REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought,, provided by Christine Li, was originally posted on March  9, 2019. Christine serves as a deaconess at Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York.  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“A Heart of Celebration”

Exodus 10:9 

“Moses answered, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the Lord.”

In her memoir, The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom writes of an evening in the Ravensbruck concentration camp, where her sister Betsie insists on thanking God for their living conditions – a barrack infested with fleas. “’Give thanks in all circumstances,’ [Betsie] quoted. ‘It doesn’t say, in pleasant circumstances. Fleas are part of where God has put us.’” While Corrie writes of her doubtfulness, she finds out later that because the guards hated the fleas, this sector of camp was rarely monitored and harassed. As a result, Corrie and Betsie were able to have prayer meetings and minister to women freely, so that even in a dark place they found abundance of life!

This idea of celebration is extremely important. The purpose for Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt is so that they may worship the Lord and celebrate His faithfulness, for God is fulfilling promises made to their forefathers. Isn’t it amazing? The response of the people after receiving their freedom will be to worship the Lord. The agenda does not include complaining about the last several hundred years, regretting lost time and wasted opportunity, or wishing that deliverance could have come sooner. Instead, what the people will do is to rejoice in what God has wrought on their behalf. Moses does not know what the journey out of Egypt will entail, if it will be easy or difficult. But what he does know is that the people will worship God.

While we know that the Israelites will certainly fall short of their intentions (and so do we), we can still learn and aspire to be people who celebrate. Celebration is not only a spontaneous reaction to positive things. Celebration can take place because we plan for it. 

So today, let’s plan to celebrate what God has done and will do. Let’s commit ahead of time to giving thanks when we anticipate both good things and hard things happening. Let us choose to celebrate with all that we have and with all those around us. May we ask Him to help us live up to these plans of believing, seeing, and testifying that He has been and will continue to be good to His people.

Prayer: Father, thank You for all Your goodness in my life. Put words of thanksgiving in my heart! Help me to intentionally and purposefully celebrate Your work in my life. Cultivate a habit of praise in my life so that I will become someone who celebrates Your goodness in all circumstances. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 10-11

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, originally posted on March 1, 2019, is shared by Pastor Mark. He is currently preparing to launch a site church (of Radiance Christan Church) in the East Bay area near San Francisco. Please keep him and his planting team in your prayers.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“A Corresponding Justice of God”

Exodus 7:14-25 (ESV)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. 17 Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.” ’ ” 19 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’ ” 20 Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile. 25 Seven full days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile. 

Before God called upon Moses to deliver the people of Israel, we are told that God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and that He saw the suffering of His people and knew their pain.  This first plague is a clear sign that the injustice that the Israelites suffered at the hands of Pharaoh was not overlooked nor forgotten by God.  It is no coincidence that the waters of the Nile that claimed the lives of so many innocent children, sentenced to drown by Pharaoh, was justly turned into blood. The stench of death that the Nile had come to represent now filled the conscience of every Egyptian that allowed such an atrocity to happen.  I’m sure that Moses, who was saved out of the Nile, would have understood the deep significance of the life-giving waters of the Nile being turned into a lifeless cesspool of blood.  God had remembered.  

In a world that is filled with so much injustice, it is easy to believe that God doesn’t know, doesn’t care, or has forgotten about the plight of the oppressed.  This passage comforts us with the fact that He does not forget and that in due time vengeance will be His.  Of the ten plagues, only this first one is given a specific duration of time, seven days.  In the Scriptures, the number seven is a symbol of God’s completed work and is   usually connected to the finished work of creation.  However, in this case, the seven days of the bloody waters of the Nile are a promise that God’s justice would be made complete.  

All injustice and oppression will one day come to an end and although we may never understand the timing of God, nevertheless, we can rest assured that His justice will be done on this earth.  

Prayer: Father, help me to fight for the cause of the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized.  When I feel like I am losing that battle, help me to find comfort in knowing that one day Your justice will prevail.  May You give me the faith to see that You know and care about the suffering of the world and the courage to wait for the day of the Lord to come.  Amen.   

