Typography : 1 John 5:11 14-12-2015
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. (1 JOHN 5:11)
Entries by YMI
ODJ: the right question
December 14, 2015
READ: Joshua 5:13–6:5
“I am the commander of the Lord ’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. . . . “What do you want your servant to do?” (v.14).
I sat riveted to the screen as my alma mater completed a stunning comeback in a big football game. Just after scoring in the waning seconds, a player knelt and offered a prayer. No grandstanding; no look-at-me celebratory theatrics. Just a quick, humble prayer of gratitude to God before his overjoyed teammates swarmed him.
I knew there were dedicated Christians on the other team. Surely they had prayed to do their best that day. So does God take sides in football?
Let’s expand that question. Dare we ask: What about wars? Whose side is God on? It’s a dicey topic, but it’s also the wrong question. Look at Joshua. You’d think that God would be on his side. The Lord had told him, “Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you” (Joshua 1:3).
Yet as the people of Israel stood poised to take the land, Joshua met a man with a sword in his hand. Joshua’s warrior reflexes took over, and he challenged him, “Are you friend or foe?” (5:13).
“Neither one,” the man replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.” Immediately, Joshua fell to the ground and asked the right question: “What do you want your servant to do?” (v.14).
As we acknowledge God’s sovereignty and His authority to do what He knows is best, we can find peace in His perfect will. And as we pray for participants in athletic events or for the outcomes of wars, we know He hears us. We also know that He’s pleased and glorified as we grow in our trust in and relationship with Him.
The example of Joshua the military commander shows us that the real question isn’t “Is God on our side?” Rather, it’s “What do you want us to do?” Our victories and setbacks are fleeting. God’s plans are eternal.
—Tim Gustafson
365-day-plan: 2 Timothy 3:1-17
MORE
Read Romans 8:31-39 and see what Paul says about God being for those who trust in Him.
Read Romans 8:31-39 and see what Paul says about God being for those who trust in Him.
NEXT
What has God revealed that He wants you to do? How can you rest in God’s power as you seek to stand for Him?
What has God revealed that He wants you to do? How can you rest in God’s power as you seek to stand for Him?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Let’s Celebrate
December 14, 2015
READ: Psalm 150
Praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe. —Psalm 150:4
After Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan scored a goal against Germany in the 2014 World Cup, he and his teammates did a coordinated dance step. When Germany’s Miroslav Klose scored a few minutes later, he did a running front flip. “Soccer celebrations are so appealing because they reveal players’ personalities, values, and passions,” says Clint Mathis, who scored for the US at the 2002 World Cup.
In Psalm 150, the psalmist invites “everything that has breath” to celebrate and praise the Lord in many different ways. He suggests that we use trumpets and harps, stringed instruments and pipes, cymbals and dancing. He encourages us to creatively and passionately celebrate, honor, and adore the Lord. Because the Lord is great and has performed mighty acts on behalf of His people, He is worthy of all praise. These outward expressions of praise will come from an inner wellspring overflowing with gratitude to God. “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord,” the psalmist declares (150:6).
Though we may celebrate the Lord in different ways (I’m not encouraging back flips in our worship services), our praise to God always needs to be expressive and meaningful. When we think about the Lord’s character and His mighty acts toward us, we cannot help but celebrate Him through our praise and worship.
— Marvin Williams
How has this psalm challenged you to be more expressive in your praise to God? Spend some time thinking about the greatness of the Lord’s mighty works. Then give Him your praise.
Praise is the song of a soul set free.
ODJ: what can’t be seen
December 13, 2015
READ: 2 Corinthians 4:14-18
We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen (v.18).
On a Thursday, my friends’ 10-year-old daughter was laughing and playing with her family and friends. The following Monday, she was in heaven. The lovely little girl was abruptly stricken with a rare form of malaria that took her life and left those of us who loved her in a state of shock. Particularly difficult was observing her parents’ raw grief as they said their final goodbyes to their daughter.
In view of their suffering, my friend Jody (who, along with her husband, Chip, were victims of a tragic accident that claimed their own young daughter Teagan 11 years ago) posted 2 Corinthians 4:18 on my Facebook wall: “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
Jody went on to share of her loss of Teagan with my grieving friends. “I used to wake up realizing the nightmare of our tragedy and start weeping each morning. Then I began to wake and realize that each day was one day closer to rejoicing with my Savior. Holding on to heaven helped to carry me through those long, dark days. I hope heaven shines in your hearts as you imagine [your own] sweet girl playing and dancing and making music in the presence of our God.”
