Today’s blog, written by Pastor David Kwon of Journey Community Church in Raleigh, was originally posted on November 3, 2013.

 

Devotional Thought for Today

“The Evil Without and Within”

Psalm 94:4-11 (NIV)

They pour out arrogant words; all the evildoers are full of boasting. 5 They crush your people, Lord; they oppress your inheritance. 6 They slay the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless. 7 They say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob takes no notice.” 8 Take notice, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? 9 Does he who fashioned the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? 10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge? 11 The Lord knows all human plans; he knows that they are futile. 

If we stop and look around – or sit through an hour of the evening news – we can’t help but come to terms with the abundance of evil in the world. From murderers and rapists to greedy businessmen and self-seeking government officials, to the self-righteous religious folks and the misguided vigilante, evil is all around us. And on the occasion that we pause long enough from our busy schedules and look in the mirror, we find proof within us of what Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn meant when he said, “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.”

Evil is all around us and even within us. At the heart of all evil is sin. And at the heart of all sin is arrogance (or pride) – thinking that we know better than God, thinking that we are not obligated to submit to Him, thinking we can do things apart from Him, or worse, not thinking of Him at all. 

The psalmist laments, in utter frustration, the works of evil he saw in his day. At the heart of all these things is the belief, the lie, that God does not see (verse 7). It’s scary to think that much of the world operates with no knowledge or concept of God. It’s even scarier to realize that the believers often do the same. Not that we don’t know of God, but that we move through our days as though He’s not there, considering and consulting Him little if at all. 

These verses are a wakeup call – to remember our God – His authority and sovereignty over all. God sees all, knows all, and is in control of all things. For the wicked, this is a terrifying reality. But for us, it’s a comfort to know that our loving God sits on the throne. And even with all the evil running rampant around us, He is still in control and at work to eradicate it. 

Prayer: Lord, before I ever condemn the world for all the evil that it embodies, help me to see the evil within me.  Then, compel and constrain me, that is, if I am not willing, to repent. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 5

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Lunch Break Study 

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24: Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil. 23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it. 

Questions to Consider

1. What is the common thread in the commands Paul gives in verses 16-18? What does this tell us about how to interact with the current state of the world around us? 
2. In verse 22, Paul encourages the church at Thessalonica to reject every kind of evil. What do the verses that follow tell us about how they’re able to do that? 
3. Why is it important to end with a reminder of the faithfulness of God? 

How do Paul’s words encourage you today? Maybe it’s time to rejoice and give thanks even in the face of much evil around you. Maybe God is calling you to pray, remembering His sovereignty and petitioning him to bring forth His kingdom in its fullness. Maybe you’re struggling with the evil in yourself. Submit yourself to God, acknowledging that it’s God alone who can purify you and rejoicing in the fact that He is doing just that in you right now. 

Notes

1. “always/continually/all circumstances” – Through Paul, God is giving instructions that are not contingent upon what’s going on in our lives or in the world around us, but instructions that should be followed at all times. Even when the world seems to be headed to hell in a hand-basket, we can rejoice and give thanks because we know that God is in control and at work. And we pray continually, even in the face of pervasive evil in the world and our own hearts, because we know that all things are subject to the will of God and that His plan is to abolish evil once and for all. 
2. It is through the power of God that we reject every kind of evil. Paul tells the church, and by extension us, to reject “abstain from (or reject) every form of evil.” That’s a tall order! But we are able to do this as God himself makes every part of us blameless and holy. It is the work of God within us that not only enables us to be purged of evil within ourselves, but that will ultimately purge the world of all evil when Christ returns. 
3. God’s faithfulness is our greatest comfort. No matter what is going on around us or within us, we know that God is faithful to his promises to us. He will bring an end to all evil (within us and around us) and will walk with us daily as he does it. Our God is faithful to His people and faithful to His promises. That’s great news!

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Evening Reflection

Spend some time interceding for the world around you. Even though much of the world is plagued by the evil of sin, we can pray, just as Jesus instructed, “Your kingdom come! Your will be done!”

Today’s QT blog, written by Pastor Charles Choe (Tapestry Church in Los Angeles), was originally posted on December 7, 2014.

 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend 

“Need Not Fear”

Proverbs 16:3, 9

“Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” 

“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” 

During my senior year in high school, I recall meeting with my guidance counselor to discuss my future college and major. For some reason, I felt uneasy and an overwhelming fear accompanying me the whole time I was with her. I felt extremely intimidated in deciding my future, for I thought that whatever decision I made now would be irreversible for the rest of my life. Feeling pressured to make the right decision within the fifteen minutes I was allotted, seemed overwhelming for me. 

