Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from November 15-16 are provided by Emerson Lin.  Emerson, a graduate of University of California, San Diego, serves as a staff at Kairos Christian Church, while studying at Talbot School of Theology.  He and Annie got married earlier this year.

Devotional Thought for Today

Hebrews 9:8-10

The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning. 9 This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. 10 They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings—external regulations applying until the time of the new order.

When I was little, my mother would ask me to wash the dishes after dinner. I remember dreading the number of plates I would have to wash each time. So, out of laziness, I would take a sponge without dish soap and just wipe the excess food off the plate—as long as it looked clean, no one would know that it was dirty. My mother soon found out, and she made me wash the dishes for an entire month– with soap.

In this passage, the author of Hebrews is comparing the differences between the Old and the New Covenant. More specifically, he’s revealing what the Old Covenant could not do to sin. In verses 9 & 10, he writes, “This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings – external regulations applying until the time of the new order.”

When we hear the phrase “clear the conscience,” it is often associated with not feeling guilty. However, in the Greek, “clear the conscience” is translated into “perfect”—meaning, the Old Testament rituals only made the Israelites “perfect” on the outside. However, it did nothing to them on the inside—until the New Covenant came through Jesus.

As believers, we are now in the New Covenant! We believe that it is only through the blood of Jesus that we are perfected (cleansed). However, there are moments when we fall into a trap of living under the Old Testament rituals. While we are not living in an age where animal sacrifices are condoned, we think that serving, giving extra offering, and participating in more church activities will make us cleaner and help with our guilt. However, these things only make us seem clean on the outside. When people see us doing more church, they assume we’re doing well. While these things should be part of our daily rhythm, we must remind ourselves that we are not perfected by what we do, but it is through the precious blood of Jesus Christ.

I want to encourage you to examine your motives and thoughts: What are some things that you may use to make yourself look or feel clean? This morning, ask God to reveal anything that might hinder you from trusting in the blood of Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that I am saved by Your blood and not by my works. Please protect me against the lies that tell me that I need to do more things so that I can feel more “saved.” I declare that all I need is the blood of Jesus Christ to be saved! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 2

Lunch Break Study

Read Ephesians 2:1-10: As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Questions to Consider

1. Why does Paul describe our salvation as a gift from God?
2. Why are we are not saved by our own works?
3. Now that we are saved, what does Christ Jesus call us to do?

Notes

1. Our salvation is a gift because we did not earn it by our own strength. In verse 3, Paul describes our spiritual state as, “dead in our transgressions” and hopeless. However, God, in all His mercy, came to take us out of death and into righteousness—this is the gift of God.
2. Because we are saved by God’s mercy and not by our own works, we cannot boast in ourselves. Often, we’re tempted to believe that we are loved because of how much we’ve done for Him. We are saved and loved through His mercy and grace.
3. Christ Jesus calls us to do good works. We are not to keep this good news for ourselves but to go into our communities to share the gospel, as well as to feed the poor, the orphans, etc. These good works can only be done because we have received the gift of God. We must not be tempted to think that we earn the love of Christ through these works, but that we do these works because Christ first loved us.

Evening Reflection

In view of today’s theme of salvation by God’s grace discussed this morning, how did this impact you? Were you reminded of a moment when you felt that you were trying to earn God’s love? Review your day here.

Note:  Today’s AMI QT Devotional is written by Pastor Jason Sato at OTR.

Devotional Thought for Today

Hebrews 9:1-5 (ESV): Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness. [2] For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place. [3] Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place, [4] having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. [5] Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.

In modern times, art is often seen as a form of self-expression.  The most important thing is to be “authentic” and to express oneself earnestly.  Worship is often seen the same way.  As long as we sing or serve with good intentions and genuine emotion, God should accept it happily.  How we feel and what we desire to do for God becomes the primary focus.

The biblical witness regarding worship is shockingly different.  God gives Moses incredibly detailed instructions for where and how the people are to worship.  When Nadab and Abihu offer God “unauthorized fire” to the Lord in Leviticus 10, He consumes them!  When a well-meaning Uzzah reaches out to steady the ark of God that was in the midst of worship, God strikes him down for his error. (In truth, it was due to the error of King David who should’ve known better than to use a cart to carry the ark; he ignored “the prescribed way”—1 Chron. 15:12-16)!

