REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Peter Yoon of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego, is an updated version of his blog first posted on May 16, 2014. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“I Don’t Remember a Thing”

Titus 3:1-2

1 “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.”

A pastor once commented that we suffer from a 30-second memory ability when it comes to following good instructions. A professor often repeated that “a good memory is not as good as a ragged pen.” All of us tend to forget, whether it be returning a book to the library, paying the bills, or friends’ birthdays. And so we set up Google calendars or hang up calendars on our refrigerators to “remind” ourselves. 

Apparently, the congregation that Titus oversaw also overlooked matters. However, these matters were of utmost importance for the Christian community, that is, if it was going to be an effective witness for the Lord. Paul, therefore, instructs Titus to “remind” the people of God. 

Today, we live in an age of information. Thanks to technology, we have immediate access to information in just about any language at any given moment. And so we download all sorts of information to our brains. By the time you arrive at work or your morning class, you’ve already read through pages of news, blogs, articles, Facebook posts, etc.; but how is it that you can’t remember a thing! Do you remember a time when you actually used to remember a person’s phone number? Do you remember the sermon from this past Sunday?

Apparently, the 1^st century congregation also forgot the pastor’s sermon by Monday, and that is why Paul tells Titus to remind the people. 

Has God recently “reminded” you of something that you needed to follow through? Perhaps God used your small group, a friend, or your spouse to send out His reminder. God is giving you another opportunity for obedience. Take the opportunity to follow through today.    

Prayer: Dear God, I admit that I can easily forget the things that You have taught me and revealed to me. Thank You for sending me reminders of the ways in which You desire for me to live. Grant me Your grace this day to follow through on the things You are reminding me to obey. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 17

---

Lunch Break Study  

Read Joshua 4:1-9 (NIV): 1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.” 4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe,5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” 8 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the Lord had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

Questions to Consider 

1. Why does God command the Israelites to gather twelve stones after crossing the Jordan River? 
2. For whom was the stone memorial erected?
3. What memorials can you intentionally build around your life or in your family so that even after some time has passed, God’s greatness and goodness will be remembered? 

Notes

1. The twelve stones were to serve forever as a sign and as a memorial (cf. Ex. 12:26–27; Dt. 6:20–25). Memory plays an important role in any society. Without memory a person loses identity, and without a history to sustain it, a society and the world around it become virtually like a phantom. Any society that hopes to endure must become, as sociologists put it, “a community of memory and hope.”
2. In the future, the children of the Israelites would ask, “What do these stones mean?” As the Israelites were crossing into unchartered and dangerous territories, they would have been reminded and comforted to know that their future children would inhabit the land.
3. Personal response.

---

Evening Reflection

Spend some time reflecting on some critical moments or seasons in your life where the Lord revealed Himself to you. As you reflect, give God thanks for His sovereign foundations that He’s established thus far in your life.  

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), is an updated version of his blog first posted on February 12, 2013.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

Psalms 16:7-9, 11

7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure. 11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

No one wants to be the last person chosen for a pick-up game.  I know how that feels and believe me, you just want to hide.  Yes, no one likes to be chosen last.But when facing life’s troubles—and there’s plenty to go around in our world ravaged by the coronavirus—we often do this to God, seeking Him as a last resort after exhausting all other avenues. Why?  Maybe we don’t think God is that good, or He “plays” the way we do, like winning at all cost, including cheating, if necessary.  Think of Houston Astros who cheated their way to win the World Series.  (Of course, God doesn’t do that!) 

Evidently, God doesn’t like to be chosen last either.  To the idol-worshipping Israel who chased after territorial gods such as Baal or Molech, God said, sarcastically, “Go and serve your idols, everyone of you!  But afterward you will surely listen to me” (Ez. 20:39).  Yes, doing things our way may work, temporarily, but ultimately, they will disappoint us.  

Today’s psalm shows that, at some point in David’s life, he discovered that setting the LORD always before him was the path toward joy and security in life.  Later, Jesus would echo David’s outlook in life when he said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matt. 6:33).

So, before seeking man’s counsel, get on your knees and cry out to Him.  Don’t consult the horoscopes, but diligently study God’s word and apply it to your life.  And that’s how we can receive God’s instructions and counsels!  Only then will we truly understand what David meant when he sang, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Reflect on the immensity of our LORD and how this great God actually cares about you!  Find rest in that today. You will need it as we are wallowing in the mire of COVID-19.  God, have mercy on us, especially when we, in our stupidity, seek You last.  

