April 30, Sunday

REPOST  Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Pastor Peter Yoon of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego, was first posted on May 1, 2016.  Peter is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“What’s Really Keeping You from Diving Deeper in Your Faith?”

Acts 20:22-24

 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

[Today, I’d like to introduce you to a video put forth by the Bible Project. I suggest you subscribe to their YouTube channel if you haven’t already.] 

In today’s passage, you see that Paul is “compelled” by the Spirit of God. For all of us, this is when our hearts pause to say, “Uh oh…what if one day the Holy Spirit forces me to do something that I really don’t want to do?” 

I can think of one reason that often challenges people from wanting to grow spiritually. “I don’t want God to send me to India for the rest of my life.” There’s an assumption that if you mature spiritually, then God will take away everything you currently have and enjoy, and then, send you out to a needy mission field with nothing but a backpack full of evangelism tracts. 

There’s another reason why people have been challenged to grow spiritually. Barna Group found that the number one challenge to helping people grow spiritually is that most people equate spiritual maturity with trying hard to follow the rules in the Bible (https://www.barna.org/barna-update/faith-spirituality/264-many-churchgoers-and-faith-leaders-struggle-to-define-spiritual-maturity#.VyO6UvkrLIU). It’s no wonder that many people are not motivated to grow spiritually. Who wants to become a self-righteous rule-follower?

If you hold to either of these ideas, first of all, YES, you are right! Yes, Jesus does invite us to go to all nations preaching the gospel. And yes, following Jesus does involve obedience to His commands. But if that’s what’s really keeping you from diving deeper in your faith, perhaps you may have a short-sighted view of God’s commands and God’s mission to the world. 

Certainly a wise and loving God isn’t merely interested in creating a community of rigid rule-followers, or is He? Or that His mission is only accomplished by “compelling” stubborn people to go to places they don’t really want to travel? 

Hope this video will help in breaking down some assumptions and highlighting God’s love for His children. Enjoy! 

For Reflection: After watching the video, how does that shape your view of Scripture, especially the Law and the Prophets? How do you see Jesus as One who came to fulfil the law? Does that change how you pray to him?

Bible Reading for Today: Amos 2

April 29, Saturday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on April 16, 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).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Being Pursued”

Acts 17:24-27 (NIV)

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands.25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’”

Seventy-five percent of the time, whenever single people from our church come over to talk or share a meal, my wife and I will ask them about boys or girls. Of course, this talk slowly evolves (or devolves) into us playing matchmakers.  But sometimes our guests get a little uncomfortable and will ask why this topic interests us so.  My wife will typically explain it like this: “It’s been several years since I’ve been single, but I still remember how it felt starting a relationship.  You go out on fun dates and he is always trying to impress you.  All the while, you are constantly wondering how into you he is.  You feel this odd combination of adrenaline, insecurity, anxiety, and euphoria, all at the same time.  It’s both the fun and exhausting part of dating, and in many ways, I am living vicariously through you because I miss that feeling.”  

On another note, the other day my wife looks at me and says, “It’s been awhile since we went out, just you and me.  I would like to go out on a date.”  

The point of my sharing these seemingly unrelated events is not for you to think that I am having marriage difficulties or that my wife wishes she were single again; but rather to show that my wife still wants to be dated and pursued (by me).  When she talks to other girls about dating, she remembers fondly what it was like when I was trying to impress her and didn’t whine about spending money on her.  When she tells me plainly, “Let’s go out!” it’s with the understanding that I will pick a better place than In-and-Out and won’t whine about spending money on her.  All joking aside, my wife and I have been through a lot in our seven years of marriage— kids, illnesses, death of my mom, a cross-country move, many highs, and a few lows.  I’d like to believe that we love each other more now than on our wedding day.  And although I am an outstanding husband, truth be told, there are times when she feels underappreciated and taken for granted, and so would like to be pursued.  

