The AMI Devotional Blogs from June 25-July 1 are written by Phillip Chen, college pastor at Church of Southland. Philip, a graduate of University of California, San Diego, is currently studying at Talbot School of Theology. He is married to Esther.
Devotional Thoughts for This Morning
“Scars of Remembrance”
Jeremiah 16:14-15 (ESV)
“Therefore, behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ 15 but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their own land that I gave to their fathers.”
I am dreading the day that I will have to discipline my daughter. When my parents used to say, “This hurts me more than it hurts you” before spanking me, I would mouth back, “Yeah, right.” I didn’t understand how it could hurt them more than me when they were the ones who were punishing me; but I suppose I can say that I understand them now. In the end, the discipline of a loving parent always hurts the parent more than the child. The parents know that the discipline is good for the children, but it’s not an enjoyable experience.
We’ve been following along this dialogue between the LORD and Jeremiah this week regarding the judgment that is to come upon Judah. The LORD has made up His mind and tells Jeremiah that nothing can cause His wrath to relent. Judah has turned so far away from God that they don’t even know they are sinning against Him anymore. Yet as this conversation draws to a close, it seems as if the LORD can’t help but blurt out a promise of restoration—even before Judah encounters the wrath of God. Not only will they be restored, but their restoration will be more glorious than their initial deliverance—this is a powerful word that the Lord is giving Jeremiah. The LORD is saying that people will no longer talk about the exodus, where God delivered Israel out of the hands of Egypt; instead, people will talk about how God gathered His people back from exile into the land that was promised to their forefathers.
The nation of Israel has looked upon their deliverance from Egypt as a watershed moment, the forming of their nation as they know it. It is a moment that they can look back upon and declare that their God is not only powerful, but that their God is with them. However, God is promising that their restoration to the land of Israel will be even more glorious than when they first entered into the Promised Land. How is that possible? And why does God choose to give this promise in the thick of His pronouncement of judgment over Judah?
If we see God as a God who disciplines with the end goal of restoration rather than out of anger or frustration, then we can see why God would give them this promise—even in the midst of this pronouncement. He knows that a very hard time will be coming for this nation, and He wants to reassure them that restoration will be coming.
As we’ve gone through the book of Jeremiah, it is a particularly sad book to read through. Not only is it sad to see the judgment that is coming for the nation of Judah, but it’s also sad to see it from God’s vantage point. Yet the exile is not the end. Discipline may last for a while, but God promises that His people will be restored—and the glory of that restoration will surpass the former glory of their deliverance. Perhaps you are going through a particularly difficult time: maybe you are going through a season of discipline, wilderness, or silence of God. Whatever God may be doing, you can be sure that He has restoration in mind. Hang in there as you look to the light at the end of the tunnel!
Prayer: Father God, thank You that You always have restoration in mind—even in the midst of discipline. Help me to persevere in seasons of Your discipline, that I may not become hardened or jaded, but rather look on hopefully to the point of restoration that You are leading me towards. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 39
When the lights are suddenly shut off in a room that we are in, we become a little bit disoriented because we are unable to see anything. However, our eyes slowly start to adjust, and we are able to start seeing things in the dark even though the degree of darkness hasn’t necessarily changed. Our eyes are able to adjust to the darkness so that we can still function, however limited. This shows that we have an uncanny ability to adjust to our physical surroundings.
Ocean’s 11 is a classic movie where the lead character, Danny Ocean (George Clooney), plans out an incredible and elaborate plan to rob three different casinos in Las Vegas that share the same vault. It’s not an easy task, and he assembles a team to do so. What’s interesting is that the movie makes these characters such likeable characters that we end up rooting for them. Even though they are committing what we all believe to be a huge crime, we still want them to win in the end—that is, sympathizing for the people who are actually in the wrong. I think it’s a scary thing that filmmakers are able to manipulate our emotions to celebrate what they want us to celebrate: in this case, they want us to celebrate this heist, because the casino owner “deserves it.” Although our feelings are definitely important, they may distort our perceptions of things.
“Do as I say, not as I do.” How many times do we see this happen in our own lives? I would propose to you that we do this more than we think: we are quick to point out what others need to do; we are experts when it comes to what others need to repent of, or what others need to be more disciplined in. But when we turn the magnifying lens back on our own lives, we don’t see our own weaknesses. Parents are even more likely to fall into this category, as well as leaders. The higher up the leader becomes, the less people there are to point out their faults or their weaknesses. Yet Scriptures remind us to be careful to take care of our own hearts in regards to repentance and restoration.
I strongly dislike confrontation; not only that, I’m just not good at it. Sometimes when I need to rebuke someone or point out an area that they need to improve on, I stress out while planning out what I’m going to say. Of course it may sound good in my head—until, the actual confrontation happens. Then, for some reason, all of the things I’ve prepared escape my mind, and I talk about everything but what I need to say, until I’ve thoroughly confused the person. I definitely have to grow in this area. Yet some people are naturally good at it: for example, my wife can rebuke people with a smile on her face, and they actually leave feeling convicted and loved.
The birth of my daughter was an incredibly joyous season, and yet it was also an incredibly tiring season. A new semester of seminary had just begun, and through the midst of classes I had to learn how to be a dad. I have to admit that it was not easy for me to wake up late at night to hear my daughter crying and try to put her back to sleep. She has a pretty loud cry too, so listening to non-stop screaming even as I was holding her was torturous for me. When I reflected upon it later on, I realized how much it weighed on me because it was something that I couldn’t fix right away. She was a real human being and not some robot or machine in which I could find an error and correct it. My patience over the course of weeks and months wore thin. Her cries wore me out. I thought I was a patient man, willing to forgive her for keeping me up at night, but I realized I am definitely not as patient as I thought.
The AMI Devotional Blogs from June 25-July 1 are written by Phillip Chen, college pastor at Church of Southland. Philip, a graduate of University of California, San Diego, is currently studying at Talbot School of Theology. He is married to Esther.
Hollywood movies are typically characterized by a happy ending, where all loose ends are tied up, the villains are destroyed, and the hero or heroine of the film is victorious—usually, life is good again after a season of conflict. We are used to the harmonious and joyful end. This passage in Jeremiah 15 can be hard to read if we treat it as a stand alone text, because it is a clear description of the coming destruction of Judah. There is no happy end here. However, if we read this with the understanding that this is not the ending, but rather a chapter in the ongoing saga of Israel’s covenant relationship with the Lord, then we can understand the nature of God.
During orientation week of my last job, I was given the opportunity to take a work-personality test. Through the results of this test, I was able to better understand how I tend to work, collaborate with others, lead, follow, etc. It was informative. I appreciated how the test recognized the complexity of our personalities, but it also made me think how differently we can think and behave in different departments of our lives. Depending on our position, seniority, comfort level, etc. it is not difficult to adjust to how we put ourselves forward and interact with others.
Summer is finally here, and there are probably some of us who are hoping to shed some winter weight and become more healthy and fit. There are many ways to get there. One option is to go on a crash diet, where we restrict ourselves of food, and exercise without proper nutrition. But most of us may already know this option is neither sustainable nor even healthy. The other option is to start a lifestyle change and adopt better eating and exercise habits. This results in improved health and fitness. The resolve to become healthier, or grow in any aspect of our lives, is great. However, we see here that it’s important not only to want to grow, but also to know the right way to do it.
One of the easiest ways to test the authenticity of gold jewelry is to burn it. Using a lighter, you can gently hold a small flame under your piece of jewelry. If your jewelry burns black, it is fake or at least partially so; but if your jewelry does not turn black but burns brightly, congratulations—it’s real, pure gold.