Entries by YMI

ODB: The Lesson

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February 5, 2013 

READ: Romans 12:14-21 

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. —Romans 12:21 

One summer I was at a gathering of old high school acquaintances when someone behind me tapped me on my shoulder. As my eyes drifted over the woman’s name tag, my mind drifted back in time. I remembered a tightly folded note that had been shoved through the slot on my locker. It had contained cruel words of rejection that had shamed me and crushed my spirit. I remember thinking, Somebody needs to teach you a lesson on how to treat people! Although I felt as if I were reliving my adolescent pain, I mustered up my best fake smile; and insincere words began coming out of my mouth.

We began to converse. A sad story of a difficult upbringing and of an unhappy marriage began to pour out of her. As it did, the words “root of bitterness” from Hebrews 12:15 popped into my head. That’s what I’m feeling, I thought. After all these years, I still had a deep root of bitterness hidden within me, twisting around and strangling my heart.

Then these words came to my mind: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21).

We talked. We even shared some tears. Neither of us mentioned the long-ago incident. God taught someone a lesson that afternoon—a lesson of forgiveness and of letting go of bitterness. He taught it to me.

— Cindy Hess Kasper

Dear Lord, please help me not to harbor resentment
and bitterness in my heart. Through the power
of the Holy Spirit, enable me to let go of my
bitterness and forgive those who have hurt me.

Revenge imprisons us; forgiveness sets us free. 

ODJ: learning journey


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February 5, 2013 

READ: Luke 9:10-17 

Jesus said, “You feed them” (v.13).


It had been an exhilarating mission trip. Jesus had sent the disciples to go to the villages to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal (Luke 9:1-6). Even though they brought neither bread nor money, God had provided. And He had worked through them.

Now Jesus was taking them away for a retreat. But a great crowd followed. The Lord welcomed them. He taught them about the kingdom of God and healed the sick. The disciples, though feeling a tad tired, may have enjoyed sitting among the crowd and listening to the Master Teacher as well.

But the sunlight started to wane, and stomachs began to growl. The disciples came to Jesus and gently reminded Him that they were in a remote place. Peter, Andrew and Philip knew the challenge they faced since they were from a town in that region (John 1:44). The disciples suggested that Jesus should send the crowd away so that they could find food and lodgings. But Jesus said, “You feed them” (Luke 9:13).

Clearly the disciples had done their maths. They reminded Jesus that they had only five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 men.

Surely, going to buy food for the crowd would be necessary. Instead Jesus instructed His men to get the people to sit in groups of about 50. Though the disciples may have thought this would take precious time away from going to get the food, they obeyed. Only when all the people sat down did Jesus perform His miracle. They all ate to their hearts’ content, and there was food to spare!
Like the disciples, we are on a journey with Jesus. He has much to show us about Himself and the things that He can do through us and with us. And what does He ask? That we simply trust and obey. —Poh Fang Chia

 | 365-day plan› Exodus 6:1-13

MORE
Read Proverbs 3:5-6 for what it means to trust and obey God.

 

NEXT
When do you find it hardest to trust and obey God? What is He showing you these days as you journey with Him?
 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Just Enough

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February 4, 2013 

READ: Matthew 6:25-34 

Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. —Matthew 6:33 

I love writing for Our Daily Bread. I confess, however, that sometimes I whine to my friends about how difficult it is to communicate everything I would like to say in a short devotional. If only I could use more than 220 words.

This year when I came to the book of Matthew in my Bible-reading schedule, I noticed something for the first time. As I was reading about the temptation of Christ (Matt. 4:1-11), I noticed how short it was. Matthew used fewer than 250 words to write his account of one of the most pivotal events in all of Scripture. Then I thought of other short yet powerful passages: the 23rd Psalm (117 words) and the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 (66 words).

Clearly, I don’t need more words, I just need to use them well. This also applies to other areas of life—time, money, space. Scripture affirms that God meets the needs of those who seek His kingdom and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). The psalmist David encourages us, “Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing” (Ps. 34:10).

If today you’re thinking, “I need just a little bit more” of something, consider instead the possibility that God has given you “just enough.”

— Julie Ackerman Link

I would be quiet, Lord, and rest content,
By grace I would not pine or fret;
With You to guide and care, my joy be this:
Not one small need of mine will You forget! —Bosch

He is rich who is satisfied with what he has. 

ODJ: guard your heart


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February 4, 2013 

READ: Proverbs 4:20-27 

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life (v.23).


