January 5, Thursday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on March 24, 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, a graduate of UC San Diego (BS) and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.), moved to Tokyo in 2022 where he plans to, the Lord willing, plant a church. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Believers and Money”

Acts 11:27-30 (ESV)

Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. [28] And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). [29] So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. [30] And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

According to the Catholic Church, the seven deadly sins are lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride.  While we will readily confess to some sins on this list, others we may admit, though with reluctance or a bit of embarrassment.  But there is at least one which we tend to be completely blind to— greed.

How many times has someone confessed to lust, sloth or pride in your small group?  Now, how many times has someone confessed to greed?

In today’s passage, God has revealed a coming famine through prophecy.  The disciples hear God speak, and they act by collecting relief and sending it to the brothers and sisters in Judea—this is undeniable.  The part where there might be some debate is the phrase “everyone according to his ability” (v. 29).

A couple years ago, a friend of mine was speaking to a pastor he knew about a church that could not continue to pay its mortgage and was forced to close its doors. After hearing this, the pastor simply said, “The pastor of the church could have sold his house.  Then the church wouldn’t have had to close.” 

“Ability” is not measured in percentages or dollar amounts and in that way it is hard to quantify.  However, we should understand that giving “according to our ability,” or with our whole hearts, is a question of maximum, not minimum giving.

To our discomfort, the Scriptures frequently speak about money.  Is it because God needs ours?  I don’t think so.  Jesus states simply, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).  God is not interested in our money for its own sake but in our trust (will God take care of us?) and in our love (do the needs of others matter as much as our own?).

Prayer: Father, thank You that You are the Provider for me and my family.  May finances not be a matter of fear or idolatry but a means to demonstrate my trust in Your promises and my love for the world.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 5

Lunch Break Study

Read Luke 19:5-10 (ESV): And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” [6] So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. [7] And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” [8] And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” [9] And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Question to Consider

  1. In light of v. 8, what was Zacchaeus willing to do because of his love for money?
  2. What does Zacchaeus do in response to Jesus’s acceptance of him?
  3. Why is Zacchaeus able to make such generous use of his money?

Notes

  1. Zacchaeus was willing to sin and defraud others because of his love for money.  He was also willing to be ostracized and separated from his people and religion.
  2. He receives Jesus joyfully and offers his goods to the poor and restitution for those he has defrauded.
  3. Because he has found acceptance and salvation in God.  In light of these things, money is no longer the most important thing to him.

Evening Reflection

Consider, what could maximum giving look like in your life?  What fears, desires, or plans make such giving seem impractical?  Pray that God would address these heart issues in such a way that you could give with the joy of Zacchaeus.

May the Lord give you eyes to see and courage to follow.

January 4, Wednesday

UPDATED  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 30, 2013.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Are You Rich? You Will Be Surprised”

Psalm 10:12, 14, 17

“Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.  Do not forget the helpless. 14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand.  The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. 17 You hear, O Lord, the desire  of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry …”

It can be stated that those folks who are on the very opposite of the group alluded in today’s passage are those people who are the top 1% income earners in our globe. It would seem that they are neither helpless nor afflicted. So who are these top earners in a global sense? According to one source, they are those who make slightly above $34,000 a year. This threshold should certainly include everyone who is reading this blog, which would make all of us very rich folks!

Nonetheless, these top earners who live in relative affluence—again, all of us—often forget that “God has chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith” (James 2:5); in fact, too focused on our wants and needs, we often neglect them. Along that line, spoiled by Bless-Me-Here-&-Now theology, we often complain at the slightest inconvenience to our comfortable living and become ungrateful because someone is making more money than us.  

But we are reminded today that our troubles can be an opportunity to experience the comforting presence of God. If you feel afflicted for whatever reasons, thank the LORD for it and seek His presence. Furthermore, be thankful for all that you have received from the Lord, for the apostle Paul reminds us, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” (1 Cor. 4:7).

So what would “committing yourself to God” in your present situation mean to you? Before leaving home today, spend a moment in Him about this matter.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, despite Your beatitude of “Blessed are the poor in the spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” I confess that I dislike being poor in anything.  Thus, help me to see and accept that when I feel poor, whether financial, emotional or spiritual, I can truly experience You, which is a good thing.  Amen

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 4

Lunch Break Study 

Read Luke 21:1-4:“As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 ‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’”

1 Corinthians 1:27-9: “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.”

Question to Consider

1. In terms of assessing our lives, whose assessment is most important?

2. In the above story, who is praised by Jesus at the expense of whom? Why?

3. Why does God favor the poor? 

Notes

1. Suffice it to say, what really matters is how God assesses our lives. There is a very telling statement of Jesus recorded in Luke 16:15b: “What is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.”

