Entries by YMI

ODJ: More than Walking on Water

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August 18, 2016 

READ: Matthew 14:22-33  

Then the disciples worshipped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed (v.33).

While doing research for a sermon, I stumbled upon a curious creature—the “Jesus Christ lizard”. That’s another name for the common basilisk, a small lizard from South America that’s able to run on its rear legs on the surface of water. This might seem like a miracle, but the basilisk is able to accomplish this feat because of the skin between its toes, allowing it to float on the water for the briefest of moments. Without those flaps of skin, the common basilisk would be, well, common!

Jesus’ walking on the Sea of Galilee in Matthew 14 was definitely not common. His miracle wasn’t about biological design, nor was it some kind of trick. When Jesus “came towards [the disciples], walking on the water” (Matthew 14:25), it revealed His authority over the natural world.

For example, in Luke 5:3-10, He provided a miraculous catch of fish for Simon Peter. And in Matthew 8:23-27, as the disciples quivered in a boat being tossed by waves, He said, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” He then rebuked the waves and “there was a great calm”. Jesus wasn’t simply showing that He could do amazing things; He was demonstrating His power over creation itself. His ability was derived from His identity.

We can develop an incomplete view of Jesus when we focus solely on His miraculous powers. In this way, He becomes a kind of superhero who merely did impressive things that normal human beings can’t do. But this passage reminds us that Jesus’ ability to do miracles was derived from His authority over all things. In other words, He can do all because He’s Lord over all. Today, let’s praise Him, not just for what He can do, but for who He is!

—Peter Chin

365-day plan: John 11:1-36

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Read John 21:6 to once again see Jesus’ authority over nature. 
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Do you ever find yourself focusing more on what God can do than on who He is? Why can this be harmful? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: That Thing You Do

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August 18, 2016 

READ: 2 Chronicles 13:10–18 

The people of Judah were victorious because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 13:18

 

As the convoy waited to roll out, a young marine rapped urgently on the window of his team leader’s vehicle. Irritated, the sergeant rolled down his window. “What?”

“You gotta do that thing,” the marine said. “What thing?” asked the sergeant. “You know, that thing you do,” replied the marine.

Then it dawned on the sergeant. He always prayed for the convoy’s safety, but this time he hadn’t. So he dutifully climbed out of the Humvee and prayed for his marines. The marine understood the value of his praying leader.

In ancient Judah, Abijah doesn’t stand out as a great king. First Kings 15:3 tells us, “His heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God.” But as Judah prepared for war against Israel, outnumbered two to one, Abijah knew this much: Faithful people in his kingdom of Judah had continued worshiping God (2 Chron. 13:10–12), while the ten tribes of Israel had driven out the priests of God and worshiped pagan gods instead (vv. 8–9). So Abijah turned confidently to the one true God.

Surely Abijah’s checkered history had caused grave damage. But he knew where to turn in the crisis, and his army won soundly “because they relied on the Lord, the God of their ancestors” (v. 18). Our God welcomes whoever comes to Him and relies on Him. 

— Tim Gustafson

I know that prayer isn’t a good-luck charm. But I come to You now, Lord, because there’s no one better to talk to. I trust You with all of my circumstances today.

God will never turn away whoever turns to Him in faith.  

ODJ: The Spirit’s Wind

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August 17, 2016 

READ: Acts 2:1-12  

Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting (v.2).

It was October, a month in my part of the world when temperatures begin to dip and the leaves of many types of trees turn brilliant colours. The trees dazzled me with their autumn glory. Leaves sported deep reds, bright yellows, soft orange hues and a beautiful colour somewhere between green and yellow. I plopped down in the middle of a grove of trees to soak it all in. Then I lay down in a bed of leaves and gazed up at the blue sky. I was within a natural cathedral that swayed to and fro in the chilly autumn wind.

As the trees danced and the leaves rustled, I was reminded of Jesus’ words in John 3:8: “The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” Then Luke’s description in Acts 2:2 came to mind: “Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.” In that pristine setting, I prayed that the Holy Spirit would blow into my life in a fresh way— the same amazing way He sweeps into people’s lives when they become believers in Jesus (v.4).

I desperately need the power of the Holy Spirit to do the work God has assigned to me. I need the Spirit to guide and direct me, for I dare not try to do God’s work in my own power—using my own limited resources and strategies. The apostle Paul wrote, “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). Lives are transformed as we submit to the Holy Spirit’s work in and through us. And we’re filled with an invisible power that sweeps through us—allowing us to more perfectly love God and others.

—Marlena Graves

MORE
Read Acts 1:8 and consider what happens when we’re filled with the Holy Spirit. 
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In what areas of your life have you been working in your own strength instead of God’s power? How can tapping into the Holy Spirit’s power change you and your witness for Jesus? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: The Swagger

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August 17, 2016 

READ: Romans 16:1–4,13,21–23 

Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

 

In the summer of 2015, Hunter (aged 15) carried his brother Braden (8) for a fifty-seven-mile walk to raise awareness of the needs of people with cerebral palsy. Braden weighs sixty pounds, so Hunter needed frequent rest stops where others helped him stretch his muscles, and he wore special harnesses to disperse Braden’s weight. Hunter says that while the harnesses helped with the physical discomfort, what helped him most were the people along the way. “If it weren’t for everyone cheering and walking with us, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. . . . My legs were sore, but my friends picked me up and I made it through . . . .” His mom named the arduous trek “The Cerebral Palsy Swagger.”

