November 4, Tuesday 

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, originally posted on May 7, 2019, is provided by Pastor David Kwon who leads Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“God with Us”

Exodus 25:10-16

“They shall make an ark of acacia wood. Two cubits and a half shall be its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 You shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and outside shall you overlay it, and you shall make on it a molding of gold around it. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. 13 You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold.14 And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. 15 The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark the testimony that I shall give you.

Throughout history, mankind has constructed many remarkable structures and buildings.  Just think about the Great Pyramids in Egypt, the palace at Machu Picchu, the Parthenon, the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China.  But, probably the most important structure that was ever built in history was the Ark of the Covenant.  The very center of God’s presence was the ark, which was placed in the Holy of Holies – the innermost tent in the tabernacle.  

Like the other articles in the temple, it was made from acacia wood (v. 10), which was a highly durable wood.  The ark was covered with pure gold and it had been treated to remove any impurities (v. 11). Obviously, anything less could not be a fitting piece of furniture for the King of kings. Basically, the ark was a box fitted with poles so that it could be lifted onto the shoulders and carried without being touched directly. These poles were never removed (vv. 12–15), probably so that the ark could be carried off at a moment’s notice. The ark went everywhere that Israel went, even into battle (Josh. 6), and the ark’s constant availability to be picked up and carried off symbolized God’s willingness to go with His people wherever they might go.  I like how one author, Daniel Hyde, describes the Ark:

“Here is such a mind-blowing idea about the God of the Bible that we have to pause for a moment. The eternal God who is not constrained by the existence of time, the infinite God who is not bound by the constraints of space, the transcendent God who dwells above and beyond all time and space, and the immense God who fills all time and space condescended to the weakness of His people and became manifest for their benefit in one locale. This God is not bound by time, but He bound Himself to the time-bound experience of His people. This God is not bound by space, but He bound Himself to this box. He is above all creational constraints, but He bound Himself to them. He is everywhere, but He was there.”

One lesson we can apply today is that God’s presence is with us now and forever.  In John 17:17-18, Jesus reminds us that the Holy Spirit is in us which ensures us that his presence is always there and He will never leave us.  This means we can have comfort amid pain, joy amid sorrow and assurance that God is with us even when it does not seem like it.  Have confidence and draw near to Him!

Prayer:  Lord, thank You for the story of the Ark of the Covenant because it reminds us that You are a God who is still dwelling in our midst.  Thank You that we can come to You freely because of the blood of Jesus!

Bible Reading: Acts 16

Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 23:1-5: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.  3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. 

Questions to Consider

  • As believers, what do you think it means to not be ‘in want’?
  • How should this truth free us from anxiety and worry?  Why is this important to understand?
  • How can these verses challenge and comfort you today?

Notes

  • As a shepherd, He is the one who is our provider. He satisfies my needs. That is the place where God wants to bring us. He wants us to be independently dependent upon Him, to need Him alone.
  • It also means that he provides for our practical needs such as food, job, possessions, etc.  We should never worry or be in want but rather continually trust in Him.  Even in the darkest moments of our lives, God’s goodness and mercy follow us (v.6), which ought to give us confidence in our Great Shepherd.  
  • Take some time and mediate on what this means for you in every area of your life.

Evening Reflection

James 4:8 – Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. 

Be encouraged that we can have intimacy with our Holy and Majestic God!  Take some time in prayer and worship to draw near to him!

November 3, Monday

REPOST Originally shared on June 10, 2019, today’s AMI QT Devotional—written by an anonymous contributor—continues to offer quiet insight and reflection.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The High Priest’s New Clothes: The Ephod and Breast Plate”

Exodus 28:6-14

“And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked. 7 It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. 8 And the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. 9 You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, 10 six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, in the order of their birth. 11 As a jeweler engraves signets, so shall you engrave the two stones with the names of the sons of Israel. You shall enclose them in settings of gold filigree. 12 And you shall set the two stones on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, as stones of remembrance for the sons of Israel. And Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord on his two shoulders for remembrance. 13 You shall make settings of gold filigree, 14 and two chains of pure gold, twisted like cords; and you shall attach the corded chains to the settings.

