The AMI QT Devotionals for March 28-April 2 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.
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT FOR TODAY
“All Can Speak in Tongues”
1 Corinthians 14:1-5
1 Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. 2 For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. 3 On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. 5 Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
Today’s Bible passage is the same as yesterday’s, but we will focus on the gift of tongues. (If you did not read yesterday’s devotional, I encourage you to do so before reading today’s.)
Yesterday, I mentioned that prophecy is speaking about what is going on in the heavenly realm. God is always at work, so heaven is a busy place! We often do not see what is going on, what God is doing around us, but there is a spiritual realm where God and His angels are working.
So, then, what is tongues? Well, tongues is in essence praying according to what is going on in the heavenly realm. This passage says that while praying in tongues, a person “speaks not to men but to God” (v.2). Only God hears these prayers, these “mysteries in the Spirit.” Though we may not know what we are praying, still, individually, we are built up by speaking in tongues (v.4).
But, as Paul encourages, we should not be satisfied with tongues alone: “Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret” (1 Cor. 14:13). When we can interpret tongues, that becomes prophecy, because through interpretation, the spiritual realities that are being prayed over are opened to the church, so that everyone can see what is happening in the spiritual realm.
Do you speak in tongues? Today, let’s ask God for the gift of interpretation. If you do not speak in tongues, do not be afraid to ask God for this gift. As Paul said, he wants “all to speak in tongues” (v.4)—that includes us!
Prayer: Lord, thank You that you open up the heavens to us through tongues and prophecy. Help us to continue to desire these gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. Lord, we want to build up Your church and You give us these gifts for that purpose. Help us to desire what You desire for us. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 21
Early in his prophetic career, Isaiah had a powerful encounter with God. He says this: “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew” (Isaiah 6:1-2). Basically, Isaiah saw what was going on in heaven.
For example, sometimes while driving down the highway, someone will speed by me or cut me off or drive in a way that bothers me, so I’ll think, “I hope they get pulled over.” I am rejoicing at the potential for their downfall. And then, let’s imagine that I see those blue lights appear and pull that car over – it would be pure glee.
The AMI QT Devotionals for March 28-April 2 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.
I remember when I first became a Christian and was reading through 1 Corinthians 13, thinking, “Why is ‘patient’ the first description of love?” Most of the descriptions are negatives (e.g., love does NOT envy or boast), and the other positive description that is paired with patient is “kind,” which makes a lot of sense for describing love. If you are a loving person, that simply means you are kind and nice, right? That’s often what we are taught by the world, where love is defined more by action.
When I was in high school, I played the trombone—and the trombone is known for having the capacity to be very loud. I remember one orchestra concert that had an epic ending, with a long note that would be held by the entire orchestra. But in my immaturity and pride, I saw that note as my moment to shine. So, during the concert, while many people were watching and listening, once we got to that epic note, I let loose with all the sound I could muster out of the trombone. It was so loud that even the conductor was thrown off and forgot to give the cue to move on from that note!
Today’s AMI QT Devotional is provided by Jabez Yeo of TRPC, New York. His devotional is based off material from Serge’s Sonship program. You can click 
An inspiring hero of the faith for me is Corrie ten Boom, who was imprisoned for helping over 800 Jews escape the Holocaust. After the war, Corrie repeatedly preached about forgiveness, and after one talk, one of her prison guards, who did not recognize her, thanked her and held out his hand. Crying to God for help, Corrie shook his hand and declared that she forgave him. She then wrote in The Hiding Place, “I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness…that the world’s healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives along with the command, the love itself.”
In an article on NPR.org entitled “Getting Some ‘Me’ Time: Why Millennials Are So Individualistic,” it states: “They are a class of self-centered, self-absorbed, selfie-snapping 20-somethings. This is how many critics have come to define the millennial generation. But hold on, isn’t this what was said about every generation when it was young? Minus the selfies of course.” Individualism has long been considered the hallmark of America. It is appealing because we do not like to depend on anyone else—meaning, we like self-sufficiency.
If you are a college basketball fan, you know that March Madness is taking place now. It is the biggest and greatest tournament in college sports where the top 64 teams compete to become college basketball champions. Every year, without fail, there is always one team that surprises everyone – an underdog or unknown college team that somehow make it far in the tournament. Often, the reason why these underdog teams do so well is because of how well they play as a unit. Where they lack in talent, they make up in playing as a unified team, which often brings success.
When we look at the topic of spiritual gifts, we see that they have two major purposes. First, the gifts are given to edify the body of Christ. God has individually given us specific and unique gifts to minister to one another. That is why it is so important for every believer to be part of and actively involved in the local church body so that our gifts are used to their full potential. Second, the gifts are given to confirm the Word of God. The Apostle Paul addresses spiritual gifts in his letters (Romans 12, Ephesians 4), to instruct us how the body of Christ should function and how we are to participate in building it up.
If you ever played organized team sports, you know the importance of finding your specific role on the team according to your abilities. Growing up, I played Little League baseball competitively, and I got to be on some winning teams. What made some of these teams successful was a common understanding that the pitcher, catcher, first basemen, and all the other positions understood what they were good at and also knew the role they played for the betterment of the team.