Entries by YMI

ODB: Impaired Judgment

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June 19, 2018 

READ: Matthew 7:1–6 

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. Matthew 7:1

 

I’ve been quick to judge anyone I saw walking in the street while staring at a phone. How could they be so oblivious to the cars about to hit them? I’ve told myself. Don’t they care about their own safety? But one day, while crossing the entrance to an alleyway, I was so engrossed in a text message, that I missed seeing a car at my left. Thankfully, the driver saw me and came to an abrupt stop. But I felt ashamed. All of my self-righteous finger-pointing came back to haunt me. I had judged others, only to do the same thing myself.

My hypocrisy is the kind of thinking that Jesus addressed in the Sermon on the Mount: “First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5). I had a huge “plank”—a blind spot through which I judged others with my own impaired judgment.

“For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged,” Jesus also said (7:2). Recalling the disgusted look on the driver’s face that day, after having to make an abrupt stop when I walked in front of the car, I’m reminded of the disgusted looks I gave others engrossed in their phones.

None of us is perfect. But sometimes I forget that in my haste to judge others. We’re all in need of God’s grace.

— Linda Washington

Heavenly Father, please help me be quicker to console or encourage, and slower to judge someone else.

Be slow to judge others.  

ODJ: Favouring Truth

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June 18, 2018 

READ: James 2:1-10 

Doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgements are guided by evil motives? (v.4).

Talking with a colleague at a Christian school, I was reminded how easy it can be to judge others. Accustomed to the short hairstyles of most of our students, he was offended by the creative haircut of a visiting teen. Challenging his assumptions, I reminded him that our perception of others’ appearance isn’t an accurate way to gauge a mature, spiritual life in Christ.

Made in the image of a God who declared His creation “very good” (Genesis 1:31), we have not only the ability to recognise but the desire to celebrate beauty. But we imitate the world when we trust our perception of appearances instead of seeking the truth (Proverbs 11:22). Whether we intend to or not, when we create our own standards of worth, the way we discern is faulty—leading to wrong views of others and wrong decisions.

James addressed the church’s cultural confusion, one which values worldly success but leaves the heart unchanged, in his letter to the “believers scattered abroad” (1:1). James 2:1 identifies the foundation of sure truth: “Our glorious Lord Jesus Christ”, a truth that separates the lifestyle of believers from the world’s favouritism. When Christ is at the centre of all we think and do, we begin to see reality, though in part, as He does.

When we’re no longer focused on others’ approval, we can be a part of creating a “kingdom culture” by valuing those who offer us nothing in return (vv.2-4). Discrimination, especially when based on another person’s appearance, is sin because it not only denies the diversity of all people made in God’s image but it is rooted in a humanistic desire for power and control (vv.9-10).

Godly discernment, on the other hand, displays both truth and love. And as history and Scripture bear out, we reveal God’s truth best through how we love others (1 John 3:18).

—Regina Franklin

365-day plan: John 2:1-25

MORE
Read Ephesians 4:15 and reflect on how we can declare what’s true in genuine love. 
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What’s the difference between discrimination and discernment? How can love enable us to have a high value for truth without being judgemental? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Blessing in the Mess

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June 18, 2018 

READ: Genesis 28:10–22 

He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

 

I got myself into this mess, so I’d better get myself out, I sometimes find myself thinking.  Although I believe in a God of grace, I’m still prone to act as if His help is available only when I deserve it.

God’s first encounter with Jacob is a beautiful illustration of how untrue this is.

Jacob had spent a lifetime trying to alter his destiny. He’d been born second at a time when firstborn sons typically received their father’s blessing—believed to guarantee future prosperity.

So Jacob decided to do whatever it would take to get his father’s blessing anyway. Eventually, he succeeded—through deceit—obtaining the blessing intended for his brother (Genesis 27:19–29).

But the price was a divided family, as Jacob fled from his furious brother (vv. 41–43). As night descended (28:11), Jacob must have felt as far from a life of blessing as ever.

But it was there, leaving behind a trail of deception, that Jacob met God. God showed him he didn’t need desperate schemes to be blessed; he already was. His destiny—a purpose far greater than material prosperity (v. 14)—was held securely by the One who would never leave him (v. 15).

