ODJ: pictures of Jesus
Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us (v.1). READ: Luke 1:1-4 The story of Jesus is presented in four different Gospels, each capturing His life from an individual writer’s unique perspective. It’s been said that Matthew presents Jesus as the King who comes to reign [...]
ODB: be the light!
January 31, 2010
READ: Ephesians 5:8-14
You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. —Ephesians 5:8
A friend of mine has the opportunity each winter to attend the Super Bowl as a journalist. His job is to garner interviews with Christian athletes and National Football League personnel for a faith-based radio program.
When he first started covering the big game a few years ago, he grew disillusioned with the self-serving, pleasure-seeking atmosphere during Super Bowl week. “I found it to be a very dark place,” he says.
One day he told a former NFL player, a Christian, how he was feeling. The athlete looked at my friend and said, “Brother, you are being light in this dark place.” That comment reminded my friend why he was there, and it helped renew his excitement for serving God in a place where the light of the gospel is needed. It spurred him to shine his light.
Perhaps you work in a setting where God is not acknowledged, faith is mocked, and godless living is applauded. Maybe you feel that you are going into “a very dark place.”
Why not be a light (Eph. 5:8)—through your smiles, kind words and deeds, and diligent work. Ask God to bring opportunities to share the good news of Jesus Christ. You may be the only light a co-worker sees today. — Dave Branon
Our witness for Christ is a light in a dark world.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...ODJ: temple of tolerance
If someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way (vv.15-16).
READ: 1 Peter 3:13-17
A news story presented the plight of a Christian school that was forced to move because a group of local citizens felt it was “proselytizing.” How were the students and staff forcing their faith on others? They were singing hymns and praying out loud within the walls of the school. The people who caused the school to take a hike sound pretty intolerant, huh?
Today it seems that every conceivable idea and practice is tolerated, except things that have even a hint of Christianity. It’s true, however, that Jesus’ message does not mesh well with the modern definition of tolerance. For He said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
So how do we live out our faith in Jesus in a society that worships at the temple of tolerance? Peter gives us a helpful formula: Do good: You may suffer for your beliefs, but your exemplary life will speak volumes to others (1 Peter 3:13,17); Be ready: Prepare to share your faith by knowing what you believe (v.15); Be respectful: Don’t return fire with fire, but be gentle and civil when defending your faith (v.16).
Peter lived during a time of pluralism and tolerance. But due to Jesus’ claims, he and other believers were persecuted. When his formula (see above) didn’t receive a warm response, he pressed on with hope and a long-term perspective. For he wrote: “It is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by His name!” (4:16).
We can’t expect a culture that defines tolerance as allowing anything and everything as long as it doesn’t go against my thing to respect our beliefs. But we can still strive to winsomely and respectfully present to others our faith in Jesus. —Tom Felten
How is tolerance viewed by the culture around us? Within this culture, how can you be salt and light for Christ?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: behind the parted curtain
January 30, 2010
READ: Luke 23:39-43
Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” —Luke 23:43
Pastor and author Erwin Lutzer wrote: “One minute after you slip behind the parted curtain, you will either be enjoying a personal welcome from Christ or catching your first glimpse of gloom as you have never known it. Either way, your future will be irrevocably fixed and eternally unchangeable.”
Luke recorded a short yet powerful narrative that pictures two men about to go behind that curtain of death. When Jesus was being crucified, two thieves hung alongside Him. According to Mark, both men hurled insults at Jesus (15:32).
One of the thieves, however, had a change of heart as he realized Jesus’ innocence, his own sin, and his destiny. He rebuked the other thief and asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His kingdom. These words were a sign of repentance and simple faith. Jesus responded, “I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Salvation for the man was immediate. He knew that day where he would spend eternity.
Realizing that we are sinners and placing our trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection assures us that we can immediately know where we will spend our eternal tomorrows when we slip behind the parted curtain. — Marvin Williams
To prepare for tomorrow, trust Jesus today.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: religious heels
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).
READ: Matthew 15:1-11
The language student impressed the instructor with her academic diligence. But when the class went on a field trip for some cultural training, he didn’t even recognize her. The reason? In class, she concealed 6-inch heels beneath her pants. In her comfortable walking boots, she didn’t even reach 5 feet tall. “My heels are how I want to be,” she laughed. “But my boots are how I really am.”
Thankfully, physical stature is not how we really are. It may or may not be dangerous if we’re masking what we perceive to be a physical flaw. But the consequences are forever fatal when we attempt to cover our spiritual flaws.
Jesus had harsh words for those masters of the cover-up—the religious leaders who obsessed about appearances but neglected their hearts. One day some of them asked Jesus why His disciples didn’t wash their hands before eating, as their religious traditions dictated. Jesus answered with a question: “Why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?” (Matthew 15:3). Quoting Isaiah, Jesus said, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God” (vv.8-9).
That ancient prophet Isaiah understood how even “our righteous deeds . . . are nothing but filthy rags” (64:6). The problem in his day, as it is in ours, is that people who appear to follow God may actually be the furthest from Him. And some of the least religious-appearing may be closest to His heart.
Only God, through the righteousness of His Son Jesus, can give us a clean heart that cuts infinitely deeper than all our appearances. Only when we admit that we need His help will we find it. —Tim Gustafson
What are you relying on to make you right with God? How could your behavior be keeping others from believing in Jesus?
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(1 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: running the race
January 29, 2010
READ: 1 Cor. 9:19-27
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. —1 Corinthians 9:24
Spiridon Louis isn’t well known around the world, but he is in Greece. That’s because of what happened in 1896 when the Olympic Games were revived in Athens.