Jody’s words give me added hope that even in the face of death and loss, my friends who recently lost their precious daughter (and each of us experiencing trials) can call on a merciful God who one day “will also raise us with Jesus” (v.14). Today, let’s choose to “fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen” (v.18). Let’s focus on our merciful Father and that which “will last forever”!
—Roxanne Robbins
365-day-plan: 2 Timothy 1:1-18
MORE
Read Psalm 103:13-19 and consider the compassion of our eternal God.
Read Psalm 103:13-19 and consider the compassion of our eternal God.
NEXT
What does it mean for you to focus on God when the hard stuff of life comes your way? How can you rejoice in Him as you consider His mercy and grace today?
What does it mean for you to focus on God when the hard stuff of life comes your way? How can you rejoice in Him as you consider His mercy and grace today?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: How to Be Perfect
December 13, 2015
READ: Romans 3:20-26
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
Hebrews 10:14
Christmas is the time of year when the pressure to be perfect intensifies. We imagine the perfect celebration and then put forth our best effort to make it happen. We shop for the perfect gifts. We plan the perfect Christmas Day meal. We choose the perfect greeting cards or write the perfect family letter. But our striving leads to discouragement and disappointment when our ability to imagine perfection exceeds our ability to implement it. The carefully chosen gift receives only a halfhearted thank you. Part of the meal is overcooked. We find a typo in our Christmas greeting after we’ve mailed the cards. Children fight over toys. Adults resurrect old arguments.
Instead of being discouraged, however, we can use our disappointment to remind ourselves of the reason Christmas is so important. We need Christmas because none of us is or can be all that we want to be—not for a month, a week, or even a day.
How much more meaningful our celebrations of Christ’s birth would be if we would give up our faulty concept of perfection, then focus instead on the perfection of our Savior, in whom we are made righteous (Rom. 3:22).
If your Christmas celebration this year is less than ideal, relax and let it be a reminder that the only way to be “made perfect forever” (Heb. 10:14) is to live by faith in the righteousness of Christ.
— Julie Ackerman Link
What expectations do you have for the Christmas season? Are they idealistic or realistic? Think about what you can do to focus more on Christ and the meaning of His birth.
Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before His throne. Edward Mote
ODJ: with us
December 12, 2015
READ: Mark 4:35-41
When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” (v.39).
When I visited the land of Israel, I was surprised by the small size of the Sea of Galilee. This was no sea, but merely a lake some 21 kilometers long and 13 kilometers wide. I could easily see across to the other side. How could a storm on this tiny body of water terrify the disciples? Talk about a tempest in a teapot! I scoffed at their fear—until I saw the size of an ancient boat.
A museum near the Sea of Galilee displays the hull of a first-century fishing boat, the kind that Jesus and His disciples would have used. The shallow, flat-bottome boat was merely 8 meters long and 2 meters wide. With thirteen men on board, it would have set frighteningly low in the water. Even slightly choppy waves would have washed over the side. I too would have cried out to Jesus if I had sailed into a storm on that dinghy.
The disciples’ boat reminds me that you and I are fragile. Our accomplishments might seem impressive to some, but in our heart of hearts we all know that our boat is small and shallow. It won’t take much of a storm to swamp us.
Aren’t you glad that the Son of God wasn’t too proud to enter our “boat”? He humbled Himself and entered into our frailty. He understands what it’s like to sail in a sinking ship, and He retains the power to do something about it. It matters that our Savior didn’t exercise His sovereignty over the storm from on high. He stilled the waves from right here. When “he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Silence! Be still,’” He was standing with us (Mark 4:39). He calmed the sea from inside the boat.
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the storms in your life? Cry out to the One who’s standing beside you. He’s Immanuel—God with us.
—Mike Wittmer
365-day-plan: 1 Timothy 6:3-21
MORE
Read Hebrews 4:16–5:10 to learn how Jesus experienced our fragility.
Read Hebrews 4:16–5:10 to learn how Jesus experienced our fragility.
NEXT
Where do you feel particularly weak? Ask Jesus to step into your boat. How has He revealed His presence to you?
Where do you feel particularly weak? Ask Jesus to step into your boat. How has He revealed His presence to you?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: A Hunger for God
December 12, 2015
READ: Deuteronomy 4:9-14
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16
A-poe-la-pi is an elderly member of the Akha, a hill tribe people who live on the mountain ranges of Yunnan Province in China. As we visited him on a recent missions trip, A-poe-la-pi told us that he had missed the weekly Bible study because of heavy rains. So he implored us, “Could you share God’s Word with me?”
