REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional QT, first posted on February 12, 2018, is provided by Pastor Shan Gian who leads Remnant Westside Church in Manhattan.  Shan is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning  

“Family Matters”

Genesis 45:1-3

Then Joseph could not control himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Make everyone go out from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. 3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence.

The following is possibly a true story found on the Internet: “We convinced my youngest sister that she was adopted; it was fairly easy because she was a platinum blonde and the rest of us are all brunettes… She got us back by being happy that she wasn’t actually related to us.” 

Whether or not it’s true, this short anecdote is humorous to most of us because we all relate to dysfunction in family. To varying degrees, we all struggle with being a brother or sister, or being a son or daughter in our families.  And sometimes we might wish we weren’t actually related to our parents or siblings.  Why is this? Because there is no person or group of people who will annoy, bother, frustrate or even hurt us in quite the same way as our own families.  

If anyone could tell a story about being hurt by his family, it would be Joseph. His own brothers tried to kill him, but instead sold him into slavery—setting off a chain of events where he ended up in prison. And so when we read about the mind games that Joseph played with his brothers (Genesis 42-44), we can understand that he was acting out of the deep hurt inflicted on him at the hand of his brothers.  And we see how deep the pain went as he wept so loud that everyone could hear.  However, in spite of all of the hurt and pain, Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers, begining the process of reconciliation and healing with his family.

For many people, it is a major struggle to love their families and to find healing and forgiveness from past hurts.  And what’s great about the Bible is that it doesn’t act as if this isn’t the reality for many people, but instead, it shows us the messiness.  There is so much dysfunction and pain in most of the families that we read about in the Scriptures. But the Bible doesn’t just show messiness, it also gives hope for healing and reconciliation.  Whether it’s relationships with our parents, siblings, spouses, friends, fellow believers, etc., God calls us to be agents of reconciliation and to take those first steps, like Joseph, towards the path of healing and forgiveness and love. Let us continue on that path and ask God for His love for those who have hurt us—especially those in our own families.

Prayer: Jesus, I give you all of my past hurt and pain, and I ask for Your healing touch in my heart.  Give me Your love for my family and for whoever has hurt me.  Help me to forgive as You have forgiven me.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 15

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Lunch Bible Study 

Read 1 John 4:19-21: We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Questions to Consider

• Why is there a disconnect between saying “I love God” while hating one’s brother?
• How does the love of Jesus change how we treat others?
• Who in your life have you found hard to love?  How can you overcome your lack of love for them?

Notes

• John tells us that someone who talks and lives like this is a liar, because if you hate your brother, it means that you do not understand the love of God to begin with.
• If we have experienced the love of Jesus, it should move us to love others—even those whom we find hard to love.  The love of God shown to us through Jesus Christ is so amazingly gracious and undeserved, that it should provoke within us the desire and the strength to love those we would normally find unlovable.  This is why John says, “We love because he first loved us.”
• Personal reflection question.  

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Evening Reflection

Overcoming past hurts is not a quick or easy process.  But the road to healing and reconciliation begins with small steps of surrender to God and beginning to forgive those who have hurt us.  If there is hurt or unforgiveness that you’re holding onto, reach out to a brother or sister in Christ to ask for prayer and help. Also, regardless of where your heart is, take some time reflecting on the grace and mercy shown to you through Jesus. 

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Cami King—now a friend of AMI—was first posted on January 21, 2018.  Cami served faithfully as a staff at several AMI churches in the past.  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“TAMAR | ANYTHING BUT A PROSTITUTE” 

Genesis 38:24-30

After three months Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, and as a result she has become pregnant.” Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” 25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” Then she said, “Identify the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.” 26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her again. 27 When it was time for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 28 While she was giving birth, one child put out his hand, and the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 But then he drew back his hand, and his brother came out before him. She said, “How you have broken out of the womb!” So he was named Perez. 30 Afterward his brother came out—the one who had the scarlet thread on his hand—and he was named Zerah.

