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 [...]
ODB: Thanksgiving Pardon
November 24, 2011
READ: 1 John 1:1-10
The blood of Jesus Christ [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin. —1 John 1:7
Each year at the end of November, the President of the United States issues an official pardon for the National Thanksgiving Turkey. During this lighthearted ceremony, one president remarked: “Our guest of honor looks a little nervous. Nobody’s told him yet that I’m going to give him a pardon.” The poor turkey had a good reason to be uneasy—without an acquittal, he was doomed to be Thanksgiving dinner.
We are in a similar situation when it comes to our sin. Without God’s pardon, we’re on our way to certain demise. This condition is a direct result of our own wrongdoing. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). However, we can be set free from this death sentence because God’s Son bore our sin in His body on the cross, “that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24). First John 1:7 tells us that Jesus’ blood “cleanses us from all sin.”
We can accept God’s pardon for our sin and receive eternal life when we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead (Rom. 10:9). Today, consider how you will respond to God’s offer of forgiveness.
— Jennifer Benson Schuldt
Source: Our Daily Bread
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Loading ...ODB: Looking For Water
November 3, 2011
READ: John 4:1-15
Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. —John 4:14
The United States has spent millions of dollars looking for water on Mars. A few years ago, NASA sent twin robots, Opportunity and Spirit, to the red planet to see if water was present or had been present at one time. Why did the US do this? The scientists who are poring over data sent back from those two little Martian rovers are trying to figure out if life ever existed on Mars. And for that to have happened, there had to be water. No water, no life.
Two thousand years ago, a couple of “rovers” set out across the countryside of an Earth-outpost called Samaria looking for water. One was a woman who lived nearby. The other was a man from Galilee. They ended up meeting at a well near the village of Sychar. When they did, Jesus found the water He was looking for, and the woman found the water she didn’t know she needed (John 4:5-15).
Water is essential for both physical and spiritual life. Jesus had a surprise for the woman at the well. He offered her the Water of Life—Himself. He is the refreshing, renewing “fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).
Do you know anyone looking for water? Someone who is spiritually thirsty? Introduce that person to Jesus, the Living Water. It’s the greatest discovery of all time.
— Dave Branon
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: Surprise!
October 31, 2011
READ: John 1:6-13
Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! —John 1:29
A writer for The Washington Post conducted an experiment to test people’s perception. He asked a famous violinist to perform incognito at a train station in the nation’s capital one January morning. Thousands of people walked by as he played, but only a few stopped to listen. After 45 minutes, just $32 had been dropped into the virtuoso’s open violin case. Two days earlier, this man—Joshua Bell—had used the same $3.5 million Stradivarius for a sold-out concert where people paid $100 a seat to hear him perform.
The idea of a person not being recognized for his greatness isn’t new. It happened to Jesus. “He was in the world,” John said, “. . . and the world did not know Him” (John 1:10). Why did people who had been expecting the Messiah give Jesus such a cold reception? One reason is that they were surprised. Just as people today don’t expect famous musicians to play in railway stations, the people in Jesus’ day didn’t expect Messiah to be born in a stable. They also expected Him to be a political king—not the head of a spiritual kingdom.
The people in the first century were blinded to God’s purpose in sending Jesus to this world. He came to save people from their sins (John 1:29). Receive God’s surprising gift of salvation that He offers freely to you today.
— C. P. Hia
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5) Loading ...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 ...ODB: Free 4 All
July 31, 2011
READ: Ephesians 1:7-14;2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. —Ephesians 2:8
In an effort to assist people struggling to provide for their families during tough economic times, the church I attend created a program called “Free 4 All.”
We brought lightly used items to the church and opened the doors to people of the community. They could come and take home anything they needed.
While the day was a huge success as far as the amount of goods people were able to pick up, it was even better for this reason: Six people trusted Jesus Christ as Savior at the event. Indeed, these six new believers took part in the greatest “Free 4 All” of all time—the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ.
The items that were taken to the church on this special day had already been purchased. They were then given without cost to all who simply asked for them. Likewise, eternal forgiveness for our sins has already been purchased. Jesus paid that price when He died on a cross on Golgotha’s hill 2,000 years ago (Rom. 3:23-25). He now offers salvation at no cost to all who simply repent and believe that Jesus has the power to forgive and save (Acts 16:31).
