Entries by YMI

I Don’t See the Point of Praying When God Knows Everything

Mar 29, 2024 /0 Comments/in , , , /by

Remember how, at the start of your Christian walk, you were diligent to pray whenever you could, because prayer seemed like the most instinctive and comforting thing to do?

But maybe over the years, praying has become harder. You feel like you don’t know what to say, and if you do think of something to pray for, you also don’t know what to expect, what the outcome will be. Besides, do we really have to say it out loud if God already knows what we’re thinking?

Does it really matter if we pray?

ODB: Jesus, Our Substitute

Mar 29, 2024 in , /by

March 29, 2024 

READ: 1 Peter 3:13–18 

Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

 

A wealthy twenty-year-old was drag-racing with his friends when he struck and killed a pedestrian. Although the young man received a three-year prison sentence, some believe that the man who appeared in court (and who subsequently served a prison sentence) was a hired surrogate for the driver who committed the crime. This type of thing has been known to occur in some countries where people hire body doubles to avoid paying for their crimes.

This may sound scandalous and outrageous, but more than two thousand years ago, Jesus became our substitute and “suffered once for [our] sins, the righteous for the unrighteous” (1 Peter 3:18). As God’s sinless sacrifice, Christ suffered and died once and for all (Hebrews 10:10), for all who believe in Him. He took the penalty for all our sins in His own body on the cross. Unlike a person today who chooses to be a substitute for a criminal to get some cash, Christ’s substitutionary death on the cross provided “hope” for us as He freely, willingly gave His life for us (1 Peter 3:15, 18; John 10:15). He did so to bridge the chasm between us and God.

May we rejoice and find comfort and confidence in this profound truth: Only by the substitutionary death of Jesus can we—sinners in need—have a relationship with and complete spiritual access to our loving God.

— Marvin Williams

How has Christ’s substitutionary death changed your life? What does it mean for you to have access to God and eternal life because of Jesus' death on the cross?

Dear Jesus, thank You for dying in my place so that I might have access to God.

Learn more about having a personal relationship with God.  

ODB: A New Command to Love

Mar 28, 2024 in , /by

March 28, 2024 

READ: John 13:3–5, 12–15, 31–35 

A new command I give you: Love one another. John 13:34

 

In a tradition starting as early as the thirteenth century, members of the royal family in the United Kingdom give gifts to people in need on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday. The practice is rooted in the meaning of the word maundy, which comes from the Latin mandatum, “command.” The command being commemorated is the new one that Jesus gave to His friends on the night before He died: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

Jesus was a leader who took on the role of a servant as He washed His friends’ feet (v. 5). He then called them to do the same: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (v. 15). And in an even greater act of sacrifice, He lay down His life, dying on the cross (19:30). Out of mercy and love, He gave Himself that we might enjoy the fullness of life.

The tradition of the British royal family serving people in need continues as a symbol of following Jesus’ great example. We may not have been born into a place of privilege, but when we place our faith in Jesus, we become members of His family. And we too can show our love by living out His new command. As we depend on God’s Spirit to change us from within, we can reach out to others with care, affirmation, and grace.

— Amy Boucher Pye

How have you observed or embodied servant leadership? In what ways could you “love one another” today?

My great Savior, what a gift of love You give! Thank You for being the ultimate Servant, laying down Your life for me.  

ODB: Fruitful Believers in Christ

Mar 27, 2024 in , /by

March 27, 2024 

READ: Mark 11:12–20 

Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. Mark 11:13

 

Cindy was excited for her new job in a nonprofit company. What an opportunity to make a difference! She soon discovered her coworkers didn’t share her enthusiasm. They mocked the company’s mission and made excuses for their poor performance as they looked elsewhere for more lucrative positions. Cindy wished she’d never applied for this job. What looked great from afar was disappointing up close.

This was Jesus’ problem with the fig tree mentioned in today’s story (Mark 11:13). It was early in the season, yet the tree’s leaves signaled it might have early figs. Nope. The tree had sprouted leaves, but it hadn’t yet produced fruit. Disappointed, Jesus cursed the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again” (v. 14). By the next morning the tree had entirely withered (v. 20).

Christ once fasted forty days, so He knew how to go without food. Cursing the fig tree was not about His appetite. It was an object lesson. The tree represented Israel, which had the trappings of true religion but had lost the point. They were about to kill their Messiah, the Son of God. How more barren could they be?

We may look good from afar, but Jesus comes near, looking for fruit that only His Spirit can produce. Our fruit need not be spectacular. But it must be supernatural, such as love, joy, and peace in hard times (Galatians 5:22). Relying on the Spirit, we can bear fruit even then for Jesus.

— Mike Wittmer

What fruit do others see in you? How might you be more fruitful?

Holy Spirit, prune me so I might bear more fruit.