May 19, Sunday

Today’s AMI Spiritual Food for Thought is provided by Jin Ha Lee who serves at Grace Covenant Church in Philadelphia. Jin Ha, a CPA, graduated from Drexel University and got married to Aerin last November.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Giving the Benefit of the Doubt—a Loving Thing to Do”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

Ephesians 4:1-3

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

In Matthew 22:39, Jesus makes it clear that the second greatest commandment is to “love your neighbor as yourself.” However, we face conflicts everywhere, from work, family, friendships, and even church. When conflicts go long or deep, it’s easy for “loving one another” to take a backseat in our hearts. It can be especially challenging when conflicts arise in our church.

However, God teaches and equips us to combat division by showing us through these verses what love looks like. One practical way to show love is to give the benefit of the doubt. (v7 “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”)

During a conflict, a vulnerable area that the enemy attacks is our thoughts. When we begin to misinterpret the other person and question his or her intentions, it can begin to sow bitterness in our hearts. However, it is in those times that we need to prayerfully and consciously make a stand to say, “I will give this person the benefit of the doubt.” This protects our hearts against bitterness and removes the enemy’s foothold. When we give benefit of the doubt, it is a loving way to see others and disarms the disillusionment that the other person was out to “get us”.

I need to give the benefit of the doubt because I need it too. I can give mercy because I’ve been shown mercy. When God sees all that is in our hearts including our sin, He sees Jesus in us. Therefore, we can try to see Jesus in our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must remember that we are all a work-in-progress who are constantly loved by God.

It is a privilege to build up one another in this race of faith. So, let’s refocus on what God intended our church to be. We are a body of Christ that works together to build up one another with spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit distributed (1 Cor. 12). Love is the most excellent way.

There may be conflicts due to direct offenses that requires confrontation. This passage also teaches us that love is patient (v4), perhaps in timing and communication. Love perseveres through multiple hurtful conversations to reach mutual understanding and unity. But whether the situation gets resolved or not, we are “…bearing with one another in love…” out of love for Jesus and His precious church.

Are you experiencing conflict? Let’s bring it before the Lord and pray for wise counsel. Even when our love has run out, the Lord has an infinite amount of steadfast and unfailing love waiting to cover us.

Prayer: Lord, You love us and Your church so much. God, though we come across conflict, please give us humility, gentleness, and patience to bear with one another in love. Please touch our hearts so that we can respond with Spirit filled love, to see our own faults, to confess, to forgive, to reconcile, and to run together as a church for You. Thank You that there will be one day when we will be in heaven, fully reconciled, and enjoy perfect fellowship with You and each other. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 8.

May 18, Saturday

Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought is written by Claudia Robbie who serves at Journey Church of Atlanta.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“I Matter, to Him”

Psalm 46:10

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Overwhelmed, confused, anxious, doubtful… that is what I have been feeling. When I feel this way, I try to dress it up and hide those things. The temptation to put on a front is very real, but what I’ve learned in the last few years is that I need to be honest about where I am (even if it is just with myself). When I hide and pretend, I don’t allow God to speak and move in my life; I become blind to the habits and things I depend on other than God. I end up being very destructive to those around me and to myself.

A few years ago, I started going to therapy after I had a difficult emotional breakdown. It was God’s gentle hand finally helping me to address the things that I was blind to and bound in. It didn’t feel gentle, it hurt like nothing I had ever experienced and there were thoughts to end the hurting, but I know it was God’s gentle love for me. I got help for some intensely traumatic moments in my life and the behaviors I engaged in to help me cope from the time I was 10 to the age of 37.

In the course of my healing I was drawn to Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God”. In reading some commentary on this simple verse, I found that being still didn’t mean ceasing activity, but it meant to stop striving, to let go, to surrender.

As I learned to be still and rest in who God was, I gained freedom and I could finally stop striving over whether I mattered to people around me. You see, my core lie was that I didn’t matter, and many events of my life contributed to the strengthening of that lie. I always felt like I had to fight to matter and I didn’t care who I hurt in the process of fulfilling my need. When God brought me into counseling and I faced my hurts and owned the responsibility of hurting/burdening those around me to fulfill a need that only God could, I finally embraced that I mattered to God—the proof is the cross. Because He filled this deepest need of my heart through His Son Jesus, I could stop the striving and I could be still in His presence.

