Editor’s Note:  Today’s Quiet Time is provided by Mei Lan Thallman.  Mei Lan Thallman is originally from Taiwan and a graduate of Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary (M.A.) in Kentucky.  She is the wife of Pastor Kirt, who serves at Grace Covenant Church (Philadelphia).  They have two children, Nate (13) and Naomi (11).

Devotional Thought for Today

1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV)

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

I have been enjoying a new exercise class at the YMCA called Body Combat—a non-combat, martial arts-based fitness program with moves drawn from karate, tae kwan do, boxing, and muay thai. Prior to this class I had zero experience with any type of martial arts, yet I love this class for several reasons: First, exercising with others motivates me to keep going when I feel like giving up. Second, the class instructor always pushes me beyond my limit.  Just when I think I have given all I have got, she would challenge us towards the next level by pushing, kicking and working harder.   Third, I feel empowered as I learn and practice martial arts moves, like how to take basic defensive stance and offensive tactics— such as throwing punches, jabs and hooks with my hands, and different kicks with my feet. More than exercise, this class is equipping me to remain calm and have the confidence to defend myself in case of an assault.  Whenever I am throwing punches, however, I imagine my target practice as my arch enemy, Satan, and I begin to believe and act like a warrior.

Too often Christians take on a mindset of being a fearful, helpless, defenseless victim of Satan—the enemy of our soul.  The enemy tries to deceive believers into thinking that we are powerless to stand against his attacks. We are taking punches from him left and right, questioning why we are being attacked, and why God is allowing it to happen. Some even go as far as to blame God for their own fears and defeat.

God’s Word teaches us that we do have an enemy who is seeking for opportunities to strike against us: 1Peter 5:8 says, “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  Scriptures also give specific commands on how to fight back as a warrior of Christ, instead of a defenseless victim: 1Peter 5:9: “Resist him, standing firm in faith”; and Ephesians 6:10-18: “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils’ schemes.”

As sons and daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords, we are born again to become mighty warriors in Christ.  Let’s keep encouraging each other to daily sharpen our sword by taking the time to soak in the Bible and to know and live the truth, so that we would be transformed and free. When the lion seeks to devour us, may we stand firm to wield the sword, to throw the punches, and to live out our true identity as mighty warriors, through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ.

Prayer: Indwelling Holy Spirit, keep reminding us the truth that we are no longer slaves to fear, but that we are adopted, beloved, empowered sons and daughters of God.  Through Christ our Lord, we have the power to overcome the enemy and to live consistently as God’s mighty warriors. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 112

 

Editor’s Note:  Today’s Quiet Time is provided by Mei Lan Thallman.  Mei Lan Thallman is originally from Taiwan and a graduate of Asbury College and Asbury Theological Seminary (M.A.) in Kentucky.  She is the wife of Pastor Kirt, who serves at Grace Covenant Church (Philadelphia).  They have two children, Nate (13) and Naomi (11).

Devotional Thought for Today

1 Corinthians 3:5-11 

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul?  Only servants through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.  So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.  The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.  For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.  By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it.  But each one should be careful how he builds.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

This spring, I had the blessing to go back to Taipei, Taiwan and visit the House of Praise—the first church we loved and served for seven years.  I was deeply moved during worship, as I watched many of the old faces who were stepping up in their places to serve God as elders, deacons, worship leaders, greeters, etc.  I remembered how hard it was to leave them nine years ago, when we felt God leading us elsewhere.

But now I rejoice over how much the church family has grown as a whole, and how well they are doing under the care of the current pastor and his family.  I was overwhelmed with gratitude for God’s great faithfulness–truly God was and is the ultimate and rightful Shepherd of HOP.  Though we were blessed and privileged to be entrusted by God to care for HOP, I was also glad that we trusted and obeyed God when it was His time for us to move on.  If we didn’t, things would look very different for all of us.

The following week, I shared a meal with a family who joyfully informed me that the husband has come to faith in Christ Jesus after 15 years of witnessing and praying for him; now they are planning to be baptized as a family.  Their first exposure to Christianity was attending their sister’s baptism at HOP fifteen years ago.  But during the course of 15 years, God was using the church to lead them one by one to Himself; first, the wife, WiWi, through her sister Kathy; then the kids, Stanely and Chi Chi; and lastly the husband, Grant.

