REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on June 11, 2018, is provided by Pastor Yohan Lee.  He is a friend of AMI who in the past has served as a staff at several AMI churches.  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Cairn University (MA).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Patience and Punishment”

Jeremiah 11:1-8

This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Listen to the terms of this covenant and tell them to the people of Judah and to those who live in Jerusalem. 3 Tell them that this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Cursed is the one who does not obey the terms of this covenant— 4 the terms I commanded your ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt, out of the iron-smelting furnace.’ I said, ‘Obey me and do everything I command you, and you will be my people, and I will be your God. 5 Then I will fulfill the oath I swore to your ancestors, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey’—the land you possess today.”  I answered, “Amen, Lord.”  6 The Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem: ‘Listen to the terms of this covenant and follow them. 7 From the time I brought your ancestors up from Egypt until today, I warned them again and again, saying, “Obey me.” 8 But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubbornness of their evil hearts. So I brought on them all the curses of the covenant I had commanded them to follow but that they did not keep.’”

Several years ago, I watched a recording of a parenting seminar given at the Church of Southland by John Rosemond.  One of Rosemond’s big things was that parents need to be firm—meaning, give directions only once, and punish severely and overwhelmingly when they aren’t obeyed.  Rosemond, humorously, compares kids to degenerate gamblers—they’re willing to play “slots” with their obedience/punishment, even if they only win on rare occasions.  So in practice, you tell your child once to clean up his toys, then you walk away; upon your return, if the toys aren’t cleaned up, you punish the child huge (example given was three weeks of going to bed right after supper, so you’d have to be willing to cancel all events that occur after dinner time—no sports games, music lessons, parties, etc.).  The idea being that once a child has tasted such a torturous punishment, he will think twice about disobeying again. 

As a young parent, I walked away from that seminar thinking, This is amazing!  I’m going to do this!  However, after several years and more kids, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that my kids are gonna be wild and never listen to me.  It’s not that I don’t agree with Rosemond’s methods— I still think it’s brilliant—but  I just realized I’m too much of a softee to make it work.  You see, when my kids cry and beg me for another chance, I just melt and give in.  I don’t see the disobedience in them; I only see those three-year-olds who don’t know any better.  So, perhaps to my detriment, I give them chance after chance, hoping that next time they will learn.  

Yet in my weakness, I take comfort in the thought that perhaps God is more like me than tough guy and probably awesome father John Rosemond.  By the time Jeremiah walked the streets of Jerusalem in the 6th century BCE, this “covenant,” referenced in today’s passage, had been established for several hundreds of years with Moses.  And unfortunately, most of the Old Testament painfully details how time and again, God’s people broke covenant by worshipping other gods and committing evil act after evil act.  So while God’s words and eventual punishment may seem harsh, ask yourself this: How many times did God actually relent?  When you realize it is probably in the hundreds, you begin to see God as patient, not punishing. While we’re at it, let’s make this a little more personal:  How many times a month, week, day do you mess up?  If you’re like me, the answer is, “a lot”; but chances are more often than not, you are recipients of God’s gracious patience—not his punishment.  

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for your grace and patience in my life.  Thank You that You loved us so much that You sent Jesus for us.  Help me to overcome the thought that You are out to pounce on my mistakes, but to see how patient and kind You are. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 47

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Lunch Break Study

Read Galatians 6:7-10: Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Questions to Consider

• Given that those who are believers get mercy when we deserve wrath, how can we explain Paul’s statement that we reap what we sow?  
• Why is endurance so important in the Christian life?  Are you growing weary of doing good?
• Why do you suppose Paul emphasizes doing good to those in the “household of faith”?  What implications does that have for you personally?

Notes

• A couple of possibilities:  First, our salvation should be viewed as a process, where we are being transformed more and more into the image of Christ; therefore, we continually do “good” to become more like Him.  Second, he could be talking about reaping heavenly rewards, in addition to salvation.  In the radical middle theology, it’s likely both. 
• Christian life is often compared to a marathon, where completing is a worthy goal.  In that sense, finishing our life well and following Christ all the way to the end is something we should not take as granted—we need endurance.
• Jesus says that the world will know that we are His disciples by the way we love one another (John 13:35).  Perhaps we need to take special care of fellow church members and other believers.   