In this season, when so many things are in turmoil in my life, God is gently reminding me again to be still and as He guards the things I have learned and experienced in Him, I know that He will be glorified, and everything, in the end, will be okay, in Christ.

Is God asking you to be still? Are you in a situation or a season where you don’t know where to go, what to do, how to hold it together? Do you feel His gentle call and comforting touch even amid your sorrow and grief? Be still and know that He is God.

Prayer: Father, would You draw us into Your presence and help us to be still. Remind us of all that we know and have experienced of You. May You guard us from the enemy who wants to destroy, and restore our hope and peace even in the midst of our struggles and sins.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 6-7.

May 17, Friday

Today’s AMI QT Devotional is provided by Mei Lan Thallman who is serves as a staff at Grace Covenant Church in Philadelphia. Mei Lan, originally from Taiwan, is a graduate of Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary (M.A.) in Kentucky. She and her husband Pastor Kirt have two children, Nate and Naomi

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Overcome Fretting with Trusting”

Psalm 37:1-9

Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong; 2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: 6 He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. 7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. 8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

When I was growing up, I had a traumatic experience with a dentist that literally scarred me for life; no wonder I simply dread going to dentist’s office. So, words fail to describe the terror I felt when I was told three weeks ago that I needed a root canal or tooth implant. I wanted neither.

As I was anxiously fretting over my treatment options, I reached out to an endodontist student from my church. She graciously offered to give me a second opinion by looking at my cavity-infected tooth. During my visit, she proudly showed me two of her root canal treatments done with gold crowns. Then she assured me that root canal is not as terrifying as it is perceived when it’s done right. She won my trust when she assured me with the words, “I have done over a hundred root canal procedures.” Today I am proudly to testify that God has used her powerfully to treat not only my tooth but helped me overcome my fear of root canal.

Dictionary defines fretting as “to feel or express worry, annoyance, or discontent.” All of us can relate and understand why one would react in fret when faced with unexpected need for a root canal, illness, or crisis like job loss, bullying, relational conflicts. However, as Christians we have the hope of breaking through the oppression of fretting by turning our worries into active trust in God’s ability to bring us through.

In Psalm 37:1-9, David repeatedly exhorts himself not to fret, that is, not worry in spite of unjust circumstances surrounding him, and overwhelming feelings of fear and anger that seek to overtake him and taking matters into his own hands. Instead, David, on the one hand, encourages himself to fix his attention on who God is, His character, competency, sovereignty, loving kindness, faithfulness, and on the other hand, exercises his will, mind, heart, faith muscle to trust the Lord.

Trusting God means to walk by faith in the reliability of His character and truth. Truth is not relative; it remains unchanging, unbending and unflinching. Trusting God means regardless what we see or feel we keep on keeping on being like Him and doing right like Him. Trusting God means we live for the audience of One whom we love, whom we aim to please above all else,

Being a Christian does not shield us from facing life’s many challenges, trials and tribulations. When they come, we don’t have to face them alone. His presence and grace will be there with us to sustain us and help us to overcome in His power. He is able to sovereignly work through these difficult moments to grow our trust in Him and our characters to reflect Him to the world.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for being my good Father who always has my best interest in mind. I thank You that You are more concerned about my wholeness than my comfort and happiness. I thank You that You love me so much that You will use every opportunity to help me grow up in the fullness of Christ. Help me to continuously surrender to Your love and molding instead of fighting You or abandoning You when life gets tough, painful and disappointing. Please forgive me and save me from my selfishness and fickleness. Thank You for Your unceasing and relenting Father’s heart for me. In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 5

Lunch Break Study

Read Colossians 1:10-14: And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Questions to Consider

What does it mean to live a life worthy of the Lord?
According to the text, what specific ways we can please God?
Are you making life’s choices that are worthy of the Lord?

Notes

When we claim to be a Christian, our character, relationships and lifestyle should give an authentic witness to the faith we profess. This is not a legalistic perfection but a work in progress of Christ likeness.
We can please God by daily drawing near to Him, feed on His truth, cooperating with the Holy Spirit’s transformation of our person and empowerment to do the good work He has entrusted to us at home, church and workplace.
Personal response

Evening Reflection

Take time to reflect on the day. Are there events or worries that are weighing you down? Can you surrender these cares one by one by naming them and surrender them to your Father’s care and love for you?

“Lord Jesus help me to cast these cares upon you because I believe you care for me and you will help me.”

May 16, Thursday

Written by the same anonymous writer as yesterday and the day before.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Praising God in Spite of . . .”

