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Stand Firm Parents
How Israel's Conflicts Effects Our Children's Faith
In this crucial episode, host Jake McCandless delves into a topic that is shaping our children’s faith—Israel's ongoing conflict. Jake explores the profound impact that media coverage of the October 7th Hamas attack on Israel and its aftermath has on young minds. He emphasizes the influence of social media and campus protests, noting how the messaging around this conflict is heavily skewed and anti-Israel.
Jake makes the case that Israel is more than a political topic—it's a spiritual battleground. Every page of the Bible relates to Israel, making its current struggles essential for understanding the biblical narrative and Christian faith.
By: Jake McCandless
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 21, 2024
Show
Stand Firm Parents
Duration
00:23:40 min.
00:23:40 min.
Build Like Jesus
Examples of Principles of Jesus - Pt. 2
Dr. Steve Crawley discusses the principles of Jesus and how they relate to our lives today as he continues to answer the question, "Why would we want to build our companies, our families, and our lives on the principles of Jesus Christ?"
By: Dr. Steve Crawley
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 21, 2024
Show
Build Like Jesus
Duration
00:01:52 min.
00:01:52 min.
Day By Day Expressions
Day By Day Expressions
What God requires of us is to return the talent He has given us to be used in His service.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 21, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:06:16 min.
00:06:16 min.
Moving Works
Change the City - Two Minute Short
Jonathan and his family moved to Austin, TX to plant a church. Then God took over. This two minute short was derived from the original film, City Life.
#movingworks
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Moving Works
(MovingWorks.org)
(MovingWorks.org)
Aired on
Oct 18, 2024
Show
Moving Works
Duration
00:01:59 min.
00:01:59 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
A Taboo Topic
Sex is to be enjoyed between husband and wife and not committed outside that relationship.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
In the summer of 2002, Kristi and I had been married one year, and led a group of about 4 students on a mission trip to a church planter in Hawaii. It was an interesting trip. We helped with a revival that no one came to. But while we were there we learned that there is a type of pigeon language in Hawaii. One of the familiar pieces of literature in that pigeon language in Hawaii were the Ten Commandments, and one commandment in particular stood out. It was this—“No muy muy wit da brother’s wahini.” You don’t have to be fluent in Hawaiin Pigeon to understand exactly what is being forbidden.
I feel like I need to make clear what seems to be fuzzy for some people. I never thought I would have to, but from conversations I have had with some, there is not a doubt in mind that I need to bring some clarity to a situation.
On the surface of this passage we are dealing with adultery. David is a married man, several times over actually, and we have discussed that in the past. But David is a married man who sleeps with someone who is not his wife. That is adultery. To complicate the matter further, the woman he sleeps with was also married.
So let me be clear today—Adultery is sinful. It is not within the design of the relationship of husband and wife. You didn’t fall out of love with your spouse and fall in love with someone else, therefore justifying yourself and sin. To love someone biblically, whether they be your wife, husband, or brother in Christ, to love someone biblically is to make a conscious choice to serve them sacrificially. So falling out of love in a marriage is a choice you make to no longer care or serve or sacrifice on behalf of your spouse. Falling in love is a conscious choice you make to care, to serve, to sacrifice for, to the exclusion of others who might vie for or compete for that position in your heart.
Let me go further, just so that we are clear. Adultery is sinful because the sexual relationship is the bringing together of a man and a woman, mind, heart, body and soul. Two become one. There is to be safety and security and peace within that sexual relationship, and that safety and security and peace is proclaimed to each other and everyone else through marriage. So when you step outside that covenant, you shatter the security of the other spouse.
Let me go a bit further. The sexual relationship is for marriage. You do not test it out before marriage. You do not see if you’re sexually compatible with someone else. Sex is to be enjoyed, sustained and maintained within the covenant bonds of marriage. When you engage in sexual acts before marriage, and then you finally do come to the altar of marriage, you don’t come as a veteran in relationships, you come as an incomplete person, because part of you is still with the other people with whom you have slept with. Emotionally, mentally. You gave away something precious that was intended for your wife or husband.
