November 8, Thursday

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

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

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

Notes

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.
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.
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.

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.

November 7, Wednesday

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

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

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

Notes

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.
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.
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.

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?

November 6, Tuesday

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

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

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

Notes

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.
To encourage the listeners “to always pray and not lose heart.”
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.”

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.

November 5, Monday

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

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

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

Notes

John is referring to Jesus. This is made even clearer in the surrounding verses of this text.
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.
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!

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.

November 4, Sunday

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.

November 3, Saturday

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

November 2, Friday

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:

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.
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).
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

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

Notes

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.
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.
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.

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.

November 1, Thursday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Jesus and the Lost”

Luke 15:1-10

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

I read an unbelievable Newsweek article about an elderly couple from Knoxville, Tennessee – Tony and Delores Amaral. After being released from the hospital, they attempted to make their way home, which was supposed to be a short trip back. Instead, they got lost and were found two states over and five days later near Atlanta, Georgia! They had embarked on an unlikely journey crisscrossing through Kentucky to Atlanta, Georgia, where police finally found them. During the time they went missing, their daughter went into frantic desperation, and with the help of police, the family tracked the elderly couple to Atlanta using bank transactions, and were safely returned home.

In today’s parable Jesus also talks about the agony of something being lost and the joy of being found. First, Jesus talks about a lost sheep and how a shepherd would do anything to get that one sheep back. Then he talks about a lost coin and how this woman would go on a frantic search to find it. So what do we learn from these stories?

We must have God’s heart to seek out those who are lost – Jesus is clearly addressing those who do not have a relationship with Him and how He longs to find them. And we are called to share this burden. How about you? Do you also have that kind of heart for the lost?
There is uncontrollable joy when one is found – Jesus wants us to know that there is a certain joy that He wants to share with us when we participate in His search to find the lost. That is why it’s important that we continue to be salt and light and His witnesses so that others would come to know Christ through our lives.
Let us be fueled by God’s amazing grace. For those of us who are in Christ, we ought to be reminded that Christ found us even when we were not looking for Him. In order for us to have a burden for the lost, we must also remember that the gospel shows us that we were once lost and by His sheer grace – He found us.

Prayer: Lord, gives us heart for lost people. Forgive us because we often ignore or do not take advantage of opportunities to share the gospel with people around us. Gives us love, boldness and humility and we declare Christ to this world. Amen!

Bible Reading: 1 John 4

Lunch Break Study

Colossians 4:5-6

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Questions to Consider

What do you think it means to walk in wisdom towards outsiders?
How can our speech be gracious and seasoned with salt?
How do these verses apply to you personally?

Notes

The basic gospel message is easy to learn, but it takes wisdom to present it in a way that will not unnecessarily create obstacles to its truth in the hearts and minds of unbelievers. Warning people of the judgment due to their sin with honesty, love, and humility can be difficult. We can fall into the trap either of being so concerned about sounding judgmental that we never talk about sin or of being so self-righteous that we forget the grace shown to us and treat people as if they are so unclean that Jesus could never forgive them and welcome them into His kingdom
The Greek words that are behind “speech,” “gracious,” and “salt” are used together in the first-century literature to refer to speech that is gracious and attractive — winsome, even witty words that are also spoken in a humble manner. In other words, the apostle wants the presentation of the gospel to the outside world done in a manner that captures the gospel’s excitement and that is able to answer the unbeliever’s legitimate questions.
Personal response.

Evening Reflection

Spend some time in personal prayer. Ask the Lord to speak to you on the things you read and meditated on today.

October 31, Wednesday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“A Love That Hates”

Luke 14:25-35

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him,30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. 34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

All of us are probably familiar with what we called the “terms and conditions” of a product or service—but we hardly ever read it closely. Think about it: when was the last time you actually read the terms and conditions before signing or clicking the OK button? In college, I had a friend who signed up for a car detailing service, unaware of the following terms and conditions: there was a discount price for the first three washes and details, but after that the price jumped up to almost double the cost. So after he got his car detailed the fourth time, he was shocked at the enormous bill! His failure to read and understand the terms cost him dearly.

In today’s passage, Jesus makes it clear that when we decide to follow Him, we have to be willing to follow on His terms and conditions. This passage is probably one of the harshest, but also the clearest, teachings on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. His main idea is this:

Salvation costs you nothing, but discipleship will cost you everything. Salvation occurs in a moment. Discipleship takes a lifetime. Salvation is something God did for us. Discipleship is something you do for God. It is not for the casual or consumer Christian who desires to follow God on his or her own terms.