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Evening Reflection

Today’s themes were God’s patience and endurance; in many ways, two sides of the same coin.  Are there areas in your life where you are tempted to give in to?  Perhaps it could be a strained relationship, a situation in life, or perhaps a character issue?  Are you willing to endure patiently?  Can you trust that God has a plan and is good through your difficulties?  

REPOST  Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Pastor Doug Tritton, was first posted on February 11, 2018. A graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), Doug is the Lead Pastor of Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Speak a Word”

Genesis 44:18

 Then Judah went up to him and said, “Oh, my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not your anger burn against your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself.

Perhaps one of the most amazing realities of being a Christian is the ability to speak directly to God. At any point, any place, we have access to the Father – to speak with Him, to hear Him speak to us, to enjoy His presence. How amazing this is!

Even in this world, we do not have access to speak to people of fame or authority. As a big Eagles fan, I have been following the Instagram accounts of various players, because—in a way—it makes me feel closer to them. I want to thank them for bringing the trophy back to Philly, I want to congratulate them for playing a great game, and I want to hear their thoughts—yet, sadly, I cannot. Similarly, when I was working at my old company, I remember one time being in the CEO suite due to a random occurrence. I felt like I was in a place of power, and I wanted to speak to the CEO and hear his thoughts about the company—but, sadly, I could not. No way would he speak to a lowly employee like me. 

For Judah, there was fear when he came to Joseph, due to Joseph’s power and authority. He felt like he did not belong in Joseph’s presence, so Judah pleaded for the chance to speak to him. But our God—the Creator of the universe, the Creator of life, the One who spoke to create everything out of nothing—has made Himself available to us. Through Jesus, we can pray to Him, without fear, without hesitation. May we never take this for granted! Oh, how easy it is for prayer to become old news, a mundane chore we do. Today, let’s remember what prayer is: talking to our God in Heaven. Let’s come to Him without hesitation, knowing that He is available to us.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for listening to my prayers. There is no reason You should listen, but You do because You love me as Your child. May I yearn to always speak to You, without any reservation. Thank You for this wonderful gift of prayer. May I never take it for granted, but rather, help me to pray without ceasing. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 46

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on February 24, 2018, is provided by Pastor David Kwon who leads Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina.  David is a graduate of Drexel University (B.S.) and Columbia International University (M.Div.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The God Who Transforms”

Genesis 48:8-12

When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.” 12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

I enjoy watching “transformational reality shows”—they are reality shows where there is a great amount of change from the beginning to the end: for example, shows like The Biggest Loser, Fixer Upper, and Undercover Boss.  Whether it be a body being transformed by getting in shape, an old house getting restored, or changes made in a company—positive change gives us encouragement and gives us hope that change is possible.

One of the truths about Christian life is that God can change anyone.  No matter how bad we think we are, or the ingrained patterns of sin we fight on a daily basis, our God is a God who transforms.   And He doesn’t just change the outward behavior but gives us a deep heart transformation that makes us new and different people.  In the life of Jacob, we see that he started out as a liar, he was also proud, self-seeking, and careless.  Whether deceiving his father (Gen. 27), using his own wits to appease Esau (32:1–21), worrying more about his reputation than his daughter’s safety (ch. 34), or ignoring the fraternal hatred incited by his favoring of Joseph (ch. 37), Jacob was not an example of piety at the beginning of his life.  Yet at the end of his life, we see Jacob blessing the son’s of Joseph in a gesture of faith and love.  We see a changed man because of the love and grace of God!

I love what C.S. Lewis says about transformation in his book Mere Christianity:

Imagine yourself a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps you can understand what he is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but he is building a palace.

There is hope for change!  As we continue to obey and seek Him, He wants to change us from the inside out.  That is good news for us!

Prayer:  Lord, thank You that change is possible because of the power of the gospel.  Help me to be surrendered to the areas in my life that needs changing and becoming more like You.  Amen!  

