ODB: Rising to the Top
September 14, 2011 READ: 1 Samuel 15:17-30 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit. —Philippians 2:3 “Lacks ambition.” That is not a phrase you want to see on your performance review. When it comes to work, employees who lack ambition seldom rise to the top of an organization. Without a strong [...]
Song: Father
By Peter Tonna, Australia This song “Father” was written by Peter Tonna and performed by Banton Brothers. Father here I am Weak in your might A little child In your light Oh how I’ve shamed I don’t deserve the shine of your reign CHORUS x 2 Oh Father If I gave my everything Would that [...]
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Loading ...Study No. 1 – A Personal Relationship With God
Reflect: How did you come to know God personally? What has helped you to know God better and more intimately?
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: the real Jesus
All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified (v.10).
READ: 1 John 5:6-13
In 2001, the BBC’s Jeremy Bowen presented an investigation into the historical Jesus. He said, “The important thing is not what He was or what He wasn’t—the important thing is what people believe Him to have been.” The apostle John would disagree. He intimated that the testimony about who Jesus really is, not what people believed Him to have been, is believable because of several credible witnesses.
The first witness was the testimony of Jesus’ life. John said the human Jesus was Messiah, the preexistent Son of God (likely refuting the false teaching that “the Christ” came upon Jesus at His baptism and left Him before His death). Jesus marked the beginning of His ministry with His baptism (water) and marked the end with His very real sacrificial death (blood) (1 John 5:6).
The second witness was the testimony of men (v.9). John the Baptist, Jesus’ brothers (James 1:1; Jude 1:1), the more than 500 who saw Jesus alive after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6), and the apostle John (1 John 1:1-4), all gave credible testimony about Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.
The third witness was the testimony of God. On two specific occasions God verbally affirmed Jesus as Messiah God (Matthew 3:17, 17:5). God’s testimony is the epitome of all testimony.
The final witness that John gave was the testimony of their hearts. The Holy Spirit confirmed in their hearts that they had the Son, and they could know that they had eternal life through Jesus Christ (1 John 5:8).
Jesus Christ was a real person, who lived a real life and who died a real death in order to forgive real sin to save real people. May the credible testimony about Him move some to begin their journey with Him and drive the rest of us to deepen our devotion to Him! —Marvin Williams
At what times in your life have you doubted testimony about Jesus Christ? What helped to reassure you of the reality of Jesus Messiah? How important are the Scriptures in reassuring us of who Jesus is?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: Character Amnesia
September 13, 2011
READ: Job 1:13-22
There was a man . . . whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. —Job 1:1
It seems that young people in China are beginning to forget how to write the characters that comprise the beautiful calligraphy of their traditional language. Some are calling the phenomenon “character amnesia.” Heavy usage of computers and smart phones often means that writing is neglected and some can no longer remember the characters they learned in childhood. One young man said, “People don’t write anything by hand anymore except for [their] name and address.”
Some people appear to have “character amnesia” of a different sort. When faced with a dilemma, they seem to “forget” the right thing to do and instead choose the easy way out.
God called Job “a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8). God allowed Satan to take everything Job had—his children, his wealth, and his health. But despite his heart-wrenching circumstances, Job refused to curse God. “In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong” (v.22). Satan had challenged God’s assertion of Job’s blameless character, but he was proven wrong.
Character amnesia? No. Character is who we are; it’s not something we “forget.” Those who have a loss of character make a choice.
— Cindy Hess Kasper
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: sandwiched
Those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith (1 Timothy 5:8).
READ: Ruth 4:1-17
If you feel as if you’re a walking ham and cheese on rye, there might be good reason. More and more people are becoming part of the “sandwich generation.” They’re feeling the squeeze of caring for children while also supporting parents or parents-in-law. A recent report reveals that one in five working-age people in Asia are now officially “sandwiched.” Boaz and Ruth provide an ancient example of how to care for ankle-biters and aging parents. After choosing to take the widow Ruth to be his wife (Ruth 4:10), Boaz also accepted the responsibility of caring for her aging, destitute mother-in-law Naomi (v.16). God blessed Boaz and Ruth with a child whom they named Obed (v.17). In time, the child would grow and become the grandfather of King David (v.17).
From this account, we can see two principles that instruct us when we’re feeling the multigeneration squeeze:
• God requires that we lovingly care for both children and parents. Echoing Jesus’ example of making sure His mother was cared for (John 19:25-27), the apostle Paul wrote, “Those who won’t care for their relatives . . . have denied the true faith” (1 Timothy 5:8). In the same passage, he states that we must care for widows who are part of our family (v.16).
