Daily Devotion

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"...but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" - Genesis 3:3

FREE TO ACCEPT AND FREE TO REJECT
September 29, 2015

Imagine this: a man wakes up – the first man – and he sees a world full of beauty, glory, savory fruits and animals. All were living in harmony with one another and with God.

Fast forward. God had put one tree in the middle of the garden and told Adam that he must not eat from it. Ever wonder why?

Well, the reason is very simple. God loves us and He created us to have fellowship with Him and choose to follow His commands. There is not true love in a relationship unless we are free to reject that love. God gave man a free will to decide if we love Him enough to trust Him, and trust Him enough to obey Him. To love God is to obey Him. It’s a choice. If we have no choice, we have no opportunity to love. Instead, we’re robots or puppets.

But, what is really amazing, God’s love is so great that even though we all choose to disobey Him more often than we’d like to admit, He gives us a way to be forgiven and changed, and empowered to love Him through Jesus Christ. Why don’t you choose Christ in faith and you’ll be forgiven and made right with God. It’s a relationship like none you’ve known before!

 

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We Can Know
Oct 1, 2015

Read: 1 John 5:10-15 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 11–13; Ephesians 4


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I write these things to you . . . that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13

As I sat on a train headed for an important appointment, I began to wonder if I was on the right train. I had never traveled that route before and had failed to ask for help. Finally, overcome by uncertainty and doubt, I exited at the next station—only to be told I had indeed been on the right train!

That incident reminded me how doubt can rob us of peace and confidence. At one time I had struggled with the assurance of my salvation, but God helped me deal with my doubt. Later, after sharing the story of my conversion and my assurance that I was going to heaven, someone asked, “How can you be sure you are saved and going to heaven?” I confidently but humbly pointed to the verse that God had used to help me: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13).

God promises that through faith in His Son, Jesus, we already have eternal life: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son” (v. 11). This assurance sharpens our faith, lifts us up when we are downhearted, and gives us courage in times of doubt.

Dear Lord, during my times of doubt help me remember the promise of Your Word. Since I have invited Jesus into my life and placed my faith in His payment for my sins, You have promised me eternal life with You.

Recalling God’s promises destroys doubt.

INSIGHT:
The Bible Knowledge Commentary says of John’s first epistle: “The letter contains no hint about the identity or location of the readers [to whom the letter was sent] beyond the fact that they are Christians. Since early church tradition associates John with the Roman province of Asia (in western Turkey), it has often been thought that the readers lived there. . . . [They] had been confronted with false teachers, whom John called antichrists (1 John 2:18–26). The exact character of these false teachers has been much discussed. Many have thought they were Gnostics who held to a strict dualism in which spiritual and material things were sharply distinguished.” Bill Crowder

 

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Miracle Rain
Oct 4, 2015

Read: 1 Kings 18:1,41-45 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 20–22; Ephesians 6


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I am God, and there is no other. Isaiah 46:9

Life is hard for the villagers who live on a hilly terrain in the Yunnan Province of China. Their main source of food is corn and rice. But in May 2012 a severe drought hit the region and the crops withered. Everyone was worried, and many superstitious practices were carried out as the people attempted to end the drought. When nothing worked, people started blaming the five Christians in the village for offending the spirits of the ancestors.

These five believers gathered to pray. Before long, the sky darkened and thunder was heard. A heavy downpour started and lasted the whole afternoon and night. The crops were saved! While most of the villagers did not believe God sent the rain, others did and desired to find out more about Him and Jesus.

In 1 Kings 17 and 18 we read of a severe drought in Israel. But in this case, we are told, it was a result of God’s judgment on His people (17:1). They had begun to worship Baal, the god of the Canaanites, believing that this deity could send the rain for their crops. Then God, through His prophet Elijah, showed that He is the one true God who determines when rain falls.

Our all-powerful God desires to hear our prayers and answer our pleas. And though we do not always understand His timing or His purposes, God always responds with His best for our lives.

In what ways have you seen God answer prayer in the past? What needs do you have to bring before Him today? What do you want to thank Him for?

Share your comments at odb.org.

Through prayer, we draw upon the power of the infinite God.

