ODJ: finishers
So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed (v.1). READ: Genesis 2 Michelangelo was an Italian sculptor, architect, and poet, whose artistic accomplishment exerted a tremendous amount of influence on his contemporaries and on subsequent European art. The sad reality is, however, that he left many of [...]
ODB: my Lord
July 31, 2010
READ: John 20:19-29
Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” —John 20:28
On the day of His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and showed them His hands and feet. We are told that at first they could not believe for joy—it appeared too wonderful to be true (Luke 24:40-41). Thomas was not with the disciples, but he also had trouble believing until he saw for himself. When Jesus appeared to Thomas and told him to put his fingers in the nail holes and his hand in His side, Thomas cried, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).
Later, as Paul told the Philippians of his own suffering, he also declared Jesus as Lord. He testified that he had come to the place where he considered all his experiences as loss “for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil. 3:8).
You and I have never seen Jesus calm a storm or raise someone from the dead. We haven’t sat at His feet on a Galilean hillside and heard Him teach. But through eyes of faith we have been spiritually healed by His death on our behalf. Thus we can join Thomas and Paul and countless others in acknowledging Jesus as our Lord.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). When we believe, we too can call Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” —Dave Egner
Though we cannot see Him with our eyes, we can believe with our heart—He is Lord!
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...ODJ: personal and present
God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you” (v.14).
READ: Exodus 3:1-15
Author Eckhart Tolle has described God as an “invisible energy field” that animates us and every other thing. For singer-songwriter Annie Lennox, God is “a word to describe the life force that has created all,” and for controversial bishop John Shelby Spong, God is the impersonal force behind life, love, and existence.
For some authors, artists, and philosophers, God is a “life-force” God. While I like the idea of divine energy surging through my veins, some questions persist: If God is an impersonal energy, from where do humans get their individual personalities? If God is an impersonal power, why do humans desire relationship? If God is an impersonal force, where does love come from? Humans display all these qualities and more, so either humans are greater than the being that created them or God is much bigger than some popularly imagine.
When God revealed Himself to Moses, He presented Himself as “I Am”—Yahweh (the Lord)—the personal One who is present to save us (Exodus 3:14). This is a God who saw the oppression of His people in slavery, heard their cries, was concerned for them, and did something for them (vv.7-8). And saints and sinners throughout history have found this God to be anything but impersonal. He feels happiness (Hebrews 13:16), grief (Genesis 6:6), anger (Exodus 32:10), and compassion (Deuteronomy 32:36). He planned our existence and has a plan for each nation (Psalm 139:14-16; Amos 9:7). He watches every sparrow (Matthew 10:29-30), counts every hair (Luke 21:8), hears every cry, and wipes away every tear (Revelation 21:4). This is the God who desires a people He can love (Exodus 6:7) and whose invitation has always been for us to seek and discover Him (Jeremiah 29:11-14).
Moses met God in the desert that day. Not a force, but a Person. Not an electrical current, but the Spirit of the living God. —Sheridan Voysey
How important is it that we understand God as being a personal God, rather than simply being an energy, power, or life-force? How significant is it that Jesus called Himself “I Am”?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: garbage island
July 30, 2010
READ: Genesis 1:20-28; 2:15
The waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good. —Genesis 1:10
The other day I ran across a troubling report about people who think it is acceptable to use the ocean as a giant garbage dump. Here is an excerpt: “If you should see this amazing floating pile of plastic in the Pacific Ocean, it’s called ‘The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.’ It features three million tons of plastic debris floating in an area larger than Texas. An eye-popping 46,000 pieces of plastic float on every square mile of ocean!” Other sources estimate the amount of garbage is even bigger. Plastic is especially bad because it does not dissolve.
During our sojourn on earth, we have been charged, like Adam, with taking care of the earth and its creatures that God has given us. Genesis 2:15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” God delights in what He has made and this extends to the sea and all that lives in it (1:10,20-21).