Today’s verses remind us that we do not need to fret or be anxious because God has a plan for our lives that will ultimately glorify Him and be good for us. We can make our own plans, but unless we’re submitting those plans to the Lord, we will continually find ourselves frustrated and being delayed in experiencing His peace. These two verses point out that God is in control even of our plans and He will ultimately establish them. 

Just pause and consider that. No matter what you go through, you can go at it with the assurance that God loves you and knows what’s best for you. And if you are willing to commit your ways to Him, He will unfold His perfect plan for your life. This is a very comforting thought. This means that you don’t have to be so anxious about what to do, whether to move to a new city or stay put, whether to date this or that person, or whether to go left or go right. 

What’s more important than trying to make the right decision is the motive behind that decision. Ask yourself: Do I want to major in this career to glorify God? Am I dating this person so that I can gain a partner to serve the purposes of the Gospel? It appears to me that you can’t really go against God or make the wrong decision if you are seeking first His kingdom and righteousness. 

Ultimately, it’s about committing yourself and your work to the Lord, and desiring his will to be done through your life each day. This is the kind of person that the Lord is looking for. If we become that kind of a person, then Solomon tells us that our plans will succeed. This doesn’t mean that we’ll always make a lot of money or that our lives will be easy. But it does mean that because our vision for our lives are in line with God’s, we will have peace and joy in Him, knowing that we are exactly where He wants us to be. 

Prayer: Dear God, allay my fear by reminding me that You are a good God who has a plan that is perfectly suited for me to glorify Your name.  Help me to be patient while seeking Your purpose for my life so that I can be a blessing to others. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 4

Today’s blog, written by Pastor Barry Kang of Symphony Church in Boston, was originally posted on March 8, 2014.

 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Loving Christians as Well”

John 13:34-35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

I know Christians who have a passion to share Christ with strangers, but feel ambivalent toward other believers.  They show grace and compassion to those who don’t know Jesus, but are highly critical of those of who do know him.   Now, this is not entirely wrong since Jesus probably spent more time with publicans and prostitutes (i.e., sinners) than those who considered themselves as righteous before God.  On the flip side, Paul tells us that while we are not to judge those outside the church, we are to judge those within the church (1 Corinthians 5:12-13), meaning we are to promote holiness (e.g., sinning less) since God is holy.  

However, all of this has to be done in the context of love; otherwise, our witness to the world will be greatly tainted.  If we fail to love one another (i.e., other believers and disciples), then the people of the world (e.g., atheists, Muslims, crass materialists) will not know whether we are following Jesus.  What would they think of us when they hear us say, “God is love,” but the only thing that they hear and see is us being critical and judgmental of other believers and disciples? 

Jesus envisioned his church to be full of disciples who love each other in such a way that their community truly embodies his love for the world.  When we are loving one another, accepting one another, being gracious to one another, serving one another, even exhorting one another to follow Jesus (this includes rebuking, of course), then the world will see Christ through us.  

The late Joe Aldrich put it this way, 

The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians–when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths.

Let’s be careful that when we point out self-righteousness and spiritual complacency of other believers, that we do not become “overrighteous” (Eccle. 7:16).  Let’s be mindful to ground our comments and actions with respect to other believers in true care and compassion.

Prayer: Father, I thank you that you forgive my sins anew every morning.  I thank You that the blood of Jesus covers every one of my sins. Help me to live this day, not in an overrighteous manner,  but in the freedom that comes from being forgiven and in a right relationship with you. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 2-3

Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor Mark Chun (Radiance Christian Church), was originally posted on March 21, 2014.

 

Devotional Thought for Today

“Idol of Love—Really?”

1 John 4:7-12 (ESV)

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 

One common mistake that is made in the modern church is to make an idol of love.  Instead of believing that God is love, we assume that love is God and just like the classic Beatles song, we fall into the trap of thinking that “all we need is love.”  But we run into a problem here because there is a great difference between human love and spiritual love. Now, on the surface, human love seems more passionate, more sacrificial, and even more fervent in devotion.  We see in many secular contexts, people who are willing to do anything for their friends and family; and not knowing any better, we applaud that and use it as the standard for Christian community. But we forget that there are many instances in the life of Christ, where he broke and fractured his relationships with certain people, even his own family.  He didn’t stop loving them, but he refused to give into a non-spiritual form of love. The difference between these two types of love can be found in one main area of divergence: human love is always self-seeking, even when it seems to be about serving others.  