A-poe-la-pi can’t read, so the weekly gathering is vital to him. As we read the Bible to him, he listened intently. His earnest attitude reminded me that when we listen carefully to the story of the inspired Scriptures, we honor the Lord.
In Deuteronomy 4, Moses urged the Israelites to listen carefully to the rules and regulations he was teaching them (v. 1). He reminded them that the source and inspiration behind the teaching was none other than God Himself, who had spoken to them “out of the fire” of Sinai (v. 12). Moses said, “He declared to you his covenant . . . which he commanded you to follow” (v. 13).
May A-poe-la-pi’s hunger to hear God’s Word encourage a similar desire in us. As the apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:15-16, the inspired Scriptures have been given for our good and growth—to make us wise in the salvation and ways of God.
— Poh Fang Chia
Lord, give us a hunger to hear and understand the truth of Your Word. Help us show Your love to others by faithfully living out its instructions for us.
To know Christ, the Living Word, is to love the Bible, the written Word.
ODJ: burning all the bridges
December 11, 2015
READ: Psalm 25:1-6
I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced (vv.1-2).
When my wife, Miska, and I were dating and our relationship grew serious, marriage became the obvious next step. For more than a year, however, I hesitated and pushed the conversation aside. We even broke up twice as our communication faltered and expectations diverged. Through several difficult conversations, I had to face how afraid I was of commitment. I loved Miska, but I wanted to keep my options open. And I found myself haunted by all the “what ifs” and all the unknown future possibilities. My fear of commitment wasn’t unusual, but it was immature. Love requires a risk. To say yes to one person, we must say no to others.
The psalmist described a faith that took a risky leap, a faith that committed to God—closing off every competing option and burning every other bridge. “O Lord, I give my life to you. I trust in you, my God!” wrote the psalmist. “Do not let me be disgraced” (Psalm 25:1-2). These words remind me of the apostle Peter. When asked whether or not he too would abandon Jesus, Peter insisted that he would stay with the Lord, for there was nowhere else to go (John 6:68). For those of us who choose to follow Jesus, there inevitably comes a time when we must abandon our lives and our futures and entrust all into God’s care. At times we take these daring steps of faith with fear and trembling, much like the psalmist who pleaded with God not to leave him in the lurch—not to allow him disgrace or ruin. But God knows our faltering hearts, and He assures us that “no one who trusts in [Me] will ever be disgraced” (Psalm 25:3). We can throw caution to the wind because of our confidence in Christ and put our full “hope” in Him (v.5).
—Winn Collier
365-day-plan: 1 Timothy 4:1-16
MORE
Read John 6:60-70. Identify all the ways that Jesus caused those who were with Him to be fearful of the future. What compelled Peter to refuse to leave Jesus?
Read John 6:60-70. Identify all the ways that Jesus caused those who were with Him to be fearful of the future. What compelled Peter to refuse to leave Jesus?
NEXT
When do you find it most difficult to take the risk of following Christ? Are there any options you need to abandon or bridges you need to burn so you can say a firm “yes” to Him? What are they?
When do you find it most difficult to take the risk of following Christ? Are there any options you need to abandon or bridges you need to burn so you can say a firm “yes” to Him? What are they?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Paradogs
December 11, 2015
READ: Psalm 143:7-12
In You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk.
Psalm 143:8
I am amazed by the story of the World War II paradogs. In preparing for D-Day (June 6, 1944), the Allied troops needed the sharp senses of dogs to sniff their way through minefields and to warn troops of approaching danger. And the only way to get these dogs to troops behind enemy lines was by parachute. But dogs are instinctively afraid of doing this—and let’s be honest, they are not alone. Yet after weeks of training, the dogs learned to trust their masters enough to jump at their command.
I wonder if any of us trust our Master enough to do challenging things we would never instinctively do or things that might make us fearful. We may not be instinctively generous or forgiving or patient with those who annoy us. Yet Jesus commands us to trust Him enough to do things that may be difficult but that will advance His kingdom. To say, “In You do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk” (Ps. 143:8 nkjv).
Paradogs often received medals for their bravery. I believe we too will someday hear “well done” because we have trusted our Master enough to jump when He said, “Go!”
— Joe Stowell
Is God asking you to do something that you are afraid to do? Will you trust Him to lead you and walk with you?
Trust Jesus to show you how you can be used by Him.