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Day by Day - 1 Samuel

Talk To Yourself...In The Right Way
We should avoid talking down to ourselves and discouraging ourselves.   ~~~   Beware of being tired. Beware of self-talk. The events of chapter 27—the moving away from the Promised Land into Philistine territory, the gaining of Ziklag, the raiding, the manipulating, the being caught in a trap, all begins with what David says to himself. He was led astray by his own self-talk. He talked himself and others away from God’s temple, away from God’s people, away from God’s worship. David replaced the word of God with his own words. David had previously been told by Jonathan, his trusted friend, and by Abigail, a faithful servant, that he would reign as king over Israel. But instead of holding on to those words of grace from God, David spoke to himself, not what the eyes of faith could see, but only what human perspective could discern. And he walked away from God’s designed place into the enemy territory. It seems to me that anytime you are consistently walking away from the worship of God, away from God’s people, you are walking into temptation’s trap.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 29, 2024
Show Day by Day
A daily word of encouragement

Who you LOVE the most matters…
Here’s why!
By: Allison Hawkins
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 27, 2024
Tailgate Talks

What This Soil Needs
Christians must examine ourselves to make sure we're walking in faith.
By: Blake Martin
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 27, 2024
Mental Health Minutes

Breaking the Rules
Humans tend to break more rules when they find one that is too strict.
By: Brian Sheppard
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 28, 2024
Lori Cline - Red-Letter Words

Whose Feet Are You Washing?
When we experience the undeserved love and grace of God, we can’t help but share it with others.   ~~~   Do you get uncomfortable when someone does something for you? I can. If we were to get real honest, real quick, I know the root of that uncomfortable feeling often is control, mixed with a bit of pride, which has deeper roots of hurt and distrust. I know it well. You see we want to do things ourselves. We don’t want help. We don’t want to depend on anyone. When we can’t do something on our own and we really need help, we face a crisis. Will we accept help in our time of need? My husband and I learned this lesson early in our marriage. We were moving from an apartment to our first home in Houston, TX. We had scheduled movers in the evening to miss the heat of the day. Our movers stood us up. We loaded up what we could in our cars and drove to our new home planning to move the next day. In that season we were a part of a small community church. When we drove up, we were met with a row of trucks and SUVS. Our faith family wasn’t going to let us reschedule anything. They were there to move us. They were there to wash our feet. To say we were uncomfortable was an understatement. Our no you’re not, was met with, you have a need and yes we are. We were in need. We were humbled. We were blessed. When we don’t admit or even recognize our need, we miss an opportunity to be blessed. John 13:3-9 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Peter didn’t see the big picture. He didn’t see HIS need in this moment. Jesus wanted him to see what it’s really all about, love and humble service for one another. Doesn’t it often take laying our pride down to see the bigger picture in moments or seasons God is at work. What Peter saw made him very uncomfortable, but what was at first uncomfortable became a lesson learned in not only how to serve, but also in how to submit. Who’s feet are you washing? Who are you allowing to wash yours? Don’t miss a blessing and don’t miss being blessed. This is how the body of Christ works. We need one another and we need to love one another. When we surrender our lives to Jesus, we receive the undeserved love and grace of God. When you experience it, you can’t help but share it with others. We do that in how we submit one to another and in how we love and serve one another. That IS the big picture. That’s the truth. Friends we are all in NEED of a savior. You can’t save yourself. Jesus IS the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world. He wants to wash you clean today, all of you! I pray you let Him. He is the only one who can. If you missed any of this months broadcasts where we looked deeper into the words of Jesus, you can find them all at Lifeword.org. Thanks for listening. I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 28, 2024
Day by Day - 1 Samuel

