Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Doug Tritton, was first posted on June 17, 2015.   A graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), Doug is the UC site pastor of Grace Covenant Church in Philadelphia. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Our God is a God of Details”

1 Kings 6:1-6

In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord. The house that King Solomon built for the Lord was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. The vestibule in front of the nave of the house was twenty cubits long, equal to the width of the house, and ten cubits deep in front of the house. 4 And he made for the house windows with recessed frames. He also built a structure against the wall of the house, running around the walls of the house, both the nave and the inner sanctuary. And he made side chambers all around. The lowest story was five cubits broad, the middle one was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made offsets on the wall in order that the supporting beams should not be inserted into the walls of the house.

When I come to these passages that detail the dimensions and specifications of a building or structure (such as the temple, tabernacle, or Noah’s ark), I often skim through them, thinking to myself that this is not important. I want to get to the stories—the commandments, the things that seem to actually matter to me.

However, God chose to include these passages in the Bible. If He did not want us to read about the exact details of these buildings, then God could have left them out. The reality is that God cares about details. Perhaps we liken God to a boss who immediately gets bored when you start talking in details. No, God cares about even the smallest of details, for Jesus says to us, “Even the hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matt. 10:30).  We were woven by God in our mother’s womb, formed perfectly according to God’s  unique specification for us, just like the temple was built uniquely to an exact specification.

What does this mean for us? This means that we can bring anything to God because He cares. He cares about every part of us, even up to the tiniest detail. God will not get bored with us and turn away, but He listens and He cares—this is who our God is. As much as God is infinitely transcendent and distinct from us, He is also infinitely immanent and near to us. He wants to get involved in every area of our lives, for we are His beloved children and He cares fully about us.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for being my Father in Heaven who formed me to be who I am according to Your perfect specification. Thank You for loving me fully, for loving every part of me. Let me never doubt the level to which You care for me, but rather believe that You care about every single area of my life. Help me to trust You with all I am and not keep You at distance. Let Your love go ever deeper in my life.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Thessalonians

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Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 10:29-31: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Questions to Consider

1. What does it mean that “not one of [the sparrows] will fall to the ground apart from Your Father”?

2. Why should it comfort us that “even the hairs of your head are all numbered”?

3. Why should we not fear?

Notes

1. This passage is saying that God even sustains sparrows, and nothing can harm a sparrow apart from God’s will since He is the One who is in control. Not only sparrows, but everything is under God’s control. It’s because of His control that we can trust Him.

2. We often have a desire to truly be known by others. Sometimes we have friends who may know us so well that they know even our freckles and spots. But do they know each individual hair? God knows us so well that He recognizes every hair; more than that, He knows every emotion, hurt, tear, joy in our lives. We are fully known by God. How amazing is that!

3. God is in control and cares for sparrows. But praise be to God that we are worth more than sparrows in God’s eyes! If He even cares for sparrows, of course He will care for us! We can trust Him because He is completely and utterly in control. He will provide for us and sustain us, just as He sustains the creatures of this world.

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Evening Reflection

Take time to reflect on the truth that you are fully known by God. He shaped you and formed you to be who you are. Let that truth comfort your soul, removing any fears you may have about your life and future. God is in control, worthy of all our trust. Pray for greater trust and dependence on God.

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on February 23, 2014.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Leaning on the Lord Even Without Trials in Our Lives”

2 Cor. 1:9

“In our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God who raised the dead.” 

Once, a professor gave a huge amount of material to study for the midterm to his freshmen class.  As anxiety grew in the room, the first-year students gasped and sighed loudly.  In the ensuing week, the professor, after tossing the graded exams on his desk, declared, “After I left here last week, the Lord spoke to me.  He really appreciated the midterm, saying, ‘Thanks, professor.  I haven’t heard from some of your students in years!’”  

Yes, there is nothing like trials in our lives to get us to pray. This is why after major calamities like the 9/11, people flock to churches the following Sunday.  Unfortunately, the shelf life of drawing near to God to seek His favor in time of felt-need is very brief.  

