Entries by YMI

ODJ: Memorials

May 31, 2016 in , /by

May 31, 2016 

READ: Joshua 3:14-16 

Your children will ask, “What do these stones mean?” Then you can tell them (4:21-22).

Early in our marriage, my wife, Kristen, and I hiked a mountain trail. The day was full of colour, with a hot, yellow sun overhead, lush evergreens on each side and copper-coloured soil beneath our feet. We came upon a tree on which numerous hikers had carved their initials. Filled with the joy of our new life together and the beauty of the natural world, we felt like leaving a memorial too. Using the teeth of my car key, I scratched “A + K” into the bark.

Memorials are used in the Bible as a way to thank and worship God. One such memorial was built in Joshua 4:19-22. God had miraculously held back the Jordan River from flowing so the Israelites could enter the land He had promised them (3:14-16). It must have been an amazing and powerful experience to see the water “stand up like a wall” (v.13). It demonstrated God’s love and provision for the Israelites, while reminding them of His faithful protection when they had fled Egypt (Exodus 14:15-31).

Each one of us has unique stories of God’s goodness and provision in our lives. You may have a miraculous account like that of the Israelites. Or you may be struck by God’s goodness in everyday activities—working, playing or even while you’re out hiking. Regardless, take the time to memorialise God’s blessings. Write them down, tell your loved ones or carve your name in a tree trunk if you need to. It doesn’t need to be formal. It just needs to be recorded so that you’ll remember.

Joshua 4:24 tells us that God wanted a memorial to be built “so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever“. The memorial God helps you build can do the same thing.

—Andy Rogers

365-day plan: Daniel 3:1-10

MORE
Consider the urgency to remember God as it’s expressed in Ecclesiastes 12:5-7 
NEXT
How could you memorialise something God has done for you this week? What could you create that would help you and others remember God’s power and goodness? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Knowing and Doing

May 31, 2016 in , /by

May 31, 2016 

READ: Mark 10:17-27 

With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God. Mark 10:27

 

Chinese philosopher Han Feizi made this observation about life: “Knowing the facts is easy. Knowing how to act based on the facts is difficult.”

A rich man with that problem once came to Jesus. He knew the law of Moses and believed he had kept the commandments since his youth (Mark 10:20). But he seems to be wondering what additional facts he might hear from Jesus. “ ‘Good teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ” (v. 17).

Jesus’ answer disappointed the rich man. He told him to sell his possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Him (v. 21). With these few words Jesus exposed a fact the man didn’t want to hear. He loved and relied on his wealth more than he trusted Jesus. Abandoning the security of his money to follow Jesus was too great a risk, and he went away sad (v. 22).

What was the Teacher thinking? His own disciples were alarmed and asked, “Who then can be saved?” He replied, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God” (v. 27). It takes courage and faith. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).

— Poh Fang Chia

God, thank You for the good news of Jesus. Give us the courage to act on what we know to be true, and to accept the salvation offered through Jesus. Thank You that You will give us the strength to act on the facts.

Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. Acts 16:31  

ODJ: Sound Sensitive

May 30, 2016 in , /by

May 30, 2016 

READ: 1 Samuel 1:27–3:21  

The Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening” (3:10).

Being overly sensitive to sound is a sign of creative genius. Research suggests that those who are extremely sensitive to sound might find it easier to think creatively because they’re able to focus on a wide range of things simultaneously. Now, I’m not a creative genius, but I am very sensitive to sound—particularly the sound of our children calling out in the night!

After struggling to become pregnant, Hannah was blessed with a son and kept her promise to give Samuel back to God, where he served in the temple under the supervision of Eli the priest for the rest of his life (1 Samuel 1:27-28, 2:11, 3:1). Over the years, the young boy became sensitive to the sound of his adoptive father Eli. But in Israel at the time, messages and visions from the Lord were uncommon, and so Samuel didn’t initially recognise the voice of God when He called out to him one night. After he ran to Eli for the third time when he heard his name called, the priest realised that God was calling Samuel.

The next time he heard his name, Samuel responded: “Speak, your servant is listening” (v.10). This is where Samuel’s journey of listening and responding to God began. “The Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. . . . The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and He gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle” (3:19,21).

Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Just as Samuel became sensitive to the voice of God and responded to it, we encounter His wisdom in Scripture and through the counsel of the Holy Spirit. May we take another step in our journey of listening and responding to Him today!

