Incredible Forgiveness
By Tracy Phua, 24, Singapore In March this year, I attended a Pastor’s conference held in the state of Jharkhand, India. Amidst the countless stories told of God’s faithfulness and grace in their lives, one story stood out. Vimala is a petite woman. Her strong facial features belied the trauma she is going through. As [...]
Tchoukball and Second Chances
By Ian Gustafson, 19, Michigan USA If you’ve never heard of tchoukball before, you might find that it sounds a bit odd. When watching or playing the game for the first time, your attention might be drawn towards the trampoline-like goals or the colorful ball. You might also be completely lost like me. But as [...]
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...ODB: Peace and Reconciliation
May 7, 2011
READ: Matthew 18:21-35
Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you? —Matthew 18:33
When the US Civil War ended in 1865, more than half a million soldiers lay dead, the economy was shattered, and people remained deeply divided politically. The observance of Mother’s Day in the United States began with two women’s efforts for peace and reconciliation during this time of anguish. In 1870, Julia Ward Howe called for an International Mother’s Day on which women would unite in opposing war in all its forms. A few years later, Anna Reeves Jarvis began her annual Mother’s Friendship Day in an effort to reunite families and neighbors alienated by the war. There is always great suffering when friends and families are fractured and unwilling to forgive.
The gospel of Jesus Christ brings the promise of peace and reconciliation with God and with each other. When Peter asked Jesus how often he should forgive a brother who sinned against him (Matt. 18:21), the Lord surprised everyone with His answer of “seventy times seven” (v.22). Then He told an unforgettable story about a servant who had received forgiveness and failed to pass it on (vv.23-35). As God freely forgives us, so He requires that we extend what we have received to others.
With God’s love and power, forgiveness is always possible.
— David C. McCasland
Forgiveness is Christianity in action.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Serve Him Today
March 30, 2011
READ: 1 Samuel 12:19-25
You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. —1 Samuel 12:20
Most of us have wanted something so badly that even though we knew it was wrong, we plunged after it anyway. Later we have felt sorrow for our spiritual stubbornness and stupidity. In the aftermath of willfully disobeying God, we may become angry with ourselves, numbed by regret, or resigned to the consequences of our foolish mistake. But there is another choice.
When the people of Israel insisted on having a king despite the warnings of Samuel the prophet (1 Sam. 8:4-9), God allowed them to have their way. But when they realized the tragic results of their choice, they asked for Samuel’s help and prayers (12:19). Samuel told the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart” (12:20).
We can’t undo yesterday, but we can act today to influence tomorrow. Samuel promised to pray for them and teach them the right way. He urged them, “Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you” (v.24).
God invites us to serve Him today, humbly acknowledging His forgiveness and His faithfulness.
— David C. McCasland
Source: Our Daily Bread
(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5) Loading ...ODJ: letting go
If you love your father or mother more than you love Me, you are not worthy of being Mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than Me, you are not worthy of being Mine (v.37).
READ: Matthew 10:32-42
Li Yue fell hard for Hou You Jing. They were from the same province, shared a love for badminton and western movies, and—as if by fate—met while working second shift at a microchip processor company in Shenzhen. Li Yue couldn’t stand to be apart from Hou You Jing, and she didn’t notice that her constant calls and weekend plans were beginning to smother him. He slowly pulled away—finally telling her that he was ending their relationship. Li Yue was devastated. In desperation, she pleaded, “But I love you!”
But was it truly love? Jonathan Edwards explained that we truly love another person only if we love them first in God. Any love that doesn’t begin with God is actually a form of selfishness. We love ourselves rather than others, our family rather than another family, or our city or country rather than another town or nation. Our circle of love may widen to include everyone on planet Earth, yet we’ll still prefer the people on our planet to the possible inhabitants of others. Edwards explained that “true virtue consists in love to Being [his term for God] in general” and only afterward “to any one particular being.”
This is partially Jesus’ point when He commands us to love Him more than our closest family and friends (Matthew 10:37). He isn’t merely warning against idolatry, but He’s also telling us how to fully enjoy our close relationships. When we love others more than God, we inevitably ask more from them than what they can deliver. Our neediness will eventually suffocate them and our relationship.
