January 5, Tuesday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, prepared by Pastor Jason Sato who is currently serving in Japan as a missionary, was first posted on April 30, 2014. Jason is a graduate of University of California, San Diego (BS) and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Fools for Christ”

Galatians 6:11-18 (ESV) 

“See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. [12] It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh who would force you to be circumcised, and only in order that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. [13] For even those who are circumcised do not themselves keep the law, but they desire to have you circumcised that they may boast in your flesh. [14] But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. [15] For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. [16] And as for all who walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. [17] From now on let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus. [18] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.”

Have you ever encountered a person who seriously and obviously disliked you? 

Of course not! You are a perfectly likeable person! Or at least, that’s what we hope. We might even imagine that being a virtuous, caring Christian ought to result in everyone liking us, or at the very least respecting us. Yet the Apostle Paul makes it clear that following Christ will lead to persecution. 

In Paul’s day, Jewish Christians were being forced out of synagogues, imprisoned, and even killed. A major point of conflict is that Jewish Christians are seen as unclean for fellowshipping with uncircumcised Gentiles. To avoid this charge and its accompanying persecution, some are attempting to force the Gentiles in the Galatian Church to be circumcised (v. 12). In contrast, Paul proudly bears “on [his] body the marks of Jesus.” Why this different view of humiliation and suffering?

The proponents of circumcision are attempting to boast in the flesh (v. 13). While they believe Jesus is the Messiah, they still want to hold onto their old life. They want to maintain their former dignity and security in their communities. While they wanted to be Christians, they also wanted to continue to upstanding, law-abiding Jews. In contrast, Paul boasts only “in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 14). While Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews once, he was willing to let go of his standing in the world to be fully identified with Christ.

None of us want to look foolish or be disliked. None of us want to be labeled as fanatics or bigots. So how can we overcome the temptation to hide our faith and deny Christ with our silence?

Paul’s opponents are still focused on external matters of circumcision and uncircumcision. But he recognizes that we ultimately need to be new people (v. 15). We won’t suffer willingly for Christ simply because of discipline, knowledge, or guilt. In our heart of hearts, we love ourselves – our safety and our reputations – too much. We need to invite the Spirit of God to transform us into people that love God’s glory and hate anything that detracts from it.  So this new year, strive to die to yourself (your ambition and goal) so that you may have a life that is rooted in God alone. 

Prayer: Father, so often I am more afraid of what others might think than of denying You. Please forgive me for my sin and send Your Holy Spirit that I may have a heart that wants You more than safety or respect. May following in Your footsteps be my joy. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 6

Lunch Break Study  

Read Matthew 28:16-20 (ESV): “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. [17] And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. [18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Questions to Consider

  1. According to v. 17, what were the disciples experiencing following Jesus’ resurrection?
  2. According to v. 18, what is the foundation of the Great Commission?
  3. According to v. 20b, what is our comfort and reward as we obey his command?

Notes

  1. The disciples were experiencing great wonder and hope. They knew Jesus was the Son of God, worthy to be worshiped. But they also were experiencing fear and doubt. They remembered the great opposition and suffering Jesus Himself endured.
  2. The authority of Jesus is the foundation of the Great Commission.  Jesus has authority to send the disciples as He is their Lord. Jesus has overcome sin and death and therefore has authority to save the nations and judge the world. 
  3. Our comfort and reward is that Jesus will be with us. As we witness to others and testify to the goodness of God, we do not go alone but in the power and presence of God.

Evening Reflection

Reflect on your day. What opportunities did you have to bear witness to Christ? Were you tempted to give in to fear? Continue to pray for a new heart that loses all for the sake of knowing Christ.

January 4, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 4, 2014.

Devotional Thought for this Morning

“Are You Secure in Christ?”

Philem. 1:1

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker.

Who would introduce himself as “a prisoner”?  Is there a social label more stigmatizing than an “ex-con”?  Some Asian parents are known to lie about their wayward children who end up in a juvenile hall.  When asked, they say, “Oh, he is away at a school.”  Frankly, who can blame them?  

Yet, Paul, in his personal letter to Philemon, a man who became a believer through his ministry, identifies himself as “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”  He does the same when writing to Pastor Timothy, saying, “So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner” (2 Tim. 1:8a).

In no way is that a flattering self-description, especially to the people of the world.  Paul probably reasoned it like this: Since the sinless Christ took his place and paid the penalty of sin that Paul, as a prisoner of sin could never pay, he continues to see himself as a prisoner, not of sin, but of his liberator.   