2. A poor widow is praised over wealthy people, who, in fact, gave more money than her, because she gave all that she had to live on.

3. God simply won’t share His glory with anyone. While the weak and the lowly don’t have much in themselves to aid God’s work, the wise and the strong typically think that they do. Thus, God prefers to use the weak and despised in His work so that no one can take credit for something He did. This shows that making ourselves available to God’s work with humility is more important than showing up with our talents, pedigree and gadgets.

Evening Reflection

As you look back on today, were you aware of God’s presence? Too busy to notice Him? Write about it and let us do better tomorrow.

January 3, Tuesday 

UPDATED  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Charles Choe who leads Tapestry Church in Los Angeles, was first posted on March 15, 2016.  Charles is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“What To Do With Difficult People in Our Lives”

Acts 9:10-19

So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 

Doing ministry for over twenty-five years, I’ve had my share of disagreements and aggrieved relationships. The temptation to do away with people who are difficult always seems so easy to give into. Yet I have found that some of my most prized relationships today are the result of persisting in difficult relationships and reconciling over broken ones. 

Paul—still known as Saul—begins his journey from persecutor of the church to apostle, after he is memorably blinded on the Damascus road by the Lord Jesus himself. Ananias, a disciple from Damascus, is called upon by God to intercede on behalf of the still blinded Saul. But Ananias is initially reluctant for good reason: Paul is a terror to the early church, and it’s possible that Ananias is on the persecutors’ list. He, nonetheless, obeys God and finds himself before Saul, saying, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, Saul regains his sight, he gets up and is baptized. 

This event would become Ananias’ greatest test of faith. Remarkably, the dutiful disciple not only follows orders but seemingly does so ungrudgingly. Ananias’ words match his actions, as he not only touches Saul but establishes rapport by receiving him as a “brother.” These gestures add up to a warm welcome, demonstrating genuine love and kindness, and more importantly acceptance as a part of the community. At no point does Ananias reproach Saul. No longer does Ananias speak about “this man” (Acts 9:13), but as “Brother Saul.” The despised enemy, the alien, has become a brother. 

He found the feared persecutor alone, blind, and helpless. All the hurt and fear Ananias had felt drained away. The same Lord who called Ananias to go to Saul also filled him with His love and forgiveness. The deep compassion and acceptance that Ananias offers Saul was not his to give: It represents the forgiveness possible through Christ, a reconciliation that would shape Paul’s ministry. 

Often the believers are called to respond counterintuitively to the world, and when we do, we can experience the dramatic reconciling power of the risen Christ. The persecuted Ananias, in the power of the risen Christ, calls his former persecutor “brother.” In Jesus, that kind of reconciled community is possible. Paul’s ministry would come to be defined by this reconciliation, between “Jew and Greek, slave and free, male and female.” Paul’s life was changed by the encounter with the risen Christ, but through Paul, the very character of the early church will begin to be transformed.  

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 3

Lunch Break Study

Read Galatians 3:23-9: Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. [24] So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. [25] But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, [26] for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. [27] For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. [28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [29] And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

Questions to Consider 

1. In verse 24, Paul says that “the law was our guardian until Christ came.” In what sense is this true?  

2. According to verse 28, what distinction has been removed in the New Covenant that once existed in the Old Covenant.   

3. In what way is the New Covenant of neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, no male or female, most evident in your life?  

Notes 

1. The Law serves as a guardian, because it highlights and restrains sin, and it also foretells the coming of Christ. 

2. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female. 

3. Personal Response.

Evening Reflection

“God will not look you over for medals, degrees or diplomas but for scars.” – Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915). What have you been looking over these past few months?

January 2, Monday

Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on March 7, 2016, is provided by Kate Moon who continues to serve as a missionary in E. Asia.  

