"Leave the dead alone"

DAILY DEVOTIONAL, MARCH 5

Posted to Deuteronomy 18:13 on Mar 1, 2010 at 03:03 PM

Deuteronomy 18:13 ESV NASB

“You shall be blameless before the LORD your God.

"Leave the dead alone"

There’s a growing fascination about life after death. Thousands of so-called psychics around the world claim to contact the spirits of the dead. And online, people can visit with psychics, spirit guides, and experts in reincarnation. There are nearly 16,000 witchcraft sites, 13,000 reincarnation sites, 12,000 psychics sites, and more than 1,000 sites dedicated to talking with the dead.

God told Moses to warn Israel that deliberate involvement with contacting the deceased was forbidden by Him (Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:9-14). Talking to mediums, seeking spirits, practicing sorcery and divination to try to contact the dead was forbidden because these practices prevented Israel from being a peculiar people—a people who would be a blessing to all nations (Leviticus 20:6-8). How could she influence her neighbors if she was imitating their evil behavior? So, why did people attempt to contact the dead? They were:

• desperate for guidance (1 Samuel 28:3-15)

• disobedient to God (1 Chronicles 10:13-14) • deceived (2 Corinthians 2:10-11; 11:3) For believers, these practices are forbidden as well. These practices are not motivated by the Spirit, but are the fruit of the sin nature (Galatians 5:19-21). Any believer who seeks out psychics, horoscopes, and mediums, for the purpose of contacting the dead, is choosing to follow Satan. They aren’t being peculiar and cannot please God.

Instead of having a fascination with contacting the dead, we should initiate loving contact with the living. That way we can tell them about God who— through His Son—loves them and can secure their eternal life.

—Marvin Williams CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Don't forget to check out all of our Christian Shirts at Soul Harvest.net and our handmade Porch Swings at Cypress Moon!

"Postcard Secrets"

DAILY DEVOTIONAL, MARCH 4

Posted to Psalms 32:5 on Mar 1, 2010 at 02:53 PM

Psalms 32:5 ESV NASB

I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD ”; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

"Postcard Secrets"

Some years back, Frank Warren handed out 400 blank postcards bearing his address to strangers and asked them to send their untold secrets to him. Warren began receiving confessions like: “I haven’t spoken to my dad in 10 years, and it kills me every day” and “Everyone who knew me before 9/11 now believes I’m dead.” Today, Warren’s Post-Secret project receives over 1,000 postcard secrets every week.

Since then a plethora of online confessionals have followed. Many of the confessions posted are fabricated. But many are heartfelt—like the woman who confessed to cheating on her boyfriend and then wrote: “I’m sorry. I don’t believe in a god, but I feel I need to finally tell someone the truth, even if it is just the Internet.”

The human soul longs to confess its guilt. Three thousand years ago, King David wrote in a song: “When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long” (Psalm 32:3). We don’t know what sin was on his mind, but we know how he felt before he came clean: “Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat” (v.4).

David finally confessed his sin to God and discovered the power of divine pardon. “And You forgave me!” he sings heavenward in relief. “All my guilt is gone” (v.5).

Confessing our wrongs on a postcard or Web site may be partially therapeutic, but it doesn’t go far enough. It’s not just confession we need, but cleansing. The Internet doesn’t “hear” our confession. A postcard can’t “pardon” our sin. But the personal God of the universe can do both.

“Therefore,” David sings on, “let all the godly pray to You while there is still time” (v.6). Confess and be clean, for the God of forgiveness is listening.

—Sheridan Voysey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Don't forget to check out all of our Christian Shirts at Soul Harvest.net and our handmade Porch Swings at Cypress Moon!

