Entries by YMI

ODB: Hope In Suffering

Nov 24, 2014 in , , /by

November 24, 2014 

READ: 1 Peter 1:3-9 

In this [living hope] you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials. —1 Peter 1:6 

When I opened my Bible to read Jeremiah 1 through 4, the subhead ascribed to the book startled me: “Hope in Time of Weeping.” I almost cried. The timing was perfect, as I was walking through a season of weeping over the death of my mom.

I felt much the same way after hearing my pastor’s sermon the day before. The title was “Joy in Suffering,” taken from 1 Peter 1:3-9. He gave us an illustration from his own life: the one-year anniversary of his father’s death. The sermon was meaningful for many, but for me it was a gift from God. These and other events were indications backed up by His Word that God would not leave me alone in my grief.

Even though the way of sorrow is hard, God sends reminders of His enduring presence. To the Israelites expelled from the Promised Land due to disobedience, God made His presence known by sending prophets like Jeremiah to offer them hope—hope for reconciliation through repentance. And to those He leads through times of testing, He shows His presence through a community of believers who “love one another fervently with a pure heart” (1 Peter 1:22). These indications of God’s presence during trials on earth affirm God’s promise of the living hope awaiting us at the resurrection.

— Julie Ackerman Link

Does Jesus care when I’ve said goodbye
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks,
Is it aught to Him? Does He see? O yes, He cares! —Graeff

We need never be ashamed of our tears. —Dickens 

ODJ: out of sight . . .

Nov 24, 2014 in , , /by

November 24, 2014 

READ: Ephesians 3:14-21 

May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love is (v.18).

Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3 has been a blessing to me, but it’s also slightly confusing. How are we supposed to grasp the full measure of God’s love for us when it’s beyond our ability to understand? An experience with my son can help answer that question.

My wife and I are in the process of potty training our little guy, which means that in the middle of the night I wake him up and let him know it’s okay. Then I gently lift him from his bed, set him down on the toilet and smooth his sleep-tousled hair. When he’s done I stand him on the bathroom rug so that he won’t be shocked at the touch of the cold tile under his feet. Finally, I lay him back down on his bed once more, making sure that his favourite ‘blankie’ is firmly in hand.

But because this takes place so late at night, and my son is so sleepy, I doubt that he’ll remember these things I do for him. He may not even appreciate such things for years, until he has a similar experience.

God loves us in similar ways. He surrounds us with a thousand examples of love and care, both small and large (Ephesians 3:17-18). But because of the busyness of our lives, and our relative immaturity, we often miss these amazing displays of His deep love and care for us. We imagine instead that we endured the night all by ourselves, in our own strength and we wake up none the wiser as to who truly carried us through the darkness.

God’s love for us is too vast for us to comprehend (v.19). His ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9), and His knowledge is too lofty for us to attain (Psalm 139:6). Even so, we can recognise by faith that our heavenly Father does much for us—things both seen and unseen. —Peter Chin

365-day plan› 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

MORE
Read Romans 8:31-39 to see another illustration of the vastness of God’s love—a love that can’t be overwhelmed by anyone or anything! 
NEXT
Take a few minutes and consider what God has been doing for you. Have you ever been able to glimpse God’s unseen work after the fact? How will you praise God for the unseen things He does? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Outlasting Bitterness

Nov 23, 2014 in , , /by

November 23, 2014 

READ: Colossians 3:12-17 

If anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. —Colossians 3:13 

During the Second World War, Corrie ten Boom’s family owned a watchmaking business in the Netherlands, and they actively worked to protect Jewish families. Eventually, the entire ten Boom family was sent to a concentration camp, where Corrie’s father died 10 days later. Her sister Betsie also died in the camp. While Betsie and Corrie were in the camp together, Betsie’s faith helped to strengthen Corrie’s.

That faith led Corrie to forgive even the ruthless men who served as guards during her concentration camp days. While hate and the desire for revenge continued to destroy many lives long after the concentration camps were gone, Corrie knew the truth: Hate hurts the hater more than the hated, no matter how justified it may seem.

Like Corrie, we each have the opportunity to love our enemy and choose forgiveness. Forgiveness doesn’t excuse the offense but when we forgive we show Christ to the world. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:32).