Devotional Thought for this Morning

“How to Respond When Unjustly Accused”

Acts 7:1-2

“1 Then the high priest asked him, ‘Are these charges true?’ 2 To this he [Stephen] replied: ‘Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran . . .’ ”

“Don’t you even have any eyes?” It was an immature response from an immature person (I was maybe around nine or ten), but it came from a very real sense of frustration at a perceived injustice.  An adult had “accused” me of not closing the screen door properly when I came into the house, but I obviously had – if the person had any eyes, she could see for herself that it was closed.  I knew I was being a little out of line, but I thought that maybe when she saw that she was the one in the wrong, she’d see my frustration was justified and let it pass, maybe even laugh.  Unfortunately, some nuance was lost in translation in the bilingual household I was growing up in (apparently the adult heard the word for “eyes” as something more like “brains,” and apparently, in her culture, calling into question an adult’s possession of brains was a particularly disrespectful expression), and I got into huge trouble.  It wasn’t about the door anymore but what I’d said to an adult, at which I felt even more frustrated, because I hadn’t said “brains,” I’d said “eyes.”  It just ended up being a terrible, mixed-up, no-good day.

Being accused of anything is never a good feeling; being falsely accused is all the worse.  The immediate instinct is to rise up in indignation at the injustice, defend oneself, attack right back.  Stephen, however, did none of these things.  When he was being falsely accused of blasphemy and the high priest asks him if this is true, Stephen, “a man full of God’s grace” (v. 8) and wisdom (vv. 3, 10), begins talking about Abraham and Mesopotamia and ends up making an eloquent defense – not of himself, but of Jesus Christ.  

How do we respond when we feel unjustly accused?  When a supervisor asks us where a report is that we actually handed in a week ago but he misplaced?  Can we resist becoming defensive of ourselves and have a more Christ-centered attitude when we face such situations?  

Prayer: Lord Jesus, when I face false accusations or misunderstandings, help me to maintain my witness for you be my primary concern, over and above defending myself or proving others wrong.  For your name’s sake, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 2

Lunch Break Study 

Though we’ve already meditated today about having a godly response when being falsely accused, what about when the charge someone brings against us is true?

Read Proverbs 9:8: “Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.” 

Questions to Consider

1. Why do you think a mocker would respond to rebuke in this way?

2. What about the wise person?  Why would he or she respond in the opposite way?

3. How do we respond to rebuke or correction?  Defensively or graciously?

Notes

1. Those who mock others often put others down to feel better about themselves.  A word of rebuke threatens their sense of self-worth, and they cannot truly receive it.  The one who tries to rebuke someone who is not ready to receive it may just end up losing the relationship.

2. Wise people can separate their self-worth from their mistakes or character flaws.  Because they do not feel their value as a person is threatened when a corrective word is given, they can receive it constructively and love the one who loves them enough to rebuke.

Evening Reflection

Were you able to respond graciously to others’ estimations of you today?  If you faced any false accusations, bring the hurt, frustration and anger to Jesus, the bearer of the ultimate false accusation (=the sins of the world).  He understands.

January 1, Sunday (“Happy New Year 2023”)

UPDATED Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 1, 2016.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“I Can Do Everything Through Him who Gives Me Strength”

Acts 1:1-1 (NIV)

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach. 

Luke 1:1-3

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account . . .

Thomas Sowell never knew his father who died before his birth. He grew up in the South in the mid-20th century where his encounters with Caucasians were so rare that “he did not know that blond was a hair color.” After dropping out of high school, it seemed very unlikely that he would one day become a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and author of thirty books.

Luke the Gospel writer was just as unlikely to have become one of the authors who penned the bestselling book of all time. In fact, he is the only Gentile among the forty whose writing was included.  Furthermore, he is the second leading contributor to the New Testament after Paul: the Gospel of Luke and Acts combine for fifty-two chapters.   

So, just how improbable was his success?  First, as a non-Jew, Luke was an unlikely candidate to tell the gospel story that originated from Jewish Scripture and culture.  Second, unlike John and Matthew, he wasn’t an eyewitness to the events he described.  Third, as for his training, Luke was a physician (Col. 4:10), not groomed to be a writer.  Also, it’s also possible that Luke was even a slave, since according to Commentator William Barclay, “even doctors and teachers . . . were slaves” in the Roman Empire. 

When given a challenge or difficult task, the first thing we often say is, “I can’t; it’s too hard.”  The outcome of Sowell and Luke’s life suggests otherwise.  While hard work (Prov. 14:23) and determination (24:16) led to Sowell’s rise, Luke presents an additional component: God equips and empowers those who obey His call.  In that context, we can proclaim, “I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13).   

