July 6, Wednesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor David Kwon of Journey Community Church in Raleigh, was originally posted on May 11, 2016. He is a graduate of Drexel University (B.S.) and Columbia International University (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“A Sense of Urgency”

Acts 24:22-24

But Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the tribune comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 Then he gave orders to the centurion that he should be kept in custody but have some liberty, and that none of his friends should be prevented from attending to his needs. 24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, and he sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.

One of the most popular team-building group games today is called “escape room.” An escape room is an adventure game in which players are locked in a room and have to use elements of the room to solve a series of puzzles and escape within a set time limit. What makes this experience exhilarating and stressful is that there is a sense of urgency to finish before time runs out. As the players are frantically trying to find a way of out the room, the participants are scrambling, yelling, and in a hurry before it becomes too late.

The apostle Paul always had a sense of urgency when it came to sharing Christ. He never wasted an opportunity to share about his Savior’s great love and wonderful salvation. Even as he was under trial and in prison, he took the opportunity to be a witness to Governor Felix by sharing his faith (v. 24). He did not know whether he would be let go or killed, but regardless of his circumstances, Paul always lived life with sense of urgency to preach the gospel. It is evident as we read today’s text.

Do you live with a sense of urgency for Jesus? Do you see a world that desperately needs to know the love of Christ because of the reality of eternal judgment? Paul did, and as believers we should also be challenged to live with that kind of mindset as well.

As we examine our lives, maybe we have been too consumed with our own lives and agendas that it has dulled our sense of urgency for the gospel. Take some time to pray this morning, and ask the Lord to bring conviction and change.

Bible Reading for Today: Romans 3

Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Peter 3:8-10: But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, anda thousand years as one day.9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promiseas some count slowness, butis patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, butthat all should reach repentance.10 Butthe day of the Lord will come like a thief, and thenthe heavens will pass away with a roar, andthe heavenly bodieswill be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Questions to Consider

What does Peter teach us about the Lord’s timing?
How should the reality of the “Day of the Lord” give us a sense of urgency in our lives?
How does this passage show us how we should live?

Notes

Peter is reminding us that the Lord’s timing is not like ours. He is in control of all time and space, and when it comes to the “Day of the Lord” (translated “Day of Judgment”), He is patient because He desires all to come to repentance and salvation
We simply do not know when Jesus will return or when our lives will end. It should give us an eternal perspective when it comes to viewing our own lives, and also give us urgency for others to know Him.
We should not only just be concerned with temporary, earthly concerns, but rather seek His kingdom first. We also are called to live with urgency and boldness.

Evening Reflection

What has the Lord reminded you of today? In prayer, ask for greater surrender and joy as we continue to live for Him.

July 5, Tuesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Cami King, now a friend of AMI, was first posted on October 15, 2015. Cami served faithfully as a staff at several AMI churches in the past.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“A Tapestry of Circumstances”

Ezra 5:6-12

This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai governor of Trans-Euphrates, Shethar-Bozenai, and his colleagues who were the officials of Trans-Euphrates sent to King Darius. 7 The report they sent to him was written as follows: “To King Darius: All greetings! 8 Let it be known to the king that we have gone to the province of Judah, to the temple of the great God. It is being built with large stones, and timbers are being placed in the walls. This work is being done with all diligence and is prospering in their hands. 9 We inquired of those elders, asking them, ‘Who gave you the authority to rebuild this temple and to complete this structure?’ 10 We also inquired of their names in order to inform you, so that we might write the names of the men who were their leaders.11 They responded to us in the following way: ‘We are servants of the God of heaven and earth. We are rebuilding the temple which was previously built many years ago. A great king of Israel built it and completed it. 12 But after our ancestors angered the God of heaven, he delivered them into the hands of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and exiled the people to Babylon.

Maria Augusta von Trapp, the woman whose story inspired The Sound of Music, once said, “It will be very interesting one day to follow the pattern of our life as it is spread out like a beautiful tapestry. As long as we live here we see only the reverse side of the weaving, and very often the pattern, with its threads running wildly, doesn’t seem to make sense. Some day, however, we shall understand. In looking back over the years we can discover how a red thread goes through the pattern of our life: the Will of God.”

