Typography: James 4:8 8-2015
Typography: James 4:8 8-2015
Entries by YMI
ODJ: why disobey?
August 28, 2015
READ: Hebrews 11:7-12
He obeyed God (v.7).
Why should I obey this commandment from God? I pondered. Is it because the consequences of disobeying Him would be bad? Hmm, but is that all? Ah, I see it now—my thinking was turned around. I should have asked, “Why would I disobey?”
For Noah and Abraham, obedience was their default mode. They believed in God and did what He said. Noah had the task of building a huge ark, one that his family of eight could occupy for several months. Of course they also had to share their accommodations with animals of all types and species! It took Noah 120 years to complete his big building project. Think of the excuses that Noah could have used to argue with God: “It will cost too much.” “It’s not feasible.” “It will take too long.”
But Noah trusted in God. So he gave himself fully to his work, showing a heart of faith and obedience (Hebrews 11:7). He showed us that faith believes and obeys God and His Word.
Abraham was about 75 when God called him. While people lived longer at that time than we do today, he still wasn’t a young man. But when God said He needed to follow His instructions and experience a major life change, he left his familiar surroundings and ventured into an unknown place with his family (v.8). Questions such as these probably filled his mind: will Sarai be able to adapt to the new environment? Are the foreigners friendly? Nonetheless, God had called and Abraham obeyed.
—Poh Fang Chia
365-day-plan: John 12:1-11
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In Romans 1:5 and 16:26, note what Paul reveals about the connection between belief and obedience.
In Romans 1:5 and 16:26, note what Paul reveals about the connection between belief and obedience.
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Is your faith marked by obedience? How can our faith be deepened as we choose to follow God and His Word consistently?
Is your faith marked by obedience? How can our faith be deepened as we choose to follow God and His Word consistently?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Disappointing Heroes
August 28, 2015
READ: Hebrews 3:1-6
Think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger and High Priest. Hebrews 3:1
A recent book that puts a fictional flavor on a slice of US history portrays Old West gunslingers Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday as shiftless bums. In an interview with National Public Radio, the author said of the real Earp, “He didn’t do anything remarkable his whole life, ever.” Through the years, in books and Hollywood movies, they’ve become heroes. Yet reputable historical accounts show that they were not.
In contrast, the Bible is full of flawed people who became real heroes. But don’t lose sight of the vital source of their heroic actions. The object of their faith was God, who chooses flawed human beings for His remarkable purposes.
As biblical heroes go, Moses stands tall. We tend to forget that he was a murderer and a reluctant leader who once directed a rant at God: “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly?” he demanded. “What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? Did I give birth to them?” (Num. 11:11-12 nlt).
How very human of Moses! And yet Hebrews reminds us: “Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later” (Heb. 3:5 nlt).
Real heroes point to the Hero who never disappoints. “Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses” (v. 3 nlt).
— Tim Gustafson
Lord, thank You for being the only Hero we can rely on without fail. Help us not to conceal our flaws and mistakes, but to give them to You. We trust You to use us for Your good purpose.
Looking for someone who won’t disappoint you? Look to Jesus
ODJ: alone in the dark
August 27, 2015
READ: Psalm 139:1-24
If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there (v.8).
The film Gravity tells the story of Dr. Ryan Stone—a brilliant biomedical engineer on her first space shuttle mission. Her partner for the journey is veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski. During a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalski completely alone, tethered to nothing but each other, and ominously spiralling out into blackness.
The film’s stunning visuals enable us to experience outer space in a realistic but profoundly frightening way. We feel the cold, uninhabited, absolute nothingness of it all. Outer space is inky darkness. No oxygen. No signs of life. And as we watch Gravity, we feel what it’s like to be abandoned, isolated and alone in the dark.
David was a man familiar with feelings of isolation. As a shepherd boy, he was often out in the dark wilderness alone, tending the flock. Later, as a fugitive seeking refuge from his enemies, David experienced abandonment in deep, dark caves (1 Samuel 24:3; 2 Samuel 23:13).
