July 17, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on August 22, 2016.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Wanna Be Philosophers”
John 9:1-3
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.


We are all philosophers at heart, especially when bad things happen.  When my sister-in-law was dying of cancer many years ago, a relative opined that it was because my family wasn’t supportive of my ministry.  When a friend’s wife was killed in an automobile accident, her father opined that this tragedy occurred because my friend didn’t respond to God’s call to enter ministry.  What philosophy did these people have in common?  Their view was that bad things happen because of the bad things we’ve done.
That’s also the philosophy that the disciples firmly held.  Upon seeing a man blind from birth, they were absolutely certain that the blindness was the result of someone’s sin; they just weren’t sure whether it was the sin of the blind man or his parents.  Christ’s answer— “neither this man nor his parents sinned”— must’ve stunned them.  Instead, God allowed this to happen so that Christ could heal him, and thereby “the work of God might be displayed.”  That is, this man was born blind so that Christ could heal him that day, where the entire episode would be included in John’s Gospel, in order that every generation of people may be reminded of who Christ is (i.e., the Son of God) and His power and love.    
Of course, nothing Jesus said that day nullifies the view that sin can cause sickness.  After all, Christ told an invalid man whom He just healed, “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you” (Jn. 5:14).  But since finite humans cannot know why people get sick, we shouldn’t be so nosy to figure it out.  Instead, we should “mourn with those who mourn” (Rom. 12:15) and pray that “the sick person” will get “well” (James 5:15). 
Is there, then, no room to talk about why someone gets sick?  If you sincerely believe that there may be a spiritual cause, then pray that the sick person will bring it up first.  For that to transpire, it is imperative that what is taught in James 5:13-16 becomes part of our thought process.  Read it today when you are well so that if you ever get quite sick, you can ask whether an unrepentant heart is its root cause. If so, repent.  
Prayer: Dear God, I praise You for being such a kind and compassionate God.  While we are busy passing judgment under the rubric of being discerning, You are always defending and caring for us.  Help me not to sin, but when I do, prompt my heart to repent immediately.  Amen.  
Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 25

Lunch Break Study 

Read James 5: 13-16: Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Questions to Consider
1. What is the undeniable premise of this passage? 2. What should be part of our thought process when we find ourselves with an illness? 3. How should we respond to someone who has fallen sick?  Is there someone in your life who needs a visit from you?

Notes

  1. While sin is not the cause of every sickness, it is in some cases; therefore, sin should not be automatically ruled out as a factor in one’s sickness.
  2. It is always insensitive for someone to tell a gravely ill person that this happened due to his or her sin.  I think it is better for the sick individual to ask God whether some unrecognized and/or unrepentant sin is responsible for the sickness.  If the person sincerely believes that that’s not the case, then I would leave that alone (at least at the moment).
  3. We pay a visit and pray for them.  And if the sick person wants to discuss the topic of why this happened, then we can read James 5:13-16, after which we may add, “The only person who can know whether your sickness is the result of sin is you; why don’t you, therefore, prayerfully think about it.  If there is nothing to it, then praise God.  We will continue to pray for your healing.”      

Evening Reflection

You probably know people who are sick right now.  Would you take a moment to pray that their health would improve?  Also, would you also pray, in the case that unrecognized sins are involved, that the sick person would pray, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts?” (Ps. 139:23)?

July 16, Sunday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Cami King—now a friend of AMI—was first posted on April 10, 2016.  Cami served faithfully as a staff at several AMI churches in the past.  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Suffering Witness”

Acts 16:22-30

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24 When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

