The AMI QT Devotionals from November 20-26 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 group (singles). He is married to Christina.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
Genesis 21.3, 6-7 (ESV)
Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.
6 And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” 7 And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
If you have spent some time browsing through YouTube, there’s a good chance that you have come across some of these videos: They capture the moments when an enlisted member of a family (a dad, a mom, a sibling, etc.) comes back from war or training, surprising their family on a special occasion. And my guess is that for many of us, watching these sweet moments of reunion, our hearts are full of joy, which often leaks out of our eyes in the form of tears.
The human experience of crying is odd. Oftentimes, tears represent sorrow, pain, loss, while other times, tears are a sign of overwhelming joy and happiness. In today’s passage, we see another reaction that represents these extremes. If you remember back in Genesis 18, we see Abraham and Sarah encounter three men who foretell that Sarah will have a son next year, at the age of 90. Hearing this news, Sarah laughs to herself. The nature of Sarah’s laugh has been somewhat debated by many theologians, but many agree that this laugh was an incredulous response, almost a mocking tone of disbelief.
Now in Genesis 21, we see that Sarah is again laughing. In fact, Isaac’s name is derived from the word laughter. But this time, her laughter comes from a very different place. While there is still a sense of awe and disbelief, Sarah’s laughter is now one of incredible joy and amazement at how God had done the impossible. And here we see a central theme that surrounds God’s work.
God is a God who is able to turn our sorrows into rejoicing. Not only is He able, but He is willing. For those who trust in Him, they will experience this kind of transformation. Hearts are changed. Perspectives are shifted. Desires are redirected. What is good to our eyes changes from what is fleshly to what is spiritual—this is possible in God. As you reflect upon God’s ability to change your laughter of unbelief to laughter of joy, may you be reminded of God’s incredible love toward you.
Prayer: Father, thank You that You are our heavenly Father who loves to give what is good to His children. Thank You that Your intent is always for good and not for evil. God, You are a God of the impossible—all things are possible in You, even changing of calloused hearts. May I be reminded of that power that can change even the darkest corners of my heart. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 21
Lunch Break Study
Read Psalm 30:1-4, 11-12 (ESV): I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. 2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. 4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. . . .11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever
Questions to Consider
- What reasons does David give in the Psalm for his exaltation of God? Are there parts of David’s life that would testify of this kind of God?
- Focus on verses 11-12. What can you learn from the contrasting emotions and experience the psalmist feels when God’s deliverance comes?
- How does your understanding of question 2 change your understanding of the manner in which we are called to live our lives?
Notes
- You can see that David has experienced deliverance from his enemies (Saul, Absalom), from living as a nomad in fear of his life (1 Sam 27, 2 Sam 15), the struggle of being anointed king yet the fulfillment of that seeming so distant, etc.
- The contrast is from mourning to dancing. Sometimes, all we ask is from mourning to peace, but God gives so much more than that. He not only removes our sackcloth of mourning, but He clothes us with gladness. He is indeed a God who can do far greater than what we can imagine or think.
- As God is a God who turns mourning into not just peace but dancing, the posture in which we are called to live our lives is found in verse 12: not be silent; sing your praise to Him. Not just peace, not just comfort—we are to take our dancing and turn it into rejoicing to His glory.
Evening Reflection
Charles Spurgeon on Psalm 30: “Observe the contrast, God takes away the mourning of his people; and what does he give them instead of it? Quiet and peace? Aye, and a great deal more than that… Glory be to thee, O God, if, by a sense of full forgiveness and present justification, thou hast enriched my spiritual nature and filled me with all the fullness of God.”
As you have spent the day reflecting on a God who takes us from doubt and mourning to faith and rejoicing, in what areas of your life do you need this truth to be spoken to? Spend some time this evening reminding yourself of the God who is able to turn your mourning into dancing. And respond in appropriate worship to Him.
After my time in the office, I had a dinner meeting with one of our church members. Thirty minute prior to our meeting, I sent him a text message confirming where we will be meeting. No response. I sent another text message making sure I had the time right. No response. A little confused, I kept waiting at the office. After waiting about 1.5 hours, I received a text message: “I’m so sorry PJosh…”
Today’s AMI QT Devotional provided by Jennifer Kim, a staff of Church of Southland, Anaheim, California. Jennifer, a graduate of Biola University, is current finishing up her M.Div. at Talbot School of Theology.
