ODB: Getting Focused
June 18, 2011 READ: Philippians 3:8-16 Forgetting those things which are behind . . . , I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. —Philippians 3:13-14 I enjoy playing golf, so I occasionally watch instructional videos. One such video, however, left me disappointed. The teacher presented [...]
ODJ: treasure
You refuse to come to Me to receive this life (v.40).
READ: John 5:31-47
Several years ago, I discovered our son Seth sitting in our comfy khaki chair with a theology book in hand. He held the book in front of him, staring at the pages. He would not be distracted. It was quite serious; he was reading. Mind you, Seth was 2 years old.
I can’t imagine what Seth believed he was “reading.” He mumbled something about it being a “scary story.” The volume Seth was holding told about seeing Jesus in the everyday world. But Seth couldn’t see Jesus in the chapters. He didn’t know what to look for.
While it’s good to dig diligently into Scripture, it’s more important to remember what it is we’re actually digging for in God’s Word. We aren’t looking primarily for a fact, ideology, or doctrine. We’re looking for Jesus—the one George Whitefield called “the treasure hid in the field.” Jesus is the treasure.
Jesus once confronted a group of religious hypocrites who bragged of their knowledge of God, even though they had “never heard [God’s] voice,” and bragged about their knowledge of Scriptures, even though they didn’t have the Scripture’s “message in [their] hearts” (John 5:37-38). These religious leaders knew the Scripture’s words but knew nothing of the Word living in the Scripture. They came to the pages, but missed the treasure.
“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life,” Jesus said. “But the Scriptures point to
Me!” (v.39).
Often I come to Scripture in search of an answer. If I don’t find exactly what I expect the Bible to tell me, I can become frustrated because it doesn’t fit with my views. But if Jesus is the treasure, then Scripture is not first concerned with giving me what I insist I need. Scripture’s first concern is leading me to true treasure . . . to Jesus. —Winn Collier
How are you more often tempted to use the Bible for answers than as a way to discover Jesus? How do you need to search God’s Word differently in order to see Him as your true treasure?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...ODB: True Wealth
June 17, 2011
READ: 1 Timothy 6:6-19
Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God. —1 Timothy 6:17
Money is a powerful force. We work for it, save it, spend it, use it to satisfy our earthside longings, and then wish we had more. Aware of its distracting danger, Jesus taught more about money than any other topic. And, as far as we know, He never took an offering for Himself. Clearly, He didn’t teach about giving to fill His own pockets. Instead, Jesus warned us that trusting in wealth and using it to gain power clogs our spiritual arteries more readily than most other impediments to spiritual development. In telling the story of the “rich fool,” He shamed His listeners for not being rich toward God (Luke 12:13-21), indicating that God has a far different definition of wealth than most of us.
So, what does it mean to be rich toward God? Paul tells us that those who are rich should not be conceited about their wealth, “nor to trust in uncertain riches” (1 Tim. 6:17). Rather, we are to “be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share” (v.18).
Interesting! God measures wealth by the quality of our lives and our generous disbursement of wealth to bless others. Not exactly Wall Street insider talk, but great advice for those of us who think that our security and reputation are tied up in the size of our bank account.
— Joe Stowell
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: let it run
Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you (v.1).
READ: 2 Thessalonians 3:1-18
One truly thrilling moment in sports is the last quarter mile of a horse race, when “down the stretch they come!” Spectators are mildly interested in the initial legs of the race, as the horses jockey for position and conserve their energy for the home stretch. But their roar is deafening when the horses turn the final corner and break into a full gallop for the finish line.
Paul had a race in mind when he asked the Thessalonians to pray that “the Lord’s message will spread rapidly” (2 Thessalonians 3:1). The Greek term for “spread rapidly” is trecho, which means to run at full speed. As spectators rise to their feet and scream “Go! Go! Go!” so Paul commands us to cheer the spread of the gospel in our lives and across the world.
We let the gospel run in our lives when we humbly receive the forgiveness of sin and then patiently forgive those who have sinned against us. The gospel surges through us as we celebrate our Father’s love and then pass it on by serving the least among us. In sum, we unleash the gospel when we gladly confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and then live out that reality in daily experience.
We let the gospel run in the world when we follow Paul’s instructions to pray for its progress. We can’t force others to submit to the lordship of Jesus, but we can ask God to open their eyes so that they might “see the glorious light of the Good News” (2 Corinthians 4:4). We can ask our Father to bring His kingdom soon, so that His will is “done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).
The only thing sadder than a throttled thoroughbred is a gospel that is kept in check. Let it run. —Mike Wittmer
What specific attitude or activity has held back the gospel in your life? What do you need to do, with God’s help, to release the freedom of Jesus in your life?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Movie Review: Source Code
By Daniel Adhi Surya, Indonesia Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks. —Proverbs 1:20-21 (ESV) In the same way, God never ceases to surprise me with His unique ways of [...]
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Rescued
June 16, 2011
READ: Colossians 1:3-18
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. —Colossians 1:13
In the aftermath of Haiti’s devastat- ing earthquake in January 2010, the scenes of destruction and death were often punctuated by someone being pulled alive from the rubble, even after all hope seemed gone. Relief and tears of joy were followed by deep gratitude toward those who worked around the clock, often risking their own lives to give someone else another chance to live.
How would you feel if it happened to you? Have you ever been rescued?
In Colossians 1, Paul wrote to people who had come to know Jesus Christ and whose lives showed evidence of their faith. After assuring them of his prayers for them to know God’s will and to please Him, Paul used a powerful word picture to describe what God had done for them all: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (vv.13-14).
In Christ, we have been rescued! He has taken us from danger to safety; from one power and destiny to another; from death to life.
