ODB: toxic living
June 28, 2010 READ: 1 Samuel-:7-14 Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord.”—1 Samuel-:13 Picher, Oklahoma, is no more. Inmid-2009, this once-bustling town of 20,000 went out of business. In the first quarter of the 1900s, Picher was a boomtown because of its abundant lead [...]
The Final Goal: The Perfect Substitute
Read: Romans 5:6-11 God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. – Romans 5:8 Disaster struck Italy early in their third game of the 1998 World Cup finals. In the fourth minute, Alessandro Nesta, one of their star defenders, was injured and had to [...]
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Loading ...ODJ: put your feet on the rock
This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on” (v.16).
READ: Isaiah 28:14-22
During a leaders’ gathering, my friend Chad watched intensely as his daughter, Hannah, climbed up a rock wall. Hannah was making progress, until she began slipping a bit. Chad called out to her, “Put your feet on the rock!” He wanted his daughter to understand that she could find stability on the hard stone that was near her. Isaiah had the same idea in mind when prophesying about the coming Messiah in Isaiah 28.
The prophet gave us a beautiful picture of the coming Messiah. He described Him as the rock on which God’s people should place their feet (v.16). According to Isaiah, in what ways is Jesus like a rock? Check these out:
• The stone was tested. As a foundation stone, it had
been carefully inspected to determine its strength. What’s more, this “cornerstone” was prepared by the master mason to be placed at the start of the building process—determining the course of the entire structure (Psalm 118:22; Mark 12:10). The Messiah would be the perfect One—the perfect fit—for God’s plan of salvation (Mark 12:6), and a proven foundation for those who believe in Him.
• The stone was Jesus Christ, the Messiah. He lived a perfect life; and He was crucified, buried, and raised again from the dead. All who put their faith in Him will not be disappointed because He alone can save and provide a firm foundation in life. Faith in Him is what makes the difference during unstable and difficult times. He’s been tested and proven for strength, and His strength can handle the weight of our sin, broken relationships, negative and ungodly habits, and spiritually sick souls.
Let’s stand on the Rock—Jesus Christ. —Marvin Williams
Where do people look for stability when their lives are crumbling? What are some ways we can trust Jesus more completely today?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...When the Sun’s Shining Down On Me
By Rachel Ang, 21, Singapore I will sing to the LORD because He is good to me. Psalms 13:6 In the midst of the natural disasters, wars, deaths and trials we see around us, people sometimes begin to ask increasingly accusatory questions like “Where is God? Does He see my suffering? How could He have [...]
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: really thirsty
June 27, 2010
READ: Psalm 42
As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. —Psalm 42:1
Have you ever been really thirsty? Years ago, I visited my sister Kathy in Mali, West Africa. During an afternoon of seeing the sights, the temperature had risen far above 100ºF. Parched, I told her, “Hey, I need something to drink.” When Kathy told me she had forgotten to bring along a supply of filtered water, I began to get a bit desperate. The longer we drove, the more I wondered what it was like to truly die of thirst.
Finally, Kathy said, “I know where we can go,” as she drove up to the gate of an embassy. Inside I beheld the most beautiful sight—a water cooler! I grabbed one of the tiny paper cups and filled it again and again. My body had been deprived too long and now required lots of liquid to reverse the effects of dehydration.
The psalmist compared physical thirst with spiritual thirst: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God” (Ps. 42:1). His thirst was that of a desperate longing for God—the one and only living God (v.2).
Do you long for something this world can’t provide? This dissatisfaction is a thirst of the soul for God. Run to the One who alone can quench that thirst. “He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness” (Ps. 107:9). —Cindy Hess Kasper
Only Jesus, the Living Water, can satisfy the thirsty soul.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...The Final Goal: No One
Read: Romans 3:10-18 No one is righteous—not even one. – Romans 3:10 Unfortunately the 2006 World Cup final is not remembered for stunning goals, committed team work or individual talent. The highlight of that deciding match was Zinedine Zidane head-butting Marco Materazzi in the chest. Playing his last match for his country, Zidane should have [...]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: vital signs
Then David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord” (v.13).
READ: 2 Samuel 12:1-13
Quietly reading her magazine, she waits to hear her name. Upon her turn, she follows the nurse back to the examination room. When the doctor enters, the woman amiably proceeds to tell him everything’s going just fine and that she’s expecting him to write her a clean bill of health. Unprepared for the truth, she stands up abruptly and walks out when he tells her she needs medical intervention. Six months later when she needlessly dies from something that was treatable, the doctor can only shake his head in dismay.