One thing that is always easy to see in the stories of the Old Testament is God’s hand in the circumstances of His people. They don’t attribute their rise and fall, successes and failures, plenty and want, merely to their own efforts or to chance. They are able to see God’s hand at work through it all (or at least the writers of the narratives are able to point it out retrospectively). When the Israelite rulers recounted their story to those inquiring of them in the passage above, it’s interesting that they mention God’s work in it all. Their being conquered by the Babylonian empire wasn’t mere coincidence or misfortune or even their lack of military prowess, but it was God at work to punish them for their rebellion (in His infinite love He was disciplining them).

So often we attribute our circumstances merely to things that can be seen or causes and effects that we can calculate and measure in human terms. But as we learned yesterday regarding spiritual battle, there is a spiritual realm where God is at work in and through our lives. And as His people, we are part of a greater story He is writing – the redemption of the world. May this give us great encouragement today as we live our lives, remembering God is at work in every moment and writing an amazing story not only for us, but for the world.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I acknowledge You as the sovereign Lord who, in ways I cannot always see or understand, is at work in my life and in the world. Thank You for Your will, which is good and perfect. Thank You for Your work in my life and Your plan of redemption for the world. May I have eyes to see Your movements today and everyday. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Romans 2

Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 121:1-8: This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Questions to Consider:

Jeremiah 29:11 is a well known verse, but what does today’s passage teach us about the context surrounding God’s word in verse 11? What might this teach us about God’s activity in our lives?
What are God’s promises to His people in these verses? How might they encourage us today as we think about His will and plans for our lives?

Notes:

This famous promise of God is given in the context of punishment. He has allowed His people to be taken captive by Babylon to discipline them in response to their sin and rebellion. This teaches us that sometimes God uses difficult things to chasten us. Not to suggest that every bad situation is God punishing us for wrong. Absolutely not. But in every season, good and bad, God is certainly at work, and sometimes it’s to discipline us as a loving Father.
First, God has a plan. That in itself should be a great encouragement. Our lives are not random or haphazard – God has thought about us and planned for us. Second, His plans are good. We don’t have to worry whether God will give us the best – He wills good for us and will give us nothing less. He longs to prosper us, give us hope, and give us a glorious future. Finally, God promises to listen to us when we call Him and to be found by us when we seek Him. With all of this in mind we should be encouraged to persist in the things of God knowing that He is bringing forth His good plan for us through every circumstance in our lives.

Evening Reflection

Henry Blackaby, in his famous workbook Experiencing God, says that God is always at work around us. By this he means that God is always up to something in the world, and as believers, we are called to get involved in what He’s doing. In a similar way, God is always at work in our lives – in each circumstance we face, God’s will is laced through our lives like a thread, weaving together a beautiful story and abundant life for each of us. What are some ways you can connect the dots of God’s movements in your life in the past. What are some ways He is at work right now? Spend some time looking at the story God is writing in and through your life. Thank Him for the good plans He has for you and the hope and future He is preparing for you.

July 4, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on July 4, 2016, is provided by Pastor Barry Kang, who heads Symphony Church in Boston. Barry is a graduate of Stanford University (B.S.), Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Gordon Conwell Seminary (D.Min.).

Devotional Thought for Today

“If Then We Have Been Raised With Christ, Seek the Things that Are Above”

Colossians 3:1-4

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Some people (beginning with the Monastics in the early church) see ascetism as a response to the challenge of our flesh, but Paul writes in Colossians 2 that denying the flesh has “no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.” So how then can we find freedom from fleshly, earthly things?

Let me ask a different question: Where do you live? Pause for a moment and take time to answer. No, not your address. Where do you live? What is your reality?

How you answer this question will determine how you live your life. If we view our reality primarily in terms of what we see around us, then we will live according to the values of that reality. Afterall, our life is conditioned by the reality we perceive: relationships, work, meals, money, etc.

Paul tells us that when we live for those things, we are living in an earthly way. But when we live as though those things are evil and to be avoided, ironically, we are still being conditioned by that earthly reality. We are just rebelling against it. Neither is the way to go. Freedom doesn’t come as we seek to avoid the earthly reality; rather, we need to live in a new reality.

