Topic > Christian Living
Serving God with Our Prayers
God often chooses to move through our prayers to accomplish His work. We see this when God told the prophet Elijah, “I will send rain on the land,” promising to end a drought in Israel that had lasted three and a half years (James 5:17). Even though God had promised rain, a short time later “Elijah climbed to the top of Mt. Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees”—praying intently for the rain to come (v. 42). Then, while he continued to pray, Elijah sent his servant to go and look out over the…
Wounds from a Friend
Charles Lowery complained to his friend about lower back pain. He was seeking a sympathetic ear, but what he got was an honest assessment. His friend told him, “I don’t think your back pain is your problem; it’s your stomach. Your stomach is so big it’s pulling on your back.”
In his column for REV! Magazine, Charles shared that he resisted the temptation to be offended. He lost the weight and his back problem went away. Charles recognized that “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted” (Prov. 27:5–6).
The trouble is that so often we would…
I Want a Comfortable Life—Anything Wrong?
What is a comfortable life? Is it having just enough to live, a little bit more than enough, or much more than you need? Over the years, the definition of a comfortable life has changed.
When Success Leads to Dissatisfaction
In my part of the world, we have a Hokkien word to describe a sense of competitiveness and unwillingness to fail: Kiasu. Literally, it means “scared to lose”. Nobody likes to fail or lose.
Surround Sound
Walt Disney Studios was the first to introduce a new concept in listening to movies. It was called “stereophonic sound” or surround sound, and it was developed because producers wanted the movie-going audience to hear the music in a new way.
But this wasn’t the first use of “surround sound.” Thousands of years earlier, Nehemiah introduced the idea at the dedication of the rebuilt wall of Jerusalem. “I had the leaders of Judah go up on top of the wall,” he explained. “I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks” (Neh. 12:31). The two choirs began at the southern part…
The Courage To Grieve
I am not at all claiming to be an expert on the varied topic of grief. Although there may be familiar elements between individuals’ grief experiences, their paths are distinctly unique.
Constant Kindness
When I was a child I was an ardent reader of L. Frank Baum’s Land of Oz books. I recently came across Rinkitink in Oz with all the original artwork. I laughed again at the antics of Baum’s portly, irrepressible, good-hearted King Rinkitink with his down-to-earth goodness. Young Prince Inga described him best: “His heart is kind and gentle and that is far better than being wise.”
How simple and how sensible! Yet who has not jarred the heart of someone dear to us by a harsh word? In so doing we disturb the peace and quiet of the hour and…
How brave are you?
How brave are you? Well, today on Discover the Word, the team along with our guest Nicole Unice begin a discussion on courage and what kind of courage it takes in life to trust God when our natural inclination is not to. What it looks like to be “Brave Enough” with our guest Nicole Unice, all this […]
I Didn’t Care About Starving Kids in Africa
It was Christmas morning. The whole family was together, even though most of the children were married and starting their own families. We were about to open presents.
Listeners and Doers
The phone rang in the night for my husband, a minister. One of the prayer stalwarts in our church, a woman in her seventies who lived alone, was being taken to the hospital. She was so ill that she was no longer eating or drinking, nor could she see or walk. Not knowing if she would live or die, we asked God for His help and mercy, feeling particularly concerned for her welfare. The church sprang into action with a round-the-clock schedule of visitors who not only ministered to her but showed Christian love to the other patients, visitors, and…
Concluding a week long study on “Mysterious Bible Texts”
It’s a question about the Bible that people have asked through the centuries. Who exactly were the sons of God who married the daughters of men back in the Old Testament? Were they angels, demons or demon-possessed men? There are a number of possible explanations. Today on Discover the Word, we will talk about all […]
Context can help us understand mysterious texts
“What’s going on here?” How many times have you asked that while reading your Bible? Well, as we reveal today on Discover the Word it’s so often all about the context! Context can help us understand mysterious texts, like in Jude 9 where it talks about Michael the archangel disputing with the devil about the body […]
Humbly accepting the “tension of mystery”
Being finite beings, we’re limited in how much we can understand. And that’s why some Bible passages really challenge us. Today on Discover the Word, the team will discuss 1 Peter 3:18–20 where Peter talks about Christ’s spirit “preaching to the spirits in prison.” It’s another one of those strange texts that remind us that sometimes […]
Grasping the “good gifts” Christ died to give us
This week on Discover the Word, join a series of conversations that examine some mysterious texts in the Bible. Today, we will discuss Ephesians 4:8–10, where the apostle Paul quotes Psalm 68 with all its strange talk about “ascending” and “descending” and conquering kings who either take or give gifts. It sounds almost like a […]
I’m Rich!
Perhaps you’ve seen the TV ad in which a person answers the door and finds someone who hands over a check for an enormous amount of money. Then the amazed recipient begins shouting, dancing, jumping, and hugging everyone in sight. “I won! I’m rich! I can’t believe it! My problems are solved!” Striking it rich evokes a great emotional response.
In Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, we find this remarkable statement: “I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches” (v. 14). What a comparison! Obeying God’s instructions for living can be just as exhilarating…
