UPDATED 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 16, 2013.  He is a graduate of University of Wisconsin (BA) and Biblical Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“He is So Unlike the Rest”

Luke 9:10-17

When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. 12 Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” 13 He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” 14 (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. 16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. 17 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.”

How is your spirituality, that is, your walk with the Lord while being stuck at home for weeks on end during the ongoing pandemic?  I, for one, was very encouraged by this passage today because I can relate with the disciples.  Just like them, I also go up and down spiritually. Yet, I see that God does not give up on his disciples, who, by the way, weren’t chosen because of their brilliance in the first place (1 Cor. 1:27-29).  Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus rebuking his men for their lack of faith (Matt. 14:31), dullness of mind (Mk. 7:18) and egotism (Mk. 9:33-37).  In this passage the lack of faith on the part of disciples is highlighted.

Before the great miracle of feeding the five thousand, we see that the disciples were sent out, and they were used to proclaim the good news and heal people everywhere. After this great experience, you would think that the disciples would react with faith when Jesus asked them, “You give them something to eat”; but instead, they respond with unbelief.  Yet, Jesus doesn’t rebuke the disciples here (as he does in other places)—or recruit twelve new disciples to replace them; but He continues to use them in the miracle of feeding the five thousand.  He has them go into the crowd and put everyone in groups of 50, then he gives the five loaves and two fishes to his men to distribute to the people.  What’s so encouraging is this: The disciples showed unbelief, yet Christ still used them to do His ministry.  Yes, Christ is so unlike the rest.

Living a Christian life is not a series of just success after success, but there are also failures. Take heart brothers and sisters! Our God continues to love us in our failures, and He is not finished with us yet. God is with us and He will work in us to completion.  Let me leave you with Philippians 1:6 that says, “[God] who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”   

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am so grateful that my mistakes do not disqualify me from neither Your love nor Your willingness to use me.  Thank You that during this process in which I am bestowed with Your grace in abundance, I will be transformed through the Spirit. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 32

UPDATED Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), is an amalgamated and updated version of two blogs first posted on February 13 and 14, 2013.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“A Life of Substance Over Style”

1 Samuel 16:7

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

In an earlier blog, I talked about how God felt about Zerubbabel’s temple, built by Jewish returnees from Persia, some 70 years after the Babylonians had destroyed Solomon’s temple.  At one point, God said to those working on Zerubbabel’s temple, “Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory (referring to Solomon’s temple)? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?” (Hag. 2:3). Ouch! Yes, it was so true that, externally, Zerubbabel’s temple wasn’t much to look at when compared to the splendidness of the first temple.

Nevertheless, it turned out that God made that “awful” statement for effect, for He immediately declared, “Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel . . . Work, for I am with you (Hag. 2:4). And then in verse 9, God declared, “The glory of this present house (Zerubbabel’s) will be greater than the glory of the former house” (Solomon’s).  Why was it that, to God, an inferior looking temple will be more glorious than the superior looking one?  It’s because while “man looks at the outward appearance, . . . the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7).  Whereas the builders of Zerubbabel’s temple, who left behind a life of comfort to do God’s work, had a heart for God, the majority of those who worked on Solomon’s temple were pagan laborers whom Israel forced to work (2 Chr. 2:17-8, 8:7-8); thus, they had no heart for God.

The comparison of the two Old Testament temples is analogous to the life choices we make.  Basically, we have two models to choose from: a life of substance over style or style over substance.  So then, what would the latter lifestyle look like? In short, it would be a life of pretension and ostentation.  Once, a young man whom I just met at a church told me that he was a student at a prestigious university.  I had no reason to doubt him since his apparel, car decal, and license plate holder bore the emblem of this school.  Later, I found out that this young man fibbed; he never attended that college.  What set him apart from others who lie about their background is the amount of effort he put in to back up his deception.  Maybe he felt that no one would have respected him unless he went to a good school.

What he needed was an environment in which acceptance and validation were based on being created in the image of God (i.e., his intrinsic worth), not on merit, so that he could’ve felt secure enough be himself (without having to lie).  Is our church a place where the weak and the fearful are accepted so that they may become secure in Christ?