When Paul tells us to seek the “things that are above,” he is asking that we intentionally commit to living the values of heaven. Heaven is where everything is happening just as God wills. You see that is where we live now. If you have received Christ’s work on the cross, you have died to your old reality, and you have been raised with Christ into His heavenly reality. Yes, we are still living on earth, but we also live in the reality that God is real, loving, and with us. That’s why Jesus’s death and resurrection is Good News. It’s also our only hope for freedom.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an amazing truth this is! Thank You that my reality is not defined by what I see around me but by Your presence, goodness, love and grace. Help me to become more aware of this new reality. I ask that Your nearness would be tangible to us. As this happens, help me to let go of earthly desires and be captivated by the desires of Your heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Romans 1

Lunch Break Study

Read the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 6:9-13: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Questions to Consider

What do we learn about God the Father from this prayer?
This prayer begins with a concern for God’s reputation and His kingdom rather than our own desires. How is this reflected in your prayers?
In what ways has the Holy Spirit been revealing God’s will to you?

Notes

1. We learn from this prayer that God is hallowed (aka, holy), that He is a King whose Kingdom is coming, that he gives us daily bread, forgives and delivers.

2. Personal response.

Evening Reflection

Are you growing in the knowledge of Jesus – His death and resurrection? Many times we begin our relationship with Christ in grace but then turn to the flesh. Our hope for growth lies in continuing to fix our eyes on Christ and His reality. Journal today about some ways you desire to grow in your awareness of the heavenly reality.

July 3, Sunday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog originally posted on October 24, 2015. Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Cost of Sin”

Ezra 10:2-3

Then Shekaniah son of Jehiel, one of the descendants of Elam, said to Ezra, ‘We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the peoples around us. But in spite of this, there is still hope for Israel. 3 Now let us make a covenant before our God to send away all these women and their children, in accordance with the counsel of my lord and of those who fear the commands of our God. Let it be done according to the Law.’”

Broken families are never a good thing. Though the main point of this passage is that the people are turning back to God and wanting to align their lives according to His will, which is laudable, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that it came at such a cost. We should also understand that God’s law was not to blame for these families having to be torn apart but it was the people’s sin that led them into unsustainable relationships, ones that they couldn’t take full responsibility for to the end.

When reading this passage, we could praise the people for turning back to God, but what about all these women and children? Women rejected by husbands and children rejected by fathers. We could look at the principle of how God should be our first choice, even above family ties, or how when we discover a situation that is unpleasing to God, we should make things right at whatever cost, but today, can we spend some time thinking about the cost of sin?

We should break off unhealthy relationships when they are drawing us away from the Lord and causing us to be unfaithful to Him. When it comes to the context of marriage, I don’t think we are meant to make a direct application of the Old Testament text as the New Testament tells us that if a believer is already married to one who doesn’t believe, they shouldn’t divorce. But I think we could apply this to a dating or any other kind of close relationship where if it’s not right in the Lord’s eyes, we need to cut it off.

But oh, the wreckage that is caused because of our sin. Because we got involved in someone’s life that we never should have in the first place, now they will be incredibly hurt. Both parties will be incredibly hurt. As human beings, why do we do these things to each other? Oh Lord, have mercy on us.

Prayer: Lord, for all those who have gone through the pain of family breaking apart, won’t you heal their wounds? For all those in unhealthy relationships, even as you help them turn back to you, would you also have mercy on those who end up rejected and hurt? In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Haggai 2

July 2, Saturday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Jabez Yeo, now a friend of AMI, was first posted on September 27, 2015.

Spiritual Food for Thought for This Morning

“Always Being Prepared for Moments of Pressure”

Daniel 3:14-8

Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Miami Heats, down 3-2 to San Antonio Spurs in the 2013 NBA Finals, were trailing by 3 points with seconds left in the sixth game. Then Miami’s Ray Allen, after grabbing the rebound, frantically backpedaled to the corner to launch a 3-pointer without checking to see if his feet were on the 3-point line. The ball went in and the Heat eventually became champions. Later, it was revealed that Allen had invented a drill in which he backpedaled to the corner, received a pass, and shot without looking at the 3-point line. After 17 years of doing the same drill, Allen delivered.

