Topic > Christian Living
They Smelled Like Christ
Hot and dusty, Bob dismounted from the bus he had ridden to Pasadena, California. He was tired from a long day of travel and grateful that he would be able to have dinner with friends of friends who lived in the area. They welcomed him in, and he immediately felt a sense of peace. He felt at home, comfortable, safe, and valued.
Later, wondering why he had felt such peace in an unfamiliar place, Bob found an answer in 2 Corinthians. The apostle Paul describes people who follow God as having the “pleasing aroma of Christ.” “That’s exactly it!” Bob said…
Being Real with God
I bow my head, close my eyes, lace my fingers together and begin to pray. “Dear Lord, I’m coming to you today as your child. I recognize your power and goodness. . .” Suddenly, my eyes snap open. I remember that my son hasn’t finished his history project, which is due the next day. I recall that he has an after-school basketball game, and I imagine him awake until midnight finishing his schoolwork. This leads me to worry that his fatigue will put him at risk for the flu!
C.S. Lewis wrote about distractions during prayer in his book The Screwtape Letters. He…
Seeing God’s Hand In Life’s Most Challenging Moments
The more you look back on your life, the more you begin to see a story unfolding. Maybe all of the plot twists haven’t yet been resolved, but it’s clear that God has a larger purpose in mind. Today on Discover the Word, the team helps us see God’s hand working in life’s most challenging […]
An Emergency Plan For When Life’s Trials Come
Trials in life are practically a guarantee. So when disaster strikes, it’s important to have an emergency plan ready to put into action. Today on Discover the Word, the team points to Paul’s response to an impending shipwreck as a model for our own crisis management. Don’t miss Discover the Word today!
Muscling Through
Competitive bodybuilders put themselves through a rigorous training cycle. During the initial months, they emphasize gaining size and strength. As the competition nears, the focus shifts to losing any fat that hides the muscle. In the final days before the competition, they consume less water than normal so their muscle tissue is easily visible. Because of the reduced consumption of nourishment, the competitors are actually at their weakest on the day of competition, despite appearing strong.
In 2 Chronicles 20, we read of the opposite reality: acknowledging weakness in order to experience God’s strength. “A vast army is coming against you,”…
New Life
God graciously sacrificed His only Son to give you a gift. However, many don’t know the power that comes through the resurrection of Jesus. In New Life, you’ll experience the power of being born again through the resurrection of the …
Staying Focused During Life’s Unexpected Detours
Navigating life’s tough times is rarely as simple as going from Point A to Point B. Chances are, you’re going to have to make some unexpected detours along the way. Today on Discover the Word, the team will encourage us to stay focused on the destination whenever we’re sidetracked by life’s detours. Tune in today […]
Watching With Jesus
Watch with Me.” Jesus was saying, in effect, “Watch with no private point of view at all, but watch solely and entirely with Me.” In the early stages of our Christian life, we do not watch with Jesus, we watch for Him. We do not watch with Him through the revealed truth of the Bible even in the circumstances of our own lives. Our Lord is trying to introduce us to identification with Himself through a particular “Gethsemane” experience of our own.
When God Carries Out His Plan In Unexpected Ways
When the trials of life appear like storm clouds in the distance, our first instinct is to jump ship. But God always has a greater purpose in mind when He takes us into rough seas. Today on Discover the Word, we are reminded not to be alarmed when God carries out His plan in unexpected […]
Beyond the Stars
In 2011, the National Aeronautics and Space Association celebrated thirty years of space research. In those three decades, shuttles carried over 355 people into space and helped construct the International Space Station. After retiring five shuttles, NASA has now shifted its focus to deep-space exploration.
The human race has invested massive amounts of time and money, with some astronauts even sacrificing their lives, to study the immensity of the universe. Yet the evidence of God’s majesty stretches far beyond what we can measure.
When we consider the Sculptor and Sustainer of the universe who knows each star by name (Isaiah 40:26), we…
Trusting God In The Shipwrecks Of Life
The seas of life are rarely calm. So when the water gets rough, how do we respond? Well, today on Discover the Word, the team will help us find the courage and faith to trust God in the shipwreck seasons of life. More biblical encouragement from the life of Paul for “Navigating Life’s Shipwrecks” coming […]
A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice
Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure.
Strength for Your Journey
Hinds Feet on High Places, a classic allegory of the Christian life, is based on Habakkuk 3:19. The story follows the character Much-Afraid as she goes on a journey with the Shepherd. But, Much-Afraid is scared so she asks the Shepherd to carry her.
The Shepherd kindly replies, “I could carry you all the way up to the High Places myself, instead of leaving you to climb there. But if I did, you would never be able to develop hinds’ feet, and become my companion and go where I go.”
Much-Afraid echoes the questions of the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk (and if I’m…
"My Joy . . . Your Joy"
What was the joy that Jesus had? Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it is an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to His Father— the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do— “. . . who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross . . .” (Hebrews 12:2). “I delight to do Your will, O my God . . .” (Psalm 40:8). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?
Bees and Snakes
Some problems have Daddy’s name written all over them. For instance, my kids recently discovered bees had moved into a crack in our concrete front porch. So, armed with bug spray, I went out to do battle.
I got stung. Five times.
I don’t like being stung by insects. But better me than my kids or wife. Taking care of my family’s wellbeing is at the top of my job description after all. My children recognized a need, and they asked me to address it. They trusted me to protect them from something they feared.
In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches that we too…
