ODB: Birds, Lilies And Me
August 24, 2011 READ: Luke 12:22-34 Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life. —Luke 12:22 In the episodes of an old television show, the veteran police lieutenant always said this to the young officers on their way out to the street for their day’s assignments: “Be careful out there!” It was [...]
ABODA—One Family Devoted to Worshiping God
By Daniel Ang With siblings for band-mates, ABODA is a unique Christian instrumental band. They started in 1993 with the entire family—their parents included—playing music and singing under the name Team Worshipper (which later became Worshippers). The band changed its name to ABODA in 2006. Now, it consists of Timothy Noya (piano & keyboards), Fanuel [...]
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Loading ...ODJ: big toe lack of belief
They were deeply offended and refused to believe in [Jesus] (v.3).
READ: Mark 6:1-6
A co-worker was having a conversation with her son about spiritual things. Striving to express his present lack of both belief and commitment to Jesus, the young man said, “God isn’t in my life right now; He’s just in my big toe.”
Have you ever felt that way? Has doubt or lack of commitment left you with a serious dearth of belief? Jesus once encountered some people who chose not to believe in Him. What’s more, they were from His own hometown of Nazareth! (Mark 6:1). While some of the locals were “amazed” at Jesus’ powerful teaching, the unbelieving crowd was “deeply offended and refused to believe in Him” (v.3). They took offense that Jesus was acting and teaching in ways that didn’t jibe with His ordinary carpenter upbringing. It was that whole “a prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown” thing (v.4).
The result of their lack of belief (“C’mon, He’s just the son of that carpenter and Mary.”) led to a lack of experiencing Jesus’ power in their lives. We read that He placed “His hands on a few sick people and [healed] them” (v.5). Those healed must have shown true belief. But the bulk of the Nazarenes didn’t get to witness the fullness of His miraculous ways.
We, like the young man with “big toe” lack of belief, can also stymie the work of God and His Holy Spirit by our nonexistent faith. As one commentator put it, “Jesus’ miracles were not performances but the partial realization of God’s kingdom; entrance to that kingdom and its benefits requires repentance and faith.”
True belief will result in a relationship with Jesus that courses through every cell of your body (not just your big “piggy”) and paves the way for Him to work in and through you. Dipping your toe in the water simply won’t do it. —Tom Felten
Why does God refuse to reveal His power to those who choose not to believe in Him? How do you balance God’s sovereignty and your need for genuine faith?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Joyful Reunion
August 23, 2011
READ: 2 Timothy 4:1-8
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.” Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! —Revelation 22:20
Some years ago when our children were still small, I flew home after a 10-day ministry trip. In those days people were allowed to visit the airport boarding area to greet incoming passengers. When my flight landed, I came out of the jet-bridge and was greeted by our little ones—so happy to see me that they were screaming and crying. I looked at my wife, whose eyes were teary. I couldn’t speak. Strangers in the gate area also teared up as our children hugged my legs and cried their greetings. It was a wonderful moment.
The memory of the intensity of that greeting serves as a gentle rebuke to the priorities of my own heart. The apostle John, eagerly desiring Jesus’ return, wrote, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20). In another passage, Paul even spoke of a crown awaiting those who have “loved His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). Yet sometimes I don’t feel as eager for Christ’s return as my children were for mine.
Jesus is worthy of the very best of our love and devotion—and nothing on earth should compare to the thought of seeing Him face-to-face. May our love for our Savior deepen as we anticipate our joyful reunion with Him.
— Bill Crowder
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: till death
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (v.21).
READ: Ephesians 5:21-33
Part of the joy of being a pastor is walking alongside of couples as they step into marriage. Few experiences touch the soul more than the wonder and joy (and fear) of embracing life with another person. At the center of the wedding ceremony is the moment when each person turns to the other and states a vow— a promise of devotion and faithfulness. Some couples write original vows and some recite a traditional version, but each contains a promise. And the intent is that this promise will last, as the old phrase says, “Till death do us part.”
There’s an irony in these words. When Miska and I echoed this line in our wedding, we vowed fidelity to each other as long as we lived. The apostle Paul suggests, however, that staying faithful to our marriage commitment actually requires a kind of death. To love well (and long), husbands and wives must “submit to one another” (Ephesians 5:21). We each have to surrender our rights and our agenda. We have to die to ourselves so that we can fully give ourselves to each other.
This is precisely what Jesus has done. Jesus is the model for true love, whether in a marriage or a friendship. And what did He do? He died. Jesus laid down His life as an act of submission to God and as an act of sacrificial love for humans. As Paul says, Jesus “gave up His life” for the church (v.25).