Our passage today is interesting because Paul insinuates that God also wants to be pursued or found by the people He created.  He gave us life and breath; He created mankind and set nations in place.  Why?  He hopes that this would cause some to search for and eventually find Him (v. 27).  Now, I want to be careful not to paint an inaccurate picture of our God.  Let’s be perfectly clear—God does not need anything from us (v. 25) and certainly not our affections; He does not have insecurity issues.  Yet He does want to be pursued, and He does not want to be underappreciated.  Honestly, don’t we sometimes take for granted that God is close?  So much so that we stop trying to “impress” Him?  This morning, ask yourself: “Do I still pursue God like I once did? Or, have I put my relationship with Him on autopilot?”  If it’s the latter, let’s go back to those dating years when we wouldn’t count the cost or the hours we spent with our beloved. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, renew my love and affection for You.  Forgive me if I’ve taken our relationship for granted.  Help me to fall in love with You all over again. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today:  Joel 1 & Amos 1

April 28, Friday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on June 29, 2016, is provided by Ulysses Wang who pastors Renewal Church in Sunnyvale, California. Pastor Ulysses is a graduate of New York University (BA) and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.).  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Is Believing in Jesus the Same as ‘Get Out of Jail’ Card?”

Colossians 1:21-23

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

There is a great temptation to associate believing in Jesus with a “get out of jail, free” card. “Thanks for the sacrifice Jesus.  Now, I’ve got some stuff to do, so I’ll see you in 50 years.”  Such people will be in for the surprise of their lives if at the end, they hear Jesus say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23b).  The fact that this is a real possibility can be seen in Paul’s logic – we have been “reconciled…if indeed you continue in the faith…”  If.  This disturbs us because it wasn’t what we learned in Sunday school – if you believe in Jesus, you’ve got a spot waiting for you in heaven.  Your table can’t be given away.  We object further: “This sounds like works!  I thought salvation was free!”  Amen!  Salvation is free – it’s a gift.  But true salvation is evidenced by the kind of continuing on in the faith Paul wrote about.   A duo of commentators put it this way: “If the Bible teaches the final perseverance of the saints, it also teaches that the saints are those who finally persevere – in Christ.  Continuity is the test of reality.”  The famous reformer Martin Luther is helpful as well when he so elegantly quipped: “It is grace alone that saves, but the grace that saves is never alone.”

So what does this mean for us folks living in the 21st century?  It means the same thing it has meant for the people of God throughout the ages: We cannot just rest on our laurels.  It means that if you see the evidence of the Holy Spirit in your life, you should have great assurance that you are indeed in the flock of God.  Evidence, however, not only includes victories, but it also includes genuine repentance after devastating defeats, tooth-and-nail struggle against an old sin-stronghold, and faith—even if it’s on life support, in the face of earth shattering pain and loss.  It also means, however, that if you consider yourself a Christian but see no evidence of Christ in your life – no desire, no fight, no longing – then you’d better do some serious self-reflection.  God forbid that you find yourself among the “goats” in that final day.  To quote the street theologian Ice Cube slightly out of context—“You better check yo self before you wreck yo self.”  The apostle Paul would agree with such wise admonition.

Prayer: God, help me to be a Christian not in name only, but in deed, love, and faith.  Help me to run the race to the finish like the apostle Paul.  May the powerful working of the Holy Spirit increase in my life that I may abound in the works of the Lord and be overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit.  Help me to never take grace for granted but tap into such grace that I may live a life worth living.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Joel 2

Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 7:15-20: Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Questions to Consider

1. According to Jesus, how are we to recognize true disciples (good trees)?

2. Forget the fact that you consider yourself a Christian.  If someone were able to observe your thoughts and actions 24 hours a day for an extended period of time, what conclusions do you think he or she may draw about you?

3. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”  What do the people in your life see when they see you?

