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?

June 26, Sunday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Cami King, now a friend of AMI, was first posted on October 18, 2015.  Cami served faithfully as a staff at several AMI churches in the past.  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Dedications”

Ezra 6:16-22

 The people of Israel–the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the exiles–observed the dedication of this temple of God with joy. 17 For the dedication of this temple of God they offered one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and twelve male goats for the sin of all Israel, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. 18 They appointed the priests by their divisions and the Levites by their divisions over the worship of God at Jerusalem, in accord with the book of Moses. 19 The exiles observed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. 20 The priests and the Levites had purified themselves, every last one, and they all were ceremonially pure. They sacrificed the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their colleagues the priests, and for themselves.  21The Israelites who were returning from the exile ate it, along with all those who had joined them in separating themselves from the uncleanness of the nations of the land to seek the LORD God of Israel.  22 They observed the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, for the LORD had given them joy and had changed the opinion of the king of Assyriatoward them, so that he assistedthem in the work on the temple of God, the God of Israel.

I love dedications. As a little girl in church, I’d see parents parade their small bundle of joy, covered in white lacey frills, to the front of the sanctuary for pastors and congregation to pray for their newborn baby. I remember buildings being completed and huge celebrations ensuing with church leaders showing off all the new amenities that the generous fundraising campaign made possible (as some of our AMI churches are experiencing right now!). We’d gather together and praise God for the life He created and the house of worship He established. 

As I get older, I see something similar in other spheres as well – when a friend purchases a new home or receives a promotion, there is an instinctive desire to celebrate. In moments of great accomplishment, it is natural to want to gather others around us to revel. The question then becomes, what exactly are we celebrating? Unlike building projects and newborns in church (with which it’s harder to fall into this temptation), success in our personal lives often brings with it a temptation to shout, Look at me! Look at me! Look what I’ve done, what I’ve purchased, what I’ve made! And we may slap God’s name on it somewhere in there, but our hearts desire is for a celebration of us. 

Life has many moments worthy of celebration. We will be promoted, collect a bonus, receive awards, complete projects, graduate, get jobs, buy homes, build churches, get married and bring life into the world. These are precious moments, and it is important for us to stop not merely to celebrate ourselves, but to acknowledge our Heavenly Father – not only in thanksgiving for our success, but also in commitment to Him in what we will do with it. Much like the dedication of the temple in our passage for today, there should be a dedication in the midst of all our accomplishments in joyous thanksgiving for what God has enabled us to do (we’ve seen all week that He is at work in providing for His people in various ways as we seek to do His will) and in steadfast commitment to use our newfound resources to His glory. Celebrating ourselves is great, but it pales in comparison to pointing our little glory to God’s great glory at work in us. 

Lets us take time today to admire the works of our hands and celebrate the successes in our lives by acknowledging the God who made them possible and dedicating them to Him for His good purposes. And let us seek the Lord for how He intends us to use our accomplishments for His kingdom and commit in joyful obedience. 

Prayer:  Lord, in recognition of all that You have done for me, I celebrate Your presence in my heart.  I thank You for continuous love for me expressed through Your abundant provisions in all areas of my life, including spiritual and physical.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 7

June 25, Saturday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog originally posted on August 29, 2015.  Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Chariots of Fire”

2 Kings 13:14

“Now Elisha was suffering from the illness from which he died.  Jehoash king of Israel went down to see him and wept over him.  ‘My father!  My father!’ he cried.  ‘The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’”

2 Kings 6:15-17

“. . . an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city . . . ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, ‘O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Chariots of Fire is one of my favorite movies of all time.  I remember first watching it on video and having to turn on the close captioning because I couldn’t understand the dialogue half the time because of their British accents.  I loved the line, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure,” and how he was handed a prophetic word before he ran that fateful race, “The man who honors me, I will honor.”  I remember my cross-country friends in high school putting the theme song on their running mixes and listening to it on their walkmans when they had beach workouts.  It was a great movie.

I knew the title was a biblical reference, but I was never that clear nor especially curious about its significance.  Now that I think about it, though, it seems rather simple after all.  Chariots of fire are not man-made chariots.  They are heavenly, God-made chariots.  It refers to how victory lies in having God fight our battles, and that He can, and often does, fight on behalf of His people to enable them to achieve amazing victories against all odds.