In that sense, that self-description is no different than that of John the Baptist, who, upon being told that Jesus was baptizing more people than him, said, “He must become greater; I must become less” (Jn. 3:30).  Certainly, both Paul and John demonstrate humility, but it wasn’t for the sake of just being humble; it was to show the greatness of Christ in what he did for humanity and what he can do for each individual.  

So, what is one self-description of yourself (besides “the worst of sinners”), which can show the magnitude of Christ to our unbelieving friends and family members?  Mine is this:  I scored less than 800 on my SAT, and then flunked out of college, but by the grace of God and the strength He gave me, was able to obtain a terminal degree.  That’s a story of redemption and there is only one hero in it: Jesus Christ.  

So, is your security “secure” in Christ enough to present yourself to others in unflattering ways as a way to demonstrate his all-encompassing greatness manifested through his grace?  What keeps you from being secure solely based on Christ’s acceptance of you?  Ask the Lord for insights into your life so as to draw near to him in 2021. 

Prayer: O Father in heaven, I praise You and magnify You this morning.  I know that the desire to impress others may always be there in my flesh, but I also know that my desire for Your name to be exalted is the best way to keep it under control.  So God, please strengthen my resolve to make Your name known and for my security to be firmly rooted in Christ’s unconditional acceptance of me.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 5

Lunch Break Study

Read John 21:19-22: Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” 20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”  22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 

Questions to Consider

  1. Insecurity can show up at any time.  Here, Peter just had been reinstated by Jesus after denying him three times.  How would you describe Peter’s insecurity? 
  2. What caused Peter’s insecurity?  
  3. What does Jesus’ response to Peter imply?

Notes

  1. Although Jesus reinstated Peter, it is quite understandable if he had wondered whether things were as normal as before when he was a lead disciple.  Seeing John, Peter was emboldened to test it out, to see whether Jesus was as concerned about the future of his friend as himself.  Maybe, Peter hoped to hear something that would make him believe that Jesus considered him more special than John. 
  2. It wasn’t enough that Jesus accepted and reinstated him unconditionally; in addition, Peter had to be more special to Christ than others were to him.  When we covet something more than Christ himself, that’s showing that we aren’t properly handling our insecurity. 
  3. In short, he said to Peter, “It is none of your business as to what I am going to do for John; stop focusing on other things besides following me to glorify the Father.”

Evening Reflection

How was your day?  Did anything happen that caused you to feel insecure?  How did you handle it?  Write about it and a prayer thereafter asking God to help you better handle it the next time when it happens (like tomorrow). 

January 3, Sunday

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 March 1, 2014.  He is a graduate of Stanford University (BA), Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (D.Min.). 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“A Real Hope Found in John’s Transformation” 

Mark 3:17

James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”) . . .

Church Father Jerome tells us that when the aged apostle John became so weak that he could no longer preach, he used to be carried into the congregation at Ephesus and content himself with a word of exhortation: “Little children,” he would always say, “love one another.” And when his hearers grew tired of this message and asked him why he so frequently repeated it, he responded, “Because it is the Lord’s command, and if this is all you do, it is enough.”  When we read John’s Gospel or his letters, this story rings true.


Yet love did not always characterize John’s life.  Jesus named John and his brother James,  “Boanerges,” that is, Sons of Thunder (Mark 3:17), but what did Jesus mean by this?  We get a hint in Luke 9:51-56: As Jesus and his companions were traveling through Samaria, and they were turned away by the Samaritan village, James and John, without blinking an eye, offered to pray down fire on them (Luke 9:51-56).  Jesus responded by rebuking them, and then took his men to another village, seeing that they were still not ready to proclaim the message of God’s love for the world. Another time, their mother came to Jesus asking that her sons be exclusively seated at Jesus’ left and right when his kingdom would come (Matthew 20).  Upon hearing this, an argument broke out among the disciples!  During his time with Jesus, John did not epitomize the message of loving one another.

Yet, many years later, John would become known as the Apostle of Love, but how did this happen? Was it merely old age which softened John?  Perhaps, but my guess is that the change came by being in the presence of Jesus for all those years.  Our motivation to love always comes as we are loved by Jesus. As for John, he experienced Jesus’ love, saw how Jesus loved, and most profoundly, he was a witness to Jesus’ death on the cross. 