In spending time in the New Testament, I came across a passage that fascinated me deeply in the Gospel of John: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life;  and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39) [ESV].

In the first century, to refer to the Scriptures would be to refer to the Old Testament. If the books of the Tanakh (i.e., Law, Prophets, Writings) testify of our Lord, then they ought to be studied and enjoyed with every bit of fervor as the New Testament, right? Thus, studying Exodus 28 was an opportunity to have some fun looking for Jesus in the Old Testament. Here’s some of what I found.

In the latter half of Exodus, God instructs the Israelites to function as His representatives on Earth. This includes protocols for worship and the priesthood, down to the clothing of the high priest (Aaron, brother of Moses). Exodus 28 covers the details of Aaron’s attire, seemingly painting a picture of the coming Jesus in the process. Painstakingly made, the priestly garments are “… for glory and for beauty,” (Exod. 28:2 ESV). Aaron’s coat, undergarments and turban are all white, signifying purity. The ephod is made of gold and woven skillfully with blue, purple and scarlet yarns matching the inside of the tabernacle (Exod. 26). On its shoulder pieces, the ephod has two onyx stones engraved with the names of the tribes of Israel. The breast piece is made in the style of the ephod, with the same blue, purple and scarlet yarns. On its front, the breast piece contains four rows of stones, each engraved with the name of the sons of Israel (Exod. 28:15-21). 

Now, Aaron, as the high priest, is tasked with bearing the tribes of Israel on his shoulders and his heart (Exod. 28:12, 29). Apparently, only once a year Aaron would shed the breast piece and the ephod, and that was on the Day of Atonement. On this day, Aaron was simply to wear the all-white coat, turban and undergarments; this is to say, he was to shed his glorious clothes, and enter the tabernacle dressed humbly and pure.

Interestingly, Jesus is called our High Priest numerous times in the Book of Hebrews. To perform His work of atonement, Jesus entered creation without extravagant garments, temporarily setting aside His glory and standing pure within Himself. However, rather than bearing the weight of just Israel on His shoulders and heart, Jesus bore the weight of all His people when completing His work. Could it be the Aaronic priesthood and its garments were a glimpse of the true High Priest to come? If all of creation speaks to God’s invisible attributes (Rom. 1:20), then is it possible Jesus can be found in much more of our lives than what we currently perceive? I challenge us all to look, and then worship Him and serve Him. 

Prayer: Father, Your Word speaks of Your works and wonders from beginning to end; thank You for leaving us pictures of Your Son to look forward to as we spend time in Scripture. Holy Spirit, as You dwell within us, I pray You would open our eyes wider, giving us daily reminders of the Son, His work and the cost of our atonement. Thank You, for everything. In Christ, amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 15

Lunch Break Study

Read Hebrews 4:14-16: Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of nee

Questions to consider

1. What are some differences between Jesus and the Aaronic priests? 

2. What makes Jesus a better High Priest for us?

3. Think about the last time you were comforted and encouraged by our high priest.

Notes

1. While the Aaronic priests needed priestly attire to outwardly display themselves as God’s priests on Earth, under the garments stood, still, a sinful man. By contrast, Jesus’ outward appearance was humble, being that of a simple carpenter. Jesus carried the necessary glory and purity to serve as God’s Priest on Earth within Himself.

2. I think Hebrews 4:15 hits this one on the head: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (ESV). We do not serve a God who arbitrarily makes rules for us to follow and punishes those who cannot keep to them. Rather, our God leads by example, having been tempted in the same way as we are, yet walked among us without sin. What’s more, our God provided Himself as the final sacrifice for His people to draw near to Him.

3. Personal response.

Evening Reflection

Clearly there are parallels between the garments of the Aaronic priesthood and the true High Priest, Jesus. Sometimes people refer to the parts of the Old Testament where specifications of the tabernacle are described, or the Law is given to the people, as the “dry” sections of the Bible because the narrative of the story is somewhat paused. Professor Dave Talley (Talbot) once remarked, “…it seems everyone likes watching the dominoes fall, but not so much watching the dominoes get set up,” while commenting on the Old Testament. I had never thought of it that way.  So, if we love Jesus, then we should love the whole Old Testament as well, dry stretches and all, because Christ is all over it.  

