Entries by YMI
ODJ: where’s home?
July 31, 2015
READ: Genesis 12:1-8
So Abram departed as the LORD had instructed, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran (v.4).
For more than a decade now my family and I have lived in rental homes. This has made it possible for us to be ready to pack up and move whenever God revealed His next plans for us. Recently, however, we’ve been asked to leave our current home as the owner has new plans for it. It’s a beautiful house on a very large plot in the middle of a forest, so we’ve grown very fond of living there. But after 6 years we’re saying goodbye and don’t yet know where we’re headed.
Abram was a wealthy man, but when God called him he left all the security and comfort of his homeland and headed into the desert with his wife Sarai and their family (Genesis 12:1-4, 13:1). Initially he didn’t know where he was going; and he lived the rest of his days as a sojourner—rarely settling anywhere for long. He trusted in God’s promise that He would make Abram a great nation: “All the families on earth will be blessed through you” (12:3). Abram trusted in God and the words He spoke to him, even when things became difficult and ran contrary to what was expected of a wealthy, respected man.
Along his journey Abram made a number of mistakes. For example, he lied about Sarai on two occasions, saying she was merely his sister (she was his half-sister) and not his wife in order to protect himself. But did God give up on him? Never! God’s promises aren’t dependent on our getting it right all the time. He simply seeks our heart for Him and availability to Him—our willingness to allow Him to use us as He wills, trusting that He’s always for us.
—Russell Fralick
365-day-plan: Luke 10:1-24
Read Hebrews 11:8-12 and consider how Abram is described as a man “looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God”.
How attached are you to where you live or what you’re doing in life? Why is it important for us to loosen our grip on these things?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: He Found Me
July 31, 2015
READ: Luke 19:1-10
The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Luke 19:10
The film Amazing Grace was set in the late 1700s. It tells the story of William Wilberforce, a politician who was driven by his faith in Christ to commit his money and energy to abolishing the slave trade in England. In one scene, Wilberforce’s butler finds him praying. The butler asks, “You found God, Sir?” Wilberforce responds, “I think He found me.”
The Bible pictures humanity as wayward and wandering sheep. It says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way” (Isa. 53:6). In fact, this wayward condition is so deeply rooted in us that the apostle Paul said: “There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside” (Rom. 3:10-12). That is why Jesus came. We would never seek Him, so He came seeking us. Jesus declared His mission with the words, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
Wilberforce was exactly right. Jesus came to find us, for we could never have found Him if left to ourselves. It is a clear expression of the Creator’s love for His lost creation that He pursues us and desires to make us His own.
— Bill Crowder
Amazing grace—how sweet the sound—that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see. John Newton
Once lost, now found. Eternally thankful!
ODJ: spacious
July 30, 2015
READ: Luke 2:21-35
I have seen your salvation (v.30).
In 2003 the Crafton family—dad, mum, two daughters and a son—sold their home and possessions and set out on a sailing voyage in which they travelled 30,000 miles over 83 months. The family says the experience, something not practical or possible for most of us, drew them closer together and made their lives feel more open and spacious. Before setting sail, parents Tom and Kathleen realised that their successful careers and two houses, though providing the external symbols of success, weren’t making for the life they desired. So they headed for open waters.
After Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph took Him to the temple in Jerusalem to be dedicated to God—a traditional firstborn ritual for all Jewish families (Luke 2:22). An old man named Simeon met them at the temple, for he had eagerly waited “for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel” (v.25). When Simeon saw Jesus, he exclaimed with joy, “I have seen [the Sovereign Lord’s] salvation” (v.30).
The Hebrew root word for salvation carries the meaning of “roominess”. Salvation is the place where we can breathe free again. It means stepping out from the dark corners and into the sunlit meadows . . . to blue skies where everything’s possible, everything has been made free. Salvation provides spaciousness.