Dietrich Bonhoeffer points out that “the goal of human love is to bind someone to itself, to gain and capture control so that nothing can come between it and the desired object not even truth.”  The person who can only love through his flesh has little capacity to be objective, and that person is swayed completely by his desires. Spiritual love is always tempered by truth and sometimes can seem too objective.  But when you look at the ultimate end of human love, there is a frightening sense to it because it lacks this objectivity, and it will stop at nothing to meet its end goal. Because of this characteristic, the major drawback of human love is that it is unstable and often temporary. It binds people together until it realizes that its selfish desires cannot be fulfilled; and there it turns into indifference, contempt, and even hatred.  Spiritual love is always tempered and remains objective because it is always filtered through the person and work of Christ. As Bonhoeffer states so eloquently, “Christ stands between the lover and the others he loves.”  

Prayer: Lord, we pray that our need to be loved and to love would be satisfied through You.   May our love for one another be tempered by truth, but always as deep as the love You showed on the cross.  Help us to love just as You have loved us. Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 1

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Lunch Break Study  

Read Mark 3:31-35: Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” 33 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. 34 Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.

Questions to Consider

1. Why were Jesus’ mother and brother waiting for him outside?  
2. What were the crowd’s expectations?
3. What did Jesus mean by his response?  

Note

1. Mary and Jesus’ brothers wrongfully thought that Jesus had gone insane or was demonized, just as the Scribes accused him.  They had come to either talk sense into him or to take him back home.  
2. The crowd expected that Jesus would act like a responsible son and go out to meet the members of his family.        
3. Jesus’ answer teaches that the kingdom of God changes human relationships.  Those who oppose the progress of the kingdom, even if they are family, are given less priority; whereas, those who are part of the kingdom become a believer’s closest associates.  

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Evening Reflection

Are you growing in your love for other believers?  Do you consider genuine fellowship to be an important part of your spiritual walk?  Take time to intercede for someone in your church who may be in need of prayer.

Today’s AMI Quiet Time Devotional by Tina Hsu was originally posted on August 3, 2015.

 

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Two Prerequisites to Experience God’s Miracle: Faith and Obedience” 

2 Kings 4:1-7 (NASB)

Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sins, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.”…When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is no one vessel more.” And the oil stopped.

In this story, we meet a widow in great distress. Her husband is dead and she is not able to pay off her family’s financial debt. Her creditor threatens to take her two sons as slaves. In the ancient world, a widow is vulnerable to poverty and social alienation. After her husband’s death, a widow’s security is her son’s ability to provide for her. To lose her sons to the creditor would be a tragic loss for her.  Here, she cries out to Elisha for survival and protection.  

By obeying Elisha’s instructions regarding her small jar of oil, the widow and her sons experience God’s miracle. God takes her small amount of oil and multiplies it to fill several large empty vessels!

We can learn from this story that the experience of God’s miracles is directly related to our faith and obedience. We can’t work for or earn God’s miracles. However, as children of God, we are called to position ourselves to trust God and to readily receive His provision. The widow shamelessly asks her neighbors for vessels, shuts the door of her house, and begins to pour oil. She positioned herself to experience God’s miracle. Her neighbors might have wondered, “Why do you need all my jugs, buckets, and jars? Where will the oil come from?” By her obedience, she demonstrated her faith in what only God could do.

Second, in our distress, God invites us to offer to Him our “little jar of oil” or  “empty vessels.” This is an act of trust, which demonstrates our belief that nothing is too hard for God. Surely, God will provide in His way!

I am encouraged by the widow’s faith and desire to see my anxious thoughts as an opportunity to believe in God’s miracle. Is there anything causing you distress today? What is the “little jar of oil” or “empty vessel” you can entrust to God? Be encouraged by Psalm 50:15, “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me.”

Prayer: Dear God, I confess to You my fears, distress, and anxieties today. Help me to trust in You and Your ability to provide abundantly. Give me the courage to believe in Your miraculous power, and help me to honor You through steps of faith and obedience. 

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 28

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Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (NASB): 

For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.”  

Questions to Consider

1. How did the apostle Paul respond to the affliction he faced?
2. How did the apostle Paul encounter God in and through his suffering?
3. In light of this, what does it look like to set your hope in God? How are you doing in trusting God as your hope? 

