Entries by YMI

ODB: One Stretch

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December 3, 2013 

READ: 1 John 2:24–3:3 

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! —1 John 3:1 

For years, Sarah had low-back pain that continued to worsen. Her doctor sent her for physical therapy, and she was given 25 stretches to do every day. The pain lessened but not completely. So the doctor ordered x-rays and sent her to another therapist, who instructed her to discontinue the other therapist’s stretches and do only one stretch a day as needed. Surprisingly, the one simple stretch worked the best.

Sometimes the simplest truths are the best. When asked to summarize in one sentence his whole life’s work in theology, Karl Barth responded: “Jesus loves me!” Some say he added, “This I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

God’s love for us is evident. He gave His Son to rescue us from ourselves. Christ died on the cross, taking our burden of sin. Then He rose again, giving us new life in Him. Amazing love! As John tells us: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1).

Jesus’ love for us isn’t a Band-Aid or a cure-all for all of life’s problems, of course. But it is the one truth we can always depend on to give purpose to life and peace with God.

— Anne Cetas

I am so glad that our Father in heaven
Tells of His love in the Book He has given;
Wonderful things in the Bible I see—
This is the dearest, that Jesus loves me. —Bliss

The wonder of it all— just to think that Jesus loves me. 

ODJ: exclusively inclusive

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December 3, 2013 

READ: John 2:1-11 

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

Was Jesus a nice guy? Consider this: He made some shockingly exclusive claims about Himself and nice guys just don’t do that. When Peter told Him, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” Jesus blessed him (Matthew 16:16-17). To a Samaritan woman, Jesus plainly declared, “I AM the Messiah!” (John 4:26). And He announced to His followers, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (14:6).

But when it came to personal relationships, Jesus was equally shocking in a very different way. No one was more inclusive. He welcomed everyone—rich or poor, good or bad, Jewish or Gentile.

Jesus’ enemies accused Him of being a drunk and a glutton, apparently because He went to a lot of parties (Matthew 11:19). In John 2 we read that Jesus was at a wedding feast when the party libations ran dry prematurely. Jesus’ mother insisted that He do something. He did. The party continued, but this time with the best of wines, the result of Jesus’ first recorded miracle (vv.1-11).

In John 3 Jesus met at night with Nicodemus, an elite religious leader. And while Christ had some pointed words for him, He didn’t shun the man but engaged in a lengthy conversation that eventually won him over (see also 7:50-51; 19:38-40).

In John 4 Jesus talked to a disreputable woman with no regard for what others might think (vv.4-30). Suffice it to say, the respectable Nicodemus wouldn’t have been seen with that woman.

Jesus didn’t care what people thought. His motive for asking for water was to benefit His hearers. “He doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed,” wrote His close friend Peter, “but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9). —Tim Gustafson

MORE
Read Acts 11:1-18 and note why Peter was being criticised by the Jewish believers. What did he reveal to them from God?  
NEXT
What class or racial distinctions are you prone to draw in your life? How can you learn to better reflect Jesus’ love for all people? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Integrity League

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December 2, 2013 

READ: Psalm 26 

He who walks with integrity walks securely. —Proverbs 10:9 

We call it the Integrity League, but it’s really just a bunch of guys who get together at lunchtime to play basketball. We call fouls on ourselves, attempt to avoid angry outbursts, and simply try to keep everything fair and enjoyable. We are competitive and we don’t like to lose—but we all agree that integrity and honesty should control the atmosphere.

Integrity. Scripture clearly indicates the importance of this trait. And we honor the God of our lives when we practice it.

Through His Word, God has given us clear reasons to “walk in . . . integrity” (Ps. 26:11). A person who has integrity has the security of a quiet life unknown to the one who “perverts his ways” (Prov. 10:9). The follower of God who lives with integrity is preserved by his confidence in God, for that person waits for God’s intervention in his life instead of running ahead of Him (Ps. 25:21). And the one who practices integrity will be given guidance and clear direction (Prov. 11:3).

Why should we care about life’s “Integrity League”? Because obeying God this way shows that we trust Him with our lives and that we want to shine His great love on others.

— Dave Branon

Dear Father, help my word be true. Help my
actions be honest. Help my life to
reflect Your holiness and shine God’s light
for all to see. Help me to live with integrity.

Integrity is Christlike character in workclothes. 

ODJ: Bible cyst

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December 2, 2013 

READ: 2 Chronicles 34:1-33 

The king went up to the temple of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem . . . There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in the LORD’s Temple (v.30).

