Entries by YMI

ODB: Stuck In The Mud

/in , /by

May 23, 2015 

READ: Psalm 40:1-5 

He . . . brought me up out of . . . the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock. —Psalm 40:2 

We were absolutely stuck! While I was laying the wreath in place on my parents’ grave, my husband eased the car off the road to allow another car to pass. It had rained for weeks and the parking area was sodden. When we were ready to leave, we discovered that the car was stuck. The wheels spun, sinking further and further into the mud.

We weren’t going anywhere without a push, but my husband had a damaged shoulder, and I had just come out of the hospital. We needed help! At a distance I saw two young men, and they responded cheerfully to my frantic waves and shouts. Thankfully, their combined strength pushed the car back onto the roadway.

Psalm 40 recounts God’s faithfulness when David cried for help. “I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he . . . heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire” (vv.1-2 nlt). Whether this psalm refers to an actual pit or to challenging circumstances, David knew that he could always call on God for deliverance.

God will help us too when we call on Him. Sometimes He intervenes directly, but more often He works through other people. When we admit our need to Him—and perhaps to others—we can count on His faithfulness.

— Marion Stroud

I praise You, heavenly Father, that You can rescue me from any pit, no matter how deep. Help me to accept the help of others and to be ready to offer it to those in need.

Hope comes with help from God and others. 

ODJ: our culture’s idol

/in , /by

May 22, 2015 

READ: Daniel 3:1-30 

When you hear the sound, . . . bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue (v.5).

The story of King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue always puzzled me. How was it possible for a king to erect a statue and then demand that everyone bow down to it? (Daniel 3:1,5). The whole story seemed silly. And that was before the Veggie Tales video version, which substituted the statue with a chocolate bunny!

A struggle we all face is to seek God and His ways instead of our own ways. It can be so easy to simply strive for what makes us happy and not concern ourselves with how it might affect others. The idol of individualism is so prevalent that a fast-food restaurant chain has changed its slogan from “Have it your way” to “Be your way”. The new motto may encourage us to live the way we want, but far greater freedom and joy can be found in living by the wisdom of our great God.

Nebuchadnezzar’s herald shouted, “Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace” (v.6). With that in mind, today we will sometimes feel the sting of persecution over values and choices that contrast with the ways of the world. But it’s so worth it! For only as we love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind, will we find real life (Luke 10:27-28).

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego showed great resolve in lifting God high as they challenged the king: “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve . . . will rescue us from your power . . . . But even if he doesn’t, . . . we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18).

—Mike Wittmer

365-day-plan: Isaiah 6:1-13

MORE
Read Acts 5:17-42 to learn how we should respond to the powerful pressure to disobey God. 
NEXT
What’s the difference between healthy self-expression and sinful individualism? How can you support the former without encouraging the latter? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Wisdom Seekers

/in , /by

May 22, 2015 

READ: Proverbs 3:1-18 

Blessed are those who find wisdom. —Proverbs 3:13 NIV 

Every spring colleges and universities hold commencement ceremonies to celebrate the success of students who have completed their studies and earned their degrees. After the students cross the stage, these graduates will enter a world that will challenge them. Just having academic knowledge won’t be good enough. The key to success in life will be in wisely applying everything they have learned.

Throughout Scripture, wisdom is celebrated as a treasure that is worth seeking. It is better than riches (Prov. 3:13-18). Its source is God, who alone is perfectly wise (Rom. 16:27). And it is found in the actions and attitude of Jesus, in whom “all the treasures of wisdom” are found (Col. 2:3). Wisdom comes from reading and applying the Scripture. We have an example of this in the way Jesus applied His knowledge when He was tempted (Luke 4:1-13). In other words, the truly wise person tries to see life from God’s point of view and chooses to live according to His wisdom.

What’s the payoff for this kind of life? Proverbs tells us that wisdom is like sweetness of honey on the tongue (Prov. 24:13-14). “Blessed are those who find wisdom” (3:13 niv). So seek wisdom, for it is more profitable than silver or gold!

