Entries by YMI

ODB: You Have Purpose

Jun 4, 2016 in , /by

June 4, 2016 

READ: 1 Peter 4:7–11 

If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4:11

 

On a hot day in western Texas, my niece Vania saw a woman standing by a stoplight and holding up a sign. As she drove closer, she tried to read what the sign said, assuming it was a request for food or money. Instead, she was surprised to see these three words:

                                         “You Have Purpose”

God has created each of us for a specific purpose. Primarily that purpose is to bring honor to Him, and one way we do that is by meeting the needs of others (1 Peter 4:10–11).

A mother of young children may find purpose in wiping runny noses and telling her kids about Jesus. An employee in an unsatisfying job might find his purpose in doing his work conscientiously, remembering it is the Lord he is serving (Col. 3:23–24). A woman who has lost her sight still finds purpose in praying for her children and grandchildren and influencing them to trust God.

Psalm 139 says that before we were born “all the days ordained for [us] were written in [His] book” (v. 16). We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” to bring glory to our Creator (v. 14).

Never forget: You have purpose!

— Cindy Hess Kasper

Lord, it often seems that our lives swing from drudgery to challenges we don’t want. Today help us to see You in the midst of whatever faces us. Show us a small glimpse of the purpose and meaning You bring to everything.

Even when everything seems meaningless, God still has a purpose for your life.  

ODJ: Ox in the Street

Jun 3, 2016 in , /by

June 3, 2016 

READ: Deuteronomy 22:1-4  

It is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it (James 4:17).

Picnics are usually a lot of fun, unless you realise—minutes before you leave—that you’re supposed to bring a dish to share! When this happened to me, I quickly put some meat in a pot, cranked up the heat and left the kitchen to finish other preparations. Several minutes later I smelled something burning. I ran to the kitchen, but of course it was too late to salvage the burnt offering.

Though I hadn’t actually done anything wrong, it was what I didn’t do that caused the problem. This principle relates to a Bible verse: “It is a sin to know what [we] ought to do and then not do it” (James 4:17).

In the Old Testament, Moses said if a person noticed his neighbour’s ox “wandering” around, he should capture the animal and deliver it to its owner (Deuteronomy 22:1). And if the ox fell down in the road, the person who noticed should help get the beast back on its feet (v.4).

In the New Testament, Jesus told the story of a Samaritan who stopped to help a man who had been robbed and beaten. Over the centuries, the kind man came to be known as the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). What made him good in Jesus’ eyes? He didn’t sin by failing to do the right thing. Referring to the Good Samaritan’s deed, Jesus encouraged His disciples, “now go and do the same” (v.37).

Today, we might be tempted to speed around the ‘ox’ in the street or the ‘beaten victim’ with a honk and a cheery wave to avoid being late for football practice. But what would God have us do? I believe He would want us to slow down, step out of our comfy confines and consider the needs of others. May we reflect God’s compassionate heart as He guides us today!

—Jennifer Benson Schuldt

365-day plan: Jonah 1:1-20

MORE
Read Philippians 2:4 and consider the importance of being concerned about the needs and interests of others. 
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Does awareness of a need automatically translate into responsibility to meet that need? Why or why not? How does God’s compassionate heart affect you as you consider the needs of others? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Strength for the Weary

Jun 3, 2016 in , /by

June 3, 2016 

READ: Isaiah 40:27–31 

Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  Isaiah 40:31

 

On a beautiful, sunny day, I was walking in a park and feeling very weary in spirit. It wasn’t just one thing weighing me down—it seemed to be everything. When I stopped to sit on a bench, I noticed a small plaque placed there in loving memory of a “devoted husband, father, brother, and friend.” Also on the plaque were these words, “But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isa. 40:31 esv).

Those familiar words came to me as a personal touch from the Lord. Weariness—whether physical, emotional, or spiritual—comes to us all. Isaiah reminds us that although we become tired, the Lord, the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth “will not grow tired or weary” (v. 28). How easily I had forgotten that in every situation “[the Lord] gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak” (v. 29).

What’s it like on your journey today? If fatigue has caused you to forget God’s presence and power, why not pause and recall His promise. “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength” (v. 31). Here. Now. Right where we are.

— David McCasland

Lord, thank You that You do not grow weary. Give me the strength to face whatever situation I am in today.

 

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ODJ: The Unhappy Sin

Jun 2, 2016 in , /by

June 2, 2016 

READ: 1 Samuel 18:1-16 

So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David (v.9).

Essayist Joseph Epstein writes, “Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all”. He goes on to say that envy makes us look “ungenerous, mean and small-hearted”. There’s plenty of research to back up Epstein’s statement. In fact, psychologists have found that envy decreases life satisfaction and diminishes wellbeing. It’s correlated with depression and neuroticism, and the hostility envy breeds, may actually make us physically sick.

Saul fell into the trap of social comparison, and it definitely decreased his happiness. After David had been anointed king by Samuel and had been doing things “successfully”, Saul took him in and set him over his men of war (1 Samuel 18:5). Saul desired that David be victorious, but he was not happy when women came out of “all the towns of Israel” to sing David’s praise as a victor (v.6). They sang a song that intimated that Saul was a pretty good fighter, but David—the new commander on the block—was ten times better!

