Entries by YMI

ODJ: harvest of generosity

Jan 22, 2014 /1 Comment/in , , /by

January 22, 2014 

READ: 2 Corinthians 9:1-13 

They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever (v.9).

In East Africa I’ve found that a little goes a long way. For example, my colleagues and I are able to help feed 20 children in Uganda for far less than it would cost to feed 20 children in some western parts of the world.

I love giving and then seeing smiles spread across the faces of the ladies and children we serve in the sub-Sahara region. When I consider the joy I experience in helping others, I can’t help but recognise the reason I have much to share. I can minister to the Ugandan people because many people have given sacrificially to me.

As God meets my needs, says 2 Corinthians 9:8, I have everything I need and plenty left over to share with others. The apostle Paul adds, “For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you” (v.10). Both of these verses apply the “reap what you sow” principle to generosity. Just as planting seeds of righteousness yields a crop of love (Hosea 10:12) or planting seeds of peace reaps a harvest of righteousness (James 3:18), when you sow generosity you will reap a harvest of it.

Giving is something the Lord multiplies. He brings forth great returns on kindness and generosity. Unlike our economy and stock markets, God’s ‘giving’ market consistently yields high interest.

Remember to practise Galatians 6:9-10: “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith”. —Roxanne Robbins

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A giving attitude is more important than the amount given. The person who can give only a small gift shouldn’t be embarrassed (see Mark 12:41-44). 
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Demonstrate thanks to God by giving a gift to someone in need today. How does a generous heart reflect the heart of God? 

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ODB: In Harmony

Jan 21, 2014 in , , /by

January 21, 2014 

READ: 1 Peter 4:7-11 

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. —1 Peter 4:10 

I love playing the 5-string banjo. But it has one drawback. The fifth string will harmonize with only a limited number of simple chords. When other musicians want to play more complicated music, the banjoist has to adapt. He can lend marvelous melodic tones to a jam session only by making the right adjustments.

Just as musicians adjust with their instruments, we as believers also need to make adjustments with our spiritual gifts if we want to harmonize with others to serve God. For instance, those who have the gift of teaching must coordinate with those who have the gift of organizing meetings and with those who make sure meeting rooms are set up and cleaned. All of us have spiritual gifts, and we must work together if God’s work is to get done.

The apostle Peter said, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). Stewardship requires cooperation. Think about your spiritual gifts (Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 12; Eph. 4; 1 Peter 4). Now reflect on how you can dovetail their use with the gifts of other believers. When our talents are used in a complementary way, the result is harmony and glory to God.

— Dennis Fisher

Without a note we sing in tune,
An anthem loud we bring,
When willingly we give our gifts
Of labor to our King. —Branon

Keeping in tune with Christ keeps harmony in the church. 

ODJ: sacrifices—good and bad

Jan 21, 2014 in , , /by

January 21, 2014 

READ: John 18:1-11 

Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me? (v.11).

Jess likes money. In her brief 4½ years on the planet, she has already learned that she can play her aunts and uncles for spare change. Cuteness and intelligence comprise a formidably lucrative combination. Her parents, quite naturally, are concerned over this. “Don’t ask for money,” they tell her. “You should earn it by doing chores.”

One day Jess discovered that a friend had received money from the ‘tooth fairy’. Jess headed straight to her dad’s toolbox and returned with a pair of pliers. Pointing to a tooth, she said, “This one’s loose”.

It was not. But the family got some great photos of Dad faking that he was ‘pulling’ the tooth from Jess’ mouth. No doubt she would have quickly reconsidered her business transaction if she realised just how much pain that money would have cost. Some bargains just aren’t worth it.

How prone we are to seek an unwise route to an otherwise worthy goal! Adam and Eve coveted a knowledge whose nature they didn’t comprehend. Their shortsightedness resulted in the cursing of all creation (Genesis 3).

The trend has continued throughout history. Peter chose a violent response to the problem of Christ’s arrest in the garden (John 18:10). Had he been successful in his ‘defence’ of Jesus, no sacrifice for sin would have been made. Jesus (once again) rebuked Peter, saying, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me?” (v.11).

Peter saw a problem and thought he knew the solution. He didn’t. His willingness to fight for Jesus was admirable, but highly misguided. He would have exchanged the life of Jesus in opposition to God’s perfect plan to rescue His fallen creation.