We serve a great God who is constantly at work to draw the world unto Himself through his bride, the church.  We, the church, are the living and thriving hands and feet of Christ.  God not only wants to save and sanctify us, but He longs to enthrone and reign as the cornerstone of our heart and lives.  Then, and only then, can He use us freely to build the same foundation into other people’s hearts and lives.  Let us not grow weary to keep pursuing Jesus wholeheartedly, to steadfastly and faithfully keep planting seeds, and watering into the lives of people that God brings into our path.

Prayer:  Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for being the author and perfector of our faith.  Thank You that You desire not only to save us but to entrust us with the responsibility of being a thriving and active member of your church family.   Please forgive us of our tendencies to be a spectator, consumer, critic and competitor.  Fill us with more of You and Your heart for the world.  Teach us to freely, unconditionally, and boldly give away the love and grace that You so lavishly bestow upon us always.

Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 110-111

 

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from July 11-15 are provided by Tina Hsu, who is currently serving as a preaching-intern in East Asia. Tina is a graduate of Biola University and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for Today

Exodus 2:11-14, 23-25

Now it came about in those days, when Moses had grown up, that he went out to his brethren and looked on their hard labors; and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 So he looked this way and that, and when he saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 He went out the next day, and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, “Why are you striking your companion?”14 But he said, “Who made you a prince or a judge over us? Are you [s]intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and said, “Surely the matter has become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well. . . . 23 Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. 24 So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 25 God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.

After growing up as a privileged prince in the Egyptian palace, Moses started to sense a calling or an urgency to save his Hebrew people from slavery. Sadly, Moses took things into his own hands and tried to act on behalf of the Israelite slaves by his own strength. Even worse, he did it through murder. When he could no longer watch his Hebrew brothers be so powerless, he killed an Egyptian slave master when he thought no one was looking.

Moses found out that what he did in secret was actually seen. Now Egypt is going to know that he has sided with the Hebrews. His own Hebrew brothers are against him too. He thought his intervention helped them, but his murderous act actually made things worse for them. Now that Egypt knows that someone is trying to deliver them, their labor is going to get worse and more intense. What was the outcome? Moses fled to Midian to escape Pharaoh’s anger and was in Midian for 40 years.

Moses tried to accomplish God’s task in an unrighteous manner. Even though he sensed God’s call to save Israel, God was more interested in first forming Moses’ character than simply using him to accomplish the task. God used Moses’ years of isolation in Midian to shape him as he worked as a shepherd. Perhaps Moses felt defeated and thought his life would end in Midian, but God purposed in His timing to send Moses back to Egypt. However, this time, Moses would be able to lead Israel by God’s power and God’s way.

Being driven and goal-oriented in God’s kingdom is good. We have a lot of zeal to make right what is wrong, or to fill a need, but it’s easy to take matters into our own hands; when we do that, we fail or even do God’s work in a way displeasing to Him. Without losing our passion and zeal to be used by God, we must also allow our hearts and character to be transformed so that we can carry out God’s work in a manner pleasing to Him.

Prayer: Dear God, as Your servant, You care about who I am and what I do in public and in private. Help me to live my life today with You as my only audience. Help my actions and my speech to be pleasing to You so that I may serve you effectively. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 109

Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 139:1-4: O Lord, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. 3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all. 5 You have enclosed me behind and before,
and laid your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.

Questions to Consider

1. What does David’s Psalm reveal about God?
2. What does David’s Psalm reveal about us?
3. How does God’s omniscience over your life encourage you?

Notes

1. God is omniscient. He is all-knowing, not only of the things happening in this world and the purpose behind every matter, but He is all-knowing in a personal way as well. God is acquainted with our entire being (mind, heart, body, intentions, etc.).
2. David’s Psalm reveals that we may don’t know ourselves as well as God knows us. We may not understand ourselves as well as God does. It requires us to ask God to search us so that we understand ourselves better.
3. Personal response.

Evening Reflection  

Colossians 3:23-24 reads, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”  Who do you serve?  If it really were God, how would our daily lives be different at home and at work? Bette Milder, in her “From a Distance,” sang, “God is watching us.”  He does, always, to guide and help us so that we are never lost in Him.

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from July 11-15 are provided by Tina Hsu, who is currently serving as a preaching-intern in East Asia. Tina is a graduate of Biola University and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for Today

Exodus 2:1-10

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi. 2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months. 3 But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch. Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile. 4 His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him.5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile; and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her. 6 When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying. And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?” 8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. 9 Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. 10 The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”

God shapes us uniquely for His purpose from the very beginning of our lives. We can certainly see a glimpse of God’s purpose for Moses from his birth. He was born during Pharaoh’s population control program. In order to control Israel’s population growth and potential to rise in power, he made the Israelites serve as slaves and formed an edict for all newborn Hebrew boys to be thrown into the Nile River.

