November 18, Sunday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Why Are You Here?”

Mark 10:28-31 (NET Bible)

Peter began to speak to him, “Look, we have left everything to follow you!” 29 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, there is no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel 30 who will not receive in this age a hundred times as much—homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, fields, all with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

I met a sister at an AMI conference who said, “Oh this makes sense! When I read your quiet times, I always wondered what kind of Asian last name is King.” Now that pictures are attached to these posts, you’ve probably figured out I’m not Asian. I’m Black. ☺ I’ve been asked to reflect on my unique time as a Black person on staff in AMI. The topic is too big for this platform, but as I thought about what to share one phrase came to mind: “Why are you here?”

I came to AMI ten years ago and have been on staff for eight, serving in three churches and staffing two church plants. In all of those spaces, I was regularly asked, “Why are you here?” usually in the form of, “Why do you come to our church?” or “What led you to AMI?” I used to hate these questions! They made me feel like I didn’t belong. And sometimes they felt absurd because people who had been in AMI for all of five minutes, who had just stumbled into a church that I HELPED PLANT were asking ME why I went to THEIR church! (I wanted to say, “Why do YOU go to MY church!?”)

We don’t have time for a lesson on how to welcome people who are different (I could write the book!) and I deeply understand that religious spaces are sacred in a unique way for minoritized groups in America. Those are important conversations for another day. But I will say that I no longer hate the question because it gives me an opportunity to testify!

Practically speaking, I came to AMI because there was an AMI church walking distance from my dorm at a time when I was searching for God. I was so caught up in my wresting with the Lord, it took me a while to realize that the people there didn’t look like me (and even longer to care). When I joined AMI staff, it was because my pastor, whom I deeply trusted, invited me to… AND God said do it, so I did.   

God calls each of us to a life of obedience and sacrifice that often looks very strange. My journey is one that led me away from a career I wanted since I was 7, a huge family I love dearly, and a lifestyle I worked hard to make possible to a network that’s iffy about the ordination of women, a struggle for friendships with people who look nothing like me, and don’t get me started on the limitations of a preacher’s salary. But through it all I’ve been given a family that transcends anything this world could create. During my time in AMI, I’ve never been denied an opportunity to exercise my gifts, I rarely gone without treasured and life-giving relationships, and I’ve seen God’s provision in the amazing ways.

Yes, my story is unique, but it really shouldn’t be. God calls all of us to strange lives of obedience and sacrifice. And if our lives aren’t prompting others to ask, “Why are you here?” then we are missing out on an opportunity to experience God’s promises and tell God’s story.

Prayer: Sovereign God, You call me into a beautiful relationship with You and a peculiar life for Your glory. Help me to discern the reason why I am where I am today. Open my eyes to see the places and people to whom You are drawing me and help me to be present in those spaces even when it seems I don’t belong. Help me to obey Your call to lose my life in order to save it. May I be a living testimony of the truth of Your promise to supply my every need according to Your glorious riches. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 19

November 17, Saturday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“It’s Gettin’ Tense In Here”

Acts 18:24-28 (NET Bible)

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived in Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker, well-versed in the scriptures. 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and with great enthusiasm he spoke and taught accurately the facts about Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. 26 He began to speak out fearlessly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately. 27 When Apollos wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he assisted greatly those who had believed by grace, 28 for he refuted the Jews vigorously in public debate, demonstrating from the scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

Tensions are high these days—and with good reason. People are fed up with the way things are. Racist, classist, sexist, xenophobic and discriminatory ideologies have heartbreaking effects on so many lives and absolutely should be uprooted and dismantled. And right now there are minoritized communities across the country ready with shovel and sledgehammer to do just that. So, things are tense.

These same ails are present in the Church (and if they’re not present in your church, please hear this in love; it’s likely because your church is too insulated to be effective or you’re not listening). When we join the family of God, we bring with us our bigotry and bias, our wounds and scars, to a way of life that requires that we get really close in intimacy and interdependence—a perfect recipe for tension. And it gets personal when ideologies attached to our religion and faith are challenged. So, things can get even more tense.

If we are committed to the mission of God and humbly follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, we WILL sense tension (in one relationship or another, in one space or another), and we WILL be led to speak and share God’s truth in love. In the passage above, Priscilla and Aquila confront Apollos to correct errors in his understanding of God’s truth. We don’t know the what (the content of Apollos’s teaching or their correction), but we do know the how—when Priscilla and Aquila sensed tension between Apollos’s teaching and God’s truth, “they took him aside and explained the way of God to him.” It seems simple, but this is the hard work of challenging and changing our broken world.

