Entries by YMI

ODJ: known by God

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November 3, 2015 

READ: Galatians 4:8-12 

Before you . . . knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist (v.8).

In 1996 I was a press manager for the Olympic Village, home to athletes from 192 countries who were competing in the Atlanta Games. One of my responsibilities was to escort heads of state and Hollywood celebrities through the village so they could mingle with the Olympians.

I recall the night the other press officers and I escorted more than 40 celebrities into the village for a special event. All was going well until a couple standing next to me began shouting, “Why aren’t the cameras on us? Don’t you people know who we are?”

I didn’t know who the couple was nor did most of the world at the time. A few years later, however, they—along with their children—landed their own reality show and got to be known by the masses as they had desired.

God knows us, but do we truly know Him? Jesus said, “This is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth” (John 17:3). But many people today have a different view—that it’s more important to know and be known by others than it is to know and be known by our Creator.

As the apostle Paul helped the Galatian church cling to their newfound faith, he addressed this issue, writing, “Now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?” (Galatians 4:9). In other words, God alone provides what truly satisfies.

Some may choose to seek their own fame, but there’s something far greater. God calls us to “truly know [Him] and understand that [He is] the LORD” (Jeremiah 9:24). May we turn to Him today and experience the joy and life found in His presence.

—Roxanne Robbins

365-day-plan: Acts 17:1-15

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Read Philippians 1:9-11 and consider what Paul reveals about the importance of knowing and understanding God and His ways. 
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How can human praise cause us to take our eyes off God? What does it mean for you to know and be known by Him? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: The Daily Grind

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November 3, 2015 

READ: Ephesians 6:5-9 

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Colossians 3:23

 

The high school I attended required 4 years of Latin instruction. I appreciate the value of that discipline now, but back then it was a grind. Our teacher believed in drill and repetition. “Repetitio est mater studiorum,” she intoned over us several times a day, which simply means, “Repetition is the mother of learning.” “Repetitio est absurdum,” we muttered under our breath. “Repetition is absurd.”

I realize now that most of life is simply that: repetition—a round of dull, uninspiring, lackluster things we must do again and again. “Repetition is both as ordinary and necessary as bread,” said Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. But he went on to say, “It is the bread that satisfies with benediction.”

It’s a matter of taking up each duty, no matter how mundane, humble, or trivial, and asking God to bless it and put it to His intended purposes. In that way we take the drudgeries of life and turn them into holy work, filled with unseen, eternal consequence.

The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins said, “To lift up the hands in prayer gives God glory, but a man with a [pitchfork] in his hand, a woman with a slop pail, give Him glory, too. God is so great that all things give Him glory if you mean that they should.” 

If whatever we do is done for Christ, we’ll be amazed at the joy and meaning we’ll find in even the most ordinary tasks.

— David Roper

Remind us today, Lord, that You are in the dull and ordinary tasks of life in a most extraordinary way. Let us not forget that we do even the smallest tasks for You.

A willing spirit changes the drudgery of duty into a labor of love.  

With The King

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Title: With The King Materials: Original Song by Peter Tonna Description: No matter where you are in life you can call on Jesus, the king of kings. You could be in the lowest pit and darkest place of your life right now and think you’re not worthy to call on Jesus’ name, but there’s no pit so […]

ODJ: a clam & a grey-haired man

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November 2, 2015 

READ: 1 Samuel 12:1-25 

I stand here before you—an old, grey-haired man—and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day (v.2).

Ming lived for more than 500 years before her demise in 2006. The quahog (large clam) had been nestled near Iceland when researchers plucked her from the ocean floor. After prying the creature open—ending her existence—they initially thought she was a record-breaking 402 years old. But further research revealed that she began life in 1499 and made it to the ripe old age of 507! Fortunately scientists learned a lot from Ming, including data on changing sea temperatures over the last half-millennium.

It’s amazing what you can learn from an old clam! Even more important, however, is the wisdom we can gain from those who have walked with Jesus longer than we have.

Samuel, in his farewell address as a political leader of Israel, declared that he was now “an old, grey-haired man” (1 Samuel 12:2). He had lived through the closing years of the time of the Judges and had now reluctantly agreed to Israel’s desire for a king—something he and God knew was an unwise choice by the people (8:7-9, 12:19-20).

The prophet possessed great wisdom, having enjoyed an intimate, faithful walk with God for many years (v.2). But the people were determined to have a monarch. So Samuel anointed Saul as Israel’s first king, acknowledging that God had allowed them to get what they wanted. But he also lamented, stating, “The LORD your God was already your king” (v.12).

We also can fail to honour the wisdom of those who have walked closely with God—seeing grey hair as a sign of weakness, not strength. But Samuel reminds us that it’s an unwise and dangerous choice if we don’t carefully consider the words from seasoned believers in Jesus.

Those who have walked closely with God for many years can help us draw closer to Him and to His timeless wisdom.

—Tom Felten

365-day-plan: Acts 16:16-40

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Read Job 12:12 and consider what it says about age and wisdom. 
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What can cause us to sometimes dismiss the words of those who are older? Which wise, older believers in Jesus should you listen to more carefully? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Words of the Wise

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November 2, 2015 

READ: Ecclesiastes 9:13-18 

Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard. —nkjv Ecclesiastes 9:17

 

My niece’s husband recently wrote these words on a social media site: “I would say a lot more online if it weren’t for this little voice that prompts me not to. As a follower of Jesus, you might think that little voice is the Holy Spirit. It isn’t. It’s my wife, Heidi.”