Christianity is a religion of the heart. Once God has our heart, the rest of life flows. To God, the heart is central.
A cursory glance at the Bible shows this to be true. God doesn’t look at external appearances but at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). He despises religious acts devoid of worship from the heart (Isaiah 29:13). God searches our heart (Psalm 139:23) and wants us to trust Him (Proverbs 3:5). The essence of His law is to love Him and others with all of our hearts (Matthew 22:37-39).
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for promoting a religion of deeds without the heart. They thought they could hate and lust all they liked, as long as they didn’t commit the acts of murder or adultery (5:21-30, 43-48), but Jesus would have none of it. He said that our words and things we treasure reveal the true state of our hearts (6:21, 12:34). And He promised to unleash rivers of life from within after we invited Him to reside there (John 7:37-38).
Our heart is our essence—the deepest part of what is truly us. It’s the wellspring from which our dreams, desires, passions, motives, thoughts, emotions, decisions and actions arise. So it’s no wonder that Scripture says to guard it! Our heart really does “determine the course” of our lives—both here and beyond.
So, guard your heart. Guard it from idols. For the heart is the place where the God we worship speaks. The true God will call you to acts of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23), while all other gods—whether money, sex or power—will lead you astray.

So, in the end, we don’t need to build fences around our heart but invite the true God into it, letting him completely fill us. —Sheridan Voysey


MORE
Read Luke 4:1-15—the parable of the sower—and notice the central place the heart has in the story.
 
NEXT
How are you prone to try to please God by your acts, rather than loving Him with all your heart? How will you guard your heart today?
 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Savor The Flavor

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February 3, 2013 

READ: Nehemiah 8:1-12 

All the people went their way to eat and drink . . . and rejoice greatly. —Nehemiah 8:12 

In a fast-paced culture of “eat and run,” few people make time to enjoy a leisurely meal in the company of friends. Someone has even remarked that the only way to enjoy a seven-course meal today is to get it all between two pieces of bread!

After many of the Israelite exiles in Babylon returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the walls of the city, they gathered to hear Ezra read from the Book of the Law given by God through Moses (Neh. 8:1). They listened to God’s Word for hours, while teachers among them “gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading” (v.8).

When they wept because of their shortcomings, Ezra, along with Nehemiah the governor, told them this was not a time for sorrow but a time for rejoicing. The people were told to prepare a feast and share it with those who had nothing, “for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (v.10). Then “all the people went their way to eat and drink, to send portions and rejoice greatly, because they understood the words that were declared to them” (v.12).

The spiritual banquet God has prepared for us in His Word is a cause for great joy. It is worth taking time to savor.

— David C. McCasland

Lord, give us a hunger and a thirst to know You more
that can be satisfied only by time spent with You in Your
Word. Help us to savor that time and, as we do,
to grow more in love with You each day.

Christ the Living Bread satisfies our spiritual hunger through the Living Word. 

ODJ: El-Shaddai


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February 3, 2013 

READ: Exodus 6:1-9 

I am Yahweh—“the Lord.” . . . [I am] El-Shaddai—“God Almighty” (vv.2-3).


El Shaddai, a worship song written by Michael Card and John Thompson, features many Hebrew words in its lyrics. It won Song of the Year and Michael Card won Songwriter of the Year at the 1983 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards. The title of the song came from Genesis 17:1 and Exodus 6:3.
Refusing to free the Jews, the Pharaoh of Egypt challenged, “Who is the Lord?” (Exodus 5:1-2). God responded, revealed and reaffirmed His covenant identity: “I am Yahweh—‘the Lord.’ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty’ ” (Exodus 6:2-3).

The four affirmations of God’s proper name, “YHWH”—transliterated “Yahweh” and rendered as “I am the Lord” (vv.2,6,7-8)—underscore His absolute sovereignty and authority. The seven “I will” statements affirm His faithful resolve to carry out His redemption plan: “I will free you . . . and will rescue you from your slavery. . . . I will redeem you . . . . I will claim you as My own people, and I will be your God. . . . I will bring you into the land . . . . I will give it to you as your very own possession” (vv.6-8).

Revealing Himself as “El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty’ ” (v.3), He wants us to know that He is the preexistent and self-existent, self-sufficient and all sufficient, all powerful and all bountiful YHWH! He wants us to know Him as our Deliverer (v.7).
The chorus of El-Shaddai states: “El-Shaddai, El-Shaddai (God Almighty), El-Elyon na Adonai (God Most High). Age to age You’re still the same, by the power of the name. El-Shaddai, El-Shaddai, erkamka na Adonai. I will praise You till I die. El-Shaddai.”

