REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 21, 2014.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Let’s Encourage One Another”

Philem. 1:11

“Formerly he (Onesimus) was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.”

In 2005, shortly after I got into the car of the assistant pastor of the church (that invited me to preach), who picked me up at the airport, he said he knew me.  I, too, recognized him, vaguely, from my first youth group in the early 1980s; the story he told, however, made me squirm.   

Playing a softball game against another youth group, I, his youth pastor, wouldn’t let him bat even once, apparently because we were losing.  When he asked me whether he could play, I kept repeating, “Next inning,” until we ran out of it.   Looking back, I guess, since my objective that day apparently was to win, I found this small guy useless!

In one parable of Jesus, the master of the house tells a servant, who just returned from working all day in the field, “Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink” (Lk. 17:8).  That’s a very useful person to the master and that’s what Onesimus was to Philemon, which would, then, make him very useful as well.  Why, then, did Paul say that Onesimus was useless to Philemon before?  

Let’s return to that softball game.  Had I been more Christ-like that day, that boy would have been very useful to teach me that “encourage[ing] one another and build[ing] each other up” (1 Thess. 5:11) is more significant than trying to satisfy my ego by winning a meaningless game.  As for Onesimus who ran away from Philemon, likely because of the hard work, his uselessness stems from the fact that when we pursue even good things without “serving the LORD” (Eph. 6:7^b), it is quite meaningless.  However, now that Onesimus belongs to Christ, whatever he does, either as a freeman or servant, he can “work at it with all [his] heart, as working for the Lord, not for men” (Col. 3:23).

The significance attached to our work does not hinge on whether one is a blue or a white collar, or an assembly line work or a professional.  Rather, it depends on whether, through our work ethics, products, and relationships with co-workers, the kindness, graciousness and righteousness of God have been duly displayed.  

As for today, encourage someone, may be a co-worker, friend, or even your own child, by doing something for that person that would mean that he or she matters to you, better yet, to God. 

Prayer: Dear God, first, forgive me for thinking that I’m more spiritual and moral than the next guy.  I often forget how miserable and useless I was before you found me.  Thank you that you’re into rebuilding lives; you surely have restored mine.  Use me to help someone to become useful to you.   Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 17

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Lunch Break Study

Read Matt. 4:18-20: “As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will make you fishers of men.’  At once they left their nets and followed him.” 

Jn. 6:27a: “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” 

Questions to Consider

1. In what sense was what Peter and Andrew did (catching fish) before knowing and following Christ useless?
2. What does it imply that these brothers readily left their nets to follow Christ?
3. God prepares us for his work even if we weren’t aware of it at the time.  How did God prepare Peter, Andrew, and even Onesimus for their future ministry?

Notes

1. No one should demean an honest day’s work to feed one’s family.  However, without believing in the work and person of Christ, we will all die of our sins; whether we perish with a full stomach or not then becomes a mute point.  “Uselessness” refers to all our toils done without serving God, which only produces “food that spoils.”
2. What they did is equivalent to a computer programmer leaving his laptop to follow Christ.  It implies that in Christ and the ministry that was given them, they found something they always longed for:  doing something that REALLY makes a difference.  When this happens to you, you will do the same!
3. Onesimus was a slave, a man under submission; now that he was God’s servant (from the same Greek word that is translated “slave”), he knew very well what was expected of him.  As for Peter and Andrew, many years of fishing had taught them about the most effective way to draw or attract fish to their net.  This is a useful insight when trying to draw people to Christ through the gospel. 

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Evening Reflection

Did you have a useful day?  If yes, in what sense was it particularly productive?  If not, what can you do differently tomorrow to make it more fruitful for yourself as a believer, and for God’s Kingdom?  

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by the then (2013) staff of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego, was first posted on July 21, 2013.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend 

“God is Certainly Loving but Don’t Forget that He is Really Holy as Well”

Psalm 111:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise. 

As much as I am a proponent that God our Father is one whom we can run to with such intimacy, I am aware of the holiness and the paradigm of God as creator, as ruler, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We see Isaiah falling to his face in literal fear as he cried “Woe to me!” when his eyes caught a glimpse of the glory of God in Isaiah 6. We see John in the New Testament, when he sees Jesus, the incarnate glory of God, falling at his feet as though dead when coming face to face with Jesus in the book of Revelation. The holiness and majesty of our God cannot be downplayed. No matter how much we see God as our loving and doting Father whom we can go to with our problems and just sit as his feet (and we should!), we cannot disregard the glory of God that is so glorious it would immediately bring us to our knees. So why is the fear of the Lord the beginning of all wisdom?

