Entries by YMI

ODJ: An Example to Follow

March 10, 2016 

READ: 2 Chronicles 31:2-21 

The people of Israel . . . responded generously by bringing the first share . . . of all they produced (v.5).

In the spring of 2015, the president of a large Chinese conglomerate gave more than 6,000 employees an all-expenses-paid trip to France. The group’s itinerary included a private tour of the Louvre museum and a shopping session at a luxury department store. The gift was in celebration of the company’s 20th year of operation. And what a gift it was—4,760 rooms booked in 79 hotels, along with 146 tour buses rented! It’s safe to say that the president of the conglomerate gave his employees an amazing gift and a wonderful example of generosity to follow.

Hezekiah, one of the good kings of Judah, provided a stellar example for God’s people. As he initiated muchneeded religious reforms for the Israelites, he led the way with their worship of God and giving thanks to Him (2 Chronicles 31:2). And although he required the people “to bring a portion of their goods to the priests and Levites” (v.4), he also generously “made a personal contribution of animals for the . . . offerings” (v.3).

It’s one thing simply to state what you feel is right and good to do; it’s quite another to sacrifice and actually live it out. Hezekiah lived it, breathed it, and did it! His life work “was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God” (v.20). He wholeheartedly chose to “follow God’s laws and commands” (v.21)—paving the way for the Israelites to follow his example.

You and I are living examples to those around us each day. What are they receiving through our words and deeds? How are they seeing Jesus and His ways in our actions? The Lord told us to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously” (Matthew 6:33). Want to know how to do that? Follow Jesus! He’s our perfect example.

—Tom Felten

365-day-plan: Judges 13:1-25

MORE
Read Philippians 4:8-9 and consider what Paul said about the outcome of following his example. 
NEXT
Who has been a godly example for you to follow? What about their life reflects thewords and actions of Christ? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Strangers and Foreigners

March 10, 2016 

READ: Hebrews 11:8-16 

He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:10

 

I parked my bicycle, fingering my map of Cambridge for reassurance. Directions not being my strength, I knew I could easily get lost in this maze of roads bursting with historic buildings.

Life should have felt idyllic, for I had just married my Englishman and moved to the UK. But I felt adrift. When I kept my mouth closed I blended in, but when I spoke I immediately felt branded as an American tourist. I didn’t yet know what my role was, and I quickly realized that blending two stubborn people into one shared life was harder than I had anticipated.

I related to Abraham, who left all that he knew as he obeyed the Lord’s call to live as a foreigner and stranger in a new land (Gen. 12:1). He pressed through the cultural challenges while keeping faith in God, and 2,000 years later the writer to the Hebrews named him a hero (11:9). Like the other men and women listed in this chapter, Abraham lived by faith, longing for things promised, hoping and waiting for his heavenly home.

Perhaps you’ve always lived in the same town, but as Christ-followers we’re all foreigners and strangers on this earth. By faith we press forward, knowing that God will lead and guide us, and by faith we believe He will never leave nor abandon us. By faith we long for home.

— Amy Boucher Pye

Father God, I want to live by faith, believing Your promises and knowing that You welcome me into Your kingdom. Enlarge my faith, I pray.

God calls us to live by faith, believing that He will fulfill His promises.  

ODJ: The Greatest Love Story

March 9, 2016 

READ: Song of Songs 2:4-16 

My lover is mine, and I am his (v.16).

In 2013, John and Ann Betar became the oldest known American married couple as they celebrated their 81st wedding anniversary. Their advice on staying happily married includes the following: “Don’t hold a grudge. Forgive each other. Live accordingly,” John advises. And Ann adds, “It is unconditional love and understanding. We have had that. We consider it a blessing.”

The longing in any marriage is in knowing that the affection of your spouse is directed solely toward you. The Song of Songs captures this active commitment with two lovers delighting in and yearning for each other (1:15-16, 3:1-3). They love and are loved in return (2:16, 7:10) and are satisfied and content in each other’s company (2:16, 4:9-11, 7:10). Surely this can be one of life’s greatest joys.

The earthly love between husband and wife, however, is an echo of the passionate love and fervent pursuit of Jesus for those who believe in Him—His bride. The powerful and deceptive lure of sin forced a chasm between God and man, turning our affections away from our first love and focusing our attention on the temporary things of this world—resulting in emptiness, death, and destruction (Isaiah 59:2; Romans 3:23).

But herein lies the greatest love story: “This is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). And, “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).