Yet David knew he could never really be alone. God was always with him. He wrote, “I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there” (Psalm 139:7-8). There wasn’t a place where God was absent.
—K.T. Sim
365-day-plan: Luke 19:1-27
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Read the following verses and consider the assurances from God: Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Psalm 37:25; Isaiah 41:10; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5.
Read the following verses and consider the assurances from God: Deuteronomy 31:6,8; Psalm 37:25; Isaiah 41:10; Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5.
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Why is it important for you to not linger in loneliness or isolation? What does it mean for you to experience God’s presence?
Why is it important for you to not linger in loneliness or isolation? What does it mean for you to experience God’s presence?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Purpose in Routine
August 27, 2015
READ: 1 Corinthians 9:19-27
I run with purpose in every step. 1 Corinthians 9:26
A rolling-ball clock in the British Museum struck me as a vivid illustration of the deadening effects of routine. A small steel ball traveled in grooves across a tilted steel plate until it tripped a lever on the other side. This tilted the plate back in the opposite direction, reversed the direction of the ball and advanced the clock hands. Every year, the steel ball traveled some 2,500 miles back and forth, but never really went anywhere.
It’s easy for us to feel trapped by our daily routine when we can’t see a larger purpose. The apostle Paul longed to be effective in making the gospel of Christ known. “I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air” (1 Cor. 9:26 niv). Anything can become monotonous—traveling, preaching, teaching, and especially being confined in prison. Yet Paul believed he could serve Christ his Lord in every situation.
Routine becomes lethal when we can’t see a purpose in it. Paul’s vision reached beyond any limiting circumstance because he was in the race of faith to keep going until he crossed the finish line. By including Jesus in every aspect of his life, Paul found meaning even in the routine of life.
And so can we.
— David McCasland
Lord, give us renewed vision and energy to pursue the goal of making Christ known in the midst of our daily routine.
Jesus can transform our routine into meaningful service for Him.
ODJ: first love
August 26, 2015
READ: Revelation 2:1-7
I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! (v.4).
Growing communities, rooted in God’s love and story, reaching out and restoring lives.
This vision statement was crafted last year by the elders of our local church. They recognised that certain practices and traditions were holding our congregation back from true spiritual vitality in Jesus. The statement has helped guide the elders as they’ve made changes they believe will encourage our people to love God, one another and others better.
Sometimes we can fall in love with practices and traditions at the peril of losing our love for Jesus. He addressed this in the words He gave to the apostle John in the book of Revelation. In chapters 2–3 we find letters for seven churches in which Jesus brought kudos and/or warnings to the congregations.
The church at Ephesus received commendation for “hard work”, “patient endurance”, suffering and the repelling of false teachers (2:2-3). But then Jesus said, “I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first. Look how far you have fallen!” (vv.4-5). The Ephesian believers were faithful, but they had lost their deep love for God and for one another. Perhaps the immense wealth and independence of Ephesus had rubbed off on them or persecution and suffering had worn them down.
What was Jesus’ plaintive and powerful remedy for the church? Turn back to me (v.5).
It’s good for us to take those words to heart as well. What ‘good things’ like traditions and practices have replaced our passion for Jesus? What material things or hardships have robbed us of our love for Him and other believers?
As Paul wrote, without real love we’re “nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2). May we turn back to Jesus and His great love today.
—Tom Felten
365-day-plan: Mark 10:35-52
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Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and meditate on what it says true love is all about.
Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 and meditate on what it says true love is all about.
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What thoughts and emotions filled your heart and mind when you first received Jesus as your Saviour? How will a deeper love relationship with your “First Love” affect your love for others?
What thoughts and emotions filled your heart and mind when you first received Jesus as your Saviour? How will a deeper love relationship with your “First Love” affect your love for others?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: The Power of Words
August 26, 2015
READ: Proverbs 18:1-8, 20-21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Proverbs 18:21
Nelson Mandela, who opposed the South African apartheid regime and was imprisoned for almost 3 decades, knew the power of words. He is often quoted today, but while in prison his words could not be quoted for fear of repercussion. A decade after his release he said: “It is never my custom to use words lightly. If 27 years in prison have done anything to us, it was to use the silence of solitude to make us understand how precious words are, and how real speech is in its impact on the way people live and die.”