When Jehoash was king of Israel, the actual chariots, and horsemen he had were pitifully few.  2 Kings 13:7 suggests that the army he inherited from his father was around ten chariots, fifty horsemen and ten-thousand-foot soldiers.  Yet God had listened to his father’s cry for favor, and He was preparing to deliver Israel from the hands of a much greater army.  Jehoash, knowing it was impossible on their own strength, seeks Elisha’s help and addresses him as “the chariots and horsemen of Israel” in recognition of the fact that the prophet, representing access to God, was where Israel’s true hope and strength lay.

Jehoash was not a model king; he did evil in the eyes of the LORD.  We don’t know with what true motives he went to seek Elisha, but one thing he did get right was that he knew where Israel’s help came from.  What about us today?  Are we willing to seek God’s help or are we still trying to manage with our ten chariots and fifty horsemen?  Having our eyes opened and seeing how many are the chariots of fire all around us, are we emboldened to go forth and fight His battles without fear of the enemy?

Prayer:  Lord, open the eyes of my heart to see that you are the source of my hope and strength.  Help me to see that apart from You, I can do nothing significant for the kingdom, but when You are the One fighting the battle, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 5-6

June 24, Friday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on September 2, 2016, is provided by Pastor Jason Sato who, along with his wife Jessica and three young children, serves in Japan as an AMI missionary.  Jason is a graduate of UC San Diego (BS) and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“A Question to Which We Don’t Have Any Answer but a Question That We Do”

John 11:17-27 

 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. [18] Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, [19] and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. [20] So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. [21] Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. [22] But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” [23] Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” [24] Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” [25] Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, [26] and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” [27] She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

In the novel The Kite Runner, two childhood friends are divided by one boy’s guilt.  His friend was brutally assaulted by other boys.  He actually could have done something, and he knows that only his selfishness and fear kept him from helping his friend.

When Martha approaches her Lord after her brother has died, she knows that Jesus could have done something.  Though she had pleaded with Him to come, He did not.  Martha could have been overcome with bitterness.

In Over the Rhine, our church children experience many things that they do not understand.  Why do fathers or mothers leave?  Why do beloved uncles and cousins get shot?  Why do “good” people go to jail, while “bad” people do whatever they want?  We, too, have our questions and are confused by what the Lord allows in our lives and in the lives of those around us.

Martha has questions, she is heartbroken, but she still believes in Jesus – that He is “the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world” (v. 27).  She does not know why Jesus delayed.  She does not know that Jesus will resurrect Lazarus in a few moments.  But she does know, that Jesus loved Lazarus deeply.  And she knows that He loves her (John 11:3, 5).

God may not answer many of our questions in this lifetime, but He does answer the most important question: Does Jesus love you?  His answer is “Yes,” enough to give His body and His blood for you.

Prayer: Oh Lord, our hearts break when we consider how sin has ruined our world and injured us and those we love.  In our confusion, may we cling to You that much more.  Lord Jesus, we do not always know what You are doing, but may we be confident that You have proven Your love for us by dying for us while we were still sinners.  May we trust that the Lord of all will set things right.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 4

Lunch Break Study

Read John 6:56, 60, 66-9 (ESV): Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him…[60] When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?”[66] After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. [67] So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” [68] Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, [69] and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

Question to Consider

1. Why did many of Jesus’s disciples stop following Him?

2. Did the twelve face different challenges than the other disciples?

3. Why did the Twelve continue to follow Jesus?

Notes

1. Jesus said things that were offensive and difficult for them to understand.

2. No, they were probably equally offended and confused as those who stopped following Jesus.

3. Regardless of the challenges of following Jesus, the disciples felt they must continue to follow Him since He possessed the words of eternal life and was the Holy One of God.

Evening Reflection

Reflect upon your day.  Was there anything confusing or hard to understand?  Invite the Good Shepherd to take care of you and give you faith to trust Him in this area.

June 23, Thursday

UPDATED Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 29, 2013.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“God and Progressive District Attorneys: Similarity and Difference” 

Psalm 10:1-4 (NIV)

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?  2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. 3 He boasts of the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord. 4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Thanks to our ubiquitous gadgets, we are kept abreast of all the latest news that make us squirm.  These days it seems as though mass shooting is a weekly occurrence. The 8th century BC prophet Habakkuk, no stranger to looking at unmitigated injustice, wondered, “How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Why do you tolerate wrong?” (Hab. 1:1, 3b).  Ironically, that’s what we say these days upon seeing lenient district attorneys in big cities being more sympathetic to criminals than their victims (e.g., Los Angeles, Manhattan, San Francisco, etc.)