Being a Hebrew boy, Moses faced the danger of the Nile at his birth. Yet God protected His life by using three women and a box made out of reeds. In biblical history, Moses is the first “dropbox baby.”  Instead of casting him straight into the Nile, Moses’ mom made a box and placed him inside it, in hopes that someone may discover him and spare his life. Then, Moses’ sister followed Moses’ box as he helplessly went down the river and was found by Pharaoh’s daughter. It seems obvious that Pharaoh’s daughter would follow her father’s decree to cast Moses into the Nile, but she saw him and had compassion on him. Being a strategic sister, Moses’ sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter (v. 7) if she could help bring Moses back to a Hebrew woman who could nurse him, without revealing that she would bring him back to his mother. The moment Pharaoh’s daughter said, “Go ahead,” Moses’ life was preserved.

God’s favor was upon Moses since his birth to carefully preserve a deliverer for His people. Moses was born as part of the oppressed population, but God provided royal protection for Moses, and allowed him to grow up among the powerful, inside the palace of the world’s greatest nation. At the right time, despite trials and setbacks, Moses would later lead Israel out of Egypt. God prepared the events in Moses’ life so that Moses could walk into God’s unique purpose for him. Nothing about him being spared from Pharaoh’s edict was a result of his choosing and doing—it was entirely the Lord’s doing. This morning, reflect on the events and circumstances in your childhood, upbringing, and background. What privileges, experiences, and even hardships has God placed in your life, so that you could serve Him with a unique purpose?

Prayer: Praise the Lord, for You are so kind and compassionate.  There certainly have been some good as well as not-so-good moments in my life, and I thank You for all of them because through them, You continue to teach me what it means to love and depend on You.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 108

Lunch Break Study

2 Samuel 17:33-38: Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.”34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” 38 Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor.

Questions to Consider

1. What challenge is David accepting?
2. Why does David think he is able to go against Goliath?
3. In hindsight, David’s experience of tending and protecting sheep from danger prepared him for a greater task of fighting against Israel’s enemies. What prior experience/job do you think God used to form and prepare you for what He calls you to do today?

Notes

1. David is motivated to fight on behalf of Saul’s army against Goliath the Philistine, a warrior giant.
2. David believes that his prior experience as a shepherd boy has equipped him to face Goliath. God’s hand has helped him to protect sheep from the mouth of lions and bears. He trusts that God will not fail to protect him (and Israel) from the hand of Goliath, who is cursing God’s name and His people.
3. Personal Response.

Evening Reflection  

We are not saved by works (Eph. 2:8-9), but we are certainly saved and transformed to do the work of the Lord. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Reflect on how God has been preparing you in every season of your life to be His workmanship.

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from July 11-15 are provided by Tina Hsu, who is currently serving as a preaching-intern in East Asia. Tina is a graduate of Biola University and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for Today

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 

Now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to keep the Lord’s commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good? 

One of the easiest words to resist, or even despise, is when our parents or a person in authority sets up rules and says, “I tell you this for your good” or “I tell you this because I care for you.” Naturally, in our sinful nature, we want to be autonomous, independent, and the judge of right and wrong. Similarly, our hearts, when ignorant of God says, “I know the best for myself.” Scripture helps us to see that God’s commands are not burdensome or joy-killers. They don’t rob us of freedom. They are actually for our good. God’s Word helps us to live in our new freedom in Christ and to walk into His blessings and promises.

In this morning’s passage, God instructs Israel through Moses to devote themselves to His words and commands, so that they may victoriously go in to possess the land God had promised to their forefathers. God exhorts and instructs for their good. He desires them to inherit His promise in His way and by His power. Ever since coming out of Egypt, the Israelites had many episodes of straying from God and doubting Him, including the time they worshipped the golden calf. It was important for Israel to learn to keep the Lord’s commandments, so that they could enter and possess the land through listening to God’s voice, instruction, and ways. The more they trust and keep God’s Word, the less they will fear crossing the Jordan and driving out nations that are stronger and greater than them. Though God’s commands required devotion and obedience, His commandments were for their good and for their future inheritance.

In light of this, let’s reflect about how God’s convictions and commands are for our good. What is God calling you to obey today, and how do you think your obedience will be for your good?

