ODB: the measure of love
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September 30, 2009
READ: John 15:9-17
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. —John 15:13
On October 2, 1954, First Lieutenant James O. Conway was taking off from Boston Logan Airport, flying a plane that carried a load of munitions. When his plane became airborne, he suddenly lost power over Boston’s bay. In an instant, Conway faced a brutal choice—eject from the plane and save his own life, or crash the plane into the bay causing his own death.
If he ejected, however, the plane would crash into an East Boston neighborhood filled with homes and families. Amazingly, Conway chose to crash the plane into the bay—giving his life for the lives of others.
In John 15:13, Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” The willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect others shows a heart that cares more about the needs of others than the needs of one’s self. Someone once said that “the measure of love is what one is willing to give up for it.” God the Father loved so much that He gave up His Son. Christ loved so much that He gave up His life—even taking our sins on Himself and dying in our place.
The measure of God’s love for you is great. Have you accepted His love personally? — Bill Crowder
Nothing speaks more clearly of God’s love than the cross of Christ.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: stay in your lane
As long as the king sought guidance from the Lord, God gave him success (v.5).
READ: 2 Chronicles 26:3-21
Stay in your lane!” bellowed the sergeant at the trainee. “You’ve got help. Trust your buddies!” The brash young private liked to take charge and do things by himself. And now he had turned from his assigned position on the patrol’s right flank to help defend against an ambush from the left. But the sergeant knew what the trainee didn’t: The “enemy” would attack from the right. The ambush was merely a planned ruse in the exercise.
Military training humbles individuals, breaking them down to rebuild them as part of a team. Life has a way of doing that as well.
Long ago, a great military leader learned that lesson when he tried to take on too much. And the real tragedy was that it brought him down after a lifetime of solid service.
Uzziah was an excellent king who implemented badly needed reforms in Judah. Under the tutelage of the prophet Zechariah, he followed God and enjoyed military victories against his enemies. “But when he had become powerful, he also became proud, which led to his downfall” (2 Chronicles 26:16).
One day, Uzziah entered the sanctuary to usurp the priestly duties. When the high priest Azariah and 80 priests confronted the arrogant king, Uzziah became enraged. Yet as he railed against the priests, “leprosy suddenly broke out on his forehead” (v.19). Uzziah lived the rest of his days in quarantine, unable to lead his people.
Many who claim to love Jesus don’t show it by serving Him. But others—perhaps trying to pick up the slack—take too much on themselves. They want to fix the world’s problems in their own strength.
Both approaches are wrong. But as we “stay in our lane,” relying on the Lord each day for strength and wisdom, He can use us for His glory—not ours.
—Tim Gustafson
Do you tend to try to do too much for God? What’s the one thing you can do differently that will please Him today?
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Written by Chia Poh Fang when she was fresh out of University. Ten years have since elapsed.
Finding the right work is like discovering your own soul in the world. —Thomas Moore
What should I be? Should I be a writer, a civil servant, or …? Somehow as I seek the Lord’s will concerning my future, all my queries seem to hover around the word “be”. So I search the thesaurus for the synonyms of the word “be” and this is what I found:
Entry: be
Function: verb
Definition: exist
Synonyms: abide, act, be alive, breathe, continue, do, endure, go on, have being, have place, hold, inhabit, last, live, move, obtain, persist, prevail, remain, rest, stand, stay, subsist, survive
Antonyms: die, pass away, perish
Concept: aliveness
The discovery caused me to examine the soundness of my questions. Why am I defining my aliveness by the job that I hold? This idea seems to purport a life where its centrifugal life-defining force is in one’s profession. Much as many of us reject this idea because it sounds heretical to our religious ears, yet in our seeking of the Lord’s will concerning our profession, the question that bothers us the most is: What should I be—a teacher, a writer, an engineer, or …?
What should we do then? Perhaps, a replacement of the word “be” with its synonyms may yield some answers. Instead of asking “What should I be?” or “Who should I be?”, we could ask:
What should I abide by?
What should I hold on to?
What should last?
What should stay?
Who should prevail?
The answers to these questions could clear the cloud of apprehension in our job search and point us in specific directions as to what should ultimately define our life and thereby our career choice. Similarly, by asking questions using the antonyms, we could draw out certain perimeters in our job search. For example:
What should I die to?
What should pass away?
What should perish?
These questions help us discover the things that we ought to steer clear from in our job seeking, so that we are not led astray from the things that truly matter in life.
What do I want to be? I’m still unclear if I will ever find a job that I will stay long in, or a job that I will enjoy doing. However I do know that the job in itself must not define my life. In whatever post that I may eventually hold, I’m a pilgrim pursuing His kingdom first. I will abide by His kingdom values; I will hold on to my relationship with Jesus; I will last as a sanctified disciple. Jesus must prevail in my life.
Footnote: Has Poh Fang found a job she would stay long in? Yes. She is currently working in RBC Ministries and has been in this organization since October 2006. Does she enjoy her work? The answer: A resounding “YES”!
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September 29, 2009
READ: Colossians 4:1-12
Always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. —Col. 4:12
Just before John Ashcroft was being sworn in as a US senator, he met with family and friends for prayer. As they gathered around him, he saw his dad trying to get up from the couch where he sat. Since his father was in frail health, Ashcroft told him, “That’s okay, Dad. You don’t have to stand up to pray for me.” His father replied, “I’m not struggling to stand up. I’m struggling to kneel.”
His father’s effort reminds me of the exertion it sometimes takes to intercede for a fellow believer. In Colossians, Paul refers to Epaphras as a bondservant who is “always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Col. 4:12). “Laboring fervently” is the translation of a Greek word from which we get our word agony. It was used of wrestlers who in the Greek gymnastic games strained to overcome an opponent.
Epaphras interceded for other believers to become mature in their walk with the Savior. Asking God to overcome obstacles to spiritual growth in the lives of others requires our concentration and discipline. Are we willing to labor “fervently” in prayer to ask God to meet the needs of our loved ones? — Dennis Fisher
Intercessory prayer is life’s real work.
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