There is, of course, no simple answer to this age-old question of why evil seemingly go unpunished but this much we know: Sooner or later, the God of justice, unlike progressive district attorneys, will settle the score. You can count on that, as God told Habakkuk, “I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.  I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people … [T]hey sweep past like the wind and go on …” (Hab. 1:6, 11).

Meanwhile, we look to Christ to inspire us to live on the side of justice regardless of whether that benefits us now. Even if we don’t fully understand what God is doing right now, we shall worship Him! The question is whether there is a room for Him in your crowded heart?  Not just any space but a spot right in the middle! 

Prayer: Dear God, I often wonder where You are in the midst of injustice and violence.  It’s so easy to worship You when all my questions are answered, but as soon as something defies my human logic, I begin doubting You.  LORD, forgive me and strengthen me to trust You more.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 3

Lunch Break Study

Read Lk. 13:1-5 (NIV): Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”

Question to Consider

  1. Why do think these people came to Jesus to tell him about what Pilate did? 
  2. What do you suppose Jesus meant by his response to them?
  3. Does wickedness around us affect our own sense of righteousness?  If yes, can that affect our spiritual lives (Lk. 18:9-12)?

Notes

  1. When we hear of calamities that fell on some people, we do wonder, however briefly, whether their sins have come back to haunt them. I think these Jews also wondered whether the victims of Pilate and the accident in Galilee got what they deserved.
  2. Jesus didn’t address that matter directly, for he was more concerned that those who told him this news wouldn’t assume that they were more righteous than those whom Pilate killed or the 18 people who died accidently. Once that was clarified did Jesus say that everyone deserves to perish due to their sins. If they are still alive, it’s by God’s mercy.
  3. Under such circumstances, I think it’s quite natural for humans to assume that they are more righteous (i.e., morally and ethically) than what they really are.  As the cultural standard for decency gets diluted, more people are erroneously led to believe that they are really decent!  This affects our spiritual life because we see no reason to repent.  That’s why the biblical standard, which is both transcendent and universal, must be upheld.  

Evening Reflection

Matt. 7:3-5: Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Are you overly judgmental of others, demanding apologies over minute matters while rarely seeing anything about you to apologize to others? These signs may point to someone who thinks more highly than he or she ought (Rom. 12:3).  Examine your heart in view of this. 

June 22, Wednesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on November 25, 2016, is provided by Pastor Yohan Lee, 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

“An Exasperated Father’s Understanding of Faith”

Hebrews 11:6

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”

Being a father of “suspicious” children helps me, in some small measure, understand why faith pleases the Lord, and conversely, why lack of faith is so annoying.  I feel like I am constantly trying to convince my children that I am not completely incompetent, or that I have learned something in my life.  The other day, my seven-year-old looks at me like I’m from Mars because I tried to convince him that the platypus, despite laying eggs, is a mammal.  Apparently his first-grade teacher taught him that one of the characteristics of mammals is that they give birth to their young.  Sometimes, I want to shout, “Your dad is smart too!  I went to an Ivy League university!”  Pathetic I know.  

Another area in which my children’s distrust bugs me is whether I care for them.  Sometimes, all four of them think that I am out to get them or spoil their fun, when in reality (God is my witness), my desire truly is to see their best interest.  It could be something as simple as eating vegetables or doing homework, but my kids think that I force these things on them just to be mean.  Yet they cannot truly understand how much I love them, probably until they have their own kids.  

Faith is simple; it’s believing two things about God.  First, that God is really really smart, and He knows more about everything than you know about anything.  Second, God loves you, and He is for you, not against you.  Every time we act in faith, we are showing our beliefs in those truths.  Every time we display a lack of faith, we essentially deny His intelligence and/or His care.  And if that annoys a guy like me—a guy who got “C’s” in college and wasn’t the most caring person in the world—imagine how it would make the creator of the universe, the One who sacrificed His Son on the cross to demonstrate His love for us, feel.  

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to trust in Your wisdom and Your love.  If I lack belief, help me to overcome my unbelief.  Thank You for your patience with me.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 2

Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 8:5-13: When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, 6 “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant,[c] ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And to the centurion Jesus said, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.

