Our Daily Bread January 5, 2023 (ODB Devotional) Thursday Message
Read Our Daily Bread January 5, 2023 (ODB Devotional), Thursday Message
READ THURSDAY ODB DEVOTIONAL, OUR DAILY BREAD 5TH JANUARY 2023 WRITTEN BY KIRSTEN HOLMBERG (OUR DAILY BREAD MINISTRIES)
TOPIC: A Nesting Place
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Genesis 13-15; Matthew 5:1-26
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: John 14:1-4(NIV)
1“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
KEY VERSE: My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? JOHN 14:2
Our Daily Bread January 5, 2023 (ODB Devotional) INSIGHT
John stated his purpose for writing his gospel in 20:30–31: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” The entire book should be understood through this lens of pointing people to belief in Jesus that leads to life.
The word belief, translated from the Greek pisteuō, is mentioned eighty-five times in John. One Bible dictionary gives this definition of the word: “believe (affirm, have confidence); used of persuading oneself (human believing) and with the sacred significance of being persuaded by the Lord (faith believing).” Jesus’ miracles and teachings included in the gospel of John are persuasive arguments that He is indeed “the Messiah, the Son of God” (v. 31).
Our Daily Bread January 5, 2023 (ODB Devotional) MESSAGE
Sand martins—small birds related to swallows—dig their nests into riverbanks. Land development in South East England reduced their habitat, and the birds had fewer and fewer places to nest when they returned from their winter migration each year. Local conservationists sprang into action and built an enormous artificial sandbank to house them. With the help of a sand-sculpting firm, they molded sand to create a space for the birds to take up residence for years to come.
This gracious act of compassion vividly depicts the words Jesus used to console His disciples. After telling them He’d be leaving and that they wouldn’t be able to go with Him until later (John 13:36), He offered them the assurance that He’d “prepare a place for [them]” in heaven (14:2). Though they were rightly saddened that Jesus said He would leave them soon and that they could not follow Him, He encouraged them to look on this holy errand as part of His preparation to receive them—and us.
Without Jesus’ sacrificial work on the cross, the “many rooms” of the Father’s house wouldn’t be able to receive us (v. 2). Having gone before us in preparation, Christ assures us He’ll return and take those who trust in His sacrifice to be with Him. There we’ll take up residence with Him in a joyous eternity.
REFLECT AND PRAY
When have you felt you weren’t “at home” in this life? What do you most look forward to about heaven?
Thank You, Jesus, for preparing a place for me in heaven with You.
READ: January 4, 2023 – Our Daily Bread Devotional | New Vision
Our Daily Bread Devotional 5th January 2023 || ODB for Thursday Message . Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODB) is a Christian organization founded by Dr. Martin De Haan in 1938. It is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with over 600 employees. It produces several devotional publications, including Our Daily Bread. our daily bread devotional for today audio our daily bread booklet.
