Entries by YMI

ODB: Longing for God

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May 2, 2018 

READ: 1 John 4:13–16 

My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Psalm 84:2

 

One day my daughter was visiting with our one-year-old grandson. I was getting ready to leave the house on an errand, but as soon as I walked out of the room my grandson began to cry. It happened twice, and each time I went back and spent a moment with him. As I headed out the door the third time, his little lip began to quiver again. At that point my daughter said, “Dad, why don’t you just take him with you?”

Any grandparent could tell you what happened next. My grandson went along for the ride, just because I love him. 

How good it is to know that the longings of our hearts for God are also met with love. The Bible assures us that we can “know and rely on the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16). God doesn’t love us because of anything we have or haven’t done. His love isn’t based on our worthiness at all, but on His goodness and faithfulness. When the world around us is unloving and unkind, we can rely on God’s unchanging love as our source of hope and peace.

Our heavenly Father’s heart has gone out to us through the gift of His Son and His Spirit. How comforting is the assurance that God loves us with love that never ends!

— James Banks

Loving Lord, thank You for Your compassion for me, proven at the cross. Please help me to obey and love You today.

God longs for us to long for Him.  

ODJ: The Unity Dance

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May 1, 2018 

READ: Psalm 133:1-3 

How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! (v.1).

The Unity Dance” is a beautiful poem written more than a century ago by Romanian Vasile Alecsandri. The verses evoke a desire of unity for all Romanians and freedom from oppression. To this day, the call to “join hands, those with Romanian hearts, to go round the dance of brotherhood on Romania’s land” awakens a longing for unity and peace.

A desire for unity is also reflected in Psalm 133 written by King David. Although the context is uncertain, it’s believed David wrote this song when he was finally made king over all the tribes of Israel and God’s people were united for a time (1 Chronicles 12:38-40).

As David was pursuing the nation’s unity, he used two beautiful illustrations to describe harmony among God’s people. First, he likened it to “the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head” (Psalm 133:2). In David’s culture it was customary to anoint guests’ heads with oil of a pleasing aroma to reinvigorate them. In the same way, David viewed the harmony between fellow Israelites as energising and creating a pleasant atmosphere.

David then compared the unity of God’s people with “the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion” (v.3). Because of its height, snow-capped Mount Hermon is a consistent source of life-sustaining fresh water for the region. Unity refreshes and sustains.

Just like the Israelites, the church today longs for unity. The harmony we have with Jesus and with one another can bring new life, the wonderful ‘fragrance’ of love expressed in action. May God help us to live in “complete harmony with each other” so that we can “together with one voice, [give] praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:5-6).

—Estera Pirosca Escobar

365-day plan: Nehemiah 8:1-18

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Read Philippians 2:2-4 and note Paul’s encouragement for believers to live in unity. 
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How have you experienced true unity and fellowship in your community of faith? Is there something practical you can do this week to pursue greater harmony with your brothers and sisters in Jesus? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Waiting in Anticipation

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May 1, 2018 

READ: Psalm 130:1–6 

I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. Psalm 130:6

 

Every May Day (May 1) in Oxford, England, an early morning crowd gathers to welcome spring. At 6:00, the Magdalen College Choir sings from the top of Magdalen Tower. Thousands wait in anticipation for the dark night to be broken by song and the ringing of bells.

Like the revelers, I often wait. I wait for answers to prayers or guidance from the Lord. Although I don’t know the exact time my wait will end, I’m learning to wait expectantly. In Psalm 130 the psalmist writes of being in deep distress facing a situation that feels like the blackest of nights. In the midst of his troubles, he chooses to trust God and stay alert like a guard on duty charged with announcing daybreak. “I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning” (v. 6).

The anticipation of God’s faithfulness breaking through the darkness gives the psalmist hope to endure even in the midst of his suffering. Based on the promises of God found throughout Scripture, that hope allows him to keep waiting even though he has not yet seen the first rays of light.