I can’t tell you how many times over the years that I’ve heard Tamar characterized as a prostitute. Tamar was not a prostitute. She, through levirate marriage laws was legally entitled to a son from the family into which she was married—first from her husband, then his brothers, and finally her father-in-law. Although it seems icky to us today, this was their custom. Judah was ultimately responsible for Tamar because he brought her into his family and under his covering (remember they lived in a patriarchal society). And he failed (big fat F!) to care for her. He sent her back to her own people to live as a widow (i.e. as a woman who has no one to care for her). 

Furthermore, the text doesn’t suggest that Tamar prostituted regularly. If anything it suggests the opposite (v. 21). Instead, Tamar was forced to devise a plan (vv. 12-26) and reduced to disguising herself as a prostitute to have even the slightest chance of bearing a son—a chance to which she was legally entitled. Tamar thus broke no laws. She didn’t sleep around; she slept with Judah. She wasn’t promiscuous; she was strategic. And at the end of the day, Judah honored her by calling her righteous and God honored her with two sons—a common theme in the Old Testament (God honored women by giving what brought the most honor in their culture—children). 

Tamar, the discarded Canaanite woman who was brought into this mess of a dysfunctional family and under the covering of a rebellious member of the people of God (Judah wasn’t even following the laws of God in the first place!), risked it all and, in so doing, single-handedly preserved the family line through which the Messiah would ultimately come (see Matthew 1:3). 

I would be remiss if I didn’t draw our attention to the themes so freely discussed in this text –namely human trafficking and exploitation and its devastating effects on the vulnerable. If God includes these topics in God’s Holy Text, shouldn’t we be mindful of them as God’s Holy People? God is a God who covenantally loves the broken, people conditioned by and bound up in sinful systems and corrupt cultures, people like you and me. The people of God were (and are) not such because their way of life was perfect or even as God desired. They were God’s because God chose them. That’s it. And God worked within, around, and even against their broken systems for the good of the righteous and for the glory of His name. God hasn’t changed. So may we, God’s people, be His hands and feet in doing likewise in our world today. 

Prayer: Gracious God, You have revealed Yourself to us in Your Word, and for that, I am thankful. The Bible is just not only a collection of stories from long ago, but it is also a picture of how You do life with broken people. Help me to learn from the success and failure of those who’ve gone before me. Make me part of the redemptive work You are doing in the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 14

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on January 6, 2018, is provided by Pastor Jason Sato. Jason, along with his wife Jessica, serves in Japan as an AMI missionary. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Multiplication of Sin”

Genesis 34:25–29 (ESV)

On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males. [26] They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and went away. [27] The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister. [28] They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. [29] All their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and plundered. 

In a famous film, a boy tragically drowns in a lake at a summer camp.  His mother finds out his death could have been prevented if the camp counselors had been more responsible.  The mother is completely devastated and does everything in her power to prevent the summer camp from re-opening, including…murdering all the new camp counselors?  

Sorry to include spoilers, but this is the plot of the first Friday the 13^th movie from 1980.  The death of the boy Jason is tragic and unjust.  The anger and desire for justice of his mother is reasonable and right.  But her response is to multiply sin.

The rape of Dinah is horribly ugly.  The sons of Jacob are rightfully outraged.  But their response is to multiply sin.  Simeon and Levi lie to Shechem and tell him that they will give him their sister Dinah if he and all of the men in the city are circumcised.  Then when they are sore from the procedure, Simeon and Levi proceed to slaughter all the men of the city.  The other sons of Jacob plunder the city and take all the children and women of the city as slaves.  As sin multiplies, it gets uglier and uglier.

When we see or experience injustice, something in us cries out for justice and for wrongs to be made right.  This is good and right, but there is also something in us that cries out for revenge, a desire to inflict pain and suffering—this is wicked and sinful.  

In the Mosaic law, someone who injures his neighbor is subject to the same injury: “fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Leviticus 24:20).  This law is not meant to encourage a bloodthirsty desire for vengeance but to prevent the people of God from doing even greater evil in their pursuit of “justice.” 

