Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Be Careful What You Wish for from God”

1 Samuel 9:1-27

There was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjaminite, a man of wealth. 2 And he had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. 3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul’s father, were lost. So Kish said to Saul his son, “Take one of the young men with you, and arise, go and look for the donkeys.” 4 And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, but they were not there. Then they passed through the land of Benjamin, but did not find them. 15 Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have seen my people, because their cry has come to me.” 17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, “Here is the man of whom I spoke to you! He it is who shall restrain my people.”

One of the questions that have always come to my mind in reading 1 Samuel 9 is: “Why did God direct Samuel the prophet to choose Saul as the first king of Israel?”  For those who know the story, Saul was a horrible king who rejected God’s commands and was self-serving, murderous, and insane towards the end of his life. God certainly could have kept this man from the throne, yet not only does He permit Saul to become king, but He is the active agent in the process of bringing Saul to power.  Was this simply a case of not reading Saul’s resume carefully and making an unfortunate hiring blunder?

Actually, God hired exactly who the people of Israel wanted.  They wanted a king just like the kings of the surrounding nations, and so they received the desires of their heart.  In the text, we are told that Saul was a head taller than any of the people. From a human perspective, it would seem good for a king to, at least, look the part, but the problem is that in the Old Testament, descriptions of stature are only given to the villains (remember Goliath?).  In fact, the good guys are identified primarily by their ability to tend their flocks, like a good shepherd. We read in the story that Saul falls woefully short in his capacity to find the animals in his care. This is all a foreshadowing of the type of king that Saul would eventually become.  

It is so easy to judge everything by its exterior appearance and forget about what truly matters.  Like the people of Israel, we too can become consumed by our desire to achieve the world’s standards of prestige, fame, good looks, and fortune.  A sobering thought is that God sometimes gives into our illegitimate demands in order to teach us the hard lesson of humility and to point us towards Christ.  Unlike Saul, Jesus, the true King, was lowly in stature and despised in the eyes of men. Yet for those of us who believe, He is our Good Shepherd, who has come from heaven to earth to find us and to care for us.  

Prayer: Father, help us to remember that You do not judge by the outward appearance, but by what is in the heart.  May we clothes ourselves in the humility of Christ and help us to reflect this attitude in the things that we desire and pray for.  Above everything else, purify our motives and give us pure hearts that yearn to do Your will.

Bible Reading for Today:  Matthew 16

---

Lunch Break Study

Read James 4:1-6 (ESV): What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Questions to Consider

1.  What is the main cause of fighting and quarrels among believers according to James?
2.  Why are prayers not being answered by God?
3.  What is the solution that is given for these problems that we find in the church?

Notes

1.  The primary reason for quarreling among Christians is the spiritual war that is within each of us.  All of us are a mixture of good and evil, and simultaneously both saint and sinner. Much of our conflict with others is simply an overflow of the uncontrolled conflict that resides inside our own hearts.
2.  The main cause of unanswered prayer is asking with the wrong motives.  Even the most legitimate prayer request can be corrupted by our selfishness and desire to satisfy our own passions.  
3.  Simply put, we need more of the grace of God.  If we continue to depend on our sense of self-sufficiency and pride, we compound the problem by facing the opposition of God.  Humility releases the grace of God into all of the relational issues that we face in the church.

---

Evening Reflection

Is there someone that you have been fighting with recently, perhaps your wife/husband, children, friend, etc?  How did your pride make the problem worse? How can humility bring reconciliation? Pray to the Lord for more grace in the midst of conflict in your life.

Devotional Thought for Today

“A Great Mystery of God”

Exodus 7:1-7 (ESV)

And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” 6 Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them. 7 Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

When I first became a Christian, this passage gave me a lot of trouble because it seemed on the surface as if God took away Pharaoh’s freedom of choice by hardening his heart.  How was it possible to blame Pharaoh for his wrongdoing if God was actively making him resistant to making the right choice? I looked into classic Calvinism which taught that God predestined both who would be saved and those that would reject Him.  Clearly, Pharaoh had not been elected to salvation. Initially, that seemed to solve this problem but it also seemed to paint a very stark view of God. Cognitively this made sense but my heart was still unsettled.

