UPDATED Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 30, 2013
Devotional Thought for This Morning
“Remembering the Helpless and the Fatherless”
Psalm 10:12, 14, 17
Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless. 14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. 17 You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry …
Living in affluence, we often forget that “God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith” (James 2:5). Even worse, since most of us are too focused on our wants and needs, we often neglect the poor around us, even disdaining them. In fact, spoiled by Bless-Me-Here-&-Now theology, we often complain at the slightest inconvenience to our comfortable living. We think we are the pobrecitos! How can we wake up from the stupor of our soul?
Today we are reminded that our troubles can be an opportunity to experience the comforting presence of God. It can also wake us up! So if you feel afflicted for whatever reasons, thank the LORD for it and seek His presence. Be “poor in the spirit” so that you can experience “the kingdom of heaven” on earth (Matt. 5:5).
And it is in such state of our soul that we can truly commit ourselves to God. It is there that we can truly remember the helpless, help the fatherless, and listen to the cry of the afflicted. Before leaving home today, spend a moment in Him
Prayer: Dear Jesus, despite Your beatitude of “Blessed are the poor in the spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” I confess that I dislike being poor in any-thing. Thus, help me to see and accept that when I feel poor, whether financial, emotional or spiritual, I can truly experience You, which is a good thing. Amen
Bible Reading for Today: 2 Kings 6
Lunch Break Study
Read Luke 21:1-4: “Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
James 2:5: “Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
Question to Consider
1. Ultimately what really matters is how God assesses our lives and whether He sees it fit to use our stories for His work. In light of James 2:5, the question here is who (or whose action) was praised by Jesus at the expense of whom?
2. Why does God favor the poor? (1 Cor. 1:27-9)
3. Most of us wouldn’t take a literal vow of poverty in hopes of being used by God. So then, what can we do to embody a heart that uniquely belongs to those who are poor, naturally inclining them toward dependency on God? (e.g., 1 Cor. 7:29-31).
Notes
1. A poor widow was praised over wealthy people for giving all that she had to live on.
2. God simply won’t share His glory with anyone. While the weak and the lowly don’t have much in themselves to aid God’s work, the wise and the strong typically think that they do. Thus, God prefers to use the weak and despised in His work so that no one can take credit for something He did. This shows that making ourselves available to God’s work with humility is more important than showing up with our talents, pedigree and gadgets.
3. Based on the logic of 1 Cor. 7:29-31, we live as if we were poor, that is, not rich. Paul states, “And those who buy as though they had no goods, 31 and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.” This means that we don’t flaunt our wealth to impress people; we don’t look down on people for whatever reasons, we use our resources to do God’s kingdom work.
Evening Reflection
As you look back to today, were you aware of God’s presence? Too busy to notice Him? Write about it, prayerfully think about ways to make improvements, and do better tomorrow. Ask the Lord for help.