• The young and the old need each other. It’s interesting to note that Naomi the widow ended up caring for and nurturing Obed (Ruth 4:16). What a great picture of a healthy family, with the older teaching and modeling faith to the younger!
Being sandwiched can be tough. But the blessings that come with extending one hand to our children and the other to our aging parents are abundant. Just ask Naomi and Obed. —Tom Felten
If you’re caring for both kids and parents, what spiritual or material resources have you not tapped into? Why? If you’re not sandwiched, how can you help someone you know who is?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Blessed Assurance
September 12, 2011
READ: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. —2 Corinthians 5:8
As I was talking with a gentleman whose wife had died, he shared with me that a friend said to him, “I’m sorry you lost your wife.” His reply? “Oh, I haven’t lost her; I know exactly where she is!”
To some this may seem like a rather bold or even flippant assertion. With so many after-death theories, one might wonder how we can be really sure where our loved ones go after death, let alone where we ourselves will end up.
Yet, confidence is appropriate for followers of Jesus Christ. We have the assurance from God’s Word that when we die we will immediately be with our Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). Thankfully, this is more than just wishful thinking. It is grounded in the historic reality of Jesus, who came and died to cancel our penalty for sin so that we could receive eternal life (Rom. 6:23). He then proved that there was life after death by exiting His grave and ascending into heaven where, as He promised, He is preparing a place for us (John 14:2).
So, rejoice! Since the benefits of this reality are out of this world, we can boldly say with Paul that “we are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8).
— Joe Stowell
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Something is Wrong With The Gospel We Preach and the Churches We Form
By David Wong, 21, Singapore Do you face a similar temptation? That is, to take difficult verses and invent a comfortable explanation so that we need not change the way we live? Or to make things easy for our listeners so that we can attract them to the gospel? Somehow I find it hard to warn people [...]
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: painful truth
I have sinned against the Lord (v.13).
READ: 2 Samuel 12:1-25
My 4-year-old son and I were watching television when we saw a commercial for skin cream. A woman’s face appeared and then the camera zoomed in, revealing a rather serious set of crow’s feet. But it didn’t stop there. Computer animation gave us a peek beneath the surface of her skin—into her very pores. Finally, they showed the wrinkle cream doing its thing. My son looked over at me and said, “Mom, you should get some of that.” After considering his comment, I consulted the mirror and thought, “He’s right.”
Sometimes God uses people close to us to point out our flaws, even though “honest words can be painful” (Job 6:25). David had to endure an uncomfortable confrontation when the prophet Nathan said, “You have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife” (2 Samuel 12:9). David’s consequences for the sin? A rebellious household (v.11), public disgrace (v.12), and personal loss (v.14).
During the gut-wrenching discussion, David didn’t say much. In fact, Nathan spoke more than seven times the number of words that David did. David listened more than he talked, and he never defended his actions or became angry with Nathan for speaking painful—but honest—words. In the end, the king admitted, “I have sinned against the Lord” (v.13).
The Bible says that “wounds from a sincere friend are better than kisses from an enemy” (Proverbs 27:6). If God has placed someone in your life who is willing to challenge you about your spiritual shortcomings, take a lesson from David. Listen carefully—without getting mad—to God’s messenger, and admit your mistake. Then, like David, you can ask God to remove the stain of your guilt, and joyfully sing of His forgiveness (Psalm 51:9,14). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
When was the last time someone pointed out some painful truth to you? How did you respond? Why is it sometimes most difficult to confront people close to us about their spiritual shortcomings?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: The Mercy of God
September 11, 2011
READ: Psalm 31:9-15
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; my eye wastes away with grief, yes, my soul and my body! —Psalm 31:9
Today marks the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the US on September 11, 2001. It’s hard to think about that date without mental images of the destruction, grief, and loss that swept over America and the world following those tragic events. The loss of thousands of lives was compounded by the depth of loss felt corporately—a lost sense of security as a country. The sorrow of loss, personal and corporate, will always accompany the memory of the events of that day.
Those horrific events are not the only painful memories of September 11. It also marks the anniversary of my father-in-law’s death. Jim’s loss is felt deeply within our family and his circle of friends.
No matter what kind of sorrow we experience, there is only one real comfort—the mercy of God. David, in his own heartache, cried to his heavenly Father, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; my eye wastes away with grief, yes, my soul and my body!” (Ps. 31:9). Only in the mercy of God can we find comfort for our pain and peace for our troubled hearts.
In all losses, we can turn to the true Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who alone can heal our brokenness and grief.
— Bill Crowder
Source: Our Daily Bread
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