Entries by YMI
ODJ: trusting God
May 27, 2015
READ: 2 Chronicles 20:1-13
O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army . . . . We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help (v.12).
Years ago, God put it on the hearts of my wife and me that I should attend Bible college. We didn’t fully know why or how, but we trusted that He had a plan. Our problem was that we were in a tough financial condition. We were literally praying for food to feed our family week by week. Then the due date for the payment of the tuition fees arrived, and we didn’t have a penny to put towards the cost.
We were tempted to throw our hands up into the air in despair when suddenly we stopped and said, “God, we believe this was Your idea. So if You want us to pursue Bible college, we look to You to provide the funds. You know our situation. Please show us the way.” Moments later the phone rang and the college informed me that an anonymous donor had paid all my fees for the year! I still have no idea who the donor was, but I do know the great One who truly provided the funds!
The nation of Judah had been invaded and the people had no clue what to do. But they did the right thing, for they knew that God was their God. The right thing, the only thing, to do was to pray, “Over to you, God!” They looked to Him, not understanding the situation, not knowing what would happen (2 Chronicles 20:3-4). They simply trusted in the character of God and the hope that He would come to their aid as He had always done in the past (v.7).
When all seems hopeless and our backs are against the wall, God will meet us in our need. We simply need to call out to Him. He’s the all-powerful, miracle-working God who has so faithfully provided for His people in the past.
—Russell Fralick
365-day-plan: Ezekiel 37:1-14
Read John 6:66-68 and consider Peter’s words and what it means to fully trust in Jesus.
How often do you battle through a crisis instead of handing it over to God? Why is God worthy of all our trust as we face life’s challenges?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Marked By His Name
May 27, 2015
READ: Acts 11:19-26
The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. —Acts 11:26
In July 1860, the world’s first nursing school opened at St. Thomas Hospital in London. Today that school is part of the King’s College, where nursing students are called Nightingales. The school—like modern nursing itself—was established by Florence Nightingale, who revolutionized nursing during the Crimean War. When prospective nurses complete their training, they take the “Nightingale Pledge,” a reflection of her ongoing impact on nursing.
Many people, like Florence Nightingale, have had a significant impact on our world. But no one has had a greater effect than Jesus, whose birth, death, and resurrection have been transforming lives for 2,000 years.
Around the world, Christ’s name marks those who are His followers, going back to the earliest days of the church. “When [Barnabas] had found [Saul], he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).
Those who bear Christ’s name identify with Him because we have been changed by His love and grace. We declare to the world that He has made an eternal difference in our lives and we long for that in the hearts of others too.
— Bill Crowder
Followers of Christ—Christians—are marked by His name.
ODJ: pocketful of rocks
May 26, 2015
READ: Matthew 18:15-35
How often should I forgive someone? (v.21).
Something about my 4 year old daughter’s outfit looked odd. Taking a closer look, I noticed that her pockets were packed with stones. While our family had been roaming an outdoor area, she had been picking up pebbles and saving them. I had to empty her pockets; it was making it hard for her to walk!
We sometimes save up past offences until it becomes hard for us to move forward in life. Unkind comments and social slights can haunt us for years. Fortunately we can unload these emotional weights when we forgive “from [the] heart” (Matthew 18:35).
Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me?” (v.21). Peter knew he might need to forgive the same person multiple times, so he suggested what seemed like an appropriate number—seven. Jesus said, “No, not seven times . . . seventy times seven!” (v.22). This kind of frequent forgiveness makes it hard for resentment to fester.
Although some small issues can be settled in the quietness of our own hearts (Proverbs 19:11), more significant offences require an honest conversation with the person at fault. If the guilty party listens and confesses the wrong and we freely forgive, the relationship can be salvaged (Matthew 18:15). Genuine restoration is more than just an exchange of words.