My Hebrew professor taught our class about something she called “the suffering witness.” As we studied the life of Naomi, and how Ruth managed to somehow come to faith in Yahweh even as Naomi suffered and appeared forsaken by Him, and then studied the life of Job and how he teaches us about God—not in spite of, but through his suffering—she explained that sometimes we are positioned to be a greater witness for God as we move through suffering than we are as we move through times of abundance. Sometimes, the voice of our witness carries a little further and echoes a little louder from the valley than it does from the mountaintop. 
To drive this point home, she told the story of a missionary to Burma who lived for years with the Matu tribe with not one single convert. Although he was welcomed by the tribe and did life together with them for many years, no one professed faith in Jesus. As he neared the end of His life and eventually died, another missionary arrived and, to everyone’s surprise, saw almost instant revival in the community with too many converts to keep track. When the chief of the Matu people was asked what made the difference (assuming it was something this new missionary was doing well), he explained that they were drawn to the faith by the life and witness of the first missionary. But they were unwilling to fully buy in and accept His message until they saw how he died. They were waiting to see how he died, how he moved through the greatest moment of human suffering, in order to fully evaluate the merits of his message of the gospel. And obviously he died well, because when his successor stepped on the scene, he couldn’t baptize the converts fast enough. 

When Paul and Silas were thrown in jail, Luke writes that they spent the night praying and singing hymns to God. And he notes that their response to the situation was in the hearing of the other prisoners. Not only this, but when they were freed by supernatural means, they stayed put (knowing that Roman law required guards be put to death for losing track of prisoners). Their witness in a time of suffering spoke volumes and led to the conversion of their jailer who, beholding the whole thing, was filled with awe and fear of the Lord. 
More often than not, we want alleviation of difficult circumstances so badly that we forget to worship God where we are and allow Him to use us even in suffering. But may we remember today that our suffering witness is extremely powerful in the hands of our Faithful God. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to surrender times of difficulty and suffering to You for Your glory. As the song says, “I will fall at your feet and worship you here…” in the midst of trials, in the face of suffering, as I move through difficulties, right here I choose to worship. May my suffering witness speak volumes to those around me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 24

July 15, Saturday

Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on January 16, 2016, is provided by Joanna Tzen who was a long-standing member of Grace Covenant Church in Philadelphia. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Idolatry of Today”

Deut. 6:14-15

Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.

Over the holiday break, my husband and I visited Los Angeles with my parents. Our only non-food related destination was the Getty Villa, along the Pacific coast. It is a museum established by the late oil tycoon J. Paul Getty that showcases ancient artifacts from Greece and Rome. Among the many artifacts, we saw statues of household gods found in Roman empire from the first century. It was amazing to see what we had read in the Bible come to life before our eyes. The book of Deuteronomy chronicles the last years of the Israelites in the desert under the leadership of Moses. Chapter 6 is part of a speech Moses makes before leadership is transferred to Joshua. He reminds the Israelites of the Lord’s faithfulness and the laws that were handed down at Mount Sinai. In the chapter before, Moses reiterates the ten commandments and spends the whole next chapter on the greatest commandment—to love the Lord. Seeing statues of golden calves, sacrificial altars and tangible likenesses of deities at the museum made me think of the things we bow down to in our modern day that may not be made of gold or wood. In our day, we can worship our careers, relationships, success in the eyes of the world as defined by money or approval, or even righteousness through religious duties. This happens when we let good things become the ultimate thing. It can happen when hard times that we don’t understand come our way and we decide God doesn’t know best, but we do. The Israelites struggled with this too, when they complained about their time in the desert and made the golden calf. Maybe we aren’t so different after all. Let us come to the Lord with humble hearts, asking Him to reveal our idols and the help of the Holy Spirit to return to our first love (Rev. 2:4) Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me first (1 Jn. 4:19) when I was completely unlovable. Forgive me for the things I have put before You and trusting in others more than I trust You. Remind me of Your faithfulness. Thank You that You never let me go. Bible Reading for Today:  Numbers 22-2

July 14, Friday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Doug Tritton, was first posted on July 23, 2016.  A graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), Doug is the Lead Pastor of Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“How Can I Get to Heaven?”
John 17:1-3
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

