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

Stay up to date with Pastor David’s church plant in Taipei by following them here:

https://www.instagram.com/thrivechurchtaipei/

 

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

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

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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.

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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.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Early Success”

Jeremiah 52:1-2

Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snapchat, is worth over four billion dollars—and he’s only 28! Facebook co-founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, became a billionaire at age 23! There’s a growing church in my city that was planted in 2014 by the lead pastor, and he was only 18 years old at the time! There’s something about young success that inspires us, and maybe even makes us a little bit jealous (just maybe).

Our passage today describes an achievement that perhaps overshadows all of the above in regards to early success: “Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king….” Imagine becoming the king of a nation at the age of 21! In terms of worldly success, status, and influence, Zedekiah had it all, and he reached it quick. But our passage concludes like this: “And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord….”

In the Kingdom of God, early success—such as the above—means almost nothing. As a matter of fact, late success doesn’t mean that much either. There’s only one thing that really matters in the Kingdom of God: Did you, or did you not, live a life of obedience to the Lord?

I don’t know about you, but many years from now, I don’t want to look back on my life and realize that out of all the things I’ve invested my time and energy into, I haven’t done the most important thing: to obey God. But on the other hand, if I spend each day trying to walk in obedience to Him, I am confident that no matter what else happens, in the end I will be content with the way I’ve lived.

While we can certainly appreciate and applaud certain kinds of success, let’s not make the mistake of thinking that the world’s version of success equals true, eternal success. Instead, let us strive to live each day in obedience to God.

Prayer: Lord, protect our hearts from comparison and jealousy. Instead, may we find joy and fulfillment in the one thing that really matters: obeying You. Fill our minds with Your Word this morning, fill our hearts with Your love, and guide our hands and feet to do that which is pleasing to You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 7

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Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Samuel 15:19-23: Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”

Questions to Consider

1. In this passage, what did Saul do that was considered so displeasing to the Lord? Is this surprising to you?
2. Why does God ultimately reject Saul?
3. What does this passage tell us about the kind of God that we serve?

Notes

1. After a victorious battle against the Amalekites, Samuel rebukes Saul because although God had given Saul clear instructions to destroy everything, Saul had saved some of the best sheep and oxen to make sacrifices to God. What may have surprised you is that Saul’s intentions seem to be good. After all, he saved the sheep and oxen in order to worship God! Sometimes, we disobey God in doing what we think are good things; but the lesson here is that “doing what seems good to us” and “obeying God” aren’t always one and the same.
2. God ultimately rejects Saul because Saul refuses to walk in obedience to God. In many aspects, Saul was king material: he was tall, handsome, well-liked, and a brilliant military strategist/warrior. But for all the good qualities Saul had, he was missing the most crucial one: a heart of obedience to God. For this reason Saul was rejected.
3. This passage tells us something very interesting and important about our God. In Exodus and Leviticus, God was the one who gave His people a detailed set of instructions about how to offer sacrifices to Him. And so when we read only that portion, it’s possible to think that God’s primary interest was to be on the receiving end of these types of ceremonial rituals. But here, and in many other places, Scripture tells us that God is more delighted in the obedience of His people.

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Evening Reflection

There’s a worship song that goes like this:

May the words of my mouth

And the thoughts of my heart

Bless Your Name, bless Your Name, Jesus.

And the deeds of my day

And the truth in my way

Speak of You, speak of You, Jesus.

Let’s make that our prayer this evening as we remind ourselves of the value of living a life of obedience to Him.

Today’s AMI Devotional is provided by Pastor David Son. He and his team are presently working toward planting a church in Taiwan. Stay up to date with the church plant by following them here: https://www.instagram.com/thrivechurchtaipei/

 

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Faithful Messenger”

Jeremiah 51:59-64

The word that Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign. Seraiah was the quartermaster. Jeremiah wrote in a book all the disaster that should come upon Babylon, all these words that are written concerning Babylon. And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: “When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words, and say, ‘O Lord, you have said concerning this place that you will cut it off, so that nothing shall dwell in it, neither man nor beast, and it shall be desolate forever.’ When you finish reading this book, tie a stone to it and cast it into the midst of the Euphrates, and say, Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disaster that I am bringing upon her, and they shall become exhausted.’”

Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.

In Japan, in the 1600-1800’s, there was a little-known class of messengers known as Hikyaku. Because of the mountainous terrain of Japan, the quickest way to send messages and/or small parcels across the country was to send it on foot. And so, the Hikyaku were actually an elite group of mountain runners who, according to 19th century records by British diplomats, could run up to 850 miles in 9 days! During the Feudal ages of Japan, the Hikyaku played an important role in carrying critical messages from city to city. It’s easy to see why these running messengers had to be faithful, perseverant, trustworthy, and determined in order to do their job, especially since not every message they carried would necessarily be well-received.

Our passage today comes towards the very end of the book of Jeremiah. And for the past couple chapters, Jeremiah had been declaring all sorts of prophetic words of destruction against the nation of Babylon. Here, we discover that Jeremiah gives a copy of these words to Seraiah (who is being taken to Babylon) and commands him to read it aloud when he gets to Babylon. Can you imagine being in Seraiah’s shoes? How would you feel about being the messenger of this kind of news?

There’s something that the Hikyaku, Seraiah, and we all have in common: we are all messengers of a sort. And like any messenger, our duty is to be faithful, perseverant, trustworthy, and determined, especially since not every part of our message will be well-received.

The message that Seraiah was carrying was essentially the words of God, given through the prophet Jeremiah. And the message was actually good news for those trusted in God. It meant that God was indeed greater than Babylon. It also meant that the prisoners and the oppressed in Babylon would be set free, and that salvation was on its way. But for the fans of Babylon, it was an incredibly offensive piece of news. Nevertheless, Seraiah’s job was to faithfully deliver this message. In a similar way, the message of the gospel is an offense to those who are fans of this world. Yet, to the believers, it is the hope of salvation. How faithful of a messenger are you?

Prayer: Lord, forgive us, remind us, and strengthen us this morning. Forgive us for the times when we have not been faithful messengers of the gospel, opting to fear man rather than obeying You. Remind us that the message that we carry is the greatest news ever, and the harvest of those who need to hear it is plentiful. Strengthen us by your Holy Spirit, that we might have the courage, the wisdom, and the love to be more faithful messengers of this gospel. In Jesus’ name we pray.

Bible Reading for Today: John 6

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Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Corinthians 2:1-5: And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Questions to Consider

1. When Paul came to Corinth, in what manner did he proclaim God’s Word?
2. Why did Paul decide to do it this way?
3. What does this say about the way we ought to share the Gospel?

Notes

1. According to the passage, when Paul arrived in Corinth, he decided not to rely on lofty (eloquent) speech or wisdom (in the human sense) to share the message of God. Instead, he decided only to rely on power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. To fully answer this question, it’s helpful to read Acts 17 & 18. In the aforementioned chapters, it seems that Paul observed the Greek culture, which highly valued eloquent words of wisdom. But Paul is making a point to the church in Corinth (a Greek city), that the gospel is not really about human wisdom and fancy wordplay, but rather about the power of what Jesus did. And in order to make this point clear, he came to Corinth resolving not to rely on eloquent words when communicating the power of the gospel.
3. First off, Paul isn’t condemning education, or eloquent speech. In fact, in Acts 17, just before he arrives in Corinth, he preaches the gospel with great eloquence to the Athenians. What we CAN draw from this passage is that when our words are devoid of the actual gospel message, it doesn’t actually matter how fancy or wise or palatable our message sounds—there is no power. In short, we can apply eloquence where it is appropriate, but we must never leave out the gospel.

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Evening Reflection

Today we talked about being a faithful messenger of the gospel. Spend some time thinking and praying for the people whom God has placed around you. What is one step you can take towards sharing the message of the gospel with them?

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“God Hears Us”

Jeremiah 51:34-37

“Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me; he has crushed me; he has made me an empty vessel; he has swallowed me like a monster; he has filled his stomach with my delicacies; he has rinsed me out. The violence done to me and to my kinsmen be upon Babylon,” let the inhabitant of Zion say. “My blood be upon the inhabitants of Chaldea,” let Jerusalem say.