The apostle Paul, who we think of as strong and courageous, also needed to be “picked up.” In Romans 16 he lists a number of people who did just that for him. They served alongside him, encouraged him, met his needs, and prayed for him. He mentions Phoebe; Priscilla and Aquila, who were co-workers; Rufus’s mother, who had been like a mother to him as well; Gaius, who showed him hospitality; and many more.

We all need friends who pick us up, and we all know of others who need our encouragement. As Jesus helps and carries us, let us help one another.

— Anne Cetas

Lord, in Your wisdom You established Your church as a place for us to love and care for each other. Help me to extend the grace I've received to others.

Encouragers pick others up when troubles weigh them down.  

ODJ: Laying Down Your Life

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August 16, 2016 

READ: 1 John 3:16-18 

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us (v.16).

In 2011 an earthquake and tsunami caused a catastrophic meltdown of three nuclear reactors in Japan. A massive evacuation ensued, displacing thousands, with a 20 kilometre radius marked as an “exclusion zone”.

The cleanup process commenced 5 months later, and 45,000 workers joined the efforts. In 2014 Japanese officials reported that they were dealing with their first case of a worker contracting cancer (in this case, leukaemia) due to exposure to radiation. Though the health ministry recognised that workers were encountering intense radiation levels, they believed there were “no discernable health effects...to be expected”. They were wrong. The workers unknowingly risked their own lives to alleviate the hazards facing others.

Jesus knew that the shedding of His blood on the cross was required as “a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many” (Matthew 26:28). He held nothing back from us, refusing to cling to His own life or rights and privileges as the King and the Son of God. Rather, “Jesus gave up his life for us” (1 John 3:16). He wasn’t coerced into this perilous act, but gave Himself freely, saying, “No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily” (John 10:18). Jesus gave Himself all the way to the bitter end, for this is the heart of God: to give, to rescue, to love.

Jesus’ life, death and resurrection provide more than the assurance of God’s sacrificial action towards us. They also serve as our example of how He intends each of us to lay down our lives for one another. “Let’s not merely say that we love each other,” John says, “let us show the truth by our actions” (1 John 3:18). May we always pursue the good of others, even as our good God has pursued and loved us.

—Winn Collier

365-day plan: Luke 16:1-18

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Meditate on John 10:17-18 and consider the depth of Jesus’ love for you in that He gave His life freely, gladly and voluntarily. 
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What does it mean for you to embrace Jesus as the One who laid down His life for you? Is God calling you to sacrificially help someone in the name of love? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Bringing Light into Darkness

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August 16, 2016 

READ: John 1:1–8 

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

 

In 1989, Vaclav Havel was elevated from his position as a political prisoner to become the first elected president of Czechoslovakia. Years later at his funeral in Prague in 2011, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who herself was born in Prague, described him as one who had “brought the light to places of deep darkness.”

What Havel’s introduction of light did in the political arena of Czechoslovakia (and later the Czech Republic), our Lord Jesus did for the whole world. He brought light into existence when He created light out of darkness at the dawn of time (John 1:2–3; cf. Gen 1:2–3). Then, with His birth, He brought light to the spiritual arena. Jesus is the life and light that darkness cannot overcome (John 1:5).

John the Baptist came from the wilderness to bear witness to Jesus, the light of the world. We can do the same today. In fact that is what Jesus told us to do: “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

In our world today—when good is often considered bad and bad is seen as good, when truth and error are switched around—people are looking for direction in life. May we be the ones who shine the light of Christ into our world.

— C. P. Hia

Father in heaven, thank You for the light of Jesus that came into the world and for the light He has brought into my life. Help me to remain grateful and to be Your light in the dark world around me.

Shine the Light!  

ODJ: Hidden Costs

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August 15, 2016 

READ: Genesis 3:1-7  

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman (v.4).

A security agency set up an open Wi-Fi network in a public area in London. When people connected to the network, they were presented with the usual lengthy terms and conditions. But there was a hidden, devilish catch—a clause stating that users of the Wi-Fi were “giving permanent ownership of the user’s firstborn child” to the agency. Six people clicked right through the clause and accepted the terms.

In Genesis 3, Eve clicked right through Satan’s terms—not seeing the hidden costs of her actions. The serpent (Satan in snake form) was shrewd—he knew how to trap her by using temptation. Satan used his diabolical shrewdness to take advantage of Eve’s innocence and integrity. He said, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (v.1). In those words were the hidden costs of over emphasising the strictness of God’s instructions and questioning His goodness.

Eve downgraded the good things God provided, adding to what He had said, and weakened what would happen if she and Adam were disobedient (vv.2-3). After Satan heard this, he blatantly denied the penalty: “You won’t die!” (v.4). This was the ultimate hidden cost. Satan lied. The result of their disobedience would be the hidden cost of their lost relationship with God.

The decision Adam and Eve made is the same wrong choice we would have made, and we’re still experiencing the consequences. But Jesus came and willingly paid the ultimate price for all the hidden costs of our disobedience. Though death came through that first sin, God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness is greater (Ephesians 2:4-5). He replaces the hidden costs of sin with salvation and hope for eternity! (John 3:16).

—Marvin Williams

365-day plan: Luke 15:11-12

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Read Genesis 3:8-19 and list some of the costs of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. 
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Think of a time when you’ve fallen prey to Satan’s hidden costs. How were you deceived? What are some ways you can avoid falling prey to Satan’s hidden costs this week? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)