• Topic > Biblical Studies

    What if . . . I did what I could today?

    Today on “Discover the Word,” the group asks themselves a question they’d like you to ask yourself. “What if?” “What if” I did what I could? “What if” I didn’t just think about acting, but actually acted? “What if” I didn’t let others act for me? “What if” I didn’t wait to be invited? “What if” I didn’t just wonder about what difference I could make, but actually took a step? “What if” . . . I did what I could, today? A life-shaping question frames today’s “Discover the Word.”

    Unpacking our doubts about God’s love

    The “Discover the Word” group continues their series “She Did What She Could” today. After Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus with expensive ointment, Judas and others criticized her . . . until Jesus told the men to “leave her alone.” Join us as we unpack the concept of “leaving ourselves alone”. . . by not being hard on ourselves, or allowing others to make us doubt God’s love for us.

    A passionate worshiper

    Mary of Bethany was an ordinary woman. But there was nothing ordinary about any woman in the male-dominated culture of that day sitting at the feet of a Jewish rabbi! Today on “Discover the Word,” we discuss the extraordinary decision by God to “pick a girl” as a person that history would hold up as an example of a passionate worshiper of Jesus. Join us today on “Discover the Word”!

    God With Us

    No matter what you face in life, the decisions you make determine the course of your journey. Where can you find clear direction to help you make wise choices? In God With Us, author Alice Mathews examines the decisions made by Eve and Mary that continue to impact the world from generation to generation. Discover from […]

    Jesus works through the most unlikely people

    Most people think of a “shepherd” as being a male figure. Yet in reality, tending and herding sheep is often a job done by women and children. Today on “Discover the Word,” our special guest Margaret Feinberg discuss how shepherds were—and are—often marginalized. And so while living on the fringe of society, isn’t it amazing that shepherds were included as main players at our Savior’s birth?

    Spending your life in a holding pattern?

    Today on “Discover the Word,” we will talk about how we often spend our time thinking about the “not yet” at the expense of the “already here.” In the spiritual sense, many believers view life as what they’ve got to get through to go to heaven. They in many ways spend their lives in a holding pattern. But in Psalm 23 we’re told that His goodness and mercy will follow us each and every day of our lives.

    How to draw closer to Jesus

    Today on “Discover the Word,” we will discuss how we all spend time in the valley of the shadow of death, be it through the loss of a loved one or our own ticking life clock. Yet in the midst of our mortality we can still “fear no evil.” We won’t always be kept from evil, but as we draw closer to Jesus, the Good Shepherd will help us go through that valley with our souls securely intact. That’s today on “Discover the Word”!

    Jesus restores and cares for you and me

    Psalm 23 begins by using sheep to illustrate the Good Shepherd’s tender care for us. But then David goes beyond the basics and into the deep recesses of the soul. Today on “Discover the Word,” we will talk about the meaning behind the words, “He restores my soul and guides me in the paths of righteousness.” During those times when we’re tired, anxious, or upset, Jesus gives us a restored sense of peace and rest. That’s today on “Discover the Word.”

    Psalm 23 – for every season of life

    The 23rd Psalm—it’s one of the most familiar passages in the Bible, and you’re invited to join us as we look at the Scripture. Psalm 23 is often recited at funerals, but it’s not just for those who are grieving, it can provide the comfort of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, in every season of life. Listen on “Discover the Word”!

    A Message of Victory

    Today on “Discover the Word,” we will discuss the last verse of Psalm 22, where David ends his agonizing song about the suffering Messiah with a message of victory. The psalm concludes on a high note, “Posterity will serve Him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim His righteousness to a people yet unborn, for He has done it!” The amazing way Psalm 22 describes a “suffering Savior”—listen today on “Discover the Word”!

    How Jesus Endured the Cross

    Today on “Discover the Word,” we will talk about the intense physical violence Jesus endured on the cross, described in Psalm 22, 2,000 years before the actual event. This was long before crucifixion was even invented. While the film “The Passion of the Christ” gave us a graphic taste of that horrific event, it was still a tame depiction of what actually transpired. Join us right here on “Discover the Word”!

    Jesus, Fully Divine and Fully Human

    Jesus was both fully divine and fully human. Which means He wasn’t immune to experiencing human emotions. Today on “Discover the Word,” we will discuss the intensity of these emotions as David foretold in Psalm 22. Phrases like “I’m a worm . . . scorned by men . . . despised by people,” give us graphic word pictures of Christ’s very real distress on the cross.

    When Jesus Felt Utterly Alone

    We all need solitude sometimes. But we wouldn’t like it 24/7, especially if that solitude was a form of punishment. Yet even a prisoner in solitary confinement for a lifetime would not suffer as Jesus did. On the cross, God the Father turned His face from His only Son, leaving Jesus utterly alone. On “Discover the Word,” we will talk about when Jesus was “deserted,” as foreshadowed in Psalm 22. Listen today to “Discover the Word”!

    The Cross from Jesus’ Perspective

    What’s in a song? A lot when that song is Psalm 22. This Old Testament song of lament points us to a future event on the cross. Just as we can see in Isaiah 53 Jesus’ suffering from the Father’s perspective in Psalm 22, we get a glimpse of the agony of the cross from Jesus’ point of view. Today on “Discover the Word”!

    God So Loved . . .

    July 28, 2014, marked the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I. In the British media many discussions and documentaries recalled the start of that 4-year conflict. Even the TV program Mr. Selfridge, which is based on an actual department store in London, included an episode set in 1914 that showed young male employees lining up to volunteer for the army. As I observed these portrayals of self-sacrifice, I felt a lump in my throat. The soldiers they depicted had been so young, so eager, and so unlikely to return from the horror of the trenches.

    Although Jesus didn’t…