Therefore thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will plead your cause and take vengeance for you.

I will dry up her sea and make her fountain dry, and Babylon shall become a heap of ruins, the haunt of jackals, a horror and a hissing, without inhabitant.

As a brand new church planter, one of my personal struggles is—my constant need to be respected. People strive to find their sense of worth in different ways; so for me, my sense of worth is woefully intertwined with whether or not I feel respected by my congregation, my fellow pastors/missionaries, my wife, and those whom I look up to. For the past two months, I’ve spent hours stressfully evaluating and re-evaluating each and every sermon I’ve preached and Bible studies that I’ve led with the question: “Do people respect me? Perhaps I said that too harshly, or too passively; perhaps it was irrelevant and boring, or I sounded too self-centered… and so on.” It was getting to the point where I was losing sleep because of my constant obsession with re-evaluation—all in an effort to determine whether or not the few people in our church respected me. It started taking a toll on my body and my mental health, as well as my relationship with my family. When anxiety hits me like this, I often feel crushed, swallowed up, or rinsed out, much like the Israelites’ cry in our passage today. Of course they are speaking of destruction in a physical sense, but for many of us, the spiritual oppression that we experience is just as real of a defeat as this.

Deliverance came for me when I verbalized my defeat before God. Of all places, it happened in the shower—that’s become my one guaranteed place of solitude. I confessed to Him that my desire to be respected was eating me up, because that’s where I was seeking to find my worth. Almost as soon as the words left my mouth, it was as if the fog cleared, and I remembered the simple truth of the gospel: My worth is not based upon peoples’ opinion of me, but rather what God has spoken over me: that I am His child. That’s where my worth comes from!  I felt the burden and stress begin to melt away, and I walked out of that shower feeling more refreshed than ever. By the way, this wasn’t a new revelation. Of course I have heard this, known this, and even preached on being a child of God before. But it wasn’t until I confessed my brokenness before God that this gospel truth was able to touch and transform the inner parts of my being.

The book of Jeremiah has been a tough one so far, primarily because of all the talk about destruction and defeat. But if there’s one thing we can glean from today’s passage, it’s that when God’s people cry out to their God, He is faithful to listen and respond. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, crushed, swallowed up, let us cry out to our Lord.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that even when we feel swallowed up, You are still in control. And we thank You that You hear us and respond to us when we call. Help us to stand firm against the attacks of the enemy. But Lord, when we do fall, may we be quick to call out to You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 5

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Lunch Break Study

Read Luke 18:1-8: And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Questions to Consider

1. In Jesus’ parable, why does the judge decide to give the widow what she asks for?
2. According to the passage, why did Jesus tell this parable?
3. What does this passage tell us about who our God is?

Notes

1. In Jesus’ parable, He makes it doubly clear that this judge is not a believer in God, nor is he a people pleaser. Jesus is removing all other variables in order to make the point that persistence alone is enough to persuade a worldly judge into action.
2. To encourage the listeners “to always pray and not lose heart.”
3. The parable is not saying that God is like this worldly judge. The point is that even a worldly judge, despite his worldliness, would still be stirred by persistence. How much more, then, would our God, a God who is loving and just, respond to our persistent prayers? The answer is clear: “will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily.”

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Evening Reflection

Where do you find your sense of worth? It’s often difficult to answer this question honestly, because we don’t often think this way. But it’s an important question to wrestle with, because the thing you find your worth in actually has a lot of control over how you live. Spend some time tonight asking the Holy Spirit if there is any part of you that is seeking to find worth in something other than God.

Today’s AMI Devotional is provided by Pastor David Son. He and his team are presently working toward planting a church in Taiwan.

 

 

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Truest Identity”

Jeremiah 51:5

For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God, the Lord of hosts, but the land of the Chaldeans is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel.

