Entries by YMI

ODJ: who we are

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January 22, 2015 

READ: Zechariah 1:1-17 

You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9).

Zechariah lived out a twofold identity as both priest and prophet. The grandson of the priest Iddo and the head priest of his family (Zechariah 1:1; Nehemiah 12:1,16), he was prophetically called to encourage the people of Judah with God’s words (Zechariah 1:13-17). In addition, he told them to repent (vv.3-4), renew their efforts for God (8:12-13) and follow His ways (7:8-10).

The vital mission of Zechariah reveals a portion of the threefold mission of every believer in Jesus—to be a prophet, priest and king. Tim Keller writes about this tri-fold purpose in his book Center Church: Doing Balanced, Gospel-Centered Ministry in Your City. Here are the points Tim presents:

1. Every believer is a prophet. Joel 2:28-29 describes the time when the Holy Spirit would come on all believers and they would prophesy. This took place on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13). And now all believers are called to prophesy—to clearly present God’s truth to others so they might repent and follow Him.

2. Every believer is a priest. Peter wrote that believers in Jesus are “royal priests” (1 Peter 2:9). Following the example of Jesus our “great High Priest” (Hebrews 4:14-16), we’re to minister to others in loving and sympathetic ways.

3. Every believer is a king. Scripture reveals that we reign with Jesus as both kings and priests (Ephesians 2:6; Revelation 1:5-6). And all believers should therefore battle against the world, the flesh and the devil, while also speaking the truth in love to fellow believers (Ephesians 4:15).

Zechariah was careful to reveal God’s words during his time on earth. As prophets, priests and kings established in Jesus, may we do the same during ours! —Tom Felten

365-day plan› Genesis 39:1-23

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Read Romans 12:1-2 and consider what it means to live out the threefold mission of a believer in Jesus—being transformed in how we view God, others and ourselves. 
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How does it affect you to realise that you’re a prophet, priest and king in God’s eyes? Which of these three roles do you need to grow in? How will you do so? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: A Wonderful Explosion

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January 22, 2015 

READ: John 13:31-35 

As I have loved you, . . . you also love one another. —John 13:34 

In the book Kisses from Katie, Katie Davis recounts the joy of moving to Uganda and adopting several Ugandan girls. One day, one of her daughters asked, “Mommy, if I let Jesus come into my heart, will I explode?” At first, Katie said no. When Jesus enters our heart, it is a spiritual event.

However, after she thought more about the question, Katie explained that when we decide to give our lives and hearts to Jesus “we will explode with love, with compassion, with hurt for those who are hurting, and with joy for those who rejoice.” In essence, knowing Christ results in a deep care for the people in our world.

The Bible challenges us to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15). We can consistently display this loving response because of the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts. When we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. The apostle Paul described it this way, “Having believed [in Christ,] you were sealed with the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 1:13).

Caring for others—with God’s supernatural assistance—shows the world that we are His followers (John 13:35). It also reminds us of His love for us. Jesus said, “As I have loved you, . . . you also love one another” (v.34).

— Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Dear Jesus, help me to experience Your
love more deeply so that I can share it
with others. Empower me through Your
Holy Spirit so that I can glorify You.

Love given reflects love received. 

ODJ: rolled away . . .

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January 21, 2015 

READ: Joshua 5:2-12 

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the shame of your slavery in Egypt” (v.9).

I’m ashamed to admit it, but sometimes I pray for God to grant me a good parking spot when I pick up my children from school. I wonder if I do this because, deep down, I believe that God is able to take care of only the small things of life, and little more.

In Joshua 5, God told the people of Israel that He had rolled away the shame of Egypt from them (v.9). It’s important to understand that this was no small thing. For the “shame of Egypt” included the Israelites’ constant complaining in the wilderness, their creation of the golden calf at the foot of Mt. Sinai and losing their faith in God when they were finally approaching the Promised Land. It represented the accumulated failures of generations of Israelites. But God rolled it all away after the people obediently practiced the act of circumcision—an outward sign of the reestablishment of their covenant with God (vv.2-8).

Today, God offers to roll away our shame through the work of Jesus, giving us a fresh start from even the worst and lowest moments of our lives. Consider how God reinstated Peter after his denial of Jesus and how he called the murderous Pharisee Saul to become the apostle Paul (John 21:15-19; Acts 9:3-18). Consider the sorrow of Good Friday being transformed into the joy of Easter morning (John 19:31-33, 20:11-17).