While content matters immensely (what is God’s truth about today’s most pressing issues), the way we go about speaking God’s truth is also critical. In the age of social media and the internet, we must take care not to confuse the cowardice that often lurks in public discourse with the courage it takes to participate in God’s transformation of hearts. When we talk about instead of to, withdraw instead of confront, condemn instead of listen, even when we pray about instead of for, we fail.  While public platforms are useful, we only have the right to speak and the resources to be effective in those spaces when we are doing the hard work in our local communities of binding our lives to those with whom we may disagree in face-to-face confrontation, day-in and day-out conversation, and life on life relationships.

Truth is often offensive. People were wildly offended when Jesus spoke truth to power and challenged the way things had always been done. But it was His tangible love to those around Him that opened their hearts to the truth and ultimately saved their souls.

Prayer: Gracious God, please grant me the courage to participate in Your transforming work in the lives of the people around me. Open my eyes to see what is broken and open my heart to know and speak Your truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 17-18

November 16, Friday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Radical Reconciliation”

Acts 11:19-20 (NRSV)

Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. 20 But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists [Greeks] also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus.

 “I think it is one of the tragedies of our nation, one of the shameful tragedies, that 11 o’clock on Sunday morning is one of the most segregated hours, if not the most segregated hour, in Christian Americas.” (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Meet the Press, April 17, 1960).

Nearly 60 years after they were first uttered, King’s words still ring true – Sunday morning is still a time when, if we look to our left and our right, we see people who look a lot like us.

The same was true in the early church. While the Jews had pretty good reason for keeping to themselves (the surrounding culture was often hostile and Jewish religious tradition was strict and exclusive), when Jesus stepped on the scene, He turned all of that upside down. His disciples often found Him drawing close to people who were very different from Himself. And when the Holy Spirit filled the hearts of believers in the book of Acts, they were led, albeit begrudgingly, to table fellowship and covenant relationship with those outside their community.

Why? Scripture tells us that when God first blessed Abraham and promised to build a great nation, God did so for the purpose of all the nations of the earth to be blessed through him (Genesis 12:3 & 22:18). God’s blessings were for sharing not for hoarding. But I think there is another reason. The power of the gospel can arguably be boiled down to one word: reconciliation (both with God and with one another). And God’s power to reconcile is often put most ostentatiously on display for an onlooking world in what I like to call, “only God” relationships. Those are the connections where it’s almost immediately obvious that ONLY GOD could have brought them together. And, as one who has partaken in an abnormally high number of “only God” relationships over the last ten years, I’d venture to say that they can also be, for the believer, some of the most rewarding.

Now, it is true that minoritized communities in the US have so few culturally safe spaces and, as a result, church often serves as one of the few we do have. And the unique idiosyncrasies of various cultures should be expressed in our corporate worship. (Remember, God celebrates differences!) But the mission of God hasn’t changed. We are still called to the nations to bear God’s glory. And how honored is God if we will go to nations all around the world, but refuse to welcome and engage the nations that God has gathered around us at home?

Prayer:  Gracious God, thank You for the reconciliation You made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Help me to live into the fullness of all that reconciliation affords. Open my eyes to see the people You’ve placed in the community around me today, and help me begin to dream of what it would mean to enjoy deep and meaningful fellowship with them. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: John 16

Lunch Break Study

Read Luke 10:25-37 (NIV): On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[c]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[e] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ 36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Questions to Consider

Because this is such a familiar passage, let’s “study” it a little differently. Before we answer each question below, read the passage and place yourself within the story as one of the characters.

  1. Read through Jesus’ story and imagine yourself as the priest, then as the Levite. What are some reasons each one may have crossed over to the other side? If Jesus were telling this story today, who would these characters be? What would it look like for them to “cross over to the other side” today?
  2. Read the story again and imagine yourself as the Samaritan. Why did he stop to help the man? What can we learn from this? Imagine Jesus telling this story today. What would it mean for someone to show this extent of kindness to a person in need?
  3. Finally, read this story one more time, imagining yourself as the wounded person. How would you have felt in his situation? How would you feel as both the priest and the Levite pass you by? What would it mean for you to be welcomed and cared for by the Samaritan after all you’d been through? Who are the people in your life who’ve been a good neighbor in your time of need?
  4. Who do you most identify with in this story? Remember the gospel – that we were wounded and needy when Jesus came to our aid – should help us to empathize and identify with the wounded traveler. How does remembering your need help to cultivate mercy in your heart toward others?

