ODJ: sky-high
I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me (v.11). READ: 2 Kings 5:1-15 The scrolling message on the TV screen warned us to take cover immediately, and the shadowy sky confirmed we were in for one whopper of a storm. The [...]
ODB: “Light” of creation
October 27, 2009
READ: Job 37:1-18
[God] does great things, and unsearchable, marvelous things without number. —Job 5:9
Among the wonders of Jamaica is a body of water called Luminous Lagoon. By day, it is a nondescript bay on the country’s northern coast. By night, it is a marvel of nature.
If you visit there after dark, you notice that the water is filled with millions of phosphorescent organisms. Whenever there is movement, the water and the creatures in the bay glow. When fish swim past your boat, for example, they light up like waterborne fireflies. As the boat glides through the water, the wake shines brightly.
The wonder of God’s creation leaves us speechless, and this is just a small part of the total mystery package of God’s awesome handiwork as spelled out in Job 37 and 38. Listen to what the Lord’s role is in nature’s majesty: “Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes His lightning flash?” (37:15 niv); “What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside?” (38:19 niv). God’s majestic creations—whether dazzling lightning or glowing fish—are mysteries to us. But as God reminded Job, all of the wonders of our world are His creative handiwork.
When we observe God’s amazing creation, our only response can be that of Job: These are “things too wonderful for me” (42:3). — Dave Branon
When we cease to wonder, we cease to worship.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...ODJ: rising full moon
The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known (vv.1-2).
READ: Psalm 19:1-4
One of the most magnificent sights in nature is the rising of a full moon. It’s bright and majestic and it looks absolutely huge as it ascends in the night sky!
As a full moon hovers just above the horizon, it appears much larger than normal. The “moon illusion,” as it’s known, is an optical illusion that tricks our eyes into thinking the moon is much larger when it’s near the horizon. But it’s not. The truth is that a full moon is not any closer or bigger when it’s at the skyline than when it’s directly overhead.
The rising full moon is such an impressive sight that God had to warn His people—those He had rescued from slavery in Egypt through awe-inspiring miracles—not to get caught up in worshiping it. “When you look up into the sky and see the sun, moon, and stars—all the forces of heaven—don’t be seduced into worshiping them. The Lord your God gave them to all the peoples of the earth” (Deuteronomy 4:19). The people of the ancient city of Jericho should have taken those words to heart. For history tells us that their city, which would later be conquered by the Israelites in their Promised Land quest, had succumbed to lunar worship.
I’ve never gotten tired of seeing a full moon explode onto the scene of the night sky. I pray I never do. A sense of awe and wonder is an appropriate response. But instead of worshiping it, we should reflect on the One who created it. In the book of Psalms, God refers to the moon as His “faithful witness in the sky” (89:37).
Next time you find yourself gazing at a full moon rising, look past its stunning beauty to the God who hung it in the sky long ago (Genesis 1:14-18).
—Jeff Olson
What is the danger in worshiping the creation instead of the Creator? What in nature causes you to worship God? Why?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...For Whatever A Man Sows…
By Robin Zachariahs, 18 years old, India Many a time, we think we can “fool” God. We think we can commit wrong acts and get away with it. Yet even if one can deceive the 6 billion people living on the face of the earth, none can fool God. He sees our every move. The [...]
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: is that Jesus?
October 26, 2009
READ: Romans 8:26-29
Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. —Romans 8:29
As I walked into church one Sunday morning, a little boy looked at me and said to his mother, “Mom, is that Jesus?” Needless to say, I was curious to hear her response. “No,” she said, “that’s our pastor.”
I knew she would say no, of course, but I still wished she could have added something like, “No, that’s our pastor, but he reminds us a lot of Jesus.”
Being like Jesus is the purpose of life for those of us who are called to follow Him. In fact, as John Stott notes, it is the all-consuming goal of our past, our present, and our future. Romans 8:29 tells us that in the past we were “predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.” In the present, we “are being transformed into the same image” (the likeness of Christ), as we grow from “glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). And, in the future, “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
Being like Jesus is not about keeping the rules, going to church, and tithing. It’s about knowing His forgiveness, and committing acts of grace and mercy on a consistent basis. It’s about living a life that values all people. And it’s about having a heart of full surrender to the will of our Father.
Be like Jesus. You were saved for it! — Joe Stowell
Live in such a way that others see Jesus in you.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: loving Jesus
And the King will say, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!” (v.40).
READ: Matthew 25:34-40
Jesus left earth long before we got here. And despite His alleged appearances over the years, none of us have seen Him. So how can we love someone whom we have never met?
Jesus addressed this issue the night before He died. He promised that He would return in the form of His Spirit to live with us forever. So in one sense Jesus isn’t gone, for He lives within us by the third person of the Trinity (John 14:16-19). The Spirit of Christ unites us to Jesus, opening our ears to hear His voice when we read Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:10-16) and helping us pray by praying alongside us “with groanings that cannot be expressed in words” (Romans 8:26).
