REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on February 4, 2019, is provided by Pastor Jason Sato. Jason, along with his wife Jessica and their three young children, is serving in Japan as an AMI missionary.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Promise Keeper”

Exodus 1:8-14 (ESV)

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. [9] And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. [10] Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” [11] Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses. [12] But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. [13] So they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves [14] and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves.

Many years ago, I served in a high school youth group.  Some students were very concerned about their grades and they could feel as if the presence or absence of God in their lives was as simple as whether they got an A or a C on their latest test.  While this is sort of silly, we are also prone to let the circumstances of our lives dictate what we believe about God.  If we are in a season of success, God is good and He loves us.  If we are in a season of suffering, we wonder whether God is absent and if He may be angry.

During the time of Joseph, God’s people are honored and shown great favor in the land of Egypt.  They flourish economically and numerically.  They can clearly see how God is fulfilling His promise to Abraham to make of his offspring a great nation.  Yet this time quickly comes to an end and there arises a new king who does not know Joseph.  The Israelites are feared and then enslaved.  God’s people had risen to the top of Egyptian society only to then plummet down to the very bottom.

Yet “the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread abroad.”  In the midst of suffering and oppression, God’s people are being grown into the very nation He had promised they would be.  While God’s people are confused, this is His chosen plan to set the people apart for Himself, to prepare them to go into the Promised Land, and to demonstrate His greatness.  Thus their suffering does not occur because God is failing to keep His promises but because He is faithful to keep them!

Many times the challenges or suffering we face are God’s ordained means of fulfilling His promises in our lives.  Jesus promises to cleanse and heal us, to set us free from bondage, to make us into His likeness, and to draw us near to Him.  Even when we cannot understand how, He is sovereignly working all things to fulfill His promises to us and give us life and joy in Him. 

Prayer: Father, thank You that You are always faithful in Your love for me.  There are many things in my life that I do not understand, but I do know that You love me and are working all things for my good.  I put my hope in You! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 17

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Lunch Break Study

Read Genesis 37:5–11 (ESV): Now Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers they hated him even more. [6] He said to them, “Hear this dream that I have dreamed: [7] Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and behold, my sheaf arose and stood upright. And behold, your sheaves gathered around it and bowed down to my sheaf.” [8] His brothers said to him, “Are you indeed to reign over us? Or are you indeed to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.[9] Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” [10] But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?” [11] And his brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind. 

Questions to Consider

• What does God promise Joseph?
• In this passage, what was the immediate fruit of Joseph’s dream?
• Based on your knowledge of Genesis, what necessary events occur in Joseph’s life that lead to the fulfillment of God’s promises to him?

Notes

• God promises Joseph that his brothers and even his parents would one day bow down to him.
• Joseph’s brothers hated him even more than before and he was rebuked by his father.
• In order to bring Joseph to a place of authority, he needed to be sold into slavery, falsely accused, thrown in jail, and forgotten in prison.

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Evening Reflection

Reflect upon your day.  Did you encounter any unexpected suffering or challenges?  Bring these things before the Lord.  Ask Him to draw near to you as the God of all comfort.  Ask the Father to help you trust and walk in His sovereign plan for you.

REPOST  Today’s Spiritual Food for Though, first posted on September 9, 2018, is provided by Pastor Mark Chun. Mark is now serving as a staff at Radiance Christian Church in S.F. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Suffering for Christ”

Jeremiah 36:26-32 (ESV)

And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son and Seraiah the son of Azriel and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them. 27 Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. 29 And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord, You have burned this scroll, saying, “Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it man and beast?” 30 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. 31 And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’ ” 32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them. 

How many of us would be willing to endure persecution and suffering in order to proclaim and preserve God’s truth?  If there was a law that was passed in our country that called for everyone to turn in their copy of the Bible, and it became punishable by death to possess the Scriptures, who among us would be willing to pay such a price?  The answer to that question is something that I wrestled with as I read through a book entitled Wide as the Waters.  The book chronicles the history of the English Bible and details the lives of the men who made it possible for every English speaker in the world to have copy of the Bible in their own vernacular. 

