REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor David Kwon who heads Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, was originally posted on November 26, 2014. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“God’s Heart for the Lost”

1 Timothy 2:3-7

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, [4] who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. [5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6] who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. [7] For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Have you ever had a close friend or family member come to know Christ because of your prayers or influence?  There is such indescribable joy when the people we pray for come to faith in Christ.  Throughout my years as a Christian, I have seen people who were far away from God come to know Christ, and in each of these conversions, I am amazed at His power that saves.

In this passage, we see God’s heart for those who do not know him:  He “desires all people to be saved and come to know the knowledge of truth” (v.4).  This truth is that God loves the whole world, desires all people to be saved, and so commands us to preach the gospel to all the nations and pray for their salvation.  It is through one mediator, Christ Jesus, that all can come to know his incredible love and grace.    

Spend some time this morning praying for those who do not know Christ.  Maybe it is a family member, coworker, neighbor, small group member, etc.  Since prayer is one of the means through which the Lord redeems His people, we are called to intercede.  Let’s remind ourselves that God desires all to come to know Him, and that He calls us to be part of His redemption work.

Prayer: Lord, I want to lift up those in my life who do not know Jesus. May they experience your saving grace. May you use me to share Christ boldly. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 6

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Lunch Break Study 

Read Luke 15:1-7: Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”[3] So he told them this parable: [4] “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? [5] And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. [6] And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ [7] Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Questions to Consider

1. Why do you think Jesus tells this parable?  What does He want to communicate?
2. How does Jesus view people who are lost?
3. Do we have this kind of heart for those who do not know Jesus? 

Notes

1. God rejoices over the recovery of a lost sinner, and therefore it is Jesus’ supreme desire to seek and save the lost.
2. This attitude is illustrated by the willingness of a shepherd to go out over the hills searching, so that not even one sheep may be missing from his flock. There may be some who ask: “What does one lost sheep matter compared with ninety–nine safe in the fold?” and ignore the value of the individual. Not so with God. He rejoices even more (if that is possible) over the return of the lost than over the safety of those at home.
3. Personal response.

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Evening Reflection

We have been reflecting on God’s heart for the lost today. Spend some time in prayer asking that He would give you his heart for people.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first on March 31, 2013.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Visiting Those in Prison”

Hebrews 13:2

Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners.

In the late 1980s, my wife and I visited a local prison every Monday to lead a Bible study—always bringing Korean snacks. Once, after receiving gimbap (Korean “sushi”), a puzzled prisoner asked, “Do I remove the seaweed before eating this?” I don’t remember exactly how we began visiting that prison, but I suspect it was because Jesus commended those who visited Him when He was in prison. Surprised, they asked, “When did we see you… in prison and go to visit you?” And Jesus replied, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:39).

In the mid-1990s, our church regularly visited the Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility in Whittier, California, a prison for juvenile offenders. During one visit, I explained to a young inmate involved in the chaplain’s ministry how difficult it was to encourage our congregation—who knew nothing about prison life—to participate. Graciously, he wrote a letter to our church:

“Hello, my brothers and sisters. I’m writing to let you know that we would like to meet you so that we can exchange prayers and fellowship in the Lord. The brothers whom you meet are all living soldiers of God who are trying to spread the love of God in this DARK AND LONELY institution. I was very encouraged and inspired the last time you came: a nice, delicious dinner, group prayer, the drama group, and an important message from your pastor. You make me smile when you are here. I may be down that Sunday, but your church picks me up along with the strength of the Lord. While you are here, there is no need to worry about your safety because you will be around brothers who have a serious love for God and by no means will have any negativity toward you. We are all in Christ, and we love you in the Lord. We’d love to hear from you.”

In the mid- to late-2000s, I had the opportunity to teach and preach regularly at a Mexican prison, and I must say they were the most captive audience (no pun intended) I have ever had. I will never forget one humorous episode involving a prisoner named Javier (who is now with the Lord). One Sunday, as we were about to enter the facility, Javier—who had just been released after serving 12 years—greeted us. Wanting to worship with us, he tried to reenter the prison, but of course the guards would not allow it.