This is why Genesis tells us that a “man shall leave his father and mother, and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” The man leaves one relationship, the relationship of the parents, which is a type of oneness, he leaves that relationship, NOT to sow his wild oats, NOT to test drive what is out there, BUT to attach himself to one other person, HIS WIFE. The marriage, the covenant of marriage, is the guarantee, it is the promise that just because the road may get rocky, I am not leaving your side. And the physical expression of that is the sexual relationship. You see, there is a right and beautiful order to God’s design. It’s not the other way around, no matter how much he or she tells you they love you.
Why all of this? Because not only is the sexual relationship to be enjoyed in security, its other purpose is to produce children. And children are to be brought into this world within the one flesh, safety and security and peace of a mom and dad committed to one another, committed to displaying the leadership and submission of Christ and His church.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 18, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:05:22 min.
00:05:22 min.
Mental Health Minutes
Foreign Decision Making
Making decisions by thinking in a foreign language increases rationality.
#mentalhealthminutelw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Brian Sheppard
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 17, 2024
Duration
00:00:11 min.
00:00:11 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Pride And Power In Motion
When we leave our pride unchecked, we will inevitably fall into sin.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
We can see sin’s spiraling effect building because David goes from having innocently seen Bathsheba, to dreaming about her so much so that he calls his servants to find out about her identity.
How about you? Has a run in with an old classmate lingered on in your mind too long, so that you begin checking their social media, see if they are married, single, or divorced. Do you wonder what your life might be like if you would have ended up with him—how much nicer, happier, you would be. Do you even begin to think, “What harm could one dinner do? I just want to catch up with her, see how he is doing? Nothing wrong with that, right?”
James 1:14 “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire, when it is conceived gives birth to sin, and sin, when fully grown brings forth death.”
Isn’t that what we are watching David do.
This is like watching a movie you have seen several times. You know how it ends, but you still find yourself saying, “Don’t open that door! Don’t go in that room!”
And after having read the story, knowing what is going on, and upon the re-reading, we are shouting, “Don’t do it, David! Stop! Turn back! Run!
Once David realizes who her husband is, and where her husband is, the spiral of sin continues downward. David devises a plan to have what he wants.
James 3:16 For where…selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
This is David’s pride and power in motion, willing, or perhaps refusing to see how his actions will bring destruction upon those around him.
So learn from David about your own humanity, and run to solution that God has made known to us, and that is the true King of Israel, King Jesus.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 17, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:45 min.
00:02:45 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: This Love Looks Beautiful On You
Jesus brings joy beyond the circumstances we face.
#theloriclineshow
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Do you know you are loved?
Even if you don’t get chocolate, jewelry, flowers, cologne, dinner out or even a card at some point this week, YOU are deeply loved by God and He is creating something beautiful in your life. It’s true.
That may be the last thing you want to hear today, but the truth is, the most beautiful gift you could receive is knowing your worth, your beauty and your purpose are found FULLY in the one who created you, loves you and knows you best. God adores you.
No other love compares. Seriously. I adore my husband. I’ve loved him and he’s loved me now for well over thirty years. I’m thankful to God and blessed by that love, but God loves me more and my heart first belongs to God. The same for my husband. As our hearts have drawn closer to God over the years, our hearts have come closer to one another. It’s a beautiful design and a deep love.
All the things we think we want when it comes to love, can ultimately only be found when we first know we are loved by God. Everything else flows from that love. We receive it from God and then we give our heart back to God. It’s a beautiful reaction to being loved. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
If you are in a season of waiting or maybe your heart has suffered loss or been broken, I want you to know God sees where you are and what you’re walking through. You don’t walk it alone. God is with you. He is near your hurting heart and working through your circumstance to create something beautiful. Knowing He is working FOR your good, (Romans 8:28) you can choose joy (James 1:2-4) even in the most difficult season or trial.
