REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by the then (2013) staff of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego, first posted on July 18, 2013.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“God Our Shepherd”

Psalm 77:16-20

The waters saw you, God, the waters saw you and writhed; the very depths were convulsed. 17 The clouds poured down water, the heavens resounded with thunder; your arrows flashed back and forth. 18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked. 19 Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen. 20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Have you ever doubted God? In response to his crisis of faith, the psalmist recalls the deeds of the Lord.  In particular, he remembers the parting of the Red Sea.  Far from an interesting children’s story, this event was absolutely terrifying and awe-inspiring for the Israelites who experienced it.  

The waters of the sea were writhing and convulsing.  Water was pouring down from a sky filled with lightning and thunder.  The earth itself quaked.  If that were not enough, pursuing the people of God was Pharaoh’s entire army.

But in the midst of all this, the Lord led His people as a shepherd leads his flock.  Our God takes sheep who have no shepherd and makes them His own.  He is no hired hand; He lays down His life for His sheep.  He knows each by name and leaves the ninety-nine to find that one that has gone astray.

Recall how the Lord has been the Good Shepherd to you over the years.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, your love is incomprehensible.  You are God of all, yet you are tender to me.  Thank you for being my faithful Shepherd.  Though I have often gone astray, you have always pursued me and brought me home to yourself.  Give me grace to trust in your care for me.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Corinthians 11

---

Lunch Break Study

Read James 3:13-15 (NIV): Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 

Questions to Consider

1. How does James identify a believer who is full of wisdom? 
2. What kind of attitudes were some of the believers harboring?
3. What does James say is the source of such attitudes?
4. Are you harboring any ill attitudes towards the body of Christ? Ask the Lord to fill you with wisdom from above and flush out the so-called earthly “wisdom.”

Notes

1. A wise person demonstrates their God-given wisdom through good works and good conduct. James stresses that the result (good conduct) is the inevitable outgrowth of true wisdom. 
2. Due to increased financial hardships and trials, James’ congregation members were harboring bitter jealousy and selfish ambitions. 
3. It is sobering to read that James attributes such attitude to the devil himself. James exposes his congregation’s faulty perspective as completely the opposite of anything godly. Rather, their attitude is earthbound, spiritually dead, and demon instigated. 
4. Personal application

---

Evening Reflection

In what ways are you currently serving (or can begin to serve) in your local body of Christ? For those who want to start actively serving, consider making plans to meet with the church leaders to find out how you can serve. For those who are currently serving, in what ways can you encourage others to serve the Lord? 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I sometimes struggle with a love/hate relationship with your Bride, the Church. Please fill me with your heavenly wisdom so that I too might reflect good conduct for your glory. Amen.  

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, prepared by Pastor Jason Sato, was first posted on April 29, 2014.  Jason, along with his wife Jessica, is currently serving in Japan as a missionary.  Jason is a graduate of University of California, San Diego (BS) and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Share all good things with who?”

Galatians 6:6-10 (ESV)

“Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. [7] Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. [8] For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. [9] And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. [10] So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Would you like to share a delicious steak dinner . . . with your pastor?  How about your new iPad? Or those golf clubs?  Sorry, am I starting to sound like a cult leader? Don’t worry!  I am not trying to take all your stuff. I think it’s safe to say that we are very wary of being taken advantage of.  So what do we do when it’s not some smarmy televangelist but the apostle Paul himself saying, “Share all good things with the one who teaches” (v. 6)?

While we are uncomfortable when anyone (God included) brings up the issue of money, I don’t think this passage is talking about giving your pastor a hi-five. At the same time, we recognize that neither Paul nor any other faithful minister would instruct us to do anything solely for his own personal gain. So what is he teaching here?

First, giving is a means of putting into practice the command to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). A pastor’s responsibility to provide for his family is by no means a small burden. I’ve witnessed first-hand the stress and strain of a pastor working full-time, leading a church, and ministering to his wife and children. Our responsibility as a body is to help bear our brother’s burden.