Questions to Consider

1.  What blessed the Lord about the centurion’s faith?

2.  How did the centurion’s life experiences impact his understanding of Christ?

3.  How do your life experiences encourage your faith?

Notes

1.  The centurion had the faith to take Jesus’ word as authoritative.  For him, there was no difference between Christ’s command and his presence to execute his commands.  That is another level of faith.  

2.  The centurion understood authority; he himself was an authority.  He knew Christ was of greater authority, so much so that sickness would have obeyed him.  

3.  Hopefully, you have seen the Lord’s faithfulness in the past.  This should fuel your faith to trust him more in the future.  

Evening Reflection

Are there areas in your life where God is asking you to take greater steps of faith?  If so, do you trust his wisdom over your life?  Do you trust his love for you?  How can you grow in each of these areas?  

June 21, Tuesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Jabez Yeo, now a friend of AMI, was first posted on May 19, 2015.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Sharing the Gospel with Someone Who Never Heard It … in America!”

Revelation 7:9

After this I {John} looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

Being a young person, I may sound quite naïve, but I have come to realize at least this much about the purpose of life: somewhere along the way, we must be involved in God’s mission to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Allow me to share an experience that really drove that point home.  

Last year, I had the opportunity to meet Nancy, a Chinese student who began coming to our Bible study for international students.  Like many Chinese students, Nancy grew up an atheist and had never heard about Jesus. Thankfully, we had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with Nancy, and a few months later, one of our leaders enthusiastically shared some great news: the night before, Jesus had appeared in Nancy’s dreams and assured her of His love. As our leader described the joy that Nancy now displayed, I was overwhelmed by God’s amazing grace and power. 

Truly, Nancy’s testimony displays the biblical truth that God desires people from all nations to know and worship Him. God’s heart for the nations can be seen, not just in the Great Commission, but in the Abrahamic blessing (Gen. 12:1-3), and many of the Psalms (Psalm 67, 96, etc.).  In His sovereignty, God has not only sent some to the ends of the earth to share His love but has also brought some who do not know Him, including many international students, right to our doorsteps. Thus, we have the incredible opportunity in today’s globalized world to bring the Gospel to those who have not heard it.

Furthermore, sharing Christ with international students can also be strategically important.  According to Intervarsity, 40% of the world’s leaders have studied higher education in the U.S., including leaders such as Gandhi and Benjamin Netanyahu. Many international students also come from “closed” countries such as Saudi Arabia, where any non-Muslim activity, such as evangelism, is forbidden.  Yet in 2014, there were over 111,000 Saudi students in the U.S. (!) with more expected in the coming years. Indeed, just as Jesus declared, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few (Matt. 9:37). 

While some of us will not be called to leave our homes to share the Gospel, are we even sharing it to those God has brought to us? Let’s pray for courage as we embody Christ to those who have never heard of Him. 

Prayer:Lord, thank You for blessing me with many things, but most of all, for blessing me with a relationship with You. Thank You for Your sovereignty in bringing many who do not know You into my midst.  May Your love compel me to live for You and to share about You with others. In Your Name I pray, Amen

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 1

Lunch Break Study


Read Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV):  Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Gal. 3:7-8: Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.

Questions to Consider

1. What is the part that God promises to do for Abraham’s descendants in the Abrahamic Covenant?  

2. What is the part that Abraham’s descendents are expected to fulfill?

3. Ultimately, what does this mean to you and me?  What is the ultimate blessing from God for the nations?  Who is supposed to carry out that mission of God?

Notes

1. God promises to bless the descendants of Abraham, that is, the nation of Israel, by making it a great and prosperous nation.

2. Israel, having become prominent and prosperous by God, is to be the channel of His blessing among the nations. 

3. The ultimate blessing is the hearing and then believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ (i.e., being justified before God by believing in the person and work of Christ).  The church, as the spiritual descendant of Abraham, is commissioned to carry out this task.

Evening Reflection

As you look back to this day, did you have an opportunity to share your faith with anyone?  How did you handle that situation?  Remember what Paul said in Philemon 1:6: “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.”  Pray for opportunity as well as boldness. 

