May 28, Friday

Posted byAMIPosted inUncategorized

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on February 8, 2013.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

Psalms That Can “Discourage” Us

Psalm 15:1-4

Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?  2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous who speaks the truth from his heart 3 and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, 4 who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the LORD, who keep his oath, even when it hurts.

This Psalm can actually discourage us since our actions aren’t always blameless and righteous.  Does that disqualify us from dwelling in God’s sanctuary?  The fact is, no one in the OT, including David, could dwell in His sanctuary (in the tabernacle and temple) because of sins, unless you were a priest.  Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies once a year to atone for sins. (That’s sort of discouraging as well—only once a year?)

But in Christ, who is the final and most adequate sacrifice for sins, we’ve confidence to enter the sanctuary of God to fellowship with Him at any time because we have been reconciled back to God through Christ.  We don’t need an appointment to see Him; neither do we need a representation apart from Christ.  What a privilege!  As we dwell in Him, through worship, prayer, and study of His word, we will be transformed to walk more righteously.

Do you feel dejected because your actions fall short of pleasing God?  Enter Christ’s presence and seek Him.   

Prayer: Dear God, I have the best intentions to live a righteous life but have fallen short too many times.  I don’t always speak the truth and keep my oaths, precisely because it hurts.  Thus, I want to run from You but I realize that the best place is to be in You.  God, I repent; help me to be more consistent in my walk.  

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 9

Lunch Break Study

Read Mark 16:7:But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’” 

Questions to Consider

  1. After denying Jesus, how did Peter feel? Would he have thought that Christ still considered him as a disciple (Mk. 14:29-31, 15:72)?
  2. Notice who made the above statement and to whom (Mk. 16:1-7)?  
  3. Why do you think the name Peter was singled out (2 Tim. 2:13)?
  4. How should what God did for Peter in his low moment hearten us when our walk is not all that blameless(1Jn. 2:1; Rom. 8:38-9)?

Notes

  1. After emphatically insisting that he wouldn’t deny Jesus (while others might), Peter did just that!  To make the matter worse, Jesus “turned and looked straight at Peter” (Lk. 22:61) when he denied him.  If I were Peter, I wouldn’t have blamed Jesus for no longer considering me as his disciple.  To think otherwise borders on presumption. 
  2. An angel said this to the women who had come to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body. 
  3. I think God, through His messenger, wanted to make sure that Peter knew that Jesus still considered him as one of the disciples.  How special it would have felt to be singled out by your first name.  Peter was faithless but God “will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). 
  4. God isn’t shocked when we sin, thus, He wants us to get the best lawyer for ourselves: Jesus Christ.  He will say, “Judge, he has asked that my blood cover for his sins and I granted his wish.”  Ultimately, as Paul reminds us, nothing can separate us from the love of God, which doesn’t mean He won’t discipline us when we keep on sinning.  On the contrary, it is because He loves us as His sons and daughters that “God disciplines us for our good” (Heb. 12:10).

Evening Reflection

Mediate on Psalm 1:1-3: “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers”.

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