Psalm 31:7
I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.
God knows the deepest desires of our heart. He also knows the idols we place above Him. When we seek Him first, the rest will fall into place in the most beautiful design. It’s difficult to imagine something beautiful in a season of trial or longing. Still, as we reflect His love through it, beauty shines for the world to see.
Coming through this winter we’ve been hit with some harsh conditions. Arctic blasts brought record breaking low temperatures and lots of ice and snow. The icy cold of winter, while it can bring many challenges, also brought beauty I had never seen.
Ice pillars formed in the night sky. These ice or light pillars are an atmospheric optical phenomenon which look like vertical beams of light. They’re beautiful! The effect is created by the reflection of light from tiny ice crystals suspended in the atmosphere.
Ever heard of ice brellas or ice bells? Me either! Apparently these can form around trees in lakes or rivers during a hard freeze. It looks like an ice skirt around the bottom of a tree. Unexpected beauty formed in the cold of winter.
Even the harshest conditions of our lives or the coldest seasons of waiting can display something beautiful when our heart reflects the love of the Lord.
Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.
Jesus brings joy beyond our circumstances. Whatever conditions we face in this life, He shines something unexpected through it as we trust Him with it. We grow as a result with deep roots and our lives become a display of His splendor, even in the winters of life.
That’s the truth.
REST in the love of Christ. Something new and beautiful will form as a result.
I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 17, 2024
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:58 min.
00:04:58 min.
In the City, for the Nations
The Quest - Ep. 2
Join Sarah and Jordan Bowen as they sit down with their friend, Marlon, and discuss and pray for those of the Buddhist religion.
By: Jordan and Sarah Bowen
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 16, 2024
Duration
00:35:12 min.
00:35:12 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Take Heed Of Sin’s Spiraling Effect
It is not sin to be tempted, but to indulge in that temptation and act upon it is sin.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Take heed of sin’s spiraling effect
We receive a taste of the spiraling effect of David’s sinfulness in verses 3-4—“And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, ‘Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah?’ So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her.”
David inquired, David sent, David took, David lay.”
Proverbs 26:27 “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.”
Where does the shovel meet the dirt, on its way to digging a pit; and where does the stone begin to roll in this story?
An innocent look
The shovel meets the dirt in our story with a little further back than we might think. The stone started rolling when David’s sexual desires went unchecked and his neglect of God’s word went unaccounted for, when he started multiplying wives back in his younger years. Whether it was for political strategy or alliances, or whether it was out of lust, it was wrong. The God of Israel had made it explicit in His word that the king of Israel should not multiply wives. And yet David, driven by the flesh and not by the Spirit, fed that desire.
It may have been something David wrestled with, we don’t know. But we do see that desire manifest again. David is most likely out of place at the beginning of chapter 11. The text tells us that kings are at war with their men during this time, but David was at home, which set the stage for the opportunity to sin.
Please don’t take this to mean that if David were with his men, then he wouldn’t have had temptation to sin. It is not as if when we are walking in the Spirit, living within the God’s will for our days that we will not face temptation. That is not what I am saying, that is not what the text is saying. But it is evident that there was a weakening, a lethargy of spiritual zeal, so to speak, so that when the temptation came David was weak, and did not fight it.
And the downward spiral of sin was set in motion by an innocent look. It was not sinful that David saw this woman. Being tempted is not sinful. It is what you do with that temptation that determines if you are indulging the flesh or not. I once heard it said that you cannot keep a bird from flying over you, but you sure can keep it from building a nest on your head. It was not the seeing that was sinful; it was the refusal to look away, it was the lingering gazes, that was building its nest.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 16, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:03:44 min.
00:03:44 min.
Mental Health Minutes
Color Association
All colors except magenta are associated with a physical wavelength.
#mentalhealthminutelw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Brian Sheppard
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 15, 2024
Duration
00:00:16 min.
00:00:16 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
What Is The Death Dagger?
