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.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
“Yoked Part 3 – The Yoke of Lies”
Jeremiah 27:9-11
“So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your dreamers, your fortune-tellers, or your sorcerers, who are saying to you, ‘You shall not serve the king of Babylon.’ 10 For it is a lie that they are prophesying to you, with the result that you will be removed far from your land, and I will drive you out, and you will perish. 11 But any nation that will bring its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave on its own land, to work it and dwell there, declares the Lord.”
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.
Though that is a more extreme example, we are often led astray by various lies the world throws our way: promises of happiness with certain products, promises of success with certain programs, or promises of comfort with certain vacations. Lies surround us, telling us we need to be influenced by this or that. These lies want to yoke us to something and thus influence us.
This was what was happening to the people in Jeremiah’s day. False prophets were going around selling a message of peace and comfort, a message of false hope. But the Lord saw through the lies of these prophets and told Jeremiah to warn the people about these lies. Only the Lord knew that truth, for His yoke is best. The other yokes were all lies.
Many of these lies in the world are external, but there are also internal lies we hear from our thoughts or even from the enemy. These lies tell us we are not good enough, we need to work harder or to get this or that job, we need to have the best Facebook pictures or Instagram posts, or we are incomplete without this or that person in our lives. These lies trap us and give us false promises, resulting in anxiety and hopelessness.
Just as the Lord said to the people in Jeremiah, He says to us as well: “Don’t listen to those lies!” Let’s listen to the Lord, for He knows best, as we talked about yesterday. It’s His yoke we need and nothing else, for He is our Good Shepherd.
Prayer: Lord, help me to discern the lies that I hear in the world and in my mind. Help me to hear Your voice, since You are my Shepherd who calls me by name. May I hear You and follow You, while ignoring all other voices and lies. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 9
Lunch Break Study
Read John 10:1-5: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
Questions to Consider
- Who are the thieves and robbers?
- How do the sheep know to follow the Shepherd?
- Are you able to hear the voice of the Shepherd?
Notes
- They are those who do not enter the sheepfold by the door. These false prophets use lies to get ahead, and they try to take advantage of the sheep for their own purposes. They are not true shepherds. These are the yokes of lies we need to avoid.
- They know His voice! This is a great promise for us. We have a God who speaks to us personally, who guides us in His ways. He searches our hearts, leads us away from grievous ways, leads us toward what we need, and restores our souls. He cares for us. This Shepherd is Jesus and He can be trusted, for He knows us and we know His voice.
- Hearing God’s voice is an important part of the Christian life. The Bible is full of promises, like in this passage about us being able to hear God’s voice. Today, try listening for His voice. He is faithful and He speaks to us!
Evening Reflection
Tonight, as you go to sleep, take time to quiet your soul. Our minds are often filled with lots of voices – the voices of bosses, friends, and family. Take time to surrender those voices and listen for God’s voice above it all.
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).
My first job out of school had me working, on few occasions, with a doctor who was a devout Jew (he read the Torah and would mention aspects of Jewish faith). Once, I felt bold to ask him for his thoughts about Jesus, since he knew I was a Christian. Right after he shared and asked for my thoughts, we got interrupted. But, I chickened out and never brought it up again the remainder of the times I worked with him. It wasn’t just that I felt foolish or unequipped to handle a discussion of Judaism and Christianity – I knew what I believed. But, I didn’t want someone who was a superior at work to find it offensive if I told him that I believe Jesus is the Messiah and the fulfillment he was looking for. I realized that even though I was a leader at church and felt equipped on this topic, I was quite cowardly about faith in the workplace. I was not bold enough to speak the truth that I believed.
Earlier this month, I was on Instagram scrolling through the account of a worship leader. She posted something that seemed particularly relevant and timely for me. When I started reading, I thanked God for ministering to me through her words. As I read on, I realized that she was actually quoting The Message version of a passage I had read earlier in the day. Oops—turns out that the word I needed to hear and take to heart was in front of me all along. Sure, the wording was different, and I may have been more receptive as a result, but I felt a gentle reminder that God’s word is available for me to listen to—and I should pay more attention!
While I was mostly a goody-two-shoes child growing up, I still got in trouble quite a bit. Normally, my mom gave me an earful, while my dad was the good-natured Good Cop. Oh, but woe to me on the day that I provoked my dad to anger! I remember this happening twice, both times when I talked back extremely rudely to my mom—the one thing he could not stand. The spanking that ensued on those occasions was a very effective way to indicate that disrespect was one of the greatest offenses in our home. These punishments didn’t cure my impertinence, but you can bet I was more careful because I knew what made him mad.
In the fall of last year, a scandal surrounding Harvey Weinstein, a Hollywood mogul, broke out. Women who had been sexually abused by him began publicly testifying about their experience, which then emboldened many other victims to share their own experiences online with the hashtag #MeToo. This movement drew attention for exposing how prevalent abuse was, not just in the American entertainment industry but in other countries and industries. The intention behind someone sharing was to indicate to other victims (who may have felt isolated or afraid) that they should not suffer alone, but know that there is someone who understands and mourns with you.
The “midlife crisis,” as commonly called, is a phenomenon when individuals who feel dissatisfied with the repetition and pace of their life may desire to make some drastic changes. Factors could range from the unhappy observation that their stamina and energy are slipping or that their best efforts are not applied in meaningful places. Individuals may quit their jobs or begin to spend their time pursuing exciting hobbies that will stimulate them: fast cars, thrilling travel excursions, etc.