So pray about being involved in mercy ministries—visiting prisoners, the sick, the lonely, or even those in hospice and convalescent homes. During this COVID season, finding people in need is not difficult. Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:36: “I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Such ministry not only blesses them; it keeps our hearts close to the Lord.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, help me to be the person You can use to help people in need.  Help me to remember those in prison and figure out ways to help them to be restored back to society and to You.  Remind me to live no longer for myself.  In Jesus’ name, amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 5

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought was originally written by Pastor Young Kim of Grace Covenant Church in Philadelphia and first published on June 4-5, 2013.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Guard Your Heart . . . in Your Marriage” 

Proverbs 4:23-25, 27 (NIV 84)

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”

Guard your heart! Guard it with God’s word.  Guard it with prayer.  Guard it from bitterness. Guard it from selfishness. Keep it away from hopelessness. But remember this: even if you failed to guard it and it is wounded, you can find forgiveness and healing in Jesus!!! 

Prayer:  Jesus I am weak, so I give you my heart.  Let the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you today.  Amen.

Proverbs 5:18, 19 

“May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.”

Having a great marriage is a gift of God; but it also takes effort.  Marriage takes much prayer and work.  We need to understand that marriage is under attack by the enemy.  Pray for your spouse and ask the Lord to protect our marriage.  If you are not married, then pray that God would prepare you for marriage by molding you to be like Jesus. 

Prayer: Dear Jesus, may the husbands of AMI love their wives like Jesus loved the church.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 3-4

REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional Thought, written by Pastor Sam Lee, was originally posted on July 18, 2014. Sam leads Catalyst Agape Church in Northern New Jersey.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Clay in the Hands of a Potter”

Jeremiah 18:1-4

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” 3 So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. 4 And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

1 Peter 1:6-7 

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

I would watch my children play with clay. The clay would get stretched, pulled, and dirtied. In other words, the clay would get abused, and eventually the poor clay would be thrown away because it cannot be used anymore. 

Clay in the hands of a child becomes a toy to be used and discarded; clay in the hands of a potter is similar yet very different in a profound way. This clay is also stretched and pulled, yet it is being stretched and pulled not to be discarded but to become something that is valued, useful, and beautiful. The greater the potter, the greater the value of what the clay becomes.  A Ming Dynasty vase can cost over $10 million dollars today. You, in the hands of the Master, are worth infinitely more. 

Yet it is not easy to stay in the hands of the Master. Therefore, let’s cast off the things that make us move away from the Potter’s hand. I have learned that staying in the hands of God is not about being silent and just waiting; it is hard spiritual work. There are many different ways we knowingly and unknowingly move away from the hands of the Potter. 

This morning, instead of complaining about what we have to face today, let’s change our outlook and perspective. The trial of the day is not to crush, expose, or to bring hopelessness. The trial is to change and transform us, to make us stronger, to make us more like Him. 

Let’s be determined to stay in the Potter’s hand. He is looking for clay that is compliant and moldable; clay that trust and is completely yielded to Jesus.

Prayer: Father, You know my going in and my going out. You know my innermost thoughts. Sovereign Lord, You have the best plan for my life. I submit to your agenda so that you can shape me into the person You want me to be. I am clay in Your hands.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 2

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Lunch Break Study

Read Jeremiah 18:6: “‘O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?’ says the Lord. ‘Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!’”

Questions to Consider

1. When we face trials, we ask God to change the circumstances. Today, pray and ask God what He wants to change in you so He can use you to change the circumstances.

2. What part of the clay is the Lord molding or trying to take away? Submit that area of your life to the Lord.

Notes

1. One general change all of us must consider: depending more on God rather than our own strength.  One area that ought to reflect this change: more time spent with God, for nothing expresses our dependency on the Lord than persistently praying to Him.