In 2023, for what challenging task will you trust God: a new business, degree program, or even forgiveness?  Whatever it is, do all things in obedience to God’s general will, clearly spelled out in the Scripture: for instance, eschew greed (Col. 3:5), selfish ambition (Phil. 2:3) and bitterness (Heb. 12:15).  As you do so, God will strengthen you to succeed in and for Him.  May this year be like no other year! 

Prayer: Father, as the New Year commences, I praise You for all that happened in 2022—both good and bad—and thank You in advance for a wonderful journey of faith that the new year will bring.  Help me never to forget how unlikely it was for You to save me; but You did because of your immense love.  May I live for You the fullest in 2023.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 1

December 31, Saturday

REPOSTToday’s Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on December 26, 2015.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The City of God and the City of Man”

Philippians 3:20-2

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

Hebrews 11:10:

“For [Abraham] was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” 

Let’s be honest: We say God’s word is the most important source of truth for us, but do our core beliefs and values really reflect that?  In the church we say, “Yes, that is a sin,” but as soon as we are out the door, we become politically correct.  We sing these amazing songs about the greatness of God, but are we really all that different from the world?  Are we not as selfish, insecure, and pleasure-driven as those who do not confess Christ?

Yes, there is no escaping the human confrontation with questions of how we are to live and think. We must commit to some course of action, an overarching worldview, a narrative of reality. We declare our answer by the actions and thoughts we enact every day, until our days eventually constitute our entire life, through responding to questions like, “How far are we willing to push our moral boundaries in order achieve our goals? What kind of persons are we becoming by our actions, big and small, from reliance on the latest technological achievement, to how we relate to others, to our career choice from a vast array of options given to us courtesy of our liberal democracy?”

Before our world got super complex and wired, St. Augustine, the great 5th century Church Father, was already talking about the unbridgeable gap between the two cities: the city of God and the city of man.  The city of God stands for eternal and permanent truth that, when fully comprehended and embraced, results in “righteousness and peace and joy” (Rom. 14:17).

However, the city of man gives us different ideas, theories, and tools to respond to such questions. As Christians in the world, we listen to the answers given, sometimes unaware of their good/bad/neutral potential—power to corrupt our minds, strengthen our hearts for ethical action, or choke the life out of our loyalty to Christ through subtle, but deadly influences to commit to vice and viciousness. 

As we are at the cusp of finishing out the year 2022, my one advice to you as you encounter all the things the world has to offer you is this: do not forget your allegiance to the risen Lord, Jesus Christ. His story, His life, His teaching, His word, His person—here lays our foundation and encompassing narrative through which to understand and evaluate what the world has to offer us. We may be citizens of the city of man, but our ultimate and highest commitment is to Christ—the Ruler of the city of God. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, in the new year, continue to remind me and encourage me and strengthen me to make Jesus Christ as my one and true Lord in my life, overcoming the fear of man. Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: Titus 2-3

December 30, Friday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on December 9, 2015, 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.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Difficulty of Serving Others”

Philippians 2:3-8

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

Whenever two people live together, they unknowingly split into two roles:  the one who doesn’t do the dishes and the one who does them but resents his/her roommate for not doing the dishes.  In my very unscientific research, whenever two or more people live together, there is an 85% chance that there will be an argument or passive-aggressive bitterness with regards to the washing of dishes.  In my life, I’ve taken on both roles:  When I’m the one who doesn’t do the dishes, I am thinking, Of course, I’ll do the dishes… eventually, but then, my roommate would end up doing them; and I would be happy as a clam since I didn’t have to do them.  When I’ve played the other role, though, every time I did the dishes—with righteous anger in my heart—I  thought about ways that my roommate could pay for his “transgressions.”  

It’s hard to serve others.  When Paul tells us to “count others more significant” and to look out “to the interests of others,” we might delude ourselves into thinking that it’s easy.   Yes, it’s easy to take on a title of being a servant, and any of us can join and serve on a ministry team.  And it’s easy to serve your roommate once or twice, here and there.  But to really count others more significant than us means doing the dishes for the thousandth time instead of your roommate, and doing it with a heart of love and joy—that’s not easy at all.  Doing the dishes might seem like a small example of servanthood but just think about all of the reasons to not do them:  you’ve had a long day; you did them the last 50 times; it’s not fair to you; or you deserve a break, etc.  We can come up with so many reasons why we shouldn’t have to serve others—and they all revolve around ourselves.  