In the end, a life of style over substance is how we go about hiding or compensating for our insecurities.  The sad truth is that whatever image we have cultivated to look confident, based on our appearance (with the help brand-name clothes, makeup), possessions (thanks to credit cards), or accomplishments (aided by a creative resume), will actually increase our insecurities and intensify our dependency on additional lies and credit cards.  Why?  Because there is always someone who is prettier, richer, and better credentialed than us.

Returning to  Zerubbabel’s temple, the lesson is this: Dedicate yourselves to do the best you can with whatever talent and resources God has given you; be content that He is pleased with the effort you exerted while depending on the Lord; don’t listen to outside voices that say, “It’s not good enough,” “Others did better,” or “Use short-cuts to go on top, fast!”  There is no substitute to lead a life of substance; we must be completely saturated in God’s word and surrounded by people who love us for the right reasons.

Prayer: Father, I praise You for a life of substance possible in Jesus Christ, for no matter how weak or foolish I am at times, Your unconditional acceptance keeps me from opting for a life of pretension and inauthenticity.  Help me to be real because I am in You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 30-31

UPDATED Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on June 27, 2014, is provided by Pastor Charles Choe who leads Tapestry Church in Los Angeles.  He is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Faith in the Workplace”

1 Timothy 6:1-2

“Let all those who are under a yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.”

Slavery.  What a controversial topic!  But, in today’s passage, in Paul’s addressment of the relationship between masters and slaves, he is neither condoning nor condemning of the institution, although he did tell the slaves in Corinth, “If you can gain your freedom, do so” (1 Cor. 7:21b).

Why? Part of it was because slavery in the Roman Empire was very different from the kind that arose later in 18^th century colonial America, which was built on the most dehumanizing treatment of fellow humans.  On the contrary, in 1^st century slavery, some actually found a financial opportunity to move forward from the dire straits they found themselves in.

Paul calls slaves to honor their masters, not because slavery was an ideal institution, but because if they didn’t, it would thwart the gospel’s advancement. Evidently, many Christian slaves in Ephesus (where Timothy pastored) were bringing revulsion to the gospel by disrespecting their masters, to the point that Christianity was perceived to be a threat to society. Slave uprising or rebellion would have done more harm than good, because in Paul’s mind, it would have highjacked Christianity by depicting it as a religion of chaos and anarchy.

But here’s the beauty of Paul’s call to obedience, and he does something extraordinary in verse 2: Slaves are called to obey, not simply because that is their responsibility to their Christian masters, but even more so, since they are brothers in Christ. This was unheard of in Paul’s day, for between slaves and masters, it would have been unimaginable to call each other “brothers.” So, while they may not be of equal social status, they are equal in the eyes of the Lord. Passages like this caused conscientious Christians (like William Wilberforce) in the West to eventually fight for the abolition of slavery.

What does this mean for us today? It means that as we go into our workplaces (hopefully soon once the economy reopens), to our bosses and superiors, we must display a proper attitude of submission and respect toward them. We do that best by performing quality work, that in every way, we are helping to make the gospel more believable. If we profess Christ, and yet we are constantly insubordinate or are lazy at work, we find ourselves a poor witness to the unbelieving world. Jesus demands His people to aim for the highest standards, and so Christians should be the most hard-working and caring workers of all.   

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the opportunity to work. Whether I have a great job now or am in school to prepare for a career, help me to be diligent so to bring You glory and to make the gospel all the more credible to a watching world. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 29

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Lunch Break Study

Read Romans 13:1-8: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, 4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.  8 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Questions to Consider

1. According to Paul, why are we to obey the government?
2. How should we view rulers or leaders, even a bad one, in light of this passage?
3. What is one practical way we are to obey the government?  How are you doing in this area? Are you respectful of your government?

Notes

1. All authority comes from the Lord: He institutes authorities and gives them the responsibility to rule over their subjects.
2. Whether leaders are good or bad, this passage tells us that they are ultimately God’s servants. So, no matter what our politics may be, we are to have respect for the government authorities, barring that the gospel is not compromised.
3. Paul calls us to not cheat on our taxes but to pay them. We should have respect for all political leaders no matter what our politics may be.

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Evening Reflection

How was work today? Did you find yourself being productive and being a good witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ? If you did anything to revile the gospel at work, confess it before the Lord, and determine to become a better witness.