In these moments, God appears to be a petty, controlling deity.  Doesn’t He know that it’s the thought that counts? According to our passage, for as long as there have been a people of God, there have been regulations for worship.  God cannot be worshiped just any old way and this does not restrict us, it frees us.  Worship has always been greater than anything the whims of man could conceive.

When God designs the worship, we are reminded that God is light itself and His very body is given for us.  When God designs the worship, we are amazed that the Holy One of Israel would allow us to worship Him at all.  When God designs the worship, we are more aware of God’s presence, provision, authority, and justice than our own.  When God designs the worship, we are awed by the One who sits on a throne of mercy and is worshiped day and night by the saints and angels.

So, when we worship, instead of focusing on our feelings, or using smoke and lights to conjure up strange ambiance, let us wonder at the One who is set apart from us (holy) and who is beyond us (infinite, glorious).  Let’s worship for the audience of One.

Prayer: Oh God, teach me how to worship You rightly.  I want to join with the saints and angels of all ages and places to give You the glory You deserve.  Give me ears to hear that I may honor You with what You ask, and that You might be lifted up.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 1

Lunch Break Study

Read Revelation 7:9-12 (ESV): After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, [10] and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” [11] And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, [12] saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Question to Consider

1. Who will worship the Lord in the Kingdom of God?
2. What will they say in their worship?
3. What will they do in their worship?

Notes

1. A great multitude from every nation, tribe, and people. Also the angels, elders and four living creatures.
2. They will declare God’s salvation (what He has done), His greatness (who He is), and what He deserves.
3. They will stand with palm branches in their hands, they will cry out with a loud voice, and they will fall on their faces before the throne.

Evening Reflection

Reflect on your day.  Were you able to take time to ask God how He wanted you to honor Him today?  What makes it hard to hear the Lord?  What makes it hard to obey when you hear?  Take a moment to ask for the Holy Spirit’s help to honor God by hearing and obeying.

Note: The AMI QT devotionals from November 7-12 are provided by Cami King. Cami, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is about to complete her M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. She is currently serving as a staff at Journey Community Church in Raleigh.

Devotional Thought for Today

Hebrews 8:12-13
 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more.” 13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

A little boy was visiting his grandparents and given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. As he came back to Grandma’s back yard, he spied her pet duck. On an impulse, he took aim and let fly. The stone hit, and the duck fell dead. The boy panicked. Desperately he hid the dead duck in the woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch that day, Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.” But Sally said, “Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today. Didn’t you, Johnny?” And she whispered to him, “Remember the duck!” So Johnny did the dishes.

Later, when Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing, Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper.” Sally smiled and said, “That’s all taken care of. Johnny wants to do it.” Again she whispered, “Remember the duck.” Johnny stayed while Sally went fishing. After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally’s, finally he couldn’t stand it. He confessed to Grandma that he’d killed the duck. “I know, Johnny,” she said, giving him a hug. “I was standing at the window and saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I wondered how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.” (Pastor Steven Cole)

Our passage for today reminds us that God (because of Jesus) chooses not to remember our sins, but a more important question is, do we? Many of us allow the Enemy and our own hearts to hold us hostage to the wrongs we’ve done. We hear that voice inside, reminding us of the things we’ve done and making it hard for us to believe change is possible. But 1 John 1:9 promises us that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 7:21 says, “For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.” Our sins should bring us great sorrow, but not the kind that holds us hostage to guilt, shame, and regret. Instead it should produce a sorrow that leads us running to the throne of God, to receive forgiveness and salvation that Jesus made readily available for us. Where there is lingering regret, we have to wonder if we’ve yet turned to God, confessed our sins and received in faith (in what Jesus has done for us) His forgiveness and the power to live anew.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, as I worship You on this Lord’s Day, help me to do so with full persuasion that I am forgiven and accepted by You. I confess to You that I have sinned by [confess your sins to the Lord]. Please forgive me. Help me to live now in freedom from condemnation and the in newness of life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Colossians 4

Note: The AMI QT devotionals from November 7-12 are provided by Cami King. Cami, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is about to complete her M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. She is currently serving as a staff at Journey Community Church in Raleigh.

Devotional Thought for Today

Hebrews 8:9-11

Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant,
and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. 10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.