Disney’s “Tangled” is one of my favorite movies of all time. If you haven’t watched it, the basic premise is that a girl named Rapunzel is kidnapped as an infant, and held captive by a wicked woman who pretends to be her mother. Rapunzel grows up thinking that this villain is actually her mother, until one day she begins to realize the truth about who she is. One of my favorite scenes in the film is precisely the moment she realizes her true identity; she is, in fact, the daughter of the king! In that moment, everything about Rapunzel’s life changes. She realizes her true worth and she discovers who her true enemy is. The reason I love this movie is because I see a biblical principle at its core—our truest identity is defined by our relationship to the King.

In our world, there are numerous ways to define oneself: ethnicity, gender, occupation, degrees, etc. But, without taking away the merit of any of the above, the following principle is still true: Our truest identity is defined by our relationship to the King. What I mean is that, in light of eternity, your identity in God weighs more than what you have accomplished in your lifetime.

At first glance, our passage seems harsh, and even a bit unfair. After all, Israel and Judah, by no means, were  sinless nations. In fact, the Old Testament talks more about the sins of Israel and Judah than it does about the sins of the Chaldeans (Babylon). Then why are Israel and Judah remembered and the Chaldeans condemned? I’ll tell you—it’s not because one behaved better than the other; rather, it’s because of their relationship to God. Israel was not remembered because they were better than other nations; instead, it was because the Lord was “their God”. In the same vein, the Chaldeans aren’t condemned because they were worse, but because they stood “against the Holy of One of Israel”. This is the reason the gospel is simultaneously a stumbling block to the self-righteous and also the power of God to save sinners.

How do you define yourself? Though many may acknowledge that they are children of God, it’s very easy to get sucked into different identities in the workplace and at school because our society is fueled by identity politics. Today, let’s remember our truest identity, that we are sons and daughters of the King.

Prayer: Father, thank You that our truest identity is not one that we need to earn. But to all who believe in Jesus’ name, You gave the right to become children of God. Help us to live in the reality of this identity. Remind us of our true worth, and who the true enemy is. In Jesus’ name we pray.

Bible Reading for Today: John 4

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Lunch Break Study

Read: John 1:9-13: The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Questions to Consider

1. Who is John referring to in this passage?
2. According to John, how do we become children of God?
3. What does this passage say about our identity as children of God?

Notes

1. John is referring to Jesus. This is made even clearer in the surrounding verses of this text.
2. According to John, the children of God are:
   1. NOT born of blood. In other words, the children of God aren’t passed down through biological family. This is counter-intuitive to what the Jews believed about being God’s chosen people.
   2. NOR of the will of the flesh. In other words, you don’t earn the title “child of God.”
   3. NOR of the will of man. In other words, you can’t be given the title “child of God” by any other person.
   4. But of God. In other words, your identity as a child of God is made possible only by God, and it is received by believing in Jesus’ name.
3. The passage implies that our status as children of God is not one that was earned by us. We aren’t children of God because we did better, or are somehow more qualified when compared to anyone else. We are who we are because we believed and God gave. This gives us no grounds to boast, but rather, we should earnestly seek to share this good news!

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Evening Reflection

There are many “Rapunzels” today—those who are deceived and playing by the rules imposed by a false identity. Many don’t know the true hope that the gospel brings. This evening, spend some time praying for those who are living this way, that they might come to realize the identity that they are created for.

Today’s devotion is written by Jabez Yeo of Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York. (We failed to mention that Jabez also wrote the blog posted yesterday.)

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“The Beginning of the End”

2 Samuel 13:21-39

Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there. 24 Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?” 25 “No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing. 26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.” The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king’s sons. 28 Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” 29 So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king’s sons got up, mounted their mules and fled. 30 While they were on their way, the report came to David: “Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons; not one of them is left.” 31 The king stood up, tore his clothes and lay down on the ground; and all his attendants stood by with their clothes torn. 32 But Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “My lord should not think that they killed all the princes; only Amnon is dead. This has been Absalom’s express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar. 33 My lord the king should not be concerned about the report that all the king’s sons are dead. Only Amnon is dead.” 34 Meanwhile, Absalom had fled. Now the man standing watch looked up and saw many people on the road west of him, coming down the side of the hill. The watchman went and told the king, “I see men in the direction of Horonaim, on the side of the hill.”35 Jonadab said to the king, “See, the king’s sons have come; it has happened just as your servant said.” 36 As he finished speaking, the king’s sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his attendants wept very bitterly. 37 Absalom fled and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. But King David mourned many days for his son. 38 After Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he stayed there three years. 39 And King David longed to go to Absalom, for he was consoled concerning Amnon’s death.