We may not slaughter cities, but we easily justify our bitterness and our visions of justice tend to go beyond “an eye for an eye” without us noticing.  What can break this cycle of escalating sin?  Only mercy.  The Lord Jesus Christ experienced the greatest and ugliest injustice of human history on the cross.  And He prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

May we rejoice in the mercy of our God and point to His greatness by extending mercy to other sinners.

Prayer: Father, forgive me that I am so obsessed with getting what I deserve or with others getting what they deserve.  All of Your kindness to me is undeserved mercy.  May I be merciful as You have been to me. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 12-13

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Christine Li, was first posted on January 30, 2018. Christine, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, serves as a deaconess at Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Who You Gonna Call?”

Genesis 41:16 

“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”

When you have a question, where do you go? All of us have go-to sources: a knowledgeable friend, Google, Reddit, even Yahoo Answers! Last year, I experienced a situation in which a colleague had told leaders of my team something untruthful about what I had done (others brought it to my attention). I was shocked and upset. Unsure of what to do, I consulted several places: I went to my manager, I read dozens of Harvard Business Review articles on dealing with conflicts—in short, I tried to get all sorts of opinions.

But, of course, the Spirit prompted me to pray. Once I did, I knew that God wanted to deal with the matter in a different way than I had been urged to. While others suggested confronting my colleague and clearing my reputation directly with the leaders, God called me to first forgive immediately and work meekly in the meantime. I see now that by allowing God to work, the truth eventually prevailed, and our relationship was preserved (even improved over the last year). There was no shortage of opinions available, but the one I should have sought first was God’s. 

Pharaoh wanted an answer, and he hoped that Joseph would be the one to give it. But Joseph directed Pharaoh to see that it is not people that we should always rely on. God is the one who gives wisdom and provides the solution. While we are blessed to have others care deeply about our circumstances and share experience, we should always seek God first when making decisions and clarifying mysteries. 

Today, if God places a quandary in front of us, let us go to Him first and ask how He would like us to solve the problem. Let us not trust our own experience; let us intentionally ask Him to guide us and lead us. We might find that God, in His infinite wisdom, has a different plan than our mere understanding will suggest. Let us become a people who habitually go to Him first before everything else!

Prayer: Father, we want to seek You first above all else. Please build in us the habit of seeking Your wisdom first before anything else. Help us avoid becoming “wise in [our] own eyes,” and teach us to approach You humbly in every moment. We want to be guided by You in all our ways. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 11

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Lunch Break Study

Read James 1:5-8: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Questions to Consider

• In addition to asking for wisdom, what other quality should we ask for when seeking God?
• There are two parties in this exchange: the asker, and God. What does James say about God that ensures He is trustworthy in this exchange?
• After asking for wisdom, what is the next step? How well do we practice this in our lives?

Notes

• The person seeking wisdom shoud also be one of faith. The person who asks with doubt is not anchored in faith that God hears and provides. Therefore, he cannot be strong-minded and live with conviction in all circumstances. Wisdom would be wasted on such an individual.
• God is able to bestow wisdom. He also gives generously and impartially. Also importantly, God gives to us without reproach, never holding against us how we may be lacking before Him. Because God is able but generous, we can come to Him knowing that He will readily answer our prayer for wisdom.
• James points out that faith in our asking is a necessary part of receiving wisdom. This suggests that acting on faith is the required follow-up after we seek God’s wisdom. God’s wisdom will be displayed when we also proceed in humble faith that He guides us.

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Evening Reflection

Was there an opportunity for you today to seek God’s wisdom in a strange circumstance? How do you know if it was God’s wisdom rather than yours? Let’s pray over the fruit of our actions and thoughts and pray for more opportunity tomorrow to seek and exercise His wisdom. 

  REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional is a reprint of Kate Moon’s blog originally posted on January 24, 2018.  Kate continues to serve the Lord in E. Asia. 

Devotional Thought for this Morning

Genesis 39:11-20

One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. 12 She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house . . . .16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” 19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.

There is an episode in a T.V. series where the good guy gets the bad guy by planting a microphone in his tooth when he goes to the dentist.  The good guy is able to hear and record everything the bad guy says, 24/7, and the bad guy quickly incriminates himself.  It was enough to make one stop and think, “What if someone recorded everything I said, 24/7?  Would my life and words stand up to the test?  What kind of person would I be revealed to be?”

