ODB: The Core of the Problem
February 28, 2011 READ: Romans 3:10-18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. —Romans 7:18 One of my favorite television cartoons as a boy was Tom Terrific. When Tom faced [...]
ODJ: seeing potholes
He had warned Solomon specifically about worshiping other gods, but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command (v.10).
READ: 1 Kings 11:1-13
Potholes can be a pain. If a car tire hits a deep one, we’re talking some serious damage. That’s why the idea of Italian engineering students Domenico Diego and Cristina Corradini is so bright—literally! The duo, noting that many potholes in Europe aren’t repaired due to lack of funding, have come up with something called the Street Safe initiative. Their creative plan calls for potholes to be painted bright yellow, an inexpensive way to help drivers avoid big pits in the pavement.
God knew the “potholes” that Solomon needed to avoid—things that could bring his kingdom down. “He had warned [him] . . . but Solomon did not listen to the Lord’s command” (1 Kings 11:10). Instead, the king who was known for wisdom unwisely withdrew into isolation with his “many foreign women” (v.1). God had warned His people against marrying such women, for “they will turn your hearts to their gods” (v.2; Exodus 34:12-17).
Solomon saw the potholes and still caved. And this happened even after God had warned him on three occasions to obey Him (talk about “bright yellow paint”!): “Follow Me and obey My commands” (3:14); “Obey all My decrees” (1 Kings 6:12); “Follow Me with integrity and godliness” (9:4). Turning from God to the isolation of his private pleasures and folly, Solomon chose sin, and God’s subsequent discipline resulted in his kingdom being taken from him (11:11).
When we turn from God—isolating ourselves from Him and godly friends—we’re headed for destruction. Sometimes we think we can cuddle with sin or keep it hidden, but God’s bright warnings can’t be avoided. Eventually, guilt will sweep over us as God brings “our secret sins” to light (Psalm 51:2, 90:8).
Don’t fall into the pothole of isolation. Open up and let God and godly friends help you repent of your secret sins. —Tom Felten
How have you been isolating yourself from God and others? What will you do to come out of isolation and walk in “integrity and godliness”? (1 Kings 9:4).
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Loading ...A Hideous Monster
By Jasmine Priya, India Lily: Jane . . . erm, I’m sorry to say this, but, er . . . you might want to consider using a deodorant? Jane: Whaaat?! But I don’t have body odor. Do I? Pride is like body odor. It is difficult to detect by oneself but is utterly noticeable to [...]
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: A Bouquet of Praise
February 27, 2011
READ: 1 Peter 4:7-11
. . . that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. —1 Peter 4:11
Corrie ten Boom (1892–1983) was a World War II concentration camp survivor and Christian who became a popular speaker around the world. Thousands attended her meetings as she talked about how she had learned to forgive her captors just as Christ had forgiven her sins.
After each meeting, people surrounded her and heaped accolades on her for her godly qualities and thanked her for encouraging them in their walk with the Lord. Corrie said she would then return to her hotel room, get down on her knees, and present those compliments in thanks to God. She called it giving God “a bouquet of praise.”
The Lord has given each of us gifts to use to minister to one another (1 Peter 4:10) so that “in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever” (v.11). We have nothing to offer others that we have not first received from the Lord (1 Cor. 4:7), so the glory does belong to Him.
To learn humility, perhaps we could follow Corrie’s example. If we receive a compliment for something we’ve said or done, let’s privately give a bouquet of praise to God for the glory He alone deserves.
— Anne Cetas
Praise is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: restrained
I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them (v.13).
READ: 1 Samuel 3:1-14
Since my nephew’s birthday is 11 days before mine, we often celebrate together. This year we decided to do something different, so the extended family—grandparents included—went to eat pizza and play laser tag. At one point, I inadvertently fired my laser gun at one of my own team members, thinking he was a spy. Somehow missing the point that I was an adult and he was a pre-teen, the young kid called out sarcastically, “I’m on your team, genius!” I had to crucify the desire to send him to time-out.
As parents, one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is self-control. Growing up in a society of instant gratification, they face significant challenges in learning the power of restraint. The problem, though, is not a new one. Eli, the priest of Israel during the time of Samuel’s childhood, had two sons who “were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12). They denied their flesh nothing, and Eli did little to stop them.
To think that we would repress our children’s ability to express themselves by giving them boundaries for their behavior: this would give them a wrong definition of love (Hebrews 12:6). What’s more, refraining from saying the word “no” does not protect our children from the unpleasant things in life; rather, it leaves them unprotected. As Proverbs 25:28 says, “A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.”
Maturity isn’t measured by how old we are or how much we know, but in our response to adversity. Just as an athlete or artist focuses on the benefits of discipline while understanding its cost, we should look for opportunities to tell our children “yes” without avoiding the times we need to say “no.” —Regina Franklin
In what area of your life is God challenging you to learn restraint? How should you be more consistent in your expectations of others, including (if applicable) your children?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Not Without Hope
February 26, 2011
READ: Exodus 6:1-13
I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. —Exodus 6:6
“Sixteen Tons,” written by Merle Travis and recorded by Tennessee Ernie Ford, became one of America’s most popular songs in the mid-1950s. People seemed to identify with this coal miner’s lament about feeling trapped and unable to change his situation no matter how hard he worked. Coal miners often lived in company-owned houses and were paid in “scrip”—coupons valid only at the company-owned store. Even if summoned to heaven, the miner said, he couldn’t go because he owed his soul to the company store.