In the end, I came to the conclusion that the intersection of man’s freedom and God’s sovereignty is one of life’s great mysteries.  It is hard to avoid the theological truth that God creates individuals with the foreknowledge that some will be saved and others will harden their hearts towards him.  However, to say that God does not love those who will ultimately reject him is contrary to the witness of Scripture. On the way to the cross, Jesus pleaded for the Father to forgive the ignorance of those who were rejecting Him.  I can’t imagine this being an empty gesture by the Son of God.

Over the years, what has given me comfort in accepting difficult passages like this is knowing the heart and character of our God who does not want any to perish but all to have everlasting life.  Knowing that this is God’s desire is sufficient enough for me.

Prayer: Lord, I confess that there are certain things that are too weighty for me to understand.  Indeed, the secret things belong to the Lord our God but the things that are revealed belong to us forever.  Help me to trust in your goodness and love and to share that with both believer and non-believers. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 15

---

Lunch Break Study

Romans 9:14-24 (ESV):  What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

Questions to Consider

1. For what purpose was Pharaoh created?   
2. What gives God the right to create people for different purposes?
3. What is God’s attitude towards the objects of His wrath?

Notes

1. We are told that the purpose of Pharaoh’s life was to display God’s power in the life of Moses so that His name would be proclaimed throughout the world. God took the wickedness of Pharaoh and turned it into an opportunity for his glory to be revealed.  
2. God is likened to a potter who has the right to shape clay into whatever he chooses. There will be some vessels that are used for common things while other vessels that will be used for noble purposes.  As believers, we are encouraged by the fact that we have been for a noble reason.
3. We read that God endures with great patience the objects of wrath.  This is clearly because of his grace and compassion towards them. As we read in Ezekiel 33:11 – “As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live, turn back, turn back from you evil ways; for why will you die.  

---

Evening Reflection

A positive spin on the doctrine of election is that we can be sure that people can be saved because God has already chosen them.  This should give us the confidence to share our faith with the lost because we know that God is already working for their salvation.  Pray for the unbelievers around you so that God would give you an opportunity to share the gospel.

Today’s AMI QT Devotional is provided by Pastor Mark Chun who is the lead pastor of Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco.  He has been contributing to this ministry since its inception in 2013.

 

Devotional Thought for Today

Psalm 25:16-21 (ESV)

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.  18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins. 19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me. 20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.

Henry Thoreau is famous for his statement that “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation”.  The general context in which this quote is written deals with the plight of the common man who has no time to pursue anything of significance and is relegated to living life as a machine.  

The vast majority of us live at such a hectic pace that we simply feel like we don’t have the time to deal with the emotional wounds that linger deep within.   Everyone goes through seasons of life where loneliness, distress, affliction, and anxiety are acutely felt but never examined. When life seems to crash in from all sides, it is easy to distance ourselves from our emotions and bury our heads in our careers or families. Eventually, these emotional wounds will catch up to us if we don’t take the time to deal with them at the spiritual level.  

The psalmist understands that God is the guardian of our souls and the healthiest response to our troubles is to turn to Him for protection and forgiveness.  

So, this morning, identify some of the negative emotions you have been dealing with recently.   Turn to the Lord and pray for protection and deliverance.

Prayer: Lord, help me to pray daily for your protection and deliverance so that I can be aware of feelings and thoughts that are a result of enemies working in my life.  Give me the strength to deal with all my wounds by turning to you in prayer. In the end, it is the healing found in your grace and forgiveness that can restore my soul and bring me the peace that surpasses human understanding.

Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 14

---

Lunch Break Study

Read John 16:33 (ESV): “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Questions to Consider

1. Why did Jesus say this to the disciples (John 16:32)?
2. Is the Christian life devoid of trouble and grief (John 16:33)?
3. What is the ultimate source of peace that Jesus promises (John 14:26-27)?