Unknown to many Christians is the fact that the Book we possess in our hands didn’t come merely from the hard work of translators and editors; what we now enjoy freely has been bought by the blood of the martyrs.  The story of the English Bible, and subsequently the Reformation, began with a man by the name of John Wycliffe.  Born in 1328, he has been called “the forerunner” and “the morning star” of the Reformation.   Christian history teaches that the precursor to the start of the Reformation was the debate over who has true authority—the pope or the Scriptures.  The Roman Catholic Church operated, and still operates, under the principle of papal monarchy.  Their view on authority can be summed up by the decree of Pope Gregory VII:  “The pope can be judged by no one; the Roman church as never erred and never will err till the end of time; the Roman church was founded by Christ alone; the pope alone can depose and restore bishops; he alone can make new laws….”  This was accepted without question until one corrupt pope after another ascended to the papacy; and tiring of this, people began to doubt the doctrine of papal authority.  But if the pope doesn’t have the final say, then who does?  Well, it dawned on a few men that the Scriptures should be the ultimate authority, since men are prone to error, while the Word of God is perfect.  Instead of papal authority, they deduced that all matters of faith should be decided by the Scriptures alone.  

But in order for this vision to become a reality, men like John Wycliffe decided that every believer ought to have a copy of the Bible in their own language.  This was met with fierce resistance from the Catholic Church, and those who agreed with Wycliffe were labeled as heretics.  Although Wycliffe died a natural death, many of his followers were burned at the stake.  Eventually, Wycliffe was denounced as a heretic.  His remains were dug out of consecrated church ground and thrown into the Avon river in England, and from there a prophesy arose among the people:  “The Avon to the Severn runs, the Severn to the sea, and Wycliffe’s dust shall spread abroad, Wide as the Waters be.”  His life became the inspiration for a group called “the Wycliffe translators,” many of whom have sacrificed their own well-being in order to translate the Word of God into every language.  

As we think about the lives of these people who were willing to sacrifice so much for the spread of God’s word, we might ask ourselves, Why?  What is their motivation?    For these men and women, they have put their absolute trust and their complete hope in the Word of God.   Trusting in God is identical to trusting in His Word—there is no division between the two.  And so for us to really trust God, we need to start by trusting in His Word.  

Prayer:  Father, teach us to delight in Your Word and to trust in all Your promises.  You alone have the words of life, and You have spoken them through the life of Your Son.  Fill us with the same type of conviction that inspired the prophets and the saints of old to risk so much to share Your Word.  Although the grass may wither and our lives pass before us, the Word of our God will endure forever!  Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 16

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Cami King—now a friend of AMI—was first posted on July 21, 2018.  Cami served faithfully as a staff at several AMI churches in the past.  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Legacy – What Will You Leave Behind?”

Jeremiah 22:8-19 (NET Bible)

“‘People from other nations will pass by this city. They will ask one another, “Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?” 9 The answer will come back, “It is because they broke their covenant with the Lord their God and worshiped and served other gods.” 10 “‘Do not weep for the king who was killed. Do not grieve for him. But weep mournfully for the king who has gone into exile. For he will never return to see his native land again. 11 “‘For the Lord has spoken about Shallum son of Josiah, who succeeded his father as king of Judah but was carried off into exile. He has said, “He will never return to this land. 12 For he will die in the country where they took him as a captive. He will never see this land again.” 13 “‘Sure to be judged is the king who builds his palace using injustice and treats people unfairly while adding its upper rooms. He makes his countrymen work for him for nothing. He does not pay them for their labor. 14 He says, “I will build myself a large palace with spacious upper rooms.” He cuts windows in its walls, panels it with cedar, and paints its rooms red. 15 Does it make you any more of a king that you outstrip everyone else in building with cedar? Just think about your father. He was content that he had food and drink. He did what was just and right. So things went well with him. 16 He upheld the cause of the poor and needy. So things went well for Judah.’ The Lord says, ‘That is a good example of what it means to know me.’ 17 But you are always thinking and looking for ways to increase your wealth by dishonest means. Your eyes and your heart are set on killing some innocent person and committing fraud and oppression. 18 So the Lord has this to say about Josiah’s son, King Jehoiakim of Judah: People will not mourn for him, saying, “This makes me sad, my brother! This makes me sad, my sister!” They will not mourn for him, saying, “Poor, poor lord! Poor, poor majesty!” 19 He will be left unburied just like a dead donkey. His body will be dragged off and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.’”

Let’s talk about LEGACY. Merriam-Webster defines legacy as, “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor or from the past.” We often employ this word to mean “memory” – how each of us will be remembered. Depending on our age and season of life, this may or may not be a question we’ve pondered extensively. But the older we get, and the closer we come to the end of any season, the more pressing the questions of what we will leave behind and how we will be remembered tends to matter to us. 