“Celebrating a loss”

Daily Devotional, March 1st

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV NASB
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

“Celebrating a loss”

As time ticked away at Hull City’s beautiful KC Stadium in the UK, an appreciative and raucous crowd stood in anxious anticipation. At game’s end, hundreds of fans scurried onto the field to celebrate. Their beloved Tigers had just gone toe-to-toe with legendary Manchester United and . . . lost? The TV commentator explained, “Hull City may have lost this battle, but they’ve won the relegation war.” By losing “only” 0-1, Hull avoided relegation from England’s vaunted Premiership and the dreaded banishment to an inferior league. Clearly, not all losses are created equal. The greatest loss of all time occurred when Jesus was crucified. He had come to live on this earth. He walked among us, ate our food, breathed our air, healed our sick, and offered eternal life to any who would accept it. What did He get for His trouble? The religious leaders of His day conspired to put Him to death. Yet Jesus didn’t lose; He won! When Bono sings in Sunday Bloody Sunday, “to claim the victory Jesus won,” he’s singing about this victory. Jesus went willingly to the cross as a sacrificial Lamb to pay the price for our sins and to defeat sin and death. He who had never sinned became “the offering for our sin,” says 2 Corinthians 5:21. And the very next portion of Scripture makes this crucially important appeal: “We beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says, ‘At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you’ ” (6:1-2). Because of Christ’s victory, we aren’t relegated to live a dreary life of addiction to our sins, waiting for life’s final whistle. Jesus conquered death. In Him, ultimate and overwhelming victory is ours (Romans 8:37). His loss became His greatest victory—and demands our praise and celebration of Him. —Tim Gustafson, Our Daily Journey

Don't forget to check out all of our Christian Shirts at Soul Harvest.net and our handmade Porch Swings at Cypress Moon!

“The Evil of Inertia”

Daily Devotional, February 25th

Mark 15:1 ESV NASB
Early in the morning the chief priests with the elders and scribes and the whole Council, immediately held a consultation; and binding Jesus, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate.

“The Evil of Inertia”

The Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, supplies a stark reminder of how evil humans can be. I was stunned by the hall of shoes that had once been worn by doomed Jews; the story of the methodical elimination of innocents in Krakow’s Jewish Ghetto; and the grisly death of prisoners in Hitler’s concentration camps. But most chilling was my recognition that the Nazi officers looked normal. Worse, they looked like me. My ancestors were Swiss-German Mennonites, so I resembled the officers in the pictures. They could have been my Sunday school teachers! How did such normal people get caught up in such a great evil? Somehow, they simply went along with it.That’s usually how great evils are committed. Pilate wasn’t looking for trouble when Jesus was thrust upon him (Mark 15:1). He didn’t realize who He was, and he didn’t much care. He just wanted the problem to go away. Pilate made a half-hearted attempt to do the right thing. He invited Jesus to refute the charges and asked the crowd if he should release Jesus as a Passover favor. But the Jewish leaders had stoked the crowd into a mob, and they demanded that Barabbas be freed and Jesus be crucified. Pilate tried one last time, asking the crowd, “What crime has He committed?” When “the mob roared even louder, ‘Crucify Him!’ ” (v.14), Pilate washed his hands of the mess (Matthew 27:24). It was easier to give in to the cries of the moment than to seek justice for Jesus. Pilate simply went along, and in so doing he crucified the Son of God. Today Jesus is represented by the poor and needy who are thrust upon us (Matthew 25:31-46). Will we give them a hand or will we shrug and go along? —Mike Wittmer, Our Daily Journey


Don't forget to check out all of our Christian Shirts at Soul Harvest.net and our handmade Porch Swings at Cypress Moon!

“Running on empty”

Daily Devotional, February 23rd

Mark 6:37 ESV NASB
But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?”

“Running on empty”