2. Consider these areas: lack of faith, immature character, and absence of love.

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Evening Reflection

James 1:2-6 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” 

Pray for wisdom without doubting to overcome the trials you are facing during this season.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, originally posted on November 11, 2014, is provided by Pastor Yohan Lee. Yohan previously served on staff at several AMI churches.

Devotional Thought for this Morning

“Knowing Your Limits”

Proverbs 5:7-8 

“And now, O sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth. Keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house,”

Call it childish machismo, but I am fond of saying, “Every boy needs to get into a fight with an older kid he cannot overcome, at least once in his life.”  Many in this reading audience are probably horrified right now, but I believe that taking a beating humbles young boys and teaches them to keep quiet (once in a while).  Over the years, I’ve expanded my defense of said statement to include, “Boys need to learn how to fight losing battles”; and “Boys need to test their limits, and you can only test your limits by losing once in a while.”  By the way, fighting losing battles (for good causes) and testing limits is not exclusive to boys.  

All that being said, there are just some battles that you should not try to fight; there are some limits that need not be tested.  I love how, in this book full of overtly wise and pithy statements, we get the subtle but equally wise message to “run away!”  Although the idea of running away does not appeal to the childish machismo in me, there is nothing cowardice about running from sin and situations that cause you to sin.  The truth is that knowing your limits is a part of maturing (not just spiritual maturation); those who never learn what they can and cannot handle will repeatedly find themselves in poor situations and living in regret.  

For the writer of Proverbs, sexual purity is obviously one of those areas, but it is not the only one.  For those who struggle with alcohol, going to a bar on a Friday night may be something that needs to be avoided.  The person with an addictive personality may need to stay far away from a casino.  The shopaholic may need to stay away from the mall or get rid of credit cards.  Obviously, I don’t know what you need to run away from, but I want to encourage you with a wise proverb of my own: “Better to run on your feet than to fall on your face.”  

Prayer: Lord, show me areas in my life that I need to totally avoid.  Help me to see that Your means of grace for me in these areas is to run, and that You are growing in me the fruit of self-control in the process.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 1

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Lunch Break Study

Read Gen. 39:1-23 (only 11-21 is provided below): But one day, when he went into the house to do his work and none of the men of the house was there in the house, 12 she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. 13 And as soon as she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled out of the house, 14 she called to the men of her household and said to them, “See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice. 15 And as soon as he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled and got out of the house.” 16 Then she laid up his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to laugh at me. 18 But as soon as I lifted up my voice and cried, he left his garment beside me and fled out of the house.” 19 As soon as his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, “This is the way your servant treated me,” his anger was kindled. 20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

Questions to Consider

1. How was Joseph able to avoid falling?
2. How did things work out for Joseph?
3. Look carefully at this chapter.  What is the real message of Joseph’s life?

Notes

1. The obvious answer is that Joseph ran away from Potiphar’s wife (39:12).  But if you look at 39:8-9, Joseph was also mindful of God and feared sinning against Him, for Joseph knew that God always sees.  Likewise, we need to live with the realization that God always sees.   
2. Outwardly, not so good: He was falsely accused and thrown in prison.  But here is the point: sometimes doing the right thing may not immediately end in good results, and we shouldn’t be surprised if this happens.  
3. Ultimately, the point of Joseph’s life story is found in 39:2 and 39:1: “The Lord was with Joseph.”  The Lord orchestrated the highs and lows of Joseph’s life, and He was with him.  God is always in charge and He does not leave his children.  

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Evening Reflection

Did something come up today that you needed to avoid?  Did you run?  Did you conduct yourself today as if God were watching you?  Do you know that He is with you?  Very recently, one of my pastoral friends lamented what he perceived to be an issue with younger people.  Basically, he felt that it is getting harder to lead, teach, and shepherd people because they feel like they’d rather make their own decisions and learn from their mistakes rather than listening to a leader’s advice.  This friend further commented that to many it doesn’t matter if something is wise, right, true, good, etc. as long as they make the decision.  

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog that was originally posted on May 9, 2014.  Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Respect”

Titus 2:1-2

“You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. 2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.” 

