January 7, Friday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Charles Choe who leads Tapestry Church in Los Angeles, was first posted on July 15, 2015.  Charles is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Have You Ever Felt Like Giving Up”

1 Kings 17:9-16

12 And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”

Have you ever felt like throwing the towel in, where your situation was utterly hopeless, where you felt like your back was up against the proverbial wall, and that no matter what you did, you weren’t going to make it? Such was the case of the widow in today’s reading. She, along with her son, was faced with starvation and was fixing their final meager meal when the prophet Elijah met her. And through this impossible situation, both Elijah and the poor widow would find out that God is the God of the impossible. 

Imagine asking a widow, a single parent raising her son alone in the middle of a famine, for the last morsel of food she had. This is by all accounts an unreasonable, if not a ridiculous request. She was in a hopeless situation with no means of solving her dilemma. But here is what God wanted to show her: He wanted the widow to take the focus off of herself and the situation and focus on the Lord and His power. And for this to happen, she needed to first offer what she had –which was a jar of oil—to the Lord. Though she didn’t have much, she still had something that God could use. 

God is going to do miracles—but first, He wants us to offer what we have. God can actually create something out of nothing, but He wants us to first see what He has given us and offer that to Him. We see this all throughout the Scriptures: Moses’ rod became the “rod of God,” and the little boy gave up the few loaves and two fishes to God. For Jesus taught: “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt. 17:20). God will bless you respectively to the degree you empty yourself to Him.

The truth is, the Lord doesn’t always let us in on what He’s doing, but trust fills the gap when we don’t understand. We must give our good Father the benefit of the doubt: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6).

Prayer: Dear God, help me to lean on You today in all that I do. Increase my awareness of Your constant presence all around me. May I truly depend on You today. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 7

Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Corinthians 9:7-8: So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Questions to Consider 

1. Why does God love a “cheerful giver”?  

2. Why are we not to give “grudgingly or of necessity”?  

3. Consider how you give your offering to the church? Is it with a cheerful heart?

Notes 

1. God loves joy-motivated giving to others because it expresses contentment in God’s gracious giving to us. 

2. To give grudgingly—or out of a sense of obligation—is to not thoroughly understand God’s blessings, the way he has blessed us and continues blessing us. 

3. Personal response

Evening Reflection

“As base a thing as money often is, yet it can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the hungry and clothing for the poor. It can keep a missionary actively winning lost men to the light of the gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values. Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.” –A.W. Tozer

January 6, Thursday

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor David Kwon of Journey Community Church in Raleigh, was originally posted on May 11, 2015.

Devotional Thought for Today

“Unthinkable Things We Humans Do”

2 Samuel 13:1-20 

Now Absalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her. [2] And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. [3] But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. [4] And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” [5] Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” [6] So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.” [7] Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare food for him.” [8] So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. [9] And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, “Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. [10] Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. [11] But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” [12] She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this outrageous thing. [13] As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” [14] But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her. [15] Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!” [16] But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her. [17] He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” [18] Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves, for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. [19] And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe that she wore. And she laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went. [20] And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house.

If you turn on the news on any given night, you will often hear about a crime that seems unimaginable. I recently watched a story of a nurse who burned down a hospital, which resulted in 5 newborn infants dying all because she received a bad review at her job. Shock, anger, and confusion are just a few of the many emotions that come to mind when we read these stories.

This is one of the most heartbreaking and shocking stories in the OT. Just like an unthinkable crime, this passage brings various emotions because of the depravity in display. In 2 Samuel, we see uncontrollable lust, rape, and murder, and at the heart of it all we see the destructiveness of sin.

Amnon, in love with his half-sister Tamar who refuses to sleep with him, deceives and rapes her; in addition to such a crime, it was an act of incest, which was explicitly forbidden in the covenant law (Lev. 18:9; Deut 27:22). Tamar pleads with Amnon and tells him to consider the consequences of his actions, but we see those pleas are ignored (v.12-14). After his physical passions are satisfied, Amnon feels “intense hatred” toward Tamar. Feelings of guilt and shame heighten Amnon’s emotions, so that he now “hated her more than he had loved her” (v. 15).

