REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor Andrew Kim, was originally posted on December 22, 2016. Andrew is presently pastoring Alive Church in Montreal. He and his wife Jessie are the proud parents of two young boys.
Devotional Thought for This Morning
“Worthy of Our Trust”
1 Peter 1:12-2:3
Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. [13] I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, [14] since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. [15] And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things. “[16] For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. [17] For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” [18] we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. [19] And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, [20] knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. [21] For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. [3:1] But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. [2] And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. [3] And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”
In his first letter, Peter writes to guide and encourage those under his care as they deal with persecution from outside the church. In this second letter, Peter instructs them on how to faithfully cling to the word of God as false teachers have come into the church, leading many of them astray to places of destruction. For Peter, this is an especially dire situation. He knows that the “putting off” of his body is coming soon; he cannot be there to protect and guide his sheep for much longer. So before he dies, he needs to make sure that the church does not deviate from the testimony of Scripture brought to them by his ministry.
In light of this, Peter provides two reasons as to why they should not be lured by the false teachers but trust in his testimony about Christ. First, he is an eyewitness. His teachings are not built on secondary sources, but he witnessed first-hand the majesty and glory of Christ. His testimony is not a result of “cleverly devised myths” or his creative imagination. He is only conveying what he saw with his own eyes. Second, the prophecies of Scripture are trustworthy, because they didn’t originate from the will of man but the prophets were “carried along by the Holy Spirit.” In other words, the prophetic Scriptures of the OT, which Peter employs to validate his own testimony, were not brought about by man but by divine inspiration—meaning, on a fundamental level, it is God who wrote them and God, above all, can be trusted. For these reasons, the church can rest assure that Peter’s testimony about Christ is true.
Just as it was a timely reminder for the recipients of Peter’s letter, this is also timely for us. As we spend each morning meditating on the words of Scripture, we can be confident that they are worthy of our trust. We don’t have to second guess its validity or accuracy. We can be sure that these words give us true life, wisdom, and most importantly, they lead us to a deeper and truer picture of God. Let us take some time this morning to thank God for His word!
Prayer: God, I thank You for revealing Yourself through the Scriptures. I pray that as I meditate on Your word each morning, that You will continue to reveal more of Yourself and shape me in a manner that reflects the truth of Your words. Help me to trust in Your word! Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: John 15
Lunch Break Study
Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Questions to consider
- What purpose does Scripture serve?
- What role has the word of God played in your life?
Notes
- God has given us the Scriptures for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness so that we can be equipped to do His work. Oftentimes, we stop at filling our minds with more biblical knowledge. However, a true understanding and reading of Scripture leads to a life of greater righteousness and an increase of good works for God’s glory.
- Personal.
Evening Reflection
“There are times when solitude is better than society, and silence is wiser than speech. We should be better Christians if we were more alone, waiting upon God, and gathering through meditation on His Word spiritual strength for labour in his service. We ought to muse upon the things of God, because we thus get the real nutriment out of them. . . . Why is it that some Christians, although they hear many sermons, make but slow advances in the divine life? Because they neglect their closets, and do not thoughtfully meditate on God’s Word.”
– Charles Spurgeon