Notes

1. Jesus said these things because he knew that his death on the cross would lead to anxiety and discouragement amongst the disciples.   Many would fail him and lose their sense of purpose but in the midst of all the confusion, Jesus promises that he would never leave them nor allow the enemy to snatch them out of his hands. (John 10:28)
2. In the Gospel of John, the troubles that come with discipleship are plainly laid out for the reader.  Although the health and wealth movement has misled many people in regard to the true blessings of God, John spells it out very clearly that believers will have trouble in this life.  Though we are not of this world, our presence in this suffering world is God’s ways of communicating the Gospel.
3. The peace that God offers us is found in the Jewish understanding of shalom.  It is not simply an absence of turmoil but a restoration to wholeness in every aspect of our being.  As Jesus tells the disciples about his departure (ascension into heaven), he reveals that the Father will send a Helper, the Holy Spirit, to teach and guide the believers afterwards.  The believers will have a newfound peace in their reconciliation with God and the ministry of his Spirit.

---

Evening Reflection

Did you make the most of your time and the opportunities that God gave you today?  Write down any convictions that God has placed on your heart.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Speaking Before Others“

Exodus 6:30

But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?”

As a pastor, I preach a few times a month now, but it wasn’t long ago that I was incredibly fearful of public speaking.  I remember when I first told my mom about feeling called to ministry about 12 years ago, one of the first things she said (in Chinese) was, “But you’re so scared of talking in front of people.”  She was right, of course. A couple of years after that, I was tasked with the simple assignment of giving announcements at services on a regular basis. The first time I was frightened despite preparing for hours.  But even after doing it dozens of times later, giving announcements would give me so much anxiety. You can guess how I felt then when I was asked to preach.

I can only imagine how Moses felt as he was called to speak before Pharaoh.  Whereas I was being asked to speak before a friendly and receptive church crowd, Moses, on the other hand, was going before a king who likely thought of himself as a god and demanding that he do something that was completely against his own self-interests.  Pharaoh was a one man hostile crowd. On top of this, Moses was being asked to go to Pharaoh for the second time, after having been harshly rejected the first time. I think we can all understand why Moses tells God that he isn’t capable.

Speaking about God to others, friendly or hostile, can be nerve-wracking.  The reason Moses struggled—and the reason many of us struggle—is that when we stand before others to speak, we feel the spotlight.  We can sense all of the eyes fixed on us, looking at us and hearing us, like everyone is noticing all of our weaknesses. Just like many of us, Moses in this moment is reacting out of his insecurity.  

So how do we overcome our insecurities and fear of speaking before others?  My solution was and is still… worship. Whenever we’re faced with our insecurity or inadequacy, the answer is to take our eyes off of ourselves and direct them to God.  It can be frightening to speak to others about Jesus, but if in those moments, we can remember who we are speaking for through worship, we can speak with confidence knowing that it is not about us,but it is about Him.  

Most of us are not preaching from the pulpit this Lord’s day, but all of us have opportunities to speak about Jesus to others.  Whether we speak to 300 people or to one, let us fix our eyes on Jesus and find the strength to speak boldly for His name’s sake.

Prayer: Jesus, give me a heart of worship this today.  Help me to fix my eyes on You and not myself, and give me the words and the boldness to proclaim Your Name to others. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Matthew 13

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Rescued for Relationship”

Exodus 6:7-8

I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.’”

In the past decade or so, our culture has been enamored with superheroes.  So many people love all different movies and TV shows about these heroes who are gifted in some supernatural way; they rise up to save lives or save the world.  We of course know that superheroes aren’t real; nevertheless, they are the picture we have in mind when it comes to what it’s like to be a champion or rescuer of people.  We rally around the gifted and popular politicians, CEOs, doctors, entrepreneurs, etc. to be the ones to bring change to this world. With this superhero mentality in our minds, perhaps this is how we view God as well.  There is in fact a worship song called “Jesus You’re My Superhero.” We can imagine Jesus like a superhero flying into our lives out of nowhere to rescue us from a burning building or helping to fix our messed up lives.  

While this view of God isn’t completely wrong, there’s something missing if we imagine Jesus as our superhero.  The superheroes in media or even the heroes of our culture today, they don’t know usually have much relationship with the people they are rescuing.  When Batman or Spider-man swoop in to save someone from a fatal car crash, afterwards they don’t sit down and grab a meal with them. And our own cultural or political heroes, whoever they are, we typically don’t know them and they almost assuredly do not know us.  Sure they may be trying to help us as a people, but they don’t really have time or the inclination to be in relationship with us.