Each of us will experience moments of pressure, where we are expected to conform to the world’s standards. In Daniel 3, Shadrach, Meschach and Abednego faced tremendous pressure to follow all of King Nebuchadnezzar’s servants in bowing down to his giant statue. With their lives dependent on their decision, they chose to honor God instead of following their peers. How were they able to do so?

Some Bible passages give us a clue. Psalm 1 describes the man who is blessed because “his delight in the law of the Lord and on His law He meditates day and night”. Similarly, in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul implores us to “pray continually…for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus”. Thus, it is clear that spiritual disciplines are tremendously important in our daily faith walk. This statement is not meant to be legalistic but rational. Just as it is absurd to believe that we could have done what Ray Allen did without practice, it is equally absurd to believe that we could respond faithfully during temptation without engaging in the spiritual disciplines.

Ultimately, God is the author and perfector of our faith (Heb. 12:2); yet we are also implored to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12). No matter what happened in the past, let’s start today.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I often find it hard to pray or to read Your Word. Sometimes I am too tired while other times I just don’t have the desire to do so. In those times, help me Lord to seek You through those disciplines. Help me to work out the faith that You have placed in me, so that I will be able to respond faithfully during the trials and temptations of this life. In Your Name I pray, Amen

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 13; Haggai 1

July 1, Friday

REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional Thought, first posted on November 6, 2015, 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 University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Cairn University (MA).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Corruption at Work”

Nehemiah 5:14-16

Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. 15 But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that. 16 Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.

When I worked as an engineer, the company that employed me had a multi-service contract with the county. This basically meant that for smaller jobs, the county would simply hire us to do the work, without putting the job out to be bid on by other firms—this contract was like a license to print money! As the lead engineer for this one particular project, I put the proposal together and submitted it to the VP for approval, only to have it come back for almost double the amount of what I had calculated it would take to get done. I remember feeling that had if we had to compete for this project, this proposal would have been more reasonable, but my boss was using the multi-service contract to milk the county. What made it worse for me was that we were essentially stealing public money; I felt like such a dirty politician. Now to be clear, I was too wimpy to flat out call out the higher-ups about the situation; however, I did subtly express my concerns. I could tell that my boss didn’t believe his numbers to be true either, but because he’d been inflating numbers on these contracts for so long, it really didn’t bother him. Plus, these types of benefits are why you want to win multi-service contracts in the first place.

What this encounter illustrated to me was that when it comes to money, benefits, and “skimming off the top,” there is often a deeply ingrained culture of wrong practice that is not easy to break. People almost see it as a birthright—you pay your dues, you win the contract, you get to the kickbacks. If I were Nehemiah, and the practice of gouging the people had for a long time been widely accepted (v. 15), I wonder how I would have responded? I would like to believe that I would have had the integrity to not even eat the governor’s allotment (v. 14), but knowing me, I think I would have rationalized the whole ordeal, saying, “The previous establishment taxed 40 shekels. I will slash taxes in half, and only take 20.”

In the end, you see why Nehemiah was able to act without any corruption: “But out of reverence for God I did not act like that” (v.15). This morning, ask yourself: Do you act in complete integrity out of reverence for God, or are you stuck in the hamster wheel of a culture of wrong practice? Understand this: getting off is going to be difficult, and it is probably going to cost you some money (as it did Nehemiah). But in the end, I hope that you will choose the difficult path that honors our Lord.

Prayer: Lord, help me to revere and love You more than worldly gain. Also give me eyes to see blind spots or areas where I have allowed time and culture to adversely impact me. Give me courage and boldness to act with complete integrity. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 12

Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 1: Blessed is the onewho does not walk in step with the wickedor stand in the way that sinners takeor sit in the company of mockers,2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,and who meditates on his law day and night.3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,which yields its fruit in seasonand whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.4 Not so the wicked!They are like chaffthat the wind blows away.5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

Questions to Consider

1. Follow the progression of a soul in trouble in verse 1. Do you feel like you’ve subtly gotten in a bad spot?

2. Compare and contrast the righteous and the wicked.

3. Where are you in life?

Notes

1. The subtle nature of sin is, metaphorically speaking, that at first you are walking along with it, then you stop your motion and are standing in it; finally, you are sitting in it. All this can happen very gradually or subtly, if you are not aware.