Be On Guard Against The Temptation To Quit
When we are most tired of our struggle, we must be aware of the temptation to quit.   ~~~   Several years ago our family went snow-skiing. And one of my favorite things as a father was to ski with my kids, who had never been btw, down a pretty significant slope, and then when we got to a stopping point or to the bottom of the hill, to turn them around and have them look at what they had just conquered. And then say with excitement in my voice, “You want to do it again?” Sometimes the answer, after having looked at the scale of the accomplishment, sometimes the answer was, “No! Absolutely not!” In the actual event of the skiing there is adrenaline. But once you get finished, and you look back towards what you just did, you recognize the magnitude of it, and don’t think that you have it in you. Adrenaline is gone and fear rises, and incapacitates you, even though you were just successful. This seems to be the possible case with David. There was a great victory. And now looking back at what is left of that victory, namely that Saul was not repentant at all, which left David still on the run, the prospecting of keeping up the fight wore him down. More exile, more running. This has been going on for years now, 8-10 perhaps. And it is not just David, it is David’s 600 men, compared to 3000 choice men of Saul. And then we are told that it is not just David’s mighty men, but also wives and children, including two of David’s own wives. David is the leader. He is responsible not just for their safety, but those wives and children. And food! Where do you find food? A band of warrior men might put up with the life of exile and hiding, fighting, midnight escapes, daring raids, but not the wives and the children. And David has been at this for years! When will it let up, settle down? I can’t imagine the pressure, the mental exhaustion, the spiritual fatigue David must have been under, the longing for peace and quiet, stability and ease. And it is at that point that we need to be aware of temptation. It was at that point that Jesus warned his disciples, “Take heed, watch, lest you enter into temptation.” Do you know what the temptation was in that situation? It was sleep. The temptation to rest and sleep in such an important time of their lives. They were afraid. Jesus had just told them that he was leaving. Judas had just walked out. Tensions were high! It could be very easy for us to look at a passage like this, without giving it much thought, and just say, “David just should have trusted God more,” without giving any thought to the stress, pressure, turmoil, ache in his life. Many of you can identify with David right here, can’t you? When will this end? You have been fighting against the enemy, you have even been having victories, learning spiritual truths, but things in your life just don’t seem to change or be advancing at all, and you just want a vacation from it. Let’s just stop the rollercoaster because you want off of it. And it is at that point that you must be on guard against temptation.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 28, 2024
Show Day by Day
A daily word of encouragement

How to love them when they hate you.
If you're wondering how you could possibly love your enemy. Let's take a closer look at his passage.
By: Allison Hawkins
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 25, 2024
Day by Day - 1 Samuel

Is Your Soul Tired?
We must be aware of our own tiredness so that we encourage ourselves rather than running.   ~~~   Without even realizing it, we can slip into the sneaky clutches of sin. Sin is real, and can be real sneaky. So what must I do in my fight against the sneakiness, deceptive nature of sin? In 1 Samuel, we are given a glimpse into the sneakiness of sin. Not every story in the Bible is a story of victory. Many times we are given stories of what not to do. And we learn that even though David is a man after God’s own heart, he is still a man of flesh. He is not our hero. He can’t be. Sin snuck up on him in the most appetizing of ways, and he succumbed. This text is a bit of a cliffhanger. The story here is interrupted in chapter 28 with an episode of Saul’s depravity, and we do not read of a resolution to David’s dilemma here in chapter 27 until chapter 29. But all of that is done by the narrator in hopes of adding a sense of excitement for us as the reader and to make us lean in and give thought to all that is going on. Leaning in would be very good for us at this point. We would do well to pay attention to this text, because I promise you, that just as sin snuck up on David, sin is crouching at your door. Sin is taking note right now to see if you are taking notes right now. So if you will, work with me to recognize two actions you must take in your fight and struggle against sin. What can I do in my Struggle Against Sin? Beware of being tired. And it is this question that is most interesting to us today as we consider 1 Samuel 27. In chapter 26 David had just bagged a physical and spiritual victory. He had successfully entered into Saul’s camp while they slept, not giving into temptation to kill him, but yet taking Saul’s spear and canteen, as a demonstration that Saul’s life was not well protected at all. David had just preached a convicting sermon to Saul telling him he needed to repent or else he would be found on the wrong side of God’s judgment. But then in the opening line of chapter 27, David says that he is probably going to die by the sword of Saul. What is going on? David is all kinds of tired that he just wants to escape from the fight. We must be aware of when our soul is tired so that we can know how to encourage ourselves, and not try to run and hide.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 27, 2024
Show Day by Day
Mental Health Minutes

Beginnings and Ends
We have an easier time remembering beginnings and endings than middles.
By: Brian Sheppard
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 26, 2024
Lori Cline - Red-Letter Words

