CIAM Radio

Former atheist and award-winning legal editor Lee Strobel sets out to uncover the truth behind Christmas. Was Jesus really born in Bethlehem? Why December 25th? Through careful investigation and historical insight, Lee separates fact from fiction – revealing the true reason for the season: celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Some subjects are so profound not only can we not comprehend it, but also it becomes mind-boggling. It’s impossible for us to understand an existence beyond time and space. For us to comprehend the glories of heaven, God adjusts His truth to communicate with our simple, limited minds.

Tune in to hear Pastor Chuck Swindoll discuss four principles for effective prayer from Romans 15:30–33.

From the Series: Romans: The Christian’s Constitution

read more

I always look forward to it as one of the season's great Christmas moments - the lighting of that towering Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. And it's happening this week!

I remember one year that it was just a tad more exciting, for me anyway, because I had sort of a second-hand personal connection. The tree came from the farm owned by our good friends' daughter and son-in-law. They were chauffeured to ringside (actually rink-side) seats for the big show. So, not only did I get to watch the tree and the performers. Hey, I had, like, friends on the front row!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "A Rockefeller Center Christmas - Ringside Seats at the Tree."

Apparently, the NBC "tree scouts" look for evergreen candidates year-round. And one of them spotted this one, driving down Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania. It was readily visible from the highway and he liked what he saw.

In the months leading up to the tree being cut down, the "treeologists" (I don't know if that's a word) would come with a large tractor trailer full of nutrients for Mr. Spruce. They wanted to be sure he was in good health for his moment of glory!

Rachel, our friends' daughter, describes herself as a "big Christmas elf." She said the giant tree was the only thing at her home she didn't decorate for Christmas. And now it was going to be decorated big time for all the world to see! You could say she was slightly excited.

I suppose our friends have viewed the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree as we always have - a nice Christmas event. But not last year. No, it went from being just an event to an unforgettable personal experience!

And thinking about that just rang a bell suddenly in my heart, because the whole Christmas thing can be much the same - a warm, cuddly event, inspired by the familiar story of that baby born in the Bethlehem manger. But it's a lot more than that for me. The event became a life-changing personal experience. When I realized the ultimate meaning of the events that night in Bethlehem, I saw that it was all about the tree.

In a sense, the shadow of that tree looms over the starlight in the manger. This child is here on a mission - a rescue mission. And that mission will take Him, 33 years later, to the tree. A Roman cross on a skull-shaped hill.

In our Word for today from the Word of God we learn in 1 Peter 2:24. "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree." Christmas was for a cross - the place where the baby of Bethlehem would become the Savior of the world by taking on Himself the death penalty for every human sin. "He bore...on the tree" every hurting thing, every dirty thing, every selfish thing, every angry thing, every wrong thing of every person who ever lived.

For a time, the horrific death of Jesus Christ on a cross was just an event to me. Remembered on Good Friday. A belief to be believed. A religious symbol. But one day it became so much more. It went from an event to the most profound personal experience of my life. When it hit me, "What's happening on that cross is...well, for me. For the sinning I've done. For the punishment I deserve."

And that's the day I was given a ringside seat at the tree, when my heart melted at the love this Jesus has for me - enough to die for me. I enthroned Him that day, not as just the Savior, but as my Savior. And that changed everything. As it has, and as it will, for anyone who makes what happened on that tree "for me."

I wonder if you've ever done that? Have you ever taken this man who loved you enough to die for you, who is your only hope of heaven. Have you ever taken what He died for? He's the only one who can forgive the sin that will keep people out of heaven. Have you ever said, "Jesus, I want to make what You did on

Read: Romans 5:15-17

“Melanie says it doesn’t make sense that Christians give each other presents at Christmas,” Andrew told Mom on the way home from school. “She says we just use Jesus’s birthday as an excuse to be greedy like everybody else. Is she right? What makes us different from people who celebrate Christmas but don’t believe in Jesus?”

“Well, tell me this,” said Mom. “Who was Jesus?”

Andrew frowned. “Is this a trick question?” Mom shook her head. “Well, Jesus was God’s Son,” said Andrew. “God sent Jesus to save us from sin.”

“Absolutely right,” said Mom. “And did we pay anything to receive Jesus?”

“No,” said Andrew. “Jesus was a free gift.”

“A free what?”

“A free gif—aha! Jesus was God’s present,” said Andrew as Mom pulled into the church parking lot. “Hey, why are we at church?”

“I had an idea as we were passing by,” said Mom as she opened the car door.

Inside stood a giant tree covered with envelopes, each one labeled with a child’s first name and age. “Why don’t you pick three?” said Mom. “These are kids who could use some presents this Christmas.”

Andrew picked the envelopes of a boy named Andrew, a girl named Ruby Jane, and then—“Melanie—and she’s my age!” exclaimed Andrew.

On the way home, Andrew opened the envelopes and read the lists. “Melanie wants a new hat. When can we go shopping, Mom?”

“As soon as you answer your own question. What makes Christians different, Andrew? Now do you know why we give gifts?”