What can we learn from this passage? First, we need to ask the Lord for self-control in our fight over sin – We see a classic case study of what happens when sin is not controlled and takes over our lives. Amnon is overtaken by his lust for Tamar and the consequences are severe. We need to remember that as believers, God gives us the spirit of self-control to fight sin in our lives. In addition, we must find the right people to help us fight temptation. It is important that we find the right people to keep us accountable – a mature believer/friend; a small group; a leader, etc. 

Finally, there are always consequences to our actions, that is, the sins we commit. We hurt others and ourselves when we fall into sin. Therefore, pursue God’s holiness as if your life depends on it, because it does. Say no to sin when it is pliable, but don’t wait until it has fully grown and about to give “birth to death” (James 1:15).

Prayer: Lord, may my heart grieve over the sins in my life because it breaks Your heart. Help me to depend on Your Spirit that empowers and enables me to have victory over sin in my life. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 6

Lunch Break Study

1 Corinthians 10:13: No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Luke 22:40: And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Questions to Consider

  1. What do we learn about temptation and sin according to 1 Corinthians 10:13?
  2. What do we learn about God and His character?
  3. What are some practical applications we can live by in order to fight sin in our lives?

Notes

  1. Whatever temptation you face, regardless of how seemingly insignificant or how great it is, know that your struggles are common to all. You are not the first person to experience the temptation, and you most certainly won’t be the last.
  2. God is always faithful, and He will not let you to be tempted to the point that you must give in.
  3. There are others out there who can relate to whatever temptation you suffer at any given moment, which is why a strong community is vital in overcoming temptation.

Evening Reflection

What are the temptations that you are facing today? Fighting sin is a battle and can often be discouraging. Spend some time praying for strength and victory in our pursuit of overcoming temptation and sin.

January 5, Wednesday

Updated Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 28, 2013.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Nations that Forget God”

Psalm 9:15, 17, 19-20

The nations have fallen into the pit they have dug; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.  17 The wicked return to the grave, all the nations that forget God. 19 Arise, O Lord, let not man triumph; let the nations be judged in your presence.  20 Strike them with terror, O Lord; let the nations know they are but men.

It is believed that Armenia became the first Christian state in 301 under the spiritual leadership of Gregory the Illuminator.  (That’s probably why Gregorian Christianity is still strong in that country to this day.)  However, there has not been such thing as a Christian nation in our globe for a long time—even the colonial America fell far short of that when considering slavery.  Neither is today’s America anywhere near being a Christian nation when considering, for instance, how we treat the life of the unborn.  It is one thing for secularists and unbelievers to think nothing of abortion, including third-trimester abortion, but for some Christians to feel the same way suggests that something is quite awry about American Christianity.   

But some nations have taken an explicit stance against God, such as the former Soviet Union and today’s China and North Korea.  And, without the acknowledgment of God, as the famed Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky so ably stated— “If there is no God, then everything is Permitted”— the unthinkable often became possible, like the mass murder of the undesirables of the State (which, of course, took place under Stalin and Mao, respectively.)  

Do you see any difference between America and those nations that have forgotten God as a matter of national policy?  No, there is hardly any difference between them when abortion is factored into the equation.  The psalmist warns such nations that God will judge them. 

This isn’t what we want to hear in the morning but consider this: Once we descend toward forgetting God in our lives and pay no attention to His sacred Scripture, we will be amazed by the ease in which we also do unthinkable things. So, as we start the new year, neither forget God nor His word!  Today, go to work or school with Him.  Read His word and obey it.  Pray and desire for the filling of the Holy Spirit in your life.   

Prayer: Dear God, I acknowledge that I often forget You in my busyness, frustration, and anger.  I confess many sinful things I’ve done that displeased You. God, please help me to remember You throughout the day, whether I am at work or at home.  Thank You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 5

Lunch Break Study

Read Revelation 20:7-9: When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle [against] God’s people.