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 44-45

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional Spiritual, first posted on August 30, 2018, is provided by Hee Jung Lee. Hee Jung, a graduate of Biblical Theological Seminary, serves at Catalyst Agape Church (New Jersey) along with her husband Pastor Sam Lee. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Remembering the Mighty Power of God”

Luke 23: 22-25

“Then he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. I will therefore chastise Him and let Him go.” But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed. So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. And he released to them the one they requested, who for rebellion and murder had been thrown into prison; but he delivered Jesus to their will.”

It was exactly three times that Pontius Pilate made known to the people that Jesus was an innocent man. “I have found no reason for death in Him,” (v.22) he shouted. “But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices that He be crucified. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests prevailed.” (v.23). It was a somber and grim day when an innocent man was condemned to die by the very people for whom Jesus spent years loving and ministering.

How could this be? How could the same crowd that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem with exuberant joys now be urging for his crucifixion? It is confounding. Why would anyone with even a slightly sound mind demand the release of a murderer (“notorious prisoner”—Matt 27:16) over a peaceful man whose crime they could not account? 

The explanation is God. They would have had no power over Him unless it was given from above (John 19:11). Isaiah 53:10 say, “Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief.”  It was only by the designation of our incredibly good God that such an unexplainable turn of events could occur without reason. This is the sovereignty of God. What appeared to be a confusing moment in history was the process through which God was establishing salvation. All of mankind would benefit from what will come out of this one confusing moment in history. To see God in everyday life, through all of the challenges and trials, it is important for us not to lose sight of God’s sovereign power that is always at work for us.  

As for us, we need not complain in our moments of discomfort and lack of understanding. Instead, when we recognize the mighty hand of God that prevails over all things, we shall choose to worship and offer up thanksgiving. As we do this, we will be anchored in peace no matter how difficult it may be at times to see the goodness of God. As we wait on Him in this way, we will see that the Lord will certainly bring us out of any grim days with an experience of His goodness and promise to work all things for the great good of those who love Him! (Rom 8:28)

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, how great thou art! I worship You this day and lift up praises to You because You are Lord overall. Forgive me for times that I make You small in my thinking and lose sight of Your intention to work all things out for my good. Help me Lord to hold onto the truths of who You are and find strength to wait upon You in all things. Thank you! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 43

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Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 103:1-5: “Bless the Lord, O my soul;and all that is within me, bless His holy name!Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Questions to consider

1. What is one thing in your life right now that may seem “grim”?

2. What are some ways that you can process this “grimness” in light of God’s truth for you? Search some verses in God’s Word that give you perspective from the mind of Christ in you. Hold onto His promise.

3. Take a writing pad and write a song or psalm unto the Lord that gives Him praise for who He is and all that He is doing in your life (despite how hard it has been).

Notes

1. We often process life from a moment to moment perspective, thereby becoming overwhelmed and hopeless. However, God is confidently working out goodness in our lives. He has a perspective of a wider scope. His perspective is eternal, not momentary. Hence it says in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…” So we have every reason to hold onto hope during our dark and difficult days. God will certainly bring us out from them!

2. Nahum 1:7; Ps 34:8; Ps. 31:19; 1 Timothy 4:4; Exodus 34:6; Jeremiah 29:11

3. Thanksgiving and praise lift off the dark cloud that can loom over our minds and empower us to strength and peace.

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Evening Reflection

In light of our reflection this morning on the sovereign goodness of God at work in our lives, how were you able to process difficulties today in the light of this truth?

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted September 6, 2018, is provided by Pastor Mark Chun. Mark is now serving as a staff at Radiance Christian Church in S.F. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“An Inside Look at How God’s Word Came to Us”

Jeremiah 36:1-8 

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him. 5 And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am banned from going to the house of the Lord, 6 so you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord’s house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities. 7 It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the Lord, and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” 8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house. 