This world should remind us of the greatness of our Creator and serve as a springboard of praise to Him. Indifferently using it as a garbage dump mars its beauty and threatens the creatures that live here. Showing respect and caring for the land, the ocean, and the air is our duty as believers in Christ. —Dennis Fisher
Caring for God’s creation is the believer’s duty.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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This is My blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many (v.28).
READ: Matthew 26:26-35
It had been one of those days. Busy, disjointed, and generally out of sorts. So I was less than thrilled when I opened the dryer to discover a red marker without its cap among the load of newly washed clothes. Assessing the damage, I sighed heavily as I realized only a few pieces of the large load had been left untouched by crimson stains. Knowing anger would prove fruitless, I grabbed the stain remover and went to work. Later, when the load had finished rewashing, I was thankful to see that all traces of red ink had disappeared.
When it comes to sin, no amount of manmade stain remover will ever work. Like a marker in the laundry, sin becomes visible, marking everything it touches. Our best efforts to make it go away leave us profoundly soiled and without hope (Isaiah 64:6).
We are desperate for Jesus.
Both the Old and New Testaments tell us there can be no removal of sin without the shedding of blood (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). While we attest to this truth verbally by confession, do our hearts grasp the enormity of it?
We are covered by the precious blood of the spotless Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:18-19). Pure, undefiled—undeserving of our sin—Jesus’ blood was spilled on our behalf. Not a casual marking here and there. It was a saturation, leaving an indelible mark of love and mercy. For the believer, real life flows from a bloodstained Savior.
His sacrifice demands a response, not because He is demanding, but because His gift leaves us without excuse (Ephesians 1:7). When the magnitude of His sacrifice brings our sin and His hope to light, we realize: Repentance is a way of life (1 John 1:7-9) and our hearts should be filled with gratitude to Jesus for His blood-stain on our lives (Colossians 1:12-14). —Regina Franklin
What value do you place on Jesus’ sacrifice? Does your life display the enormity of God’s love for you?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: show your colors
July 29, 2010
READ: Romans 1:8-16
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. —Romans 1:16
Iwas excited about going to the baseball park to watch the Detroit Tigers play the Chicago White Sox. I proudly put on my Tigers T-shirt that morning before going to the opposing team’s stadium. But I had to wear a sweatshirt over my team’s shirt because it was cool outside. So I was disappointed that no one at U.S. Cellular Field could see which team I was there to cheer for. No one knew I was a Tigers’ fan. After a 3-hour rain delay, the game finally started and I could cheer for my team and get my loyalty out in the open.
The apostle Paul had a loyalty that was most definitely out in the open—a loyalty to Jesus Christ. He wrote to the believers in Rome, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ” (Rom. 1:16). He knew that the gospel was “the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes” because Jesus had dramatically changed his life and its direction. In his preaching and witnessing, he proclaimed Jesus, the One to whom he had given his whole life (Acts 9).
The believers in Rome were also known for their allegiance to Christ. Paul said of them: “Your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world” (Rom. 1:8).
Is your loyalty to Jesus out in the open? —Anne Cetas
Our loyalty to Jesus should be seen and heard in our lives.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Love Is…
By Melisa Manampiring, Indonesia Love is a word that we often hear. Everyone has experienced it. Love is a wonderful thing and everyone wants to love and be loved. Love is a part of human life. People cannot live without love. Each of us needs relationships with other people, with friends, family, and that special [...]
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: God is coming
Your God is coming (v.4).
READ: Isaiah 35:4-10
Recently, two pygmy sperm whales lay stranded near a New Zealand beach. Though volunteers, led by conversation officer Malcolm Smith, worked tirelessly, they couldn’t coax the beached whales back out into the open water. Just as they were about to surrender hope, a local bottlenose dolphin named Moko arrived, made a few shrill noises toward the whales—and immediately led them into the sea. “I don’t speak whale, and I don’t speak dolphin,” Malcolm said, “but there was obviously something that went on . . . [Moko] did what we had failed to do.”
