Burn After Reading
By Tracy Phua, 23, Singapore “Continue reading if you’ve told Mrs Lee that I cheated in the Math test . . .” I stared at this opening sentence in a hand-written letter from a classmate in great bewilderment. What on earth have I done? At that time, I was a 13-year-old who had just enrolled [...]
ODB: sweet praise
September 30, 2010
READ: Colossians 3:12-17
Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly . . . singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. —Colossians 3:16
Several years ago, my husband helped to lead a work crew of high school students on a short-term missions trip to a Christian school in an urban community. Unfortunately, Tom had broken his foot shortly before the trip and was supervising the work from a wheelchair. He was discouraged because he wasn’t able to get around as he had hoped.
While he was working on the ground floor, a few of the girls were painting on the third floor. He could hear them singing praise choruses in harmony as their voices echoed down the wide-open staircases. Song after song ministered to him. “It was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard,” he told me later. “And it lifted my spirits.”
Colossians 3 reminds us, “Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (v.16). Not only were those teenage girls giving sweet praise to God, they were ministering to a co-worker.
Whatever you’re doing today, cultivate an attitude of praise. Whether it is through song or conversation, let your joy in the Lord reverberate to others. You never know who you might encourage. —Cindy Hess Kasper
Hope can be ignited by a spark of encouragement.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...ODJ: universal problem
Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it (v.14).
READ: Romans 2:1-15
In his book Human Universals, anthropologist Donald Brown lists over 400 human behaviors common across all cultures. Some of his findings are touching: All cultures have toys, jokes, dances, and proverbs; they have music, poetry, tickling, and thumb-sucking; the people of each culture develop languages, take names, are wary of snakes, and tie things with string!
Likewise, Brown discovered a number of moral universals across humanity. All ethnic groups have concepts of true and false, good and bad, fairness and equity, and right and wrong. And while vices like gossip, manipulation, and feelings of ethnic superiority are also universal, many are acknowledged to be wrong. All people everywhere, it seems, have some sense of conscience.
The apostle Paul made the same point centuries before Brown. He noted that though God gave the Jews the Ten Commandments to clarify right and wrong, the fact that Gentiles can do the right thing by obeying their conscience shows that God has woven His laws into every human heart (Romans 2:14-15). Ever wonder why atheists can be kind or why cultures without biblical exposure have ethical codes? That’s why.
Of course, knowing what is right—either through Jewish Law or conscience—doesn’t mean that we always do what is right. The Gentile senses what is right but still rebels (1:32); the Jew knows the Law but still breaks it (2:17-24). Break those mysterious universal rules and both Law and conscience condemn us, and this is Paul’s point. Through the sacrificial death of Jesus, God frees us from the penalty of our rebellion and forgives us for breaking His rules! (3:23-26; 6:23).
Everyone has a conscience, and no one obeys it fully. So everyone has a problem, which only Jesus can solve. —Sheridan Voysey
Have you personally accepted this free gift of forgiveness for your sins through Jesus? If not, what’s stopping you? If you have, how will you live today to celebrate that fact?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: come back
September 29, 2010
READ: Hosea 14
I will heal their backsliding. —Hosea 14:4
The people of Israel had backslidden, and God wanted Hosea to show them how much that hurt Him. So, in the first few chapters of Hosea, we read a bizarre story: God commanded the prophet to marry a prostitute named Gomer. Put on display as the faithful husband of an unfaithful spouse, Hosea experienced a pain similar to what God felt when Israel was spiritually unfaithful.
As Hosea wrote the ending of his book, he made it clear that despite the pain the people of Israel caused the living God, He still promised healing, forgiveness, and fruitfulness if they would return to Him: “I will heal their backsliding,” He said. “I will love them freely . . . . Those who dwell under his shadow shall return” (Hos. 14:4-7).
Life for the person who turns his back on God is often characterized by guilt and dissatisfaction. The truly born-again believer who has fallen into a lifestyle of sin knows deep down that spiritual unfaithfulness to God takes a toll.
But just as the God of grace offered Israel forgiveness and fruitfulness, even so today He offers restoration to the truly repentant (1 John 1:9). Have you made poor choices that have caused you to slip away? Come back. Repent and seek restored fellowship with the Lord today. —Dennis Fisher
It’s not too late to make a fresh start with God.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(4 votes, average: 4.25 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: rescue us!
Don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one (v.13).
READ: Matthew 6:9-13
A father and his young son were taking a walk in the country. As they walked down the rough and slippery path, the father cautioned his son to be careful. Suddenly, the son fell and hurt himself. Bruised and in pain, he began to cry. The father picked up the boy and held him close. Amid his tears, the son said to his father, “Daddy, please hold my hand, don’t let me fall again.” Like that child, we’re instructed to cry out to our Father, “Don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one” (v.13).
Words like temptation, rescue, and the evil one tell us that we live in a dangerous and hostile world. The world is not our friend. It wages a war against us (John 15:19-20; 17:14-15; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-16).