How do I get to heaven? What is the secret to eternal life? What do I need to do!?
For many people seeking eternal life, their focus and attention is all wrong. They simply have a desire to live forever (i.e. not die), so they want to know the secret, the magic elixir. With this mindset, it’s like we are looking for the fountain of youth, thinking it is something we can attain once we know how. But eternal life is not about living forever, nor is it something that we simply can attain on our own.
This passage very clearly states what eternal life actually is. It’s not living forever, though that is a by-product of it, nor is it a fountain of youth that we can simply find—but eternal life is knowing God and His Son Jesus. Eternal life is about having a relationship with God through Jesus. Through this relationship we will live forever with Him, but the focus is not on us living forever; the focus is on being with Christ forever. He is our King who will reign in His Kingdom forever, and when we know Him, we enter into this eternal Kingdom.
Throughout the ages, people have been looking for the secret to everlasting life. Thankfully, the answer is not a secret; rather, it is good news to be shared with all people. Knowing Jesus Christ is eternal life and He wants to be known. Let’s dwell on Him and remember that our relationship with Him is the one thing that shall forever endure! And more than that, let’s make this good news known to all people!
Prayer: Jesus, thank You that You are eternal life. Thank You for making Yourself known to me. Without You, there is only death and despair, but with You, there is life—everlasting life! Help me to keep my focus on You, knowing You are the One constant, the One who will never change—neither in this life or the one to come!
Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 21

Lunch Break Study  

Read 1 John 2:23-25: No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
Questions to Consider

  1. What happens when we confess Jesus?
  2. What is the promise that God makes to us?
  3. How can you abide in Jesus?

Notes

  1. When we confess Jesus, we receive the Father, for Jesus is the only way to the Father (see John 14:6). Without knowing Jesus, we cannot know God, because God has made Himself known to us through Jesus. That is why knowing Jesus is necessary!
  2. Eternal life is the promise of God to us. Romans 6:23 tells us that eternal life is the gift of God in Christ. As we read in John earlier, Jesus is eternal life, so Jesus is the gift of God the Father to us, and He is the promise of God. Jesus is the One promised since the very beginning!
  3. Usually abiding means “to live or dwell” in something, so to abide in Jesus is to live in Him, to make your whole life about Him. As you abide in Jesus, you are abiding in eternal life now. People often think of eternal life as something experienced after death, but in reality, we abide in eternal life now as we abide in Jesus.

Evening Reflection

Reflect on Jesus being eternal life, that by having a relationship with Him right now, you are living eternal life right now. Let the peace of that reality give you rest tonight.

July 13, Thursday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on September 1, 2016, is provided by Pastor Jason Sato who, along with his wife Jessica and three young children, serves in Japan as an AMI missionary.  Jason is a graduate of UC San Diego (BS) and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“What Is Love?”
John 11:1-16 (ESV)
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. [3] So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” [4] But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
 [5] Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. [7] Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” [8] The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” [9] Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. [10] But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” [11] After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” [12] The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” [13] Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. [14] Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, [15] and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” [16] So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”


Love can be described in many ways, but our culture tends to define it in terms of safety and pleasure.  A loving spouse will do everything in his power to provide security and positive emotions.  A loving parent will do everything in her power to reduce the risk of injury or pain.  Of course safety and pleasure are related to love, but they do not define love.  God does.
Lazarus is the one whom the Lord loves (v. 3), yet Jesus does not visit him when he is very ill.  Jesus loves Martha and Mary and Lazarus (v. 5), yet He allows the sisters to weep and grieve, and Lazarus to die.  Jesus loves His disciples, yet He risks their lives by traveling to Bethany.
Jesus knows that happy circumstances, safety, and pleasure bring only fleeting joy.  Eternal joy and eternal life cannot be found in such things.  In John 17:3, Jesus declares, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
As the story unfolds, Thomas realizes that being with Jesus is better than life itself.  Martha clings to her faith in Jesus and finds a hope in the resurrection that cannot be shaken, even by the death of her brother.  Lazarus is raised from the dead.  The disciples see that Jesus reigns even over life and death.  In His love, Jesus desires for His people to have more than safety and pleasure—He wants us to know Him.
The world, the flesh, and the devil would have us believe that we can only be happy if we live in a particular place, have a particular kind of family, or work at a particular kind of job.  We are led to believe that there is nothing greater than a lack of danger and a lack of pain—and this is not true.  Knowing and being known by the Lord of Glory is greater.  Jesus works all things for this ultimate good.
Prayer: Father, we thank You that Your glory shines brighter than the sun.  We are tempted to retreat from uncertainty and pain, but may we walk with You even through the valley of the shadow of death that we might know You in Your death and resurrection.
Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 20