Notes

  1. The priest was the one responsible for mediating between God and the people of God. The priest was literally a professional care-giver and servant-leader for the people before God. If anyone should have helped, the priest should have. The Levite “was a less likely person to offer help since his duty, assuming he fulfilled it, involved just assisting the priests in the mundane affairs involved in worship.” (Constable) While not the priest, the Levite is the next best thing and certainly should have stopped to help the wounded victim.
  2. The Samaritan is the only person that helped. We don’t know where he is coming from or where he is going. We also don’t know much about his social status or family background or what kind of resources he had (other than the fact that he had two denarii). All we know is that he has resources of some kind, and he is willing to leverage them to help a person who needs it. And we can speculate about why the priest and the Levite didn’t stop, but the only reason Jesus says this man stopped was “because he had mercy” (not because he was rich, not because he was holy, not because it was the right thing to do).
  3. We know nothing about the person who was wounded. All we know is that this person was on a journey and violently attacked, wounded and robbed. We don’t know if he was a nice person, if he was responsible, if did anything to contribute to his scuffle with the bandits, etc. We just know he is hurting and in need.
  4. Personal reflection.

Evening Reflection

One of my favorite theologians, Dr. Willie Jennings, often says that in the book of Acts you always find the Holy Spirit leading believers to people they don’t desire and to places they don’t want to go. He also explains that one huge problem in the Christian imagination is that for hundreds of years we’ve forgotten that we are the ones God included. The Jews were the chosen people with their own community and the Gentiles were outsiders. But God cared enough about us to push the Jewish believers outside their comfort zones so that we could hear the Good News and be saved.

Spend time this evening reflecting on the sentiments above. What does it mean for you that you are a person who was included? Who are the people or people groups in your life and community who are “outsiders” (for you and/or your church community)? What would it look like for them to be included into your life? What would it mean for you to be a neighbor to them? What, if anything, is keeping you from living out the radical reconciliation of the gospel in these relationships?

November 15, Thursday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Wisdom in Stewardship”

Proverbs 6:6-11 (NIV)

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! 7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. 9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? 10 A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—11 and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.

One important lesson I’ve learned over the last decade was around what it means to work hard and prepare for the future. When it comes to how we value resources, most people exist somewhere between obsessive saving & accumulation of wealth, and excessive spending & accumulation of commodities. The former category hoards money and tends to find security in the size of their savings, while the latter hoards products and tends to find security in possessions (brand name fashion, luxury cars, etc.). You probably can categorize yourself as either a spender or a saver, based upon which group you judged the most. ☺  

And when it comes to work ethic, there are those who work hard, and those who play hard. The former category oftentimes toils anxiously, believing that their future success and the meeting of their needs is solely contingent upon their efforts. The latter, instead of idolizing work, idolizes leisure. They chase experiences and prioritize free play over strict schedule, because they believe this will make them happy. Our family of origin and the culture in which we were raised usually determines our bent toward one or the other.  

While condemning laziness as a quick route to poverty, our passage for today does not simply encourage everyone to become work-obsessed and committed to saving. We know it’s God, in grace, who provides for us even as we work (this is why Jesus encourages us to pray to God for our daily bread). Instead, the passage is calling for WISDOM. Like the ant, we must all learn to read the seasons, knowing when it’s time to store and when it’s time to gather. When it comes to resource management of time, talent, and treasure, we honor God most when we prayerfully discern our present moment—is it time to work or time to rest, time to spend or time to save?

Faithfulness means both working hard during the day and resting well during the night. Good stewardship requires both saving, so that we are positioned and free to be a blessing, and spending, so that we might delight in the blessing of God. We honor the seasons when we work with diligence and faith in God’s provision, and rest with delight and thanksgiving for God’s blessings.

Prayer: Almighty God, thank You for Your daily care. Help me to discern when it’s time to work faithfully for You, and when it’s time to rest peacefully in You. Help me to know when it’s time to save diligently for Your glory, and when it’s time to spend joyfully toward that same end. Strengthen me in the areas where I am weak. In Jesus’ name. Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: John 15

Lunch Break Study

Read Luke 16:1-13 (NIV): Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ 3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’6 “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied. “The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’ “‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied. “He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own? 13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

Questions to Consider

  1. In the first parable, what is the manager commended for? How is Jesus encouraging believers to behave as it relates to their wealth?
  2. What is Jesus’ point in v.10-12? Why is trustworthiness important?
  3. Jesus ends by talking about the allegiance of our hearts. Why is this important in the conversation about wealth management?

Notes

  1. The manager is commended for being shrewd (or a clever business person). Jesus uses this story to encourage believers to be highly shrewd when it comes to their own wealth (we should be excellent and do our best in whatever our field of business might be) but not for ourselves, like the manager. Instead we are shrewd for the sake of blessing others and building the Kingdom of God. We accumulate wealth not for status and friends in high places, but for the sake of bringing friends along with us into the highest place—the family and Kingdom of God.
  2. Jesus does not juxtapose faithfulness with unfaithfulness; instead he sets it opposite dishonestly. It is important that we are faithful to the opportunities and with the resources God gives us. And we are to do this not only shrewdly, but honestly and with integrity.
  3. Most of our problems when it comes to resource management—whether we save or spend, work a lot or a little—is not what we are doing, but why we are doing it. Our hearts should be committed to God and our efforts should be toward the end of building the Kingdom of God. So when we go above and beyond at work, our excellence is not to build our own name, but to exalt God’s name. When we save and when we spend, we do so toward the end of increasing the family of God and building God’s Kingdom.