Questions to Consider

1. What does this passage reveal about the nations and the people in them?

2. While God wants to bless the nations (Gn. 12:3), He has destroyed certain peoples in the past (Amalekites who always wanted to destroy Israel).  Why did God do that (Gn. 18:20-33; 1 Sam. 15:1-4)?

3. Why do the nations that are united (like those who had gathered at the tower of Babel) tend to oppose God and His truths (Gn. 11:1-8; Rev. 20:3)?

Notes

1. Regardless of how one interprets this passage, this shows a strong tendency for the nations to rebel against God, since this uprising occurred or will occur after a long period (i.e., 1,000 years) of peace and justice on earth, thanks to Satan being put out of operation by the LORD.

2. On the one hand, God destroyed Sodom because this city was totally given to sin in such a way that no one outside of Lot’s family (of eight people) believed in God; instead, they lived in active rebellion against God.  On the other hand, God destroyed the Amalekites because, had they succeeded in destroying Israel, it would have foiled God’s plan to send Jesus through the lineage of King David.  To redeem the world, any nation that stood in its way had to be eliminated.

3. For men, what unites them is a desire to be independent from an overarching authority, which interferes with the individual’s freedom to do whatever they want.  Since God is that figure, His commands must be opposed. So, when the nations (i.e., collections of individuals) are gathered, man’s desire for self-autonomy is aggrandized. 

Evening Reflection

It’s hard to imagine how we can be a part in blessing the nations when our lives are so hectic and sometimes full of turmoil, right?  But you can do the simplest, yet most significant thing by praying for nations and missionaries.  Take a moment to pray for those who come to your mind.  Pray for the children around the world who are being exploited by bad men. 

January 4, Tuesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog originally posted on June 25, 2015.  Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia. 

Devotional Thought for this Morning

“Is God like a Two-Faced Janus?”

1 Kings 9:3, 6-7a

“I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever.  My eyes and my heart will always be there. . . . But if you or your sons turn away from me . . . and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name.”

Have you ever had the experience of having to reject someone you loved?  A friend of mine was once in a relationship with someone she loved very much.  They were together for several years and planning to get married when he became mentally ill.  It was a kind of paranoia where he was fine with most people but only became extremely suspicious of those who were closest to him, which meant it affected my friend the most.  He began to think that she was a spy working for North Korea; things got worse from there, and in the end, she very painfully had to break off her relationship with him, though she still cared for him very much.

Reading about God saying that he would need to reject His people if they turned away from Him, some can misunderstand Him as being fickle or intolerant, while others see it as being a part of the “other side” of God, the “just” (i.e., vs. “loving”) nature of God that we need to accept in order to have a healthy fear of Him and the consequences of our sin.  Though the latter is not untrue, our God is not like a two-faced Janus, “just” sometimes and “loving” at others; rather, He is both at the same time.

In verse 3, before He says anything about what Solomon would need to do, God makes a statement of commitment and unilateral promise to associate His Name with the temple forever, saying, “My eyes and my heart will always be there.”  This would stay true independent of the choices Solomon would make.  So when God later talks about how He would need to reject the temple and His very own people if they rejected Him, we need to remember that when it happened, it would have been a very personal and painful thing for God to do.  Because even as He has to reject them, His Name, eyes, and heart are still there with them.

Remember that today, especially if something should happen that may lead to questioning God’s goodness. 

Prayer: Lord, you know what it feels like to have to break a relationship with someone you love.  Comfort those who may be going through this very experience today.  In Jesus’ name we pray.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 4

Lunch Break Study 

Read 1 Kings 9:8-9: “And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 9 “People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God . . . that is why the LORD brought all this disaster on them.”