And yet, Paul gives us the greatest example of servanthood.  Jesus, though He was God Himself, being a true servant to us all, humbled Himself to serve us, even to the point of dying on a cross. Though Jesus had an infinitely longer list of reasons why He shouldn’t have to serve us, but because of His love for us, He looked not just to His own interests but to our interests.  It may be a struggle to serve others and an even greater struggle to keep on serving others, but let us remember Jesus, who served us and let us die to ourselves that we might do the dishes for others.

Prayer: Jesus, forgive me for only looking out for my own interests.  I pray that as I remember your service to me, that I can in turn consider others more significant than myself.  Jesus, help me to be a servant.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Titus 1

Lunch Bible Study

Read John 3:25-30: Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Questions to Consider

  1. If John the Baptist had the wrong heart, what would his response have been to what Jesus was doing?  How do you think you would’ve responded?
  2. How was John able to respond with humility?
  3. When we get involved in ministry, we can easily fall prey to pride and envy.  How can we have a heart of humility like John as we serve?

Notes

  1. The crowds had been with John before, as he preached about the kingdom and baptized people in the Jordan— but now they were all going to Jesus.  If John’s heart was in the wrong place, he easily could have seen Jesus as his competition.  If we were John the Baptist, many of us in ministry would have felt inferior or envious.  The crowds leaving us could have easily made us feel as if we were failing in ministry.
  2. Verse 30 sums up John’s heart really well:  “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  John was able to respond with humility because he understood that Jesus was the Christ.  He didn’t respond with envy or out of inferiority because he understood that he was the “friend of the bridegroom,” and he could rejoice greatly because what was most important was that people hear the voice of the Bridegroom, who is Jesus.  The purpose of John’s ministry was for people to hear about the Christ, and so when the Christ came, he rejoiced. 
  3. We can be humble when we rightly understand who Jesus is and the importance of pointing people to Him.  We can celebrate whenever we see anyone striving to live for Jesus, when our desire is to see Jesus increase.

Evening Reflection

Philippians 2: 3 says, “…in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” How were you able to live this out today?  We all most likely have failed in this, in small or big ways.  Our failures in humility and servanthood all the more highlight what an amazing Savior and Servant we have in Jesus.  Take some time to reflect on how Jesus has served you, and thank Him for His love and grace towards you. 

December 29, Thursday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on May 7, 2015.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“How the Heart Gets Hardened”

2 Sam. 12:1-6 (ESV) 

And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6 and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” 

What was once unthinkable has become a norm and we think everything is okay.  No, I’m not talking about same-sex marriage or transgenderism, but our hearts in general and David’s heart in particular. 

The prophet Nathan, having been told by God to confront David, knew better than to openly rebuke the king lest he might lose his head.  Even the valiant prophet Samuel was concerned that King Saul might kill him (1 Sam. 16:2) if the latter found out that he was searching for the next king.  So Nathan came up with a clever story of a rich man forcibly taking the only lamb belonging to a poor man, and then feeding that to his guest. Burning with anger, David’s reaction—“The man who did this deserves to die”—was worthy of an Emmy, except this time he wasn’t acting. He was being genuine only because nine months of seeming tranquility had numbed his guilt and made him feel as though he really was the caring king who looked after a poor widow (i.e., Bathsheba). Perhaps David was patting himself on the back for being such a swell guy. How David’s heart had hardened! 

But the holy God is neither blind nor stupid. Nathan’s tactful approach, no doubt prompted by the Spirit, made David his own accuser: “You are the man!” said the prophet, adding, “Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes?” (v. 7). This turn of event suggests that hidden and unrepented sin desensitizes the guilt, and soon we feel well enough to judge others for the same sin we have committed.  Enjoy that while it lasts because that song and dance will soon end because, in time, “your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23); after that, there is only shame and misery.  But here is the good news: Any time is always a good time to repent of our sins through Christ and get right with God, for He immediately grants forgiveness and new strength to make things right.  

Hopefully, you aren’t anywhere near where David ended up descending; regardless, always confess your sins to God and ask Him to give you the strength to avoid the path toward where what was once unthinkable may become a norm to our own demise.