My boss and I were driving back from a neighboring town late one night when our car rolled to a stop. “We’re out of gas,” she said. There was a gas station about a quarter of a mile away, so we shrugged into our coats, shoved the doors open, and started walking. If you’ve ever been low on fuel, you know it’s impossible to keep moving for very long. You might be able to coast for a while, but you can’t run on empty forever. Jesus recognized the disciples’ need to refuel when He suggested, “Let’s go off by ourselves . . . and rest awhile” (Mark 6:31). His band of do-gooders had just come back from a ministry tour, but things were so hectic that Jesus and His apostles didn’t even have time to grab lunch before a crowd formed. Jesus decided to hold an impromptu seminar, teaching them “many things.” After a while, the disciples said, “It’s getting late. Send the people away so they can get something to eat.” Jesus’ response? “You feed them” (v.37). He knew His crew was tired and hungry, that it was late, and that they were broke. The disciples sassed back, “With what?” Maybe you’re wondering the same thing. Fortunately, Jesus wasn’t setting the disciples up to fail—and like them, He won’t ask us to help people in His name without enabling us to follow through. Jesus “knows how weak we are; He remembers that we are only dust” (Psalm 103:14). Sometimes though, He allows us to run on empty for a while, until we recognize that He is the ultimate fuel source for our ministry. Without Him, we can’t keep going, but with Him we “can do everything through Christ who gives [us] strength” (Philippians 4:13). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

Our Daily JourneyCLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Don't forget to check out all of our Christian Shirts at Soul Harvest.net and our handmade Porch Swings at Cypress Moon!

“Perfect path”

Posted to Acts 2:23 on Feb 15, 2010 at 06:18 PM
Acts 2:23

this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death.

“Perfect path”

My wife and I had prayed. We had sought God. We had sought godly counsel. Now we presented our plans to a group of people who would help us realize a vision for ministry or shut it down. They chose the latter. We’ve all felt the pain of having plans dashed and dreams deferred. The confusion and disillusionment that follows can be overwhelming. Where’s God in all of this? What are His plans for us? God has a perfect path that He continues to blaze in this world. His plans can’t be shut down. “It will all happen as I have planned. It will be as I have decided,” God spoke through Isaiah (14:24). In the New Testament, Peter stated, “God knew what would happen, and His prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed” (Acts 2:23). These verses reveal that God’s perfect path—a path that once led Jesus to the cross—lies before us. And though He allows His creatures to choose or reject Him (Deuteronomy 30:15-16; John 14:15-17), God will arrange things so that His “prearranged plan” will come to fruition. These truths can be a great encouragement to us when we feel that the path we’re on has taken a wrong turn. Peter pulls from Psalm 16 as He proclaims, “I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me” (Acts 2:25). My God is still with me even when the path is confusing. “My body rests in hope” (v.26). My hope is in God and not my circumstances. “You have shown me the way” (v.28). God will reveal His perfect path to me. Several years after our ministry plans were shelved, the very thing we had hoped and prayed for became a reality! But it happened in God’s perfect timing and at just the right place along His perfect path. —Tom Felten, Our Daily Journey



Don't forget to check out all of our Christian Shirts at Soul Harvest.net and our handmade Porch Swings at Cypress Moon!

“Remember our manna”

Online Bible - tangle.com: "“Remember our manna”

Posted to Exodus 16:33 on Feb 15, 2010 at 06:23 PM

Exodus 16:33
Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before the LORD to be kept throughout your generations.”

“Remember our manna”

We’ve been gone from South Carolina only for a year, but our boys have already begun to forget. A couple of weeks ago, we took a trip to our old town. We drove through our neighborhood and saw the steep hill where they rode their bikes, screaming all the way down. We saw the spot where we always stopped on our springtime walks to snag
honeysuckle. The boys, wide-eyed, kept saying, “Oh, I remember! I remember that!”

I believe remembering is one of the most important things we do as humans. In order to remember who we are, we need to remember where we’ve come from and what we’ve experienced up to now.

For Israel, their national identity was replete with stories of how their God had delivered and rescued and provided (and, yes, judged). The Exodus narrative tells how God pried Pharaoh’s hand free from His people and walked them out of Egypt. God opened up the sea, led His people with a fiery pillar (Exodus 14) and turned bitter water sweet (Exodus 15). And, perhaps most astonishingly, “rain[ed] down food from heaven” (16:4). They called it manna.

Despite God’s miraculous intervention, the people often doubted whether God would provide what they needed. When the people were hungry, they complained. And so God graciously sent them food—food that would fall from the sky. Every day, they had all they needed (v.12).