In today’s passage, the legacy of these kings is abysmal to say the least. Instead of leaving behind a thriving nation that loves God, they left a destroyed city, the survivors of which are in exile. The former city will only be remembered as the site of the Lord’s judgment. Unlike their father, who was a king content with God’s provision, did what was right, cared for the poor and needy, and (as all this demonstrates) knew the Lord (vv.15-16), these kings are awful. They built large palaces for themselves by unjust means – not compensating their workers fairly (v.13) – more concerned about building large opulent buildings for themselves than about building the nation with which they’d been entrusted. They were concerned with accumulating wealth for themselves and did so dishonestly (v.17). They oppressed, defrauded, and even killed innocent people. And God wasn’t having it!

Although we are not in this kind of relationship with God (though I sometimes wish nations still were…), we stand to learn from the mistake made by these kings. So what kind of legacy will we leave behind? We are unlikely to leave a legacy of exploitation and murder (well, hopefully not), but what about one marked by greed, selfish ambition, a lack of care for the needy, or a failure to invest in God’s Kingdom? Furthermore, what kind of world will we leave for those coming after us? 

Recently former President Barack Obama finally reemerged in the public sphere to give a lecture in South Africa on the legacy of the late Nelson Mandela in celebration of Mandela’s 100^th birthday. (I highly recommend the lecture and a closer look at Nelson Mandela’s life!) Mandela devoted his life to the fight for equality in South Africa and paid a high price in the process. His commitment to his people, his selfless determination to win justice for oppressed, his ability to forgive decades of imprisonment and horrendous treatment are all part of the legacy he left behind. The host of a satirical news talk show summed up my sentiments well, “Let’s just acknowledge how dope [awesome] you have to be for people to keep throwing you birthdays after you’re dead” (Trevor Noah). I hope I’ll be that “dope” – maybe not on a global stage, but certainly in the lives of those God entrusts to me along my journey. What about you? How “dope” will you be? 

Prayer: Gracious God, help me today to reflect on my legacy. At the end of my current season and the end of my time on this earth, may I leave behind, if nothing else, a witness to Your Great Name. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 14-15

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Doug Tritton, was originally posted on September 19, 2019.  Doug is the Lead Pastor of Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Truly Human”

Genesis 1:26-28

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

Yesterday, we talked about how, as humans, we exist as worship to God. As God’s image, we are objects of worship in the temple of God’s creation. But in the passage in Genesis 1, after God proclaims humankind as His image bearers, He gives them a follow-up command. He says to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Subdue the earth and have dominion over it. Basically, as the image of God, we are called to rule God’s creation in His place. Being human, then, means firstly existing as worship and, secondly, means ruling over God’s creation. But what does that look like?

The Bible actually speaks quite frequently about how people ought to rule. These passages often speak of kings in the line of David, which ultimately points to Jesus as the true king. But, remember, Jesus is the true human and we learn what it means to be human by looking at Jesus. So, if Jesus modeled certain royal attributes, we as humans should seek to follow suit. We were created to rule and Jesus shows us how.

When you read passages about kingship in the Bible, there are two words that often stand out: righteousness and justice. For example, we read in Psalm 72:1-2, “Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son! May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!” Similarly, in Isaiah 16:5 we read, “Then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” In God’s eyes, a true ruler would seek righteousness and justice. Being human, as rulers of creation, we ought to likewise seek righteousness and justice. This is what Jesus did – He promoted righteousness (i.e. people being made right with God) and promoted justice (i.e. the availability of healing and wholeness for all people).

What this means is that doing justice and seeking wholeness in our communities is not just something for the “justice-minded” people to think and care about. To be truly human means to truly care about righteousness and justice, to care about communities being healed and systems being promoted that contribute to flourishing for, not just humans, but all of creation. Being human means desiring to see God’s will being done on earth as it is done in heaven. This is what Jesus did. This is what it means to rule over God’s creation in His image. Just as not living as worship is to be subhuman, to not care about righteousness and justice is likewise subhuman.

Today, invite God to show you how to rule with righteousness and justice. See the world with God’s eyes and see the hope of justice and healing, a justice that could even come through you.