A minister determined a visual demonstration would add emphasis to his Sunday sermon. For this demonstration, he watered his lawn in the evening, then when night time approached, he visited his back yard with flashlight in hand.  He carefully selected four worms, night-crawlers to be exact.

The four worms were placed into four separate jars: the FIRST WORM was put into a container of alcohol; the SECOND WORM was put into a container of cigarette smoke; the THIRD WORM was put into a container of chocolate; the FOURTH WORM was put into a container of good clean soil.

At the conclusion of the sermon, the Minister reported the following results: the FIRST WORM in the jar with alcohol – was DEAD; the SECOND WORM in the jar with cigarette smoke – was DEAD; the THIRD WORM in the jar with chocolate – was DEAD; the FOURTH WORM in the jar of good clean soil – was ALIVE!

So the Minister asked the congregation: What can you learn from this demonstration?

From the back of the church came the response: “As long as you drink, smoke and eat chocolate, you won’t have worms!” That pretty much ended the service…

Aside from some questions I found myself asking about this story (e.g. how did he fill a jar with cigarette smoke… what did those worms ever do to deserve such a fate… why is chocolate even in this conversation… I had a few more, but I digress…), it was a funny reminder that two people can look at the exact same information and yet walk away with radically different conclusions.

The Hebrew’s writer has spent the last two chapters explaining, amongst other things, how God’s people totally missed the point of the Old Covenant and why it failed. It failed because they were unable in and of themselves to keep God’s commands; its point, therefore, was to show them that they needed a Savior, God Himself, to help them. Although as Christians we have entered into a New Covenant based not on our works but on the finished work of Jesus on our behalf, we can still find ourselves slipping into Old Covenant mentality. We can read the commands listed all throughout the New Testament and, like many who went before us, try to live them out in our own strength and abilities.

May we remember today that we ourselves are not able to be and do as we should. We must daily remain dependent on the grace and mercy of the Gospel that saved us and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit within us.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, as I prepare for another day, help me to remember Your grace and mercy towards me. Remind me anew of my own deficiencies and dependency upon You. Thank You for my salvation through Jesus and for Your daily provision of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Colossians 2-3

Note: The AMI QT devotionals from November 7-12 are provided by Cami King. Cami, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is about to complete her M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. She is currently serving as a staff at Journey Community Church in Raleigh.

Devotional Thought for Today

Hebrews 8:7-8

For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. ⁸ For finding fault with them, He says, “Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
When I will effect a new covenant With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.”

This week, a friend asked me: “If God is at work, why can’t I see it? What is He doing in my life and in the lives of those around me, beyond the easily explainable and the seemingly mundane? If the Gospel is such good new and the Kingdom of God so glorious, why is it so hard to experience in unmistakable and undeniable ways?” As I reflected on my own struggles with similar concerns, I was reminded of a story I heard once. It went something like this:

A man and his son on a walk in the woods came to a bridge and crossed. The father went first. When he came to the other side he turned to his son and said sternly, “Drop down and shimmy on your belly.” The son did exactly what his father told him and crawled his way to the other side. When he made it across he asked his father why he’d told him to do such strange things. His father pointed at a huge snake that had dropped down from a tree branch extending above the bridge and explained that he’d spoken calmly so as to not unnecessarily alarm the child. The boy realized that if he had stopped to ask, “Why?” he would have been fatally bitten. But his trust in his father brought him safely to their destination.  

God starts His message in the verses above by saying, “Look!” (vs. 8) God often clues us in on what He’s doing and where we’re headed (into a new covenant – which we’ll talk more about this weekend). But many of us miss out on experiencing in our personal lives the excitement and the goodness of the His plans because we don’t trust our Father enough to obey. We stop for too long demanding explanations, wander off the bridge all together doing our own thing, or follow faithfully for a while but realize how strange it all is and give up midway.

Obedience to the commands of God – even if we can’t yet connect all the dots –is what will enable us to experience the goodness of His promises.

Prayer: God, I know where I am going because You’ve left enough hints in scripture for me to know what to expect. In the times when I can’t see how it’s all coming together, help me obey You simply because I trust You and not just because I understand. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Colossians 1

Lunch Break Study

Psalm 34:8-14: Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. 11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Questions to Consider

1. According to the psalmist, how can we come to know the goodness of God and His plans?
2. What are some of the promises given to us in this passage?
3. What do vv. 12-14 teach us about how we should live?