Bible Reading for Today: John 9

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Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 94:1-23: O Lord, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth 2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve! O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. 5 They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless; 7 and they say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.” 8 Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge—the Lord—knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.  Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14 For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; 15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. 16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? 

17 If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. 18 When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. 19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. 20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? 21 They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death. 22 But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. 23 He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out. 

Questions to Consider

• Why do evil people persist in their sin?
• What is the promise of God in the midst of our suffering?
• How does God minister to the downtrodden?  

Notes

• Verse 7 tells us that people persist in their evil ways because they do not believe that God sees their sin—leading them to assume that they have free reign to continue their exploitation of the fatherless, widow, and sojourner.  
• The promise of God from verse 14-15 is that He will not forsake us or abandon His people into the hands of wicked.  Instead, His justice will return to those who follow Him in righteousness.  
• In the last stanza of this Psalm, we see that many ways that God ministers to those who suffer injustice.  God alone is our stronghold and refuge and able to bring consolation to the soul.  In a world filled with people damaged by the trauma of sin, God becomes our ultimate protector and healer.  

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Evening Reflection

In the West, we tend to shrink back from the idea of a God of justice but Miroslav Volf, theologian at Yale, talks about the need to have a God of both justice and love, and that ultimately men cannot be freed from the cycle of vengeance and hatred unless they believe God to be just.  He writes:

“My thesis that the practice of non-violence requires a belief in divine vengeance will be unpopular with many…in the West…[But] it takes the quiet of a suburban home for the birth of the thesis that human non-violence [results from the belief in] God’s refusal to judge. In a sun-scorched land, soaked in the blood of the innocent, it will invariably die…along with other pleasant captivities of the liberal mind.”

Strangely, when we allow God to be the final arbiter of justice, it frees us to forgive and love one another. Pray that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.   

REPOST Todays’ AMI Quiet Time, originally posted on January 30, 2019, is provided by Pastor Ryun.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“With God, Watch Out for a Very Unexpected Career”

Philippians 4:13 

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

I first met John and Esther in 2009, when I taught a class at Vision University in Vietnam—both of them were students there. After meeting in our school, they eventually married, moved to Malaysia to serve for two years, and then returned home. (They completed their bachelor’s program in 2016.)

At the conclusion of my recent class in Vietnam for the master’s program of Kairos Global University (Nov. 2018), John invited me to dinner at what turned out to be a rather fancy restaurant. When he arrived to pick me up, I was surprised to see his vehicle—not a scooter (the standard mode of transportation for most Vietnamese) but a fairly new car. Later, over dinner, John shared a series of events that had turned his life upside down. Here is the condensed version.

About two years earlier, a believer in Malaysia told John that God wanted him not only to play a harp, but to make one. (“That is so random,” I thought.) How did John—who had never even seen a harp, much less had $3,000 to buy one—respond? Naturally, the word “crazy” came to mind. Nevertheless, he began praying that God would provide a harp, if this was truly His will.

Meanwhile, a Christian woman in Singapore—who had never met John—felt the Lord prompting her to sell the gold she had recently inherited from her late mother and bless someone with the proceeds. When she shared this in her cell group, someone who knew John mentioned his situation. As a result, this sister in Singapore decided to bless John with a brand-new harp! This happened just two months after John began praying.

John then started teaching himself to play. Not only that—he actually made a harp, a process that took him three months. When I incredulously asked how he managed it, John simply said, “God taught me.” Well, what can you say to that?

But the story gets even crazier. Around this time, the same Malaysian believer told John that God wanted him to make thirty harps. Shocked, John nevertheless obeyed—and completed all thirty in just two months. By this point in the story, I had put my fork down. To date (as of January 2019) John had made 700 harps.

John and Esther—who still remember the days when they could afford only one meal a day—were able, through this unexpected blessing from the Lord, to buy a small vehicle for their growing family (their second child on the way) and treat me to a very nice dinner.

Let John’s story remind you: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13). “Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Ps. 37:4). Yes, we must handle God’s blessings with care—something John and Esther understand well—but let their story also remind us that “everything is possible for him who believes” (Mk. 9:23). So believe, pray, and work hard (Prov. 14:23).