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I praise and exalt You this morning for being a great and awesome God who, astoundingly, cares about an insignificant person like me.  How many times have I insulted You by choosing other means to solve my problems, instead of turning to You to seek Your wisdom, instruction, comfort!  I thank You, LORD, for always making Yourself available to me.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 16

---

Lunch Break Study  

Read Jeremiah 42:1-6: 1“Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— 3 that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” 4 Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.” 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the Lord your God sends you to us. 6 Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”

Jeremiah 43:1-7: 1 When Jeremiah finished speaking to all the people all these words of the Lord their God, with which the Lord their God had sent him to them, 2 Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah and all the insolent men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie. The Lord our God did not send you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to live there,’ 3 but Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may kill us or take us into exile in Babylon.” 4 So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces and all the people did not obey the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah. 5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to live in the land of Judah from all the nations to which they had been driven— 6 the men, the women, the children, the princesses, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, son of Shaphan; also Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. 7 And they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And they arrived at Tahpanhes.

Questions to Consider 

1. The hostile remark in verse 2 was made to the prophet Jeremiah. Who said this to him (Jer. 42:1-6)?
2. Appearances can be deceiving.  How was this true in this case?  What did the prophet Jeremiah say that set them off (Jer. 42:7-18)?
3. What did they do and how did God respond (Jer. 43:2-7, 44: 11-7)?  
4. When seeking God, what should be our posture?

Notes 

1. After the Babylonian invasions, which left Judah desolate (due to many who were exiled), a small Jewish remnant came to Jeremiah inquiring what they should do.  Their request seemed quite genuine.
2. In short, Jeremiah told them something they didn’t want to hear.  Egypt was where they wanted to go all along, but once they were told to go elsewhere, they accused Jeremiah of lying.  Apparently, they had come to Jeremiah with their minds already made-up and were determined to insist that their will was God’s will.  They were hoping that the prophet would agree with them but once it became clear that he wouldn’t, they proceeded to discredit the messenger.
3. They went to Egypt in disobedience, even taking Jeremiah with them.  Nothing provokes God’s indignation more than our active disobedience; thus, God vowed to punish them.
4. Unless we’ve the willingness to obey God, we shouldn’t seek His counsel.  Neither should we seek God after having already made up our minds nor to appear religious or spiritual.       

---

Evening Reflection

A day can go by so quickly.  Before turning in for the night, consider these questions:

What are some personal or work issues that are causing you to lose sleep at night, or at least make you feel stressed? Did anything happen today that caused you to stress out even more?  What have you done about them? Have you earnestly sought after God regarding these issues?  If not, do you know why you haven’t?  Do you have trust issues with God?  Write out a prayer to Him honestly telling the Lord how you feel.  Pray about your condition. 

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on April 2, 2013, is provided by Pastor Barry Kang who heads Symphony Church in Boston. 

Devotional Thought of This Morning

“About Confession of Sin”

Psalm 32:3-5 (NIV)

3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.  Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”— and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Guilt and shame are terrible weights to endure.  There is a reason that “blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven”!  The Psalmist makes clear the way out: confession.  

When we come into the light with our sins, we are able to receive forgiveness (spiritual, emotional and psychological).  When we keep our sins hidden within our hearts, and leave them unconfessed before God, we are not bringing them into his forgiving light.    

Do we need to confess every sin?  What if we forget one or two (or many)?  Does that mean we won’t receive full forgiveness?  No.  We are saved (which includes being forgiven) by grace . . . not by the work of confession.  But it is through confession of our sinfulness that we declare that God is the one able to set us free.  It is a sign of trust, hope and faith (and faith in Jesus is an important part of the salvific process).  When we fully trust in God’s forgiveness, then we can also be set free from the psychological weight of guilt and shame.

Don’t allow yourself to be hindered by your past.  Confess your sins before God and receive His forgiveness today!  

Ps: Two words seem anathema to modern day Americans: “sinner” and “confess.”  Lest, this point doesn’t come out clearly, let me say from the outset: it is crucialto our understanding of the gospel and Jesus Christ that we know that we aresinners saved by the work of Jesus Christ.  We cannot grasp the importance of the cross and the overwhelming nature of God’s grace unless we know deep in our hearts how far we are from deserving it.  When we are afraid to confess our sins, it shows our mistrust of God.