INSIGHT:
The Old Testament prophet Elijah was a man whose name mirrored his mission and message. Sent by God to a generation that had embraced Baal as their god, Elijah, whose name means “Jehovah is my God,” was sent to remind them of the God of their fathers. Along the way, Elijah experienced evidence of God’s greatness through the miraculous provision of food at Kerith and Zarephath, the resurrection of a widow’s young son, and the supernatural demonstration of His power on Mount Carmel as fire fell from heaven (1 Kings 17–18). All these miracles bore witness to the reality that Jehovah is God. Bill Crowder

 

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"That's the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty." -Ecclesiastes 12:13

DON’T TURN THE WRONG WAY
October 4, 2015

Solomon, the ancient king of Israel, was a man who had everything he wanted. He had extraordinary success and wealth, incredible intellect, more women, and sex than any Hollywood star or professional athlete could ever have, yet it all became meaningless to him. He felt so empty inside. Why? Because he had turned his back on God to pursue all that he wanted for himself. He was a classic example of a good man who started strong, but turned the wrong way and wound up empty.

The good news of the story of Solomon is that late in his life, he came to his senses and turned back to God. After trying everything else, he found the key to life is “to fear God and keep His commandments.” Fear means reverence. In other words, to revere God, worship Him and show you mean it by obeying His word.

Do you feel empty and weary? Trust God and obey Him. It’s a sure way to feel fulfilled and not empty inside.

 

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Playing with Fire
Oct 6, 2015

Read: John 15:10-20 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 26–27; Philippians 2


Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. . . . And I too will love them and show myself to them. John 14:21

When I was a young boy, my mom warned me that I should never play with fire. Yet one day I decided to see what would happen if I did. Taking a book of matches and some paper, I went out into the backyard to experiment. With heart beating fast, I knelt on the ground, struck the match, and set the paper aflame.

Suddenly I saw my mother approaching. Not wanting to get caught, I put my legs over the flames to hide what I was doing. But Mom shouted, “Denny, move your legs! There’s a fire underneath them!” Fortunately, I moved my legs quickly enough and was not burned. I realized then that my mother’s rule about not playing with fire was not to spoil my fun but because of her concern to keep me safe.

God always has our best interests at heart.
Sometimes we don’t understand the reasons behind God’s commands. We may even think He is a cosmic killjoy, setting up rules and regulations to keep us from enjoying ourselves. But God asks us to obey Him because He has our best interests at heart. As we obey, we “remain in his love” and are filled with joy (John 15:10-11).

So when God warns us not to sin, He does it for our own good. He really wants to protect us from “playing with fire” and getting burned.

Dear heavenly Father, may Your Holy Spirit empower us to obey Your Word. We thank You for the protection Your precepts provide and the love and joy we find in obeying You.

God gives us loving warnings in His Word to protect us.

INSIGHT:
Jesus used the words servants and friends to show the level of intimacy and the great privileges and responsibilities believers have with Him (v. 15). A true friend is “one in spirit” with you (see 1 Sam. 18:1) and would sacrifice his life for you (John 15:13). A friend of Jesus does whatever He commands (v. 14), but “a friend of the world” is an enemy of God (James 4:4). Sim Kay Tee

 

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Unclear Vision
Oct 7, 2015

Read: Job 19:1-21 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 28–29; Philippians 3



My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Job 42:5

My friend Meaghan is an accomplished equestrian, and I’ve been learning some interesting things about horses from her. For instance, despite having the largest eyes of all land mammals, horses have poor eyesight and can see fewer colors than humans. Because of this, they can’t always identify objects on the ground. When they see a pole, they don’t know if it’s a pole they can easily step over or a large snake that might harm them. For this reason, until they are properly trained horses are easily frightened and quick to run away.

We too may want to run from alarming circumstances. We may feel like Job who misunderstood his troubles and wished he’d never been born. Since he couldn’t see that it was Satan who was trying to break him down, he feared that the Lord, in whom he had trusted, was trying to destroy him. Overwhelmed, he cried out, “God has wronged me and drawn his net around me” (Job 19:6).

Like Job’s vision, ours is limited. We want to run away from the difficult situations that scare us. From God’s perspective, we are not alone. He understands what confuses and frightens us. He knows we are safe with Him by our side. This is our opportunity to trust His understanding rather than our own.

In what ways have you doubted God’s goodness? How have you seen Him working in your life during a difficult time?

Trusting God’s faithfulness dispels our fearfulness.