Prayer: Father in heaven, if truth be told, it is increasingly difficult to remain holy in this world.  It seems like the guys who cut corners and are mean to people are the ones getting better grades or jobs—and have more clout and money!  Remind me daily, O Lord, that my home is not this world, but that I am here to serve You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 21

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Jn. 1:9-10 (ESV): If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  10If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

1 Jn. 2:1: My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin.  But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1 Jn. 3:6: No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

Phil. 2:13: …for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Question to Consider

1. What does the apostle John assume about our penchant for sinning as believers?  

2. We are told to confess when we sin, what should be involved in our confession?  What is repentance?

3. We have the Lord’s promise to help us, but what does that help really look like?  How are we being helped to avoid falling into a sin trap that WILL cost all that is important to us?

Notes

1. The apostle John was neither an idealist nor a romanticist; rather, he was a realist. This man who, in his younger days, was called “A son of thunder” for his hot temper, understood sin.  He knew we weren’t going to bat 1.000, but he also expected the believers to avoid habitual and intentional sins.

2. Confession involves the following: “I am sorry for what I did” (penitence); then to “I regret what I did” (remorse); and finally, “I’ll turn back from what I did” (repentance).  Anything less than this is not genuine; it’s a foolish game we play with God.

3. The first line of God’s help is his church—not just showing up on Sunday morning for an hour of service but getting help from decent, compassionate, and gifted people who are there to encourage, teach, and even rebuke you so that you will live for God’s pleasure. Don’t battle sin alone!  It’s a lot more powerful than we may think. 

Evening Reflection

As you look back to this day in all seriousness, did you tell any fibs?  Did you make up stuff to avoid a moment of embarrassment?  I join you in confessing that these things come to too easy and far too frequently.  Before we make another vow to God, why don’t we just go to Him and ask for His mercy?

December 28, Wednesday

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on December 28, 2016, is provided by Pastor Joshua Kim, formerly of the Church of Southland. Joshua, a graduate of Emory University, Columbia Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Talbot Theological Seminary (Th.M.), has recently moved to Seattle, along with his wife Christina and two daughters Amelia and Hazel, to plant a new AMI church.  

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Devotional Thought for This Morning

“God’s Perfect Timing”

2 Peter 3:14-18

Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

 Having been involved with college ministry for close to 12 years, I have since transitioned and have seen many peers and students switch into working life. I’ve witnessed many people find jobs right out of college while other struggle for months, if not years, to find a vocation. Many know right off the bat what they want to do with their lives, while others are in a season of waiting and discovery of what career path God is calling them to pursue. 

Yesterday we spent time reflecting on God’s perfect timing. And in some sense, what kind of job to seek seems so minor when compared to things like the second coming of Christ and the fulfillment of God’s promised new heavens and new earth. But what is common to both of these sorts of things is the kind of posture we are to have during seasons of waiting. 

I’ve known many people who spend their days waiting for that “perfect job.” They often turn down or don’t pursue other opportunities because it isn’t that “perfect job.” For whatever reason, I have seen people who are unemployed for several years just waiting for it, while in the meantime they are racking up debt and burdening relationships.

What we read in today’s passage speaks of the kind of posture believers are to have during seasons of waiting. Peter writes, “Be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” We often tie diligence with a certain goal in mind, and so if we are in a season of waiting for directions, how are we to be diligent? How can we be diligent if we don’t know what we are to be diligent concerning? Peter redirects our attention here. He uses the words “without spot or blemish,” words often associated with holiness and sin. And if we understand sin not just as violating an impersonal set of rules but as a relational offense, we come to understand this passage as a call to “diligently” work on our relationship with God. 

Even in seasons of uncertainty or waiting, the passage today calls us to be diligent toward a right relationship with God. He calls us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” And when we focus our lives on this, the promise found in Scripture is that “all these things will be added onto us.”

Prayer: Lord, thank You that despite whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, You are always in control. You do not call us to try and fix the problems ourselves; rather, You call us into a deeper, love relationship with You. Help me to focus on what is most important, especially in times of waiting. In Jesus’ Name, amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: John 20

Lunch Break Study  

Read Matthew 11.25-30: At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. 27 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Questions to Consider

  1. What does Jesus establish prior to His invitation?
  2. Oftentimes we think of “rest” as not doing anything. What does this passage teach us about true rest?
  3. What causes your life to be “heavy laden?” In light of this passage, what causes us to become tired and weary? What is Jesus calling you to do?

