CIAM Radio

When God says "Behold my servant," we should pay attention. Dr. John Neufeld unpacks Isaiah 42:1-13, the first of four "servant songs" revealing the Messiah's identity and mission. Unlike empty idols, God presents His servant—sinless, Spirit-empowered, and gentle with the broken—who will establish a new covenant with all nations, opening blind eyes and freeing prisoners from darkness. Only Jesus has fulfilled these ancient prophecies.

God and the World's Idols: What are you really worshipping? In this series through Isaiah 40–44, Dr. John Neufeld explores one of Scripture's most powerful confrontations between the living God and the idols humanity creates. Writing to a nation facing exile and questioning whether their God has abandoned them, Isaiah paints a stunning portrait of who God truly is — His wisdom that needs no counsel, His power that never grows weary, His sovereignty over history itself.

Abortion will be in the forefront of our nation’s political and legal future for years to come. Essentially, however, it is not merely a political or legal issue, but a moral one, with deeply spiritual overtones. Because this is true, we need to be alert, informed, and concerned.

From the Series: The Sanctity of Life...The Inescapable Issue

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Complaining never happens solo. When you complain, you not only discourage yourself but those around you. Listen to yourself today. Are you impacting those around you with complaints or with encouragement?

Your negative self-talk: It’s sabotaging your marriage—and you may not know how deeply. Author Ted Lowe gets real about identifying and confronting the dark side within.

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Healthy habits will improve your marriage! Dr. Randy Schroeder recommends husbands and wives learn to forgive each other, be solution-focused in conflict, and infuse laughter into their relationship. He also warns about having secrets, interrupting each other, and using sarcasm. Couples can learn better ways to interact with and communicate!

For any of us who were alive at the time, we'll never forget those images of the World Trade Center attacks and those heroic rescue efforts that followed them. One moment still sticks with me. It hit me. It was this interview with a big guy who was helping the rescuers. He was sitting on a curb at Ground Zero, talking with a reporter from a cable news network. He told how he had been delivering food to the rescuers, and then he was making his way back through the rubble when he decided to reach into that rubble just on the chance someone might be there. Unbelievably he suddenly felt this warm hand grabbing his arm. Immediately, he went and got helpers who pulled a firefighter out of there alive! And then that's when he lost it in that interview, and he choked out these words, "He touched me first."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Rescue - No Greater Honor."

That man at Ground Zero had been part of one of the most moving experiences a human being can have - being involved in the rescue of someone who otherwise would have died. It's an experience that God intends for every one of His children to have, except the rescue isn't the physical kind that might give a person 30 or 40 more years on earth. No, it's a spiritual rescue that will give a person heaven!

Wherever you live, wherever you work or go to school, wherever you shop or wherever you recreate, you've been assigned as God's rescuer in your circle of influence. Listen to the incredible position God has entrusted to you. It's described in our word for today from the Word of God in 2 Corinthians 5:19-20. "God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation." Translation: it's up to you whether or not the people in your personal world find out that what Jesus did on the cross was for them. Verse 20: "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us."

So you are Jesus' personal representative to the people you know. Yes, to show them Jesus by your life, what Jesus is and how real He can be in a life. But that's not enough. They can only get God's message about Jesus if you tell them about Him. And it's life-or-death information that you've got locked up inside you. You're going in for the spiritual rescue of someone whose only hope may be what you know about Jesus!

Now, how do you begin your rescue work? By praying by name, faithfully, for people who don't know Christ. Pray for God to open up natural opportunities for you to explain your relationship with Jesus. Look for an opportunity to pray with them about something that's bothering them. Invest some time in being with them, doing things with them, building bridges into their life. Don't just spend all your time with people who are already going to heaven!

D. L. Moody, the great evangelist once said, "There is no greater honor than to be the instrument in God's hands to lead one person out of the kingdom of darkness and into the glorious light of heaven." And may I add, there is no greater thrill. Just ask a man who has been the first to touch someone who otherwise would have died.

