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Under Construction
When I read the road sign announcing “Construction for the next 50 miles,” I groaned. Really? Construction had already been going on for the past three years and now it would be for the foreseeable future—up to three more years! Every day since, as I drive this stretch of pavement under repair, I wonder if it will ever be finished. Deep down I know it will be, yet when I’m stopped in painfully slow traffic, it’s hard to believe the interstate will ever be free of orange barrels and single lanes.
Pregnant at 18, what was I thinking?
There was a time I believed that I had it all together. In my mind, I was the epitome of cool.
Dysfunctional
The word dysfunctional is often used to describe individuals, families, relationships, organizations, and even governments. While functional means it’s in proper working order, dysfunctional is the opposite—it’s broken, not working properly, unable to do what it was designed to do.
In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul begins by describing a spiritually dysfunctional humanity (1:18–32). We are all part of that rebellious company: “All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:12, 23).
The good news is that “all…
Lookalikes
They say we all have one: Doppelgangers some call them. Lookalikes. People unrelated to us who look very much like us.
Mine happens to be a star in the music field. When I attended one of his concerts, I got a lot of double takes from fellow fans during intermission. But alas, I am no James Taylor when it comes to singing and strumming a guitar. We just happen to look alike.
Who do you look like? As you ponder that question, reflect on 2 Corinthians 3:18, where Paul tells us that we “are being transformed into [the Lord’s] image.” As we seek…
Something More Powerful
When France’s ministry of health realized that 17.8 percent of French women smoked while pregnant, they came up with a plan. For a trial period of thirty-six months, seventeen French hospitals paid women up to 300 euros to stop smoking during their pregnancies. Of the 612 participants, 22.5 percent of the women gave up their cigarettes.
The Habit of Rising to the Occasion
Remember that you have been saved so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in your body (see 2 Corinthians 4:10). Direct the total energy of your powers so that you may achieve everything your election as a child of God provides; rise every time to whatever occasion may come your way.
You did not do anything to achieve your salvation, but you must do something to exhibit it. You must “work out your own salvation” which God has worked in you already (Philippians 2:12).
In pursuit of grace
Was he a jazz musician who happened to follow Jesus or a follower of Jesus Christ who just happened to be a great jazz musician? Hear the encouraging story of Constantine Campbell’s journey of faith and discovery of the life-changing wisdom of the Scriptures.
This is how we know what love is
Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Learn how both Ilinda and Nick have witnessed God’s power to set men and women free, even from behind prison bars. Their journeys are different, but they’ve found the Bible contains the very words to live by.
Bring your restitution to Jesus
Today, on Discover the Word we continue the series titled, “Bring It to Jesus.” The team answers the question, “How do we right the wrongs we’ve done to others?” Through the story of Zacchaeus, we’ll see how Jesus changes our relationships. Don’t miss this encouraging and challenging message. Today on Discover the Word!
But by the grace of God I am what I am
When Poh Fang first heard the gospel, she thought it was a fairy tale. But God’s truth reached deep into her soul. Discover how God changed Poh Fang’s heart, and used her to share Christ with others in a whole new way.
A Journey of Belief
Since its first publication in 1880, Lew Wallace’s novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ has never been out of print. It has been called the most influential Christian book of the 19th century, and it continues to draw readers today as it weaves the true story of Jesus with that of a fictional young Jewish nobleman named Judah Ben-Hur.
Amy Lifson, writing in Humanities magazine, said that the writing of the book transformed the life of the author. “As Ben-Hur guided readers through the scenes of the Passion, so did he lead the way for Lew Wallace to believe in…
“If You Had Known!”
If you had known…in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. —Luke 19:42
Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly and the city was stirred to its very foundations, but a strange god was there– the pride of the Pharisees. It was a god that seemed religious and upright, but Jesus compared it to “whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of…
Spiritual Vision Through Personal Character
Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place… —Revelation 4:1
A higher state of mind and spiritual vision can only be achieved through the higher practice of personal character. If you live up to the highest and best that you know in the outer level of your life, God will continually say to you, “Friend, come up even higher.” There…
Out of the dust
Before Chris and Stephanie ever recorded an album, they were just two college students in love. But soon life and marriage became complicated, filled with uncertainties that were pulling them apart. Hear an amazing story about God’s redemptive power that restored their marriage.
Gateway of Hope
You have to stick with that movie, even when it gets rough.” My friend pulled The Shawshank Redemption from the DVD player as he spoke. “The rough stuff is what makes the ending so hopeful.”
