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
“Earnestly Desire to Prophesy”
1 Corinthians 14:1-5
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.
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.
Sometimes, we can forget that heaven is a place of much activity and think of God as a distant person, who set everything in motion and let it all play out. But no, heaven is a busy place and God is working and His angels are working. So, what does this have to do with today’s passage? Well, prophecy is basically seeing into the heavenly realm and seeing what God and His angels are doing or will do. The truth is, God is at work, even though we may not see this.
Often people will ask, isn’t prophecy about seeing the future? Well, sometimes – but biblical prophecy more often concerns things happening here and now. As have I said, prophecy is seeing into the heavenly realm. This is why Paul urged everyone to desire prophecy. When we prophesy, we essentially open up heaven for others to see. We open up God’s workings so that the whole church can be encouraged at what God is doing.
Today, let’s ask for the gift of prophecy. Though not all have this gift, Scripture tells us to earnestly desire prophecy. And with this gift, there is a special way we can bless the church – for its “up building, encouragement, and consolation.”
Prayer: Lord, Your word tells us to earnestly seek the gift of prophecy, so today we ask that we may prophesy. You are at work and You are inviting us to join You, so help us to see You, to know what You are doing. Give us spiritual eyes to see You. Use us to build up Your church. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 20
LUNCH BREAK STUDY
Read Luke 11:9-13: 3 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Questions to Consider
- What happens when we seek, ask, and knock?
- What can we learn about God from this passage?
- How can we receive more of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
Notes
- Verse 10 says, “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” There is power in asking God, because as Scripture tells us, our God is a God who loves to give! James 1:5 says that God “gives generously to all without reproach.” Thinking about this morning’s passage, let’s ask for the gift of prophecy!
- Our God loves to give to us, His children. If even earthly fathers give good gifts to their children, how much more will our Heavenly Father give good gifts to us. And moreover, He gives the greatest gift – the Holy Spirit! Today, let’s ask for more of the Spirit in our lives!
- ASK! Perhaps we have been struggling in faith because we simply haven’t asked for more of the Spirit recently. Ephesians 5:18 tells us to “be filled with the Spirit”—and this filling comes through asking.
EVENING REFLECTION
Take time to ask God again for the gift of prophecy. As we studied at lunchtime, there is power in asking; so let’s bring our request to God, having faith that He is a good Father who loves to give generously to His children without reproach. And if not prophecy, let’s ask Him to show us the gifting He has given us.
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.
A few weeks ago, my oldest daughter asked me, “What’s the purpose of daylight savings time?” At first, I gave her a general answer, but after doing some research, I came back and told her the history, rationale, and purpose of daylight savings. I’m not sure it actually satisfied her question, but at least she has a better understanding of it!