The greatest enemy to prayerlessness and drawing near to God is this: our prosperity.  God told the 8^th century B.C. Prophet Hosea regarding people like you and I:  “I cared for you in the desert, in the land of burning heat.  When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me” (13:5-6). Does this mean losing our prosperity is a way to remember and return to God?

My father went to be with the Lord, but for the longest time he didn’t acknowledge God.  A rather wealthy man in Korea, he continued his disbelief in the U.S. even though he wasn’t as prosperous. Wanting desperately to see him turn to God, I finally prayed that God would take away what prosperity he still had so that he might turn to God.  In 1987, he came to California from the East Coast for my engagement.  One afternoon, as we were walking on the campus of my seminary, he said, “I lost my business but now I have God in my life and I am so joyous.”  It was a bittersweet moment.  Why bitter?  Because my dad added, “Your uncle gave you $1,000 for your engagement but I can only give you $100 because I need the rest.”  

My dad never wavered in his faith afterwards because his turning to God wasn’t to get a fast A on a mid-term, but the trial that singed him showed him his need for the Savior for every moment of his life.  At the age of 65, when elders at Presbyterian churches stop serving, my dad became one.   

Are you going through a trial? I hope it’s not as bad as the one that seared my dad.  Then again, he may say, “Why not, because ‘this happened that [I] might not rely on [myself] but on God?’” (2 Cor. 1:9).  Something to think about the next time when we face another around of trials.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I praise You this morning.  LORD, even without trials in my life, I shall pray to You faithfully and lean on You. Thank You for loving me and taking care of me so thoroughly.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Philemon 1

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog originally posted on December 25, 2014.  Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Merry Christmas”

Luke 1:31-33

“You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.  The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” 

Every year for at least the past 12 years, I’ve tried to make it a personal Christmas tradition to read through and meditate on the Christmas story in the Bible (Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2).  It breaks down easily into four parts: Mary’s Story, Joseph’s Story, the Shepherds’ Story and the Wise Men’s Story.  I’ve been challenged by the struggle of the parents as I imagine what it must have been like to deal with the virgin (seeming to the world illegitimate) birth.  I’ve considered the significance of the first birth announcement going out to humble shepherds in a field.  I’ve also thought about how the Christmas story is not all lightness and brightness and joy, that when the wise men came to seek the newborn king, many children lost their lives at the hand of a threatened King Herod, that the world Jesus came into had this kind of darkness.  

Yet this year I am especially reminded that when I think of Christmas, what I mainly need it to be is “Jesus’ Story” and that all others are subordinate.  In today’s passage, what we see is that there was a prophecy given about Jesus before he was born regarding who he would become.  He had a call to greatness on his life.  He would become a great king, one whose kingdom would never end.  God himself would be the one to make this happen; God would give Jesus the throne.  Though we often think of Jesus as Savior, do we as often recognize that one of the main reasons he came into this world was to become our King?  

This Christmas season, has Jesus been reigning in our hearts?  Or have other things, such as the busyness of social schedules, our holiday to-do lists, or even ministry, been ruling our lives?  If any other thing has taken his rightful place in our hearts, this Christmas Day, let’s take a moment to repent and welcome Jesus back onto the throne.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, forgive me if in the busyness of it all, I’ve let other things take over my life.  When you’re not ruling and reigning in my life, I lack joy and peace.  Won’t you step upon your throne in my heart once again?  Be my Lord and King.  In your name I pray.

Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 1-2

REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional Quiet Time, provided by Christine Li, was first posted on December 24, 2015.  Christine, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, serves as a deaconess at Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Christmas Eve”
John 1:14 

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

When I was in school, my friends and I enjoyed some go-to study spots. But, just as typical irresponsible teenagers might, we left the clean-up responsibilities to others. Eventually, school administrators, fed up with the amount of clean-up needed, locked us out. The rest of the school year, wherever we went, we had to take more ownership for our presence and take greater care in picking up after ourselves. 

