Devotional Thoughts for Today
“Wise in Our Own Eyes”
Jeremiah 8:4-12
“You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Do men fall and not get up again? Does one turn way and not repent? 5 “Why then has this people, Jerusalem, Turned away in continual apostasy? They hold fast to deceit, They refuse to return. 6 “I have listened and heard, They have spoken that is not right; No man repented of his wickedness, Saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turned to his course, Like a horse charging into the battle. 7 “Even the stork in the sky Knows her seasons; And the turtledove and the swift and the thrush Observe the time of their migration; But My people do not know The ordinance of the Lord. 8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise, And the law of the Lord is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes Has made it into a lie. 9 “The wise men are put to shame, They are dismayed and caught; Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord, And what kind of wisdom do they have? 10 “Therefore I will give their wives to others, Their fields to new owners;
Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is greedy for gain; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone practices deceit. 11 “They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace. 12 “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they had done? They certainly were not ashamed, And they did not know how to blush; Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time of their punishment they shall be brought down,” Says the Lord.
As my wife and I prepare for our first child, I have noticed how much more attentive I am of how other people interact with their own kids—how they speak to the child, what they let their kids get away with or what they don’t, or the countenance of the parent when interacting with their child. If you were to ask me how I feel about preparing for our first child, I’d confess that I’m honestly not sure, because the thought of raising a child—let alone raising a child well—is so beyond my understanding that I am not sure what to think.
Yet, I catch myself noticing certain behaviors of parents or kids… and saying to myself, Oh my daughter definitely won’t be like that. She’s never behaving like that. I know, I know—the parents are chuckling and thinking, Boy, are you going to get owned.
This thought that all of us probably have had where we think we are wiser than someone else is such a falsehood that we hold onto. In fact, this presumption of knowledge, according to the Scripture, is actually not just wrong but wicked before the eyes of God—especially when it comes to understanding our lives.
In today’s passage, God calls out the people for this very reason. He talks about how normal it is for someone who falls to get up or someone who goes the wrong way to turn back around; and yet these people continue to go down the path of disobedience. Something that comes so naturally to storks and turtledoves, God’s people cannot seem to grasp. And yet they regard themselves as wise—why? Because they have the law of the Lord. As we discussed on Monday, religion had replaced true relationship, and the people believed in this deceit.
True wisdom, Scripture teaches us, is not having a lot of knowledge of laws and obligations. True wisdom is a way of life that is lived under the fear of God. True wisdom is dynamic—not something possessed and stagnant. And I pray that all of us would have this humble spirit in us that acknowledge that apart from a life intertwined to God, we are nothing.
Prayer: Father, thank You that in You, we can have true wisdom. Forgive us for the ways we think we know how all of this works. We may have all the knowledge in the world, but unless that knowledge is anchored in You, we are nothing but fools. Help us to not be like the people of Judah who found comfort in how much they knew. Rather, in humility, help us to find ourselves before Your feet, asking for You to speak to us. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 6-7
The past couple of weeks, my wife’s nephew and her family were in town. He’s only 4 years old and still trying to wrap his mind around what it means that I am his aunt’s husband. First he had to understand my wife’s relationship to his grandmother, and then from there, my wife’s relationship to me. He then turned to my father in-law and asked him who his mother was, to which he responded,
It seems as if we can’t go very long without hearing about another shooting at a school. It seems like everyday we turn on the news, we hear about tragedies overseas as well as right here in our own backyards. Every time I see a new headline, a heaviness comes upon me, wondering how much longer such things will continue.
At our last Encounter (a weekend retreat for men and women separately, which presents the foundational truths of the gospel through a series of talks given by a fellow brother/sister) this past March, I was again reminded of the importance of forgiveness in our lives. Our speakers often emphasized that unforgiveness is like drinking poison in the hope of hurting the other person. We think that by withholding forgiveness from others, we have some kind of power over them; in reality, we poison our own souls as we are separated from the presence of God.