UPDATED Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on November 14, 2013, is provided by Pastor David Kwon who heads Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina.  He is a graduate of Drexel University (BS) and Columbia International University (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Gratitude and Joy”

Psalm 103:1-22

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! [2] Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, [3] who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, [4] who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, [5] who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. [6] The LORD works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. [7] He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. [8] The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. [9] He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. [10] He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. [11] For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; [12] as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. [13] As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. [14] For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. [15] As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; [16] for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. [17] But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, [18] to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. [19] The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. [20] Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! [21] Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will [22] Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul!

Think about a time in your life when you were filled with gratitude and joy.  What brought about that emotion?  For some, it was finally graduating or finding a dream or any job; for others, it was being forgiven or forgiving.  Whatever the event, we recognize that certain moments in our lives can bring about overwhelming and uncontainable thanksgiving and elation.

As we look at Psalm 103, it is evident that David also experiences feelings of gratitude as he thinks about who God is and what He has done for him.  He starts and ends the Psalm with the expression, “Bless the Lord,” no doubt to remind himself of God’s goodness in his life. Thus, he will continue to be grateful for all that God has done in the past, is doing in the present, and will do in the future.  One commentator concerning this passage said, “He is cataloging the goodness of God; enumerating his blessings, lest in a moment of depression or backsliding, he should forget the source of his prosperity and take God’s grace for granted.”  Look at all the reasons for which David praises the Lord:

1. His forgiveness (v.3)
2. Our redeemer who rescues us from the pit (v.4)
3. Steadfast love and mercy (v.4)
4. Merciful and Gracious (v. 8)
5. Steadfast Love (v.11)
6. Covenant keeper (v.18)

Have you ever taken God’s goodness and grace for granted?  I am sure we all have. Take some time this morning, therefore, to bless and praise his Holy name.  Think about everything that God has done for you.  Mediate on his attributes as David does in this Psalm.  May our worship arise from a heart of thanksgiving.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the access I have to You; for that, I am extremely grateful.  Help me to believe the message of peace and thus to enter the joyful and peaceful life available in You.  Also, help me to be more grateful and thankful.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 28

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Lunch Break Study

Read Luke 17:11-19: On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Questions to Consider

1. Why do you think only one of the lepers returned Jesus?
2. Why did Jesus ask where the other nine were?  Do you think they were grateful?
3. Do you resemble the nine lepers who didn’t return or the one who sought out Jesus to thank him?  Why?

Notes

1. He was full of gratitude.  It seems that we don’t think much about the spiritual discipline of “gratitude”; it may be an afterthought for many.  In the chaos and busyness of our lives, it can be hard to step back and thank God for what he has done for us.  All too often, the void of gratitude is filled by complain and discontentment.  That is all the more reason we ought to discipline ourselves to include expressions of gratitude in our daily conversations with others, and of course, in our prayers to the Lord.
2. Granted it that they were elated to return home as soon as possible to be reunited with their loved ones whom they had not seen for a long time.  Still, that is no excuse for not returning to Jesus to thank him for giving their life back.   It is a classic case of loving the gifts more than the giver.
3. Just like the Samaritan leper who returned, take an inventory of your life to specifically name those things in your life for which you feel grateful to Jesus.  For example, it can be:
   1. Your salvation/faith in Jesus
   2. Local church
   3. School/Job that you are currently in
   4. Family
   5. Health
   6. Even hardship and trials

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Evening Reflection

“We ought to give thanks for all fortune: if it is good, because it is good, if bad, because is works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country.”   -C.S. Lewis

Spend some time in prayer and continue to praise God and bless His name.  My hope is that we can live every day (not just today) with a heart of thanksgiving and praise.  Bless the Lord, Oh my soul!

UPDATED Today’s AMI QT Devotional, originally posted on May 8, 2013, is written by Pastor Matt Ro who formerly pastored Journey Church in Atlanta.  Matt is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BS) and Biblical Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Power of God to De-Sin Us”

Psalm 51:7-9

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be white than now.  8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.  9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. 

When Jesus said to Pilate, “The one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin” (Jn. 19:11b), the Lord obviously wasn’t thinking of the type of sins that King David committed that led him to produce this heartfelt psalm of contrition.  But, as far as humans are concerned, there really isn’t a pair of sins greater than adultery and murder, which is what David had committed.  And in Psalm 51, what we are witnessing is God’s power to forgive the vilest sins that humans can ever commit.  Ultimately, it was foreshadowing the power of Christ’s blood to render permanent forgiveness, for “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22b).