As Christians, we are frequently reminded that the Earth is not our home, as we should be pilgrims yearning for Heaven. However, we often use this as an excuse to leave the world’s chaos for someone else to deal with. Many of us are not interested in leaving this earth better than we found it: we don’t want to clean a place physically, or we don’t think we have the patience and time to restore someone in our community. Instead of tangling ourselves in the hard work of this world, it seems easier to live a quiet life before ending at Heaven.

It should amaze and move us that God, beautiful and holy, came with a completely opposite intent. Though He could have lived in comfort with a blind eye to the world, He dwelt among the broken and sick, spending His life healing, restoring, and redeeming the world. Such was the importance of His work that, before returning to Heaven, He charged us to continue it and gave us access to the Spirit so we could have God’s presence and power.

As we usher in Christmas this year, let us fix our eyes on our Savior, whose example should stir in us a desire to take part in God’s work of healing and restoring this Earth. May we yearn to live lives that echo the footsteps and the humility of our Lord, who did not come to earth to be served as a king, but came to serve.

Prayer: Father, thank You for sending Your son to us. Help us to be imitators of Christ and have our eyes and hearts open to the world around us. May we recall the humility and indignity with which Jesus came and, by the power of Your spirit, endeavor to leave this earth and its people better than we found it.

Bible Reading for Today: Luke 2

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Lunch Break Study

Read Mark 8:27-31: Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 

Questions to Consider

1. Considering that Jesus lived with His disciples, why would He ask these two questions about His identity? Are these questions still relevant to us?

2. Right after this exchange, Jesus begins to teach His disciples about the coming suffering and pain. Why does He choose to time this revelation this way?

Notes

1. Jesus asks these questions that reveal the difference between His reputation and His disciples’ personal opinions. The questions are still relevant for us. The world, our friends, and our family members may have different ideas and definitions of who Jesus is. However, at the end of days, the only answer that will matter will be what we personally profess Him to be – whether He is our Lord and Savior.

2. It is interesting that Jesus shares this information about His death only in light of the confession of faith. His disciples would have held a traditional understanding of the Messiah, which is that Jesus was expected to be a political and military leader. Now that they were convinced He was the Messiah, He could begin to reveal the greater picture of His plan. 

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Evening Reflection

Oftentimes, God has already placed us into a setting where He can use us, though we might have difficulty discerning how to be salt and light in that environment. Do you know why you are where you are? Ask God to reveal His will for you so that you might make disciples according to His wisdom and grace. Then, ask Him for obedience to be faithful to that calling.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Jabez Yeo who formerly served at Remnant Church in Manhattan, was first posted on October 18, 2014.  Jabez is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BS) and Columbia International University (M.A., Muslim Studies).

Devotional Thought for this Morning

“Training Our Minds for God”

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. 15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. 18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

History is filled with people who have sought meaning in philosophy—only to be disillusioned by the fruitlessness of their search. One such person was Justin Martyr (born in the early 2^nd century A.D.), who attempted to find fulfillment in the Greek philosophy of Stoicism.  Unconvinced, he then cycled through the teachings of different philosophers but was never completely satisfied.  Around A.D. 130, conversations with an elderly believer led Justin Martyr to surrender his life to Jesus and experience a powerful life transformation.

Around the same time, the heresy of Gnosticism was becoming rampant in the early church. In a nutshell, the Gnostics believed that the material world was unimportant and that physical bodies were prisons trapping the human spirit, which they considered to be the “spark of God.”  Thus, they proposed that Christ had not come in the flesh, but only appeared to be human.  Since its inception, Gnosticism has spawned heretical beliefs, including the elevation of the soul to divinity that has echoed throughout history, especially in the recent New Age movement. 