Lunch Break Study

Read Philippians 4:4-7 (ESV): Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. [5] Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; [6] do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Question to Consider
1. What can interfere with our joy in the Lord? 2. How can we fight for our joy? 3. As we fight for joy, what does God do?

Notes
1. Anxiety about our current needs and troubles.  2. We can fight for our joy through prayers of supplication and thanksgiving. 3. God will give us His peace that will guard our hearts and minds from the lies of the enemy.  When we dwell on God’s truth and promises, we will have peace and be able to consistently rejoice.

Evening Reflection

Reflect on your day.  How did God show His love to you?  Were you tempted to doubt God’s love today?  How could God be using the difficulties of the day to draw you closer to Him?

July 12, Wednesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on July 27, 2016, is provided by Pastor Yohan Lee.  He is a friend of AMI who in the past has served as a staff at several AMI churches.  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Cairn University (MA).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Problem with Darkness”
John 3:19-21
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

In a recent commercial promoting the low-light camera feature on the Samsung Galaxy S7, advertisers made the claim that, “All the best stuff happens in the dark.”  They gave these examples: dancing happens in the dark, people are younger and better looking in the dark, food becomes more expensive and romantic in the dark, and my personal favorite, “If you are well below average-looking, your only chance of kissing an attractive person is in the dark.” Obviously, the commercial was meant to be comical, but it does hit on some truth; namely, that we enjoy the literal darkness because we can hide in it, and our imperfections are not as pronounced. 
But here is another problem with darkness (or lack of light) — it hides true beauty.  Think of all the beautiful places that you’ve been to: beaches, mountains, Hawaii, Yosemite, New England in the fall, the Grand Canyon, etc.  You want to visit these places in the daytime, because the light reveals their beauty.  In low lighting, you may see forms and shapes, but you cannot pick out the details that make these places breathtaking.  
Spiritually speaking, living in the fear of being exposed and hiding in the darkness is a terrible and disfiguring way to live; on the other hand, living in the light of the truth is beautiful and freeing.  People who live with a big secret—such as drug addiction, adultery, or involvement in an illegal business, etc.—are always weighed down by the fear of being caught.  And they cannot be healed or be free until they confess and disclose their sins.  The beauty of being made in the image of God and being a child of God is hidden by the darkness they are trying to hide their sins in.  Only after allowing the light to reign can their beauty be revealed. 
Is there something in your life that you are keeping in the dark?  Is that secret bringing you into the dark as well?  Does it need to be confessed and brought to life?  Won’t you consider sharing it with someone?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I want to live in the complete radiance of Your light.  Help me to confess any hidden sins and seek forgiveness, restoration, and renewal.  Remind me that Your light is always good. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 19

Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 121:1-8:Lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Questions to Consider
1.  What was the psalmist trying to convey about God in this Psalm?   2.  How does the psalmist highlight the characteristics of God’s protection? 3.  This Psalm (especially vv. 6-7) implies that no harm will befall a child of God.  What does that mean?  
Notes
1.  The psalmist praises the Lord as our guardian or protector.   2.  In verses 3-4, we see that God is ever-vigilant in His protection—there is never a time when we have escaped His watch, and He never sleeps.  God protects us from harm (vv. 6-7) and has a plan for us.  He watches over our lives, both our coming and going, now and forever (vv. 7-8). 3.   The psalmist is not saying that bad things will never happen to God’s children.  History tells us that many Christians are persecuted and have been killed for their faith.  But what we need to understand is that God’s protective hand and care does not leave His children; meaning, those who suffer are not abandoned by God or out of His loving will.  So we must see our sufferings as given by God and have the grace to ask, “What is God trying to accomplish in this suffering?”  