Potiphar’s wife bears false witness against Joseph, telling outright lies about him, and Joseph ends up losing everything: his master’s trust, home and job, not to mention his honor, reputation and freedom.  Because there is no third-party witness, it is just his word against hers, and perhaps to emphasize how little weight his word carried at the time, any defense he may have been given a chance to make is not even recorded here.

Interestingly, however, the story that ends up getting told throughout the generations is not Potiphar’s wife’s version but Joseph’s.  At the time the supposed event occurred, it was just the two of them in the house, so there is no one who would have known what really happened besides them.  So how did this story end up getting told in Genesis?  I’m sure Potiphar’s wife never imagined that Joseph would one day become right-hand man to Pharaoh himself, a man in a position more than able to expose her infidelity and dishonesty to the world.  She had lied brazenly, confident that no one would ever find out; now even people living thousands of years after the fact know.

Most of us may not be going around telling outright lies about others, but are our stories honest and fair or do we tell them with half-truths that put us in a better light (and perhaps even misrepresent others)?  Would we have reason to be embarrassed if truth were exposed?  We don’t want to live in a state of paranoia or fear, but from time to time, such questioning can check our hearts.

Prayer:  Lord, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you.  Purify my heart that in my speech I might not sin against you.  May I use words in such a way that I would have nothing to fear from exposure.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 10

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Lunch Break Study 

Taking a second look from a different angle: what shadows of Jesus do we see in Joseph’s life?

Read Genesis 39:12-20: She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house . . .14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed . . .”  16 She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him this story: “That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. 18 But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.” 19 When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, “This is how your slave treated me,” he burned with anger. 20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. 

Isaiah 53:5-9: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities . . .  and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all . . . 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished. 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 

(Note: Though Isaiah 53 does not literally describe Jesus, many, including authors of the New Testament, take this chapter to be a prophecy describing the role he would fulfill.)

Questions to Consider

1. In what ways did Potiphar’s wife attribute to Joseph actions and attitudes that were actually her own (i.e., lay her sins on him)?  (Gen 39:12,14,17)

2. How were the punishments that Joseph and Jesus bore similar?  (Gen 39:19-20, Isa 53:8-9)

3. The men in both passages are depicted as being in more passive roles; yet, what was the main difference between them in terms of how much their wills were involved?  What is it that makes Jesus greater?  How does this make us love Him more?

Notes

1. She had been the one seducing Joseph, but she accuses Joseph of seeking to sleep with her.  She accuses him of “making sport” of them, but she is the one who is playing with Joseph’s life.

2. They both bear the wrath of the one who was wronged by the sin; both punishments involved a separation, a cutting off from a prior life and an important relationship; both end up among the wicked and the rich

3.   Though to his credit he was suffering for being righteous, Joseph’s taking on of another’s sin and its consequences was incidental and involuntary.  Jesus, on the other hand, came into this world specifically and intentionally to take on all our sin, out of a love for and desire to save us.  

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Evening Reflection

Did I live today in a way that I would be unafraid to have broadcast to the world?  If so, praise the Lord for his grace.  Is there anything I did or said today that I would be embarrassed to have exposed?  Freely come to the One who came for that very reason, because we needed His grace and mercy.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on January 10, 2018, is written by Tina Pham who, along with her family, is serving in E. Asia as a missionary. Tina is a graduate of Biola University (BA) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“God Who Speaks”

Genesis 35:9-15

After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.” Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him. Jacob set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. Jacob called the place where God had talked with him Bethel.

In today’s passage, there is a strong sense of intimacy and directness towards Jacob, and God brings Jacob to a deeper revelation of Himself by saying he is “God Almighty,” a name God used when he revealed Himself to Abraham (17:1), blessing him with the blessing that He first gave to Abraham and Isaac. This is the second time that God appears to Jacob and tells him of his new name, “Israel” (meaning “he struggles with God”) and says he is no longer called “Jacob” (meaning “he deceives”).