Utilizing his past experience in Greek philosophy, Justin Martyr countered the claims of Gnosticism thoroughly in his writings. In particular, Justin Martyr delved into the concept of the Logos—God’s pre-existent Spirit who became incarnate in Jesus Christ. He explained, “Just as fire comes from fire without diminishing the original source, so Christ as the universal Logos pre-existed as God’s Son.”  Justin Martyr then wrote Syntagma, which established him as the most important 2^nd century apologist in the eyes of many— it was the first major anti-Gnostic writing by an orthodox Christian.

Ultimately, Justin was arrested for his faith and was ordered by Roman authorities to denounce his belief in God. Refusing to do so, Justin was then executed and surnamed “Martyr” as he gave his life for what he considered to be “true philosophy.”  As Christians today, may we also find our true satisfaction, not in the world’s wisdom, but in God’s eternal truth.

So, let us study and train our minds for God; and then live for God’s glory.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the Way, the Truth and the Life. Help me to find ultimate meaning in Your Word and may it spur me to lead a life that is pleasing to You. May I not trust in my own intellect or in the world’s wisdom but help me to place my hope in Your truth, even though my mind cannot completely comprehend it. Lord Jesus, as my Good Shepherd, lead me in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. In Your Name I pray.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Philippians 4

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Lunch Break Study 

Read Acts 17:16-21: While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

Lk. 9:23-5: Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

Question to Consider

1. I have heard some people say that philosophy (love of wisdom) is inherently harmful. That’s nonsense.  How can philosophy help us?

2. But Paul didn’t like the way the Athenian philosophers went about it—why?

3. Fundamentally, how is the Christian faith different from philosophy?  How did Justin Martyr show this difference?

Notes

1. Since philosophy deals with matters of reality, existence, and knowledge, a wrong philosophical foundation produces a wrong worldview which distorts the truth.  In my opinion, philosophy is helpful when it acknowledges the existence of fixed truth, and the limitation of science and moral law.

2. These philosophers did nothing but talk about the latest ideas.  In fact, they didn’t care about how these ideas were relevant to real life. 

3. The Christian faith begins with “ideas” about how life ought to be lived under the rubric of a personal God who sent Jesus Christ to save us from the penalty of sin.  This led Justin to die for Him when given the choice between believing God—or denying Him.  Philosophy, by definition, loves ideas, rather than putting the ideas into practice.       

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Evening Reflection

Today was a different kind of devotional, right?  The followers of Christ should be doers but not before having first become thinkers.  That’s part of loving God with our mind.  What do you really believe?  Are you living accordingly?  Do you have a set of non-negotiable beliefs and values that you will not compromise under any condition? What are your non-negotiables?

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on December 23, 2015, is provided by Phillip Chen who is associate pastor at Kairos Christian Church in San Diego.  Phil is a graduate of University of California, San Diego (BS) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

Hosea 9:8-10 (ESV)

They shall not pour drink offerings of wine to the Lord, and their sacrifices shall not please him. It shall be like mourners’ bread to them; all who eat of it shall be defiled; for their bread shall be for their hunger only; it shall not come to the house of the Lord.

What do you tend to do when you’ve messed up? We see movies that show the man insincerely buying flowers and chocolates in hopes of making up with his significant other—and we are baffled at his naiveté, thinking, Surely, he doesn’t think that forgiveness can be bought! Gifts (without sincere repentance) cannot appease broken relationships. We get that, but surprisingly, humans think that this works towards God. Subconsciously, this is what many of us do as we approach God, falling into the lie that we are allowed to continue with sin in our lives as long as we are attending church, giving tithes, serving and going on mission trips. We use these “acts of worship” to barter with God to justify sin. Yet God is not interested in those “acts of worship” if a repentant heart does not accompany them. 

We often treat God as if He is obligated to receive our worship, whether it is the Sunday worship service or small groups. If we serve in different ministries and go on mission trips, God should be grateful for our service and all that we give—but this is certainly not the case. Here, in this passage, God tells Israel that He is not pleased with their offering—it is not accepted in His sight. Then what does God desire?