There is a second danger too. Satan, the dark enemy behind evil, prowls around like a roaring lion—ready to tear us apart (1 Peter 5:8). As the prince of demons and ruler of this world (Matthew 12:24; John 12:31), Satan is a “liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). He’s particularly dangerous because he comes to us disguised as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Satan may be powerful, but he’s not omnipotent. The plea, “Rescue us from the evil one” affirms that Satan’s power is limited to what God has allowed him to have (Job 1:12; Luke 22:31). The words remind us—we who have been wounded in our battles against temptation and Satan—that God is the only omnipotent One.
God picks us up, holds us close, and rescues us from evil and the evil one. He “keeps [us] from all harm and watches over [our] life. The Lord keeps watch over [us] as [we] come and go” (Psalm 121:7-8). —K.T. Sim
How are you being tempted? What testing are you going through right now? What are some steps you can take in order to withstand the temptation?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: creation: NT style
September 28, 2010
READ: Ephesians 1:3-6
He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world. —Ephesians 1:4
When we think about the marvel of creation—how God spoke the universe into existence and formed the earth and everything in it—we think most often of Old Testament accounts.
But it is encouraging to examine the New Testament to see how that part of the Bible refers to creation. Here is a look at some key passages:
“I will utter things kept secret from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 13:35). God reveals things to us that He had kept secret since before creation.
“Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). Before the earth was created, God knew each of us—and He knew our future.
“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). Before the work of creation even began, God was aware of each of His eventual children.
These New Testament verses comfort us with the truth that God’s knowledge of us and His eternal mysteries about us point toward His special creation of mankind as described in Genesis. We can do nothing but bow in awe before One whose knowledge and creative ability are eternal in nature and boundless in power. Creation: New Testament style—still another reason to give God praise! —Dave Branon
Each person is a unique expression of God’s loving design.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Graduating to Become a Slave
By Chaz Oswald, 22, USA During my senior year in high school, college was constantly on my mind. While I was eager to start a new chapter in life, like many seniors, I felt the stress of decision-making. I understood that the schools I applied for and later attend would influence my future. One key [...]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: speak the truth
Today I have told you exactly what He said, but you will not obey the Lord your God any better now than you have in the past (v.21).
READ: Jeremiah 42:1-22
Today, most of us live in a highly pluralistic society. Our next-door neighbor could well be Chinese, Ethiopian, or European. And, in the name of harmony, we’re told to respect differing views and opinions.
But when voices of culture state that homosexuality, abortion, and cohabitation are acceptable lifestyle choices, what should believers in Jesus do? When God’s truth is replaced by “tolerance,” how do we live out our faith?
The prophet Jeremiah lived during a time when truth was spurned. In chapter 42, we find a group of Judean “guerrillas” and the people they had rescued coming to Jeremiah with what sounded like a sincere request for guidance (vv.1-5).
At that time, Jerusalem had been destroyed and Egypt was applying great pressure on the kingdom of Judah to cast their lot with them. After receiving a message from God, Jeremiah delivered God’s pronouncement to the people. The substance of God’s reply was that they should not go down into Egypt, and that if they did they would be destroyed. The people were intent, however, on going to Egypt, and they rejected Jeremiah’s warning (43:4). They called the prophet a liar and added insult to injury by forcing him to accompany them (vv.2,6).
Jeremiah knew his message wasn’t what the people wanted to hear. Yet he spoke forth God’s Word boldly, instead of trying to make it more palatable for the people.
Today, while we need to be discerning about how to present God’s truth to diverse audiences, we should never change what it says. When issues strike at the heart of biblical teaching, we must take a stand and winsomely continue to be God’s salt and light to people lost in a declining culture. Let’s speak His truth in love. —Poh Fang Chia
What would happen if all true believers in Jesus began to speak about and live out God’s truth winsomely? How can you share the truth with your corner of the culture?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Music: Run To You
“Not everyone wants to run to God, but we hope you will.” Have you ever felt like running away from pain, hurt, stress or disappointment? The desire to run away from difficult situations is not uncommon. Some people have turned to alcohol or drugs, and some have decided that an exciting affair is what they [...]
(13 votes, average: 4.62 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: pursuing hospitality
September 27, 2010
READ: Romans 12:3-13
Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. —1 Peter 4:9
In the New Testament, hospitality is a hallmark of Christian living. It is listed as a characteristic of church leaders (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8) and is commanded for every follower of Jesus as an expression of love (Rom. 12:13; 1 Peter 4:9). But its meaning goes deeper than being a gracious host or opening our homes to guests.
The Greek word translated “hospitality” means “love of strangers.” When Paul speaks of being “given to hospitality” (Rom. 12:13), he is calling us to pursue relationships with people who are in need. It is not an easy task.
Writer Henri Nouwen likens it to reaching out to those we meet on our way through life—people who may be estranged from their culture, country, friends, family, or even from God. Nouwen writes: “Hospitality, therefore, means primarily the creation of a free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy. Hospitality is not to change people, but to offer them space where change can take place.”
Whether we inhabit a home, a college dorm, a prison cell, or a military barracks, we can welcome others as a way of showing our love for them and for Christ. Hospitality is making room for people in need. —David McCasland
Hospitality can fill the emptiness of a lonely heart.
Source: Our Daily Bread
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