Psalm 149

Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! 2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King! 3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre! 4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation. 5 Let the godly exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their beds. 6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands, 7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishments on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, 9 to execute on them the judgment written! This is honor for all his godly ones. Praise the Lord!

We have already seen that God is a being worthy of worship and that glorifying him is the reason for all that exists, including our own being. Psalm 149 focuses on a particular aspect of God’s greatness—the justice he will enact in the future that will make all things as they ought to be.

Have you ever been angered by the sheer amount of injustice and rebellion against God that fills the world? The Bible makes clear that all mankind has a heart that chooses that which is wrong: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Richard Wurmbrand’s experience as an imprisoned pastor in Communist Romania during the 50s and 60s illustrates this truth so poignantly. Wurmbrand was imprisoned, starved, and tortured for his Christian faith for nine years (including three in solitary confinement).

In his book Tortured for Christ, he recounts some of the words he heard from the prison guards while in chains: “’There is no God, no Hereafter, no punishment for evil. We can do what we wish.’ I have heard one torturer even say, ‘I thank God, in whom I don’t believe, that I have lived to this hour when I can express all the evil in my heart.’ He expressed it in unbelievable brutality and torture inflicted on prisoners” (p. 34). Will people just get away with all the horrid things they have done against God and man?

I remember hearing when North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Il died peacefully at the ripe old age of 70. He murdered, raped, robbed, tortured, abused, and oppressed the people he was supposed to protect. I thought, “It looks like he just completely got away with all the evil things he committed! Dying in bed after a life of debauchery, pleasure, and oppression is no justice!” But the “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). He sees those who mock his moral law, who live for their own pleasure. God will “execute vengeance on the nations . . . to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute on them the judgment written!” (Psalm 149:8-9). In the end, justice is done.

Prayer: Lord, when we feel like You are sleeping and hiding Your face from us when we need You the most (Ps. 44:23), remind us to look to the cross and remain patient until we get to heaven. Remind us that there we will discover You had a good reason for all that on account of redeeming the nations through Your Son Jesus (Rev. 5:9)—crucified, resurrected, ascended, and to return one day gloriously. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 4

Lunch Break Study

Read Ps. 73:2-4, 16-19, 25-26: “For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Ps. 73:10-11, 17-18: “The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by [the wicked’s] might. He says in his heart, ‘God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.’ O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”

Questions to Consider

Have you ever envied all the things those who don’t care about God are able to do, all the supposed pleasures they can indulge in because they have no regard for God’s standards?
Does it sometimes seem like justice is so far away, that God doesn’t really see or care about all the evil people that constantly try to hurt and destroy others?
Honestly, from a human perspective (and you are a human), do you harbor any grievance against God? Why don’t you take this moment to confess that to Him (a la Ps. 44:23)?

Notes

It is true that we Christians can’t revel in all the things this world has to offer. But Jesus has told us that the road of integrity before God, although difficult, is the way to true pleasure: “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14). People may sneer and mock at us for this life choice: they might say, “I don’t know why you choose to deprive yourself just because an old book says so,” or “Get out of your medieval way of thinking and get accustomed to how enlightened twenty-first century people live.” But just as those who mocked Noah for building an ark, because it had never rained, were destroyed by God’s judgment, so too those who know in their hearts what is God’s law but choose to spit upon it will be rightly punished for their refusal to embrace what is good. God’s people must not live by the rules of the city of man but by the standards of the city of God, “for we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Even though God’s justice may seem so far away, the day will come at the end of the age when it finally arrives! Evil will be punished and righteousness according to trust in Jesus will be richly rewarded. As the biblical saints of old expressed, we wait longingly for the day when all things will be made perfect: “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

Personal response.

Evening Reflection

How can we learn to not be troubled by all the evil in the world we see but trust that God will finally establish justice? And what about our own lives?—holy living is perhaps life’s greatest challenge, to learn to gradually become more like God.

What are some steps we can take to little by little become a little closer to who we ought to be? In all these things, we can remember that we are not alone, no matter our failures or despair: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

May 15, Wednesday

Written by the same anonymous writer as yesterday.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“There Really Is None Like ‘You’”

Psalms 148

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! 2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! 3 Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! 4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created. 6 And he established them forever and ever; he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away. 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all” deeps, 8 fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind fulfilling his word! 9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! 10 Beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds! 11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and maidens together, old men and children! 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty is above earth and heaven. 14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!