Isaiah 52:14, 53:4-5: “Just as there were many who were appalled at him — his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and his form marred beyond human likeness . . . 4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Questions to Consider

1. What parallels are there in these two passages between what Israel would go through under God’s judgment (1 Kings 9:8-9) and what God’s servant would go through (Isaiah 52, 53)?

2. What is the difference between Israel and God’s servant (1 Kings 9:9, Isaiah 53:4-5)?

3. How does a study of these two passages give us new insight into what it means that God rejected the temple that bore His own Name (1 Kings 9:7a)?  What new appreciation of God’s love do we have?

Notes

1. People would be appalled, seeing their destroyed condition; people would attribute their appalling condition to their being punished by God.

2. Israel was being punished for her own sin; God’s servant would bear the punishment on behalf of others’ sin but be misunderstood as if he himself were deserving of the chastisement.

3. God’s servant and very Son, Jesus, was the ultimate temple that bore God’s name forever.  Jesus took on the rejection that God’s people deserved to reconcile us to God.  To save us, God had to reject and break His relationship with someone He loved very much, His very Son.

Evening Reflection

As we think about how painful broken relationships can be, let it give us a new appreciation of the pain God feels over His broken relationships with us.  Let our love for God and desire not to grieve His heart move us to stay right with Him.

January 3, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional Thought, first posted on March 16, 2015, 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

“What To Do When Stuck with a Bad Boss”

1 Sam. 19:9-10

Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. 10 And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

Concerning my first job out of college, I like to make the joke that it felt like a bunch of frat boys somehow got their hands on a company and were running it.  I do not say this to intimate that our company was poorly run; on the contrary, it was easily the best run company for which I ever worked.  What I mean by the comment was that my bosses and just about every male (and some of the females) in the company were these overly aggressive, testosterone-filled party animals.  There was no regard for politically corrected speech.  If you made a mistake, the boss would let you have it with words that cannot be printed in a devotional.  And every time we’d go out, it felt like these guys wanted to get drunk like they were in a college party.  

As a 22-year-old, who had just spent the last four years in a great, but somewhat insulated, Christian community, I was at a loss to figure out how to deal with my boss.  Sure, my then pastors and church leaders yelled at me, but not with the anger that my boss expressed and certainly not the vulgarity with which he expressed it.  At the end of the day, I guess I was just too young and too “green” for that style of leadership.  

As I talk with more and more people about their jobs, I’ve come to realize that many people struggle with their bosses.  Some people work for bad-tempered yellers; others have cutthroat and dishonest bosses; and others have incompetent people above them.  In my estimation, less than 20% of people feel like they have talented bosses who are good at what they do.  I’m sure one can easily make a comedy movie about horrible bosses; who knows, you might even be able to squeeze out a sequel.  

All that being said, for all of you reading today’s devotional, I don’t think your boss could have been as bad as David’s boss.  Imagine making millions of dollars for your company (or winning countless battles, 1 Sam. 18:5), marrying the boss’ daughter (1 Sam. 18:20-29), singing your boss lullabies when he gets headaches (1 Sam. 16:14-23), and then having him repay your accomplishments and service by trying to turn you into a human dartboard!  

Yet, if you read the account of 1 Samuel, for all the wrong that Saul did David, David never retaliated, spoke a slanderous word, or sinned against the king.  In fact, David considered it a sin to do anything harmful to the “Lord’s anointed” (1 Sam. 26:9).  As you go out this Monday morning to work, consider your attitude toward your boss and people in authority at your company.  Are you able to honor even those who dishonor you, because this is what God would have you do? 

Prayer: Lord, help me to be faithful at work and to work hard today.  Help me to honor those I work with, and to remember that it is ultimately You whom I serve.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Isaiah 3

Lunch Break Study

Read Rom. 13:1-7: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

Questions to consider

  1. According to this passage, if God places authority, what is the implication of resisting authority?
  2. What is the duty of authority (v. 3-4)?
  3. To whom do you owe respect and/or honor? 