November 2, Sunday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, originally posted on November 11, 2018, is written by Pastor David Son who pastors the Thrive Church in Taipei.  Stay up to date with the church by following her here: https://www.instagram.com/thrivechurchtaipei/

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Grace from a Guy Named ‘Evil’”

Jeremiah 52:31-34

And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived.

I love movies from the 90’s. Not necessarily because they are higher quality films (although many are), but mostly because after you watch a 90’s movie, you feel a fantastic sense of closure. But these days, nearly every major film that comes out ends with a cliffhanger. I concede that some of them are fairly well done, and they leave the viewers with a sense excitement and anticipation. Unfortunately, many others are poorly executed, leaving the viewers angry at the fact that they have to shell out another $15 to find out what happens next.

Journeying through the book of Jeremiah, the primary theme has been about exile, judgment, and God’s impending wrath upon the nations. But this final chapter in the book is a cliffhanger of the best kind. Amidst all the language of destruction and hopelessness, the final paragraph tells us a story of grace and hope. After 37 years of imprisonment, Jehoiachin (the king of Judah) is shown incredible grace and favor, and that from a guy whose name happens to be “Evil-merodach” (his name doesn’t actually mean “evil” it just sounds like that in English). I love how the last words of this book hint at the coming redemption of God by telling us about a man who is freed from prison, and then given a seat at the king’s table, for no apparent reason at all. If that’s not a foreshadow of God’s redemptive plan, I don’t know what is! This morning, let us remember God’s final plan is always to redeem us. 

Prayer: Thank you, God, for the book of Jeremiah, which reminds us of the seriousness of sin, but also the hope of a redeeming God. We worship You today for who You are. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 14

November 1, Saturday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on August 25, 2018, is provided by Hee Jung Lee. Hee Jung, a graduate of Biblical Theological Seminary, serves at Catalyst Agape Church (New Jersey) along with her husband Pastor Sam Lee. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Why God Does What He Does”

Jeremiah 32:26-30

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? Therefore thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and set fire to this city and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger; because the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth. For the children of Israel have provoked Me only to anger with the work of their hands,’ says the Lord.

In basic literature, it is understood that in every story there is a protagonist and an antagonist. The protagonist, who is the main character and is generally the “good guy,” is provoked by the antagonist, the “bad guy.” The protagonist is the hero usually abhorring evil and preserving good. 

In Jeremiah, God can be understood as the protagonist, despising wrongdoings and idol offerings.  When a heart is rich in love, its natural tendency is to despise unrighteousness, because love does not delight in evil but always rejoices with the truth (1 Cor. 13:8). Also, an upright heart is attracted to all that is good and beneficial to another. Love celebrates the promotion of others and gives up of oneself (John 15:13). To elaborate, sincere love abhors the ways of the flesh and is drawn to whatever is right, honorable, pure, and holy (Philippians 4:8). This truth magnified to perfection is the reason that sin separated people from God, causing Jesus to be the only qualified sacrifice to pay the penalty of iniquity.  

Therefore, it is healthy as a believer to do an inventory of our thoughts, words, and behaviors to gauge how we are progressing spiritually. Spiritual maturity is to love God with our whole being and then to love others as we love ourselves (Matt. 22:39). Is your heart increasing in love or is it stuck in self-preservation? Increase in love reveals that the heart is submitting to the ways of the Lord, while self-preservation is a sign that you have not allowed the Lordship of Christ to reign over yourself (thoughts, attitudes, & will).  