June 20, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on March 3, 2016, is provided by Pastor Mark Chun who pastors Radiance Christian Church in S. F.   He studied biology at University California, San Diego and completed his Master of Divinity at Talbot School of Theology.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Great Equalizer of All Humans Regardless of Their Pedigrees”

Acts 5:17-32 (ESV)

But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy 18 they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison. 19 But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, 20 “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” 21 And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22 But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, 23 “We found the prison securely locked and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened them we found no one inside.” 24 Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to. 25 And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.” 26 Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people. 27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, 28 saying, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” 29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. 30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 

As Christians, our courage was meant to come from our identity in Christ.  So much of the timidity that we experience in life comes because we feel like we are not good enough.  When we get a job that is well beyond our qualifications, we struggle with being unsure of ourselves.  When we fall for someone who seems to be out of our league, we find ourselves stumbling over our words trying to communicate.  In fact, whenever we are in the presence of people who seem smarter, richer, or more talented than we are, we feel our insecurities rising to the surface and all of our confidence leaking out.  

But when you truly come to believe in Christ, your sense of identity doesn’t come from yourself— it comes from the One who died for you.   And when you begin to see the world from the perspective that everyone is a sinner in need of a Savior, a wonderful thing happens:  you find yourself free from crippling self-consciousness.  

Every one of us knows the glaring weaknesses in our lives.  Maybe you didn’t go to the best college or have a prestigious career or have the right pedigree.  In today’s passage, we see that the disparity between the apostles and the men putting them on trial is greater than the difference between the average person in our churches and a supreme court judge.  Yet we can see that they didn’t fumble for words, they showed no signs of nerves, fear, or doubt.  It’s possible that these religious leaders had never been addressed in this way by the lower class.  The gospel does something astounding in those who truly believe.   When you identify yourself with the resurrected Christ, you no longer measure yourself on the sliding scale of relative status. In other words, your worth and sense of significance isn’t from your career, your degrees, your bank account, or your talents.  

The gospel puts everyone on the same level playing field—sinners in need of a Savior.  Whether you are rich or poor, educated or not, President of the United States or a janitor, the gospel looks at every individual as equal in the eyes of God.  There is something about putting our faith into Christ and leveling out this playing field that gives every person the opportunity to live the life that God intended for them.   Peter and the apostles were simply following the lead of their Master, because though He was born in poverty, He lived like He had possession of the treasures of heaven; though He was uneducated, He confounded the philosophy of the wise; though He had no earthly power, He spoke of a kingdom that has no end.  Ultimately, it is this ability to fully identify with Christ that allows us to obey God as opposed to fearing man.  

Prayer: Father, give us a courageous faith that allows us to live in obedience to You, no matter what the world says.  Help us to fight against the temptation to be timid or to compromise our beliefs in the name of political correctness or even fear.  In all circumstances, may we choose obedience to You as opposed to the approval of people.  Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today:  Acts 28

Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Timothy 1:6-12 (ESV): For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, 11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do.

Questions to Consider

  1. What gift is Paul commanding Timothy to fan into flame?
  2. Why does Timothy appear to be struggling with fear?
  3. What solution does Paul give as the answer to Timothy’s timidity?

Notes:

  1. Paul is exhorting Timothy to fan into flame the spiritual gifts of ministry, especially the gifts of leadership and faith.  Timothy’s calling as a pastor was confirmed by the laying on of Paul’s hands, and he is now reminding his young protégé of his need to exercise the calling with power, love, and self-control.     
  2. Timothy is generally pictured as a reluctant leader who is unsure of himself because of his age and lack of experience.  Perhaps due to confrontations with older men in the church, he was hesitant to exert his own leadership and utilize his spiritual gifts.     
  3. As a seasoned minister of the gospel, Paul points Timothy to the power of God as the basis for his calling.  The solution to our fears is not simply trying harder to overcome them but by our confidence in the purpose and grace of God.  Paul reminds Timothy gently that just as he was given his calling in Christ Jesus before the ages began, Timothy, too, shared in that same glorious calling.  

Evening Reflection

Do you recognize your personal tendency towards timidity and fear regarding your faith?  Is there someone in your life that will challenge and remind you of your calling to live boldly and courageously?   Take some time to ask God to fan into flame your own spiritual gifts, and consider ways that you can serve God more faithfully and more fruitfully. 

June 19, Sunday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog originally posted on August 30, 2015.  Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“A History of Relationship with God”

2 Kings 13:18-19

“Then he said, ‘Take the arrows,’ and the king took them.  Elisha told him, ‘Strike the ground.’ He struck it three times and stopped.  The man of God was angry with him and said, ‘You should have struck the ground five or six times; then you would have defeated Aram and completely destroyed it.  But now you will defeat it only three times.’”