Jesus is our superhero, but unlike the superheroes of media or our society, his goal isn’t just to rescue and redeem us.  His ultimate desire, as we see in Exodus 6, is for relationship. God tells Moses and Israel that He is going to bring them out of the slavery and bondage and into freedom.  God is angry at the injustice that His people are facing. But He doesn’t want to just set his people free and leave them alone. Instead, He tells Moses that “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God.” He set his people free so that He could be in relationship with them.  

Jesus came to us to set us free from the slavery of sin.  Jesus went to the cross so that we could be rescued and redeemed and made whole.  But Jesus didn’t come to us just so that we could live good and righteous lives. He came so that we could be in an eternal love relationship with Him.  Our God is not an impersonal superhero who is here to fix our problems; instead, He is an all-powerful God who wants to be in relationship with us. Let us remember to turn to him for rescue and relationship.

Prayer: Jesus I thank you that you came to save me and to be with me. I pray that I will daily remember that you desire a relationship with me, and that, in turn, I will strive to be with you. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Matthew 11-12

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“A God Who Hears”

Exodus 6:5-6

Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 

Prayer can seem to be a pretty mundane or ordinary activity. To the world, they may think of prayer as just mere words,  and even within the church, prayer can sound like a sentimental thing or just a nice thing to say: “Oh sorry to hear that.  I’ll pray for you.”  In the past couple of years, as our world has faced different tragic events, people have begun to mock the term “thoughts and prayers,” because to many people prayer is just empty words.  And even for some of us, we can be tempted to believe this to be true as well, because sometimes we may feel like our prayers are just words.

When we read this passage, and all throughout the Bible, prayer is far from empty words.  The people of Israel has been enslaved by Egypt and they cry out to God for help; and what we see very clearly in Exodus 6 is that God hears the cries of His people.  And not only does God hear, but He responds and acts on His people’s behalf.

That God hears our prayers is a simple yet amazing truth.  Perhaps we’re so used to thinking that it’s true that we forget how incredibly amazing that really is.  We should daily be in awe and grateful to God that He cares for us so much that He listens and responds to our prayers.  It’s not dependent on our righteousness or holiness, or how much we’ve done for him or how spiritual we are—it is all God’s grace.  God hears our prayers because He loves us.

Even if you’ve lost sight of this wondrous truth, even now you can speak to God and He will listen.  Let us go to God, and in faith, trust that He is hears us and will respond.

Prayer: God I thank You that You love me and hear my prayers.  I pray for greater faith to know that You hear me, and I pray for perseverance to keep on going to You in prayer.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Matthew 10

---

Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 7:7-11: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Questions to Consider

1. What reason does Jesus give to us to pray to God?
2. What keeps us from asking from God in prayer?
3. Jesus says that all who ask God receive from Him.  How has God answered your prayers in the past?

Notes

1. Jesus compares God to our earthly fathers who want to give good things to their children.  And if our earthly fathers, who are imperfect sinners, are able to give good gifts to their children, just think about how much more so God our heavenly Father wants to give to us.  
2. There are many different reasons, but I think one of the biggest barriers to prayer in our lives is self-sufficiency.  We are trained by this world to learn to be independent and trust in our own work to provide for ourselves.  
3. Personal reflection question.

---

Evening Reflection

Prayer is a gift from God that we don’t take advantage of enough.  Tonight, as you close out your day, spend some time just talking with God about what’s going on in your life.  Ask Him for strength and provision, and be confident that He hears you.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“I Am the LORD ”

Exodus 6:2-4

God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 

In Exodus 5, Moses faces his first setback as the leader of Israel.  When Moses goes to Pharaoh and appeals to him to let the people of Israel go, he not only refuses but inflicts a greater burden on the Israelites by forcing them to make bricks without straw.  And Moses cries out to God, complaining that his efforts made things worse. So Moses was distraught, and asked God why he was the one sent and why all of this was happening to Israel.

In our day, whenever we have questions about why something is the way it is, we pretty much expect to get some sort of satisfactory answer.  One of the benefits of the being in the Internet age is that we can always find answers: If you don’t understand how a computer works or need a recipe for making muffins, you can just google it.  If you’re wondering why the sky is blue, you are not resigned to pondering over this mystery without hope of finding an answer. You only need to search online for an answer. For any questions we have, it feels like today we can easily find the answer on Wikipedia.  In this passage though, God doesn’t give what we would consider to be a satisfactory answer to Moses. Instead, God answers Moses’ questions with this: “I am the LORD.”