Husbands and wives face challenges in learning to surrender. We like to be in control. We work hard to protect our self-interests. Jesus invites us to take another path. He instructs us to lay down our life and our demands. He tells us that to truly love requires death. —Winn Collier
If you’re married, where do you need to die to self-interest so that you can love your spouse? If you’re not married, who do you most need to show love to—and how will you surrender your own agenda to do so?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Ponder Your Path
August 22, 2011
READ: Proverbs 4:14-27
Keep your heart with all diligence . . . . Ponder the path of your feet. —Proverbs 4:23,26
A 47-year-old Austrian man gave away his entire $4.7 million fortune after concluding that his wealth and lavish spending were keeping him from real life and happiness. Karl Rabeder told the Daily Telegraph (London), “I had the feeling I was working as a slave for things I did not wish for or need. It was the biggest shock in my life when I realized how horrible, soulless, and without feeling the ‘five-star’ lifestyle is.” His money now funds charities he set up to help people in Latin America.
Proverbs 4 urges us to consider carefully our own road in life. The passage contrasts the free, unhindered path of the just with the dark, confused way of the wicked (v.19). “Let your heart retain my words; keep my commands, and live” (v.4). “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (v.23). “Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established” (v.26). Each verse encourages us to evaluate where we are in life.
No one wants to go through life on a selfish, heartless road. But it can happen unless we consider where we are going in life and ask the Lord for His direction. May He give us grace today to embrace His Word and follow Him with all our hearts.
— David C. McCasland
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Trust in Him
By Debra Ayis, 22, Nigeria When you have reached your end And all your fears prove true When all around you seems to crumble All your dreams are as naught Lift your eyes to on high To the Lord who watches over you Leave your disappointments behind Give your life a chance to thrive By [...]
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: predator and prey
She seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her flattery (v.21).
READ: Proverbs 7:6-27
I watched a ladybug devour an aphid. First, she pierced its midsection and chewed for a while. When her prey was mortally wounded, the ladybug munched up the left side of the aphid’s body and devoured it.
In the book of Proverbs, Solomon described the interaction between a female predator and her sexual prey. Although he wrote the passage to caution his son, men and women alike can learn to spot the aggressive—yet seductive—behavior of promiscuous prowlers.
Solomon’s story in Proverbs 7 featured a lady of the evening who was the “brash, rebellious type, never content to stay at home” (v.11). She was constantly out on the town looking for “a good time,” disregarding the laws of decent behavior. Although some of us may be drawn to people who have a rebellious streak, in the end, those who disrespect the law won’t respect us either.
Predators often show their lack of respect through inappropriate advances. The prostitute Solomon described “threw her arms around [a complete stranger] and kissed him” (v.13). People who make us feel uncomfortable with touchy-feely behavior or seem too physically familiar should be avoided.
As if hugs and kisses weren’t enough to snare her prey, the huntress used this lame pickup line to entice the guy: “You’re the one I was looking for!” (v.15). Then she described what they could do in private. She “seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her flattery” (v.21).
This ferocious female’s behavior was possible partly because her prey “lacked common sense” (v.7). He was crossing the street near her house at twilight. God’s Word commands us to get “wisdom” and “develop good judgment” (Proverbs 4:5), because wisdom can protect us from people whose “bedroom is the den of death” (7:27). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
How can we reduce our risk of encountering sexual predators? If you see any of the sexually aggressive person’s behavior in yourself, how can you change your behavior?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Lessons from a Broken Heart
Paul Westdale – Learning To Serve from Justin James on Vimeo. Every broken relationship helps you learn something about yourself. What is one thing that God has shown you about yourself from a past relationship?
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Saints
August 21, 2011
READ: Colossians 1:1-2
To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse . . . . —Colossians 1:2
It’s probably not a name we would use for ourselves, but the apostle Paul often called believers “saints” in the New Testament (Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:2). Did he call them saints because they were perfect? No. These people were human and therefore sinful. What then did he have in mind? The word saint in the New Testament means that one is set apart for God. It describes people who have a spiritual union with Christ (Eph. 1:3-6). The word is synonymous with individual believers in Jesus (Rom. 8:27) and those who make up the church (Acts 9:32).
Saints have a responsibility through the power of the Spirit to live lives worthy of their calling. This includes, but is not limited to, no longer being sexually immoral and using improper speech (Eph. 5:3-4). We are to put on the new character traits of service to one another (Rom. 16:2), humility, gentleness, patience, love, unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:1-3), obedience, and perseverance during hardship and suffering (Rev. 13:10; 14:12). In the Old Testament, the psalmist called saints “the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight” (Ps. 16:3).
Our union with Christ makes us saints, but our obedience to God’s Word through the power of the Holy Spirit makes us saintly.
— Marvin Williams
Source: Our Daily Bread
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