The passage repeats several times that God is a God who talks to Jacob:  “God appeared to him again and blessed him” (v. 9); “God went up from him at the place where he had talked with Jacob” (v. 13); “…where God had talked to him” (v. 14); “…where God had talked with him” (v. 15).

There are seasons in life in which God draws near to me, and I can’t help but know that He is speaking to me. One example is when a friend from China wrote me several times to tell me that my time serving there was so valuable to the disciples, and I was influential during my time there. I would eventually reply and say “thank you,” but I perceived her words as just nice things that anyone could say. I couldn’t receive her words into my heart because I was bearing self-doubt at that time. However, in my time with the Lord, I sensed that He Himself was telling me to fully receive the encouragement because it is true. Despite my imperfections I faced while I served in China, God deemed my work “good” in His eyes. Because of that moment, I freely let go of the need to evaluate my performance and enjoyed God’s love simply as His daughter.

I wonder why God appeared to Jacob a second time to speak to him about his name. It may be because God’s heart is to reach us and to let his truth go deeper in us. Jacob had pretty deep roots in his old identity (“he deceives”), but his old roots were not too deep for the Lord to remove and to renew. Praise God for He is a God who speaks to us!

Prayer: Dear God, I thank You because You are a God who speaks to Your children. You repeat the same truth over and over again so that we can remain steadfast in our true identity, and You remove old roots that don’t belong. Thank You for drawing near to us and reminding us often of the truth we need to cling on to! In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 9

Lunch Break Study

Read John 1:47-50: When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”

Questions to Consider

1. How does Jesus commend Nathanael?
2. Why does Nathanael salute Jesus in a way that implies kingship and divinity?
3. What is Jesus saying to Nathanael?

Notes

1. Jesus commends Nathanael as a straightforward person and one who is not characterized by cunning or deceit. He is a true son of Israel, not characterized by deceit, which was used of Jacob before his change of heart and his change of name to “Israel.”
2. Something about Jesus’ reply that he saw Nathanael before Philip called him strikes Nathanael as something grand, and it leads him to render honor to Jesus’ name.
3. Jesus is saying that Nathanael will not only see the Son of God in flesh right now, but he will see greater things, such as the Son of God in His glory surrounded by angels.

Evening Reflection

What area in your life do you desire God to speak to you? What area in your life do you think you have been listening to voices that are not God’s (yourself, media, others, the enemy)? Take some time to ask God to speak to you with His truth.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on June 12, 2018, is provided by Pastor Yohan Lee.  He is a friend of AMI who in the past has served as a staff at several AMI churches.  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Cairn University (MA).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Tough Love”

Jeremiah 11:14-15

“Do not pray for this people or offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress. 15 “What is my beloved doing in my temple as she, with many others, works out her evil schemes? Can consecrated meat avert your punishment? When you engage in your wickedness, then you rejoice.”

I don’t know if this is a male/female thing or maybe an Asian/Non-Asian thing, but there are times when my children get hurt, and instead of feeling sorrow, I get angry.  A classic example of something that happens almost weekly in my home is when my five-year old starts jumping on the arms of our couch.  Like a little monkey, he goes from one couch to another, having a grand old time, until boom!  He slips and bangs his head against the floor.  So he comes to me, and he’s crying, rubbing his head, seeking comfort.  Now instead of giving him a hug or rubbing his dome, what do I do?  Well, if I’m in an annoyed mood, I might give him a Korean timeout (one where he sits on his knees holding his arms in the air).  It’s kind of cute seeing little kids try to do the Korean timeout.  

I know that many of you reading this might be tempted to think that I am some sort of monster (please don’t call child services), but what you need to know is that jumping on the couch is an established no-no in my household, and my children have been told countless times not to do it.  So when Jonny comes to me holding his head crying as a result of his deliberate disobedience, what am I supposed to do?  Pretend it’s okay that he broke the rules just because he’s crying?  Come on!  You take me for a fool?  