— Joe Stowell

Lord, strengthen my resolve to live by the wisdom that comes only from You. Give me the discernment to live all of life from Your point of view that I might know the blessings of a life lived wisely.

Blessing comes from seeking wisdom and living by it. 

ODJ: trouble in town

/in , /by

May 21, 2015 

READ: Luke 4:16-30 

No prophet is accepted in his own hometown (v.24).

A 2013 article in Unfinished magazine details the exciting growth of Christianity in the “new India”. With more than 71 million believers in Jesus, the country is now the 8th largest Christian nation in the world. But even though faith in Christ is spreading “at a rapid rate among middle and high caste Indians and young people”, there are challenges for the new believers. “With great receptivity to Christianity also comes alarming religious animosity, resulting in persecution and violent resistance.”

Jesus knew the bitter effects of persecution and resistance. As He returned to “his boyhood home” of Nazareth, He went to the local synagogue and selected a prophetic passage from Isaiah (Luke 4:16). His purpose was to announce that salvation had come through Him—not just for the Jews but also for Gentiles. By referencing Elijah and Elisha and their individual ministries to “foreigners” (non-Jews) as He described His mission, the locals got the message. And they didn’t like it.

“No prophet is accepted in his own hometown,” Jesus said (v.24). Unable to accept the fact that they weren’t the only ones to receive God’s grace and moved by a festering anger against Gentile overlords, the people turned against Jesus. In fact, they tried to push Him off a cliff on the hill where the town was built. But in a display of divine power, Christ simply “passed right through the crowd and went on his way” (v.30).

—Tom Felten

365-day-plan: Ecclesiastes 12:1-14

MORE
Read John 15:18-21 and consider who’s truly being rejected when you’re persecuted for your belief in Jesus. 
NEXT
What gives you hope even as you face resistance because of your faith? Take a moment today to pray for your brothers and sisters in Christ around the world who are facing bitter persecution. 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: New Start For A Broken Heart

/in , /by

May 21, 2015 

READ: Isaiah 61:1-3 

He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted. —Isaiah 61:1 

The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia, is filled with anonymously donated remnants of love gone wrong. There is an axe that a jilted lover used to destroy the furniture of an offending partner. Stuffed animals, love letters framed in broken glass, and wedding dresses all speak volumes of heartache. While some visitors to the museum leave in tears over their own loss, some couples depart with hugs and a promise not to fail each other.

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah wrote, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted” (Isa. 61:1). When Jesus read from Isaiah 61 at the synagogue in Nazareth, He said, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). Extending far beyond help for an emotional wound, Isaiah’s words speak of a changed heart and a renewed spirit that come by receiving God’s gift of “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isa. 61:3).

All of us have experienced regret and broken promises in our lives. Whatever has happened, the Lord invites us to find healing, hope, and new life in Him.

— David C. McCasland

Lord, You are the promise-keeping God who has said He will make all things new. Today we give You our ashes in exchange for Your beauty, our mourning for the joy of finding comfort in You. Thank You!

God can transform tragedies into triumphs. 

ODJ: the perfect lie

/in , /by

May 20, 2015 

READ: Ezekiel 27:1-36 

Son of man, sing a funeral song for Tyre (v.2).

My name is Regina, and I’m a recovering perfection addict. What’s funny is that I willingly—and ironically—cover the mistakes and failures of others. But when it comes to the standards I set for myself, I can be ruthless.

Prophesying to the nation of Israel, Ezekiel foretold of coming events to God’s chosen people but also to the surrounding nations. Ezekiel 27 records God’s judgement on Tyre, a civilisation known for its arrogant pursuit of self-sufficiency (v.2). Exquisite in beauty, the city gained not only abundance, but strength. Speaking of Tyre’s great influence, the Lord declared, “Men from distant Persia, Lydia and Libya . . . hung their shields and helmets on your walls, giving you great honour” (v.10).