Many people wonder how the Bible came to be, and how we received what we now consider to be the Holy Scriptures.  This chapter of Jeremiah gives us an inside view of how the revelations of God spoken to man became the written word of God that was later canonized and passed down from one generation to another.  In fact, this is the only chapter in the entire Old Testament that reveals how the oral message of the prophets took on its written form.  As such, this passage represents one of the keys to understanding why it was so important that God’s word be written down.    

The context for God’s command for Jeremiah to write down His message was the on-going conflict between the prophet and the kings of Israel.  It has been said that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and it was no different with the royal line of David.  In response to the wickedness of these kings, God raised up prophets who would confront these abuses of power with the truth.  Often, these corrections were not well received, and the messengers bore the brunt of the kings’ displeasure.   In this case, Jeremiah was banned from entering the temple and censored from speaking.   Given these restrictions, the only way to deliver the message of God was to write it down on a scroll and sneak it into the king’s presence.  

More than being just a personal memo from a disgruntled citizen, these written messages took on an authority of their own, or more specifically, they took on the authority of God Himself.  In a sense, by being separated away from the personality of the messenger, these words became far weightier than an oral presentation by the prophet.  After all, it’s possible to persecute, imprison, and kill a human messenger, but you cannot intimidate words on a scroll.  Humans can be forced to recant what they have said, but truth written down will never lie.   Indeed, the pen is mightier than the sword, and Scriptures are living proof of that.  Though you can silence the voice of man, the word of the Lord will endure forever!  

Prayer: Lord, make us a people of one Book.  Help us to rediscover the truth of Your Word in a world that has forsaken all these truths for lies.  Help us to be committed to reading, studying, and living out Your Word.  Though every man be a liar, we know that You will always remain true.   Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Ezekiel 42

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Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Timothy 3:14 – 4:5: But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 

4:1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. 5 As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 

Questions to Consider

• Describe Timothy’s relationship to the Holy Scriptures.  
• What is the purpose of Scripture?
• Why is faithfulness to the Scriptures important, especially today?  

Notes

• It’s clear that Timothy has a rich history with the word of God.  He was acquainted with it from an early age, familiar with its teaching from childhood, and it was taught to him accurately.   Paul now exhorts Timothy to continue in what he has learned and come to firmly believe.  

• Verse 16 and 17 are great reminders of the purpose of the Scriptures.  Too many times, we reduce the word of God to bite-sized slogans of inspiration, but they are so much more than that.  It is the basis for reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.  As we diligently study and apply the word to our lives, it creates spiritual growth, and provides the tools that are necessary to live out the Christian faith.  Without them, we have no hope of growing into spiritual maturity and being equipped to face the challenges of life.  

• In our post-modern and post-Christian world, truth has become more and more arbitrary.  We want to hear what we want to hear and driven by our emotions.  This is the type of spiritual climate that leads to people listening to only what they want to hear as opposed to what they need to hear.  Paul warns against surrounding ourselves with pastors and teachers who cater only to people’s desires, knowing that our emotions can be a poor measure of what is true.  

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Evening Reflection

Have you spent time in God’s word lately?  Although it is helpful to read books about the Scriptures, it is far more important for your spiritual health to go right to the primary source yourself.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead you to a particular book of the Bible to read, study, and even memorize.  Commit yourself to continue in what you have learned and come to believe.   

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor Andrew Kim, was originally posted on October 17, 2018. Andrew is presently pastoring Alive Church in Montreal.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“What Is Your 5-Year Plan Look Like?”

Jeremiah 46:8 

“Egypt rises like the Nile, like rivers whose waters surge. He said, ‘I will rise, I will cover the earth, I will destroy cities and their inhabitants.”

Recently, I was part of a staff meeting where we were looking ahead and spent some time dreaming and envisioning where our church might be in five years. And from this meeting, we came up with some measurable goals that we want to reach by a certain timeframe. However, at the end of the discussion, our lead pastor made an interesting point: Although it’s great to have several goals we want to check off by a certain time, we cannot presume upon the Lord as if we are entitled to these things—as if accomplishing everything in our plans is the true measure of success. More than planning, it is important to constantly be sensitive to the voice of God in order to remain aligned to His will, even if they are contrary to our 5-year plans. True success for our church is to follow the leading of God, not the plans of man. 

