Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from April 11 to 17 are provided by Pastor Yohan of Radiance Christian Church, San Francisco. Yohan graduated from University of Pennsylvania and Cairn University, where he studied theology. He is married to Mandie, and they have four children: Maggie, Jonathan, Abigail and Simon.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
Acts 17:21
21 Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
Does it make me un-American to say that I hate Apple, Inc.? Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate their products. Whenever I play on an iPhone or iPad or Macbook, I generally feel this sense of, “Wow, this thing is smooth!” However, what I hate about Apple, Inc. is—how I feel six months after I buy one of their products. The last Apple product I bought was the iPad 3, and for about five months, I enjoyed it. But in the sixth month, iPad 4 (or more correctly iPad with Retina Display) came out, and then overnight, I felt like I was using a stone tablet with a hammer and chisel. Though I am not a gadget guy by any stretch, I hate that I am one of the people who have been suckered by their marketing strategy. I wish I didn’t care—but I do.
When it comes new and trendy, we all have our soft spots, don’t we? For some of you, it is clothes; you have to be in the latest fashion. For some of you it is tech; you upgrade your phone quarterly, you have every piece of wearable technology, and you will be the first in line to get digital implants when they become available. Others of you are foodies; you have to try the newest restaurants. Now, I do not want to sound like one of those old people pining for the “good old days,” but let’s be real here—not all that is new or trendy is good. You want proof? Dig up some photos during the mid to late 90’s; women, who were not farmers, wore overalls! You may laugh, but I know that if overalls came back in style today, more than just a few of our readers would be wearing them tomorrow.
All joking aside, trends are not just confined to tech or fashion. As we read in today’s passage, there were intellectual trends. People in Athens spent all their time discussing new ideas. The church is not immune to new trends either (think music styles, service styles, preaching styles, etc.). While I don’t want to disparage these methods or new ideas, I don’t want us to forget that some things are tried and true. I know of only one way to grow in Christ, and that is the old fashioned way of spending time with and obeying Him; and I know of only one way to grow a ministry—sacrifice.
Are you trying to innovate your way to godliness? It took former generations their lifetime to develop character: Are you trying to bypass it for something quicker or more “impactful”? Do you think your church will grow if it adopts a better business strategy? Are you trying to find something new for the community because meeting together is too impractical for today’s world? Don’t sit around discussing new ideas when the old ways are the best ways.
Prayer: Lord, help me to wade through all the new ideas out there. Let me see the new things that You are doing and understand all that You have done in the past. Do not let me run after new ideas or new trends that lead to nowhere. When it comes to spirituality and character, let me never try to skip patience, endurance, and diligence. In all things, give me wisdom and discernment.
Bible Reading for Today: Psalm 5
Lunch Break Study
Read Psalm 5:
To the choirmaster: for the flutes. A Psalm of David.
1 Give ear to my words, O Lord;
consider my groaning.
2 Give attention to the sound of my cry,
my King and my God,
for to you do I pray.
3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness;
evil may not dwell with you.
5 The boastful shall not stand before your eyes;
you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies;
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love,
will enter your house.
I will bow down toward your holy temple
in the fear of you.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness
because of my enemies;
make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouth;
their inmost self is destruction;
their throat is an open grave;
they flatter with their tongue.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out,
for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them ever sing for joy,
and spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord;
you cover him with favor as with a shield.
Questions to Consider
- What is the general idea of this Psalm? What was David requesting?
- Why do you suppose justice is such a big theme in the Psalms?
- Are there people who are recipients of injustice whom you should pray for and possibly help?
Notes
- David’s prayer in Psalm 5 can be summarized in vv. 10 and 11: In v. 10, he asks that the wicked would have to “bear their guilt”; and in v. 11, he asks that the Lord would exult the righteous.
- Many Psalms, such as Psalm 5, remind us that God has not closed His eyes to the deeds of the wicked or the righteous. Of course, while the gospel reminds us that we are saved by the blood of Christ only, we must not forget that the Lord does promise to give each what his deeds deserve (Rom. 2:6). This should be an encouragement, knowing that all the wrongs will be made right and that our good work will be rewarded.
- Personal application question.
Evening Reflection
Romans 12:2 says that we should renew our minds and not conform to the patterns of this world. When was the last time you thought about things like politics, justice, policy, liberalism, or our culture. Do you truly have a biblical worldview? When it comes to the basic disciplines of growing in Christ—such as word, prayer, fellowship, service, evangelism—how are you doing? In your constant search for efficiency, have you swiped over these things?