Besides this Spirit-led communication, there is another, often overlooked way that we may love Jesus now. He told us that when we serve others we are also loving Him, for He personally receives every meal and cup of water, every open home, and every serving hand offered to “the least of these my brothers and sisters” (Matthew 25:34-40). Serving the poverty-stricken person before us is not as appealing as expressing our love directly to Jesus, but He assures us that it counts the same.
When the bubonic plague came to Wittenberg, Germany in 1527, many frightened pastors wanted to flee for their lives. But Martin Luther ordered them to remain in the city and care for the dying. He encouraged them with these words: “If you wish to serve Christ and to wait on Him, very well, you have your sick neighbor close at hand. Go to him and serve him, and you will surely find Christ in him . . . whoever wants to serve Christ in person would surely serve his neighbor as well.”
We don’t merely love Jesus and our neighbor, but we love Jesus by loving our neighbor. —Mike Wittmer
Not everyone who is kind to a neighbor also loves Jesus. What is unique about our service to others that makes it count as loving Him? Why is it important to love others and spend time alone with Jesus?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: five people you meet in heaven
October 25, 2009
READ: 2 Corinthians 5:6-11
We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. —2 Corinthians 5:10
Mitch Albom, author of The Five People You Meet in Heaven, said that he got the idea for his book when he speculated: What would heaven be like if it were a place where some of the people you impacted on earth explained your life when you met them in heaven?
Albom’s book does give insight into how we unintentionally affect others’ lives. But for the Christian, our ultimate joy in eternity does not stem from other people but from our Lord and Savior. Heaven is a real place that Jesus is now preparing for us. And when we get there, we’ll rejoice to meet the living Christ (John 14:2-3; 2 Peter 3:13).
This encounter with Jesus, however, will also include accountability for the life we lived on earth. Believers are told: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). His wise and just evaluation will show us how well we have loved God and our neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40).
We don’t know who will be the first five people we meet in heaven. But we do know who the first One will be—the Lord Jesus. — Dennis Fisher
To be with Jesus forever is the sum of all happiness.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Green Shoots
I took this photo while attending a Christian retreat. God used this image to minister to me. Through it, I recognize that God will restore me and strengthen my spirit. For a period of time, I have been experiencing spiritual dryness and letdowns. But now, I understand that God was only strengthening me through the [...]
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: He will meet your needs
I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with Me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat (v.2).
READ: Mark 8:1-10
A man fell into a ditch and several people responded: The realist said, “That’s a ditch.” “Things will get better,” chirped the optimist. The news reporter offered, “I will pay you for an exclusive about life in the ditch.” “Did you get a permit for that ditch?” inquired the police officer. And the mathematician eagerly uttered, “I can calculate the length, depth, and width of the ditch for you!”
What the man needed was someone to meet his greatest need—to help him get out of the ditch.
That’s what Jesus did for a group of people who had been following Him and listening to His teaching. These people had come from great distances, and they had been with Him for days. As time went on, their food supply ran out (Mark 8:2). In compassion, Jesus reached out to meet their need. He fully understood what they were going through; went with them to the place where they were weak, vulnerable, lonely, and broken; and prepared to do something about their situation (v.3).
The disciples asked a practical question: “How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?” (v.4). This question lacked understanding and faith in Jesus’ person, power, and presence to meet the needs of His people. Jesus responded, “How much bread do you have?” All they had was seven loaves and a few small fish (vv.5-7). But Jesus took those meager provisions and miraculously fed 4,000 people (vv.8-9). Amazing!
We can trust Jesus to meet our needs by remembering that: (1) He is affected by our needs; (2) He can and will use seemingly inadequate and natural resources to supernaturally meet our needs; (3) He is not limited to meeting our needs just once; and (4) He will sometimes satisfy our needs with more than enough. He is our faithful provider! —Marvin Williams
How does God’s work in the past encourage you to trust Him with your future? In what ways has God provided for you and your family?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: secrets exposed
October 24, 2009
READ: Psalm 32:1-7
I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. . . . And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. —Psalm 32:5
For many years, Lake Okeechobee hid its secrets in thick waters and layers of muck. But in 2007, drought shrank the Florida lake to its lowest level since officials began keeping records in 1932, unveiling hundreds of years of history. Raking through the bottom of the lake, archaeologists found artifacts, pottery, human bone fragments, and even boats.
After King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and planned the death of her husband, Uriah, he covered his sins by denying them and not confessing them. He probably went many months conducting business as usual, even performing religious duties. As long as David cloaked his sinful secrets, he experienced God’s crushing finger of conviction and his strength evaporated like water in the heat of summer (Ps. 32:3-4).
When the prophet Nathan confronted David about his sin, God’s conviction was so great that David confessed his sins to God and turned away from them. Immediately the Lord forgave David and he experienced His mercy and grace (2 Sam. 12:13; Ps. 32:5; Ps. 51).
Let’s be careful not to hide our sin. When we uncover our sins by confessing them to God, we are covered with His forgiveness. — Marvin Williams
Give God what He desires most— a broken and repentant heart.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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