In our passage today, we see the grandiose plans of the Egyptians who proclaimed that they would conquer and cover the earth. They were powerful and made plans that they believed they could accomplish. I mean, who would have stopped this mighty empire? However, we know that the main point of this chapter is to vividly illustrate their destruction and the foiling of their big plans. No matter how much they tried to change the course of history with their might, it is always the plans of God that prevail. 

For our generation, 5-year plans have become very popular. We love to plan our lives, set goals that need to be accomplished, and do everything we can to make sure it all unfolds just like we had imagined. And then we proceed to bring these plans to God and ask Him to bless them—even becoming bitter or resentful towards Him if our lives do not go the way we had wanted. In some ways, we always want God to adjust His plans to fit ours. But I wonder if we have it all backwards. I wonder how different our lives would look if we are always ready to adjust our plans to God’s—if we remain in a posture of listening rather than presuming that these things are owed to us. Don’t get me wrong—planning is important—but let us always be attentive to the voice of God and be ready to adjust. God’s plans will always prevail and that is a good thing, because His plans are always better than ours! 

Prayer: God, today I seek Your direction and leading. As I plan my life and think about the future, help me to always be attentive to Your leading and give me the ability to discern what is of You and what is not. And most of all, help me to trust in You more than myself! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 41

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Lunch Break Study 

Read Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Questions to Consider

• What does this passage imply about our own understanding about life? 
• What do you think it means to “acknowledge Him in all your ways”? 
• What areas of your life have you leaned upon with your own understanding? 

Notes

• It implies that our own understanding is not to be fully trusted. Although we often think we can see all aspects of our life’s situation, we have many blind spots that distort reality—leading to bad decisions that feel right at the moment. When it comes to planning our lives, our ultimate trtust cannot be placed in our own understanding. 
• It means that, first, you have sought the Lord and received some blessings from him (e.g., wisdom that leads to making a better decision, an open door, etc.); and then afterwards, you give credit where credit is due by publicly acknowledging and thanking God for His favors. It also means a life submitted to God. 
• Personal response.

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Evening Reflection 

In the busyness of our lives, it’s difficult to sit before God in a listening posture. Take advantage of the quiet night and ask God to show you His plans. Submit before Him different parts of your life and ask Him what it might mean to be aligned to His will in those areas. 

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand (Prov. 19:21).

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on June 26, 2018, is written by Phillip Chen, who has been serving as the associate pastor of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego for many years. He and several like-minded people are planting, the Lord willing, a new AMI church in Houston this summer. Please pray for them.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Is God Always Patient?”

Jeremiah 15:6 (ESV)

“You have rejected me, declares the Lord; you keep going backward, so I have stretched out my hand against you and destroyed you— I am weary of relenting.”

The birth of my daughter was an incredibly joyous season, and yet it was also an incredibly tiring season. A new semester of seminary had just begun, and through the midst of classes I had to learn how to be a dad. I have to admit that it was not easy for me to wake up late at night to hear my daughter crying and try to put her back to sleep. She has a pretty loud cry too, so listening to non-stop screaming even as I was holding her was torturous for me. When I reflected upon it later on, I realized how much it weighed on me because it was something that I couldn’t fix right away. She was a real human being and not some robot or machine in which I could find an error and correct it. My patience over the course of weeks and months wore thin. Her cries wore me out. I thought I was a patient man, willing to forgive her for keeping me up at night, but I realized I am definitely not as patient as I thought. 

I wonder if this is how God felt towards Judah. Granted, my daughter’s cries are very trivial compared to the offenses that Judah has committed towards God. But is it possible that God’s patience was worn out by His people? When we read passages like this–where God has grown weary of relenting–it seems a bit bizarre to us. Isn’t God supposed to have unlimited patience? Isn’t He supposed to always forgive and always relent from His anger and wrath? I’d like to propose that God is not obligated to any of our expectations. Yes, He is patient beyond our understanding; yes, He is merciful and relents from wrath way beyond our comprehension. However, God can set His own limits where He says, “Enough is enough.” He is not obligated by any means to justify Himself to us.  