Prayer: Dear God, help me to trust that Your commandments are not burdensome. Instead, they are for my good. Train my ears and tune my heart to follow Your ways, so that I can experience Your promises and blessings in my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 107

Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 5:24-27: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

Questions to Consider

1. What is Jesus implying by using imagery of the house, rock, sand, wind, flood, and rain?
2. What is the Jesus’ main exhortation to us in this passage?
3. Why do you think Jesus calls his teachings/commands a rock? How has God’s word been a “rock” in your life recently?

Notes

1. By using the imagery of wind, flood, and rain, Jesus is implying that trials, hardships, and difficult times will come. The righteous, those who are God’s children by faith, are not exempt from facing trials. The house represents our life and personhood. The rock represents Jesus’ teaching, whereas sand represents man’s own ways.
2. He is exhorting us to hear and obey His words, because those who live life (or build his/her life) according to God’s ways are able to remain steady and strong even though trials and hardships are overwhelming and difficult.
3. Personal Response.

Evening Reflection  

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4). What do you live by? What do you crave for?

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from July 11-15 are provided by Tina Hsu, who is currently serving as a preaching-intern in East Asia. Tina is a graduate of Biola University and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for Today

Mark 12:28-34

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?”29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; 30and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that He is One, and there is no one else besides Him; 33 and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.

I grew up with a pretty good record of being an obedient daughter towards my earthly father. I obeyed and listened to him, but I didn’t obey because I loved him. I obeyed primarily because I was afraid of him—his temper and the idea of disappointing him. God has held my hand to overcome fear and to begin obeying my father because I love him. Even though my dad’s response is not in my control, this change in my heart has helped me to overcome fear.  This has also revealed to me how God wants me to relate to Him. He desires that I obey His word because I love and adore Him. God calls us to obey Him because we love Him, for love is the channel through which He relates to us and desires us to relate to Him. He loved us first by sending His beloved Son to defeat sin and death, so that we could be reconciled to Him. He whole-heartedly loved us and calls us to whole-heartedly love Him in a relationship.

Jesus affirms that loving God with our heart, mind, soul, and strength is the greatest commandment, next to loving our neighbor, because the love command is the preface for the whole Law. Every command and every prohibition that comes from God teaches and guides us how to express our love for God. He is not saying all other statutes are less important, or that we should pay less attention to other laws. But He is saying that the love command is the most important, because it sums up the spirit of the Law. For this reason, Jesus was pleased to hear the scribe’s response, because he seems to have understood that God delights in obedience that comes from a person’s love for him. On the contrary, he does not delight in acts of obedience that are empty of love.

There comes a point in our walk with God in which we have to ask ourselves, “Why do I obey and serve God?” May God work in you and me so that the reason we obey Him is because we love Him.

Prayer: Dear God, let my obedience and sacrifice for You be an overflow of my love for You and out of a joy of being Your servant. Thank You for loving me first, so that I could experience what true and unconditional love is. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 106

Lunch Break Study

Read John 14:19-24  After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also.20 In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.21 He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what then has happened that You are going to disclose Yourself to us and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him. 24 He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word, which you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.

Questions to Consider

1. What is Jesus preparing the disciples to face?
2. How should the disciples expect to see Jesus after He leaves them?
3. What does this passage teach you about discipleship? What does it mean that you are a disciple of Jesus?

Notes

1. Jesus is about to leave the world by dying on the cross, rising again, and ascending to be with the Father. Jesus is preparing the disciples to trust that they will still continue to see Him.
2. They will receive guidance and instruction from the Holy Spirit. They can expect to experience the love of God by pursuing a mutual love relationship with Him. Jesus calls them to express their love for Him by keeping His words.
3. Personal Response.

Evening Reflection  

Mark 12:32-33 “…He is One, and there is no one else besides Him…” Before we can offer God anything, we must remember and absorb the truth that He is One, and there is no one else besides Him. Reflect on an area in your life that competes with honoring God and spend time praying for your relationship with God to be renewed and restored.

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from July 11-15 are provided by Tina Hsu, who is currently serving as a preaching-intern in East Asia. Tina is a graduate of Biola University and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for Today

Jeremiah 29:4-14

For thus says the Lord, “When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.11 For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.”

In the latest Disney Pixar movie Finding Dory, Dory journeys to find her parents. Due to her memory loss condition as a young fish, she frequently lost sight of her parents and would go off on her own, which is why she became lost and separated from her parents for this long duration. Dory’s search seems like an impossible task given the vast nature of the ocean. Despite her memory loss condition, Dory’s memory of her mom’s favorite item remained: seashells, particularly purple seashells. Swimming towards areas known for seashells became her clue that drew her closer to a reunion with her parents.