Not all commitment is prudent. Not all sacrifices are wise. —Tim Gustafson
› Genesis 37:1-36

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Genesis 16:1-15 gives a fascinating account of Abraham’s attempt to help God fulfil His promise to him. What was the result?  
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What long-term benefits are you potentially sacrificing by shortsighted decisions? What good commitments have you made recently? Why were they good? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: True Greatness

Jan 20, 2014 in , , /by

January 20, 2014 

READ: Mark 10:35-45 

Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. —Mark 10:43 

Some people feel like a small pebble lost in the immensity of a canyon. But no matter how insignificant we judge ourselves to be, we can be greatly used by God.

In a sermon early in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. quoted Jesus’ words from Mark 10 about servanthood. Then he said, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. . . . You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.”

When Jesus’ disciples quarreled about who would get the places of honor in heaven, He told them: “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:43-45).

I wonder about us. Is that our understanding of greatness? Are we gladly serving, doing tasks that may be unnoticed? Is the purpose of our serving to please our Lord rather than to gain applause? If we are willing to be a servant, our lives will point to the One who is truly great.

— Vernon C. Grounds

No service in itself is small,
None great, though earth it fill;
But that is small that seeks its own,
And great that does God’s will. —Anon.

Little things done in Christ’s name are great things. 

ODJ: unaffected

Jan 20, 2014 in , , /by

January 20, 2014 

READ: Haggai 2:1-23 

Everything they do and everything they offer is defiled by their sin (v.14).

Not all influence is the same. A piece of coal and a diamond vastly differ in their make-up and value, though both contain carbon. Coal’s stubborn, black residue marks anything it touches. A diamond, though stronger and more costly, doesn’t transfer its brilliance. Carry a bag of coal or a bag of diamonds and the lesson is visible—only one influences by proximity.

Sin and holiness function in the same way. While compromise leaves its staining residue wherever it moves, holiness doesn’t impact through external touch. Instead, its impact is seen when we rightly understand God’s promises “while the seed is still in the barn” (Haggai 2:19) and we plant according to His purposes, not ours. Responding to people’s sin of apathy, Haggai drew a parallel between the state of the unfinished temple and the formative decisions we make in life. We can’t enter into apathy and remain unaffected. Its deathly influence will become visible in our attitudes and actions (vv.13-14).

On the contrary, simply going to church and associating with people who are strong in their faith won’t lead to a passionate faith of our own (v.12). That requires a reformation of the heart (Romans 2:28-29), one rooted first in our identity and then realised in our behaviour (1 Peter 1:15-16).

God doesn’t rescind His promises, but He does delight when we actively live out our faith in Him. When we bind ourselves to Jesus with a love made visible in obedience, we will be affected by His presence. Hating the sin of apathy that would tarnish the offering of our lives, we know “the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us” (Haggai 2:11). —Regina Franklin

MORE
Read Joshua 24:14-31 and consider the characteristics that mark a covenant relationship with God. 
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Who or what is having the greatest influence on your life? How are your attitudes and decisions affecting those around you? 

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ODB: Two Men

Jan 19, 2014 in , , /by

January 19, 2014 

READ: John 11:30-37 

He groaned in the spirit and was troubled. . . . Jesus wept. —John 11:33,35 

Two men were killed in our city on the same day. The first, a police officer, was shot down while trying to help a family. The other was a homeless man who was shot while drinking with friends early that day.

The whole city grieved for the police officer. He was a fine young man who cared for others and was loved by the neighborhood he served. A few homeless people grieved for the friend they loved and lost.

I think the Lord grieved with them all.

When Jesus saw Mary and Martha and their friends weeping over the death of Lazarus, “He groaned in the spirit and was troubled” (John 11:33). He loved Lazarus and his sisters. Even though He knew that He would soon be raising Lazarus from the dead, He wept with them (v.35). Some Bible scholars think that part of Jesus’ weeping also may have been over death itself and the pain and sadness it causes in people’s hearts.

Loss is a part of life. But because Jesus is “the resurrection and the life” (v.25), those who believe in Him will one day experience an end of all death and sorrow. In the meantime, He weeps with us over our losses and asks us to “weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15).

— Anne Cetas

Give me a heart sympathetic and tender;
Jesus, like Thine, Jesus, like Thine,
Touched by the needs that are surging around me,
And filled with compassion divine. —Anon.

Compassion helps to heal the hurts of others. 

ODJ: give what you have

Jan 19, 2014 in , , /by

January 19, 2014 

READ: Romans 12:4-8 

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you (v.6).

