Note: The AMI Quiet Time Devotionals from October 24-30 are written by Andy Kim. Andy, a graduate of Northwestern University, is about to complete his M.Div. at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is currently serving as a staff at Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco, CA.
Devotional Thought for Today
Hebrews 4:16
16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The hit TV show “Shark Tank” has tested the confidence and abilities of many entrepreneurs. The premise of the show is that individuals would pitch their ideas and business models to a group of successful investors. Many of these individuals have prepared their entire lives for this moment, hoping that their innovation would impress the investors. They are then questioned, tested, and scrutinized—but afterwards, many are left with their dreams shattered (probably the reason for the show’s name). It is a brutal process, but this is work. For us students, it’s a lot like taking a test. The amount you prepare and study will determine your confidence going into the test; but even then, you may not get the results you want. Regardless of how much effort you put into it, the output or the product is how we are measured.
Thankfully, this is not the case when it comes to approaching God. The writer in this passage speaks to a confidence that the believer holds when approaching God’s throne. Contrary to the world, our confidence does not lie in our work or even our abilities. Rather, our confidence stems from the finished work of Christ; and upon Christ’s finished work we are judged. This attitude is not one of pride but of humble reverence for God, for we are able to enter His presence with freedom and without the fear of condemnation. For many of us, approaching God is difficult because we feel unworthy or even unprepared to come to Him. At the core of these excuses are two misunderstandings: First, that we can approach Him based on our works; or second, that Christ’ work is not sufficient for us. The throne that God chooses to sit on is not of just power and glory but of grace. It is in this grace that we are accepted into His chambers, where God provides for even our smallest needs. May we not be deceived by the enemy by turning to our own abilities and effort, or think that we are not worthy enough to come to Him. Instead, through the dwelling of Christ in our hearts, may we receive the measure of all the fullness of God! (Eph 3:19).
Spend some time reflecting on your attitude when you enter into His presence. Do you go straight into a laundry list of items to pray about? Do you feel disconnected from Him at times? If so, may this passage remind us that we come to the Father through Christ alone, and we can come to Him in complete freedom without fear.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for Your grace. We confess that we are unworthy, and many times we come to You with wrong motivations. Yet we look to Jesus Christ who made a way for us. Help us to never depend on our abilities but to fully trust in You. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Mark 7-8
One of the worst conversations I’ve had involved my friend, a resident at a local shelter, and me. To give you some context, my friend and I grew up in a middle class suburb, attending our local youth group every Sunday. The conversation started out well, until we began sharing our lives with one another. As the man shared his story, we stood speechless at how he was abandoned at a young age, felt that he had no choice but to turn to drugs, and now ostracized by society. In that moment of silence, my friend regrettably blurted out, “I know how you feel.” But before he could explain himself, the man responded by asking how a privileged kid, dressed in Abercrombie, could ever understand what it’s like to lose everything and now become a victim of society. He was right—we would never even come close to understanding him.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Sadly, this was a childhood phrase that I found to be a lie, when a fifth grade boy called me fat at a pool party. It hurt—and I still remember it today. The truth is, words have power—the power to bless or the power to curse. It’s amazing how a simple “thank you” can go so far as to make a person’s day, or a few negative words on a performance review can make us question our self worth. There are also words we have created such as “yolo” and “fomo” that inspire the way we live our lives.
Growing up with a sister, I was always jealous of her being the older one. So I remember how I couldn’t wait to become a teenager like her, so I could hang out later and drive around with my friends. Then when I became a teenager, I couldn’t wait for college and be out of the house. In college, I couldn’t wait to start working and making my own money. Even in the small tasks in life, whether it was racing to the shortest line at the store or the fastest lane in traffic, I lacked the ability to be in the present. Sadly, this mentality began to manifest itself in my spiritual journey as well. For many of us, we can become so focused on tomorrow, that we struggle to be in the present. More importantly, we miss out on how God is speaking to us— today.
Imagine a day without your phone or hot water, and you cease from any type of activity, such as cooking. Many of us are probably thinking of some mission trip far away, but in the Jewish tradition, this is a weekly ordeal when observing the day of rest—the Sabbath. For a Christian’s Sabbath, it begins with a groggy morning, pressing the snooze button several times, a busy Sunday of serving and fellowship, an inevitable afternoon nap, and catching up on last minute chores. And before you know it, it’s time to sleep and you’re thinking of how quickly the weekend had passed, or how crazy the week ahead will be. If I were to consider a proper Sabbath, I would argue that the Jews have done a better job of grasping this. Lauren Winner writes: “But there is something in the Jewish Sabbath that is absent from most Christian Sundays: a true cessation from the rhythms of work and world, a time wholly set apart, and perhaps above all, a sense that the point of Shabbat, is toward God.”
Note: The AMI Quiet Time Devotionals from October 24-30 are written by Andy Kim. Andy, a graduate of Northwestern University, is about to complete his M.Div. at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is currently serving as a staff at Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco, CA. 
“If God shows me a sign, then I will go.” How often have we uttered the same prayer, only to find ourselves frustrated and lost? I have wondered why God does not reveal Himself in the manner He did in the Old Testament. Surely if He split not even the sea, but even a small pond, people would come to believe. Yet we see that even though the Israelites saw the sea divide, walked over dry ground, and saw manna fall from heaven, their hearts were hardened after times of testing. Ironically, it seems that the more they saw God move, the less they believed in Him. More importantly, because of their unbelief, they could not enter the Promised Land.
I remember a popular lesson in Sunday school was to choose our favorite Bible hero. We all chose the major hitters like David fighting Goliath, or Esther saving the Israelites as queen, or Samson having supernatural strength. Many of us have probably even prayed to be like David or even to have the faith of Moses that split the Red Sea. Maybe it’s not these Bible characters, but how often have we looked towards very spiritual people and wished we could be like them. For the Jews, Moses was— if not the most influential figure—a hero they looked to, who received the laws in which they prided themselves in.
In the first few chapters of Hebrews, the author paints a picture of the different characteristics of Jesus. He describes Him as superior over angels, Lord of creation, and the great King who is sovereign over all things. He continues this pattern in verse 17, as he tells us how Christ’s perfect communion of the Spirit with the believers makes Him a perfect High Priest. In verse 18, he describes Jesus as helper—specifically in the area of temptation.
For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? 7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
On a family vacation a few months ago, one of the activities I did with my daughters was paddle boating. The paddleboat was powered and steered depending on the amount of pressure put on the right and left paddles. We would paddle hard to go fast, but when we would grow weary and took a break and stopped paddling, we would slowly drift away. Then we would have to quickly get back on course by paddling again.