Now, note the three phrases here— “cleanse me with hyssop,” “wash me,” and “blot out all my iniquities”— connote a similar idea.  In fact, theses three verbs are repeated from vv. 1-2.   Cleanse means “purge,” which is based on the word for sin and it literally means “de-sin” me.   

David, yearning for the complete purge of his sin, didn’t want even a stain of sin to remain.  Wash reminds us of the idea of taking a bath.  Isaiah 1:18 tells us, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; thought they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”  Blot out reminds us of removing erroneous writing on a piece of paper with an eraser or liquid paper. The idea of blotting out is the exact opposite of what Pilate said in John 19:22 when he declared at Jesus’ trial and crucifixion, “What I have written, I have written.”

How amazing it is that David not only longed for, but also knew that God alone had the power to “de-sin” us and remove the stain of sin completely through the blood of Jesus.  That is how we must come to God as well, for many of us desperately need his forgiveness, now.  Have we found mercy?  However great our sin is, we can find God to be merciful through Christ!

Prayer:  Father, once again I come before You in need of mercy.  Cleanse me, wash me, and blot out my sins according to the mercy that You provide through the blood of Jesus.  Help me to walk in holiness as well as gratitude for all that You have done.

Bible Reading for Today:  Isaiah 27

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Lunch Break Study

Read Ephesians 2:14-18: For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Questions to Consider

1. Earthly peace is the absence of war, but what is true peace?
2. How was Christ able to accomplish this peace between man and man?
3. Are we having conflict, or a lack of peace, with another person?  Pray for reconciliation between you and that person.  What is it really that your heart/self is not getting that is causing the disunity?  Ask yourself, “Am I feeling what Christ says is righteous and just?”

Notes

1. Paul establishes that peace means oneness.  It is not merely the cessation of hostility or the absence of conflict; it means being one.  At time, we may have managed to overcome the unsatisfactory sentiments (e.g., bitterness, resentment, disrespected, etc.) that we felt towards another person, but it did not necessarily lead to peace.  That is simply an agreement to stop fighting until it picks up again.
2. The only way that there can be oneness among people is through a Person.  All blessing starts with the Person of Jesus Christ.  In order to have peace with another person, you must first be at peace with the Person of Jesus.  When we have His peace, we can begin to reconcile the conflict around us.  So the place that peace originates must begin with settling any problems that may exist between you and Jesus.
3. Spend some time considering what Christ has done to free you from selfish desires, and ultimately, to forgive you when you yield to them.

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Evening Reflection

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you can be an agent of reconciliation in your church, neighborhood, and workplace.  What are some practical ways through which we can be an agent of peace?   Since this world is fallen and broken in many ways, we must be image bearers of Christ and His kingdom in this world.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on April 2, 2013, is provided by Pastor Barry Kang who heads Symphony Church in Boston.  He is a graduate of Stanford University (BA), Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary(D.Min.).

Devotional Thought of This Morning

“About Confession of Sin”

Psalm 32:3-5 (NIV)

When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.  Selah 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”— and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

Guilt and shame are terrible weights to endure.

  There is a reason that “blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven”!  The Psalmist makes clear the way out: confession.

When we come into the light with our sins, we are able to receive forgiveness (spiritual, emotional and psychological).  When we keep our sins hidden within our hearts, and leave them unconfessed before God, we are not bringing them into his forgiving light.    

Do we need to confess every sin?  What if we forget one or two (or many)?  Does that mean we won’t receive full forgiveness?  No.  We are saved (which includes being forgiven) by grace . . . not by the work of confession.  But it is through confession of our sinfulness that we declare that God is the one able to set us free.  It is a sign of trust, hope and faith (and faith in Jesus is an important part of the salvific process).  When we fully trust in God’s forgiveness, then we can also be set free from the psychological weight of guilt and shame.

Don’t allow yourself to be hindered by your past.  Confess your sins before God and receive His forgiveness today!

Ps: Two words seem anathema to modern day Americans: “sinner” and “confess.” Lest, this point doesn’t come out clearly, let me say from the outset: it is crucial to our understanding of the gospel and Jesus Christ that we know that we are sinners saved by the work of Jesus Christ.  We cannot grasp the importance of the cross and the overwhelming nature of God’s grace unless we know deep in our hearts how far we are from deserving it.  When we are afraid to confess our sins, it shows our mistrust of God.