Be encouraged if you are in the middle of a dark night. The dawn is coming—either in this life or in heaven! In the meantime, don’t give up hope but keep watching for the deliverance of the Lord. He will be faithful.

— Lisa Samra

Please bring light to my darkness. Open my eyes to see You at work and to trust You. I’m grateful that You are faithful, Father.

God can be trusted in the light and in the dark.  

ODJ: Freed for Justice

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April 30, 2018 

READ: Romans 5:1-5, 6:13-18 

Use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God (6:13).

I once heard Ken Wytsma, founder of the Justice Conference, comment on the surprising scepticism many have about whether justice is central to the gospel. He reflected ironically, “The gospel is that unjust people are reconciled to a just God to be a just people . . . but justice isn’t related to the gospel?”

Justice is central to the heart of God—the One who “gives justice to the oppressed”, “lifts up those who are weighed down”, “protects the foreigners” and “cares for the orphans and widows” (Psalm 146:7-9).

In an unjust world, it’s often easier to say we love our neighbours than to seek justice for them—which may involve resisting powerful forces and often comes at a high cost. But if our fears prevent us from seeking justice for others, we aren’t walking in the freedom and joy that is ours in Jesus. As Paul reminds us in Romans 5, those who “confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory” (v.2) should see suffering as an opportunity to grow into people of endurance and character (vv.3-5).

When we live in fear of what others might say or do if we stand up for what’s right, in effect we’re still living in bondage. As Paul put it starkly, we have two choices: “You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living” (6:16).

It’s when we fearlessly “use [our] whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God” (v.13)—led and strengthened by Him—that we show we’re truly walking in the joy and “freedom of [His] grace” (v.14).

Today, as Nelson Mandela—fearless opponent of apartheid in South Africa—once put it, “May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.”

—Monica Brands

365-day plan: Nehemiah 5:1-19

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Read 1 John 3:16-18 and reflect on what it means to be willing to lay down our lives for others. 
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What injustices are you aware of in your church or community? What steps can you take to be a part of witnessing to and working towards God’s justice? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Breaking the Chains

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April 30, 2018 

READ: Ephesians 1:3–14 

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 1:7

 

We found our visit to Christ Church Cathedral in Stone Town, Zanzibar, deeply moving, for it sits on the site of what was formerly the largest slave market in East Africa. The designers of this cathedral wanted to show through a physical symbol how the gospel breaks the chains of slavery. No longer would the location be a place of evil deeds and horrible atrocities, but of God’s embodied grace.

Those who built the cathedral wanted to express how Jesus’s death on the cross provides freedom from sin—that which the apostle Paul speaks of in his letter to the church at Ephesus: “In him we have redemption through his blood” (Ephesians 1:7). Here the word redemption points to the Old Testament’s notion of the marketplace, with someone buying back a person or item. Jesus buys back a person from a life of slavery to sin and wrongdoing.

In Paul’s opening words in this letter (vv. 3–14), he bubbles over with joy at the thought of his freedom in Christ. He points, in layer after layer of praise, to God’s work of grace for us through Jesus’s death, which sets us free from the cords of sin. No longer do we need to be slaves to sin, for we are set free to live for God and His glory.

— Amy Boucher Pye

Lord God, through the death of Your Son, You have given us life forever. Help me to share this gift of grace with someone today.

Jesus redeems us from the slavery of sin.  

ODJ: The Fruit of Joy

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April 29, 2018 

READ: Galatians 5:16-26 

The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (vv.22-23).

I love how joy can bubble up, unbidden. It can surprise me when I walk next to a gurgling brook or when I catch a glimpse of the faces of family and friends. Even when I fret about the friend whose feelings I’ve hurt, I can seek God’s help and peace as I release to Him my anxiety and receive the gift of His joy.