Evening Reflection

Luke 12:16-26-31: And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?  31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Reflect on the passage above. Are there ways you’ve been foolish like the rich man in Jesus’ story? In what ways do worry or fear guide how you manage your earthly resources? In light of the passage below and all we’ve studied together today, how might God be encouraging you to adjust your perspective on your resources?  Spend time speaking with God about these things.

November 14, Wednesday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“The God Who Sees”

Genesis 16:1-14 (NET)

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.” 6 “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. 7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered. 9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.”  10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” 11 The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael [“God hears”], for the Lord has heard of your misery. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” 13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” [“El Roi” or “The Seeing God” – “The God Who Sees/Is Seen”] for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

Today we’ll reflect on Jesus’ elevation of women in antiquity. But the best place to start, is to go waaay back. Long before the birth of Jesus, during a time when women were nameless, slaves were objects, and foreigners were irrelevant, God encountered an Egyptian slave girl – Hagar. And this story shows us just how much God values women. A woman whom society would have said didn’t matter, whom even God’s own people abused and objectified, was honored by God in amazing ways: Hagar is named, pursued and blessed by God; she sees God, names God, and her son is named by God; she’s given agency and God preserves her story.

Although those around her only refer to Hagar by the title “slave,” God calls her by name. When Hagar runs from her horrifically violent and inexcusably cruel forced surrogacy, God searches for her like a precious treasure. God finds her and asks, “Where are you coming from?” making room for her story and showing care for her suffering. Then God gives her a blessing that parallels the blessing of Abraham.

Previously forced to bear Abraham’s children as a slave, Hagar was invited by God into a new future. It might not look that different, but God’s promise assured her it was. Every time Hagar looked at her son Ishmael (“God hears”), instead of remembering only the abuse she suffered, she could now remember God. Furthermore, God points to a donkey, an animal free to roam at will, for what Ishmael will be like. “This prophecy was not an insult… Ishmael would enjoy the freedom his mother sought.” (Dr. Thomas Constable)

This story is the first instance in Scripture where we see this phrase “The Angel of the Lord.” It can refer to a messenger (like the Angel Gabriel) or the divine (God’s very self, often understood as pre-incarnate Christ). In this text, it’s the latter. God didn’t send an angel with a message; God appeared to Hagar. In what form, we do not know. But somehow she beheld God. And there are not a lot of instances in Scripture where God is named by someone other than God Himself. But this is one of them. Hagar could name God because she had truly seen God.

In a time where so many went unnamed and so few women were mentioned, Hagar’s story was preserved so that we can see the heart of God who sees and loves and honors women. May we go and do likewise.

Prayer: God, You are the God Who Sees. Thank You for who You are. Help me to see the women around me as You see them. Help me to see me as You see me. Give me the courage and freedom and fortitude of heart and mind to love and honor the women you’ve placed in my life, through the power of Your Spirit within me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: John 14

Lunch Break Study

Read Romans 8:1-13 (NET Bible): Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with him to come to his house 42 because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. 43 And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. 44 She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.

45 “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.” 49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

50 Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

51 When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. 52 Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.” 53 They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. 54 But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” 55 Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened.

Questions to Consider

  1. What’s going on in this passage? Describe the bleeding woman’s situation. How has she suffered?
  2. Why do you think Jesus stops after she is healed instead of just moving on?
  3. Why might it be significant that this woman told her story before the crowd? How might this have been important, specifically to Jairus?
  4. How do we see Jesus elevating women in this story?

