Entries by YMI

ODB: That Name

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November 21, 2013 

READ: Philippians 2:5-11 

God . . . has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name. —Philippians 2:9 

Our little granddaughter Maggie and her family were back home in Missouri after visiting with us in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Her mom told us that for a few days after returning home, Maggie walked around the house happily saying, “Michigan! Michigan!”

There was something about that name that attracted Maggie. Could have been the sound of it. Could have been the enjoyable time she had. It’s hard to tell with a 1-year-old, but the name “Michigan” had such an impact on her that she couldn’t stop saying it.

This makes me think about another name—the name of Jesus, “the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). A song by Bill and Gloria Gaither reminds us why we love that name so much. He is “Master” and “Savior.” Yes, what depth of meaning there is in the names that describe our Lord! When we mention the great name of Jesus to those who need Him as Savior, we can remind them what He has done for us.

Jesus is our Savior. He has redeemed us by His blood, and we can give our lives wholeheartedly to Him. Jesus. Let all heaven and earth—including us—proclaim His glorious name!

— Dave Branon

The most precious name is Jesus! 

ODJ: pursued

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November 21, 2013 

READ: Luke 15:1-7 

Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost? (v.4).

In the Middle East, where the Bedouin culture is alive and well, you’ll find shepherds who care for their sheep with great tenderness and watchfulness. I once observed some of these men at work, and I was amazed at their intimate care for their flocks. They protect their woolly friends from storms and predators, disease and hunger. And if one of the fluffy creatures ever goes missing, they’ll search until it’s found.

Jesus revealed that this is God’s posture towards us. He’s the Good Shepherd, and His love compels Him to come after all who are estranged or lost. The biblical narrative reminds us that we’re all lost—needing to be found. “All of us,” says Isaiah, are “like sheep [and] have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own” (Isaiah 53:6). But God won’t leave us to ruin. He comes after us.

In His parable, Jesus put the question this way: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do?” (Luke 15:4) Well, anyone who knows a true shepherd knows the answer: the shepherd will brave the weather, brave the dark night and—at great cost to himself—search for the lost sheep.

This is precisely what God has done for us in Jesus. He didn’t leave us to our own devices. He didn’t push us away after our rebellious wanderings. Instead, at great cost to Himself, God pursued us. His love moved Him to act.

God’s love isn’t merely for those who obey or who behave properly. His love is also for those who have strayed. And Jesus reveals that “there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than [over those who] haven’t strayed away” (v.7). What an amazing God and Good Shepherd we have! —Winn Collier

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Return to the Isaiah 53 passage, reading verses 1-6. What other expressions of God’s pursuing love do you find there? 
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Where are you now? Are you lost or found? How do you sense God pursuing you? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Genuine Concern

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November 20, 2013 

READ: Philippians 2:1-5 

Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. —Philippians 2:4 

On the first night at family camp, the camp director informed the families of the schedule for the week. When finished, he asked if anyone else had anything to say. A young girl stood up and made a passionate appeal for help. She shared about her little brother—a boy with special needs—and how he could be a challenge to care for. She talked about how tiring this was for her family, and she asked everyone there to help them keep an eye on him during the week. It was an appeal born out of genuine concern for her brother and her parents. As the week went on, it was great to see people pitching in to help this family.

Her appeal was a gentle reminder of how easily we can all get wrapped up in our own world, life, and problems—to the point that we fail to see the needs of others. Here’s how Paul described our responsibility: “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4). The next verse reminds us that this is part of the example of Christ: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Our caring displays a Christlike concern for people who are hurting. May we rest in God’s grace, trusting Him to enable us to serve others in their seasons of need.

— Bill Crowder

Lord, open my eyes to the hurts, needs, and struggles
of a world that is so desperately in need of Your love.
Help me to be Your instrument to inject
that love into hurting lives.

Nothing costs as much as caring—except not caring. 

ODJ: feast or famine

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November 20, 2013 

READ: Amos 8:11-14 

Beautiful girls and strong young men will grow faint in that day, thirsting for the Lord’s word (v.13).