Notes

1. By their fruit (a.k.a., works); that is, the way they live their lives.

2. Do not despair if you think your fruit is bad; instead, seek a deeper and more genuine relationship with Jesus.  As you do, the fruit you bear will reflect this deepening relationship.

3. Personal response.

Evening Reflection

Philippians 1:6: And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Be encouraged to know that as you run the race, God is the wind at your back.

April 27, Thursday

REPOSTToday’s AMI Devotional QT, first posted on July 14, 2016, is written by Tina Pham who serves as AMI missions coordinator.  Tina is a graduate of Biola University (BA) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The First Dropbox Baby”

Exodus 2:1-10 

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him.5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?” 8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

God shapes us uniquely for His purpose from the very beginning of our lives. We can certainly see a glimpse of God’s purpose for Moses from his birth. He was born during Pharaoh’s population control program. In order to control Israel’s population growth and potential to rise in power, he made the Israelites serve as slaves and formed an edict for all newborn Hebrew boys to be thrown into the Nile River.

Being a Hebrew boy, Moses faced the danger of the Nile at his birth. Yet God protected His life by using three women and a box made out of reeds. In biblical history, Moses is the first “dropbox baby.”  Instead of casting him straight into the Nile, Moses’ mom made a box and placed him inside it, in hopes that someone may discover him and spare his life. Then, Moses’ sister followed Moses’ box as he helplessly went down the river and was found by Pharaoh’s daughter. It seems obvious that Pharaoh’s daughter would follow her father’s decree to cast Moses into the Nile, but she saw him and had compassion on him. Being a strategic sister, Moses’ sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter (v. 7) if she could help bring Moses back to a Hebrew woman who could nurse him, without revealing that she would bring him back to his mother. The moment Pharaoh’s daughter said, “Go ahead,” Moses’ life was preserved. 

God’s favor was upon Moses since his birth to carefully preserve a deliverer for His people. Moses was born as part of the oppressed population, but God provided royal protection for Moses, and allowed him to grow up among the powerful, inside the palace of the world’s greatest nation. At the right time, despite trials and setbacks, Moses would later lead Israel out of Egypt. God prepared the events in Moses’ life so that Moses could walk into God’s unique purpose for him. Nothing about him being spared from Pharaoh’s edict was a result of his choosing and doing—it was entirely the Lord’s doing. This morning, reflect on the events and circumstances in your childhood, upbringing, and background. What privileges, experiences, and even hardships has God placed in your life, so that you could serve Him with a unique purpose? 

Prayer: Praise the Lord, for You are so kind and compassionate.  There certainly have been some good as well as not-so-good moments in my life, and I thank You for all of them because through them, You continue to teach me what it means to love and depend on You.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Joel 1

Lunch Break Study 

2 Samuel 17:33-38: Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.”34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went out after him andattacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” 38 Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor.

Questions to Consider

1. What challenge is David accepting?

2. Why does David think he is able to go against Goliath?

3. In hindsight, David’s experience of tending and protecting sheep from danger prepared him for a greater task of fighting against Israel’s enemies. What prior experience/job do you think God used to form and prepare you for what He calls you to do today?

Notes

1. David is motivated to fight on behalf of Saul’s army against Goliath the Philistine, a warrior giant. 

2. David believes that his prior experience as a shepherd boy has equipped him to face Goliath. God’s hand has helped him to protect sheep from the mouth of lions and bears. He trusts that God will not fail to protect him (and Israel) from the hand of Goliath, who is cursing God’s name and His people.

3. Personal Response. 

Evening Reflection 

We are not saved by works (Eph. 2:8-9), but we are certainly saved and transformed to do the work of the Lord. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Reflect on how God has been preparing you in every season of your life to be His workmanship. 