An acquaintance of mine recently went to have his doctor examine a cyst on the top of his wrist. The doctor told the man that it was a “Bible cyst.”

A ganglion cyst, sometimes called a Bible cyst, is a swelling or benign tumour that often surfaces on or around joints and tendons in the hand or foot. In the past, one way to treat a ganglion cyst was to strike it with a blunt object (such as a Bible). The blow burst the cyst so that the body could absorb it.

Sadly, the reason a ganglion cyst is also called a “Bible cyst” is that some people have compared the Bible to a blunt object used (often self-righteously) to club others over the head. In other words, they use Scripture to straighten out those who are out of line. The intent is to make the offenders feel so bad that they straighten up.

I’ve been ‘clubbed’ in the head a few times in my life by Bible thumpers. And I know I’ve wrongly clubbed a few people with the Bible myself over the years.

The Bible was never meant to be used in this way. First and foremost, it’s God’s story—a history of God’s dealings with His creation. It’s a story that explains who created us, why we were created, what went wrong and how our Creator God is fixing the mess.

King Josiah didn’t beat up his people (who were entrenched in idolatry) with the lost “Book of the Law” that had been rediscovered in the temple (2 Chronicles 34:14-15). Instead, he read it to them (vv.29-30). As they heard it, the people felt convicted and they recommitted themselves to the Lord (vv.32-33).

Loving God, forgive us for using the Bible as a club. Teach us to explain lovingly the truth of Your Word. —Jeff Olson

MORE
Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17 and see the right uses for God’s Word.  
NEXT
How can you share God’s story in a way that draws others to God rather than making them feel beat up? What will you do this week to deepen your knowledge of Scripture? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: God Waiting

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December 1, 2013 

READ: John 14:1-6 

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, . . . but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. —2 Peter 3:9 

During the Christmas season we wait. We wait in traffic. We wait in checkout lines to purchase gifts. We wait for family to arrive. We wait to gather around a table filled with our favorite foods. We wait to open presents lovingly chosen.

All of this waiting can be a reminder to Christians that Christmas is a celebration of waiting for something much more important than holiday traditions. Like the ancient Israelites, we too are waiting for Jesus. Although He already came as the long-awaited Messiah, He has not yet come as ruler over all the earth. So today we wait for Christ’s second coming.

Christmas reminds us that God also waits . . . He waits for people to see His glory, to admit that they are lost without Him, to say yes to His love, to receive His forgiveness, to turn away from sin. While we wait for His second coming, He waits for repentance. What seems to us like God’s slowness in coming is instead His patience in waiting (2 Peter 3:9).

The Lord is waiting to have a relationship with those He loves. He made the first move when He came as baby Jesus and the sacrificial Lamb. Now He waits for us to welcome Him into our lives as Savior and Lord.

— Julie Ackerman Link

God is waiting in the silence
As the world goes rushing by;
Will not someone stop and listen,
Answer quickly, “Here am I”? —Smith

God patiently keeps His promises. 

ODJ: breaking tradition

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December 1, 2013 

READ: Acts 5:12-42 

Go to the temple and give the people this message of life! (v.20).

I didn’t realise how much my family’s Christmas traditions were ingrained in me until it came time for my husband and me to form our own. While we may have strong opinions about when to begin decorating or the best way to open presents, the real issue is deeper. In the ever changing flow of life, traditions bring a sense of stability. Even though no amount of Christmas baking, tree-decorating or family get-togethers can guarantee us permanence, we still hold them dear.

Not all traditions bring joy or life however. When preaching the gospel, Peter and his fellow apostles came up against far more than a cherished custom. Acts 5 records their encounter with a religious stronghold in the hearts of men. To the Sadducees, who were filled with jealousy, tradition mattered more than truth­­—especially when their customs guaranteed them power (v.17). The apostles, however, decided that the “message of life” mattered more than the threats of men (v.29).

The stronghold of bad religion will continue to offer its deceptive, false stability in posing as a bearer of truth. Instead of giving life, however, bad religion looks for ways to silence and punish those who move in the authority of Jesus (Acts 5:18,33,40). Fortunately, a greater truth prevails: God’s Word stands above the customs and rules of men (Psalm 119:38-39).

Because we now live in the new covenant of Christ, we must respond to the religious mindset just as the early church did. May we have the boldness to pray, “And now, O Lord, hear their threats and give us, Your servants, great boldness in preaching Your word” (Acts 4:29).

