroes. Over and over again God has to remove our friends to put Himself in their place, and that is when we falter, fail, and become discouraged. Let me think about this personally— when the person died who represented for me all that God was, did I give up on everything in life? Did I become ill or disheartened? Or did I do as Isaiah did and see the Lord?
The Day I Stopped Hiding My Gift
“I look at your work and the intern’s, and I cannot see the difference between the two,” my former editor said.
Those were the last words I wanted to hear, especially since I had worked hard to be where I was.
The Day I Stopped Hiding My Gift
“I look at your work and the intern’s, and I cannot see the difference between the two,” my former editor said.
Those were the last words I wanted to hear, especially since I had worked hard to be where I was.
He Knows Us
Did God know about me as I drove at night on a 100-mile journey to my village? Given the condition I was in, the answer was not simple. My temperature ran high and my head ached. I prayed, “Lord, I know you are with me, but I’m in pain!”
Tired and weak, I parked by the road near a small village. Ten minutes later, I heard a voice. “Hello! Do you need any help?” It was a man with his companions from the community. Their presence felt good. When they told me the name of their village: Naa mi n’yala (meaning, “The…
Doubting Thomas Taking The Lead
Have you ever been in a situation where everyone was thinking the same thing, but no one was willing to say it? Today on Discover the Word, the team continues a study on Doubting Thomas, who took the lead and expressed the question on everyone’s mind. Learn how doubts can transform into faith when you listen today […]
The Spiritually Self-Seeking Church
Reconciliation means the restoring of the relationship between the entire human race and God, putting it back to what God designed it to be. This is what Jesus Christ did in redemption. The church ceases to be spiritual when it becomes self-seeking, only interested in the development of its own organization. The reconciliation of the human race according to His plan means realizing Him not only in our lives individually, but also in our lives collectively. Jesus Christ sent apostles and teachers for this very purpose— that the corporate Person of Christ and His church, made up of many members, might be brought into being and made known. We are not here to develop a spiritual life of our own, or to enjoy a quiet spiritual retreat. We are here to have the full realization of Jesus Christ, for the purpose of building His body.
