ODB: Facing Our Fear
June 22, 2011 READ: Judges 6:11-23 The Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” —Judges 6:12 A mother asked her 5-year-old son to go to the pantry to get her a can of tomato soup. But he refused and protested, “It’s [...]
ODJ: behind the scenes
Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this? (v.14).
READ: Esther 4:1-16
One of the things I appreciate about the Old Testament book of Esther is that God’s name isn’t mentioned in it—not even once. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not losing my belief in God! For me, the book’s omission of God’s name is a great reminder that even though He might appear to be absent, God is still present, quietly working behind the scenes.
The book of Esther reads like a novel. It centers on the dramatic story of a beautiful young Jewish girl who rises from obscurity to become queen of the Persian Empire (Esther 2). Esther, who concealed her family ancestry, ends up using her royal position to turn the tables on a plot to annihilate her people.
Haman, one of King Xerxes’ top royal officials, had a strong dislike for the Jewish people. He was furious because Mordecai, another royal official who happened to be Jewish, refused to pay him honor (3:1-6). Appealing to Xerxes’ pride, Haman tricked the king into signing an order that called for the execution of all Jews (vv.8-13). But his plan backfired. Esther’s gutsy intervention (ch.4-5) and the king’s sleeplessness (ch.6), led to Haman having to lead a royal parade to honor Mordecai. A short time later, a humiliated Haman was hanged on the very gallows he had built for the execution of Mordecai (ch.6-7).
These weren’t random events. King Xerxes didn’t just happen to have a bout of insomnia. He didn’t just happen to discover that Mordecai was never rewarded for exposing an assassination plot (2:21-23, 6:1-3). Events like these came about because God was working through them.
God doesn’t always work through obvious means like the 10 plagues or the parting of the Red Sea. But whether we see or feel it, He’s always involved and at work in our lives. —Jeff Olson
How has God worked “behind the scenes” in your life recently? How are you inspired by the story of Esther?
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Loading ...ODB: Unexpected Blessing
June 21, 2011
READ: Ruth 2:11-23
Your daughter-in-law, who loves you, . . . is better to you than seven sons. —Ruth 4:15
Naomi and Ruth came together in less-than-ideal circumstances. To escape a famine in Israel, Naomi’s family moved to Moab. While living there, her two sons married Moabite women: Orpah and Ruth. Then Naomi’s husband and sons died. In that culture, women were dependent on men, which left the three widows in a predicament.
Word came to Naomi that the famine in Israel had ended, so she decided to make the long trek home. Orpah and Ruth started to go with her, but Naomi urged them to return home, saying, “The hand of the Lord has gone out against me!” (1:13).
Orpah went home, but Ruth continued, affirming her belief in Naomi’s God despite Naomi’s own fragile faith (1:15-18).
The story started in desperately unpleasant circumstances: famine, death, and despair (1:1-5). It changed direction due to undeserved kindnesses: Ruth to Naomi (1:16-17; 2:11-12) and Boaz to Ruth (2:13-14).
It involved unlikely people: two widows (an aging Jew and a young Gentile) and Boaz, the son of a prostitute (Josh. 2:1; Matt. 1:5).
It depended on unexplainable intervention: Ruth just so “happened” to glean in the field of Boaz (2:3).
And it ended in unimaginable blessing: a baby who would be in the lineage of the Messiah (4:16-17).
God makes miracles out of what seems insignificant: fragile faith, a little kindness, and ordinary people.
— Julie Ackerman Link
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: always true
The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God! (v.4).
READ: Acts 4:36-5:11
Walking past me with a noticeable lump in his shirt, my son tried to act nonchalant as he hurried through the room. Not realizing how obvious he looked, he dropped his head and pulled out a pair of scissors when I asked him what he was hiding. Because he had taken to “redesigning” things in his room, we had banned him from unsupervised use of scissors. Holding back a smile at his belief in my naiveté, I lovingly disciplined him for his disobedience and deception.
Perhaps Ananias and Sapphira wanted to be viewed well by others (Acts 4:32). Maybe they felt their partial contribution wouldn’t be seen by God. Ultimately, their reasons don’t matter. The lesson of their story is not that God wanted all of their money. He wanted their whole heart (v.4).
Mired in layers of mixed motives, we try to justify our sinful choices with a cover-up of good intentions. Evasive responses or meaningless “right” answers do little to keep God from seeing the truth (Isaiah 29:13-15). We’re only fooling ourselves, for He isn’t fooled.
Generally grounded in self-preservation, deception has been around since the Garden of Eden. Even great men of faith learned the hard way about the consequences of this common temptation. Passing off Sarah as his sister (not his wife), Abraham lived in the land of half-truths for many years (Genesis 20:13). He had been willing to leave behind all that had been familiar to him to follow God’s leading—everything except the power to deceive. It’s interesting that after Abraham was finally willing to deal in truth, God fulfilled His promise to him (Genesis 20:17-21:2).
God longs to give us good gifts, the greatest being intimacy with Him. But they’ll come only when we’re willing to deal in truth. —Regina Franklin
Do you struggle with being honest with yourself or with others? How are your choices to deceive rooted in self-preservation?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: In Brief
June 20, 2011
READ: Psalm 117
His merciful kindness is great toward us. —Psalm 117:2
I counted once and discovered that Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address contains fewer than 300 words. This means, among other things, that words don’t have to be many to be memorable.
That’s one reason I like Psalm 117. Brevity is its hallmark. The psalmist said all he had to say in 30 words (actually just 17 words in the Hebrew text).
Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles! Laud Him, all you peoples! For His merciful kindness [love] is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord [faithfulness] endures forever. Praise the Lord!
