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 here for more information
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT FOR TODAY
Empowerment by the Spirit as God’s Children
John 14:15-8
If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
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.”
Unfortunately, we tend to live as spiritual orphans, cutting ourselves from God’s power. Our orphan-like tendencies are revealed in how we maliciously use our tongues, revealing whom we are truly committed to: ourselves. We also operate out of a self-righteous heart, steering away from self-examination for fear of being exposed. Furthermore, as our self-righteousness distances us from God, we forget that our spiritual brokenness cuts ourselves off from Christ’s power, which is made perfect only in weakness. We then distance ourselves from community by using the law to judge and compare ourselves to others.
The full implications of our orphan-like tendencies are enormous. Thankfully, our merciful God gives us the power to be like Him. In John 14, Jesus first comforts His disciples over His impending departure but then gives them an impossible task: “If you love me, keep my commands.” Fortunately, Jesus then provides the means to the task’s fulfillment – the Spirit of truth who will “help you and be with your forever.” Furthermore, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will live “with you,” and that He will come to them so that they will not be left as orphans.
As adopted children of God, Jesus’ promises stand true for us today. Our Father knows that we cannot live lives for Him alone; thus, He gives us His Holy Spirit to dwell in us, convict us of sin, and reassure us of God’s love. Let’s bask in that truth today.
Prayer: Father, thank You that You have not left me alone on this earth. I know that without You, I cannot live for You. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, who lives in me and guides me to Your truth. Help me to hear Your still small voice today, and give me the courage to heed Your guidance. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 16
LUNCH BREAK STUDY
Read Galatians 5:19-26: The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Questions to Consider
- Is there anything described in the list of the acts of the flesh that seem striking to you?
- How are God’s children described in this passage?
- What habits in your life is the Holy Spirit bringing to light today?
Notes
- Because of our self-righteousness, we tend to exonerate ourselves of the “obvious” sins (i.e. sexual immorality, debauchery, witchcraft, drunkenness and orgies). What is particularly striking is that the Bible lists other sins, which we often ignore in ourselves but are considered just as obvious acts of the flesh: hatred, discord, jealousy, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy. And the result of all these sins is the same: “those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
- They are described as belonging to Christ Jesus and have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. They also are described as living by the Spirit, and as a result, the fruit of the Spirit has manifested in their lives.
- Personal response.
EVENING REFLECTION
No matter how well or poorly your day went today, praise God that your status as His child has not changed. Praise Him that the same power that conquered the grave lives in us. Let’s continually ask God for help that our lives would reflect this reality.
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!
The AMI QT Devotionals from March 20-26 are provided by Pastor David Kwon of Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. 
Today’s passage is difficult to interpret, and the temptation might be to look at what Paul says in the opening verses of 1 Corinthians 11 as entirely cultural, and as a result, dismiss what he is saying. Without denying the text’s complexities, we can begin with what is clear in today’s passage.
A famous author once said, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” We all have people and role models in our lives where we want to strive to be like them in their character, abilities or even their way of life. In high school, I played for my varsity golf team, and I remember wanting to be like my golf coach in many ways. He was a talented teacher and golfer, and knew how to specifically help each of my teammates with their swings and pointed out areas of improvement. He also taught us to play the game with honor and ingrained in us the importance of losing graciously. We were told to respect our opponents and congratulate them, even when we lost. It’s something that I remember even today.
In Living Water’s after-school program, one of our most popular songs has a refrain that goes: “Do Lord, oh do Lord, oh do remember me – way beyond the blue.” While this song is catchy and fun, I’m not sure what that line is getting at. When we like a song or a quote but we’re uncertain as to what it means, we tend to fill in the blanks ourselves. Sometimes we do this to Scripture.
They say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Whether this is sound dating advice or not, we understand that sharing a meal is about much more than counting calories or satisfying hunger. Birthday parties, weddings, and many other events are purposely scheduled at meal times because food is intimately connected with relationships.