The parable we see in today’s passage is about a tower and a king. Whenever someone builds a tower, a wise person assesses the expenses and cost. Jesus is addressing people who make decisions solely based on excitement and emotions, thus making hasty decisions to follow Him. Jesus is telling them to think about the commitment that is required; it’s not just about emotions and excitement but a lifetime of discipleship. The second picture is of a king who is outnumbered. Instead of just jumping into war, a wise king would assess the cost of war before entering into battle; and if he knew he could not win or complete the battle, he would surrender. The same goes for discipleship: we must access and count the cost before we are willing to follow.

Why would anyone follow Jesus like this? We need to remember this is an invitation that Jesus gives us to experience abundant life. It is out of His unconditional love and amazing grace that motivates us to follow Him. Let’s continue to follow Jesus on His terms, and may we be filled with joy as we do.

Prayer: Lord, we acknowledge that it is not easy to follow You, but I pray that You would give us the courage and strength to follow. Give us great joy as we count the cost daily. Amen!

Bible Reading: 1 John 3

Lunch Break Study

Read John 15:1-11: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Questions to Consider

What do you think it means when Jesus says that we are called to “abide in him”? Why is this so important?
What is the fruit Jesus is referring to and what is required to bear it?
What is the result of abiding in Christ, according to verse 11? Is this true in your life? Why or why not?

Notes

To abide in Him simply means to be in union with Christ. It’s having a constant and intimate relationship with Him so that we would grow into His likeness.
Bearing fruit means that we produce the character of Christ in our lives (see Galatians 5:22-23). Jesus says that this often requires pruning of our selfish nature and old ways, so that He can do the work that is required for transformation.
As we abide, we are promised joy to the fullest. As we walk in obedience, we are promised true joy that only comes from Him.

Evening Reflection

Spend time in prayer, asking the Lord specifically to have unconditional heart to follow and obey no matter the cost. Pray that your love for Christ would be the highest priority over any other love and as you do, ask for an increase of joy.

October 30, Tuesday

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Are You Ready?”

Luke 12:35-48

“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, 36 and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! 39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” 41 Peter said, “Lord, are you telling this parable for us or for all?” 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. 47 And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. 48 But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.”

One experience that I will never forget in college was when I was taking a computer science class my senior year. As I walked into class—just as it started—I saw everyone put their notebooks and laptops away (I thought that was strange), and my professor came in and started handing out a packet of papers to each student. As I got my packet, I realized that it was an exam that I had not studied or prepared for—it wasn’t out of laziness, but rather I had mistakenly thought the date of the exam was the week after! Did you ever have an experience like this, where you were unprepared—whether it was for an exam, interview or an important event?

In today’s parable, Jesus addresses the idea of readiness in light of the Second Coming of Christ. We may not think too much about the Second Coming, but we need to remember that it will come unexpectedly and suddenly (v. 40). Jesus tells His followers to make sure that when He comes back, we are to be found faithful and awake. So what does it look like to live a life of readiness? I want to give three practical suggestions:

Radical Generosity – Where do we see this in the passage? We need to understand that this teaching comes right after the parable of the rich fool, where Jesus challenges a rich man not to store up earthly treasures but to invest into eternal treasures. It should be the same for us as well. We are called to be generous with our money, resources and possessions, as we await His return.
Mission Urgency – If we knew Jesus was returning next week, wouldn’t we change our priorities? Being ready means that we are living with a mission, and we make our lives about Him; meaning, no matter where God has called us professionally, we are called to live out the mission of God in our lives by making disciples, building up the Body, and sharing our faith with others.
Spiritual Intensity – Knowing that Jesus will someday return means that we live in spiritual fervency. We should not be passive when it comes to things like prayer, being in the Word, being involved in the community, and serving, because one of the marks of being ready (or awake) is that we do not become lazy when it comes to spiritual disciplines.

Are you living in readiness? How would Jesus find you if He returned today? C.S. Lewis says this:

“Precisely because we cannot predict the moment, we must be ready at all times. The soldier does not know at what time the enemy may attack, or what time an officer might inspect his post. So he must be awake at all times. Not that we should always be running around in fear that the end might happen at any moment. We should be like an 80-year-old man, who needs, on the one hand, not to be always thinking about his approaching death. But, at 80, he should always be taking it into account. It would be criminally foolish not to have made his will and so on.”

Prayer: Lord, help us to be found ready when You return. I pray that this will be a wake-up call to some who may be living just for temporary treasures. May we invest our lives wisely for Your kingdom and Your glory. Amen!

Bible Reading: 1 John 2

Lunch Break Study

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

Questions to Consider

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

Notes

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

Evening Reflection

Today, we looked at the Second Coming of Jesus, and what that should mean in our lives. Take some time in self-reflection and prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict and reveal areas that you need to surrender to the Lord.