ODJ: cinderella man
People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart (v.7). READ: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 As the United States slipped into the Great Depression of the 1930s, a broken right hand forced James Braddock out of professional boxing. Money was hard to come by, so Braddock worked menial jobs to make ends [...]
ODB: neighborly love
January 22, 2010
READ: Luke 10:29-37
You shall love the Lord your God . . . and your neighbor as yourself. —Luke 10:27
It would have been simpler just to buy a new hair dryer. But determined to save a buck, I decided to fix it myself. In order to loosen the screw that was buried deep in the handle, I took out the ultimate handyman’s helper—my pocket knife. As I put pressure on the knife to turn the screw, the blade folded back—on my finger.
I learned a lesson that day: I love myself. And I am urgent about meeting my needs. There was no thought of, “Well, I don’t really have time to stop the bleeding now. I’ll get to it later.” Also, there was a tenderness about how the need was met. I instructed my first-aid team (my wife and kids) to wash my finger gently and then to put the bandage on in a way that would avoid having the hairs on my finger pulled up when it was removed. My thoughts, words, and actions were driven by my love for myself.
To love “your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27) requires the same urgent kind of love. It’s a love that notices the need of another person and won’t rest until it’s been met. It’s a gentle, tender love that thinks and acts carefully. It’s the sacrificial and compassionate love that a nameless Samaritan had for a fallen traveler. It’s the kind of love God wants to share with your neighbors through you. — Joe Stowell
You cannot touch your neighbor’s heart with anything less than your own.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...ODJ: persistent prayer
One day Jesus told His disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up (v.1).
READ: Luke 18:1-8
An anonymous person wrote: “I knelt to pray but not for long, I had too much to do. So I knelt and said a hurried prayer, and jumped up off my knees. My Christian duty was now done; my soul could rest at ease.”
Let’s contrast that view of prayer with the actions of the persistent widow in Luke 18. They’re strikingly different. The widow didn’t just drop by now and then to pay the judge a visit. She came to the judge repeatedly (v.3). Her soul wouldn’t rest until her case was heard. Why? Because she wasn’t asking for some special favor, she was simply seeking justice.
In those days, it was common practice to bribe an attendant in order to have your court case heard by the judge. The widow was probably too poor to do that. What’s more, the judge she was appealing to neither feared God nor cared about people (v.4). So she had every reason to lose heart. Due to her persistence, however, she received justice (v.5).
Now before we start thinking that God needs to be pestered, argued with, and bribed in order to have our prayers answered, it’s important to understand that this parable is contrasting the unjust judge with the one truly just Judge. God is eager to answer the prayers of His children. In fact, He will “grant justice to them quickly!” (v.8; Matthew 7:11).
We often lose heart in prayer because we don’t understand God’s timing or purpose. But there’s a better way. One writer put it like this: “Persistent prayer is the demonstration of faith in God who, while at times may delay His answers, will always act decisively and justly with respect to His people.” Keep on praying! —Poh Fang Chia
What items have you dropped off your prayer list that should be placed back on it? How does our persistence reveal our devotion to God?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: a mutual friend
January 21, 2010
READ: John 15:9-17
I have called you friends. —John 15:15
Imagine being a visitor in a foreign land, showing up unannounced at a gathering of people you have never met and who have never heard of you—and then being allowed to address that group just a few minutes later. That can happen only if something breaks down barriers— something like mutual friends.
It happened when I took a missions team to a church service in Discovery Bay, Jamaica. Before we left the US, my friend Dorant Brown, a Jamaican pastor, recommended a church to attend. So when we arrived at the church, and I mentioned Pastor Brown, we were not only welcomed, but I was also asked to speak briefly and our team was asked to sing.
While sharing Dorant’s name was vital, I really don’t think it was that mutual friend who got us such a warm welcome. I think it was our shared Friend and Savior Jesus who opened our Jamaican friends’ hearts to our visit.
Have you experienced a connection with someone you just met when you tell them you too know Jesus? He’s a friend who laid down His life for us (John 15:13), and He makes brothers and sisters of all who believe (1 Peter 2:17).
Jesus. Our Savior. Our mutual Friend. He joins hearts around the world under the banner of His love. — Dave Branon
Those who are drawn to Christ are drawn to each other.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...The Supernatural Peace Jesus Walked In
By Alvin Mak, 21, Singapore “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” —John 14:27 Jesus walked in an unearthly peace. No one was busier than Jesus, but no one possesses [...]
(4 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: too proud to receive
God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs (Matthew 5:3).
READ: Acts 20:32-35
Shaina attends a service for 20-somethings at her church. The group is small but growing, and they’re starting to reach out in innovative ways to their community.
In the past year, nearly 30 people in the church have lost their jobs. So her group decided to get donations of food from individuals and businesses. They were amazed at the generosity. Soon they had a room jam-packed with groceries, and they began to set up appointments for the out-of-work families to “shop” for free. But many people didn’t want to come, despite being in financial trouble. “We felt bad,” said Shaina. “I was doing something to help people who really needed it, and it was a great feeling. People took something away from me because they were too proud to accept help.”
When Paul the apostle prepared to go to Jerusalem for the last time, he stopped to encourage the believers in Ephesus. He noted that he had never coveted anyone’s wealth and had always worked hard. But when he quoted Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), his statement implied that it is indeed blessed to receive. If no one receives, no one gets the blessing of giving. God uses our needy times to humble us—and to enable others to enjoy the blessing of giving.
We’re all desperately needy for spiritual rescue. Without Jesus, we’re powerless to save ourselves. In a letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote, “Even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead” (2:5). “God saved you by His grace when you believed [in His Son]. . . . It is a gift from God” (v.8).