In Jeremiah, we see a Father who is not passive but active in bringing about correction and alignment in His children, in order that we may live in the richness of our true identities as His royal children. This is love. Take time today to consider this: Do you despise the ways of the flesh and wrongdoings? Are you drawn to all that is upright and beneficial to others? The answers to these will give you a good gauge as to how you are doing spiritually. Bring all unhealthiness to the Lord and allow Him the issues of your heart—this is the way of love!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for modeling the ways of love for me! Thank You that as I submit to Your ways and am not be ruled by my feelings, I am allowing Your love to be perfected in me. Thank You that losing is actually gaining in Your Kingdom. I choose to submit myself to You, in order to live as one who is in Christ and can serve as a blessing to others. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 12-13

October 31, Friday

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Doug Tritton, was originally posted on July 31, 2019.  Doug is the Lead Pastor of Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Truly Human” 

Genesis 1:26-28

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

What does it mean to be human? Is it simply our biology as a homo sapiens, the result of millennia of evolutionary tinkering? Or does it have something to do with the ability to reason – to think and create? Or is it something more?

Well, the Bible has a pretty clear answer to what being human is all about and it’s found right on the first page! When God created humankind, He created them in His own image. So, simply put, to be human is to be God’s image. Simple enough, right? But what does this actually mean? The word image comes from a Hebrew word that almost always is used to speak of idols of other gods. If you visit ancient temples of other gods, often you will see images of those gods on the walls of the temple. The word to speak of those kinds of idolatrous images is the word used to speak of humans as the image of God. What was the purpose of those images on the walls? Those images were meant to tell a story about who that god was so that people in the temple could worship.

When God created the heavens and the earth, on the last day, at the end of creation, He created humans and called them His image. He created a massive temple – namely, all of the world – and adorned it with his image, humans. He placed them in creation and said, “Look! This is my image. They point creation to me! They are my objects of worship.” If creation wanted to know who God was, humans as God imagers were to show this to the world. And thus, worship comes to God.

We exist as worship. We are objects of worship in God’s great big creation temple. To be truly human means to know that our life is all about worship. A life without worship is a subhuman life. We were created to be worship of God, to point creation upwards to the reality that God is our creator and thus worthy of all creation’s worship.  

Prayer: Lord, thank You that you created us, Your image bearers. Help us to remember our primary function is to bring worship to You. May we not neglect worship in our lives. Rather, may we truly be human and lead all of creation into worship of You! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 11

Lunch Break Study  

Read Romans 12:1-2: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Questions to Consider

  • According to this passage, what is our spiritual worship?
  • What is the barrier to us being living sacrifices of worship to God?
  • How can you offer your life today as a living sacrifice? What worship is God asking of you now?

Notes

  • Our spiritual worship, according to this passage, is to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. This means our whole lives – our actions, thoughts, emotions, relationships, time, money, possessions, all of it – is meant to be given as worship of God. Our identity as humans is worship so that means everything in our lives is meant to be for God.
  • Being conformed to the world is the barrier to living out our identity as objects of worship. When we as the image of God stop imaging Him and rather image the world, we have become a broken and useless image. We have been corrupted. The source of an image’s identity is the one who is being imaged – to conform to anything else destroys the worship we are meant to bring.
  • Pray and allow God to speak and show you how he wants you to worship him this day! 

Evening Reflection

As you get ready to sleep tonight, reflect on your identity as a worship-bringer of God. Reflect on how worship has been incorporated into your life and invite God to show you how you can make His worship more central in your life.

October 30, Thursday  

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, originally posted on May 5, 2018, is provided by Pastor David Kwon who leads Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The God of Provision”

Exodus 25:23-30

“You shall make a table of acacia wood. Two cubits shall be its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 24 You shall overlay it with pure gold and make a molding of gold around it. 25 And you shall make a rim around it a handbreadth wide, and a molding of gold around the rim. 26 And you shall make for it four rings of gold, and fasten the rings to the four corners at its four legs.27 Close to the frame the rings shall lie, as holders for the poles to carry the table.28 You shall make the poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold, and the table shall be carried with these. 29 And you shall make its plates and dishes for incense, and its flagons and bowls with which to pour drink offerings; you shall make them of pure gold. 30 And you shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me regularly.”

When I look back on how we started our church, JCC, I am always reminded of God’s provision through the years.  Whether it is a church van, sound equipment, financial and human resources, it is evident that God provided everything we needed at the right time.  We still continue to pray and trust that he will provide for us as a church. Have you ever looked back at your life and see how God has provided for you?  