But God’s promise is that if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just and will forgive.  If we believe this, we will confess our sins.  We will confess our sins even to one another (c.f. James 5:16), for we will know that it is never by our own actions that we can claim righteousness but only through what Christ bought for us on the cross.

Prayer: Father, I confess my sinfulness to You.  I am in need of your grace and mercy.  I ask that You would bring healing into my heart and my mind.   I want to live this day in Your joyful presence.  In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 15

---

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 John 1:8-10 (NIV):  8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. 

Questions to Consider

1. Why does John say that if we claim to be without sin that we are deceiving ourselves (c.f. Romans 3:10-12)?
2. In this passage, what does John imply is the opposite of claiming to be without sin?
3. How important to our relationship with God is it for us to comprehend that we are sinners saved by Grace? 

Notes

1. Romans 3:10-11 tells us that we are all sinners.  No one in the history of humanity was without sin (except for Jesus). We all fall short of the glory of God.  When we claim that we are without sin (as I’ve heard some Christians claim), we are on dangerous ground, for it shows that tendency in our hearts to desire righteousness on our own terms.
2. John contrasts “claim to be without sin” with “confess our sins”.  In other words, the opposite of the proud self-righteous person is the person who humbly confesses his sin.  When we confess our sins, we are declaring our trust in a God who is “faithful and just” and will “forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  When we confess our sins, we are putting our faith not in our own righteousness but in the righteousness of God.
3. John warns us that if we are not confessing our sins to God, then we are making God out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.  Confession of sinfulness is an important aspect of what it means to have faith in the God revealed through scripture.

---

Evening Reflection

As the old Scottish maxim goes, “confession is good for the soul.”  Are you resisting confessing your sins?  Are there sins so terrible in your life that you could never confess them to another?  If so, ask God to help you to fully trust him.  Write of the ways that you doubt God’s promises.  Confess any waywardness and any doubts hindering your faith and surrender them to God.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, originally posted on April 21, 2020, is provided by Pastor Jason Sato. Jason, along with his family, is currently serving in Japan as a missionary. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Everything She Had”

Mark 12:41–44 (ESV)

41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

As most of us are spending much more time at home than ever before, perhaps initially we thought this could be a time of extra productivity.  Less commuting and less time for meetings and other events outside of the home could turn into time to finally invest in the kids, practice that guitar, or learn that foreign language.  

But, if my experience is any indication, our resources and energy seem to have shrunk considerably rather than grown. Our prayers are distracted.  We have less patience than we need for our children.  Our finances are shrinking at a disturbing rate.  There’s not enough time in the day to accomplish our workload—or even 50% of it.  As our fears and worries consume us, we lose our ability to be compassionate and outward focused.  For many of us, we have found that we are in fact weaker and poorer in many areas of our hearts and lives than we had realized.

In our passage this morning, Jesus observes a poor widow who offers very little to the temple, only two small copper coins.  Yet her offering is the greatest and most pleasing to God as it is all that she has.

Brothers and sisters, let’s not be discouraged if we are not as strong and perfect as we’d like to be.  The Father is not disappointed that we are not Jesus.  Yet at the same time, do not imagine that we have nothing to give.  What we have may be little, but what little we have can be offered up to the Lord Jesus who is worthy of all that we have.

So lead your children to trust in God through this time, even imperfectly.  Give all the money you can give to your local church and to charity, even if it’s not an impressive number.  Continue to read the Word and pray each day, even though you get distracted more often than you’d like.  Reach out to others—even if all you can do is send a quick email.  And even if what you give is small in your own eyes, if you give all that you have, know that the Father is pleased and He receives great glory.

Prayer: Father, I frequently fall short in many areas of my life.  Thank You that You are strong in my weakness.  I cannot love and serve as I know I ought, but Your Holy Spirit is with me and I want to give all that I can.  May You be glorified by my “two small copper coins.”  Thank You that You receive them with joy. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 14

---

Lunch Break Study 

Read Matthew 12:18–21 (ESV):  18“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; 20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; 21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” 

Questions to Consider 

1. Who does the Servant of the Lord come to bless and defend?
2. According to v. 19, how will the Servant of the Lord come?
3. How will the Servant of the Lord approach those who are weak and struggling?

