Today’s AMI Devotional is written by Jane Oak, who serves at Tapestry Church, Los Angeles. Jane, an immigration lawyer, and her husband Harry were married in 2015.
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT FOR TODAY
Marriage is Good!
Genesis 2:18, 1:28
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a helper fit for him.” And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply.”
After my parents’ divorce when I was 9 years old, I quickly had to grow up and take on adult responsibilities, such as caring for my little brother, comforting my depressed mother, and figuring out ways to reduce the utility bills. With many years of carrying these burdens, I really enjoyed the freedom I experienced after graduating high school and leaving home. I would play and stay out late, but I also became very involved in church and ministry, investing a lot of time into my younger sisters. I enjoyed this lifestyle so much that the idea of marriage and having a man to take care of was not appealing to me. I wanted to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, with whomever I wanted. For the next 20 years, I went into and out of many relationships. And, in my explanation to others as to why I broke up with my boyfriend/fiancé, I used the noble excuse of, “Oh, I wanted to have more impact for the Kingdom of God. I need my freedom to give more time to the church and to my sisters. Marriage will reduce my impact because I would have to worry about my husband and domestic responsibilities.”
Everyone who heard this would agree with me, except for this one deaconess. Her response to me was, “If it’s all about greater impact for the Kingdom of God, you are limiting yourself by staying single. Right now, you can mainly impact women. But, if you get married, through your influence on your husband, you can impact many men. And, if you have children, you will impact many children. Also, it is through marriage that your character will become more like Christ. You really need to think again about your excuse for not getting married.” I was cut to the heart.
I decided to read the Meaning of Marriage by Tim Keller, which completely changed my perspective on marriage. And, by God’s grace and orchestration, I met Harry Yoon three years ago. I knew he had not been in the church for 20 years, but I could clearly see that he was falling in love with God and the community (if you haven’t already, you need to read Harry’s testimony on the Tapestry website). Now, we have co-led three cell groups and I hear numerous stories of how the men are growing and maturing because of Harry’s wisdom, humility, honesty, and leadership. We decided not to have biological children, but together, we care for many spiritual children at Tapestry. It is such a joy to constantly talk about our spiritual children, to pray for them, and to serve them as a couple. Indeed, my view on marriage has changed. Marriage with God at the center results in an even greater impact for the Kingdom. Therefore, marriage is good!
Prayer: Lord, I praise and glorify You this morning. I pray that our marriages are being reoriented and shaped in accordance to Your original blue print for the institution of marriage. Whether married or single, may we yield greater fruits for your Kingdom through serving You faithfully. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Revelation 8
Today’s AMI Devotional is written by Jane Oak, who serves at Tapestry Church, Los Angeles. Jane, an immigration lawyer, and her husband Harry were married in 2015.
In the X-Men universe, one of the main protagonists, Professor Xavier, has telepathic powers through mutation and lives to help fellow mutants. By using his machine Cerebro, Xavier can enhance his telepathic powers to locate and communicate with mutants in distress. However, in the movie X2, both human and mutant antagonists, William Stryker and Magneto, attempt to use Cerebro to kill all mutants and humans respectively. Thankfully, the X-Men come to the rescue and the crisis is averted.
A huge benefit of living in New York is all the fantastic art museums. Van Gogh’s Starry Night at MoMA, Monet’s Water Lilies collection at the Met, all a stone’s throw away. My appreciation for art mostly stems from the truth that my artistic skills are non-existent, a fact which some of our church’s children love to remind me of during craft time at Sunday school. But all in all, I am thankful that I can spend hours in New York, appreciating the wonder of different paintings and have peace in my inability to replicate such beauty.
The AMI QT Devotionals from February 20-24 are provided by Jabez Yeo. Jabez, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is currently working in NYC and serving at TRPC-E. He hopes to become a missionary. His devotionals are based off material from Serge’s Sonship program. You can click 
A common struggle amongst graduates today is the fight to pay off their student debts. As some of us know, living with debts often limits our financial flexibility. Now, what if I were to tell you that upon graduation, not only would your student debt be paid for, you would also be credited with millions as your reward? It’s not a stretch to say that there would be significantly more freedom in your life.
Oftentimes, the greatest dangers appear to be innocent on the surface level. For example, suppose we were swimming in the ocean and saw a tiny black speck moving back and forth. From a distance, we may assume it to be harmless, perhaps a piece of driftwood. But if we were swimming right next to it, we would see that the black speck is really a fin, and what lies beneath is a gigantic killer shark.
If any group of sports fans understood the misery of losing, it was fans of the Chicago Cubs. Leading up to the 2016 season, the Cubs had not won the World Series—baseball’s ultimate prize—in 108 years. Furthermore, the Cubs would fall short in the most agonizing ways whenever they made the playoffs, leading some to believe that the team was cursed. Thankfully, on November 2nd 2016, the Cubs finally won the World Series—and Chicago exploded with joy. At the victory parade, there were over five million fans celebrating, the 7th largest gathering in human history.
Once, at a family gathering, my brother and I were telling a story, when suddenly our relatives burst out laughing. Since we hadn’t been saying anything particularly funny, they had to explain why they laughed: “Just now, both you talked just like your dad—you gestured wildly with your hands!” He wasn’t present, but unbeknownst to us, we channeled his mannerisms so strongly that, at least for the moment, we were carbon copies of him to our relatives.
In the movie 500 Days of Summer, there is a scene juxtaposing the main character’s expectations with his reality. He is invited by his ex-girlfriend to a party hosted at her house; he arrives thinking that they will reconcile, but as the scene plays out, he finds out that it is actually a party to celebrate her engagement to another man. It is a very pitiable scene; I think many of us can relate to that disappointment of rosy expectations meeting a harsh reality.
Once, I had a friend who was going on a trip, who needed to borrow a point-and-shoot camera. I agreed, since I wasn’t in need of mine. I thought I was so cool to be so generous, but I am embarrassed to admit that I ended up extremely anxious and on-edge for the duration of her trip. I was so relieved when it was returned to me, though I really should have been more trusting and known that my friend, who was extremely careful by nature, would have taken care of it on my behalf.