Today’s AMI QT Devotional is provided by Charles Graham. Charles is a new intern with Kairos, who came aboard in September of 2017. He is currently studying at Talbot School of Theology to prepare himself for a life of service and ministry.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
“Just the tip of the iceberg”
Jeremiah 1:9-16 (NIV)
Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. ¹⁰See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.” ¹¹The word of the Lord came to me: “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “I see the branch of an almond tree,” I replied. ¹²The Lord said to me, “You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.” ¹³The word of the Lord came to me again: “What do you see?” “I see a pot that is boiling,” I answered. “It is tilting toward us from the north.” ¹⁴The Lord said to me, “From the north disaster will be poured out on all who live in the land. ¹⁵I am about to summon all the peoples of the northern kingdoms,” declares the Lord. “Their kings will come and set up their thrones in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem; they will come against all her surrounding walls and against all the towns of Judah. ¹⁶I will pronounce my judgments on my people because of their wickedness in forsaking me, in burning incense to other gods and in worshiping what their hands have made.
Have you ever been so sure about something, only to discover later, there was more to learn or realize than what you thought was the whole truth? When something grabs my interest, I love reading and studying about it. Whatever it is, I want to know its ins and outs, its background and everything else there is to know about it. I’m a nerd, and I enjoy obsessive study. When I found Christianity, the same instincts kicked in to the nth degree. Now, ignoring my early theological, epistemological, or other scholarly four-syllable word mistakes, in my pride, I really thought my obsessive study habits put me on the path to truly knowing God. Oh, my naivety!
Conventional wisdom would dictate careful, steady study is the best way to learn about something. While this is true, applying this simple axiom to Christianity only gets you so far. A person could bury themselves in the Word, read systematic theology books monthly, and comb through Scripture to learn as much as there is to know about God, and still miss the greater point. Consider your best friend telling you about someone they think you’d love to date. Your friend could tell you about this person’s likes, dislikes and general character. Your friend could even support their claims about this person by pulling excerpts from their personal diary. You could even follow the person on their social media platforms, learning everything about their daily life. When all is said and done, you’ve learned everything there is to know about this person—and yet, your relationship with them has not progressed any further than when you had no idea that they existed. Why? Because you haven’t met them yet. This is how far my obsessive study skills had gotten me before trusted friends knocked some sense into me.
The reality is, the Christian life is not predicated on knowing about God, but rather, knowing God Himself. While there are worse ways to spend one’s time than studying His likes, dislikes and character, etc., time also ought to be spent alone with God, reaching out to Him in prayer. After an honest pursuit, I’ve come to learn that sometimes, God reaches back. When it comes to spiritual giftings or even stepping into certain roles, I admit—like Jeremiah—that I harbor much doubt. However, in Jeremiah 1, we see God reminding Jeremiah that He will accompany and rescue him. What’s more, we see God sending Jeremiah visions and interpreting them to let him know that He is trustworthy. Receiving images from God is a bit new for me. While I’m certain I’ve had other encounters with the Holy Spirit, seeing prophetic images is not something that comes easy. My prayer is that as my knowledge of God catches up to my knowledge about God, and our relationship builds, that I will learn to listen and wait for Him.
Prayer: Father, learning about You and meeting You are two, very different concepts. I have spent much time on the former, mistakenly thinking it would bring us closer. I now ask for Your help in working on the latter. Though I spend much time speaking to You, please help me to perceive and understand when You speak back. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Hebrews 2
Lunch Break Study
Read John 3:1-10 (NIV): Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?
Questions to consider
- What is Nicodemus’ role as a Pharisee?
- If Nicodemus is so knowledgeable, why can’t he understand what Jesus is saying to him?
- So, why do you think God has given us His Word? Give a personal answer.
Notes
- As a Pharisee, Nicodemus is a Jewish religious authority. From a young age, Nicodemus was trained to be a scholar of Judaism, giving him far superior knowledge of the Scriptures than that of any ordinary person. If anyone knew how to read and interpret Jewish religious writings, law or traditions, Nicodemus would be one of them.
- Unfortunately, like his peers, Nicodemus had focused the vast majority of his studies on knowing the Scriptures and following the law as he understood them on the surface. It seems, as a whole, the Pharisees had focused on the what of the Scriptures, rather than the why, making it difficult for him to understand Jesus’ answers.
- Personal response.
Evening Reflection
Like most past times, acquiring knowledge is not intrinsically a bad thing. The key is, however, to recognize the fine line that separates a healthy activity from an idolatrous one. Studying the Word, seeking its wisdom and learning about God are all good things, until they get in the way of your relationship with Him. Oftentimes, good things are the easiest objects to make into idols for ourselves. The remedy, it seems, is to meet with God in prayer and simply ask for more of Him, and for our desire of Him to increase as His presence does.
