ODJ: lost your way?
We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found! (v.32).
READ: Luke 15:11-32
I was 15 years old when I first witnessed a basketball player score for the opposing team. It was late in a game, and my team had the contest in hand. One by one, my coach began sending in players who rarely got a chance to play.
One of my teammates, Sam, bounced out on the court with tremendous enthusiasm. He received a pass, gave the defender a quick fake, and dribbled down court— the wrong way. We tried to wave Sam off and yelled for him to stop, but he was determined to score. And he did—for the other team!
Jesus told a story about a young man headed the wrong way in life (Luke 15:11-32). Soon after demanding his portion of his father’s estate, he “packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living” (v.13). Things went from bad to worse. Soon a famine struck, resulting in work and food being scarce.
Hungry and penniless, the wayward son finally came to his senses and made his way back home. To the son’s surprise, his father was eagerly waiting for him to return and welcomed him with hugs and a huge party (vv.20-24).
It’s not what the young man deserved, but Jesus’ story reminds us of the grace God extends to any of His wayward children who return to Him. By Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, He forgives and celebrates our return! He doesn’t shame His kids for losing their way.
When we rebel and go our own way, it isn’t long before we face the bitterness of our choices and struggle with our next move. The best move is to turn back to God—bowing before Him in true repentance and then being stunned by His grace and acceptance. —Jeff Olson
Pause for a few minutes to remember and thank God for the last time He surprised you with His grace. How will you choose to honor and glorify Him by your obedience today?
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Loading ...ODB: called to serve
November 24, 2009
READ: Mark 10:35-45
The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve. —Mark 10:45
When George W. Bush was President, he made a surprise visit to serve Thanksgiving Day dinner to soldiers deployed overseas. One reporter covering the story thought that some might save their meal as a souvenir, explaining, “It’s not often that anyone is served by the President.”
All elected officials are public servants—in a global, symbolic way—so they are always serving. So it seems that an act of service should not have been one of the biggest news items of the day.
Many people have a genuine desire to serve others, but for some, service is really self-serving. This was true when Jesus was training His disciples. They were under the impression that following Him would make them great.
But Jesus quickly set them straight: “Those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you” (Mark 10:42-43). Jesus made it clear to them that they were in training to become servants: “Whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all” (v.44).
We can sign up for any number of leadership training seminars, but the only good leaders are those who are first and foremost good servants. — Julie Ackerman Link
A good leader is a good servant.
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...
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