Having a healthy fear of the Lord is not the same as being afraid or being timid and having a spirit of fear. After all, the perfect love of Christ casts out all fear in us. Rather, a healthy fear of the Lord is knowledge and being in awe of who God is in the grand scheme of things; it is the understanding that his ways are higher than ours and his thoughts are higher than ours. It is being aware and conscious of who he is and who we are. 

 A healthy fear of the Lord drives us toward greater love, greater gratitude, and greater obedience, as we begin to fully understand the magnitude of his sacrifice for us. We begin to grow in awe of our great God, who laid down his life, for the sake of wretched sinners like us. And paradoxically, that fear is also what pushes us towards intimacy, knowing that he absolves us so that we can run into the arms of a great God like ours.  Granted, there might be trembling and fear when we are actually in the presence of our glorious God, but just like the moments Isaiah and John experienced, the blood of Christ will cover us as He says to his people, “Do not be afraid.” As you ready yourself for another week, take a moment to ponder his glory so that the fear of the Lord would be the beginning of wisdom and understanding for you.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to love You and fear You at the same time, for You are a loving and holy God.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 16

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Cami King who serves as associate pastor at Remnant Church in Manhattan, was first posted on April 6, 2014.  Cami is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.).  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Be Faithful When You are ‘Toiling’ in Obscurity”

Galatians 1:18–2:1

Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me. 2:1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me.

Did you know that Paul spent almost two decades in near obscurity after he was called by Jesus to take the Gospel to the Gentiles? Scholars estimate nearly 17 years between Paul’s road to Damascus experience and his being sent out by the Church to the Gentiles in Acts 13. And even biblical scholars have little idea as to what Paul was up to during that time. It’s probably fair to assume he was preaching the Gospel to anyone who would listen, but beyond that, little details are known. One thing that most likely took place during these 17 years is Paul’s extensive suffering recorded in 2 Corinthians 11:24-27.

Reading our passage for today, I was reminded of this reality: those who God calls often labor in obscurity and endure great suffering before they are fully launched into the work God has for them to do. This was true for Paul (along with Moses, Joseph, Abraham, David… the list goes on). 

For some of us, we are aware of God’s calling but await an opportunity to carry it out. For others of us, we’re not sure how God wants to use us and are just waiting to hear his voice. Some of us have faithfully walked in the calling God has given us and wonder what wrong turn we took, as things are far more difficult than we imagined they’d be. Maybe some of us grew tired of waiting on God’s plan and we’ve come up with our own plans instead. 

All throughout Scripture we find stories of those who God has called and subsequently led into a season of waiting (often very painful waiting) before the fullness of His promises are realized in their lives. But it’s a rich season where valuable lessons are learned, priceless refining takes place, and precious intimacy with God is developed. 

Are you in a season of waiting? My encouragement is to take heart! God is certainly at work! Continue to seek the Lord and trust that He will complete what He started. Be alert for the things God is teaching you and the ways He is refining you. And be thankful, because you are not alone; in all of these stories, God does exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we can ask, think, or imagine.   

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the opportunity to serve wherever I am placed.  Help me to be faithful in doing the small things to advance Your kingdom.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 14-15

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by a former AMI church staff, was first posted on July 4, 2014.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Taking Responsibility for My Action”

Jonah 1:10-16

Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them. 11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

I’ll be honest. I was a troublemaker growing up. There were many times my dad would come home from work, having heard of the mischief I caused.  Upon hearing the front door open, I would run into the bathroom because it was the only door with a lock. I would spend minutes devising the proper excuse, trying to discover some hidden logic that would explain things in such a way that I wouldn’t get in trouble. This is the tendency we have, especially when God confronts us.

Yet, in Jonah, we find something different. He knew he was the reason for the storm, and he didn’t look for any excuse or alternative. Even though the sailors were willing to fight against the storm, as we see in verse 13, Jonah didn’t sidestep his responsibility, but offered his own life.

We need to understand this text in two ways. The first is that we need to take responsibility for our actions, especially when it comes to repenting for our sins. The second is by looking at how this text points to Christ. Even though Jesus was in full obedience to God, unlike Jonah, He was thrown into the “sea.”  We deserved the storm and drowning in the sea, but Jesus went in on our behalf.

