Entries by YMI

ODB: Is There Hope?

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August 15, 2014 

READ: Matthew 28:1-10 

“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.” —Matthew 28:6 

I sat quietly at the graveside of my father, waiting for the private family burial of my mother to begin. The funeral director carried the urn that held her ashes. My heart felt numb and my head was in a fog. How can I handle losing them both within just 3 months? In my grief I felt loss and loneliness and a little hopeless facing a future without them.

Then the pastor read about another graveside. On the first day of the week, early in the morning, women went to Jesus’ tomb, carrying spices for His body (Matt. 28:1; Luke 24:1). There they were startled to find an open and empty tomb—and an angel. “Do not be afraid,” he said to them (Matt. 28:5). They didn’t need to be afraid of the empty tomb or of the angel, because he had good news for them.

Hope stirred when I heard the next words: “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said” (v.6). Because Jesus had come back to life, death had been conquered! Jesus reminded His followers just a few days before His death: “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19).

Even though we grieve at the loss of our loved ones, we find hope through the resurrection of Jesus and His promise that there is life after death.

— Anne Cetas

Thank You, Lord, for comfort and hope.
What would we do without You? Your death
and resurrection provide all we need for
this life and the next.

Because He lives, we live. 

ODJ: search for significance


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August 15, 2014 

READ: Genesis 29:31-35 

Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for 
she said, “Now I will praise the LORD!” And then she stopped having children (v.35).


I have to admit, with some shame, that I’ve Googled my own name. I know, I know—it’s immature and narcissistic. I think I—and others like me—do this because we want some living proof that we’re significant and important in some way.


Leah in the book of Genesis could probably relate. For starters, her husband had to be tricked into marrying her. He actually had wanted to marry Rachel, Leah’s prettier, younger sister. Desperate for her husband’s love and attention (Genesis 29:32), Leah bore him some sons whose names reflect her painful search for significance. For example, her third son was named Levi, which meant: “Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!” (v.34). Sadly, there’s no evidence that Jacob ever came to truly cherish his first wife.


Leah eventually recognised this, and named her fourth son Judah, which means, “Now I will praise the LORD!” (v.35). Little did Leah know what great things would come forth from Judah’s life. In the years and centuries that followed, his bloodline would contain King David, Joseph and—eventually—Jesus Himself. Yes, Judah had a unique role in God’s salvation plan.


The moment that Leah stopped trying to find her significance in her husband, and found it in God instead (“Now, I will praise the LORD!”), she became part of the most significant story of all time: the gospel! 


Leah’s story is a huge encouragement to me. I have used many silly and destructive means in my search for significance. But the greatest significance I’ll ever find in life isn’t from the world and its empty promises and values. It’s found in God alone—being plugged into His story and eternal purposes. —Peter Chin


365-day plan› Luke 15:11-32

MORE
Read 1 Peter 2:9-10 and Romans 8:15-17 to see examples of the significance we find in Jesus.
 
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How have you attempted to find significance apart from Jesus? What will you do to seek your part in God’s great story?
 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: The Parable Of The Sting

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August 14, 2014 

READ: 1 Peter 2:9-12 

They may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. —1 Peter 2:12 

I can still see Jay Elliott’s shocked face as I burst through his front door almost 50 years ago with a “gang” of bees swirling around me. As I raced out his back door, I realized the bees were gone. Well, sort of—I’d left them in Jay’s house! Moments later, he came racing out his back door—chased by the bees I had brought to him.

I had more than a dozen stings, with little effect. Jay had a different experience. Though he’d been stung only once or twice by “my” bees, his eyes and throat swelled up in a painful allergic reaction. My actions had caused a lot of pain for my friend.

That’s a picture of what’s true in our interpersonal relationships too. We hurt others when our actions aren’t Christlike. Even after an apology, the “sting” sticks.

People would be right to expect an absence of harshness and an air of patience from those who follow Christ. We forget sometimes that people struggling with faith, or life, or both, watch Christians with expectation. They hope to see less anger and more mercy, less judgment and more compassion, less criticism and more encouragement. Jesus and Peter told us to live good lives so God is given the glory (Matt. 5:16; 1 Peter 2:12). May our actions and reactions point those around us to our loving Father.

— Randy Kilgore

We have found that it’s easy to hurt others
with our words or actions. Teach us, Father,
to pause and to think before we speak or act.
Fill us with kindness and care.

May others see less of me and more of Jesus. 

ODJ: how to be strong


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August 14, 2014 

READ: 2 Timothy 2:1-13 

Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus (v.1).


Unfinished business. Too much to do. 


These are words from a poem by George R. Foster. And perhaps that’s how you feel sometimes as you serve God in your church, workplace, school or home. 


Timothy was feeling timid and weak in the Lord’s service when the apostle Paul wrote to encourage him: “Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). 


“In Christ” is a phrase that Paul used often in his epistles. It refers to the amazing truth that when you trust Jesus as your Saviour, God views you as totally identified with Him. And all of the riches of Christ are ours because we are “united with Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). 


Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission, understood what it means to be found in Christ. He wrote: “It makes no matter where He places me or how; that is rather for Him to consider than me. For the easiest positions He must give me grace, and in the most difficult, His grace is sufficient. So, if God places me in great perplexity, must He not give me much guidance; in positions of great difficulty, much grace; in circumstances of great pressure and trial, much strength? As to work, mine was never so plentiful, so responsible or so difficult, but the weight and the strain are all gone. His resources are mine, for He is mine.”


His grace is sufficient for you! (2 Corinthians 12:9). —Poh Fang Chia


365-day plan› Luke 15:1-10

MORE
Use Psalm 46:1-11 as a prayer to help you to lean on God, who is your strength.
 