King David knew that God desired the heart more than simple, outward actions. In Psalm 51, as he reflects on his treacherous sin in having Uriah murdered to cover up his adultery with Bathsheba, he says, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” There is a difference between being sorry for getting caught and being genuinely sorry for our sins. King David does not offer sacrifices—an outward action—simply to appease God. Rather, he is sincerely remorseful as he repents of his sin, which is what God desires of us. When we sin, let us approach His throne of grace with a broken and contrite heart, for He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us of our sins!

Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your steadfast love. Even in the midst of my faithlessness, You remain faithful. I don’t want to keep offering sacrifices that are not from a genuine, repentant heart. Help me in my weakness, and cause me to hate sin and run from it towards You. May my worship be a pleasing aroma to You! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Philippians 3

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Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 51:4, 11, 13-7: Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. . . . 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. . . . 13  Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise

Question to Consider

1. What do we make of v. 4 when David says, “Against you, you only, have I sinned…” when David has clearly sinned against Uriah and Bathsheba?

2. What is the significance of David asking that God would not take His presence away from him (v.11)?

3. What do verses 13-17 teach us about what God desires when we approach Him? 

Notes

1. I believe this is not to be seen as David thinking naively that he has only sinned against God and not seeing the impact of his sin towards others. Rather, I think it is the recognition that every sinful action directly offends God first and foremost. Also, comparatively speaking, his sin is most severe against God.

2. Many of us tend to have a faulty idea of repentance. A religious person will confess and repent out of a fear of consequences, but a true Christian will confess because they fear losing God’s presence. They understand the value of belonging to God and being in His presence.

3. God is not looking for gifts and sacrifices simply to appease Him. Rather, God is looking for hearts that have turned to Him in repentance and true worship that arises from a truly repentant heart. True praises ring forth from our mouths from a broken and contrite heart. 

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Evening Reflection

Have you justified certain sins in your lives and have been okay with it? Have you used religious acts of worship to mask and justify these sins? Loving God and true worship comes from a heart that hates sin and runs from it. Tonight, ask God to search your heart and reveal to you any areas of your life that grieves Him; then turn towards Him and know that in His loving kindness, He restores and makes our paths straight. 

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional provided by Cami King, now a friend of AMI, was first posted on December 18, 2015.  Cami has served faithfully as a staff at several AMI churches in the past.  

Devotional Thoughts for This Morning

“Picture Yourself Being Betrayed”

Hosea 3:1-5

Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” ² So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley. ³ Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have aman; so I will also be toward you.” ⁴ For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. ⁵ Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.

Rick Warren developed a Bible study tool for narratives called “Picture It,” where you imagine yourself as a character from a Bible story to get a richer understanding of what the passage is trying to teach. While not the most rigorous tool in the arsenal, it’s a useful one for the book of Hosea. This short chapter is full of so much drama that it can seem unbelievably fictional. But it’s not some made up drama. It’s a true story of a real man and his real wife that God is using to show his people what their relationship with him really looks like. And I think we stand to learn much from it about the heart of our faithful God.  

Picture it: you’re Hosea. How would you feel if the woman you loved left you to be with other men? What kind of heart would you have to have in order to still love her after that – and not just a feeling of love, but to also do love towards her by finding and rescuing her, overcoming your pride and publically loving her. What would you have been thinking or doing those lonely nights when she was away? As you headed to the auction block, what would be running through your mind? How would you feel as you watched her exposed and being sold to the highest bidder? How would you feel as you gave your precious resources to buy back your own wife? Slow down and try to imagine. 

Most of us read this story absolutely furious with Gomer. We want to scream, “What are you doing? Don’t you see? Stop this right now!” But as Brooke Frasier once said, “We are Hosea’s wife.” We are constantly turning away from God who loves us more than anything and prostituting our hearts in worship of far less worthy lovers. And it’s easy to forget that with God, we are in a relationship with a real personal being. And while He’s faithful beyond measure, His faithfulness looks like something, feels like something, and costs something (just as it did for Hosea). May our hearts be moved as we remember the loyal love and faithfulness of our God today! 