While it’s beautiful to see the love a man and woman can share for decades, it pales compared to the amazing love God extends to us for eternity. That’s the greatest love story!

—Ruth O’Reilly-smiTh

365-day-plan: Judges 7:1-25

MORE
Read Romans 5:1-2 and consider how the broken relationship between God and us has been restored through Jesus. 
NEXT
What marks a truly loving and beautifulmarriage? How is God’s love for us even more beautiful? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Please Come In

March 9, 2016 

READ: Hebrews 10:19-25 

Let us draw near to God . . . with the full assurance that faith brings.

Hebrews 10:22

 

Jenny’s house is situated on a little country lane, which is often used in rush hour by drivers who want to avoid the nearby main road and traffic lights. A few weeks ago workmen arrived to repair the badly damaged road surface, bringing with them large barriers and “No Entry” signs. “I was really worried at first,” said Jenny, “thinking that I would be unable to get my car out until the road work was finished. But then I went to look at the signs more closely and realized that they said ‘No Entry: Access for Residents Only.’ No detours or barriers for me. I had the right to go in and out whenever I liked because I lived there. I felt very special!”

In the Old Testament, access to God in the tabernacle and the temple was strictly limited. Only the high priest could go in through the curtain and offer sacrifices in the Most Holy Place, and then only once a year (Lev. 16:2-20; Heb. 9:25-26). But at the very moment Jesus died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, showing that the barrier between man and God was destroyed forever (Mark 15:38).

Because of Christ’s sacrifice for our sins, all those who love and follow Him can come into His presence at any time. He has given us the right of access.

— Marion Stroud

Lord, thank You for paying such a price to enable me to have unrestricted entry into Your presence!

Access to God’s throne is always open.  

ODJ: Think It Through

March 8, 2016 

READ: Luke 14:25-33 

If you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple (v.27).

Several days after my wife had open-heart surgery, a friend asked me if there was anything I needed. I jokingly told him that it would be great if he could finish writing an Our Daily Journey devotional for me that was due later that day. My buddy, who happens to be a fellow ODJ author, enthusiastically offered to give me feedback on the piece I was working on—until he remembered that he didn’t actually have the time to do it! His swamped schedule simply had no margin.

My friend’s offer was kind and genuine, but he hadn’t thought through his availability to help me that day.

To think things through is an important part of life, especially when it comes to following Jesus. He told the following story to illustrate just how vital it is to think through the cost of following Him:

“Don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’ ” (Luke 14:28-30).

There’s nothing more worthy to live for than following Jesus in advancing His kingdom in the here and now. But Jesus also wants us to know that following Him isn’t always easy. It’s risky and sometimes quite costly to do kingdom work.

Do you want to follow Jesus? Think it through! We can’t truly follow Him unless we’re prepared to lose the things we hold most dear for the sake of His kingdom—including our lives (vv.26-27). To think of it, that’s something Jesus did for us!

—Jeff Olson

365-day-plan: Judges 6:1-40

MORE
Read Galatians 2:20 and consider how Paul’s words can help you prepare for sacrificial service for Jesus. 
NEXT
What kingdom work might God be calling you to get involved in that should require you to count the cost? How does Jesus’ example encourage you to move forward? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Abundant Supply

March 8, 2016 

READ: Psalm 36:5-12 

You give them drink from your river of delights.

Psalm 36:8

 

We have a hummingbird feeder in the garden, and we love to see the little birds come and drink from its sugary water. Recently, however, we went on a short trip and forgot to replenish its contents. When we came back, it was completely dry. Poor birds! I thought. Because of my forgetfulness, they haven’t had any nourishment. Then I was reminded that I am not the one who feeds them: God is.

Sometimes we may feel that all of the demands of life have depleted our strength and there is no one to replenish it. But others don’t feed our souls: God does.

In Psalm 36 we read about God’s lovingkindness. It describes those who put their trust in Him and are abundantly satisfied. God gives them water from His “river of delights” (v. 8). He is the fountain of life!

We can go to God every day for the supply of our needs. As Charles Spurgeon wrote, “The springs of my faith and all my graces; the springs of my life and all my pleasures; the springs of my activity and all its right doings; the springs of my hope, and all its heavenly anticipations, all lie in thee, my Lord.”

Let us be filled with His abundant supply. His fountain will never run dry.

— Keila Ochoa

Lord, I come to You with the confidence that You will fill me with what I need.

God's love is abundant.