Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT Devotionals from Dec. 21-3 are produced by Pastor (intern) Phillip Chen who oversees the college group at the Church of Southland.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Hosea 9:8-10 (ESV): They shall not pour drink offerings of wine to the Lord, and their sacrifices shall not please him. It shall be like mourners’ bread to them; all who eat of it shall be defiled; for their bread shall be for their hunger only; it shall not come to the house of the Lord.

What do you tend to do when you’ve messed up? We see movies that show the man insincerely buying flowers and chocolates in hopes of making up with his significant other—and we are baffled at his naiveté, thinking, Surely, he doesn’t think that forgiveness can be bought! Gifts (without sincere repentance) cannot appease broken relationships. We get that, but surprisingly, humans think that this works towards God. Subconsciously, this is what many of us do as we approach God, falling into the lie that we are allowed to continue with sin in our lives as long as we are attending church, giving tithes, serving and going on mission trips. We use these “acts of worship” to barter with God to justify sin. Yet God is not interested in those “acts of worship” if a repentant heart does not accompany them.

We often treat God as if He is obligated to receive our worship, whether it is the Sunday worship service or small groups. If we serve in different ministries and go on mission trips, God should be grateful for our service and all that we give—but this is certainly not the case. Here, in this passage, God tells Israel that He is not pleased with their offering—it is not accepted in His sight. Then what does God desire?

King David knew that God desired the heart more than simple, outward actions. In Psalm 51, as he reflects on his treacherous sin in having Uriah murdered to cover up his adultery with Bathsheba, he says, “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” There is a difference between being sorry for getting caught and being genuinely sorry for our sins. King David does not offer sacrifices—an outward action—simply to appease God. Rather, he is sincerely remorseful as he repents of his sin, which is what God desires of us. When we sin, let us approach His throne of grace with a broken and contrite heart, for He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us of our sins!

Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your steadfast love. Even in the midst of my faithlessness, You remain faithful. I don’t want to keep offering sacrifices that are not from a genuine, repentant heart. Help me in my weakness, and cause me to hate sin and run from it towards You. May my worship be a pleasing aroma to You!

 Bible Reading for Today: Luke 1*

*This week we take a detour from Ecclesiastes to read the classical passages about the birth of Christ: Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2 and Isaiah 9.

Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 51:4, 11, 13-7: Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. . . . 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. . . . 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. 14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. 15 Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise

 Question to Consider

1. What do we make of v. 4 when David says, “Against you, you only, have I sinned…” when David has clearly sinned against Uriah and Bathsheba?
2. What is the significance of David asking that God would not take His presence away from him (v.11)?
3. What do verses 13-17 teach us about what God desires when we approach Him?

Notes

1. I believe this is not to be seen as David thinking naively that he has only sinned against God and not seeing the impact of his sin towards others. Rather, I think it is the recognition that every sinful action directly offends God first and foremost. Also, comparatively speaking, his sin is most severe against God.
2. Many of us tend to have a faulty idea of repentance. A religious person will confess and repent out of a fear of consequences, but a true Christian will confess because they fear losing God’s presence. They understand the value of belonging to God and being in His presence.
3. God is not looking for gifts and sacrifices simply to appease Him. Rather, God is looking for hearts that have turned to Him in repentance and true worship that arises from a truly repentant heart. True praises ring forth from our mouths from a broken and contrite heart.

Evening Reflection

Have you justified certain sins in your lives and have been okay with it? Have you used religious acts of worship to mask and justify these sins? Loving God and true worship comes from a heart that hates sin and runs from it. Tonight, ask God to search your heart and reveal to you any areas of your life that grieves Him; then turn towards Him and know that in His loving kindness, He restores and makes our paths straight.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT Devotionals from Dec. 21-3 are produced by Pastor (intern) Phillip Chen who oversees the college group at the Church of Southland.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Hosea 8:14 (ESV):  For Israel has forgotten his Maker and built palaces, and Judah has multiplied fortified cities; so I will send a fire upon his cities, and it shall devour her strongholds.