Continuing our look at the building of the tabernacle, we will now look at what is commonly called “the table of the Presence”. This table, along with the lampstand, was to be set up outside the Holy of Holies in the Holy Place of the tabernacle where the light from the lamps could illumine the table.  This title identifies the most important thing about the table – namely, what was on it.  The table in the Holy Place held twelve loaves of sacred bread (1 Sam. 21:6) as well as various plates, dishes, pitchers and bowls.  What did this all mean?  

  • We are utterly dependent on God for everything we need.  This is what the bread signified.  Bread represented God’s provisional care.   
  • God is the great provider.  God had been with the nation of Israel from the very beginning and met all of their needs.  Week after week, year after year, century after century the bread of Presence was a sign of God’s providence
  • God’s fellowship with this people.  When the priest ate the bread, they were eating the presence of God, gathering around his table.  One commentator said it like this, “In the ancient Near East sharing a special meal together was an act of friendship and personal communion.  Thus, God invites Israel to share a meal with Him and enjoy him presence.”  

Are you trusting God for provision?  Let’s trust that He will provide for us, as we are dependent on Him.  

Prayer:  Lord, we want to recognize that You are the great Provider in our lives.  Give us the strength to trust in You every moment of our lives.  Amen! 

Bible Reading: Acts 10

Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 6:25-34: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Questions to Consider

  • When it comes to the area of worry, what is the main issue Jesus is pointing to?
  • What is the solution to anxiety over our future?
  • How can we be comforted by this passage?


Notes

  • The reason we get anxious about our life and future is because we lack faith.   We lack faith that God’s ways are best and that He will provide for us in His time.  
  • The way that we overcome worry is by making His kingdom the highest priority (v. 33).  We seek His kingdom and we trust that He will add things that we need.
  • We can be assured that God knows and cares for our every need.  He desires us to trust in and to seek the things of His kingdom.  

Evening Reflection

In what areas do you need greater trust in God?  Be specific and lift those areas up to the Lord in prayer.  

October 29, Wednesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, originally posted on April 3, 2019, is provided by Ulysses Wang who pastors Renewal Church in Sunnyvale, California.

Devotional Though for This Morning

“God Who Redeems our Pain.”

Exodus 18:1-12

Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2 Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home, 3 along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), 4 and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). 5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6 And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” 7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent. 8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. 9 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” 12 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

Moses, after delivering the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, is reunited with his wife, two sons, and father-in-law. Scripture specifically highlights his sons by not only naming them, but also by explaining the meaning of their names. This is interesting because in the case of Gershom, we already know the meaning of his name from the account of his birth in Exodus 2:22. So why repeat it? It’s almost as if the names of his sons took on new meaning in light of Egypt’s deliverance from slavery. It’s as if Moses’ sadness at his plight in Exodus 2 had been redeemed, with the names of his sons reminding him of how far God had taken him and the Hebrews.

There’s great encouragement to be received from Moses’ story. It reminds us that God is a Redeemer, and that we can hope in Him for the redemption of our pain and adversity. Moses is a reminder that truly, “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” (Romans 8:28). And this even becomes a testimony to the nations, for Jethro, a Midianite, declares, “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods”! And this was God’s aim all along. The apostle Paul writes in Romans 9:17, “Or the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’”

We must not lose sight of the fact that our suffering and eventual redemption serves as a light unto the nations. When we face adversity, put our hope in God and persevere, we experience God’s faithfulness, and that speaks volumes to the watching world about who our God is.

Prayer: Lord, grant me the perseverance to walk with you faithfully, even through the valley of the shadow of death. Grant that I may come to see the Gershoms and Eliezers of my life in a new light, trusting that God is a Redeemer, as He has shown us through the cross. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 9

LUNCH BREAK STUDY

Read Acts 6:8-15: Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.” So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.” All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Questions to Consider

  • How would you describe the manner in which witnesses against Stephen were produced as well as the nature of the accusations?
  • How might you have felt or reacted if you were in Stephen’s shoes?
  • According to v.15, how did Stephen react?  What can we learn from him?