When I think of older men I’ve come to really respect, two retired professors I’ve had the privilege of working with on-and-off over the years are among the first that come to mind.  Over 60 years old and though not believers, when I spend time with them, I often find myself thinking, “When I get to be that age, I hope I can be like that.”  

There is a level of respect that one automatically grants any other person because they are a fellow human being, and then there is a respect that is something more, granted to certain people because of a quality they have.  Sometimes a person can be respected for their achievement, ability, the power they wield, or the position they hold.  But when one person respects another from the heart, it often has more to do with who that other person is; their character, the way they treat people.  When Paul instructs Titus to teach the older men to be “worthy” of respect, I think he is talking about this last kind.

I first started according to these two professors this kind of respect upon discovering their unexpectedly humble and even teachable attitudes.  Though they were experts in their fields and I was almost a generation their junior, they treated me as a colleague, asking for my input and deferring as often to my suggestions as I did to theirs.  I also came to notice how, while they always pursued the highest standards of excellence, they also maintained a sense of humor and were able to take neither the work nor themselves over-seriously.  They had a sense of perspective which could be called true wisdom.

Sometimes, as we get older, younger people around us will automatically give us a level of respect, just because of our age or the greater achievements of our longer lifetimes.  While this is not a bad thing, if it were the only kind of respect people had for me, I would feel unsatisfied.  Today, let’s pursue in becoming the kind of person with the character worthy of others’ respect.

Prayer: Lord, as I grow older, help me not to take the respect of others for granted.  I do not live for their approval, but I know that if I have the respect of others that is given from the heart, somehow, I am doing something right.  Help me to be a decent human being today.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 31

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Lunch Break Study

Read Philippians 2:1-9:  “ Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves . . . [5] In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in very nature God . . .  [7] made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant . . .[and] humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! [9] Therefore God exalted him to the highest place . . .”

1 John 2:6: “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.”

Questions to Consider

1. What do we receive out of our being united with Christ (v. 1)?  

2. What should the consequent effect be (v. 2-3)?

3. When Jesus humbled himself, what did God do (v. 9)?  How is this related to what our attitudes towards receiving the respect of others should be?

Notes

1. Encouragement, comfort, sharing in the Spirit, tenderness and compassion.  We need first to meditate on what we have received from Christ, because this is our motivation for obeying all that the Spirit exhorts us to do through Paul, in the following verses.

2. Our trying to be like Christ, having his same attitude of love for and humility before others. As we get older, this takes more intentional effort on our part, because theoretically, we become wiser and more experienced than an increasing number of people around us.

3. When Jesus did not seek to exalt himself, God exalted him.  Trying to become people “worthy of respect” is different from trying to do things to “make” others respect us (i.e., boasting about our accomplishments, treating others as inferiors in position, etc.).

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Evening Reflection

How respectful was I of others today?  Remembering and thinking about Jesus, did I try to have an attitude of humility before others?  Were there moments I had to swallow my pride?  If you were successful in these areas today, be encouraged, because God has seen it; and whether you may know it or not, you may also have won the respect of others around you who were watching you today as well.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor Mark Chun of Radiance Christian Church in S.F., was originally posted on March 28, 2014. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Approaching God Daily with Confidence”

1 John 5:13-15 (ESV)

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life. 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 

Many people see eternal life as just a fairy tale ending to the gospels and something that doesn’t impact our day-to-day lives.  We can mistake the resurrection as simply a happy ending to a life filled with sin, discouragement, stress, and heartache.  Since all of us go through difficulties in this life—literally all at the same time amid the present pandemic—it’s tempting to see eternity as nothing more than a way of escape.  However, the resurrection of Christ is far more than just a guarantee of life after death:  It also guarantees that we will have sufficient power to overcome this world and to find joy in the present age.  I love the pastoral cliché, “Christ came not to add years to our life, but life to our years!”  