King Solomon, author of most of the Old Testament book of Proverbs, wrote often about the power of words. He said, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21). Words have the potential to produce positive or negative consequences (v. 20). They have the power to give life through encouragement and honesty or to crush and kill through lies and gossip. How can we be assured of producing good words that have a positive outcome? The only way is by diligently guarding our hearts: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (4:23 niv).
Jesus can transform our hearts so that our words can truly be their best—honest, calm, appropriate, and suitable for the situation.
— Marvin Williams
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O
Our words have the power to build up or tear down.
ODJ: true beauty
August 25, 2015
READ: Colossians 1:15-23
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation (v.15).
Beauty isn’t skin deep—not for the believer or for those who don’t know Jesus. A movement to see beauty in women of all shapes and sizes and the call to reject the false standards of entertainment and advertising continues to grow. From marketing campaigns using larger-sized models to local groups teaching young girls to be confident without wearing makeup, the message is clear: you are beautiful and you are powerful . . . simply by being you.
I understand the appeal of these messages. Self-esteem campaigns and inspirational quotes, however, are not the answer. The world isn’t too shy to tell us we’re powerful or even to allow us to believe we’re beautiful. And even though the devil hates us because we’re God’s much-loved children, he isn’t threatened if we have a better self-image.
We draw the battle lines when we believe that our true beauty and our value come as a result of Jesus’ death for us on the cross. The devil doesn’t feel threatened until we believe that the same power that raised Christ from the dead is alive in us (Romans 8:11; Galatians 4:6-7).
When we believe that Jesus gave everything for us in a sacrificial, earth-shattering act of love, we become a direct threat to the kingdom of darkness (Luke 10:19; Colossians 2:13-15). People who know their worth comes from Christ Himself become spiritually powerful. For they’ll spend the rest of their days, every waking breath, looking for ways to love Jesus with their whole lives—body, soul, spirit—even as they reflect His beautiful image (Colossians 1:15).
In Christ, we’re loved and adored by our perfect, loving God (v.22). That’s a truth far greater than anything skin-deep (Philippians 3:3; 1 John 4:17).
—Regina Franklin
365-day-plan: Matthew 20:1-19
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Read Colossians 3:1-4 and consider the beauty God has brought to your life.
Read Colossians 3:1-4 and consider the beauty God has brought to your life.
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What struggle are you facing in regard to your identity? How does God view you and the great value you possess?
What struggle are you facing in regard to your identity? How does God view you and the great value you possess?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: When Things Don’t Go Well
August 25, 2015
READ: Romans 8:28-30
We know that all things work together for good to those who love God. Romans 8:28
The first words that many people like to quote when misfortune hits are: “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). But that’s hard to believe in hard times. I once sat with a man who had lost his third son in a row, and I listened as he lamented, “How can this tragedy work for my good?” I had no answer but to sit silently and mourn with him. Several months later, he was thankful as he said, “My sorrow is drawing me closer to God.”
Tough as Romans 8:28 may be to understand, countless testimonies give credence to the truth of it. The story of hymn writer Fanny Crosby is a classic example. The world is the beneficiary of her memorable hymns, yet what worked together for good was born out of her personal tragedy, for she became blind at the age of 5. At only age 8, she began to write poetry and hymns. Writing over 8,000 sacred songs and hymns, she blessed the world with such popular songs as “Blessed Assurance,” “Safe in the Arms of Jesus,” and “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior.” God used her difficulty to bring good for her and us and glory for Him.
When tragedy befalls us, it’s hard to understand how anything good can come from it, and we won’t always see it in this life. But God has good purposes and always remains with us.
— Lawrence Darmani
What trial in your life have you found to be for your good? What good things have come from it? What are you now suffering that you pray will bring something good?
God always has good purposes for our trials.