Ah, that’s the good news! Contained in this hallelujah psalm is a message to all nations of the world that God’s “merciful kindness”—His covenant love—is “great toward us” (v.2).
Think about what God’s love means. God loved us before we were born; He will love us after we die. Not one thing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:39). His heart is an inexhaustible and irrepressible fountain of love!
As I read this brief psalm of praise to God, I can think of no greater encouragement for our journey than its reminder of God’s merciful kindness. Praise the Lord!
— David H. Roper
Source: Our Daily Bread
(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5) Loading ...Incredible Forgiveness
By Tracy Phua, 24, Singapore In March this year, I attended a Pastor’s conference held in the state of Jharkhand, India. Amidst the countless stories told of God’s faithfulness and grace in their lives, one story stood out. Vimala is a petite woman. Her strong facial features belied the trauma she is going through. As [...]
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: rude and racist?
Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs” (v.26).
READ: Matthew 15:21-28
Jesus could be harsh at times. He called Pharisees “whitewashed tombs” (that is, nice on the outside, disgusting within); He called Herod a “fox”; He even called Peter “Satan” (Matthew 23:27; Luke 13:32; Mark 8:33). Yes, Jesus could be forthright—but rude and racist? Some think today’s story proves so.
Jesus was hiding in a home in the region of Tyre and Sidon, trying to escape the crowds (Mark 7:24), when a Canaanite woman pushed her way in and begged Him to heal her demon-possessed daughter. How did Jesus respond? With silence. Was He ignoring her or thinking through His options?
When Jesus does reply, He doesn’t give the woman much hope. His calling is first to the Jews, not to pagans like her (Matthew 15:24). Unperturbed, the woman kneels before Him and begs more urgently (v.25). Then Jesus utters those troubling words: “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs” (v.26).
We can’t avoid it: Jesus has just given a racial slur. Gentiles are but “dogs” in comparison to Jews. Ouch.
But did we miss the twinkle in His eye? Jesus is most likely using the sort of a language a Gentile person could expect from a Jew. He was throwing out a test to the woman, seeing how she’d respond. And she didn’t miss a beat, saying, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their master’s table” (v.27). Her faith is proved and Jesus grants her request (vv.28-29). He probably even laughed at her reply, as author Elton Trueblood has suggested.
Jesus was no bigot or racist. He accepted prostitutes and tax collectors (Matthew 9:10); He healed and praised non-Jews (8:5-10; Luke 17:11-19). He does, however, test our faith. How is He testing you today? —Sheridan Voysey
What does this story say to you about the personality of Jesus? How might Jesus test our faith today?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Dad’s Hat
June 19, 2011
READ: Ephesians 6:1-4
Honor your father. —Ephesians 6:2
Amid the celebration, there was tragedy. It was the opening ceremonies of the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona. One by one the teams entered the stadium and paraded around the track to the cheers of 65,000 people. But in one section of Olympic Stadium, shock and sadness fell as Peter Karnaugh, father of United States swimmer Ron Karnaugh, was stricken with a fatal heart attack.
Five days later, Ron showed up for his race wearing his dad’s hat, which he carefully set aside before his competition began. Why the hat? It was the swimmer’s tribute to his dad, whom he described as “my best friend.” The hat was one his dad had worn when they went fishing and did other things together. Wearing the hat was Ron’s way of honoring his dad for standing beside him, encouraging him, and guiding him. When Ron dove into the water, he did so without his dad’s presence but inspired by his memory.
On this Father’s Day, there are many ways to honor our fathers, as Scripture commands us to do (Eph. 6:2). One way, even if they’re no longer with us, is to show respect for the good values they taught us.
What can you do for your dad today to show him the kind of honor the Bible talks about?
— Dave Branon
The best fathers not only give us life— they teach us how to live.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...School Pictures & Sin
Are you as aware of sin in your life as you are of wear stained clothes? How else can you describe sin in your life?
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: passion for people
I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding (v.15).
READ: Jeremiah 3:11-22
A woman in her 70s has become a local celebrity in China due to her energetic efforts as a volunteer traffic cop. Granny Cai, as she is affectionately known, risks her life on a daily basis to make sure that both drivers and pedestrians obey the traffic rules on a busy road close to her home. She says, “I am nearing the end of my life and I wanted to do something useful for other people.” You have to admire the good granny’s passion for keeping people safe!
The prophet Jeremiah had a passion for people as well. He faithfully warned and encouraged God’s people in Judah even as the Babylonians crushed the wayward kingdom (Jeremiah 3:8-10). The northern kingdom, Israel, had already been demolished, and now Judah was declining due to their disobedience of God and His commands.
Jeremiah also revealed God’s heart for His people. God wanted them to “come home to Me again” (v.12). He promised one day to give them “shepherds after [His] own heart” to lead them (v.15). He said, “I would love to treat you as My own children!” (v.19). He passionately appealed for His people to repent of their sins and receive His forgiveness.
As the prophet shared God’s heart, he resembled Jesus Christ perhaps more than any other person in the Bible. Among many other similarities, both had a message for God’s people and the world. Both were conscious of their call from God. Both were accused of political treason. Both condemned the priests of their day. Both were tried, persecuted, imprisoned. Both wept over Jerusalem (9:1; Luke 19:41). Both loved Israel and her people deeply.
As followers of Jesus, you and I are called to have a passion for people. Let’s reflect God’s “own heart” as we share the “knowledge and understanding” of His great love for them. —Tom Felten
What prevents you from having a true passion for people? How will you reflect the love of God to others today?
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