ODB: would or did?
November 30, 2010 READ: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Christ died for our sins . . . , was buried, and . . . rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. —1 Corinthians 15:3-4 Not many years ago, we watched as the “WWJD” craze swept through the Christian community. The bracelet-emblazoned theme “What Would Jesus [...]
ODJ: personal weaknesses
They kept demanding an answer, so He stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (v.7).
READ: John 8:1-11
Last November, the news about Tiger Wood’s numerous extramarital affairs began to leak out. It became evident that the golfer with the squeaky-clean image wasn’t so perfect after all.
Since then, there has been a growing debate over whether or not the media is being too hard on Tiger. Some say he deserves a public shellacking. Others point out that other famous people have been serial womanizers. They question why the media seems to look the other way when it comes to some other celebrities’ sexual indiscretions, while Tiger gets trashed.
John records the account of the morning when a group of Jewish religious leaders tried to draw Jesus into a moral debate (8:1-11). While Jesus was teaching in the temple, they brought in a woman who had committed adultery—publicly accusing her before the people (v.3).
After reminding Jesus that the Law of Moses called for her to be stoned, they asked Him what He thought they should do with her (vv.4-5). John tells us that the religious leaders were looking for Jesus to say something that would discredit Himself (v.6). If He didn’t condemn her, He would be disagreeing with Moses. If He was too harsh, He might take a hit in the eyes of the masses that were attracted to His teaching.
Jesus brilliantly avoided the trap they had set by pointing out the sinfulness of the woman’s accusers. He said, “Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” (v.7).
Instead of discussing the moral failures of those who make headline news, let’s remember that we all have weaknesses—places where sin can more easily infiltrate and ruin our lives. By humbly acknowledging our weaknesses to God and others, we can better avoid sins that will destroy us and our witness for Jesus. —Jeff Olson
When was the last time you confided in a Christian friend about one of your own personal weaknesses? What happens when we go into isolation with our sin?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...ODB: what is in your hand?
November 29, 2010
READ: Exodus 4:1-5
So the Lord said to [Moses], “What is that in your hand?” —Exodus 4:2
If you have a tendency to despair over lost opportunities or if you worry about the future, ask yourself this question: “What is right in front of me?” In other words, what circumstances and relationships are currently available to you? This question can get your focus off a past regret or a scary future and back to what God can do in your life.
It’s similar to the question God asked Moses at the burning bush. Moses was troubled. Aware of his own weaknesses, he expressed fear about the Lord’s call for him to lead Israel out of bondage. So God simply asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” (Ex. 4:2). The Lord shifted Moses’ attention away from his anxiety about the future and suggested he notice what was right in front of him—a shepherd’s rod. God showed Moses that He could use this ordinary staff to perform miracles as a sign for unbelieving people. As Moses’ trust in God grew, so did the magnitude of miracles God worked through His servant.
Do you think about past failures too much? Do you have fearful thoughts about the future? Recall God’s question: “What is that in your hand?” What current circumstances and relationships can God use for your benefit and His glory? Entrust them—and your life—to Him. —Dennis Fisher
You can’t change the past, but you’ll ruin the present by worrying about the future.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: honey dripping
They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb (v.10).
READ: Psalm 19
In Eugene Peterson’s Eat This Book, he tells the story of his 7-year-old grandson Hans who appeared to be devoutly reading his New Testament as he sat on a park bench. The boy’s eyes moved back and forth across the pages of the Bible, denying the fact that he had not yet learned how to read.
Similarly, we can consistently “read” God’s Word without comprehending its message for our lives. In Psalm 19:7-11, David lifts up the matchless wisdom of God’s Word. He makes six statements about it, in which each contains the phrase “of the Lord.” The title “Lord” is from the Hebrew word Yahweh—the covenant name of God. God is relational and He speaks to us in His Word. David reveals this important truth about Scripture: It proceeds from God Himself.
So the way we read the Bible is vital. Do we read it merely for information, principles, or truths that we can use to live better? Or do we read it in order to listen to God and respond in prayer and obedience?
