Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from August 13-19 are provided by Pastor Barry Kang, who heads Symphony Church in Boston. Barry, a graduate of Stanford University and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Sunny (an amazing worship leader, chef, and math wizard). They are the proud parents of Caleb and Micah.
Devotional Thought for Today
“Are you living like a renter or an owner?”
Jeremiah 29:1-6
These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.
Do you currently rent or own your home? Does it matter? Of course! No matter how considerate and responsible you may be, you probably won’t care as much about your home as you would if you owned it. Here’s the thing: whether we own or rent, spiritually speaking, all of us are actually exiles in a foreign land (1 Peter 2:11). We live here, but this isn’t truly our home—which naturally leads to the question: if this is all temporary, why should we care about where we live?
To the exiles in Babylon who were yearning to return home, God is about to give some extraordinary instructions: build houses and live in them—in other words, don’t rent, but buy. Make an investment! Plant gardens and eat their fruits. Marry and have sons and daughters, that they may have children too. Stick around in one place for a while. Perhaps you might wait to see your children to grow up and have grandchildren. You may recall in Genesis 1, God created humanity with a purpose—to be fruitful and multiply.
While the world we live in is temporary, God does not want us to consider it to be disposable. Rather than escaping to heaven, our goal is to invest in such a way that the kingdom of heaven comes to earth. So here’s the question: how are you investing?
Prayer: Lord, we know that we are spiritual exiles, and that this world is not our true home. At the same time, we want to see Your kingdom come to earth. Help me to know how to invest in Your kingdom, to store my treasures in heaven. Give me eyes to see how I can use my resources for Your purposes. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Esther 2
Lunch Break Study
Read Luke 14:25-33: 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.
Questions to Consider
- What is Jesus asking of the crowd?
- What two examples/illustrations does He use? What is the point?
- Have you counted the cost of following Jesus? What is He asking you to surrender?
Notes
- Jesus is asking that the crowd be willing to sacrifice everything they have in order to follow Jesus.
- The two examples Jesus uses here are: (1) someone who began building a tower before calculating if they had the resources to complete it; and (2) a king who surveys whether he can actually win a battle before fighting it. Jesus’ point is that the crowd needs to know whether they are able to pay the cost of following Jesus before they actually do so.
- Please pray and supply your own answer.
Evening Reflection
While we are spiritual exiles in the land, we are still ordered to care and invest in those around us. Spend some time reflecting and journaling upon the ways that the Lord is asking you to invest for His Kingdom.
There’s an old John Mayer song in which the chorus says, “My stupid mouth has gotten me in trouble.” When I was in high school, I used to think how true that was, because I would often regret something I had said frivolously. I wonder if Hananiah would have thought that to himself—“My stupid mouth has gotten me in trouble.” Unfortunately, because he spoke foolishly, and there were consequences—he died.
Prophesying is a dangerous task. Throughout the Bible, and especially in the Old Testament, we read of people prophesying the word of God and paying dearly for it. Old Testament prophets like Jeremiah often were rejected by the people and faced constant threats and abuse. Proclaiming God’s truth is dangerous, because sometimes the truth is not easy to hear. And when people do not like the message of God, they turn their anger toward to one speaking His words. Prophesying truly is a dangerous task.
There is a proverbial saying that goes like this: “All that glitters is not gold”—meaning, the appearance of something does not necessarily tell you about its true nature. For example, imagine looking at a shiny new Porsche; it could look beautiful from the outside, but this does not tell you anything about the quality of its engine. It may not even work! A shiny Porsche that has a broken engine is useless!
None of us is a fan of adversity. For me, I absolutely hate having conversations with Comcast’s customer service. Or try airlines—I remember getting into a very lengthy conversation with airline personnel after a flight cancelation. It’s painful to deal with a company that really seems to wish the worst on you, and I’m sure I’m not alone in dealing with them. Then again, my taste of adversity can’t hold a candle to that which God’s people once faced.
When I graduated from college, I bought my first car. The dealership offered a warranty plan—and they assured me it was worth it—where I was guaranteed my money back on the warranty if no issues ever arose with the car after five years. In my naïveté, I bought the warranty; and five years later, having had no issues, I brought all my paperwork back to the dealership, and they said they’d be sending a check in 6-8 weeks. Eight weeks went by and no check. When I returned to the dealership, they said there must have been an issue, reassuring me a check was on its way. Time went by, still no check. I kept going back and kept being given false promises, so I eventually gave up. Sadly, I was duped by a lie.
The AMI QT Devotionals for August 5-11 are provided by Doug Tritton. Doug, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is currently serving as a staff at Symphony Church (Boston), while pursuing a M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. He is married to Cindy and they are proud parents of Audrey.
Influence fades very quickly. When Fitbits first became popular, I bought one thinking it would revolutionize my exercise habits. My friends and I all competed with each for the most steps and we all were walking more—it seemed the influence of our Fitbits and of each other was helping to keep us all healthier. Yet, after a few weeks, that influence waned and I wore it less and less. Right now, my Fitbit is collecting dust in some drawer in my house, and the Fitbits of many of my friends are suffering a similar fate.
The AMI QT Devotionals for August 5-11 are provided by Doug Tritton. Doug, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is currently serving as a staff at Symphony Church (Boston), while pursuing a M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. He is married to Cindy and they are proud parents of Audrey.
A major pillar of modern and post-modern society is the concept of “freethought”. This viewpoint contends that an individual’s thinking should be free from authority and tradition. A person should be free to make their own choices, to determine their own futures, and to form their opinions. This value is quite evident in many movies and TV shows, in which main characters are applauded for unshackling themselves from convention and authority (think: Frozen, or really any other recent Disney movies).
A couple years back, I was on a serving team that hoped to establish presence on a new campus. We had a handful of members who attended, but in the end, it seemed (to me) like “negative ministry.” We started with a dozen students in the beginning, but we said goodbye to nearly all of them by the end as some of them chose to go to other churches or move away (some stopped going to church altogether). It was an extremely discouraging experience; for a long time, I would often look back and mourn how pitiful the outcome seemed compared to the time we spent preparing, praying, and reaching out.
In the last two years, I’ve experienced an above-average number of flight delays and cancellations for reasons ranging from airport fires and snowstorms to broken lavatory doors. By this point, I am accustomed, even expectant, of delays. Some might think I’ve become passive, but I personally hope God is purposely growing patience and meekness inside me. Everything is out of my hands: I can neither change the weather nor fix an airplane. My fate is dictated by an air traffic controller (and however God directs the weather or maintenance crew).