When we read today’s passage, you might be tempted to think that the Lord is cold-hearted toward his people, especially when He tells the prophet Jeremiah to stop praying for them.  But remember from yesterday that the Israelites had a long history of idolatry and turning away from the Lord.  Even as they offer sacrifices in the temple, the Bible says that they are planning evil schemes; talk about a disingenuous “sorry”!  What should we expect from the Lord?  Do you want Him to take back His people just because they go through the motions of coming to the temple and offering these “sacrifices”?  Come on!  You take Him for a fool?  

Here’s the point: there comes a point where allowing a person to reap what he sows is the most gracious thing that can be done.  Like the prodigal son, who woke up in a pig pen, learning the hard way might be the only way some of us learn.  But here’s my plea… please don’t be that type of person.  Please learn to heed the Lord’s warnings and wisdom before it’s too late.  Be wise, don’t be a fool.  

Prayer: Lord, please don’t make me one of those people who has to learn the “hard way”.  Help me to heed Your warnings and listen to sound advice.  In times when You do show me “tough love”, help me to see and understand what You are doing through it.  

Bible Reading for Today:  Ezekiel 8

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Lunch Break Study

Read James 1:2-8: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

Questions to Consider

• In this passage, persevering trials and wisdom are juxtaposed.  What do you think is the correlation between the two?
• Why is faith so important when we ask for wisdom?
• Are there difficulties in your life that you are facing that require spiritual wisdom?  

Notes

• Many times when facing trials, people will either blame God or the enemy and get bitter.  Wisdom helps us see what God is doing in difficult times and gives us a correct response.  
• James gives us the key in v. 5: God gives “generously.”  Before His gifts, we must believe in His character, that God is always good and generous.  He gives His children what we need, all the time.  Understanding this, even in tough times, requires faith.  
• Personal application question. 

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Evening Reflection

What is the difference between a trial from God and a temptation from the enemy?  Are there areas in your life where you are getting the two confused?  Tonight, ask for the Lord’s wisdom for not only perspective, but the right course of action.  

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor Andrew Kim, was originally posted on April 16, 2018. Andrew is presently pastoring Alive Church in Montreal.

Devotional Thought for This Morning 

“A Lifetime Commitment and Passion”

Mark 11:1-11

Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest! 11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.

Growing up, I was the type of kid who would try anything. And I would always begin with much enthusiasm and excitement, whether it be learning a new sport or instrument. However, as time passed on, my commitment and passion for my new endeavors would quickly wane. It was because I began to realize what it actually meant to acquire these new skills—the hours of practice needed and the amount of focus necessary for improvement. I wanted fast results and it was not going to come easy, so I quit.  And this happened over and over again. Looking back it is easy to see that initial excitement for something does not necessarily lead to a lifetime of commitment, nor is it a sign of real passion or love. 

We find an example of this truth in our passage for today. Mark 11:1-11 is a dense section of Scripture, littered with messianic allusions, two of which are important to consider: First, as Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey, Jewish readers would see it as scriptural fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, where the prophet proclaims the salvation of Israel that would be brought about by the coming of a humble king riding on a donkey. Second, it is important to notice that though Mark seldom mentions names of places throughout his Gospel, here he mentions the Mount of Olives. This location reminds readers of Ezekiel 11, where the glory of God departs the temple in Jerusalem and settles on the Mount of Olives. Many believed that the glory of God would return from the Mount of Olives and back to the temple. For this reason, Mark makes sure to point out that Jesus is descending from the Mount to the temple as a way of bringing to the forefront the very identity of Jesus as the return of God Himself. Both of these allusions emphatically point to Jesus as the coming Messiah, who is the God of Israel Himself.

In light of this, the people of Jerusalem rightly proclaim with much enthusiasm: “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” They were excited about the possible return of their Lord. However, as most of us know, within a matter of a week the very people celebrating the entrance of Jesus were the same people who wanted to crucify Him. You see, the people were expecting a particular kind of king that would lead them to swift victory over their enemies. However, Jesus redefined the nature of the kingdom. It was about loving their enemies and took the shape of the cross. As a result, the initial excitement and commitment to the movement of Christ waned and people began to leave. 