The apostle Paul listed joy as a fruit of the Spirit when he wrote to the church at Galatia because it’s something the Holy Spirit brings about in a believer’s life. Paul yearned that the Galatians would experience the Spirit’s grace, because many of them were being led astray by some who wanted them to adopt various rules and regulations (Galatians 1:6-7). He didn’t want them weighed down with requirements God hadn’t established; rather, he wanted them to live out of God’s freedom, which would result in the fruit He would bring to life within them: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (5:22-23).

We may think that Paul’s list of the fruit of the Spirit is exhaustive, but in naming the nine qualities, he was actually following a common Greek practice of outlining virtues and vices. He roots this list, however, in what God effects in His children, that is, how Christ living within them brings transformation and change (2 Corinthians 5:17).

We can’t demand or create joy from ourselves or from others. We can, however, ask God to give us His joy as we rest in His presence, have fellowship with others and look with wonder at His creation around us. And we can pray that as He cultivates in us His joy that this fruit would be something sweet and refreshing we can share with others.

—Amy Boucher Pye

365-day plan: Nehemiah 2:1-20

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Read Colossians 3:1-15 for another of list of vices (vv.5-9) and virtues (vv.12-15), and compare them to Galatians 5. What strikes you as you examine them? 
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How have you experienced the gift—the fruit—of joy recently? How can you cultivate the soil of your life so that this fruit might flourish? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Take Another Look at Jesus!

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April 29, 2018 

READ: Hebrews 3:1–6 

But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. Hebrews 3:6

 

If there ever was a faithful person, it was Brother Justice. He was committed to his marriage, dedicated to his job as a postal worker, and each Sunday stood at his post as a leader in our local church. I visited my childhood church recently, and perched on the upright piano was the same bell that Brother Justice rang to notify us that the time for Bible study was about to end. The bell has endured the test of time. And although Brother Justice has been with the Lord for years, his legacy of faithfulness also endures.

Hebrews 3 brings a faithful servant and a faithful Son to the readers’ attention. Though the faithfulness of Moses as God’s “servant” is undeniable, Jesus is the one believers are taught to focus on. “Therefore, holy brothers and sisters . . . fix your thoughts on Jesus” (v. 1). Such was the encouragement to all who face temptation (2:18). Their legacy could come only from following Jesus, the faithful One.

What do you do when the winds of temptation are swirling all around you? When you are weary and worn and want to quit? The text invites us to, as one paraphrase renders it, “Take a good hard look at Jesus” (3:1 The Message). Look at Him again—and again and again. As we reexamine Jesus, we find the trustworthy Son of God who gives us courage to live in His family.

— Arthur Jackson

Father, through Your Spirit, empower us to courageously love, honor, and follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Looking to Jesus can give us courage to face the challenges in our lives.  

ODJ: Where to Worship

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April 28, 2018 

READ: John 4:19-24 

The time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem (v.21).

During a visit to Melbourne, Australia, my hosts took me on a mini-tour of the city. Along the way, they pointed out some buildings that had been converted from churches to bars. I’ve learned that this is a common practice—not only in Australia, but around the world. Troubled, I wondered what the future held for places of worship. Imagine my elation when I read of a bar that’s reversing the trend and returning to its roots as a church!

As important as physical spaces of worship are, true worship doesn’t depend on a specific kind of building or location. Jesus taught this when the Samaritan woman He’d met asked, “Why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshipped?” (John 4:19-20). Rather than commend one location or condemn the other, Jesus replied, “Dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem” (v.21).

Considering that the temple and synagogues were at the centre of religious life in Jesus’ day, this response must have taken the woman by surprise. Knowing this, Jesus went on to explain, “The time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. . . . For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth” (vv.23-24).

When we absorb the truth that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), we can begin to understand why worship isn’t confined to one kind of physical location. As we stand in God’s presence, filled with His Spirit, any place can become a place to experience and worship Him.

—Remi Oyedele

365-day plan: Ezra 3:7-13

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Read and meditate on Romans 12:1 for further insight into true worship. 
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To what extent does being in a place of worship impact your ability to worship God or remain in His presence? How can you practise an awareness of God’s presence even in unexpected places? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)