Prayer: Dear Lord, we love You and praise You. Thank You for all the great promises that You have given us. We are often timid and pessimistic, but we are so thankful that we can have a full confidence in You to do the impossible in and through us.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 8

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Lunch Break Study

Read Mark 11:23-24: As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Proverbs 14:23: “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

 2 Tim. 2:6: “The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.”  

Questions to Consider

1. The Mark 11:23-24 passage is loved by the advocates of Prosperity Theology. Why do you think they like this passage so much? What is a danger of misunderstanding this passage? 

2. What is the antidote to misunderstanding or abusing passages like this? 

3. New Year is a time of hope! What are you going to trust God with for this coming year? Is this something achievable by talents and training you already possess/have or something beyond your ability?  Can you raise the bar a little so that you have to trust God for it?  

Notes

1. One reason the advocates of Prosperity Theology like this passage is that they think that they can get whatever they desire. Also, too much emphasis is placed on what they hope God would do for them and not enough on men’s responsibility.   

2. The antidote to the possible abuse is that we need to work—and work hard! While John said that God was the One who taught him how to play and make the harp, I am very sure he read some books on it or even watched some You-Tube videos.  And he worked hard and prayed even harder. 

3. I trusted God to publish a book in 2017. God answered that prayer in 2018. I worked hard and prayed harder. 

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Evening Reflection

Did you get to pray today? What are you praying about? Do you trust God that He is willing and able to accomplish amazing things in your life?  While we need to be content with our present life, we also ought to have a holy-discontentment, wanting everything God has planned and prepared for us.  Remember 1 John 5:14-15: “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, originally posted on February 6, 2019, is provided by Pastor Jason Sato. Jason is serving in Japan as an AMI missionary.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Unstoppable”

Exodus 1:6–7, 11-12, 16-17, 20 (ESV)

Then Joseph died, and all his brothers and all that generation. [7] But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them… [11] …they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. [12] But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel… [16] “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” [17] But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live… [20] So God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong.

My plans are easily frustrated.  If I plan something as simple as a nice outing to the park with my family, it can be ruined by an endless number of factors that are outside of my control.  Bad weather, unexpected sickness, or moodiness (my kids’ or my own—ha ha) can prevent us from even getting to the park, let alone having a great time.  But, while my plans may be easily frustrated, God’s plans are unstoppable.  

Joseph, the second in command in Egypt, dies, but the people continue to multiply and grow.  The Egyptians actively seek to weaken the Hebrews through systematic oppression and slavery, but “the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied.”  The king of Egypt commands that all male babies be killed at birth, but God grants the midwives the fear of the Lord and the people continue to multiply and grow strong.  The Lord is almighty; He has a purpose for His people, and no opposition, human or otherwise, can stop Him.

In our day-to-day lives, our everchanging circumstances and the whims of people around us appear to be impossible to overcome.   We aim to progress in various areas of life (relationally, financially, etc.) yet so often we feel as if we are behind and things are not going according to our plans.  In response, we may “invite” God to bless our plans and empower us to accomplish them, but He invites us to something far better.  Jesus invites us to give up our insignificant and easily stoppable plans and embrace His certain and unstoppable plans.

May our time and energy be invested in the plans of our sovereign Lord in whom we have hope that will not fail us.

Prayer: Father, thank You that You accomplish Your will.  Forgive me that I hesitate to entrust my future to You.  I imagine that my plans could be better than Yours.  Help me to surrender my own plans that I might walk in Your will and receive all that You have for me.

Bible Reading for Today: John 7

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Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Corinthians 15:58 (ESV): “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Questions to Consider

• What prevents us from being steadfast in the work of the Lord?
• What allows us to continue in the work of the Lord?
• Is there labor in this world that is in vain?

Notes

• We can grow discouraged when we face opposition, see little fruit, or do not receive what we had hoped from our investment.  It can seem as if our work for the Lord is in vain.
• We must know that our labor for the Lord is not in vain as Jesus is faithful to receive and use all that we give to Him.  
• Yes, labor that is not done for the Lord.  Even works that are impressive from a human perspective are ultimately in vain if they are not done for Jesus.