It was a lesson Jacob would spend his whole life learning.

And so will we. No matter how many regrets we carry or how distant God seems, He is still there—gently guiding us out of our mess into His blessing.

— Monica Brands

Lord, so often we feel trapped by our mistakes, thinking there’s no future left for us. Remind us that you are the God of Jacob, the God who will never give up on Your purposes for us.

God never gives up on His love and purposes for our lives.  

ODJ: Peace of Christ

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June 17, 2018 

READ: John 14:23-31 

I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid (v.27).

In the middle of the twentieth century, Japan and America were embroiled in a bitter war which only came to an end with the detonation of two nuclear bombs. Yet in the decades that followed, these two countries worked hard to forge peace not only through the ceasing of hostility, but through military and economic cooperation and cultural exchange. Today, the two former enemies are close allies.

When we think about the idea of peace, we often think only about the ceasing of conflict or struggle, as in the end of a war. And in this way, our understanding of peace is largely circumstantial—we think we have peace when our situation is no longer difficult or stressful. But Jesus tells us that the peace He leaves is not the same as the world offers: “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (v.27).

How do the world’s peace and Jesus’ peace differ? At least one difference is that experiencing Christ’s peace doesn’t depend on our circumstances, but a relationship. The peace of Jesus comes through the Father sending us His Son and Spirit (vv.23,26). Through Christ’s Spirit, our Counsellor and Teacher, we experience His peace in us (v.26). This peace doesn’t depend on perfect circumstances, but a perfect and personal triune God—who in Christ has won the victory over Satan and is returning again to restore all things (vv.28,30).

Jesus cautioned us that we’re certain to face troubling circumstances in our lives (John 16:33). But our peace doesn’t come from avoiding the valleys, but in experiencing even in those moments the presence of God with us. (Psalm 23:4).

—Peter Chin

365-day plan: John 1:35-51

MORE
Read Isaiah 54:10 and reflect on why we can find peace in God’s faithfulness even in the most difficult of circumstances. 
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Is your concept of peace based more on your circumstances or on the character of God? How can we seek a deeper experience of His peace? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Our Safe Place

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June 17, 2018 

READ: Psalm 91 

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2

 

My very first job was at a fast-food restaurant. One Saturday evening, a guy kept hanging around, asking when I got out of work. It made me feel uneasy. As the hour grew later, he ordered fries, then a drink, so the manager wouldn’t kick him out. Though I didn’t live far, I was scared to walk home alone through a couple of dark parking lots and a stretch through a sandy field. Finally, at midnight, I went in the office to make a phone call.

And the person who answered—my dad—without a second thought got out of a warm bed and five minutes later was there to take me home.

The kind of certainty I had that my dad would come to help me that night reminds me of the assurance we read about in Psalm 91. Our Father in heaven is always with us, protecting and caring for us when we are confused or afraid or in need. He declares: “When they call on me, I will answer” (Psalm 91:15 nlt). He is not just a place we can run to for safety. He is our shelter (v. 1). He is the Rock we can cling to for refuge (v. 2).

In times of fear, danger, or uncertainty, we can trust God’s promise that when we call on Him, He will hear and be with us in our trouble (vv. 14–15). God is our safe place.

— Cindy Hess Kasper

Dear Father, thank You for being my Rock and my safe place.

The living God will always be our shelter.  

ODJ: We Are Ambassadors

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June 16, 2018 

READ: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 

We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (v.20).

For many years, I held on to the dream of one day adopting a five year old boy from Russia. “Why such a specific desire?” a former colleague once asked me. “Because,” I explained, “Close friends adopted a five year old orphan from Russia and he’s amazing!” Samuel, the young boy from Russia, continues to be an (unofficial) ambassador for his native country.

The actions and attitudes of citizens, whether positive or negative, can significantly affect how others perceive their country of origin. That’s why it’s so important that those of us who profess to follow Jesus remember—at all times—that “we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’ ” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

As ambassadors, we’ve been given a “fearful responsibility to the Lord”, to represent Him in a manner that persuades others to know Him too (v.11). Our motives should not include seeking attention and applause for ourselves or our ministry, but to glorify God through our words and actions (v.12).