Notes

  • The witnesses were “false” and the accusations egregious distortions of Jesus’ teachings, abused to the benefit of Stephan’s accusers.
  • A sense of anger, indignation, or injustice?
  • No matter how we are wronged, no matter the injustice we experience, can we face it with “the face of an angel”?  This doesn’t necessarily mean succumbing to whatever evil befalls us, but it does mean approaching every situation with love, forgiveness and blamelessness.

EVENING REFLECTION

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety” (Psalm 4:8).  

Have a wonderful rest in Lord.  Good night. 

October 28, Tuesday

REPOST REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, originally posted on July 16, 2019, is provided by Pastor Yohan Lee.  He is a friend of AMI who in the past has served as a staff at several AMI churches.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Good to Bad”

Jeremiah 41:9

On the day after the murder of Gedaliah, before anyone knew of it,5 eighty men arrived from Shechem and Shiloh and Samaria, with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, and their bodies gashed, bringing grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the Lord. 6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah came out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he came. As he met them, he said to them, “Come in to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.” 7 When they came into the city, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the men with him slaughtered them and cast them into a cistern. 8 But there were ten men among them who said to Ishmael, “Do not put us to death, for we have stores of wheat, barley, oil, and honey hidden in the fields.” So he refrained and did not put them to death with their companions.  9 Now the cistern into which Ishmael had thrown all the bodies of the men whom he had struck down along with Gedaliah was the large cistern that King Asa had made for defense against Baasha king of Israel; Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain.

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld made the joke that landing a man on the moon—you do believe it happened, right?— may have been the worst thing that happened to humanity.  Now we have a point of comparison for our failures, as in, “I can’t believe they can put a man on the moon, but they can’t figure out a way to make a prescription bottle top that’s easy to open.”  Seinfeld ends the bit by joking that Neil Armstrong should have said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for every whining, complaining [person] out there.”  

Human beings have this way of turning good things into something to complain about or worse, something very terrible, don’t they?  Take today’s passage, in verse 9—the writer of Jeremiah points out that Ishmael used the cistern that King Asa had dug, presumably to supply water for Jerusalem during a potential siege on Jerusalem some 300 years earlier (see 1 Kings 15), as a mass graveyard for some 70 men he mercilessly slaughtered.  This cistern, which was supposed to be a source of life, became a reminder of death.

Now, I trust that most of our reading audience aren’t mass murderers, so here’s the question for you: What are the good things in your life that you have turned bad?  Perhaps that job which was supposed to provide for the needs of your family and help build the Kingdom of God became the sole means by which you measure success.  Or those kids who you’re supposed to groom into the image of Christ became your only reason for living.  Even hobbies which can relieve stress and give pleasure can become a means to escape life.  You get the point—don’t turn the good things in your life into mush.  Give it a serious thought to what I shared today. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for all the things that I have: family, friends, education, job, etc.  Help me keep these things in proper perspective, knowing all I have is Yours.  If there is anything that I have turned into an idol, please bring it to light and help me to love You most.  

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 8

Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 19:16-30: And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.  23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Questions to Consider

1.  What are some good things that the rich young man was able to do?

2.  What were the disciples able to do that this young man could not?

3.  What are the things that hold you like the rich young man?  Can you release them like the disciples?

Notes

1.  According to the rich young man, he was moral and even “loved his neighbor as himself.”  I’ll take him at his word, meaning he probably gave alms.  So, in a sense, he was willing to follow God to a certain extent.

2.  However, when Jesus tells him to sell everything he possessed, he was unable to do it.  The disciples, in contrast, gave up everything to follow Jesus.  I think this is how most Christians are:  we’ll follow Christ to a certain point, but beyond that, it’s too much.  

3.  Personal response

Evening Reflection

Did you have an opportunity to be critical and truthful?  Were you discouraging in your words or tone, or did you do your best to encourage?  Did you honor God with praise and blessing today?  It’s still not too late.  Consider Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Without using the word, today’s theme was idolatry.  In other words, what are the good things God has blessed us with that we have made bad by loving them too much?  Take a few minutes and recommit everything that you have jobs, family, homes, etc. back to the Lord.  