The purpose of Thanksgiving Day is to give thanks and be content. For Christians, it is to remember the faithfulness of God, as He is the source of every blessing. Yet the tragedy of Black Friday is that not even a day later, many who supposedly gave thanks and were “content” end up being consumed by greed and selfishness. Now, we might look at these people and think that we are not like them, but we are all similar to a certain degree. Although Thanksgiving was less than a month ago, I can already think of the many times I have forgotten the faithfulness of God. We all are guilty of forgetting His goodness.

So why did Israel turn from God even after He had demonstrated His faithfulness time and time again, from leading them out of slavery into the Promised Land? Perhaps this passage serves as an explanation of why we often turn to other idols and worship them alongside our God. We suffer from a condition called gospel amnesia—that is, we forget God’s faithfulness and love towards us. This is not something that is unique to Israel, as this is a constant trend in the relationship between God and man. Whether it is the Israelites wandering through the wilderness, grumbling at every turn even as God was providing for them and showing them signs and wonders, or our own grumblings today of where God is when we need Him the most, we all forget God’s faithfulness to us.

We forget, and that is why the Lord specifically reminded His people not to forget, lest when they have “eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them… then their hearts be lifted up, and they forget the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt” (Deut. 8:12-14). Too often we live a life that says to God: “What have you done for me lately?” We can be grateful in the moment when we see the direct correlation of God’s blessing in our lives, but we forget Him soon thereafter. When we forget who our God—our Provider and Sustainer— is, then we start turning to our own strength and idols,  and to finite and trivial things (money, success, relationships, knowledge) to fulfill our needs. Today, remember the faithfulness of God in your life—He is the true source of every blessing.

Prayer

Lord, how easy it is for me to forget Your goodness towards me. In the visible and invisible ways You are moving in my life, I give thanks and desire to remember Your goodness and faithfulness. Forgive me for the times I forget; and even when You strip things away from my life, help me to understand that it is so that my gaze might be directed back to You.

 Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 2

Lunch Break Study

Read Deuteronomy 8:11-18 (ESV): Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock, who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end. Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Question to Consider

1. What is the context of this passage, and why does God need to remind them to remember Him?
2. Why was the wilderness experience good for the people, according to the Lord?
3. From this passage, what is the biggest temptation for us when we are in a time of comfort and prosperity?

Notes

1. God led Israel out of Egypt from slavery, through the wilderness and times of hunger and thirst, and leading them into Promised Land. Here, they were about to cross the Jordan to enjoy the riches of that land. He was preparing them so that they would know it was God who had blazed the trail for them into the Promised Land.
2. Often, wilderness seasons are meant to strip away things—particularly identities that we should not hold so tightly on to. For the Israelites, they needed be stripped of the spirit of slavery and learn how to live as inheritors of the promises of God. For others, like Israel in the time of Hosea, it might be a time to strip off the arrogance and idolatry that they were holding on to so that they might once again turn towards the true God. We all go through seasons of wilderness because we need realignments for our identities.
3. We might be tempted to say in our hearts that it is by our own power and might that we have become accomplished and have become wealthy. Let us not deceive ourselves, but know that it is the Lord our God who has even given us the strength to have what we have—He is the source of the fruitfulness of our lives.

Evening Reflection

It’s extremely important for us to have methods that work for us in remembering the goodness of God. Do you need to set reminders in your calendar? Maybe you need to get away on a personal retreat and reflect on His goodness? Or you need an accountability partner, a friend, a spouse—someone that will re-direct your gaze to the source of blessing? Whatever works for us, we need to have tangible means of remembering the faithfulness of God so that we might attribute the blessings in our lives correctly.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT Devotionals from Dec. 21-3 are produced by Pastor (intern) Phillip Chen who oversees the college group at the Church of Southland.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Hosea 7:8-10 (ESV): Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned. Strangers devour his strength, and he knows it not; gray hairs are sprinkled upon him, and he knows it not. The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they do not return to the Lord their God, nor seek him, for all this.