An important thing to note is that when we look at this passage in its entirety, rather than feeling sorry for Judah, we should actually feel sorry for God. If you look at the history of Israel (or even the history of mankind), you can’t help but feel sorry for God. You’ll see how again and again God shows His mercy and extravagant kindness towards people, yet they take it and turn their backs towards Him. You’ll see how God has relented from judgment time after time, yet Judah doesn’t even recognize how much God has done so in the midst of their repeated offenses towards Him. Our God is indeed a patient God. 

Judgment is finally coming to Judah, and it eventually does. May this serve as a reminder for us, that God’s patience with the wickedness in this world will one day run out. Judah is not the only nation to be judged, as we will all stand before God to give an account. May that bring a sense of urgency in how we conduct our lives as children of God. 

Prayer: Father God, thank You for your patience towards us. We realize that we are not so different from Judah, and even now, we are prone to rebellion. Lead us so that we may live a life of holiness and godliness. Lead us so that we can move forward towards You, rather than away from You. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 40

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Lunch Break Study

Read Revelation 9:18-21 (ESV): By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulfur coming out of their mouths. 19 For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails, for their tails are like serpents with heads, and by means of them they wound. 20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, 21 nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.

Question to Consider

1. What is the context – what is happening in this vision?

2. How come the people did not repent of their works?

Notes

1. Read Revelation 8:6–10. Judgment (on a worldwide scale) is happening that calls into account all of humanity.

2. I would propose that people are so steeped in their sins – their worldview is so distorted, their hearts so hardened that they wouldn’t turn to God even when given the chance to do so. Our will is a powerful thing, and when our mind is set on a course of rebellion, our will can become so hardened that it can hardly respond to God. 

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Evening Reflection

In 2 Peter 3:9 – Peter reminds the readers that the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise in His return – but rather that He is patient towards us. Let’s remember God’s incredible patience towards us today – not as a reason to rebel, but as a reason to partner with Him in His redemptive plan around this world. 

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on May 7, 2018, is written by Esther Chailim. Esther, a graduate of University of California, San Diego (B.S.) and Talbot School of Theology (M.A.), is the Director of Ministries at Kairos Christian Church (San Diego).

Devotional Thoughts for This Morning

“It Ain’t About Us”

Jeremiah 1:4-8

Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” ⁷ But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.”

Three years ago, after sending off our college pastor to serve as a missionary, my role on staff changed from Church Administrator to College Pastor/Director.  On paper, this was a step forward, so naturally, I should have felt excitement for this new opportunity; instead, I couldn’t help but feel hesitant about the changes that would soon come my way.  I quickly transitioned from a role that I was fairly comfortable and confident with, to one that I felt extremely ill-equipped and unprepared for.  As I reluctantly took on the new role, I was quickly met with a great sense of fear, inadequacy and pride. And when I say pride, I don’t mean the boasting kind, but the kind that says, “I don’t measure up” or “I’ll look like a failure.”  Like Jeremiah, I felt insecure in my capacity to lead others, let alone a college ministry, and found every excuse to convince myself and others that I was not the right person for the job. My insecurity crippled me from fully embracing my calling and stepping into the role which God had appointed to me in that season. 

All of us can relate to Jeremiah when faced with an assignment that seems way over our heads. Our initial reaction is to think of all the reasons why we are unfit for the role.  For some, it may be because we don’t feel like we know enough; while for others, it might be because we see someone else better fit for the task.  The reasons are countless, personal and even perhaps justified.  In fact, Jeremiah was young and arguably inexperienced for what God was asking of him, but to God, that was irrelevant.  The Lord was quick to remind Jeremiah that it was not about his age or ability to speak well. It was not about what other people thought, or how much knowledge he had acquired over the years.  God called Jeremiah way before he was born or equipped to do anything.  He simply wanted Jeremiah to choose to obey His call, even assuring him that He would be with him and deliver him from his enemies.  