 

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The Song of Our Lives
Oct 9, 2015

Read: Job 29:1-6; 30:1-9 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 32–33; Colossians 1


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The Lord God is my strength and my song. —nlt Isaiah 12:2

Everyone touched by a piece of music hears it differently. The composer hears it in the chamber of his imagination. The audience hears it with their senses and emotions. The members of the orchestra hear most clearly the sound of the instruments closest to them.

In a sense, we are the members of God’s orchestra. Often we hear only the music closest to us. Because we don’t hear a balanced work, we are like Job who cried as he suffered: “Now those young men mock me in song; I have become a byword among them” (Job 30:9).

Job recalled how princes and officials had respected him. His life was “awash in cream, and the rocks gushed olive oil for me” (29:6 nlt). But now, he had become the target of mockers. “My harp plays sad music,” he lamented (30:31 nlt). Yet there was much, much more to the symphony. Job simply couldn’t hear the whole song.

Maybe today you can hear only the sad notes of your own violin. Don’t lose heart. Every detail in your life is part of God’s composition. Or perhaps you are listening to a cheerful flute. Praise God for it and share your joy with someone else.

God’s masterpiece of redemption is the symphony we are playing, and ultimately everything will work together for His good purposes. God is the composer of our lives. His song is perfect, and we can trust Him.

Lord, help me to trust You, especially when my life seems discordant and out of tune. I thank You because I’m part of Your symphony and Your song is perfect.

Faith in God’s goodness puts a song in the heart.

INSIGHT:
Job’s world had been turned upside down, having lost his wealth (1:14-17), his family (1:18-19), and his health (2:7). Even as he reached an impasse with his three friends while trying to unravel the real reasons for his suffering and pain (chs. 3–31), Job was trying to come to terms with the consequences of his physical and financial losses. Spiritually, he felt that God had abandoned him (29:1-5); emotionally, he was deprived of happiness and enjoyment (29:5-6); and socially, he had lost his standing, power, respect, and honor (30:1-9). Despite his many questions, Job proclaimed his trust in the sovereign God (42:1-6). Sim Kay Tee

 

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Love Comes First
Oct 10, 2015

Read: 1 John 4:7-19 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 34–36; Colossians 2



We love [God] because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19

One evening my friend showed me one of the three decorative plaques that would be part of a wall arrangement in her living room. “See, I’ve already got Love,” she said, holding up the plaque with the word written on it. “Faith and Hope are on order.”

So Love comes first, I thought. Faith and Hope soon follow!

Love did come first. In fact, it originated with God. First John 4:19 reminds us that “We love [God] because he first loved us.” God’s love, described in 1 Corinthians 13 (known as the “love chapter”), explains a characteristic of real love when it says, “Love never fails” (v. 8).

Faith and hope are essential to the believer. It is only because we are justified by faiththat “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1). And hope is described in Hebrews 6 as “an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (v. 19).

One day we will have no need of faith and hope. Faith will become sight and our hope will be realized when we see our Savior face to face. But love is eternal, for love is ofGod and God is love (1 John 4:7-8). “Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love”—it’s first and last (1 Cor. 13:13).

Thank You, Lord, for Your faithful love and for the love of family and friends. Please help me find ways to show Your love to others today.

We love because God first loved us.

INSIGHT:
John’s gospel carries the themes of light (1:5; 8:12) and truth (1:14; 18:38) throughout his record of Christ’s earthly ministry. In 1 John, he revisits both of those themes (1:5-6). Today’s reading focuses primarily on the character of God’s great love. Bill Crowder

 

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"Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God." - 1 Peter 3:3-4

MORE BEAUTIFUL AS TIME GOES BY
October 10, 2015

It’s absolutely undeniable that women can be obsessed about beauty. Wanting to look beautiful is very important. So what does God’s Word say about this? Now, when you read verse 3, at first you might think, “Well, God’s Word is saying that a woman should not be concerned about outward beauty and jewelry.” So, you begin to think, “Is it wrong to want to enhance the beauty that God has given me? Is it wrong to be concerned about external or outward beauty?”

How do we understand this? The key word in the first verse is the word ‘merely.’ Look at what it says. The concern of God’s Word is being excessively focused on outer beauty to the neglect of your relationship with God that brings about an inner beauty. When God put Adam in the Garden of Eden, He didn’t tell Adam, “Let it run wild. Don’t worry about doing anything.” No, He said, “Tend the Garden.” The Garden was already beautiful, but man’s responsibility was to enhance that beauty.