2. The righteous delight in and meditate on God’s Word; they are steady and fruitful. The wicked, in contrast, waver and are on shaky footing.

3. This is a self-reflective question, but if it is the latter, remember the righteous person is rooted in God’s Word.

Evening Reflection

Are you stuck in a culture or in a pattern of behavior that does not honor God? Is God calling you to make a change? Do you feel like a tree planted by streams of water that yields fruit (Ps. 1:3). On the flip side, are there good habits you feel God calling you toward?

June 30, Thursday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor David Kwon of Journey Community Church in Raleigh, was originally posted on May 12, 2016. He is a graduate of Drexel University (B.S.) and Columbia International University (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Trials and Tribulations in Our Lives”

Acts 24:26-27

At the same time he hoped that money would be given him by Paul. So he sent for him often and conversed with him. 27 When two years had elapsed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And desiring to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.

Hardships and trials are all part of life no matter what you believe. We will all face difficulties because we live in a broken and sinful world. Yet as believers, we should view our hardships differently than how the world views them. We can go through trials with hope, and even joy, because we know that each trial we experience has purpose in God’s divine plan. The great Christian writer Philip Yancey puts it like this: “For the Christian pain represents, at various times and from various angles, a design feature worthy of praise and gratitude, an affliction to be overcome, a potential value of soul-making, and a spur to hope in a painless future.”

At the end of chapter 24, we read that Paul has been in prison; and when it looked like there might be hope to be released, it turns out that Felix the governor of Rome been succeeded by Porcius Festus. Felix wanted a bribe from Paul to be released from prison, and yet we read that no such thing happened, resulting in Paul’s delayed imprisonment (v.26). As an outsider looking into the story, it seems unfair that God would put Paul through such trials and hardship despite his faithfulness to the gospel ministry.

Are you facing trials and hardships today? Remember that in the midst of your suffering, God has a purpose for you and wants to speak to you. Ask Him for an open heart as you strive to trust Him in difficulty.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, give me the necessary strength to overcome the trials in my lives and also give me the necessary wisdom to learn more about You and Your ways from these trials and tribulations, amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 11

Lunch Break Study

Read James 1:2-4: Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Questions to Consider

Why does James say we can experience joy in the midst of trials?
In his words, what do trials produce?
Do you see evidence of growth in your life as you face trials?

Notes

We are to consider what we are going through as a matter of joy, not because the thing itself is something that is pleasurable, but because tribulation works patience within us. Our suffering is not an exercise in futility. God has a purpose, and that purpose is always good. We can count all things joy because God is working in all situations, even the most painful, for our sanctification and ultimate glorification.
The word translated as “testing” occurs rarely in the Bible, appearing only three other times. In this case, “testing” deals with purification through trial. God wants our faith to grow, and often, he will use trials to do that.
Personal application of the passage.

Evening Reflection

As we close out the day – I encourage you to spend some time in worship. Take time to stand in awe of God and be in His presence. My hope is that as we do that, it will gives us right perspective of our lives in light of the greatness of our God. Amen.

June 29, Wednesday

Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor Andrew Kim, was originally posted on June 22, 2016. Andrew is presently pastoring Alive Church in Montreal. He and his wife Jessie are the proud parents of two young boys.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“God’s Sovereign Hand in Difficult Situations”

Habakkuk 1:6-11

“For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, who march through the breadth of the earth, to seize dwellings not their own. They are dreaded and fearsome; their justice and dignity go forth from themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Their horsemen come from afar; they fly like an eagle swift to devour. They all come for violence, all their faces forward. They gather captives like sand. At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might is their god!”

Through the years I’ve heard countless testimonies about God’s redemptive work in a person’s life. And here’s something I’ve noticed: a common thread that runs through each story is the subtle and surprising nature of God’s hand. For many, circumstances and events that seemed destructive in nature proved to be the very instrument of transformation. A career setback teaches us how to lean on God, or news of cancer in a family member cultivates within us a faith we never had. Numerous stories attest to the fact that God oftentimes does not use conventional and obvious means to bring about goodness in our lives.