Prayer: Precious Savior, You are faithful (slow down and really declare those words to the Lord). My heart is so prone to wander, and I am constantly turning away from the life You offer me with You, to live my own way. Please forgive me. But no matter where I go, Your goodness and loyal love do indeed pursue me wherever I go. And for that, I am deeply grateful. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Philippians 2

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Lunch Break Study

Read Exodus 34:5-8: The Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord. 6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” 8 Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. 

Questions to Consider: 

1. When the Lord reveals Himself (shows His glory) to Moses on Mount Sinai, how does He describe Himself? What do each of these characteristics mean, and what kind of picture does this passage paint of what God is like? 
2. What do you think the Lord means by His words in the last clause of verse 7? How did we see this at work in our passage from this morning? 

Notes:

1. (1) Compassionate & (2) Gracious – God’s compassion and grace work hand in hand. The first is the feeling in His heart concerning us that leads to acts of benevolence toward us. (3) Slow to anger – God is patient. While He does get angry in the face of sin and brokenness, He is slow to punish us in hopes that we will repent and be saved. (4) Abounding in lovingkindness – this is God’s loyal or covenantal love that endures forever. This is what we see playing out in Hosea. (5) Abounding in truth – As Jesus said, He himself is the truth. (6) Keeps lovingkindness for thousands – God’s love spreads wide and is offered to all who will believe. (7) Forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin – God forgives; He makes a way for us to be forgiven instead of being punished. (8) By no means leaves the guilty unpunished – God is also just, so His grace isn’t cheap. He doesn’t just overlook sin – He either punishes it or atones for it. 
2. “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” This can be a tough phrase to understand. Elsewhere in Scripture we learn that no man is punished for something He didn’t himself do. So what is God saying here? Sometimes, God gives people up to their own sin and allows the natural consequences of those sins to play out. Commentators call this God’s “passive judgment” where He isn’t necessarily punishing actively, but allowing sin to take its full course. And as many of us have experienced, the consequences of our patterns of sin affects those closest to us – especially our children. 

In this morning’s passage, we saw that God would leave His people without king or sacrifice (v. 4). Because of their rebellion (they turned away from God’s king and from worship of Him), they would go without a king and without worship (sacrificial system) for a time before God restored them. This would help them to see the full weight of their sin and rebellion against the Lord and send them running back to Him. 

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Evening Reflection

What are the other “lovers” in your life that draw your heart away from the Lord? In other words, what things are you willing to compromise for? Is it career and success? Having a certain kind of lifestyle or a certain kind of family? Is it recognition or the approval of others? Is it wealth and comfort? We all have altars where we offer devotion (our time, treasure, talents) to achieve things we think will satisfy us or make us happy. Spend some time identifying those areas and offering them to the Lord, asking for freedom. Remember Hosea’s wife and ask God to give you singular devotion to Him alone.  Remind yourself of God’s great love for you and all He has done to buy you back from bondage to those things. 

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on October 20, 2014.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Don’t Rely on Your First Impression of People”

Hebrews 11:1-2, 8, 24, 32 (NIV)

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope and certain of what we do not see.  This is what the ancients were commended for. . .  By faith Abraham. . .  By faith Moses. . .  And shall I say?  I do not have time to tell about . . . Barak.”

My first impression of Anita in Mexico, a flight attendant, wasn’t good because she was always talking in my class.  When I was told that she studied at a local Bible institute in the past, I sort of wondered why, seeing that she didn’t appear to be the “type.”

Deborah’s impression of Barak wasn’t good either (Judges 4:8-23).  After being told to attack a superior enemy (with 900 iron chariots), he said to her, “If you don’t go with me, I won’t go.”  What a sight! A seasoned soldier so dependent on a woman half of his size!  After agreeing to go, she said, “Because of the way you are going about this . . . the LORD will hand over Sisera over to a woman.”