Notes

1. The apostle Paul, speaking about Timothy and himself, acknowledged that the affliction they faced in Asia was beyond their strength. They saw clearly that they had no control of their own lives. They saw the purpose of suffering as an opportunity to trust not in themselves, but in God, who is their deliverer and hope.
2. Through his experience of suffering, he personally encountered God as the one who raises the dead. His encounter of God as deliverer enables him to declare in faith that God will continue to deliver him.  
3. Personal Response

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Evening Reflection

Did you recognize any fears, doubts or unbelief in your heart today? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you confess the distress in your heart and to fully set your hope in God. What characteristic or attribute of God do you think He wants to reveal to you through your current circumstances?

Today’s AMI Quiet Time devotional is provided by Tina Hsu of the Church of Southland.

 

Devotional Thought for Today 

2 Kings 23:21-23 (NASB) 

Then the king commanded all the people saying, “Celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God as it is written in this book of the covenant.” 22 Surely such a Passover had not been celebrated from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was observed to the Lord in Jerusalem. 

How amazing is it that we effortlessly fill our brain with trivial stuff (e.g., batting average of your favorite player) while neglecting the important matters, which, in the end, will cost us dearly.  2 Kings 23 shows us that when God’s people disregard God’s Word (in Israel’s case, she didn’t even know where the “Bible” was), not only their hearts turn away from God, but they end up doing the unthinkable.

When the Passover was observed during the reign of King Josiah, it was the first time observed since the days of the Judges (v. 22).  It is absolutely mind-boggling that in a span of nearly 500 years, the Israelites neglected the Passover because they were busy turning away from the Lord and serving other gods. 

The purpose of the Passover was to remember and honor God, who brought them out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery (Ex. 12:42), and made them His treasured possession (Ex. 19:5). By observing the Passover regularly, they would remember, among many attributes of God, His mercy. Could their spiritual decline be related to their neglect of the Passover, to their neglect of remembering God’s mercy? By forgetting to remember God’s mercy, their hearts became less and less devoted to God. 

So what is the outcome of reflecting on God’s mercy? The outcome is that we are moved to obey and worship God. God’s mercy is the reason and the power behind a steadfast devotion to God and to His commandments. Out of the riches of His mercy, God delivered us out of darkness and from our bondage to sin. His mercy enables us to obey His commands. Works righteousness or legalism doesn’t lead us to delight in obedience, but God’s mercy, forgiveness, and love move us to obedience. So what happens if we regularly reflect on God’s mercy? His mercy compels us to obey and worship Him. Take some time this morning to sit and to receive God’s abundant mercy. May He empower you to love and obey Him today. 

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I praise you because Your mercies are new every morning!  In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 27

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Lunch Break Study

Read Romans 12:1-2 (NASB): Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Questions to consider

1. What does Paul mean by “the mercies of God”?
2. What are we called to because of the mercies of God?
3. In what ways do you see or sense transformation in your life lately?

Notes

1. In Romans, “the mercies of God” sum up all that God has done in and through Jesus Christ to save us from the eternal consequence of sin and to give us eternal life on the basis of His death and resurrection. 
2. We are called to offer our entire person, or life, to serve and worship God. We are called to be holy, which means to be set apart as God’s people. By the power of God’s mercy, we are called to be changed from the inside out. 
3. Personal Response

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Evening Reflection

Take five minutes to reflect on God’s mercy today. How did God show you His mercy today? How did God’s mercy impact you?

Today’s AMI Devotional Quiet Time is provided by Tina Hsu of Church of Southland in Anaheim, California. Tina (M.Div.), who was recently licensed by AMI, is a co-leader of college ministry at the church. 

 

Devotional Thought for Today

“Speaking Strength to Your Inner Being”

1 Samuel 30:6 

“But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”

Psalm 103:1 

“Bless the LORD, o my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.”

In 1 Samuel 30, King David faced an extremely stressful and devastating situation when the Amalekites burned down the city of Ziklag with fire and took the women and children of Israel as captives. After David and his men wept until they lost strength, the latter took out their anger and sadness on David, threatening to stone him for what had happened to the city and their families. There was no physical refuge or comfort to turn to in this overwhelming situation, but the author records that David strengthened himself in the Lord his God and then inquired Him for his next plan.  Eventually, David successfully rescued the women and children, and destroyed the Amalekites. 

