Parables: The Unforgiving Debtor
Parables: The Unforgiving Debtor
Illustrated by William Tan, Singapore
Learn parables the fun way! Uniquely hand-drawn, this comic series is adapted from the parables of Jesus found in the book of Matthew. Don’t miss the rest which will be coming up in the next few months!
ODB: 1000th Birthday
September 30, 2011
READ: Amos 4:7-13
Prepare to meet your God! —Amos 4:12
In his book Long for This World, Jonathan Weiner writes about science’s promise to radically extend how long we live. At the center of the book is English scientist Aubrey de Grey, who predicts that science will one day offer us 1,000-year lifespans. Aubrey claims that molecular biology has finally placed a cure for aging within our reach.
But what difference does it make if, after living 1,000 years, we will eventually die anyway? De Grey’s prediction only postpones facing the ultimate question of what happens when we die. It does not answer it.
The Scriptures tell us that death is not the end of our existence. Instead, we are assured that everyone will stand before Christ—believers for their works and nonbelievers for their rejection of Him (John 5:25-29; Rev. 20:11-15). All of us are sinners and in need of forgiveness. And only Christ’s death on the cross has provided forgiveness for all who believe (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). The Bible says, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27).
Our appointed face-to-face encounter with God puts everything in perspective. So whether we live 70 years or 1,000, the issue of eternity is the same: “Prepare to meet your God!” (Amos 4:12).
— Dennis Fisher
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...ODJ: too great for words
No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words (v.13).
READ: Job 2
The pot roast was still steaming in the pan as I arranged carrots, onions, and potatoes around its perimeter and then ladled broth over the whole creation. I nestled it into a basket along with some bread, fruit salad, and cookies for dessert. The meal was for a family in our church that was grieving a deeply painful loss. My heart was heavy as I loaded everything into my car. I rehearsed what I might say to the family members, but nothing seemed appropriate.
It’s difficult to know how to comfort hurting people. When Job’s children died and his wealth and health vanished, three of his friends tried to ease his sadness. To show their support, they “traveled from their homes to comfort and console him” (v.11). Sometimes, just being present communicates care to heartbroken people.
The Bible also calls us to empathize with those in pain—to “weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15). Job’s friends approached him wailing loudly. “They tore their robes . . . to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights” (Job 2:12-13). They were willing to meet Job in the valley of his sorrow and become “likeminded” with him.
As they mourned together, no one said a word to Job because they saw that his suffering was “too great for words” (v.13). Being silent reduces the chance that we’ll say the wrong thing—which Job’s buddies did later on. Their words were so upsetting that Job exclaimed, “Listen . . . to what I am saying. That’s one consolation you can give me” (21:2). Listening to people lets them know we care.
If you know someone who is grieving, drop by for a visit, engage in their pain, and listen when they’re ready to talk. God can use you to bless those who mourn, so that they will be comforted (Matthew 5:4). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
What might prevent you from reaching out to hurting people? What are some ways you could communicate God’s love to a grieving friend?
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(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Through Thick and Thin
By Chris Wale Pierre Spies, the talented South African number 8, has gone through many difficulties we can empathise with. When he was 15 years old, his parents divorced, and only a few years later his father died. Spies then decided to trust God with his life, but that didn’t mean the tough times ended. [...]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: The Story of a Wall
September 29, 2011
READ: Ephesians 2:11-22
He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation. —Ephesians 2:14
While visiting the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England, I reflected on the fact that this may be the most remembered achievement of the Roman emperor who came to power in ad 117. As many as 18,000 Roman soldiers manned this 80-mile-long barrier, built to keep the northern barbarians from invading the south.
Hadrian is remembered for building a physical wall to keep people out. In contrast, Jesus Christ is remembered for tearing down a spiritual wall to let people in.
When the early church experienced tension between believers of Jewish and non-Jewish birth, Paul told them that, through Christ, they stood equally in the family of God. “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation . . . so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace . . . . For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father” (Eph. 2:14-15,18).
One of the most beautiful aspects of the Christian faith is the unity among those who follow Jesus. Through His death on the cross, Christ has removed the barriers that so often separate people and has drawn us together in true friendship and love.
— David C. McCasland
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: obedience & action
Don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says (v.22).