God does care about the small things, but His power isn’t limited to those things. He’s able to take the shame of our sin, no matter how heavy and burdensome, and roll it away. And so, we can sing with full hearts the words of the famous hymn: “My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more. Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!” —Peter Chin

365-day plan› Genesis 37:1-36

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Read Psalm 103:8-12 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 to be reminded of God’s power to transform lives! 
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Have you ever felt that your life was so dark that God would be unable to redeem it? How has God removed your shame from you? Is any shame too much for Him? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Pointing To God

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January 21, 2015 

READ: Deuteronomy 8:11-18 

Remember now your Creator . . . before the difficult days come. —Ecclesiastes 12:1 

“God bless our homeland, Ghana” is the first line of Ghana’s national anthem. Other African anthems include: “O Uganda, may God uphold thee,” “Lord, bless our nation” (South Africa), and “O God of creation, direct our noble cause” (Nigeria). Using the anthems as prayers, founding fathers called on God to bless their land and its people. Many national anthems in Africa and others from around the world point to God as Creator and Provider. Other lines of anthems call for reconciliation, transformation, and hope for a people often divided along ethnic, political, and social lines.

Yet today, many national leaders and citizens tend to forget God and do not live by these statements—especially when life is going well. But why wait until war, disease, storms, terrorist attacks, or election violence occurs before we remember to seek God? Moses warned the ancient Israelites not to forget God and not to stop following His ways when life was good (Deut. 8:11). Ecclesiastes 12:1 urges us to “remember now your Creator . . . before the difficult days come.”

Getting close to God while we are strong and healthy prepares us to lean on Him for support and hope when those “difficult days” in life come.

— Lawrence Darmani

Father, I always need You. Forgive me for
thinking I am sufficient in myself. Help me to
follow You and Your ways whether life is easy
or difficult. Thank You for caring for me.

Remembering our Creator can be our personal anthem. 

ODJ: serving together

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January 20, 2015 

READ: Matthew 25:34-40 

When you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me! (v.40).

After I moved to Africa, a couple living in America contacted me and said, “We’d like to make a financial contribution to help you with your ministry in Uganda.” Because my job at the time didn’t require that I raise funds, I thanked them but declined their generous offer.

My friends were eager to help feed the hungry, show hospitality to strangers, clothe the poor and provide the thirsty with a drink as believers in Jesus are told to do in Matthew 25:34-39. For some reason, however, I didn’t think that I should accept money from them or anyone else at that time.

One month later, however, I was visiting some children at a rural hospital in northern Uganda when I met a little boy in desperate need of medical treatment that his family couldn’t afford. It was then that I believe the Lord impressed on my heart to tell my friends about him so that together we could help him. And, of course, when they learned of his needs, my friends gave joyously and generously on his behalf.

As I spent days in the hospital tending to the child and visiting the sick (v.39), I was strengthened by my friends’ prayers, emotional support and financial gifts. They helped equip me to minister lovingly to the little boy and other patients at the hospital. Conditions there were so bleak that “crowds of sick people—blind, lame or paralysed” were forced to sleep outside on hard porches, much like the poor and hurting described in John 5:2-4.

Today, consider how you can unite to serve “the least of these” through your local church and personal giving (Matthew 25:40). I can attest that, even in the face of suffering, few joys compare to working with others to help those in need. —Roxanne Robbins

365-day plan› Genesis 32:1-33:16

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Read Mark 2:1-12 and consider what some men serving together did to help a hurting friend. 
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How could you serve with others this week to bring glory to God as you help those in need? Why is it important to work with others—those who know the true nature of the need and those who are in need—before moving forward with ministry plans? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: When God Is Quiet

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January 20, 2015 

READ: 1 Kings 19:1-12 

As [Elijah] lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” —1 Kings 19:5 

I love to take pictures of sunsets at Lake Michigan. Some are subtle shades of pastel. Others are bold strokes of bright color. Sometimes the sun sinks quietly behind the lake. Other times it goes down in what looks like a fiery explosion.

In pictures and in person, I prefer the latter. But both show the handiwork of God. When it comes to God’s work in the world, my preferences are the same. I would rather see dramatic answers to prayer than ordinary provisions of daily bread. But both are the work of God.

Elijah may have had similar preferences. He had grown accustomed to being the center of God’s grand displays of power. When he prayed, God showed up in dramatic ways—first in a miraculous defeat against the prophets of Baal and then in the end to a long and devastating drought (1 Kings 18). But then Elijah felt afraid and started to run. God sent an angel to feed him to strengthen him for his journey. After 40 days he arrived in Horeb. God showed him that He was now communicating in a still small voice, not in flashy miracles (19:11-12).

If you’re discouraged because God hasn’t shown up in a blaze of glory, perhaps He’s revealing Himself with His quiet presence.

— Julie Ackerman Link

Lord, may we see You today in the small
details of life in ways that we hadn’t noticed
before. Thank You for the gift of Your quiet
presence, wherever we may find it today.

God is in the small things as well as the great. 

