ODB: confession and thanksgiving
November 26, 2009 READ: Nehemiah 9:32-37 They have not served You . . . in the many good things that You gave them. —Nehemiah 9:35 During a Sunday worship service, our congregation said this prayer of confession in unison: “Gracious God, like many believers before us, we complain when things do not go our way. [...]
Bringing Good Out of Evil
By Fayemiwo, Oluwaseun Oluwatobi, 24, Nigeria As a child, I seldom fell ill but whenever I did, I had to get an injection. That was the part I hated the most. I always imagined that the nurses were sadist who simply wanted to prick my tender skin. However, I’ve come to realize that the pain [...]
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
Loading ...ODJ: being there
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal (v.1).
READ: 1 Corinthians 13
Last week my wife had five teeth removed—all in one morning. Ouch. Needless to say, it’s been a painful and—due to difficulties with some of the pain medication—nauseating experience for her. As she’s been pretty much bedridden over the past several days, my caregiving repertoire has included ice packs, warm washcloths, liquids, soft foods, and simply spending time with her. She has wanted me to be there.
As I’ve strived to love Lynn sacrificially, I’ve been reminded of 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter, a perennial favorite for wedding texts, presents God’s agape love. Three times in verses 1-3, Paul writes that even if we exercise our spiritual gifts in amazing ways, but don’t “love others,” it amounts to “nothing.”
It is interesting that the “Love Chapter” is sandwiched between two chapters focusing on spiritual gifts and how believers should use them for a “way of life that is best of all” (12:31). Paul’s point is that God has given us spiritual gifts to use, but they must be exercised in love—real love that is kind, humble, forgiving, and persevering (vv.4-8).
God reveals that kind of love in the way the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share a deep and permanent affection for one another. This is the agape that He wants us to show to others—especially our spouses.
If I had simply brought Lynn my “gifts” of comfort this past week, but didn’t have God’s love in my heart, I would have been a “noisy gong” (v.1) and truly clueless. Loving those closest to us as well as others in the body of Christ requires a sacrificial spirit that flows from God.
It isn’t merely bringing your gifts, it’s being there because of love. —Tom Felten
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 Jesus? Why is it important to love others and spend time alone with Jesus?
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(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: what a ride!
November 25, 2009
READ: 1 Thessalonians 1
The word of the Lord has sounded forth . . . in every place. —1 Thessalonians 1:8
Francis Asbury rode 6,000 miles a year on horseback for nearly half a century. Despite ill health, he drove himself tirelessly. He sustained himself with venison jerky—a food that wouldn’t spoil during his extended travels. Asbury is remembered for introducing the Methodist “circuit-riding preacher” as an effective way to capture the American frontier for Christ. Planting new churches in remote areas was central to his approach.
At the close of Asbury’s ministry, he had recruited over 700 traveling preachers. In 1771, when Asbury arrived in the colonies, there were only about 600 Methodists in America. Forty-five years later, there were 200,000!
In many ways, Asbury’s strategy for planting churches reflects the approach of the apostle Paul. To the church he had planted in Thessalonica, Paul wrote: “From you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place” (1 Thess. 1:8; see Acts 17:1-10).
The days of the “circuit-riding preacher” have come and gone. But each of us has a “frontier” where friends, relatives, and neighbors are our mission field. Can you think of someone today who needs to hear the good news? — Dennis Fisher
Those who love Christ have a love for the lost.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...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?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5) 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.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: precious marks
He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve Him (v.12).
READ: 1 Timothy 1:12-17
Maybe no one will notice. I turned the coffee table so that the flaw would be less visible to the members of our Bible study. Still, my friend Wendy spotted the little notches and I had to admit our son had cut his first teeth there earlier that week. She smiled and said, “Oh, now you’ll never be able to get rid of that table; those marks are precious.”
Most of us live with dents, scratches, and other “marks” on our hearts and minds—you know, the embarrassing stuff from past mistakes. The problem is, sometimes we think God can’t or won’t use us in ministry because of these imperfections.
Paul openly recounted his dark past in a letter to his protégé, Timothy. He said, “Christ Jesus . . . appointed me to serve Him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted His people” (1:12-13).
Although Paul was aware of these prior offenses, he understood that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
This new life is a product of God’s mercy, which is available to all of us who know Him through Christ. God transforms lives that are marked with addiction, immorality, and even abuse. He does this so that He can use us “as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners” (1 Timothy 1:16).
Did you ever stop and think that God wants to use you in ministry specifically because of your past, not in spite of it? In His eyes, our marks are precious. “He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can go and do the good things He planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Have you allowed feelings of inadequacy to prevent you from serving Christ? Why could God view past mistakes as precious marks to be shared, rather than imperfections to be hidden?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...My Way, Your Way, or His Way? (Part 2)
By Eugene Seah, Singapore In His Word I’ll stand. We are sometimes affected by other people’s persuasion. In order to be accepted—be it accepted as an obedient child or as a true friend, we live according to the measures of others. We allow our decisions, values, and identity to be blown around like a falling [...]
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: preventing regret
November 23, 2009
READ: 2 Samuel 18:31-19:4
The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. —2 Samuel 18:33
In the 1980s, the British band Mike and the Mechanics recorded a powerful song titled, “The Living Years.” The songwriter mourns his father’s death, because their relationship had been strained and marked by silence rather than sharing. The singer remorsefully says, “I didn’t get to tell him all the things I had to say.” Struggling with regret over words unsaid and love unexpressed, he laments, “I just wish I could have told him in the living years.”
King David similarly regretted his broken relationship with his son Absalom. Angered over David’s refusal to punish Amnon for raping his sister Tamar, Absalom killed Amnon and fled (2 Sam. 13:21-34). David’s servant Joab knew that he longed to go to his fugitive son, so he arranged for Absalom to be brought to him. But their relationship was never the same again. Absalom’s bitterness sparked a conflict that ended with his death (18:14). It was a bitter victory for King David, causing him to lament his lost son and their failed relationship (18:33). No amount of grieving, however, could undo David’s heartache.
We can learn from David’s regret when dealing with broken relationships. The pain of trying to make things right can be hard. But it’s much better to do what we can to make things right “in the living years.” — Bill Crowder
A broken relationship can be repaired— but only if you’re willing to try.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: listen first
Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish (v.13).
READ: Proverbs 18:12-21
Former US President Franklin Roosevelt was not a fan of the long receiving lines he often endured at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said during the greet-fests. One day, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who came through the line to shake his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “Marvelous!” “Keep up the good work.” “God bless you, sir.”
Franklin Roosevelt’s experiment was successful in proving his theory. It also underscored a sad reality: We often don’t listen well.
Proverbs 18:13 warns that “spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.” Why? Because “the tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences” (v.21). For example—
• Words can crush the spirit. And a crushed spirit is more unbearable than a sick body (v.14).
• Words can separate friends. And an offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city (v.19).
Fortunately, the opposite is also true. Listen to these thoughts from Proverbs:
• We must listen to facts. Learn with a discerning ear and ferret out the facts (v.13).
• We must listen with open ears. Don’t allow certain words and phrases to prejudice you from listening objectively. And don’t avoid listening to things that you may feel are too difficult to understand (v.15).
• We must listen to both sides of a dispute. It’s foolish to jump to conclusions and rush to judgment; the wise take time to discern (v.17).
Take the time to truly listen to others today. —Poh Fang Chia
What words and phrases prevent you from listening objectively to others? What will it take for you to become a better listener to God and them?
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(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
