Interview with singer-songwriter: Vanessa Faith
Come and hear what Singaporean singer-songwriter – Vanessa Faith – has to share about dreams, reality, embarrassing moments and her favorite artistes! What are your dreams made out of? Share them with us! Check out her music here!
ODB: Fear Factor
July 19, 2011
READ: Genesis 20:1-13
Abraham said, “. . . surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will kill me on account of my wife.” —Genesis 20:11
If you’re a fan of Shakespeare, you know that his heroes always have a serious character flaw. It makes for a good story and teaches some important lessons. The same is true of our Bible hero Abraham. His flaw? Fear.
Twice Abraham succumbed to his fear that a ruler would kill him and steal his wife (Gen. 12:11-20; 20:2-13). Fearing for his life, he deceived both Pharaoh and King Abimelech by saying, “She is my sister”—in essence welcoming the king to take Sarah into his harem (20:2). With fear dictating his actions, he put at risk God’s plan that through him and Sarah a great nation would arise (12:1-3).
But before we judge Abraham, we should ask ourselves a few questions. For fear of losing our job, would we compromise our integrity? For fear of appearing old-fashioned, would we set aside our values? For fear of being ridiculed or misunderstood, would we neglect sharing the gospel and put someone’s eternity at risk? Only one thing will conquer our fears: tenacious faith in God’s presence, protection, power, and promises.
If your fear is putting God’s wonderful plans for you at risk, remember that He will never ask you to do anything He can’t bring to completion, even if it requires miraculous intervention on His part.
— Joe Stowell
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...ODJ: shredding spaghetti
You have forgotten the Lord, your Creator, the One who stretched out the sky like a canopy and laid the foundations of the earth (v.13).
READ: Isaiah 51:12-16
In a recent debate, Christian mathematician John Lennox argued for the reality of God with atheist scientist Richard Dawkins. In his writing and speaking, Dawkins will often talk about the “Flying Spaghetti Monster” as an analogy for belief in God. His point is that since God’s existence cannot be proven, it’s as ridiculous to believe in Him as in a levitating pasta creature.
Isaiah lived during a time when God’s people were facing a monstrous enemy. Due to their rebellion and disobedience, God allowed them to be invaded by the Babylonians—brutal enemies who cruelly carted them off to captivity. God said, “You have forgotten the Lord, your Creator, the One who stretched out the sky like a canopy and laid the foundations of the earth” (51:13). He declared that He alone was worthy of their worship and devotion because He is over all things.
God is the One who “stirs up the sea, causing its waves to roar” (v.15). Every aspect of the natural world reflects His perfect design and providence. “The work of [His] fingers” (Psalm 8:3) is plain to see. Isaiah could boldly declare God’s reality because He knew Him and recognized His reflection in all created things. He also knew that God had given him the words to speak and that he was safe in His hand (v.16).
John Lennox shows that same confidence. When Dawkins argued that if one stumbles upon a garden in a forest, he should simply appreciate it without having to believe in “invisible fairies hiding behind the flowers,” Lennox stated, “Of course you wouldn’t have to believe in fairies in the garden, but you would assume there was a Gardener, wouldn’t you?”
As Paul said, “Through everything God made, [we] can clearly see His invisible qualities” (Romans 1:20). His reality shreds spaghetti monsters and dispels invisible fairies. —Tom Felten
What gives you confidence in God and His reality? How will you more boldly present your faith this week?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: Sticks And Stones
July 18, 2011
READ: Psalm 123
Our soul is exceedingly filled with . . . the contempt of the proud. —Psalm 123:4
The psalmist was fed up with “the contempt of the proud” (Ps. 123:4). Perhaps you are too. People in your neighborhood, office, or classroom may be scornful of your faith and determination to follow Jesus. Sticks and stones do break our bones, but words can wound more deeply. In his commentary on this psalm, Derek Kidner refers to contempt as “cold steel.”