God insisted, however, that they save some manna as part of their holy items. He was concerned that future generations would forget what had been provided. When their grandchildren would ask about what the strange wafers were in the jar, they could say with gratitude and hope, “Ah, I remember.” —Winn Collier, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org"



Don't forget to check out all of our Christian Shirts at Soul Harvest.net and our handmade Porch Swings at Cypress Moon!

“As we forgive”

Online Bible - tangle.com: "Daily Devotional, February 16th

Posted to Matthew 6:12 on Feb 15, 2010 at 11:16 AM

Matthew 6:12
‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

“As we forgive”

As We Forgive, the award-winning documentary by Laura Waters Hinson, portrays the pain and hope of two Rwandan women as they face the men who brutally murdered their families during the 1994 genocide. Catherine Claire Larson, author of the film-inspired book bearing the same title, believes that these women possess a message that we all need to hear. “If Rwandans can find the courage to forgive,” Larson writes, “then perhaps there is hope for us in those problems that seem to pale in comparison and in those that echo the horrors of genocide.” When someone has wronged us by word or deed, forgiveness rarely arises naturally or willingly. We are commanded by Jesus, however, to forgive “those who sin against us” (Matthew 6:12). Forgiveness is an oft-repeated theme in the New Testament. In Matthew 18, Jesus stated that God requires us to “forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart” (v.35). The apostle Paul reiterated this exhortation: “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:13). Author Jerry Bridges writes, “In order to forgive our brother, we must be satisfied with God’s justice and forgo the satisfaction of our own.” Bridges continues, “God is the perfect example of one who forgives. He is so rich in mercy, and ‘He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life’ ” (Ephesians 2:4-5). As we forgive others, we reveal the forgiving heart of God. —Roxanne Robbins, Our Daily Journey CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org"



Don't forget to check out all of our Christian Shirts at Soul Harvest.net and our handmade Porch Swings at Cypress Moon!

“Thieves and shepherds”

DAILY DEVOTIONAL, FEBRUARY 11TH

Posted to John 10:1 on Feb 9, 2010 at 01:15 PM

John 10:1 ESV NASB

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.

“Thieves and shepherds”

In September 2008, a court convicted Ryan Mueller of burglary. Due to multiple convictions, Mueller received 6 years in the penitentiary along with 5 years probation. Mueller’s latest crime happened in the middle of the night when he crept into a family’s home under cover of dark and attempted to steal $20 from a toddler’s piggy bank.

I don’t know Ryan’s story, but I’m guessing that by the time you get to the place where you are lifting kids’ piggy banks, stealing has become a way of life.

Jesus spoke of a thief whose nature is “to steal and kill and destroy” and contrasts this thief with Himself, who intends to “give [us] a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10). Jesus used this metaphor as a distinguishing mark between Himself and all false truths or teachers. “I am the gate for the sheep,” Jesus said (v.7). However, “all who came before Me were thieves and robbers” (v.8). In an agrarian society where most everyone had someone in the family who made a living tending sheep, Jesus provided an image with immediate resonance.

Often when shepherds were moving their sheep to better pasture, they would stop for the night in a place where there was a stone (or hedged) wall to protect the sheep. The shepherd would sleep in the entrance. His body became the gate that kept the wooly creatures in and kept the wolves out.

“The good shepherd,” Jesus said, “sacrifices his life for the sheep” (v.11). On the other hand, “the wolf attacks . . . and scatters the flock” (v.12).

In John’s context, the hero and protagonist are clear. Jesus is the life-giving Shepherd. The ravenous, destructive thief is a false teacher following the lead of Satan. Who is the one we will listen to—the thief or the Good Shepherd? —Winn Collier. Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Don't forget to check out all of our Christian Shirts at Soul Harvest.net and our handmade Porch Swings at Cypress Moon!

“Spouse for sale"

DAILY DEVOTIONAL, FEBRUARY 10TH

Posted to 2 Samuel 6:20 on Feb 9, 2010 at 01:09 PM

2 Samuel 6:20 ESV NASB

But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!”