It’s worth pondering all that being rescued means to us, as we thank God for His grace and power.
— David C. McCasland
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: touch
Jesus reached out and touched him (v.3).
READ: Matthew 8:1-4
Kiley had ventured outside her home country only once in her 18 years. So when she had the chance to go to Kenya to help with a medical mission, she was thrilled—and a little uneasy. After all, she didn’t have any real medical experience.
As she provided basic medical care in a remote village, she met a woman with elephantiasis. It’s a horrible but treatable disease caused by parasitic worms. Elephantiasis causes grotesque swelling in the lower half of the body. Prevention includes simply wearing shoes. But in poverty-stricken Africa, many villagers have little or no access to such basic needs.
Kiley was repulsed by the woman’s distorted leg, but she proceeded to clean and bandage it. The woman began crying. Startled, Kiley asked if she was hurting her. “No,” she replied. “It’s the first time in 9 years that anyone has touched my leg.”
Leprosy is another disease that renders its victims repulsive to others. Ancient Jewish culture had strict guidelines to prevent it from spreading. “They must live in isolation . . . outside the camp,” read the Levitical law (Leviticus 13:45-46). Sufferers had to loudly announce “unclean” from a far distance to prevent others from approaching them.
That’s why it’s so remarkable that a leper had the nerve to approach Jesus and say, “Lord, . . . if You are willing, You can heal me and make me clean” (Matthew 8:2). Jesus did the unthinkable. He “reached out and touched him,” says the New Testament account. “I am willing,” He said. “Be healed” (v.3).
In touching a lonely woman’s diseased leg, Kiley was imitating the fearless, taboo-breaking love of Jesus. It was one tiny touch, but it made a difference. What difference will you make today? —Tim Gustafson
Is there someone you are afraid to touch? Why is this so? What might need to change for you to become more like Jesus?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB:Do I Have To Read Leviticus?
June 15, 2011
READ: Isaiah 55:6-13
My Word . . . shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please. —Isaiah 55:11
Do I really have to read Leviticus?” A young executive asked me this in earnest as we talked about the value of spending time in reading the Bible. “The Old Testament seems so boring and difficult,” he said.
Many Christians feel this way. The answer, of course, is that the Old Testament, including Leviticus, offers background and even contrasts essential to grasping the New Testament. While Isaiah challenges us to seek God (55:6), he also promises us that God’s Word accomplishes what the Lord wants it to accomplish (v.11). Scripture is alive and powerful (Heb. 4:12), and it is useful to teach, correct, and instruct us (2 Tim. 3:16). God’s Word never returns void (Isa. 55:8-11), but sometimes it is not until later that God’s words come to mind as we need them.
The Holy Spirit uses the truths we’ve stored from reading or memorization, and He helps us to apply them at just the right time. For example, Leviticus 19:10-11 speaks of business competition and even caring for the poor. The Spirit can remind us of these concepts, and we can use them, if we’ve spent time reading and contemplating that passage.
Reading the Bible turns our minds into storehouses through which the Spirit can work. That’s a great reason to read Leviticus and the other 65 books as well.
— Randy Kilgore
To understand the Word of God, rely on the Spirit of God.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: relinquish control
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps (v.9).
READ: Proverbs 16:1-9
When I originally met the little Ugandan boy who eventually became my son, my goal was simply to keep him alive. After he overcame malnutrition and recovered from a long list of diseases, however, my dreams for his life quickly became bigger.
For example, the first time my son—as a mere 5-year-old—petted a horse, I immediately visualized him becoming the first Ugandan to win an Olympic gold medal in equestrian sports. Since then, I’ve imagined my adopted child being everything from a professional athlete to a world leader. I want him to have the richest experiences, to achieve academic and professional success, to be deeply loved, to live a life of service, to be a devoted husband and father, and to walk with Jesus Christ all of his days.
After hearing of my lofty hopes and expectations for my son, my friend Kim gently reminded me that in terms of future career and all, I need to respect my son’s personal desires and goals even if they don’t line up with mine. And, more importantly, I need to encourage my son to seek God’s agenda for his life, rather than pressure him to fulfill mine (Proverbs 16:1).
Taking Kim’s exhortation to heart, I dug into Scripture to better understand how I can align my goals for my son with God’s. Following are a few insights I gained:
• Parents can make plans, but God will determine their children’s steps (v.9).
• The most foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest plan we could ever conjure up for our children (1 Corinthians 1:25).
• Children are God’s masterpieces—not ours, and they’re created for His purposes (Proverbs 1:4; Ephesians 2:10).
Let’s commit our children and their plans to God—knowing that He’s the only One who can help them truly succeed (Proverbs 16:3). —Roxanne Robbins
How do you need to change your view of planning in light of God’s wisdom? How will you help your children make plans that honor Him?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB:Under God
June 14, 2011
READ: Mark 2:23-28
This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. —1 John 5:3
Every parent knows the difference between rules designed primarily for the benefit of the parent and those designed for the benefit of the child. God’s rules fall into the latter category. As Creator of the human race, God knows how human society will work best.
I began to look at the Ten Commandments in this light—as rules designed primarily for our benefit. Jesus underscored this principle when He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).
The Bible is a most realistic book. It assumes human beings will be tempted to lust after a neighbor or covet someone else’s property, to work too hard, to strike out in anger at those who wrong them. It assumes humanity will bring disorder to whatever we touch. Each of the Ten Commandments offers a shield of protection against that disorder. We have the freedom to say no to our sinful inclinations. By doing so, we avoid certain harm.
Taken together, the Ten Commandments weave life on this planet into a more meaningful and structured whole, the benefit of which is to allow us to live as a peaceful, healthy community under God.
— Philip Yancey
Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed. —Psalm 119:5-6
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