October 27, Monday

REPOST Todays’ AMI Quiet Time, originally posted on January 17, 2019, is provided by Pastor Ryun.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Prophetic Witness in the Temporal City of Man”

2 Corinthians 5:20 (ESV)

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

In one sermon given after the 2016 election, based on the above Scripture, I declared: “As God’s ambassadors on earth—as representatives of the eternal city of God in the temporal city of man—are you going to represent the interest of Hillary or Trump? You may love one and hate the other—which shows that you’ve been co-opted by the partisan politics—but they are alike: some good, some bad, and a whole lot of ugly! Know that we’ve been sent here to bear prophetic witness in the temporal city of man.” What is prophetic witness? It has less to do with predicting the future and more to do with declaring God’s pronouncement—based on an unbiased reading of Scripture—against unjust and unrighteous leaders or institutions, whether ecclesiastical, political or social.

And no one exemplifies this prophetic witness better than John the Baptist, who, while busily ministering to a multitude of desperate people who came out to the desert, still found the time to rebuke King Herod Antipas for “all the . . . evil things he had done” (Lk. 3:19).  In one particular message to Herod, John said, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife [Herodias]” (Mk. 6:18b). Both Antipas and Herodias had divorced their respective spouses to marry each other; the fact that Antipas was Herodias’s uncle made this union more unsavory.  Thus, John excoriated this political figure on grounds of breaking Jewish legal and moral laws.

The opposite of prophetic witness is when Christians allow themselves to become a mouthpiece for groups advocating partisan interests that benefit insiders but hurt outsiders. A very bad case of this occurred during the World War II when German Christians (who controlled the German Evangelical Church) wholeheartedly embraced Nazism, and gave Hitler the vote of confidence he needed to claim legitimacy in his own nation. They declared, “[We believe that] God intended the Germans to unite under a powerful leader [Hitler], to pour out their energies for the national good, and keep the Aryan race to which they belonged free from any taint of alien blood.”  And when Hitler pronounced the boycott of all Jewish stores in Germany, it was the German Christians who led the boycott. This is a case of the Right getting into bed with the reigning political power; the Left can and has done the same.

Amid this badly compromised German church appeared Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a brilliant young theologian who clearly saw that the Nazis were a ruthless effort to remake history without God and to build it on the unmitigated power of single individual blindly backed by the collective. Foregoing the opportunity to ensconce in America, he returned to Germany to denounce the political system that debased and deceived a nation and made Hitler its idol.  He declared, “I am firmly and rightly convinced that it is . . . a Christian duty towards God to oppose tyranny—a government which is no longer based on natural law and the law of God.” For speaking prophetically against the corrupted regime that no longer served as God’s civil authority (Rom. 13:1-5; Dan. 3:16-18), Bonhoeffer was imprisoned for two years before being executed a few days before Germany surrender to the Allies. 

In ensuing blogs, we will examine three groups (Black Lives Matter, #Me Too movement, Antifa) and one individual (President Trump) that have been rocking our nation, from the standpoint of prophetic witness. For now, be reminded of this: Christians should never be so closely tied to the agendas of certain sociopolitical groups that they become an enabler of them.  Remember this: Jesus is neither Republican nor Democrat. This mixing will make it even easier for those in opposite groups to reject the gospel—the only message that can reconcile spiritually broken people back to God—when the partisan believers share it. Meaning what? I wouldn’t want a liberal democrat, who cannot say anything nice about the current president, to categorically reject my gospel presentation because she is put off by her perception (both real and imagined) that Christians like me supported Mr. Trump with glee.  Neither am I saying that Christians couldn’t have voted for him, but his life—both past and present—does present challenges to Christians, who desire to imitate Christ, like no other previous presidents. To me that’s a great loss. Therefore, we have to safeguard the appeal of the good news from God to all lost people. That’s where the prophetic witness comes in. Meanwhile, we pray for our president. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, give us the wisdom and boldness not to easily give into the push and pull of the Republicans and Democrats and any other groups in-between. Remind us that we are the citizens of Your Kingdom and that we are here to represent Your Kingdom agendas. Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 7

Lunch Break Study

Read Daniel 3:3b-6 (ESV): “And they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 And the herald proclaimed aloud, ‘You are commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, 5 that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace” . . . 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in furious rage commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought. So they brought these men before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up? 15 . . . if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace . . . 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”

Questions to Consider

1. What is the nature of Nebuchadnezzar’s demand made on the three young men from Israel?

2. Speak about the discernment of the three young men—why didn’t they bow?

3. Ultimately, what motivated these young men to willingly die for their faith? 

Note

1. Nebuchadnezzar’s demand was for the three God-fearing young men to supplant God, their eternal power source, and replace Him with the temporal power of man.  What a raw deal! 