“Spouse for sale”

Recently, I read an article about a 38-year-old guy who offered his wife for sale. I wondered, what would drive a man to sell his spouse to the highest bidder? Then, I read his advertisement: “Nagging wife. No tax, very high maintenance—some rust.”

That’s when it clicked; it must have been the nagging. No marriage is perfect, but our communication patterns have a lot to do with the level of harmony in our homes. While some of us nag, other sinful speech habits include lying, harshness, or even sarcasm.

David’s wife, Michal, had a thing for sarcasm. When Michal saw David dancing before the Lord as the Ark was being brought back to Jersualem, “she was filled with contempt for him” (2 Samuel 16:16). She sneered, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today” (v.20), when she really meant, You looked like a total goofball! Sarcasm hurts the ones we love twice—once with the original insult, and again with the sting of our delivery.

If Michal’s cutting communication wasn’t enough, this drama queen accused David of dancing to impress the servant girls. Her venomous lie proved that “harsh words make tempers flare” (Proverbs 15:1), and it caused David to retort, “I was dancing before the Lord. . . . Those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” (2 Samuel 6:21-22). Like David, our spouses will move into defense mode and possibly even seek affirmation elsewhere if we continually fling false accusations their way.

Our words have the power to hearten our partners or discourage them. May everything we say “be good and helpful, so that [our] words will be an encouragement to those who hear them” (Ephesians 4:29). —Jennifer Benson Schuldt, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Don't forget to check out all of our Christian Shirts at Soul Harvest.net!

No grumbling allowed

DAILY DEVOTIONAL, FEBRUARY 9TH

Posted to Numbers 14:2 on Feb 1, 2010 at 10:11 AM

Numbers 14:2 ESV NASB

All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!

“No grumbling allowed”

I laughed yesterday as I read Facebook comments written by a close friend and his wife. She updated her profile to read, “I am grumpy for no good reason.” Beneath it, alluding to Facebook’s “like” button, my friend wrote: “They need an ‘unlike button’ for these types of things.

Although the above exchange is humorous, Israel’s grumpy behavior in Numbers 14 was not funny in the eyes of God. As they whined and complained out of fear over false reports (Numbers 13:31-33), the Lord’s anger meter was rising. As the people were weeping, crying, and protesting, He was fuming (14:2,10-11; Deuteronomy 9:7).

God was angry for at least two reasons: • Lack of faith in Him. The Israelites showed no faith in their God who had miraculously led them out of bondage in Egypt. They showed no trust by grumbling greatly (James 5:9). It got so bad that God was ready to annihilate them (Numbers 14:12).

• Lack of liking His provision. God’s plans and provision should be received with joy and humility. The people, just like us at times, were rebellious and full of resentment instead of contentment (Numbers 11:6,21:5).

Fortunately, a fab four—Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb—revealed true trust in God and acceptance of where He was leading. These men showed the people, and us, what to do when we’ve caught a case of the grumpies: They bowed before God in repentance— seeking forgiveness (Numbers 14:5-6). They acknowledged His great love and His forgiving heart (Exodus 34:6-7; Numbers 14:18-19).

When we grumble and complain, we’re rebelling against God and choosing selfishness over His abundant provision. Let’s repent and follow Him with grateful hearts instead. —Tom Felten, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

DAILY DEVOTIONAL - No ordinary people

DAILY DEVOTIONAL, FEBRUARY 2ND

2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV NASB

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

“No ordinary people”

In the book The Weight of Glory, C. S. Lewis makes a stunning claim about humanity. “There are no ordinary people,” Lewis writes. “You have never talked to a mere mortal.” Whoa! Now that’s a welcome thought—especially for those of us who at times feel ordinary at best. Could it really be true that we possess a hidden greatness? We only have to turn the opening pages of the Bible to discover that human beings are anything but ordinary. The first chapter of Genesis tells us that human beings are the only part of God’s creation who have the distinct honor of being created in His likeness (Genesis 1:26-27).

Francis Schaeffer, a contemporary of C. S. Lewis, said, “There is no more important revelation given about man than that he bears the image of God.” As God’s “offspring” (Acts 17:28), we’re marked by the glorious image of the Creator of the universe. While it’s true that we’re born with sin in our hearts and that we’ve fallen short of reflecting God’s glory (Romans 3:23), there are still traces of God’s glory and dignity in every one of us.