Belief in Christ is the only tool which can put to death the temptations of the flesh.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
1 Peter 5:2-3 is the warning to me—“Shepherd the flock of God that is among you…not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock…humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he might exalt you…”
Colossians 3:19 is the warning to husbands—“Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” And then in Ephesians it says to husbands to sacrifice on behalf of your wife, as Christ loved and sacrificed himself for the church. Don’t minimize your wife, and her role, her thoughts, her emotions, her life. Don’t disregard her.
Parents, do not provoke your children to anger. Do not exasperate them by dominating them.
Bosses, stop threatening your workers, knowing that he who is in heaven is both their master and yours, and that there is no partiality with him.
There are some here who are drunk on power you think is yours. You will not hear my words. You will not relinquish your hold on your sin. But there are others of you, who are in the midst of this scenario, upon whom the Holy Spirit has been tenderizing your heart. You know it’s wrong, sinful. You know you are hurting those around you. You know you think your power is a cloak that can cover up your hurtful ways. But the LORD has been dealing with you. He has been merciful and gracious to do so.
We all have hearts bent towards lording it over people when we can. It’s a glitch in our system due to the fall of man into sin. Eve wanted as much power as God. Adam wanted as much power as God, and now we crave it too. But how do we change? We can’t just stop it. The virus runs to the core of who we are.
Jesus came to not only serve, but to give His life as a ransom, as a payment, for many people. And as we watch the gospel unfold, we learn that Jesus not only trades His life for ours, takes our sin and give us His righteousness, but part of the payment is that the Holy Spirit comes to live among His people, in His people. And this tendency to exert power and authority unjustly is that old flesh trying to raise its head again in your life. And you have to put him down. How? What is the death dagger? It is belief. Believing that Christ reigns over the flesh, has put the old man to death through Jesus’ resurrection. I have to believe that, and turn my eyes to Christ, bow the knee and walk according to His word.
Jesus said he came to give his life as a ransom for many? But who are those people? Those people are the ones who recognize the virus of sin in their lives, and the destruction it causes, and run to Christ! Are you that person this morning? Is that you, who is just now realizing the danger of your own sin and that it displeases, angers the God of all creation, from whom you cannot hide, and who will not be minimized in one aspect of His being? Then run to the cross! See Christ crucified for you, to be your ransom payment for your sin and death. Cling to Him with every fiber of your being and every part of your heart! There is no other gift or offering or sacrifice made that will atone for your sin than Christ!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 15, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:05:03 min.
00:05:03 min.
Outdoors with Shaun Merrell
Dove Hunt Part 2
Hunting and even preparing food plots for the hunt itself can be discouraging at times, but you might be surprised by the growth that emerges from even the hardest ground. Curious about how our story unfolds? Join us for the second part of our dove hunt!
#outdoorswithshaunmerrell
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Shaun Merrell
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 15, 2024
Duration
00:08:35 min.
00:08:35 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: Who’s Looking Out For You?
We can rest in the knowledge that God controls the universe and loves us.
#theloriclineshow
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Don’t you love when someone is looking out for you? You don’t feel so alone. You know someone has your back. They care about what is in YOUR best interest. It’s a good feeling.
As a mom, I have my girls back. They know I am always looking out for them. Have you seen the image of a lion cub and it’s mom right behind it. That’s me. Nothing would even think about going after the cub because mama lion is scary and she has that baby lion’s back. She is never far away. Her eyes are always on the lookout for the sole purpose of protecting her cub.
With the recent winter weather that swept across the country, I was glad someone had our back. My area of expertise is not the weather, but I am thankful we have meteorologists that are always keeping an eye out. They can forecast what’s to come with science and technology so they can let us know for the sole purpose of keeping us safe.
With the snow, ice and record low temperatures we had, students were out of school for over a week. As a parent, I’ll keep it real and tell you I was ready for them to go back. I love my girls, but I also love when they are in school. The last day they were out they were planning to go initially with a delayed start time. That morning, the district made the call to keep them home one more day.
