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.

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?

1. 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?
2. 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.
3. 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

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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

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

Notes

1. 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
2. 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.
3. Personal response.

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Evening Reflection

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

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

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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

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

Notes

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

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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.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.  
3. 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

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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

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

Notes

1. 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.  
2. Our hope is that the Lord fulfills His promises.  He is faithful to His Word and we are commanded to trust.
3. 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.  

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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.

The AMI QT Devotionals from October 29-November 2 are provided by Pastor David Kwon of Journey Community Church (Raleigh).  David, a graduate of Drexel University and Columbia International University (M.Div.) is married to Helen (“Pie”) and they have three beautiful daughters (Cara, Phoebe, and Ruth).  

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Listen”

Note:  We will be taking a break from the book of Jeremiah.  This week we’ll be looking at the parables of Jesus.

Matthew 13:1-9; 18-23

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2 And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.” 18 “Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.  22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

Listening is a critical life skill.  I had a funny interaction with my oldest daughter a few weeks ago where I thought I heard her say, “Someone is at the door.”  So when I went to the front door and found no one there, I shouted back to her that no one was there. But when I went back to her she told me, “Ruth (our youngest daughter) spilled juice on the floor!”  Obviously I was hearing but not really listening to her, and I missed the point of her message!

In today’s text, Jesus emphasizes the word hear six times, pointing out that how we hear and receive the Word of God matters.  I want to briefly talk about the types of hearts He addresses and how the Word can affect or does not affect our daily life. (There are different interpretations as to whether the hearts are of Christians or non-Christians.)

1. Hard heart – this is the person who is indifferent or even hostile to the gospel message.  They might find the message irrelevant and implausible, resulting in rejection of the message. (All interpretations probably agree that this person, having never believed, isn’t a believer.)
2. Shallow heart – this person is initially excited about the gospel and even has emotions of joy but when hardship and trials come, the Word no longer has affect.  It never was rooted in the person.
3. Distracted heart – this person may look like a believer, but because of the cares of the world and deceitfulness of wealth, growth takes a back seat to those other desires.
4. Receptive heart – this is the person who is radically changed and grows because the gospel message has taken root.  No matter what things may come in life, the Word had priority and bears fruit.

When I study this passage, I believe Jesus is actually warning His hearers because only the receptive heart is actually saved.  The mark of a Christian is that they bear fruit (John 15:8), and if there is no evidence of that, we must ask ourselves, “Has the gospel message landed on receptive soil that is bearing fruit?”

Take some time and examine your life.  What kind of heart do you receive the Word with?  Do you see evidence of growth through the Word? There will be seasons in life where you will not bear as much fruit as other seasons, but the constant pattern should be that the Word is growing us. Pray that the Word would continue to bear fruit in your life.

Prayer:  Lord, may we be a people that continue to receive Your Word with receptive hearts.  I pray that You would help us identify and remove the other desires that can get in the way of growth.  Give us a deeper love for your Word. Amen!

Bible Reading: 1 John 1

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Lunch Break Study

Read James 1:22-25: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Questions to Consider

1. What does James emphasize when it comes to the Word?
2. What is the result of being a doer of the Word?
3. James uses a brilliant illustration of a mirror, showing what it is like when we are not doers of the Word.  What areas in our life are we just being listeners and not doers?

Notes

1. James points out that it is not enough simply to know Scripture or godly teaching—knowledge alone is useless. We must desire to apply and “be doers” of the Word in our daily lives.
2. The contrast here between the hearer and the doer is that the doer remembers the “law of liberty.”  The one who obeys the Word results in freedom and blessing.
3. Think about how the Word affects your daily life.  Do we just know the Word and fail to live it out? Ask God to point out the areas where you need to apply this.

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Evening Reflection

Today, we looked at the importance of the Word, and how we receive and apply it.  Take some time and read Scripture before you close out the day. Meditate on it and ask the Holy Spirit to give you the grace and strength to live it.  

Devotional Thoughts for Today 

“Unseen, Ugly, and Radical Beauty” 

Jeremiah 48:31-33, 36, 46-47 

Therefore I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; for the men of Kir-hareseth I mourn. 32 More than for Jazer I weep for you, O vine of Sibmah! Your branches passed over the sea, reached to the Sea of Jazer; on your summer fruits and your grapes the destroyer has fallen. 33 Gladness and joy have been taken away from the fruitful land of Moab; I have made the wine cease from the winepresses;
no one treads them with shouts of joy; the shouting is not the shout of joy… 36 Therefore my heart moans for Moab like a flute, and my heart moans like a flute for the men of Kir-hareseth. Therefore the riches they gained have perished… 46 Woe to you, O Moab! The people of Chemosh are undone,
for your sons have been taken captive, and your daughters into captivity. 47 Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the Lord.” Thus far is the judgment on Moab.

