ODB: Actions and Results
November 30, 2011 READ: Romans 5:12-19 If by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. —Romans 5:15 On November 24, 1971, a man known today as D. B. Cooper hijacked a commercial flight between Portland [...]
ODJ: oops!
Anyone who hears My teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand (v.26).
READ: Matthew 7:24-27
In late 2010, a commercial airline copilot had one major oops moment. While the lead pilot had left the cockpit for a break, his clumsy crewman knocked the control column forward as he attempted to adjust his seat. The jet, which had been cruising at 37,000 feet, instantly nosedived more than 2,000 feet. The pilot managed to return to the cockpit, but then faced a struggle with the panicked copilot who wouldn’t release his grip on the controls. The tug-of-war resulted in the plane plummeting another 5,000 feet. Finally, the captain returned the aircraft to normal flight mode, much to the relief of 113 terrified passengers! Like that foolish flyer, we can also behave in ways that place us—and others—in danger. Jesus described a “foolish” builder in Matthew 7. Instead of constructing his home on “bedrock” (v.25), the guy chose a fool-friendly foundation—sand. Not a good idea, for when the wind and rains of a fierce storm hit the house, it “[collapsed] with a mighty crash” (v.27). This teaching, the finale of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, called people to leave their foolish ways behind and to follow Him. He knew that the “storm,” a picture of God’s future judgment (Jeremiah 23:19; Ezekiel 1:4), would lay bare each person’s spiritual state. It would reveal whether or not they had chosen to follow God (Matthew 6:33), submit to His will (7:21), and walk with Him in obedience and righteousness (7:22-23).
You and I might claim to be believers in Jesus—to have our lives built on the Rock. But if our words and actions deny what He teaches as we foolishly push forward into sin and reckless living, we’re headed for a major spiritual nosedive.
Release your grip on foolish ways and turn over the control of your life to Jesus, and begin soaring with Him! —Tom Felten
What will keep you from acting foolishly? Why is it essential that believers in Jesus follow Him in obedience?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...Seeing God in the Bible
The Bible is a book about people who have a problem with God. They have a hard time seeing eye to eye with a God who says, “ ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My [...]
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: Honoring Your Parents
November 29, 2011
READ: Exodus 20:1-17
Honor your father and mother. —Ephesians 6:2
My dad recently turned 90 years old and his physical capabilities are fading. He can still move around with his walker, but he needs someone to cook his meals and help him with other tasks.
My older brother Steve and his wife Judy lived close to him, so they decided to move in with Dad to care for him. Wanting to help in some way, my wife and I flew across the country to help out a bit by watching Dad while my brother and his wife had some time away together. We enjoyed our time with my father and were glad to ease Steve and Judy’s load—even if it was only for a few days.
The Bible says to “honor your father and mother” (Eph. 6:2). One New Testament commentary says that to honor someone is to “treat him with the deference, respect, reverence, kindness, courtesy, and obedience which his station in life . . . demands.”
For young children, this means obeying parents. For teenagers, it indicates showing respect for Mom and Dad even if you think you know more than they do. For young adults, this means including your parents in your life. And for those in middle-age and beyond, it means making sure that parents are cared for as they move into old age or their health declines.
How can you honor your parents this week?
— Dennis Fisher
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: next
[God] commanded our ancestors to teach [His laws] to their children, so the next generation might know them . . . and they in turn will teach their own children (vv.5-6).
READ: Psalm 78:1-8
My dad surpassed the biblical lifespan of 80 years mentioned in Psalm 90:10. But his 84 years was barely 9 percent of the average lifespan of the first 10 generations of humans. Adam lived 930 years. Seth, 912. Enosh, 905. Kenan, 910. Mahalalel, 895. Jared, 962. Enoch, 365. Methuselah, 969. Lamech, 777, and Noah, 950 years (Genesis 5). These 10 patriarchs (excluding Enoch who did not die) lived an average of 912 years. I‘ve often wondered why they lived such long lives.
In Psalm 78:9-72, Asaph recounted the history of Israel, so that the Israelites would not forget God and what He had done. Asaph said, “I will teach you hidden lessons from our past . . . stories our ancestors handed down to us” (vv.2-3).
God told parents “to teach [God’s laws] to their children, so the next generation might know them . . . and they in turn will teach their own children” (vv.5-6) so that “they [would] not be . . . stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God” (v.8).
Perhaps this is why for the first 1,600 years of human history, people lived long lives: so that they could teach their children and their grandchildren about the Creator God and encourage them to “set [their] hope anew on God” (v.7). Overlapping 9 generations, they were either contemporaries of Adam, or personally knew someone who had been! Imagine this: Adam telling Lamech, his 9th generation progeny, and Noah’s father, about what had happened in the Garden of Eden! (Genesis 3).
Today, our life spans have been reduced significantly (Genesis 6:3). But the duty to teach the next generation “to give their hearts to God” (Psalm 78:8) hasn’t changed. It remains our most important gift to the next generation (Matthew 28:20).
—K.T. Sim
What’s one thing we should teach our children about God? How will we help them “hope anew on God”?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Just Do What’s Right
November 28, 2011
READ: Philippians 2:12-18
That you may become . . . children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. —Philippians 2:15
On a trip out of the country, I happened to meet an attorney who was from my hometown in New Jersey. We were surprised at how much we had in common. In the course of the conversation, he asked, “Did you say your name was Stillwell?” I said, “No, it’s Stowell.” He then mentioned that he had a client named Stillwell. “Is it Art Stillwell?” I asked, and, to my surprise, he said yes. Art Stillwell attended my church and was an influential businessman in the community.
