ODB: heaven on earth?
November 22, 2009 READ: Ecclesiastes 2:15-26 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. —Colossians 3:2 The Singapore developer of an extravagant condominium advertised its new project as, “Rediscover Heaven on Earth.” I suppose it meant to convey to prospective buyers that their purchase would be so luxurious that it would [...]
ODJ: seek and save
The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost (v.10).
READ: Luke 19:1-10
Recently, I took my children to the mall for lunch. As we were eating, I noticed a little girl frantically looking for her dad. With tears welling up in her eyes, she called out: “Daddy! Daddy!” There was no sign of him. Suddenly he appeared, and she was visibly relieved. I said to my children, “I’m glad she found her dad!” To which my youngest son replied, “She didn’t find him; he found her.”
Luke wrote about lost people, wandering aimlessly in their sins, who were found by Jesus. This was the case with the chief tax collector, Zacchaeus (Luke 19). He was viewed with disdain by the Jews because he was assisting Rome in burdening the Israelites with heavy taxes, and also because it was likely he had become wealthy by collecting more money than required. When Jesus entered Jericho, Zacchaeus climbed up into a tree to get a better view of the Savior. Jesus called up to him and said that He must stay at his house (a divine necessity) (v.5). The other people muttered because Jesus was going to stay at the house of a notorious “sinner” (v.7). But Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and repented, and Jesus responded with a summary statement of His mission and purpose on earth: To bring salvation and the kingdom of God to those who are lost (vv.8-10).
God, through Jesus, came looking for us. He went to great lengths to save us, including taking our sins on Himself. He hung on the cross so that we could be dead to sin and live for what is right. He came “to seek and save” us! (v.10). This is good news!
People all around us are lost, and they think nobody cares about them. We have a responsibility to share the good news so that they too can be saved.
—Marvin Williams
For what lost person is the Holy Spirit prompting you to pray? How can you show your gratitude to God for His pursuit of you?
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(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...ODB: beyond imagination!
November 21, 2009
READ: Revelation 21:1-8
[It has not] entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. —1 Corinthians 2:9
A college professor at a Christian school perceived that his students held a distorted view of heaven; they considered it to be static and boring. So, to stir their imaginations, he asked them these questions:
“Do you wish you would wake up tomorrow morning to discover that the person you loved most passionately loved you even more? Wake up hearing music you have always loved but had never heard with such infinite joy before? Rise to the new day as if you were just discovering the Pacific Ocean? Wake up without feeling guilty about anything at all? See to the very core of yourself, and like everything you see? Wake up breathing God as if He were air? Loving to love Him? And loving everybody else in the bargain?”
In response to that professor’s intriguing questions, the students all lifted their hands. If that’s what heaven will be like, and even infinitely more so, they certainly wanted to be there.
“I go to prepare a place for you,” Jesus told His disciples (John 14:2). We all share the desire—really a deep-down yearning—to be in that glorious home forever. It is a place of indescribable bliss. And the supreme blessing will be the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself! — Vernon C. Grounds
The greatest pleasures of earth cannot be compared to the joys of heaven.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: not my story
Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow Me” (v.22).
READ: John 21:15-22
Child,” said the Voice, “I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own.” That quote, from C. S. Lewis’ A Horse and His Boy, continues the allegorical tales of Narnia through the eyes of a young boy named Shasta. Facing adventure and hardship, he appears at first to be a wanderer with no history or future. But great destiny lies within him. To find his purpose, though, he must learn to trust the One who has known his story from the beginning. He must also accept that certain events are not his to know.
Peter faced the same dilemma. In one of several appearances following His resurrection, Jesus spoke to the places in Peter that needed to be rock solid. The core of Peter’s identity had to be based in a committed love for Christ. Not a love that talked about action (Matthew 26:35; John 13:36-38), but a love willing to pay the price. Jesus then prophesied of Peter’s eventual martyrdom.
Peter’s response was a familiar one. Referring to John, he asked, “What about him, Lord?” (John 21:21). Bringing Peter back to the heart of the issue, Jesus reminded him, “As for you, follow Me” (v.22). The only story Peter needed to know was his own.
The temptation to base our obedience on what we see in another’s story is real, but some things are not for us to know. Never intending to deny Christ, Peter allowed the things he did not understand to dictate his actions. His life held promise of great destiny, but in order to live it, he had to learn to trust and obey even when he didn’t understand.
God is big enough to handle our questions, but do we trust Him enough to obey even when He simply answers, “Follow Me”? —Regina Franklin
How have you questioned God by comparing your experiences to someone else’s? How does understanding the sovereignty of God shape our view of life’s circumstances?
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(5 votes, average: 4.80 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: help with a home run
November 20, 2009
READ: 1 Peter 4:7-11
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. —1 Peter 4:10
Sara Tucholsky, a softball player for Western Oregon University, hit the first home run of her life in a game against Central Washington. But she nearly didn’t get credit for it. As she rounded first base in excitement, she missed it! When she wheeled back to correct her mistake, she injured her knee. Crying, she crawled back to the base. By rule, she had to touch all four bases on her own for the home run to count. Her teammates could not assist her in any way.
Then Mallory Holtman, the first baseman for the opposing team, spoke up. “Would it be okay if we carried her around?” After conferring, the umpires agreed. So Mallory and another teammate made a chair of their hands and carted Sara around the bases. By the time they were through carrying her, many were crying at this selfless act of compassion, and Sara was awarded her home run.
The lesson for followers of Christ is clear. When fellow Christians stumble and fall, we need to follow the example of these ballplayers. Reach out. Lift them up and carry them along. It’s a wonderful opportunity to “minister . . . to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). — David C. Egner
No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another. —Charles Dickens
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: the guardian of truth
Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you (v.14).