Notes

  1. Before Jesus’ invitation, He establishes that all things have been “handed over to Him by the Father.”  He establishes that He has the authority to secure our rest. These things are for those who have childlike faith and not the wise.
  2. True rest is found in relationship with the right Master. Jesus invites us to the kind of rest that is being yoked with Him, a Master who is “gentle and lowly in heart.”  There is still work to be done, but how we go about that work, how we learn to do that work is what makes all the difference.
  3. Personal response.

Evening Reflection

As ones awaiting the true rest that will come when Jesus returns, how has the Holy Spirit challenged you of the manner in which you are awaiting His return? Take a moment to journal your thoughts. How might you live differently starting tomorrow? How might your perspective of life change? 

December 27, Tuesday

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on July 22, 2015.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“What We Can Learn from Jimmy Johnson about Family . . . and God”

1 King 19:19-21

So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him. 20 And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” And he said to him, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” 21 And he returned from following him and took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.

Jimmy Johnson is the first coach to win both the Super Bowl and a college football championship. On the surface, he and the prophet Elisha share much in common: both severed ties to their former life in pursuit of a newer challenge in life. Johnson, before joining the Dallas Cowboys, divorced his wife (his word) in order to totally dedicate himself to build a winner.  As for Elisha, he got rid of everything that once meant something to him in order to follow and be mentored by the prophet Elijah.

And it wouldn’t be too farfetched to imagine Jesus, who once commanded a dishonest manager for his shrewdness in preparing for his jobless future (Lk. 16:1-13), lauding Johnson for his “reckless abandonment” to pursue a goal. Christ certainly would have backed Elisha’s decision since he said that “everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold . . .” (Matt. 19:29).

Ultimately, however, Jesus wouldn’t use Johnson as a poster child to show “what commitment to God” looks like since breaking one commandment (“I hate divorce” [Mal. 2:16]) to keep another is never acceptable to Him (Mk. 7:9-13). And to Elisha, Jesus would say what He told the apostle John while he hung on the cross: “‘Here is your mother.’  From that time on, this disciple took her into his home” (Jn. 19:27). Huh? Certainly, we must always follow God’s call in our lives even if it conflicts with our family obligations; that, however, does not release us from fulfilling them.  The apostle Paul writes, “Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Tim. 5:8). We “should . . . “practice[] the latter, without neglecting the former” (Matt. 23:23).  

Johnson came to see the importance of family later on while coaching another NFL team when he couldn’t attend the wake of his mother in order to prepare for a playoff game, this, after his father had been diagnosed with cancer as well. Johnson said, “It opened up my eyes. . . . There are times when you pull back and say, ‘Be with the people that you care about.  Don’t shortchange them.'”  Well, don’t shortchange God either.

Prayer: God, I marvel at Your goodness, especially in light of my heart’s inclination toward always doing what pleases and satisfies me.  For my precious Lord of grace and mercy, I ought to follow You with “reckless abandonment.”  But why am I so hesitant to follow You?  Please allow events to occur in my life so that I will always keep You as my top priority in all things.  Amen.    

Bible Reading for Today: John 19

Lunch Break Study 

Read Mark 1:30-1: Now Simon’s mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. 31 And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

John 2:4-5: When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Rom. 2:24: For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

Mark 3:31-5: And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

Question to Consider

1. What is clearly addressed in 1 Tim. 5:8 (cited in the morning devotion), Mk. 1:30-1 and Jn. 2:4-5?

2. What is Paul’s ultimate concern expressed in 1 Tim. 5:8?

3. What is the point Jesus is making in Mk. 3:31-5?  What is one danger of misunderstanding that?

Notes

1. Even as you seek to do God’s will (which may require being away from your family), you need to be careful not to become negligent in providing for their economic needs, being there when they need you, and meeting the needs of your parents.

2. The world will put Christians down for being irresponsible and ungrateful people, as well as neglecting their family obligations.   Ultimately, that would bring dishonor to the Lord.

3. We also have an obligation to God which is greater than our family obligation.  When this is read in view of other related passages, we must practice one without neglecting the other. This is much harder to do than choosing one side while ignoring the other. 

Evening Reflection

Reflecting back to today, what tough choices did you face that pitted your family obligations “against” your obligations to God and His cause?  How did you handle it?  This isn’t an easy issue for all of us.  Unless we cultivate an intimate relationship with God, we will continue to prioritize our earthly interests, however legitimate, over God’s.  Pray.  Ask God for discernment, encouragement and even creativity to fulfill both obligations.