Have you ever been happy that your friend failed?  They missed the last shot, made mistakes in their performance, or didn’t get the promotion they wanted.  You don’t want colossal failure for them; you just don’t want them to outshine you by a mile.  Maybe you feel better about yourself because of their failure.  Or, have you ever felt bad when your friend succeeded?  You’re happy for them, but at the same time, you’re not.  It’s almost like you can’t celebrate for them because you feel sorry for yourself.  If not, good for you!  But many of us have had thoughts along these lines.  It’s not that we despise our friends, but we love ourselves so much.  It’s pretty ugly.  It comes from a selfish spirit, an envious heart, and a competitive impulse.  Maybe it’s actually a form of hatred—like Jonah, who didn’t want God to forgive Nineveh because they were the enemy of Israel.  He didn’t want mercy for them, because he thought that they didn’t deserve it—again, pretty ugly.  Even scarier is how we can hide our ugliness from everyone else—but not from God.  This should remind us all—we don’t deserve God’s mercy either.

Chapters about God’s judgment against sin and against nations like Philistia and Moab can be pretty heavy stuff.  But always traveling alongside God’s ferocious anger at sin is His audacious passion for a lost creation.  Even when Moab’s fate seems set, we see God’s compassion.  Neither God nor Jeremiah—who is known as the weeping prophet for a reason—delights in the suffering of the Moabites: “I wail for Moab; I cry out for all Moab; my heart moans for Moab like a flute.” This is not the unseen ugliness of the human heart; it’s the radical beauty of God’s compassion.  At the end of the chapter, even for Moab, is a promise of restoration: “Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, declares the Lord”—which points not to nationhood or prosperity but redemption.  In fact, through the prophet Isaiah, God declares of Jesus: “I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).  This means good news for all nations!  Never forget that we don’t deserve this.  And always celebrate and be glad that we have it through Jesus!

Prayer:  God, we thank You that in Jesus we have received mercy!  We don’t deserve it.  We deserve the opposite.  Expose the unseen ugliness of our hearts and lead us to the radical beauty of Your grace.  Help us today to see the beauty of Your compassions, the strength of Your victory, and make us a people who will live for Your fame and renown.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Peter 3

Devotional Thoughts for Today

“Complacency is a Curse”

Jeremiah 48:10-13

“Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

“Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness.”  It sure sounds like a message your pastor would share with ministry volunteers—but it’s not.  This whole chapter describes God’s judgment against Israel’s eastern neighbors, the Moabites; and this curse is pronounced, ironically, against Moab’s conquerors—the Babylonians.  It’s not actually a curse; rather, it’s a way of stating that God will use Babylon to accomplish His purposes and His purposes will not be undone.

You see, the Bible gives us a picture of reality very different than the perception we often hold of the world.  We see wars and insurrection; regime change and elections; politics and economics—and feel small in view of all of that.  Sometimes we don’t even want to think about it because what can you do anyway.

But the biblical picture of reality is very different.  God is not intimidated by empires, arms races or the posturing of presidents because He has never abdicated ownership of the creation He made.  And He works in ways that often surprise us but are never haphazard or capricious.  God is in control and He is working to redeem and renew creation.  And He’s a just judge and He judged Moab for her complacency—a complacency that led to contempt towards God.  Satisfied by their security and industry, they had no regard for God.

The mention of “dregs emptied from one vessel to vessel” is an image from winemaking.  After fermentation, wine would sit to age and the impurities, the dregs, would settle to the bottom of the jar.  Usually you filtered out the dregs by slowly pouring the wine into a new container a few times.  If you didn’t, the impurities would ruin the taste.  Similarly, entertaining spiritual complacency is like leaving the dregs in the wine.  It just sits there contaminating the whole, tainting the taste profile, and ruining what remains.  Moab’s complacency came because it was secure, well-protected and prosperous.  They didn’t need the true God whom they are called to serve because they had substitutes that actually served them.  That’s the danger of complacency—it makes you blind to what you really need.  A warning from Moab’s failure . . .

A.W. Tozer wrote: “To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart.”  This is the opposite of complacency and it’s ironic.  Tozer observes that the ones who are most satisfied in God are also, at the same time, the ones who want Him the most.  May we be children of the burning heart!

Prayer:  Lord, we ask that You stir our hearts to long for You!  To settle NOT for the glory days of our past; or being cynical; or waiting till we have more time.  Give us an urgency TODAY to know You, the source of living water.   Satisfy us with Your love!