Notes

1. As is the case with food, we have to actually try things to see that they are good. As we obey God, as we try doing life His way, we’ll come to experience the goodness of His ways and see Him more in our lives.
2. Those who take refuge in the Lord will be blessed. Those who fear the Lord have no lack (Ps. 23:1). Those who seek the Lord will not only be provided for, but they won’t be without any good thing. Those are pretty grand promises!
3. To experience full and abundant life (that those who follow Christ are promised throughout the New Testament), we need to be obedient to the commands of God – both in what we say and what we do.

Evening Reflection

What are some ways that obedience to God has led you to a fuller experience of Him and His Kingdom? What, if any, are some areas in your life where you have failed to be obedient? Are you willing to make a commitment to obedience today? Spend sometime discussing these things with the Lord.

Note: The AMI QT devotionals from November 7-12 are provided by Cami King. Cami, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is about to complete her M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. She is currently serving as a staff at Journey Community Church in Raleigh.

Devotional Thought for Today

Hebrews 7:23-28

Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer.4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; 5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, “See,” He says, “that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.” 6 But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.

In his book Disappointment with God, Philip Yancey summarizes C.S. Lewis’ theory of “transposition” in which he explores the human tendency to overemphasize natural realties (because they are the ones we can see and most readily understand) over and against spiritual ones, even to the point of reducing our human experience solely to natural realities with little or no consideration for their spiritual components.

Yancey explains, “Lewis suggested the analogy of a beam of light in a dark toolshed. When he first entered a shed, he saw a beam and looked at the luminous band of brightness filled with floating specs of dust. But when he moved over to the beam and looked along it, he gained a very different perspective. Suddenly he saw not the beam, but, framed in the window of the shed, green leaves moving on the branches of a tree outside and beyond that, 93 million miles away, the sun. Looking at the beam and looking along the beam are quite different.

We are experts when it comes to looking at the beam. We reduce our experiences and circumstances to the natural realm – what we can see with our eyes and process with our own reasoning and wisdom. And, in so doing, we find ourselves relying on those things for answers and understanding. Yet, there is another realm – the spiritual realm. And in it, we have a high priest who is enthroned at the right Hand of God Almighty in power and majesty. One who is ministering on our behalf. One who has made atonement for our sins and affords us access to God Himself (the source of all that is life). And (at the risk of sounding like a broken record this week) One who is bringing forth a perfect Kingdom and an awesome plan of redemption for the whole world.

May we challenge ourselves to resist our tendency toward reduction (based on what we can see as we merely look at the things going on around us) and instead depend on the Holy Spirit within to give us His understanding and a fuller perspective as we move through life today.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, your word commands me to trust in You with all my heart, relying not on my own understanding. Give me grace to obey. Grant me Your perspective as I look out on the world today. May I see as You see and respond in a life of worship to You.

Bible Reading for Today: Malachi 4

Lunch Break Study

Read Ephesians 6:10-18: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,  

Questions to Consider

1. What does Paul remind us in verse 12? What are some areas in your life where you may have lost sight of this truth?
2. What does Paul command us to do in this passage? What are some ways you can do this today?
3. Paul’s final words deal with the importance of prayer. What is the connection between praying and remaining alert?

Notes

1. Paul reminds us that our war is not against flesh and blood. In other words, we are not merely battling against other people, but there is much more going on in the spiritual realm and ultimately there is a battle going on for souls and hearts. Spend time reflecting on areas of your life where this truth needs to sink in.
2. Paul gives quite a few commands in this passage. First, he tells us to find our strength and confidence in God and His strength (not our own). Then he tells us to put on the full armor of God, with all its many components. Are you standing strong in God’s strength and might or another kind of strength? What parts of your armor need attention today?
3. Prayer is what enables us to be alert because it grants us a pipeline to the One who sees all things and knows all things. Without prayer we are unable to have the perspective we need to live in wisdom.

Evening Reflection

“It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” (C.S. Lewis, This Weight of Glory)

Spending time thinking about spiritual things not only gives us a truer perspective on what’s happening around us but it also grants us hope for what is to come. What are some ways you’ve settled for less than what God has in store for you? Spend some time thinking of eternal life and building anticipation for the great gift God is offering to each of us.