What is the purpose of all things, the universe and all that is in it? Many say that the universe has no purpose, that it came about by the brute, chance forces of nature and will one day be completely destroyed as it runs out of energy; there was, is, and never will be any ultimate purpose for the universe and the people within. Atheist philosophy professor Quentin Smith sums up this outlook well when he says that the universe came from nothing, by nothing, and for nothing.

The Scriptures, however, reveal the true explanation for why all things exist. Psalm 148 helps illustrate that the purpose for all of reality is to glorify God. All the millions of species of vertebrates and invertebrates, all the billions of galaxies containing billions of stars each, the innumerable angelic host—all these are to declare the glory of God. But why does God deserve all this glory?

Some might think it a bit strange that everything exists to glorify just one person. But the reason why we may feel this way is that the only persons we know are humans, and no human being comes close to meriting this sort of glory. But God is no mere man (Num. 23:19)—he is what the 12th century theologian Saint Anselm called the “greatest conceivable being.” There is nothing that can be thought of that is greater than God; Jeremiah 10:6 says, “There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might” God alone is worthy of worship.

Prayer: Lord, “there is none like You. No one else can touch my heart like You do. I could search for all eternity long and find there is none like You. There is none like You. No one else can touch my heart like You do. I could search for all eternity long and find there is none like You” (MWS). Therefore, I thank You from the very bottom of my heart.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 3.

Lunch Break Study

Read Romans 11:36; Is. 43:7: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen”; “. . . everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Jn. 17:25-26: “O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Questions to Consider

In the verse from Romans, the pronoun “him” refers to Jesus. How does Christ’s glory give glory to the triune Godhead and how does this relate to mankind?
What is the purpose for human life?
What is your purpose in life?

Notes

Jesus was sent by the Father to become the human manifestation of the Trinity (John 3:16). Therefore, Jesus is the primary representative to receive the glory due to the Godhead. Both the Father (John 9:54) and the Spirit (John 16:14), glorify Jesus. What is Christ’s glory? It is his death and resurrection to give salvation by revealing the truth of eternal life. God’s glory is made ultimate when his greatest creation, mankind, is in a love relationship with him. That is why God chose to make us and save us—to glorify himself through an eternally fulfilling relationship with humans: “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:1-3).
The purpose of human life then, is to enter this relationship with God to enjoy eternal life with him forever. That is our ultimate end. For now, our duty on this earth, is to glorify him in all we do (1 Corinth. 6:20), by living holy lives and spreading God’s love upon this earth, which include aiding the poor, encouraging others, fighting for true justice, working hard at our jobs, and ultimately, sharing the truth of God’s salvation.
Personal response.

Evening Reflection

How purposefully did you live today? Did you do or say anything that would have reminded someone of eternity? Were you too busy? Jot down some ways you can improve in 2019.

May 14, Tuesday

Today’s devotional is provided by a writer who wants to remain hidden.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“His Excellent Greatness”

Psalm 150

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

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

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

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

Prayer: Father in heaven, You are indeed worthy of all glory, honor and praise from us. What words can adequately capture our personal and infinite God who didn’t spare His only Son on our behalf! That is why sometimes we mutter “groans that words cannot express” (Rom. 8:26). Lord, thank You! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 2

Lunch Break Study

Read Habakkuk 3:17-18: “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the LORD, is my strength.”

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

Questions to Consider

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

Notes

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

Evening Reflection

For the rest of 2019, what do you look forward to? What do you dread?

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

May 13, Monday

Today’s blog is a reprint of Pastor David Kwon’s AMI QT Devotional posted on December 17, 2014.

Devotional Thought for Today

Proverbs 25:28

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

My children love all kinds of dessert – ice cream, cookies, cakes, etc. A few months ago, my wife made a batch of cookies, so I told my kids that they were not allowed to have any until after dinner. But right before dinner, I saw that several cookies were missing, along with a mess of crumbs all over the table. I realized that the gratification of cookies was too much to handle and as a result my kids gave into temptation.

Solomon, the writer of this proverb, compares a person without self-control to a breached wall. The city walls protect the people from all sorts of attacks from surrounding enemies. So the picture the writer gives is that of a city whose walls have been so nearly destroyed as to be without defense against the enemy; likewise, the man who has no restraint over his spirit is also defenseless and exposed to temptations, which eventually leads to sin. He has no defense against anger, lust, and the other unrestrained emotions that are harmful for the soul, as well as to others. Solomon reminds us that we should see self-control as a wall for defense and protection from the appetites of our flesh.

