Entries by YMI

ODJ: disappointment & growth

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September 3, 2015 

READ: James 1:2-17 

You know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing (vv.3-4).

Roger Bannister was considered the favourite for the 1500m race at the Helsinki Olympics in 1952. He planned to retire if he won gold, but an unusual schedule at the Games affected his chances and he came in fourth. Instead of quitting, however, his disappointment spurred him on to continue competing. Two years later he went on to change sporting history. On 6 May 1954, at the Iffley Road track in Oxford, England, Roger Bannister became the first man to run a mile in less than 4 minutes.

James encourages us to use our disappointments and difficulties as an opportunity for our faith to be tested and for our endurance to grow (James 1:3). And when patience is allowed to grow and becomes fully developed, we become “perfect and complete” and need “nothing” (v.4).

Slogging our way through difficult times with a sour demeanour and a self-pitying attitude won’t develop the character God desires to see in us. As we joyfully and patiently withstand times of testing and temptation, we also experience His blessing (v.12).

God places little value on achievements and wealth, as they can fail to produce humility and endurance (vv.10-11). Instead He lifts up those who have been humbled by their difficult circumstances; they will receive the crown of life that God promises to those who love Him (vv.9,12). Although we may despise pain and difficulty, God can use it for our good—part of the good and perfect things He provides to make us more like Himself (v.17).

Had Roger Bannister given up following the Helsinki Games, he would never have gone on to become the man who broke the 4 minute mile. In God, we find all we need to grow through disappointment.

—Ruth O’Reilly-Smith

365-day-plan: Matthew 22:1-14

MORE
Read Hebrews 12:1 for more on the joy of growing through difficult circumstances. 
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What disappointments are you facing? How might God use them to help grow and deepen your faith? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: The Tyranny of the Perfect

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September 3, 2015 

READ: 1 John 1:5–2:2 

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8

 

Dr. Brian Goldman obsessively tried to be perfect in treating his patients. But on a nationally broadcast show he admitted to mistakes he had made. He revealed that he had treated a woman in the emergency room and then made the decision to discharge her. Later that day a nurse asked him, “Do you remember that patient you sent home? Well, she’s back.” The patient had been readmitted to the hospital and then died. This devastated him. He tried even harder to be perfect, only to learn the obvious: Perfection is impossible.

As Christians, we may harbor unrealistic expectations of perfection for ourselves. But even if we can somehow manage the appearance of a flawless life, our thoughts and motives are never completely pure.

John the disciple wrote, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). The remedy is not to hide our sins and to strive harder, but to step into the light of God’s truth and confess them. “If we walk in the light,” said John, “as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (v. 7).

In medicine, Dr. Goldman proposes the idea of a “redefined physician” who—in a culture where we are hesitant to admit our errors—no longer toils under the tyranny of perfection. Such a physician openly shares mistakes and supports colleagues who do the same, with a goal of reducing mistakes.

What if Christians were known not for hiding their sins but for loving and supporting each other with the truth and grace of our God? What if we practiced a risky yet healthy honesty with each other and with the watching world?

— Tim Gustafson

Father, it’s so difficult for us to share our faults with each other, but You call us to wholeness as Your people. Empower us by Your Spirit to live courageously in love and honesty.

Honesty with God about our sin brings forgiveness.  

ODJ: finding our identity

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September 2, 2015 

READ: Daniel 1:1-21 

Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king (v.8).

If you imagine that enemies captured you and forced you to change your diet, your education and your name, which one would hurt the most? Daniel accepted his new name, Belteshazzar, even though it invoked a pagan god. He accepted his new education “in the language and literature of Babylon,” even though it meant he had to study pagan creation myths (Daniel 1:4).

But he refused to eat the king’s food.

We’re not sure why Daniel drew his line at the table (v.8). Perhaps the meat was off limits or not prepared in a kosher way. But that doesn’t explain why Daniel objected to the king’s wine. Perhaps the meat had been offered to idols or symbolically made Daniel dependent on the king. But this would also be true of the vegetables, which he devoured (v.12).