When things go wrong in our lives or we see brokenness in the world, we question: Why has this happened?  Why is the world this way?  Why can’t we fix these problems?  These are important questions but where can we find the answers?  Google, Wikipedia, and Alexa can’t help us; we must go to God. But, like in this passage, God doesn’t usually give us the satisfactory answers that we want or we think we need.  Instead, when we go to God with our questions and complaints, God offers Himself. When God tells Moses, “I am the LORD,” He is first telling Moses that He is sovereign and almighty.  In his difficult circumstances, Moses needed to understand that God was in control. Also, God wanted Moses to know that as the LORD, He was faithful, the same God who made a covenant with Abraham and the other forefathers.  

As we face setbacks, failures, and trials in our lives, let us turn to God and remember that He is the LORD.  We might not ever fully understand why things are the way they are, but no matter what, let us remember that we can trust in Him and know that He is faithful and is in control.  

Prayer: God help me to recognize that You are the LORD today.  Help me to trust and know that You are faithful and that You are sovereign over my life, no matter the circumstances.  AMEN.

Bible Reading for Today:  Matthew 9

---

Lunch Break Study

Read Ecclesiastes 12:13-14: The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Questions to Consider

1. What does Ecclesiastes conclude about how we should live?
2. How can this be an unsatisfactory answer for people?  How does it feel for you?
3. How do we understand fearing and following God as good news?

Notes

1. In the end, we should fear God and keep His commandments.
2. This can feel overly simplistic because we have a lot of ideas about how we are meant to find fulfillment and purpose through our accomplishments, family, or many other things.  Also, for many people, they may feel that the idea of fearing God and following Him makes us sound like mere servants or slaves.
3. It’s good news because it means we no longer have to live for ourselves or our world’s standards of success or joy, which leave us running dry.  When we fear God and follow His commandments, we are submitting ourselves to a life of eternal joy, hope and relationship with our heavenly Father.

---

Evening Reflection

Like Moses, many of us are faced with failures and setbacks in life.  In the midst of all of them, what we must remember is that God is God, and that He is sovereign and is faithful.  As you close out your day, take a moment and remind yourself of the truth of who God is, and that He is with you no matter what.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Persevering through futility”

Exodus 5:22-23

Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”

William Wilberforce was one of the greatest social reformers in history.  As a prominent member of the British Parliament, Wilberforce fought for the abolition of slavery in the British Empire.  Already a member of Parliament, he became a follower of Jesus in 1784; and early in his walk with the God, it became clear to Wilberforce that God was calling him to be an advocate of bringing freedom to hundreds of thousands of slaves living under dire oppression.  

Now, we might think that, because Wilberforce was a follower of Jesus and had a clear calling from God, his success would’ve been a given; however, history shows us a very different picture.  In 1789, Wilberforce introduced anti-slavery resolutions twelve separate times, but all of them failed to even reach a vote to the general assembly. He continued to push forward anti-slavery bills in 1791, 1792, 1793, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1804, and 1805, and each time the bills were defeated.  If anyone could understand what Moses was going through in Exodus 5, it would’ve been William Wilberforce.

Moses had a relationship with God and an even clearer calling from the LORD to be the leader of this abolitionist movement in Egypt.  Thus, Moses boldly goes to Pharaoh and asks for the freedom of God’s people; but instead of victory, he faces failure. Perhaps Moses thought that his calling from God meant immediate victory since, after this initial encounter with Pharaoh and subsequent failure, Moses is distraught, complaining to God that his effort was futile and the circumstances worsened.  

Like Moses and Wilberforce, futility is something we all experience, especially if we strive do the work God has called us to do.  There is that friend we keep on talking to about the same issues repeatedly, or that family member we keep on praying for with no sign of fruit; or it’s those social justice issues we want to see righted in our cities that only seem to get worse.  We feel this calling from God to follow Him and do His kingdom work, but there will be times when our efforts feel futile.