Second, giving is a means of valuing the Word of God which leads to eternal life. Our giving frees our pastors to devote themselves to the Word of God and prayer that we might be fed and blessed. While there are always an endless number of things we can sow our finances into, how many of them lead to spiritual growth and life? How many of them actually lead us further away from God?

In the end, giving is not a question of an exact dollar amount or percentage. And while we may breathe a quick sigh of relief, I would suggest the real questions are much more challenging. For example, how can our giving meaningfully contribute to the bearing of another’s financial burden? Or how can our giving reflect the true value of the Word that leads to eternal life? Invite the Lord to help you answer these questions.

Prayer: Father, You have been so abundantly generous to me. Thank You that I can trust You to continue to provide for me and that You have given me the opportunity to bless others around me that are in need. May all the earthly wealth You’ve given me be used to store up treasure in heaven.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:2 Corinthians 10

---

Lunch Break Study  

Read Luke 16:1-9 (ESV): “He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. [2] And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ [3] And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. [4] I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ [5] So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ [6] He said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ [7] Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ [8] The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. [9] And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.”

Questions to Consider

1. The shrewd manager acts in light of his knowledge. According to v. 2-3, what are two things the shrewd manager knows?
2. Whose wealth does the shrewd manager use?
3. For what does the shrewd manager use the wealth? For what are Jesus’ disciples instructed to use their wealth?

Notes

1. The shrewd manager knows what the future holds for himself. He will be unemployed. The shrewd manager also knows himself. He is too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg.
2. The shrewd manager reduces each man’s debt, essentially using his master’s wealth. The manager is simply a steward, never an owner of anything.
3. The shrewd manager uses his master’s wealth to obtain the favor of his master’s debtors. Jesus instructs the disciples to be generous with the earthly wealth they have been given stewardship over in order to bless others and have eternal rewards.

---

Evening Reflection

Reflect on your day. What opportunities were you given to be generous with your possessions? How were you tempted to make decisions fueled by love of money? 

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog originally posted on December 31, 2014.  Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“What Qualities Are You Looking for in the Marriage Market?”

Proverbs 31:10-12, 29

“A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies.  11 Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.  12 She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life . . . 29 ‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’”

“27 yrs old, 5 ft 3, female.  College grad; art major.  Monthly salary: 2500 RMB ($400).  Good-looking.”  So read the hundreds of letter-sized flyers posted along the walls near the entrance of the park.  It is  Saturday afternoon, and the area is full of men and women in their late 30s and 40s milling around looking for spouses… for their children.

The infamous “marriage market” of Shanghai.  Parents used to stand around holding these signs advertising the more desirable qualities of their yet unwed offspring.  Other parents would come up to express interest; phone numbers would be exchanged.  Now it seems in an effort to be more civilized, the signs are posted on a wall in orderly fashion, and sometimes even the younger people will come by to take a look for themselves.  

What qualities to look for in a spouse?  The Bible doesn’t say directly, but it does say that if a man ends up finding a wife of noble character, he has found a treasure.  What man wouldn’t want a wife he could be fully confident in?  Proud of (v. 11)?  A wife who will bring him good and not harm, not just temporarily, but for a lifetime (v. 12)? This is what a woman of noble character can be to a man.

What woman wouldn’t want to hear her husband say that there are no other women who compare to her?  That to him, she is the best (v. 29)?  What woman wouldn’t want to know that her husband feels so lucky to have her because she is such a rare find (v. 10)?  This is the love and regard that a noble woman can bring out in a man.

Those looking for wives, look for true value.  Those looking to be wives, develop a noble character.  Those who are wives, continue to be noble.  Those who have wives, treasure and honor the noble qualities in your spouse.

Prayer: Lord, help me this day to value the things your word tells me is important to value in people.  Help me to value and honor noble character, in myself and in others.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Corinthians 9

---

Lunch Break Study

Read Proverbs 31:25-27, 30: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.  26 She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.  27 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness . . . 30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”

Questions to Consider

1. Describe a wife of noble character in your own words (vv. 25-27).
2. What are not necessarily the qualities of a wife of noble character?  What kind of a woman should be praised (v. 30)?
3. What qualities do I value more in others?  What qualities do I spend more time investing in developing in myself?

Notes

1. She is not an insecure woman but one with a strong sense of self and her worth.  She does not worry about the future, but not in a foolish, careless way.  When she speaks, the content of her speech is quality content, not empty chatter.  She is responsible, hardworking and not lazy.
2. Being charming or beautiful.  One who respects God and lives her life to honor Him.  If you encounter someone of noble character today, consider praising that person, giving a word of encouragement.
3. In others, am I attracted more by charm and appearance or inner character?  In the mornings, do I spend more time preparing to present my outward appearance to people than I do preparing my heart to meet them as I spend time praying and meditating on God’s word?

---

Evening Reflection

Was I a person of noble character today?  Did I look for and encourage those qualities in others?  How were my words?  What is the state of my household affairs?  Did I make the best use of my time today?

REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional Quiet Time, provided by Christine Li, was first posted on October 12, 2014.  Christine, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, serves as a deaconess at Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York.  Congratulations to Christine for her recent nuptial.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

Psalm 77:5b –12

One problem that I struggled with for a long time was the idea that God was in the business of forgetting me. I began to notice all my friends excelling in areas that I was diligently working at (seemingly in vain). I saw the people I wanted to deeply invest into instead gravitating towards others and asking for their company instead. All the things I was asking for, I saw other people receiving plentifully!

While I knew of God’s generosity and knew that I had experienced much of it in my own life, the disappointments and hurts slowly began to gnaw at me until I allowed myself to believe that my job on earth was being passed over by the LORD. I did not think that God was not good, but I thought I would never feel like I received great things from Him; and that I was doomed to live a life of learning to be thankful and content with all the things that I considered second-rate. 

If you find yourself going through something similar or want to avoid wandering in such a desert, I can offer you the directions that the psalmist gives: we must actively take time to meditate on the works of God in our lives. And we must remember that the LORD is not like us at all – He does not forget us, though we are forgetful; He does not forget our prayers, though we forget the words we hear from others. 

While the psalmist thinks of God’s faithfulness and generosity to all of His people, we can counter doubts about His personal love for us by reflecting on God’s mighty work in our own lives. Are we no longer awed and glad that He sustains us breath by breath? Have we forgotten about the way that He has removed a former pain or struggle in our lives? Have we forgotten perhaps a purposelessness that He has overcome for us? Let’s think back to some mighty works that God has done in our lives so that we may have hearts that anticipate the work He is doing and will be doing.

As we take time to consider the works that God has done in our lives up until now, He will help us get into a mode of being thankful for all the things He has brought in our lives. Though we find ourselves dismayed by circumstances, He will place us on a firmer ground to trust in His loving generosity for now and in the future. 

Prayer: Dear LORD, we confess that oftentimes we do not trust Your goodness; we doubt your generosity and we doubt Your love for us. Let Your truths speak more clearly and loudly than our hurts and discouragements. Give us again a heart of thankfulness and a heart of hope.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Corinthians 8

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 20, 2013.  He is a graduate of University of Wisconsin (BA) and Biblical Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Shaking of God”

Exodus 20:18-21

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19 and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.”  20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” 21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. 

What an opportunity for the people of God!  In the book of Exodus, God said when the ram’s horn sounded a long blast, everyone had an opportunity to go up the mountain of God (Ex. 19:13). The people heard the trumpet, but at the same time, they saw and heard the thunder, lightning, mountain shaking, and the dark cloud. It was time to encounter God, but what they saw and heard made them too afraid to approach the mountain of God, thus Israel rejected God’s invitation.

Great encounter with God requires great risk. People need to know that real encounter with God is not just business as usual. It is much riskier than hearing a good message on a Sunday. A real encounter with God is scary because there needs to be change and transformation; you cannot remain the same when you encounter God. 

