Entries by YMI
ODJ: caedmon’s calling
March 13, 2015
READ: Exodus 31:1-6
I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability and expertise in all kinds of crafts (v.3).
During the eighth century, a farmhand named Caedmon served at Whitby Abbey in the north of England. One night he had an extraordinary dream. In the dream, someone asked Caedmon to sing a song about creation. Being a farmer and not a singer, he initially refused. But as the dream progressed, he did indeed compose a song praising the Creator.
The next morning, Caedmon found that he was able to recall the song. He told his foreman about the experience and the man took him to see the abbess, St. Hilda. Hilda listened carefully to Caedmon’s story and then gave him a task: produce another poem, this time based on a verse of Scripture. Caedmon returned the next day with the new poem.
Recognising Caedmon’s divine gift, Hilda ordered her scholars to teach him history and the Bible. Each day he was tasked with writing a new poem. And after a night’s reflection on the Scripture given him, we’re told that Caedmon would create verses with such “sweetness and humility” that they moved people to worship and conversion.
Many of us have believed that God calls only pastors and missionaries to do His work, not artists. We’ve wrongly thought that the gospel can be shared only through preaching, not the arts. But the Holy Spirit loves to inspire artists with songs, books, paintings and performances that reveal God’s beauty. He empowered Bezalel, Oholiab and other master artisans whose work on the temple moved people to worship and follow God (Exodus 31:1-6, 28:3; Psalm 27:4).
St. Hilda recognised Caedmon’s gifting, became his patron, gave him opportunities to learn and challenges to meet and shared his work with the world. Let’s encourage artists we know to use their gifts to God’s glory!
365-day plan: Judges 16:1-21
Read Genesis 4:21 to discover the first musician mentioned in the Bible, and read 1 Kings 7:13-51 to learn of another often-forgotten artist.
Have you neglected your God-given creative gift? Do you know an artist who needs encouragement and opportunities? How can you help that person get started?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Giving Up Our Mirrors
March 13, 2015
READ: Philippians 2:1-5
[Bezalel] made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women. —Exodus 38:8
When Moses gathered the children of Israel together to begin work on the tabernacle (Ex. 35–39), he called on Bezalel, a gifted artisan, to help make the furnishings. We’re told that certain women were asked to give their precious bronze mirrors to make the bronze basin he was constructing (38:8). They gave them up to help prepare a place where God’s presence would reside.
Give up our mirrors? For most of us, that would be hard to do. That’s not something we’re asked to do, but it makes me think about how too much scrutiny and self-examination can be disconcerting. It can make us think too much about ourselves and not enough about others.
When we can forget about our own faces quickly and remember that God loves us as we are—in all our imperfections—then we can begin to “look out not only for [our] own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4).
Augustine said that we get lost in loving ourselves but found in loving others. Put another way, the secret of happiness is not getting our face right but giving our hearts away, giving our lives away, giving our selves away, in love.
— David H. Roper
A heart that is focused on others will not be consumed with self.
ODJ: outside the box
March 12, 2015
READ: Judges 14:1-4
His father and mother didn’t realise the LORD was at work (v.4).
When I went to Bible college, I had a wife, two daughters and absolutely no money! We were confident that God had called me to attend college even though we weren’t sure exactly why. After we determined that we couldn’t afford a house near the college, we brought our need to Him.
God did answer, but in an unexpected way: He didn’t provide a home, so I lived separately from my family. In fact, we saw one another only on weekends and sometimes not even then. The usual line we heard from well-meaning believers in Jesus was, “That’s not God. You’ve got this wrong.” But God was preparing me to be a pastor, and I needed to be available for His training. Although it was difficult, we strived to follow God’s will and remain obedient to His call.
Samson definitely violated God’s will. He ate food from a animal carcass (Judges 14:9), he went after prostitutes (16:1) and he even married a foreign woman (14:2). He didn’t always get it right, but God still used Samson’s life for His purposes. His marriage, going against the law of Israel, was a part of God’s perfect plans (v.4). Although we should always seek to follow God’s will and be obedient to Him, He can still use us in our weakness and failures.
At some point our human logic will collapse under the weight of trying to explain God’s ways. That’s why it’s vital that we rest in the words of Isaiah: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts . . . my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine” says the LORD (Isaiah 55:8).
God will often confound us by doing something that doesn’t fit our expectations. But it always fits His personality: He’s a God who’s exciting, sovereign and full of surprises.
365-day plan: Judges 15:1-20
Read John 6:53-69 and consider what happened when Jesus gave a hard teaching to the people. Then note Peter’s response.
How can you trust in the journey, even when the way is unclear and difficult? How has God surprised you recently?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
ODB: Hand Me The Binoculars!
March 12, 2015
READ: Psalm 19:1-6
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. —Psalm 19:1
When I was in elementary school my friend Kent and I would often spend time looking at the night sky with a pair of German-made binoculars. We marveled at the stars in the sky and the mountains on the moon. All throughout the evening we took turns saying, “Hand me the binocs!”
Centuries earlier a Jewish shepherd boy looked up at the night sky and also marveled. He did not have a pair of binoculars or a telescope to aid him. But he had something even more important—a personal relationship with the living God. I imagine the sheep quietly bleating in the background as David gazed skyward. Later he would write the inspired text: “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge” (Ps. 19:1-2).
In our busy schedules, we can so easily forget to stand in awe of the heavenly beauty our Creator has prepared for our enjoyment and His glory. When we set aside time to look at the night sky and marvel at what is there, we gain a deeper understanding of God and His eternal power and glory.
— Dennis Fisher
In the wonders of God’s creation, we see His majesty and His character.
ODJ: boiling water
March 11, 2015
READ: Hosea 6:1-7
Come, let us return to the LORD (v.1).
In the classic tale of the two frogs, one is placed into a pot of boiling water and is so shocked by the experience that it quickly jumps out. The other is lowered into a pot of cold water over a low heat. The heat is gradually turned up to boiling point, but the frog doesn’t realise the subtle change in temperature and allows itself to slowly boil to death.
This well-known and somewhat gruesome anecdote makes me think of the effects of sin. There are times when sin is so blatant and vile that we’re quick to flee the temptation. There are other times, however, when we’re lulled into thinking we can linger after work with an attractive colleague rather than get home to our spouse or leave a few important details off of our yearly tax return. The next thing we know, the heat of our sin has reached a boiling point and we’re feeling the sting of spiritual death.
God shows us the way out of temptation and we need to heed the warning and flee or we risk getting badly burned (1 Corinthians 10:13; 2 Timothy 2:22-24). The prophet Hosea showed the people of Israel a way out of the awful consequences of their sin by urging them to repent and return to the LORD (Hosea 6:1). He encouraged them to seek the LORD and press on to know Him, and as they did so, he assured them that they would always know His faithful presence (v.3).
A pastor from Chicago was so serious about preventing immoral behaviour on the job that he had a glass door installed in every office in the church. It was a practical way of helping his staff steer clear of the desire to succumb to temptation. In what practical ways will you avoid sin that can ‘boil you alive’?
365-day plan: Judges 14:1-20
Read 1 Corinthians 6:18 and consider what it reveals about how to avoid the scalding ways of sin.
How have you found sin to be sneaky, creeping up on you unexpectedly? What will help you to be better prepared for sin and its subtle attacks?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)