You can walk into a Christian bookshop today and find rows and rows of books on the shelves. And without stepping into a church, you can listen to thousands of podcasts and sermons online. The massive amount of biblical resources available at our fingertips is astounding. So, is it possible during this age to experience a famine of God’s Word? Do we need to heed the warning for the prophet Amos (8:11) or was that relevant only for ancient Israel?

Answering these questions is critical because the consequences for ignoring God’s Word are devastating. Essentially God has said, “If you keep shutting Me out, eventually I’ll turn silent. When that day happens, you’ll understand that ‘people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord’ ” (Deuteronomy 8:3).

God’s Word provides spiritual nourishment and refreshment. When it is unavailable, even the young, strong and beautiful will languish from spiritual malnutrition (Amos 8:13). The warning through Amos came because of Israel’s complacency, idolatry and oppression of the poor. Are we guilty of that today?

It’s helpful to note that Jesus said something similar to His disciples. He taught, “To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them” (Matthew 13:12).

This doesn’t mean that God will remove all copies of the Bible from us, but that when we seek help, advice or comfort from Him, we will not get it. The only way to avoid this famine is to feast on His Word and obey it. — Poh Fang Chia

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Read Psalm 1 to remind yourself of the blessing or curse for living or not living by God’s Word. 
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What might a famine of God’s Word look like in your life? What will help you feast on Scripture this week? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Traveling Companion

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November 19, 2013 

READ: Psalm 39 

For I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as all my fathers were. —Psalm 39:12 

I looked up the members of my seminary graduating class recently and discovered that many of my friends are now deceased. It was a sober reminder of the brevity of life. Three score and ten, give or take a few years, and we’re gone (Ps. 90:10). Israel’s poet was right: We’re but strangers here and sojourners (39:12).

The brevity of life makes us think about our “end”—the measure of our days and how fleeting they are (v.4), a feeling that grows more certain as we draw closer to the end of our lives. This world is not our home; we’re but strangers and sojourners here.

Yet we are not alone on the journey. We are strangers and sojourners with God (39:12), a thought that makes the journey less troubling, less frightening, less worrisome. We pass through this world and into the next with a loving Father as our constant companion and guide. We’re strangers here on earth, but we are never alone on the journey (73:23-24). We have One who says, “I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20).

We may lose sight of father, mother, spouse, and friends, but we always know that God is walking beside us. An old saying puts it like this: “Good company on the road makes the way to seem lighter.”

— David H. Roper

My times are in my Father’s hand;
How could I wish or ask for more?
For He who has my pathway planned
Will guide me till my journey’s o’er. —Fraser

As you travel life’s weary road, let Jesus lift your heavy load. 

ODJ: measuring ourselves

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November 19, 2013 

READ: Romans 12:3-5 

Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us (v.3).

We have a tendency to overestimate ourselves and inflate our positive qualities. Recently researchers asked nearly a million secondary school pupils to assess their leadership skills. Seventy percent rated themselves as above average, while only 2 percent rated their leadership skills below average. In another study, 94 percent of university professors rated their work above average. Psychologists call this the “illusionary superiority” effect—where we think we’re better than we really are.

This flawed self-assessment is nothing new. The apostle Paul warned the believers in Rome about this ‘above average fallacy’ long ago. He began by reminding them of his apostolic authority, laying a foundation for instruction he wanted them to accept and apply (Romans 12:3). He reminded them that God had granted each of them spiritual gifts and that they were to use them to be a blessing to others in the body of Christ (vv.4-5). And so that they didn’t simply assume that they were worthy of these gifts, Paul warned them that the “illusionary superiority” effect could disrupt the unity of the body as they exercised their spiritual gifts.

Instead, the Roman believers were to strive to have a well balanced evaluation of themselves. Then they would be able to use their gifts for the benefit of one another as they served side by side, functioning interdependently (v.5).

