ODB: The Lesson
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 nee
ODJ: learning journey
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 heale
ODB: Just Enough
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
ODJ: guard your heart
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
ODB: Savor The Flavor
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 th
ODJ: El-Shaddai
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 resp
ODB: New Eyes
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 uni
ODJ: Jesus’ Father
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 ins