Note: The AMI QT devotionals from November 7-12 are provided by Cami King. Cami, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is about to complete her M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. She is currently serving as a staff at Journey Community Church in Raleigh.

Devotional Thought for Today

Hebrews 7:23-28

The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing, 24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever.

Can you guess the odds of winning the lottery? Although the exact numbers change based on various factors, the odds of winning are close to 1 in almost 14 million (if you’re picking six numbers to win the Jackpot). If you play to the Mega Millions lottery, your chances are 1 in almost 176 million. The National Weather service reports that you’re over 20,000 times more likely to be struck by lightening than to win the lottery. And with these odds, people still play the lottery to an alarming degree. Don’t believe me? How much money do you think Americans spent last year trying to win the jackpot? According to the records of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries, Americans spent $70.15 billion on lottery tickets last year. SEVENTY-BILLION-DOLLARS!

Yet against all the odds, people do actually win the lottery. They take home millions and watch all their dreams come true as they live happily ever after, right? Well, not exactly. While some lottery winners do have positive experiences, more often than not, those who’ve won the lottery point to it as the beginning of great struggle in their lives. Groups that follow past lottery winners connect winning the lottery to subsequent divorce, familial estrangement, suicide, reckless and criminal behavior, drug use, gambling, and even murder. But more so than these dramatic stories, most lottery winners express profound disappointment – that winning the lottery did not do for them what they anticipated.  Actor and comedian Jim Carey once said, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.”

We bet on a lot of things. Maybe not the lottery, but we leverage our precious resources (the most precious, being our lives) in pursuit of success, comfort, recognition, acceptance, and sometimes, just plain old stuff… all of which will eventually perish. But we have a sure thing in Jesus, salvation that lasts forever and the promise of His Kingdom. May we bet our lives on that sure thing today and leverage our resources for riches that never fade.

Prayer: Lord, help me to leverage my life for You today. May I use the resources you have so graciously given me – my time, talents, and treasure – in pursuit of Your Kingdom. May the assurance of my salvation provide the foundation for all that I do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Malachi 3

Lunch Break Study

Read John 10:7-10: So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹ I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Questions to Consider

1. What does Jesus call all the things (other than Himself) that offer us life? What are those things in your life?
2. What is Jesus’ promise to those who enter through Him (put their faith in Him)? Spend some time reflecting on this promise. How does His promise encourage you today?
3. In the New Testament, the terms “abundant life” and “eternal life” are closely connected. What is abundant life?

Notes

1. He calls them thieves and robbers because nothing and no one apart from Jesus gives life – they only take it away. God Himself is the source of all life.
2. In v. 9, Jesus promises that they will be saved and will find pasture (protection, security, and provision).
3. Eternal life and abundant life are connected, because when God promises us eternal life, He doesn’t just mean we’ll live forever. He means we will live forever abundantly – in other words, He is speaking to the quality of our lives. Jesus desires that we have the best quality of life possible. We aren’t truly living, until we’re living with Jesus!

Evening Reflection

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Mt. 6:33).

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3).

Spend time tonight meditating on the verses above. What are the tings you’re seeking that you believe will give you abundant (the highest quality of) life? Jesus says that eternal and abundant life is to know God. How do Jesus’ words speak to you tonight? Spend time talking to God about these things.

Note: The AMI QT devotionals from November 7-12 are provided by Cami King. Cami, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is about to complete her M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. She is currently serving as a staff at Journey Community Church in Raleigh.

Devotional Thought for Today

Hebrews 7:11-22 

Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. 13 For the one concerning whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar.14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. 15 And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. 17 For it is attested of Him, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” 18 For, on the one hand, there is a setting aside of a former commandment because of its weakness and uselessness 19 (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. 20 And inasmuch as it was not without an oath 21 (for they indeed became priests without an oath, but He with an oath through the One who said to Him, “The Lord has sworn And will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever’”); 22 so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

Today is Election Day! And when it’s done (unless something weird goes on… weirder than what has already been happening this election season) we’ll know the next president of the United States of America.

There’s no denying that this election season has been a tumultuous one. Not just because the candidates from the two major parties have the lowest approval ratings anyone alive has ever seen. But also, and more significantly I think, because the thoughts and opinions of many Americans regarding how we should live together and how we view one another have been laid bare through their support of certain candidates and platforms. And it has been a little scary hearing what we actually think of one another, what we value, and how we envision our best life together (if together at all). And no party or candidate is exempt… there has been cause for concern from them all.