Prayer: Lord, teach us to be truly human. May we seek to be bringers of righteousness and justice to this world. There is so much brokenness around us – may our response not be hopelessness, but rather hopefulness. We are Your image and so we can do justice – here and now. May Your Spirit empower us to do this.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 13

Lunch Break Study  

Read Micah 6:6-8: “With what shall I come before the Lord,and bow myself before God on high?Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,

 with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Questions to Consider

• According to this passage, what does the Lord require of us and what does he not require of us?
• What do you think it means “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God”?
• In what ways can you do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God today?

Notes

• The Lord does not require from us empty religion; rather, He requires us to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God. Now, this does not mean that church does not matter, that anything religious does not matter, and that all that matters is doing good works. There is a both/and here. Religion is empty when it does not seek justice and righteousness, but there is a place for religion, for church, for worship. Remember, worship is primary. But our worship is empty if we are not loving and caring for those around us. Jesus gave us the great commandment, “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.” Both are necessary.
• In Micah’s day, when this was written, there was a lot of oppression in the nation of Israel. The rich were exploiting the poor, rulers were corrupt, and worship of the Lord was hollow. The people had gotten so caught up in the routine of religion that they neglected what really mattered. Jesus summed up the law by saying we must love God and love people. That was meant to be primary. To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God is to do just that – to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself. 
• Invite God to show you how you can do this today. Allow His Spirit to guide you.

Evening Reflection

This evening, reflect on what we have talked about as being truly human. We all fall short, that’s why we need God’s help. Invite God to fill you with His Spirit so that you can live out your calling as a human by worshiping and by ruling creation with righteousness and justice.

REPOST Todays’ AMI Quiet Time, originally posted on July 4, 2019, is written by Pastor Ryun.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“A Direct Line to God”

Psalm 4:1-3

Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God.  Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. 2 How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?  How long will you love delusions and seek false gods? Selah 3 Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord will hear when I call to him.

The truth be told, we often take for granted how God is readily accessible to us (Rom. 5:2); but that’s not something the Israelites in the OT had enjoyed: God was near them but not yet with them. They heard God’s word from the mouth of prophets, but both they and the prophets could never experience “the Spirit himself testify[ing] with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Rom. 8:16).  The adoption into God’s family would become a reality only after the coming of Christ (Jn. 1:12) and the sending of the Holy Spirit into our hearts thereafter, thereby enabling us to hear God’s voice from within—based on Scripture (Jn. 7:39; 2 Cor. 1:22; 1 Cor. 7:29; Acts 17:11).  This is one main reason “many prophets and righteous people [in the OT] longed to see what [we] see, and did not see it, and to hear what [we] hear, and did not hear it” (Mt. 13:17).

This is to say, what David had longed for is a reality to us in Christ, but are we taking advantage of it?  Foremost, if you are still not a believer, you are wasting a golden opportunity to be part of God’s family, along with its many privileges and blessings (and responsibilities to follow). If you are already a believer, then, how is your prayer life? You should really pray, even more now (NT) because we have a direct line to God Himself. Yes, God is waiting for you to call! 

So, what are some activities in your life that seem to sap your desire and energy to pray consistently? Prayerlessness is nothing less than not depending on God.  Anyone who says, “I depend on the Lord” but rarely ever prays is no different than a politician elected on a pro-environment platform who drives a Hummer!  In addition, those who say prayer doesn’t work really haven’t prayed to give it a fair shot, for biblical prayer is not like talking to a waiter; rather it is an unhurried time of intimate dialogue with God and crying out to Him!  And He hears you.  

Considering this, earnestly evaluate your prayer life: What does it say about your dependence on the Lord (Ez. 8:21-3)?  Remember—to add something to our agenda, sometimes we have to make room for it.  To pray or to add more time to our existing prayer life, certain activities may need to be eliminated or reduced.  My suggestion is reducing the time devoted to internet surfing, such as updating your Facebook and/or perusing that of others!  A lot of time is wasted on that activity alone. Pray today.

Prayer: Dear God, I thank You for this privilege of being able to speak to You freely. Help me to draw closer to You because I desperately need You to navigate my life toward where You want me to be.   

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 12

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Lunch Break Study

Read Luke 18:1-8: And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Questions to Consider

1. To whom was this parable said?

2. Why was this taught?

3.  In the parable (Lk. 18:2-5), the unjust judge is an antitype of God.  What is Jesus driving at through this literary device (Lk. 18:6-8)?

