Entries by YMI

ODB: Remember The Wrapping

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December 22, 2014 

READ: Philippians 2:5-11 

[Jesus] made Himself of no reputation . . . coming in the likeness of men. —Philippians 2:7 

At our house some Christmas events are the same each year. Among them is my wife Martie’s appeal to the kids and grandkids as they attack their gifts: “Save the paper, we can use it next year!” Martie loves to give nice gifts, but she also appreciates the wrapping. Presentation is part of the beauty of the gift.

It makes me think of the wrapping Christ chose when He came as a redemptive gift to rescue us from our sinful selves. Jesus could have wrapped Himself in a mind-boggling show of power, lighting up the sky with His presence in a celestial show of glory. Instead, in a beautiful reversal of Genesis 1:26, He chose to wrap Himself “in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:7).

So why is this wrapping so important? Because, being like us, He is no stranger to our struggles. He experienced deep loneliness and the betrayal of a dear friend. He was publicly shamed, misunderstood, and falsely accused. In short, He feels our pain. As a result, the writer of Hebrews tells us that we can “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).

When you think of the gift of Jesus this Christmas, remember to keep the “wrapping” in mind!

— Joe Stowell

Lord, thank You for wrapping Yourself in our
likeness! Remind us that You understand our
struggles and that we can confidently take advantage
of the mercy and grace You offer to make us victorious.

Don’t disregard the wrapping of the best Christmas gift of all. 

ODJ: pray and release

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December 21, 2014 

READ: Philippians 4:1-9 

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything (v.6).

Author and speaker Mary Lou Quinlan claims that her mother “inhaled a worry and exhaled a prayer.” She says this because her mother had a habit of writing down prayer requests and keeping them in a special place—her “God Box”. There was one rule related to these petitions. According to Mary, “If [anyone] ever worried about the request, Mum would say, ‘If you think you can handle it better than God, it’s coming out [of the box].’ ” This helped Mary and her family to let go of their concerns.

God wants us to release our fears and troubles into His hands (Matthew 11:28). If you’re like me, this takes a bit of effort. Here’s what usually happens. Firstly, I follow Paul’s advice and discuss my concerns with God. He said, “Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him” (Philippians 4:6). After praying, I take a breath and open my eyes, and the worry immediately returns. I have two choices—continue to worry or begin to pray.

If I worry again, I’m telling God that I’m not sure He’s strong enough or willing to take care of the issue. I’m rewriting the Scripture that says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Peter 5:7). If I worry, my version says: “Cling to your problems, because God is unconcerned with your life.”

The truth is, God loves His children. His design for our lives doesn’t include worry as a way to solve problems (Matthew 6:27). The discipline of prayer, however, can help us to see His power and remember His past provision for us. Committing our worries to Jesus can help us find peace when we’re stressed. This peace “exceeds anything we can understand . . . [it will] guard [our] hearts and minds as [we] live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

365-day plan› James 3:1-12

MORE
Read Proverbs 12:25 to see what worry does to a person. Look up Luke 12:29-32 to learn why believers don’t need to worry. 
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How might constant worry affect a believer’s testimony before unbelievers? Which comes more naturally to you—pray and worry or pray and release? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Just The Right Time

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December 21, 2014 

READ: Hebrews 9:11-22 

Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come. —Hebrews 9:11 

The conductor stood on the podium, his eyes scanning the choir and orchestra. The singers arranged the music in their folders, found a comfortable position for standing, and held the folder where they could see the conductor just over the top. Orchestra members positioned their music on the stand, found a comfortable position in their seats, and then sat still. The conductor waited and watched until everyone was ready. Then, with a downbeat of his baton, the sounds of Handel’s “Overture to Messiah” filled the cathedral.

With the sound swirling around me, I felt I was immersed in Christmas—when God, at just the right moment, signaled the downbeat and set in motion an overture that started with the birth of the Messiah, the “High Priest of the good things to come” (Heb. 9:11).