But God’s promise is that if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just and will forgive.  If we believe this, we will confess our sins.  We will confess our sins even to one another (c.f. James 5:16), for we will know that it is never by our own actions that we can claim righteousness but only through what Christ bought for us on the cross.

Prayer: Father, I confess my sinfulness to You.  I am in need of your grace and mercy.  I ask that You would bring healing into my heart and my mind. I want to live this day in Your joyful presence. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Isaiah 26

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Lunch Break Study

Read 1 John 1:8-10 (NIV): If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

Questions to Consider

1. Why does John say that if we claim to be without sin that we are deceiving ourselves (c.f. Romans 3:10-12)?
2. In this passage, what does John imply is the opposite of claiming to be without sin?
3. How important to our relationship with God is it for us to comprehend that we are sinners saved by Grace?

Notes

1. Romans 3:10-11 tells us that we are all sinners.  No one in the history of humanity was without sin (except for Jesus).   We all fall short of the glory of God.  When we claim that we are without sin (as I’ve heard some Christians claim), we are on dangerous ground, for it shows that tendency in our hearts to desire righteousness on our own terms.
2. John contrasts “claim to be without sin” with “confess our sins”.  In other words, the opposite of the proud self-righteous person is the person who humbly confesses his sin.  When we confess our sins, we are declaring our trust in a God who is “faithful and just” and will “forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”  When we confess our sins, we are putting our faith not in our own righteousness but in the righteousness of God.
3. John warns us that if we are not confessing our sins to God, then we are making God out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.  Confession of sinfulness is an important aspect of what it means to have faith in the God revealed through scripture.

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Evening Reflection

As the old Scottish maxim goes, “confession is good for the soul.”  Are you resisting confessing your sins?  Are there sins so terrible in your life that you could never confess them to another?  If so, ask God to help you to fully trust him.  Write of the ways that you doubt God’s promises.  Confess any waywardness and any doubts hindering your faith and surrender them to God.

NEW Today’s AMI QT Devotional is written by Andrew Kim who serves as the executive pastor at Tapestry Church in Los Angeles.  Andrew, a graduate of Eternity Bible College, is currently attending Fuller Theological Seminary. 

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“The Light of God’s Word Amid Darkness”

Psalm 119:105

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Whenever disruptions and crisis come into our lives, particularly like the one we are in right now, it forces us to re-ask some of the fundamental questions of life. Prior to the pandemic, much of our attention and focus were on things of secondary importance—what we were going to eat or where we might go for a vacation. But as our lives were interrupted, and we began to read the news and come face to face with death counts and job losses, it shifted our focus on some of the deeper things about life: questions regarding our purpose, mortality, and what our lives have been about. Suffering has a way of putting a type of pressure on our lives that begins to reveal the condition of our hearts. We begin to see what we’ve actually worshipped, treasured, and trusted in. In other words, suffering insists that we do some soul-searching.

What’s interesting about this moment in history is that the shelter-in-place orders that most of us are under have afforded us the space and time to actually wrestle with these questions. Before our lives were changed by COVID-19, one of our biggest battles as Christians was against a culture of distraction, busyness, and entertainment that essentially insulated us from having to deal with some of the deeper issues of life. We simply distracted ourselves from having to come face to face with those things. However, as I’ve been praying about this season, I sense that God desires for us to leverage this moment and press into deep reflection in His presence, specifically by immersing ourselves in His word.

Today’s passage in Psalm 119:105 is a simple but powerful verse that employs the image of a lamp lighting a person’s path in the darkness. In a moment of incredible darkness, confusion, and uncertainty, I’m not sure if there is a more important moment than the present to be in the word of God. At a time where there is so much information, we cannot allow our culture’s narrative to dictate how we interpret and live through a season such as this. Let us embed ourselves into the story of God and allow the truths of God to bring light into the dark places of our lives. We must be soaked in His words and allow it to wash over our anxiety, fears, and worry, and let it provide direction and hope at a time where uncertainty permeates our world.