Erkamka na Adonai (based on the Hebrew words of Psalm 18:1) is our rightful response: It means, “I love you, Lord.” —K.T. Sim

 | 365-day plan› Exodus 4:1-17

MORE
Read Genesis 17:1, 28:3, 35:11, 43:14, 48:3 to see how God reveals Himself as “El-Shaddai.” What do these passages teach you about God?
 
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The Jews didn’t believe God was El-Shaddai because “they had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery” (Exodus 6:9). How does life’s pain cause us to doubt God’s power and goodness? How should we respond to God?
 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: New Eyes

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February 2, 2013 

READ: Ephesians 1:15-21 

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know . . . the riches of the glory of His inheritance. —Ephesians 1:18 

A college student I met had recently placed her faith in Christ. She described her initial life-change this way: “When I trusted Christ for salvation, it felt like God reached down from heaven and placed a new set of eyes in my eye sockets. I could understand spiritual truth!”

It was moving to hear how her encounter with the Savior brought new spiritual perception. But her experience is not unique. Everyone is endowed with spiritual sight when they trust Christ as their Savior. Yet, at times a “fog” rolls in and our spiritual vision becomes cloudy and unclear. That happens when we neglect our relationship with Him.

In Paul’s fervent prayer for believers’ spiritual sight, we see how important it is to fully appreciate all that God has done and will do for us through Christ. He prayed that the eyes of our understanding would be enlightened that we “may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1:18).

Each believer has been given new eyes to discern spiritual truth. As we keep our hearts tuned to God, He will help us to see with our spiritual eyes all that He has given to us in Christ.

— Dennis Fisher

My soul within me yearns for Thee
Till Christ be fully formed in me;
Let love divine enlarge my heart,
Then all Thy fullness, Lord, impart. —Stewart

I once was blind but now I see! 

ODJ: Jesus’ Father


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February 2, 2013 

READ: Matthew 18:10-14 

In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish (v.14).

I was recently reading through the book of John when my eyes fell on these words: “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God” (John 20:17). This is the amazing declaration Jesus made to Mary Magdalene, just moments after she came to the stunning realisation that He had risen from the dead.

Jesus’ words are truly good news that speak to a deep need we all have inside of us. Every last one of us needs a father.

God didn’t flip a coin to decide whether or not to relate to us as a father or a mother. I believe it was intentional. God knew that once mankind got off track and fell into the brokenness of sin, the number of godly fathers serving their families would be severely lacking.

And the results have been devastating.
In America, for instance, research shows that children from fatherless homes are 32 times more likely to run away from home, 20 times more likely to have behavioural disorders, 9 times more likely to drop out of secondary school, 10 times more likely to abuse chemical substances, and 20 times more likely to end up in prison.
In his book Faith of the Fatherless, Paul Vitz points out the connection between atheism and the lack of a father figure. He argues that one of the major sources of the world’s prominent militant atheists is ”the absence of a good father”.

Part of the good news of Jesus is that God doesn’t want us to go through our lives lacking the presence and love of a father. Our heavenly Father wants to fill those places where our earthly fathers (even the good ones) fall short.

He wants us to know Him as our Father, just as Jesus does. —Jeff Olson
Exodus 3:1-22 ‹365-day plan |

MORE
Read Matthew 18:10-14 to see how serious God takes His role as our heavenly Father.
 
NEXT
Where do you need God to be a father to you? What are the characteristics of God the Father that mean the most to you?
 

(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)

ODB: Heart Attitude

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February 1, 2013 

READ: Ephesians 6:5-9 

Not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. —Ephesians 6:6 

I love watching the skill and passion of great athletes as they give their all on the field. It shows their love for the game. Conversely, when a long season is winding down and a team is already eliminated from any opportunity for championship or playoff games, sometimes it seems that the players are merely “going through the motions.” Their lack of passion can be disappointing to fans who have paid to watch a good game.

Passion is a key aspect of our personal lives as well. Our heart attitude toward the Lord is revealed in how we serve Him. The apostle Paul said that our service includes the way we go about our daily work. In Ephesians 6:6-7, we read that we are to approach our work, “not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men.”

For me, the key in that verse is “from the heart.” I have a heavenly Father who loves me deeply and sacrificed His Son for me. How can I do anything less than give my very best for Him? The passion to live for God that comes “from the heart” provides our best response to the One who has done so much for us.

— Bill Crowder

Father, every day offers opportunities for me to express
my love for You. May the passion with which I live, work,
serve, and relate to others be a fitting expression of my
gratitude for Your love for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The love of God motivates us to live for God.