What area in your life do you need to ask for greater self-control? It could be lust, anger, shopping, your speech or something else. Only the power of the Holy Spirit can change us and give us the self-control we need to live a godly lifestyle. Spend some time this morning asking the Lord to search your heart and surrender the areas you need more self-control in.

Prayer: Lord, only You can change my heart that lacks self-control at times in various areas of my life. Through the power of the Spirit, change me and fill me with more of You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 1

Lunch Study Break

Read 2 Timothy 1:6-8: “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God . . .”

Questions to Consider

What is Paul telling Timothy concerning the Holy Spirit?
Why do you think Paul is reminding him of this truth?
How is this applicable in our daily lives?

Notes

The effective Christian worker must have the power of the Holy Spirit, but that power must be expressed in a loving spirit. The Spirit also gives us self-discipline to flee from temptations and to live a God-centered lifestyle.
We tend to forget the power that is available to us in our everyday lives. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to change as we abide in Christ (John 15) and is not an act of self-will.
We need to be filled with more of Jesus so that we can experience His power and love, and to better minister to others.

Evening Reflection

What are some areas you need to surrender to the Lord so that you would be “protected” by self-control? We need to allow the Spirit to continue to work in our lives so that we would experience his transforming power and grace. Spend some time in prayer.

May 12, Sunday

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The God of Holiness”

Exodus 26:31-35

“And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It shall be made with cherubim skillfully worked into it. 32 And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. 33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. 34 You shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the testimony in the Most Holy Place. 35 And you shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand on the south side of the tabernacle opposite the table, and you shall put the table on the north side.

The word “holy” is one of those words that most Americans find offensive and unattractive. When we label someone as holy, we often associated with words like “self-righteous, weirdly religious, or judgmental”. But when we look at Scripture, holiness is something we cannot avoid especially when we look at the character of God. So what is holiness? John Piper defines it like this:

“When we say that God is holy we mean that, along with the immeasurableness of his greatness, his character is unimpeachable. He cannot be charged with any wrong. He has an infinite love for what is infinitely valuable and an infinite hate for what opposes the infinitely valuable. His delight in praiseworthy things is unbounded, and his abhorrence of what is blameworthy is perfect.”

Today, as we look at the Tabernacle in detail, we are introduced to the Most Holy Place where the Ark of the Covenant was to be placed. One main thing God wanted His people to see was that the tabernacle was a piece of Heaven on earth. Heaven is where God is; so when God came to live with His people, He brought Heaven down with Him. The tabernacle was the one place in the entire world where people could enter God’s presence; however, there was no way for them to get into the Holy Place! Only priests were allowed to enter because of the holiness of God. This was designed to show the supreme holiness of God – that there is none other and that He is set apart. And because of God’s holiness, He has to punish sin, which is why the Israelites had to be separated from Him in order to spare them of additional punishments they so deserved. In this sense, separation was an act of God’s mercy!

What does this mean for us? First, it means that we should “fear the Lord” (Deut. 6:2). A healthy fear of the Lord means that we are in awe of Him and that we desire to live our lives to please Him. Our God is a loving God, but He is also holy, and certainly not like us. It means having a high view of God, which results in not sinning against Him.

Second, it means we should be “holy has He is holy” (Leviticus 11:44). Our desire is to be like Him in character, purity, and righteousness. We are not called to blend into world but live set apart. Our lives should look distinct and counter-cultural from our co-workers, neighbors and non-believing family members. It does not mean we isolate ourselves from the world, but, as we engage with the world, we should look different in light of God’s holiness.

Prayer: Lord, we thank You that through the Cross, we can now have access to our Heavenly Father. Help us to live holy lives that honor You and make a difference in our world. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Corinthians 13

May 11, Saturday

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Holy Spirit”

Exodus 26:1-6

“Moreover, you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns; you shall make them with cherubim skillfully worked into them. 2 The length of each curtain shall be twenty-eight cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits; all the curtains shall be the same size. 3 Five curtains shall be coupled to one another, and the other five curtains shall be coupled to one another. 4 And you shall make loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain in the first set. Likewise you shall make loops on the edge of the outermost curtain in the second set. 5 Fifty loops you shall make on the one curtain, and fifty loops you shall make on the edge of the curtain that is in the second set; the loops shall be opposite one another. 6 And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains one to the other with the clasps, so that the tabernacle may be a single whole.