—Ruth O’Reilly-Smith

365-day plan: Daniel 2:25-49

MORE
Read Psalm 46:10 for more on how being still and listening allows us to really know God. 
NEXT
Whose voice are you sensitive to? Whose call do you respond to? Why? Just as with Samuel, may we know the presence of God thoughout the day. 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Praise from Pure Hearts

May 30, 2016 in , /by

May 30, 2016 

READ: Psalm 51:7-17 

A broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Psalm 51:17

 

During my friend Myrna’s travels to another country, she visited a church for worship. She noticed that as people entered the sanctuary they immediately knelt and prayed, facing away from the front of the church. My friend learned that people in that church confessed their sin to God before they began the worship service.

This act of humility is a picture to me of what David said in Psalm 51: “My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (v. 17). David was describing his own remorse and repentance for his sin of adultery with Bathsheba. Real sorrow for sin involves adopting God’s view of what we’ve done—seeing it as clearly wrong, disliking it, and not wanting it to continue.

When we are truly broken over our sin, God lovingly puts us back together. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). This forgiveness produces a fresh sense of openness with Him and is the ideal starting point for praise. After David repented, confessed, and was forgiven by God, he responded by saying, “Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise” (Ps. 51:15).

Humility is the right response to God’s holiness. And praise is our heart’s response to His forgiveness.

— Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Dear God, help me never to excuse or minimize my sin. Please meet me in my brokenness, and let nothing hold me back from praising Your name.

Praise is the song of a soul set free.  

ODJ: Rich in Good Works

May 29, 2016 in , /by

May 29, 2016 

READ: 1 Timothy 6:17-19  

Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others (v.18).

An audition for a singing competition on TV captured my attention. Strumming on a guitar he’d learned to play just a year earlier, a young man named Anderson wowed the judges when he performed his original song, “My Best Friend”.

As gifted as this young man is—it was his story that inspired me most. Anderson is a young African-American man who had been living on the streets. That changed when an older and affluent white man, Norm, came into his life through an organisation that reaches out to homeless youths.

Norm saw a passion and talent in the young man that he couldn’t quite see in himself. The older man gave young Anderson an acoustic guitar and he taught himself to play almost immediately. He soon took to the streets and subways where he blossomed as a singer. “It’s because of the guitar,” Anderson said during the audition, “that I’m here today.”

What Norm did for Anderson reminds me of something an older mentor (Paul) once encouraged his young apprentice (Timothy) to stress to those who have more than others: “Be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others” (1 Timothy 6:18).

What Norm did for Anderson reminds me of something an older mentor (Paul) once encouraged his young apprentice (Timothy) to stress to those who have more than others: “Be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others” (1 Timothy 6:18).

We live in an age where our love tends to grow cold towards those who are different and less fortunate than we are. Instead, may we “experience true life” (v.19) by being open and ready to put Paul’s words into practice wherever the Spirit leads. May we “trust” in God and pour out His goodness on others! (v.17).

—Jeff Olson

365-day plan: Daniel 2:1-24

MORE
Check out Matthew 6:1-4 and think about the spirit in which we should do good works. 
NEXT
Look around and pray for eyes to see where you can be “rich” to those who are less fortunate. How can you encourage other believers in Jesus to “be rich in good works”? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Can’t Die But Once

May 29, 2016 in , /by

May 29, 2016 

READ: Matthew 10:26–32 

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Matthew 10:28

 

Born into slavery and badly treated as a young girl, Harriet Tubman (c. 1822–1913) found a shining ray of hope in the Bible stories her mother told. The account of Israel’s escape from slavery under Pharaoh showed her a God who desired freedom for His people.

Harriet found freedom when she slipped over the Maryland state line and out of slavery. She couldn’t remain content, however, knowing so many were still trapped in captivity. So she led more than a dozen rescue missions to free those still in slavery, dismissing the personal danger. “I can’t die but once,” she said.

Harriet knew the truth of the statement: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matt. 10:28). Jesus spoke those words as He sent His disciples on their first mission. He knew they would face danger, and not everyone would receive them warmly. So why expose the disciples to the risk? The answer is found in the previous chapter. “When he saw the crowds, [Jesus] had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (9:36).

When Harriet Tubman couldn’t forget those still trapped in slavery, she showed us a picture of Christ, who did not forget us when we were trapped in our sins. Her courageous example inspires us to remember those who remain without hope in the world.

— Tim Gustafson

May we find our peace and purpose in You, Lord, and share You with others.

True freedom is found in knowing and serving Christ.