How are you doing with loving others in the church?  If you struggle with loving others, I would tell you that you have a very real hope for transformation.  John’s life tells us that it is possible.  Just remember, transformation and maturity doesn’t automatically happen to us as we get older, but as we follow the cross-carrying Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, we must change; we cannot afford to continue to live the way we have been for years.  Help us to change like John changed.  Help us to dwell in the presence of Christ daily and imitate the Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 


Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 4

January 2, Saturday

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 October 21, 2013.  He is a graduate of University of Wisconsin (BA) and Biblical Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“God’s Word, Not in Theory but in Practice”

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 

The Word of God is not just a concept to understand or information to memorize. It is alive and active and has the power to transform hearts and lives. This power is manifested when we put our energy into walking out or putting the truths and revelations into practice. 

I have read many books that inspired me concerning the biblical revelations on love. Also, I have listened to many sermons and teachings that convicted me about what the Bible says about helping the poor. I have taught Bible studies about the importance of forgiving those who hurt you. But I will not encounter the power of those truths unless I walk it out in my life. When biblical revelations become just a concept to understand without practice, the power of the Word of God will become more and more diminished. 

For instance, when we first hear a sermon on helping the poor, we might wholeheartedly agree, but if not put into practice, the enemy will come and snatch that seed from our heart. We have to hear the truth again, and we agree, but if it remains just a concept, again the power of the word will be stolen from our heart.  After awhile, if this truth is continuously ignored and not put into practice, it will become normal Christianity to live in high level of theory, and experience low level of encounter and power. 

We might, however, be able to teach the gospel, but unable to demonstrate the power of the gospel in our lives.  Jesus taught the gospel, and He also demonstrated the gospel, showing the gospel has power.  So, in this new year, make it your goal to be a doer of God’s word, not just a hearer!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, empower me and motivate me through the Holy Spirit to be a doer of Your eternal word.  Help me to put into practice all your truths that I know all too well.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 2-3

January 1, Friday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 1, 2014.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Staying Close to Jesus”

1 John 1:5

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.

Of all the numerous New Year’s Eve services I have ever attended, I do remember the very first one in 1981, about seven months after I became a believer.  Actually, the only thing I remember is Isaiah 60:1-2 that someone read during the time of testimony: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.  See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.”  The interpretation of this passage, in the hands of some theologians, can get polemic (i.e., “Millennium Kingdom”), but for ordinary folks like us, it gives what we desperately need: HOPE!  

So, what can typically happen to an ordinary person in the course of any given year?  Well in 1987, I got married!  Had I read this passage that year, perhaps it wouldn’t have meant as much (too happy).  But by the end of 1990 or 1999, it meant a lot: in 1990, because I was so exhausted from driving a shuttle van to make a living while pastoring a church that was going nowhere; in 1999, because that church, which eventually went somewhere, didn’t go far enough.  Later, having left that congregation and feeling like a failure, I was wondering about my future as a minister as well as a father to three young children.  

Many things happened thereafter, but in due time I came to really see with my heart what I always knew in my head: That which all the lights in the Old Testament had foreshadowed (Heb. 10:1) has indeed come and is always with me.  Said Jesus, “I am the light of the world” (Jn. 9:5b) and “with you always” (Matt. 28:20b).  I experienced that Christ, like a lighthouse to the lost ship at sea, drives out darkness of hopelessness and despair from our lives.  It is both instantaneous (Jn. 8:32) and a process (Phil. 1:6); either way we need to stay close to him.  And having a meaningful and consistent time with the Lord is part of that process.  So, as we begin the New Year, let’s make daily spending meaningful and unhurried time with the Lord our life’s top priority. 

Prayer: Lord, as I start the New Year today, constantly remind me to stay close to your heart.  Help me to stay so close to you that I can hear your heart beat.   Dear Father, whenever a momentary darkness dampens my hope, especially because things do not go as I planned, remind me to center my life and plans from the standpoint of eternity.  May this year be a year in which my life truly glorifies you.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 1

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Jn. 1:5-9: “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.  8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Questions to Consider

  1. Positionally, the believers are always in the light but our actual life can get pretty dark sometimes.  What causes temporary spiritual darkness in our lives that sometimes lasts too long?
  2. Why do we, from time to time, act like we are walking in the light when, in fact, we are in darkness, much like the Pharisees who claimed to see but were blind spiritually (Jn. 9:39-41)?
  3. What is one sure and fast way to rid ourselves of temporary darkness so that we tangibly experience “righteousness (e.g., a clear conscience), peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17b)?   

