Entries by YMI

ODJ: two houses

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March 1, 2015 

READ: Matthew 7:24-27 

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock (v.24).

In 2010 researchers simulated a category 3 hurricane to test the strength of two houses—one built according to normal construction standards for the region and the other built with a reinforced roof and floors. The researchers turned on giant fans to create wind gusts of 110 miles per hour for more than 10 minutes.

The house that was built according to conventional standards was severely shaken and it eventually collapsed. In contrast, the house with the reinforcements survived with only a few cosmetic damages. An engineer working on the experiment summarised the results with a sobering question: “The [question] you have to ask yourself is: which house would you rather be living in?”

Concluding His teaching on the attitudes and behaviour of kingdom living, Jesus told His listeners the tale of two houses (Matthew 7:24-27). He said that obeying His teachings (ch.5-7) is like being a wise builder who constructs his house on bedrock (7:24). Even when fierce winds blow, the house will stand tall (v.25).

In contrast, the person who hears but doesn’t obey is likened to a foolish man who builds his house on a sandy foundation (v.26). When the big winds blow, the house will collapse (v.27). Each house may look secure, but a severe test will reveal the true quality of the builder’s work.

In telling this parable, Jesus presents two options: you can build your life on the solid foundation of genuine obedience or on the unstable sand of external righteousness.

Let’s humbly practise receiving Jesus’ teaching. Hearing and applying it will make for a healthy spiritual life. May we seek God’s wisdom as we strive to get our ‘house’ in order! —Marvin Williams

365-day plan: Joshua 3:1-17

MORE
Read Joshua 24:15 to see what foundation Joshua told the tribes of Israel that he and his family would build their house on. 
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Take an honest inventory of your journey. On what foundation are you building your life? Read through the Sermon on the Mount again (Matthew 5-7). What part of Jesus’ teachings will you begin putting into action this week? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Learn The Cost

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March 1, 2015 

READ: 1 Peter 1:17-21 

You were bought at a price. —1 Corinthians 6:20 

We gave our 2-year-old son a pair of new boots recently. He was so happy that he didn’t take them off until it was bedtime. But the next day he forgot all about the boots and put on his old sneakers. My husband said, “I wish he knew how much things cost.”

The boots were expensive, but a young child doesn’t know about working hours, salaries, and taxes. A child receives the gifts with open arms, but we know that he can’t be expected to fully appreciate the sacrifices his parents make to give him new things.

Sometimes I behave like a child. With open arms I receive God’s gifts through His many mercies, but am I thankful? Do I consider the price that was paid so I can live a full life?

The cost was expensive—more than “corruptible things, like silver or gold.” As we read in 1 Peter, it required “the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1:18-19). Jesus gave His life, a high price to pay, to make us part of His family. And God raised Him from the dead (v.21).

When we understand the cost of our salvation, we learn to be truly thankful.

— Keila Ochoa

Lord, help me to understand, to take in what it meant for You, the Holy One, to bear my sin. Remind me to give You thanks for salvation and for all the ways You show me Your love throughout my day today.

Salvation is infinitely costly, but absolutely free. 

ODJ: what if?

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February 28, 2015 

READ: Romans 8:18-28 

God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them (v.28).

In a recent email, a woman named Renee told me how she and her husband had unsuccessfully spent years trying to start a family. After numerous rounds of in vitro fertilisation treatment and several years waiting to adopt, they were exhausted from the ordeal and considering bringing the journey to an end. Knowing that my wife and I had walked a similar path, Renee asked a question. “How do you give up on a dream of parenthood without regretting what might have been?”

As I started to share some advice, I realised something else was lurking behind Renee’s question. I told her that her fear could be summed up this way: “If we make the wrong decision, will our lives be ruined?”

I think that’s what we all fear when making a major life decision. We give way to worry, and ‘what if’ questions haunt us: “What if a call from the adoption agency was only another day away?” “What if another potential spouse never comes along?” “What if I choose the wrong career?” We fear our lives will be ruined if we don’t make the perfect decision.