Well, God’s most beautiful creation is woman. So, enhancing that beauty can be a good thing, but when it becomes an excessive focus to the neglect of a relationship with God, then it becomes a very negative thing.

So, what God is calling on a woman to do in thinking about all this pressure on outward beauty? Look again at today’s Scripture. God’s Word is speaking about a type of beauty that is eternal. Let’s face it, folks. No outward beauty lasts forever, but inner beauty does. So, focus most on beauty that lasts forever.

There’s nothing wrong with trying to look beautiful. I’m sure the man in your life appreciates it. But it doesn’t come before seeking the inner beauty that is found only in a day-by-day relationship with God. He can take what common man might not see as beautiful and create beauty beyond compare that grows more beautiful over time. Now, that’s true beauty.

 

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Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you. Psalm 55:22

A man worried constantly about everything. Then one day his friends heard him whistling happily and looking noticeably relaxed. “What happened?” they asked him in astonishment.

He said, “I’m paying a man to do my worrying for me.”

“How much do you pay him?” they asked.

“Two thousand dollars a week,” he replied.

“Wow! How can you afford that?”

“I can’t,” he said, “but that’s his worry.”

While this humorous way to handle stress doesn’t work in real life, as God’s children we can turn our worries over to Someone who has everything perfectly under control even—especially—when we feel it is not.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God brings out the stars and calls them all by name (40:25-26). Because of “his great power and mighty strength” not one of them is missing (v. 26). And just as God knows the stars by name, He knows us individually and personally. We are each under His watchful care (v. 27).

If we are inclined to worry, we can turn that worry over to the Lord. He is never too weary or too tired to pay attention to us. He has all wisdom and all power, and He loves to use it on our behalf. The Holy One who directs the stars has His loving arms around us.

Lord, You know there are times when I get really scared. And I forget that You have promised that You will never leave me to face difficulty or loss alone. Help me to trust.

Worry ends where faith begins.

INSIGHT:
The title “the Holy One” or “the Holy One of Israel” is the common designation for God in Isaiah, occurring about 26 times. This title is often accompanied by other names, such as “the Lord Almighty” (5:24; 47:4), “the Light of Israel” (10:17), “the Mighty God” (10:21), “Maker” (17:7; 45:11; 54:5), “the Sovereign Lord” (30:15), “Savior” (43:3), “Israel’s Creator, your King” (43:15), and “the God of all the earth” (54:5). In calling God “the Holy One of Israel,” Isaiah extols His complete holiness. Yet within the same breath Isaiah speaks of God as the “Redeemer,” celebrating His tender mercy and compassion (41:14; 54:5; 59:20; 60:16). Sim Kay Tee

 

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"He said, 'O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today, and show loving kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; now may it be that the girl to whom I say, "Please let down your jar so that I may drink, and who answers, 'Drink, and I will water your camels also,' may she be the one whom You have appointed for your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown loving kindness to my master Abraham.'" - Genesis 24:12-14

MAYBE GOD IS TELLING YOU TO WAIT
October 12, 2015

There are many stories in the Bible that intrigue me. But this one is especially relevant because we all can relate.

Abraham sent his servant on an important mission: to find a wife for his son. Once he reached the faraway land, the servant paused at a well to pray, asking God to show him a remarkable sign. While not quite in the league with a burning bush, the servant’s request was, nonetheless, pretty ambitious. He asked that the bride-to-be reveal herself by volunteering to water all of the camels he had brought along. Perhaps that does not sound like much of a sign to you, but you may not realize that camels were the SUVs of the ancient world. While they could go a long time without water, when they finally did drink, they could gulp about 25 gallons at once. Ten camels, 250 gallons of water, that’s a lot of trips to the well. It would take a real miracle for a woman to volunteer for such a task!

But that’s what happened. Rebekah walked up while the servant was still praying. When he asked for a drink of water, she agreed and then she added, “I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.” With that, she made countless trips to the well until the camels had filled their tanks. But that’s not the amazing part of this story. Look at what happened next. “Meanwhile, the man (Abraham’s servant) was gazing at her in silence, to know whether the Lord had made his journey successful or not.” You really have to wonder about that guy!