Throughout the last few months, I’ve learned a lot about what people think will save us. That might sound dramatic, but as “concerned citizens” share their immovable support and vitriolic denouncement of various candidates and policies, I’m convinced that the intensity of it all points to an underlying belief that some sort of political figure or change that comes through government will be the thing that finally saves us (from any number of things/people) and affords a life that satisfies and fulfills.

Much like the Hebrew writer’s audience, we too are deceived about what can save us. While the Levitical priesthood and the sacrificial system should have revealed its own inadequacies and the need for something greater (Jesus!), our broken society should do the same for us. More than politics, Jesus is the hope of the world. And that means that no matter who is in power, it is the LORD, His work of salvation and redemption and His coming Kingdom, that will ultimately save and give abundant life.

So, as many of us vote today, may we make wise decisions that reflect the heart of God, and remember when the results come in, that the LORD is at work and we trust in Him.

Prayer: Lord, for generations humanity has somehow missed just how broken we are. As I look at the society around me today, may I not be mistaken about what it is that we truly need – You. Give me grace to participate in my communities in a way that honors You. Give me perspective to see things the way You see them. Grant me hope as I await Your coming Kingdom. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Malachi 2

Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 46: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered; He raised His voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has wrought desolations in the earth. 9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots with fire. 10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah.

Questions to Consider

1. What is a refuge? Why would someone need one? According to the passage, what does having God as a refuge do for His people?
2. How do God’s promises in vv. 4-7 encourage us?
3. What is God’s command in v. 10? Why are we able to obey this command?

Notes 

1. A refuge is a place of shelter and protection for those fleeing some sort of impending danger or lack. And a refuge isn’t just a place that allows those fleeing to come in (i.e. protection – keeping the bad things away), but it is also a place that provides a new home (i.e. shelter) and all that entails, recognizing that those fleeing have little or nothing and need help. This is what God does for us. We come to Him in need of protection and shelter and He affords it to us. Knowing that the God of the universe is our protector and provider gives us confidence. No matter what we face, we have no cause for fear.
2. We know that God is with us and that His victory is assured. This should be an encouragement to each of us. Spend some time reflecting on how it encourages you personally.
3. God commands us to “quit striving” (or be still) and know (acknowledge and trust) that He is God. We can do this because He accompanies the command with a promise – He will be exalted among the nations and in the earth. We can take that to the banks. We can also do this because we know His track record and his promises of what is to come (vv. 8-9).

Evening Reflection

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. ³ This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

Spend some time praying for the nation you call home and nations around the world. Pray especially for the leadership and the governing powers. Pray also for the people, keeping in mind any situations you know the nation is facing.

Note: The AMI QT devotionals from November 7-12 are provided by Cami King. Cami, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is about to complete her M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. She is currently serving as a staff at Journey Community Church in Raleigh.

Devotional Thought for Today

Hebrews 7:1-10

 

For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually. 4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. 5 And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham.6 But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. 7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, 10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.

The Bible is an amazing text! We understand Scripture to be a revelation of God to the world – something precious that He made and preserved so that we may know Him. He revealed Himself (who He is and what He’s like) in the lives of His people, so that those within the community of faith would come to know Him as they did life together with Him and one another. Then He preserved that revelation in the Scriptures (which tell the many stories of God and His people) for those who would come later on (that’s us!), so that we too might glean from what was revealed to and through them—all to the end of a greater knowledge of who God is.

And this was not done haphazardly. Our passage today, drawing from the life of a man who lived during Old Testament, reminds us that God is carefully, intentionally, and creatively writing a Grand Narrative through the lives of His people. It reminds us that He has great plans for the world and has been (and continues to be) at work through the generations to bring them about. It reminds us that God loves us so much that He reveals to us Himself and His plans so that we may know who He is and partner with Him in what He’s doing.