That sense of hopeless resignation may help us understand the feelings of the Hebrew people during their 400 years of bondage in Egypt. When Moses told them of God’s promise to release them from slavery, they didn’t listen to him “because of anguish of spirit” (Ex. 6:9). They were so far down they couldn’t look up.
But God did something for them that they could not do for themselves. The Lord’s miraculous deliverance of His people foreshadowed His powerful intervention on our behalf through His Son Jesus Christ. It was when “we were powerless to help ourselves that Christ died for sinful men” (Rom. 5:6 PHILLIPS).
When life is at its lowest ebb, we are not without hope because of the wonderful grace of God.
— David C. McCasland
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: wilderness experiences
The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where He was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of Him (vv.12-13).
READ: Mark 1:9-15
God sometimes works in strange ways. Jesus is baptized, and the next thing He experiences is temptation. Led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, He’s tempted by Satan—His adversary. Such is the nature of our own wilderness experiences.
The wilderness stirred many emotions for the Jews of Jesus’ day, evoking memories of their 40-year journey out of Egypt. To them, the wilderness was a place of vulnerability—a rough terrain in an unknown land, with uncertain provisions (Exodus 15:22-24; 16:2-3). It was a place of testing where the promises of God were all they had (Deuteronomy 8:1-5). For Jesus, His wilderness experience included both “wild animals” and Satan himself (Mark 1:12-13). In the wilderness, He was vulnerable to both physical and spiritual dangers.
The wilderness was not just a place of vulnerability for the Jews. It was also a place of transition that lay between their slavery and liberation (Ex. 3:17). Jesus’ wilderness experience marked a transition for Him too. The private years were over; His public life had begun. John the Baptist’s mission was done. Now it was Jesus’ turn (Mark 1:14-15).
Have you ever had a wilderness experience—a time of vulnerability and testing far away from all that is familiar and certain? Perhaps it involved a risky step of faith, a period of doubt, or even disobedience. The terrain was rocky; you were cold and afraid. During that time, did you realize that the wilderness was where God trained Israel as His child? Spoke to His prophets? Prepared His people, and His Son, for a significant work?
The wilderness can be a scary place—full of dangers. But if you stay close to the God of Israel, close to Jesus, it may prove to be your transition into an unprecedented period of fruitfulness. —Sheridan Voysey
Are you in a wilderness moment right now? What do you need to do today in order to take another step of faith with Jesus?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Perfect Peace and Rest
February 25, 2011
READ: Psalm 71:19-24
You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, shall revive me again. —Psalm 71:20
The psalmist had seen “great and severe troubles” (Ps. 71:20). Yet hovering in the back of his mind was the thought that God would “revive” him again. The literal meaning of this phrase is “bring him to life again.” He elaborated: “[You shall] bring me up again from the depths of the earth [the grave]. You shall increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side” (vv.20-21). If the troubles didn’t end in this life, certainly in heaven they would.
This thought—that someday we shall be in God’s presence and enjoy Him forever—crowns many of the psalms and is an assurance that helps life’s present troubles fade away (see Ps. 16,17,49,73).
Perhaps no one but God knows the trouble you’ve seen, but this is not all that shall be. Someday, your Father will “increase [your] greatness”—you will be clothed with unspeakable glory. There will be comfort “on every side.” His presence and love will bring perfect peace and rest.
Richard Baxter writes, “O what a blessed day that will be when I shall . . . stand on the shore and look back on the raging seas I have safely passed; when I shall review my pains and sorrows, my fears and tears, and possess the glory which was the end of all!”
— David H. Roper
When God wipes our tears, sorrow will give way to eternal song.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: respecting God
So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well . . . and brought it back to David. But David . . . poured it out as an offering to the Lord (v.18).
READ: 1 Chronicles 11:10-19
In his book Faith at the Edge, philosopher Robert Wennberg describes attending a small church with his students as they traveled through Europe. The students were not greeted warmly by the church members, did not know enough of the language to follow the songs or the sermon, and generally considered their Sunday morning to be a complete waste of time. Wennberg assured them that it wasn’t, for the effort they made to worship with fellow believers was an act of respect toward God.
Wennberg quoted Pascal: “Respect means; put yourself out. . . . It amounts to saying: I should certainly put myself out if you needed it, because I do so when you do not; besides, respect serves to distinguish the great. If respect meant sitting in an armchair we should be showing everyone respect and then there would be no way of marking distinction, but we make the distinction quite clear by putting ourselves out.”
We respect others when we put ourselves out for them. It may be something small, such as standing to our feet when they enter the room, saluting or tipping our hat, or kneeling in front of their wheelchair. It might be huge, as when David’s elite warriors crept behind enemy lines to bring him water from Bethlehem, or when David—overcome by the magnitude of their devotion—poured out the water as a drink offering to the Lord (1 Chr. 11:17-19).
We respect God when we put ourselves out for Him. We all experience dry spells when the Bible seems irrelevant, our prayers don’t seem to matter, and we’d rather sleep in than go to church. These down times are opportunities to express our allegiance and devotion to God. If we continue to put ourselves out, even when we don’t feel any benefit, we pay God the highest respect. —Mike Wittmer
What has God done to show that He respects you? Think of some people who would benefit from your respect. How might you go above and beyond the norm to sacrifice for them?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Keep Moving On
By Kang Iyoes, Indonesia We were on our way to the Promised Land. Yet ironically, our hearts were filled with both excitement and worry. We were excited to see the land that Joshua was leading us to; but when we saw Jericho’s strong and defensive walls, our joys gave way to fear. We would never [...]
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