In those times where our efforts feel futile, we must persevere.  But we don’t persevere because we’re stubborn. Nevertheless, we ought to persevere because when we do, we will see and experience the faithful work of God in our lives.  In this moment, Moses could only see the failure of that temporary moment. What he could not see was that, as he persevered in what God called him to do, freedom would come to God’s people.  It was not immediate, but it was inevitable because God was working through Moses’ work. Let us press on and keep on striving to do the work of God.

**Note:  Because of Wilberforce’s effort, British Parliament fully abolished slavery in 1833 and he subsequently passaged away 3 days later.

Prayer: Jesus, give me faith to trust that You are working through me even when I cannot see it.  I pray that You will give me strength to persevere and keep on doing the good work that You have called me to do. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Matthew 8

---

Lunch Break Study

Read Luke 13:18-21: He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” 20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”

Questions to Consider

1. What do we learn about the true nature of kingdom of God from these parables?
2. If we understand that the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed and leaven, how then should we think about setbacks or futility in ministry?

Notes

1. For the parable of the mustard seed, Jesus’ emphasis is that the kingdom of God would start in a small and unassuming way since a mustard seed is so incredibly tiny; but over time, it grows and becomes large like a tree.  As for the parable of the leaven, it’s important to recognize that leaven works invisibly. It is “hidden” in a large amount of flour and dough, but, even though you cannot see it, over time it grows and expands. Put together, these two parables show us that the kingdom of God often grows in small and hidden ways; sometimes even we, as children of God, cannot recognize the potential of the small acts of faith or discern how the work of the kingdom is having an effect.
2. When we face setbacks or futility, we can easily think that the works of ministry we do are not having an effect.  However, if we recognize that the work of the kingdom of God can be small and unassuming, and even hidden at times, we should persevere and trust that God will work through us for his kingdom.

---

Evening Reflection

It’s easy to get discouraged when it comes to serving God.  It may seem like what we’re doing isn’t having any effect. Tonight, pray that God will open your eyes to see what He is doing and ask Him for strength to persevere.

Devotional Thoughts for This Morning

“Spite”

Exodus 5:6-9

 But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!”  6 The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”

In yesterday’s passage, we saw Moses and Aaron approach Pharaoh and appeal to him for freedom for the Israelite people.  In today’s passage, what is Pharaoh’s response? A very clear and resounding NO. Not only does he say no to them, he’s so insulted by their request that, being full of spite, he demands that the Israelites make bricks without straw (a necessary component of straw making), while expecting the same production.  Because Pharaoh doesn’t like how he’s been confronted, he responds with spite and anger.

Spite is destructive path to go down.  When we act out of spite, people suffer, especially ourselves. So, when we find ourselves caught in a downward spiral of anger and bitterness, people around us are forced to deal with the consequences.  Proverbs 29:22 says, “A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.”  And I think we can all recognize that when we respond with anger and spite, like Pharaoh does in Exodus, it causes much strife and leads us down to darker places.  

At the same time, we should recognize how we can easily fall prey to the temptations of spiteful anger.  Think about how you’ve responded in the past month when someone cut you off while driving on the highway, or when you’ve received really poor customer service at a restaurant, or when your roommate didn’t do the dishes, again.  Did you reply with joy and peace in your heart? Think about the last time someone challenged you about doing a poor job in something or when someone close to you rebuked you. Did you immediately thank God for that person? I’m guessing for the overwhelming majority of us the answer to these questions is a clear and resounding no.  The truth is that we’re not that different from Pharaoh.

The good news for us is that we have a savior.  The only way our hearts can move from spite and anger towards love and grace is through Jesus.  In the gospels, Jesus was confronted, challenged, tested and rebuked many times and even when he was being treated like a criminal and was sentenced to execution on the cross for sins he never committed, Jesus did not respond in spiteful anger, but instead he lived out of love and grace.  

Today we will likely encounter people or circumstances that will tempt us to act out of spiteful anger.  As we face those moments, let us look to our savior and follow his example.

Prayer: Jesus, I pray for strength to face all of the difficulties that today may bring.  Thank You for Your example of love and grace. By the power of Your spirit, help me to act and respond with love towards all. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Matthew 7

---

Lunch Break Study

Read Colossians 3:12-15: Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 

Questions to Consider

1. What is the foundation of acting in love towards one another in this passage?
2. How do you act when you have a “complaint” against another person?  How can we practically strive to be more gracious towards others?
3. What does it look like when the church is acting in love towards one another?