Last year a few foreign exchange students from Saudi Arabia celebrated Christmas with our family in America. When they arrived they told us they had never experienced a Christmas in America and were looking forward to it with great anticipation.

When it came time to exchange gifts, we carefully explained to our guests that the tradition of giving gifts to those we love was one way we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ—God’s greatest gift to the world (John 3:16).

As one who has received the gift of God’s Son, I sometimes wonder what I can give in return. It’s helpful to realise that God simply asks us to give what we have (Romans 12:6). He doesn’t ask us to be more than we are. He simply asks us to do our best with what He’s given us.

Each of us has something of substance to give. We can give our time to assist a person in need. We can give our money to support a kingdom effort. We can help by volunteering our talents in helping others. It doesn’t matter how much natural ability or resources we possess. What matters to God is whether we make good use of what we have been given for His kingdom, whether big or small. Paul wrote that whatever we do for God with the gifting He’s given us, we should do it “well” (v.7).

Doing our best is the best gift we can give Him in return for sending Jesus to rescue us and for the gift of new life. What we give back won’t be enough to bring His kingdom to earth as it is in heaven, but it will help.

As the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, “Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (1 Corinthians 15:58). —Jeff Olson

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Meditate on Philippians 1:6 and apply it to the way you use your time, talents and treasures today. 
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How can you put the talents and resources God has given you to better use? Why is it important for us to give back to God? 

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ODB: All Spruced Up

Jan 18, 2014 in , , /by

January 18, 2014 

READ: Jude 1:20-25 

[Jesus] is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless. —Jude 1:24 

Getting our children to look good for church was always a challenge. Ten minutes after arriving at church all spruced up, our little Matthew would look like he didn’t have parents. I’d see him running down the hall with his shirt half untucked, glasses cockeyed, shoes scuffed up, and cookie crumbs decorating his clothes. Left to himself, he was a mess.

I wonder if that is how we look sometimes. After Christ has clothed us in His righteousness, we tend to wander off and live in ways that make us look like we don’t belong to God. That’s why Jude’s promise that Jesus is “able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless” gives me hope (Jude 1:24).

How can we keep from looking like we don’t have a heavenly Father? As we become more yielded to His Spirit and His ways, He will keep us from stumbling. Think of how increasingly righteous our lives would become if we would take time in His Word to be cleansed with “the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:26).

What a blessing that Jesus promises to take our stumbling, disheveled lives and present us faultless to the Father! May we increasingly look like children of the King as we reflect His loving care and attention.

— Joe Stowell

Lord, thank You for the blessing of being clothed
in Your beautiful righteousness and the promise
that You will keep me from stumbling and present
me faultless before Your Father and my God!

To reflect the presence of the Father, we must rely on the Son. 

ODJ: no more prejudice

Jan 18, 2014 in , , /by

January 18, 2014 

READ: James 2:1-13 

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favour some people over others? (v.1).

Many years ago it was assumed that women could not play the French horn better than men. Their thoughts were challenged and disproved, however, when Julie Landsman auditioned for the role of principal French horn for the renowned Metropolitan Opera. During her audition, Landsman sat and played behind a screen—and played beautifully. After being declared the winner of the lead chair based on sound alone, she stepped out from behind the screen. The judges gasped! They didn’t expect to see a woman.

Two millennia ago James had to remind a group of believers in Jesus that they shouldn’t allow others’ outward appearances and their own inner prejudice to colour how they viewed one another. He gently rebuked these believers: My brothers, stop judging one another according to first appearances (James 2:2-4). He called them brothers because they belonged to one another and because they had the same Father through Jesus. Based on this union and the character of God, they needed to stop evaluating and discriminating against people based on looks, ethnicity, culture, age, education and socioeconomic status (Leviticus 19:15; Deuteronomy 10:17). This type of treatment of one another was sinful, inconsistent with their faith in Jesus, betrayed the grace of God and violated the law of love. For James, the answer to prejudice was to follow the example of Jesus: love your neighbour as yourself.

Our heavenly Father is a God who shows no favouritism or partiality (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11) and He has forbidden prejudice and partiality among His children (Leviticus 19:15). Let’s stand together and fight the sin of prejudice by letting our love for God find full expression in our love for one another. —Marvin Williams

MORE
Read 1 Samuel 16:1-13 and see the context in which God told one of His servants not to judge based on outward appearances. 
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Who helped to shape your theology of the treatment of people? What are some things you can do to love and treat people as Jesus did?  

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