In this morning’s passage, God is speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to Judah, the southern tribe of Israel. They had been uprooted from Israel into exile in Babylon, the result of unfaithfulness and turning away from their relationship with God. In Babylon, Judah faces spiritual discouragement and defeat. Though they are God’s chosen people, they neglected the presence and commands of God while living in the Promised Land, and they are now driven away from the blessings of God. Yet, God still draws near to them and comforts them. In exile, God speaks to them and teaches them to remember what He loves: a people who seek Him and pray to Him. He loves a people who seek Him for His sake and for the things on His heart. It is by returning to what God loves that Judah will encounter God’s promise – they will find God again and be brought back to their land where God’s presence and glory dwell.

In our weaknesses, sins, and selfish ambition, we lose our focus and drift far away from God. Is your heart distracted, disillusioned, discouraged, or divided? This morning, remember and return to the place where God loves you to be— the place of prayer and seeking Him. Receive God’s comfort that He will be found by you when you seek Him with all your heart.

Prayer: Dear God, thank You that Your plan for me is that I walk in Your good plans. Help me to remember to seek You earnestly with my whole heart so that I will walk according to Your ways and choose to honor You only. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 105

Lunch Break Study

Read Joel 2:12-14: “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “Return to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, weeping and mourning; 13 and rend your heart and not your garments.” Now return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and relenting of evil. 14 Who knows whether He will not turn and relent and leave a blessing behind Him, Even a grain offering and a drink offering For the Lord your God?

Questions to Consider

1. What is happening in this passage?
2. How does God call His people to respond to Him?
3. Knowing God deals with sin because He is a holy God, but He is also gracious, compassionate, and slow to anger, how does His character draw you closer to Him today?

Notes

1. God is pronouncing the impending judgment that will come upon the people of Judah. God is speaking to the people of Judah before their exile into Babylon. Though judgment is coming, God is urging the people, “Yet even now,” to return to Him.
2. God is calling Judah to repent of their sins. Repentance is not a matter of giving or doing something for God. God doesn’t seek after our “garments.” Repentance is a matter of turning our hearts away from sin and towards God.
3. Personal Response.

Evening Reflection  

Proverbs 8:17:  “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.”

What is one thing you recently diligently searched for? A book, a digital device on sale, a house, relationships? Reflect and ask the Lord to give you a heart that seeks after Him with an even greater diligence.

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from July 4-10 are provided by Pastor Barry Kang, who heads Symphony Church in Boston.  Barry, a graduate of Stanford University and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Sunny (an amazing worship leader, chef and math wizard).  They are the proud parents of Caleb and Micah.

Devotional Thought for Today

Colossians 4:18

 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.

As Paul began his letter, so he ends—with a blessing of grace.  It is the most important thing he has to offer; it is the most important thing any of us have been given.  Grace.  This grace underlies, overflows, and seeps through Paul’s entire letter.

So it is important that we understand what this grace is.  Grace is the offer of God’s unending presence and love.  Grace is not just the forgiveness of sins.  We can get a little confused about this.  Sometimes we think of grace as God seeing our sins, but He sighs and says, “Okay, never mind. I forgive you because of Jesus.”  If we think of grace in that way—as God’s passive response to our active sins—then of course grace will not have the power to transform us.

Now grace does include the promise of forgiveness, but it is not just that.   John Ortberg puts it like this: “Grace is the flow of God’s power and presence and favor in your life from one moment to the next moment to the next moment to enable you to do whatever it is that God wants for you to do.”  It is given to us through the active work of Jesus Christ in His incarnation, cross, and resurrection.

It is through grace that Paul was sustained, even as he was in prison.  It is through grace that the prayers of the Colossians for Paul were heard.  It is through grace that we believe, are baptized, incorporated into the body, and serve.  It is by God’s grace that we live, breathe and have life.  It is by God’s grace that we receive power through his Holy Spirit and overcome trials.  We did not deserve any of it.  We can never earn it.  But it’s here, and it’s for you.

Grace be with you.

Prayer: 

Father, thank You for this grace.  Thank You that You love us so much that You pour this undeserved gift upon us—the gift of Yourself.  Thank You that we will never be separated from You by Your grace.  Thank you.  Help us to become more aware of this grace.  We so often fall into the trap of thinking that we have somehow merited Your favor by our good behavior and choices.  Forgive us that our relationship with You can be so transactional.  We want to grow in our love for You and grow in our desire for the desires of Your heart.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 104

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from July 4-10 are provided by Pastor Barry Kang, who heads Symphony Church in Boston.  Barry, a graduate of Stanford University and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Sunny (an amazing worship leader, chef and math wizard).  They are the proud parents of Caleb and Micah.