Allowing our insecurities to control us will most certainly prevent us from doing the very thing God calls us to do.  But insecurity’s most toxic symptom, however, is that it keeps the focus on ourselves and AWAY from God.  The truth of the matter is that even our very best efforts could never measure up to God’s standards.  The best part about this, however, is that it is not about us and how good we are.  It is about God and what He can do through us if we simply say “yes.”  As God calls us to minister and be a light in this world, may we fight the temptation to fall into the trappings of our insecurity, and approach each assignment knowing that God is with us and will carry out His plan through us.  

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You have a purpose and plan for each of us. Forgive me that I get caught up in my own plans and purpose, but help me not to stray from Your plan.  I pray that I can approach each assignment with discernment, wisdom and confidence, knowing that You are with me in this process, and that in Your divine power, You have given us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 39

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Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Corinthians 3:4-6: Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Questions to Consider

• In whom can we put our confidence and why? 
• How does God develop Paul to be confident and competent in his ministry? 
• In what ways do you find yourself to be self-sufficient?  

Notes

• It is THROUGH Christ alone that we can have ALL confidence. Romans 3:12 says, “There is no one who does good, not even one.” Because of this, we all deserve death.  But Jesus, who was already God, humbled Himself to become man, in order that He might save us from our sins. He died on the cross and rose again, claiming victory over death and giving eternal life to those who follow Him.  Without Jesus, we are nothing and can do nothing, but because of Him, He has made us heirs to His throne and can do all things through Him. 
• Prior to his conversion, Paul was a man of great power and strength.  After his encounter with Jesus, he radically turned his life around and surrendered it all to the Lord.  In other words, he became less and God became more.  Paul’s confidence and competency in ministry thus came from his cooperation with the Holy Spirit—not from his own strength and power. 
• Personal response.

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Evening Reflection

Are there areas in your life where you are crippled by fear or insecurity?  Reflect on the things that the Lord may be calling you to step out in faith.  Spend some time with the Lord, laying those insecurities to Him and allow Him to minister to you. 

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog originally posted on January 28, 2018.  Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Dreams”

Genesis 40:8-22 

 “We both had dreams,” they answered, “but there is no one to interpret them.” Then Joseph said to them, “Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.” 9 So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, “In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, 10 and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. 11 Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.” 12 “This is what it means,” Joseph said to him. “The three branches are three days. 13 Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. . ..  16 When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, “I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. 17 In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.” 18 “This is what it means,” Joseph said. “The three baskets are three days. 19 Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.”  20 Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: 21 He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— 22 but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation.

Dreams and their interpretation have probably fascinated people since they first started sleeping (when Adam lost his rib to Eve? 😊).  Most dreams seem to linger in the half-slumber of early morning only to fade away by the time we are done brushing our teeth; but with some dreams we know as soon as we wake up that we’ve just experienced something out of the ordinary, and we ask ourselves, “What does this mean?”  We aren’t taught to seek meaning; it is just instinctive: we know that without a good interpretation, a dream is just a dream.  So where do interpretations come from, and how do they come about?

In today’s passage, we see that the revelation Joseph received was certainly divine, but we can also see that this kind of revelation may not be as mysterious and inaccessible as it may seem.  When he heard the dreams, did the interpretations just come to him out of the blue heavens?  Did Joseph just know?  It may have all come together for him in that moment, but it appears that elements could also have been naturally revealed in a way that set the backdrop.  From this, some possible principles of the art of dream interpretation:

First principle:  Look at the imagery.  For both dreams, the imagery gave strong clues as to the overall message.  In the cupbearer’s, there was fruitful imagery and an actual scene of him doing what he used to do.  Not hard to arrive at, “Maybe it means you’re going to get your old job back,” even without God’s help.  The baker’s dream was less straightforward, but birds eating the bread that had been meant for Pharaoh was certainly something a baker would not have wanted to see happen professionally, and it would have been natural for any listener to lean towards an unfavorable interpretation based on the imagery alone.

Second principle:  Connect to what is going around you.  It would not be a stretch to assume that Joseph (as well as the dreamers) knew that Pharaoh’s birthday was coming in three days— perhaps knowledge they were all the more privy to, being imprisoned in the home of an official who would have been invited to the party.  But when Joseph heard the cupbearer’s description of the three branches (the clusters ripening suggesting the fullness of time had come, the vine’s blossoming as soon as it budded suggesting this time was coming quickly), it’s not hard to imagine how he could have arrived at “in three days” with some help from God. 