Notes

  1. If we resist authority who is placed by God, then that is tantamount to resisting God, or at least, “resisting what God has appointed” (v. 2).  Such actions leave us open to God’s judgment.  
  2. The duty of this authority is to reward good and punish wrongdoing.  
  3. Personal application question.  

Evening Reflection

Did you work hard and faithfully?  Did you show proper respect to your boss and everyone else in authority?  Do you feel that you are growing in your fear and respect for the Lord?  

January 2, Sunday

Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, written by Pastor Sam Lee who leads Catalyst Agape Church in Northern New Jersey, was first posted on October 1, 2013.  He is a graduate of University of Wisconsin (B.S.) and Biblical Theological Seminary (M.Div.).  This AMI QT blog probably is one of the all-time favorites among our readers. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Clay in His Hand”

Jeremiah 18:6

“O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!”

I would watch my children play with clay. The clay would get stretched, pulled, and dirtied. In other words, the clay would get abused, and eventually the poor clay would be thrown away because it could not be used anymore. Clay in the hands of a child becomes a toy to be used and discarded; clay in the hands of a potter is similar yet very different in a profound way. This clay is also stretched and pulled, yet it is being stretched and pulled not to be discarded but to become something that is valued, useful, and beautiful. The greater the potter, greater the value of what the clay becomes.  

A Ming Dynasty vase can cost over $10 million dollars today. You, in the hands of the Master, are worth infinitely more.  Yet it is not easy to stay in the hands of the Master. Therefore, let’s cast off the things that make us move away from the Potter’s hand. I have learned that staying in the hands of God is not about being silent and just waiting; it is hard spiritual work. There are many different ways we knowingly and unknowingly move away from the hands of the Potter. 

This morning, I am convicted to concentrate on one area: the complaining spirit in our heart. When we complain, like the Israelites in the wilderness, we are forgetting God’s goodness and power; we are forgetting God’s past work in our life; we are not seeing the future work of God in our life. When we complain, the circumstances dictate our spiritual life instead of who we are in Christ. Comfort and riches become priority, instead of transformation and bearing the fruits of the Holy Spirit. 

The very act of complaining is a picture of the clay walking away from the hands of potter. Today, let’s pray through to overcome a complaining spirit. Please remember that God is not molding us to be rich and comfortable; He wants to do much more, much more worthwhile. But to do this work, He is looking for clay that is compliant and moldable; clay that will trust and is completely yielded to Jesus.

Prayer: You know my going in and my going out. You know my innermost thoughts. Sovereign Lord, you have the best plan for my life so I submit to your agenda and all your plans to shape me into the person you want me to be. I am clay in your hands, so mold me, Lord. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 2

January 1, Saturday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 1, 2015.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“A Story Worth Retelling”

Luke 15:11-32 (ESV)

And he said, “There was a man who had two sons. [12] And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. [13] Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. [14] And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. [15] So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. [16] And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. [17] “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! [18] I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ [20] And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. [21] And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ [22] But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. [24] For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. [25] “Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. [26] And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. [27] And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ [28] But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, [29] but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. [30] But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ [31] And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. [32] It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

Luke 15:1 (ESV): “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. [2] And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’”

Certain stories are worth retelling, though their meaning may be slightly different when told to different audiences. My favorite story I love to retell is what my father told his Hindu doctor, when told that he had only four months to live because of terminal lung cancer. 

Going back to today’s passage, isn’t it amazing that if Luke hadn’t included the oft-cited Parable of the Lost Son in his Gospel, no one would’ve known about it?  When this story was first shared by Jesus, his listeners were all Jews consisting of “tax collectors and sinners,’” and “the Pharisees and the teachers of the law” (15:1-2), respectively.  The legalistic older son represented the latter who mercilessly judged the reckless younger son who represented the former.   However, when Luke, the only Gentile writer among all the biblical writers, retold this story, it was addressed to Theophilus (1:3), “the normal title for a high official in the Roman government” (Barclay).  So, in the context of making appeals to the Gentiles, the older son represented the Israelites who had no love for the Gentiles whom the younger son represented.  Subsequently, the original message aimed at the Pharisees—“Don’t be judgmental”—was now applied to the entire Israel; and the promise of God’s love and acceptance of Jewish sinners was now extended to the Gentiles who now saw that Israel’s God was not a territorial deity but the God of all nations.   And that’s a story worth retelling!