In Psalm 19, David also lists four qualities of the Bible (perfect, trustworthy, right, clear), and the four results of following its truth (reviving the soul, making wise the simple, bringing joy to the heart, giving insight for living). Notice that the whole person is affected—the soul, the mind, and the heart.
No wonder David proclaims that God’s Word is “more desirable than gold, even the finest gold” (v.10). Yes, Scripture is infinitely more precious than anything this world has to offer. And it’s “sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.” This imagery encourages us to savor God’s Word, to eat the book and truly take in its life-changing, life-sustaining wisdom.
—Poh Fang Chia
How do you read your Bible? What does it mean to actually live out the wisdom we find in its words?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Marketing 101: Repackaging the Church?
Being a marketing major, I consume a daily variety of news on both traditional media as well as the blogosphere to keep myself abreast with the latest trends. While clicking through websites one morning, an article from USA Today caught my attention. To summarize the article: “The $1 billion baby carrot world—hit by the recession [...]
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: a collector’s heaven
November 28, 2010
READ: Matthew 6:19-21
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth . . . but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. —Matthew 6:19-20
People love to collect things—from baseball cards to stamps to coins. And while collecting can be a fun hobby, it is sobering to think that once we leave this earth, everything we own becomes part of someone else’s collection. What value would it be to have collected much on earth but little or nothing for eternity?
Jesus had something to say about this. Speaking to His disciples, He said: “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt. 6:20).
Eternal treasures never lose their worth. They can never be spoiled or stolen. And just think—we can actually stockpile them! How? Through acts of service. Through leading others to Jesus. By being compassionate to those in need. By living according to the will and ways of Jesus. In the gospel of Mark, we read that the Lord tested the rich young ruler’s heart when He asked him to sell all that he had, give it to the poor, and follow Him. The ruler’s response revealed what he really valued (10:21-22).
It’s easy to become enamored with earthside stuff, but when you make the choice to follow Jesus, He’ll show you the joy of collecting eternal treasures. Nothing on earth can compare! —Joe Stowell
Hold tightly to what is eternal and loosely to what is temporal.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: get the party started
There was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana. . . . Jesus and His disciples were also invited to the celebration (vv.1-2).
READ: John 2:1-11
Pastor Robert Brearley says, “Weddings are accidents waiting to happen.” I tend to agree. At one wedding where I officiated, some of the decorations in the sanctuary (which had just finished being renovated the night before—making this the first public event) caught fire, ultimately sending one of the wedding cakes up in flames. More than a few times, we’ve seen grooms faint and brides trip over their dresses. At my wedding, I was so nervous that for some reason I laughed uncontrollably.
John’s gospel offers us a wedding scenario where, rather than an accident unfolding, the Messiah goes public. Jesus, His disciples, and His family had gathered in the village of Cana for a wedding (2:1). John’s placement of the story is intentional, presenting the launch of Jesus’ ministry. John lays out seven astounding miracles (or signs) that coalesce to provide the striking conclusion: Jesus is the Son of God.
Jewish wedding festivals were far more extensive than our affairs. Typically, the groom’s family would host seven days of feasting and dancing. A severe social faux pas occurred, however, at the Cana wedding. “The wine supply ran out during the festivities” (v.3). After a conversation with His mother, Jesus told the servants to fill the six stone jars, each holding “twenty to thirty gallons,” with water. Then, miraculously, the water became wine.
The writer adds details highlighting the abundant, generous nature of this act—how the jars were “filled” to the brim (v.7 NIV) and how the volume yielded at least 150 gallons of the “best” wine of the party (v.10).
Here God demonstrated His generous nature by choosing a party for His stage and by providing wine (a symbol for joy) as “the first time” to reveal Jesus’ glory (v.11). —Winn Collier
What images do you have of God? Do they show God as stingy or as generous? How have you experienced God’s generosity?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: ernie’s farewell
November 27, 2010
READ: 2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:21-23
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. —2 Corinthians 6:2
On September 30, 2009, columnist Mitch Albom sat on stage at the Fox Theater in Detroit, Michigan, to interview Ernie Harwell, one of the most beloved men in American sports. Harwell spent more than 50 years as a radio play-by-play announcer, mostly for the Detroit Tigers baseball team. His kindness, humility, and warmth as a broadcaster left an indelible impression on all who met him.
