ODJ: rejoice!
No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety (v.9). READ: Psalm 16 Throughout Africa, from Sierra Leone to Uganda, rebel leaders have abducted hundreds of thousands of innocent boys and girls and converted them into soldiers. Forced to commit unspeakable crimes and murderous acts, often against their own relatives, these [...]
ODB: reminders of love
August 31, 2009
READ: John 19:1-7, 16-18
God is love. —1 John 4:8
After the US entered World War II in 1941, Estelle tried to talk her boyfriend Sidney out of joining the Army. But he enlisted and began his training in April of the following year. For the next 3 years he wrote her love letters—525 in all. Then in March 1945, she learned that her beloved fiancé had been killed in combat.
Although Estelle did eventually marry, the memories of her first love lived in her heart. To honor that love, she published a book of Sidney’s wartime correspondence more than 60 years later.
Like those letters, the Lord has left us with reminders of His love—the Scriptures. He says: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you” (Jer. 31:3).
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love” (John 15:9).
The Bible also tells us that “Christ . . . loved the church and gave Himself for her” (Eph. 5:25).
“[Jesus] gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us” (Titus 2:14).
“God is love” (1 John 4:8).
Read God’s Word often and be reminded that Jesus loves you and died for you. — Anne Cetas
Nothing can compare to the love of God.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...ODJ: larger than our fear
Do not be afraid, for I am with you (v.24).
READ: Genesis 26:1-11,19-25
I have two boys who are afraid of assorted things: dentists, dark rooms, green peas. Our most recent bout surfaced when our first-grader refused to walk into his classroom by himself. When he balked, I was tempted to point out a kindergarten girl happily strolling into her class alone. I considered sitting him down for a rational conversation with reasons why his fears were foolish.
Thankfully, I resisted, recognizing Wyatt didn’t need logic or tips. He certainly didn’t need shame. Wyatt just needed me to hold his hand and walk with him. Isaac, one of Israel’s forefathers, had many reasons to fear. Having no home, he had to scratch out an existence in a strange land. When Isaac arrived in Gerar, he lied to Abimelech the king, saying his beautiful wife Rebekah was his sister because he “was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me” (Genesis 26:9).
Years later, after Isaac had finally pieced together a life, Abimelech demanded he leave the land. Where would he go? How would he start over—again? Packing up, his brood bounced from spot to spot, forced out by conflict and resistance each time. Would his family ever have a future? The gloom hung heavy, fear rampant.
Then God spoke. “I am the God of your father, Abraham . . . Do not be afraid, for I am with you” (v.24). God spoke against Isaac’s fear, not by cataloging all the reasons fear was unnecessary or by instructing him in how to think more positively. God spoke against fear by giving Himself, His name, His presence. In the incarnation, God did this for all humanity (Matthew 1:23). Jesus entered our world of fear and sin. Our fears require a God larger than them, a God who will come and be with us. Jesus is that reality. —Winn Collier
What is your deepest fear? How does God’s presence reorient your fear?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: like a diamond in the sky
August 30, 2009
READ: Psalm 8
You have crowned him with glory and honor. —Psalm 8:5
Astronomers discovered a star in the sky that has cooled and compressed into a giant diamond. The largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found on Earth is the Cullinan Diamond—at over 3,100 carats. So how many carats are in the cosmic diamond?—10 billion trillion trillion carats!
In our world, diamonds are prized for their rarity, beauty, and durability, and we often hear it said, “Diamonds are forever.” But God isn’t enamored with diamonds. To Him there is something far more precious.
Thousands of years ago, David marveled at the great value God had set on human beings: “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor” (Ps. 8:4-5).
In fact, God placed such a high value on us that it cost Him dearly to buy our redemption. The purchase price was the precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19).
If God places such a high value on us, we should also place a high value on the people He has brought into our lives. Bring them before the Lord in prayer. Ask Him to show you how each is more priceless than the most costly jewel in the universe. — Dennis Fisher
We are more precious to Jesus than the costliest diamond.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: maranatha
He is coming! He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with His truth (v.13).
READ: Psalm 96
My children were so excited about their cousins coming over that they rode their bikes to the end of our road in anticipation of their arrival. As I watched them stand sentinel at the top of our hill, ready to escort their cousins’ van to our house, I was reminded of the ancient word parousia. A parousia, or appearance of royalty, sparked a celebration in which an entire city would go out to meet the visiting king and accompany him back to town. Parousia is often used in the New Testament to describe the second coming of Jesus.
Paul wrote that when “the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God,” then “we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Some people may not look forward to Christ’s return because they think this passage teaches that Jesus is coming to simply whisk us away. In reality, Paul is merely describing the first part of the parousia. We will go up and out to meet the Lord and then later return with Him to planet Earth.
Jesus is not coming to evacuate the earth, but to restore it to a beautiful thing. He’s returning to reward the righteous and punish the oppressors. And He will establish an everlasting reign of peace and prosperity, beating swords into plowshares and dwelling forever with His people on a restored and rejuvenated planet.