He sounds like some of us. God answers a prayer clearly and quickly. What do we tend to think? Do we wonder, “Is this just a coincidence or did God actually answered my prayer?” Here are some points to ponder:

• If God answers your prayer, then He has answered your prayer. Get moving.
• If He doesn’t give you the sign you’ve asked for, perhaps He is saying, “No.” or “Wait a while.”

Either way, His purpose is never to confuse or bewilder you. God is never the author of confusion. He just wants us to pray with faith, listen with anticipation, and then act our His will.

 

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All Safe! All Well!
Oct 14, 2015

Read: Hebrews 11:8-16 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 43–44; 1 Thessalonians 2


Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

In January 1915, the ship Endurance was trapped and crushed in the ice off the coast of Antarctica. The group of polar explorers, led by Ernest Shackleton, survived and managed to reach Elephant Island in three small lifeboats. Trapped on this uninhabited island, far from normal shipping lanes, they had one hope. On April 24, 1916, 22 men watched as Shackleton and five comrades set out in a tiny lifeboat for South Georgia, an island 800 miles away. The odds seemed impossible, and if they failed, they would all certainly die. What joy, then, when more than four months later a boat appeared on the horizon with Shackleton on its bow shouting, “Are you all well?” And the call came back, “All safe! All well!”

What held those men together and kept them alive over those months? Faith and hope placed in one man. They believed that Shackleton would find a way to save them.

This human example of faith and hope echoes the faith of the heroes listed in Hebrews 11. Their faith in the “substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” kept them going through great difficulties and trials (Heb. 11:1 nkjv).

As we look out upon the horizon of our own problems, may we not despair. May we have hope through the certainty of our faith in the One Man—Jesus, our God and Savior.

Thank You, Father, for the promise of forgiveness made possible by Jesus. May that promise lighten the darkest of our days.

The hope of Jesus shines brightly even on our darkest day.

INSIGHT:
We can take courage and hope from those who have preceded us in the life of faith. The author of Hebrews lists many examples of people who acted in faith despite their circumstances and despite the fact that they had not yet received what “had been promised” (11:39). This is why Hebrews 11 begins by saying that “faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” J.R. Hudberg

 

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"In the beginning was the Word..." - John 1:1

THE CIRCLE OF THE EARTH
October 14, 2015

One of the many interesting facts found in Isaiah is that it was written over 2700 years ago. Why is that so interesting? Because in 700 BC, the conventional wisdom was that the earth was flat. Not only did the common man think it was flat, but the intellectuals were also convinced of this. (The prevailing scientific theory was that the earth was supported on the back of a giant turtle, which is still embraced today in some cultures. (What the turtle was standing on has never been fully explored.)

Yet even though all mankind was convinced of the flatness of the earth, note this verse from Isaiah 40:22: “It is He who sits above thecircle of the earth.”

The word circle would have never been used if a mortal had written that book unassisted. But God inspired the man that wrote it, ensuring that the Bible was correct in its terminology. The Bible will always withstand scientific challenges thrown at it. In fact, not only has science never proven any part of the Bible wrong, it actually continually proves it to be right.

 

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“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” - Philippians 2:9-11

THE NAME OF JESUS
October 15, 2015

Jesus. There is just something about that name. There is power in that name; a name that is uniquely above every name. Scripture teaches that one day the whole world will bow down and worship Him.

Yet, the name of Jesus is becoming more and more forbidden in the public sphere. One may use Lord, or God, or Higher Power, but the name of Jesus may be stricken from the conversation. You may have experienced this phenomenon around the water cooler at the office. mention the word “Jesus” around unbelievers and the conversation may get uncomfortable. Some respond, “Don’t push your religion on me.” Mention the name of Jesus as Lord in a public school and often authorities will seek to fill you with shame.

Think about what that says. No name in all the world creates a more powerful positive or negative response than Jesus. Jesus means Savior. He came to save us from sin, death, and hell, and to give us eternal life. That is very good news. Yet to admit we need a Savior is to admit we are sinners deserving God’s judgment. And that is very offensive to those who haven’t come to repent and put their faith in Christ.

Yes, there is something about that name. No name is more powerful, more loving, more offensive – than JESUS!

