Entries by YMI

ODJ: Voicing Lament

Jul 3, 2016 in , /by

July 3, 2016 

READ: Psalm 13:1-6  

O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way? (v.1).

Most of us know someone who finds life particularly hard. Maybe they live with chronic pain, have faced the loss of a child or have faced multiple adversities. Perhaps you’ve been in this place too. If so, you’ll know that dealing with these challenges can be spiritually depressing. We want God to intervene, but He hasn’t. And that can leave us feeling sad, lonely and angry.

Surprisingly, these very feelings are found in Scripture. Almost half the book of Psalms is made up of what are called “psalms of lament”—cries of protest, doubt and complaint. “How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing?” David cries out while under attack (Psalm 35:17). “All night long I prayed,” Asaph says, “but my soul was not comforted” (77:2). “Remember how short my life is,” cries Ethan, “how empty and futile this human existence!” (89:47). As the Spirit inspired these writers, He felt no compulsion to leave out their raw emotions—even when they were directed at God.

Lament is about being honest with Him. At times we may feel He has let us down. Like the psalmists, we can voice our laments.

This can make us feel uncomfortable. Aren’t we supposed to be respectful to God and simply trust Him? Yes. But we can still be honest about our pain. Psalm 13 is a helpful guide here. David begins in despair, saying, “O Lord, how long will you forget me!” (v.1). But he ends with hope, saying, “I trust in your unfailing love” (v.5). In between, he expresses anguish, sorrow and frustration (vv.2-4).

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Jesus cried out, uttering a psalm of lament on the cross (22:1; Matthew 27:46). We too can bring our laments to our loving, listening God.

—Sheridan Voysey

365-day plan: Matthew 7:1-12

MORE
Read Psalm 90:13-14 and consider what Moses was seeking from God. 
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How comfortable are you in being completely honest with God? How can voicing our lament lead to hope in Him? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Waiting on God

Jul 3, 2016 in , /by

July 3, 2016 

READ: 2 Peter 3:8–15 

[The Lord] is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

 

I was sitting with a group of passengers on an airport shuttle heading to our connecting flight when the bus driver was told to “hold in place.” It looked like we would miss our flight, and this was more than one passenger could handle. He exploded at the driver, insisting he ignore his orders or “risk the wrath of a lawsuit.” Just then an airline employee came dashing up carrying a briefcase. Looking at the angry man, the airline employee triumphantly held up the briefcase. When he had caught his breath, he said, “You left your briefcase. I heard you mention how important your meeting was, and I figured you would need this.”

Sometimes I find myself impatient with God, especially about His return. I wonder, What can He be waiting on? The tragedies around us, the suffering of people we love, and even the stresses of daily life all seem bigger than the fixes on the horizon.

Then someone tells their story of having just met Jesus, or I discover God is still at work in the messes. It reminds me of what I learned that day on the shuttle. There are stories and details God knows that I don’t. It reminds me to trust Him and to remember that the story isn’t about me. It’s about God’s plan to give time to others who don’t yet know His Son (2 Peter 3:9).

— Randy Kilgore

I’m thankful You are patiently waiting for more people to trust in You before You return. Help me to be patient too.

Wait and witness till Jesus returns.  

ODJ: Awareness & Forgiveness

Jul 2, 2016 in , /by

July 2, 2016 

READ: Luke 7:36-50  

Her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love (v.47).

In 1947, Major and Mrs. Ian Thomas opened Capernwray Hall in England to their first Bible school students. What makes this event extraordinary was the fact that the first students were German. Only 2 years earlier, not only had England and Germany been at war, but Major Thomas had fought in the conflict! His ability to forget the past but also to offer the hand of friendship and the love of Jesus to citizens of a former enemy nation is a beautiful example.

In Luke 7, Jesus also provides a beautiful example of what it means to forgive the ‘worst’ of people (in the world’s eyes at least). He reveals the importance of knowing that each one of us is lost in our fallen spiritual state, if we’ll only realise it.

The “immoral woman” showed pain and penitence as she anointed Jesus (vv.37-38). Due to her own feelings of unworthiness, she would not even face the Lord, but knelt behind Him. Then, in humility, she kissed His feet and placed “perfume on them”. Furthermore, the perfume she poured out was very expensive, but her tears revealed that she didn’t think the price was high enough for such a sinner as herself. She prostrated herself at Jesus’ feet, hoping for but not expecting forgiveness.

