The AMI QT Devotionals from May 1-6 are provided by Pastor Charles Choe of Tapestry Church, Los Angeles. Charles, a graduate of UC Riverside and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Grace, and they have three children: Chloe, Noah, and Camden.
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS FOR TODAY
2 Corinthians 8:19-24
We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21 for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.
A young man wrote a love letter that included these words: “I would cross the widest ocean for you; swim the deepest river for you; scale the highest mountain for you; and crawl across the burning sands of the desert –nothing is too much for you!” Then he added this postscript: “If it doesn’t rain, I’ll be over to see you on Tuesday night.”
Sometimes this is the way we think about love. We think love is a feeling, that it is intensely emotional. But the kind of love the Bible speaks of is much more than a feeling—it’s an action; a reaction. It’s to love when things are difficult; when we feel like doing the exact opposite out of self-preservation. It’s a love that is not determined by our feelings or by the situation.
In our passage today, Paul challenges the Corinthians to prove their love. Verse 21 reads, “for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.” It’s one thing to honor God, but how about being honorable in the sight of God? It’s one thing to say we love God, but it’s another to show it by loving others. We are reminded by the apostle John, not the most loving person in his youth (Lk. 9:54) whom God had transformed, who writes, “Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love” (1 John 4:8). We are always ready to receive God’s love, the affirmation of His love in our daily circumstances, but how readily do we avail ourselves to loving others?
In other words, if we are genuine followers of Jesus Christ, there will be more than just talk. And giving is a concrete expression of love. If giving is to be truly out of love, it requires a degree of sacrifice. Giving sacrificially is a way to tangibly flesh out the emotions we actually feel; telling a hurting person that things will get better might be helpful, but it doesn’t cost anything for the giver. It’s when we give, to the point that it hurts, that we are much more like Jesus. It’s when we give that we demonstrate our trust in God.
How tangible is your love? Are you faithful in your giving for the cause of Christ? When is the last time you just blessed somebody because you simply loved them?
Prayer: God, help me to be loving in action, and not just in words. Help me to discover the joy of giving to others. May even my bank statements truly reflect my trust in You! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Colossians 3-4
When meeting new people, every now and then, I hear people say to me, “Your reputation precedes you.” My usual reply—which I assume is the same for many— is something in the same vein as, “I hope it’s not alI bad,” or, “Don’t believe everything people say.” I know that the speaker basically means that he or she has previously heard about me from other people, who have made a judgment about me and passed it along to others. Whether fair or not, what others have said about you has essentially defined you—at least up to that very moment.
As a father of three children, I am no stranger to my kids arguing and fighting over fairness. In fact, with the older two, there is no greater injustice than a smaller piece of cake, one less scoop of ice cream, or one of them going to sleep ten minutes later. It must be exactly the same— always even steven.
Many of us want to serve the Lord, but we don’t always know how. We want to do the work of God’s mission or be involved with our church in ministry, but we don’t always have the time. We are torn because we find it hard to extract ourselves from the responsibility of work and family duties. Fortunately, God is greater than our limitations and He has given us multiple platforms for us to help build his Kingdom.
The AMI QT Devotionals from May 1-6 are provided by Pastor Charles Choe of Tapestry Church, Los Angeles. Charles, a graduate of UC Riverside and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Grace, and they have three children: Chloe, Noah, and Camden.
As a pastor who loves his church, I find that the most unpleasant thing about my job is having to rebuke a congregant who is in sin. I don’t like to do it, and trust me, no one likes to receive it. But as I have gotten more mature in my faith, I’ve come to realize that rebuking someone in sin—with the right motive and the right approach— is one of the most loving things anyone can do. It’s often our cowardice or fear that keeps us from pointing out the erroneous way of our brother or sister.
When I was in middle school, I was caught shoplifting some candy at a local grocery store. It was a random stranger who turned me in to the store manager. When I was confronted by the manager, I pleaded with him to let me go, that I was sorry and I would never do it again. The manager gave me a tongue lashing, but for some reason, he did not turn me over to the police. Maybe he thought it was not worth his time to report such a petty theft. But here’s the thing: I found myself shoplifting again, no more than a month after my sorrowful repentance.
Whenever I find myself wearing a shirt with a Bible verse or a church logo, I must admit, I am quite conscious of it. I am aware that when I go to play basketball or go to the mall with the church shirt on my back, whether I like it or not, I am advertising my faith or my church. I would like to think that I am going about my day in a way that can be a blessing to others, not a stumbling block.
It may sound weird, but, for me, it always feels special to enter an actual church building, especially cathedrals. There’s a certain sense of reverence and awe that I feel when I’m in a beautiful sanctuary with long pews, stained glassed windows and a big pipe organ to boot. Having been a part of mobile churches like GCC and of Symphony Church since my college days, I’m very much accustomed to having worship services in all sorts of locations: lecture halls, banquet halls, rock clubs, retreat centers, hotels, schools, living rooms, basements, giant tents, outdoor parks, beaches, etc. That is probably why I feel the way I do whenever I get to worship in a “real” church building.
As a pastor and probably also as an Asian, I feel somewhat awkward when I receive a compliment about a sermon I preached or some other ministry responsibilities that I carried out. The Asian side of me simply isn’t used to receiving compliments, but the Christian/pastor side of me feels awkward about them because I’m supposed to strive for humility and not let myself get “proud” about what I have done. Because of this, I find it interesting that Paul is willing to say in 2 Corinthians that “as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way.”
When I was a junior in college, I became a Christian while attending Grace Covenant Church (Philadelphia). One of the important factors that led me to Christ was the community—especially the family group that I was a part of that year. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by people my age, who were passionately pursuing growth in their relationship with God—and that was inspiring to me. I saw brothers and sisters praying with fervor, reading the Bible, and attending church in various forms—three times a week—because they wanted to encounter God. Not only that, they were meeting with me and investing into my life so that I could grow too. I really thought that I had found a church “full of angels.”