 

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Waiting for an Answer
Oct 19, 2015

Read: Psalm 9:1-10 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 56–58; 2 Thessalonians 2



Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10

When our daughter was 15, she ran away. She was gone more than 3 weeks. Those were the longest 3 weeks of our lives. We looked everywhere for her and sought help from law enforcement and friends. During those desperate days, my wife and I learned the importance of waiting on God in prayer. We had come to the end of our strength and resources. We had to rely on God.

It was on a Father’s Day that we found her. We were in a restaurant parking lot, on our way to dinner, when the phone rang. A waitress at another restaurant had spotted her. Our daughter was only three blocks away. We soon had her home, safe and sound.

Waiting on God is never easy, but no matter the end result, it is always worth it.
We have to wait on God when we pray. We may not know how or when He will answer, but we can put our hearts constantly before Him in prayer. Sometimes the answers to our prayers don’t come when we would hope. Things may even go from bad to worse. But we have to persevere, keep believing, and keep asking.

Waiting is never easy, but the end result, whatever it is, will be worth it. David put it this way: “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you” (Ps. 9:10). Keep seeking. Keep trusting. Keep asking. Keep praying.

What’s on your heart that you need to talk to God about today? Will you trust Him and keep praying?

James Banks is an author who has written several books, including Prayers for Prodigals.

Time spent in prayer is always time well spent.

INSIGHT:
Psalm 9 is a song of David that captures the stress and pressure he was under at the time he composed it. While we are not given the specific incidents that triggered the writing of these words, we can feel the heat of the trials he was experiencing. In the first section of the song (vv. 1-12), David is praising God for His rescue and protection. These are words of faith directed to the listener of the song. The second half of the psalm (vv. 13-20), however, shows a heart filled with fear and speaks directly to God Himself. Bill Crowder

 

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Daily Devotional

"They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out from their distress; He made the storm be still." - Psalm 107:29

NOBODY EVER SAID IT WOULD BE EASY
October 18, 2015

By this time, you have probably figured out that life is not free of challenges. Difficulties and even tragedies are to be expected. As a matter of fact, Jesus told His disciples, “I tell you these things so that you will have peace. In the world, you will have troubles. But take heart, I have overcome the world [and all its difficulties].”

Whenever you face tough times, your first urge may be to scream, “Why?” Certain trials do come into our lives because of our own sin, but many times they occur when we’re right in the middle of God’s will. We’re not doing anything wrong. We’re doing what God wants us to do. Certainly, that was the case for the disciples. Jesus told them to get into the boat and row across the Sea of Galilee. They were obeying Jesus when they suddenly found themselves in a horrific storm. It was so bad they didn’t even know if they’d survive. But, here is the important message from that event – they did survive. With the help of Jesus, they did survive.

Accept the fact that your life will not be a perfectly smooth ride. The road will sometimes have bumps and potholes and sharp turns. All roads do. Look upon these tragedies and difficulties as part of life. Turn to Jesus for guidance and He will lead you as you ride through life’s trials and tribulations.

 

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Pride at the Core
Oct 21, 2015

Read: Ezra 9:1-9 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 62–64; 1 Timothy 1


Ezra . . . was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses. Ezra 7:6

“He thinks he’s really something!” That was my friend’s assessment of a fellow Christian we knew. We thought we saw in him a spirit of pride. We were saddened when we learned that he soon was caught in some serious misdeeds. By elevating himself, he had found nothing but trouble. We realized that could happen to us as well.

It can be easy to minimize the terrible sin of pride in our own hearts. The more we learn and the more success we enjoy, the more likely we are to think we’re “really something.” Pride is at the core of our nature.

#Humility lets us trust in the goodness of our forgiving God.
In Scripture, Ezra is described as “a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses” (Ezra 7:6). King Artaxerxes appointed him to lead an expedition of Hebrew exiles back to Jerusalem. Ezra could have been a prime candidate to succumb to the sin of pride. Yet he didn’t. Ezra didn’t only know God’s law; he lived it.

After his arrival in Jerusalem, Ezra learned that Jewish men had married women who served other gods, defying God’s express directions (9:1-2). He tore his clothes in grief and prayed in heartfelt repentance (vv. 5-15). A higher purpose guided Ezra’s knowledge and position: his love for God and for His people. He prayed, “Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence” (v. 15).

Ezra understood the scope of their sins. But in humility he repented and trusted in the goodness of our forgiving God.

Lord, fill us with such a love for You that we think first of what will please You, not ourselves. Free us from the subtle captivity of our own pride.