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Evening Reflection

Reflect upon your day.  At any time, did God invite you to surrender your plans and embrace His?  At any time, did God demonstrate His sovereign power to accomplish His purposes?  Take a moment to thank the Father for His presence in your life and invite Him to accomplish His will in your life. 

REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional QT, originally posted on February 19, 2019, is provided by Pastor Shan Gian. Shan leads Remnant Westside Church in Manhattan. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Spite”

Exodus 5:6-9

 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!”  6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”

In yesterday’s passage, we saw Moses and Aaron approach Pharaoh and appeal to him for freedom for the Israelite people.  In today’s passage, what is Pharaoh’s response?  A very clear and resounding NO.  Not only does he say no to them, he’s so insulted by their request that, being full of spite, he demands that the Israelites make bricks without straw (a necessary component of straw making), while expecting the same production.  Because Pharaoh doesn’t like how he’s been confronted, he responds with spite and anger.  

Spite is destructive path to go down.  When we act out of spite, people suffer, especially ourselves. So, when we find ourselves caught in a downward spiral of anger and bitterness, people around us are forced to deal with the consequences.  Proverbs 29:22 says, “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.”  And I think we can all recognize that when we respond with anger and spite, like Pharaoh does in Exodus, it causes much strife and leads us down to darker places.  

At the same time, we should recognize how we can easily fall prey to the temptations of spiteful anger.  Think about how you’ve responded in the past month when someone cut you off while driving on the highway, or when you’ve received really poor customer service at a restaurant, or when your roommate didn’t do the dishes, again.  Did you reply with joy and peace in your heart?  Think about the last time someone challenged you about doing a poor job in something or when someone close to you rebuked you.  Did you immediately thank God for that person?  I’m guessing for the overwhelming majority of us the answer to these questions is a clear and resounding no.  The truth is that we’re not that different from Pharaoh.

The good news for us is that we have a savior.  The only way our hearts can move from spite and anger towards love and grace is through Jesus.  In the gospels, Jesus was confronted, challenged, tested and rebuked many times and even when he was being treated like a criminal and was sentenced to execution on the cross for sins he never committed, Jesus did not respond in spiteful anger, but instead he lived out of love and grace.  

Today we will likely encounter people or circumstances that will tempt us to act out of spiteful anger.  As we face those moments, let us look to our savior and follow his example.  

Prayer: Jesus, I pray for strength to face all of the difficulties that today may bring.  Thank You for Your example of love and grace.  By the power of Your spirit, help me to act and respond with love towards all. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 6

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Lunch Break Study

Read Colossians 3:12-15: Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 

Questions to Consider

• What is the foundation of acting in love towards one another in this passage?
• How do you act when you have a “complaint” against another person?  How can we practically strive to be more gracious towards others?
• What does it look like when the church is acting in love towards one another?

Notes

• The foundation is the forgiveness of Jesus in our lives.  When we recognize the depth of our sin that Jesus has so graciously forgiven, it should lead us to act in grace and love towards one another.
• Personal reflection question.  We must first start with remembering the grace of Jesus in our lives.  Also, Paul’s command is to “put on” compassion, kindness, humility, etc.; we must actively, even against the cries of our own flesh, push ourselves to respond in love and grace instead of bitterness and anger.  Finally Matthew 18:15 tells us to lovingly confront one another.
• Paul points us to “perfect harmony” and peace.  

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Evening Reflection

Did you face any challenging circumstances today where you were tempted to respond with spite?  How well or poorly did you respond?  No matter how good or bad we are at this, we thankfully are assured of the love of Jesus.  Spend a few minutes reflecting on Jesus’ love and forgiveness in your life to close out the night.

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional—originally posted on February 27, 2010—is provided by Pastor Mark Chun, who recently planted an East Bay site church of Radiance in San Francisco.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Be Careful What You Wish for from God”

1 Samuel 9:1-27

There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. 3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” 4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them. 15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.” 