So, finding Barak’s name, along with Abraham and Moses, in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrew 11, is surprising.  While lack of information about Barak lends itself to speculate as to how he was chosen for such an honor, he did show a dramatic improvement.  Just prior to launching the actual battle, when Deborah said to Barak, “Go!  This is the day the LORD has given Sisera into your hands, . . . Barak went.”  Being outnumbered and out-gunned, this took a lot of faith and courage for Barak, but God must have been pleased since “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Heb. 11:6).

A few years had passed since my first encounter with Anita when I met her again.  It was after I had preached about missions in which I shared how I hated the idea of becoming a missionary, but I came to Mexico anyway out of obedience to God.   Anita, in tears, told me how that resonated with her because she, too, decided to become a missionary out of obedience to him.  And in 2010, Anita, now married with a child, left the comforts of her home to reach a tribe in a remote part of Mexico.* 

Don’t make too much of your first impression of people, because God changes people.  He is in the process of changing you too, to be useful for His kingdom work.  Come to Christ; learn to trust him; renew your passion and purpose through Jesus.  It’s never too late!  

*She and her husband have been serving at a Baptist church for the past 10 years.

Prayer: Dear Lord, how I praise you this morning.  How refreshing it is to know that You are constantly working in me to will and to act according to your good purpose.  Again, I am amazed and humbled by your grace, that the little faith that I have, is counted as something.  Thank you.  Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: Philippians 1

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Lunch Break Study

Read Romans 15:1, 7: “We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves . . . Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” 

Gal. 6:1: “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” 

Questions to Consider

1. We dislike or have problems with some people for different reasons, both real and imagined.  What is the attitude that we are told to cultivate?  What does that mean?

2. Are we to simply accept the failings or defects (real, not imagined) of others? What are we told to do?

3. What should we watch out for when we try to correct others or when others try to correct us?  What is one thing you are struggling with at the present moment?

Notes

1. We are told to bear with and accept the one whose faith (character) is weak and immature. Without agreeing with or tolerating the behavior, we accept the person, thereby treating him/her with civility and respect.

2. No, it does not mean that we put up with bad behaviors of others.  We are to correct them gently out of the desire to help them (restorative, not punitive).    

3. We should know that we aren’t above the problem, meaning the correction should be tempered by the realization that we may do the same thing in the future.   The person being corrected should know that unconditional acceptance and the need to be corrected are not mutually exclusive.

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Evening Reflection

Did anyone point out anything about you that wasn’t necessarily positive?  Pray about whether God may be behind it.  If so, then, what should you do?  Pray a little more to find out. 

NEW Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought is provided by Pastor Yohan Lee, a friend of AMI who had served as a staff at several AMI churches.  He is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Cairn University (MA).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Never Alone” 

Isaiah 43:1-2

“But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel:  “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Last year, my then nine-year old daughter’s class got put on quarantine and had to stay home for almost two weeks.  If you were lucky enough to be in a school district that met in person last year, you know that this was a fairly common occurrence.  However, for my daughter, this case was particularly concerning for a couple of reasons.  First, it was still early in the year so this was one of the first times a quarantine had been mandated.  Second, the person who got Covid was in her class and sat close to my daughter.  So my girl was scared, and I know on a few occasions during the early part of that quarantine, she went to her room and cried for fear of getting sick.  It also didn’t help that her older brother would say things like, “If you die, we all get our own rooms.”  

One day, while my daughter was feeling particularly anxious, I went up to her room to talk with her and reassure her that there was very little chance she would get Covid for a number of reasons like social distancing in the classroom, mask wearing, teachers were always disinfecting, etc.  When none of that logic seemed to bring her any comfort, I had one of my rare parenting strokes of genius.  I basically told my daughter to give me a big hug and then I kissed her on the lips.  Then I said, “Look we just shared germs; that means if you get Covid, I’m getting Covid too.  We can get sick together.”  