Pride leads to every other vice: It is the complete anti-God state of mind. C. S. Lewis

 

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The Joy of Your Presence
Oct 22, 2015

Read: Psalm 145:1-18 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 65–66; 1 Timothy 2


Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. Psalm 96:4

“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever,” says the Westminster Catechism. Much of Scripture calls for joyful gratitude and adoration of the living God. When we honor God, we celebrate Him as the Source from which all goodness flows.

When we praise God from our heart we find ourselves in that joyful state for which we were created. Just as a beautiful sunset or a peaceful pastoral scene points to the majesty of the Creator, so worship draws us into a close spiritual union with Him. The psalmist says, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise . . . . The Lord is near to all who call on him” (Ps. 145:3,18).

God does not need our praise, but we need to praise God. By basking in His presence we drink in the joy of His infinite love and rejoice in the One who came to redeem and restore us. “In your presence there is fullness of joy,” the psalmist says. “At your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11 esv).

Dear Lord, You are the great and mighty God, the Creator of the universe. I will praise Your name always. There is no God besides You.

Worship is a heart overflowing with praise to God.

INSIGHT:
Psalm 145 is a declaration of David’s praise. While some psalms recall God’s pastdeliverances, this psalm focuses entirely on God’s help in the present. Bill Crowder

 

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"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13

NO GREATER ACHIEVEMENT THAN FOREVER LOVE
October 21, 2015

In 2001, the Oscar for Best Picture was awarded to A Beautiful Mind.The movie tells the story of John Nash, a Princeton professor who overcame mental illness and developed theories that eventually led to his being awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. But as inspiring as the story is showing his fight against schizophrenia, the movie is even more impactful as a beautiful love story.

Alicia Nash stuck by the often-deranged genius, loving him, caring for him, and steadying him, despite the fact that Nash brought nothing to the marriage but strain and heartache. Even though he was totally incapacitated because of his mental illness, she stuck with him, even at times when her own life was endangered. As the film concludes, John Nash stands before an admiring audience of the world’s greatest intellectuals, accepting the prize recognizing his monumental achievement. Nash uses the moment – the apex of his life – to declare that there was really only one thing that mattered in his life, and that was the love of his wife, who had stayed with him all those years.

No matter what else was discovered in his life, Alicia Nash had taught the professor that there is no greater achievement than the commitment “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, ’til death do us part.”

 

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For This I Have Jesus
October 23, 2015

Read: Isaiah 49:13-20 | Bible in a Year: Jeremiah 1–2; 1 Timothy 3


http://odb.org/wp-content/themes/odbm-base/assets/download.php?file=http://cdn.rbc.org/odb/2015/10/odb-10-23-15.mp3
The Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. Isaiah 49:13

There is rarely a problem-free season in our lives, but sometimes the onslaught is terrifying.

Rose saw her entire family, except for her two little daughters, slaughtered in the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. Now she is a widow among many widows with little money. But she refuses to be defeated. She has adopted two orphans and simply trusts God to provide for the food and school fees for her family of five. She translates Christian literature into the local language and organizes an annual conference for other widows. Rose wept as she told me her story. But for every problem in her life she has one simple remedy. “For this,” she said, “I have Jesus.”

God knows exactly what you are facing today.
God knows exactly what you are facing today. Isaiah reminds us that God’s knowledge of us is so intimate that it is as if our names were written on the palms of His hands (Isa. 49:16). We may sometimes neglect the needs of others, even those who are closest to us, but God is aware of every detail of our lives. And He has given us His Spirit to guide, to comfort, and to strengthen us.

Think of the challenges you face at this moment, and then write these words beside each one as a reminder of His faithfulness and care: “For this, I have Jesus.”

Thank You, Jesus, for being near to me right now. I’m grateful for Your faithfulness.

Life takes on perspective in the light of Christ.

INSIGHT:
The book of Isaiah is a book of extremes. In chapters 1–2 Isaiah describes how far away from God the people of Israel have wandered. In chapter 3 he warns of the punishment and judgment that is coming because of their sin and disobedience. Later he discusses God’s provision to bring them back to Himself (ch. 4) and how much they will flourish despite the current and coming disasters (ch. 49). In God’s eyes there is always hope for redemption, restoration, and blessing. J.R. Hudberg