ODJ: even better
To me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better (v.21). READ: Philippians 1:19-25 The text message from my brother was terse: “Dad just passed away. Come to ward now.” My 84-year-old father had vacillated between life and death for 2 months. He finally took his final breath. Dad had lost his battle with [...]
ODB: Do It Yourself
August 16, 2011
READ: Mark 6:30-44
[Jesus] answered and said to them, “You give them something to eat.” —Mark 6:37
You give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37). It’s easy to miss those words from Jesus. A huge crowd had gathered to hear Him. Late in the day, the disciples got nervous and started pressing Him to send them away (v.36). “You give them something to eat,” Jesus replied (v.37).
Why would He say that? John 6:6 says He was testing them. Did He want to see if they would trust Him to perform a miracle? Maybe, but it seems more likely He wanted His disciples involved in caring for the crowd, to be hands-on in working with and for Him. He then blessed what they brought to Him—five loaves of bread and two fish—and performed the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000.
I think Jesus uses those words with us too. A need pre-sents itself in the lives of those around us, and we bring it to Jesus in prayer. “You do something,” Jesus often says. “But, Lord,” we object, “we don’t have enough time or money or energy.” We’re wrong, of course. When Jesus asks us to get involved, He already knows how He will accomplish His work through us.
What we need is faith and vision—the ability to see that God wants us to be His instruments, and that He will supply what we need.
— Randy Kilgore
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...ODJ: taking God for granted
Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come (v.8).
READ: 1 Timothy 4:6-16
I’m not going to join the track team again! I said that to myself countless times during my years in school. But every track season, there I was, back on the team.
Why did I have a love/hate relationship with track? The training! During practice, we pushed our perceived physical limits and strove for perfection. And all that training led to some difficulty and discomfort. Having said that, however, it also led to physical fitness that I haven’t witnessed since then. So, even though I disliked all the running, it was good for me.
There’s another kind of training that is far more important than track—training in godliness. We need to train ourselves to be someone who faithfully walks with God each day. How do we do that? Well, the word train gives us a clue. You see, we don’t simply drift into godliness. Like the training for track, it takes intentional, focused steps to get there.
Watch your diet. What are you feeding on? Primetime TV? Bestseller novels? The apostle Paul urged Timothy to fill up on the message of faith and sound doctrine (1 Timothy 4:6). So reading God’s Word and feasting on solid Christian literature is a good start. But more than that, you need to truly believe and apply the truths of God’s Word to your life.
Use your time well. Paul told Timothy, “Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales” (v.7). Likewise, you can’t simply wish you had time to read the Bible, pray, and meditate—you have to choose a time and stick to it.
I take regular walks with God. Along the way, I like to listen to sermons or simply talk with Him in prayer. These “workouts” have been great for my body and spirit. Start your own spiritual workout program today! —Poh Fang Chia
Amid all the pressures and demands of your day, when will you take time to train in godliness? What new “workout” practices do you need to add to your regimen? Why?
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(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: “Embroidery Of Earth”
August 15, 2011
READ: Isaiah 41:17-20
I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, the myrtle and the oil tree. —Isaiah 41:19
Near one of the most majestic sites in God’s nature is a botanical garden of awe-inspiring beauty. On the Canadian side of Niagara Falls is the Floral Showhouse. Inside the greenhouse is a vast array of beautiful flowers and exotic plants. In addition to the flora my wife and I observed, something else caught our attention—the wording of a plaque.
It reads: “Enter, friends, and view God’s pleasant handiwork, the embroidery of earth.” What a marvelous way to describe the way our Creator favored this globe with such jaw-dropping beauty!
The “embroidery of earth” includes such far-ranging God-touches as the verdant rainforests of Brazil, the frigid beauty of Arctic Circle glaciers, the flowing wheat fields of the North American plains, and the sweeping reaches of the fertile Serengeti in Africa. These areas, like those described in Isaiah 41, remind us to praise God for His creative handiwork.
Scripture also reminds us that the wonder of individual plants are part of God’s work. From the rose (Isa. 35:1) to the lily (Matt. 6:28) to the myrtle, cypress, and pine (Isa. 41:19-20), God colors our world with a splendorous display of beauty. Enjoy the wonder. And spend some time praising God for the “embroidery of earth.”
— Dave Branon
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Tame That Tongue
By Jireh Victor Dela Cruz, Philippines We communicate primarily with spoken words. The tongue, which comprises of 16 muscles, is the main organ responsible for our speech. Though it is small, its function affects a great deal of one’s life. James 3:2-8 compares the tongue to a small spark that can set a great forest [...]
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: staying close
This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh (v.23).
READ: Genesis 2:18-24
Over the past few months my wife and I have been the Master and Mistress of Ceremonies for three weddings. Not only are we considering doing this fulltime (just kidding!), we truly enjoyed helping the couples design marriage ceremonies and receptions that reflect who they are.
God designed marriage in a way that reflects who He is. He said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18), revealing the perfect intimacy and unity that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share as members of the Trinity (Luke 3:22).
