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An invitation versus a command
What if you called your dog using a “bad dog” tone of voice? Would the dog come running with its tail wagging, or come slinking with tail between its legs? Today on Discover the Word, the group discusses the big difference between Jesus issuing an invitation to rest, versus a command. One stems from grace, the […]
Relying on His strength as we navigate life
Have you heard the expressions, “I’m going to power through” or “We just have to plow ahead?” Usually, those words imply a “grit-my-teeth-do-it-in-my-own-strength” kind of effort. Today on Discover the Word, we invite you to hitch yourself to Jesus’s plow, relying on His strength as you navigate life, allowing Him to set the pace. Only […]
How can we “rest well”?
It sounds wrong, but sometimes it really does take effort to rest! But can we draw closer to Jesus without rest? This week on Discover the Word, the group discusses what Jesus meant when He said “My yoke is easy, My burden is light.” How can we “Rest Well”? Join us today for Discover the Word!
An invitation from Jesus to rest
Suppose you receive an engraved invitation in the mail. It’s from Jesus and it says, “Come to My house and rest.” Sounds nice, but since you don’t know what He necessarily means by “rest,” you keep referring back to your “To Do” list. You’re thinking, Do I even have time for rest? Today on Discover […]
True love displayed
When it comes to today’s idea of love it seems we’re all “hooked on a feeling”! And yet that’s not what 1 Corinthians 13 . . . the Love Chapter . . . tells us. Today on Discover the Word, Mart DeHaan, Elisa Morgan, and guest Adele Calhoun continue their series on “Invitations from God” […]
When We Don’t Understand
Although I depend on technology every day to get my job done, I don’t understand much about how it works. I turn my computer on, bring up a Word document, and get to work on my writing. Yet my inability to comprehend how microchips, hard drives, Wi-Fi connections, and full-color displays actually function doesn’t get in the way of my benefiting from technology.
In a sense, this mirrors our relationship with God. Isaiah 55:8–9 reminds us that God is far beyond us: “’My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are…
Fear of missing out
Do you suffer from F.O.M.O. . . . the Fear Of Missing Out? Maybe that’s why you say, “Yes” to an invitation when you should be saying, “No!” Well, today on Discover the Word, we along with our special guest, Adele Calhoun discuss the role invitations, and our responses, have in shaping the course of our lives. […]
Becoming Entirely His
Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing —James 1:4
Many of us appear to be all right in general, but there are still some areas in which we are careless and lazy; it is not a matter of sin, but the remnants of our carnal life that tend to make us careless. Carelessness is an insult to the Holy Spirit. We should have no carelessness about us either in the way we worship God, or even in the way we eat and drink.
No Drifting
At the end of one school semester, my wife and I picked up our daughter from her school 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. On our way back home we detoured to a nearby beach resort for snacks. While enjoying our time there, we watched the boats at the seashore. Usually they are anchored to prevent them from drifting away, but I noticed one boat drifting unhindered among the others—slowly and steadily making its way out to sea.
As we drove home, I reflected on the timely caution given to believers in the book of Hebrews: “We must pay the most careful…
The Gallery of God
Psalm 100 is like a work of art that helps us celebrate our unseen God. While the focus of our worship is beyond view, His people make Him known.
Imagine the artist with brush and palette working the colorful words of this psalm onto a canvas. What emerges before our eyes is a world—“all the earth”—shouting for joy to the Lord (v. 1). Joy. Because it is the delight of our God to redeem us from death. “For the joy that was set before Him,” Jesus endured the cross (Heb. 12:2 nkjv).
As our eyes move across the canvas we see an…
Encountering the resurrected Christ
Before his name was changed to Paul, Saul was a religious zealot bent on protecting Jewish law from the heretical influence of Christianity by persecuting—and even killing—Christians. Today on “Discover the Word,” we contrast the “before” and “after” of the apostle Paul. How exactly did his life change after encountering the resurrected Christ?
Why I’m Fasting for the First Time
“Do you love God more than you love sugar?” A small voice in my head asked. I wavered, and was struck by the fact that I actually hesitated. We all have our coping mechanisms in times of stress and pressure.
The Power of God’s Music
The Sound of Music, one of the most successful musical films ever produced, was released as a motion picture in 1965. It won many accolades, including five Academy Awards, as it captured the hearts and voices of people around the world. More than half a century later, people still attend special showings of the film where viewers come dressed as their favorite character and sing along during the performance.
Music is deeply rooted in our souls. And for followers of Jesus, it is a powerful means of encouraging each other along the journey of faith. Paul urged the believers in Colosse, “Let…
Fasting Focus
Many years ago I was the youth minister of a church. I was in over my head, burning out quickly, and in need of time with God. So I arranged a retreat for a few days at a friend’s cabin in the country.
Fit for a King
A man known as the “king of cocaine” built an island hideaway known to the locals as the big house. It featured a marble lobby and an enormous pool ringed by palm trees. The now-deceased man’s estate included multiple waterfront dwellings where 300 guests could lodge in luxury. Gardens, boats, and a helicopter landing pad all displayed the “king’s” immense but wrongly amassed wealth.