Do you remember (or maybe it was only my friends and me) when we were younger, we would have this silly rule on the playground, where we could make outlandish claims and get off scot-free, as long as we did one thing: crossies? Perhaps you called it something different, but it’s this thing where you take your middle finger and twist it around your index finger, forming an “x” shape, usually held in secret behind your back. And this simple hand gesture would negate any bold-faced lies or empty promises we may have made. And no matter how unfair it may be, the rule of the playground was that you must respect the crossies.
The AMI QT Devotionals from May 28-June 2 are provided by Pastor Joshua Kim of Church of Southland. Joshua, a graduate of Emory University and Columbia Theological Seminary (M.Div.), serves as the pastor of Access (singles) Community at the Church of Southland. He is married to Christina. 
Growing up in Salt Lake City, UT, I had the unique experience of getting to know Mormons in close proximity. They are some of the nicest people I have ever met. But many of my friends who grew up in the Mormon church participated simply because that’s what they were supposed to do. I was talking to a high school friend of mine who was getting ready to go on his 2-year mission trip with the LDS church. I was curious because I knew his negative feelings toward the religion he grew up in, which showed in his lifestyle choices. But despite these feelings, he told me, “I don’t know if I really believe in this stuff, but this is what I’m supposed to do.”
When my parents sold our family home of 16 years, I tried to convince myself that it was not a sad parting. While I loved our family home— and it was certainly God’s provision to give us such space—my primary concern was more for my parents. It wasn’t until I visited our home one last time to surrender my keys, when I found myself in a flood of tears. Seeing our home that had been filled with memories, keepsakes, and valuables completely empty for someone else to move their things in, hit me with the reality that I would never live in this house again. I realized at that moment that I needed to grieve this transition properly for me to walk into the new season that God had in store for myself and my family.
The first year that I started as the youth pastor at Catalyst, I was enthusiastic, excited, and filled with idea upon ideas of all the ways I would lead our youth to love and serve the Lord. Sermon prepping, event planning, and discipleship was a complete joy, and I instantly fell in love with my kids. It was about two years into my stint when I was bombarded with certain life circumstances that began to take a toll on my physical body, as well as spiritual and emotional health. What used to be exciting became a drudge, and it was about that same time when I saw my youth kids begin to struggle with complacency and lack of excitement for our youth events. I had my wakeup call when I was preaching a message about Jesus as the true King, and each one of my students— even the active participants—seemed disengaged. I knew at that moment that my actions, attitude, and spiritual life was seeping into the very lives that God had entrusted me with; and I needed to do everything I could to get well, not only for myself, but also for my students.
In 2014, after living apart from my family for five years, the Lord convicted me to move back in with my parents. It was an extremely difficult decision because of my long family history, but upon hearing from the Lord that this was my next mission field, I went in faith. It wasn’t long into my move when I started experiencing the same tensions that had originally made me believe I would never live at home again. I began to react to my old ways and I felt I was being everything but the beacon of light to my family that God had called me to. It was during this time when I had one of the most vivid dreams — my mother was nearing the end of her life, and during her last moments all I could say and feel was the remorse and regret for not treating her right and spending more time with her. Upon waking up, I knew the Lord was warning me of the regret I would feel if I did not mend my relationship with my mother.
Sometime last summer, I was at our church office working especially late preparing for three large events, when I heard our church doorbell ring. Assuming it was a fellow staff member who might have forgotten their keys, I unassumingly opened the door to find a homeless man covered in soot. Startled, but concerned, I asked the man if he needed food or water. He politely declined and simply asked if I had socks in the building. Upon looking at his feet, I noticed that he was bleeding on his foot; yet not having any clothes at our office, the man asked if I could call an ambulance for him. Soon after, the paramedics and police arrived; and upon seeing the man, they began to interrogate him without ever asking if he was hurt. Their first words were, “Why are you so dirty?” It was an absolutely heartbreaking experience to see the people who took an oath to serve and protect the community marginalize this man without a concern for his health—simply because of his state.