Whatever the reason, Daniel believed that eating the king’s meat and drinking the king’s wine would defile him. He was involuntarily living in enemy territory, but he didn’t forget who he was. Faithful Jews were known by their Sabbath-keeping, circumcision and special diet. Keeping the Sabbath wasn’t in Daniel’s control. He had to work whenever he was summoned. Circumcision wasn’t visible to anyone but him. So that left the edibles. Daniel vowed to retain his identity, so he asked permission to eat something else.

We live in a different type of exile, surrounded by “worldly desires that wage war against [our] very souls” (1 Peter 2:11). So where do we find our identity? Not in a special diet, but in Jesus Himself. We remember that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Jesus provides our identity and the perfect example for us to follow.

—Mike Wittmer

365-day-plan: Matthew 21:28-46

MORE
Read Philippians 2:5-11and consider the example Jesus provided. 
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In what ways are you tempted to go along with society’s values? How can you better reflect the image of Christ? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: The Babel Project

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September 2, 2015 

READ: Genesis 11:1-9 

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Psalm 127:1

 

Two workmen were asked what they were building together. One said he was building a garage. The other replied that he was building a cathedral. A day later there was only one man laying bricks. When asked where the second was, the first replied, “Oh, he got fired. He insisted on building a cathedral instead of a garage.”

Something similar happened on the ancient worksite of Babel. A group of people decided they would build a city and a tower that would reach to the heavens and unite their world (Gen. 11:4). But God didn’t want them working on a grand, self-centered plan based on the idea that they could rise to the heights of God and solve all of their own problems. So He came down, stopped the project, scattered the people “over all the earth,” and gave them different languages (vv. 8-9).

God wanted people to see Him as the solution to their problems, and He revealed His plan for them to Abraham (12:1-3). Through the faith of Abraham and his descendants, He would show the world how to look for a city “whose architect and builder is God” (Heb. 11:8-10).

Our faith does not rise out of our own dreams and solutions. The foundation of faith is in God alone and what He can do in and through us.

— Mart DeHaan

Dear heavenly Father, forgive me for focusing on my own schemes and dreams. Help me to look to You for guidance in all that I do.

God wants to do what only He can do in and for us.  

ODJ: no worries

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September 1, 2015 

READ: Matthew 6:25-34 

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need (v.33).

How often do you find yourself worrying about something? We worry about tomorrow, the economy, our jobs and friendships. We worry about our kids, our parents and our health.

One thing that life and more than 2 decades of counselling individuals has taught me is that people often feel anxious. Personally, I know I’m often caught in the clutches of fear and worry. Some of us have the tendency to experience it to a greater extent. Others experience it to a lesser degree, but nearly all of us have an ‘anxious core’.

Jesus understood that worrying can be a consuming struggle. So He took the time to talk about it in one of His most famous sermons (Matthew 6:25-34). At one point He reasoned, “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (v.27). The obvious answer is “Nope”.

He concluded, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (v.34). In other words, don’t borrow trouble from tomorrow. You have plenty on your plate right here and now. Jesus also taught us not to worry about basic needs: “whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear” (v.25). He pointed out that just as God cares for the birds and flowers, He has more than enough to provide for our daily provisions.

Most of all, Jesus encouraged His followers to “seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (v.33).

We can rest in God and His saving and restoring influence at work in the world around us—trusting that our heavenly Father will provide for our needs (v.30). Our worries are no match for His power and promises.

—Jeff Olson

365-day-plan: Mark 11:20-33

MORE
Read Psalm 55:22 and consider what God would have you do with your worries and fears. 
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What worries have been consuming you? Bring them to God today and leave them in His powerful, loving hands. 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Age Is Not a Factor

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September 1, 2015 

READ: 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 

If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. 1 Corinthians 12:26

 

After owning and working at his dental lab for 50 years, Dave Bowman planned to retire and take it easy. Diabetes and heart surgery confirmed his decision. But when he heard about a group of young refugees from Sudan who needed help, he made a life-changing decision. He agreed to sponsor five of them.