Because its consequences are readily visible, we can easily spot the dangers of demanding faultlessness from others (Luke 11:46). Equally offensive to God is requiring perfection from ourselves (2 Corinthians 10:12). Measuring our lives by the standards of others while trying to protect ourselves, we can wrongfully believe that by avoiding error we will avoid pain. Desiring perfection for any number of reasons, we try to: gain the attention or affection of others; hold back any emotional tidal waves of regret; and guarantee provision as we depend on ourselves.

But the desire for perfection is nothing more than an idolatrous high place, and our reliance on humanity will only lead us into bondage and ruin (Ezekiel 28:2,7-10).

—Regina Franklin

365-day-plan: Proverbs 5:1-23

MORE
Read Hebrews 10:16-23 to understand our true source of affection, protection and provision. 
NEXT
Identify an area of your life where you rest on your own efforts. In what ways might this place be an idolatrous altar? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Guard Your Focus

/in , /by

May 20, 2015 

READ: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. —Hebrews 12:2 

That’s my disciple,” I once heard a woman say about someone she was helping. As followers of Christ we are all tasked with making disciples—sharing the good news of Christ with people and helping them grow spiritually. But it can be easy to focus on ourselves instead of Jesus.

The apostle Paul was concerned that the Corinthian church was losing its focus on Christ. The two best-known preachers in those days were Paul and Apollos. The church was divided: “I follow Paul.” “Well, I follow Apollos!” They had begun focusing on the wrong person, following the teachers rather than the Savior. But Paul corrected them. We are “God’s fellow workers.” It doesn’t matter who plants and who waters, for only God can give the growth. Christians are “God’s field, God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:6-9). The Corinthian believers didn’t belong to Paul nor to Apollos.

Jesus tells us to go and make disciples and to teach them about Him (Matt. 28:20). And the author of the book of Hebrews reminds us to focus on the Author and Finisher of our faith (12:2). Christ will be honored when we focus on Him; He is superior to any human being and He will meet our needs.

— C. P. Hia

Father, I confess that it is easy to shift my focus from You to less important things. Thank You for putting people in my life that help point me to You. Help me point others to You in a way that makes You more and me less.

Put Jesus first. 

ODJ: of words and priests

/in , /by

May 19, 2015 

READ: Malachi 2:1-9 

You are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests (1 Peter 2:5).

My friend’s son loves building things. One time when he was just 10 years old, he tried to construct a treehouse from scratch. Although the structure looked pretty sound, upon close inspection its mounting wasn’t true. My friend’s son needed knowledge and instruction to create a wooden dwelling that was structurally solid and would last.

The words we speak to one another also need to be true—reflecting the wisdom of God. The prophet Malachi declared to Israel’s priests, “The words of a priest’s lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction . . . . [But] your instructions have caused many to stumble into sin” (2:7-8). And so God left them with this indictment: “You have not obeyed me but have shown favouritism in the way you carry out my instructions” (v.9).

The principles in Malachi extend to all of us when we consider the remarkable truth found in Exodus 19:6. God said to Moses, “ ‘You will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.” The apostle Peter later picked up that theme and extended it to all believers: “You are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God” (1 Peter 2:5).

The key to that amazing statement is the phrase through the mediation of Jesus Christ. Because of what He has done, Peter calls us God’s “holy priests”. Through Jesus our High Priest, we have become living stones—built into God’s true temple. And as part of that solid structure we offer His grace, truth, love and words to our searching world.

—Tim Gustafson

365-day-plan: Proverbs 4:1-27

MORE
Read 1 Peter 2:4-12. What promise does verse 6 contain? In verses 7 and 8, what warning is given to those who reject God? 
NEXT
How do you approach the tension between truth, love and justice? Do you tend to be judgemental, or are you more likely to excuse obvious sin? How can you find balance? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)