Wrapped in the flesh of a newborn babe (John 1:14; Galatians 4:4), Jesus came to undo the makings of man, in order that we—and our traditions—might be made new (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Mark 2:22). —Regina Franklin

MORE
Read Galatians 1:11-24 to understand the ideas of people and the ideas that are found in the truth of God. 
NEXT
How can our traditions lead us into a deeper walk with Christ? In looking at your spiritual life, are there any areas where you have valued the patterns of men more than the truth of Scripture? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Attending To Our Words

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November 30, 2013 

READ: Psalm 66:10-20 

Certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. —Psalm 66:19 

A week after C. S. Lewis died in 1963, colleagues and friends gathered in the chapel of Magdalen College, Oxford, England, to pay tribute to the man whose writings had fanned the flames of faith and imagination in children and scholars alike.

During the memorial service, Lewis’ close friend Austin Farrer noted that Lewis always sent a handwritten personal reply to every letter he received from readers all over the world. “His characteristic attitude to people in general was one of consideration and respect,” Farrer said. “He paid you the compliment of attending to your words.”

In that way, Lewis mirrored God’s remarkable attention to what we say to Him in prayer. During a time of great difficulty, the writer of Psalm 66 cried out to God (vv.10-14). Later, he praised the Lord for His help, saying, “Certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer” (v.19).

When we pray, the Lord hears our words and knows our hearts. Truly we can say with the psalmist, “Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me!” (v.20). Our prayers become the avenue to a deeper relationship with Him. At all times, even in our hours of deepest need, He attends to our words.

— David C. McCasland

My Savior hears me when I pray,
Upon His Word I calmly rest;
In His own time, in His own way,
I know He’ll give me what is best. —Hewitt

We always have God’s attention. 

ODJ: extravagant mercy

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November 30, 2013 

READ: Luke 15:11-32 

Filled with love and compassion, [the father] ran to his son (v.20).

When we wrong someone, it’s normal for us to feel distance and shame. We might imagine that the offended person is stewing over our poor behaviour, replaying our thoughtless conduct or writing us off. We may even think there will be a complete disinterest in us until we return and effusively atone for our actions.

If we imagine God to be like this, however, we’re severely mistaken.

Luke recounts the story of a prodigal son who shockingly asked his father for his portion of the inheritance. He made this brazen request while his father was still alive and presumably in good health. For me, the more shocking moment however, is the father’s response. The father “agreed to divide his wealth between his sons” (Luke 15:12).

Whatever reason the father had for relenting to this unwise request, he allowed the son to follow this difficult path. In his heart, the son had already abandoned home; and so, sometimes one has to fully leave to truly return. The father loved his son, and he let his son leave.

The son ran to the far country and wasted all that his father had given him (v.13). A famine came and the son was destitute. He determined to make his way back to his father with a contrite, grovelling speech prepared (v.18). But the father was waiting for the son! (v.20). At first glimpse of his boy coming home, the father sprinted towards him, gathered him in his arms and lavished him with forgiveness.

In Jesus’ culture the father’s actions would be seen as foolish or soft. But this good father (like our heavenly Father) had no ego to protect. The Father’s mercy is extravagant and free. —Winn Collier

MORE
Read the story again. Pay attention to the second son. Watch for the way the father pursued this son as well (“His father came out and begged him” v.28). What does this say about God’s kindness? 
NEXT
How have you been a prodigal to our merciful God? Do you realise that the Father eagerly watches for your return?  

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: First Impressions

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November 29, 2013 

READ: 1 Samuel 16:1-7 

For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. —1 Samuel 16:7 

As I shopped for groceries one day, I was perceived as a thief by one person and a hero by another.

As I exited the supermarket, an employee said, “Excuse me, Sir. There are too many unbagged items in your cart.” This is evidently a strategy used by shoplifters. When he saw that they were products too big to be bagged, he apologized and sent me on my way.

In the parking lot, a woman glanced at my gold embroidered sportsman’s cap. Mistaking it for a military hat, she said, “Thank you for defending our country!” Then she walked away.

The supermarket employee and the woman in the parking lot had each formed hasty conclusions about me. It’s easy to form opinions of others based on first impressions.

When Samuel was to select the next king of Israel from the sons of Jesse, he too made a judgment based on first impressions. However, God’s chosen was not any of the older sons. The Spirit told Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature” (1 Sam. 16:7). God chose David, the youngest, who looked least like a king.

God can help us view people through His eyes, for “the Lord does not see as man sees; . . . the Lord looks at the heart” (v.7).

— Dennis Fisher

If we could view through eyes of faith
The people we meet each day
We’d quickly see God’s gracious hand
In all who come our way. —D. DeHaan

First impressions can often lead to wrong conclusions.