Entries by YMI

ODB: Texts, Troubles, and Triumphs

Jun 14, 2023 in , /by

June 14, 2023 

READ: Hebrews 11:32, 35–40 

We do not belong to those who shrink back . . . but to those who have faith and are saved. Hebrews 10:39

 

Jimmy hadn’t allowed the reality of social unrest, danger, and discomfort to keep him from traveling to one of the poorest countries in the world to encourage ministry couples. The steady stream of text messages to our team back home revealed the challenges he encountered. “Okay, boys, activate the prayer line. We’ve gone ten miles in the last two hours. . . . Car has overheated a dozen times.” Transportation setbacks meant that he arrived just before midnight to preach to those who’d waited for five hours. Later we received a text with a different tone. “Amazing, sweet time of fellowship. . . . About a dozen people came forward for prayer. It was a powerful night!”

Faithfully serving God can be challenging. The exemplars of faith listed in Hebrews 11 would agree. Compelled by their faith in God, ordinary men and women faced uncomfortable and unfathomable circumstances. “Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment” (v. 36). Their faith compelled them to take risks and rely on God for the outcome. The same is true for us. Living out our faith may not take us to risky places far away, but it may well take us across the street or across the campus or to an empty seat in a lunchroom or boardroom. Risky? Perhaps. But the rewards, now or later, will be well worth the risks as God helps us.

— Arthur Jackson

How can you take a risk and follow Jesus even though it might be uncomfortable? What keeps you “playing it safe”?

Dear Father, please give me strength and courage to let go of my life and entrust it to You.  

ODB: It’s Empty Now

Jun 13, 2023 in , /by

June 13, 2023 

READ: Lamentations 1:1, 12–13, 16–20 

How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! Lamentations 1:1

 

My brothers and our families spent the day moving our parents’ belongings from our childhood home. Late in the afternoon, we went back for one last pickup and, knowing this would be our final time in our family home, posed for a picture on the back porch. I was fighting tears when my mom turned to me and said, “It’s all empty now.” That pushed me over the edge. The house that holds fifty-four years of memories is empty now. I try not to think of it.

The ache in my heart resonates with Jeremiah’s first words of Lamentations: “How deserted lies the city, once so full of people!” (1:1). An important difference is that Jerusalem was empty “because of her many sins” (v. 5). God exiled His people to Babylon because they rebelled against Him and refused to repent (v. 18). My parents weren’t moving because of sin, at least not directly. But ever since Adam’s sin in the garden of Eden, each person’s health has declined over their lifetime. As we age, it’s not unusual for us to downsize into homes that are easier to maintain. 

I’m thankful for the memories that made our modest home special. Pain is the price of love. I know the next goodbye won’t be to my parents’ home but to my parents themselves. And I cry. I cry out to Jesus to come, put an end to goodbyes, and restore all things. My hope is in Him.

— Mike Wittmer

What place holds fond memories for you? Thank God for the people who loved you there. How might you make new memories today?

Father, thank You for giving me a home in Your forever family.  

ODB: Freeing Obedience

Jun 12, 2023 in , /by

June 12, 2023 

READ: Genesis 2:15–25 

You are free . . . but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:16–17

 

The look on the young teen’s face reflected angst and shame. Heading into the 2022 Winter Olympics, her success as a figure skater was unparalleled—a string of championships had made her a lock to win a gold medal. But then a test result revealed a banned substance in her system. With the immense weight of expectations and condemnation pressing down on her, she fell multiple times during her free-skate program and didn’t stand on the victors’ platform—no medal. She’d displayed artistic freedom and creativity on the ice prior to the scandal, but now an accusation of a broken rule bound her to crushed dreams.

From the early days of humanity, God has revealed the importance of obedience as we exercise our free will. Disobedience led to devastating effects for Adam, Eve, and all of us as sin brought brokenness and death to our world (Genesis 3:6–19). It didn’t have to be that way. God had told Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree” but one (2:16–17). Thinking their “eyes [would] be opened, and [they would] be like God,” they ate of the banned “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (3:5; 2:17). Sin, shame, and death followed.

God graciously provides freedom and so many good things for us to enjoy (John 10:10). In love, He also calls us to obey Him for our good. May He help us choose obedience and find life full of joy and free of shame.

— Tom Felten

How does the world view freedom? Why is it ultimately freeing to obey God and His ways?

Father, thank You for the true freedom and life found in choosing obedience to You.  

Cravings

Jun 12, 2023 in , , /by

For our family, vacations are treasured getaways from the demands of regular life. We enjoy visiting a variety of places, but one particular theme park has been a staple. Not wanting to exhaust our children when they were little, we limited our visits to one-day passes.

ODB: God’s Garden

Jun 11, 2023 in , /by

June 11, 2023 

READ: 1 Peter 1:17–25 

He has given us new birth into a living hope. 1 Peter 1:3

 

A reminder of the beauty and brevity of life grows outside my front door. Last spring, my wife planted moonflower vines, so named because of their large and round white blooms that resemble a full moon. Each flower opens for one night and then withers in the bright sun the following morning, never to bloom again. But the plant is prolific, and every evening presents a fresh parade of flowers. We love watching it as we come and go each day, wondering what new beauty will greet us when we return.

These fragile flowers call to mind a vital truth from Scripture. The apostle Peter, recalling the words of the prophet Isaiah, wrote, “You have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall’ ” (1 Peter 1:23–24). But he assures us that God keeps His promises forever! (v. 25).

Like flowers in a garden, our lives on earth are short when compared with eternity. But God has spoken beauty into our brevity. Through the good news of Jesus, we make a fresh beginning with God and trust His promise of unlimited life in His loving presence. When Earth’s sun and moon are but a memory, we will praise Him still.

— James Banks

What do you most look forward to about eternity with God? Which of His promises are your favorites?

Beautiful Savior, I praise You for the gift of my salvation. Your love lasts forever, and I love You for it.

For further study, read Life to Come: The Hope of th 

ODB: Leap of Faith

Jun 10, 2023 in , /by

June 10, 2023 

READ: Proverbs 3:5–8 

In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

 

As I prepared to ride a zip line from the highest point of a rainforest on the Caribbean Island of St. Lucia, fear welled up inside me. Seconds before I jumped from the platform, thoughts of everything that could go wrong filled my mind. But with all the courage I could muster (and few options for turning back), I released. Dropping from the pinnacle of the forest, I whizzed through the lush green trees, wind flowing through my hair and my worries slowly fading. As I moved through the air allowing gravity to carry me, my view of the next platform became clearer and, with a gentle stop, I knew I’d arrived safely.

My time on the zip line pictured for me the times God has us undertake new, challenging endeavors. Scripture teaches us to put our trust in God and “lean not on [our] own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5) when we feel doubt and uncertainty. When our minds are filled with fear and doubt, our paths can be unclear and distorted. But once we’ve made the decision to step out in faith by submitting our way to God, “he will make [our] paths straight” (v. 6). We become more confident taking leaps of faith by learning who God is through spending time in prayer and the Scriptures.

We can find freedom and tranquility even in life’s challenges as we hang on to God and allow Him to guide us through the changes in our lives.

— Kimya Loder

What changes or challenges in your life require you to put total trust in God? What’s preventing you from taking that leap of faith?

Dear Father, please give me the wisdom and strength I need to trust You with my life.