When we understand both views of this text, we are able to fully understand the severity of our disobedience towards God’s will and the overwhelming grace of God that saves us. We are able to take full responsibility of our sins, declaring before God and man that we are sinners, and yet not be crushed by the weight of its penalty and shame.

It is this gospel message that God calls us to declare to the world so that, like the sailors, men and women would fear and worship the Lord. Stand firm in the truth that we are sinners saved by grace; and may that message transform the hearts of all those who hear it from our lips and see it demonstrated in our lives.

Prayer: Father, I fully confess my sins and disobediences. Jesus, I thank you for your grace shown on the cross. Holy Spirit, empower me to convey this message to the world. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 13

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Lunch Break Study

Re-read the passage for this morning’s devotion.

2 Corinthians 2:14-16: 14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?”

Questions to Consider

1. What does the seemingly spiritual transformation of the sailors reveal?
2. How did Jonah display the message of the gospel?
3. What does Jonah’s story, as it reflects the gospel, teach us about being a “fragrant aroma”?

Notes

1. It shows that God can still use us even when we don’t intend it.
2. Jonah sacrificed himself so that the sailors would live.
3. The message of Jonah, which foreshadows the message of Christ, is that Jesus was thrown into the sea so that the storm would subside. We deserve the storm because of our sin, but Jesus took it for us so that we would have life and peace.

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Evening Reflection 

Is there someone you know who hasn’t heard the gospel as it’s been lived out in your life? Tonight, let’s pray and ask God to reveal to us someone we need to share our testimony with. Let’s ask that God would use us to bring spiritual transformation to those around us and that the gospel would become evident through our testimony. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Leadership”

1 Timothy 3:1-7

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. [2] Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, [3] not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. [4] He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, [5] for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? [6] He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. [7] Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Great leaders are impactful and unforgettable.  One of the most influential leaders in my life, as I was growing up, was my little league baseball coach.  He knew how to make the game of baseball enjoyable, but at the same time he knew when to push us hard.  He would always end each practice by sharing lessons about winning and losing and what it means to be part of a team.  His words and leadership made a lasting impression, and I still remember many of the lessons he taught us to this very day.  

In today’s passage, Paul is conveying to Timothy the importance of leadership.  Paul tells him that a church should have qualified leaders, like pastors or elders, with a high degree of integrity.  He uses the word “overseer,” which means “one who has a bird’s eye view of the church and is able to look after it as a whole.”  The first and general requirement is that overseers must be “above reproach.”  This means that leaders should have blameless reputations, which include fidelity in marriage, hospitality, ability to teach, temperament, charity, spiritual maturity, and a good reputation amongst outsiders.  No wonder Paul calls it a noble task to be a leader!  

Spend some time this morning lifting up the leaders in our lives – pastors, ministry leaders, elders, family members and others.  Pray that they would lead with integrity and Christ-like character.  If you are in a leadership position, pray that the Lord would give you strength to continue to lead above reproach.  

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the leaders in my life who have influenced me.  I pray for their leadership that they would continue to lead with integrity and honor.  Amen

Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 12

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Lunch Break Study 

Read Galatians 5:22-26: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. [24] And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. [25] If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. [26] Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. [26] “The God who can change a sinner into a Christian by giving him His life can equally transform the fleshly Christian into a spiritual one by giving him His life more abundantly.”  

Questions to Consider 

1. According to these verses, what is the result of being sanctified? 
2. What is the standard for bearing fruit as we advance in sanctification? 
3. In what areas of our lives have we been bearing fruit (areas we have been changing in)?

Notes

1. By His sanctifying power we begin to bear spiritual fruit in our lives and grow to be more like Christ. Paul teaches in today’s passage that as we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfill the desires of the flesh (Gal. 5:16–17). 
2. However, the standard for bearing fruit as we advance in sanctification is not perfection, for the Scripture tells us we will not walk in perfect holiness until we are glorified. And our need for perfection in order to stand before God unafraid is met in Christ, and the imputation of His righteousness to us. But if His righteousness has been imputed to us, then His Spirit is sanctifying us.
3. Personal response

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Evening Reflection

Today, we’ve been reflecting on transformation and being more like Jesus in our leadership and in our daily lives.  Spend some time in prayer, asking that we would continue to change by the Holy Spirit.  