When Jesus Prayed For Me
The plan God put in place from the beginning was to save a broken and dying world.   ~~~   When was the last time you really prayed? I love the phrase, pray till you pray. When I pray till I pray, that’s when I REALLY pray. That kind of prayer is not a quick, ‘thank you God for this day’, followed by a ‘please Jesus let that light turn green’, on the way to work. Now while those are fine too, time spent with the Father is intentional and takes… well, time. I love the example we have in Jesus. Time with the Father wasn’t optional for Him. It was vital, like breathing. He prayed after being baptized. He prayed all night before calling His disciples, after healing people, before trips, early in the mornings, before feeding the five thousand, in front of Jewish leaders and for 40 days in the desert. He was in constant communion with the Father. I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to ‘pray without ceasing’ and that’s how we see Jesus pray. It’s a life lived OUT in and through prayer as we move through our moments and our days. Every moment IS holy and God is with us and wants to guide us through each one. There is divine purpose in our days, and prayer slows us down to recognize it. All this month at Lifeword.org I’ve been looking closer at the words of Jesus. Today I wanted to focus more on His prayers and the one specifically we find in John 17. The time is close at hand for Jesus’ betrayal and arrest. In this chapter, which is a part of what is known as the Upper Room Discourse, we see Jesus wrap things up with a prayer. He prays for himself, His Disciples and all who will believe. I want to highlight three parts of this prayer. As Jesus prays for Himself, He knows the time has come and in these moments He confirms the calling and mission that was set before Him. John 17:3-4 ​​Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. Jesus’ work and life on earth was coming to an end. The cross was before Him and in this time with the Father he states again the will and WAY of the Father. His will is that we spend eternity with Him. The way is Jesus and the work has been done. Jesus then prays for His disciples, His friends. They have been faithful to the word and they have believed. He prays for their unity, joy and protection from evil. John 17:16-18 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. His prayer for the disciples was a reminder there is more to come and that they stay on the path of truth. The next phase of God’s plan was about to unfold and they would carry the gospel forward from here. Then He prays for me. Yep, He had me on His mind. If you believe, the last part of chapter 17 is for you as well. His desire is for God to be glorified through OUR lives as WE walk in unity, love and follow His ways. He ends His prayer for us with these words. John 17:26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them. Through Jesus, I am KNOWN by the Father. How deep and wide is the Father’s love for us? He loved us so much He sent His son Jesus so we might be saved and KNOW Him. That same love of God is in me. His spirit abides in me and I am His and He is mine. How beautiful the words of our savior to the Father on our behalf before carrying out the final mission and plan on the cross. Remember, the plan God put in place before the earth was even formed, was to redeem a broken and dying world. Jesus came to bring peace. He came to die. You were on His mind. I was on His mind. He interceded for us then and he intercedes for us now and His desire is for us to know Him and make Him known. That’s the truth. Pray till you pray today and be known and loved by the Father. I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 26, 2024
Day by Day - 1 Samuel

The Warning You Must Hear
The life of Jesus is the only offering necessary to make us right with God.   ~~~   In our study of 1 Samuel 26, we have come to the point to where David sneaks up on King Saul’s bodyguard, Abner, and wakes him up. Saul entrusts himself to Abner; Abner entrusts himself to Saul, but God made them both fall into a deep sleep so that they are confronted by God’s chosen one. David takes Saul’s spear (power and protection) and also his water jug (provision) so that once again Saul is left powerless against David, and God. Then David extends the grace of the gospel—repent and return to God. “Saul, is it possible that God is trying to get you to see your hard-heartedness? Your greed? Your paranoia? If that be the case, then repent! Turn from your pride and selfishness, and turn to God!” If that is not the case, Saul, then it must be men who have convinced you to chase me down, and if that is the case, may they be cursed. Either way, if Saul does not heed this warning, then he ends up in a cursed camp. And this part of the story is for some of you today, who have lived as if you are the masters of your own fate, the kings of your own souls. Heed the warning. You are in a dangerous camp today. You are not as protected as you think you are. God’s everlasting judgment will sneak upon you, in all your so-called safety, and take from you your protection and life. That is the siren call we hear in this story. Just as David and Abner snuck into that camp, and took Saul’s spear and water jug, signs of power, authority, protection, and life, so too will God take from you those things, and then you will be left exposed and utterly vulnerable. What offering do you have to present in order to make peace with God? My friend, the offering has been made. That is the glory of the good news that God delivers to us in Christ. It is just as we said earlier—Jesus on the cross is the offering. You have nothing you can bring that will please God, that will atone for or erase your sinfulness. You need a perfect sacrifice, and that is why Jesus came, God in the flesh, to be the sacrifice for all those who would find their hope, their everlasting treasure in him. And the gifts of Christ are peace with God, forgiveness of sin, the indwelling of the Spirit. Would you come to Him today? Would you forsake your sinfulness and land in the arms of Christ today? Come to Him in faith, in belief, that His life, death, resurrection, is the complete and sufficient atoning sacrifice that you are in desperate need of. Come to Him as the King of your life!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 26, 2024
Show Day by Day
Day by Day Hacks

