Our Daily Bread Devotional 22nd January 2024: The Right Focus

Our Daily Bread Devotional 22nd January 2024 ODB Message

Read Our Daily Bread Devotional 22nd January 2024- Monday ODB Message written by Kirsten Holmberg and Today’s Insight By Alyson Kieda

TOPIC: The Right Focus

Bible in a Year: Exodus 4–6; Matthew 14:22–36

However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” – Luke 10:20

Today’s Scripture
Luke 10:17–20

17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Our Daily Bread Devotional 22nd January 2024 Insight:
In Luke 10:20, Jesus isn’t chastising His disciples for casting out demons, for it’s to God’s glory when they’re cast out. Instead, He says they should take joy that their “names are written in heaven.” Other passages referring to this record use the words “book of life” or “book.”

Commentator William Hendriksen writes: “Casting out demons ceases when life on earth ends. But right standing with God, resulting in everlasting salvation to his glory, never ends.” Daniel says, in the end times “everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered” (Daniel 12:1). Those who are “victorious,” or who stand firm in their faith, will never be blotted out from “the book of life” (Revelation 3:5). But those whose names aren’t written in the “Lamb’s book of life,” the apostle John says, “will worship the beast” (13:8) in the last days. And when Christ returns, “anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life [will be] thrown into the lake of fire” (20:15).

Our Daily Bread Devotional 22nd January 2024 MESSAGE

We’d known Kha for more than a year. He was part of our small group from church that met weekly to discuss what we’d been learning about God. One evening during our regular meeting, he made a reference to having competed at the Olympics. The mention was so casual that it almost escaped my notice. Almost. Lo and behold, I learned I knew an Olympian who had competed in the bronze medal match! I couldn’t fathom that he’d not mentioned it before, but for Kha, while his athletic achievement was a special part of his story, more important things were central to his identity: his family, his community, and his faith.

The story in Luke 10:1–23 describes what should be central to our identity. When the seventy-two people Jesus sent out to tell others about the kingdom of God returned from their journeys, they reported to Him that “even the demons submit to us in your name” (v. 17). While Jesus acknowledged that He’d equipped them with tremendous power and protection, He said they were focused on the wrong thing. He insisted that their cause for rejoicing should be because their “names are written in heaven” (v. 20).

Whatever achievements or abilities God has granted us, our greatest cause for rejoicing is that if we’ve entrusted ourselves to Jesus, our names are written in heaven, and we enjoy His daily presence in our lives.

Reflect & Pray
What are you focused on? How can you shift your focus to more of an eternal perspective?

Heavenly Father, thank You for writing my name in heaven. I rejoice in knowing You.

Our Daily Bread Devotional For Monday 22 January 2024 ODB 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.

READ MORE TOPICS: OPEN HEAVENS, OUR DAILY BREAD, IN TOUCH, SEEDS OF DESTINY, STREAMS OF JOY, JOEL OSTEEN, MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE, DCLM DAILY MANNA, UCB WORD FOR TODAY