The attorney admitted that he had no client quite like Art. He explained that most of his clients want him to do whatever it takes to get them out of their problems, but Art was different. Whenever he asked Art what to do in any given situation, Art always replied, “Just do what’s right!” Obviously it had made an impression on the attorney.
Yielding to Christ in all of our desires and decisions regardless of the outcome is what sets us apart in a world full of people consumed by their own interests. When we live blameless lives “without fault”—courageously reflecting the integrity, love, and grace of Jesus—we clearly “shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15).
So, if you want to light up your world in a compelling way, just do what’s right!
— Joe Stowell
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...the weaker I get, the stronger I become
By Naomi Berman, Sri Lanka “Jesus died so that you won’t be sick. His will for you is to be well.” This was said to me, as I laid helpless in a hospital bed. How do I even begin to comprehend this statement? All along I thought that God’s will for my life is to [...]
(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: justice
You must not oppress foreigners. You know what it’s like to be a foreigner, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt (v.9).
READ: Exodus 23:1-9
Stephane Hessel, a 93-year-old philosopher, concentration camp survivor, and former member of the French Resistance, has written a booklet, Be Indignant. Since the publishing of the tract and its 11 printings, he has inspired the nation to fight for social justice. Hessel said to the French: “Don’t be complacent. Don’t simply accept the widening gap between rich and poor, the degradation of our planet, the suffering of oppressed peoples. Get angry and take action.”
Long before Hessel wrote to inspire the French to fight for the oppressed, God commanded His people to follow His lead and live justly. Upon delivering Israel from Egyptian oppression, God wanted to establish a community that would be governed by the laws of love, truth, and justice. God expected His people to deal fairly and justly with one another. They were not supposed to pervert justice because of the pressure of the crowd (Exodus 23:2), financial gain (vv.3,6,8), or favoritism toward the poor (vv.4-5). The motivation for practicing justice toward others was that God had demonstrated one of the greatest acts of justice on their behalf—freeing them from Egyptian oppression (v.9).
We too are recipients of a great act of justice—Jesus dying on the cross to set us free from the oppression of sin. With the death and resurrection of Jesus our Messiah, God has already begun to make things right in a far-from-right world. Because of our relationship with Jesus, we are His agents of justice and change in the world, loosening the chains of injustice, setting the oppressed free, sharing our food with the hungry, providing shelter for the homeless and foreigner, and clothing the naked.
Let’s be indignant against injustice and take God’s love and mercy everywhere sin has vandalized His shalom. —Marvin Williams
Over what act of injustice in our world does God want you to pray, get angry about, and take action? How does God’s justice encourage and inspire you today?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Feeling Poor?
November 27, 2011
READ: Psalm 86
I am poor and needy. —Psalm 86:1
In one way or another, we can all relate to Psalm 86:1 where David says, “I am poor and needy.” Even the richest among us should understand that poverty and need relate more to the spirit than to the wallet. When billionaire Rich DeVos speaks to groups he often says, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.”
Psalm 86 tells us that the help God provides is not measured by a monetary ledger sheet. When we acknowledge that we are poor and needy, it’s not so God will lavish material riches on us. No, we do so to open the door to other, more valuable treasures.
Here’s what God does for the poor and needy. He will “preserve” our lives and “save” all those who trust in Him (v.2). He will be “merciful” and “ready to forgive” (vv.3,5). He will listen to and answer prayer (vv.6-7).
But we’re not to take God’s blessings without giving back. We have a responsibility to learn God’s ways, walk in His truth, “fear [God’s] name,” praise the Lord, and “glorify [His] name” (vv.11-12).
Do you consider yourself among the “poor and needy”? If so, welcome to the club. Let’s not forget all the spiritual blessings God has for us and the godly response we should have toward His generosity.
— Dave Branon
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: okay to be great?
I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others (v.2).
READ: Genesis 12:1-3
Is it a sin to be great? Over the years, I’ve heard statements that imply it is. Some have said, “It’s not about me. It’s about God.” Or, “People need to see God, not me.” Yes, we should avoid self-promotion, but I wonder if believers in Jesus can take it too far?
To those who think it’s a sin to pursue greatness, have you ever considered that God promised greatness to men like Abraham and David? To Abraham He said, “I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2 NIV). To David He said, “I will make your name as famous as anyone who has ever lived on the earth” (2 Samuel 7:9). Does it get any greater than that?
As I read these passages, it doesn’t seem that God considers achieving greatness in and of itself wrong. He was not concerned that their greatness would take away from His ultimate greatness. In fact, it’s just the opposite. All that we are comes from God. And when we seek to do great things to glorify Him, we are ultimately reflecting the Source of our greatness.
To those who would say, “It’s not about us. It’s about God,” I would ask, “Why isn’t it about us and God?” After all, God created us as His image bearers (Genesis 1:27). As human beings, we are designed to reveal and reflect His greatness and glory to a world that desperately needs to see more of Him.
We shouldn’t look to be honored like the hypocrites who craved to be noticed (Matthew 6:1), but we also don’t need to apologize for greatness when it’s noticed in us. It’s not about stroking our egos and becoming arrogant. It’s about acknowledging a shared partnership and purpose. It’s about celebrating the privilege of having God use our lives to advance His kingdom. —Jeff Olson
How are you attempting to do great things for God? What’s the balance between pursuing excellence and greatness and leaving the outcome in His hands?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...