2. While they were certainly being faithful to God by refusing to bow to a human, the three young men were simply being very smart. Knowing that God’s eternal power could keep them from burning, they didn’t bow; but also knowing that God honors those who honor Him (1 Sam. 2:30b) gave them assurance that they were doing the right thing.

3. They were motivated, first, by their desire to ensure that God and His Kingdom are not seen as no more important than man and his kingdom; second, concomitant to that, they knew that the switching of their allegiances would have discredited their witness on behalf of their God. 

Evening Reflection

No doubt, today’s news was again inundated with the latest scandals, real or alleged, on the President who has been like no other president in recent memory.  Whether you like or dislike him, God commands believers to offer “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings . . . for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).  Would you pray for him? Maybe it will be the first time—pray that the President will humble himself and earnestly seek the Lord.

October 26, Sunday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Christine Li, was originally posted on August  17, 2018. Christine serves as a deaconess at Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York.  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Walking on Hard Paths”

Jeremiah 26:20-23 

Now Uriah son of Shemaiah from Kiriath Jearim was another man who prophesied in the name of the Lord; he prophesied the same things against this city and this land as Jeremiah did. 21 When King Jehoiakim and all his officers and officials heard his words, the king was determined to put him to death. But Uriah heard of it and fled in fear to Egypt. 22 King Jehoiakim, however, sent Elnathan son of Akbor to Egypt, along with some other men. 23 They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him struck down with a sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.)

A couple years back, I was on a serving team that hoped to establish presence on a new campus. We had a handful of members who attended, but in the end, it seemed (to me) like “negative ministry.” We started with a dozen students in the beginning, but we said goodbye to nearly all of them by the end as some of them chose to go to other churches or move away (some stopped going to church altogether). It was an extremely discouraging experience; for a long time, I would often look back and mourn how pitiful the outcome seemed compared to the time we spent preparing, praying, and reaching out. 

Uriah’s story is a strange one compared to Jeremiah’s. He also is commissioned to be a prophet and is given (presumably) the same unpopular message to preach. Unlike Jeremiah, Uriah received no earthly favor, and he was killed for his ministry. He did not know how God used him (and we do not either, from this passage). If we were to measure Uriah’s life by his lack of impact and his ultimate death, it would be tragic and unfortunate. However, God, who knows and permits all things, allowed the course of his life to be shaped this way.

Most (if not all) of us want to be people whose lives have purpose, influence, and outcome. We all mourn when our efforts seem to result in little fruit. Uriah’s entire life is summed up in three verses in someone else’s book. Is it possible that God is still glorified by his life?

In faith, we believe so. We believe that God remembers all work done in His name and that our reward comes at the end. We believe that our victory is never in the duration or effectiveness of our efforts but in the faithfulness He gives us to carry out our mission. In Uriah’s life and ministry, we can come away with the following conclusion: God is always worthy of all we have to give, no conditions. And He is much more interested in our character and trust than our success in the eyes of this world.

If you have been disappointed or discouraged by the path God has set in front of you to walk, take courage today, for He uses every single one of us to display something about Him. These paths are still, mysteriously, perfectly and lovingly tailored for each one of us. As we go to worship, may we surrender our hopes and dreams so that we can be prepared to walk in His ways instead. Let’s ask Him to give us the big picture of His glory and help us find our place in that. 

Prayer: Father, You have better outcomes, and Your ideas are always better than my ideas. Help me to measure my life by how faithful I am, not how successful I seem. Teach me to prize character as You do, and help me to trust You in every way. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 6