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Barry Kang who heads Symphony Church in Boston, is an updated version of his blog first posted on April 16, 2013.  He is a graduate of Stanford University (BA), Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (D.Min.). 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Delighting Ourselves in the Lord”

Psalm 37:3-6

Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  ⁴ Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.  ⁵ Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: ⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

I have heard some preachers claim, on the basis of Psalm 37:4, that God will give us anything we want. If we simply “claim it,” God will give us mansions, yachts, luxury cars, etc.  God can and does bless us materially. But if we argue from Psalm 37:4 that “God will give you anything you want,” we miss the whole point of the verse.

This verse does promise that the Lord will “give you the desires of your heart” but notice it happens when we “delight [ourselves] in the LORD”.  When we delight in God, i.e. we love him with all that we are; we will discover that the desires of our heart become transformed.  We will stop being so concerned about ourselves; instead we will yearn for the things of God.  Our desires will reflect God’s own desires.  We will want what God wants, and he will give us that which is according to his will.  Moreover, the more we delight in the Lord, we will discover that what we desire most of all is a deeper relationship with God.  True intimacy is the deepest longing of our hearts, and as we learn to enjoy God’s presence, we will seek him more, and by his grace, we will find him!

Are you delighting in the Lord?  Are you looking for joy and satisfaction from him first?  If you are reading these QTs, then I am probably preaching to the choir, but let us seek to love him with all of our hearts, and desire his desires!

Prayer: Father, help me to delight in you.  I confess again that I am easily distracted.  I want my focus to be on you.  I ask that you would transform my heart, that I would desire you above all things, and that your desires would become my desires.  Thank you for the gift of your mercy and love.  Thank you that your desire is to be with me! Thank you that you are my Father in heaven who is the giver of every good and perfect gift. In Jesus’s name, I pray.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 11

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Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV):“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,  10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  11 Give us today our daily bread.  12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 

Questions to Consider

1. What does the first part of verse 9 tell us about how we are to pray? 
2. Who is the focus of the first half of the Lord’s Prayer?  What does this tell us about our priorities in prayer?
3. What does Jesus ask us to pray for in verses 11-13?  If this is how we ought to pray, what does this tell us about the heart of God?

Notes

1. Jesus here tells us that this is how we ought to pray.  We are not being told to recite the Lord’s Prayer by rote (although there is certainly nothing wrong with praying it verbatim) and as our only prayer.  Certainly, we see Jesus offering other prayers in the gospels.  Rather, the Lord’s Prayer models for us the kind of priorities God wants us to have in prayer.
2. The Lord’s Prayer begins by focusing attention on God—on his name, his kingdom and his will—rather than our own reputation, influence and desires.  A heart moved by God will begin to prioritize God’s will being done on earth above all things.
3. In the second half of the Lord’s Prayer, we pray for:

• Our daily bread (everything that we will need for that day)
• Forgiveness (remembering that a forgiving spirit exemplifies the person who has been broken by grace)
• Protection and freedom from the enemy’s schemes and temptations

Since we are instructed to pray for these things, we can discern that God’s desire and will are also to provide for these things!  When we seek after God’s will, we do indeed find that he gives us everything that we need.

We could study the Lord’s Prayer for days and not plumb the depths of its richness! What we can say today is that the Lord’s Prayer models a heart focused upon praising God and seeking his will above all things.  The greatest prayer (and privilege) of any follower of Jesus is to desire the will of God to be done on earth just as it is in heaven.  When we do this, we find that God’s will includes our daily provision, our forgiveness and freedom.  Truly, when we seek God’s kingdom, we get everything we need as well!

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Evening Reflection

Read over some of your recent journal entries.  How much of your focus is upon God and how much of your focus is upon yourself?  What has God been asking you to do?  Have you been faithful in obeying?  Ask God for greater guidance but also more of his Spirit to help you to obey.

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, written by Pastor Sam Lee who leads Catalyst Agape Church in Northern New Jersey, was first posted on July 29, 2014.  He is a graduate of University of Wisconsin (BA) and Biblical Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Going Against the Grain”

1 Peter 4:8-9

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

The Kingdom priorities are so different from those of the world. For instance, the message of the world is that if you have some special gift, use it for yourself–to climb up the ladder of success in order to get rich and famous. This is so tempting since the world lifts up those who are talented and idolizes them. On the other hand, the Bible goes against the world’s teaching, showing us a greater purpose for the special gifts God has given to us. It is not to lift up self, but to lift up others: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.”                                                                                                                                                                                      

God given gifts are to be poured out, instead of in. That is, it is to be given, rather than to receive. In this way, the motivation to use our gifts is not fame, but love: “Above all, love each other deeply.” This is the reason why the 13^th chapter of 1 Corinthians is sandwiched between the two chapters on gifts, clearly showing us the reason behind the practice of gifts: “If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”                                                                                                                                      

If our motivation becomes inward instead of outward, this is when we start to abuse the spiritual gifts, exalting self instead of the Lord Jesus Christ.  As a result, Christ’s power to change is replaced with emotions, and heavenly revival is replaced with hype and manipulation. If we want to see the genuine movement of God, we need to develop and use the spiritual gifts out of love for God and love for others. 