A great part of our joy in this life comes from having confidence that God hears and answers our prayers.  Some of the most amazing experiences that I have had spiritually have come as a result of answered prayers.  I’ve always wondered how we will pray in heaven without the presence of pain and sorrow because so many of our prayers are driven by difficulties.  From that perspective, praying presently with an eternal mindset is one of life’s greatest gifts.  Our personal assurance of eternal life allows us to approach God daily with confidence. 

However, there is nothing that hinders this relationship with God faster than a lack of conviction, because, ultimately, mistrust ruins relationships.  If we are not convinced that a person is trustworthy, or convinced that he’s genuine, then our relationship with that person will fall apart.  Our relationship with God and our prayers to Him need to be based on conviction. The resurrection of Christ gives us the power to believe that God is everything that the Scriptures tell us, that He sent His only Son to take the sins of this world, and to bring the hope of the resurrection.  We need to believe and live out the impact of eternal life here and now.  And we will need plenty of this conviction as we all are entering the uncharted territory of post-COVID world.  So, remember the resurrection of Christ and continue to approach God with confidence. 

Prayer: Father, we ask that You give us the confidence to approach You daily with all our needs and struggles.  Teach us how to trust in You and to pray with the assurance of eternity in our hearts.  As we receive answers to our prayers, help us to be content and satisfied with Your will and that we would imitate the prayer of Your Son, “Not my will but yours be done.”  Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 30

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Lunch Break Study  

Read James 5:13-18: “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.”

Questions to Consider

1.  How does James teach us to pray for the sick?  

2.  What is the connection between sickness and sin?

3.  Who has the power to pray for healing?  

Notes

1.  James accents the need to pray in faith for the sick.   Obviously, we should always pray with faith, but the prayers of faith are most visibly noticeable in our ministry to the sick.       

2.  The Scriptures frequently allude to sin as a sickness.  There is clearly a connection between sin and physical maladies.  Emotional sins like unforgiveness, anger, resentment, and bitterness are often the cause of headaches, back pain, and other ailments.  

3.  This passage reminds us that the prophet Elijah had a nature just like ours (sinful and human), and yet God answered his prayers miraculously.  We can have the same conviction that God will do the same for us when we pray according to His will and purpose  

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Evening Reflection

How is your prayer life?  Do you feel like God is hearing you or do you feel as if your prayers are hitting a spiritual ceiling?  Ask the Lord to search your heart and to give you the desire to pray according to His will in faith.  

REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional QT, written by Pastor Sam Lee who leads Catalyst Agape Church in Northern New Jersey, was originally posted on July 28, 2014.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Spiritual Respite Amid Bad News from All Sides”

1 Peter 4:7

The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.

When I was young, bad news reported on television was limited to what happened locally. Now with the advent of the internet, I get bad news from every corner of the world, instantly. I hear about the civil war in Syria, the conflicts in Ukraine, the oppressions in North Korea, the increasing conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, and on and on.  All these bad news from afar, along with bad news around me, can steal my peace and keep me up at night. 

So how should Christians respond to things that seem out of our control and causes us to stress? The Bible says, “Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray.”  That is to say, when we are losing peace, the best response is to pray.  Though those around us seem to depend on a round of golf, a shot of espresso, or a quart of ice cream, prayer is so much better, more powerful, and more effective in handling anxiety, chaos, and stress. 

So today, seek spiritual respite amid bad news from all sides.  Pray—not the superficial, guilt-driven, garden variety kind of prayer, but vine-to-branch connection prayer.  Today, find the best time and place to pray: that is, a time when you are most alert and awake, as well as a place where you will not be distracted.  Find a place that inspires you to pray.  It may be a remote park bench visited during your lunch time. During this special time, come before the Lord with a soft and honest heart. It is not His purpose that you suffer through lifeless prayers. He will meet with you. As a matter of fact, He is waiting for you. The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords is waiting for you.  

Prayer: Lord, remind me and motivate me to find the time and a place to spend quiet and quality time with you today.  You are always so ready to meet with me, though I always make excuses.  But not today, Lord!  I will see you later during my lunch hour.  Thank you, Jesus. 