We can fend off the jeers of the proud by becoming like them, or we can view their attempt to humiliate us as a badge of honor. We can rejoice that we’ve been “counted worthy to suffer shame for [Jesus’] name” (Acts 5:41). Better to bear shame for a short time than to endure “everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:2).
We must not be like the mockers by mocking them in turn, but bless those who persecute us. “Bless and do not curse,” Paul reminds us (Rom. 12:14). Then God may draw them to faith and repentance, and turn our moments of shame into eternal glory.
Finally, as the psalmist counsels us, we must “look to the Lord our God” (123:2). He understands as no other, for He too has endured reproach. He will show compassion to us according to His infinite mercy.
— David H. Roper
When others’ treatment of you gets you down, look up to Jesus.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: beyond my reach
Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up (v.7).
READ: Deuteronomy 6:1-19
My husband and I are cautious when it comes to our kids. We diligently try to find the balance between having appropriate boundaries without being outright control freaks. Friends, media, and social events have become powerful means of helping our kids learn discernment and character. I noted, however, that my prayers for our 6th grader increased when she went away on a school trip for 3 days, for she was beyond my reach. It made me realize that I often think I have things under control simply because my kids are within my sight. The histories of both Judah and Israel prove that a nation that doesn’t teach the next generation the truth becomes a nation enslaved. Likewise, the training of our children isn’t something to be left for a day when we have more time or feel more capable. Without godly direction (which comes through the investment of our time and energy), our children become sheep without a shepherd (Zechariah 10:2). Instead, we need to grasp tightly the importance of repeatedly telling them “again and again” the truths found in God’s Word (Deuteronomy 6:7). They won’t discover the truth found in Jesus simply by doing what we tell them to do or by remaining within the bounds of our control. They walk confidently and free when they know the One who sets them free. So as parents, we should:
• Follow Jesus and encourage our children to do the same (1 Cor. 11:1).
• Give our children room to learn from their mistakes as God disciplines
them (Hebrews 12:7-11).
• Realize God will deal individually with our children (Ezekiel 18:20, 30).
Parenting can be downright scary some days. But even when our kids are beyond our view, they’re never beyond God’s reach. —Regina Franklin
What is your greatest fear as a parent? How does God’s Word speak to your fear?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Wow! What a promise!
By Sarah Johnston, 15, N. Ireland There is a proverbial phrase that states: “It never rains but it pours.” How true! When troubles come, they come together. 27/06/09 – It was my birthday. I was shopping with a friend when my mum rang to say that my brother met an accident at work. It put [...]
(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: Perfect Fit
July 17, 2011
READ: Exodus 26:1-11
[Christ], in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. —Ephesians 2:21
Too long. Too short. Too big. Too small. Too tight. Too loose. These words describe most of the clothes I try on. Finding the perfect fit seems impossible.
Finding a church that is a “perfect fit” poses similar problems. Every church has something that’s not quite right. Our gifts aren’t recognized. Our talents aren’t appreciated. Our sense of humor is misunderstood. Certain attitudes, beliefs, people, or programs make us uncomfortable. We feel as if we don’t fit. We struggle to find our place.
We know, however, that God wants us to fit together with one another. The apostle Paul said we are being “built together to become a dwelling in which God lives” (Eph. 2:22 NIV).
The believers in the church today, like the tabernacle in the days of Moses (Ex. 26) and the temple in the days of Solomon (1 Kings 6:1-14), are the dwelling place of God on earth. God wants us to fit together—for there to be no divisions in His church. This means that we, the building blocks, are to be “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10).
No church will be a perfect fit, but we can all work at fitting together more perfectly.
— Julie Ackerman Link
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: u-turn
When [people] discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back? (v.4).