Notes

  1. In narratives like this, I like to imagine myself as different characters to help me understand and picture the story. If it’s helpful for you, try reading the passage again and imagine yourself as each character mentioned in this story. A twelve-year-old girl is sick and dying. Her father is desperate and Jesus is going to help. An unnamed woman has suffered immensely for 12 years. The woman is in pain—with a perpetual menstrual bleeding. She is poor and unclean—she spent all her money on doctors and her bleeding would have prohibited her from entering spaces of worship or fully participating in society.  She is desperate and full of courage and exercises great faith—she pushes through the crowd (who could have been enraged by her touching them) and touches Jesus. Jesus heals her.
  2. I used to always hate this part of the story because it seemed mean. She just wanted to slip in and get her healing, but Jesus calls her out. I used to wonder if the woman was embarrassed. But after reading this passage countless times and walking with God a bit longer, and with the help of a dear friend who helped me to see this passage in a new way, I now love this part the most. I think Jesus stops to make room for this woman to testify. She is given an ear of the crowd in a world that didn’t even bother to know her name. Jesus has the eyes and the ears of the crowd and even an important official (Jairus), because they think he’s important. He turns their gaze to this woman, because He thinks she is important. And they all listen as she tells her story.  
  3. There is power in testimony! The power of God is put on display in our stories, especially the stories of those we tend to ignore, overlook, or refuse to touch. And as for Jairus, this testimony may be just what he needed to hold on a little longer when he received the news that his daughter died, and Jesus asks him to have faith.
  4. Jesus gives His full attention to two women in this story—a sick woman and a dying girl. In both cases, although in unique ways, He loves and cares for them. It’s more than just the healing; it’s the way they are healed. Jesus stops in His tracks to make room for the story of the bleeding woman. And He changes the course of His whole day (with the whole crowd behind Him) to go to the home of a little girl, take her by the hand, and heal her (resurrect her!). Jesus, in the fullness of God Who Sees, saw them both and loved them.  

Evening Reflection

Then Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” 11“No one, Lord,” she answered. “I don’t condemn you either,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave sin behind you.” (John 8:10-11)

How have you been taught to view women (from your family of origin, culture, society, teachings in your church, examples or systems around you, etc.)? How do you treat or consider the women around you? Really think about and try to articulate your responses. How do you think your view lines up with how Jesus in the New Testament and God in the Old Testament saw and treated women?

In light of today’s study, are there any ways God might be challenging you to honor the women in your life? If you’re a woman reading this, are there any ways God may be challenging you to honor yourself? In light of the world we live in today, what would it mean for you to truly see the women in your life, and to treat them as Jesus would? (One good place to start might be to ask them.) Spend time reflecting on these things with the Lord.

November 13, Tuesday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“The World to Come”

Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV)

So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

One of my favorite pastimes is engaging my imagination in musings about the world to come. I love imagining what eternity might be like! Most of us have learned about what it is Jesus saved us from. We know intimately our own sin and the brokenness and dysfunction of the world around us. Some of us have even learned what we think God intended before things went wrong in the beginning. But how often have we been taught or challenged ourselves to think seriously about the nature of the new world God is now making (Revelation 21:5)?

We are not just saved from something but to something—ultimately to Someone (God) and some place (New Heavens and New Earth)—but also to a new reality of life together that we can begin to taste and sense even now. We get glimpses of it throughout Scripture and sometimes see it in the life of the Church—not just in the four walls but in the places where the people who are God’s are living into love that is God (1 John 4:8). So, what will this new world and new life together be like?  

One thing that exists in the Kingdom of God (in this new way of life) is that difference is no longer a point of contention or distinction a point of exclusion. All are one in Christ. A friend once explained to me how she just assumed in heaven we’d all be the same—same ethnicity, same language, same everything—one big, tan family of carbon copies. I think I may have laughed out load. After which, it was my joy to show her in Scripture that God seems to care more about having every kind of person around the throne than melding everyone into one kind of person (Revelation 7:9).

The kind of world God is making is not one that erases difference. It is one that honors them by giving us the power and freedom to love every kind of person God has made. God knows and loves the good in who you are and where you come from! Yes, we all have equal access to God. We are all one family. But that oneness is not accomplished by erasing or eliding our difference. It’s accomplished through a shared faith and hope in Christ, and shared commitment to the love and truth of God in the midst of our differences.

Prayer: Creator God, thank You for the care with which You made me. All the good that is in me, who I am and where I come from, are part of Your design. I celebrate Your creativity and the goodness of all You’ve made. Thank You for redeeming this broken world and my brokenness through Your Son Jesus. I trust You have a plan to make all things new. Open my eyes to truly see the beauty in my sisters and brothers in Christ from every tongue and tribe. Teach me today how to live into the reality of oneness with them. In Jesus’ name and for His sake. Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: John 13

Lunch Break Study

Read Colossians 3:1-17 (NIV):  Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7 You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Questions to Consider

  1. What is Paul’s main instruction to the believers in this passage?
  2. How are believers to focus on things above and not on earthly things? What do all these instructions have in common?
  3. Of the list Paul gives, what things strike you most as areas in need of attention today— whether it’s things you need to put to death or things you need to put on?

Notes

  1. They are to set their minds and their hearts on the things above, not on earthly things. Instead of being bogged down by things of this world, believers should focus on the things of God and the new world God is making through us.
  2. In order to do this, believers must put to death the things that belong to our earthly nature. Paul supplies the Christians at Colossae a list that will help them begin to do this in vv. 5-10. This same list is a helpful place for us to start as well. And in lieu of those things believers are to put to death, Paul also instructs them to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, and being ruled in heart by the peace of Christ. In order to do any of this, we have to remember that “Christ is all and is in all” (v. 11) – in other words, we are all one in Christ. What all these things have in common are that they are relational and deal with our interactions with one another.
  3. Spend time in personal reflection.

