Entries by YMI

ODJ: power in His name

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February 26, 2016 

READ: Acts 4:1-20 

God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (v.12).

After dropping my kids off at school, I drove onto a busy road and turned on some Christian music. Worrying my way through a long to-do list, I started to feel overwhelmed. Just then, I saw a sign in the back window of a car that read JESUS. At the same moment, the name Jesus was sung by someone on the radio. Hearing and seeing “Jesus” in the same instant snapped me out of my anxious state as I considered the power and hope found in His name (Matthew 28:20).

Peter and John healed a crippled man by the power of Jesus’ name (Acts 3:6). But when they explained the gospel to the awestruck onlookers, religious officials soon came and arrested them. The next day, the disciples were put on trial and asked, “By what power, or in whose name, have you [healed this man]?” (4:7). Guided by the Holy Spirit, Peter answered, “He was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead” (v.10).

Amazed at the disciples’ boldness, the religious officials demanded that Peter and John never speak or teach in Jesus’ name (v.18). Peter and John refused to obey but were finally released. They met with other believers and prayed: “O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, your servants, great boldness in preaching your word. Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus” (vv.29-30).

Jesus’ name is powerful—it means Savior. It’s the only “name under heaven by which we must be saved” (v.12). Through faith in His name, we can find help when we’re troubled, sick, oppressed, and harassed. By believing in Him, we “have life by the power of his name” (John 20:31).

—Jennifer Benson Schuldt

365-day-plan: Deuteronomy 34:1-12

MORE
Look up Matthew 1:18-21 to see how the naming of Jesus was a supernatural event. Read Philippians 2:9-11 for more on the significance of His name. 
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How important is it to pray in Jesus’ name? What could you do to share His name with someone today? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: How to Grow Old

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February 26, 2016 

READ: Isaiah 46:4-13 

I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Isaiah 46:4

 

“How are you today, Mama?” I asked casually. My 84-year-old friend, pointing to aches and pains in her joints, whispered, “Old age is tough!” Then she added earnestly, “But God has been good to me.”

“Growing old has been the greatest surprise of my life,” says Billy Graham in his book Nearing Home. “I am an old man now, and believe me, it’s not easy.” However, Graham notes, “While the Bible doesn’t gloss over the problems we face as we grow older, neither does it paint old age as a time to be despised or a burden to be endured with gritted teeth.” He then mentions some of the questions he has been forced to deal with as he has aged, such as, “How can we not only learn to cope with the fears and struggles and growing limitations we face but also actually grow stronger inwardly in the midst of these difficulties?”

In Isaiah 46 we have God’s assurance: “Even to your old age and gray hairs . . . I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (v. 4).

We don’t know how many years we will live on this earth or what we might face as we age. But one thing is certain: God will care for us throughout our life.

— Lawrence Darmani

Lord, please teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (See Psalm 90:12)

Don't be afraid to grow old; God goes with you!  

Malaysia: Being part of a community to make a difference

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Malaysia is going through a season of change and many of us in this generation yearn to be the change for our nation and want to make a difference. But not many of us Christians would acknowledge the need to get down on our knees to pray for our nation as a church. We’re too busy with our own lives. We want to be used by God in mighty ways but only in ways that are convenient for us.

ODJ: the line between

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February 25, 2016 

READ: Galatians 6:1-10 

Be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself (v.1).

Two government agents were assigned the case of “Dread Pirate Roberts.” This “pirate” was the anonymous operator of “the Silk Road,” a website that sold illegal drugs by using the virtual currency Bitcoin. The agents caught their man, but not before becoming criminals themselves. They allegedly sold the information about their investigation and blackmailed the “pirate,” transferring big bucks to their own bank accounts. Their story demonstrates how thin the line is between good and evil.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once wrote, “The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either, but right through every human heart.”

God knows this, and so He cautions us when seeking to restore a fellow believer in Jesus who’s wrestling with sin. We must “gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path” lest we “fall into the same temptation” (Galatians 6:1). If we harshly rebuke or scoff at them, we’re declaring that we could never be so foolish. Proverbs 16:18 warns, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” Paul adds, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Peter didn’t believe he could deny Jesus—just hours before he did. David couldn’t imagine committing adultery and then murder to cover it up, but a series of bad decisions led him there. His first one was supposing that it couldn’t happen to him.

What believers in Jesus struggling with sin are weighing on your heart today? Gently confront their sin and call them to repentance. Do so humbly, knowing that you too could slip into the mire. Give them your hand, but keep your feet on the solid Rock.