Evening Reflection

This morning we talked about getting out of the darkness; and in the afternoon Psalm 121 talked about the ever-vigilant care of the Lord.  Believe it or not, these two ideas are not unrelated, for the statement that “God sees everything about me,” is true.  In Psalm 121, we see that this is a beautiful and comforting idea (if you generally live in the light).  However, if we are trying to hide in the darkness, this can be a terribly uncomfortable idea for us.  In your life, how do you react to the idea that God sees everything about you?  

July 11, Tuesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on February 8, 2016.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Can You Pass Through the Narrow Gate?”

Colossians 2:8

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.

1 John 5:19

We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.


Christiana is a slim, healthy woman who was raised on nutritious meals. When she goes off to college, however, she encounters the university dining scene. She had never eaten french fries before, but, boy, are they so tasty! Unlimited ice cream! Buffet lines of fried chicken and burgers!  The first few weeks of this new diet has caused a little waistline tightness, but she thinks, It’s no big deal; I still eat my salads, she reassures herself. Then, after the semester is over, her parents are mortified to see their now hefty daughter plodding down the airport return gate.  
This is my fear for the Christian church in America. Once we leave the doors of the church steeple, we soak in the influences of the secular world, a world whose mind is ultimately directed not by God but by his enemy. Little by little, our Christian character becomes unhealthier, bloating and bloating until one day, we find we can no longer pass through the narrow gate.  It is not without reason that the narrow gate parable is followed by a very unsettling declaration by Jesus: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 7:21).   While they certainly profess to have faith, the object of their faith is not the God of the Bible who commands that we “do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 Jn. 2:15).   We must remember that our ultimate authority is to Christ, to His teachings and call of obedience! We must “see to it that no one takes [us] captive by” the influences of the world that are not guided by Christ but by some other authority.  This doesn’t mean that we wear strange clothes and do even stranger things in public to ensure that we appear weird before the world.  Be fashionable, if you would like, but within reason and budget, but stand up for God’s truth with integrity and love.  Study the Word, understand the issues, be filled with the Holy Spirit, and then engage!  

Prayer: Father, I praise and exalt You this morning.  Once again I am in need of repentance for fooling myself into thinking that I am somehow spiritual because of what I do inside the church—praying loud and praising even louder.  Lord, help me to praise You in the world as well through how I live and think.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Numbers 18

Lunch Break Study

Read James 2:14-9, 24, 26: What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.20 You foolish person, . . . faith without deeds is useless. . .. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. . .. 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Question to Consider

1. According to James, do demons have faith in God?  If yes, is this a faith that can save?  If not, what is it about the faith that demons have that make it a dead and useless faith? 2. In light of that, what is the problem that James was seeing and addressing? 3. Examine your life: based on what you actually do outside the church, does your faith resemble that of the demons (i.e., intellectual assent that changes nothing) or Abraham?

Notes

1. Yes, demons do have faith, but it is not a saving faith; otherwise, we should expect to see them in heaven.  What makes their faith useless and dead is that it doesn’t change them; their condition remains the same.  What the demons have is intellectual assent that doesn’t change the heart. 2. Though it may seem harsh, James is saying that people who say they believe but are the same as before, without any affirmative changes and good fruits, are not saved at all.  Their faith is that of demons.  In other words, their faith is too wide for the narrow gate. 3. Don’t look at just one thing or how you did today; instead, examine your body of work—a general pattern of your life.  We are looking for consistency, with gaps here and there (because we are, after all, humans)—not perfection; for that, we need to wait until we reach the abode of God.    

Evening Reflection

Be honest: In what ways is your life any different from those who do not confess Christ?  If someone who doesn’t know you saw you throughout the day, would that person think that you are different for the right reasons?  Can people tell that we are different for reasons other than praying before lunch?  1 Peter 1:15 says, “Be holy, because I am holy.”  That is tantamount to saying, “Be different from the world, because I am not of the world.”  Would you take this seriously and start being intentional about living with integrity, love, and in truth?