As Dave learned more about these young Sudanese men, he discovered that they had never been to a doctor or a dentist. Then one day in church someone mentioned the verse, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it” (1 Cor. 12:26). He couldn’t get the verse out of his mind. Sudanese Christians were suffering because they needed medical care, and Dave sensed that God was telling him to do something about it. But what?

Despite his age and bad health, Dave began exploring the possibility of building a medical center in Sudan. Little by little, God brought together the people and the resources, and in 2008 Memorial Christian Hospital opened its doors to patients. Since then, hundreds of sick and injured people have been treated there.

Memorial Christian Hospital stands as a reminder that God cares when people suffer. And often He works through people like us to share His care—even when we think our work is done.

— Julie Ackerman Link

Do you see a need that God may be calling you to meet? Pray and ask Him to help you step out in faith.

Share your response to this question on facebook.com/ourdailybread or odb.org

God cares when people suffer.  

ODJ: rules and grace

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August 31, 2015 

READ: Romans 9:30-33 

The people of Israel, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded (v.31).

Firefighters recently chose not to take action as a man was drowning in the San Francisco Bay. According to the interim fire chief overseeing the responding team, one of the things that prevented them from taking action was a regulation that prevents firefighters from entering into the water. The rescue workers were frustrated because they desperately wanted to take action, but they were prevented from doing so by policy. This preoccupation with rules is a form of legalism, something we find far too often in the church today.

Legalism was a concern in Jesus’ and Paul’s day as well. It fed the belief that one’s salvation depends on total obedience to the letter of the law. This was unfortunate, for it presented a fatal misunderstanding of the purpose of the Old Testament law (Romans 9:31-32). It was never designed to make people right with God, but to lead people to see their sin and need for Him (Romans 3:20). When people rigidly tried to keep the requirements of the law, they lacked love (Matthew 23:23), developed spiritual pride (Luke 18:11-12), created man-made rules (Mark 7:7-8) and fell into hypocrisy. The only answer for legalism was the grace of Jesus.

People are all saved the same way—through “the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 15:11). Salvation is God’s doing, and He alone brings us into a place of undeserved privilege. He’s shown us the way to be right with Him—something far different from striving to keep the requirements of the law.

—Marvin Williams

365-day-plan: John 12:37-50

MORE
Read Philippians 3:8-9 and see why Paul saw legalism as something contrary to the gospel. 
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What are you depending on to save you? Have you placed your faith in the undeserved grace of Jesus Christ for salvation? Why is God’s grace such a radical idea for people to embrace? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Don’t Delay

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August 31, 2015 

READ: Luke 9:57-62 

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

 

For many years I spoke to my distant cousin about our need of a Savior. When he visited me recently and I once again urged him to receive Christ, his immediate response was: “I would like to accept Jesus and join the church, but not yet. I live among people of other faiths. Unless I relocate, I will not be able to practice my faith well.” He cited persecution, ridicule, and pressure from his peers as excuses to postpone his decision.

His fears were legitimate, but I assured him that whatever happened, God would not abandon him. I encouraged my cousin not to delay but to trust God for care and protection. He gave up his defenses, acknowledged his need of Christ’s forgiveness, and trusted Him as his personal Savior.

When Jesus invited people to follow Him, they too offered excuses—all about being busy with the cares of this world (Luke 9:59-62). The Lord’s answer to them (vv. 60-62) urges us not to let excuses deprive us of the most important thing in life: the salvation of our souls.

Do you hear God calling you to commit your life to Him? Do not delay. “Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).

— Lawrence Darmani

Come to the Savior, make no delay—here in His Word He’s shown us the way; here in our midst He’s standing today, tenderly saying, “Come!” George F. Root

Today is the day of salvation.