Just about every Friday morning after our prayer meeting, our pastoral intern and I go out and grab breakfast, typically at Burger King. More than half of the time, this guy will do something kind that humbles and embarrasses me. For example, he will buy an extra breakfast sandwich for a homeless person that we just passed by on the street, or he will notice a person digging too deeply into his pocket to find the money for a cup of coffee and purchases it for him. Every week it would be something different, but every week it is him showing how big his heart is, and me—feeling like a dork. The reason I never buy anyone a sandwich is not that I don’t care or I am too cheap, but rather, I simply do not notice (and this may be worse). Over the years, I’ve learned to walk with my head down in the city (for fear of stepping on dog poop), or when I’m at a restaurant, I get too excited about food and have tunnel vision, or I’m thinking about something else. Emotionally, I can be an aloof monster, I know— I’m not trying to make excuses on the matter.
In a comedy routine, which I have never actually watched and would never recommend to our readers, Cedric the Entertainer made the joke that there are two types of people in the world: those with the “hope factor” and those with the “wish factor.” Those with the hope factor go into situations hoping that nothing goes wrong; so when they go to a show, these people hope that no one is sitting in their seats. On the other hand, those with the wish factor go into situations wishing something would happen so that they can retaliate; so if these people go to a show, they wish someone is sitting in their seats so that they can get into a fight. Coincidentally, as I am writing this devotional, I am in a coffee shop where someone has brought in a very large dog. (In SF, people disregard health codes when it comes to dogs.) I find myself wishing that this dog would eat something off my table, so I can make a fuss.
My wife teaches advanced nursing at UCSF, so most of her students have been practicing as registered nurses for several years. Generally, she likes her job and her students, but every so often, she will tell me about a few who try her nerves. The commonality among these students is that when the class gets to topics that they are familiar with –because they have years of experience in these areas—they become know-it-alls and quite opinionated about what is being taught. I have found this experience common in a lot of settings. Some classes in seminary were difficult to get through, simply because everyone had an opinion or criticism about the book we were reading. The point I am trying to make is, that many want to be teachers (or critics), but few are willing to be students.
We have a ton of Legos in my home, and I have to admit that I think they are really cool toys. I enjoy the craftsmanship of having to put together complex sets, as well as the creativity it takes to make something original. I even find collecting the mini-figures intoxicating. But one thing that I hate about Legos is when I have to clean and sort all those small pieces. What I hate most is when those pieces are all over the floor and I step on a misplaced one—it hurts so much! I realize my kids don’t mind stepping on Legos as much as I do because they are light: It’s simple physics: F=ma (Force = mass x acceleration); less mass accelerating on a Lego equals less force on a foot and less pain. My kids basically run over those hazardous Legos like those Polynesian fire walkers.
My Hebrew professor taught our class about something she called “the suffering witness.” As we studied the life of Naomi, and how Ruth managed to somehow come to faith in Yahweh even as Naomi suffered and appeared forsaken by Him, and then studied the life of Job and how he teaches us about God—not in spite of, but through his suffering—she explained that sometimes we are positioned to be a greater witness for God as we move through suffering than we are as we move through times of abundance. Sometimes, the voice of our witness carries a little further and echoes a little louder from the valley than it does from the mountaintop.
A local pastor told the story of a man who, in response to a radio station ad promising $10,000 to whomever could come up with the craziest way to earn the money, consumed an entire 11-foot birch sapling over the course of three days. Yes, he ate a tree – leaves, branches, bark, and all (adding a little French dressing for flavor) – and filmed the whole deal to win $10,000. The ridiculous lengths some are willing to go for money are astonishing. But unlike the comical story of the boy who ate a tree and ended up with a tummy ache, the desire for and pursuit of riches is usually a bit more sinister and more hurtful to us and to those around us.
What Paul experienced by the riverside was an unexpected encounter that led to the first conversion in Philippi. While my recent experience wasn’t quite that dramatic, it, nonetheless, shows what we ought to expect from the Lord in our everyday lives.
Every Christian I’ve ever met wants to know God’s will for their life. One of the things I love about the book of Acts is its practical depiction of how God moves and leads His people through real-life stories from the early Church.
If I asked you what’s the hardest part about following Jesus, what would you say? (Go ahead, think about it.) Some would say the goal of Christ-likeness. Becoming like Jesus is a pretty lofty ambition – He is perfect after all. Others might say all the commandments to follow – it can often feel like a never-ending list of dos and don’ts. There is also the matter of constant repentance – constantly searching and evaluating the heart, being so aware of our brokenness can be taxing and exhausting. And what about endurance, especially in times of difficulty or suffering? No matter what comes our way, we are to keep on following Jesus – easier said than done!