I shared with Renee the liberating news that the answer to her fearful questions was a resounding “No!” If we head in the wrong direction, God can still turn us around (Proverbs 3:5-6). If the dream dies before God chooses to act, He can resurrect it (John 11:23-44). Paul says that in this imperfect world “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God” (Romans 8:28; see also vv.18-23). If we love Him, He can make even a poor decision fit into the tapestry of our lives.

“Your life will not be over if you choose to end your search for a family,” I told Renee. “Trust Him to take you somewhere new; whatever you decide.”

—Sheridan Voysey

365-day plan› Joshua 2:1-24

MORE
Read James 1:5 to see God’s promise of wisdom, Philippians 4:6-7 to learn about God’s peace and Proverbs 11:14 to understand the need to consult others. 
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How do you make decisions? How can you trust God even when things don’t go according to your plans? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Catching Up With Us

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February 28, 2015 

READ: Psalm 32:1-5 

When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning. —Psalm 32:3 

A pastor told this story on himself in his local newspaper. He was chatting with an older man to whom he had just been introduced. “So, you used to work for a utility company,” the pastor said, naming the organization. “Sure did,” the man responded. The pastor remarked that when he was a kid the cables from that company ran across his parents’ property. “Where did you live?” the man asked. When the pastor told him, the man said, “I remember that property. I had a tough time keeping the cable warning signs up. Kids were always shooting them down.” When the pastor’s face flushed with embarrassment, the man said, “You were one of the shooters, weren’t you?” And indeed he was.

The pastor labeled his confessional story: “Be sure your signs will find you out,” a clever play on Moses’ words in Numbers 32:23: “Be sure your sin will find you out.”

Old wrongs have a way of catching up with us. And old sins that have not been dealt with can lead to serious consequences. As David laments in Psalm 32: “When I kept silent, my bones grew old.” But confessing our wrong restores our fellowship with the Lord: “I acknowledged my sin to You . . . and You forgave the iniquity of my sin” (v.5). Through confession, we can enjoy God’s forgiveness.

— Dave Branon

Dear Lord, it’s time to come clean with You.
I’ve held on to _____________ for too long.
Thank You that this sin is under the blood of
Christ. Restore me to fellowship with You.

Christians can erase from their memory what God has erased from the record. 

ODJ: eyes ahead

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February 27, 2015 

READ: Joshua 23:1-16 

Do not deviate from [the Book of Instruction], turning either to the right or to the left (v.6).

Glen, an old family friend, took a fall inside his home and fractured his neck. Fortunately, he didn’t need surgery. His doctor fitted him with a neck brace and instructed him not to bend, lift or turn until his neck had healed. This meant that he had to move his entire body to see anything outside his direct line of sight. He could focus only on what was directly in front of him.

God wanted the Israelites to focus on Him exclusively—keeping Him at the centre of their lives. According to Joshua, the people were not to turn “to the right or to the left” (Joshua 23:6). This wasn’t easy for the nation of nomads when they entered the Promised Land. Distractions were everywhere—pagan gods, exotic foreigners and an array of unusual customs.

Still, God promised to bless the Israelites if they would concentrate on Him. They would have the respect of other nations, gain victories and enjoy climate changes tailored to meet their needs! Their children, crops and livestock would flourish (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). Joshua warned them, however, “If you turn away from [God] and cling to the customs of the survivors of these nations . . . and if you intermarry . . . [then] they will be a snare and a trap to you, a whip for your backs” (Joshua 23:12-13).