You know what, I wasn’t frustrated in the least. I found myself grateful. They wanted my girls, as well as every other student, safe. Their eyes were on it. That’s a good feeling. It gives you peace knowing someone that knows MORE than you or someone that can see the BIG picture is watching out for you and helping guide your steps.
In life, you may feel today like no one’s looking out for you. You may even be very self reliant because maybe those that were supposed to be looking out for you, didn’t. I want you to know this, you are deeply loved and there has never been a day God hasn’t had His eye on you.
Psalm 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.
I love this! God wants us to KNOW Him and in knowing Him we WILL know the WAY we should go in every circumstance. How many sources do we go to for counsel? Just check your latest online searches. We have questions and we take it to google before we take it to God! God sees. God knows. God will instruct you. God will teach you and counsel you. He holds the entire world in His hand and still, his loving eye is on YOU.
I can rest easy knowing that today. You can too. You don’t have to worry. Choose to trust. God sees where you’ve been. God knows the conditions of the road you’re traveling today and He wants to guide you through the storm that may be coming tomorrow.
That’s the truth.
It’s like the song says, His eye is on the sparrow and I know HE watches me.
Go check out Psalm 121 and know His eye is on you.
I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 15, 2024
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:03:31 min.
00:03:31 min.
Build Like Jesus
Examples of Principles of Jesus - Pt. 1
In this episode, Dr. Steve Crawley seeks to answer the question, "Why would we want to build our companies, families, and lives on the principles of Jesus Christ?" by emphasizing the teachings of Jesus, focusing on compassion, generosity, and grace.
By: Dr. Steve Crawley
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 14, 2024
Show
Build Like Jesus
Duration
00:01:37 min.
00:01:37 min.
Day By Day Expressions
Day By Day Expressions
Believers should seek God’s approval rather than comparing our accomplishments to those of others.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 14, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:10:26 min.
00:10:26 min.
Stand Firm Parents
Parents as Disciple-Makers: Just Start Somewhere
In this episode of Stand Firm Parents, Jake McCandless discusses the challenges and importance of being intentional about discipleship within the home. He emphasizes the need to start somewhere, even if it’s small, and shares practical advice on how to integrate faith into everyday family life.
By: Jake McCandless
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 14, 2024
Show
Stand Firm Parents
Duration
00:24:11 min.
00:24:11 min.
Moving Works
Broken
Honza’s motto in life is simply, “Have fun!” When a devastating bike accident threatens to change everything he’s ever known, he is confronted by the reality that he’s been given a much greater purpose in life than serving himself.
#movingworks
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Moving Works
(MovingWorks.org)
(MovingWorks.org)
Aired on
Oct 11, 2024
Show
Moving Works
Duration
00:04:51 min.
00:04:51 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
The Bend In Our Hearts
Every person’s heart is bent toward misusing whatever authority is granted to them.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Some of you may be sitting here today thinking, “I am glad I am not the king and have to deal with all this power trip stuff.” Or you may be thinking, “My boss sure needs to hear this.”
No, that is not right. You need to hear this and I need to hear this. Every person present must take heed lest he or she fall. You see, the reality is that all of our hearts our bent towards abusing and misusing whatever power and authority we have, or that we perceive to have or that we want to have. We all can minimize people down to tools or objects. We can all be fooled into thinking that we are safe in our sin because of our power. But you will not be. You will be found out.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 11, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:01:45 min.
00:01:45 min.
Mental Health Minutes
Long-Term Deadlines
Our brain prioritizes immediate tasks regardless of importance.
#mentalhealthminutelw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Brian Sheppard
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 10, 2024
Duration
00:00:22 min.
00:00:22 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
What Makes The Kingdom Of God Unsafe?
One of the great dangers of abusing spiritual leadership is maligning the name of God.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Uriah
And we can’t forget Uriah. He is simply an obstacle that has to be removed so that David’s power is not jeopardized.