As for my father, he said to his doctor originally from India, “You say cancer; I say no problem. I like Jesus Christ. God blessed my life; I go when God calls.” The Hindu doctor, instead of being offended, was moved, saying, “I am happy to be here, to be in the moment with you because people do not respond this way with this kind of devastating news.”  When I retell this powerful story, I say it like this: “My dad’s apologetics was quite simple: When you get terminal cancer, then, tell the doctor, ‘No problem because of Jesus.’”  That’s nothing like my apologetics, full of cleaver arguments that may titillate the mind but not much else.” As we start the New Year, let’s really live for Jesus, building many memories worth sharing with our loved ones.   

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I praise You and glorify You on this first day of 2022.  My heart is full of gratitude and thanksgiving because of Your continuous and ceaseless love toward me in Christ.  May this year be full of special memories in my walk with You, so that I can tell of your greatness to others.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 1

December 31, Friday

Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on December 31, 2013, was written by a sophomore in college then who is now a pastor.  Praise the Lord!

Devotional Thought for This Morning

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;
    praise him according to his excellent greatness!

3 Praise him with trumpet sound;
    praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance;
    praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with sounding cymbals;
    praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

This being the last day of 2021, I would like to consider the last Psalm that gives two reasons why we praise God; we praise him because of “his mighty deeds” and “his excellent greatness.”

Let’s consider the first reason. In the Bible, a pattern of worship is often seen—when God performs some wondrous, glorious act of deliverance for his people, the only proper response seems to be fervent worship. For example, when God parts the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross and escape from Pharaoh’s army, Moses breaks out into an exuberant song of worship: “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” (Exodus 15:11). Another example of this pattern can be found in the birth story of Christ. When shepherds see the infant Jesus, knowing that they are witnessing the coming of the Savior, they leave the stable “glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (Luke 2:19). For Christians today, the ultimate act of God’s deliverance is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to save us from wickedness, suffering, and sin. This is why we praise God—because of his mighty deed of remembering us and rescuing us from all that is painful and evil in exchange for eternal life. 

The second reason Psalm 150 gives for praising God is “his excellent greatness.” We have already seen that God is a completely perfect being worthy of reverent adoration and praise. In fact, it seems difficult to imagine anyone other than God receiving worship. For example, think about some people greatly esteemed in our global community. People like Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai are surely heroes we might respect, but would they be worthy of worship? Such a response would strike us as bizarre, even crazy—I can certainly admire Mandela and Malala for certain acts of altruism and bravery in their lives, but I surely wouldn’t fall down and worship them and assemble praise services to venerate them for years to come! But that sort of response is exactly what God deserves: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and praise!” (Revelation 4:11). God, and God alone, is worthy of worship. 

So, as we usher in the new year, let us worship God, and let’s not stop worshiping Him throughout 2022!

Prayer: Thank You, God, for an amazing year in which I grew so much through both good and bad times in Your abiding presence. I worship You on this last day of 2021 and will continue to do so in 2022. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Thess. 5

Lunch Break Study

Read Habakkuk 3:17-8: “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the LORD, is my strength.”  

Psalm 77: 1, 4, 11, 19-20: “I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.” 

Questions to Consider

1. What is astounding about the faith of Habakkuk as he anticipates the coming of the Babylonians who will destroy everything in sight as part of God’s judgment against Israel?