Many of us also begin following Jesus with much excitement. We often have a picture of what discipleship is going to look like that fuels our enthusiasm. However, when God begins to bring us through the journey of transformation that is entirely unexpected and difficult, we begin to lose steam and even faith in the entire process. What we have to remember in moments like this is that discipleship means following the pattern of Christ—not one of easy triumph but one where life comes through death. For it is only through the dying of ourselves in discipleship that we find resurrection life. Today, even in the difficulty of discipleship, let us hold fast to Christ and remain steadfast in our commitment to Him. 

Prayer: Father, thank You for calling me to follow You. I admit that at times it is difficult and sometimes the road You lead me on is not what I had expected. However, I pray for a steadfast commitment and trust in Your plans for me. Help me to faithfully follow You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 7

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Lunch Break Study 

Read 2 Corinthians 4:7-12: But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Questions to Consider 

• Why does God place His treasure in jars of clay? 
• What does Paul mean that he is “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus?” 
• What areas of discipleship do you find most difficult? 

Notes 

• God places the power of the gospel within broken people, like Paul and us, in order to show that the surpassing power belongs to God. The power is much more easily attributed to God if it is displayed through broken people. 
• As Paul mentions in verse 8, he has gone through much. He has been crushed, afflicted, and struck down; in some sense, he is always dying. However, his suffering and constant dying to himself has resulted in bringing life to those around him through his ministry. 
• Personal response.

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Evening Reflection 

We live in a culture where success is equated with the absence of discomfort or suffering. However, our discipleship to Christ calls us to die to ourselves and brings us into places of discomfort and suffering. In what areas of your life are you holding onto? Which parts of your life do you need to die to in order to experience the life of Christ?

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on January 14, 2018, is written by Tina Pham who, along with her family, is serving in E. Asia as a missionary. Tina is a graduate of Biola University (BA) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Appreciating Fellow Workers”

Philippians 2:25-30 

But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard;because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.

As we are two weeks into the new year, some of us may have already made New Year’s resolutions, while others may still be in the process of making some. In my own reflection, I thought of a few skills and habits I want to build for my own self-improvement, but the Lord also reminded me of resolutions to make for the sake of others—which led me to think about the habit of appreciation. 

Being a very task-oriented person, appreciation for others is something I tend to overlook. One thing I admire and want to imitate in Paul’s leadership is his active and intentional appreciation for his co-workers. When we think about the heroes in the New Testament, we obviously think of Peter, Paul, and John.  But certain passages, like this one, reveal to us that there were numerous people who served the Lord at the front line for the gospel but remained in the shadows—and they didn’t become famous like Paul and the twelve disciples. For example, Epaphroditus never became a “big name,” but he is one of the people who played a significant role in the kingdom and served sacrificially for the sake of the gospel. We can know of Epaphroditus because Paul sent him as a messenger to the Philippian church with his letter and instructed the church to receive him with all joy and to hold men like him in high regard for the ways he has served. By calling him a brother, minister, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, Paul describes him as a leader who loves people and a tireless worker who is willing to go the extra mile when serving the body of Christ.

Can you identify anyone among you who is like Epaphroditus? Think about how you can show appreciation for him or her. Also, let’s consider how we could imitate Paul in building a culture of appreciation in our hearts and to serve as encouragers to those who labor tirelessly around us. 

Prayer: Dear God, thank You for fellow workers and fellow soldiers whom You have sent to bless me and my church. Give me the eyes to see people like Epaphroditus in my midst, and use me to spur them on through acts of appreciation. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 6

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Cami King—now a friend of AMI—was first posted on January 20, 2018.  Cami served faithfully as a staff at several AMI churches in the past.  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Judah | Not Righteous, But Redeemed”