One of the questions that have always come to my mind in reading 1 Samuel 9 is: “Why did God direct Samuel the prophet to choose Saul as the first king of Israel?”  For those who know the story, Saul was a horrible king who rejected God’s commands and was self-serving, murderous, and insane towards the end of his life.  God certainly could have kept this man from the throne, yet not only does He permit Saul to become king, but He is the active agent in the process of bringing Saul to power.  Was this simply a case of not reading Saul’s resume carefully and making an unfortunate hiring blunder?  

Actually, God hired exactly who the people of Israel wanted.  They wanted a king just like the kings of the surrounding nations, and so they received the desires of their heart.  In the text, we are told that Saul was a head taller than any of the people.  From a human perspective, it would seem good for a king to, at least, look the part, but the problem is that in the Old Testament, descriptions of stature are only given to the villains (remember Goliath?).  In fact, the good guys are identified primarily by their ability to tend their flocks, like a good shepherd.  We read in the story that Saul falls woefully short in his capacity to find the animals in his care.  This is all a foreshadowing of the type of king that Saul would eventually become.  

It is so easy to judge everything by its exterior appearance and forget about what truly matters.  Like the people of Israel, we too can become consumed by our desire to achieve the world’s standards of prestige, fame, good looks, and fortune.  A sobering thought is that God sometimes gives into our illegitimate demands in order to teach us the hard lesson of humility and to point us towards Christ.  Unlike Saul, Jesus, the true King, was lowly in stature and despised in the eyes of men.  Yet for those of us who believe, He is our Good Shepherd, who has come from heaven to earth to find us and to care for us.  

Prayer: Father, help us to remember that You do not judge by the outward appearance, but by what is in the heart.  May we clothes ourselves in the humility of Christ and help us to reflect this attitude in the things that we desire and pray for.  Above everything else, purify our motives and give us pure hearts that yearn to do Your will.  

Bible Reading for Today: John 5

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Lunch Break Study

Read James 4:1-6 (ESV): What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Questions to Consider

1.  What is the main cause of fighting and quarrels among believers according to James?

2.  Why are prayers not being answered by God?

3.  What is the solution that is given for these problems that we find in the church?

Notes

1.  The primary reason for quarreling among Christians is the spiritual war that is within each of us.  All of us are a mixture of good and evil, and simultaneously both saint and sinner.  Much of our conflict with others is simply an overflow of the uncontrolled conflict that resides inside our own hearts.

2.  The main cause of unanswered prayer is asking with the wrong motives.  Even the most legitimate prayer request can be corrupted by our selfishness and desire to satisfy our own passions.  

3.  Simply put, we need more of the grace of God.  If we continue to depend on our sense of self-sufficiency and pride, we compound the problem by facing the opposition of God.  Humility releases the grace of God into all of the relational issues that we face in the church.  

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Evening Reflection

Is there someone that you have been fighting with recently, perhaps your wife/husband, children, friend, etc.?  How did your pride make the problem worse?  How can humility bring reconciliation?  Pray to the Lord for more grace in the midst of conflict in your life.  

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, originally posted on November 4, 2018, is provided by Jabez Yeo. He and his family are in Thailand as YWAM missionaries.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Beginning of the End” 

2 Samuel 13:21-39

Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?” 25 “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing. 26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.” The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king’s sons. 28 Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” 29 So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king’s sons got up, mounted their mules and fled. 30 While they were on their way, the report came to David: “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons; not one of them is left.” 31 The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn. 32 But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom’s express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar. 33 My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king’s sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.” 34 Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. Now the man standing watch looked up and saw many people on the road west of him, coming down the side of the hill. The watchman went and told the king, “I see men in the direction of Horonaim, on the side of the hill.”35 Jonadab said to the king, “See, the king’s sons have come; it has happened just as your servant said.” 36 As he finished speaking, the king’s sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly. 37 Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned many days for his son. 38 After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years. 39 And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon’s death.

There are times when a disaster spells the end for an organization. Such was the case for the Seattle Seahawks, who were trailing the New England Patriots 28-24, with 26 seconds left in Super Bowl XLIX. With the ball on the Patriots’ 1-yard line, Seattle chose to throw the football instead of handing it off to Marshawn Lynch, football’s most dependable goal-line running back. Unfortunately, the Patriots intercepted the pass; Seattle devastatingly lost, and sadly has not been to the Super Bowl since. 