 Notes

1. Jesus told this to his disciples.

2. Probably foreseeing the future in which his men would encounter persecutions and trials in carrying out the Great Commission (Mt. 10:17-22), Jesus shared this parable to inculcate in them how they should never give up on prayer.

3. Through this anti-type, Jesus’ point is even more clear: even an unjust judge will grant a petition presented daily by a relentless petitioner just to get her off his back. But God is completely opposite from this man in character and affection toward those who would petition Him.  If He is not granting your request at the moment, there is a good reason for it; but in time, He will grant your wish “if we ask anything according to his will” (1 Jn. 5:14^b).

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Evening Reflection

We began the day reading about David’s crying out to the Lord.  Did anything happen today that would make you do the same?  Did you get to pray today? If not, what kept you from praying? Pray about it. 

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Cami King—now a friend of AMI—was originally posted on May 1, 2019.  Cami served faithfully as a staff at several AMI churches in the past.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Another Look at Sabbath”

Exodus 23:10-13 (NIV)

“For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, 11 but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what is left. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove. 12 “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest, and so that the slave born in your household and the foreigner living among you may be refreshed. 13 “Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.

When was in college, shortly after I decided to follow Jesus, I was drawn to the scripture “Be still and know that I am God,” in prayer. I naturally concluded that the best response was for me to sit really still (and be very quiet) during my prayer time.  After some days of living with this scripture and thinking through the idea of what it means to rest in God, I read an alterenate translation that translated “be still” as “stop striving,” and realized the Lord was inviting me to trust God with some anxiety-inducing situations I was facing at the time. Rest is about trust. 

Every year I was in professional ministry, I taught discipleship courses to church leaders. My favorite segment of the course was one on Sabbath. Sabbath – the seventh day (or year) of rest commanded by God in the Ten Commandments – is so much more than a day to sleep or slack off on one’s regular duties. It’s far more about rest – resting in God’s presence and delighting in God’s provision. Through many books on discipleship and spiritual disciplines, I’ve learned that rest is also about delight. Much like God on the seventh day of creation, we cease our work not just to catch our breath (I imagine God didn’t need a breather from creating), but to delight in the work of our hands, our many gifts from God. Through Sabbath, we trust and delight. 

The principle of Sabbath is certainly beneficial for personal wellness and growth. But the observation of this principle by the people of God was also of great benefit to those around them for two reasons: Sabbath creates margin for the needy and refreshment for those in our care. God commanded the Israelites to rest from tending their fields (the primary work in an agrarian society) so that the poor could gather food. God’s people were to organize their lives in such a way that those in need found opportunities to have their needs met. Sabbath was also for the purpose of others finding time for refreshment, particularly for those under one’s care. If we live busy lives, it’s likely our children, natural or spiritual, will too. If we structure our work environments with restless rhythms, those under our charge inherit those rhythms. If we create a society that doesn’t honor rest, the vulnerable among us (e.g. the foreigner) will have the least access to rest and refreshment.  

Honoring the sabbath means leaving margin in our time, talents, treasures so that we (and our resources) are available to be a conduit for God’s blessings to others. It also means choosing life rhythms that allow those in our care and the vulnerable among us to find rest and refreshment in their lives.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 11

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Lunch Break Study

Read Philippians 4:4-9 (NIV):Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Question to Consider

• What does Paul tell the church at Philippi will enable them to exercise gentleness in their dealings with others? How might this help you do the same? How might this help us to always rejoice in the Lord?
• What are the recipients of this letter encouraged to do instead of being anxious? What will be the result? How might this approach be useful to you as well? How have you experienced God’s peace in the face of anxiety in your life? 
• Why is it helpful to focus on that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praise worthy? What can this do for a heart that is facing anxiety-inducing circumstances? Spend some time thinking on such things in your life.

Notes

• Paul tells the Christ followers in Philippi to remember that “the Lord is near.” This fact would help them to exercise gentleness in their dealings with “all” people. Remembering who God is, what God has done and will do, and that God is always near in every season will enable us to treat others with kindness.
• Paul tells them to pray (talk to God) and petition (specifically, tell God of their needs and desires) while also giving thanks (acknowledging what is good and expressing gratitude). This will give the believer access to a peace, God’s peace, that the mind cannot produce or even fathom. 
• Difficult circumstances tend to be all-consuming and the mind is not necessarily wired to remember (in any palpable way) our former experiences of good when we are in the depths of pain, fear, or heartache. When a person disciplines herself to remember the true, good, and beautiful, we overcome that limitation and are able to see beyond our present difficult experience. As we do, we begin to remember (as Timothy Wright and the Chicago Interdenominational Mass Choir sang in the 90’s) that “trouble don’t last always!” 

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Evening Reflection

Exodus 23:13: “Be careful to do everything I have said to you. Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips.”

In the same breath that God gives commandments regarding Sabbath rest, God also warns against idolatry (or worship of anything other than God). What is the connection between the temptation to dishonor the principle of Sabbath and idolatry? What are the other “gods” in your life that tempt you to overwork or fail to stop and rest? In what ways have you seen a lack of resting in God (trusting, delighting, and caring for others) affect your life and the lives of those in your care? Spend some time reflecting on these things with God. 

REPOST Today’s Devotional, originally posted on April 16, 2019, is provided by Pastor David Son. David pastors Thrive Church in Taipei, Taiwan. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Slave Forever”

Exodus 21:2-6

When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone. But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.

In our day, the word “slavery” carries immense baggage. For today, I invite you to lay aside any pre-conceptions of the word in order to understanding more clearly what God might have to say about slavery. Having done that, I want to take us through this passage by highlighting three observations. 

First, at the time of this passage, the Israelites had JUST been redeemed from slavery. Slavery wasn’t a new concept to the Israelites. In fact, a life of slavery was the only life they had known, until God redeemed them from it. 

Second, the FIRST group of people God protects is the slaves. This is the first law that God gives to Israel that specifies a social class. In this context, the slaves were fellow Hebrews who found themselves in such poverty, that they had no other option but to sell themselves as servants. God’s first priority was to protect the rights of such people!

Third, God’s rhetoric about “slavery” is remarkably different than the world’s. God’s rule for slavery actually begins with redemption: “he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.” God is not for slavery. According to Him, all slavery must end with redemption. This is quite contradictory from the world’s understanding of the concept. But that’s not even the most shocking part. Verse 5 describes what would be a nearly inconceivable scenario today: “But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.” Who would want to be a slave forever? Why would God include such a strange clause? There is only one scenario in which becoming a slave forever is the most logical choice: when you have a master who is worth serving forever. The Apostle Paul referred to himself as the bond-servant of Christ. This is not to take away from the intimacy that we have with God as sons and daughters, but rather it highlights the worthiness of the Master to be served. 

Are you willing to be a bond-servant of Christ? Are you willing to serve Him, and only Him, forever? The more we focus on our own plans/desires, this becomes an increasingly burdensome question. But when we set our gaze upon who our God is, I believe the answer becomes an increasingly easy one.

Prayer: Father, help us to understand what it means to be a bond-servant to You. Help us to trust that the best place to put our lives is in Your hands. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 10

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Lunch Break Study

Read Romans 6:20-23: For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Questions to Consider

• In this passage, Paul says that we were once “slaves of sin.” How does he describe our current status?
• What does Paul say is the difference between being a slave of sin and being a slave of God?

Notes

• Paul says that we were once “slaves of sin,” but now we are “slaves of God.” Of course, we are much more than merely slaves to God. But we are indeed slaves, in that we are bound to God, and committed to Him for life.
• Paul highlights one key difference: The fruit of serving sin is death, while the fruit of serving God is sanctification leading to eternal life. Being a slave to sin and being a slave to God is completely different. Nevertheless, we must choose one or the other. We can either serve God… or be a slave to sin.

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Evening Reflection

What is driving you? What is the thing that gets you up and out of bed each morning? Whatever it is, this is probably the thing that you are “enslaved” to. That sounds like a harsh way to phrase it. But today we’ve been talking about what it means to serve God. Spend some time tonight reflecting on what/who it is that you are actually serving.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on April 1, 2019, is provided by Ulysses Wang who pastors Renewal Church in Sunnyvale, California. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Spiritual Amnesia No More”

Exodus 17:1-7

All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3 But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” 4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

It’s hard to take these Israelites seriously. God just delivered them from slavery in Egypt – a situation so bad that they found themselves literally “groaning” to God for deliverance. Now here they are, freshly freed – and wanting to go back to Egypt. What gives? All it took was a little bit of desert sand for them to desert their Savior. Yet it is here that we find the human condition, and ourselves consequently – when the going gets tough, the tough go back to Egypt. There’s nothing like hardship to make one forget all of God’s past goodness. The real danger in the desert wasn’t heat stroke – it was spiritual amnesia.

We do the same, do we not? How often we become anxious or fearful when life doesn’t seem to be going our way! And the fact that Christ has already died and risen on our behalf – something the Israelites in the desert had yet to see – only adds to our culpability. So what do we do? We look to Jesus’ example:

Matthew 4:1-4: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Here we find Jesus, like Israel, in the wilderness. Jesus didn’t spend 40 years in the wilderness – only 40 days – but He fasted the entire time yet did not complain. In that way He was faithful where Israel failed, and truly can serve as our Redeemer. When faced with hunger, rather than complaining or testing God, He simply trusted. Not only that, amazingly we find that Jesus was with the Israelites those 40 years:

1 Corinthians 10:4-5: And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

Somehow, the Rock that Moses struck was more than just a rock – it was Christ. And just as the struck Rock poured out life-giving water to a rebellious rabble, so a Christ struck upon the cross poured out His life-giving Spirit to us. So what’s the point? The point is that next time you find yourself in the desert, either wanting to complain or wanting to go back to Egypt, remember that Christ is with you, and that His Spirit can provide for you, no matter the situation. Jesus didn’t complain in the desert and He was struck for our sins so that we can be confident of His Presence in our lives always.

Prayer: Jesus, You were there all along, though the Israelites saw You not. Open my eyes to see You in the midst of my situation. Grant me the faith to know Your Presence, even in the midst of a dry and weary land where there is no water. Nourish me with living water. Satisfy my soul and help me to trust in You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 9

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LUNCH BREAK STUDY

Read Hebrews 4:14-16: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Questions to Consider

• If Jesus never sinned, can He truly empathize?  
• Why is it important that “he did not sin”?
• Where do you turn in your “time of need”?  What does this say about where you place your trust? How does Jesus’ ability to “empathize with our weaknesses” encourage you?

Note

1. Jesus can certainly empathize with us without having sinned because: first, Jesus, as the Second Person in the Trinity, is omnipotent; second, sinning is not an integral part of what it means to be a human.  Thus, the fact that Jesus was fully human (without sin) was enough for him to empathize with us.

2. Had Jesus sinned, his death could have atoned for his own sin but for not ours.  But, because Jesus—the perfect lamb of God—didn’t sin, his substitutionary sacrifice on the cross was able to atone for the sins of the world (1 Jn. 2:2).

3. Personal response.

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EVENING REFLECTION

How did you do today when faced with adversity? Did you complain? Were you anxious or fearful? Or were you at peace, trusting in God’s presence? Take some time to take inventory of the emotions you felt today.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, originally posted on August 19, 2018, is provided by Pastor Barry Kang, the lead pastor of Symphony Church in Boston.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Which Prophet to Believe?”

Jeremiah 29:24-32

To Shemaiah of Nehelam you shall say: 25 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 ‘The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, to have charge in the house of the Lord over every madman who prophesies, to put him in the stocks and neck irons. 27 Now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who is prophesying to you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, “Your exile will be long; build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their produce.” ’ ”  29 Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 31 “Send to all the exiles, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah had prophesied to you when I did not send him, and has made you trust in a lie, 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah of Nehelam and his descendants. He shall not have anyone living among this people, and he shall not see the good that I will do to my people, declares the Lord, for he has spoken rebellion against the Lord.’ ” 

When we read the Bible, it is fairly easy to discern between the true and false prophets.  In this passage, the true prophet is the one that has a book in the Bible named after him.  But for the people of Judah, whether exiled in Babylon or scatter elsewhere, it must have been more difficult.  Which prophet to believe? 

Shemaiah, one of the so-called prophets in Babylon, was scandalized by Jeremiah’s prophesies.  Shemaiah wrote to Zephaniah the high priest in Jerusalem, asking why he had not imprisoned Jeremiah yet, for in his mind, Jeremiah was the false prophet.  Zephaniah showed Jeremiah this letter, who in turn (at God’s direction) wrote a letter to the exiles in Babylon saying that Shemaiah was in fact the false prophet.  Who to believe?

This is a dilemma we still face today.  When two respected persons of God stand on different sides of an issue, who do you trust?  I would suggest three tests:

First, how does their prophecy/teaching align with Scripture?  The Holy Spirit does not contradict Himself.  The Holy Spirit inspired Scripture and also directs prophecy.  Jeremiah’s prophecies may have been unwelcome news for the exiles, but it aligned with the greater prophetic narrative that God had been telling through different trusted prophets, such as Isaiah.  In Acts 17:11, we see the positive example of the Berean Jews who believed in Paul’s message as they compared it to their examination of Scripture.  If you want to know which prophet to believe, begin with knowing your Bible!

Second, what is their fruit?  In Deuteronomy 18:21-22, God anticipates the question of how to discern between true and false prophets.  He declares: 

And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. (Deut 18:21-22)

If the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken. For the exiles, it would soon become evident which prophet was true or false.  One set of prophets declared that God would bring them out of Babylon within a matter of two years.  Jeremiah stood alone saying that it would be much longer.  Within two years, it would become apparent that Jeremiah was the true prophet.  Sometimes we cannot discern immediately whether a prophet is true or false.  It will take patience

Jesus told us in Matthew 7:15-20 that we would recognize false prophets by their fruit.  Do their words come to pass?  Does their message align with Scripture? Does their character and actions exhibit the Kingdom and gospel values?  Do their prophecies and actions advance the Kingdom of God?

Third, pray.  This is as important for the would-be prophet as well as the hearer.  How do you know that you have heard correctly from the Lord if someone else is speaking the exact opposite message?  We need to pray.  Prophecy is speaking the words that God commands us to speak. In the book of Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came often to Jeremiah.   Unless we are hearing from the Lord, it is not true prophecy.  In the book of Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came often to Jeremiah (e.g. Jeremiah 29:30).  When you hear from God in times of prayer, you will be able to discern between true and false prophecy.

Prayer: Lord, raise up true prophets for our day in every church.  Help us to live in the power and presence of Your Spirit!  We want to hear from You and be used by You to speak to others.    In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 8

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought,, provided by Christine Li, was originally posted on February  11, 2019. Christine serves as a deaconess at Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York.  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Meek is Not Weak”

Jeremiah 26:14-15 

“As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right. ¹⁵ Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words in your hearing.”

In the last two years, I’ve experienced an above-average number of flight delays and cancellations for reasons ranging from airport fires and snowstorms to broken lavatory doors. By this point, I am accustomed, even expectant, of delays. Some might think I’ve become passive, but I personally hope God is purposely growing patience and meekness inside me. Everything is out of my hands: I can neither change the weather nor fix an airplane. My fate is dictated by an air traffic controller (and however God directs the weather or maintenance crew).

Here, Jeremiah faces a choice of submission and meekness of another kind (one far, far graver than my travel woes). He has faithfully delivered an unpopular message to God’s people, and the prophets and priests are clamoring for his death. Instead of defending himself or running away, he allows the crowd to decide what should take place.

Most of us chafe when we lose control over circumstances. We dread delays, inconveniences, and even the sense of helplessness that our best plans can be overridden. What was Jeremiah’s secret to allowing others to decide his fate? It must not have been easy, but he had learned to trust in God’s plan for his life. Though his life was in the hands of others, he knew that those “others” were ultimately in the hands of God. Because Jeremiah trusted God to work in the wisest and best of ways, he could let go.

Let’s think today about our level of meekness. How do we respond when it seems like someone else’s actions and decisions will determine something significant in our lives? Even in the face of danger or loss, are we submissive like Jeremiah, or do we mobilize ourselves to do as much as possible to ensure the favorable outcome we hope for? Are we able to let go, or do our fingers wrestle for control over the steering wheel of our circumstances? 

Meekness seems to be the antithesis of how we are taught to live and survive in this world—it would be a miraculous gift of character. So, let’s be encouraged—there is One whose meekness can be given to us. Jesus did not resist injustice, but He let Himself be led to slaughter by others; He trusted the loving, perfect plan of the Father as it was carried out. By the power of His Spirit that now dwells in us, we can gladly relinquish control over our own lives and allow His plans to unfold. Today, let’s put our lives and our trust in the hands of the Father who loves us best.

Prayer: Father, I confess that I often want to be in control of how my life goes, and meekness does not come naturally to me. Help me to relinquish my control and trust You fully. When circumstances are out of my grasp, teach me to depend on You and wait upon You to provide and deliver me. Give me a meekness that showcases how faithful and loving You are. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 6-7