Jesus said that whatever we cling to we will lose, but “if you give up your life for Me, you will find it” (v.39). As the saying goes, “If you love someone, set them free”—in God. —Mike Wittmer
How can you tell if you’re putting another person, hobby, or thing in the place reserved for God alone? How might you properly enjoy those things as God’s gift to you?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: off-limits
The Lord says . . . “I will heal you of your faithlessness; My love will know no bounds” (v.4).
READ: Hosea 14:1-9
James Pell and three of his buddies wandered into treacherous territory while snowboarding in the French Alps. Refecting on the incident, Pell said, “We came to a clif ledge and quickly realized [we would not] be able to ride out of the area. But by [that] time . . . we were stuck.”
If you’ve ever wandered of spiritually, you understand how easy it is to get into a situation that seems hopeless. The buzz of being in an of-limits area quickly grows quiet.
When the Israelites made the disastrous decision to worship Baal and some handcrafted silver idols (Hosea 13:1-2), God sent them a message through the prophet Hosea. He outlined what to do to get back to a place of spiritual safety.
First, Hosea instructed them to “Return to the Lord. Say to Him, ‘Forgive all our sins’” (14:2). We too need to repent if we want to renew our relationship with Jesus after a time of wandering away.
Once we humbly admit our sin and continue no more in it, it’s time to praise God for His mercy (v.3). The Bible assures us that “people who . . . confess [their sins] and turn from them, they will receive mercy” (Proverbs 28:13). While we may sufer some earthly consequences for backsliding, God makes it possible for our relationship with Him to be restored.
Finally, we have to trust in our Father’s forgiveness. God said, “I will heal you of your faithlessness; My love will know no bounds, for My anger will be gone forever” (Hosea 14:4). Although guilt may try to stalk us, God’s forgiveness sets us free from past sin.
If you’re in an of-limits area, remember Hosea’s words to the Israelites, “The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them” (v.9). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Why is it so tempting to wander away from God? How does He respond when we return to Him after being in a spiritually off-limits area?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: power failure
Your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of His people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command (v.14).
READ: 1 Samuel 13:5-14
An impromptu high-wire act by a 26-year-old man caused a portion of Dongguan, a city in China, to experience a blackout. The man had lost his job and chose to drown his sorrows by drinking heavily. After his binge, the drunken one climbed a high voltage cable tower and began walking and hanging on the power cables. When firemen couldn’t coax him down, they ordered the electricity to be shut off so he wouldn’t electrocute himself. Four hours later, the guy finally fell . . . landing softly on a safety cushion where he was “greeted” by police. King Saul once had a power surge (1 Samuel 10:6), but he lost it all due to a rash decision. In the span of just four chapters, we find the prophet Samuel anointing Saul as Israel’s king (13:1) and then informing him that God had rejected him as ruler of His people (v.14). Why the abrupt change? Samuel made it plain to Saul: “Because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” The command was clear. Samuel told Saul to camp out at Gilgal for a week until he arrived there to “sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings” (10:8). But the king got uptight when the mighty Philistine army with “as many warriors as the grains of sand on the seashore” (13:5) caused his army to begin “trembling with fear” (v.7). With his army defecting and growing smaller by the hour, Saul (literally) chose to play with fire and did the burnt offering himself (v.9). That’s when Samuel caught him red-hot-handed and gave him the bad news—his days on the throne were numbered. Have you been tempted to make a rash decision—one that doesn’t honor God? Fear can cause us to short-circuit our faith and future. Let’s choose to obey God instead. He’s got all the power we need. —Tom Felten
What fear or concern is causing you to consider a decision that will defy God’s commands? Why is it vital that you choose to obey God instead?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: alone
You will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving Me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with Me (v.32).
