ODJ: we have this day
This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it (v.24).
READ: Psalm 118:19-29
Debbie Middlemann was telling me about her mother, Edith, the 94-year-old widow of Francis Schaeffer. Francis wrote powerfully and often about the dangers of euthanasia and the gift of life, and now his wife and daughter were putting his beliefs into practice.
Debbie said that hospices in her country slowly euthanize their patients, giving them ever-increasing amounts of morphine as they prepare them for heaven. But Debbie would have none of it. She brought her mother home and insisted that she savor the life that was left—listening to her favorite albums and books and eating home-cooked meals.
When Edith noted that she was old and might not live much longer, Debbie reminded her that she had what any young person had—this day. None of us know if we will be alive tomorrow, but we do know that God has given us this day. What are we doing with it?
Life goes by fast, and its pace quickens as we age. An entire week now feels like a long afternoon did when I was a kid. Are we almost a decade removed from 9/11? Is my child already starting school? I graduated how long ago? “Your life is like the morning fog,” James says, “it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (4:14).
Solomon responds to the brevity of life with sound advice: “Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor Him in your youth before you grow old and say, ‘Life is not pleasant anymore’ ” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).
Now is our time. Don’t worry about tomorrow, for you might not be here anyway. Don’t put off until later what you can do now. We don’t know what the future holds, but we know that God has given us this day. How will you spend yours? —Mike Wittmer
What friend, task, or duty have you been putting off? Procrastination is a form of disobedience. Do the right thing, and do it now.
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Loading ...ODB: in the car wash
February 17, 2010
READ: Isaiah 43:1-13
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. —Isaiah 43:2
I’ll never forget my first experience using an automatic car wash. Approaching it with the dread of going to the dentist, I pushed the money into the slot, nervously checked and rechecked my windows, eased the car up to the line, and waited. Powers beyond my control began moving my car forward as if on a conveyor belt. There I was, cocooned inside, when a thunderous rush of water, soap, and brushes hit my car from all directions. What if I get stuck in here or water crashes in? I thought irrationally. Suddenly the waters ceased. After a blow-dry, my car was propelled into the outside world again, clean and polished.
In the midst of all this, I remembered stormy times in my life when it seemed I was on a conveyor belt, a victim of forces beyond my control. “Car-wash experiences,” I now call them. I remembered that whenever I passed through deep waters my Redeemer had been with me, sheltering me against the rising tide (Isa. 43:2). When I came out on the other side, which I always did, I was able to say with joy and confidence, “He is a faithful God!”
Are you in the middle of a car-wash experience? Trust God to bring you through to the other side. You’ll then be a shining testimony of His keeping power. — Joanie Yoder
A tunnel of testing can produce a shining testimony.
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...What Do You Think Love Is?
We found this short film on the website of Bulls and Arrows—a Christian ministry based in Australia releasing short films tackling different topics and issues we all deal with in the schoolyard and on the street.
What do you think love is? Could you identify with Hannah? Is there something from God’s Word you could use to encourage her?
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
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