Today’s AMI QT Devotional is provided by Pastor Peter Yoon.

 

 

Devotional Thoughts for This Morning

“Bring your best to the Lord!”

Genesis 49:1

Then Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.”

My father passed away the summer of 2017. For many years of his life, he faithfully served as an elder at a large Korean church. I still remember as a kid how happy he was in becoming an elder. His primary function as an elder was to lead and direct the choir, since he had studied music in college; so he faithfully directed the choir to sing songs of worship every Sunday for over two decades. He was also given opportunities to travel throughout parts of the world with the choir on their short-term mission trips—he enjoyed them so much! Those privileges and responsibilities given to him truly motivated him to work even more diligently, preparing Sunday after Sunday. He’d stay up for hours writing and re-writing some of the music pieces for the choir members. Of course, his pursuit of excellence and the hours and hours he put into his preparation also led to a certain set of expectations for the choir members; thus, he also become known as the “scary” elder, as he would at times yell at choir members for not performing to his high standards.

Yet, at his funeral service attended by those he had served with for many years—when it was all said and done—they gave my dad the most beautiful and honorific funeral ceremony. The present-day choir gathered to sing one of the songs that dad had written for the church. Eulogies only offered condolences, while remembering dad’s motivation for excellence when it came to worship unto the Lord: “Bring your best unto the Lord!” And that’s what he passed down to people, and also to me, one of his four sons. He didn’t have to specifically spell it out, but that’s one lesson that will be etched into my life.

Here in this passage, Jacob is gathering his sons and about to pass on his blessings to each of them. The sons would eventually become the 12 tribes of Israel, representing God’s nation on earth. Every generation is responsible for living out their faith in their own lifetime. And when it’s all said and done, it is time to gather the sons and tell them what’s to come.

What lessons of faith will you pass along to the next generation? How are you living today so that you will bless your children? Let’s strive for excellence in our pursuit of Christ and His Kingdom today. Let’s show what that looks like to our next generation of believers!

Prayer: Lord, in my own weakness, I confess that I need encouragement from You and from others in the body of Christ. I ask also that I may be empowered by Your Spirit to bring encouragement to others. In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Joshua 20