Notes

  1. In short, it is sin (in actions and attitude), which, when left unrepented for awhile, hardens the heart.  Once that happens, other more sinful things that we couldn’t fathom committing before become quite easy to do.      
  2. Among several reasons, one is this: Looking good before the people.  Of the Pharisees who did many outwardly good things, Jesus said, “Everything they do is done for men to see” (Matt. 23:5a).  That leads to hypocrisy, which is leading a double life.   In other words, we care more about what men think than what God thinks.
  3. An honest evaluation of ourselves followed by an authentic confession of our sins that ought to lead to a genuine repentance; that is, a concrete plan not to commit the same sin (Lk. 19:8).

Evening Reflection

As the first day of 2021 is about to be history, evaluate how the day went: Did someone say or do something that made you feel sad or mad?  Stay close to Christ and hear his heartbeat; what is he saying to you?

December 31, Thursday

REPOST Today’s devotional, provided by an anonymous writer, was originally posted on December 31, 2013.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150 gives two reasons why we praise God; we praise him because of “his mighty deeds” and “his excellent greatness.”

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

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

Prayer: Heavenly Father, in new year help me to become a true and passionate worshiper of You.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Micah 7

Lunch Break Study

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

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

Questions to Consider

  1. What is astounding about the faith of Habakkuk as he anticipates the coming of the Babylonians who will destroy everything in sight as part of God’s judgment against Israel?
  2. In light of how we usually respond to trials in life, what distinguishes the faith of this “tormented” Psalmist?  

Notes

  1. It’s easy to praise God when one thinks about his wondrous creation, perfect character, and mighty deeds as told in the Bible. But it can be so hard to praise God when one reflects on the suffering in one’s life and the seemingly hopeless reality of pain that fills the earth. The first passage concerns this very issue: the prophet Habakkuk was living during a time where he saw so much suffering that God could stop but chose not to: “You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?” (Habakkuk 1:13). But Habakkuk eventually chooses to trust that God knows what he is doing, that God has sufficient reasons for permitting what happens in the world. Such faith and worship in the face of suffering is unbelievably difficult, but it is the path God’s people must take. 
  2. The second passage concerns a time when the writer was undergoing a deeply difficult trial.  But his heart is strengthened upon remembering how God took a hopeless situation of seeming defeat at the Red Sea into a great deliverance of freedom. Such is our hope for today. In this life, we will experience all sorts of pain and despair: we will fail, be confused, have heartbreak, suffer depression, lose loved ones, feel utterly crushed; this is what it’s like living in a fallen world. It’s supposed to be hard. But we remember that Jesus Christ has delivered us from all this! We remember that there are better days ahead, a future with the God we worship. What will ultimately deliver us from sin and suffering? Sophisticated behavioral therapy?  Better science and technology? More friends? Romance? More sex and drugs? “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” (Psalm 20:7).  

Evening Reflection

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

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

December 30, Wednesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor David Kwon who heads Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, was first posted on December 22, 2014.  He is a graduate of Drexel University (BS) and Columbia International University (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Pursuit of True Happiness”

Proverbs 28:14

Blessed is the one who fears the LORD always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Every human being longs for true happiness.  The French theologian Blaise Pascal said it best: “All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even those who hang themselves.”

Since the word “blessed” in the Bible is best translated as “happy,” this proverb is saying, happy is the one who fears the Lord.  Most people think that those who are happy never fear; but the word “fear” refers to reverence, not of bondage; of caution, not of distrust; of diligence, not of despondency” (ref. Bruce Waltke).   Thus, happy is the one who always keeps up in his mind in holy awe and reverence of God, His glory, goodness, and sovereignty. On the other hand, this proverb describes one who does not fear the Lord as someone who has a hardened heart, fixed in unbelief, and often in defiance against God.  In short, godly fear and true happiness are inseparable.  

Having a healthy fear of God starts with revering Him; thus, start this morning in worship, giving him the praise and honor that is due Him.  Pray that Christ would be exalted in all the areas of your life today.

Prayer:  Lord, thank You that You are the one who brings true happiness.  Help me this day to worship and fear You.  Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today:  Micah 6

Lunch Study Break

Read Ephesians 1:3-6: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

Questions to Consider

  1. What is Paul reminding the believers in the Ephesian church?
  2. What are the reasons Paul gives as to why we are “blessed” in Christ?
  3. How should these truths impact our lives daily?