Yet most people are too proud to receive the most generous gift of all time. Imagine how Jesus must feel about that. —Tim Gustafson
How is pride keeping you from receiving kindness from someone else? Are you letting pride keep you from receiving Christ’s gift of eternal life?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: redirected
January 20, 2010
READ: Genesis 39:1-10
The Lord was with Joseph. —Genesis 39:2
At the age of 16, pianist Leon Fleisher made his formal debut at Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic. He went on to win prestigious international competitions and played in the world’s finest concert halls. But at the age of 37, Fleisher was struck with dystonia, a neurological condition that crippled his right hand. After a period of despondency and withdrawal, he turned to teaching and conducting, because, as he said, he loved music more than he loved the piano.
When our dreams are shattered, how do we react? After Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, was sold as a slave by his brothers (Gen. 37:12-36), he could have given in to self-pity and self-indulgence. Instead, Joseph remained true to the Lord. Four times in Genesis 39, we read that “the Lord was with” Joseph (vv.2-3,21,23), and his actions revealed his own faithfulness to God. By his exemplary life, those he served in Egypt recognized God’s presence with him.
Do we love God more than our own dreams? Although Joseph must have grieved the loss of his past and what his life could have been, the Lord led him to a calling he had never imagined. Today, the Lord longs to lead us. Are we willing to be redirected by Him? — David C. McCasland
A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. —Proverbs 16:9
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: god spot
I received my message from no human source, and no one taught me. Instead, I received it by direct revelation from Jesus Christ (v.12).
READ: Galatians 1:11-24
Recently, scientists announced that they had identified at least three “god spots” in the human brain. They believe that the same portions of our lobes that allow us to interpret people’s moods and intentions also help us manage our “religiosity.” Hmmm. That sounds a lot like scientists once again trying to explain away spiritual life as a biological phenomenon (atheist scientist Richard Dawkins believes that religion is a virus, spread from brain to brain).
The apostle Paul knew nothing about god spots, but he did know how to spot God at work! In Galatians 1, he acknowledged his former life as a ruthless persecutor of Christians (v.13). But something amazing happened. By a divine work of God, Paul was changed from the inside out as he received Jesus as his Savior (vv.15-16).
The profound spiritual change Paul experienced was a work of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5). Paul later revealed the origin of his teachings and writings about Jesus, when he stated: “God revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets” (1 Corinthians 2:10). In another account, he noted that God’s plans were revealed to him “by His Spirit” (Ephesians 3:5).
Spots in the brain cannot explain the amazing change of life seen in Paul and countless other believers in Jesus. It can’t explain the extreme change God has made in you and me. Only the work of God’s convicting, comforting Spirit can explain it (John 14:16; 16:8).
While many scientists will continue to use research to try to lift up natural reasons for our belief in God, the reality of the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is proof of His existence. Be encouraged in your faith today as you ”spot” the Spirit working in you and others! —Tom Felten
What work has the Holy Spirit been doing in your life? How does the presence of the Holy Spirit affect your faith?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: never satisfied but always content
January 19, 2010
READ: Philippians 3:7-14
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 3:14
Tiger Woods is clearly the greatest golfer of his generation. His ability to perform under pressure and win is becoming legendary. Yet what motivates Woods is not just winning, it’s his passion for excellence. Despite his great success, Tiger has repeatedly refined his swing in an ongoing effort to improve his game and be a better golfer. His desire for excellence leaves him never satisfied.
The apostle Paul was also driven by a desire for excellence—but in his relationship with Christ. Paul, however, taught that we’re to have balance. While we’re never to be satisfied with our spiritual progress, we’re always to be content in Christ.
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul expressed both realities. While writing from prison, he declared his contentment with life’s circumstances, entrusting them to God’s care (Phil. 4:11). Nevertheless, he refused to be satisfied with his own spiritual progress. He did not count himself to have “apprehended” (to have arrived and achieved it all). Instead, he was committed to pressing on toward the goal (3:13-14).
Learning to balance contentment with a desire for excellence may be the forgotten key to our ongoing spiritual growth and advancement. — Bill Crowder
Godliness with contentment is great gain. —1 Timothy 6:6
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: the view
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much (v.4).
READ: Job 38:1-18
Completing its inaugural rotation in March 2000, the Eye of London provides riders with a sweeping view of England’s capital city. Perhaps because it looks much like a giant Ferris wheel, the Eye has been the topic of mixed reviews. Its modern design stands in stark contrast to the deeply historical architecture it looks over.
The Eye reminds me of the grandness and clarity of God’s view of events in this world, as compared to our finite perspectives. Because our fallen nature bends toward self-absorption, we easily become wrapped up in what we can see with our physical eyes. In the midst of his suffering, Job hungered for a context in which to place the deep pain he experienced. Confused by God’s seeming silence, he exclaimed, “I cry to You, O God, but You don’t answer. I stand before You, but You don’t even look” (Job 30:20). The question has echoed throughout the centuries: Does God see?
Scripture answers clearly. Not only does He see beyond what we comprehend, but nothing transpires in our lives without His attention (Job 34:21; Psalm 34:15). God’s response to Job was not to answer the why’s of his suffering. Instead, He called attention to the greatness of His sovereignty. While God was more than capable of leaving Job in the dust in brokenness and shame, His purpose was greater than making Job feel little. If He is powerful enough to contain the boundaries of the oceans (38:8-11), then certainly He has the strength to sustain us through all things—even life-altering pain.
More than a peripheral glance, we are the apple of His eye (Deuteronomy 32:10 NIV; Zechariah 2:8). His perspective, however, often involves answers beyond our comprehension. Peace comes in knowing that He sees completely, anticipating our need (2 Corinthians 9:8-11). —Regina Franklin
Have you ever felt as if God weren’t looking at you and your concerns? Why must we look beyond our view to find His perspective on our circumstances?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
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