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for giving me spiritual gifts. Help me to use it to lift up and encourage others so that others may see you, rather than drawing attention to myself.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 10

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Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (ESV): If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Questions to Consider

1. Think about how you can use your God given gift to encourage one person today?
2. If you weren’t concerned about how you look when developing your spiritual gifts, what is one thing you would do this week to activate your gift?

Notes

1. An example would be that if you have a gift of generosity (Rom. 12:8), then take that co-worker, who has been down, out for lunch.  And if your gift is showing mercy and you happen to be a boss, then give a break to that employee who shipped the package to the wrong address.  
2. It may be that many people have the gift of evangelism but rarely ever use it.  Even if we don’t have that gift, we ought to share the gospel anyway.  So, pray for boldness, have some ideas as to what to say, and then open your mouth to share the gospel with someone. 

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Evening Reflection

Be honest about some of the wrong motivations in your heart for desiring and using spiritual gifts, and lay them down before the Lord.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 13, 2014.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“We Say This Word a Lot—Without Comprehension”

Philem. 1:7a

“Your love has given me great joy and encouragement . . .” 

Col. 1:3a-4

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ  . . . because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have all the saints.”

“You would do that for me?  Why?”; “I didn’t expect that!  Wow!”; “I don’t deserve this.   Thanks!”  These things are said when we are so touched by the unexpected kindness by someone, perhaps at the most unexpected time.  

One virtue that many talk about without really comprehending it, is love:  No, not the feeling or affable type, but the kind where favors are bestowed on an unworthy person.  In the English language in which the word “love” is used to describe our feelings toward French fries as well as toward God, this isn’t an easily concept to grasp.  But in the Greek exists a special word—agape—to conceptualize unconditional love.  Conceptualize?  Yes, it was a mere concept among the ancient Greeks until someone actually demonstrated what this love truly looked like.  Paul puts it like this:  “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).   A great favor was bestowed upon us when God allowed his Son to take the blame for something awful that we did, and then pay for it with his own life.   

Philemon 1:7is actually about Paul appreciating the love he received from Philemon in Colosse, who was able to “love because [God] first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19).  When this reality truly sinks in, our hearts are joyous regardless of how terrible our present circumstances may be.  We are greatly encouraged, knowing that the One “who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Rom. 8:32). 

All things?  A new car perhaps, a better job?  Sure, if you need it, for God promises to “meet all your needs” (Phil. 4:19^a); but don’t get more excited about getting things from God than being loved by Him.  Unless we have authentically internalized the reality of the God of the universe personally knowing and loving us, we cannot love others that would make them truly joyous and encouraged.   It all starts from God. 

Prayer: God, it is amazing how I sometimes act as if I deserve the things that I continue to receive from you.  Perhaps, I compare myself to others who aren’t doing so well, thereby feeling superior, spiritually and morally. Forgive me Lord, for my joy ought to come from knowing that the amazing love of God was bestowed upon the one so undeserved, namely, me, in Christ.  Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 9

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Lunch Break Study

Read Hosea 3:1-3: “The Lord said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.’ ² So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. ³ Then I told her, ‘You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.’”

Questions to Consider

1. In what sense does Hosea demonstrate agape love in his overture toward Gomer, who ran off to be a prostitute (property of a pimp)? 
2. What is expected of Gomer after receiving this unexpected and undeserved love by her husband (Rom. 2:4)?
3. Ultimately, what is the story about as it relates to what God did for men and what He did to free them?

Notes

1. Of course, the last thing Gomer expected was forgiveness and reconciliation; she didn’t deserve it and she knew it.  In this way, Hosea, through the strength that God gave him for that occasion, demonstrated the unconditional love of God.
2. Romans 2:4 states that God’s expectation for those who have been showered with the kindness of God is repentance; that is, turning away from the sinful way. Hosea expects Gomer to be faithful to him.  
3. Ultimately, God allowed this event to happen to symbolize what He will ultimately do for humans who have always rebelled against God by refusing to submit to His rule.  Instead, they serve themselves or men more powerful than they.  What Hosea had to pay to free his wife represents what God paid to free us—the life of his Son.