July 10, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on October 4, 2016, is provided by Pastor Yohan Lee.  He is a friend of AMI who in the past has served as a staff at several AMI churches.  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Cairn University (MA).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“What Pessimism Really Shows”
John 20:6-10
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.


I am, by nature, a pessimistic person.  My theology about humans can be summed up by two truths: First, we are all tainted by a sinful nature, which will generally cause us to act selfishly; and second, we are all made in the image of God, who is love.  Unfortunately, I think the first truth wins out more often than the second.  When it comes to life and ministry, pessimism can be very damaging.  For example, when I look at this upcoming election, I am tempted to think, Clinton, Trump, why does it matter? Regarding racial tension in our country, it’s tempting to lose hope because overcoming hatred in the human heart seems insurmountable.  And even on a smaller scale, when people struggle in a particular area, it’s tempting to wonder how much change and victory is possible.  
Honestly, my outlook is something that I am working on, and often repent about, because I don’t think it is a very godly characteristic.  Pessimism shows a lack of faith in the power of God.  It’s somewhat incongruent that one can believe in the power of God to resurrect the dead, but lack the faith that He can (or will) heal a nation or dramatically change an individual.  Similarly, I find it funny when people say that they trust God for their eternal souls, yet don’t demonstrate a trust in Him for the day-to-day things like finances, taking care of children, and other matters.  
When the term “believe” is used in the Bible, many times it concerns other things than the traditional gospel understanding of Christ’s death and resurrection.  In other words, there are other aspects to faith than simply trusting in Christ for eternal life—there is trusting in Him to do anything.  Case in point: In v. 8 of today’s passage, it says that something about the empty tomb scene made Peter and John “believe,” but the very next verse says that they had not yet understood what the Scriptures said about the resurrection.  So what did Peter and John actually believe at that moment?  The truth is, I don’t know.  But that is not the point: The point is, you have to believe in the power of God to do anything in this life and the next.  You have to believe that there is no person too far gone for the Spirit to reach, no circumstance too far out of reach, or no miracle beyond prayer.  What are things you are pessimistic about?  What does it mean for you to “believe?”
Prayer: Lord, like the man in Mark 9, help me to overcome my unbelief.  Help me to hope, even in the last days, that the Kingdom of God is a present reality.  Let me face this day believing it is full of opportunities, not trouble. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 17

Lunch Break Study

Read Luke 4:16-19: And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. 17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captivesand recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Questions to Consider
1.  According to this passage of Scripture (Isaiah 61), what aspects of the Kingdom of God did Christ usher in?   2.  Do you think these aspects are important today? 3.  Have you lost sight in how God wants to work in the here and now?  
Notes
1.  From the passage, we see that the Kingdom of God ushered in by Christ would include proclamation of Good News (v. 18), as well as freedom and healing (power of God).  2.  We often talk about the Kingdom of God as both a present AND future reality (or already here BUT not yet completed).  As believers we need to keep both aspects in mind; we need to win souls for Christ and bring peace, justice, healing to people now.  It’s important not to overemphasize the present at the expense of the future, or vice versa.  The bottom line is, that God wants to work now, bring justice now, heal now—and save souls.   3.  Application question. 

Evening Reflection

This morning we talked about overcoming pessimism and not believing that anything is hopeless.  This afternoon, we studied about the Kingdom of God being a present reality.  God wants to liberate and heal now.  As we connect these thoughts tonight, ask yourself these questions: Are there are things that I’ve lost faith or hope in?  If so, what does God want me to do about this?  Do I believe that the power of God is available for these things now?

July 9, Sunday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on July 10, 2016, is provided by Pastor Barry Kang, who heads Symphony Church in Boston.  Barry is a graduate of Stanford University (B.S.), Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Gordon Conwell Seminary (D.Min.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“God’s Grace Revisited”

Colossians 4:18
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.   

As Paul began his letter, so he ends—with a blessing of grace.  It is the most important thing he has to offer; it is the most important thing any of us have been given.  Grace.  This grace underlies, overflows, and seeps through Paul’s entire letter.   