Evening Reflection

What we see in the early church are believers just beginning to take steps into the new way of life Jesus has ushered in. If the Kingdom of God was an ocean, they were only just beginning to dip their toes in from the shore. But we can gather much from them about the direction in which things are moving and, by extension, the direction in which we are headed as well as the people of God. So I ask again, what kind of world is God making now? Keeping in mind our reflections from today about our unity in Christ even in the mist of our diversity in many other areas, spend some time reflecting on this question with God.

Consider meditating on the verses below as you do:

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:9-10). Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children (Revelation 21:1-7).

November 12, Monday

The AMI QT Devotionals from November 12-18 are provided by Cami King.  Cami, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), was a staff at Symphony Church (Boston) and Journey Community Church (Raleigh) for nearly eight years. Currently, she is on home assignment, waiting on the Lord’s next assignment for her.  

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“The God Who Hears”

Exodus 2:23-25 (NET)

During that long period of time the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out, and their desperate cry because of their slave labor went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning, God remembered God’s covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, 25 God saw the Israelites, and God understood….

[This week, I’ve been asked to write a series of QTs on topics/passages that are very close to my heart. As a result, what I offer for reflection will be much more personal than usual, as a draw from the intimacy of my journey with God. I pray these precious reflections will be a blessing to you this week.]

There’s an old story around the origins of the hymn “Amazing Grace.” The song is credited to John Newton, Anglican clergyman and slave ship captain (yea, let that sink in for a moment). As the story goes, while at sea, Newton awoke to a storm that threatened certain death. He called out to God, the storm ceased, and thus began Newton’s conversion to Christianity (after which, he continued to traffic Africans in slave ships… just to be clear). This experience marked the pinning of the famous hymn.

But there is a parallel story in the Black Church Imagination. “Amazing Grace” is unique because, although the words are likely Newtons, the melody is unlike other hymns—it’s African, written in the pentatonic scale (the same scale in which African-American Spirituals are written (if you don’t know what African-American Spirituals are, look them up!). And so the story goes, in the womb of that same ship, were the Africans, groaning under the weight of captivity. And, it was because of their groaning that God quieted heaven, silenced the storm, to hear them. The words may be Newton’s, but the melody was theirs.

As a Black American woman well acquainted with the marginalizing effects the racist and patriarchal history (and present) of the Church, I remember this quote from a foremother in the faith (the late great Dr. Katie G. Cannon): “I wanted to know about a God who would treat [people like me] so terribly… And the liberation to me was knowing that it was a sin [for] anyone to depreciate the image of God that’s in me.”

There are moments in history and in my life that cause me to scream, “Where are you, God!?” in anger and frustration, in oppression and loneliness, in apparent abandonment, in injustice and hurt all kinds. But it’s stories like the one above and in our passage for today, that remind me that even when I don’t understand God’s ways, I know exactly where God is when I’m hurting and in trouble: God is near. Although I am yet to receive answers to many of my “why” questions, I have received answers to the critical “who” question—I know who God is. God is One who hears, sees, and is with us—even when we find ourselves in the womb of the ship.

Take heart! “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18).

Prayer: Almighty God, I declare in faith today that You are mindful of me. You care for and tend to me no matter what circumstances suggest. Even in the darkest valley You are with me. In the face of any present and future struggles in my life, may I take comfort in knowing You are near. For the people in my life and those around the world who are held captive in various ways, please make Yourself known to them today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.  

Bible Reading for Today: John 12

Lunch Break Study

Read Jonah 1:12-2:10 (NIV): Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. 1 From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God. 2 He said: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me. 4 I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’ 5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, Lord my God, brought my life up from the pit. 7 “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple. 8 “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. 9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’” 10 And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Question to Consider

  1. From what you already know of the story of Jonah, how did he end up in the situation in the verses above? (See also Jonah 1:1-4, 14-15)
  2. Why does God send a fish to swallow Jonah?
  3. What does Jonah do in the fish? What is the end result?
  4. Spend a few moments reading Jonah’s prayer (vv.2-9). What parts stand out most for you? Why? Spend time reflecting on this with the Lord.

Notes

  1. Jonah was disobedient to God (albeit with good reason). God called Jonah to go and prophesy (a negative prophesy of damnation and destruction) to violent and racists enemies of the people of God, the Ninevites. Jonah, understandably, did not want to go. So he was disobedient and went the other way. God had a plan to bring Nineveh to repentance, but Jonah didn’t want any part of it.
  2. It’s easy to think the fish was punishment, when in fact it was protection. God protected Jonah from death by sending a fish. Otherwise, Jonah would have drowned. Oftentimes the very things that feel like punishment from the Lord, are God’s protection of us.
  3. Jonah prays. Jonah’s prayer requires repentance because he’s running away from God, but the points is that he turns to God, leans into God, and prays. The end result is that Jonah is released from the fish onto dry ground. Jonah is free. But not just from the fish, but from a path of disobedience. Jonah’s heart begins (and I say begins because the following chapters reveal that he still has a long way to go) to be changed.
  4. Spend time in personal reflection.