Soldiers of verse 17, 25
And what about the soldiers who are merely seen as collateral damage. They had no part in this whole scenario, yet they also suffer consequences that they did not deserve.
The nation of Israel
Not only do we see that David’s abuse of power causes him to minimize individual people, but when we zoom out just a little bit, we see that the nation of Israel is in trouble. In chapter 10 we read and studied about some victories that took place. And did you notice how those victories and battles were described? Well, they were not described in very great detail as we have grown accustomed to some of the fight scenes we have studied in 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. The narrator zipped right through them.
But when we come to chapter 11, everything slows down. And the picture becomes clearer for us—chapter 11 is an inside look at what was happening on the inside of the kingdom, what was happening in the King’s palace, while all the men were out fighting to preserve and protect the nation and kingdom of God. And what was happening on the inside? Abuse, bullying, power trips, from the King himself, with no thought to how it would affect the kingdom.
And here is what we can conclude—The kingdom of God is not safe in the hands of David.
And you may say, “Clif, don’t forget all the good! David has given his life to God and the preservation of this kingdom! This is just one slip up. Think about all the lives he has saved in comparison to this.” Oh no. You have it wrong. Think about the holiness of God.
You see, as we read through chapter 11, we simply get the recounting of the facts. The narrator chooses to offer no commentary on the events. He is simply a reporter of what took place…until the very last verse of chapter 11: “But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.”
That is the issue. For all the wrongness of the adultery, and the scheming, and the plotting, and the murder and all the damage and death it brought upon the people, the saddest part of all of it is that David displeased the LORD. He sinned against the LORD. The LORD of Israel looked down and saw the hurt done to Bathsheba and Uriah, and the soldiers who lost their lives, and it saddened. But even greater, was the false representation that was made of God’s character.
David’s power trip maligned the glory and goodness of God.
David’s bullying of people misrepresented the justice of God.
David’s scheming distorted the purposes of God.
David’s cold, detached, unemotional behavior did not reflect the compassion of God.
The kingdom, after all the victories, we discover, is not safe in the hands of King David. It was threatened from within.
1 Corinthians 10:12—“Let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed, lest he fall.”
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 10, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:04:15 min.
00:04:15 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: Have You Tried This Water?
God fills us with His goodness and sustains us.
#theloriclineshow
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Have you ever been excited about a lemon? Well I have and I’ll tell you why! I got one for Christmas this year. It wasn’t wrapped in a box or anything, I actually picked it off of a tree. This wasn’t just any lemon off of any lemon tree. This was a lemon that grew on a lemon tree that my parents bought and planted in a pot. My Daddy was so proud of that little lemon tree. If they got at least 2 big lemons each year they were happy, because that meant at least one or two lemon meringue pies.
My Daddy met Jesus face to face this past summer. Goodness how we miss him. We’re still in the year of firsts. This first Christmas without him, our family gathered. Even though Daddy’s no longer with us, he’s still everywhere around us. So much of who he was and what he loved and lived for, remains in us and in ways, in all things he left behind.
One of the things he enjoyed was that lemon tree. This Christmas, it was full of lemons. Everybody got one. Round, yellow rays of sunshine in a way from Daddy. I’ve never been more excited about a lemon. Now something else you should know about me is I LOVE lemons. I am an avid lemon water drinker. I have been for a long time. So bringing one of the lemons that my Daddy loved home with me for Christmas was just about the best gift I could have gotten.
I didn’t want to cut it at first. I wanted to just keep it, but I knew it would go bad if I didn’t. It was meant to be picked, and enjoyed. So I did. I sliced it up, filled a glass of water and squeezed a big slice in and let it float to the top.
Do you think I enjoyed that glass of lemon water? Listen, I drank every drop. Then I filled it up again and drank all that.
That wasn’t just any lemon water. That was lemon water from a fresh lemon off of a lemon tree my Daddy loved and cared for! That just made it taste that much better. It was good. I felt close to my Daddy and I was refreshed. Isn’t that the way this life is supposed to be lived?