—Mike Wittmer

365-day-plan: Deuteronomy 31:1-8

MORE
Read Psalm 139:1,23-24 to prepare yourself for dealing with the sin of a straying believer in Jesus. 
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Have you ever shaken your head at the foolishness of someone’s sin? What’s the best way to lovingly approach a believer in Jesus who is struggling? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Go Fever

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February 25, 2016 

READ: Numbers 14:39-45 

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.

Psalm 37:7

 

On January 28, 1986, after five weather-related delays, the space shuttle Challenger lumbered heavenward amid a thunderous overture of noise and flame. A mere 73 seconds later, system failure tore the shuttle apart, and all seven crewmembers perished.

The disaster was attributed to an O-ring seal known to have vulnerabilities. Insiders referred to the fatal mistake as “go fever”—the tendency to ignore vital precautions in the rush to a grand goal.

Our ambitious human nature relentlessly tempts us to make ill-advised choices. Yet we are also prone to a fear that can make us overly cautious. The ancient Israelites demonstrated both traits. When the 12 scouts returned from spying out the Promised Land, 10 of the 12 saw only the obstacles (Num. 13:26-33). “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are,” they said (v. 31). After a fearful rebellion against the Lord that led to the death of the 10 spies, the people suddenly developed a case of “go fever.” They said, “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised” (14:40). Without God, the ill-timed invasion failed miserably (vv. 41-45).

When we take our eyes off the Lord, we’ll slide into one of two extremes. We’ll impatiently rush ahead without Him, or we’ll cower and complain in fear. Focusing on Him brings courage tempered with His wisdom.

— Tim Gustafson

Before making a quick decision, consider why you want to make it quickly. Consider if it will honor God and what it might cost others. If you are afraid to make a decision, think about why that might be. Most of all, pray!

A moment of patience can prevent a great disaster.  

ODJ: fly to Jesus

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February 24, 2016 

READ: Hebrews 4:14–5:11 

Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (v.16).

George Whitfield, the Anglican preacher who was part of the Great Awakening in the American colonies, once said, “Come away, my dear brethren—fly, fly, fly for your lives to Jesus Christ, fly to a bleeding God, fly to a throne of grace . . . beg of God to give you faith, and to enable you to be close with Jesus Christ.” Long before Whitfield encouraged believers to fly to Jesus, the writer of Hebrews encouraged weary believers to approach Him boldly and confidently as their Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14,16).

Calling Jesus the Great High Priest was significant because His priesthood was superior to all high priests, especially Aaron—the first Jewish high priest. It was superior because no other high priest, not even Aaron, was ever given the title of “great,” no other high priest had a ministry in heaven like Jesus, and no other high priest could be approached by ordinary people. Surely it must have been a surprise to the audience when the writer of Hebrews invited everyone to come to Christ with their weaknesses and temptations. The author wrote, “Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (v.16).

Jesus was not only a high priest to the early believers, but He’s our high priest as well. How do we access the help we need? We should turn from our rebellion against God and boldly run . . . no, fly to Him. He “understands our weaknesses” and invites us to cast all our cares and temptations upon His broad and strong shoulders (v.15). Jesus, our perfect and Great High Priest, will give us mercy and grace to face all of our challenges (5:9). Fly to Him!

—Marvin Williams

365-day-plan: Deuteronomy 30:1-20

MORE
Read Hebrews 10:19-23 and consider why you can draw near to Jesus and fly to His throne of grace. 
NEXT
What burdens, weaknesses, and temptations should you bring to Jesus today? What area of your life needs His mercy and grace? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: The Forward Look

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February 24, 2016 

READ: Luke 2:21-35 

Simeon . . . was righteous and devout . . . and the Holy Spirit was on him.

Luke 2:25

 

When the great Dutch painter Rembrandt died unexpectedly at age 63, an unfinished painting was found on his easel. It focuses on Simeon’s emotion in holding the baby Jesus when He was brought to the temple in Jerusalem, 40 days after His birth. Yet the background and normal detail remain unfinished. Some art experts believe that Rembrandt knew the end of his life was near and—like Simeon—was ready to “be dismissed” (Luke 2:29).

The Holy Spirit was upon Simeon (v. 25), so it was no coincidence that he was in the temple when Mary and Joseph presented their firstborn son to God. Simeon, who had been looking for the promised Messiah, took the baby in his arms and praised God, saying: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel” (vv. 29-32).

Simeon was not longing for the glory days of Israel’s history, but was looking ahead for the promised Messiah, who would come to redeem all nations.

Like Simeon, we can have an expectant, forward look in life because we know that one day we will see the Lord.

— David McCasland

Father, may we, like Simeon, be always looking ahead for the appearing of Jesus our Lord.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20