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Evening Reflection

Did you have a joyous and encouraging day?  And I don’t mean just because fortuitous things happened to you today.  As you conclude this day, write out a prayer that expresses your gratitude toward God for what He did in Christ for the undeserved.  

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog originally posted on December 28, 2014.  Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“God-Centered Prayer”

Proverbs 30:7-9

“Two things I ask of you, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die: Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.  Otherwise I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”

This being one of the most famous prayers in the Bible, it has a staying power in our minds and hearts because it is so eloquently expressed.  At a glance, its logic can seem acceptable and noble to even an unbeliever.  It’s about being content to live in moderation, isn’t it?  About not being greedy and wanting too much, but at the same time having one’s basic needs be met: a reasonable standard of living.

Yet a second look reveals that the beauty of the prayer comes mainly, not from its practical wisdom for life but from the heart of the one who is praying.  For at its core, the prayer is completely God-centered.  The author of this prayer is not asking God that he may not have too much or too little because, not being super ambitious yet not wanting to be uncomfortable, he believes if he just has enough, he would be satisfied with life.  His motivation for not wanting riches is connected with his desire not to forget God or fall into the danger of becoming independent of him.  His wanting to avoid poverty is connected to a godly fear that if he did fall into such a state, he may end up, in his weakness, doing something to dishonor God.

The writer asks God for two things: that God keeps falsehood and lies from him; and that God gives him neither poverty nor riches.  Yet why is it that we so often focus on the second without paying attention to the first?  The second idea is more developed, but the first is also important.  We may have often prayed the second half of the prayer, but have we as often prayed the first?  How important is it to us that falsehood and lies are kept far from us?  And what relation does this have to wanting neither poverty nor riches?

The key is not so much the connection to a standard of living but once again the heart.  The heart of the one who loves God and longs to honor him is a heart that has a passion for truth.  In the prayer of the very one who asks that falsehood be kept far from him, we can see a purity of heart.  Perhaps he was someone like Nathanael of whom Jesus would later say, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”

As we meditate on this prayer today, can we think about the heart expressed through the prayer more than the actual request?  Can we ask God today, not so much for a moderate standard of living, but for the heart of this man who loved the Lord honestly, with a purity, sincerity and truth?  

Prayer: Father, “keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.”  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 8

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Cami King who serves as associate pastor at Remnant Church in Manhattan, was first posted on April 5, 2014.  Cami is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.).  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“No Greater Gift from God to Us”

Galatians 1:11-17

For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel. 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

One of the greatest, and most neglected, defenses of our faith is our personal testimony. Much like apologetics, theological debates, and Gospel-centered sermons (all of which we readily identify as ways to prove or explain our faith), our personal testimony has great power to make clear the person and work of Christ to those around us. 

In Paul’s defense of himself and of the Gospel he preached, he turned to his own story – the narrative of his relationship with God – to bring to life the truths he wished to convey. Much like a sermon illustration, our personal stories bring to life the truths God longs to teach the world. Not that we rely upon experience over or against Scripture or theology – by no means! They all work together. But Scripture and theology apart from the sharing of our personal stories can be much like a sermon without illustrations… dry and impersonal.  

“The greatest gift you can give someone is the story of Jesus and how he changes lives –especially yours” (Bill Hybels). 

There are a number of ways we can tell our testimony. We have our salvation story which usually consists of three components: (1) BC – our lives before Christ; (2) the Cross – how we came to believe the Gospel; (3) AD – our lives afterwards. This is what many of us imagine when we hear the word “testimony.”  

I grew up in the Black church in the South where we would regularly have testimonies shared in the service.  But people weren’t only telling their salvation stories: They also shared all kinds of stories of how God was moving in their lives, leading listeners to give thanks and take greater steps of faith. 

Sharing our testimony not only illustrates for an on-looking world the person and work of Christ, but also reminds us of the good things God has done, leading to thanksgiving.

What is your salvation testimony? What are some ways God has been working in your life lately? Spend some time reflecting on these stories and thanking God for His faithfulness. Think of those in your life who can benefit from hearing them and ask for the courage and boldness to share.  

Remember, your story is a powerful one that God has taken great care to write and that others need to hear!

Prayer: Father, thank You for the gift of salvation.  Thank You for all the wonderful things You have done in my life.  To You belong all the glory and praise.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 6-7