With the smile comes a sobering thought. The cautions of a discerning friend can reflect the wisdom of God. Ecclesiastes 9 says that the “words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard” (v. 17 nkjv).

Scripture warns us not to be wise in our own eyes or proud (Prov. 3:7; Isa. 5:21; Rom. 12:16). In other words, let’s not assume that we have all the answers! Proverbs 19:20 says, “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.” Whether it is a friend, a spouse, a pastor, or a co-worker, God can use others to teach us more of His wisdom.

“Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning,” declares the book of Proverbs (14:33). Part of recognizing the Spirit’s wisdom is discovering how to listen and learn from each other.

— Cindy Hess Kasper

Dear Lord, thank You for Your Word that teaches me how to love You and others. Thank You also for the people You place in my life to remind me of Your truth.

True wisdom begins and ends with God.  

ODJ: cry for help

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November 1, 2015 

READ: Isaiah 58:1-12 

When you call, the LORD will answer. “Yes, I am here,” he will quickly reply. Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumours! (v.9).

David Willis hadn’t been in the bookshop long when he walked downstairs and found the lights were turned off and the doors were locked. He was trapped inside the shop. Being in the age of social media, he cried out for help on Twitter: “Hi. I’ve been locked inside your Trafalgar Square bookstore for 2 hours now. Please let me out.” He was rescued soon after his tweet!

As helpful as Twitter can be, we have Someone more powerful than the social media giant. If you feel trapped and are crying for help, Isaiah has some advice for you—and it may not be what you expect.

The prophet said that God had charged His people with practising their religious devotion irresponsibly (Isaiah 58:1-2). They were going through the motions of religious practices and masking their oppression of the poor with empty and self-serving rituals (vv.3-5). This didn’t win them any divine favour. In fact, God said, “I will not look” and “I will not listen” (1:15).

The Lord told the people through Isaiah that if they had an inner righteousness, evidenced by repentance and outward acts of social righteousness and mercy (58:6-7), His blessings would fall upon them. Among other things, they could call on the Lord as a genuine act of worship, and He would answer their prayers and provide them with His immediate presence (vv.8-9).

Do we desire to hear God say “Here I am” when we cry for help? Then perhaps we should seek to be God’s answer to the prayers of the poor and marginalised in our community. Let’s get close to those who need us and extend the love and compassion of our faithful God. He hears each cry for help and can use us to bring the hope and encouragement they need.

—Marvin Williams

365-day-plan: Acts 16:1-15

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Read Isaiah 58:6-9 again and list what God is looking for in terms of social righteousness within the community. 
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What behaviours or attitudes towards others could be preventing you from experiencing answered prayer? What do you need to repent of? Who do you know who is crying for God’s help? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Water and Life

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November 1, 2015 

READ: John 4:1-15 

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” John 4:13-14

 

As Dave Mueller reached down and turned the handle, water rushed from the spigot into a blue bucket. Around him people applauded. They celebrated as they saw fresh, clean water flowing in their community for the first time. Having a clean source of water was about to change the lives of this group of people in Kenya.

Dave and his wife, Joy, work hard to meet people’s needs by bringing them water. But they don’t stop with H2O. As they help bring people clean water, they also tell them about Jesus Christ.

Two thousand years ago, a man named Jesus stood at a Samaritan well and talked with a woman who was there to get clean drinking water for her physical health. But Jesus told her that what she needed even more than that was living water for her spiritual health.

As history has marched on and humanity has become more sophisticated, life still filters down to two truths: Without clean water, we will die. More important, without Jesus Christ, the source of living water, we are already dead in our sins.

Water is essential to our existence—both physically with H2O and spiritually with Jesus. Have you tasted of the water of life that Jesus, the Savior, provides?

— Dave Branon

Thank You, Jesus, for being our living water. Thank You for Your willingness to die on the cross and for Your power to rise from the dead in order to provide us that water.

Only Jesus has the living water to quench our spiritual thirst.  

ODJ: saving solitude

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October 31, 2015 

READ: Luke 5:12-16 

Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer (v.16).

Several years ago I read about people who paid £1,700 (€2,350) per night at specific hotels in order to be disconnected from the internet, their mobile phones and all other types of technology that pierce the silence. They were willing to pay a lot of money to obtain what they hoped would be some peace of mind—even if it was temporary. They were willing to pay a hefty price for some silence and solitude.

Jesus, the Son of God, through whom all things were made (John 1:3) often chose to leave the crowds, family, friends, noise, demands placed on Him and sometimes even sleep in order to be alone with His Father. It was in those lonely moments and places that He had intimate fellowship with God the Father. It was in the wilderness, far from the demanding crowds, where He was renewed and also tempted to deny what He had learned in His intimate fellowship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 4:1-11).

Jesus knew that the “Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). And a major way that Jesus gained the power to live the life He was called to live, to bring the kingdom of God near (Luke 10:9) and to die the death that He was called to die was by spending time alone with God the Father and the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 5:7-8).

Without that time alone in wilderness prayer, Jesus would probably have found it challenging to face the onslaught of this life. He needed His time with our heavenly Father. It’s the same for us. Thankfully, we don’t have to pay for solitude and silence. Jesus, who meets us in our silence and solitude, already paid the price so we might know His peace and power.

—Marlena Graves

365-day-plan: Acts 15:22-41

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Read Exodus 3:1-16. Do you think Moses would’ve noticed the burning bush outside of his wilderness solitude and silence? How has God spoken to you in the wilderness? 
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1 Kings 19:12 tells us that Elijah heard God’s gentle, quiet whisper, or His still, small voice in the wilderness. Have you heard that gentle, quiet whisper lately? How will you spend more wilderness time with God this week? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)