As ambassadors, may we grasp that we are empowered by Christ’s love, that He died for all and that we’ve died to our old way of life (v.14). In response, by His strength, our aim should be to no longer live for ourselves but instead to live for Christ (v.15). This is an important charge as others are watching us and will make assumptions about what it means to believe in Jesus based on what our lives reflect.

What an extraordinary gift we have from God! He saved us from our sins, made us right with God through Christ and permits us to be part of His work of reconciling people to Himself (v.18). Yes, we are His ambassadors.

—Roxanne Robbins

365-day plan: John 1:19-34

MORE
Read Ephesians 6:20 and think about what it meant for Paul to be an ambassador for Jesus. 
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How is Christ shining through your life? What does it mean for you to be an ambassador for Him? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: As Advertised

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June 16, 2018 

READ: John 16:25–33 

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33

 

During a vacation, my husband and I signed up for a leisurely rafting tour down Georgia’s Chattahoochee River. Dressed in sandals, a sundress, and a wide brimmed hat, I groaned when we discovered—contrary to the advertisement—that the trip included light rapids. Thankfully, we rode with a couple experienced in whitewater rafting. They taught my husband the basics of paddling and promised to navigate us safely to our destination. Grateful for my life jacket, I screamed and gripped the plastic handle on the raft until we reached the muddy bank downriver. I stepped onto the shore and dumped water from my purse as my husband helped me wring out the hem of my soaked dress. We enjoyed a good laugh, even though the trip had not turned out as advertised.

Unlike the tour brochure, which clearly left out a key detail about the trip, Jesus explicitly warned His disciples that rough waters were ahead. He told them that they’d be persecuted and martyred and that He would die and be resurrected. He also guaranteed His trustworthiness, affirming that He would guide them toward undeniable triumph and everlasting hope (John 16:16–33).

Although it would be nice if life were easier when we follow Jesus, He made it clear that His disciples would have troubles. But He promised to be with us. Trials won’t define, limit, or destroy God’s plan for us, because Jesus’s resurrection has already propelled us to eternal victory.

— Xochitl Dixon

Lord, thank You for the promises in Your Word that assure us You’ve planned our path and remain with us and for us, no matter what comes.

Jesus promises to be with us through the roughest waters.  

ODJ: Joyful Surrender

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June 15, 2018 

READ: Philippians 2:5-11 

At the name of Jesus every knee should bow (v.10).

Bible scholars have noted how dangerous and radical the early church’s confession—Jesus is Lord!—seemed to others. Since Israel lived under the oppressive regime of the Roman Empire, where Caesar was considered lord, insisting that Jesus was Lord was a direct affront to Caesar’s supposed power. And yet this confession stood at the very centre of the first Christians’ convictions—and it still stands at the centre of believers’ convictions today.

Paul proclaims that God “elevated [Jesus] to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names” (Philippians 2:9). Jesus isn’t one ruler among many. He doesn’t represent one good idea among many noble ideas—no, Jesus is above every other name, above every other ideal. “At the name of Jesus every knee [will] bow,” Paul writes (v.10).

To confess Jesus as Lord isn’t an abstract theological conviction, but a posture of our entire being. To say these bold words—if we are doing so honestly—means we bow before the one true Lord, bending our knee and our heart, surrendering our longings and our futures to Jesus. To embrace Jesus is to submit to Him. We echo the words of that old hymn: “I surrender all.”

We can surrender with abandon and without fear because the One to whom we are surrendering our life is the very essence of love (1 John 4:8). Jesus demonstrated His love for us first by His own act of surrender, humbling Himself in obedience to God and to love and, as a result, dying “a criminal’s death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8).

We can surrender to God because the only things we lose in such an exchange are those things that dehumanise us, that steal our joy, that pull us away from the kingdom of goodness and light.

—Winn Collier

365-day plan: Mark 1:1-13

MORE
Read this Philippians passage again, beginning this time in verse 1. What do you notice about Jesus and our response to Him? 
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What makes it most difficult to submit your life to Christ? How does our surrender bring us great joy? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)