“I think so.” Andrew thought for a moment. “Christians give Christmas gifts because God gave us His gift. We give presents to remind each other of the best present—Jesus—and show others His love.”

Weeks later at school, Andrew noticed Melanie was wearing a new hat. “I like your hat, Melanie.”

“Thanks. It was a Christmas present.” Melanie smiled. “I was wrong, Andrew. I guess some Christians give presents because, well, Jesus was God’s present. At least that’s what the card that came with my hat said.”

Andrew smiled. “I want to be a Christian like that.”

–Kelly Carlson

How about you? Did you know that when you give a Christmas present, you are pointing to Jesus? When we give gifts with generous hearts, we point others to the greatest gift of all—Jesus Christ. This Christmas, tell a friend or family member why you’re giving them a present. Tell others about Jesus, God’s greatest present to the world.

Today's Key Verse: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus is the best present

Anxiety wants to destroy our joy and steal our peace, but God gave us a way to overcome this emotion.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As I opened the bookshelf assembly instructions with piles of boards and tools strewn on the floor before me, I viewed a set of instructional diagrams of what to do and what not to do. One diagram—with a large X on top—depicted a person staring at a pile of boards and tools with a bemused frown not unlike mine just a few minutes prior. On the right side was drawn the “correct” way to assemble. The only difference? A second person was there. Both figures now had smiles on their faces as they worked together.

So I got my husband. “The instructions say I need your help,” I said, showing him the drawing. He laughed, and we assembled it together. I could have stubbornly tried to find a way to put it together on my own. But the manual was right; the process wasn’t meant to be done alone.

In Romans 12, Paul urged new believers to not try to do life in Jesus alone. Instead of seeing themselves as self-sufficient and thinking of themselves “more highly than [they] ought” (v. 3), they needed to see themselves as part of an interdependent body, where every member needs each other’s help (vv. 4-8).

As Jesus helps us learn how to “be devoted to one another in love” (v. 10), we can experience life “in harmony” with each other, where one another’s needs, griefs, and joys (vv. 13, 15) are never carried alone.

Read: Psalm 119:162-168

“What’s all that material for, Mom?” Serenity asked when she and Charis got home from school. “And what are these little frame things?”

“Your grandma needs some hot pads, so I thought maybe you and Charis could make some for her birthday,” Mom replied. “These ‘frame things’ are little hand looms. I’ll show you how to make hot pads with these strips of material.”

“Oh, I know how to do that!” said Serenity. “I learned at scout club.” And when they started making hot pads a little later, she insisted that she didn’t need any help, so Mom turned her attention to Charis.

Charis watched carefully as Mom showed her what to do. First, she fitted a neat row of red loops between two sides of the loom. Then she used a hook to start blue rows going the opposite way. Charis followed Mom’s directions, checking with her every now and then to make sure she was getting it right.

“How are you doing, Serenity?” Mom asked after a while.

Serenity sighed. “I thought I knew how to do this, but it isn’t turning out right. I’m going to take this apart and start over.” When Serenity was ready to start again, Mom showed her what she needed to do.

That night, Mom suggested they all read a Bible story together before bed.

“Oh, Mom,” Serenity said, “Can’t we read something else? I know all those stories already.”

“I’m sure you know a lot of them,” said Mom, “but it’s good to hear them over and over. God has new things to teach us every time we read His Word. The more we read it, the more we learn about who Jesus is, what He did to save us, and how to live in a way that shows we belong to Him.”

“I guess it’s like the hot pads,” Serenity said. “I learned how to make them before, but I’d forgotten a lot of the details, so I needed you to help me do it.”

“Right,” said Mom. “And when we read God’s Word, the Holy Spirit helps us understand what it says and put it into practice.” She picked up Serenity’s Bible. “Let’s read a Bible story together, and then we can read another one of your books before you turn out the lights.”

–Margaret M. Primrose

How about you? Do you think you know everything the Bible has to say? It tells us everything we need to know about who God is and what He’s done for us, and there’s always more for us to learn from it—even from verses and stories we’ve heard over and over. So keep reading it, and depend on the Holy Spirit to help you understand it and do what it says.

Today's Key Verse: I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word. Psalm 119:16 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Read and obey God’s Word

It's astonishing how technology (smartphones, tablets, laptops, GPS, etc.) has influenced our lives--for both good and bad? So, would it surprise you to know that "technology" shows up in the Bible and plays a vital role in God's story? In this Discover the Word study, the group explores several stories where technology plays a role. And as we study those passages together, we may find wisdom and freedom for how to use tech well in our modern world to draw us closer to God and others. 

WAYS TO LISTEN & SUBSCRIBE:

On our website: https://www.discovertheword.org
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3x2Swlq
Spotify: https://go.odb.org/dtwspotify
Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3D9Tttv
YouTube Music:  https://go.odb.org/yt-music-playlist
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3E8LFdz
LOOKING FOR MORE EPISODES of the Discover the Word Podcast? Listen and subscribe wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts