Entries by YMI

ODB: Ice Flowers

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February 13, 2016 

READ: 1 Corinthians 12:4-14 

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.

1 Corinthians 12:4

 

Fifteen-year-old Wilson Bentley was captivated by the intricate beauty of snowflakes. He looked with fascination through an old microscope his mother had given him and made hundreds of sketches of their remarkable designs, but they melted too quickly to adequately capture their detail. Several years later, in 1885, he had an idea. He attached a bellows camera to the microscope and, after much trial and error, took his first picture of a snowflake. During his lifetime Bentley would capture 5,000 snowflake images and each one was a unique design. He described them as “tiny miracles of beauty” and “ice flowers.”

No two snowflakes are alike, yet all come from the same source. So it is with followers of Christ. We all come from the same Creator and Redeemer, yet we are all different. In God’s glorious plan He has chosen to bring a variety of people together into a unified whole, and He has gifted us in various ways. In describing the diversity of gifts to believers, Paul writes: “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work” (1 Cor. 12:4-6).

Thank God for the unique contribution you can offer as you help and serve others.

— Dennis Fisher

Dear Lord, thank You for the unique way that You have gifted me. Help me to use my gifts faithfully to serve You and others.

Each person is a unique expression of God's loving design.  

ODJ: paint your leaf

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February 12, 2016 

READ: 1 Corinthians 15:35-58 

Be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless (v.58).

In his short story “Leaf by Niggle,” J. R. R. Tolkien describes a kindhearted, perfectionistic painter who failed to complete the landscape that became his life’s work. Because he was kind, Niggle often helped his neighbors rather than work on his painting. And because he fretted over details, he only managed to paint the first leaf on the first tree. He died with apparently little to show for his life. His “one beautiful leaf” was placed in the town museum “and was noticed by a few eyes.”

But when Niggle entered the presence of God, he found a surprise waiting for him. Tolkien writes, “Before him stood the Tree, his Tree, finished . . . its leaves opening, its branches growing and bending in the wind that Niggle had so often felt or guessed, and had so often failed to catch. He gazed at the Tree, and slowly he lifted his arms and opened them wide. ‘It is a gift!’ he said.”

Do you wonder if the things you weren’t able to finish because you were doing good to others possess any value? Paul concludes his long chapter on the resurrection by promising that your works will follow after you. They will result in God’s reward, so “always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

As with Niggle, you may feel that you’ve barely “gotten a leaf out.” But God will incorporate that leaf into His “transformed” creation (vv.51-53). He will fill you with the joy of His presence, surrounded by the most beautiful landscape you could ever imagine. Like a master artist adding depth and color to the squiggles of a child, so God graciously includes our efforts in the world He’s building. So go ahead, paint your leaf!

—Mike Wittmer

365-day-plan: Exodus 16:1-36

MORE
Read 1 Corinthians 3:5-15 to learn what will happen to our works that aren’t eternally significant and valuable. 
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What’s your “leaf”? What will motivate you to work diligently on it, regardless of success or failure? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Undigested Knowledge

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February 12, 2016 

READ: John 8:39-47 

If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.

John 8:31

 

In his book on language, British diplomat Lancelot Oliphant (1881–1965) observed that many students give correct answers on tests but fail to put those lessons into practice. “Such undigested knowledge is of little use,” declared Oliphant.

Author Barnabas Piper noticed a parallel in his own life: “I thought I was close to God because I knew all the answers,” he said, “but I had fooled myself into thinking that was the same as relationship with Jesus.”

At the temple one day, Jesus encountered people who thought they had all the right answers. They were proudly proclaiming their status as Abraham’s descendants yet refused to believe in God’s Son.

“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you would do what Abraham did” (John 8:39). And what was that? Abraham “believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6). Still, Jesus’ hearers refused to believe. “The only Father we have is God himself,” they said (John 8:41). Jesus replied, “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (v. 47).

Piper recalls how things “fell apart” for him before he “encountered God’s grace and the person of Jesus in a profound way.” When we allow God’s truth to transform our lives, we gain much more than the right answer. We introduce the world to Jesus.

— Tim Gustafson

Father, thank You that You receive anyone who turns to You in faith.

Faith is not accepting the fact of God but of receiving the life of God.  

ODJ: banished words

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February 11, 2016 

READ: James 4:13-17 

What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that” (v.15).

Each year Lake Superior State University in the US publishes a list of words they believe should be banished because they’re so annoying. Topping their list in 2013 was selfie, a term that received more nominations than any other. Other contenders included twerking, hashtag, and twittersphere. This list of words is a reminder that language is always changing and can persuade, impress, or annoy us.

What words would you like to banish from your life? If James were to make a list, it’s likely he would include self-confidence. After he encouraged believers in Jesus to draw near to God and not to judge others (James 4:1-10), James presented the following characteristics of a prideful person who’s far from God:

He’s self-assertive. “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year” (v.13).

He’s self-centered. “We will do business there and make a profit” (v.13)

He’s a self-made man who couldn’t possibly know what the future holds. “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (v.14)

His boastful self-confidence clouds the reality that his life is limited. He desperately needs a perspective that’s centered on Jesus and affects his entire life (v.15).

While self-confidence in itself isn’t wrong, self-confident boasting reveals a lack of trust in God and dependence on Him. May our confidence spring from the relationship we have with Jesus and all He’s done for us—not what we’ve done or achieved. Only as we humble ourselves before God will we experience godly confidence—the kind that doesn’t need to be banished! (v.10).

—Marvin Williams

365-day-plan: Exodus 15:22-27; 17:1-7

MORE
Read Proverbs 19:21, Acts 18:21, and Romans 1:10 to see what it means to have confidence in God and depend on Him. 
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In what situation(s) do you struggle with boastful self-confidence? How will you replace it with God-honoring trust and dependence? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Turn Off the Scoreboard

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February 11, 2016 

READ: Ephesians 4:25-32 

Forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:32

 

At his son’s wedding reception, my friend Bob offered advice and encouragement to the newlyweds. In his speech he told of a football coach in a nearby town who, when his team lost a game, kept the losing score on the scoreboard all week to remind the team of their failure. While that may be a good football strategy, Bob wisely advised, it’s a terrible strategy in marriage. When your spouse upsets you or fails you in some way, don’t keep drawing attention to the failure. Turn off the scoreboard.

What great advice! Scripture is full of commands for us to love each other and overlook faults. We are reminded that love “keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Cor. 13:5) and that we should be ready to forgive one another “just as in Christ God forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).

I am deeply grateful that God turns off the scoreboard when I fail. He doesn’t simply forgive when we repent; He removes our sin as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). With God, forgiveness means that our sin is out of sight and out of mind. May He give us grace to extend forgiveness to those around us.

— Joe Stowell

Lord, thank You for not holding my sins against me and for granting me a second chance. Help me today to forgive others just as You have so freely forgiven me.

Forgive as God forgives you—don’t keep score.  

ODJ: real rest

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February 10, 2016 

READ: Mark 2:23-28 

The heavens belong to the Lord but he has given the earth to all humanity (Psalm 115:16).

During the long, harsh Alaskan winter, Denali National Park rangers rely on teams of sled dogs to help them patrol the vast, snowy wilderness. Dogsled patrols can last up to 6 weeks, and the dogs are always raring to go.

Alaskan huskies live to run and pull. The only problem is that the furry bundles of energy don’t know when to stop. Park rangers have to make them halt and rest. Otherwise, they’d run themselves ragged until they collapse from exhaustion—even to the point of death.

Sled dogs can remind us of our need to take a break. All of us have times when we need to stop, rest, and recharge. The biblical word for these actions is “Sabbath.” Jesus explained that the Sabbath “was made to meet the needs of people” and not just to be an oppressive religious rule to follow (Mark 2:27). He also, speaking of Himself, said, “The Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!” (v.28).

The first pages of Scripture also seem to indicate that the Sabbath was meant to remind us of something even more important than humanity’s need for rest. After God made the world, He “rested” on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2). This doesn’t mean that God was tired and needed a day off. Theologians tell us that God rested by dwelling in, enjoying, and ruling over the kingdom He had completed.

So let’s practice Sabbath by stopping to enjoy that much-needed rest. As we do, let’s also remember all that it stands for. It’s more than taking a break; it’s a way to acknowledge the One who is ultimately in charge of this world. It’s also a vital way of looking forward to the day when God will come down from heaven and once again dwell with His people on earth—just as He did when He first “rested” (Revelation 21:2-3).

—Jeff Olson

365-day-plan: Exodus 13:17-14:31

MORE
Read Hebrews 4:1- 11 and consider the “special rest” believers in Jesus enter into, both now and “still to come. 
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What’s one way you can practice Sabbath rest? Why is it important for us to experience the rest that only Jesus can provide? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Jesus Over Everything

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February 10, 2016 

READ: Colossians 1:15-20 

He is before all things.

Colossians 1:17

 

My friend’s son decided to wear a sports jersey over his school clothing one day. He wanted to show support for his favorite team that would be playing an important game later that night. Before leaving home, he put something on over his sports jersey—it was a chain with a pendant that read, “Jesus.” His simple action illustrated a deeper truth: Jesus deserves first place over everything in our lives.

Jesus is above and over all. “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col. 1:17). Jesus is supreme over all creation (vv. 15-16). He is “the head of the body, the church” (v. 18). Because of this, He should have first place in all things.

When we give Jesus the highest place of honor in each area of our lives, this truth becomes visible to those around us. At work, are we laboring first for God or only to please our employer? (3:23). How do God’s standards show up in the way we treat others? (vv. 12-14). Do we put Him first as we live our lives and pursue our favorite pastimes?

When Jesus is our greatest influence in all of life, He will have His rightful place in our hearts.

— Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Dear Jesus, You deserve the best of my time, energy, and affection. I crown You King of my heart and Lord over everything I do.

How can you put God first in your life today? Share with us at odb.org