Topic > Christian Beliefs
Scripture Reading And The Community
Have you ever thought about the fact that just a few hundred years ago almost no one could enjoy “morning devotions”? Widespread personal access to the Bible is a relatively recent privilege! And today on Discover the Word, we’ll see how reading Scripture was originally a community event. Pull up a chair today as together we Discover […]
Faith— Not Emotion
We walk by faith, not by sight. —2 Corinthians 5:7
For a while, we are fully aware of God’s concern for us. But then, when God begins to use us in His work, we begin to take on a pitiful look and talk only of our trials and difficulties. And all the while God is trying to make us do…
Waiting in Anticipation
Every May Day (May 1) in Oxford, England, an early morning crowd gathers to welcome spring. At 6:00, the Magdalen College Choir sings from the top of Magdalen Tower. Thousands wait in anticipation for the dark night to be broken by song and the ringing of bells. Like the revelers, I often wait. I wait […]
Spontaneous Love
Love is not premeditated—it is spontaneous; that is, it bursts forth in extraordinary ways. There is nothing of precise certainty in Paul’s description of love. We cannot predetermine our thoughts and actions by saying, “Now I will never think any evil thoughts, and I will believe everything that Jesus would have me to believe.” No, the characteristic of love is spontaneity. We don’t deliberately set the statements of Jesus before us as our standard, but when His Spirit is having His way with us, we live according to His standard without even realizing it.
Invitation From The King Of Kings!
Imagine you went to the mailbox today and found a personal invitation to the upcoming Royal Wedding. How would you respond? Well, today on Discover the Word, the team kicks off a new series of discussions about an invitation that has been extended to you from the King of Kings. How are you going to respond? Be at […]
Breaking the Chains
We found our visit to Christ Church Cathedral in Stone Town, Zanzibar, deeply moving, for it sits on the site of what was formerly the largest slave market in East Africa. The designers of this cathedral wanted to show through a physical symbol how the gospel breaks the chains of slavery. No longer would the location be a place of evil deeds and horrible atrocities, but of God’s embodied grace.
Those who built the cathedral wanted to express how Jesus’s death on the cross provides freedom from sin—that which the apostle Paul speaks of in his letter to the church at…
Take Another Look at Jesus!
If there ever was a faithful person, it was Brother Justice. He was committed to his marriage, dedicated to his job as a postal worker, and stationed each Sunday at his post as a leader in our local church. I visited my childhood church recently, and perched on the upright piano was the same bell that Brother Justice rang to notify us that the time for Bible study was about to end. The bell has endured the test of time. And although Brother Justice has been with the Lord for years, his legacy of faithfulness also endures.
Hebrews 3 brings a…
Celebrating The Beauty Of Unity In Diversity
Today on Discover the Word, we conclude our two-week series on building unity within the church called “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?” As we’ll see, it’s not about getting everyone to think the way we do, but letting God transform our hearts to be like His. Learn to celebrate differences and the beauty […]
Encourage The Unity That Jesus Desires
It’s been said that America is a “melting pot.” But sometimes this blending turns into a clash of cultures. It’s been that way since the beginning. And today on Discover the Word, we’ll see how the church in Rome grappled with embracing all kinds of backgrounds and what the apostle Paul said to encourage the […]
The Widow’s Faith
It is pitch dark when Ah-pi starts her day. Others in the village will wake up soon to make their way to the rubber plantation. Harvesting latex is one of the main sources of income for people living in Hongzhuang village, China. To collect as much latex as possible, the trees must be tapped very early in the morning, before daybreak. Ah-pi will be among the rubber tappers, but first, she will spend time communing with God.
Ah-pi’s father, husband, and only son have passed away, and she—with her daughter-in-law—is providing for an elderly mother and two young grandsons. Her story…
Building Unity With Intentionality
You probably know the old adage, “Birds of a feather flock together”! We’re most often drawn to people who are like us. So how do we intentionally build unity with people who are different? That’s the question that was on the apostle Paul’s mind when he wrote his letter to the Romans, and it’s the […]
Amnesia
Emergency Services in Carlsbad, California, came to the rescue of a woman with an Australian accent who couldn’t recall who she was. Because she was suffering from amnesia and had no ID with her, she was unable to provide her name or where she had come from. It took the help of doctors and international media to restore her health, tell her story, and reunite her with her family.
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, also lost sight of who he was and where he had come from. His “amnesia,” though, was spiritual. In taking credit for the kingdom he’d been given,…
A Biblical Perspective On Whose Job It Is To Judge
No one wants to be labeled as “judgmental.” And today on Discover the Word, we seek to answer the question, “Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?” It’s a conversation about gaining a biblical perspective on whose job ultimately it is to be the Judge. Is that your job? Is it my job? Listen today […]
The Waiting Place
“Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite. Or waiting around for Friday night . . . . Everyone is just waiting”—or so Dr. Seuss, author of many children’s books, says.
So much of life is about waiting, but God is never in a hurry—or so it seems. “God has His hour and delay,” suggests an old, reliable saying. Thus we wait.
Waiting is hard. We twiddle our thumbs, shuffle our feet, stifle our yawns, heave long sighs, and fret inwardly in frustration. Why must I live with this awkward person, this tedious job, this embarrassing…
“. . . And In All Things Charity”
Augustine said, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity (or love).” That’s a good rule to live by. And today, the Discover the Word team turns to the book of Romans to see how we can learn to accept one another in our differences. Begin week two of their series “Why […]