We may feel justified in holding on to our hurt. We may feel that forgiveness means we’re saying it’s okay for someone to mistreat us. And although there may be times when withholding forgiveness is the loving thing to do, those times should be the exception. Jesus doesn’t want us to endure the weight of grudges and past hurt. He wants us to enjoy the love that thrives when we forgive others (Proverbs 17:9).
—Jennifer Benson Schuldt
365-day-plan: Jeremiah 38:1-13
Read Luke 7:47 to learn about the relationship between love for others and forgiveness from God. Look up Psalm 32:1-2 to see the positive effect that forgiveness has on one’s soul.
How might a Christian respond to an insincere apology? When might it be appropriate not to forgive? What does God’s forgiveness look like?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Calming The Storm
May 26, 2015
READ: Mark 4:35-41
He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. —Mark 4:39
While Hurricane Katrina headed toward the coast of Mississippi, a retired pastor and his wife left their home and went to a shelter. Their daughter pleaded with them to go to Atlanta where she could take care of them, but the couple couldn’t get any money to make the trip because the banks were closed. After the storm had passed, they returned to their home to get a few belongings, and were able to salvage only a few family photos floating in the water. Then, when the man was taking his father’s photo out of its frame so it could dry, $366 fell out—precisely the amount needed for two plane tickets to Atlanta. They learned they could trust Jesus for what they needed.
For the disciples, trusting Jesus in a storm was the curriculum for the day in the dramatic narrative of Mark 4:35-41. Jesus had instructed His disciples to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and then He went to sleep in the boat. When a quick and violent storm blew in, the disciples dripped as much with fear and anxiety as water from the waves. They woke Jesus, saying, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (v.38 niv). Jesus stood up and with three words, “Peace, be still!” He muzzled the storm.
We all experience storms—persecutions, financial troubles, illnesses, disappointments, loneliness—and Jesus does not always prevent them. But He has promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). He will keep us calm in the storm.
— Marvin Williams
In the storms of life, we can see the character of our God.
ODJ: the power of kindness
May 25, 2015
READ: Romans 12:1-8
If you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly (v.8).
One Saturday last year, my family rode our bikes to a city market. Each weekend the market takes over a car park and presents a diverse group of vendors’ booths. The place overflows with organic produce, baked goods and every imaginable artisan craft creation (jewellery, paintings, woodwork and more).
My son set his eyes on a colossal-sized muffin. Preparing to pay for it, I stood in line behind an elderly woman. Tall but slightly stooped, she wore a faded denim shirt and a flowing blue skirt. Her silver hair touched her shoulders, a beauty undiminished by her age. Attempting to step away from the table, the matron turned towards me. She caught me unaware, and I froze. We met face to face, only 2 or 3 inches separating us. Without any hesitation, she smiled wide and pointed a finger at my goatee. “My, my,” she chuckled—her kind, raspy voice barely more than a whisper. “Isn’t that a cute moustache!” Then she shuffled past me.
That simple human exchange brought me joy for days to follow. It seemed the most natural thing for that precious woman to put her hand to my face, to hold my eyes with hers, to speak a word of delight.
Paul knew the power of such simple humanness, of kindness—energised by the Holy Spirit—extended to those we encounter. “We all belong to each other”, the apostle reminds us (Romans 12:5). We need one another. We were intended for human words, touch and compassion. And this isn’t (primarily) a call for grand, overwhelming gestures and sacrifice. It’s simple kindness, extending hospitality and a warm welcome.
“If you have a gift for showing kindness,” says Paul, “do it gladly” (v.8). May God’s kindness flow through us to others.
—Winn Collier
365-day-plan: Jeremiah 36:1-32
Read Romans 12:9-10. What do you think the difference is between pretending to love others and really loving them?
What was the impact on you when someone showed you true kindness? When God offered you His kindness? Where (and to who) will you offer kindness today?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Our Strength And Song
May 25, 2015
READ: Exodus 15:1–2,13–18
The Lord shall reign forever and ever. —Exodus 15:18
Often called “The March King,” composer and band director John Philip Sousa created music that has been played by bands around the world for more than a hundred years. As Loras John Schissel, music historian and conductor of the Virginia Grand Military Band, said, “Sousa is to marches what Beethoven is to symphonies.” Sousa understood the power of music to motivate, encourage, and inspire people.
