ODB: point of no return
December 31, 2009 READ: Deut. 11:7-12 The eyes of the Lord your God are always on [the land], from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year. —Deuteronomy 11:12 Longtime California pastor Ray Stedman once told his congregation: “On New Year’s Eve we realize more than at any other time in [...]
Thirsty?
By Tracy Phua, Singapore Not long ago, I was having this awful sore throat—no thanks to my late nights and bad habit of not drinking enough water. I didn’t drink enough water because I didn’t’ feel thirsty. As a result, I fell sick. Many a time, we ignore our body’s plea for water and carry [...]
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Loading ...ODJ: treasures
Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be (vv.20-21).
READ: Matthew 6:19-24
Every day, according to one survey, Americans buy an average of 3,972,603 movie tickets; 1,683,835 songs and albums from online resources; 1,650,000 DVD rentals from Netflix; 978,030 bags of Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet popcorn; 568,764 Titleist golf balls; 443,650 large fries at Burger King; 160,968 bottles of Absolut Vodka; 7,500 Samsung LCD TVs; and 60 Ford Mustangs on eBay. It’s clear from this incomplete list that many consumers are spending money on things that have temporary stamped on them. Jesus, however, says that we should use our resources to acquire things that have eternity written all over them.
In Matthew 6, He identifies two types of treasures. The first are the ones accumulated on earth. These treasures are vulnerable to all kinds of decay and theft. They are the goods that we should not be going for. The alternative is treasures in heaven. Now Jesus was not saying we can buy our way into heaven. He was simply calling us to simplify our lives and leverage our time and resources for the sake of people in need (Matthew 19:21; 1 Timothy 6:17-19). When we, with pure motives (Matthew 6:1-4), give up our lives and resources for the marginalized, we’re “storing up” treasures in heaven.
How can we determine where our treasure is and where our hearts are? I believe the following questions can help us: What occupies my thoughts and daydreams? What do I fret about the most? Apart from my immediate family, who or what do I most dread losing? What criteria do I use to evaluate others? What would make me most unhappy to be without?
Let’s prayerfully consider the resources we’re using and pursuing, making sure that our stuff is being used to bless others and glorify God. —Marvin Williams
How can you make an investment in eternity today? What is a good way to evaluate your use of money?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: bad idea?
December 30, 2009
READ: Hebrews 10:22-39
Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. —Hebrews 10:22
The former athlete had neglected his body for too long, so he began an exercise routine. The first day, he did several push-ups and went for a light jog. The next day, more push-ups, a few sit-ups, and a longer run. Day 3: exercises and a mile-and-a-half run. On Day 4, our ex-athlete in re-training woke up with a sore throat.
Then he did one more exercise: He jumped to the conclusion that exercising was a bad idea. If all he got out of his huffing and puffing was sickness, it wasn’t for him.
Let’s examine another scenario. A Christian, realizing he has neglected his relationship with God, begins a new spiritual routine of Bible-reading and prayer. But after just a few days, some problems arise in his life. What does he conclude? Like the ex-athlete, should he decide that his spiritual quest was a bad idea and that it didn’t do any good? Certainly not.
We don’t pray and read the Bible to get a perfect, trouble-free life. Pursuing God is not cause and effect. We do it because it draws us closer in our relationship with the One who is perfect. The pursuit of godliness will not exempt us from trouble (2 Tim. 3:12). But a life dedicated to loving and pursuing God (Heb. 10:22) is always a good idea—no matter what happens. — Dave Branon
The roots of stability come from being grounded in God’s Word and prayer.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: the way of rest
[Christ Jesus] broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News (2 Timothy 1:10).
READ: Hebrews 3:7-4:7
Train stations in Japan often list stops in both Kanji and English. This one did not. The longer I stared at the sign, the more it mocked me.
Finally, I asked the woman standing next to me: “Do you speak English?” “A little,” she said. She understood where I wanted to go and motioned for me to follow her. We got on a train, and she drew a map with the stops listed in English and Japanese. Then she took me to the correct line for my transfer. She didn’t just tell me the way; she showed me the way.
When God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, He didn’t merely tell them which way to go; He showed them the way with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:20-22). The people, however, repeatedly refused to trust their Provider-God. They hardened their hearts and rebelled against Him (v.8; Psalm 95:7-8). The consequences were disastrous. Their “corpses lay in the wilderness,” said the writer of Hebrews (3:17).
Today, God shows us the way through the guidance of His Word and the illumination of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17). Yet we too can stubbornly ignore His step-by-step guidance. That’s why Hebrews says of those disbelieving Israelites, “Because of their unbelief they were not able to enter His rest” (3:19). Then the author draws a clear distinction: “They didn’t share the faith of those who listened to God. For only we who believe can enter His rest” (4:2-3).
Not finding the right train route is a mere inconvenience. Knowing our ultimate destination in life and yet refusing to follow it is a mistake with eternal consequences. The question to ask ourselves is this: Are we among those who believe? —Tim Gustafson
Disobedience, worry, and ingratitude are indicators that you’re not believing in God. In what ways does your life show that you believe in Him? Do you see patterns of unbelief?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: beauty tips
Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
READ: Proverbs 31:10-31
Not long ago, we had a discussion in our office regarding what you should eat based on your blood type. Suddenly, our lunchtime conversations were seasoned with questions like: “If I’m B positive, should I eat chicken or fish?” The health “gurus” who are promoting eating based on blood type claim it can keep you fit and make you look good too.