People who sincerely seek after God and want to see Him move more in their life is not afraid to have their life radically changed. Those who hunger after God’s presence are not afraid to go through the shaking, lightning, and the dark cloud. The spiritual earthquake that God brings will shake everything in your life; all the things that should not be standing, all idols in your life, all the things that are false and weak, God wants to bring it all down. This kind of shaking from God is not to expose you, nor to crush you, but to transform and strengthen your life.

The trumpet is sounding. Let’s go up to the mountain of God together!

Prayer: Lord, help me to change even if it shakes everything that has provided comfort and security to me.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Corinthians 6-7

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional was first posted on July 1, 2014.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Art of Disobeying God”

Jonah 1:1-4 

Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. 4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up.

As a prophet in Israel (2 Kings 14:25), Jonah’s life revolved around familiarity and obedience to God’s will. So when the Word of the Lord came to him, this was nothing new. Yet, instead of saying yes to God, Jonah bought a ticket for Tarshish, which was in the opposite direction of Nineveh.  Clearly visible in Jonah’s reaction is the ultimate outcome of disobedience: “Jonah rose to flee . . . from the presence of the Lord.” Disobedience is deadly because it drives us away from God, whether we intend it to (as Jonah did) or not.

While it was a potentially life-threatening call to rebuke the city of Nineveh (who committed atrocities against Israel), which Jonah refused to obey, my own disobediences come in smaller and more numerous areas. How many times have I skipped my devotions because I’m “busy”? There have been numerous times I would crank up the music on my iPod when I felt God’s conviction to pray for a stranger on the subway. The call to love, to forgive, to be patient have been disobeyed more than I can count.

It’s easy to paint Jonah as the villain for this disobedience, but when I stack all of mine, both in action and thought, then I might be considered vile at best, for I have mastered the art of disobeying God. Yet in verse 4, we are given hope. It says, “The Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea.” This may seem like punishment, but it is God’s grace. True, it came in the shape of a storm, which is not pleasant, but the alternative is worse. God could have simply given up on Jonah.

This is the encouragement we have when our disobedience separates us from God. He pursues us relentlessly.

Do you feel far from God? Maybe it’s pointing to areas of God’s will you have been disobeying? This morning, God wants to show you how relentlessly He’s pursuing you because of His love. He’s asking you to remember His goodness: Say yes to Him, and be restored into a right relationship.

Prayer: God, I want more of Your presence in my life. Forgive me for running away from You. Remind me of Your vast love that pursues me, and may that give me the strength to say yes to You again and again.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Corinthians 5

---

Lunch Break Study

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

Job 38:34-5: [God tells Job] “Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? 35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?  Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’”?

Questions to Consider

1. What is the significance of Nineveh?
2.  In verse 2, God tells Jonah to “arise” (Quwm), and in verse 3 it says that Jonah rose (Quwm) to flee. Immediately, it says that he went down (Yarad) to Joppa and down (Yarad) the ship. What image is the author trying to paint for us?
3.  What has God revealed concerning Himself through the sending of the storm?

Notes

1. Nineveh was the capital Assyria. The Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC, at least 30 years after the events of this book.
2.  The word “arise” is often used to connote the taking of action. In the beginning of Jonah, his actions of disobedience brought him spiritually lower.
3. He revealed His power and control over nature, His desire for Nineveh to hear His word, and His great desire to use Jonah.

Evening Reflection

As you reflect on your day, it may have been filled with complete obedience or many moments of running away. Before the day is done, listen to God’s heart that calls for us to be with Him. Are there areas in your life that He’s calling you to examine? Is there a deeper calling for His presence in your life? Reflect and respond to Him.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, prepared by Pastor Jason Sato, was first posted on April 24, 2014.  Jason, along with his wife Jessica, is currently serving in Japan as a missionary.  Jason is a graduate of University of California, San Diego (BS) and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Flesh, Law and Spirit”

Galatians 5:16-18 (ESV)

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17] For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

Day and night are opposites. Wet and dry are opposites. The desires of the Spirit and the desires of the flesh are opposites. The flesh and the law are…opposites?