READ: Jeremiah 8:4-9
When my daughter was learning to drive, one of the maneuvers she had to master was the U-turn—a 180-degree rotation to reverse her direction. In some places, U-turns are permitted anywhere along a road as long as it’s safe to do so. In Singapore, U-turns are permitted only at specifically designated junctions, clearly marked by a sign. Regardless of your country’s rules of the road, it’s important for every driver to be able to execute a U-turn.
The people of God during Jeremiah’s time were going the wrong way. They had rejected God. He said, “But My people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned Me. They do not say from the heart, ‘Let us live in awe of the Lord our God’” (Jeremiah 5:23-24).
God patiently and lovingly pleaded with His people to repent, to do a U-turn before it was too late: “When people fall down, don’t they get up again? When they discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back?” (8:4).
Sadly, the people rejected God’s pleas. Instead, they compounded their sin with another greater sin: “They paid no attention. . . . They refused to be corrected. They are determined, . . . they have refused to repent” (5:3). No one said “I’m sorry” for doing wrong. No one confessed, “What a terrible thing I have done” (8:6). Refusing to turn around, they blatantly ignored the U-turn signs, stayed on their self-destructive path of sin (vv.5-6), and cruised into their designated and deserved outcome (5:15-18). The Babylonians came, devastated their city, destroyed their temple, and deported the people to a faraway land (52:12-27).
Are you cruising down life’s highway in the wrong direction, racing down the path of sin on the way to destruction? It’s time to make a U-turn. —K.T. Sim
What will it take to make a U-turn in your life? How might you crash and burn if you don’t change direction?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Empty Me
July 16, 2011
READ: Ephesians 4:17-32
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. —Luke 6:45
“What a rotten design,” I grumbled, as I emptied our paper shredder. I was following good advice about shredding personal documents, but I could not empty the container without spilling strips of confetti all over the carpet! One day as I was gathering trash, I debated whether I’d even bother since it was only half-full. But when I slipped a small plastic bag over the top and flipped it upside down, I was pleased to see that not a bit of paper had fallen on the floor.
The error had been mine. I had been waiting until the container was filled to the brim before emptying it!
When we allow sin to fill up our hearts, it too will overflow into our life. Luke 6:45 says that “an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.” It is “out of the abundance of the heart” that we speak.
What if we were to empty our hearts of the rubbish of sin before it started spilling into our interactions with others? To dispose of our bitterness, stubborn pride, seething anger? (Eph. 4:26-32). First John 1:9 reminds us that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
A paper shredder is designed to be a rubbish receptacle. You and I are not!
— Cindy Hess Kasper
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: show up
Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking in a lame foot (v.19).
READ: Proverbs 25:13-28
My colleague missed the deadline for submitting his part of our project. When we asked our leader how long I should wait, he told me to turn in what I had put together, for my partner would probably never come through. "It's unfortunate," he said, "but he isn’t dependable." "Not dependable" is a terrible tag. We may be attracted to star qualities such as beauty and brains, but a person will most likely value our characteristic of faithfulness. Consider the friends and co-workers you cherish. They may not be the flashiest or most successful, but you treasure them because you know you can count on them. They always show up. Mark was a rising star in the early Christian church, but he bailed on Paul and Barnabas midway through their first missionary journey (Acts 13:13). Paul refused to take Mark on his second trip, for the job was hard enough without having to worry about having a quitter on board (Acts 15:37-38). Proverbs 25:19 says that an unreliable person is like a "lame foot". A bad leg may look fine when you're sitting down, but it wobbles and might even collaspe when you stand up and try to walk. I think unreliable people are more like broken legs, which always let you down. How about you? You can't choose your God-given gifts, but you can choose to simply show up. When a potential employer checks your references, do they say you're dependable? Do you always follow through? It's not too late. As Paul languished in a Roman dungeon, he told Timothy: "Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me in my ministry" (2 Timothy 4:11). Mark finally showed up, and Paul leaned on him in the end. -Mike Wittmer
Some people are undependable because they're lazy while others are too afraid to try. What's your biggest obstacle to being reliable, and how can you overcome it?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
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