In contrast, the religious leader elevated himself not only above the woman but also above Jesus, assuming that he could see what Jesus couldn’t (v.39). He was blind to his dead spiritual state and therefore couldn’t repent of his condition. His pride made him completely unaware.

Major Thomas could extend forgiveness and love to others because he knew what Jesus had done for him. The fuel for forgiving others springs from our awareness of how much we’ve been forgiven by God.

—Russell Fralick

365-day plan: Matthew 6:19-34

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Read Matthew 18:21-35 and consider what it means to forgive as Jesus has instructed. 
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How has the grace of God changed your view of those dealing with sin? What does it mean to forgive someone as God has forgiven you? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Come Sit a Spell

Jul 2, 2016 in , /by

July 2, 2016 

READ: Luke 19:1–9 

Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today. Luke 19:5

 

When I was a kid, our family made a monthly excursion from Ohio to West Virginia to visit my maternal grandparents. Every time we arrived at the door of their farmhouse, Grandma Lester would greet us with the words, “Come on in and sit a spell.” It was her way of telling us to make ourselves comfortable, stay a while, and share in some “catching-up” conversation.

Life can get pretty busy. In our action-oriented world, it’s hard to get to know people. It’s tough to find time to ask someone to “sit a spell” with us. We can get more done if we text each other and get right to the point. 

But look at what Jesus did when He wanted to make a difference in the life of a tax collector. He went to Zacchaeus’s house to “sit a spell.” His words, “I must stay at your house” indicate that this was no quick stopover (Luke 19:5). Jesus spent time with him, and Zacchaeus’s life was turned around because of this time with Jesus.

On the front porch of my grandmother’s house were several chairs—a warm invitation to all visitors to relax and talk. If we’re going to get to know someone and to make a difference in their life—as Jesus did for Zacchaeus—we need to invite them to “come sit a spell.”

— Dave Branon

Dear Lord, as I look around at those who share this life with me, help me to make time to spend with them—for encouragement, challenge, and perhaps just plain conversation.

The best gift you can give to others may be your time.  

ODJ: Encouragement Exchange

Jul 1, 2016 in , /by

July 1, 2016 

READ: Acts 16:16-40 

[Paul and Silas] met with the believers and encouraged them once more (v.40).

One Sunday morning, my friend Sally announced some upcoming women’s events to our congregation. Sitting in the back, I made sure she could see my smiling face. Later she exclaimed, “You smiled at me the whole time!” I admitted that the ‘encouraging smile’ idea had come from someone else—my friend Suzy. Several months before, Suzy had beamed at me during a short presentation I made to the church family.

The apostle Paul provided just what the early church needed with his encouraging words and actions. In the city of Philippi, Paul and Silas had been unfairly beaten and imprisoned. When officials finally released them, they went to find the believers in Jesus in the area and “encouraged them once more” (Acts 16:40). These believers needed reassurance because they were new to the faith and had seen their city erupt in religious controversy (vv.20-22). Without Paul’s spiritual pep talk, they could have been overcome by doubt and confusion.

Time passed. In prison again, Paul wrote a letter to his Philippian friends, thanking them for the way they had encouraged him. He said, “You Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News . ...You sent help more than once. ...[Now] I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me” (Philippians 4:15-18).

Paul was uplifted not only by the gifts he received, but also by simply hanging out with other believers (Acts 28:15) and hearing their stories of progress and perseverance (1 Thessalonians 3:7). So “let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love...[and] encourage one another, especially now that the day of [Jesus’] return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

—Jennifer Benson Schuldt

365-day plan: Matthew 6:1-18

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Read the following verses and think of some ways you can encourage other believers: Acts 23:11, Ephesians 4:29 and 2 Timothy 1:16. 
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How could you give encouragement to someone today? Where do you go for encouragement? Why? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Out in the Cold

Jul 1, 2016 in , /by

July 1, 2016 

READ: Job 11:7–20 

To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his. Job 12:13

 

In desperation, a woman called the housing assistance center where I worked. A heating problem had turned her rental home into a freezer with furniture. Panicked, she asked me how she would care for her children. I hurriedly replied with the scripted official response: “Just move into a hotel and send the landlord the bill.” She angrily hung up on me. 

