The AMI QT devotionals from Feb. 6-12 are provided by Cami King.  Cami, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, recently completed her M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary.  She is currently serving as a staff at Journey Community Church in Raleigh. 

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT FOR TODAY

I Can Only Imagine!

1 Corinthians 2:8-9

None of the rulers of this age understood it. If they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But just as it is written, “Things that no eye has seen, or ear heard, or mind imagined, are the things God has prepared for those who love him.”

Read the following statements and decide if they make sense:

A seashore is a better place than the street because you need lots of room.

At first it is better to run than to walk.

You may have to try several times.

It takes some skill, but it is easy to learn.

Even young children can enjoy it.

Birds seldom get too close.

If there are no snags it can be very peaceful.

But if it breaks loose, you won’t get another chance.

Without any context to frame the sentences above, they don’t mean much. Now re-read them with this one-word interpretive key: kite.

A seashore is a better place than the street because you need lots of room. At first it is better to run than to walk. You may have to try several times. It takes some skill, but it is easy to learn. Even young children can enjoy it. Birds seldom get too close. If there are no snags it can be very peaceful. But if it breaks loose, you won’t get another chance.

The context helps the paragraph to make sense. In the same way, when it comes to the Bible (or theology, or Christianity, or the gospel), once you have the context or the framework, all of the details start to fall into place.

Without the proper context, most things don’t make much sense or seem significant. We can manufacture our own sense of meaning and significance (as some of us did with the first set of statements above), but true understanding requires appropriate context.

In a similar way, our lives require context if we are to extrapolate significance and meaning from them. Without proper context, we are just stringing together a series of seemingly random events and unrelated experiences from season to season. While we can manufacture our own metric that gives our life a sense of purpose and meaning, a genuine (and fulfilling) understanding of anything requires appropriate context. And the appropriate context for life is God.

Apart from God, our minds fail us in our efforts to make sense of life. He is the Contextualizer. And as much as we know (from the revelation in Scripture, the witness of the Saints, and the promptings of the Holy Spirit), we have not yet seen or even imagined all of God’s good plans for our lives or for His redemptive work in the world.

May we take comfort in this truth, especially during difficult and confusing times, knowing that one day we will see God face to face and He will be the final word to make sense of it all. This will be a day of great rejoicing for those who’ve put their trust in Him.

Prayer: Almighty God, thank You for the good plans You have for me and for the world. When things get tough and when life seems confusing, help me to remember that I have only begun to taste and see the height and depth of all that Your love is accomplishing on my behalf. May I take comfort in merely beginning to imagine what You have in store and may I trust You completely to fulfill Your promises beyond my wildest dreams. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Obadiah