Similarly, 2 Sam. 13:23-39 foretells the beginning of the end for David. Years after Amnon’s rape of Tamar, David still has not administered justice, and Absalom harbors much hatred toward Amnon (v.22). Thus, Absalom takes matters into his hands and orders for Amnon’s death (v.23-29). When David hears the news, he is told that “this has been Absalom’s express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar” (v.32). Absalom then flees to Geshur and stays there for three years (v.38). 

How does this affect David? Aside from losing Amnon, David eventually loses Absalom as well, as Absalom stages a coup against David (2 Sam. 15) and further humiliates him by sleeping with David’s concubines “in the sight of all Israel” (2 Sam. 16:22). Absalom’s actions predictably spark a civil war in Israel, which leads to Absalom being killed in combat (2 Sam. 18). The greatest king of Israel was never the same, and Israel itself becomes divided into two kingdoms two generations after David.

Disasters in life are inevitable and ultimately reveal our innermost character. It is sobering that David, perhaps the greatest biblical figure outside of Jesus, could not even resolve conflict in his own house. Thus, it is no accident that Paul, when writing about elders, declares, “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” (1 Tim 3:3). No matter what life stage we are in, let’s pray that God would shape our character so that the catastrophes all of us eventually face will not lead to further chaos in our lives. 

Prayer: Father, I acknowledge that it is too easy for me to let sin fester in my life. Help me to avoid the temptation to turn a blind eye and take the steps necessary to confront the flaws in my character. May I cling onto You in times of despair and not be brought to ruin, but rather be made stronger only by Your grace. In Your Name I pray. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: John 4

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, originally posted on November 10, 2018, is written by Pastor David Son who pastors the Thrive Church in Taipei.  Stay up to date with the church by following her here: https://www.instagram.com/thrivechurchtaipei/

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Sin Leads to Exile”

Jeremiah 52:28-30

This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans; in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons; in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600.

I love wedding vows because they ultimately point to the covenant that God has with us. In a nutshell, the vows are a promise to love the other person, regardless of what kind of mess comes up. But as powerful as wedding vows and covenants are, it doesn’t negate the fact that sin leads to exile. Each time my wife and I get into an argument, there’s a tension between us that’s so thick you could cut it with a knife. Until reconciliation is made, we don’t make eye contact; we hardly speak to each other; we don’t dare to touch each other; and there’s a disconnect in our intimacy. Until one of us decides to lay down our pride, we remain in a relational “exile” from each other. Of course, it doesn’t mean our marriage covenant was over (Praise God!). No, the covenant is always there, but the covenant doesn’t change the fact that sin still affects our relational intimacy. The good news is, as long as at least one party decides to act upon the covenant… exile is always temporary.

Our passage today is a record of the Israelites going into exile. Long before this passage, God had entered into a covenant with Abraham, promising to be faithful to Abraham’s descendants—the Israelites. But unfortunately, Israel continued to sin against God. Although they had been warned again and again by prophet after prophet, the Israelites didn’t realize the true effects that sin has on their relationship with God. As long as sin remains in our hearts, there’s a disconnect in our intimacy with Him. And this is essentially what the exile was, a physical manifestation of the spiritual disconnect between Israel and God. Of course, it didn’t mean that the covenant was over (Praise God!). No, the covenant is always there, but the covenant didn’t change the fact that sin still affects our relational intimacy with God. The good news is, as long as at least one party decides to act upon the covenant… exile is always temporary. 

We often take sin too lightly. We are tempted to think that because we are in such a great covenant with God—and since He is so gracious—that sin doesn’t really matter so much anymore. But, as in any relationship, sin still affects the relational intimacy. It’s only when we understand the effects of sin and learn to hate it, that we can truly enjoy living in the covenant. Is there any hidden sin in your life? Perhaps it has been the reason for some tension between you and the Lord. He’s always ready to receive you and reconcile with you, so come to Him today with a heart of repentance and humility. 