You should have seen my girl’s face light up.  She then said, “Thanks Daddy” and gave me another big hug.  I realized at that moment that the fear of getting Covid was only a small portion of what was troubling my daughter; her greater fear was having to face it alone.  Somehow things aren’t as daunting when you have someone to share the burden with you.  

The promise of being in Christ and having a Heavenly Father who will never leave you or forsake is one of the most underrated blessings of being a Christian.  Look, following Christ doesn’t mean that God will take away all of your troubles (as some may have preached); in fact, much the opposite is true, that is, believers can be assured that following Christ will eventually lead to trouble in this life (2 Tim 3:12).  But in those times, we can take comfort that there is a God who promises to be with us and, when necessary, carry us through them.  In our passage today, God never told the nation of Israel that they will not have to cross rivers or face firestorms; He simply told them that when you walk through these things, He would be with you.  And this is the promise for those of us who believe in Jesus

This was a tough week for the ECCR family.  We lost a longtime employee.  A few others had family tragedies.  Who knows how many others are dealing with sickness, or family troubles and sickness, personal troubles, financial troubles, etc.?  Please know that God has not left you; in fact, the contrary is true.  If you are in Christ, He promises to be with you through it all.  You are never alone. 

Prayer: Father, it is comforting to know that You have my back!  Thank for sharing Your Son with us so that we can be reconciled back to You.  I praise Your wonderful name. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today:  Romans 16

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Charles Choe who leads Tapestry Church in Los Angeles, was first posted on April 1, 2015.  Charles is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Spiritual Food for Thought the Weekend

“Are You Kind . . . to the Person Whom You Dislike?”

2 Samuel 1:11-12

“Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.” 

 A few years ago, Meghan Vogel, as junior runner for West Liberty-Salem High School (Ohio), won the 1,600-meter title for her state.  While it was an outstanding accomplishment, what she did in her next race was most extraordinary. With about 20 meters to go in that race, a runner in front of Vogel collapsed.  Rather than run past her, Vogel, after helping her to get up, carried her across the finish line while keeping that runner ahead of her the whole time. “Any girl on the track would have done the same for me,” Vogel said. But her action resonated with the thousands of onlookers who witnessed it.

When David heard the news of Saul’s death from an Amalekite, David saw that he was an opportunist.  By turning in King Saul’s crown and a bracelet, the Amalekite, assuming that he was doing David a favor, expected a great deal in return from him.  But to his surprise, the last thing on David’s mind was to celebrate the death of the Lord’s anointed.

From a human perspective, Saul’s death should have been an opportunity for David, but that was not the way he saw it. He neither rejoiced nor celebrated; instead, he grieved over Saul’s death.  David was not interested in his own vindication or triumph at the cost of another person’s tragedy.  In fact, this is why David was so unique as a king, and the one God honored among all other kings of Israel. 

David, then, wrote a beautiful eulogy for Saul in which he encouraged future generations to think of what King Saul had done for Israel (v. 18).  He kindly considered Saul as the anointed of God who fought valiantly, swifter than eagles, and stronger than lions (v. 23).  He even said that Saul was loved and gracious.  Of course, we know Saul was anything but gracious or pleasant to David, but he chose to view Saul’s legacy as a whole and not with a grudge. 

Are you kind to your competitors? Do you wish them well or do you secretly seek their demise? How do you treat those who are after the same grade or promotion as you? How about those who try to get ahead of you by soiling your reputation? The Bible tells us that love is kind and does not keep a record of wrong. David was truly a great king. He became a king after God’s heart through his magnanimous heart towards others, especially those who did not deserve it. In that way, he was very much like the One who was his true King, the God of Israel. 

Prayer: Lord, beginning today, help me to “treat everyone [I] meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. [Help me to] extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding [I] can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. I pray that [my] life will never be the same again.” Amen.  (Og Mandino)

Bible Reading for Today: Romans 14-15