April 26, Wednesday

UPDATEDToday’s AMI QT Devotional, which was first posted on January 31, 2013, is provided by Pastor Ryun Chang who serves as AMI Teaching Pastor.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“We Can Still Make a Difference”

Psalm 11:1-3

In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain. 2 For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. 3 When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

When I first heard Pastor E. V. Hill, a Black American, at my college graduation ceremony, I was mesmerized by his booming voice as he kept decrying that the foundations of America were being destroyed. That was 1984. If Hill were alive today, what he would say? I mean, if he thought that things were bad then, where our culture is today is off the charts! 

Nevertheless, as we find ourselves in a sinking ship called fallen world that is going from bad to worse by the minute, we must not give up hope that we can still make a difference. As the great Yankee Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” The righteous still can make a difference, one person at a time. 

How? Share Christ with someone today! Share His spiritual and moral truths with those who are lost in sin!  Pray that the Holy Spirit will regenerate that person. That’s how we can resurrect our society at the brink of disintegration. Pray.

Prayer: Dear Father, in the midst of the daily grind and personal problems, I often forget my responsibility to be concerned about my community and country.  Open my eyes so that I may be bothered by injustice, poverty and immorality that are sinking our culture into a deeper hole. Amen

Bible Reading for Today: Malachi 4

Lunch Break Study

Read Judges 2:10-19: After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress. 16 Then the Lord raised up judges,[c] who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

Questions to Consider

1. It is said: Without God, lawlessness will reign. Then, what’s so amazing about the lawlessness seen in the Judges?  What should it mean to us? (Jud. 2:10-9).

2. What is the 1st institution that God established on earth (Gn. 1:27, 2:24, 4:1)?  What is its nature and why is it important to a society (Gn. 1:28)?

3. For a just God, what are two judicial missteps that really anger Him3 (Prov. 17:15; Is. 5:22-3)?

Notes

1. The Israelites during the time of Judges grew up with parents who knew the LORD (Jud. 2:10), but they themselves hadn’t experienced His power personally. Whenever the judges were alive, they, at least, gave a half-hearted effort to serve God, but as soon as their leaders died, they quickly reverted to their old ways (Jud. 2:18-9).  This shows that merely believing in God’s existence is as good as not believing in Him; one has to personally know Him as both a loving and just God. 

2. The first is the institution of marriage between man and a woman, without which self-propagation won’t occur. There are other reasons for this institution, but that’s the functional component. 

3. It’s when the guilty party is declared innocent on account of some procedural oversight or when the innocent person is sentenced for a crime that he did not commit (perhaps because he is of a certain color).

Evening Reflection

Love the Lord your God with . . . all your mind (Matt. 22:37)

The Christian faith, from the very beginning, countered attempts to stifle its growth through persecution and distortion.  Today is no different. The thought associated with the ancient Greek philosopher Gorgias—that there is no divine presence in the universe,  which had been dormant for 2,500 years—have reared their ugliness through the deconstruction of postmodernism that does away with any meaningful attempts to understand biblical text. It is also true that postmodernism, which tends to respect the viewpoints of nonwhites, offers correctives to curb the excess of Western rationalism that has long infected our understanding of Scripture. In that respect, John’s gospel is very unique because he contextualized a transcendent message given under the Jewish culture to communicate with polytheistic Greeks, in whom John found something redeeming. As you read John’s gospel, think on how its discourses may speak to people who are unduly affected by postmodernity.  Read the Bible with your thinking caps on while praying earnestly!  Let’s understand postmodernism to win those who are immersed in it since God loves them.

April 25, Tuesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Cami King—now a friend of AMI—was first posted on April 4, 2016.  Cami served faithfully as a staff at several AMI churches in the past.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“No One Likes Conflict”

Acts 15:1-4

Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

I don’t know many people who like conflict. It’s uncomfortable, messy, and can escalate to become down right hurtful. No one likes to be wrong. And in the Christian community, we often don’t feel comfortable telling others when we think they are wrong – it just doesn’t feel like the good Christian thing to do. While it may feel much better to be in agreement with others, conflict isn’t necessarily a bad thing. 