Devotional Thought for Today

Colossians 4:7-9

 Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9 and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

Sometimes when we hear a sermon or read the Bible, the knowledge we gain is left theoretical or conceptual.  When Tychicus delivered this letter to the church in Colossae, the Colossians might reasonably have thought they’d have time to reflect upon these words and consider their implications.  However, they wouldn’t have this luxury.  They would be tested right away.

For along with Tychicus was a man they hadn’t expected to see: Onesimus,  a runaway slave from Philemon’s household—now returned, and a Christian with a recommendation from the Apostle Paul to boot!  They all knew Philemon of course.  He was a respected follower of Christ and a wealthy home-owner and host to a church that met in his house.  If they didn’t know Onesimus’s story, they would have heard soon enough.

It is likely that Tychicus would have read the letter from Paul in their public gathering.  As they listened, their eyes would have shifted in Onesimus’s direction on more than one occasion.

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (3:11-14)

Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. (4:1)

and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. (4:8)

So how would they receive and welcome the runaway slave?  Praise God for an immediate opportunity to obey and give honor to our God!

The Word of God is not meant to be hypothetical or theoretical.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

His word challenges us and transforms us.  The quicker we obey, the quicker the transformation takes root.  Is there a step (or steps) of obedience God has been asking you to take?  Let us be a people who obey and right away!

Prayer: 

Father, You delight not in our sacrifices but our obedience.  We want to be a people who are transformed through Your word.  Help us not to keep Your word only in our minds, but give us Your grace to immediately live Your good and perfect will.  Thank You for the example of Jesus who obeyed that will even unto death.  Thank You that His obedience meant our salvation.  As we think upon Jesus, may we also likewise put on Christ each day, this day.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 103

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from July 4-10 are provided by Pastor Barry Kang, who heads Symphony Church in Boston.  Barry, a graduate of Stanford University and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Sunny (an amazing worship leader, chef and math wizard).  They are the proud parents of Caleb and Micah.

Devotional Thought for Today

Colossians 4:2-4

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

There is a popular saying often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel daily; Use words if necessary.”  One problem with this is that there is no record of St. Francis ever saying it.  In fact, St. Francis was quite the preacher.  While there is truth that our deeds must match the words that we speak, the gospel, by definition, is good news—not good living.

Paul is very clear here in his request to the church in Colossae: “Pray for us….to declare the mystery of Christ.” Let us be very clear: the gospel is the good news about Jesus and what He has done, and so it must be declared with words.

But we know that this isn’t easy.  We need God’s power to be able to declare it as we ought.  And so Francis of Assisi is recorded as teaching the following to his fellow co-workers in the gospel:

The preacher must first draw from secret prayer what he will later pour out in holy sermons; he must first grow hot within before he speaks words that are in themselves cold.

Paul needed prayer to preach the gospel.  Francis of Assisi needed prayer to preach the gospel.  If we are not preaching the gospel, perhaps what we need is more prayer.

Prayer: Lord, we confess that we don’t always seek Your presence in our lives. We often depend upon our own strength and wisdom instead of seeking Your power.  We want to be desperate for Your presence in all that we do, and learn how to celebrate and honor You in both our private and corporate times of worship.  May You show us Your glory and bring about times of refreshing and revival.

Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 102

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Corinthians 16:5-9: I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.

Questions to Consider:

1. Paul tells the church in Corinth that he intends to visit and stay with them after passing through Macedonia. Reading the passage, why did Paul delay his intended visit?
2. Does an open door for ministry mean that everything is moving without hindrance?
3. What open doors for ministry might God have opened around you?

Notes

1. Paul explains that his visit to Corinth is being delayed until after Pentecost, as he has work to do in Ephesus (“a wide door for effective work has opened” – verse 9).
2. An open door clearly does not mean that ministry has become easy. Paul notes that there are many adversaries to that work in Ephesus.  In fact, it seems as though the existence of those adversaries may have some part to play in his needing to stay in Ephesus.  When we think of God opening a door, clearly, we should not expect zero obstacles or hindrances.
3. Personal response.

Evening Reflection  

Please spend some time journaling a prayer for people around you whom God has placed on your heart to know the gospel.  What doors has God opened for you to share the good news?