When it's rescue - when it's life-or-death, you drop everything, you risk everything, you do whatever it takes to bring that person out. For some person you know, you are that rescuer. You are their chance!

Read: Psalm 78:10-22

"Remi,” said Mom, “will you come and dry these dishes, please?”

Remi groaned. “Can’t Dayo do it?” he asked. “I’m sick of drying dishes!”

Dayo rolled her eyes. “You’re always sick of one thing or another.”

“We seem to get the ‘sick of something’ illness too often around here,” said Dad. “We’re about as bad as the Israelites, who complained constantly in spite of all the good things God did for them.”

Mom nodded. “I have an idea for a game we can play to help us learn to stop grumbling and complaining. When one of us is caught saying we’re sick of something, we have to say one thing we’re thankful for about that same thing.”

“Okay,” said Dayo. “You won’t catch me!”

But all Remi said was, “Huh!”

The next day, Dayo walked in from school with a bulging backpack. “I’m so sick of all this homework!” she said.

“Oh really?” Remi grinned. “And what about your homework are you thankful for?”

“Oh no!” Dayo smiled and shook her head. “I guess I’m thankful it helps me understand more of what we’re learning at school.”

A bit later, Dayo bumped into her brother as he was walking to the table with a glass of milk. “Ugh, I’m so sick of you never watching where you’re going!” he said, grabbing a napkin to wipe the milk off his shirt.

“I’m sorry, Remi.” Dayo smiled and fluttered her eyelashes. “But what about me are you thankful for?”

Remi looked startled for a moment. “Well, I guess I’m thankful you’re not twins.”

Dayo sputtered and started after him.

“Okay, okay,” Remi said with a laugh, halting their chase around the kitchen table. “I’m thankful you always let me choose which shows we watch when I’m sick.”

Dayo smiled. “That’s better.”

“You guys seem to be getting the hang of this,” said Mom, who had overheard everything from the living room. “I think this grumbling game is helping you see the blessings God has put in your lives. When we focus on all He’s given us—and all Jesus has done for us—we may soon find there’s really nothing to complain about.”

–Vera M. Hutchcroft

How about you? Do you have a habit of grumbling and complaining? God was not pleased when the Israelites complained instead of trusting Him to care for them, and He’s not pleased when His children complain today. When you catch yourself grumbling, stop and remember all God has given you—including His own Son to save you from sin and always be with you. Then think of a reason to thank God for the thing you were complaining about.

Today's Key Verse: Do everything without complaining or arguing. Philippians 2:14 (ERV)

Today's Key Thought: Turn complaints into thanks

Jonah is the perfect example of a man who knew God's calling, yet resisted it anyway. Similarly, there are some things we have no problem handing over to Christ. But when it comes to others, we can't let go. Dr. Stanley encourages us to address the areas we haven't surrendered to God.

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I couldn’t wait. My husband and I had just returned from the grocery store; and as we unloaded the groceries, I frantically searched—but couldn’t find the telltale donut bag. Then I checked the receipt. No donuts. Frustrated, I cried out, “All I wanted from the store was a donut!” Fifteen minutes later, my husband handed me a bag of donuts. He’d braved the snow and snuck out to buy them. After squeezing him tightly, I sheepishly said, “I’m glad you didn’t get into an accident just to appease my craving!”

 I don’t usually get that worked up about a donut! But it had been an emotionally draining week, and so I sought solace in a donut—and I experienced a much deeper joy through the love and compassion of my husband.

The kind of comfort we may get from satisfying our cravings is always short-lived. As the apostle Paul shared with the Corinthians, true—and lasting—comfort comes from the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

Paul understood his readers’ deep struggles and needs. Like them he faced daily trials, including persecution for his faith. And because God had comforted him, he was able to comfort them (v. 4).

When we’re hurting, we can turn to Jesus who abounds in compassion and comfort (v. 5). There we find solace. And when we’ve experienced His comfort, we can extend it to others.