Notes 

1. He comes to bless the Gentiles—people who do not belong to Him and have no right to ask Him of His blessing.
2. He will come with humility and gentleness, not as a conquering warrior but as a compassionate Shepherd who willingly suffers for His sheep.
3. He will not crush those who are wounded or quench those who are nearly empty, but He will fight on their behalf and bring hope.

---

Evening Reflection 

Reflect on your day.  Were there times when you were discouraged and avoided God or others because you felt like a disappointment?  Bring this to the Lord, ask Him to silence the lies of the enemy, and allow Him to tell you who you are.  Were there times when you felt weak but you were able to continue to give or serve in the midst of your weakness?  Thank God for His Holy Spirit at work in you.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor David Kwon who heads Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, was originally posted on June 2, 2014. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Importance of Being Discipled”

1 Timothy 1:1-2

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope, 2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Have you ever had a mentor or a coach teach you a skill or craft?  I remember when I first started playing the game of baseball, my coach would devote hours teaching me how to hit, field, and throw the ball.  He guided and taught me everything about the game, and because of his mentorship, I grew as a player and teammate.  

In this first letter to Timothy, Paul is giving him counsel and guidance on how to conduct himself in the leadership of that church. Right away, we see Paul’s intimate relationship with Timothy, almost like a father-son type (v.2).  Most commentators write that Timothy was converted under Paul’s ministry and became one of his most trusted helpers in the faith.  It was because of this kind of relationship that Timothy was able to receive advice and encouragement from Paul.  

Discipleship is critical in the Christian faith.  Part of discipleship is having people who can encourage us in our walk with Jesus.  Whether it is through a small group ministry or an accountability group, we should strive to seek Paul/Timothy relationships in our lives.  Do you have this type of spiritual relationship in your life?  Growing in our faith requires others to guide us and help us along the way.  

Ask the Lord for this type of relationship in your life.  Get involved in community and seek out spiritual mentorship.  If you already have this relationship in your life, take some time thanking the Lord for his provision.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the godly relationships in my life.  Help me to seek out more of these types of Paul/Timothy relationships so that it would help me grow to be more like Jesus.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 13

---

Lunch Break Study  

Read Matthew 4:18-22: 18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Questions to Consider

1. What do you find unique about Jesus’ call to discipleship?
2. What is the result of following Jesus?  Why do you think Jesus mentions the goal of discipleship?
3. What are the obstacles to discipleship in your life?  How can you overcome them?

Notes

1. The word “disciple” literally means someone who pledges to be a “learner.” Moreover, it is someone who follows another’s teaching and adheres to it. Discipleship is a commitment and a process. It involves time to undertake the learning and a yearning to imitate Jesus!
2. Discipleship is also reciprocal, that is, the discipler makes the commitment to train someone else. That is what Jesus meant by, “I will make you fishers of men.” It is not just catching them and then storing them (fish were processed and sold for the betterment and use of the community); it involves training the disciples, so they, too, can catch, train, and place others in positions of leadership.
3. Discipleship requires commitment.  It is a daily decision we make to grow and learn.  As we follow Christ, we should also find others to disciple and nurture them in their walk.

---

Evening Reflection

As we have been meditating on the idea of discipleship, what is the Lord asking you to do?  Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you as you close the day in prayer.   

REPOST Todays’ Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend, originally posted on January 3, 2013, is written by Pastor Ryun Chang.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Hey, the Holy Spirit is not a Thing—He is a Person.”

John 14:26

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he [ekeinos, not ekeino] will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

America has given birth to two fast-growing religious groups: the Mormon Church and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. And it is the latter group’s willful misunderstanding of the Holy Spirit that most clearly reveals the intricate relationship between the Trinity and the Holy Spirit. Put simply, if the Holy Spirit is not upheld as a person, then the doctrine of the Trinity collapses. Admittedly, even some evangelicals—if they are honest—struggle with the Trinity because they have difficulty affirming the personhood of the Holy Spirit.

Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, view the Holy Spirit as a force or energy (their translation even refers to the Spirit as “it”), especially since the Greek word for spirit, pneuma, is grammatically neuter. Consequently, they reject the Trinity altogether. However, several neuter Greek nouns refer to people (teknon means “child”; paidion means “infant”), so this objection simply exposes their lack of understanding of New Testament Greek. Moreover, in John 14:26, when John uses a pronoun for the Holy Spirit, he uses the masculine pronoun ekeinos (he), not the neuter ekeino (it). (I hope that explanation didn’t put you to sleep!)

