Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from June 27-July 3 are provided by Pastor Ulysses Wang who pastors Remnant Church in Manhattan. Ulysses, a graduate of New York University and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Christine and they have two children.
Devotional Thought for Today
Colossians 2:8 “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ.” 
Years ago I served as a youth pastor to middle and high school students. A lot of time was spent on developing their character so that they could be the light of Christ in their schools. There was also the hope that as they grew in their faith, they would become better prepared for the spiritual challenges they would face in college. As they graduated from high school, I, like a worrying (spiritual) parent, warned them about the dangers of drugs, drinking, and the party scene. I also warned them about philosophy classes. Not that they should never take any, but that they really needed to be discerning about what they were ingesting.
My warnings were not without reason. I remember the Philosophy 101 class that I took as a freshman in college. The professor was an ardent atheist. I was a (fairly) devoted Christian. “He’s not gonna get me,” was the battle cry of my heart. Then he challenged the class with a simple question: “If God is omnipotent, can he create a rock that he can’t lift?” The silence was deafening. “Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?” Never before had the world seen Christians, Jews, and Muslims in such unity – we were all completely stumped. No one said a word. Well, that was that – the existence of God disproved in a minute, and the professor moved on. Little did I know that the professor had pulled a fast one on us. It wasn’t until years later, when I was taking an apologetics class at seminary that I learned that he had violated a foundational tenet of philosophy – the Law of Non-Contradiction. In other words, something cannot be both “A” and “not A” at the same time. But we didn’t know the Law of Non-Contradiction, and the professor took full advantage.
Looking back on that episode, it’s tempting to want to go and study all the philosophy I can in order to make sure that something like that never happens again. It’d be great to be able to quote Kant, Nietzsche, and Plato from memory. It would make me formidable in debate, and I would sound really smart to boot. Now, there’s nothing wrong with studying philosophy, given that you are indeed careful and discerning with what you read. In fact, engaging secular philosophers in their lingua franca might even be a calling for some. However, it’s important to remember that in the end, the whole truth cannot be philosophy without Christ. Paul unashamedly wrote, “Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1 Corinthians 1:20-25).
God’s wisdom will always sound like foolishness to the world because His truth is spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14), but it is truth and it is life and we are not to be ashamed. There will be occasion for debate, but there will also be occasion to preach the simple gospel, that those who have ears to hear may hear.
Prayer: God, help me to not be intimidated by the wisdom of this world. Help me to know that 15 graduate degrees in philosophy and a shelf full of Kant and Nietzsche don’t trump the truth of the gospel. Give me wisdom to know how, when confronted by those espousing the wisdom of the world, to respond in love. Give me the power of the Spirit and the right words to say. Make me brave. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 94-95
It’s amazing how much easier ministry is when you genuinely care about people. They tend to open up. They share more. They invite you into their lives. The famous evangelist D.L. Moody once told the story of a young boy who walked five miles every week to get to Sunday school when he could have easily attended any of forty other Sunday schools that were closer to his home. The boy’s reason: “Because they love a fellow over there.”
Here we have a problematic verse. We know that Christ was completely obedient to the will of the Father. We also know that His suffering for us on the cross was wholly sufficient for our cleansing and justification. The author of Hebrews wrote, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (10:14). So what then could be “lacking in Christ’s afflictions”? Uncomfortable choice of words indeed.
There is a great temptation to associate believing in Jesus with a “get out of jail, free” card. “Thanks for the sacrifice Jesus. Now, I’ve got some stuff to do, so I’ll see you in 50 years.” Such people will be in for the surprise of their lives if at the end, they hear Jesus say, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness” (Matthew 7:23b). The fact that this is a real possibility can be seen in Paul’s logic – we have been “reconciled…if indeed you continue in the faith…” If. This disturbs us because it wasn’t what we learned in Sunday school – if you believe in Jesus, you’ve got a spot waiting for you in heaven. Your table can’t be given away. We object further: “This sounds like works! I thought salvation was free!” Amen! Salvation is free – it’s a gift. But true salvation is evidenced by the kind of continuing on in the faith Paul wrote about. A duo of commentators put it this way: “If the Bible teaches the final perseverance of the saints, it also teaches that the saints are those who finally persevere – in Christ. Continuity is the test of reality.”
Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from June 27-July 3 are provided by Pastor Ulysses Wang who pastors Remnant Church in Manhattan. Ulysses, a graduate of New York University and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is married to Christine and they have two children.
One constant obstacle to living the Christian life is the desires of the flesh to opt for immediate gratification. Whether having to do with sexual desire, overeating, or all types of addictions (e.g., video games, drugs, gambling, etc.), persuading others and ourselves to abandon the banner that reads “let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die” (Isaiah 22:13; 1 Corinthians 15:32) is a formidable task indeed.
This opening statement in Paul’s letter to the Colossians is easily glossed over, but it’s loaded with significance. In the large majority of Paul’s letters, which span roughly a 15-year period, he begins them this same way. We are reminded again and again over the years that this man did not become an apostle by his own choosing, but rather, it was a mandate from heaven which he accepted and obeyed. And this was something that no one needed to know more than him, as he would endure countless beatings, stonings, and even shipwreck (2 Cor. 11:23-28). Eventually, his commitment to his calling would lead him to lay down his very life. A person less sure of his calling surely would have abandoned such a difficult and lonely road.
Viktor Frankl, a psychologist and a holocaust survivor, made an interesting observation during his imprisonment. He began to notice that those who held unto hope were more likely to survive. People who were filled with despair or hatred were more susceptible to death than those who held unto the hope of one-day reuniting with their family or seeing the Allies bring freedom. In other words, future hope gave them the fortitude and strength necessary to persevere and thrive even in the worst of conditions.
The great reformer Martin Luther was incredibly self-aware, especially when it came to his own sinfulness. For this reason, he was constantly tormented in his conscience as he wondered whether he stood in God’s favor or wrath. He would try to remedy this problem by going to the priest for confession over and over again. It got so bad that the priest would tell him to stop coming unless he committed a terrible sin. No matter what religious duties Luther fulfilled, he never felt peace in his own conscience and no solace in his own works. However, through the grace of God, he stumbled upon Habakkuk 2:4 when studying through the book of Romans, and it provided the very freedom he so desperately needed.
After a back and forth conversation between Habakkuk and God in the first chapter, the prophet says that he will go to his watchpost and wait for God’s response. Instead of speaking his own thoughts and words to the people of Judah, he chooses to go to the tower in order to keep a watchful eye for God’s answer. Here, it is easy to see that Habakkuk understood his role as a prophet well. He was not charged to speak his own thoughts but to be God’s mouthpiece. And this meant learning how to listen well with an obedient posture—not insisting on his own ways but to allow God to determine the content of his words and actions.
Recently, U2 lead singer Bono met with theologian Eugene Peterson to discuss the Psalms and their significance. Both possessed a fondness for the Psalms. They marveled at its beauty and composition. However, what captured their hearts was its brutally honest nature. The psalmists never shied away from expressing exactly what was on their hearts, whether it was great joy, paralyzing confusion, or profound sorrow. There was no attempt to wear a mask before God, only a genuine vulnerability that laid it all out. And this is one reason why we sense that the psalmists’ relationship with God was marked by a real sense of intimacy and authenticity. It was not about appearing spiritual by praying the right words but about honestly inviting God into one’s interior life.