ODB: spiritual junk food
November 18, 2010 READ: Hebrews 13:1-9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. —Hebrews 13:9 In many countries, childhood obesity is at an all-time high. A major culprit in such unhealthy weight gain is poor eating habits and junk food. The term junk food refers to items that taste good but lack [...]
ODJ: when tragedy strikes
You will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God (v.3).
READ: Luke 13:1-9
In January 2010, people from around the world were deployed to provide relief to the citizens and land of Haiti. The tragic effects of a powerful earthquake in that country caused our family to wrestle with unsettling and troubling questions: Why did a mind-staggering tragedy like this happen? If God is strong and powerful and loving, couldn’t He have prevented the devastation in Haiti? Is God punishing the people of Haiti in some way? Are the people in Haiti more unrighteous than people in other countries? These questions are legitimate, but they inch us away from an appropriate personal response to world tragedy.
Jesus addressed the manner in which His audience should personally respond to world crises (Luke 13). To do this, He chronicled two historical events—revealing that death is indiscriminate and repentance is vital.
In the first event, Pilate had some Galileans killed while they worshiped. The innocents died at the hands of an evil man (vv.1-2). The second event concerned a tower in Siloam that fell and killed 18 people. Those people died in a natural disaster (v.4). In light of these two tragic events, Jesus wanted His audience to ask a question of mortality: How close am I to the end of my life? And a question of eternity: What’s my status before God—am I ready to meet Him? Jesus’ instruction was sobering—mortality and eternity are certain, so the people needed to repent or perish spiritually.
In light of tragedies taking place around the world, we should take His teaching to heart. World tragedies should cause us to consider our own mortality and eternity, asking: What is my status before God right now? Am I ready to meet God? How am I glorifying Him today? To neglect these questions could prove tragic for me and you. —Marvin Williams
How should we respond to the tragic death of others? If you died today, would you be ready to meet God? For what sin do you need to repent? Why is it vital that we repent of our sin?
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Loading ...ODB: say no and yes
November 17, 2010
READ: 2 Timothy 2:20-22
Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. —1 John 3:10
When we wash our hands to clean off the grime and germs, do we actually clean them ourselves? No and yes. To be precise, the soap and water does the job—not us. But we make the choice to use the soap and water to clean our hands.
In 2 Timothy 2, the apostle Paul tells us, “Therefore if anyone cleanses himself . . . he will be a vessel for honor” (v.21). This does not mean that we on our own have the power to cleanse ourselves from sin. Rather, we use the cleansing provided by Jesus Christ, who died for us on the cross.
Philippians 3:9 tells us that we are “found in Him, not having [our] own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.”
When we receive Christ, His death and resurrection sets us free from the penalty and the power of sin, thus enabling us to say no and yes in everyday life. We can say no to the desires of the flesh, or “youthful lusts” that Paul mentioned (2 Tim. 2:22). And we can say yes to “righteousness” (right behavior), “faith” (right belief), “love” (right response), and “peace” (right focus).
As we’re cleansed daily, we’ll be “useful for the Master, prepared for every good work” (v.21). —Albert Lee
Right thinking leads to right living.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: face down
Then he said to his servant, “Go and look out toward the sea.” The servant went and looked, then returned to Elijah and said, “I didn’t see anything.” Seven times Elijah told him to go and look (v.43).
READ: 1 Kings 18:36-46
When my father died of cancer, the inevitable question in my heart was whether he would have lived if I had shown greater faith. I lived with significant guilt that his death was somehow my fault. Rather than bringing hope, every sermon I heard on healing was like salt on an open wound. I felt spiritually attacked and harassed whenever I read verses about Jesus healing the multitudes or verses like Isaiah 53:4 and James 5:15. And I was convinced my prayers were powerless.
Our spiritual enemies want nothing less than to convince us that God is far-off, distant, and unwilling to respond to our prayers. From our human perspective, God’s response or lack thereof can make the lies of our spiritual enemies feel real. But God wants us to persist in prayer (Luke 11:9-10). Not because we want to get our way. Not because He’s hard to please. Not because He delights in our pain. Persistence has a way of purifying our lives of any idolatry. Ultimately, prayer means acknowledging that only God is God. He wants us to give Him our everything, and He wants to be our everything.
A man of great faith and obedience, Elijah showed on Mount Carmel that God alone would be magnified (1 Kings 18:36-37). His faith kept him focused on what he knew was true—God was in control, worthy of deep reverence, and sovereign above all. Elijah heard with his spirit what he could not see with his eyes (v.41).
Prayer isn’t supposed to be simply a crisis response or a passing thought. It’s a position of consecration before the Lord, a place of continued dwelling, or— as Colossians 4:2 reminds us—an act of devotion. Prayer means staying facedown until we see God’s answer—not the answer we want (1 Kings 18:44).
—Regina Franklin
What significant experiences have shaped the way you view prayer? How does your prayer life reflect persistence?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...AOTW: Scared to Death?
Article of the Week – Insights from Bill Crowder “and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…” (2 Timothy 1:10) Country music band Rascal Flatts has never been afraid to record thought-provoking songs. This was especially [...]
