Step into the Wonderful World of 3D Christian Living

We are about to enter the world of 3D.

As with every three-dimensional adventure, plan to interact with an immersive environment that creates a sensory experience.

A lifelike scene.

An enhanced encounter.

This is not an illusion, artificial simulation, or virtual reality.

But amazing wonders we get to see, hear, and touch.

3D Up Close and Personal

3D aspects of width, height, and depth bring the spiritual realm up close and personal…

with God himself.

So let’s put on our 3D glasses and look at the story in chapter 3 of Joshua.

After the death of Moses, Joshua’s commissioned as leader. The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years. Time came to enter the Promised Land.

God’s people set out and arrived at the Jordan river where they lodged for three days. They needed to get to the other side but not take the long way home. 

The Lord gave specific instructions. The priests were to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord (His presence) to the brink of the water. The people were commanded to follow at a distance in order to “know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before” (verse 4 ESV).

Joshua told them to consecrate themselves for the Lord would do wonders among them (verse 5). When the soles of the priests’ feet rested in the waters, the waters (at flood stage) would stop flowing and stand in a heap (verse 13).

3D Christian Living

Dimension (1). Obedience to God’s commands, plan, and way.

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Need Wisdom? Ask Google or Ask God

What situation in our life needs God’s wisdom and divine discernment?

But, is it just me or do you search for answers from a number of places, especially on the internet?

“Just Google it.”

With a wealth of information at our fingertips, it’s easy to look for all the answers we need.

Maybe we complete educational webinars on various subjects. Perhaps we watch online videos with step-by-step instructions for a home improvement project.

And there’s no shortage of how-to knowledge at our disposal. Like how to diagnose our health symptoms or discover the right medicines to take. Or tips for fixing a clogged sink or dealing with a difficult child.

Our Need for God’s Wisdom

In 1 Kings 3:9, Solomon realizes his need for wisdom. Asking, he desired God’s how-to instructions and asked for a discerning mind to distinguish between right and wrong.

The NIV says, “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

You see, Solomon not only asked for a discerning mind, but he also asked for a discerning heart. We tend to believe wise thinking originates in our minds, the control center for learning. Yet we see in the Scripture how true discernment begins in the heart.

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Choosing Authentic Means Choosing Brave

Her eyes widened as she moved her chair closer to the table.

The crowded coffee shop had not deterred her from being open and honest. Now, it was my turn.

This young girl in her twenties tried to conceal her surprised expression. “I thought you wouldn’t understand, Karen. I imagined your childhood and life near perfect.”

Oh, how wrong her sentiments. Truth is, we held much in common. We both experienced a troubling upbringing, one affecting our life as adults.

When a parent abandons a child physically or emotionally, they leave behind a broken life and heart.

As I opened up to my coffee-shop friend, pain from my past spilled out as tears. In the most vulnerable way, I conveyed how I spent part of my childhood with one parent absent and the other present, but just in the physical sense.

The emotional support a child so desperately needs to give health and wholeness to her soul, remained at zero.

My friend and I shared a similar story. Since Christ is our common denominator, He used our story to spur one another on in the faith. Not only through “me too,” but also through “here is how Jesus helped me overcome and gain the victory.”

An authentic voice helps others and holds the power to heal us.

When we authentically share our story, our dreams, our soul-wounds, our heart-cries, and even our faith-struggles, something powerful happens.

Authenticity makes us comfort ambassadors.

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Dear Modern Martha: You are a Daughter Not a Slave

Please welcome my friend, Katie Reid. Today she shares with us from her new book, Made Like Martha: Good News for the Woman Who Gets Things Done.

I recently read Katie’s book during every spare moment I found in my schedule. Why? Because I’m a Martha. Perhaps, you are too.

Like Katie, I felt sad and even discouraged at the bad rap Martha often gets in sermons and church circles.

Not only because I’m a doer, but also because I enjoy sitting at the feet of Jesus…too. Find encouragement in this post, buy and read Katie’s book.

Dear Modern Martha:

For years you’ve lived like a slave, trying to please your Master. You’ve worked hard…striving to be enough, trying to earn favor, and stay in good graces.

You’ve tried to obey and you’ve tried to honor Me.

Your try-hard soul is weary from hustling to measure up. You get frustrated when you fall short and discouraged when you fall down. You are fed up with this “never enough” lifestyle.

I invite you to get off of the treadmill of toil. There is a better way to live. And it doesn’t require more discipline, more effort, or more sweat.

I invite you to get off of the treadmill of toil. There is a better way to live. And it doesn’t require more discipline, more effort, or more sweat. @Katie_M_Reid Share on X

It starts with a change of heart. And then a name change. Since you are in Christ, you are no longer a slave, My child. You are a daughter. My Daughter.

Everything I have is yours.

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