What did this time with God look like that caused David to regain strength? What prayers did he pray and what did he say to God? David’s psalms give us a glimpse that David often ministered to himself with songs that declared to his own soul the goodness of God. He commanded his being to bless and praise God’s name, even when his emotions did not catch up to joy and gladness yet. He spoke truths about God’s character and deeds in times of distress until his own soul would regain awareness of and thanksgiving to God. These prayers in the secret place gave him strength to carry out his public leadership. 

More often than not, we are taught to pray prayers of petition in our time with God and when we pray for others. Scripture teaches us to present our requests to God as a way of overcoming worry – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). King David displays for us another form of prayer that is just as important, and that is the prayer of declaration, or command prayer. Where strength was lost, he commanded his own being to declare praise to God, until his inner being would be strengthened and hopeful again.  

Today, what is your morning declaration over your own soul? In order to strengthen yourself in the Lord, attempt to lead your own soul to bless and praise God’s name until your awareness of God outweighs your awareness of your anxieties.

Prayer: God, You are my refuge and You are my strength. I command my soul this morning and all that is within me to bless and praise You for who You are. As I wait upon You, I pray for a renewed strength to arise from within me. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 26

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Lunch Break Study

Read Ephesians 3:14-19 (NIV): For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Questions to Consider

1. The apostle Paul is the writer of Ephesians. To whom is he writing?
2. What is Paul’s prayer?
3. Why do you think being strengthened with power in one’s inner being is directly correlated to grasping the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge?

Notes

1. Paul is writing to Christians in the city of Ephesus. He also desires this prayer to be answered and to become real for “all the Lord’s holy people.”
2. His prayer is for the Holy Spirit to strengthen every church member’s inner being with power to comprehend the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge. He understands that a man/woman’s inner being is transformed by the love of Christ, but also needs to continuously be strengthened by the love of Christ in order to live fully as Christ’s followers. 
3. Personal Response. 

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Evening Reflection

Reflect about your day and courageously mention to God what you were lacking today. Was it joy, peace, love, patience, kindness, or wisdom? Activate and practice a prayer of command/declaration over you heart and may the Holy Spirit give you an overflow of His power and strength.

Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor Mark Chun (Radiance Christian Church), was originally posted on March 11, 2013.

 

Devotional Thought for Today

“Just As We Are”

Psalm 24:3-6 (ESV)

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?  4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah 

In today’s contemporary Christian culture, the idea of approaching the presence of God with reverence is something that has been lost to many.  Billy Graham and the Calvary Chapel movement made coming to God “just as we are” a very popular notion but their intention was never to make it as casual and as irreverent as it has become.  Although, it is true that we can come to God just as we are, it is equally true that He loves us too much to keep us the way we are.  

As we approach God daily, we should desire change in our lives.  These verses remind us that our character is made up of the things we do, the things we say, and the things we set our affections on.  This is why the requirements for entering into God’s presence are a desire to have clean hands, pure hearts, and a mouth empty of deceitful words.  As we seek God’s face in this manner, we are promised the blessings and the righteousness of God. We don’t come to God because we are righteous, we come to Him to be made righteous by the blood of Christ.  

Take a few moments to seek the presence of God.  What are the areas of your life that He is asking you to change?  Ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to help bring about this change in your life.   

Prayer: O God, give me a heart of repentance so that I might desire the same change that you desire from my life.  Help me to acknowledge that Your way is best and that following Your commands produces godliness and character.   Even as I struggle with sin, give me the confidence to seek Your face not based on my own righteousness but by the clean hands and pure heart that is given to me by faith in Your Son.  I want to spend today in the fullness of Your presence. 

Bible Reading for Today:  Acts 25

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Lunch Break Study

Isaiah 6:5 (ESV): And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Questions to Consider 

1. In what context were these words spoken?  (Isaiah 6:1-4)
2. What help did Isaiah receive for his sinful condition?  (Isaiah 6:6-7)
3. What was the result of Isaiah’s encounter with God?  (Isaiah 6:8)

Encountering God’s presence is something that is hard to describe.  Each of us experiences it in a different way but there is usually one word that is common to everyone who has come in touch with the glory of God: Overwhelming.  Like Isaiah, may we be overcome by the sight of God’s glory.  

Note

1. Isaiah encountered God at a very pivotal point in the history of Israel.  King Uzziah had a very long and prosperous reign but five years before his death, he had brought the nation into the brink of war.  After his death, Assyria threatened the sovereignty of Israel and perhaps Isaiah drew comfort from the vision of the heavenly king.
2. We see that God sends one of the seraphs (angelic beings) to minister to Isaiah by touching a live coal to his mouth.  This is symbolic of cleansing and reveals that God ministers to the sinner at the point of our confessed need. This is why confession before God is so important.  
3. The result of this encounter was the calling of Isaiah into his prophetic ministry.  To the Lord’s question of “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah famously responds, “Here I am, send me.”    