As living sacrifices, we’re to preserve the unity of the body of Christ by rejecting an attitude of pride or status and accepting a realistic view of ourselves. This will renew the realisation that the gifts we’ve received have come from God, and it will inspire us to use them to be a blessing to others. — Marvin Williams

MORE
Read Philippians 2:3-8 and note how Jesus’ example should guide our view of ourselves and our relationship with other believers.  
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Why do we tend to compare ourselves with others and have a flawed self-assessment? Why is it important not to compare ourselves with other believers in the body of Christ? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Welcome Back

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November 18, 2013 

READ: Nehemiah 9:7-21 

You are God, ready to pardon, gracious and merciful. —Nehemiah 9:17 

Jim decided to follow Christ at the age of 10. Fifteen years later his commitment had faded. He had adopted a live-for-the-moment philosophy and developed some bad habits. Then his life seemed to fall apart. He had problems at work. Three family members died almost simultaneously. Fears and doubts began to plague Jim, and nothing seemed to help—until one day when he read Psalm 121:2, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” These words cut through the fear and confusion in his heart. He turned back to God for help, and God welcomed him.

Jim’s spiritual journey reminds me of ancient Israel’s history. The Israelites had a unique relationship with God—they were His chosen people (Neh. 9:1-15). However, they spent many years rebelling and ignoring God’s goodness, turning away to follow their own path (vv.16-21). Yet when they returned to Him and repented, God was “ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in kindness” (v.17).

These divine qualities encourage us to draw near to God—even after we have wandered away from Him. When we humbly abandon our rebellious ways and recommit ourselves to God’s ways, He will show compassion and welcome us back to closeness with Him.

— Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me. —Thompson

God’s arms of welcome are always open. 

ODJ: leading integrity

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November 18, 2013 

READ: Nehemiah 7:1-3 

I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani . . . because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do (v.2 NIV).

In 2012 a group of experts held a search for 1,000 people of integrity in their country. From that group they identified 20 who they felt could become key governmental leaders. This was in reaction to the widespread dismay over the fact that one-third of the country’s regents and mayors were under investigation for corruption. In a country of hundreds of millions, there was no shortage of leader applicants, but the group of experts believed it was imperative that they help elect leaders who possessed integrity.

Integrity was an important issue in Nehemiah’s day as well. With the walls completed and gates restored, the city of Jerusalem was secure once again (Nehemiah 7). But Nehemiah had two more tasks to do. Firstly, he appointed “the gatekeepers, singers and Levites” (v.1). Why gatekeepers? Weren’t they simply security guards who were ignored by most people? No, their contribution should have been highly valued. For what good were impregnable walls if the one controlling the gates wasn’t trustworthy? The Great Wall of China was breached many times, simply because the gatekeepers were bribed to let in the invaders. Walls and gates are only as good as the people guarding them (v.3).

Secondly, Nehemiah appointed leaders who were people of integrity (v.2). Today there is no shortage of talented people in our churches. And often these gifted ones are appointed as leaders because they’re deemed to be successful in their professional fields. But are they people of integrity, people who fear God? They should certainly be individuals who “fear God more than most” (v.2).

In appointing people to key positions, Nehemiah looked for people of integrity who feared God more than most. May we do the same in our churches. —K.T. Sim

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What kind of people did Moses appoint as leaders in Exodus 18:19-26?  
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What does it mean for you to be a person of integrity? How does a person who fears God more than most lead others well? 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Hero Over Sin

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November 17, 2013 

READ: 1 John 1 

Create in me a clean heart, O God. —Psalm 51:10 

Not long ago, someone asked me a very tough question: “What is the longest you have gone without sinning? A week, a day, an hour?” How can we answer a question like that? If we’re truthful, we might say, “I can’t live a day without sinning.” Or if we look back over the past week, we might see that we haven’t confessed to God even one sin. But we would be fooling ourselves if we said we hadn’t sinned in our thoughts or actions for a week.

God knows our hearts and whether we’re sensitive to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. If we really know ourselves, we take 1 John 1:8 to heart, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” We certainly don’t want verse 10 to be true of us, “If we say that we have not sinned, . . . His word is not in us.”

A more encouraging question to ask might be: “What is God’s response to our admission of sin and need for forgiveness?” The answer: “If we confess . . . , He is faithful and just to forgive us” (v.9). Jesus has taken our sin problem upon Himself by dying in our place and rising again. That’s why He can create in us “a clean heart” (Ps. 51:10). My young friend Jaydon is right when he says, “Jesus is the hero over our sins.”

— Anne Cetas

No one can say he doesn’t need
Forgiveness for his sin,
For all must come to Christ by faith
To have new life within. —Branon

Christ’s forgiveness is the door to a new beginning.