God’s spacious salvation is so vast that it includes the entire world, for it’s available to “all people” (v.31). When God invites us to receive salvation, He invites us to be made free, to truly live, to embrace His spacious life. Some may think that life with Him is crampt and filled with confining rules and commands. But they’re wrong. Life within God’s salvation is wide open and free by His design.
—Winn Collier
365-day-plan: John 8:21-59
Read Acts 13:44-52, keeping in mind the idea of salvation as spaciousness.
How have you been tempted to view salvation as something that restricts rather than makes your life more spacious? Where do you need to apply the reality of God’s spacious salvation today?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Grey Power
July 30, 2015
READ: Joshua 14:6-12
Just as my strength was then, so now is my strength. Joshua 14:11
Dutch artist Yoni Lefevre created a project called “Grey Power” to show the vitality of the aging generation in the Netherlands. She asked local schoolchildren to sketch their grandparents. Lefevre wanted to show an “honest and pure view” of older people, and she believed children could help supply this. The youngsters’ drawings reflected a fresh and lively perspective of their elders—grandmas and grandpas were shown playing tennis, gardening, painting, and more!
Caleb, of ancient Israel, was vital into his senior years. As a young man, he infiltrated the Promised Land before the Israelites conquered it. Caleb believed God would help his nation defeat the Canaanites, but the other spies disagreed (Josh. 14:8). Because of Caleb’s faith, God miraculously sustained his life for 45 years so he might survive the wilderness wanderings and enter the Promised Land. When it was finally time to enter Canaan, 85-year-old Caleb said, “Just as my strength was then, so now is my strength” (v. 11). With God’s help, Caleb successfully claimed his share of the land (Num. 14:24).
God does not forget about us as we grow older. Although our bodies age and our health may fail, God’s Holy Spirit renews us inwardly each day (2 Cor. 4:16). He makes it possible for our lives to have significance at every stage and every age.
— Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Heavenly Father, I know that my physical strength and health can fail. But I pray that You will continually renew me spiritually so I can serve You faithfully as long as I live.
With God’s strength behind you and His arms beneath you, you can face whatever lies ahead of you.
ODJ: never give up!
July 29, 2015
READ: 2 Corinthians 4:1-18
We never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day (v.16).
When missionary Adoniram Judson entered Burma (Myanmar) in July 1813, he found an unreached people in a hostile land. Today, there are some 3,700 congregations who trace their origin to Judson’s pioneering ministry. His primary legacy, however, is the complete translation of the Bible into Burmese—still in use today. Judson’s path was difficult, for he faced opposition, rejection, imprisonment, serious illness, pain. He also lost two wives and seven children to death. But through it all he persevered for the cause of Christ.
The apostle Paul also endured great suffering. He was “pressed on every side by troubles”, “hunted down” and “knocked down” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). He lived “in the face of death” (v.12). As we read his travels, we see his overwhelming difficulties and life threatening dangers are well documented (11:23-27). Despite the suffering, however, Paul wrote, “We never give up” (4:1,16).
Describing our lives as “clay jars”, Paul acknowledged his own frailty, vulnerability and mortality (v.7). But he also refused to be defeated, for he chose to see his difficulties from God’s perspective. “Our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. . . . So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. . . . The things we cannot see will last forever” (vv.17-18).
—K.T. Sim
365-day-plan: John 8:1-20
What encouragement do 1 Corinthians 15:58 and Hebrews 6:10-12 give to those who are on the verge of giving up?
What has it cost you to remain faithful to Jesus? How do the examples of Adoniram Judson and Paul the apostle encourage you to live for Him today?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Whose Mess?
July 29, 2015
READ: Matthew 15:7-21
Out of the heart come evil thoughts . . . . These are what defile a person. Matthew 15:19-20
“Could they not carry their own garbage this far?” I grumbled to Jay as I picked up empty bottles from the beach and tossed them into the trash bin less than 20 feet away. “Did leaving the beach a mess for others make them feel better about themselves? I sure hope these people are tourists. I don’t want to think that any locals would treat our beach with such disrespect.”