God will help you let go of every angry grudge as you watch the Spirit build into you a place where others see the Savior.

— Randy Kilgore

The love of God within our hearts
Enables us to show
Forgiveness that is undeserved
So others too might know. —Sper

When we forgive someone, we look more like Jesus than at any other moment in our life. 

ODJ: He will restore

Nov 23, 2014 /2 Comments/in , , /by

November 23, 2014 

READ: 1 Peter 5:6-11 

So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation (v.10).

The alarm clock rang promptly at 7 in the morning. Sophie woke up with a bad headache, but she thought nothing of it. She pushed away the covers and got out of bed. Suddenly, as a stroke devastated her brain, darkness descended and she collapsed to the floor. Sadly, situations like this one have been a reality for many people over the years.

Suffering often strikes us at the most unexpected hour and—for some people—it’s a constant companion. In times of pain and difficulty, we’re prone to doubt two things: that God is in control and that He will care for us. We wonder: how can I trust God? It seems too hard when I’m in the middle of a crisis.

The apostle Peter offers some counsel. First of all he tells us to humble ourselves before God (1 Peter 5:6). God is God and we are not. He has a higher purpose, a clearer perspective and better timing for all things. So it’s vital that we submit ourselves to His control and His care, giving all our worries to Him, for He cares about us (v.7).

Secondly, resist the devil (vv.8-9). During trials we’re especially vulnerable to the enemy of our souls. He’ll try to make us doubt God’s goodness, accuse our conscience and cause us to believe that our suffering is unique. “Be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are” (v.9).

Finally, hold on to God’s promises (vv.10-11). He intends for you to share in His eternal glory. So He “will restore, support and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation” (v.10).

The God of all grace is also all powerful. He will do it! —Poh Fang Chia
365-day plan› Romans 12:1-21

MORE
Read Job 38:1-41 and reflect on God’s power. 
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How does Peter’s counsel encourage you in your suffering? Use 1 Peter 5:6-11 this week as a prayer guide for you and others who are suffering. 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: The Warmth Of The Sun

Nov 22, 2014 in , , /by

November 22, 2014 

READ: Psalm 6:1-10 

I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears. —Psalm 6:6 

On a November day in 1963, the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson and Mike Love wrote a song quite unlike the band’s typically upbeat tunes. It was a mournful song about love that’s been lost. Mike said later, “As hard as that kind of loss is, the one good that comes from it is having had the experience of being in love in the first place.” They titled it “The Warmth of the Sun.”

Sorrow serving as a catalyst for songwriting is nothing new. Some of David’s most moving psalms were penned in times of deep personal loss, including Psalm 6. Though we aren’t told the events that prompted its writing, the lyrics are filled with grief, “I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim, I drench my couch with my tears. My eye wastes away because of grief” (vv.6-7).

But that’s not where the song ends. David knew pain and loss, but he also knew God’s comfort. And so he wrote, “The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer” (v.9).

In his grief, David not only found a song, he also found reason to trust God, whose faithfulness bridges all of life’s hard seasons. In the warmth of His presence, our sorrows gain a hopeful perspective.

— Bill Crowder

Heavenly Father, life can be so wonderful, but also
so hard. Help us to seek You in the good times as
well as the bad. Help us to always be mindful that
You are our sure hope in a world that doesn’t always seem to care.

A song of sadness can turn our hearts to the God whose joy for us is forever. 

ODJ: not far from us

Nov 22, 2014 in , , /by

November 22, 2014 

READ: Acts 17:24-31 

God made the earth by his power, and he preserves it by his wisdom. With his own understanding he stretched out the heavens (Jeremiah 10:12).

Scientists tell us that the chemical element carbon is the building block of life. Hidden from the naked eye, this vital atom is in everything, from the air we breathe to the food we eat. In fact carbon makes up nearly 20 percent of the human body.

Without carbon, life as we know it wouldn’t exist. But where does it come from? How did it become the chemical backbone for all living things? This is where the amazing observations of peering through a microscope can take us only so far. Such answers can be found only through the lens of faith.

The pages of the Bible faithfully point to the answer. Twenty-seven of its 66 books speak of one Creator God who “made the skies and the heavens and all the stars” as well as the “earth and the seas and everything in them” (Nehemiah 9:6; see also Jeremiah 10:11).