Groups that claim to be Christian yet deny essential doctrines of the historic Christian faith—such as the Trinity—are rightly called cults, and Jehovah’s Witnesses fall into that category. When we speak with them in love, sharing this insight from Greek can help them see what they are missing by not inviting the person of the Holy Spirit to help them in times of trouble.

As for us, although we may not believe like Jehovah’s Witnesses, functionally we may not be too different from them. We often neither seek nor incorporate the presence of the Spirit in our lives—in our worship, prayer, or study of Scripture. And we rarely ask the Spirit to fill us before leaving home for work, school, or the daily responsibilities that await us. Do it today. Don’t leave home without being filled by Him.

Prayer: O Holy Spirit, fill me today. May I live a life empowered by You and Your power so that I may glorify the Triune God through all I say and do each day. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 12

REPOST  Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, written by Pastor Andrew Kim, was originally posted on June 30, 2019.  Andrew is presently pastoring Alive Church in Montreal.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

Exodus 40:36-38 

Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.”

In today’s passage, the Israelites are given specific directions on when to move from one place to another during their journey to the promised land. They were to remain in one place until they saw God give them the sign to continue when they saw the cloud taken up. I would imagine that this rhythm of seeing God’s presence in the form of a cloud and fire during their journey through the difficult terrains of the wilderness to be comforting. It would be a reminder of God’s nearness—that they were not alone. 

A few years ago my wife and I went through a difficult time when she had a miscarriage. It was our first pregnancy and we were devastated to find out that the baby would not make it. A lot of tears were shed as we were dealing with an influx of emotions. However, God was through this difficult journey. Although it wasn’t in the form of a cloud or fire in the sky, we saw God’s presence with us in the form of the church body supporting us, moments of comfort in our times of prayer, and God’s grace when He gave us the faith to trust Him even in this situation. It was the only way we could have endured and walked through this difficult journey towards healing. 

Many of us are going through seasons of pain and suffering—where it is difficult to see God’s presence. We want Him to come like a cloud or fire to reassure us. But as we learned yesterday, God is indeed with us—better yet, dwells within us wherever we are. Whether we recognize it or not, He is faithful to carry us through whatever situation we find ourselves in. We just need the eyes to see His faithfulness in our moments of pain. Let us pray for God to give us eyes to see Him and to trust Him in all circumstances! 

Prayer: Father, in the moments where I sense that You are absent, give me the eyes to see your presence around me and the faith to trust You in all things! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 10-11

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by the then-(2013) staff of Remnant Westside Church in Manhattan, was first posted on September 4, 2013.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“A Highway to Where?”  Your Heart

Psalms 84:5-8

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. 8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 

What does it mean for the heart to be a highway to Zion? In the Bible, Zion is synonymous with Jerusalem, the city where the temple of God rests. As the psalm focuses on the desire for the presence of God that is found in the temple, the highway imagery paints a picture of the psalmist’s heart angled and directed to meet with Him. 

The writer also alludes to the pilgrimage that people make to enter Zion through the Valley of Baca. The scholars debate as to where the Valley of Baca is and its significance, but the emphasis of the text is not on the location of the valley but on the blessings the people receive as they journey through this valley, longing for the presence of God. When God’s people long for Him and go through the valley, letting God be the strength in their journey, that valley becomes a place of spring, of rain, and of pools.

The imagery of the desire for God’s presence, resulting in blessing for the land, is vivid in this text. What this shows is that our desire and pursuit to host God not only brings individual or personal blessing, but the blessings will spill over to those around us. Our prayers of desiring to host God will even impact our classmates, co-workers, friends, or family. When we fully desire to “appear before God,” God will send His rain into that valley.  Today, direct your prayers solely focused on an encounter with God.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be Your sanctuary in which Your presence is abundantly clear to those around me.  Fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can commit myself to a life of holiness, for without it “no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14) in me. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 9

---

Lunch Break Study

Read Philippians* 1:6-8: “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.”

*Paul first came to Philippi in AD 50 as part of the Macedonian call (Acts 16:6).

Questions to Consider

1. Do you wrestle with the question, “Am I really a Christian?” How does verse 6 encourage you as you try to honestly answer the question?
2. What’s one danger of the belief that once saved, always saved?
3. How should the knowledge of God’s sovereignty affect us?
4. Are there people you “hold in your heart” that genuinely bring you joy when you think of them? How can you encourage them? How can you pray for them?

