Topic > Christian Beliefs
The Voice of the Nature of God
When we talk about the call of God, we often forget the most important thing, namely, the nature of Him who calls. There are many things calling each of us today. Some of these calls will be answered, and others will not even be heard. The call is the expression of the nature of the One who calls, and we can only recognize the call if that same nature is in us. The call of God is the expression of God’s nature, not ours. God providentially weaves the threads of His call through our lives, and only we can distinguish them. It is the threading of God’s voice directly to us over a certain concern, and it is useless to seek another person’s opinion of it.
Why Do We Confess Our Sins To God, But Not To One Another?
Christian friendship is arguably the most important kind of human-to-human relationship needed in the life of every Christian, yet seldom talked about—unlike marriage.
God Invites Us To Come Near To Him
God doesn’t hold us at arm’s length but invites us to come near to Him. And today the Discover the Word team welcomes author Kim Cash Tate to the table. Kim leads the discussion on how we can have a truly intimate relationship with God. Catch the first conversation in this series titled “Cling” when […]
Do You Walk In White?
No one experiences complete sanctification without going through a “white funeral”-the burial of the old life. If there has never been this crucial moment of change through death, sanctification will never be more than an elusive dream. There must be a “white funeral,” a death with only one resurrection-a resurrection into the life of Jesus Christ. Nothing can defeat a life like this. It has oneness with God for only one purpose— to be a witness for Him.
Called By God
God did not direct His call to Isaiah— Isaiah overheard God saying, “. . . who will go for Us?” The call of God is not just for a select few but for everyone. Whether I hear God’s call or not depends on the condition of my ears, and exactly what I hear depends upon my spiritual attitude. “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14). That is, few prove that they are the chosen ones. The chosen ones are those who have come into a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and have had their spiritual condition changed and their ears opened.
Knowing and Loving
“Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so” is the message of one of Christian music’s most enduring songs, particularly for children. Written by Anna B. Warner in the 1800s, this lyric tenderly affirms our relationship with Him—we are loved.
Someone gave my wife a plaque for our home that gives these words a fresh twist by flipping that simple idea. It reads, “Jesus knows me, this I love.” This provides a different perspective on our relationship with Him—we are known.
In ancient Israel, loving and knowing the sheep distinguished a true shepherd from a hired hand. The shepherd…
An Angry God?
When I studied Greek and Roman mythology in college, I was struck by how moody and easily angered the mythological gods were in the stories. The people on the receiving end of their anger found their lives destroyed, sometimes on a whim.
I was quick to scoff, wondering how anyone could believe in gods like that. But then I asked myself, Is my view of the God who actually exists much different? Don’t I view Him as easily angered whenever I doubt Him. Sadly, yes.
That’s why I appreciate Moses’ request of God to “show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18). Having been chosen…
Jesus Seeking The Lost And You Too!
When a kid gets lost at a carnival, the best thing they can do is stay put. A good parent will do all they can to search for and find that lost child! So today on Discover the Word, we’ll talk about how Jesus’s mission was to “seek and save the lost,” and lost people […]
Have You Ever Been Alone with God? (1)
Our Solitude with Him. Jesus doesn’t take us aside and explain things to us all the time; He explains things to us as we are able to understand them. The lives of others are examples for us, but God requires us to examine our own souls. It is slow work— so slow that it takes God all of time and eternity to make a man or woman conform to His purpose. We can only be used by God after we allow Him to show us the deep, hidden areas of our own character. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves!
Encountering Christ Never Leaves Us The Same
Don’t you love “before and after” pictures? When a radical transformation happens, it’s exciting! And today on Discover the Word, the team will reveal the details of Zacchaeus’s story of radical transformation. Because, in reality, encountering Christ never leaves us the same! Come near to Jesus, for another life-giving study from Discover the Word!
Does God Care About the Ordinary?
We all know God can do mighty miracles. But have you ever wondered or doubted if God was interested in everyday affairs? In my case, God answered me in a way that I will never forget.
“Zacchaeus”
Verse and chapter numbers often make navigating the Bible easier, but they can also make seeing certain connections more difficult. And today on Discover the Word, we’ll see how two stories that aren’t often read together because they’re separated by a chapter break, are actually more connected than we might think. It’s another conversation from […]
Prayerful Inner-Searching
“Your whole spirit . . . .” The great, mysterious work of the Holy Spirit is in the deep recesses of our being which we cannot reach. Read Psalm 139 . The psalmist implies— “O Lord, You are the God of the early mornings, the God of the late nights, the God of the mountain peaks, and the God of the sea. But, my God, my soul has horizons further away than those of early mornings, deeper darkness than the nights of earth, higher peaks than any mountain peaks, greater depths than any sea in nature. You who are the God of all these, be my God. I cannot reach to the heights or to the depths; there are motives I cannot discover, dreams I cannot realize. My God, search me.”
The Gospels
The first four books of the New Testament — Matthew, Mark, Luke and John — are commonly known as “the Gospels.” These books explain the life and ministry of Jesus, and are the basis for most of the distinctive doctrines of Christianity.