NEXT
Use the words “in Christ” for a keyword search of an online Bible. Read all the promises that are yours in Christ. Which ones mean the most to you and why?
 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Life-Giving Rain

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August 13, 2014 

READ: Acts 6:1-10 

They were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. —Acts 6:10 

During the August heat of 1891, R. G. Dyrenforth arrived in Midland, Texas, determined to blast rain from the sky. Known as a “concussionist,” he and his team launched and detonated huge balloons filled with explosive gases, fired cannons, and exploded piles of dynamite on the ground—shaking both earth and sky. Some believed he made it rain a little, but most said all he caused was noise. The explosive power was impressive but ineffective.

When the early church needed overseers, they sought people with a different kind of power. They chose “seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3) to manage the daily distribution of food. One of those was Stephen, a man “full of faith and power, [who] did great wonders and signs among the people” (v.8). When disputes arose, those who argued with Stephen “were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke” (v.10).

The Bible makes it clear that Stephen’s spiritual effectiveness came from being filled with the Holy Spirit, who gave him the right balance of faith, wisdom, and power.

God’s Spirit in our lives today replaces the loud noise of self-interest with His gentle, life-giving rain.

— David C. McCasland

Holy Spirit, I want my life to be marked
by Your power. May my words and actions
give life-giving rain to encourage others
to know You and trust You.

In our life for Christ we accomplish nothing without the power of the Spirit. 

ODJ: named


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August 13, 2014 

READ: Luke 16:19-31 

Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine (Isaiah 43:1).


After telling a Bible story, the teacher asked his Sunday school class, “What’s the name of the beggar?” Six year old Tommy confidently shouted, “Lazarus!” The teacher then asked another question: “What is the name of the other man?” Another student shouted, “Rich man!” 


Nothing worthy is said about the rich man’s legacy. The only thing he left behind was all his money! Surely there’s something tragic about a person whose entire life is summed up in just one word—“rich” (Luke 16:19).


At the opposite end of the social spectrum was the beggar, malnourished and utterly forsaken; his only companions were wild dogs (v.21). Soon, he would probably be their food! He was the epitome of poverty, neediness and helplessness.


But there’s one thing this beggar had which the rich man lacked. A name! (v.20). It’s interesting that Lazarus is the only character named in all of Jesus’ parables. 


To be named is to be significant. You matter to somebody! In contrast, the rich man was just another faceless, nameless zillionaire! That was the tragedy of the rich man. Jesus didn’t know him!


The beggar was known to Someone. And Jesus gave him the name Lazarus to tell us who that Somebody was, for Lazarus means he whom God helps. God knew this man. He knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2:19). To Lazarus, God said, ”Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1). 


God knew Lazarus. His name is found in the Book of Life. The rich man was not named. “And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15). —K.T. Sim


365-day plan› Luke 14:15-35

MORE
What does the Bible say about knowing Jesus’ name? (Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-13). Why is it important that Jesus knows your name? (John 10:3,14,27).
 
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How can you be sure God knows your name? What does it take to be named in the Book of Life?
 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Example That Encourages

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August 12, 2014 

READ: 2 Timothy 2:1-7 

I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet . . . . I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. —John 13:14-15 

The story is told that in the late 1800s a group of European pastors attended D. L. Moody’s Bible conference in Massachusetts. Following their custom, they put their shoes outside their room before they slept, expecting them to be cleaned by hotel workers. When Moody saw the shoes, he mentioned the need to others because he knew their custom. But he was met with silence. Moody collected all the shoes and cleaned them himself. A friend who made an unexpected visit to his room revealed what Moody had done. The word spread, and the next few nights others took turns doing the cleaning.

Moody’s leadership style of humility inspired others to follow his example. The apostle Paul reminded Timothy to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:1-2 niv). When we remember that our strength is a result of God’s grace, that keeps us humble. Then in humility we pass on God’s truth by being an example that encourages and inspires others to follow.

Jesus Himself is our example of servanthood. He gave His very life for us.

— Albert Lee

Lord Jesus, I know little about humility.
Show me and teach me as I read about Your
example in Your Word. Give me the grace
to humble myself and serve others.

Humility is the result of knowing God and knowing yourself. 

ODJ: a heavenly lineage


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August 12, 2014 

READ: 2 Chronicles 34:1-8 

He did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right (v.2).


Simon’s mother was 18 when she fell in love with a man who showered her with the affection she lacked at home. Their relationship was short-lived, however, and he quickly returned to his wife and family when he discovered that she was pregnant. 


This shows that our future doesn’t have to be determined by family members or authority figures who have treated us wrongly. In Christ we become a new creation—the old life is gone (2 Corinthians 5:17). Josiah chose not to continue in the evil ways of his father. Instead, he laid claim to his lineage in King David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; 2 Samuel 7:13-16). Josiah walked in obedience to the one true God all his days (2 Chronicles 34:33). 


In Christ we’re children of God, and can lay claim to a heavenly inheritance and lineage (Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 1:18; 1 Peter 1:4). We’re anchored by our faith in a perfect Father—
a divine lineage! (Hebrews 6:19). —Ruth O’Reilly Smith


365-day plan› Luke 14:1-14

MORE
Read 2 Chronicles 17:1-6. Note how King Jehoshaphat was devoted to serving God and following the ways of King David rather than the ways of his biological father King Asa.
 
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What can you do to focus on your new identity in Jesus and rise above any examples of poor parenting that you might have experienced? How can you help bring light and life to future generations of your family? 
 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)