Today’s AMI QT Devotional is written by Esther Chailim. Esther, a graduate of University of California, San Diego, is currently serving as the Director of Ministries at Kairos Christian Church (San Diego) and pursuing a Masters in Christian Ministry and Leadership at Talbot School of Theology.
Three years ago, after sending off our college pastor to serve as a missionary, my role on staff changed from Church Administrator to College Pastor/Director. On paper, this was a step forward, so naturally, I should have felt excitement for this new opportunity; instead, I couldn’t help but feel hesitant about the changes that would soon come my way. I quickly transitioned from a role that I was fairly comfortable and confident with, to one that I felt extremely ill-equipped and unprepared for. As I reluctantly took on the new role, I was quickly met with a great sense of fear, inadequacy and pride. And when I say pride, I don’t mean the boasting kind, but the kind that says, “I don’t measure up” or “I’ll look like a failure.” Like Jeremiah, I felt insecure in my capacity to lead others, let alone a college ministry, and found every excuse to convince myself and others that I was not the right person for the job. My insecurity crippled me from fully embracing my calling and stepping into the role which God had appointed to me in that season.
In yesterday’s devotional on Mark 16:9-14, I wrote about the disciples’ lack of faith and how we ourselves may have unbelief. While trusting in Jesus is a lifelong process, a simple way to exhibit our trust is to obey what Christ has called us, the church, to do.
As someone who has primarily attended non-denominational churches, I am more familiar with contemporary worship songs than classic hymns. However, the few hymns I have sung always resonate with me due to the weightiness of their lyrics. Most recently, I heard “Trust and Obey” for the first time during commencement and was struck by the simple yet straightforward truth in the chorus: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
There are certain times when an individual or organization senses that a monumental change is at hand. For the Jacksonville Jaguars, such a moment came when they rehired Tom Coughlin to be their executive vice president of football operations. Before the hire, Jacksonville had just finished a 3-13 season and missed the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season. But when Coughlin came on board, his personnel decisions and leadership brought a heightened sense of excellence. As a result, the Jaguars finished 10-6 the season after and were one quarter away from their first Super Bowl appearance.
A word I often heard when I first began serving in church was investment, as in “who or what ministry should I invest in?” I initially felt uncomfortable with the concept (even as a finance major), but over time, I began to understand how applicable it was. Simply put, ministry done well requires investment: whether its discipling someone, preparing for a Bible study or organizing an event, intentional time and effort is required, along with God’s presence and blessing, for fruit to be produced.
In Where is God When It Hurts? (1997), Philip Yancey describes pain as the “gift nobody wants.” To prove his point, Yancey describes a world without physical pain through the eyes of lepers. As leprosy numbs the extremities, lepers are unaware of any accidental cuts or burns, eventually leading to loss of their limbs. Indeed, our body contains “a remarkable network of pain sensors” that keep us from injury. But what if you are exposed to pain and cannot do anything to change your situation? What if pain was not a warning signal but a reminder of your helplessness?
After having worked for a financial corporation in New York City for several years, I have learned that a common theme running through today’s corporate culture is branding. Whether it’s the status of our company or our personal reputation, managing our standing is given high priority. Thus, we meticulously display our best selves on our resumes and social media, and minimize our weaknesses by terming them “areas of improvement.” And if any false accusations are leveled against us—whether through gossip or hearsay—we act quickly to dispel those rumors to maintain our reputation.
The AMI QT Devotionals from April 30-May 6 are provided by Jabez Yeo. Jabez, an alumnus of University of Pennsylvania, just graduated from Columbia International University with a M.A. in Muslim Studies. He is currently working in NYC and serving at Remnant Church-E. He hopes to become a missionary.
One of the strongest ethos of Western society is the self-made person. We are trained to think that if we just work hard, educate ourselves and persevere, we will overcome any obstacles and achieve success. I, of course, am no exception. Yet, many of us live unaware of how our decisions are undoubtedly influenced by others. The explicit or subliminal messages you received from those who have gone before you in your family, church, school or workplace affect the “big-picture” decisions in your relationships, ministries, education and career. Even the most trivial of choices, such as where to eat or what movie to watch, can be made through consulting reviewers on Yelp or Rotten Tomatoes. As human beings, we innately trust someone who has been where we want to go.
Today’s AMI QT Devotionals is provided by Jon Moon, who serves as Children’s Ministry Director at Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco.
I remember the first time when someone came up to me and asked me to pray over him, not giving me anything specific to pray for. I recall getting nervous, thinking about what I would pray for and how I would pray for this person: How can I make my prayer sound good? What can I say to make it sound like I’m praying a good prayer over this person? You see, somehow I grew to think that ministering over someone through prayer—not just praying for someone’s prayer requests—and letting the Spirit speak was something that only seasoned pastors, really mature Christians, or those who could speak in tongues could do. I believed that I wasn’t good enough to pray over people—especially those who were older or more spiritually mature than I was.