For the past few days, we have been reading about the tabernacle and the furnishings that the Israelites were commanded to build. This chapter contains detailed instructions for setting up God’s tent – the tabernacle in the wilderness. Tabernacle in the Bible means, “dwelling place”. It was supposed to serve as God’s own dwelling place so that He could be with the children of Israel.

Today, we no longer have to go to a tent to be in the presence of God, we can invite Him to come and meet us wherever we may be because of the Holy Spirit. Oftentimes we forget that the presence of God can be with us outside of the church doors. His presence, that same presence that dwelled in the Tabernacle, can be with us today in our churches, on our jobs, in our hospital rooms, in our homes etc. What does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?

He Comforts Us – In John 16 when Jesus tells his disciples he was going away to the Cross, he reminds them that the Spirit will be their comforter. He still brings peace and comfort in our darkness moments.
He Illuminates our minds to understand the Scriptures (Lk 24; 1 Cor. 2) –  As one author puts it, “God’s mind is revealed in the Holy Scriptures but we can see nothing without the spectacles of the Holy Spirit” (Thomas Manton)  
He Empowers us for ministry – The Spirit gifts us and empowers us to do ministry (1 Cor. 12:11); and this is done primarily through our witness.

Are you relying on the Spirit in these areas of your life? Let’s depend on Him today.

Prayer: Lord, give me greater dependence on the Holy Spirit in my everyday life. May the Spirit’s working continually be evident in my work, home and witness in the world. Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 11-12

May 10, Friday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Jesus Our Light”

Exodus 25:31-40

“You shall make a lampstand of pure gold. The lampstand shall be made of hammered work: its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers shall be of one piece with it. 32 And there shall be six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; 33 three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 34 And on the lampstand itself there shall be four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, 35 and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out from the lampstand. 36 Their calyxes and their branches shall be of one piece with it, the whole of it a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. 37 You shall make seven lamps for it. And the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it. 38 Its tongs and their trays shall be of pure gold. 39 It shall be made, with all these utensils, out of a talent of pure gold. 40 And see that you make them after the pattern for them, which is being shown you on the mountain.

When we read of the furnishings in the tabernacle of God, we may look at it as monotonous details that really do not pertain to us today. What does an ark, bread, and a lampstand have anything to do with our daily walk with Christ today? On the surface it may not mean much, but if we look back and see the bigger picture, we see what kind of God we worship.

The lampstand was among the most ornate pieces created for use in the tabernacle. Those familiar with modern Judaism would know that the lampstand looked basically like a seven-branched menorah, resembling a tree with the cups at the end of each branch designed to mimic the appearance of almond blossoms with sculpted calyxes (outermost parts of a flower) and flowers (25:31–36). Many scholars believe that God commanded the floral design in order to remind the Israelites of the Tree of Life from the Garden of Eden. This is certainly an appropriate conclusion as true life is found only in the Lord’s presence (Ps. 16:11), and this presence was made manifest in the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34–35). Almonds were also a symbol of hope and fruitfulness in the ancient Mediterranean world. So when the priests saw the lampstand these ideas were brought to their minds.

But what symbolic significance did the lampstand have for the people of God?

Jesus is true life, which He offers to all. Whenever light is used in Scripture, it points to the idea of hope, life and joy. In Christ, we no longer live in darkness but we now see with spiritual eyes, and now we can love and serve Him.
We are called to shine for Christ in the world. The world should see the life Christ brings to believers, and they should want to experience this life for themselves.

This should be our desire, that our light would never flicker or grow dim, but to keep shining brightly for Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You are the light of the world and You brought life into this world so we could live. May we as Your people continue to shine brightly into this dark and decaying world. Amen!

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 10

Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Peter 3:8-10: But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Questions to Consider

What do we learn about the timing of God? What does this mean for you?
What is our hope according to Peter?
What do you feel you are called to do in light of these verses?

Notes

God’s timing is not our timing and He is sovereign over time—we need to be reminded of that truth daily.
Our hope is that the Lord fulfills His promises. He is faithful to His Word, and we are commanded to trust Him.
The Lord is patient because He does not want anyone to perish. It means we are called to be witnesses for Him and to share the Good News to all who hear.

Evening Reflection

Take some time and think about people in your life who do not know Christ. Spend some time praying for their salvation, and that the Lord would also give you boldness to share the Good News to them.