Ralph Waldo Emerson put it this way, “Man is God in ruins.” Like the ancient ruins of the world that still awe and inspire tourists each year, a remnant of dignity can be seen. It’s true of every person you meet, and each one can be transformed by God’s grace.

Part of the glory of the new covenant in Jesus is that God desires and intends to restore us. The New Testament tells us that those who have turned to Jesus and live by His Spirit are “being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV).

Take a moment and let that soak in. It’s an amazing truth that frees us to live boldly for Him (v.12). —Jeff Olson, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

Online Bible - tangle.com

Online Bible - tangle.com: "Daily Devotional, February 1st

Posted to Ecclesiastes 3:1 on Jan 26, 2010 at 11:22 AM

Ecclesiastes 3:1
There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--

“The right time?”

I’ve known believers in Jesus who struggled with guilt for saying “no” to taking on a new responsibility in a church or a parachurch organization. Many of them felt that by not agreeing to do more, they were failing to “walk by faith.” Yet they are all people who possess good reasons for carefully selecting their priorities. Some of them are moving from being single to married life, or from being a student to working.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, wisdom recognizes that everything has its own season—in human activities as in the realm of nature. There is “a time to search [for work, marriage, new friends] and a time to quit searching” (v.6). There comes a time in life when we should curtail certain commitments and funnel our energy into something else—putting aside what we did in the past. For instance, a mother shouldn’t feel guilty about spending her time nurturing her child and not having as much time to serve in church as she once did. It’s necessary that we experience these seasons of change.

Even though every activity has an appropriate occasion, only God can truly know what that occasion is (vv.9-11). It’s our responsibility to make the best and wisest decisions, and “whether [we] eat or drink, or whatever [we] do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). J. I. Packer wrote, “We must forsake the fallacy that faith is only demonstrated by what we are doing for God. Certainly, an active and growing faith will produce works in the life of a believer, but in reality, biblical faith demonstrates what God, in His power and grace, is doing for, in, and through the one who believes God.”

We walk by faith when we trust God to work in and through our lives—in all we do. —Poh Fang Chia, Our Daily Journey CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org"

Daily Devotional - Jesus Raises A Ruckus

John 2:17
His disciples remembered that it was written, “ZEAL FOR YOUR HOUSE WILL CONSUME ME .”

“Jesus raises a ruckus”

The thud of bull hooves rumbles across the square. Swirls of dust rise into the air. Sheep bleat, doves flap their wings, and traders yell. “Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!” He screams. The Prince of Peace is raising a ruckus.

He wields the cords and flips the tables (Matthew 21:12); the crowds part like the Red Sea. Mothers clutch their crying children. A cage overturns and doves fly free—an offering sent heavenward by a whip-swinging Savior.

Sometimes we get Jesus wrong. We think of a soft, serene Savior (“the poor baby awakes”), a meek and mild Nazarene (“no crying he makes”), and we forget that some in Jesus’ time thought He was John the Baptist or Elijah returned from death (Mark 8:28). The Son of God wasn’t thought of as some gentle guru of love, peace, and harmony. He was likened to a wild, thunderous, locust-eating prophet.

Surely Jesus was a teacher of love. His clearing of the Temple was no anti-business protest. The traders had set up shop in the Temple’s Outer Court—the only place where women and God-fearing Gentiles could worship. That act disrespected both God and worshiper; Jesus’ response was a passionate portrayal of love for both. And surely Jesus was a prophet of peace—teaching the turning of cheeks and the loving of enemies. But that didn’t negate His wrathful confronting of error. As Dorothy Sayers has said, “Whatever His peace was, it was not the peace of an amiable indifference.”