There are times when a disaster spells the end for an organization. Such was the case for the Seattle Seahawks, who were trailing the New England Patriots 28-24, with 26 seconds left in Super Bowl XLIX. With the ball on the Patriots’ 1-yard line, Seattle chose to throw the football instead of handing it off to Marshawn Lynch, football’s most dependable goal-line running back. Unfortunately, the Patriots intercepted the pass; Seattle devastatingly lost, and sadly has not been to the Super Bowl since.

Similarly, 2 Sam. 13:23-39 foretells the beginning of the end for David. Years after Amnon’s rape of Tamar, David still has not administered justice, and Absalom harbors much hatred toward Amnon (v.22). Thus, Absalom takes matters into his hands and orders for Amnon’s death (v.23-29). When David hears the news, he is told that “this has been Absalom’s express intention ever since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar” (v.32). Absalom then flees to Geshur and stays there for three years (v.38).

How does this affect David? Aside from losing Amnon, David eventually loses Absalom as well, as Absalom stages a coup against David (2 Sam. 15) and further humiliates him by sleeping with David’s concubines “in the sight of all Israel” (2 Sam. 16:22). Absalom’s actions predictably spark a civil war in Israel, which leads to Absalom being killed in combat (2 Sam. 18). The greatest king of Israel was never the same, and Israel itself becomes divided into two kingdoms two generations after David.

Disasters in life are inevitable and ultimately reveal our innermost character. It is sobering that David, perhaps the greatest biblical figure outside of Jesus, could not even resolve conflict in his own house. Thus, it is no accident that Paul, when writing about elders, declares, “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?” (1 Tim 3:3). No matter what life stage we are in, let’s pray that God would shape our character so that the catastrophes all of us eventually face will not lead to further chaos in our lives.

Prayer: Father, I acknowledge that it is too easy for me to let sin fester in my life. Help me to avoid the temptation to turn a blind eye and take the steps necessary to confront the flaws in my character. May I cling onto You in times of despair and not be brought to ruin, but rather be made stronger only by Your grace. In Your Name I pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 3.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Healing for the Wounded”

2 Samuel 13:1-18

In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David. 2 Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her. 3 Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 4 He asked Amnon, “Why do you, the king’s son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?”Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” 5 “Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. “When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.’”6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.”

7 David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.” 8 So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it. 9 Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone out of here,” Amnon said. So everyone left him. 10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom. 11 But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.”12 “No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don’t force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don’t do this wicked thing. 13 What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.” 14 But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her. 15 Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!” 16 “No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.” But he refused to listen to her. 17 He called his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her.” 18 So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her.

While tuning into the news can often be disheartening, a recent encouraging trend has been the “#Me Too” movement. In October 2017, aided by several celebrities, the “#Me Too” went viral to display the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment. This movement eventually led to the dismissals of accused perpetrators such as former producer Harvey Weinstein and U.S. Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar.

While popular culture has only begun to address these tragedies, the reality that survivors of sexual assault face is not ignored in the Bible.  In 2 Samuel 13, we read about how Tamar, a daughter of King David, was brutally taken advantage of by a man who was supposed to protect her, her brother Amnon. Like most victims, Tamar had no desire for such an encounter (v.12), had her refusals ignored (vv.13-14) and was physically overpowered (v.14). After the rape, Tamar was cast aside as if what had happened was her fault (vv.15-18).

Understandably, Tamar displayed a tremendous amount of grief after this traumatic encounter (v.19). Unfortunately, her brother Absalom instructed her to be silent, and her father, while furious, did not display justice (v.21), an experience all too common for survivors of sexual abuse. The last mention of Tamar in the Bible was that she lived “in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman” (v.20). Perhaps Tamar lamented, for the rest of her life, that her family viewed her to be of lesser importance than protecting their reputation.