In v. 17, the apostle Paul is clear: the desires of the Spirit and the desires of the flesh are complete opposites. The desires of the Spirit actually keep us from doing the desires of the flesh and vice versa. This makes sense. But the next comparison Paul makes is rather surprising. Verse 18 tells us that being “led by the Spirit” and being “under the law” are opposites.

Spirit and flesh are opposites. Spirit and law are opposites. So flesh and law . . . are the same?

At first glance, this seems absurd. How can breaking the speed limit and driving under the speed limit be the same exact thing? How can someone who completely abstains from alcohol be the same as an alcoholic?

When Paul refers to the law, he is still thinking about the battle between faith and circumcision. The law is not just a reference to God’s law in general but the desire of some to justify themselves before God with their good works. So Paul is saying that the person who indulges in their sinful desires and the person who keeps the law in order to earn God’s favor are the same: Both are driven by their self-centeredness.

The alcoholic is self-centered; he cares only for the pleasure of drunkenness even if it hurts everyone around him. Likewise, the self-righteous teetotaler is self-centered; she cares only for her own reputation and reward.

But Christians are no longer driven by the fleshly desires. No longer under the law, those led by the Spirit are free to serve and love others with no ulterior motive. No longer driven by selfish desire, we are free to be concerned solely with glorifying Christ.

How is your sin a form of self-centeredness? How are you tempted to become more self-centered amidst your good works? Ask the Lord to fill you with His Spirit that you might be led by Him.

Prayer: Father, free me from my obsession with myself! May I walk in Your Spirit and reject the desires of my flesh that You might be pleased. May I do nothing for my own glory or name that You might be honored. I thank You that I can trust You to take care of me as I forget myself and live for You alone. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Corinthians 4

---

Lunch Break Study

Sometimes our self-centeredness and self-reliance expresses itself, not in pursuing wicked pleasure or self-righteousness, but in securing our material needs.

Read Matthew 6:26-27, 31-33 (ESV): “Look 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? [27] And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [31] Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32] For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Questions to Consider

1. Where does our anxiousness stem from? What does it accomplish?
2. What reasons are we given to trust God?
3. As we trust God, what are we free to do?

Notes

1. Our anxiousness often stems from our material needs and fear of the future (“What shall we eat?”; “What shall we wear?”). Unfortunately, our anxiousness does not accomplish very much.
2. Our Father feeds the birds of the air and He values us much more greatly than them (v. 26). God knows all of our needs. He does not dismiss them as unimportant and He is able to meet them (v.27-28).
3. We are free to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Our unwillingness to follow God wholeheartedly boils down to a trust issue.

---

Evening Reflection

Reflect on your day. Were you tempted by the desires of the flesh? Were you tempted to build your own ego and reputation? Reflect on the beauty and grace of Christ that enables us to walk by the Spirit instead.

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Cami King who serves as associate pastor at Remnant Church in Manhattan, was first posted on April 9, 2014.  Cami is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.).  We offer our condolences for the recent passing of her younger brother. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“A Sneakier Form of Hypocrisy”

Galatians 2:11-14 

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

One of the most common insults hurled at Christians is that we are all a bunch of hypocrites. Whether it’s our unsavory history of Crusades or appalling picketing at funerals, most of us can at least see where the world might get this idea. For many outsiders looking in, we talk about love but aren’t very loving; we talk about morality but aren’t very moral. Our Scriptures talk about caring for the poor, needy, and even the environment and animal kingdom, but how many of us actually make this our priority?

The reality is, most of the world is a bit hard on Christians. They don’t understand the process of sanctification – that while we seek to live like Christ, we all fall short of His glory (thank God for forgiveness!). It takes a while (a lifetime to be exact) to perfect it.   

But what the rest of the world doesn’t seem to notice is a sneakier form of hypocrisy among us. Many of us are content with living double lives where we shape shift depending on the crowd. This can take many forms: we are Christians on Sundays, but quickly adjust to “blend in” with the rest of the world for the rest of the week; we describe a weekend retreat as “fun” or “insightful” instead of glorifying God for the ways He moved. 