READ: John 16:16-32
I saw this quote on a friend’s Facebook page: “It’s not that I feel alone because I have no friends. I have lots of friends. I know that I have people who can hold me and reassure me and talk to me and care for me and think of me. But they can’t be inside my head with me all the time—for all time.” Loneliness is a reality that all human beings experience at one time or another. Albert Einstein once said, “It is strange to be known so universally and yet be so lonely.” Jesus understands our loneliness. During His earthly ministry He saw it in the eyes of lepers, heard it in the voices of the blind, and felt it in the touch of the pressing masses. But above all, He experienced it when His close friends deserted Him. As He foretold the disciples’ desertion, however, He also confessed His unshaken confidence in His Father’s abiding presence. He said, “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving Me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with Me” (John 16:32). Jesus knew the ultimate cure for loneliness, and He shared it with us. He told us that isolation doesn’t need to lead to loneliness—for we have the abiding presence of the Father with us. God is eternal and omniscient and omnipresent. Only He could be with us all the time, for all time. After Jesus said His words of comfort to the disciples (v.22), He took up the cross and the curse of loneliness for us. He made it possible for you and me to have a restored relationship with God and to be a member of His family—all the time, for all time. —Poh Fang Chia
Who or what do you normally turn to when you feel lonely? How could you learn to recognize God’s abiding presence?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: criminally cute
Just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead (v.21).
READ: Romans 5:12-21
Giddy with delight, my young son Elias slipped out of the room that served as a temporary nursery to newborn kittens. His mother had warned him not to touch them, so she asked, “Did you touch the kitties, Elias?” “No!” he said earnestly. Mom wasn’t fooled, so she probed a bit further. “Were they soft?” “Yes,” he volunteered, “and the black one mewed.” In a toddler, such duplicity is cute. But Elias’ disobedience underscores our human condition. No one had to teach the 4-year-old fabricator to fib. He lied because such self-centered behavior is as natural to us as breathing. “I was born a sinner,” wrote the songwriter David in his classic confession. “Yes, from the moment my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). The New Testament adds this: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone” (Romans 5:12). That depressing news applies equally to kings, 4-year-olds, and you and me. Scripture passages that point out our hell-bent tendencies could leave us feeling hopelessly guilt-ridden. But, by God’s grace, there’s hope! “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were,” wrote Paul. “But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant” (Romans 5:20). We sometimes have a vague view of God behaving as a divine policeman, waiting for us to blow it so He can cuff us and curtail our freedom. But the one who accuses us is not God. Rather, it’s our archenemy the devil (see Revelation 12:7-10). Our heavenly Father is all about grace, forgiveness, and restoration. We have only to come to Him in faith and repentance. The happy conclusion is this: “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). —Tim Gustafson
Do you see God as eager to forgive or quick to judge? What does the Bible say about His character?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODJ: four hearts
Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! (v.8).
READ: Mark 4:1-20
Theologian C. H. Dodd described Jesus’ parables as stories that tease us into thought. They provoke us—shock us even—into deep soul-searching. The first parable in Mark 4 is a good example. Jesus compared His preaching mission to a farmer sowing seed that fell on different types of soil. Jesus’ missional success depended not on His message (the “seed”), but on how receptive hearts were to receive it (the “soil”). He categorized His audience into four heart types: • The hard heart, where the seed can’t penetrate (Mark 4:4,15). I once asked an author if he would ever consider Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. His reply was that there was nothing that would sway him from his religion. In this case, Jesus’ message couldn’t even get a hearing. • The shallow heart, where initial faith is abandoned because of hardship (vv.5-6,16-17). I knew a girl who needed to decide whether Jesus or her boyfriend would be her priority. She returned to her boyfriend, to the demise of her faith. Her faith wasn’t yet deep enough to face the costs of discipleship. • The distracted heart, where the worries, riches, and pleasures of life compete for our attention (vv.7,18-19). At one time, this was me. When I came to faith, my life changed but my old lifestyle of nightclubs and music vied for allegiance. I gave in and my faith began to wither. • The attentive heart, where the message is received and pursued for life (vv.8,20). This heart produces a miraculous harvest of fruit! Jesus invited His audience to wrestle with this parable and wring out its meaning (v.9). Failure to do so would prove there was little interest in Him and His forgiveness (v.12). Jesus’ invitation extends to us today. How open is our heart to His voice and message? How open is our heart to Him? —Sheridan Voysey
Which heart type would you use to describe yourself—hard, shallow, distracted, or attentive? How can you open your heart to Jesus today?
(Check out Our Daily Journey website!)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...