Paul and Barnabas found themselves in disagreement with a group of Jewish believers on the matter of Gentile inclusion into the family of God. How were these Gentiles to conduct themselves as believers? What would it look like for God to incorporate those outside of the Jewish ethnic identity – two things that had always been so closely linked? These were actually really important questions and the dispute that arose over this matter was indeed a healthy dispute – it pushed the church to seek God’s will in this area, to grow in their understanding of what His kingdom looks like, and it gave opportunity for Paul and Barnabas to share of God’s work in the Gentile community and encourage believers through their testimony. 

In their book, Thriving Through Ministry Conflict, James Osterhaus, Joseph Jurkowski, and Todd Hahn explain that, contrary to popular belief, “’Resistance is your ally.’ It’s your ally, not your enemy, because it shows you that what you are doing is not working.” In other words, we stand to learn a lot from conflict. When we encounter resistance in the family of God, we tend to fight it or ignore it. But with humble and open hearts we can also choose to embrace it and find out what God is teaching us through the conflict and how God is moving us together as a people in that particular area. 

If you find yourself in situations of disagreement and dispute (especially within the community of faith), embrace it as an opportunity to learn from God. As the Holy Spirit works within you and within your brothers and sisters around you, the body of Christ can get closer to the heart of God, even as we disagree. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me an open heart to the views of others and humility as I hold my own. In situations of disagreement and conflict, may I learn from those around me through the power of Your Holy Spirit and draw closer to them and to You even in the tension. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Malachi 3

Lunch Break Study

Read James 4:1-10: What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Questions to Consider

  1. What does James say is the source of our fights and quarrels? Remembering past or present situations, how do you find James’ words to be true in your lived experience?
  2. What does James tell us to do in response to our self-centeredness, greed, and pride in the midst of arguments? 
  3. What is the promise that James gives to those who will put his words into practice? How does that encourage you as you face situations of conflict? 


Notes

  1. James locates the source of disputes in one simple word – pride. Many have said that what we argue about and the things that make us angry tell us more about what’s going on inside us than what’s going on around us. Self-centeredness often leads to arguing when we face situations of conflict. 
  2. James calls us to turn our attention away from ourselves and toward our God. Instead of fighting for the things we need, we can trust in the provision of our heavenly Father in any given situation. When we take our eyes off ourselves and place God at the center, we often gain new perspective that defuses the emotional charge in situation of disagreement that can lead to fights and arguments. We make this turn through repentance. 
  3. James promises that God will take care of us. As we turn to Him and draw near to Him, He will meet us there and not only provide for our needs, but will give us grace (or favor). We can take comfort in knowing that as we humble ourselves (declare our need before God), the Lord doesn’t leave us low, but instead He exalts us.  

Evening Reflection

In Thriving Through Ministry Conflict, the authors explain that, “…technical change—change on the surface—is not lasting change. Real, lasting change is called adaptive change, change that alters the very structure of the relationship or environment and touches on the deepest of issues such as values.” Situations of conflict provide opportunities for us to change and grow to be more like Jesus. What kind of change is God calling you to today in light of situations of conflict you’re facing? More than just behavior adjustments, is God challenging the nature of a relationship, value system, etc. in your life? Spend sometime reflecting on these things with the Lord. 

April 24, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on February 29, 2016, is provided by Pastor Mark Chun through whom God founded the Radiance Church in 2011. Mark, after recently stepping down as its Lead Pastor, is currently on a sabbatical.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Lying to God”

Acts 5:1-6 (ESV)

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 

 I realize that this passage is probably not the easiest one to start your Monday with, since very rarely do we like to look at difficult subjects like God’s judgment.  But the obvious question here is this: “Why did God deal so severely with Ananias and Sapphira?”   In short, the answer could be found in what follows.

There were two ideals that the Holy Spirit empowered the early believers to fulfill.  The first was a fulfillment of the Greek ideal of friendship.  For the Greeks, true friendship meant holding everything in common and to be of one mind.  Aristotle has been reputed to having defined friendship as “two bodies with one soul.”   This ideal became a reality in the life of the early church, and for that reason, it attracted those looking for authentic friendship.

