ODJ: static
It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, He has turned away and will not listen anymore (v.2). READ: Isaiah 59:1-15 I love the conveniences of modern technology— especially cordless phones. These devices afford me mobility without the problem of tangled cords. But while I enjoy the freedom, I often have to [...]
ODB: role models
July 26, 2009
READ: Philippians 2:12-18
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault. —Philippians 2:14-15
During a summer of international sports scandals involving gambling and substance abuse, two athletes were applauded for their character as much as their professional accomplishments. A record crowd of 75,000 cheered Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn during their 2007 induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. “Whether we like it or not,” Ripken said, “as big leaguers, we are role models. The only question is, will it be positive or will it be negative?”
Gwynn echoed the sentiment: “There’s more than just playing the game of baseball. . . . You’re responsible, you’ve got to make good decisions and show people how things are supposed to be done.”
Every day, people are watching us. As followers of Christ, we are guided by Paul’s challenge to “become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15).
Compromise causes others to become disillusioned, while character fosters hope. As the life of our Savior flows out from us, we can encourage others and point them to Him.
What kind of role model will we be for someone watching today? — David C. McCasland
The best role models model Christ.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...ODJ: r-e-s-p-e-c-t
Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king (v.17).
READ: 1 Peter 2:13-25
The top reason people leave their jobs, according to Steve Miranda of the Society for Human Resource Management, is due to bosses that belittle their employees or exhibit various forms of disrespectful behavior. “Bad bosses are energy vampires,” Miranda says.
How should you respond when you’re under the authority of a boss or someone else you struggle to respect? Motivational speaker and Olympic swimming gold-medalist Josh Davis believes, “There is never any reason to be rude or abrasive to another human being.” Davis says, “I apply a biblical principle to help me: ‘Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people’ ” (Philippians 2:14-15).
Scripture says respect should be given to . . .
• Governing authorities: “For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials He has appointed” (1 Peter 2:13-14).
• Everyone: “Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters” (1 Peter 2:17).
• Managers: “You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel” (1 Peter 2:18).
• Christian leaders: “Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other” (1 Thes. 5:12-13).
• Seekers: “If someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to
explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way” (1 Peter 3:15-16).
Today, consider how God would have you demonstrate greater respect to others. —Roxanne Robbins
In what three ways can you model respect for the primary authority figures in your life? How do you show respect to God?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: old faithful
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful (2 Timothy 4:7).
READ: Joshua 14:1-14
Billy Graham preached in person to more people in the 20th century than any other evangelist. He proclaimed the good news to an estimated 100 million during his crusades, with nearly 3 million coming to faith in Jesus. In an interview with NBC in June 2005, he was asked how he would want to be remembered. The then 86-year-old Graham said, “I hope they’ll say that he was faithful.”
Caleb was also an octogenarian who desired to serve God faithfully. In Joshua 14, he recalled how 45 years earlier, as a spy for Israel, he had given an “honest report” for Israel to take the land of Canaan (v.7). But due to the unbelief of the nation at that time, they didn’t follow his advice and everyone 20 years and older died in the desert—except Caleb and Joshua (Numbers 32:11-12). Now, as an old man, Caleb acknowledged that God had kept him alive all those years in the desert so that he could enjoy God’s promised home in Canaan (Numbers 14:24).
God is faithful. So was Caleb. Three times Scripture declares that Caleb “wholeheartedly followed the Lord, the God of Israel” (Joshua 14:8,9,14). In other passages, Caleb is consistently described as one who had followed God completely (Numbers 14:24, 32:12; Deut.1:36).
None of us knows how long we’ll live. Some of us might make it to 85 years, or older. But the issue is not the length but the depth of our faithfulness to God.
Will you, when you are advanced in years, be able to say, “For my part, I wholeheartedly followed the Lord my God”? (Joshua 14:8). The following words from God are telling: “Caleb has a different attitude than the others have. He has remained loyal to Me” (Numbers 14:24). Let’s pursue that kind of faithful life (Matthew 25:21). —K.T. Sim
What’s the difference between success and faithfulness? How can you live a more faithful life in Jesus?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Song: Resist
On 10 July 2009, the YMI team received an email, which thrilled us. A youth group from a small country church in Texas, United States, sent us the link to a music video that they’ve produced. Nearly 50 youth contributed to the project in different areas such as song writing, acting, script writing, lighting, set [...]
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: change your mind
July 25, 2009
READ: Acts 26:12-23
. . . repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance. —Acts 26:20
One of my favorite Peanuts comic strips features Charlie Brown saying to Snoopy, “I hear you’re writing a book on theology. I hope you have a good title.” Snoopy responds, “I have the perfect title: Has It Ever Occurred To You That You Might Be Wrong?”
Snoopy’s title reminds us that our understanding of God and what He requires of us is sometimes twisted. Because our wrong beliefs lead to wrong behavior, we need to “repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (Acts 26:20).
The Greek word translated “repent” is metanoeo, which means “change your mind.” As Paul indicated, repentance does not mean just nodding in polite agreement with God, and continuing the same way we were going. When we turn our thoughts toward God—when we truly agree with Him about what is right—our behavior will follow. Like a car, we go in the direction we are pointed. So, when we truly turn our minds and hearts toward God, our actions change accordingly.
