ODJ: divine design
He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see (v.16). READ: Colossians 1:15-20 Intelligent design. It’s hard to go a day without encountering that phrase, and here’s why. The more scientists study matter like molecular DNA—the building block of life—the more it points to a Creator. As Dr. Stephen Meyer, author of [...]
Giants in the Promised Land
By Charles Christian, 23, Indonesia The story told in Numbers 13-14 is not unfamiliar to us. Twelve spies were sent to check out the land of Canaan—the land that God promised to the Israelites (Numbers 13:17-20). After 40 days, they returned with both good and bad news—the land was fertile but the inhabitants were strong [...]
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Loading ...ODB: Who’s The Audience?
February 20, 2011
READ: Psalm 50:7-15
Whoever offers praise glorifies Me. —Psalm 50:23
I used to view the worship service in church as a time for entertainment. Speaking of folks like me, Sören Kierkegaard said that we tend to think of church as a kind of theater: We sit in the audience, attentively watching the actors onstage. If sufficiently entertained, we show our gratitude with applause. Church, though, should be the opposite of the theater. God is the audience for our worship.
What matters most takes place within the hearts of the congregation—not onstage. We should leave a worship service asking ourselves not “What did I get out of it?” but rather “Was God pleased with what happened?”
God took pains to specify details of animal sacrifice for the ancient Israelites in their worship. Yet He said that He didn’t need their animals: “I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills” (Ps. 50:9-10). What He wanted was their praise and obedience (v.23).
By focusing on the externals of worship, we too miss the point: The Lord is interested in a sacrifice of the heart, an internal attitude of submission and thanksgiving. The goal of worship is nothing less than to meet and please our God.
— Philip Yancey
At the heart of worship is worship from the heart.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: get real
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray (Mark 1:35).
READ: Psalm 84
Slate magazine’s William Saletan indicts our culture stating: “Every time you answer your cell phone in traffic, squander your workday on YouTube, text a colleague during dinner, or turn on the TV to escape your kids, you’re leaving this world. You’re neglecting the people around you, sometimes at the risk of killing them.”
Wow! And he didn’t even mention the addictive nature of online games. Or Internet porn and how it depersonalizes and destroys the sacredness of sex.
We might be tempted to debate Saletan. But rather than getting defensive, it may be wise to take a look at our own priorities. It’s likely we’ll all find something out of whack. I can reach out to the people God places in my path—those who need an encouraging word or who may be hurting and need my listening ear. But instead, I put on the headphones and vanish into iPod world or lose myself in a laptop DVD. I shun human community for the loneliness of something less.
Solitude has its place. Jesus had a habit of slipping away to be alone. But when He did, He found community with His heavenly Father. And then He returned to His ministry to others (Mark 1:35-38).
In the Psalms, we read how the poet yearned for community with God. “I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord,” he wrote (84:2). And he craved the community with others that grows out of unity with the Father. “What joy for those who can live in Your house, always singing Your praises” (v.4).
Perhaps it’s time to exchange our headphones for some bona fide interaction with God and His children. By doing so, we’ll lose the loneliness of the virtual world and find the joy of genuine community. —Tim Gustafson
What do you do for relaxation? How do your times of solitude cause you to ponder God’s character and help you to enjoy the company of others?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Emergency Room Fellowship
February 19, 2011
READ: Galatians 6:1-10
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. —Galatians 6:2
Not long ago, my wife, Janet, and I accepted an invitation to dine with a Christian woman who attends our Sunday school class. In her zeal to prepare a meal for us, she cut her index finger deeply. As we drove her to the emergency room, we prayed for her, and then we kept her company in the waiting room. Several hours later, our friend finally saw the doctor.
After we returned to her home, our hostess insisted we stay for the meal she had prepared. What followed was a great time of lively conversation and spiritual fellowship. While we ate, she shared with us some of the heartaches she had suffered, and how through the ups and downs she had found God’s wonderful grace invading her life.
Later, my wife and I reflected on the unexpected trip to the hospital and the shared fellowship that had resulted. This verse came to mind: “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). By providing support for our injured hostess, she was blessed. Then afterward, she became a blessing to us through her hospitality and a delicious meal.
In retrospect, painful experiences can be a marvelous gateway to rich fellowship as we “bear one another’s burdens.”
— Dennis Fisher
A helping hand can lighten another’s burden.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: judah and tamar
Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar) (Matthew 1:3).
READ: Genesis 38:6-30
I know a guy who doesn’t leave a very good first impression . . . or last one, for that matter. He’s conniving and selfish, a man of double standards. He makes promises that he has no intention of keeping, and he’s led a promiscuous lifestyle. Not exactly Mr. Right, huh?
Judah, Joseph’s brother, was such a guy. In Genesis 38, we read that his eldest son married Tamar, but then God put him to death (1 Chronicles 2:3). They had no children. In those days it was customary that the next oldest brother take the wife of his brother and raise a family for his deceased brother. This was called a levirate marriage. So the responsibility fell on Onan, the second son. Because of Onan’s wickedness, however, God put him to death too (Genesis 38:10).