READ: James 1:19-27
Francis Marion Tarwater, Flannery O’Connor’s young, disturbed character in The Violent Bear It Away, came of age in the backwoods—far from the town and other people. Tarwater’s uncle, a bizarre man who had ecstatic visions and believed he was a prophet, raised the boy. When his uncle died, however, Tarwater headed to the city to find his remaining family. Once there, it became evident that he wasn’t prepared for the city’s temptations. He discovered that he couldn’t passively rest on the values he had been taught. He had to act. “You can’t just say NO,” said Tarwater. “You got to do NO. . . You got to show you’re not going to do one thing by doing another.” James, intensely concerned that our faith be lived and not merely professed, said something similar. Words—heard or spoken—are never enough. We have to act. We have to obey. If we only hear God’s instructions but never actually do anything with them, then we “are only fooling [ourselves]” (James 1:22). For James, foolishness was not ignorance (not knowing the truth), but rather a failure of action (knowing the truth, but not doing anything about it). “If you listen to the Word and don’t obey,” he wrote, “it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like” (v.23-24). Looking at a mirror is useless unless we act on whatever we discover staring back at us. Likewise, hearing God’s Word is useless unless we act on the truths we are given. It’s easy to learn facts. We know that eating too many cheeseburgers is bad for our health, and we know that our failure to forgive is toxic for our soul. The problem isn’t our knowing these facts, however; it’s the need for doing, for action. —Winn Collier
What truths has God revealed to you recently? What are you doing to respond and to obey them?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Not At This Time
September 28, 2011
READ: Romans 11:33–12:2
Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. —Romans 12:2
It can be quite discouraging for wanna-be writers to get their work rejected time after time. When they send in a manuscript to a publisher, they’ll often hear back in a letter with these words: “Thank you. But your submission does not meet our needs at this time.” Sometimes this really means “not at this time—or ever.” So they try the next publisher and the next.
I’ve found that the phrase This does not meet our needs at this time—or ever can be a helpful saying in my Christian walk to renew my mind and refocus my thoughts on the Lord.
Here’s what I mean. When starting to worry, we can remind ourselves: “Worry does not meet my needs at this time—or ever. My heart’s need is to trust God. I will ‘be anxious for nothing’ ” (Phil. 4:6).
When we envy what another person has or does, we can reinforce the truth: “Envy does not meet my needs at this time—or ever. My need is to give thanks to God. His Word says, ‘Envy is rottenness to the bones’ (Prov. 14:30), and ‘In everything give thanks’ ” (1 Thess. 5:18).
We can’t renew our minds by ourselves (Rom. 12:2); it’s the transforming work of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Yet speaking the truth in our thoughts can help us to submit to the Spirit’s work within.
— Anne Cetas
Source: Our Daily Bread
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: Artist of the earth
O Lord, what a variety of things You have made! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your creatures (v.24).
READ: Psalm 104
In her book Source, art historian Janine Bourke says that many of the world’s most celebrated artists developed their greatest work when they retreated to nature. Monet painted his Waterlily series after moving to his garden-home at Giverny. Picasso was most creative when based at Cỏte d’Azur in France. Jackson Pollock’s abstract paintings were inspired by Long Island landscapes. The sea became a theme for Ernest Hemingway after he moved to then unpopulated Key West in Florida.
Bourke also notes that many of these artists were animists or pantheists. Overwhelmed by the beauty of their locales, they believed that the earth was sacred and worthy of worship.
Artists aren’t the only ones to look at creation and see something divine. “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature” (Romans 1:20). The sky reveals the glory and creativity of God (Psalm 19:1-2). Nature itself speaks of it (vv.3-4).
The Christian vision of the world, however, goes a significant step beyond the pantheist’s. Creation is not God but points to a Creator who is even more amazing.
An ancient Hebrew poet captured this idea extremely well. After a breathtaking survey of the earth’s beauties, he says, “O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all” (Psalm 104:24). Another poet called on these same valleys, streams, lions, and trees—exhorting them to bow and worship the Creator (ch. 148).
The greatest artwork can only reveal a fraction of an artist’s genius. This world is the same. Why bow to the artwork of earth when the Artist behind it is so much greater? —Sheridan Voysey
How is the biblical vision of God bigger than the pantheistic view that says the world itself is divine? If you’re an artist, how can your work point to the greatest Artist?
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Study No. 3 – Personal Relationship with God
Reflect: How has the fear of God enabled you to trust Him more and lead you in greater obedience? How has it led you into a more intimate and loving relationship with God?
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: The Tales Of Two Sticks
September 27, 2011
READ: Exodus 4:1-9,17
You shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs. —Exodus 4:17
Conventional wisdom questions how much can be accomplished with little. We tend to believe that a lot more can be done if we have large financial resources, talented manpower, and innovative ideas. But these things don’t matter to God. Consider just a couple of examples:
In Judges 3:31, a relatively unknown man named Shamgar delivered Israel from the Philistines single-handedly. How? He won a great victory by killing 600 Philistines with nothing more than an oxgoad (a stick sharpened on one end to drive slow-moving animals).
In Exodus, when God asked Moses to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, Moses was afraid the people wouldn’t listen to him or follow him. So God said, “What is that in your hand?” (4:2). Moses replied, “A rod.” God went on to use that rod in Moses’ hand to convince the people to follow him, to turn the Nile River into blood, to bring great plagues on Egypt, to part the Red Sea, and to perform miracles in the wilderness.
Moses’ rod and Shamgar’s oxgoad, when dedicated to God, became mighty tools. This helps us see that God can use what little we have, when surrendered to Him, to do great things. God is not looking for people with great abilities, but for those who are dedicated to following and obeying Him.
— Albert Lee
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
