REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor David Kwon who heads Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, was first posted on November 26, 2014. He is a graduate of Drexel University (BS) and Columbia International University (M.Div.).
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: 1 Corinthians 1
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
- Why do you think Jesus tells this parable? What does He want to communicate?
- How does Jesus view people who are lost?
- Do we have this kind of heart for those who do not know Jesus?
Notes
- God rejoices over the recovery of a lost sinner, and therefore it is Jesus’ supreme desire to seek and save the lost.
- 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.
- Personal response.
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.