Notes

1. Verse 6 highlights the theological concept of the “Perseverance of the Saints.” This is just a fancy term stating that once a person is born again (i.e., regenerated), they will continue to live out the Christian life until the Lord brings them into heaven.  Sometimes, this is referenced as “once saved, always saved.”
2. This doesn’t mean that all who have ever professed to be Christians will be saved no matter how they live their lives. This is to say, “by their fruit you will recognize them” (Matt. 7:20).  No matter what some people may profess, for “even demons believe that . . . there is one God and shudder” (Jam. 2:19), only the truly regenerate believers will persevere in their walk with God, who sustains them, while those who are not saved, despite their alleged profession of faith, will not endure in their “walk” with God.  
3. The knowledge of God’s sovereignty should lead us to deeper love and devotion to the One who is sovereign. 
4. Personal response.

---

Evening Reflection

“The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe” (Rom. 3:22).

Jesus, I thank you that through Your triumphant sacrifice, I can enter the Most Holy Place in heaven and receive strength to overcome worldliness, fleshly desires, and self-will. I declare Your righteousness in my mind and heart, for it is in and through You that I now live.

Take time to ask God, “In what ways have I been seeking my own way?”  God wants to bring forth renewal in these areas.  Repent and decree God’s righteousness over an area in which you are presently struggling in, and thank Him. 

                                                                                                 

NEW Charmer Pratt, a longtime member of Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia, has served faithfully in the welcoming ministry since 2016.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“For God Alone” 

Zechariah 7:4-5

4 Then the word of the LORD of hosts came to me: 5 “Say to all the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for Me that you fasted? 

1 Corinthians 15:17-19  

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. 

Here’s a question all of us need to sit with for a while if we haven’t recently: Why do you go to church? Why do you get up every Sunday for service? Why do you attend your small group? Why do you meet with fellow followers of Jesus? Why do you pray and read God’s Word regularly—hopefully daily?

It’s easy to answer, almost reflexively, “to get closer to God.” But there are added benefits to these practices that we can’t deny: making friends, becoming part of a community, enjoying music, and stimulating our minds with Scripture and discussions that challenge us. All of that is good, but we must continually remind ourselves that none of it should satisfy us more than drawing near to the Lord.

Through Zechariah, the Lord calls out this very behavior in the priests of Israel who regularly fasted and prayed during the Babylonian exile. Over time, their prayers were motivated more by a desire for freedom from oppression than by closeness with God. So the Lord asks, “Did you really fast for Me—for Me?” (Zech. 7:5, NKJV).

We see the same trap in Corinth when the Apostle Paul warns the church not to entertain the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection. Many in Corinth loved exploring new ideas, but entertaining the Sadducees’ argument undermined the resurrection of Jesus Christ—the core of the Gospel.

C.S. Lewis illustrates this danger in The Great Divorce through a ghost who moved from expressing love for the Lord through painting to loving painting itself: “Every poet and musician and artist, but for Grace, is drawn away from the love of the thing he tells to the love of the telling, till, down in Deep Hell, they cannot be interested in God at all but only in what they say about Him. For it doesn’t stop at being interested in paint, you know. They sink lower—become interested in their own personalities and then in nothing but their own reputations.”

We can fall into the same trap if God does not remain our first love in everything. Sunday service can become a concert with a TED Talk. Small groups can become a book club. Meetups can scratch our social itch. Prayer can become a mental-health exercise, and reading the Bible can become an intellectual stimulant.

If you haven’t taken the time to truly answer why you do what you do in your walk with Christ, please do. We must make sure that getting closer to God is genuinely the reason behind our ministry—and not simply what we say when others ask. For every part of ministry is meaningless without the Lord.

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for the many people and things You have placed around me to remind me of Your loving presence. I’m sorry for the times I have enjoyed Your gifts as ends in themselves instead of means to tell of who You are. Remind me that You are my first love, and that everything I do for You is for You alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 8

---

Lunch Break Study

Prepared by Tina Tsu; originally posted on July 10, 2018

Read Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8: “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I am teaching you to perform, so that you may live and go in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. 2 You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. 6 So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as is the Lord our God whenever we call on Him? 8 Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?”