Notes

  1. We have every spiritual blessing in Christ – we are adopted as God’s children and we have power to overcome sin.  It means our identity is secure in Christ, which frees us from all other identities we often pursue.  
  2. God chose and loved us before the foundation of the world.  What an amazing truth! If we could remember this truth, it would give us tremendous freedom and encouragement.
  3. We do not have to live in fear or pursue other worldly identities or possessions, which promise temporary happiness.  We have been adopted through Jesus as His child, which gives us true satisfaction.  

Evening Reflection

We have been meditating on the idea of “blessedness” today.  Every day, we need to be reminded of this great promise that God has blessed us through his Son Jesus.  Spend time thanking the Lord for His unending love for us.  

December 29, Tuesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT blog, written by Pastor Mark Chun of Radiance Christian Church in S.F., was originally posted on March 28, 2013; it has been updated. Mark is a graduate of University of California, San Diego (BS) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Great Paradox of the Christian Faith”

Psalm 30:1-5

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over  me. 2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 3 O Lord, you  have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go  down to the pit. 4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy  name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 

Every year, when we draw closer to Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we are always reminded of the great paradox of the Christian faith: that we all must endure momentary suffering in order to experience the everlasting joy of God’s healing and favor.  Henri Nouwen, in his great book by the same name, asks each of us “Can you drink the cup?”  

In Matthew 20:20-23, Jesus puts this question to his disciples and makes the implication that the answer is both yes and no.  The image of the cup is telling in that it is both wine and blood, a symbol of freedom and obedience, of joy and suffering, and the promise of eternal life only after the anguish of death.  Although we will never be able to comprehend the depth of Christ’s pain or the height of His exaltation, this psalm reminds us that Christ’s experience is our own in part.  

In describing our own lives, Nouwen writes, “Drinking the cup of life is fully appropriating and internalizing our own unique existence, with all its sorrows and joys.”  As you drink from the Lord’s cup this Easter season, I pray that you might taste his sorrow but be filled by his joy.  

Take time this morning to consider all that Christ has done for you.  Reflect on how He is turning your mourning into dancing.    

Prayer: Lord, words cannot adequately express the gratitude of my soul as I look to the blood stained cross and the empty tomb.  May your death and resurrection be the source of strength during difficult times and the fountain of living water during times of celebration.  Help me to experience the Gospel and all its life giving power.   Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Micah 5

Lunch Break Study

Read Philippians 3:10 (NIV): I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. 

Questions to Consider

  1. What does it mean to know Christ?  (Phil 3:8-9)
  2. How can we experience the power of the resurrection?  
  3. When will we experience the fullness of this power? (1 Thess. 4:13-18)

There are so many things in the world that compete for the believer’s affection but our relationship with Jesus is of paramount importance because it is the very key to life.  

Notes

  1. To know Christ is to gain Him and to be found in Him.  For Paul, he had worked all his life to gain his accomplishments and his identity was wrapped up completely in his success.  Knowing Christ meant shifting his pursuit and having his new relationship with Jesus shape his entire identity.  
  2. The power of the resurrection is experienced by every believer who realizes that their old life has passed away and faith in Christ represents the beginnings of their new life (2 Corinthians 5:17).   However, this only represents the beginning of the believer’s experience with the power of the resurrection.  
  3. During this life we will progressively experience this power as we are empowered to overcome sin, grow in Christ-like character, and minister with the anointing of the Holy Spirit.  Ultimately, it is at the return of Christ when we will experience the full reality of the resurrection as our physical bodies themselves undergo transformation.    

Evening Reflection

Did you sense the nearness of Christ today?  How are you preparing your heart for 2021?

December 28, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog originally posted on December 28, 2013.  Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“How Can We Express Our Respect for and Trust in God?”

Psalm 147:1-3, 10-20

Praise the Lord. How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him! 2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. 3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds . . . 10 His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; 11 the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love . . . 15 He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. 16 He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. 17 He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? 18 He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow. 19 He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. 20 He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws. Praise the Lord.

To put it simply, we could say this psalm contains two main themes: God’s people delighting in him, and God delighting in his people.

It should be easy for God’s people to delight in Him.  He is almighty and powerful yet loving, compassionate and kind.  For His people to praise Him, they just need to be reminded of who He is and what He has done – hence this psalm.

The second matter, however, poses more of a challenge, for although God is always worthy of being delighted in, it is not always the case with human beings.  What would it take for me to be delightful to God today?  Verse 11 says that He “delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His unfailing love.”  In other words, God delights in those who respect and trust Him, but how do we, as human beings, express this?  