Day By Day Hacks
Once we understand what a Bible text is saying and how we should respond, we can look at application.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 25, 2024
Show Day by Day
A daily word of encouragement

Is this you today?
By: Allison Hawkins
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 22, 2024
Day by Day - 1 Samuel

How Flexible Are You?
Circumstance should not determine our values, and our convictions should not be subject to change.   ~~~   I have been in the midst of several counseling sessions, where I have heard with my own two ears a husband or wife say, “I know that leaving my spouse is what the Lord wants me to do,” even though they know clearly it goes against God’s very own word. What is their basis? Their basis for morality is their own personal situation. They are not happy. They are not getting what they want. It’s not going their way. So they want out. To live upon conviction of God’s word requires the will of man that has been redeemed by Christ to be yielded to Christ. “What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place…A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed.” G.K. Chesterton, in Christian Theology in Plain Language, p. 65. (https://bible.org/illustration/misplaced-humility) We no longer tend to be people who live by conviction, but by preference so long as the situation is favorable. But as soon as the situation gets difficult, uncomfortable, not to my liking, we often times discover that we what we thought was a conviction is merely a preference. We see in 1 Samuel 26 that David grew in his trust in God’s word and ability do justice. He does not let circumstance determine his values. His convictions are not subject to change, here at least, based on ease of opportunity. I wonder, how flexible are your principles?
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 22, 2024
Show Day by Day
A daily word of encouragement

Are you choosing life or death?
By: Allison Hawkins
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 21, 2024
A daily word of encouragement

What are you building your life on?
Are you going to church and doing your quiet time every day but are not applying anything that you're reading?
By: Allison Hawkins
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 20, 2024
Mental Health Minutes

Close Relationships
Humans have a maximum limit of close relationships.
By: Brian Sheppard
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 21, 2024
Lori Cline - Red-Letter Words

Wait, Jesus Said What?
If Jesus doesn’t cost us anything, the life we’re living may be lost.   ~~~   Did Jesus come to bring peace? He did say, blessed are the peacemakers. The prophet Isaiah said he would be called the Prince of Peace. Peace I leave with you, peace I give you, peace be still, are all words Jesus spoke. On the night of His birth, the angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men”. Ephesians 2:14 says ‘for He Himself is our peace’. Yes, Jesus came to bring peace. Jesus made a way for mankind to be made RIGHT with God. Without Jesus we are enemies of God. (Romans 5:10) The sin that separated us was atoned for, paid for and made right, on the cross. The cross alone made the way for PEACE with God. Colossians 1:19-20 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. I am so thankful for the cross. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection changed everything. Only Jesus, the perfect lamb of God, could take away the sins of the world. Peace with God, through faith in Jesus, is now for all who will believe. See John 3:16. Jesus did come to bring peace, but look around, are we at peace? Watch the news tonight and then tell me if our world is at peace. Bring up politics, religion or the injustices of the world in a crowded room and let me know how peaceful that discussion goes. It seems there is more division than peace. Well, Jesus brings that too. Matthew 10:34-39 “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’ “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. Wait a minute, that’s not MY Jesus! Friend, if the Jesus someone has been selling you doesn’t include this truth, you need a new truth dealer. Better yet, seek and know for yourself. So what DOES Jesus mean here? He’s bringing a sword. Households are divided. To follow Him you gotta carry your cross and to find your life you must lose it? That’s not very zen! In this chapter, Jesus is sending out the twelve apostles. It’s about to get real. They will be sheep among wolves. They will be teaching, healing and persecutions are coming. He is preparing them for the immediate task at hand as well as the future challenges ahead. One big challenge they would face and we face today, is the COST of following Jesus. Choosing to follow Jesus then and now requires total SURRENDER. Following Jesus means His way over yours. Following Jesus means He is ruler of your life. Following Jesus means dying to your way and following His. THAT kind of surrender to Jesus brings DIVISION. That kind of surrender to Jesus in certain parts of the world brings death. That’s what Jesus was preparing his followers for. What does it mean for us today? If following Jesus hasn’t COST you anything, then the life you’re living, may very well be LOST. That’s the truth. Following Jesus will cost you, but it’ll never compare to the price He paid for you. I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 21, 2024
Tailgate Talks