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Evening Reflection

Have you spent some time worshipping God today?  Has life been so busy that you feel like you have no time to spend in prayer?  Try to take a few moments before going to sleep to pray and listen for the voice of God.  Write down what you feel like He is saying to you.

Today’s devotional, provided by Pastor Peter Yoon of Kairos Christian Church (San Diego), was originally posted on May 25, 2014.

 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

Is God a Taker or a Giver?

John 3:16 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son . . .” 

Do you sometimes feel that God is a taker and not a giver? That He takes away from you things that actually make you happy, or at least He withholds them from you? Maybe we feel as though there are so many things that we need to “give up” for God, making our lives less convenient, less prestigious, less practical because God keeps taking things from you.   

But we need to know that our Father is a Giver and not a taker. His desire is not merely to provide for our needs, but to lavishly give. 

One day, as I was getting into the car to go to a staff meeting, my 6-year-old son runs up to me and asks me, “Dad, on your way back home, can you stop by Target?” When I ask him why, he says, “Can you just buy me a toy?” Naturally, the good and proper parenting side of me said, “NO!” 

That day was not his birthday, nowhere near Christmas, not even Children’s Day: It was just a normal Tuesday. Neither had my son completed reading a list of books, raked the backyard leaves, nor helped with any other household chores to deserve a reward. A parent recognizes that caving in to such random requests would only move a child closer towards becoming a rotten spoiled kid. And I abhor the thought that our family would be the next family for a visit from “Super Nanny”!

Rationally, all of those reasons make sense. But there is something in a father’s heart that wants to say, “Yes son, I will stop by Target and I will bring you that box of Lego’s that you’ve been eyeing. When I get home let’s build it together. I know it’s not any special day, and you haven’t done anything to deserve it. But, of course, I’ll stop by Target.” 

That sentiment is a tiny echo of our Father in Heaven’s heart: God is a Giver. And the gifts that He gives are “good and perfect” (James 1:17): He gives wisdom (James 1:5); He gives peace (John 14:27); He gives spiritual gifts (Rom 12:6); and He gives us grace (James 4:6). Ultimately, the Father gave His one and only Son. 

Today, ask God the Father to give to you His good and perfect gift that He’s already prepared in advance for you. It may not be your birthday nor any special occasion; you may have done nothing to deserve it today. Nevertheless, ask the Father, for He is a Giver, not merely a Provider. 

Prayer: Father, thank You for loving me even though I haven’t done anything good.  Thank You for loving me even though I’ve done many wrongs. Thank You for loving me out of Your own goodness.  I am so blessed to have You as my Father in Heaven. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 24

Today’s blog is written by Pastor Ryun Chang. 

 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Not Three Modes, but Three Persons” 

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make man in our own image, in our likeness. . .” 

One popular analogy for the Triune God is water—as liquid, vapor or ice. That, unfortunately, supports one early attempt to understand the Trinity called “modalism”, which is completely unbiblical.  As readily seen, water cannot be liquid, vapor and ice all at the same time—meaning, it can only exist one mode at a time; the Trinity is not like that at all.

From the very beginning of Scriptures, the Triune God is implied: the word for Elohim, translated in Genesis 1:1 and 1:26 as God, is the plural form of Elowahh.  So then, how do we define the Trinity? In Hinduism there exists three main gods—Brahmin, Vishnu and Shiva—which would constitute tri-theism!  What about the Trinity?  

Returning to the novel The Shack, the Father says, “We are not three gods, and we are not talking about one god with three attitudes, like a man who is a husband, father, and worker.  I am one God and I am three persons, and each of the three is fully and entirely one!” That’s better said than any definition found in theological books.  And among them exist unity and intimacy. 

So how are your relationships with the people around you?  Remember, the Trinity is very practical, because we can look to it for inspiration and as a model, to base our relationships—among family members, church staff, friends—upon the foundation of unity and intimacy!  

Prayer: Lord, help me understand the Trinity better.  Help me to apply the Trinity to my life. Help me, O Triune God, to base the many relationships I have me on unity and intimacy that has eternally existed among the Father, the Son and the Spirit. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 22-23