REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on August 26, 2015.
Devotional Thought for This Morning
“Everyone Doing as They See Fit”
Romans 2:10-2 (NIV)
“As it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one’ there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away . . .’”
We had two dogs while living in Mexico for a decade: a Labrador (“Hemi”) and a Cocker Spaniel (“Miju”). Before returning to the States, we had found a home for Hemi, but our plan was to bring Miju with us. Unfortunately, that never happened because one day when we returned from a short trip, Miju, whose house was in the open garage with access to the front yard, was nowhere to be found. Apparently, she had squeezed through a small gap in the fence and ran off. (A piece of plank that was blocking it off had been slightly moved.)
Shocked by this, everyone looked for her for days but to no avail. To fill the vacuum, especially for our youngest child, whose birthday was coming up, we purchased a puppy Basset Hound whom we named “Sadie” and brought her with us to the States. Sadie, a lazy and affectionate dog, is now enjoying the comforts of the American life. Sometimes, when I see the picture of Miju placed on the refrigerator, I mutter to myself, “Look at what you are missing out because you wanted to do your own thing.”
Wanting to do one’s own thing (Judg. 21:25) is what got the very first humans in trouble as well: “I am going to do this because I want to no matter what God says.” The thrill of taking that first bite, or for Miju, the excitement of running around the streets, lasted all too briefly: no longer were they able to live in the comforts and the safety of a place provided by those who loved them. Especially for humans, having rejected God’s way, they have thrust themselves into a world of their own making, a place full of uncertainty, confusion, and evil.
Before viewing sin as a specific action (e.g., adultery), it ought to be seen for what it is: a mind-set that predisposes us to do our own thing, due to its apparent pleasure to the flesh, regardless of what God says. Don’t be like my dog who, for a brief moment of independence, lost out on a lifetime of care and love at the “father’s house.” Stop and think before you step outside of God’s will.
Prayer: Lord, I am mindful of the fact that even as you had to banish the first couple from the garden, you first clothed them with garments of skin. In the midst of meting out your justice, you never ceased to be merciful and gracious. Dear God, remind me, help me, and strengthen me to stay in the Father’s house. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: John 5
Lunch Break Study
Read Jeremiah 42:1-2, 7, 19, 43:1-2, 4 (ESV): Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— . . . 7 At the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah .. . . 19 The Lord has said to you, O remnant of Judah, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’ Know for a certainty that I have warned you this day . . . When Jeremiah finished speaking to all the people all these words of the Lord their God, with which the Lord their God had sent him to them, 2 Azariah the son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of Kareah and all the insolent men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie. The Lord our God did not send you to say, ‘Do not go to Egypt to live there . . . 4 So Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces and all the people did not obey the voice of the Lord, to remain in the land of Judah.”
Questions to Consider
1. Why did Johanan and his people refuse to accept what Jeremiah told them? On what basis did they reject it?
2. This begs the question: why did they, then, bother to ask Jeremiah to pray for them with respect to what they should o?
3. What are some decisions you are facing right now? Have you already made up your mind and is now seeking God to bless it? What are you going to do if that’s not what God wants you to do?
Notes
1. That’s not what they wanted to hear. They had already made up their minds what they were going to do. While rejecting God’s will, they never admitted it; rather, they blamed the messenger for being misinformed.
2. They merely sought the appearance of seeking the Lord in the religious sense. They would have
looked very spiritual had God agreed with their pre-determined plan, but when it didn’t, it showed their real motives: they wanted to do their own thing, hoping for God to bless it.
3. Enter into a time of seeking God’s will without having made up your mind. Be willing to bend your will to whichever way God is leading you. A struggle and reluctance is natural if what God wants for us is not what we want, but we must adjust our desire to obey the Lord’s will.
Evening Reflection
Reviewing this day, did you face any situation in which God’s will and yours were in conflict? How did you resolve it? Let’s pray for His strength to do better tomorrow.