Each of us is needy spiritually—and only Jesus can meet that need. Have you accepted what He offers without cost at the world’s biggest “Free 4 All”?
— Dave Branon
Salvation is free, but you must receive it.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: Controversy Of The Cross
July 4, 2011
READ: 1 Corinthians 1:17-25
The message of the cross is . . . the power of God. —1 Corinthians 1:18
A case before the US Supreme Court focused on whether a religious symbol, specifically a cross, should be allowed on public land. Mark Sherman, writing for the Associated Press, said that although the cross in question was erected in 1934 as a memorial to soldiers who died in World War I, one veteran’s group that opposed it called the cross “a powerful Christian symbol” and “not a symbol of any other religion.”
The cross has always been controversial. In the first century, the apostle Paul said that Christ had sent him “to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:17-18). As followers of Christ, we see the cross as more than a powerful Christian symbol. It is the evidence of God’s power to free us from the tyranny of our sin.
In a diverse and pluralistic society, the controversy over religious symbols will continue. Whether a cross can be displayed on public property will likely be determined by the courts. But displaying the power of the cross through our lives will be decided in our hearts.
— David C. McCasland
Nothing speaks more clearly of God’s love than the cross.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: A Matter Of Opinion?
July 1, 2011
READ: Matthew 16:13-20
[Jesus] said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” —Matthew 16:15
We live in an age dominated by all kinds of public opinion polls. Decisions are being driven by the crowd, and some of that is good. Surveys can inform us about people’s experiences with products, helping us make wiser purchases. Opinion polls can give government officials a sense of how their policy initiatives will be received. While information gleaned is a matter of personal opinion, it can be helpful in shaping decision-making on a variety of levels.
But when it comes to the most important question for all eternity, a public opinion poll cannot give us the answer. We must answer for ourselves. In Matthew 16, Jesus took His disciples to Caesarea Philippi and asked a question about public opinion: “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” (v.13). The answers were varied, and all were complimentary—but none was adequate. That’s why Jesus then asked His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” (v.15). Peter got the answer right: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v.16).
Public opinion can help answer certain questions, but not the one question that will determine your eternity: Who do you say that Jesus is? If you agree with Scripture, and place your trust in Christ, you will have eternal life.
— Bill Crowder
Opinion is no substitute for the truth of God’s Word.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...ODB: Lost And Found
June 30, 2011
READ: Luke 15:1-10
Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost! —Luke 15:6
Until the day I was found, I didn’t know I was lost. I was going about business as usual, moving from task to task, distraction to distraction. But then I received an e-mail with the heading: “I think you’re my cousin.” As I read my cousin’s message, I learned that she and another cousin had been searching for my branch of the family for nearly 10 years. The other cousin promised her father, shortly before he died, that she would find his family.
I hadn’t done anything to get lost, and I didn’t have to do anything to be found except acknowledge that I was the person they had been looking for. Learning that they had spent so much time and energy searching for our family made me feel special.
This led me to think about the “lost and found” parables of Luke 15—the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Whenever we wander away from God, whether intentionally like the prodigal son or unintentionally like the sheep, God looks for us. Even though we may not “feel” lost, if we have no relationship with God, we are. To be found, we need to realize that God is looking for us (Luke 19:10) and admit that we are separated from Him. By giving up our waywardness, we can be reunited with Him and restored to His family.
— Julie Ackerman Link
To be found, you must admit you are lost.
Source: Our Daily Bread
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...ODB: Rescued
June 16, 2011
READ: Colossians 1:3-18
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. —Colossians 1:13
In the aftermath of Haiti’s devastat- ing earthquake in January 2010, the scenes of destruction and death were often punctuated by someone being pulled alive from the rubble, even after all hope seemed gone. Relief and tears of joy were followed by deep gratitude toward those who worked around the clock, often risking their own lives to give someone else another chance to live.
How would you feel if it happened to you? Have you ever been rescued?
In Colossians 1, Paul wrote to people who had come to know Jesus Christ and whose lives showed evidence of their faith. After assuring them of his prayers for them to know God’s will and to please Him, Paul used a powerful word picture to describe what God had done for them all: “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (vv.13-14).
In Christ, we have been rescued! He has taken us from danger to safety; from one power and destiny to another; from death to life.
It’s worth pondering all that being rescued means to us, as we thank God for His grace and power.
— David C. McCasland
Source: Our Daily Bread
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