ODJ: big shoulders

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January 19, 2015 

READ: Psalm 44:1-26 

For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep (v.22).

The Bible is not propaganda. Unlike some governments that share only positive reviews, Scripture records the words of people who are frustrated with God. Psalm 44 begins by remembering conquests that inspire trust in Him. “O God . . . our ancestors have told us of all you did in their day. . . . You crushed their enemies and set our ancestors free” (vv.1-2). The psalmist concluded, “You are my King and my God” (v.4).

But something had gone wrong. The psalmist complained that God no longer defended His people: “You have butchered us like sheep and scattered us among the nations. You sold your precious people for a pittance” (vv.11-12). The reader assumes that Israel must be guilty of some sin against God, such as idolatry. But the psalmist says no. “All this has happened though we have not forgotten you. We have not violated your covenant” (v.17).

What’s going on? The psalm concludes by imploring God to wake up and rescue His people, because “for your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep” (v.22). God inspired the descendants of Korah to write this lament, then left it unresolved for a thousand years. Its anguished cry gave generations of God’s children a model for the way to respond when they felt they’d been wrongly treated. Even Jesus encouraged us to keep knocking (Matthew 7:7-11).

It’s appropriate that Jesus weighed in, for His resurrection finally resolved this lament. Paul quoted Psalm 44 in Romans 8:36-39, declaring that though “we are killed every day,” nothing—not even death—can separate us from the love of Jesus. God’s love is stronger than death, and it’s strong enough to bear our lament. Cry out to God; He has big shoulders. —Mike Wittmer

365-day plan› Genesis 29:14-30

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Read Job 3:1-26 to see a first-class lament. 
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Do you think God is letting you down? Tell Him about it, and then worship Him for who He is. 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: You Had To Act

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January 19, 2015 

READ: John 7:37-46 

No man ever spoke like this Man! —John 7:46 

A US congressman, John Lewis, was 23 years old when he participated in the historic 1963 civil rights “March on Washington” led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Half a century later, journalist Bill Moyers asked Lewis how he was affected by Dr. King’s I Have A Dream speech that day. Mr. Lewis replied, “You couldn’t leave after hearing him speak and go back to business as usual. You had to do something, you had to act. You had to move. You had to go out and spread the good news.”

Many who encountered Jesus found it impossible to remain neutral about Him. John 7:25-46 records two different reactions to Jesus. While “many of the people believed in Him” (v.31), the religious leaders tried to silence Him by sending temple guards to arrest Him (v.32). The guards were likely present when Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (vv.37-38). The guards returned without Jesus and were asked, “Why have you not brought Him?” (v.45). They answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (v.46).

The words of Jesus compel us to act, and to move, beyond business as usual.

— David C. McCasland

So let our lips and lives express
The holy gospel we profess;
So let our works and virtues shine,
To prove the doctrine all divine. —Watts

Jesus’ death forgave my past sins and inspires my present obedience. 

ODJ: vertical and horizontal

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January 18, 2015 

READ: 2 Corinthians 5:16-19 

God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself (v.19).

Jean Vanier was an accomplished naval officer who had recently completed a PhD, and whose family oozed with prestige (his father had been the Governor General of Canada). Yet, living in the small French village of Trosly-Breuil, Vanier was alone and downhearted. His pastor encouraged him to invite two disabled men to live with him, and L’Arche (communities where disabled and those who Vanier calls “temporarily-abled” share friendship and life together) was born. Fifty years later, L’Arche communities exist around the world.

At the centre of Vanier’s work—and L’Arche’s vision—is the belief that God brings people together who would normally have little reason for friendship. The apostle Paul insists that the gospel provides for reconciliation, where barriers are shattered and people are reunited.

Reconciliation’s first movement is between God and people, bringing “us back to himself through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:18). In the second movement, God gives “us the ministry of reconciliation,” reconciling humans to one another by virtue of the life we’ve come to share in Him (v.18 ESV). Reconciliation is vertical (between us and God), and then it’s horizontal (between us and our neighbour).

Reconciliation is not first a social agenda, but God’s action in Christ. “All this is a gift from God,” Paul says (v.18). As Emmanuel Katongole and Chris Rice say in their book Reconciling All Things: “A Christian vision of reconciliation cannot be conceived or sustained without the particular life of the God whom Christians confess, the living God of Israel who raised the crucified Jesus from the dead. The life and preaching of Jesus shape our lives distinctly in a broken world.” —Winn Collier

365-day plan› Genesis 28:10-22

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Read the larger context (2 Corinthians 5:11-19). Reflect on what it would mean to no longer “[evaluate] others from a human point of view” (v.16). 
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What does it mean to receive God’s gift of reconciliation? How can you better offer that gift to others? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)