Devotional Thoughts for Today
“Finishing Well”
Genesis 47:29-31
And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.” 31 And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.
Yesterday was a sad day as we mourned the death of evangelist Billy Graham. He preached to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history, which was nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories, with “hundreds of millions more” viewing him on television, video, film and webcasts. He continued to do crusades even into his 80’s, and when asked what his purpose in life was, Billy responded, “My one purpose in life, is to help people find a personal relationship with God, which, I believe, comes through knowing Christ.” Billy will be remembered for his impact he had proclaiming the gospel in the world. He lived a life well-lived and finished well.
In today’s passage, Jacob is also nearing the end of his life. He requested to be buried in Canaan instead of Egypt, which was a declaration of his faith in the promise of the land to Abraham and his seed forever (15:17). This episode at the end of Jacob’s life confirmed the future-oriented character of his trust in God. Faith looks to the future, knowing that the Lord will surely do all that He has pledged to do. By faith he looked to the day when Yahweh would keep His promise, and he knew blessing would come upon his people if they would trust in God’s abundant grace and obey His commands in the Promised Land. Burial there manifested Jacob’s trust in God for such blessing—even in death.
How do you want to be remembered at the end of your life? What would others say about you, especially when it comes to your faith and trust in the Lord. Let’s continue to be faithful and steadfast until the very end!
Prayer: Lord, we pray that we would finish well. The journey of faith is not easy at times, but give us the power and strength until the Day we see You face to face. Amen!
Bible Reading for Today: Joshua 7
Lunch Break Study
Read 2 Timothy 4:6-8: For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
Questions to Consider
- How does Paul describe the Christian life?
- What does he want to let his readers know about his own walk with Jesus?
- How did Paul view the end of his life? How do you view yours?
Notes
- He describes it as a spiritual battle. The idea Paul was conveying was a potential fight to the death. This reminds us that the Christian life is a conflict. Once you enter into this new relationship with God, you discover that your adversary, the devil, will try to undermine you.
- He remained faithful till the end. In the original language, this statement carries the meaning of having guarded the faith as an armed soldier would guard his post against enemy attack. Paul was saying that he had not strayed from the truth of God’s Word, but that he lived it out.
- He knew that the Lord would reward him for his faithfulness—and that was his joy and what he looked forward to.
Evening Reflection
“The beautiful thing about this adventure called faith is that we can count on Him never to lead us astray. “– Charles (Chuck) Swindoll
As we finish the day with our evening reflection, think about the quote above by Charles Swindoll. Our God will never lead us astray because He is faithful. It means that we can trust Him with our life, time, money, career, future, family, etc. Are you trusting God in all the areas of your life?
All Christians experience suffering—whether it be in the past, present, or in the future. But just because we experience suffering as we await the redemption of our bodies, it doesn’t mean that our suffering is random or without purpose. And neither does it mean that Scripture doesn’t tell us how to think about our suffering now. Tim Keller, in Walking with God through Pain and Suffering, puts it like this:
It’s a hard concept to grasp that God uses the failures and shortcomings of His people and redeems it for His glory. I recently heard a testimony of a Christian leader who fell into the addiction of pornography. It had almost destroyed his marriage, family, and his ministry; but through the love and support of people around him, he received treatment for his addiction and now helps others with similar struggles. What a story of redemption!
The AMI QT Devotionals from February 19-25 are provided by Pastor David Kwon of Journey Community Church (Raleigh). David, a graduate of Drexel University and Columbia International University (M.Div.) is married to Helen (“Pie”) and they have three beautiful daughters (Cara, Phoebe, and Ruth).
A few years ago, I had forgotten to pick up my daughter after school. I remember that I had gotten extremely busy that day with work and meetings and I eventually forgot what time it was. Her school eventually called me and when I picked her up, she was quick to forgive me for being late, but the reality is that no one likes to be forgotten.
Death is something that few like to think about or talk about, but we all know that death is inevitable and unavoidable. We would rather talk about living a good life, but sooner or later, we have to face our mortality. Though it may seem morbid and depressing, maybe we would be much better off, if— instead of thinking about having a good time and avoiding death—we thought about what it means to die well.
One of the most laborious and painstaking things in life is—moving. This past summer my family moved from our old apartment into our new house, and while we were thankful for God’s provision of a new home, the process was not fun at all. If you’ve moved recently, you know that it’s so much work: you pack up all of your belongings and put them in boxes, much less load up a truck, recruit help, unload, clean your old place and your new place, and the list goes on. Because there’s just so much work involved, as people get older, there is a growing desire to be settled. I’d imagine that for most of us, by the time we reach retirement age, the last thing we’d want to do is to move.
My parents came to the United States as refugees who fled from Vietnam. They, along with my sister who was a toddler at the time, immigrated with no money or possessions, and no knowledge of the culture or English. You would think that they had little chance of surviving or that they were doomed to live a life of poverty, but what they experienced was far from that. They were sponsored by a local church that gave so freely and generously to my family. This church helped my parents find housing, taught them English and how to drive, and helped find jobs and even childcare. My parents were incredibly blessed and so thankful for the lavish generosity and favor shown them by strangers.
I have distinct memories of my parents telling me starting at a very young age that it was my responsibility to be successful—that is, to grow up, do well in school, and get a good, well-paying job. The purpose was so that I could provide for my parents financially and take care of them. They would move into the house I owned that would presumably be big enough for them and my future wife and children. This is the expectation of a firstborn son, like me, in a traditional Chinese family.
The AMI QT Devotionals from February 12-18 are provided by Pastor Shan Gian, who serves as the Fenway site pastor of Symphony Church in Boston. Shan, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Jenny; and they are the proud parents of Tyler.
“Is the glass half empty or half full?” If someone answers that it’s half full, you can presume that he approaches life with optimism, but if someone says the glass is half empty, then he must be a pessimist, perceiving situations with a negative point of view. There’s no right or wrong answer, of course, but what this question shows us is that how a situation is perceived depends on one’s point of view.
The following is possibly a true story found on the Internet: “We convinced my youngest sister that she was adopted; it was fairly easy because she was a platinum blonde and the rest of us are all brunettes… She got us back by being happy that she wasn’t actually related to us.”