Are you weary of the injustice in our world? Are you groaning from the brokenness of sin? Then pray the shortest prayer in the Bible: Maranatha! meaning, “Our Lord, come!” (1 Corinthians 16:22). —Mike Wittmer
Do you want Jesus to come today? What can you do to increase your anticipation of His return?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: the power of love
August 29, 2009
READ: Zephaniah 3:14-20
The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love. —Zephaniah 3:17
The documentary film Young@Heart gives a rollicking look at a senior chorus of 24 singers whose average age is 80. Filled with humor and poignant moments, the film includes this remarkable singing group’s deeply moving performance at a New England prison. When the concert concludes, the singers walk into the audience, greeting the surprised prisoners with handshakes and hugs.
The inmates’ unexpected amazement at this personal touch reminds me of the book of Zephaniah in which the prophet brings a powerful message of God’s presence and love to His people during a dark time: “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing” (3:17).
According to Bible teacher Henrietta Mears, Zephaniah “begins with sorrow but ends with singing. The first of the book is full of sadness and gloom, but the last contains one of the sweetest songs of love in the Old Testament.”
God’s love for us is always astonishing, especially when it touches us at a low ebb of life. During our darkest times, the Lord comes to us with His joy, His love, and His song. — David C. McCasland
In God’s garden of love, you are His forget-me-not.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: cast down sheep
August 28, 2009
READ: Psalm 23
He restores my soul. —Psalm 23:3
In his classic book A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, W. Phillip Keller gives a striking picture of the care and gentleness of a shepherd. In verse 3 when David says, “He restores my soul,” he uses language every shepherd would understand.
Sheep are built in such a way that if they fall over on their side and then onto their back, it is very difficult for them to get up again. They flail their legs in the air, bleat, and cry. After a few hours on their backs, gas begins to collect in their stomachs, the stomach hardens, the air passage is cut off, and the sheep will eventually suffocate. This is referred to as a “cast down” position.
When a shepherd restores a cast down sheep, he reassures it, massages its legs to restore circulation, gently turns the sheep over, lifts it up, and holds it so it can regain its equilibrium.
What a picture of what God wants to do for us! When we are on our backs, flailing because of guilt, grief, or grudges, our loving Shepherd reassures us with His grace, lifts us up, and holds us until we’ve gained our spiritual equilibrium.
If you’ve been cast down for any reason, God is the only one who can help you get on your feet again. He will restore your confidence, joy, and strength. — Marvin Williams
The weak and the helpless are in the Good Shepherd’s special care.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: walk forward
Back in Egypt . . . we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted (v.3).
READ: Exodus 16:2-7
His father described him as down-to-earth, generous, kindhearted, life-loving, and unselfish. Maybe that’s why so many people were shocked when Australian-born actor Heath Ledger died of a prescription drug overdose. Before his death, Ledger was reportedly fighting an addiction to heroin.
We all struggle with habitual cravings—food, gambling, and porn are just a few of the things that can enslave us. Fortunately, God can free us, as surely as He released the Israelites from slave status in Egypt. But once He sets us free, He wants us to move forward.
A short time after the Israelites left Egypt, they developed an attitude. “Back in Egypt . . . we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted” (Exodus 16:3), they whined. Shaky circumstances led them to idealize the “good ol’ days.” But that kind of backward thinking sabotages our efforts to move forward, following “the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” (Galatians 5:25).
God wants us to keep taking steps of faith—believing that He will provide what we need each day. When the Israelites realized that their new zip code didn’t include any grocery stores, God said, No biggie. I’ll send some manna their way—“as much food as they need for that day” (Exodus 16:4). Similarly, we should live one day at a time, trusting God to provide an escape route from our selfish desires. God “will not allow the temptation to be more than [we] can stand” (1 Corinthians 10:13). When we’re tempted, He will show us a way out.
If God has shown you the escape hatch, don’t look back. Don’t “let sin control the way you live” (Romans 6:12). Instead, walk forward each day, trusting that “you will see the glory of the Lord” on your journey through the wilderness (Exodus 16:7). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
If God has freed you from an addiction, how can you walk forward? Why is it important to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: light as a feather
August 27, 2009
READ: 2 Samuel 6:12-23
A merry heart does good, like medicine. —Proverbs 17:22
We Christians can sometimes be a joyless lot, preoccupied with maintaining our dignity. That’s an odd attitude, though, since we’re joined to a God who has given us His wonderful gift of joy and laughter.
It’s okay to have fun! Each family expresses it in different ways, of course. I’m thankful that our house has been a house of laughter. Water fights, good-natured (albeit stiff) competition, gentle ribbing, and hilarity came easily to us. Laughter has been a gift of God’s goodness that carried us through some of life’s darkest days. The joy of the Lord has often been our refuge (Neh. 8:10).
When King David brought the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem from the house of Obed-Edom, he danced “with all his might” before the Lord (2 Sam. 6:14). The Hebrew word has the idea of joyful exuberance and is akin to our expression “kick up your heels.” In fact, in verse 16 it says that David was “leaping and whirling.” Michal, David’s wife, felt that his antics were unbecoming to the dignity of a king and reacted with stern severity. David’s response was to announce that he would become even more “undignified” (v.22). His spirit was buoyant and he felt “as light as a feather.”
Take time to laugh! (Eccl. 3:4). — David H. Roper
Wholesome laughter has great face value.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Self-Esteem
Part 1: How it all began Part 2: Earning my self-esteem Part 3: “You so need to get that car!” Part 4: Defining beauty through God’s Word Part 5: In His beauty I walk Part 6: Closing Thoughts Other relevant resources : Words To Live By Self-Esteem: What Does The Bible Say?
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