Instead of going happily along, assuming that our choices are right, we need to regularly stop and ask ourselves Snoopy’s question. As Paul taught, it is only when we are willing to admit being wrong that we can be certain of being right with God. — Julie Ackerman Link
Either we conform our desires to the truth or we conform the truth to our desires. —Os Guinness
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: it’s all about the heart
Don’t judge by his appearance or height. . . . The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (v.7).
READ: 1 Samuel 16:1-7
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure performed on people suffering cardiac arrest. When I first learned CPR 25 years ago the focus was on both chest compressions and rescue breathing. “Pump and blow” is what we dubbed it.
Today, the focus is primarily on the heart. When you approach someone who has collapsed in cardiac distress, new research suggests that you should focus on chest compressions. Supposedly, there is a sufficient amount of oxygen in the blood to keep vital organs working for a time. What the body lacks more immediately is a pumping heart to circulate the blood.
When you think about it, all of life comes down to the condition of one’s heart. Over and over again the Bible stresses that a spiritually healthy heart is vital. Throughout its pages we are told to search for, serve, and love God and others with all our heart (Deuteronomy 4:29; Matthew 18:35). It tells us to hide God’s Word in our heart so we won’t sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). It warns us that a “deluded heart” is what misleads us into worshiping false gods (Isaiah 44:20 NIV). And it urges us to “guard” our heart “above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23).
While people focus on outward appearance, God “looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). He knows that the real story of our lives springs from what is inside of us. It’s not so much what we see on the surface. It’s what we can’t see below the surface that is the most important part.
Don’t get caught up in focusing on the externals of life. Don’t stop there. Look inside where it counts the most.
What’s the condition of your heart today? —Jeff Olson
What are some external things you tend to focus on too much? How can you pursue a spiritually healthier heart today?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...walk the walk
July 24, 2009
READ: 1 Timothy 4:6-16
Be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. —1 Timothy 4:12
The preacher was speaking tongue-in-cheek when he complained, “My wife is absolutely unreasonable. She actually expects me to live everything I preach!” It’s so much easier to tell someone what is right than to practice it personally.
When my son and I play golf together, I can tell him exactly how to play the hole and hit the shots. But my own ability to hit those shots is sadly limited. I suppose this is what is meant when we refer to athletes who “talk the talk, but don’t walk the walk.” Anyone can talk a good game, but actually performing well is far more difficult.
This is particularly true in the challenge of following Jesus Christ. It is not enough for us to talk about faith—we must live out our faith. Perhaps that is why Paul, after giving instructions to his young protégé Timothy about how to preach, included this reminder: “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. . . . Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them” (1 Tim. 4:12,15).
As Christ’s followers, we do not have the luxury of just talking a good game—we must live lives of exemplary faith in Jesus Christ. We must walk the walk. — Bill Crowder
We please God when our walk matches our talk.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: hey, that’s mine
Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking, “Why are you doing that?” (v.6).
READ: 1 Kings 1:5-10
My son was playing with some toys at a local library when a little girl came over and grabbed a truck out of his toddler grip. He looked at her loot as if to say, “Hey, that’s mine!” I scanned the room for the person in charge of this little marauder, but found no one standing by to rein her in.
As parents, we have the responsibility to “direct [our] children onto the right path” (Proverbs 22:6). It is our loving discipline that helps them own up to their monkey business and sets the direction for the rest of their lives.
David probably wished he’d done a better job of keeping his kids in line. As he was dying, his son Adonijah declared, “I will make myself king” (v.5), instead of waiting for his father to name the next ruler. Adonijah lacked respect for his father because “King David had never disciplined him at any time” (v.6). Correcting our children teaches them to respect others—including us as parents.
Disciplining our little ones also helps them to calculate the consequences of their actions. Sometimes we can provide meaningful guidance just by questioning their behavior. Sadly, David never even asked Adonijah, “Why are you doing that?” (v.6).
Adonijah continued to go after Israel’s throne until finally, his brother Solomon—the rightful king—had him killed. Maybe that’s why we’re warned, “Discipline your children while there is hope. Otherwise you will ruin their lives” (Proverbs 19:18).
As parents, we want our kids to live meaningful, God-honoring lives. But let’s face it, “a youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness” (Proverbs 22:15). That’s why we need to help them own up to their mischief by correction and discipline—so that they’re ready to admit, “Hey, that’s mine.”
—Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Why does God want us to discipline our children? How can you better discipline your children? Be more consistent? More loving? More age-appropriate?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ready to speak
July 23, 2009
READ: 1 Peter 3:13-22
Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear. —1 Peter 3:15
Lee Eclov and his wife were at a coffee shop in Estes Park, Colorado. At another table sat four men, one of whom was mocking Christianity and the resurrection of Jesus.
Lee could sense the Lord telling him to respond. But his fear kept him from doing so. Finally, he knew he had to make a stand. So he walked over to the men and began giving historical evidence for the resurrection.
How do we respond when we’re in a similar situation? The apostle Peter encouraged his readers to make a commitment to stand up for Jesus, especially during extreme suffering. This commitment meant not remaining speechless when circumstances warranted them to defend their faith. He said, “Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). Their readiness to answer required them to know God’s Word. They were to respond in godly meekness and fear, so that their persecutors would be ashamed of their own conduct.
Had Lee Eclov remained silent or responded rudely, the cause of Christ would have suffered. Lee later wrote, “God has a way of flushing us out of our quiet little places, and when He does we must be ready to speak for Him.” — Marvin Williams
To be silent about the Savior and His salvation is a dreadful sin of omission.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...