The very next day I came across a prayer I had written years earlier about judging others. My own words reminded me of how wrong I was to take pride in cleaning up other people’s messes. The truth is, I have plenty of my own that I simply ignore—especially in the spiritual sense.
I am quick to claim that the reason I can’t get my life in order is because others keep messing it up. And I am quick to conclude that the “garbage” stinking up my surroundings belongs to someone other than me. But neither is true. Nothing outside of me can condemn or contaminate me—only what’s inside (Matt. 15:19-20). The real garbage is the attitude that causes me to turn up my nose at a tiny whiff of someone else’s sin while ignoring the stench of my own.
— Julie Ackerman Link
Forgive me, Lord, for refusing to throw away my own “trash.” Open my eyes to the damage that pride does to Your natural and spiritual creation. May I have no part of it.
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Most of us are farsighted about sin—we see the sins of others but not our own.
ODJ: waiting for God
July 28, 2015
READ: Habakkuk 1:2-4, 2:1
I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the LORD says and how he will answer my complaint (2:1).
At 14 I had been wandering from Jesus. But then I turned back to Him and went from a rebellious teenager to His passionately enthusiastic disciple. One night I planned to stay up until God revealed Himself to me. This lasted about 3 hours before I succumbed to tired eyes and fell asleep. The next morning, I was deeply disappointed that a tangible experience with God didn’t take place. For I thought that He would surely respond to the eager expectations of a young girl. Over the years, however, God has revealed Himself to me in many unexpected ways as I’ve surrendered myself to Him.
The prophet Habakkuk also waited for God to reveal Himself (Habakkuk 2:1). Like us sometimes, he openly questioned the Lord’s timing as he became impatient with His seeming hesitation in dealing with injustice and evil (1:2). Just as we might become frustrated at what we perceive as God’s slowness in dealing with all that’s wrong in our world, Habakkuk longed for God to reveal Himself and bring an end to the appalling injustices around him (vv.3-4).
But the Lord did answer Habakkuk and reminded him that the righteous live not by their circumstances but by their faithfulness to God (2:4). He also reassured the prophet that even though it seemed to be slow in coming, justice would be realised at the right time (vv.6-19). And although nothing changed initially, Habakkuk’s faith was renewed by God’s Word and he waited patiently for Him to move (2:3, 3:16).
—Ruth O’Reilly-Smith
365-day-plan: John 7:32-53
Read Psalm 27:14 and Isaiah 40:31 to see more results of waiting on God.
Are you waiting for God to intervene in your life? What good things can take place as we wait for Him to move?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Pencil Battle
July 28, 2015
READ: Judges 2:11-22
They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way. Judges 2:19
As I learned to write my letters, my first-grade teacher insisted that I hold my pencil in a specific way. As she watched me, I held it the way she wanted me to. But when she turned away, I obstinately reverted the pencil to the way I found more comfortable.
I thought I was the secret winner in that battle of the wills, and I still hold my pencil in my own peculiar way. Decades later, however, I realize that my wise teacher knew that my stubborn habit would grow into a bad writing practice that would result in my hand tiring more quickly.
Children rarely understand what is good for them. They operate almost entirely on what they want at the moment. Perhaps the “children of Israel” were aptly named as generation after generation stubbornly insisted on worshiping the gods of the nations around them rather than the one true God. Their actions greatly angered the Lord because He knew what was best, and He removed His blessing from them (Judg. 2:20-22).
Pastor Rick Warren says, “Obedience and stubbornness are two sides of the same coin. Obedience brings joy, but our stubbornness makes us miserable.”
If a rebellious spirit is keeping us from obeying God, it’s time for a change of heart. Return to the Lord; He is gracious and merciful.
— Cindy Hess Kasper
Heavenly Father, You are loving and gracious, and eager to forgive when we return to You. May we pursue you with our whole heart and not cling to our stubborn tendency to want things our way.
First we make our habits; then our habits make us.