The second ideal that was fulfilled by the early church was the Old Testament promise that in a society that followed the commands of God, God would bless them by eradicating poverty.  Again, the early church realized this ideal and drew those who were looking for a just and fair society.  It’s no wonder that Christianity had such an overwhelming power of attraction in the book of Acts.  

Ultimately, this explains why God dealt so severely with Ananias and Sapphira.  What seems unfair to us and overly severe is perfect and righteous in the hands of God.  For this special period of time where Christianity was just taking root, it was imperative that the church be established in purity.  Unfortunately, Ananias and Sapphira were in the wrong place at the wrong time; but because of the fate of this couple, no pretenders, or those with a half-hearted commitment or mixed motives dared to join the group of disciples.  Amazingly, later in the chapter, we see an unexpected result of God’s judgment—a multitude of new believers were added to the church.  The warning and the lesson to be taken from this story this: the purity of the church is vitally important and well worth guarding, if we are to be light in our world.  

Prayer: Lord, we pray for the church today—both our local church and the universal body.  Help us to desire purity and power in our congregations so that we might serve as Your witnesses in a darkened world.  We pray for the pouring out of Your Spirit and true revival to sweep through the hearts of believers across our cities, nation, and world.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today:  Malachi 2

Lunch Break Study

Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV): You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 

Questions to Consider

  1. What does it mean for Christians to be the salt of the earth?
  2. Why are Christians the light of the world?

Notes

  1. The duty of the Christian in the world is two-fold:  First, as salt of the earth, we are called to arrest and prevent the moral decay and corruption of the world.  The main purpose of salt in the days before refrigeration was its utility as a preservative and a disinfectant.  If you cure a piece of meat properly with salt, it will stay good for a long time.  If you rub salt in a wound, it will keep it from being infected.  In this way, Christians are meant to permeate the whole of society so that even though we are few, we hold the world accountable to what is true, just, fair, and good.    
  2. Second, we are the light of the world because the light of Christ dwells within us.  We not only play a preventive role against decay and corruption, Christians are the only ones that can bring light into the darkness, life to the dead, and real change in the heart. The church is only as bright as the indwelling presence of Christ and the fullness of His Holy Spirit in each believer.  As a biblical metaphor, light encompasses more than the idea of truth but it is not less than that.  And in Luke’s account of this subject of light, Jesus tells Christians, “Be careful lest the light in you be darkness.” 

Evening Reflection

How have you been a witness for Christ today?  When is the last time you prayed for a non-believer or shared the gospel with someone who was seeking?  As we approach Easter Sunday in a few weeks, pray that God would give you opportunities to share your faith and invite someone to church.  

April 23, Sunday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought was first posted on February 14, 2016.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Letting Ourselves Used by Others”

Matt. 5:40-1

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

1 Tim. 2:4-5

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all . . . .

Here is a sobering thought for Valentine’s Day, a day reserved to celebrate significant others in our lives:  Have you ever been used by someone, especially those who are close to you?   It’s natural to expect care and concern from those who we think love us, but when we find out we have been used and disregarded, our spirits can sink to the dark depths due to the deeply cutting hurt we suffer (Gaylin, Feelings, 148-164). Former Columbia University psychiatry professor Willard Gaylin insightfully describes the feeling of being used when he writes, “The sense of being used . . . arises from the fear that the person dealing with us is not involved with us in emotional ties and affection—where there may be mutual use—but is simply using us as an instrument, a vehicle of his own purposes. We then are equated with the things in his life. We are signs of his needs, not of his affections.”