For those of us who have faced any kind of abuse, there are no words that can properly address the grief and loss you have endured. While I cannot imagine what you have experienced, I do know that our God is the healer of the brokenhearted and is able and willing to walk through the pain with you. For those of us walking alongside friends or siblings with such stories, we have been entrusted to have great empathy and wisdom. No matter where we are in life, may we live in light of the Cross, which displays that God Himself did not ignore, but rather endured our pain.  

Prayer: Father, in the midst of the sin in us and in the world, we pray that Your light will shine through, even in the darkest areas.  As Christ implored us to pray that Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, we pray that Your healing and justice would continue to be made manifest in our world—not only when You return, but also in the present. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 1-2

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Don’t Waste Your Life”

Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Talents

 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.[e] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Recently, I read the autobiography of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple. In the book he talks about the early days of Apple and how it got all started.  Now, once Jobs and his friend Steve Wozniak decided to start this revolutionary company in 1976, they realized quickly that they had no money. So, to generate about $1,300 to get going, Jobs sold his Volkswagen and Steve Wozniak sold his HP calculator—their most valued possessions. So this is how they were able to make their first Apple computer. In other words, these two young dreamers took everything they had and leveraged it to make their vision come to reality.  The rest as we all know is history.  Today, it’s estimated that Apple is about 1 trillion dollars.  This story is a great example of a great sacrifice and investment, which resulted in a great return.

In today’s parable, we read about two men who made great investments and received a great reward in return; but we also see a man who made no effort to invest, and as a result, was punished for his laziness.  The point Jesus is making is this:  God has given us resources, talents and abilities to leverage and invest for His kingdom and for His purposes.  What are we doing with them?

Back then a talent was worth an extraordinary amount of money, and Jesus, the landowner in the story, gave talents to his servants according to their abilities.  Today, I believe that the talents Jesus has entrusted us with goes beyond money.  It could be our abilities, opportunities and responsibilities such as our education, careers, families, possessions and our money. 

Here are a few lessons we can apply from this passage:

1. What has been placed in our hands belongs to the Master: This means everything we have is on loan from God. Our talents, abilities and possessions are to be used for the Master’s work and not ours.  We are merely stewards and not owners.
2. There are consequences for not leveraging what God has given to us: Notice that the last servant was called wicked and slothful. He simply had no interest in the Master’s business.  I believe that when you look at this story closely, this man really never knew Jesus the Master, for he bore absolutely no fruits—a possessor of dead faith (James 2:24-26).  That could be the reason an allusion to hell is made here— “weeping and gnashing of teeth”.  The result of knowing Jesus is that we diligently go to work and invest our talents for Him, that is, bear fruits (Matt. 7:17-18).
3. When we use what is given to us, we will be rewarded: We will all have to give an account before Jesus and the greatest reward we can receive is to hear these words, “Well done good and faithful servant”.  Let’s live in such a way where we will hear those words when we see Him.

So, the question for us today is this: If Jesus returns today, would he be pleased with your investment of your time, your talent, and treasure that he has entrusted to your stewardship?

Prayer:  Lord, may we long to here those words “Well done good and faithful servant.”  May we leverage our lives for the Master’s business and keep us faithful till the end. Amen!

Bible Reading: 1 John 5

Lunch Break Study

Read James 4:13-16: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 

Questions to Consider

1. What’s the main point James wants to get across to his readers?
2. How should we view at our lives from what the passage says?
3. What do you think it means to live the life of “if the Lord wills”?

Notes

1. We are not in control of our own lives and if we think we are—we are being prideful. To think, “I am the ruler of my life, I am the king of my own life, I will be sovereign in my own life” means that we are being arrogant in the eyes of God.
2. We should view our own lives with humility, knowing that God is in control and He determines how long we have on this earth. Our lives are just like a mist—here one minute and gone the next.  It should lead us to a state of surrender, knowing that every detail of our lives are under His sovereignty.
3. It means to have God in the picture in every facet of our lives. Our decisions and choices should always have God at the center, knowing it is ultimately up to the Lord if our plans come to fruition.

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Evening Reflection

Take some time reflecting on the passages you read today.  What challenged you? Ask the Lord to search your heart and make specific applications to live out.