The AMI QT Devotionals from October 9-15 are provided by Pastor Peter Yoon of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego. Peter is a graduate of U.C. Riverside and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). He and his wife Jessica have three very active children: Nathan, Abigail, and Jason.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
“The Joy of Following Jesus”
Genesis 12:1
The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”
Years ago, Jessica and I were ministering at a retreat, and we sensed that some of the people present wanted to get closer to the Lord; yet, they were hesitating. It was there that I identified one of the reasons why believers hesitate to follow Jesus fully (with one foot on the brake): They have this notion that should they wholeheartedly commit to Jesus, God will immediately send them packing as missionaries to the “ends of the earth,” where they will suffer miserably under harsh conditions.
C.S. Lewis described his own conversion with the admission that he was “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England” as God would demand everything from Lewis that had ever given him pleasures in life.
Genesis 12 begins a new chapter in the story of the Bible, a story of God’s redemption. God chooses Abram to build a nation, and through Israel, God would bring His Kingdom on earth. And it begins with the calling of Abram and Sarai to leave their country, people, and family. I assume that for Abram and Sarai, their relatives and their living circumstances were sources of comfort and happiness; yet, they would leave trusting in God’s promises.
Do you find yourself hesitating in your commitment to the Lord believing that He might take something away from you? Do you have a view of God that He’s out to lead you towards a life that is hard and without happiness?
Well, C.S. Lewis, as well as many others, have discovered that following Jesus have resulted in the very opposite to their assumptions. In fact, as Lewis followed Jesus, he was quite surprised by joy that was deeper than any momentary pleasures (Surprised by Joy). He discovered that true joy only results in knowing a Person and being devoted to Him.
May the Lord help all of us who still hesitate in following Him fully.
Prayer: Lord, I admit that I hesitate in my devotion to You because I’m afraid You might take things away from me. Help me to truly understand the love of the Father and the joy of following You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Acts 2
Lunch Break Study
Read Heb. 12:1-3 (NIV): Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Questions to Consider
- How does the writer of Hebrews instruct the believers to continue in their faith?
- What motivated Jesus to endure the pain and suffering of the cross?
Notes
- He exhorts the believers to: throw off things that hinder us; to run the raced marked for us; to fix our eyes on Jesus; and to consider Christ who endured opposition.
- It was “for the joy set before him.” In other words, true joy awaited Him on the other side of the cross.
Evening Reflection
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you throw off sins that so easily entangle you, so that you can continue to run the race marked for you and discover true joy that is found in Christ Jesus.
One afternoon, I took my son, Nathan, to H-Mart, a local Korean grocery store. At the check-out line, I spoke to the cashier in Korean. My son looked stunned that a foreign language was coming out of my mouth. With confusion in his eyes, he said, “I didn’t know you can speak Spanish.” I had a good laugh sharing that story with my wife later that evening. However, when confusion is a result of misinterpretations and misunderstandings, it is quite frustrating. Even when speaking the same language with one another, how often our miscommunications and misunderstandings have impeded a project, or worse, wrecked a relationship?
Many cities in the US are given nicknames that reveal their civic identities. These nicknames can sometimes provide a sense of community for its residents as well as a sense of civic pride. I do sense a bit of pride about my city having its nickname. Does your city’s nickname give you a sense of pride?
Churches are filled with many young impressionable believers that can make discipleship exciting. However, at times, it’s unfortunate when someone in the church twists God’s grace into a license to sin. It is true that no person is required to observe the OT Law as a means for salvation; the gospel of Jesus Christ is that Heaven is absolutely a free gift; and no church attendance or offering money is at all required for salvation. This is because when Jesus died on the cross, He fulfilled the OT Law (Rom. 10:4; Gal. 3:23-25). However, the unbiblical conclusion is that there’s nothing that God expects of Christians in terms of a disciplined life in God’s Spirit, and some begin to think, “If I’m saved by grace and all of my sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven, why not sin all I want?”
The AMI QT Devotionals for October 2-8 are provided by Doug Tritton. Doug, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is currently serving as a staff at Symphony Church (Boston) while pursuing a M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. He is married to Cindy and they are proud parents of Audrey.
If the Bible names someone “mighty”, this is important to notice. Typically, God is the One described as mighty, the One who fights for His people like a mighty warrior. David also had his mighty men, the people whom he trusted above all else. But here, we have this person Nimrod described as a mighty man and a mighty hunter, even though he is in the lineage of Ham, the one who was cursed in the previous chapter. In fact, in this genealogy, the story of Nimrod stands out, since he gets a special shout-out, unlike anyone else listed in the genealogy.
Genealogies can be difficult to read in the Old Testament. Often, we may think to ourselves, “I can just skip these chapters and move onto the important parts of the Bible.” This is certainly tempting, but these chapters are also God’s word, so we should not ignore them.
My family has this Bible called the Jesus Storybook Bible that we frequently read to our daughter. Though it was made for children, it is surprisingly blessing to read. The authors ensured that each story somehow points to Jesus, rather than some moral platitude as many other children’s Bibles do. As I read this Bible to my daughter Audrey, I’m encouraged as I remember that Jesus really is the plot behind the entire story of the Bible.
A common nightmare people have is finding themselves naked while outside. Why is this dream so common? Why is this a fear so many people have? Maybe you’ve had a dream like this before. Likely, this fear of public nakedness stems from the Fall, when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of Good and Evil and realized their nakedness and, thus, covered themselves.
Recently, I have come to really enjoy this song called “Yes and Amen” by Housefires. The chorus speaks of the faithfulness of God, that all His promises are Yes and Amen (see 2 Corinthians 1:20). Every time I sing this song, I just want to shout the chorus – I love singing of God’s faithfulness because truly our God is faithful!
Shortly after I got my driver’s license, when I was in high school, I drove some of my friends to the Poconos Mountains outside of Philadelphia for a snowboard trip. The drive would take about two hours, and so it was my longest drive without my parents in the car with me. Before setting off, the mom of one of my friends said to me, “Be careful; you have precious cargo in the car.” For some reason, this stuck with me. The life of my friend was very precious to her mother, obviously, but really there is something precious about life in general.