During the competition that year, the Greeks did quite well—winning the most medals of any nation. But the event that became a source of true Greek pride was the first-ever marathon. Seventeen athletes competed in this race of 40 kilometers (24.8 miles), but it was won by Louis—a common laborer. For his efforts, Louis was honored by king and country, and he became a national hero.
The apostle Paul used running a race as a picture of the Christian life. In 1 Corinthians 9:24, he challenged us not just to run but to run to win, saying, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.” Not only did Paul teach this but he lived it out. In his final epistle, he said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). Having finished his race, Paul joyfully anticipated receiving the victory crown from the King of heaven.
Like Paul, run your earthly race to win—and to please your King. — Bill Crowder
The Christian’s race is not a sprint—it’s a marathon.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: loved enough
[Love] does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out (v.6).
READ: 1 Corinthians 13:3-13
The truest friend does not doubt but hope.” While many movies based on books leave much to be desired, Douglas McGrath’s 1996 production of Emma vividly portrays Jane Austen’s endearing characters, Emma and her beloved Mr. Knightly. The strength of the relationship, though, comes from Austen’s pen as she reveals the longing of every heart—not only to be loved, but to be loved in truth. A man of conviction, Mr. Knightly affirms to Emma that his chastisement of her unacceptable behavior doesn’t come from a rejection of her but from his belief that greater things reside within her.
Spiritual growth doesn’t happen without a confrontation with the truth. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Me.” Far more than factual information, God’s truth is inseparable from His love. Truth required the cross; love made it possible.
Jesus loves us enough to speak straight to us. He does this so that our feet will be set firmly on the solid rock of His Word. In return, we must be willing to love others in truth.
Truth is not easy to hear, and hard words hurt. Love, however, persists past niceties. “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy” (Proverbs 27:6). Longing to see things set right, love willingly walks the difficult path of speaking the truth found in God’s Word. We do a great injustice to the body of Christ when we pretend that sin doesn’t exist (Ephesians 4:25).
The strength of God becomes active in our lives when we live out the twofold calling to truth. We must be willing to speak it (Proverbs 27:17) as well as receive it (Psalm 141:5). God’s love deals in truth. Anything less isn’t really love. —Regina Franklin
Why is truth necessary for growth? When have you heard hard words from a friend? How did you respond?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: quiet time with God
January 28, 2010
READ: Psalm 23
He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. —Psalm 23:2
The word connected captures our contemporary experience of life. Many people rarely go anywhere without a cell phone, iPod, laptop, or pager. We have become accessible 24 hours a day. Some psychologists see this craving to stay connected as an addiction. Yet a growing number of people are deliberately limiting their use of technology. Being a “tech-no” is their way of preserving times of quiet, while limiting the flow of information into their lives.
Many followers of Christ find that a daily time of Bible reading and prayer is essential in their walk of faith. This “quiet time” is a disconnection from external distractions in order to connect with God. The “green pastures” and “still waters” of Psalm 23:2 are more than an idyllic country scene. They speak of our communion with God whereby He restores our souls and leads us in His paths (v.3).
All of us can make time to meet with God, but do we? In Robert Foster’s booklet “7 Minutes With God,” he suggests a way to begin: Start with a brief prayer for guidance, then read the Bible for a few minutes, and close with a short time of prayer that includes adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication for others. It’s vital to take time today to connect with the Lord, who is our life. — David C. McCasland
Time spent with God is time well spent.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5) Loading ...A Ready Defense
By Chaz Oswald, 21, Michigan A while back, I was listening to a radio broadcast by the Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias. He shared about two homosexual women who had recently won a historic custody battle, against their previous husbands, for their children. These women claimed in a talk show that the Bible endorsed their lifestyle. [...]
(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: Jesus raises a ruckus
Passion for God’s house will consume me (v.17).
READ: John 2:12-17
The thud of bull hooves rumbles across the square. Swirls of dust rise into the air. Sheep bleat, doves flap their wings, and traders yell. “Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” He screams. The Prince of Peace is raising a ruckus.
He wields the cords and flips the tables (Matthew 21:12); the crowds part like the Red Sea. Mothers clutch their crying children. A cage overturns and doves fly free—an offering sent heavenward by a whip-swinging Savior.
Sometimes we get Jesus wrong. We think of a soft, serene Savior (“the poor baby awakes”), a meek and mild Nazarene (“no crying he makes”), and we forget that some in Jesus’ time thought He was John the Baptist or Elijah returned from death (Mark 8:28). The Son of God wasn’t thought of as some gentle guru of love, peace, and harmony. He was likened to a wild, thunderous, locust-eating prophet.
Surely Jesus was a teacher of love. His clearing of the Temple was no anti-business protest. The traders had set up shop in the Temple’s Outer Court—the only place where women and God-fearing Gentiles could worship. That act disrespected both God and worshiper; Jesus’ response was a passionate portrayal of love for both. And surely Jesus was a prophet of peace—teaching the turning of cheeks and the loving of enemies. But that didn’t negate His wrathful confronting of error. As Dorothy Sayers has said, “Whatever His peace was, it was not the peace of an amiable indifference.”
No, Jesus could be a powerful, angry, passionate personality—the only kind worthy of our full allegiance and trust. For what Savior would wink at greed and injustice? And what God could be worshiped who showed “amiable indifference” to the wronged? —Sheridan Voysey
What’s the difference between Jesus’ anger and the anger you often see in yourself? What does He get angry about? How should you reflect the same spirit?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