In Old Testament times, the people of Israel were often inspired to compose and sing songs to celebrate God’s help during times of need. When the Lord saved His people from certain destruction by Pharaoh’s army, “Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord . . . ‘I will sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea! The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation’ ” (Ex. 15:1-2).
Music has the power to lift our spirits by reminding us of God’s faithfulness in the past. When we’re discouraged, we can sing songs and hymns that raise our eyes from the challenging circumstances we face to see the power and presence of the Lord. We are reminded that He is our strength, our song, and our salvation.
— David C. McCasland
He is faithful, changing never;
Neither force nor guile can sever
Those He loves from Him. —Kelly
Songs of praise raise our eyes to see God’s faithfulness.
ODJ: enemy to family
May 24, 2015
READ: Acts 10:34-48
Then Peter replied, “I see very clearly that God shows no favouritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right” (vv.34-35).
In 1943, Charles Brown was piloting a crippled aircraft when he saw another plane off his wingtip. The other pilot made eye contact with Brown and escorted his plane to safety before saluting and flying away. The story gets better—for Charles Brown was piloting a US bomber over the skies of Germany, and the other pilot was a German flying ace named Franz Stigler! Stigler treated Brown as a friend even though they were supposed to be enemies.
That story reminds me of Acts 10. Jews and Gentiles had been in heated conflict for hundreds of years before this time: the Babylonian exile in the 600s BC (recorded in Ezra, Nehemiah and Daniel) followed by the Seleucid invasion of 167 BC. Jews and Gentiles were not just different people groups who inhabited the same area; they were enemies who were openly hostile to one another. So Cornelius’ conversion to Christianity didn’t represent two friends becoming closer, but instead two enemies becoming one family (Acts 10:48).
But what made this possible wasn’t good will or forgetfulness, as if Peter and Cornelius simply decided to put the past behind them. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:14 that this peace is possible because Jesus dismantled the wall of hostility between Jews and Gentiles through the cross—He crucified their hostility on Calvary!
Sometimes we think that reconciliation between races and nations in conflict is done through sheer force of will, as if people should just get over it. But as believers in Jesus, we don’t believe that reconciliation is built on such flimsy ground. The reason we can pursue reconciliation is that the dividing walls of hostility were crucified with Christ, and our enemies can now be family!
—Peter Chin
365-day-plan: Jeremiah 1:1-9
Read Galatians 3:26-28 to see how far Jesus’ work of reconciliation extends.
Do you find yourself feeling more hopeful or pessimistic when it comes to reconciliation of races and nations? How does it make you feel to know that dividing walls of hostility were crucified with Jesus?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Chipmunk Chatter
May 24, 2015
READ: Isaiah 41:10-13
Fear not; I will help you. —Isaiah 41:13
Ihad laid out some landscape netting in my yard, upon which I was going to spread decorative stones. As I was preparing to finish the job, I noticed a chipmunk tangled up in the netting.
I put on my gloves and gingerly began clipping away at the netting. The little guy was not happy with me. He kicked his hind feet and tried to bite me. I calmly told him, “I’m not going to hurt you, buddy. Just relax.” But he didn’t understand, so in fear he resisted. I finally snipped the last restricting loop and sent him scampering home.
Sometimes humans feel entangled and react in fear to the Lord. Through the centuries, He has offered rescue and hope to people—yet we resist Him, not understanding the help He provides. In Isaiah 41, the prophet quotes the Lord as saying, “For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not; I will help you’” (v.13).
As you think about your situation, how do you see God’s role? Are you afraid to turn things over to Him—for fear that He might harm you? He is good and He is near, wanting to free you from life’s entanglements. You can trust Him with your life.
— Dave Branon
Faith is the best antidote for fear.