It is not an accident that a good portion of the next part of the psalm is dedicated to describing His word (vv. 15-20).  Interestingly, when God commands nature, it has no choice but to respond (vv. 15-18); when God reveals His word to His people (v. 19), there is no similar description of what happens immediately afterwards.  It highlights how out of all of his creations, human beings are the only ones with free will to obey or disobey.

So how do we express our respect and trust?  By obeying His word.  When we choose to obey, it shows that we recognize who God is, that we respect Him as the creator of the universe, but also that we are responding to His love.  Because He has demonstrated His love towards us, we trust Him, believing that His commands are for our good.  We, therefore, obey Him.

What am I going to do today with this amazing privilege that God has given me, this freedom to choose whether to obey and honor Him or disobey and reject His love?  Use this psalm to remind you of His goodness and love, and let His love motivate your obedience this day.

Prayer: Lord, truly you are worthy of my praise.  How good you have been to me, how loving.  You have been my healer, restorer, provider and protector.  How can I not place my hope and trust in you?  May I be a delight to you this day.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Micah 4

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 John 2:5-6: But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Read John 14:23-24, 30-3: Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” 30 “I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.”

Questions to Consider

  1. From the verses above, what is the relationship between loving God and obeying his word?
  2. In 1 John 2:6, what do you think John meant by living “as Jesus did?”  How do the verses from John 14 shed further light on this question?
  3.  What is my attitude towards obeying God?  Is it like Christ’s?  Is there something God is commanding me to do that I need to obey, exactly?  What could it cost me? 

Notes

  1. The one who truly loves God will obey God’s word.
  2. Living “as Jesus did” means loving God the Father and obeying his commands, exactly, at times even to the point of great personal cost (in John 14:30-31, Jesus is referring to what he was about to face on the cross).
  3.  Often our attitudes towards obeying God are casual, i.e., “If I just obey him in general, it should be good enough.”  How different this is from Jesus who sought to obey God “exactly.”  We are also willing to obey as long as it does not cause us too much inconvenience.  How different this is from Jesus who sought to obey God even at a great cost.

Though sometimes obeying exactly is costly, remember also what was accomplished through the price Jesus paid – the salvation of the world – and let that be an encouragement.  When God asks us to do something, it is not an empty request, especially if he asks us to do it at a cost.

Evening Reflection

Did I make an effort to obey God exactly today?  Did I pay a price?  Take comfort in imagining what God could be doing through your sacrifice and thinking of his delight in you.

December 27, Sunday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Charles Choe who leads Tapestry Church in Los Angeles, was first posted on June 29, 2014.  Charles is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for This Morning 

“Decluttering Our Lives”

1 Timothy 6:17-19

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. [18] They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, [19] thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Growing up, I was told not to leave any leftovers at the dinner table because African kids were dying of hunger every day. If my parents really wanted to drive the point home, they would go on about how eating steak, owning a car, or even having shelter was such a privilege for us. It might have gotten me to finish my vegetables, but it certainly didn’t make me a genuinely grateful child. Why not? Because soon, I was thinking, “Can I help it that I’m living in this country? And that this is just normal in America?” Guilt may have worked for the moment, but it had no substantive power to change me. 

The Bible is not into guilt. It says, “You know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, who though he was rich became poor so that through his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9), suggesting that anyone who has truly understood what Jesus has done for them, will learn to be generous. The Scripture is only interested in loosening the grip money has over us—this need to have more, this fear of not having enough—because these sentiments express a lack of faith in a generous God.  

This is not saying that we can’t enjoy pleasure; God has given us everything richly to enjoy. Rather, Paul is telling the rich Ephesians that when it comes to wealth, use it strategically. It’s a tremendous gift, latent with much potential for good. The Bible says, first, you can choose to spend it on yourself; second, you can give it all away in one swoop (monastery, anyone?); or the third and the most biblical option is, you can invest it in such a way that it continues to bear tremendous fruit. In other words, Paul is not calling the rich to no longer be rich, but he’s calling the rich to no longer live rich, but to be rich in good deeds. 

So how about if we take this Sunday and de-clutter a bit? Why not put a couple of bags together for the local Goodwill store? We can start there by strategizing as to how we can live more generously with our money and time for those who are hurting. Let’s arrive at a simpler lifestyle, with a new attitude toward money and material things. We know we can because of what Christ has done for us. It flows out of our changed heart, a heart that has been touched by the Gospel story. 

Prayer: Father, help me to declutter my life so that I keep only those things I cannot lose and let go things I cannot keep after I die.  Thank You for Your Son whom I cannot lose. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Micah 3