Evening Reflection

If you didn’t do the lunch break study today… go back and read the passage.

My favorite part of Jonah’s story is one that can only be seen in the Hebrew version of the text. The fish is described differently in 1:17 and 2:1. In the first instance, it’s male. And in the second instance it’s female. Why the difference? Did the writer make a mistake? Furthermore, the word for “belly” or “inside” of the fish can mean two things – stomach (where things are devoured) or womb (where things are nurtured). Context determines the meaning. I think (and others agree) that God is teaching us something about suffering. Whether it’s the inside of a fish (where Jonah found himself because of his sin) or the inside of a slave ship (where the Africans found themselves because of the sins of others), the very situations that should mean our devouring, God can turn into something altogether different and birth in us something amazing when we lean into God. I do not say this lightly, suffering is real and far from easy. But in all things, God is at work for good and for glory (Romans 8:23).

Spend time reflecting on the ideas above with the Lord. Are there situations in which you’ve found yourself that threatened to destroy you? Have you experienced God using those very situations to birth good in you? Spend time thanking God. Are you in a situation like that right now? Pray for God’s presence and deliverance.

November 11, Sunday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Grace from a Guy Named ‘Evil’”

Jeremiah 52:31-34

And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king’s table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived.

I love movies from the 90’s. Not necessarily because they are higher quality films (although many are), but mostly because after you watch a 90’s movie, you feel a fantastic sense of closure. But these days, nearly every major film that comes out ends with a cliffhanger. I concede that some of them are fairly well done, and they leave the viewers with a sense excitement and anticipation. Unfortunately, many others are poorly executed, leaving the viewers angry at the fact that they have to shell out another $15 to find out what happens next.

Journeying through the book of Jeremiah, the primary theme has been about exile, judgment, and God’s impending wrath upon the nations. But this final chapter in the book is a cliffhanger of the best kind. Amidst all the language of destruction and hopelessness, the final paragraph tells us a story of grace and hope. After 37 years of imprisonment, Jehoiachin (the king of Judah) is shown incredible grace and favor, and that from a guy whose name happens to be “Evil-merodach” (his name doesn’t actually mean “evil” it just sounds like that in English). I love how the last words of this book hint at the coming redemption of God by telling us about a man who is freed from prison, and then given a seat at the king’s table, for no apparent reason at all. If that’s not a foreshadow of God’s redemptive plan, I don’t know what is! This morning, let us remember God’s final plan is always to redeem us.

Prayer: Thank you, God, for the book of Jeremiah, which reminds us of the seriousness of sin, but also the hope of a redeeming God. We worship You today for who You are.

Bible Reading for Today: John 11

November 10, Saturday

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Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Sin Leads to Exile”

Jeremiah 52:28-30

This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans; in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons; in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600.

I love wedding vows because they ultimately point to the covenant that God has with us. In a nutshell, the vows are a promise to love the other person, regardless of what kind of mess comes up. But as powerful as wedding vows and covenants are, it doesn’t negate the fact that sin leads to exile. Each time my wife and I get into an argument, there’s a tension between us that’s so thick you could cut it with a knife. Until reconciliation is made, we don’t make eye contact; we hardly speak to each other; we don’t dare to touch each other; and there’s a disconnect in our intimacy. Until one of us decides to lay down our pride, we remain in a relational “exile” from each other. Of course, it doesn’t mean our marriage covenant was over (Praise God!). No, the covenant is always there, but the covenant doesn’t change the fact that sin still affects our relational intimacy. The good news is, as long as at least one party decides to act upon the covenant… exile is always temporary.

Our passage today is a record of the Israelites going into exile. Long before this passage, God had entered into a covenant with Abraham, promising to be faithful to Abraham’s descendants—the Israelites. But unfortunately, Israel continued to sin against God. Although they had been warned again and again by prophet after prophet, the Israelites didn’t realize the true effects that sin has on their relationship with God. As long as sin remains in our hearts, there’s a disconnect in our intimacy with Him. And this is essentially what the exile was, a physical manifestation of the spiritual disconnect between Israel and God. Of course, it didn’t mean that the covenant was over (Praise God!). No, the covenant is always there, but the covenant didn’t change the fact that sin still affects our relational intimacy with God. The good news is, as long as at least one party decides to act upon the covenant… exile is always temporary.