While the above scenario might seem ridiculous, let’s consider what happens when people choose consumer Christianity instead of genuine relationships that sharpen and challenge us spiritually. There are great consequences when believers refuse accountability because church life has become more social than redemptive. We find it increasingly difficult to leave behind the sin that “so easily trips us up” if we’re unwilling to let others tell us the truth (Hebrews 12:1).
Leaders in the church often face the challenge of trying to confront sin while dealing with individuals who think their appearance at church meetings entitles them to a clean bill of spiritual health. They care little about real treatment for the hidden disease of sin.
Willing to deal in truth, David saw Nathan’s confrontation for what it was: a call from the heart of God (2 Samuel 12:7). As we live in relationships with other believers, we need to recognize that accountability has a twofold purpose:
• To restore our relationship with the Lord (Psalm 51:12).
• To restore health to the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:4).
If you hear the hard truth from a “Nathan,” recognize that it isn’t a putdown. It’s a sign of great love (Hebrews 12:6). —Regina Franklin
Why do we sometimes see others as self-righteous when they point out a sin issue in our lives? What person in your life challenges you to live according to God’s Word? How are you viewing your spiritual health through your eyes and not God’s?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: guilty of plenty
June 26, 2010
READ: 1 Timothy 1:12-17
The grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant. —1 Timothy 1:14
Aman was filling out a job application when he came to the question “Have you ever been arrested?” He wrote, “No.” The next question, intended for people who had answered “Yes” to the previous question, was “Why?” The applicant answered it anyway: “I never got caught.” He evidently knew he was guilty of plenty!
So was the apostle Paul. He knew he had personally done wrong and sinned against God. He wrote, “I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man” (1 Tim. 1:13). He even called himself the “chief” of sinners (v.15).
We too were once separated from the Lord because of our sin and were considered His enemies (Rom. 5:10; Col. 1:21). But when we confessed our sin and acknowledged our need for His forgiveness, He cleansed us and made us new.
Those of us who have known the Lord for many years may have the tendency to forget what we’ve been rescued from and forgiven of. Sharing about our past and current failures and giving praise to God for forgiveness will help us not to come across as “holier-than-thou” to people who don’t yet know the Lord.
The truth is we’ve all been guilty of plenty, and God deserves the glory for His mercy toward us. —Anne Cetas
Grace is everything for those who deserve nothing.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 1.00 out of 5) Loading ...The Final Goal: Giant Killers
Read: 1 Samuel 17:41-50 You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. – 1 Samuel 17:45 One of the more disheartening World Cup statistics belongs to Poland’s Ernst Willimowski. He managed to score four goals against Brazil in the 1938 [...]
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: sock puppet and frenemy
Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).
READ: Genesis 3:1-7
Do you use a sock puppet to secretly keep track of your frenemies? Plan to spend your staycation watching vlogs and webisodes?” If you’re not sure what all that means, turn to the latest edition of the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. The book of words has just added more than 100 new ones. Two new entries caught my attention: sock puppet and frenemies. A “sock puppet” is a false online identity used for deceptive purposes. A “frenemy” is someone who acts like a friend but is really an enemy.
The words sock puppet and frenemy definitely describe Satan. The evil one came to Eve as a frenemy, telling her what a friend might say. “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (v.1). Don’t worry about the consequences. God is exaggerating. You won’t die! (v.4). God is withholding something better from you! (v.5).
The sock puppet misquoted God’s words to subtly cast doubt on His goodness. God’s command applied to only the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:16-17)—not to all trees. “You won’t die!” was a direct challenge to what God had emphatically warned: “You are sure to die” (v.17). Soon Eve, too, felt it was okay to modify God’s clear instruction: “You must not . . . even touch it” (3:3). Totally deceived, Adam and his wife chose to disregard God’s instructions and warnings. Their actions created eternal consequences for all creation—the birth of evil, the presence of sin, and death.
Satan is no friend. He’s a sock puppet and a frenemy. Speaking from personal experience (Luke 22:31-34), Peter warns: Satan is your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stay alert. Watch out! (1 Peter 5:8). —K.T. Sim
How have you been carefully studying the Scriptures to verify that what you’ve been taught is the truth? (Acts 17:11). Why is it vital that we don’t mishandle God’s Word?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
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