No, Jesus could be a powerful, angry, passionate personality—the only kind worthy of our full allegiance and trust. For what Savior would wink at greed and injustice? And what God could be worshiped who showed “amiable indifference” to the wronged? —Sheridan Voysey, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org"

DAILY DEVOTIONAL - Subversive Christians

DAILY DEVOTIONAL, JANUARY 26TH

Posted to Romans 10:9 on Jan 25, 2010 at 02:59 PM

Romans 10:9 ESV NASB

that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

“Subversive Christians”

The ancient Romans were really nice people. Sure, their responsibilities demanded a certain demonstration of power, but given the large territory they governed, it was in their best interest to keep everyone happy.

One way they did this was to honor the gods of everyone in their kingdom. Rome built the Pantheon, which literally means “all the gods,” so that every group would feel that their god was respected.

Everyone was fine with this arrangement except the Jews, whom the Romans confined to Palestine, and the Christians, who overran the borders of Israel and went international. The Christians insisted that they alone worshiped the one true God.

Put yourself in the emperor’s sandals. What do you do with such people? You persecute them. You don’t want to. You wonder, “Why can’t we all just get along?” But you also know that if you allow the Christians’ divisive message to continue, it won’t be long till the fragile fabric of your multicultural empire will be destroyed. So for the sake of your kingdom, the Christians must go.

Christians today have the same message: “Jesus is Lord.” We are also living in the same kind of diverse, multicultural world. We receive many benefits from our shrinking global village. We enjoy meeting people who are different, learning their customs, and eating their food.

But the one thing we’re not allowed to say—the one thing that sounds dangerously divisive in our pluralistic world—is that Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). First-century Christians didn’t shrink from this claim, but they aggressively and humbly announced that Jesus, not Caesar, is the world’s only Lord. Now it’s our turn. —Mike Wittmer, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

DAILY DEVOTIONAL - Too Hot To Handle

DAILY DEVOTIONAL, JANUARY 25TH

Posted to Romans 12:21 on Jan 18, 2010 at 10:03 AM

Romans 12:21 ESV NASB

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

“Too hot to handle”

It’s hard to imagine that a guy would choose to blow his apartment to smithereens. Still, it happened in Lisbon, Portugal, as a man did just that—collapsing part of the 5-story building where he lived.

The mad-bomber had recently been evicted, and according to a fireman who responded to the subsequent blaze, “He had threatened neighbors that he would blow up the place if he ever got kicked out.”

Revenge, like fire, is nothing to mess around with—it’s too hot for us to handle. That’s why God tells us, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back” (Romans 12:19). When we’re in payback mode, we hold up the wrong done to us as the excuse for hurting others. Samson did this when his Philistine father-in-law gave his wife away to another man. Infuriated, he declared, “This time I cannot be blamed for everything I am going to do to you Philistines” (Judges 15:3).

Samson then had a teensy bout of pyromania. He gathered 300 foxes, tied their tails together in pairs, attached a torch to each carnivore couple, and set them loose in the Philistines’ grain fields.

Unfortunately, revenge breeds more revenge. In retaliation, the Philistines “went and got [his wife] and her father and burned them to death” (v.6). When Samson found this out, he vowed, “I won’t rest until I take my revenge on you [Philistines]!” (v.7). He attacked them once more before ending up as a lonely bachelor with a cave for a home address.

When we try to settle the score, we often hurt ourselves and our loved ones along with the people we target. That’s why believers should “never pay back evil with more evil” (Romans 12:17). It’s too dangerous. Instead, we’re supposed to leave the hot coals of revenge in the hands of our righteous God. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

DAILY DEVOTIONAL - Cinderella Man

DAILY DEVOTIONAL, JANUARY 22ND

Posted to 1 Samuel 16:7 on Jan 18, 2010 at 09:59 AM

1 Samuel 16:7 ESV NASB

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

“Cinderella man”

As the United States slipped into the Great Depression of the 1930s, a broken right hand forced James Braddock out of professional boxing. Money was hard to come by, so Braddock worked menial jobs to make ends meet.

Thanks to a boxer withdrawing from a bout at the last moment, Braddock eventually got another shot to box the No. 2 contender in the world. No one thought he had a chance, but he shocked the boxing world with a third-round-knockout win.