Genesis 38:11-26

Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until Shelah my son grows up.” For he thought, “I don’t want him to die like his brothers.” So Tamar went and lived in her father’s house. 12 After some time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. After Judah was consoled, he left for Timnah to visit his sheepshearers, along with his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13 Tamar was told, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14 So she removed her widow’s clothes and covered herself with a veil. She wrapped herself and sat at the entrance to Enaim which is on the way to Timnah. (She did this because she saw that she had not been given to Shelah as a wife, even though he had now grown up.) 15 When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face. 16 He turned aside to her along the road and said, “Come on! I want to have sex with you.” (He did not realize it was his daughter-in-law.) She asked, “What will you give me in exchange for having sex with you?” 17 He replied, “I’ll send you a young goat from the flock.” She asked, “Will you give me a pledge until you send it?” 18 He said, “What pledge should I give you?” She replied, “Your seal, your cord, and the staff that’s in your hand.” So he gave them to her and had sex with her. She became pregnant by him. 19 She left immediately, removed her veil, and put on her widow’s clothes. 20 Then Judah had his friend Hirah the Adullamite take a young goat to get back from the woman the items he had given in pledge, but Hirah could not find her. 21 He asked the men who were there, “Where is the cult prostitute who was at Enaim by the road?” But they replied, “There has been no cult prostitute here.” 22 So he returned to Judah and said, “I couldn’t find her. Moreover, the men of the place said, ‘There has been no cult prostitute here.’” 23 Judah said, “Let her keep the things for herself. Otherwise we will appear to be dishonest. I did indeed send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.” 24 After three months Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has turned to prostitution, and as a result she has become pregnant.” Judah said, “Bring her out and let her be burned!” 25 While they were bringing her out, she sent word to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong.” Then she said, “Identify the one to whom the seal, cord, and staff belong.” 26 Judah recognized them and said, “She is more upright than I am, because I wouldn’t give her to Shelah my son.” He did not have sexual relations with her again.

Judah was in a downward spiral when he came into Tamar’s life, but their encounter, while messy and deplorable, is potentially what saved him.  

Downward Spiral | First, Judah was a human trafficker—first with Joseph (as he spearheaded Joseph’s sale into slavery—see Gen. 37) and then with Tamar (when he paid to use her body for sex). Second, Judah abandoned his family and married a Canaanite (something Jews were strictly prohibited from doing), a moment eerily reminiscent of Esau’s rebellion in Genesis 28:8. Third, Judah is a dishonorable coward. Instead of taking responsibility for the wicked sons whom he raised, he blames Tamar for their deaths (even though it was God who took their lives due to their evil deeds). And from what we can tell, Judah had no intentions of coming back for Tamar (v.26). Lastly, he was probably less than upright when it came to the ladies. The fact that Tamar devised this specific plan suggests that she was responding to a pattern (whether a pattern specific to him or general to the culture it was likely one in which he participated). What were the odds that Judah, upon seeing a random prostitute at the gates, would ask to go to bed with her? Why would Tamar think he would do this? Probably because she knew what sort of man he was.  And Judah proved her right. 

Redemption | What Tamar ultimately did for Judah (and we’ll talk about her actions more tomorrow) was hold up a mirror and show him what sort of man he’d become. She became the site of his shortcomings. When he is told Tamar is with child, he demands she be burned for promiscuity—a crime he, too, was guilty of (and not just generally, but guilty in that specific situation). And he was guilty, with respect to Tamar, of so much more. When he realizes he is the one who impregnated her, when he sees the lengths to which she went to bring forth an heir for his family, when he realized the extent of his failings, Judah has a change in heart. And we know this because of his dealings with Joseph in Egypt just a few chapters later—the one who led the charge to sell Joseph into slavery, later offers himself as a slave in place of Benjamin. It’s easy to think this story with Tamar is a weird interruption to the story of Joseph, but it’s not. Tamar’s mirror is responsible for the change in Judah that made him the kind of man who could fight to save his family.   

Praise be to God for those in our lives who hold a mirror before us. May we have the humility to respond as Judah did. 

Prayer: Gracious God, thank You for the people in my life who hold a mirror before me so I can see my sin. In those humbling moments, help me to have the courage to look intently into that mirror and the humility to make the necessary changes by the transforming power of Your Spirit at work in me. And through it all, may I become more conformed to the likeness of Your Son, in whose name I pray. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 4-5