Hearing all the praise heaped on David, Saul was displeased and became angry (v.8). He simply couldn’t handle the greater success his right-hand man was enjoying. As a result, from that day forward Saul treated David with suspicion.

Just as being envious was inconsistent with what it meant to be God’s king, it’s also inconsistent with the gospel (James 3:14-15). Envy hinders growth in grace, is hurtful to those who envy and is a root of all kinds of disorder. Let’s deal swiftly with it by recognising that God is both sovereign and gracious, by responding to His grace with gratitude, and by celebrating the good things He’s doing in and through us and others.

—Marvin Williams

365-day plan: Daniel 6:1-28

MORE
Read 1 Corinthians 13:4 to see what it means to live out of love and not out of envy. 
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Are you jealous or envious of anyone in your life? How is being envious of someone else robbing you of joy? What can you thank God for today? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Lord, Help!

Jun 2, 2016 in , /by

June 2, 2016 

READ: Hebrews 4:14–16 

Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16

 

I was so happy for my friend when she told me she was going to be a mum! Together we counted the days until the birth. But when the baby suffered a brain injury during delivery, my heart broke and I didn’t know how to pray. All I knew was who I should pray to—God. He is our Father, and He hears us when we call.

I knew that God was capable of miracles. He brought Jairus’s daughter back to life (Luke 8:49-55) and in so doing also healed the girl of whatever disease had robbed her of life. So I asked Him to bring healing for my friend’s baby too.

But what if God doesn’t heal? I wondered. Surely He doesn’t lack the power. Could it be He doesn’t care? I thought of Jesus’s suffering on the cross and the explanation that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Then I remembered the questions of Job and how he learned to see the wisdom of God as shown in the creation around him (Job 38–39).

Slowly I saw how God calls us to Him in the details of our lives. In God’s grace, my friend and I learned together what it means to call on the Lord and to trust Him—whatever the outcome. 

— Poh Fang Chia

Lord, to whom can I go but You! I trust You with my life and the lives of my loved ones. I’m grateful You always hear my cry.

When life knocks you down, you’re in the perfect position to pray!  

ODJ: Coram Deo

Jun 1, 2016 in , /by

June 1, 2016 

READ: Matthew 6:1-24 

Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you (v.6).

Coram Deo. Christians in the 16th century used this simple Latin phrase to capture a profound idea. Coram Deo means “before the face of God”. It says we live before the One who sees all that we are and do. And it says we should act accordingly. Living before the face of God means we walk with integrity under His loving eyes. It means His smile is all that really matters to us.

Jesus came into the world to open our eyes, and this theme of ‘seeing’ runs through much of His teaching (Luke 4:18). In the Sermon on the Mount, He shows us that idols dull our sight (Matthew 6:19-22), that “logs” in our eyes blur our vision (7:5) and that He opens our eyes to see the unseen God at work in the world around us (6:26-30).

Jesus also opens our eyes to the Coram Deo life. Three times in His sermon He mentions that our Father “sees everything”—our giving to the poor (vv.3-4), our praying (v.6) and our fasting (vv.17-18). And He knows our motives for doing all three. If we announce our generosity with “trumpets” (v.2), turn our prayers into a performance (v.5) and proclaim the reason why our tummies growl (v.16), our spirituality is not done before the face of God nor for the benefit of others—it is done for ourselves. In the Coram Deo life we seek the approval of God, not the applause of others.

“Most of us, whether we are aware of it or not,” writes author Os Guinness, “do things with an eye to the approval of some audience or other.” That audience may be our friends, bosses, colleagues, partners, teachers or followers on social media. But in the Coram Deo life only one audience matters—the audience of the God who loves us.

—Sheridan Voysey

365-day plan: Daniel 5:1-30

MORE
Consider the words of Numbers 6:25 and the blessing God brings as He smiles on us. 
NEXT
When are you most tempted to seek the applause of others for the things you do? How will you focus on the face of God today? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Not a Simple Story

Jun 1, 2016 in , /by

June 1, 2016 

READ: 2 Chronicles 16:7–14 

The eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9

 

Life seems straightforward in the laws of the Old Testament. Obey God and get blessed. Disobey Him and expect trouble. It’s a satisfying theology. But is it that simple?

King Asa’s story seems to fit the pattern. He led his people away from false gods and his kingdom thrived (2 Chron. 15:1–19). Then late in his reign, he depended on himself instead of God (16:2–7) and the rest of his life was marked by war and illness (v. 12).

It’s easy to look at that story and draw a simple conclusion. But when the prophet Hanani warned Asa, he said that God will “strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (16:9). Why do our hearts need strengthening? Because doing the right thing may require courage and perseverance.

Job got the starring role in a cosmic tragedy. His crime? “He [was] blameless and upright” (Job 1:8). Joseph, falsely accused of attempted rape, languished in prison for years—to serve God’s good purposes (Gen. 39:19–41:1). And Jeremiah was beaten and put in stocks (Jer. 20:2). What was the prophet’s offense? Telling the truth to rebellious people (26:15).

Life is not simple, and God’s ways are not our ways. Making the right decision may come at a cost. But in God’s eternal plan, His blessings arrive in due time. 

— Tim Gustafson

Lord, thank You for the examples of courage and obedience in Your Word. Help us learn from their mistakes and from their wise choices, as we make our choice to serve You.

God helps those who depend on Him.