Paul gave the same answer in a speech he presented in ancient Athens. To a group of people who were interested in hearing more about the resurrection of Jesus, Paul declared that the one true God of the universe “made the world and everything in it” (Acts 17:24). Translation: life as we know it, right down to the very carbon atoms we are made of, originates from one Source—the Maker of heaven and earth.

Paul goes on to declare that we’re more than just an elaborate chemistry set to our Creator God. He loves us and knows us. Paul proclaimed that the God who “gives life and breath to everything” is not far from any of us (vv.25,27). Even though He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world, He wants people from all nations to find Him (vv.30-31).

Seek your Maker today. He is there to be found. His handiwork can be seen and His presence can be felt. —Jeff Olson

365-day plan› Romans 8:19-39

MORE
Read Genesis 1:1 and Revelation 4:11 (from the bookends of the Bible) and see the similar things these verses say about God. 
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How have you experienced God’s presence recently? How can you seek Him in a fresh new way today? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Dealing With Distractions

Nov 21, 2014 in , , /by

November 21, 2014 

READ: Matthew 13:14-22 

The cares of this world . . . choke the word. —Matthew 13:22 

A restaurant owner in the village of Abu Ghosh, just outside Jerusalem, offered a 50-percent discount for patrons who turned off their cell phones. Jawdat Ibrahim believes that smartphones have shifted the focus of meals from companionship and conversation to surfing, texting, and business calls. “Technology is very good,” Ibrahim says. “But . . . when you are with your family and your friends, you can just wait for half an hour and enjoy the food and enjoy the company.”

How easily we can be distracted by many things, whether in our relationship with others or with the Lord.

Jesus told His followers that spiritual distraction begins with hearts that have grown dull, ears that are hard of hearing, and eyes that are closed (Matt. 13:15). Using the illustration of a farmer scattering seed, Jesus compared the seed that fell among thorns to a person who hears God’s Word but whose heart is focused on other things. “The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (v.22).

There is great value in having times throughout each day when we turn off the distractions of mind and heart and focus on the Lord.

— David C. McCasland

O Lord, help me to turn off all the
distractions around me and focus on You.
May my heart be good soil for the
seed of Your Word today.

Focusing on Christ puts everything else in perspective. 

ODJ: encouraging words

Nov 21, 2014 in , , /by

November 21, 2014 

READ: Nahum 1:7-15 

Look! A messenger is coming over the mountains with good news! (v.15).

In the film Saving Mr. Banks, writer Pamela Lyndon (P. L.) Travers reluctantly agrees to allow Walt Disney to bring her beloved character Mary Poppins to the silver screen. Carrying deep emotional wounds, P. L. is controlling and cantankerous—causing the film adaptation of Mary Poppins to be a difficult proposition for all those involved in the production. Unlike her literary character who could magically take flight, Travers—trapped within a cloud of bitter thoughts and memories—almost prevents the film version of Mary Poppins from getting off the ground.

Nahum and the people of Judah struggled under a dark cloud—the deadly threat of the Assyrians (who had destroyed the Northern Kingdom of Israel). This led to desperate thoughts and a bitter existence. But Nahum received a word from God—an encouraging word. Good news was “coming over the mountains” to lift them up and out of their valley of despair (1:15). God promised to one day destroy the evil empire at their doorstep. But not only would He destroy the Assyrians, He would also preserve His people—making for peace and celebration (vv.12,15).

This good news surely must have lifted the peoples’ spirits and filled their hearts with hope. Nahum, inspired by God, declared, “The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him” (v.7).

P. L. Travers, moved by some lyrics composed for the movie Mary Poppins, found relief from her dark thoughts as she sang “Let’s go fly a kite . . .” in a scene from Saving Mr. Banks. Are you feeling trapped beneath a dark cloud caused by bitter life circumstances? Allow God’s encouraging words to lift your heart today! —Tom Felten

365-day plan› Romans 8:1-18

MORE
Read Jeremiah’s words in Lamentations 3:19-26 and see how he found light and hope even in the midst of some dark days. 
NEXT
What bitter memories and painful circumstances are darkening your world today? What will you do to bring those things to God and claim the encouraging truths found in His Word? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)