God created a wife for Adam and brought her to him (Genesis 2:21-22). The intimacy and unity this first man experienced with his beautiful bride can be seen in the words of the poem he composed on the spot: “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh!” (v.23). Their relationship reflected the oneness of the Trinity as they were “united into one” (v.24).
The three couples my wife and I were assisting entered their new relationship as husband and wife in unity and with high hopes. What they will eventually encounter, however, are the elements of life that can threaten to come between them. Picture a couple holding hands as they face each other. As good things (like children) and difficult things (financial struggles, sickness, long hours at work) increasingly fill the space between them, the two
can be pushed apart until they release their hands.
If that happens, marriage can become a lonely place. So today, if you’re married, reach out to your spouse. Remember that God gave him or her to you, so you would not “be alone” (v.18) and so you could be “united” to reflect our triune God (v.24). In the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we find the perfect example of what it means to truly stay close. —Tom Felten
How does the intimacy and love of the Trinity help you better understand the depth of your relationship with God? If you’re married, what will you do to draw
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Is God Obligated?
August 14, 2011
READ: Jeremiah 7:1-11
Amend your ways and your doings. —Jeremiah 7:3
A friend sent me photographs of 20 beautiful churches in the world. Located as far apart as Iceland and India, each of them is architecturally unique.
The most beautiful place of worship in Jeremiah’s day was the temple in Jerusalem, which King Josiah had recently repaired and restored (2 Chron. 34–35). The people were fixated on the magnificent building (Jer. 7:4), and they foolishly thought that having the temple there meant that God would protect them from their enemies.
Instead, Jeremiah pointed out the sin in their lives (vv.3,9-10). God is not impressed by beautiful buildings constructed in His name if there is no inward beauty in the hearts of those who go there. He is not interested in an outward legalistic worship that is not matched by inward holiness. And it is wrong to think that God protects people just because of the religious things they do.
Just because we’re reading the Bible, praying, and fellowshiping with other believers doesn’t mean that God is somehow then obligated to do something for us. He cannot be manipulated. The purpose of those external activities is to develop our relationship with the Lord and to help us live differently than those in the world around us.
— C. P. Hia
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: clear conscience
I will maintain my innocence without wavering. My conscience is clear for as long as I live (v.6).
READ: Job 27:1-6
The previous owner of our house purchased an invisible fence to keep their dog from running into the street. The “fence” is comprised of a wire buried just beneath the surface of the ground, extending around the perimeter of the yard. When the dog approached the wire, the special collar he wore would start beeping, warning him that the end of his room to roam was nearing. If the clueless canine kept going, the collar gave him an unpleasant electrical shock.
A person’s conscience is a lot like that collar. Conscience is the inner faculty that lets us know when we’re getting too close to forbidden moral territory (Romans 2:14-15). It’s a God-given moral compass.
Job, amid great pain, suffering, and bitterness of the soul (Job 27:2), made a commitment to keep his conscience clear before God (vv.3-6). After suffering tragedy upon tragedy, it seems as if he would have been justified in complaining, speaking evil, compromising his principles, and even cursing God. Nobody would have blamed him if he had. But he maintained his righteousness and his integrity.
Though a Christian’s conscience is considered a fairly accurate moral compass, it’s not wholly reliable. According to the writer of Hebrews, the only way it can be completely clear is through the cleansing blood of Jesus (Heb. 9:9,14).
So how can we maintain a clear conscience before God and others? By living out holiness, integrity, godly wisdom, and sincerity (2 Corinthians 1:12, 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 2:10). We can also invite other believers to pray that we’ll maintain a clear conscience (Hebrews 13:18).
Finally, by consistently presenting our conscience to the perfect and honest evaluation of God (1 Corinthians 4:4), its clarity will reflect the holiness and righteousness He desires. —Marvin Williams
What has your conscience been telling you? In what ways do you need to live more honorably so that you can stand before God and others with a clear conscience?
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ODB: Master Craftsman
August 13, 2011
READ: Jeremiah 18:1-10
The vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter. —Jeremiah 18:4
When my wife and I were engaged, her dad gave us a special wedding present. As a watchmaker and jeweler, he made our wedding rings. To make my wedding band, Jim used gold scraps left over from resizing other rings—scraps that were seemingly without much value. But in the hands of this craftsman, those pieces became a thing of beauty that I cherish to this day. It is amazing what a master craftsman can do with what others might view as useless.
That is also how God works in our lives. He is the greatest Master Craftsman of all, taking the wasted pieces and broken shards of our lives and restoring them to worth and meaning. The prophet Jeremiah described this when he compared God’s work to that of a potter working clay: “The vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make” (Jer. 18:4).
No matter what messes we have made of our lives, God can remold us into vessels that are good in His eyes. As we confess any sin and submit ourselves in obedience to His Word, we allow the Master to do His redemptive work in our lives (2 Tim. 2:21). That is the only way for the pieces of our brokenness to be made whole and good once again.
— Bill Crowder
Source: Our Daily Bread
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