Each of us responds to our anxiety and distress uniquely. Some of us go into feverish activity, attempting to scratch a way forward. Some of us turn silent or depressed, overwhelmed with a sense that our efforts will all be futile. However, each of us share the same core need: for someone to approach us where we are and to know how to help us.
Since we are helpless on our own, the prophet Isaiah’s instruction may seem cold. “Say to those with fearful hearts, ‘Be strong, and do not fear’ ” (v.4). Don’t these words strike you as something odd to say to a person rung out with fear? Don’t be afraid. Or to a worrier: Don’t worry. Or to one overcome with loneliness: Don’t be lonely.
Far from flat admonitions to buck up and change their behavior, however, Isaiah was calling them to look forward, to look up and see that they were in no way alone. A divine rescue was on its way. “Be strong and do not fear,” Isaiah said, “for your God is coming . . . to save you” (v.4).
The prophet invites us out of our fear (and out of our worry and loneliness and everything gripping us) because God is here, ready and able to lead us out of our prisons. Will we follow? —Winn Collier
What in your life do you feel the most anxiety about right now? How might God be meeting you in the middle of this anxiousness?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: expert repair
July 28, 2010
READ: Jeremiah 6:14-20
Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. —Jeremiah 6:16
If you’ve ever tried to fix something and failed, you’ll appreciate the sign I saw outside an automotive repair shop: We Will Fix What Your Husband Fixed. Whether the problem is the car, the plumbing, or an appliance, it’s usually better off in the hands of someone who is skilled and trustworthy.
So it is with the sin and the struggles within us that resist our efforts to mend them.
Jeremiah denounced the greedy prophets and priests of his day who “healed the hurt of [God’s] people slightly, saying ‘Peace, peace!’ when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:14). They could neither change themselves nor lead the people to spiritual transformation. So the Lord called the people to follow His way: “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls” (v.16).
Centuries later, Jesus, the Son of God, said: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).
The parts of our lives that we have tried and failed to repair can be restored by the hand of God. Through faith in Christ, we can be made whole. —David McCasland
When God forgives, He removes the sin and restores the soul.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: people make the place
How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan! Oh, how much I loved you! And your love for me was deep, deeper than the love of women! (v.26).
READ: 2 Samuel 1:17-27
Every romantic movie filmed in Italy includes a classic shot of the Amalfi Coast, where hairpin turns lead wide-eyed sightseers past lemon groves, vineyards, and whole towns built into the side of a mountain. It’s one of the most beautiful spots on earth. But I spent 3 days there and hated it.
I couldn’t enjoy the sights and sounds because I was traveling alone. I was missing my wife and kids, and I longed to leave paradise and return to my snowy Michigan to be with them.
I was lonely, because I am made in the image of a relational God—a Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who thrive in their community of self-giving love (Genesis 1:27). Every person knows that pleasure is meant to be shared. There’s little delight in viewing a Renaissance painting if we can’t turn to our companion and say, “Look at that!”
David had waited a long time to become king of Israel. Anointed by Samuel while still a boy, David spent a portion of his life dodging the armies of Saul. Along the way, he became best friends with Saul’s son, Jonathan, who “loved him as he loved himself” (1 Samuel 18:3). So it was a cruel twist of fate when Jonathan was killed in the climactic battle that defeated Saul and delivered the kingdom to David.
Losing the person he loved the most made winning the palace a tarnished prize. While David’s loss seemed inevitable (it might be difficult to persuade Israel that he was king if Saul’s sons were still alive), some of us have deliberately sacrificed our relationships on the fast track of success. Remember, the deepest joy doesn’t come from where we live or what we do, but who we share our experiences with. —Mike Wittmer
Where did you most enjoy living? How did the meaningful relationships you had there affect your view of that place?
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