We all desire to look good and are drawn to beauty. Proverbs 31 offers some excellent beauty tips that we—male and female—all need to read. The verses summarize much of the wisdom found in the entire book of Proverbs. They present the true beauty of a wise woman who fears the Lord.
Here are five of her characteristics:
• Trustworthy (vv.11-12). She can be trusted to do good and to not harm others.
• Shrewd or wise (vv.13-18). She thinks through her projects and manages her time and resources wisely. This leads her to successfully complete them.
• Generous (vv.19-20). She gives to the poor and needy—not apathetic.
• Diligent (vv.21-25). She makes sure that all the bases are covered for her family. A smile is on her face and joy is in her heart because she has done her best to provide.
• Speaks wisely and kindly (v.26). She talks the talk and walks the walk!
By looking at this woman’s characteristics, we see that a person’s true beauty springs from the soul. Her kindness, loving care, and passion all flow from her relationship with God (v.30). Let’s follow her example and clothe ourselves with “the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God” (1 Peter 3:4). —Poh Fang Chia
How could you clothe yourself with a gentle and quiet spirit today? What does it take to reflect God’s beauty?
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(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: in which realm do you live?
December 29, 2009
READ: Romans 8:1-10
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. —Romans 8:2
I was working with a petroleum company in Singapore when an inspector from another country visited. He came to check on a cargo of oil destined for his country, which was at war. When he heard the shriek of fighter planes overhead, he instinctively ran for cover. Embarrassed, he explained, “Sorry, I thought I was back home.” He did what he would have done had he been in his war-torn country.
For the Christian, it’s easy to dive back into old ways of sin out of sheer habit because of the many temptations in this world. Even though we are “in Christ Jesus” as Romans 8:1 says, we sometimes live as if we are “in sin.”
God paid a very heavy price to take us out of the realm of sin. He did so by “sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering” (v.3 niv). We are now to be governed by “the law of the Spirit of life,” not by “the law of sin and death” (v.2). The apostle Paul urges us to “set” our mind according to “the things of the Spirit” (v.5). This means that we take our direction from God’s Word as guided by His Spirit.
When you’re tempted to dive back into old sinful ways, will you instead allow the Holy Spirit who resides in you to help you live more consistently with your standing “in Christ”? — C. P. Hia
When you are born again, you become a citizen of heaven.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: work of art
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people (3:23).
READ: Colossians 1:15-16
Michelangelo had begun what he figured to be his crowning achievement—chiseling marble statues for the tomb of Pope Julius II—when the pope pulled him away for a menial task unworthy of the artist’s great skill. Michelangelo protested that many lesser painters could repair the plaster ceiling of the pope’s chapel, and he fled Rome in a futile attempt to avoid doing it. He detested the pope for forcing him into this assignment (some scholars believe that his fresco contains a cherub making a gesture of contempt to an Old Testament prophet who looks suspiciously like Julius), but Michelangelo gave it his best and transformed a repair job into the masterpiece of the Sistine Chapel.
Despite Michelangelo’s cryptic insult to the pope, his commitment to always do his best typifies Paul’s command to the Colossians to “work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord” (3:23). Why does Paul say that our work is “for the Lord”?
Earlier in Colossians, Paul declares that Jesus is the Creator and “through Him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth” (1:16). If Jesus is the Creator, then He is the one who “placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it” (Genesis 2:15) and who commanded Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply” and to “fill the earth and govern it” (Genesis 1:28). Theologians call this initial command the “cultural mandate.” It includes the idea that—as believers in Jesus—God has called us to establish cultures that reflect His beauty and glory.
Where does your job fit into this picture? How does what you do serve others and contribute to the development of culture? Give God your cheerful best, whether you are doing a repair job, painting a masterpiece, or both.
—Mike Wittmer
The biblical importance of work led Martin Luther and John Calvin to describe every job as a divine calling. How might this perspective change how you think about work and the way you work?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: power to persevere
December 28, 2009
READ: James 5:1-11
You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. —James 5:11
Professional golfer Paula Creamer had worked all year long to earn a berth in the 2008 ADT Championship, the year’s final tournament on the LPGA tour. When the event began, however, Creamer was suffering from peritonitis, a painful inflammation of the abdominal wall. Throughout the four days of the tournament, she was in constant pain and unable to eat. She even spent a night in the hospital because of the condition. Still, she persevered to the end and, amazingly, she finished third. Her determination earned her many new fans.
The challenges and crises of life can tax us to the very end of our strength, and in such times it is easy to want to give up. But James offers followers of Christ another perspective. He says that while life is a battle, it is also a blessing: “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11).
In Job’s example, we find encouragement and the power to persevere in life’s darkest hours—power rooted in God, who is compassionate and merciful. Even when life is painful and hard, we can persevere because God is there. His mercy endures forever (Ps. 136). — Bill Crowder
God provides the power we need to persevere.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Trust
By Cindy Tan, Malaysia In the song God of Ages by Hillsong, the bridge goes like this: “I’ll trust in You, I’ll trust in You, I’ll trust in You with all my heart.” We have sung this song or similar ones in our church. Yet, I wonder how many of us mean what we sing. [...]
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