Questions to Consider

1. According to this passage, how are the children of Israel called to go in and possess the land God promised to them?
2. What makes Israel (God’s people) unique and distinct from other nations who worship other gods?
3. What promise of God do you sense He is leading you to take possession of? What commands, direction, or word of wisdom are you called to hold fast to, so that you may position yourself to experience God’s promises? 

Notes

1. To inherit and walk into the blessing of the Promised Land, the Lord instructs the children of Israel to keep and obey the commandments that He has given them (to not take anything away from the Law nor to add anything to it).
2. Israel’s God is “near to them who call on Him,” and He is distinct in that He speaks to Israel. Though they didn’t see God, they heard His voice at the giving of the Law and covenant. There is revelation and relationship involved between Israel and God. They will be viewed as wise if they hold fast to God’s laws.
3. Personal response.

---

Evening Reflection

What would it look like to go about the rest of your week if you were to “set your mind” on the things of God?  Reflect on Romans 8:5-8:   For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,  because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,  and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, originally posted on February 6, 2013, is prepared by Pastor Ryun Chang, who has served as AMI Teaching Pastor since 2011.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“What Triggers the Hiddenness (i.e., Silence) of God?”

Psalm 13:1-3

How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?  How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?  How long will my enemy triumph over me? 3 Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.  Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death.

Solitary confinement awaits prisoners who behave badly. Enclosed by darkness and silence, it is designed to break the human spirit. There may be no worse punishment on earth than being left alone in such a confined space, cut off from all human contact—as though the whole world has forgotten you.

What, then, does it mean when God hides His face, when it seems He has forgotten us? Does it mean our prayers fall on deaf ears, our situations go from bad to worse, and our hearts know no peace? Perhaps no one understood that feeling better than Moses, who spent 40 years in a kind of “spiritual solitary confinement” in the desert. During that time, he did not hear from God even once. As Moses put it, “I have become an alien in a foreign land” (Ex. 2:22). For Moses, who had once lived in the palace of Egypt, the desert—the place to which he fled after killing an Egyptian—became his solitary confinement.

So why did God hide Himself from Moses for such a long time? The LORD allowed this season to break the self-sufficiency of Moses, who at age 40 was very confident in his own abilities. As Scripture says, “Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not” (Acts 7:25). God was not willing to use him then. But after Moses had been humbled and learned his dependence on God, the LORD said to him, “Now go” (Ex. 4:12a).

So when you feel as if God is hiding His face from you, remember that He may be teaching you to depend on Him alone. Ask yourself this question: Do I truly depend on God?

Prayer: Dear God, how often I have depended on my own strength and resources to achieve success and solve my problems. Even though I repeatedly make a mess of things, I still struggle to learn my lesson. Father, forgive my self-sufficiency and teach me to trust and depend on You more and more. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverb 7

---

Lunch Break Study

Micah 3:4: “Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them. At that time he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done.”  

Isaiah 59:2: “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”

Ezekiel 33:11: “Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?”

Questions to Ponder

1. What other factor can provoke the silence of God?
2. As far as it depends on us, what’s the quickest way to end God’s silence (Ez.  33:11; Jer. 29:12-14)?
3. In view of this, how can you characterize God in terms of His attributes (Jos. 24:19, 1 Jn. 1:5)?

Notes

1. When we continue to sin, after having been advised and warned against it, we run the risk of provoking the silence of God, meaning He won’t respond to our pleas.  Even if one finally repents, while God will certainly forgive, the penalty of sin will still be meted out against him. (See King Manasseh in 2 Chr. 33:12-13 and 2 Kings 24:3.)  
2. No other kings were more wicked than Manasseh and Ahab (1 Kin. 21:25-9) but when they repented, God immediately showered them with grace and mercy.
3. Of course, we who have been so desensitized by sin can’t really grasp God’s holiness; thus, when God seemingly acts “angrily” toward sins, we want to say, “LORD, lighten up!”  Inasmuch as light and darkness cannot coexist, God will neither coexist nor put up with sin. Of course, in His grace and mercy, God will give us ample time to turn away from it but not forever!  

---

Evening Reflection

Let’s return to what we studied this afternoon.  

If God were to be silent in your life, would that bother you, or would it fuel (being irked at God) your desire to live for yourself?   How is your relationship with God right now?  Is it time for an honest evaluation so that you can get right with Him? As you review today, did you seek His presence in the decisions that you had to make?  Did you seek out His face? It’s not too late!