Prayer: God, I confess that my heart is filled with uncertainty and fear, but help me to respond by going before Your word. I pray that Your word would come alive and that Your Spirit would enlighten the eyes of my heart. In those moments when I’m reading, I ask that You would replace my fears and doubts with faith and trust. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 25

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Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 1:1-6: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; ² but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. ³ He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. ⁴ The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. ⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
⁶ for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

Questions to Consider

1. What allows the blessed man to bear fruit and not wither?
2. Why do you think the wicked are like chaff that the wind drives away?
3. How do you think you can cultivate a delight for God’s word?

Notes

1. The blessed man is like a tree that is rooted in the word of God. It says that his delight is in the law of the LORD, and that’s demonstrated by his practice of meditating on that law day and night. The word of God is symbolized by the streams of water that the tree draws life from. In the same way, we must go to God’s word day and night and receive life.
2. Those who are wicked and are life chaff have no root and no foundation in anything sturdy. Their lives are rooted in shallow ground.
3. Personal response.

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Evening Reflection

Reflect on this and be motivated to partake of God’s Word daily.

“We read scripture in order to be refreshed in our memory and understanding of the story within which we ourselves are actors, to be reminded where it has come from and where it is going to, and hence what our own part within it ought to be.” – N.T. Wright

UPDATED Today’s AMI QT blog, written by Pastor Mark Chun of Radiance Christian Church in S.F., was originally posted on March 23, 2013; it has been updated. Mark is a graduate of University of California, San Diego (BS) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Be Honest to God”

Psalm 39:12-13

“Hear my prayer, O Lord, listen to my cry for help, be not deaf to my weeping.  For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger as all my fathers were.  Look away from me that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more.” 

Times of disorientation—like the pandemic that has turned our lives upside down—are a necessary part of growth and they are painful by definition.  Consider the life of David.

On the road to becoming the king of Israel and the man after God’s own heart, King David loses his best friend, is hunted down like a criminal, and suffers through a broken marriage.  Anything tragic that you can imagine, it probably happened in the life of David.  It is no wonder that he ends Psalm 39 with these words that seem borderline blasphemy because David is essentially saying to God, “Get out of my life so that I can be happy again.”

To some degree, he is correct in his assessment of his life.  If God had not called him to become king over his father-in-law (Saul), he would have avoided a lot of the trouble.  In his pain, David actually articulates to God the very thing that many of us are afraid to express.  Psalm 39 is the only psalm that ends with such a negative tone and most likely represents the lowest point of David’s life.  Some people ask me if we are allowed to pray this way and I usually tell them, this is where authentic prayer begins.

Walter Brueggemann, in his book Praying the Psalms, writes: “The Psalms, with a few exceptions, are not the voice of God addressing us.  They are rather the voice of our own common humanity….”  Not surprisingly, since this is the voice of people like us, the psalms reveals all of our own frailties, our fears, our anger, our doubts, and even the expression of those things we thought we couldn’t be honest about.  And many of us, overwhelmed by a sense of loss brought on by the unforeseen pandemic, are feeling this way at the present moment. 

Be honest with God. I have always said that those who can’t be honest with God can’t be honest with others, and worst of all, cannot be honest with themselves.  Prayer has to be an open and genuine dialogue with God.  Spend time this coming week in authentic communication with God and listen for his voice.  Turn this pandemic into a great opportunity to become really intimate with the Lord.

Prayer: Lord, help me to sense Your presence amid all the turmoil.  Let me not forget that You are in the midst of the storms of my life and are always watching over me.  Strengthen me to never let You go but hold tightly to Your outstretched arm.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 24

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog originally posted on May 3, 2014.  Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Integrity”

Titus 1:6-7

“An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.”

Reasons why our eyes may glaze over when we start reading this passage:

1. I am not old.
2. I am not a man, or if I am, I don’t have a wife.
3. I don’t have children.
4. I kind of like the idea of being wild and disobedient.

Kidding aside, if that were not enough, when we consider that these are one person’s instructions to another on how to choose leaders for newly-planted churches, our distance from the passage seems even further.  How many of us are in a position to be doing such a thing?  As we read on, we may be able to concede that yes, being overbearing, quick-tempered, violent, dishonest and prone to drunkenness are not desirable and to be avoided.  But what do these standards have to do with me?  After all, I am neither an elder (an overseer in a church) nor am I considering becoming one.

But all Scripture is God-breathed and useful . . . (2 Timothy 3:16), and so we look again.  What does God’s word have for us today?  If we take a few steps back from the immediate context, one thing we can see is the connection Paul makes between the way a person conducts themselves in their personal lives, and how they could function in a larger, more public sphere (here, the corporate life of the church).  Paul says that the same qualities that make someone a good husband and father would make that person a good overseer of the family, that is, the church.

