Tag Archive for: God’s love

ODJ: a long way
In trying to sell our house by owner (not using an estate agent), my husband made sure to ask each of our neighbours for permission to place a directional sign at a junction near our home. One particular homeowner seemed surprised that Scott had bothered to ask. As he gave his assent, he admitted that his usual response was to pull up any signs left by others who had not asked his permission. So w

ODB: Always Accepted
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Financial expert Warren Buffet, one of the richest people in the world, was rejected by Harvard’s Business School at age 19. After a failed admissions interview, he recalls a “feeling of dread,” along with concern over his father’s reaction to the news. In retrospect, Buffet says, “[Everything] in my life . . . that I thought was a crushing event at the time has turned out for the better

ODB: Crowned With Glory
The Voyager 1 spacecraft, which was launched in 1977, is on the outer edge of our solar system more than 10 billion miles away. In February 1990, when Voyager 1 was almost 4 billion miles from us, scientists turned its camera toward Earth and took some pictures that revealed our planet as an almost imperceptible blue dot on a vast sea of empty space.In the immense reaches of our

ODJ: the God who suffered
People tell me that you can turn any smoothie or milkshake into a snack loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. The idea is to sneak vegetables (spinach, cauliflower, beetroot or other healthy veggies) into the beverages of unsuspecting drinkers. They think they’re only imbibing their mango and honey treat, but they’re also downing green veggies. The beverage may be in the form of a smoothie, b

ODB: Second Best?
Leah must have laid awake all night thinking of the moment when her new husband would awaken. She knew that it was not her face he expected to see, but Rachel’s. Jacob had been a victim of deception, and when he realized that a “bait and switch” had occurred, he quickly made a new deal with Laban to claim the woman he had been promised (Gen. 29:25-27).Have you ever felt insignificant or seco

ODB: Numbered Days
In the aftermath of a devastating tornado, a man stood outside what was left of his home. Scattered somewhere among the rubble inside were his wife’s jewelry and his own valuable collectibles. But the man had no intention of going inside the unstable house to search for them. “It’s not worth dying for,” he said.In times of crisis, our sense of what is truly important in life often comes in

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

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

ODJ: dinner and a sinner
Several years ago, while on holiday in America, my family noticed a large crowd forming in front of a popular theater. The word on the street was that Colin Powell, the American Secretary of State at the time, was coming to the theater that evening to watch a play. We quickly learned that watching high-ranking public officials come and go was a favourite pastime of tourists.
In Jesus’ day the