I knew the textbook answer to her question, but I had completely missed her heart. She wanted someone to understand her fear and desperation. She needed to know she wasn’t alone. In essence, I had left her out in the cold.

After Job had lost everything, he had friends with answers but little understanding. Zophar told him all he needed to do was live wholeheartedly for God. Then “life will be brighter than noonday,” he said (11:17). That counsel wasn’t well received, and Job responded with scathing sarcasm: “Wisdom will die with you!” (12:2). He knew the dissatisfying taste of textbook answers to real-world problems.

It’s easy to be critical of Job’s friends for their failure to see the big picture. But how often are we too quick with answers to questions we don’t truly understand? People do want answers. But more than that, they want to know we hear and understand. They want to know we care.

— Tim Gustafson

Father, help us to be a friend first before we offer advice to others. Thank You for the privilege of sharing our hearts with You in prayer. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit so that we will never be alone.

Before people want to hear what you say, they want to know that you care.  

ODJ: Raise the Temperature

Jun 30, 2016 in , /by

June 30, 2016 

READ: Daniel 1:1-21  

Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods (v.8).

When I meet people who have lived overseas, I ask what they noticed about our culture upon their return to our country. Some appreciate our culture’s energy and ‘can do’ spirit, while others lament our individuality and lack of social interaction. Every culture has strengths and weaknesses, but we can help shape the culture that shapes us.

When Daniel and his friends were carted off to Babylon, they could have gone along with whatever their leaders imposed (Daniel 1:3). They could have become thermometers that reflected the temperature of their culture. Instead, they chose to become thermostats that raised the temperature. Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the king’s food, and his three friends declared they wouldn’t bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar’s idol (3:16-18). Their faithful witness had a profound effect on the king, among others.

Are you a thermometer or a thermostat? Consider the values of the five people you spend the most time with, and you’ll probably see your own. We must carefully choose our friends, for “bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33).

And yet, the Spirit of God working in and through us can influence the temperature of our friends. When they invite us to watch something inappropriate, we can suggest a healthier alternative. When they talk disparagingly about someone or something, we can choose to speak positively. And when they pile up debt to finance their latest impulse, we can encourage them to save and find ways to hang out that don’t cost money.

We’re called to be thermostats, not thermometers. God graciously gives us His love and wisdom. By His power, may we raise the spiritual temperature around us.

—Mike Wittmer

365-day plan: Matthew 5:31-48

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Read 2 Timothy 3:1-17 to learn how to raise rather than reflect the spiritual temperature of your culture. 
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How have you influenced your family and friends for good? How have you allowed them to drag you down? How has God equipped you to turn up the spiritual temperature around you? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Called by Name

Jun 30, 2016 in , /by

June 30, 2016 

READ: John 10:1–11 

He calls his own sheep by name. John 10:3

 

When I first meet a new group of students in the college composition class I teach, I already know their names. I take the time to familiarize myself with their names and photos on my student roster, so when they walk into my classroom I can say, “Hello, Jessica,” or “Welcome, Trevor.” I do this because I know how meaningful it is when someone knows and calls us by name.

Yet to truly know someone, we need to know more than that person’s name. In John 10, we can sense the warmth and care Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has for us when we read that He “calls his own sheep by name” (v. 3). He knows even more than our name. He knows our thoughts, longings, fears, wrongs, and deepest needs. Because He knows our deepest needs, He has given us our very life—our eternal life—at the cost of His own. As He says in verse 11, He “lays down his life for the sheep.”

You see, our sin separated us from God. So Jesus, the Good Shepherd, became the Lamb and sacrificed Himself, taking our sin on Himself. When He gave His life for us and then was resurrected, He redeemed us. As a result, when we accept His gift of salvation through faith, we are no longer separated from God.

Give thanks to Jesus! He knows your name and your needs! 

— Dave Branon

Dear Lord, thank You for knowing my name and for knowing exactly what I need. Thank You for dying for my sin and for rising from the grave to defeat death and give me eternal life with You.

God’s knowledge of us knows no bounds.