Prayer: Thank You, God, for Your covenantal love. Thank You that even when we are unfaithful, You are always faithful. Nevertheless, help us to love You more. Teach us godly wisdom, and how to hate sin. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  John 3

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Doug Tritton, was originally posted on February 15, 2019.  Doug is the Lead Pastor of Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Name of the Lord”

Exodus 3:13-15

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

Moses asked the Lord, “What is your name?” A simple question, yet have you ever thought about that? We call God by certain names – “Lord,” “Father,” “Savior,” etc. But does He have a proper name? Asking someone their name is usually the first question you ask when you get to know someone. So, what is God’s name? Other deities have names – Marduk, Ra, Zeus, Pluto. Does the one true and living God have a name as well?

It’s amazing that we do not think about this more often because our God actually does have a name! We most commonly refer to Him as God or Lord, but that is not actually the Bible’s most common way to refer to Him. Over 6,000 times, the Bible uses a proper name to speak of our God. By comparison, the Bible uses the Hebrew word for “God” only about 2,000 times. What is this proper name?

Pardon me while I nerd out a bit. The proper name is derived from four consonants YHWH. Scholars are not 100% sure of the vowels, though most believe Yahweh is the right vocalization of the name. But this name is loaded with meaning. God answered Moses’ question about His name by saying, “I am who I am.” In Hebrew this is ehyeh asher ehyeh. Though most translations render this as “I am who I am”, this literally means “I will be who I will be.” Alright, so why don’t we call God ehyeh asher ehyeh? Well, God answers the question about his name a second time by shortening his response to just ehyeh, or “I will be”. But God’s name is not ehyeh either. God answers the question a third time in verse 15 by saying, “Yahweh, the God of Your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” If Moses were to talk about God, he wouldn’t call him “I am” or “I will be” because that would not make sense. Rather, he would use a the third-person form, “He is” or “He will be”. Yahweh is similar in pronunciation to the third-person form. But God paired His name with a description: He is the God of Moses’ fathers, namely, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The same God who made the promises to Moses’ fathers is the same God who is with him now. His name signifies His faithfulness. He is the One who was, and is, and is to come. He is who He is and He will be who He will be, always. God’s name signifies His faithfulness.

Out of respect for the name, Hebrews in antiquity eventually started to say “Lord” instead of “Yahweh”, which is why we do not use the divine name frequently. Still, the Israelites were called to trust in the name of the Lord. This meant trusting in the God who keeps His promises. It’s in His very name to be faithful. He is and always will be who He is. That is His name.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that Your name is faithful. I trust in Your name because I know You will always be who You are and that You will always keep Your promises. Help me to trust in Your name day by day.

Bible Reading for Today: John 2

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Lunch Break Study  

Read Psalm 86:11-13: Teach me your way, Lord,that I may rely on your faithfulness;give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear your name. 12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.

13 For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.

Questions to Consider

• What is the result of being taught the way of the Lord?
• What do you think a “divided heart” looks like?
• What is the connection between trusting God and worship?

Notes

• According to this psalm, we are taught the way of the Lord in order that we may rely on His faithfulness. This is similar to what Jesus taught when he said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Walking in the way of Lord results in us relying on God’s provision and faithfulness in our lives.
• The psalmist asks for an “undivided heart” in order to fear the name of the Lord (biblical fear is about honor and trust). If we have a divided heart, it means we are not honoring God and we are trusting in other things. This could be trusting in money, or worldly talents, or our thoughts/ideas, or countless other things. All those things turn our eyes away from the faithfulness of God. An undivided heart trusts that God is always faithful, in every way. An undivided heart is a heart that is fully surrendered to God.
• If we do not actually trust in God, our worship is superficial. If we worship God on Sunday but then trust in ourselves Monday through Saturday, our worship is a lie. The psalmist says that he will praise the Lord God and this genuine praise is possible because the psalmist relies on the faithfulness of the name of the Lord. Note also that this trust has been built on experiencing God. As we trust in God, we experience His deliverance and this in turns builds our trust more. May we experience the love and deliverance of God in more and more ways!

