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 25, 2013. He is a graduate of Drexel University (BS) and Columbia International University (M.Div.).
Devotional Thought for This Morning
“All the Praise, Honor and Glory to Him”
Psalm 114:1-8 (NIV)
When Israel came out of Egypt, Jacob from a people of foreign tongue, 2 Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion. 3 The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back; 4 the mountains leaped like rams, the hills like lambs. 5 Why was it, sea, that you fled? Why, Jordan, did you turn back? 6 Why, mountains, did you leap like rams, you hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble, earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, 8 who turned the rock into a pool, the hard rock into springs of water.
This is a psalm that God’s people would sing at Passover. It tells of God’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt and of his sparing them from the plagues of judgment (particularly the death of the firstborn). As we now know, God’s deliverance of Israel from Egyptian slavery and the Passover celebration (to remember that time) all pointed to Christ’s coming – when God would not only deliver the Israelites, but all of humanity from not mere physical bondage, but spiritual slavery to sin and death.
The notable element of this praise is that it highlights an appropriate response to the salvific work of God. All of nature yields to the work of God. The sea, river, mountains, and hills all tremble before the Lord and move according to His will. We see this literally displayed when the Red Sea parted before the people of God during the exodus. Likewise the psalmist calls for all of humanity to follow suit and appropriately respond to God’s salvific work in the world. We should tremble before the Lord – in awe of His power and in full submission to the amazing things He’s doing.
Spend some time in awe of God’s power and salvific work in the world and in your life. Declare His awesome power and mighty deeds!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank You for having done EVERYTHING for us! Praise You. You are the only One worthy of praise, honor, and glory. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 36
Lunch Break Study
Read 1 Peter 1:13-21: Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Questions to Consider
- What does Christ perfect sacrifice give us?
- What are the three commands given to us?
- What is your hope set on?
Notes
- Christ was the perfect sacrifice giving us freedom from our old ways of sin. Because of Jesus, we are able to live life to the fullest. Peter ends this section by explaining that Jesus came for us. Christ was made known to us so that we may have faith and hope in God. Therefore, we do all these things because of what Christ did for us – not because we’re obligated, but because Jesus makes it possible. Christ died so we could have life to the full!
- (a) Set our hope fully on the grace we receive through Christ: Not merely grace in this life but in the life to come. We have to live with eternal perspective of what God is doing for us through Christ – giving us eternal (b) No longer be conformed to our passions: We should no longer give ourselves over to the desires of our flesh because we are called to be like Jesus (holy). We do this through our obedience to the word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit within us.(c) Conduct ourselves with fear: Instead of living whatever way we want during our time on earth, we live our lives with reverence for God. We do this by being mindful of what He’s done for us through Christ. He sacrificed His own son so that we may have a life free from sin. Our proper response to this is complete devotion (Romans 12:1-2).
- Personal response
Evening Reflection
Romans 6:3-4
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
Jesus died as the perfect sacrifice for our sin. For those of us who’ve put our trust in Him, we have died with Christ so that sin no longer has control over us. And we’ve been raised with him, so that we can (through the power of the Spirit within us) live a new life. Take time to reflect on God’s perfect sacrifice. Ask God to help you take full advantage of the new life offered in Christ.