Habakkuk understood this truth well. In response to the prophet’s plea, God answers and informs him of His divine plan: He is raising up the Chaldeans to be His instrument of judgment upon the people of Israel. For Habakkuk, this must have been a shocking turn of events. For one, the Chaldeans, also known as the Babylonians, were more sinful, unjust, and evil than the Israelites. They were known for their propensity for violence and imperialistic greed. In other words, God was going to use a nation more unrighteous than Israel to deliver justice. To the human mind, this made no sense. However, as we will see, this was all part of God’s plan to bring about His goodness into the world.

At times, it is hard to comprehend difficult seasons of our lives. Questions and doubts often occupy our minds when life seems to make no sense. Why do certain things happen? How could anything good come out of this? However, in Habakkuk we learn that God’s help and favor doesn’t always come in the form of promotions or a clean bill of health. At times, His good and sovereign hand comes cloaked in difficult situations and circumstances that defy our logic. If life has been difficult and confusing, consider for a moment this amazing truth and find comfort in that no matter what life brings, God is always working for our good!

Prayer: God, I ask that You help me to have eyes of faith that see beyond my life’s circumstances. Help me to trust in Your goodness no matter how hard life gets, knowing that You are for me and not against me! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 10

Lunch Break Study

Read Romans 8:28-30: And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Questions to consider

What is the promise of God here in this text?
Who is this promise given to?
How does this passage help you to trust God in difficult and confusing seasons of your life?

Notes

Everything that happens in our lives work together for our good. The good that is promised in this text is not that life will be easy, but rather that all things will contribute to the process of conforming into the image of the Son. In other words, no matter what happens, nothing can deter us from becoming more like Jesus.
This promise is given to those who love God; it is given to believers.
Personal

Evening Reflection

“Suffering is unbearable if you aren’t certain that God is for you and with you.” –Tim Keller

June 28, Tuesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on October 2, 2015.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“There Is No Such a Thing as Insurmountable Lead”

2 King 25:8-12, 21b

In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And he burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile. 12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen. . . . 21 So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

No one really criticized the San Antonio Spurs— leading by 5 points with 28 seconds left in the 6^th game of the 2013 NBA Finals against Miami—for overconfidence as they prepared to celebrate their win. Stunningly, what many saw as an insurmountable lead, quickly evaporated as the Spurs somehow lost that game and the next—they returned home as losers.

In much the same way, the Jews in Judah believed that they held an “insurmountable lead” that couldn’t be squandered. Although Jeremiah warned that “a besieging army is . . . raising a war cry against the cities of Judah” (Jer. 4:16) to inflict “terrible destruction” (v.6), they couldn’t believe God would permit it since His glorious temple stood tall in their midst. They felt that no matter what detestable things they did, as long as they “come and stand . . . in this house, which bears [God’s] name, and say, ‘We are safe’” (7:9-10), everything would be okay. But God disagreed, saying, “Do not trust in deceptive words and say ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!’” (v.4). What did He mean by that? Unless “you really change your ways and your actions” (v.5), no “lead”—including the presence of the temple—is ever safe with God when we deceive ourselves into believing that faith without deeds (James 2:26), that is, “merely listening to the word” without “do[ing] what it says” (1:22), is okay.

The Spurs, by squandering the lead, merely lost the championship; they would get another crack at it the next year. However, for Judah, the final curtain fell in 586 BC when the third Babylonian invasion ended the Davidic dynasty and annihilated the temple. Tens of thousands of Jews were deported to Babylon and would die there while yearning to return home. It would take 70 years before the Jews would be allowed to return home.

What makes us believe that we are okay with God? Impressive family pedigree (“My dad was a pastor”)? Faithfulness in the past (Ezk. 18:24)? Or passionate first love for God (Rev. 2:5)? None will do apart from loving and obeying God in the present. How is your love for and obedience to God?