We often take sin too lightly. We are tempted to think that because we are in such a great covenant with God—and since He is so gracious—that sin doesn’t really matter so much anymore. But, as in any relationship, sin still affects the relational intimacy. It’s only when we understand the effects of sin and learn to hate it, that we can truly enjoy living in the covenant. Is there any hidden sin in your life? Perhaps it has been the reason for some tension between you and the Lord. He’s always ready to receive you and reconcile with you, so come to Him today with a heart of repentance and humility.

Prayer: Thank You, God, for Your covenantal love. Thank You that even when we are unfaithful, You are always faithful. Nevertheless, help us to love You more. Teach us godly wisdom, and how to hate sin. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  John 9-10

November 9, Friday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Pillars and Pomegranates”

Jeremiah 52:17-23

And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the Lord, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all the bronze to Babylon. And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the basins and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service; also the small bowls and the fire pans and the basins and the pots and the lampstands and the dishes for incense and the bowls for drink offerings. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver. As for the two pillars, the one sea, the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea, and the stands, which Solomon the king had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these things was beyond weight. As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, its circumference was twelve cubits, and its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow. On it was a capital of bronze. The height of the one capital was five cubits. A network and pomegranates, all of bronze, were around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with pomegranates. There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the network all around.

One of the most frustrating things is to do a lot of work, and never be recognized for it. I remember one time when I came early to a Friday night worship at my church. And out of the “kindness” of my heart, I decided to vacuum all the floors and set up all the chairs before anyone else got there. I did it joyfully, whistling praise songs the whole time. And when it was all done, I looked upon my work and let out a sigh of contentment as I thought of all the wonderful things people would say, such as, “Wow, who set up all these chairs? That person is so servant-like! And wow, the floor is so clean! Certainly, a Jesus-centered person did all of this!” But no such comments were made. And as the night progressed, my joy began to turn into frustration. The worst part was the aftermath. When the night was over, the chairs were scattered in disarray. Trash and empty boba cups littered the floor. All my work was not only unremembered but trashed upon. Or so I thought.

When I first read this passage in Jeremiah, I thought to myself, “Why on earth is the Bible talking about pots, small bowls, and lampstands right now?!” I mean, this is an account of the devastating destruction of Jerusalem, and here the author is writing about the ninety-six pomegranates that were on the side of some pillar? None of it matters! It’s all being trashed upon anyway! Or so I thought.

What I now understand is that the Lord sees and remembers every work that is done unto Him. Whether it is setting up chairs or making decorative pomegranates, when we do it as unto the Lord, it doesn’t even matter if it ends up being taken for granted or taken for loot . . . because God sees, remembers, and ultimately redeems (and rewards).

Today, perhaps you are involved in tasks that seem meaningless to you. Or maybe you’re struggling to get appreciated for the work that you do. Either way, let’s do our tasks, our ministry, and our careers as unto the Lord. When we hear him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” may that be more than enough for us.

Prayer: Lord, may we not seek the applause of man, or find our worth in the approval of others. Instead, would You speak truth over us, that we are Your children, and that before we did anything for anyone, You are already pleased with us. May we carry this truth with us wherever we go, and may it free us to truly excel in our work. In Jesus’ name we pray.

Bible Reading for Today: John 8

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Corinthians 3:5-9: What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

Questions to Consider

  1. In this passage, what title does Paul give to himself and Apollos?
  2. According to the passage, what was Paul’s role in building the church in Corinth?
  3. What can we learn from Paul’s attitude towards his own ministry in Corinth?

Notes

  1. In this passage, Paul calls both himself and Apollos, “servants”. Later he also says they are God’s fellow workers. Earlier in the chapter, Paul identifies himself as “an apostle, called by the will of God”. But here, he reminds the Corinthians that even though he is an apostle, he is still just a servant.
  2. Acts 18 tells us that Paul is the one who planted this church in Corinth. But here, he seems to take almost no credit for that. He says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”
  3. It is true that Paul was instrumental in setting up the foundations of the early Gentile church. (He even says so himself, later in 1 Corinthians.) However, his attitude is that he is merely a servant, a fellow worker of God. In regard to the work he does, it’s God who gives the growth. And in regard to ownership of the ministry, it’s God’s field and God’s building. In other words, everything belongs to God. We must learn how to serve and work as excellently as Paul did, while reminding ourselves that it’s God who gives the growth, and that it all belongs to God.

Evening Reflection

In Luke chapter 3, when Jesus is baptized, the Holy Spirit descends upon Him like a dove and a voice calls out from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Take note that this was before Jesus began His ministry, before He gave a teaching, before He performed a miracle, and before He died on the cross. God was already pleased. In the same way, He is already pleased with you, His child. Let’s meditate on this as we finish out our day tonight.