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 29

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Lunch Break Study

Read Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Questions to Consider

1. Write down the convictions that God gives you through this passage concerning prayer.

2. How can you apply those convictions to your prayer life?

Notes

1. Most of us worry too much, even those who emphasize God’s sovereignty. That’s why it is important to take a pause in the middle of a hectic day and meditate on Ps. 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”  

2. To pray like this, we cannot be hurried nor rushed.  While we do most of the talking (praying), we must also keep silent to detect God’s whisper (e.g., a verse, affirming or convicting words, even an image) spoken to our heart.

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Evening Reflection

Reflect and walk out the revelations God gave you during your time with Him.

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog that was originally posted on May 10, 2014.  Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“One Disadvantage Advantage of Being a Woman”

Titus 2:3 

“Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.” 

You Just Don’t Understand, by Deborah Tannen, spent four years on the New York Times bestseller list (eight months at number one) because her discussion of the differences between the way that men and women engage in conversation touched a chord.  A look today at some of her insights on the way women use “talking”:

“For most women, the language of conversation is primarily a language of rapport: a way of establishing connections and negotiating relationships. Emphasis is placed on displaying similarities and matching experiences . . .. [In contrast,] for most men, talk is primarily a means to preserve independence and negotiate and maintain status in a hierarchical social order. This is done by exhibiting knowledge and skill, and by holding center stage through verbal performance such as storytelling, joking, or imparting information.”

“Girls’ friendships are made and maintained by telling secrets. For grown women too, the essence of friendship is talk, telling each other what they’re thinking and feeling, and what happened that day: who was at the bus stop, who called, what they said, how that made them feel.” 

“There is [a] way that the desire to forge connections may be at work in creating gossip. Talking about someone who is not there is a way of establishing rapport with someone who is there. By agreeing about their evaluation of someone else, people reinforce their shared values and world views.”

“Although gossip can be destructive, it isn’t always; it can serve a crucial function in establishing intimacy–especially if it is not ‘talking against’ but simply ‘talking about.’”

What we can see from the excerpts above is that because of the way women use language to engage with one another, they can be much more susceptible to becoming slanderers.  Addressing this tendency, the Bible encourages older women to use their words in more constructive ways.  Teaching others does not necessarily mean by giving lectures (i.e., in the way that Tannen would say is more natural for men).  Women can teach others through conversations that reach out, connect, build intimacy – sharing their lives with others in ways that encourage and build them up, at the same time making every effort to be watchful that they do not cross the line, falling into “talking against” others in the name of sharing what they are going through.

As we share our lives with one another, can we be more mindful of our words today?  

Prayer: Lord, remind us of the power of words.  Help us to be alert so that we don’t “let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Eph. 4:29).  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 28

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, written by Pastor Sam Lee who leads Catalyst Agape Church in Northern New Jersey, was originally posted on October 10, 2013.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“What Intercessory Prayer Looks Like”

Matthews 6:9-10

This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” 

Our prayer needs to be balanced with personal prayer and intercession. Intercession is a prayer focus outside of self. We need an encounter with God not so that He knows what we want, but so that His purposes are revealed in us—i.e., “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” 

Intercession makes us have compassion for the things that is in the heart of God. Furthermore, intercession burdens us for the things God is burdened. Intercession brings heaven on earth. 

Today, pray for others. Pray for your church and government leadership. Pray for people who do not know the Lord. Pray for your community. Pray that researchers can soon find the vaccination for the coronavirus.  As you read or listen to the news, pray for the thing God highlights in your heart. Pray for people who are being spiritually attacked. Pray that God would raise up worker for the harvest. 

By the way, don’t forget to pray for yourself as well. 

Prayer: Father, remind and empower me to take praying seriously. Help me not only to pray for my own needs but for the needs of others. Constantly remind me not to just talk about prayer but actually pray.  Call out my duplicity when it comes to prayer (since I don’t pray much) so I can really pray. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 26-27