Basically, he is talking about integrity.

The concept of “integrity” has to do with wholeness; having a consistency across all areas of one’s life.  How different from the values the world upholds.  Though scandals can arise and surround a public figure, the final verdict of public opinion seems to be that one’s private life does not matter as long as one’s public performance is good enough.

Affected by this sentiment – though in our heart of hearts we know something is terribly wrong with it – how often do we ourselves have things backwards, spending much time grooming our public personas, while we allow other areas of our lives – important but less visible to the public eye – fall into neglect?

Let’s spend some time this weekend thinking about what relationships in our lives need more attention, what areas of our character we really need to work on, and then do something about it.

Let’s also spend some time praying for those who are called to be or even appoint church leaders, that people of integrity would be found to lead throughout all the churches in AMI.

Prayer: Lord, help me to take this matter of integrity with the utmost seriousness and pursue it as if my life depends on it, for without it, I know I will be a very poor testament to Your holiness.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 22-23

UPDATED The AMI QT Devotional for today, an updated version of his blog first posted on August 5, 2014, is provided by Phillip Chen who is the associate pastor at Kairos Christian Church in San Diego.  Phil is a graduate of University of California, San Diego (BS) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.).

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Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Examine Yourself to See Whether You Are Saved”

John 1:11-13

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. ¹² Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

“If you die today, do you think you will make it to heaven?”  Such a direct question but 2 Corinthians 13:5 (below) exhorts us to revisit that matter from time to time.

If you go anywhere where there are many sheep, you’ll see a strange sight: You’ll see a little lamb running around with an extra fleece tied on its back, a fleece with 4 holes for its leg and a hole for its neck. Usually that means its mother has died, and without the protection and nourishment of a mother sheep, the orphan lamb will die. If you take an orphan lamb and try to introduce it to another mother sheep, the new mother will reject the lamb because it doesn’t recognize the smell, realizing that it’s not her ewe. Now, usually, a flock is big enough where there is a mother that had a recent ewe pass away. The shepherds will skin the dead ewe and make its fleece into a covering for the orphan lamb and take it to the mother whose baby just died. She will accept it as her own because she’ll sniff the scent of her baby ewe and allow it to be nursed.

In the same way, we as orphans have become acceptable by being clothed by the righteousness of Christ. The Gospel of John reminds us that since we have rejected him, God should (rightfully) reject us because we are not his. But because of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world by shedding his own blood for us (John 1:29), we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ (Romans 13:14) so that we are welcomed as sons and daughters of God:  We are given the right to become children of God. What does this mean for us today? It means that we do not earn our right as children of God through good works, but that being a son or daughter of God is a positional one by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9), solely because of the blood of Christ that covers us, for “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Heb. 9:22).

Brothers and sister, amid so many deaths brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, “examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.  Do you not realize that Christ Jesus in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Cor. 13:5).

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the work you did on the cross. Remind me today that it is not what I do or not do that makes me a child of God, but it is what you did on the cross. From that, may my heart be postured in a way that responds thankfully as a beloved child of God.

Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 21

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Lunch Break Study

Read Galatians 4:1-7 (ESV): “I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, ² but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. ³ In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. ⁴ But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. ⁶ And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” ⁷ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”

Questions to consider

1. What does this passage say we were enslaved to?
2. In the context of this passage, what is the function of the Holy Spirit?
3. What do we receive as sons of God?

Notes

1. We were once slaves to sin, to the passions and lusts of our flesh, but now we are God’s children.
2. The Holy Spirit testifies of our sonship (Romans 8:16).
3. The idea of adoption to sonship was a legal term that indicated a rightful claim in the inheritance. We have a rightful claim as sons of God to the spiritual inheritance of a heavenly kingdom that awaits us.

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Evening Reflection

In light of the reminder that we are God’s children, a simple but provocative truth, have we affirmed this truth in our hearts? Are there ways where we question our position as children of God based off of what we do or don’t do? Also, when we take an inventory of our lives, what are things that have changed of our “then” (slaves to sin) versus our “now” (child of God)? What are things that are changing or need to be changed as we continue to be transformed into the likeness of Christ?