2. In light of how we usually respond to trials in life, what distinguishes the faith of this “tormented” Psalmist?  

Notes

1. It’s easy to praise God when one thinks about his wondrous creation, perfect character, and mighty deeds as told in the Bible. But it can be so hard to praise God when one reflects on the suffering in one’s life and the seemingly hopeless reality of pain that fills the earth. The first passage concerns this very issue: the prophet Habakkuk was living during a time where he saw so much suffering that God could stop but chose not to: “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:13). But Habakkuk eventually chooses to trust that God knows what he is doing, that God has sufficient reasons for permitting what happens in the world. Such faith and worship in the face of suffering is unbelievably difficult, but it is the path God’s people must take. 

2. The second passage concerns a time when the writer was undergoing a deeply difficult trial.  But his heart is strengthened upon remembering how God took a hopeless situation of seeming defeat at the Red Sea into a great deliverance of freedom. Such is our hope for today. In this life, we will experience all sorts of pain and despair: we will fail, be confused, have heartbreak, suffer depression, lose loved ones, feel utterly crushed; this is what it’s like living in a fallen world. It’s supposed to be hard. But we remember that Jesus Christ has delivered us from all this! We remember that there are better days ahead, a future with the God we worship. What will ultimately deliver us from sin and suffering? Sophisticated behavioral therapy?  Better science and technology? More friends? Romance? More sex and drugs? “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7).  

Evening Reflection

As a new year comes, what do you look forward to? What do you dread? 

Along with the times of joy and happiness we eagerly anticipate, there are also going to be times of great sadness and terrible pain. But God is with us! We worship a God who has already ensured that we will have an eternally good future with him forever. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me . . . Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23: 4, 6). With Jesus by our side, we continue on our earthly journey to the gates of the city of God. Praise the Lord!

December 30, Thursday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on October 3, 2014.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Rising from the Rubbles of Life”

Isaiah 61:1, 2-3(NIV)

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners . . .  3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”

The rags to riches stories are really encouraging to hear, but most people aren’t that poor to begin with, and even less people become that rich to make an impression.  The story of orphan Esther, who rose to be the queen of an empire, is certainly amazing but may seem too improbable for ordinary people to be inspired by it.  But if you get to know some people around you, they may share a story that is both inspiring and within your grasp with God’s help. 

When Jonathan, a German-descent Mexican in his late 20s, came to my class in 2004, he was a youth pastor, eager to learn.  In his teens, he ran away from an abusive father who forced him to sell things on the street and beat him.  Living now with a relative, he worked to support himself while going to school.  And during this time he came to know the Lord.  

After studying diligently with me for 3 years, he had progressed enough so that his superior allowed him to train other pastors with my courses. But I was so disappointed when Jonathan informed me in 2006 that he was moving to New Mexico to take on a small pastorate.

Soon after we moved back to the states in 2011, Jonathan invited me to offer a course to his leaders and to preach.   Oh, how pleased I was to find that a church of 30 had grown to a congregation of 200 adults and 100 kids!  Though the numbers do not always tell the right story, but in this case, it does. Pastor Jonathan, who could have easily given up, didn’t; instead, he worked and studied hard and prayed even harder to be the right spiritual leader for many Mexican-Americans who had a hard life in the states. 

The Bible is full of people whose ashes became a crown of beauty because God wouldn’t give up on them, and they wouldn’t give up on God (Peter, Mary Magdalene).  Today can be the start of a new beginning to become, not a queen, but someone useful for God’s kingdom work.     

Prayer: Dear Lord, how I exalt You for your steadfast love towards me.  Although I have given up on myself many times, You have always stayed close to encourage me.  Lord, although I cannot offer much, if at all, use me for your Kingdom work.  Cleanse me, train me, and equip me so that I can be useful for You.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Thess. 4

Lunch Break Study

Read Phil. 1:6 (ESV): “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ; 2:13 (ESV): for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

2 Tim. 2:6 (NIV): “The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.”

1 Peter 2:11 (ESV): “…whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.  To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Questions to Consider

1. What should be the basis of our confidence?  How is this fundamentally different from humanism?

2. What is the relationship between God strengthening us and us working hard?

3. Ultimately, what are we trying to demonstrate by trying to be successful in the Lord?

Notes

1. Our confidence stems from what God has promised.  He promises to strengthen our will in order to produce the work that would please him; on top of that, He is going to ensure that we finish what we have begun.  Humanism is relying on personal resources without acknowledging or depending on God. 