About two weeks ago, the LA Dodgers competed against the Houston Astros in the 2017 MLB World Series. Of course, living in Southern California, this was a big deal and would frequently be the main topic of conversation among my friends. These two teams rivaled against each other in a long 7-game stretch—ultimately leading to the Astro’s first championship title in its franchise history. I am not much of a baseball fan (so there is no bias here), but I would have to say that for the Astros, winning the World Series was quite a notable accomplishment despite their many years of losses and setbacks.
AMI QT Devotionals for November 16-18 are provided by Pastor Paul Liu.
No one likes to hear the words, “I told you so,” even when we know we’re wrong—it just sounds annoying and reeks of condescension. Yet for all the ways we don’t like to have our faults pointed out to us, we usually won’t grow without it. In fact, the apostle Paul tells us: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Notice the functions of Scripture in these verses: teaching, reproof, correction, equipping and training. Yes, there’s a cognitive aspect in teaching, but there is also correction and reproof (NIV says, ‘”rebuking”), which means, if we are to grow in faith, we need the rebuke of Scripture, as well as others to rebuke us according to Scripture. It’s part of our training in faith.
I’m not sure about you, but if I could, I’d wear a t-shirt and jeans everyday. And not just any t-shirt and jeans—it has to be my favorite ones. Most people have clothes like that— comforting and comfortable—where you can’t wait to get out of your work clothes to put on these comfortable ones. That’s probably how Abraham felt about taking up his favorite defense mechanism for when the going got tough: he started lying. We see it happen in this text, as well as in Genesis 12:10-13: out of fear for his life, he tells Sarai to lie that she’s his sister and not his wife. It was like putting on a favorite t-shirt for Abraham—comfortable, even though it was a plan with holes all over it. Abraham panicked and chose deceit rather than truth.
Upon returning from our church retreat a couple months ago, I discovered that I had lost my car keys. Immediately, I went into a panic mode and began searching everything around me. I frantically checked all of my belongings, every vehicle I had entered, and every room I set my foot in. When some of the church members noticed my predicament, they quickly jumped in and helped me search for my keys as well. One of my friends even went as far as to call the retreat site and ask about any lost items. After a couple hours passed by, I came to the unfortunate reality that my keys were officially lost.
Jennifer Kim, a graduate of Boston University, spent a year in Shanghai as one-year intern from 2013-14. She is currently serving as a staff at Catalyst Agape Church (New Jersey) while attending Alliance Theological Seminary.
During my senior year in college, I started experiencing these awful “night terrors”, in which I would wake up in sheer panic and fear. It was a very bizarre experience, but as a result I actually became afraid to go to bed. After a few weeks of dealing with this, I became desperate for healing and I knew I had to share with my roommates. That very night, as I mustered up the courage to share, they decided to tuck me into bed and pray over me. In my exhaustion I fell asleep as they were praying, but in the middle of the night I startled myself awake, not out of fear or panic, but to use the restroom, completely unaware that I had gone almost the entire night without a single nightmare. But as I was getting out of bed I noticed all three of my roommates huddled together sleeping on the floor of my 80 square feet room. As a matter of fact, because they could not all fit in my room, one of them was sleeping in the hallway of our apartment. From that night on, I never woke up in panic or fear again—I was completely healed.
With the pumpkin spice lattes, cornucopia decorations, and colder weather upon us, it’s clear that the long awaited day of food coma and family get-togethers is approaching. But we all know that the reason for the season isn’t for the turkey or the cornbread, or even the pumpkin pie, but it’s to remember all that we should be thankful for this season. I’m sure you’ve heard countless messages and read dozens of devotionals explaining why we should be grateful and what we should be grateful for, but have you ever wondered what the cost of ingratitude is?
The AMI QT Devotionals for November 11-12 are provided by Christine Wang who, along with her husband Ulysses, recently planted the Renewal Church in Sunnyvale, California. A graduate of New York University, Christine is a proud mother of Audrey and Noah.
Yesterday, I shared how God didn’t relinquish my husband Ulysses and me from the call to China after we had run from it. Instead, He relentlessly pursued us and allowed us time in the “belly of the fish” to experience Him.