READ: 2 Timothy 1:1-14
A December 2008 report released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life listed this startling finding: Fifty-two percent of Christians in the US who attend churches that believe Jesus is the only way of salvation accept this idea: “Some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life.” In an earlier 2008 survey, only 39 percent of the Christian respondents said they believed that the Bible is the literal Word of God.
Living in a pluralistic and increasingly religion-intolerant world, we feel the pressure to become socially and politically correct—to not be exclusive in our faith views. At the same time, those who view the Bible as just a book written by men—not God’s Word—see no reason to believe what it teaches.
The apostle Paul warned of a time when “people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching” and “will reject the truth” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). To counter and correct this kind of biblical compromise and rejection, we are to “carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you” (2 Timothy 1:14; 1 Timothy 6:20). To guard the truth, these things are necessary:
• Obey the truth (Deuteronomy 4:6).
• Teach the truth to our children (Deuteronomy 6:7-9).
• Study the Scriptures (Acts 17:11).
• Test the truth (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
• Hold on to the truth (2 Timothy 1:13).
• Teach the truth to others (2 Timothy 2:2).
We have the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, to help us (1:14), and to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). The Spirit will “carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you” (2 Timothy 1:14). —K.T. Sim
How are you consistently growing in your knowledge and personal application of God’s truth? Why is it important both to believe the truth and to live it out?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...My Way, Your Way, or His Way? (Part 1)
By Eugene Seah, Singapore Whom Do I Listen To? Self-doubting and self-questioning of the pros and cons in decision-making; self-comforting and self-condoning in wrongdoings have probably become a part of our lives. I have often received remarks from my family and friends about my actions, lifestyle, decisions, and attitude. More often than not, those who [...]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: precious fruit
November 19, 2009
READ: Galatians 5:22-26
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. —Galatians 5:22-23
How much would you be willing to pay for a piece of fruit? In Japan, someone paid more than $6,000 for one Densuke watermelon. Grown only on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, this beautiful dark-green sphere looks like a bowling ball. The nearly 18-pound watermelon was one of only a few thousand available that year. The fruit’s rarity brought an astronomical price on the market.
Christians have fruit that is far more precious than the Densuke watermelon. It’s called the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). Each “fruit” is a different aspect of Christlikeness. In the Gospels, we see how Christ exemplified these virtues. Now He wants to produce them in our hearts—in what we say, how we think, and how we respond to life (John 15:1-4).
A rare and delicious fruit may bring a premium price in the marketplace, but Christlike character is of far greater worth. As we confess all known sin and yield to God’s indwelling Spirit, our lives will be transformed to the likeness of Christ (1 John 1:9; Eph. 5:18). This spiritual fruit will fill our lives with joy, bless those around us, and last into eternity. — Dennis Fisher
Fruitfulness for Christ depends on fellowship with Christ.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: tending lives
The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s Word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted! (v.23).
READ: Matthew 13:18-23
Liberia’s civil war ended in 2003, but the scars still linger on the streets of its capital, Monrovia. That tangle of weeds and concrete used to be a fountain, that mound of rubble was once a radio station, and that pockmarked building was an office. As my host pointed out one devastation after another, we felt like the Pevensie children returning to the ruins of Cair Paravel in Prince Caspian or Will Smith surveying what was left of the world in I Am Legend. The destruction was depressing, especially for those who remembered the way things were.
The upkeep of our belongings and homes requires constant attention. We must continually wash, weed, and repair our property. Take a month off, whether from inattention or war, and the entropy of nature begins to take over.
The same is true of our personal lives. Our bodies need exercise to stay fit, our minds need stimulating books and conversation to remain sharp, and our souls must cultivate the spiritual disciplines to keep in step with God. Just as it is harder to contact an old friend whose trail has grown cold, so it becomes more difficult to read the Bible and pray when we fail to practice faith-building disciplines.
Jesus said that His kingdom is like seed that fell on rocky, thorny, and good soil. Rocky people lack depth and so wilt under pressure, thorny people allow the “worries of this life and the lure of wealth” to choke out the gospel, while faithful Christians bear fruit—“thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted” (Matthew 13:22-23).
The difference lies not in the seed but in the soil. If the garden of your life is overgrown with weeds and littered with stones, don’t despair. Seek God’s strength and wisdom as you till the soil. —Mike Wittmer
What aspect of your physical, social, or spiritual life have you neglected? Name one thing that you will do today, and another by the end of the week, that will begin to revive this important part of who you are.
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(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: God works in mud
November 18, 2009
READ: Genesis 2:1-7
The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. —Genesis 2:7
In a 1950s novel, there is a scene in which four village men confess their sins to one another. One of the men, Michelis, cries out, “How can God let us live on the earth? Why doesn’t He kill us to purify creation?” “Because, Michelis,” one of the men answered, “God is a potter; He works in mud.”
This is literally what the Lord did in Genesis. The sovereign Creator formed and shaped humanity by unique design. This process involved fashioning a man from the dust of the ground. The word formed in Genesis 2:7 describes the work of an artist. Like a potter, molding and fashioning mud into a pot or some other earthen vessel, so the Lord God formed humanity from clay.
God’s work with dust and mud continued by breathing into man the breath of life, changing his form into a living soul. This made man a spiritual being, with a capacity to serve and fellowship with the Lord.
After Adam and Eve sinned, God continued working in and with mud, sending His Son Jesus to die for humanity and then regenerating those who receive Him so that we can enjoy fellowship with Him. In gratitude, let’s use our hands to do good works for His glory. — Marvin Williams
God is the only One who can make the dirty clean.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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