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Evening Reflection

Tonight, call on the name of the Lord. Remind your soul that He is the One who was and is and is to come. He will never change and His promises to us are sure. If you feel your trust wavering, ask God for help to build more trust. May this trust lead to greater worship of the name of the Lord!

REPOST Today’s Devotional Thought for Food, originally posted January 1, 2020, is provided by Andy Kim. Andy is the Lead Pastor of Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

A New Year Resolution?  How About This . . .

Haggai 1:7-11

“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways. ⁸ Go up to the hills and bring wood and build the house, that I may take pleasure in it and that I may be glorified, says the Lord. ⁹ You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the Lord of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house. ¹⁰ Therefore the heavens above you have withheld the dew, and the earth has withheld its produce. ¹¹ And I have called for a drought on the land and the hills, on the grain, the new wine, the oil, on what the ground brings forth, on man and beast, and on all their labors.”

Happy New Year! 

The beginning of a new year always has a sense of excitement as we think about what lies ahead of us. More importantly, it’s a time for us to reconsider our priorities and, as the Lord tells the people of Israel in our passage this morning to consider your ways, we too must consider our ways. To start this year well, we ought to ask ourselves, what are we working towards and what are we really building in our lives? 

Haggai speaks to the people of God during a time very much similar to ours where there is political turmoil and economic instability. Even though they have returned to their homeland, instead of comfort and joy, they seem to be just as frustrated. And to this, the Lord clearly says it’s because they have busied themselves with their own houses while neglecting to rebuild the temple of God. For the Israelites, they understood that the temple was the centerpiece of worship. In fact, if you trace the movements of the Israelites after they were freed from Egypt, God made it clear that each time they settled, they were to first build the tabernacle. When Joshua finally entered the promised land, he first builds an altar before the Lord. In other words, every new move, new season, or even transition was to begin with worship. 

Worship resets our priorities by reminding us who God is and who we are in Him. Often, a lack of worship leads to misplaced priorities. I love how the Psalmist puts it: “I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I  will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” 

As we begin this new year, may we have the same heart—that we will not begin this year, until we found ourselves in a posture of worship. This is what it means to start the new year well! As the Lord says, spend a few moments considering your ways. As we prioritize building His kingdom over our own this year, may we experience the blessings He has in store for us. 

Prayer: Father, as we begin this new year, may we have a heart of worship. May we submit ourselves and all our plans for 2026 before you. Help us to always focus ourselves on eternal things rather than the temporary. We bless your name! 

Bible Reading for Today:  John 1

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Lunch Break Study 

Read Romans 12:1-2:I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.; 

Questions to Consider

• How does Paul define worship?
• Why is worship so important? How does it change us?
• What does worship mean to you? How can we worship him in all of our lives? 

Notes

• Paul begins with by the mercies of God to show that worship is first and foremost a response to God’s grace. When we understand how a perfect and loving God accepts sinners, our response is worship. Paul uses an OT concept very familiar to the Israelites on the idea of sacrifice. For worship to be a sacrifice meant that it was both costly and intentional. Worship was never meant to be passive or consumeristic. 
• Worship gives the lens through which we ought to see the world. Worship transforms our thoughts in order that we may submit to His will. Worship opens our eyes to see that His will is both good and perfect for our lives. 
• Personal Response. 

John Piper says: “Worship is: showing God’s value, supreme value over all other things. So if you have a job, do your job in a way that shows that Christ is supremely valuable…when your life becomes worship, God begins to look valuable to other people. God looks infinitely worthy when others look at you.” 

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Evening Reflection

As mentioned, Haggai was written in a time very similar to ours where there was much political turmoil and economic instability. Without having to dive into politics, we are facing some difficult times both in the US and across the world. And yet, God reminds us how much more urgent it is for us to build his temple during such uncertainty so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to rulers and authorities in the heavenly places (Eph 3:10). 

When we as a church humble ourselves, turn from our ways, and seek His face; then He will heal our lands. Worship not only as personal implications, but communal blessings. As we think about 2020 and all the things it has in store for us personally, may we also think and pray for all the things it has for us as believers. More than ever, the church must reflect His love and glory to the world. 

Spend a few moments praying for your church. How is God calling you to build His church this year?