When Albom interviewed him, Ernie was 91 years old and had just announced that he had incurable cancer. But as Ernie talked, he wasn’t about to let people feel sorry for him. Instead, he wanted to talk about the night in 1961 when he trusted Jesus Christ as Savior. And, during one of the final times this Hall of Fame announcer would be able to speak publicly, he concluded, “I don’t know how many days I’ve got left . . . [but] I can really know . . . whose arms I’m going to end up in, and what a great, great thing heaven is going to be.”
Ernie was anticipating something special! He knew that God had a glorious eternal home prepared for him (John 14:2-3; Phil. 1:21-23), so he could look death in the face and praise God. Is that your confidence? Do you know that His arms are waiting to welcome you home? At the end, that’s really all that matters. —Dave Branon
For the Christian, death means heaven, happiness, and Him.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: not an option
Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer” (v.29).
READ: Mark 9:14-29
Last Sunday, we gave our 7-year-old congregation a spiritual challenge—to join together in an on-site, 24-hour prayer chain. Each person was asked to consider signing up to pray for 30 minutes. Nearly 100 people signed up to participate through prayer! We gave our congregation this challenge because, unlike the disciples in Mark 9, we did not want our ministry effort to be an embarrassing failure because it lacked the power of God that comes through prayer.
The scene in Mark 9 opens with Jesus, Peter, James, and John descending from the mountain where Jesus had been transfigured. They came to the foot of the mountain, only to find the scribes arguing with the disciples who had remained behind. What were they arguing about? The argument was probably motivated by the disciples’ failure to cast out a demon from a boy.
No doubt their public failure and subsequent humiliation seemed curious and strange to the disciples, for they had been given authority to cast out demons (3:14-15) and had been successful in doing so (6:7, 12-13). Jesus sighed in frustration at the faithlessness of the disciples, the scribes, the crowd, and the troubled father, and ultimately healed the boy. In the debriefing session, the disciples asked Jesus why they could not cast out the demon (9:28-29). Jesus zeroed in on the cause of their failure—they were fruitless in this ministry endeavor because they had failed to pray.
Like the disciples, as believers in Jesus we’re sometimes guilty of self-sufficiency due to our abilities, knowledge, skill, and past successes. But it’s extremely dangerous to do God’s work without His power. To experience the power of God in our lives and spiritual efforts, we must not see prayer as optional, but as an absolute necessity. Let’s depend on God—not on our technique and skill.
—Marvin Williams
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your prayer life? What are some actions you need to take today to improve it?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: advanced school
November 26, 2010
READ: Psalm 27
The Lord is the strength of my life. —Psalm 27:1
We tend to compartmentalize our lives. We fill our days with activities such as work, errands, chores, caring for children. And then we try to carve out time for “spiritual” activities such as church, small groups, personal devotions.
I don’t see that separation in the Psalms. Somehow David and the other poets managed to make God the gravitational center of their lives so that everything was related to God. To them, worship was the central activity in life, not something to get through so other activities could be resumed. The process of letting God in on every detail of life is one we need.
For me, the Psalms have become a step in the process of recognizing God’s true place at the center. The psalmists have an urgency, a desire, and a hunger for God that makes my own look anemic by contrast. They panted for God with their tongues hanging out, as an exhausted deer pants for water (42:1-2). They lay awake at night dreaming of “the beauty of the Lord” (27:4). They would rather spend one day in God’s presence than a thousand years elsewhere (84:10).
It was “the advanced school of faith” that these poets were enrolled in. Maybe as we read the Psalms, some of it will rub off on us. —Philip Yancey
To have a heart for God, give your heart totally to God.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