Prayer: God, I don’t stand a chance if I’m trying to earn your approval by what I do. While I’ve tried to love and be faithful to You, my effort has been inconsistent and utterly inadequate. Lord, I’m banking on my trust in your Son to make me right before you. Thank You for your grace. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 9

Lunch Break Study

Read John 8:39-40: They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.”

Col. 1:22-23: 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, 23 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.

Rev. 2:4-5: But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Question to Consider

1. What made the Jews believe that they were right with God? Do you do the same?

2. We are saved by grace and our adoption into God’s family is secure in Christ. But, to the extent that we are talking about sanctification (becoming free from the power of sin in the present), how do verses like Col. 1:22-23 and Col. 18:24 help us in that process?

3. What is John warning against in Rev. 2:4-5? Does that apply to you? If so, what are you going to do about it?

Notes

1. They were banking on their ethnic and theological heritage: “We are categorically okay with God since Abraham, the one with whom the Lord established His covenant, is our forefather.” That’s like saying, “I am okay with God since I agree with the teachings of Calvin or Wesley.”

2. The key phrase is, “if indeed you continue in the faith”; that is, if you have stopped working out your salvation (Phil. 2:12) in the present, all the work done in the past toward sanctification may not matter since presently you are either spiritually lazy or living in sin.

3. He warns against those who used to love God but now have other lovers. In that case, we must identify these other lovers (e.g., career, family, romantic interest, hobby, etc.) and must reduce their role or significance in our lives so that God, once again, becomes the sole object of our love. For some, a momentary fasting (e.g., 1 Cor. 7:3-5) may be in order.

Evening Reflection

How was your day? In the midst of meeting deadlines, screaming children, and other urgent matters, we often fail to remember that there is a God who loves and cares for us. Think about a meaningful way to show your appreciation for the Lord tomorrow. Don’t be religious; be real!

June 27, Monday

Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on June 27, 2016, is provided by Pastor Ulysses Wang who pastors Renewal Church in Sunnyvale, California. Ulysses, a graduate of New York University and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Christine and they have two children.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“God’s Calling”

Colossians 1:1

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…

This opening statement in Paul’s letter to the Colossians is easily glossed over, but it’s loaded with significance. In the large majority of Paul’s letters, which span roughly a 15-year period, he begins them this same way. We are reminded again and again over the years that this man did not become an apostle by his own choosing, but rather, it was a mandate from heaven which he accepted and obeyed.

And this was something that no one needed to know more than him, as he would endure countless beatings, stonings, and even shipwreck (2 Cor. 11:23-28). Eventually, his commitment to his calling would lead him to lay down his very life. A person less sure of his calling surely would have abandoned such a difficult and lonely road.

As I consider Paul’s calling and concomitant resolve, I cannot help but reflect upon my own life and calling. How certain am I that I am doing what God made me to do? It is a worthwhile question, not just for myself, but for us all. We live in a generation of countless opportunities, yet those very same opportunities have left us dazed and confused, jumping from job to job, career to career, and country to country in the relentless pursuit of doing something “meaningful” with our lives.

Now, more than ever, we need to seek a true calling from God through prayer and fasting, in His word and in His community. While the desire to do good is indeed good, it would do us well to discover the good that God has already prepared in advance for us to do, for that is what is truly worth doing (Eph. 2:10).

Prayer: God, help me to discover and walk in the calling that You have for me. Help me to hear past the noise of this FOMO (fear of missing out) generation so that like King David, I can have fully served You in my generation.

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 8

Lunch Break Study

Read Ephesians 2:8-10: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Questions to Consider

1. Paul mentions three times in this passage words that share the root word “work.” What are the ways in which these words are related?

2. How might it be an encouragement that God has “prepared beforehand” such works for us?

3. Evaluating your own life, would you say that you’ve been walking in God’s pre-prepared works, or are you doing your own works?

Notes

1. Previously, we worked on our own, but only when we recognize that we are God’s workmanship can we begin to do the works we ought to be doing.

2. It is not up to us to accomplish anything, but rather it is the Spirit in us who accomplishes all things.

3. Personal

Evening Reflection

Reflect upon your day. Do you think that you might have participated in anything that God “prepared beforehand” for you to do? How can you better align yourself to participate in God’s work?