Braddock’s stunning victory resurrected his career. Nicknamed “Cinderella Man,” Braddock went on to pull off one of the greatest upsets in boxing history by defeating Max Baer for the heavyweight title of the world.

The Old Testament tells the story of another “Cinderella Man.” After informing Saul that God had rejected him as Israel’s king, He sent to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next ruler (1 Samuel 16:1). When Samuel first spotted Jesse’s oldest son, he thought for sure he was the one (1 Samuel 16:6). But God told Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).

Eventually God directed Samuel to Jesse’s youngest son, David, who had been relegated to the job of tending sheep. Apparently he didn’t seem kingly, but God saw something developing within the heart of this young shepherd that no one else had seen.

Do you sometimes feel as if you’re in a Cinderella role? Take heart and be open to learn. God may be giving you smaller assignments as training grounds to prepare you for a much larger role. —Jeff Olson, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

DAILY DEVOTIONAL -Persistent Prayer

DAILY DEVOTIONAL, JANUARY 21ST

Luke 18:1 ESV NASB

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,

“Persistent prayer”

An anonymous person wrote: “I knelt to pray but not for long, I had too much to do. So I knelt and said a hurried prayer, and jumped up off my knees. My Christian duty was now done; my soul could rest at ease.”

Let’s contrast that view of prayer with the actions of the persistent widow in Luke 18. They’re strikingly different. The widow didn’t just drop by now and then to pay the judge a visit. She came to the judge repeatedly (v.3). Her soul wouldn’t rest until her case was heard. Why? Because she wasn’t asking for some special favor, she was simply seeking justice.

In those days, it was common practice to bribe an attendant in order to have your court case heard by the judge. The widow was probably too poor to do that. What’s more, the judge she was appealing to neither feared God nor cared about people (v.4). So she had every reason to lose heart. Due to her persistence, however, she received justice (v.5).

Now before we start thinking that God needs to be pestered, argued with, and bribed in order to have our prayers answered, it’s important to understand that this parable is contrasting the unjust judge with the one truly just Judge. God is eager to answer the prayers of His children. In fact, He will “grant justice to them quickly!” (v.8; Matthew 7:11).

We often lose heart in prayer because we don’t understand God’s timing or purpose. But there’s a better way. One writer put it like this: “Persistent prayer is the demonstration of faith in God who, while at times may delay His answers, will always act decisively and justly with respect to His people.” Keep on praying! —Poh Fang Chia, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org

DAILY DEVOTIONAL - Too Proud To Receive

DAILY DEVOTIONAL, JANUARY 20TH

Posted to Matthew 5:3 on Jan 18, 2010 at 09:53 AM

Matthew 5:3 ESV NASB

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Too proud to receive”

Shaina attends a service for 20-somethings at her church. The group is small but growing, and they’re starting to reach out in innovative ways to their community.

In the past year, nearly 30 people in the church have lost their jobs. So her group decided to get donations of food from individuals and businesses. They were amazed at the generosity. Soon they had a room jam-packed with groceries, and they began to set up appointments for the out-of-work families to “shop” for free. But many people didn’t want to come, despite being in financial trouble.

“We felt bad,” said Shaina. “I was doing something to help people who really needed it, and it was a great feeling. People took something away from me because they were too proud to accept help.”

When Paul the apostle prepared to go to Jerusalem for the last time, he stopped to encourage the believers in Ephesus. He noted that he had never coveted anyone’s wealth and had always worked hard. But when he quoted Jesus as saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), his statement implied that it is indeed blessed to receive. If no one receives, no one gets the blessing of giving. God uses our needy times to humble us—and to enable others to enjoy the blessing of giving.

We’re all desperately needy for spiritual rescue. Without Jesus, we’re powerless to save ourselves. In a letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote, “Even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead” (2:5). “God saved you by His grace when you believed [in His Son]. . . . It is a gift from God” (v.8).

Yet most people are too proud to receive the most generous gift of all time. Imagine how Jesus must feel about that. —Tim Gustafson, Our Daily Journey

CLICK HERE to visit OurDailyJourney.org