So, it is important that we understand what this grace is.  Grace is the offer of God’s unending presence and love.  Grace is not just the forgiveness of sins.  We can get a little confused about this.  Sometimes we think of grace as God seeing our sins, but He sighs and says, “Okay, never mind. I forgive you because of Jesus.”  If we think of grace in that way—as God’s passive response to our active sins—then of course grace will not have the power to transform us.  
Now grace does include the promise of forgiveness, but it is not just that.   John Ortberg puts it like this: “Grace is the flow of God’s power and presence and favor in your life from one moment to the next moment to the next moment to enable you to do whatever it is that God wants for you to do.”  It is given to us through the active work of Jesus Christ in His incarnation, cross, and resurrection.  

It is through grace that Paul was sustained, even as he was in prison.  It is through grace that the prayers of the Colossians for Paul were heard.  It is through grace that we believe, are baptized, incorporated into the body, and serve.  It is by God’s grace that we live, breathe and have life.  It is by God’s grace that we receive power through his Holy Spirit and overcome trials.  We did not deserve any of it.  We can never earn it.  But it’s here, and it’s for you. 
Grace be with you.

Prayer: Father, thank You for this grace.  Thank You that You love us so much that You pour this undeserved gift upon us—the gift of Yourself.  Thank You that we will never be separated from You by Your grace.  Thank you.  Help us to become more aware of this grace.  We so often fall into the trap of thinking that we have somehow merited Your favor by our good behavior and choices.  Forgive us that our relationship with You can be so transactional.  We want to grow in our love for You and grow in our desire for the desires of Your heart.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 16

July 8, Saturday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on June 18, 2016, is provided by Pastor Shan Gian who leads Remnant Westside Church in Manhattan.  Shan is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“What To Do When We Are Weary”
Galatians 6:9-10
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.


 As you can see from the introduction above, my wife and I have an incredibly cute newborn baby named Tyler who is almost three months old.  It has been an amazing and wonderful three months taking care of this little boy, but I’ll let you all in on a little secret… My wife and I are really tired.  Again it’s been a great and rewarding experience raising him, but with all the work it takes to take care of a baby, we grow weary.  To confess even more, there are times where I would rather sleep or relax or watch TV than wake up at 3am every day and change Tyler’s diaper and feed him.  Even though I love my son, it’s not easy to keep on doing good.
I share this illustration because sometimes we have this picture of Christian life and ministry and being a part of kingdom work as being awesome, rewarding, and fulfilling without recognizing that it can also be difficult, laborious and wearying. I find that some people think that serving God out of the overflow of our hearts means that doing good to everyone is easy.  Paul clearly knew otherwise when he wrote this passage.  He exhorts the Galatians to not grow weary and to not give up for no other reason than that we can easily grow weary and we will want to give up!
In our service to God and to the body of Christ, we need perseverance and endurance because we will grow weary.  Like the seed that falls on rocky ground in Jesus’ Parable of the Sower, it’s easy to spring up quickly because it can be so fun and exciting to serve the Lord at the start, but when the excitement wears off and weariness sets in, we can find ourselves like those plants that withered because of the sun, and we stop doing the work of the Lord.
How do we endure then?  Paul encouraged the Galatians to press on and endure because there is a harvest to come and that should be our motivation as well.  If we persevere and keep on doing good, we will have the privilege to see people coming to know the Lord.  Beyond the harvest though, to endure we must remember to do this good work together and strive to bless and encourage one another to endure.  If we grit our teeth and press on as individuals, we will all grow weary and give up, but we can press on when we strive to serve and bless one another in the household of God.
If today you’re feeling weary of doing good, remember that there is a harvest to come and find encouragement from the body of Christ.  If you’re not feeling weary, praise God and find a way to encourage your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who might be feeling weary.  Let us strive to endure to do good together.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for considering us worthy to die on the cross.  Forgive me for wanting man’s approval and boasting about myself.  Help me when I am wearied and want to give up.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.
Bible Reading for Today:  Numbers 14-15