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: daily diligence
November 16, 2010
READ: 2 Timothy 2:3-16
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth. —2 Timothy 2:15
Internationally acclaimed violinist Midori believes that focused, diligent practice is the key to performance. While playing a rigorous schedule of 90 concerts a year, she still practices an average of 5 or 6 hours a day. Jane Ammeson, in NWA WorldTraveler magazine, quoted Midori as saying: “I have to practice for my job and I practice every day. . . . It’s not really the hours, but the quality of the work that needs to be done. I see with students, that they play and they call it practice, but they are not listening and not watching. If you have your textbook open, it doesn’t mean that you are studying.”
That same principle applies to our walk of faith. Paul wrote to Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). Diligence implies constant, earnest effort, and is the opposite of a careless, inattentive approach. It embraces every aspect of our relationship with God.
Just as a musician strives for excellence, we should want to serve God with confidence, seek His approval, and skillfully share His Word with others.
Am I diligently studying, praying, and listening to the Lord today? —David McCasland
God speaks to those who take time to listen, and He listens to those who take time to pray.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: the model church
You have become an example to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia (v.7).
READ: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
What church in the New Testament stands out as the model for the rest? This question was asked during a church growth seminar. It was no surprise that no one attempted to give the church in Corinth that honor. Understandably, everyone said it was the infant church in Jerusalem, described in Acts 2:42-47. But to the apostle Paul, the church in Thessalonica was the model church. He told them, “You have become an example [model, NIV] to all the believers in Greece—throughout both Macedonia and Achaia” (1 Thessalonians 1:7).
The church in Thessalonica was characterized by “faithful work, loving deeds,” and the “enduring hope” (v.3). The believers boldly proclaimed the good news to people everywhere, even beyond their own country (v.8). They were a model church because they served the Lord faithfully, loved each other deeply, and expectantly longed to see the Lord at His second coming (vv.9-10). They lived changed lives—so radically altered that people felt the impact. Their godly behavior and Christlike conduct (v.6) were doing the talking. Their 100-percent commitment to God is noticed and talked about (vv.8-9). Indeed, they had “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6 NKJV).
Paul celebrated the fact that they exhibited a lifestyle produced by faith, a labor motivated by love, and a steadfastness anchored in hope (1 Thessalonians 3). These virtues are indispensable and unmistakable trail markers of Christian growth and maturity. They are like a compass for the maturing Christian—providing direction for the way to go. Believers in Jesus should often evaluate their own faith, love, and hope.
Why? Because Paul said these virtues are eternal. “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). What are you modeling to others? —K.T. Sim
How do you measure up to the three virtues—faithful work, loving deeds, and the enduring hope? What is one good deed you can do for an unbeliever this week?
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(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: cross the divide
November 15, 2010
READ: Mark 2:13-17
As [Jesus] was dining in Levi’s house, . . . many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus. —Mark 2:15
Two young men with mischief on their minds approached a missionary’s outreach bus parked in a downtown area of a German city.
The missionaries were there to offer refreshments as a way to open up conversations about Christ. The two visitors, wearing skull-and-crossbones bandannas, were there to offer trouble.
But the missionaries didn’t respond to the ruffians as they expected. The Christians welcomed them warmly and engaged them in discussion. Surprised, the guys hung around long enough to hear the gospel. One trusted Jesus that day. The other, the next day.
Those two young men and the missionaries who reached them were light-years apart culturally. The guys were German; the missionaries, American. The guys were involved in a culture of darkness and death; the missionaries were shining the light. The cultural divide was crossed with cookies and nonjudgmental love.
Look at the people around you. How can you show those on the other side of the cultural fence unconditional, unquestioning love? How can you cross the divide and help them see that Jesus’ love knows no boundaries?
Cross the divide. Take Christ to the culture—even if it doesn’t look anything like yours. —Dave Branon
Our witness for Christ is a light for a world in darkness.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: ultimate healing
We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever (v.18).
READ: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18
What Cancer Cannot Do Cancer is so limited . . . It cannot cripple love. It cannot shatter hope. It cannot corrode faith. It cannot destroy peace. It cannot kill friendship. It cannot suppress memories. It cannot invade the soul. It cannot steal eternal life. It cannot conquer the spirit. —Author Unknown I love those words. They beautifully reflect the truth found in God’s Word. Paul, facing physical challenges, could say with confidence, “We ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure” (2 Corinthians 4:7). The apostle, like you or someone you know, experienced suffering as an ever-present companion (v.10). Yet he chose to “fix [his] gaze on things that cannot be seen” (v.18).
Paul’s faith and confidence flowed from the treasure within him—God’s transforming power—and the future that awaited him—eternity with Jesus (v.17). He knew that when this life was over he would be forever in God’s presence, where there will be “no more death or sorrow
or crying or pain” (Revelation 21:4).
When suffering comes, we can pour out our hearts to God (Psalm 55:22). He is with us in our pain (Hebrews 13:5). We can worship Him when He chooses to heal and when He chooses not to heal. But no limited thing like disease or suffering can ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:38). An ultimate healing, as Christian composer Wayne Watson puts it, lies just ahead. Today, fix your eyes on what can’t be seen—what an awesome, breathtaking view! —Tom Felten
What fills your heart and mind as you fix your eyes on what can’t be seen? What does ultimate healing mean to you?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...The Best Job in the World?
By Tracy Phua, 23, Singapore A recent piece of news startled me. It reads: “Japan pizza chain offers $31,000 per hour part-time job.” Two Singaporean radio hosts picked up the story and discussed it in their morning program. One of them exclaimed, “Wow, the one who gets this job definitely has the best job in [...]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