Through Melchizedek, a prototype for Jesus, we are clued in to what Jesus is like. Melchizedek means “righteous king.” And that is what he was – not only a king, virtuous and good in his rule, but also a priest, blessing the people, most notably Abraham, with peace. His lineage was not recorded, neither was the day of the end of his reign (v. 3). Why? Because the one of whom he was a mere shadow, Jesus, would be the eternal God Himself and have a Kingdom that would never end. Today, may we thank God for the Scriptures and the revelation of Himself found in them. And may we thank God our Priest and King Jesus – whose eternal reign is one of righteousness and whose priesthood affords us the blessing of wholeness and peace.

Prayer: Sovereign Lord, I do not take it for granted that I get to know You. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me through Your word and through the lives of those who’ve gone before me. May that revelation affect the way I do life today. Thank You for Jesus and His coming Kingdom. In His name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Malachi 1

Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 110: The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” 2 The Lord will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” 3 Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, your youth are to You as the dew. 4 The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” 5 The Lord is at Your right hand; He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath.6 He will judge among the nations,
He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country.
7 He will drink from the brook by the wayside; therefore He will lift up His head. 

Questions to Consider 

1. In this Psalm, David is overhearing a conversation within the Godhead, between the Father and Jesus. What do we learn from God’s words in vv. 1-3?
2. What does God promise in verse 4? How is that an encouragement to us today?
3. The LORDS words in vv. 5-7 show us that victory promised will be a great victory. Jesus has defeated sin and death, and we will one day live forever with Him in His Kingdom, in a perfect world, in wholeness and peace. In what areas of your life does this truth offer hope?

Notes

1. Jesus is told to sit at the right hand of the Father, until He brings forth a full victory over His enemies. And many (faithful believers) will willingly join in the fight (Eph. 6:12) – those who believe in the Lord and long for His reign.
2. God promises that Jesus will be our priest forever in the order (or manner) of Melchizedek. This is an encouragement to us because just as Melchizedek was a righteous King who blessed his people, Jesus will be the Righteous King and bless all creation. And His victory will have complete victory and His reign will last forever.
3. Spend some time in personal reflection.

Evening Reflection

Take a moment to read the passage below meditatively (aloud and slowly). Reflect on God’s great love for you, His finished work to save you, and the complete victory you have in Him. Spend some time responding in worship.

³¹ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? ³³ Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; ³⁴ who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)

Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from October 31-November 6 are provided by Pastor Charles Choe of Tapestry Church, Los Angeles.  Charles, a graduate of UC Riverside and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Grace, and they have three children: Chloe, Noah, and Camden.

Devotional Thought for Today

Hebrews 6:13-20

For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

This Tuesday, we will head to the polls and elect a new president to the White House. With any presidential election, there is great hope for the nation to grow and prosper. But there’s also a great deal of skepticism because of the way politicians have failed to come through on the promises made on the campaign trail. We can sometimes become jaded and begin to think they will say just about anything to get our votes.

It’s not just our politicians, but it’s also the media, the advertising companies, and even our own friends and family who break promises. It’s so pervasive that we are tempted to think this is just the reality of life. And this mindset begins to affect our relationship with God and the way we think about the promises He has made. But there is a distinction between the promises of man and the promises of God: While man’s promises have many varied reasons for not coming to pass, God’s promises are as certain as the morning sun, as He has decreed it to be fulfilled tomorrow. He will carry His Word to fulfillment by the strength of His character and power of His love.

The author of Hebrews ends chapter 6 by calling us to hold fast to the promises of God because they are true. He reminds us of God’s promise to Abraham, that he would become the father of many nations.  Though at times this appeared to be impossible, Abraham held on to God’s promise, and soon he was rewarded with a sound of an infant crying in his own home. This child would be part of the way God kept His promise to make Abraham a father of many nations.

Just as Abraham held fast to the promises of God, we too must hold fast. As we do, we will discover that the promises of God begin to change us and give us new motivation for living. We will no longer have such strong ties to the things of this world, for God’s promises are better than anything the world has to offer. We become strangers and aliens, as Peter says (1 Peter 2:11), and our lives will be filled all the more with contentment.  Meanwhile, we become attractive to the watching world. Let us hold fast to the promises of God, which culminates in His Son Jesus Christ. Let us trust in the work of the Lord on the cross to save us and sustain us, until our faith become sight!

Prayer: Lord, regardless of who wins the election, help me to live out my faith boldly today. May I never be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God for salvation.  And may You guide the next president to lead our country, according to your righteousness and compassion. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Mark 1606