A Letter to the Friend Who Feels Like Giving Up on God
Dear friend,
I was devastated when you told me that you’ve decided to “give up” on God.
But in some ways, your decision didn’t come as a complete surprise to me.
Deeper Love
When they first met, Edwin Stanton snubbed US president Abraham Lincoln personally and professionally—even referring to him as a “long-armed creature.” But Lincoln appreciated Stanton’s abilities and chose to forgive him, eventually appointing Stanton to a vital cabinet position during the Civil War. Stanton later grew to love Lincoln as a friend. It was Stanton who sat by Lincoln’s bed throughout the night after the president was shot at Ford’s Theater and whispered through tears on his passing, “Now he belongs to the ages.”
Reconciliation is a beautiful thing. The apostle Peter pointed followers of Jesus there when he wrote, “Above…
What Stops You From Following Jesus?
When Jesus called His disciples, there was no time to hesitate. It was, “Come follow me now—or get left behind.” Today on Discover the Word, the team challenges us to let go of the excuses that might be getting in our way. Learn what it means to follow Jesus with no strings attached, today on Discover the Word!
Adopted
I’m glad when a philanthropist builds an orphanage for homeless children. I’m thrilled when that person gives even more and adopts one of them. Most orphans would be delighted merely to have a patron. But then to learn the sponsor isn’t content merely to help me but also wants me. How must that feel?
If you’re a child of God you already know, because it’s happened to you. We couldn’t complain if God had merely loved us enough to send His Son that we might “not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It would be enough for us. But not for…
When You Choose To Follow Jesus
When you choose to follow Jesus, you can be sure of one thing, your life will never be the same! Today on Discover the Word, we will explore how our relationships with people change once we answer Jesus’s call to follow Him. We’ll save you a seat at the table, today for Discover the Word!
3 Ways To Live A Joy-Filled Life
For three years, I joined netball as an extra-curricular activity in school. Looking back, that season in life was overshadowed by a deep sense of joylessness.
Algae and Diatoms
“What’s a diatom?” I asked my friend. I was leaning over her shoulder looking at pictures on her cell phone she had taken through a microscope. “Oh, it’s like algae, but it’s harder to see. Sometimes you need a drop of oil on the lens or they have to be dead to see them,” she explained. I sat amazed as she scrolled through the pictures. I couldn’t stop thinking about the intricate detail God put into life that we can only see with a microscope!
God’s creation and works are endless. In the book of Job, one of Job’s friends, Elihu,…
“Calling To And From”
Jesus never said that being His disciple would be easy. In fact, He often asks us to leave things behind. Today on Discover the Word, the team looks at the story of the rich young ruler as their series titled, “Calling To and From” continues, today on Discover the Word!
Rip the Heavens
In a recent conversation, where a friend shared with me that she’d abandoned her faith, I heard a familiar complaint: how can I believe in a God who doesn’t ever seem to do anything? This gut-wrenching question appears for most of us at one point or another, as we read of violence in the news and as we carry our own heartbreak. My friend’s distress revealed her intense need for God to act on her behalf, a longing we’ve all likely felt.
Israel knew this terrain well. The Babylonian Empire overwhelmed Israel, crushing them with an iron fist and turning Jerusalem into…
Our Prayer Needs
Thank you for supporting us in prayer! We rely on God’s grace to help people stay close to Him and His Word through our biblical resources.
Join us in one heart to pray for Our Daily Bread Ministries Malaysia:
- Praise God for the English team’s first attempt to do a 30-minute Live Passion Week devotion via Instagram, @ourdailybreadmalaysia. Pray that our participants’…
The Key to Happiness—Don’t Follow Your Heart
We’ve heard it a million times. We’ve read it on our Instagram feed, our coffee mugs, t-shirts, artwork, even in Christian bookstores: Follow your heart. But is it right to follow my heart? Will following my heart even make me happy?
How To Hear God’s Calling On Your Life
Perhaps a friend or a pastor has advised you to follow God’s calling on your life. But how do you know what God is calling you to do? Today on Discover the Word, we discuss how to hear God’s calling and how when God calls you to something, He usually calls you from something. Join us today for Discover the Word!
The Mood Mender
As I waited at the train station for my weekly commute, negative thoughts crowded my mind like commuters lining up to board a train—stress over debt, unkind remarks said to me, helplessness in the face of a recent injustice done to a family member. By the time the train arrived, I was in a terrible mood.
On the train, another thought came to mind: write a note to God, giving Him my lament. Soon after I finished pouring out my complaints in my journal, I pulled out my phone and listened to the praise songs in my library. Before I knew…
I’m 70 . . . And Still Learning What It Means to Serve
Dear friend,
I’m struggling to know how to begin. Maybe it’s because I still have so much to learn about what it means to tell others about anything, let alone something really important.
Righteous Among the Nations
At Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Israel, my husband and I went to the Righteous Among the Nations garden that honors the men and women who risked their lives to save Jewish people during the Holocaust. While looking at the memorial, we met a group from the Netherlands. One woman was there to see her grandparents’ names listed on the large plaques. Intrigued, we asked about her family’s story.
Members of a resistance network, the woman’s grandparents Rev. Pieter and Adriana Müller took in a two-year-old Jewish boy and passed him off as the youngest of their eight children from…