Sometimes the Bible calls on us to be used: although I doubt Jesus meant in Matthew 5:40-1 that we should let thieves steal whatever they want from us because we should never resist. (Hyperbole seems to be in play here.)  Nevertheless, Jesus conveys the message that sometimes doing good means letting ourselves be used by others for the glory of God.  Jesus should know:  while He let Judas to use Him to profit himself materially, Jesus allowed it to profit us spiritually. 

At other times, it is clear we should not let ourselves be used, especially if we are being abused or if the user needs to be admonished, due to concerns of justice or the spiritual health of the user, to stop his using others as unimportant instruments. For example, Paul gives instructions to the Thessalonian church not to just freely give resources to those who refuse to work, saying, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” (2 Thess. 3:10).

It is largely a matter of wisdom and prudence in deciding when we should let others use us and whether enough is enough. One last consideration: to those who have wrongfully used us, we must forgive, letting go of our hatred, anger, and resentment.  This can feel absurd to us: how can we just freely forgive those who have cut us so deeply and betrayed us so deceivingly? All I can say is that it is the life the Lord our God has called us to: He calls us to forgive and He will comfort us no matter the wounds.  On this Valentine’s Day, if you are harboring any resentment or bitterness toward your significant other, would release it to the Lord and forgive?  

Prayer: Lord, while I’ve never prayed, “Allow me be used,” it’s a sentiment You are all too familiar with.  You said to Israel, “The food I provided for you . . . you offered as fragrant incense before [male idols]” (Ez. 16:17-9).  While that made You feel indignant, You never ceased loving Israel.  Lord, be merciful to me if I do the same.  Help me never to use You for my own gain, but to be useful for your glory.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Malachi 1

April 22, Saturday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on January 30, 2015, is provided by Mei Lan Thallman who was serving Grace Covenant Church at the time. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“I Want to Go Home!”

Genesis 37:2-11

These are the generations of Jacob.  Joseph, being seventeen years old, was pasturing the flock with his brothers. He was a boy with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought a bad report of them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any other of his sons, because he was the son of his old age. And he made him a robe of many colors.  4 But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him. 5 Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: 7 Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. 9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” 11 And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.

Several years ago, while we were serving in South Carolina, we took the kids on a family vacation to Disney World in Florida.  We thought we were making Nathan and Naomi’s childhood dreams become a reality—they would remember Disney as the magical place.  But we were shocked to hear Naomi make the declaration upon arriving home, “It’s so good to be home; I love my home better than Disney.”  In our sincere effort to give them a magical experience, we had pushed ourselves over the limit by doing too much with too little time.

After Joseph received two prophetic dreams from God during his teen years, life took on a series of dramatic downturn for 13 long years.  And when things couldn’t seem to get any worse, they dipped deeper into the bottomless spiral: Young Joseph first survived an attempted murder; then he was sold into slavery by his jealous half-brothers; next, he was sexually harassed and falsely accused by his master’s seductive and manipulative wife, which led him into imprisonment.  Finally, he saw a flicker of hope of overturning his case of injustice through a returned favor for helping the cupbearer; instead, after waiting for two years, he was forced to face the reality that the grateful cupbearer had completely forgotten about him.

Yet, through it all, Joseph refused to compromise his hope and faith in God and his integrity to become a bitter victim of life’s cruel punches. Even when the people in his life turned their backs against him, Yahweh was with him and caused him to prosper through the worst of circumstances (Gen 39:2, 21).

His difficult, outward circumstances only solidified his inward identity, over time, as a beloved child of God.  That identity was so powerful and real that wherever he went, unbelievers could not help but notice and be drawn to Joseph because of God’s strong and undeniable presence in his life.   

If you are currently facing life’s overwhelming, contradicting circumstances and you are wondering, This is not at all what I expected from life, take heart and be of courage, because God’s eyes are on you and His presence is with you.  Just as He was with Joseph, He is now with you. He will not only see you through this challenging time, but He will use it to prepare you for His glorious plan. God used Joseph’s adversities to prove His faithfulness and redemptive plan, and used him to be a channel of blessing that extended into the whole world.