When two people are on the same wavelength, communication doesn’t happen in so many words.  It’s almost not even communication; they’re just thinking the same way.  We see this happen particularly among awesome teams playing Pictionary or Guesstures: They draw one line and their team guesses “Flagpole!”, make one motion and it’s “Periscope!”  We think, How do they do that?” since not much communication seemed to have taken place. But what is actually happening is a history of relationship coming into play–all the shared experiences, inside jokes –and at a critical moment, it all comes together.

In the passage above we can imagine the king saying, “Why didn’t you tell me it took five or six times?”  He seems to have a point.  How could Elisha expect the king to know?  This wasn’t something you asked someone to do every day; there was no precedent to go by.  Elisha would have had no grounds to reply, “Who strikes the ground only three times and stops?”  Yet somehow he had just expected the king to know.  

Earlier we see that the king probably didn’t have the greatest relationship with God (v.11) – most likely no regular communication or life experiences where he got a sense of who God was, how God spoke to him, how He worked in certain situations, and what were His ways.  He had no experiential knowledge of God.  Neither would Bible knowledge have helped the king to know how many times was enough.  The culmination of a history of doing what was right in God’s eyes—this was what had been required at that moment. But he couldn’t sense the Spirit’s nudging, “Keep striking the ground, keep striking . . . no, not yet, don’t stop, yet,” because he hadn’t had a regular practice of listening and obeying. And in the end, he could not fully step into God’s true desire for him and the nation, which was the complete and total victory over Aram (v.17).

Directions for how to handle many things we face in life are not spelled out explicitly in the Bible, and often when God asks us to do something rather big, there are no precedents.  Yet if we’ve cultivated our relationship with God, when the moment comes, we’ll find that we’ll know just what is required.  It will be because we’re in tune with Him, because hearing His voice and responding to it in obedience has become a habit of ours—almost reflex.  So take heart and continue to make building your relationship with God the highest priority; at a critical moment, it is what will help you make the right choice and step into all that He has for you.

Prayer: Lord, I determine to make You my highest priority in life.  Even though I may be busy, help me to persevere in building my relationship with You by having a regular time of reading Your word, praying, and obeying Your voice. And give me wisdom to make the choices that honor You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 27

June 18, Saturday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on August 8, 2015, is provided by Joanna Tzen, a friend of AMI, who attended and served at Grace Covenant Church for a long time.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“A Discontented Heart”

Jude 1:12

These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever. 14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16 These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

Charles Spurgeon, a British preacher in the 1800’s, describes those who are never content, in a funny and even slightly irreverent way: “They are discontented even with the gospel. The bread of heaven must be cut into three pieces, and served on dainty napkins, or else they cannot eat it; and very soon their soul hates even this light bread. There is no way by which a Christian man can serve God so as to please them. They will pick holes in every preacher’s coat; and if the great High Priest himself were here, they would find fault with the color of the stones of his breastplate.”

We probably can all think of someone like this in our lives and they are not much fun to be around. (No doubt this would include you and me at one time or another.) Jude is saying that discontent is just one way we can tell that we have begun to drift away from intimacy with the Lord and are more caught up in the motions of religion. This passage is directed to those who are already in the Church, not outside of it. He warns the early Church of those among them who only have a “form of godliness” (2 Tim 3:5). These people may have had a great walk with the Lord at one point but have come to a place of self-centeredness and entitlement, thereby not bearing fruit and not trusting the Lord, as reflected in their actions and their beliefs. Jude calls them “clouds without rain,” “trees without fruit,” and “stars that do not guide.”  What was once very promising at the outset ended up producing little or nothing.  Jude goes on to stress that the Lord will hold those who embody this kind of heart and attitude accountable.

Humbly examine your heart and ask if you are just going through the motions or have a genuine relationship with your Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Does the way you live reflect that you put your trust in Jesus? Or does it not look much different from the rest of the world that relies on the self? It’s never too late to come humbly before the Father and ask that He help you stop doing religion and start abiding in Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I only go through the motions of religion and am actually relying on myself. Help me to lay down my pride, fear, self-sufficiency and trust in you instead. I know you are a trustworthy Heavenly Father. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 25-26