We have a father who is good. He is a giver of good gifts. He is our good shepherd and IN Him I shall not want. He refreshes my soul and IN Him I am blessed and filled up as I taste and SEE His goodness in my life.
Psalm 34:8
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
When you savor something good, you want more. You can’t stop talking about it. You give five star reviews because you want people to know the goodness you’ve experienced.
The Lord IS good. What I have tasted and seen in my life over and over keeps me abiding IN Him. I take refuge in Him. I am connected to the vine. He IS my portion. When I am poured out He fills me up yet again. He is ALL I need in and out of every season. When I see His moving in my life and when I simply must wait, I know He is with me working it all for my good, in HIS time. Nothing else compares to the Father’s love for me. It’s so sweet.
I’m not sugar coating anything here. Life IS hard and sometimes you get lemons. But then again, sometimes you get lemons! Through it all, I can be refreshed, renewed and know He is with me.
That’s the truth.
Have you tasted the goodness of God? It’s good water.
I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 10, 2024
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:04:06 min.
00:04:06 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
What Does Bad Authority Do?
Those who abuse their authority tend to dehumanize those beneath them.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Power and authority can give you a minimizing disposition towards people
People become tools to serve your sin, not partners in the kingdom
We made mention of David’s “sending” all through this text. David was sending messengers to find out who this woman was. David was sending servants to bring this woman in. David was sending messengers to Joab. All of this exercising of power in the wrong way. Was it wrong for David to have this capacity to send messengers and servants? Absolutely not. That is how business gets done. But David was bringing these people into his sinful schemes. They may have been none the wiser, but it is still a dehumanizing use of the people, not just under David’s command, but under his care.
He did not see these people as fellow partners in establishing and maintaining the kingdom of God. He saw these people simply as secret agent tools to get what he desired.
“The woman”
Not only do we have the presence of these servants being used by David, which happens because David is minimizing them as people, but we also have Bathsheba herself. Notice something with me. She is referred to as “the woman” in verse 2-3, as we might expect. She was a new unknown character to the story. But notice what doesn’t happen once we learn her name in verse 3. In verse 5, after David sends her away, it say, “The woman conceived.” Why does’t it use her name? Why doesn’t it say “Bathsheba conceived”? This was the narrator’s way of showing us what David thought of her. She is just—the woman. I don’t think she is named by her name again until the middle of chapter 12.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 09, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:03:03 min.
00:03:03 min.
Mental Health Minutes
Power Lessens Care
The more power we have, the less we empathize.
#mentalhealthminutelw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Brian Sheppard
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 08, 2024
Duration
00:00:28 min.
00:00:28 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
What Can Blind You To Your Blind Spots?
Power is easy to hide behind and use to place ourselves above the law.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Power can give you a false sense of protection
Power can give you a false sense of protection. When David finds out that the woman he has been involved with is married, and that her husband is Uriah, (one of David’s mighty men btw) then David knows instantly that her husband is off at war. Uriah will never know. Uriah will never find out anything. David will be protected by the absence of Uriah, and David’s own power, perhaps through threatening this woman, or manipulating this woman, will protect Him from the consequences of what he has planned in his mind, and what he acted upon in his bed.
And it was his power that led him to believe that he could cover up the sin. It was his access to and possessing of authority over other people that led him to plot and plan the execution of Uriah, so that David would be protected from having to deal with his sin.
You see, power is easy to hide behind. You think that it places you above the law. And the greater the power that you have, the thicker and stronger you think the wall is that protects you.
Power blinds you to the danger of not being able to handle power.
Isn’t this at least part of the reason why Jesus instructs us when he says, “The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled…” Matthew 23:11-12
“When you feel the desire for power, you should stay in solitude for some time.” Leo Tolstoy
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 08, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:30 min.
00:02:30 min.
Lori Cline - Greatest Hits
Lori Cline's Greatest Hits: It’s Not For Me To See
Although we do not see the big picture of God's plan, we can trust that He does.