Every Christmas, as we celebrate Christ’s first coming with glorious music, I’m reminded that God’s people, like choir and orchestra members, are getting ready for the next downbeat of the conductor when Christ will come again. On that day, we will participate with Him in the final movement of God’s symphony of redemption—making all things new (Rev. 21:5). In anticipation, we need to keep our eyes on the conductor and make sure we are ready.

— Julie Ackerman Link

Sound the soul-inspiring anthem,
Angel hosts, your harps attune;
Earth’s long night is almost over,
Christ is coming—coming soon! —Macomber

The advent of Christ celebrates His birth and anticipates His return. 

ODJ: everlasting splendours

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December 20, 2014 

READ: Jude 1:20-25 

You, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit (v.20).

C. S. Lewis grasped the essence of humanity and captured it in these choice words found in The Weight of Glory: “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.” He then wrote the poignant, biblically accurate fact that each of us will either become an “immortal horror” or an “everlasting splendour.”

In the early years of his life, Jesus’ half-brother Jude couldn’t grasp the fact that his oldest brother was indeed divine, let alone that He was an everlasting splendour. Apparently after Jesus’ death and resurrection, however, Jude came to believe that Jesus is the Saviour of the world (Acts 1:14; 1 Corinthians 9:5), and he began to spread His message.

In the book that carries his name, Jude—now an old man—warned his readers of the dangers of false teachers and their treacherous message. But he then concluded the book by calling all true believers to grasp who they are in Jesus: (1) possessors of the “most holy faith”; (2) vessels filled with “the power of the Holy Spirit”; (3) recipients of “the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ” and the “eternal life” found in Him; (4) children who have received “God’s love” (Jude 1:20-21).

It’s vital that we remind other believers in Jesus and receive reminders from them that God has made us His everlasting splendours. The world, with its false views and faith-belittling ways, will keep telling us that we’re simply “immortal horrors”. And that’s why we must constantly “build each other up” in our faith, helping and rescuing one another when our faith wavers (vv.20,22-23).

You, as a believer in Jesus, are an everlasting splendour who one day will be in Jesus’ “glorious presence” (v.24). Build up another believer with those truths today! —Tom Felten

365-day plan› James 2:1-13

MORE
Read John 15:15 to see how Jesus views us. Read Ephesians 2:10 and Colossians 2:10 and consider what Paul states about our true identity. 
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What false views have been clouding your true identity in Jesus? How can you better encourage believers in Him, helping them see that they’re “everlasting splendours”? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: In Jesus’ Name

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December 20, 2014 

READ: John 14:12-21 

Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. —John 16:24 

One of my favorite collections of photos is of a family dinner. Preserved in an album are images of Dad, his sons and their wives, and his grandchildren in a time of thanks-giving and intercession.

Dad had suffered a series of strokes and was not as verbal as usual. But during that time of prayer, I heard him say with heartfelt conviction: “We pray in Jesus’ name!” About a year later, Dad passed from this world into the presence of the One in whose name he placed such trust.

Jesus taught us to pray in His name. The night before He was crucified, He gave a promise to His disciples: “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). But the promise of asking in Jesus’ name is not a blank check that we might get anything to fulfill our personal whims.

Earlier that evening, Jesus taught that He answers requests made in His name so that He will bring glory to the Father (John 14:13). And later that night, Jesus Himself prayed in anguish, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39).

As we pray, we yield to God’s wisdom, love, and sovereignty, and we confidently ask “in Jesus’ name.”

— Dennis Fisher

Father in heaven, help us worry less about
what we can get from You and more about
what we can learn from You. As Your followers
said, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5).

Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God. 

ODJ: stay awake

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December 19, 2014 

READ: Matthew 26:36-46 

Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak! (v.41).

A German bank employee was in the middle of transferring 62.40 euros from a customer’s bank account when he suddenly nodded off. His ‘power-nap’ took place while his finger was still on the “2” key, resulting in a 222 million euro (175 million pounds) transfer into the customer’s account. The sleepy state of the worker nearly became a nightmare for the bank, all because he wasn’t being alert.

Jesus warned His disciples that if they didn’t remain alert, they too would make a costly mistake. He took the men to a place called Gethsemane to spend some time in prayer (Luke 22:40). As He was praying, sorrow washed over Him—sadness to the point of distress. It was unlike anything He had ever known in His earthly life.