We All Need A Little Help
God gives us the church for fellowship, growth, and help.
By: Blake Martin
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 20, 2024
Day by Day - 1 Samuel

He Protected THE KING
All of God’s providential work was for the purpose of Jesus becoming our King.   ~~~   We clearly see that God was moving in and around David’s life, to bring him as King, for the sake of the Israel. And the providential ways God has been doing this is through conviction of sin in I Samuel 24, the confrontation of a woman in chapter 25, and now, in chapter 26, through a sanctified heart. But I want us to stop right here and think for just a moment, because this is not the only time God has moved in providential ways in order to protect a soon to be King so that God’s people may have something better. In fact, God acting in this way sets the stage for His doing the same thing in grander fashion for great purposes in the fullness of time. In the bigger story is the story of God’s acting and moving in history in order to protect His chosen One so that He could be provided not just to Israel as a King, but to us as God’s best gift to us. Jesus is the absolute best gift the church could ever receive and cling to. And so as we read the opening chapters of the gospel story in Matthew, we find Joseph was kept from divorcing Mary by the providence of God; we read about a decree that would go out form Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered, which would land Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem when it was time for her to give birth, so that former prophecy would be fulfilled. We read in Matthew about wise men from the East, who followed a star! And then, when you think about the wise men, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod to tell him where the baby born King of the Jews was located. And then right after that, Joseph was told in a dream to take the baby Jesus into Egypt in order to avoid Herod’s ghastly slaughter. When we get into the life of Jesus, we discover that all the kingdoms of the world were offered to him by Satan, if he would only take a shortcut. “Don’t take the way of the cross Jesus, take this shortcut, and the result will be the same!” But no. God protected him, and empowered Jesus to trust God’s word. We read several times where either the people wanted to take Jesus in the moment and make him king right then, but he slips away, OR we read about the crowds wanting to throw him off a cliff, but He slips away. All of this is God’s providential working in the life of Jesus so that Jesus could ascend to the throne by way of the cross. And then think with me for just a moment. Think about how God must have had to restrain the angels as they peered over the balcony of heaven watching him be beaten and crucified. Think about how God must have had to encourage and console them as they laid Jesus in the tomb. How he must have had to stay their tears from flooding heaven. All of it was God’s providence and power, pushing, pulling, protecting, providing, so that His people would have the best gift, the best King.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 20, 2024
Show Day by Day
Mental Health Minutes

Information Chunks
We break up information into smaller chunks.
By: Brian Sheppard
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 19, 2024
Lori Cline - Red-Letter Words

Jesus’ Words Turned Things Upside Down
To follow Jesus, we must seek His ways above our own.   ~~~   How does Dairy Queen serve a blizzard? The ice cream and fast food chain has served the blizzard upside down since the beginning. Why do they do this? The inspiration actually goes back to 1959 when a 14 year old boy kept asking for thicker and thicker ice cream shakes. Finally the owner, at a point of frustration, flipped a shake upside down and asked, ‘is this thick enough for you’? Yep, that inspired the DQ flip. The purpose rests in PROVING the ice cream shake is, in fact, so thick, it won’t fall out when flipped upside down. When our lives are flipped upside down, what do we prove? Do we fall apart or hold fast? That may sound kind of silly, but life does get crazy doesn’t it. What we believe about God and how we respond is proven in those roller coaster moments and seasons of life. When life is not as expected, where IS our hope found? Jesus turned things upside down during His time on this earth. What was valued was devalued. What was expected was not delivered. The last became first, the poor became rich and the guttural prayers of a dirty sinner, not the calculated words of a white washed saint, moved the heart of the Father. Do you believe in Jesus? Does your life prove it? Back in the time of Christ, disciples would follow their rabbis so closely that they would be covered in his dust. "May you be covered in the dust of your rabbi" was a blessing commonly given to disciples in Jesus’ day. I love that imagery. I want to follow Jesus so closely and live my life in such a way that it PROVES I belong to Him. I want to walk like Jesus. I want to talk like Jesus. I want to be covered in HIS dust. Are you dusty with the words and ways of Jesus? All this month at Lifeword.org I’m looking at his words, the red letter ones. Often we highlight only the ones that make us feel good. While the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and His words are recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, He is present from Genesis to Revelation. He IS the word made flesh. The ways and words of Jesus turned the world upside down. His followers hoped for a kingdom on earth that would make them free and rich. In His sermon on the mount, Matthew 5, 6 and 7, Jesus served up a kingdom flipped upside down. The poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who seek righteousness, mercy and the pure in heart, they are blessed. It’s not simply what you do, but what you think and the condition of your heart that causes you to sin. Marriage is sacred. Love your enemies. Give more than required. Seek the Father’s will over your own. Store up treasure in heaven not on earth and so much more you can read for yourself that should PROVE the ways of a follower of Christ. Jesus followers should be set apart not only by the LOVE of Jesus but also the WAYS of Jesus. He makes it so clear, but still many are missing the way. I want my life to shine a light that makes the path clear. Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. We are the light of the world. Covered in the dust of Jesus we are a city on a hill in the darkness. And our life, even when turned upside down, should prove we are His people and He is our God. That’s the truth. Go read Jesus’ sermon on the mount today. I pray you walk away from it dusty, and if you do, you’ll be blessed. I’m Lori Cline.
By: Lori Cline
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 19, 2024
Day by Day - 1 Samuel