Judah had just one son left. He had no intention of having his only surviving son marry Tamar. So he lied in order to put her out of sight and out of mind.
Tamar trusted him and followed his request—thinking Judah was looking out for her best interests. But after a long wait, she decided to take action. Apparently Judah had established himself as the kind of man who would use the services of a prostitute. So she disguised herself as one, and Judah, not knowing she was his daughter-in-law, slept with her.
It’s a bizarre story, but that’s not the end of it. For from this one-night stand, twins Perez and Zerah were born (vv.27-30). Surprisingly, God used Judah and Tamar in the lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:3).
While I’m not excusing or encouraging evil acts, it’s evident that God can work even in our sin to bring glory to His name. So who are we to say, “I’m not qualified to serve God. There’s no way He can possibly use me”? If God can use Judah and Tamar, He can use us to bring Him glory. —Poh Fang Chia
What kind of qualifications do you think God looks for in His servants? Where in the Bible do you find people with these qualifications?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Dreams or Choices?
February 18, 2011
READ: Philippians 1:1-11
Approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense. —Philippians 1:10
I’ve received a lot of good advice in my life. Near the top of the list is this wise observation from a friend: “Life is not made by the dreams that you dream but by the choices that you make.”
He’s right—your life today is the sum total of all the choices you’ve made up to this point. The apostle Paul gave similar advice in Philippians 1:10, when he said to “approve the things that are excellent” (1:10). In any given situation, we have a whole continuum of choices—ranging from really rotten choices, to the mediocrity of average choices, to choices that are good, and then to those that are excellent. God wants to move us across the continuum, past our natural impulses, all the way to excellent choices.
Often it’s challenging to make the most excellent choice, especially if there aren’t many others joining us. Sometimes it may feel as if our desires and freedoms have been suppressed. But if you follow Paul’s advice, you’ll notice some really positive outcomes—like being pure and blameless and fruitful (v.11).
Make the choice to live a life filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Then revel in the result!
— Joe Stowell
Make an excellent choice and watch the ripple effect of blessing.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: swallowing up death
[God] will swallow up death forever! (v.8).
READ: Isaiah 25:1-8
Yesterday, I met Stephen and Roxanne at a hotel. They needed help as they entered one of the most difficult days any parent could envision. Matt, a graduate student at the University of Virginia and member of our church community, died in a freakish bike collision. This should never happen. A father should never bury a son. A mother should never have to dig through her dead boy’s lonely apartment. There is so much to celebrate in Matt’s good life (his deep heart, for instance—his last hours were spent serving in a homeless shelter). There is much to curse, however, about his passing. Death is a menacing villain.
The prophet Isaiah wrote to his people in anticipation of their Babylonian captivity. Isaiah spoke with language that cast God as the powerful, conquering God—strong enough and bold enough to take on every enemy the besieged people faced. God was the One who would “turn mighty cities into heaps of ruin” and who would “silence the roar” of violent armies afflicting them (25:2,5).
The ultimate enemy our conquering God would crush, however, would be death itself. Death is our wretched foe—our enemy and, thankfully, God’s enemy. In Jesus, God has defeated death, showing that He is Lord over all—even over death (1 Corinthians 15:54).
Melito of Sardis, a church father from the third century, powerfully captured this truth as he wrote:
"When the Lord had clothed Himself with humanity, and had suffered for the sake of the sufferer, and had been bound for the sake of the imprisoned, and had been judged for the sake of the condemned, and buried for the sake of the one who was buried, He rose up from the dead, and cried with a loud voice: Who is he who contends with Me?" —Winn Collier
Where have you experienced death as an enemy? What does it mean for you to acknowledge Jesus as victor over death?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Illume
By Eugene Seah, 23, Singapore It was almost midnight. I was waiting for the tram in a Melbourne suburb. There were only two persons at the station—a mysterious hooded teen and me. With my chin held high, I psyched myself up for potential danger. I was prepared to take flight at the first sign of [...]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: Change
February 17, 2011
READ: Matthew 3:1-12
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand! . . . Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance. —Matthew 3:2,8
Medical studies have shown that even though people who have had heart-bypass surgery are told that they must change their lifestyle or die, about 90 percent do not change. Typically, 2 years after surgery the patients haven’t altered their lifestyle. It seems that most would rather die than change.
Just as doctors preach a physical message of change to prevent death, John the Baptist came preaching a spiritual message of change. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matt. 3:2). He was preparing the way for the ultimate manifestation of God’s reign—the Messiah, Jesus.
Repentance means to change one’s mind and attitude about God, which ultimately changes a person’s actions and decisions. Those who repent and accept Christ’s provision of forgiveness from their sins through His death on the cross will escape spiritual death (John 3:16). Repentance involves confessing sin with godly sorrow, and then forsaking sin. John the Baptist was calling people to turn from one way of living to ways that honor God.
Today, the Lord is still calling us to repent and then to respond with the “fruits worthy of repentance” (Matt. 3:8).
— Marvin Williams
Repentance means hating sin enough to turn from it.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