Have you ever tried to live life in a way that you could get the “best of both worlds”?  That’s what I tried to do when I was a freshman in college: While I absolutely loved the fellowship of my Christian community, I also loved the newfound freedom of being away from home by partying and partaking in many unwholesome activities. In my mind I wanted eternal life, but I also wanted to have the fun college life that the media portrayed—I wanted the best of both worlds.  But by the end of the year, I was confronted by the futility of my thinking and knew there was no way I could straddle both worlds. God was calling me to either choose to follow the way of the world or the way of the Lord.

This passage is God’s indictment upon His people who mixed idol worship with the worship of their God. Hosea, who was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom leading up to their fall to Assyria, was likely referring to idol worship that was rampant in their land, as King Jeroboam had established idol worship as a political act. On the one hand, Israel held claim onto their rich heritage as God’s people, but on the other, they worshiped idols. They did not know that their strength was being devoured and gray hairs sprinkled upon them (essentially that they were on a path towards death).

Jesus speaks out many times against this wishy-washy attitude as well. The one that we are most familiar with is His indictment against the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3. But before we declare ourselves guiltless—let’s think again. Many of us try to worship God while worshiping idols, thinking that we can fit God into our own agenda while serving ourselves. When we do this, we are like a cake that is not turned: half burnt, half raw, and completely unfit for consumption. God cannot and will not be second in our lives—we cannot hold on to God and other gods at the same time. Granted, we may take three steps forward and two steps back in our journey towards God, but make no mistake about it: the way of God and the way of the world are at odds with one another. So stop trying to hold on to both. Choose Jesus—and experience the abundant life that follows!

Prayer

God, open my eyes so that I might see the emptiness of the riches of this world and the fullness of the riches You have for me. Cause the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ to increase in my life, so that I might see You rightly in the midst of the temptations in this world.

 Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 1

Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 16:24-26 (ESV): Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

Question to Consider

1. What does it mean to deny oneself, take up one’s cross, and to follow Jesus? What does it mean for you personally?
2. How can someone gain the whole world and forfeit their soul?

Notes

1. We have fleshly passions that we need to put to death. In fact, James 4:3 tells us that we often ask for things from God with wrong motives simply to spend on our (fleshly) passions. But denying ourselves, taking up our cross, and following Him means that we put to death the passions of the flesh that belong to our old man; and we remind ourselves that we are a new creation in Christ with new passions and new purposes. When that happens, we are able to follow Him with fervor and passion.
2. When we forget that we are spiritual beings who are heaven bound, our priorities are tainted. When we forget our destination, our treasures, our home, then we are unable to place the correct value on things in this life. Then, we will place way too much emphasis pursuing things of this world which are destined to fade away. C.S. Lewis says, “Aim at heaven and you will get Earth thrown in; aim at Earth and you will get neither.” Live for eternity.

Evening Reflection

It’s important to constantly assess whether certain things have become idols in our lives. Oftentimes, when idols pop up in our lives, they continue to show up in different forms; but as we mature as believers, we are able to spot them easier. What are some idols in your life that you find so difficult to let go of? Ask God to give you strength and devote it to complete destruction so that you might continue in your journey of faith with complete steadfastness.

Editor’s Note: Today’s devotional is written by Cami King of JCC.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Hosea 5:1-4

Hear this, O priests! Give heed, O house of Israel! Listen, O house of the king! For the judgment applies to you, For you have been a snare at Mizpah And a net spread out on Tabor. 2 The revolters have gone deep in depravity, but I will chastise all of them. 3 I know Ephraim, and Israel is not hidden from Me; for now, O Ephraim, you have played the harlot, Israel has defiled itself. 4 Their deeds will not allow them to return to their God. For a spirit of harlotry is within them, and they do not know the Lord.

One of my favorite descriptions of God in Scripture is “the God who sees” (Gen.16:13). Hagar says this of the Lord when she felt hopeless in the face of Sarah’s harsh treatment; and God found her and cared for her. Abraham said something similar of the Lord when He provided a ram to be the replacement sacrifice for his son Isaac on Mount Sinai. There is great comfort for the people of God in knowing that He is neither deaf, dumb, nor blind – He sees all and knows all – and regardless of what circumstances suggest, He is not only present, but also active in our lives.