As believers in Jesus, we live in a world teeming with temptations that can dilute our devotion to God. Discipline in our spiritual lives can help us focus on Him. Contemplating Scripture, conversing with God, worshipping Him and fasting are some prime practices to keep us from turning to the left or to the right (v.6). Staying focused on Him means loving Him with all of our heart, soul, strength and mind (Luke 10:27). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

365-day plan› Joshua 1:1-18

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Read Daniel 6:10,19-23 to see how one person’s unwavering devotion can affect others. 
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Why does God prize our wholehearted devotion to Him? What kind of spiritual discipline most effectively helps you focus on God? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: A Consistent Life

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February 27, 2015 

READ: Daniel 6:1-10 

He knelt down on his knees . . . and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days. —Daniel 6:10 

While studying the book of Daniel, I was struck by how easily he could have avoided being thrown into the den of lions. Daniel’s jealous rivals in the government of Babylon laid a trap based on his consistent practice of daily prayer to God (Dan. 6:1-9). Daniel was fully aware of their plot and could have decided to pray privately for a month until things settled down. But that was not the kind of person he was.

“When Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days” (v.10). Daniel did not panic, nor bargain with God. Instead, he continued “just as he had done before” (v.10 niv). He was not intimidated by the pressure of persecution.

The lesson for me was the power of Daniel’s life of consistent devotion to the Lord. His strength came from God, whom Daniel wanted to please every day. When a crisis came, Daniel didn’t need to change his daily practice to meet it. He simply stayed committed to his God.

— David C. McCasland

Father, I want to stand for You when persecution
comes as Daniel did. Give me that same bold
commitment to pray and not to be ashamed of
knowing You. Help me to live my faith publicly.

God empowers us to stand for Him as we bow to pray. 

ODJ: birth religion

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February 26, 2015 

READ: 2 Timothy 1:3-14 

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you (v.5).

It’s popular today to dismiss all religions as merely an accident of birth. The chances are that a person born in Pakistan will become a Muslim. India produces Hindus, Thailand makes Buddhists, Brazilians tend to be Catholics and so on. Have you wondered if the only reason you believe in Jesus is due to the influence of your parents or others? Is becoming a believer simply about being born in the right family?

The Christian faith does tend to run in families, and for good reason. God often uses people to bring sinners to Himself. Paul said, “ ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.’ But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? . . . That is why the Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!’ ” (Romans 10:13-15). This might require crossing an ocean with the gospel, but it should always start at home.

Paul told Timothy that a Christian heritage is a reason to praise God. He wrote, “Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers” (2 Timothy 1:3). The apostle chose to follow Christ and he implored Timothy to do the same.

If you learnt about Jesus from your parents, that’s something to be thankful for. But, regardless of where you were born or how you were raised, you can truly give thanks for the family of believers you’re now a part of. And, at home with those you love as well as with others you know, it’s your joy to freely share how to join the family of God. —Mike Wittmer

365-day plan› Deuteronomy 34:1-12

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Read Deuteronomy 6:1-25 to learn ways you can perpetuate or establish a godly heritage for your children or those who look up to you. 
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What heritage have you received from your parents or other mentors? How will you pass on your beliefs to those you know? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Changed Perspective

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February 26, 2015 

READ: Acts 17:16-23 

Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. —Acts 17:16 

As an early riser, my wife enjoys the quiet moments before the house wakes up and uses it to read the Bible and pray. Recently she settled into her favorite chair, only to be confronted by a rather messy couch left there by “someone” watching a football game the night before. The mess distracted her at first, and her frustration with me interrupted the warmth of the moment.

Then a thought hit her, and she moved to the couch. From there, she could look out our front windows to the sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean. The beauty of the scene God painted that morning changed her perspective.

As she told me the story, we both recognized the lesson of the morning. While we can’t always control the things of life that impact our day, we do have a choice. We can continue to brood over the “mess,” or we can change our perspective. When Paul was in Athens, “he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols” (Acts 17:16 niv). But when he changed his perspective, he used their interest in religion as an opportunity to proclaim the true God, Jesus Christ (vv.22-23).

As my wife left for work, it was time for someone else to change his perspective—for me to let the Lord help me to see my messes through her eyes and His.

— Randy Kilgore

Dear Lord, grant us the wisdom to change
our perspective rather than linger over messes.
Help us to see—and fix—the “messes”
we make for others.

Wisdom is seeing things from God’s perspective.