Jesus asked Peter, James and John to stay awake with him (Matthew 26:38). Yet, in His moment of greatest need, He found them snoozing (vv.40-41). Their failure to give the Master the support He needed would leave them defenceless when the real temptation was upon them. He charged them to remain alert and expectant so that they would not fall into temptation—the temptation of denying Him. The disciples needed spiritual vigilance, which, in this case, included physical self-control.

Today, the Saviour calls us to live out the same spiritual vigilance that He desired from the first disciples. Staying awake and avoiding the most costly mistake of denying Jesus means spending more time on our knees. We must devote our entire being “to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart” (Colossians 4:2), to pray in the power of “the Spirit at all times and on every occasion” (Ephesians 6:18) and to “be earnest and disciplined in [our] prayers” until He returns (1 Peter 4:7). —Marvin Williams

365-day plan› James 1:2-27

MORE
Read Revelation 3:2-3 and think about Jesus’ warning to stay awake and not neglect watchfulness. 
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If Jesus graded your prayer life at this moment, would He commend you for your diligence or rebuke you for sleeping on the job? In what part of your prayer life do you need to become more disciplined? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: The Heart Of Christmas

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December 19, 2014 

READ: 1 Timothy 1:12-17 

The grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. —1 Timothy 1:14 

Charles Dickens’ novel A Christmas Carol was released on December 19, 1843, and has never been out of print. It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy, sour, stingy man who says, “Every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas,’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding!” Yet, one Christmas Eve, Scrooge is radically changed into a generous and happy man. With great humor and insight, Dickens’ book captures the universal longing for inner peace.

As a young man, the apostle Paul opposed Jesus and His followers with a vengeful spirit. He “made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison” (Acts 8:3). But one day he encountered the risen Christ, and his life became a different story (9:1-16).

In a letter to Timothy, his son in the faith, Paul described that life-changing event by saying, even though he was “a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man . . . the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 1:13-14).

Jesus was born into our world and gave His life so that we can be forgiven and transformed through faith in Him. This is the heart of Christmas!

— David C. McCasland

Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord,
That hath made heaven and earth of naught,
And with His blood mankind hath bought. —English carol

A change in behavior begins with Jesus changing our heart. 

ODJ: no lazy river

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December 18, 2014 

READ: Proverbs 22:1-21 

Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it (v.6).

One of our favourite family holiday sites is a beautiful beach community. We like to go there during the ‘off season’ when few tourists are around. Though the ocean water is a little chilly, we enjoy swimming in an indoor pool. Also, there’s a lazy river that surrounds the pool and holds a special appeal for our children. They’ve tried to swim against its current over the years, only to be carried in the opposite direction.

My husband and I must frequently swim against the flow of society’s values in order to bring our children into a healthy, godly understanding of who they are. Whether we’re considering our experience in youth ministry or my work in Christian education, we return to this truth: we’re ultimately responsible for the spiritual education of our children.

Active training of our children can be exhausting (Proverbs 22:6). Following the flow of society in our parenting choices, however, will lead to ‘lazy river’ results for our children—an aimless journey affording them no real direction and little strength (Proverbs 29:18). Likewise, keeping them sheltered in Christian environments won’t do much better in preparing them for the rigours of true discipleship (Matthew 22:9; Mark 16:15).

While the greatest spiritual deposit I can make in my children’s lives is to bring God’s knowledge and discipline to them (Proverbs 22:15,17-19), I must also understand that they’ll never learn to persevere in their faith if I remove every obstacle of pain or discouragement from their paths. The training pool isn’t always easy, but as we look to God’s Word we can rest in His promise that “the LORD preserves those with knowledge” (v.12). —Regina Franklin

365-day plan› Hebrews 12:1-13

MORE
Read Matthew 5:1-16 and consider how parents can actively develop in their children the attributes that Jesus presents. 
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What are some valuable lessons you learned from your parents or other influential adults? How has the Word challenged you recently in your relationship with your children or other children you know? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)