2. Among several variables, one tangible connection for me is motivation.  God’s strength motivates me to discipline myself to work hard and to yield the fruits desired by the Lord.

3. We aren’t trying to tell the world how great and smart we are; instead, we want the world to know how great and awesome God’s power is to transform broken lives, thereby glorifying Him.

Evening Reflection

How would you describe the day you had? Was it another mundane day?  Be silent before God and think through all that have happened today.  Perhaps had you missed the encouraging voice from the Lord.  Pray.

December 29, Wednesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on October 29, 2014.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Mind of Someone Who Will Sue You for $3”

Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, didn’t consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.”

The forerunner of the reality television probably was programs showing real court cases involving all sorts of bizarre issues.  In one particular episode of “The People’s Court” (1981), a pizza parlor owner was sued for $3.00 for not giving the thick pizza ordered by the plaintiff.  At the center of his mindset was a sense of entitlement with a bloated sense of rights.   

Certainly, some rights are legitimate as when Thomas Jefferson exulted over the inalienable rights of men consisting of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  If the problem then was that these rights didn’t extend to Black Americans, then the problem today is the hyperextension of the concept of rights to mean that individuals can do or should get whatever they want—anything that hinders it is infringing upon their rights. 

This attitude has spilled into the church, where people come with a consumer mentality, expecting to be pampered like high-end clients.  If the church does not cater to their every whim, they don’t come back since there are plenty of other churches to choose from. One minister confessed that two families left for another church because his parking attendants didn’t direct cars out of the lot fast enough.

If the believers truly appreciate the mind of Christ, they wouldn’t behave like that, at least, not all the time.  The key Greek concept in Philippians 2:5-8 is kenosis, meaning “emptying of self,” which is what Jesus did to take on “the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”  He did that to bear the human sin and then to pay for it with his own death.  The kenosis of Christ involves two aspects: (1) condescension seen in his incarnation or leaving heaven’s glory to take a human form, and (2) humiliation seen in his life of suffering leading to, and including the cross.  

The best antidote for an entitled self is serving others.   So look around to see if there is anyone whom you can serve today.   Remember, Christ “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45).

Prayer: Magnificent Lord, how I worship You this morning for what it took for You to save me from going to hell!  I cannot quite fathom how Christ, who created the world, could lower Himself to be a man as if he were part of the creation.  To think that You did that just to die for me, I am speechless.  Thank you.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Thessalonians 3

Lunch Break Study

Read John 5:27, 12:47, 17:5 (NIV): “And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man . . .  If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person.  For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world . . . For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead . . . [Jesus prayed], “Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

Questions to Consider

1. What were the rights that Jesus lawfully had as the Creator of the universe (Jn. 1:3) looking down on humans living in rebellion against God?  

2. What did Jesus choose to do instead?

3. Based on Jn. 17:5, what did it cost Jesus to become a man?   What do you need to give up in order to become more of an authentic servant?

Notes

1. As the Creator of the universe, Christ was given full authority to judge his creation.

2. In his 1st coming, instead of judging the world, he died to save it.   This is to say, the Father had given the Son authority to judge the world but he renounced that right in his 1st coming in order to save it.  In other words, he had the right to rule and judge but gave that up to serve; in his 2nd coming, he will judge.

3. It cost him his glory, which he left behind with the Father in order to become a man.  It is safe to assume that we have little or no idea what that means, but suffice it to say that it was much more costlier than what we think.  

Evening Reflection

As you review today, did you run into situations in which you acted more like an entitled king than a servant?  Perhaps, you came through and served others as Christ would have.  Reflect and pray.