Like Peter, many of us are so concerned with fitting in and being accepted (or just living average lives, realizing the American Dream), that we give into the tendencies of culture even when they are contrary to the culture of the Kingdom of God. This is precisely what it means for salt to lose its savor or a lamp to be hidden under a bowl. 

We aren’t called to be perfect, but we are called to be consistent and genuine. When we find ourselves bifurcating our lives based upon whom we are around, we’re headed for trouble. Our faith may lead us into some awkward conversations, uncomfortable moments, or difficult choices, but sometimes it’s these precise moments that give God an opportunity to move. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to live out a consistent and genuine faith before the on looking world. I know I don’t have to be perfect, but help me to be honest and resist the temptation to just fit in. Help me to be salt and light to the non-Christian communities in which you’ve place me. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Corinthians 3 

---

Lunch Break Study 

Read Matthew 5:13-16: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Questions to Consider

1. Why is salt a good metaphor for believers? 
2. Why are we to let our light shine before others? 
3. What are some places God is calling you to let your light shine? 

Notes

1. Salt has two primary functions – flavoring and preserving. A little salt goes a long way to change the taste of food. Salt also has the power to preserve food that would otherwise decay without it. 
2. So God can be glorified.  

---

Evening Reflection

What are some things that keep you from being salt and light in your various communities?  Are there specific people before whom God is calling you to live out genuine faith? Pray and surrender these areas to God. Ask for boldness to become bright and salty! 

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 September 25, 2014.  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

“Effectiveness, Not Efficiency”

Ecclesiastes 10:8-11 (ESV)

He who digs a pit will fall into it, and a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall. 9 He who quarries stones is hurt by them, and he who splits logs is endangered by them.  10 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed. 11 If the serpent bites before it is charmed, there is no advantage to the charmer. 

Do you get the sense that Solomon was a glass-half-empty kind of a guy? Reading these verses in isolation, it might seem that way; however, the context of this passage is about how wisdom is better than folly.  So Solomon is not necessarily prophesying doom in our workplace, but rather pointing out examples of folly in our workplace. 

A foolish person does not account for risks and dangers; but a wise person, on the other hand, knows the right way to dig a pit, break through a wall, quarry stones, split wood, or even charm snakes.  A wise person works better; not necessarily harder, keeping his/her tools sharp along the way.  

Let me give one warning:  Sometimes we can confuse this wisdom with being efficient.  Our modern world craves efficiency – doing things faster and quicker.  Not only do we microwave our food with this mentality, but we practice this in our work habits and our relationships—including our relationship with God.  

Instead of efficiency, I suggest it would be wiser to pursue effectiveness.  While an efficient person asks, “How can I do this better and quicker?” an effective person asks, “What work should I be doing?”  A Christian who asks this question also prays: “Let your will be done on earth just as it is done in heaven!”  Today, let us invite God to reveal the work he desires for us to do!

Prayer: Father, I know that I can be seduced by the mantra of bigger, faster, and better.  Though I desire to be better at my work, I also want to do the right kind of work.  I ask for Your wisdom that comes from above so that I would be effective for the sake of your Kingdom.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Corinthians 2

---

Lunch Break Study  

Read Matthew 25:24-30: He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Questions to Consider

1. What was the third servant supposed to do with his talent?  What did he do instead? (cf. verse 18)
2. Why was the master angry with the third servant?
3. What happens to the third servant?

Notes

1. Each servant was given a number of talents to do business with.  The first two servants ended up doubling the number of talents they had been given.  In contrast, the third servant simply buried the talent.
2. Instead of doing the work that he had been assigned (i.e. invest the talent), the third servant did nothing.  In addition, he accused the master of profiting from other people’s work. 
3. The third servant has his talent taken away, and he is thrown out from the master’s household. 