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Peter 1-2

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Jeremiah 48:6-13

Flee! Save yourselves!  You will be like a juniper in the desert! 7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials. 8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the Lord has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.

I used to live in the Ring of Fire, which sounds kind of cool but actually is terrifying.  It refers to a horseshoe shaped area in which 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes occur.  So, every couple of years, there would be a major earthquake somewhere nearby.  On several occasions, I participated in disaster relief in affected places.  I remember my first time when I had only been in the new country for half a year and barely spoke the language.  But still, I wanted to help so I tagged along with a group that was bringing supplies to local neighborhoods.  We had a basic training module but the main thing I remember was being told, “Just ask people whom you meet, ‘What happened here?’ and let them share.”  That was it.  It wasn’t complicated.  It was incredibly human.  And even though my language was limited, people wanted to talk. And for many, the disaster served as a wakeup call to realize how their life’s priorities had been misplaced.

Similarly, one of the greatest horrors of God’s judgment is realizing too late the consequence of our misplaced priorities.  In today’s text, God speaks to the Moabites, Israel’s neighbors, and rebukes them for trusting “in your works and your treasures.” The ultimate Authority was exposing their wrong allegiance to achievement and things rather than to God. And the Moabites paid a dear price for their misplaced priorities.

Our culture is no different, for we like to talk about the “self-made man or woman.”  The term describes someone who has earned what he or she has through hard work and determination.  Actually, the Bible celebrates such diligence (Prov. 6:6-8), but not to the point of self-satisfaction and self-sufficiency—not to the point where we think we don’t need God.  In fact, all of Scripture testifies that you cannot be happy apart from God.  The Moabites relished their sustainable industries and isolation from much of the conflicts of the region.  They were satisfied but sadly, also separated from knowing the true God.  Neither wealth nor achievement; strength nor security can give you what God, your Creator, can. Remember Psalm 20:7 that says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Prayer: Lord, show me today the price tags I place on the things of my life: my achievements, my dreams, my stuff, my personality and my relationships.  Help me to receive them as good gifts from You, but teach me to keep You as the center and treasure of my heart!

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Peter 5

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Lunch Break Study 

Read Ephesians 2:13-22: But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Paul describes the kind of life that those who trust Jesus can enjoy.  It is the opposite of judgment—the opposite of hostility.  Notice how many times the word “peace” is used.  The effect of peace is more than a dividing wall coming down—it also brings us a new identity and access and confidence.

Questions to Consider          

1. List the ways in which Jesus made peace between us and God.
2. Sometimes we struggle because we don’t feel like new men and women. We feel the same.  We even struggle with the same sins.  How does our citizenship in God’s kingdom and membership in God’s family address this insecurity?
3. How does the Holy Spirit minister peace to us?

Notes  

1. This peace that Jesus gives us is not earned; rather, it is received—“You have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Thus, the way to attain peace is by trusting in Jesus because “He himself is our peace.”  Notice: He brings us near (v.13); He breaks down what separates us from God (v.14); He makes us new people (v.15); He dies so that there is NO condemnation for believers (v.16); He takes the initiative to speak peace to us (v.17); He gives us access to the Father (v.18); He gives us a new identity (v.19); He is Himself our solid foundation for faith (v.20); He unites believers into God’s family (v.21); He gives us the Holy Spirit to build us up (v.22).  This is a complete and decisive victory that Jesus won for us.  Receive it!
2. These two identities remind us that just because you don’t “feel” different does not mean that you are still the same. When you are part of the family, you belong regardless of your failures.  In the Roman world, adoption was absolutely permanent and once adopted, you could not then be disowned.  Now, it is true that when people change their citizenship, they remain the same in some regards (same ethnicity, family, preferences), but there are also telling differences, such as having new opportunities, enjoying benefits and exercising the rights offered by the new country. So it is with saints who still continue to struggle with sin: you might feel the same, but you are not!
3. Verse 18 tells us that the Spirit enables us to access God’s presence. This doesn’t mean God is not with us.  He is, but we may be unaware of it.  The Spirit manifests God’s presence to us so that we might enjoy the benefits of Christ’s victory.  Verse 22 says the same but in a corporate context.  The Spirit unites and builds up believers so we might know that God is in our midst.

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Evening Reflection

One of the ways we express priority and value to God is worship.  How was your worship today?  It doesn’t just mean singing songs.  We worship when our hearts are devoted to God and our unseen intentions are to please Him.  Take a moment to worship the Father for His patient love; the Son for making a way for you; and the Spirit who pulls us into the place of transformation.