What Kind Of Gift-Giver Are You?
God gives gifts greater than we can understand or that we would choose for ourselves.   ~~~   How would the people to which you give gifts rate your gift-giving abilities? Would they say, “He is so thoughtful and knows me so well?” Or is it more like, “He is so interesting in the gifts he gives?” There have been one or two times when I knocked it out of the park with my gift-giving. And then there are times when I can see the confused look in my wife’s face. But no matter if you are a great gift-giver, or an “interesting” gift-giver, usually, with gifts, we want to give a gift that will make the life of the receiver better in some way. Or we want to get them a better something of what they already have—a new watch with better features, a better this or better that, socks with no holes, a better scope for their rifle. Well, what we have been studying in 1 Samuel is that in the Israelites quest for someone to lead them as a king, God is able and willing to provide them with something better…something better than what they had chosen for themselves. But for us as a reader is that we have been getting a behind the scenes view of some things that were taking place. And we have been given this view so that we would see that God, by His divine providence, provides Israel a better King. We see that God gives better gifts. God is the best gift-giver of all time. And He has done the same thing in our time. We need a better king than we can provide. We need a better king than ourself. We need a better king than fame, or popularity, or money, or power. And God gives us that in Jesus Christ. He is the better King.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 19, 2024
Show Day by Day
A daily word of encouragement

What are you looking at?
By: Allison Hawkins
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 18, 2024
A daily word of encouragement

When someone slaps you in your face…
By: Allison Hawkins
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 15, 2024
Day by Day Hacks

Day By Day Hacks
We should observe what love response each Bible passage evokes from us.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 18, 2024
Show Day by Day
A daily word of encouragement

Do our words mean much?
By: Allison Hawkins
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 14, 2024
Day by Day - 1 Samuel

Do You Have Any Thank-You Cards Lying Around?
We should recognize the providence of God in our lives as He makes us more like Christ.   ~~~   I wonder if there are some people that you need to write a letter to, or go to, and thank them for their wisdom in your life, how they have kept you from sin, or how they have helped pull you out of sin. How they have helped you on this road of sanctification that we journey. We see David doing something akin to this in 1 Samuel 25, when Abigail shares wisdom with him. He rejoices over God. He rejoices over God’s servant and God’s wisdom displayed in her, he rejoices over the word she brought him. As we think about this time of year, I remember another story of seemingly supposed justice stayed. Joseph, it seemed, had every cultural right to put Mary to shame. But God’s providence intervened, didn’t it? It wasn’t an Abigail who showed up, but it was an angel of the LORD. And that angel worked on Joseph’s heart so that God’s people would have a completely, righteous king. This King was mistreated, but he constantly gave Himself to God, submitting to God’s plan to offer us something better—redemption in Christ, and holiness in this life. For those who belong to Christ, redemption is secured. But God is continually doing a work of sanctification in our lives, the work of making us look more and more like His son. He is doing that work in you, believer. How are you responding? Are you recognizing his providence? Repenting of your sin? Rejoicing over the word brought into your life, even though it be a difficult word?
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 15, 2024
Show Day by Day
Outdoors with Shaun Merrell

Food for Thought
On the last episode of Outdoors with Shaun Merrell, the great hunter took down a few squirrels and promised a great recipe with this wild game. Today, he's got something cooking in the kitchen that's definitely some food for thought.
By: Shaun Merrell
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 15, 2024
A daily word of encouragement

Let your light shine bright.
By: Allison Hawkins
(Lifeword)
Aired on Mar 13, 2024