---

Evening Reflection

A wise person not only works harder and better, but also knows the right work to do.  Are you doing what God wants you to do (in all spheres of your life)?  As we journal, let us ask God if there are things we should cut out from our lives, even as we ask whether we have neglected His work.

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Pastor Peter Yoon of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego, is an updated version of his blog first posted on May 22, 2014.  Peter is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“At the Very Least, Obey the Part that You Understand”

Titus 3:9

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless.

The first century believers finally understood that they were justified through their faith in Jesus Christ. However, after thousands of years of observing the Law, they naturally had questions, concerns, opinions on the matter of the Law. Thus, conversations among the church members sprang forth at times getting heated, but eventually becoming fruitless “arguments and quarrels” about the Law. Paul saw these as “foolish” arguments because they were unprofitable and useless. 

The benefits of our knowledge and our response to God’s grace were so great that Paul makes it clear that no other priorities should creep into our ministries. He tells Titus to avoid such useless and even divisive issues, because those who engage in such arguments only distract the church from its mission and purpose. Paul tells Titus to warn “a person who stirs up division” up to two times and after that to “have nothing more to do with him.”

Admittedly, there are some passages in the Bible that are not easy to interpret. It is not without reason that Peter said, “His [the apostle Paul’s] letters contain some things that are hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16).  Culture and language gaps sometimes make it difficult to come to a dogmatic conclusion and can lead to controversial arguments and quarrels today. However, there is still a wealth of passages that are easy to comprehend. 

Are you sometimes tempted to overlook some of the most basic and easy to understand commands of Scriptures in search for some deeper understanding of obscure passages? A lady boasted to an old seminary professor, “Brother Hendricks, I’ve been through the Bible 17 times.” Not impressed, the professor responded, “Good. But how many times has the Bible been through you?”

The Word of God points us to many plain commands that calls for simple obedience. To obey the Father’s will was food to Jesus’ ministry and life (John 4:34). Imagine how full and satisfied you would be if you’d simply obey the obvious commandments. Let’s place aside our complaints that we just aren’t getting fed by pastor so-and-so because he does not expound on the theological importance of the spirits that “look like frogs” (huh?) in Rev. 16:13. Rather, when the preacher calls us to love another, forgive one another, serve one another for the umpteenth time, let us obey and be spiritually fed. 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I know that in this life, I don’t live on bread alone but on every word that comes from Your mouth. Thank you for making Your word so accessible and so clear to me. Enable me to obey Your commands daily as I receive from You revelations and reminders of what pleases You.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Corinthians 1

---

Lunch Break Study  

Read Matt 22:15-22: Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17 Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?” 18 But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19 Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, 20 and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?” 21 “Caesar’s,” they replied. Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” 22 When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

Questions to Consider 

1. How was this controversial question about taxes to Caesar an attempt to entrap Jesus?
2. Jesus’ reply to the question not only amazes the inquirers, but it sends them away. What does Jesus’ reply reveal about the hypocritical and greedy nature of the so-called “religious leaders”?
3. Do you sometimes raise controversial matters as a smokescreen in an attempt to divert what the Lord truly wants to teach or do in your life? 

Notes

1. The unlikely coalition of the Pharisees and the Herodians hoped to trap Jesus. Either he would support taxes to Rome, undercutting his popular messianic support, or he would challenge taxes, thereby aligning with the views that had sparked a disastrous revolt two decades earlier. In the latter case, the Herodians could charge him with being a revolutionary-hence showing that he should be executed, and executed quickly.
2. It shows that while the Israelites resented Caesar and his Roman army for having occupied their land, they didn’t mind using and hoarding the very coins that bore his image.  In other words, their dislike of the Romans was a distant second to their greed. By contrast, surrendering to God what is God’s implies the surrender of all one is and possesses.
3. The Pharisees and the Herodians brought up a controversial matter to Jesus; however, Jesus wanted to deal with the hypocrisy and greed in their hearts. 

---

Evening Reflection

How were your words used today? Were they foolish, unprofitable and useless? Or were they full of wisdom, edifying others? Reflect on Proverbs 17:28: “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.”