#theloriclineshow
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Are you ready to turn the page? Yep, me too. What is it about January that at times feels like it lasts forever? It’s 31 days. There are other months that have 31 days, but why does January feel like it has 47?
Needless to say, with all the winter weather we’ve had, I’m ready to turn the page into February and move one day closer to Spring! Let this season pass on by, because I can’t see any growth. I need to SEE something grow! Things burst out of the ground in the Spring and I can get OUT and GO! In Winter, everything is cold and still, including me.
We’re not very good at being still are we? Does it take a layer of ice and snow or an arctic blast to force us to be still? Sometimes it does. The beautiful rhythms of time and rotation of seasons is no accident. Each one fulfills a purpose. The growth we see in Spring would not come without the rest and renewal of winter. It’s easy to forget there is purpose in a bitter cold season of stillness with no visible growth. It’s a reminder we are NOT in control and it’s in that stillness and surrender we KNOW God IS.
God IS always at work. Even when I don’t see it. What God is doing in a season of winter is unique and beautiful, just like each snowflake that falls to the ground. A unique design being formed AS it falls. Beauty through surrender. It’s the same in our life. Surrender, even in a cold season of NOT seeing, IS bringing forth something beautiful in a season to come. That’s the way God works. We don’t have to see it to believe it. We TRUST and KNOW He is working through all things and there IS purpose in every divine moment.
I love what Jesus said to Peter when Peter didn’t want Jesus to wash his feet.
John 13:7
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
Peter couldn’t see the big picture. Jesus did. It wasn’t for Peter to see, he needed only to surrender, serve and follow.
Today, remember you can’t see the big picture. You weren’t meant to. This season may not look the way you had hoped, it’s ok. Simply surrender, serve and follow.
Trust God is in control. Trust requires letting go of wanting so desperately to SEE God move when and where and how you want Him to in your life. We can’t realize or understand what He is doing, but later maybe we will. Still we surrender, serve and follow.
For now, we simply REST where we are, in THIS season. Even in the cold, even in what we can’t see. We can be still and know God IS at work and HE is the only one who brings restoration, renewal, revival and He will make all things new in the season to come.
That’s the truth.
Don’t question in the cold of winter, the goodness God has shown you in the Spring, Summer and Fall. His will WILL be done as we surrender, serve and follow.
I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 08, 2024
Show
The Lori Cline Show
Duration
00:03:36 min.
00:03:36 min.
Day By Day Expressions
Day by Day Expressions
Our relationship with God should make its way into our professions regardless of whether we are in ministry or not.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 07, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:08:18 min.
00:08:18 min.
Stand Firm Parents
Parents as Disciple-Makers: We Are Important
In this episode of Stand Firm Parents, host Jake McCandless dives deep into the critical role that parents play in the spiritual formation and discipleship of their children. Joined by special guest Dr. Jonathan Cofer, a seasoned student pastor at Antioch Baptist Church in Conway, Arkansas, the conversation highlights the importance of parents as the primary disciple-makers in their children's lives.
By: Jake McCandless
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 07, 2024
Show
Stand Firm Parents
Duration
00:27:26 min.
00:27:26 min.
Build Like Jesus
What is a Principle?
Dr. Steve Crawley explores the question, "What is a principle?" as he begins to answer the question, "Why would we want to build our companies, our families, and our lives on the principles of Jesus Christ?"
By: Dr. Steve Crawley
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 07, 2024
Show
Build Like Jesus
Duration
00:01:55 min.
00:01:55 min.
Moving Works
Blessed
Nate & Ruth Reutter were only moments away from having their first child while serving as missionaries along the Amazon River in Brazil. Then everything changed…most dramatically their faith in Christ and His living Word.
#movingworks
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Moving Works
(MovingWorks.org)
(MovingWorks.org)
Aired on
Oct 04, 2024
Show
Moving Works
Duration
00:08:19 min.
00:08:19 min.
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