Prayer:  Lord, we thank You that Christ in us is the hope of glory.  This indwelling hope is greater and stronger than he that is in the world.  Though in this world all of us will face life’s difficulties, thank You that we are never alone; and Your presence in our lives empowers us to become “overcomers” instead of “victims”! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 36, Obadiah 1

April 21, Friday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, which was first posted on January 7, 2016, is provided by Pastor Ryun Chang who serves as AMI Teaching Pastor.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Imminent Return of Christ”

Acts 1:6-7

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

Matt. 24:36

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Over the years, conservative Christians have rightfully called out liberal scholars for holding to a low view of Scripture that results in the denial of important Christian doctrines, such as Virgin birth and resurrection of Christ.  But those who say they believe the Bible aren’t entirely guilt-free for doing the opposite.  Despite being told, “Do not go beyond what is written” (1 Cor. 4:6), that is exactly what some do, especially regarding the time of Christ’s second coming.   Even though Jesus disprivileged himself by choosing to be agnostic about it, and reminded the disciples, just before his ascension, that “it is not for [us] to know the times or dates the Father has set,” there has been no shortage of people who do just that: setting the date of his return.   

I remember hearing several Christian leaders say that Christ would return (i.e., rapture) in the 1980s; one advocate even wrote a book entitled, “88 reasons Why The Rapture Will Be in 1988.”  More recently, Harold Camping, erstwhile respected evangelist and Christian radio broadcaster, predicted that Christ would return to earth on May 21, 2011.  When nothing occurred on that day, he re-dated it to October 21, 2011.  Needless to say, he was wrong again.

One oft-forgotten historical doctrine of the church is the “Imminent Return of Christ,” which posits that Christ may come at any moment.  But, ever since dispensationalism kept finding preconditions in the Bible that have be met before his coming, this doctrine lost its luster.  Nevertheless, the time is right to reintroduce it to the church, as it was first taught by Apostle Paul: “About times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:1).   

So, how should this doctrine affect us?  We should daily render to God and His work the best of ourselves as if every day was our last day.  No more setting dates!  But let us live for God in such a manner that “this day should [not] surprise [us] like a thief” (1 Thess. 5:4).  “With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying . . .” (Eph. 6:18).  

Prayer: What an amazing God I worship!  Father, remind me to always stay alert so that I may do the work of God.  Instead of looking at the calendar to guess your Son’s return, may I look outside the window to see who is lost and hurt so that I may share the riches of Christ with them.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today:  Numbers 35

Lunch Break Study

Read Matt. 24:42-51: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Question to Consider

1. Why do you think God didn’t inform us of the exact day of Christ’s return?

2. Based on this parable, what is one drawback with this eschatological “strategy” (i.e., not telling the exact date)?  

3. What is God’s expectation of us in light of the uncertainty of the second coming?  How are you measuring up to that expectation?

Notes

1. If we knew the exact date, then we would have behaved like some Thessalonians who were erroneously told that “the day of the Lord ha[d] already come” (2 Thess. 2:1).  What did they do?  They stopped working!  So Paul had to tell them, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (3:10).

2. Among the immature and carnal Christians, besides laziness, this would lead to the misuse of the  talents and gifts God gave them.  Instead of prompting responsibleness, it results in self-indulgence and licentiousness.    

3. In fact, the uncertainty should be understood as “he can return at any time,” which changes the equation.  God wants us to be faithful at all times so that when Christ does return, he can say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put in charge of many things” (Matt. 25:21).

Evening Reflection

Looking back to today, did you encounter an opportunity to share something that you have with those who lack it?  It could be anything: spare time (that could be used to help someone facing a deadline with no time to spare), knowledge (that could be used to help a classmate struggling with the last lesson) or extra cash in your pocket (that could have been used to share a meal with a discouraged coworker).  Think like that and do it; be a better steward of the gifts and talents that God saw fit to give you.