Doable Discipleship

“O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you g...

“Praise the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who made the king want to beautify the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem! And praise him for demonstrating such unfailing love to me by honoring me before the king, his council, and all his mighty nobles. I felt encouraged because the gracious hand of the Lord my God was on me.” Ezra 7:27-28 The book of Ezra continues the narrative of the people of Israel...

There’s something we all experience that we usually can’t quite put our finger on or find the right words to describe. We hear the sermons about what the Christian life should be like. We read the books and hear the podcasts and we’re told what a life lived for and with God is like – a life of joy, of ease, of clear direction, of no worry. And yet . . . it doesn’t always go that way. Many people,...

“Early the next morning the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way Jehoshaphat stopped and said, ‘Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.’ After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and pra...

When I thought about doing a series on Mysteries of Faith, one of the very first topics that came to my mind was prayer. Now, I’ve been a Christian since I was 5. Prayer has always been a part of my life. But if I’m honest, there are elements about prayer that I always just accepted as true, nodded my head at, and then moved on with the general way I’ve always prayed.  As I got older though, I sta...

“Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And now, O God, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! You speak as though I were someone very great, O Lord God! What more can I say to you about the way you have honored me? You know what your servant is really like. For the sake of your servant, O Lord, and according to...

Galatians 2:20 – “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” 1 Corinthians 6:17 – “But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.”  2 Corinthians 5:17 – This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” These verses, along with many others in the Bible, paint a p...

“Fifty men from the group of prophets also went and watched from a distance as Elijah and Elisha stopped beside the Jordan River. Then Elijah folded his cloak together and struck the water with it. The river divided, and the two of them went across on dry ground. When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken away.” And Elisha replied, “Pl...

There’s a question at the heart of the new book “Delighting in Jesus” that caught my attention: it says, “I know I should read by Bible and pray every day, but I’m just not consistent. For many Christians, ‘daily devotions’ and ‘spiritual disciplines’ strike guilt and shame in our hearts. But what if we got it all wrong? What if our Christian experience hinges not on perfect spiritual disciplines,...

“Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, ‘How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!’ But the people were completely silent.” – 1 Kings 18:21 The book of 1 Kings marks the transition from the reign of King David to the reign of Solomon. The nation of Israel is now firmly in the age of monarchy and Solomon...

“The cross has spoken, I am forgiven The king of kings calls me His own Beautiful savior, I'm Yours forever Jesus Christ, my living hope” These lyrics are some of countless others written by Phil Wickham sung at church services across the world every weekend. Ever since his first album released in 2003, Phil’s songs have become part of the catalog for Christian worship, with popular songs includin...

“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?” – 2 Samuel 7:18-19 In 1 Samuel, we were introduced to a new cast of characters in the story of Israel – and a new season of change. The people of Isr...

“If we have eyes to see, we uncover joy almost everywhere. Like someone searching for sand crabs on the coastline, we may not find her under every rock. But we also don’t need to look too hard before we uncover her.”  This is a quote from the new book, Longing for Joy. There are many misconceptions about joy. There are many people who may struggle with joylessness because of anxiety, depression, o...

A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Th...

I have a very vivid memory of a specific church service about 10 years ago. My wife and I go into the worship center, find seats in our usual section, but the stage looks different. There are instruments I’ve never seen on our stage, and in a configuration that I didn’t recognize. When the service starts, a group of people come out onto the stage in long coats, suspenders, moppish hair, and then t...

Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back to your mothers’ homes. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me." But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” Ruth 1:8, 16.  The Book of Ruth, the 8th book in the Old Testament, is...

When we talk about reading the Bible, we usually talk about it in a personal context or in a church setting. We talk about developing personal Bible-reading habits, studying God’s Word, or growing a healthy devotional life. But today, we want to talk about reading the Bible in a different way – reading it with non-believers. Perhaps this idea is new to you, perhaps you may think I sound crazy or m...

"Whenever the LORD raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the LORD took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering. But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshi...

On this Election Day in America, host Jason Wieland offers a prayer of hope, love, and peace for the nation.  Doable Discipleship is a Saddleback Church podcast produced and hosted by Jason Wieland. It premiered in 2017 and now offers more than 400 episodes. Episodes release every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app and on the Saddleback Church YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/saddleback)...

For the past two months we’ve been on an exploration of Christlike Character – and in particular, how to maintain and live with Christlike character in an election season. As of the day this episode releases, we are one week away from election day in the United States. It’s expected to be an extraordinarily close election and polarization is, if not at an all-time high, very near it. The closeness...

“You have seen everything the LORD your God has done for you during my lifetime. The LORD your God has fought for you against your enemies . . . Deep in your hearts you know that every promise of the LORD your God has come true. Not a single one has failed . . . If you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphra...

What does it mean to be at peace? I would venture to say that true peace is something deeper, more profound, and actually more attainable than maybe you’ve ever imagined. The world wants you to think that peace is not caring, or avoiding conflict, or not disagreeing . . . but those are just facades – bandages that actually do more to cripple relationship than they do to bring peace. I say that pea...

The Book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible and the final book of the Pentateuch, is a book about the precipice of transition. The Israelites have been wandering the desert for decades, seemingly marching towards the Promised Land but wondering if and when they would ever make it. Now they are at the doorstep, they can see the promise of God before them, but Moses knows he will not be the...

When we talk about character, particularly in an election season, we have to talk about civility. At its heart, civility is about respect – respect for other people – and that is something that we’ve seen to move away from. One could say it's a lost art . . . but it shouldn’t even be considered an art – it should be an inherent value. Yet as a culture we seem all the ready to disregard the opinion...

“Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed. For you said, ‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected – even children in the third and fourth generations.’ In keeping with your magnificent, unfailin...