Notes

1. The foundation is the forgiveness of Jesus in our lives.  When we recognize the depth of our sin that Jesus has so graciously forgiven, it should lead us to act in grace and love towards one another.
2. Personal reflection question.  We must first start with remembering the grace of Jesus in our lives.  Also, Paul’s command is to “put on” compassion, kindness, humility, etc.; we must actively, even against the cries of our own flesh, push ourselves to respond in love and grace instead of bitterness and anger.  Finally Matthew 18:15 tells us to lovingly confront one another.
3. Paul points us to “perfect harmony” and peace.  

---

Evening Reflection

Did you face any challenging circumstances today where you were tempted to respond with spite?  How well or poorly did you respond? No matter how good or bad we are at this, we thankfully are assured of the love of Jesus.  Spend a few minutes reflecting on Jesus’ love and forgiveness in your life to close out the night.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Who Is the LORD?”

Exodus 5:1-2

Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” 

As a parent, one of the most fun and randomly joyful moments/phases is when I would give my son a dirty napkin (or something else) saying, “Tyler can you put this in the trash?” and exuberantly and joyfully he would exclaim, “OK Daddy!”  And then he would take the dirty napkin, and jubilantly gallop to the trash can, open the trash can, and throw that napkin in, and come back to me as if he had done the greatest thing ever. Such obedient behavior from my son can, of course, be attributed to me and my wife’s superior parenting skills and my commanding and authoritative presence.

But much to my surprise, my skill as a parent and my authority don’t work with other kids.  When I go to other kids and say, “Hey, you kid, put this napkin in the trash!” they don’t listen to me.  Why is that? Because if I were to do that, each kid would look at me and think or say, “Who are you? Who are you to tell me what to do?”

In Exodus, Moses appeals to Pharaoh, asking for the freedom of the Lord’s people, and Pharaoh replies, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go?”  What Pharaoh says to Moses—and ultimately God—is ”Who are you to tell me what to do?”  He isn’t willing to listen to God and set his people free because he does not know God.

As followers of Jesus, one of our desires is to see people listen and obey the Lord.   And we especially would love to see people in positions of power, working to bring freedom and justice to this world.  It is a worthy cause for us to fight to see greater righteousness and justice in our world today. However, realistically, in order for those in power to follows God’s way, they must know God first.  The only reason my son is willing to listen to me is because he knows that I am his father; whereas, other kids are not willing to listen to me because I am assuredly not their father.  In a similar way, we must pray that our friends and neighbors, and even those in power, will know the Lord because if they know the Lord, they will listen to His voice. And more importantly, let us be people who seek to know the Lord and follow Him.  

Prayer: God, I pray that I will know You this day.  Help me to know and follow Your ways. I pray that through me and through Your body that the world will know You and follow You.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Matthew 6

---

Lunch Break Study

Read John 10:1-5: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber.2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 

Questions to Consider

1. How do the sheep know who to follow?
2. What do the thief and stranger represent in this passage?
3. How do we know Jesus as our Shepherd?

Notes

1. The sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd, so it means that they are accustomed to hearing his voice.  And not only do the sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd, but the shepherd knows each sheep by name. The shepherd personally knows his sheep, not just as a flock, but individually as well.
2. Jesus may be hinting at false messiahs that came before Him, or He could be talking about the religious leaders of the time, or even Satan himself; but regardless of who Jesus is talking about directly, for our lives, we can understand the thieves and strangers to be anyone or anything that has a voice that could lead us away from our Shepherd.
3. Just like the sheep in the metaphor Jesus gives, we must make it a habit to listen for Jesus’ voice, especially through prayer, the Bible, and the body of Christ.  We don’t usually learn to hear His voice all of a sudden in a holy moment; instead, we must grow and learn to do so consistently. And we know we can grow in this since Jesus knows us personally and wants to speak to us.

---

Evening Reflection

The culture and society that we are living in is not conducive for us to hear and follow the voice of God, so we must be intentional and vigilant about spending time with Jesus and hearing His voice.  Spend some time in silence and solitude, and listen for His voice. And then pray that others can come to hear His voice as well.