Third principle:  Go with what God is doing in the moment.  If we look at the two dreams, the first seems “easier” (i.e., more intuitive) than the second.  But when the baker asks Joseph to interpret his second, more difficult dream, because God had just revealed certain themes in the first (i.e., work-related, to be fulfilled in three days), Joseph could see the baker’s dream as running along parallel lines.  For instance, Joseph may not have arrived at “three days” or “in the fullness of time” solely based on the three baskets on the baker’s head, but the number three connected the second dream to the first, and in this way the interpretation of the second, more difficult dream, flowed out of the first.

Through all of the above, seeing how the interpretation of a dream can come about can encourage us to take a stab at something that should not just be relegated to the realm of “fortune tellers” or other strange types of people.  As Joseph said, “Do not interpretations belong to God?”  So let’s take back, as we are doing in other areas as well, what belongs to Him.

Prayer: Lord God, be both in my waking and in my sleeping.  Help me to be more aware of You at work all around so that I may, understanding the times and what You are doing in the moment, learn to interpret the signs You give.  And when You reveal, may I be ready to respond. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 38

REPOST  Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on June 1, 2018, is provided by Pastor Paul Liu who pastors the Grace Covenant Church Singapore. He is a graduate of University of Illinois (BA) and Biblical Theological Seminary (M.Div.). 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Complacency is a Curse”

Jeremiah 48:10-13

“Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed. 11 “Moab has been at ease from his youth and has settled on his dregs; he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile; so his taste remains in him, and his scent is not changed. 12 “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I shall send to him pourers who will pour him, and empty his vessels and break his jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

“Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness.”  It sure sounds like a message your pastor would share with ministry volunteers—but it’s not.  This whole chapter describes God’s judgment against Israel’s eastern neighbors, the Moabites; and this curse is pronounced, ironically, against Moab’s conquerors—the Babylonians.  It’s not actually a curse; rather, it’s a way of stating that God will use Babylon to accomplish His purposes and His purposes will not be undone.  

You see, the Bible gives us a picture of reality very different than the perception we often hold of the world.  We see wars and insurrection; regime change and elections; politics and economics—and feel small in view of all of that.  Sometimes we don’t even want to think about it because what can you do anyway.  

But the biblical picture of reality is very different.  God is not intimidated by empires, arms races or the posturing of presidents because He has never abdicated ownership of the creation He made.  And He works in ways that often surprise us but are never haphazard or capricious.  God is in control and He is working to redeem and renew creation.  And He’s a just judge and He judged Moab for her complacency—a complacency that led to contempt towards God.  Satisfied by their security and industry, they had no regard for God.  

The mention of “dregs emptied from one vessel to vessel” is an image from winemaking.  After fermentation, wine would sit to age and the impurities, the dregs, would settle to the bottom of the jar.  Usually you filtered out the dregs by slowly pouring the wine into a new container a few times.  If you didn’t, the impurities would ruin the taste.  Similarly, entertaining spiritual complacency is like leaving the dregs in the wine.  It just sits there contaminating the whole, tainting the taste profile, and ruining what remains.  Moab’s complacency came because it was secure, well-protected and prosperous.  They didn’t need the true God whom they are called to serve because they had substitutes that actually served them.  That’s the danger of complacency—it makes you blind to what you really need.  A warning from Moab’s failure . . .

A.W. Tozer wrote: “To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love, scorned indeed by the too-easily-satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of the burning heart.”  This is the opposite of complacency and it’s ironic.  Tozer observes that the ones who are most satisfied in God are also, at the same time, the ones who want Him the most.  May we be children of the burning heart!

Prayer:  Lord, we ask that You stir our hearts to long for You!  To settle NOT for the glory days of our past; or being cynical; or waiting till we have more time.  Give us an urgency TODAY to know You, the source of living water.   Satisfy us with Your love! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 36-37