Yet the comfort of God’s all-seeing eyes can quickly turn sour when we find ourselves wandering off the straight and narrow path. This reminds me of the new Christmas craze “the elf on a shelf”—a small toy in the shape of an elf with video capacity allowing parents to see what kids are up to when parents leave the room. The elf is placed in the room and kids are told that they better be good, because the elf is watching and will be reporting back to Santa. Any excitement from knowing that Santa will reward for all the nice things they’ve done turns into something quite different when kids give into the temptation to be naughty. For many kids, the elf has quickly become a scary thing.

In our passage for today, the Lord reminds His people that He is indeed a God who sees. He sees all and knows all, even when they’ve turned away from Him. Just because they’ve forgotten about God, doesn’t mean He’s forgotten about them. This is a fearsome truth for anyone who (like all of us) has ever found themselves in sin. But much like we find in the story of Hagar and of Abraham, God is a God who not only sees, but who also moves on behalf of His people. Even when they go astray, He moves on their behalf in judgment of their sin (as we’ve been reading in Hosea) towards the end of their ultimate redemption (if they would but turn to Him).

Apologist Ravi Zacharias puts it this way: “God’s sovereignty is not tyrannical when it is bounded by goodness. God’s holiness is not tortuous when it is tempered by grace. God’s omniscience is not daunting when it is coupled with mercy. And God’s immutability is far from stifling when it is certain of good will.” May we take comfort in knowing that even when we go astray, our God is a God who sees and knows. He will not leave us in our sin, but will come for us, judge our sin, and redeem us. What a faithful God we serve!

Prayer: Almighty God, thank you for Your faithfulness to me. Even in the times when I wish You weren’t mindful of me and want to live my own way, You continue to watch over me and provide for me. Thank you for Your loving judgment of my sin and for Your willingness to redeem me from it.

 Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 10

Editor’s Note: Today’s devotional is written by Cami King of JCC.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Hosea 4:1-3

Listen to the word of the Lord, O sons of Israel,  for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land, because there is no faithfulness or kindness
or knowledge of God in the land.
2 There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed. 3 Therefore the land mourns, and everyone who lives in it languishes along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky, and also the fish of the sea disappear.

Have you watched the news lately? If you have, then you know that one hour of the news is enough to break your heart. From the atrocities committed by ISIS to the refugee crisis in Syria, from the ever-present sex trafficking around the world to issues of hunger, particularly in the Global South, from the racial divide that continues to plague America to abuse of power at all levels (this list could go on forever); yes, our world is a hot mess!  And when I sit and watch and think upon all these things, I always find myself asking, “Why do things have to be this way? And how did we even get here?”

It’s hard to read the list in verse two of the passage above without thinking of the present state of our world. While we know Hosea was speaking to a people group worlds away from our own (and thousands of years prior), his message seems to transcend time and speak right into situations we are currently facing. In this passage, God is judging His people and a wicked people at that – they swear, deceive, murder, steal, and commit adultery. Sound familiar? They are violent bloodshedders who cause even nature itself to mourn under their sin and brokenness. As I look at the world around me—full of racism, sexism, classism, as well as terrorism—I see us in these verses and in God’s pronouncement of judgment.

But the question remains – how did we get here (and how did Israel get there)? Our passage for today answers just that – we forsook faithfulness, kindness and the knowledge of God. It’s that simple. When people fail to remain faithful to the life God created us to live, when we refuse to love one another and do kindness, and when we turn away from knowledge of the Lord and lean upon our own understanding – we end up right where we are today – wicked and condemned. It’s easy to criticize the state of things without seeing the sickness that leads to these ailments in our own hearts. But the sickness is there in each of us.

With this in mind, may we today commit ourselves anew to faithfulness to the way of the Lord, choose kindness toward our neighbor no matter what, and pursue knowledge of the Lord above all things. As we do, we will find the Spirit at work in us making our world whole again.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your righteous judgment against the sin and brokenness in the world. Thank You for keeping us from hurting one another and destroying the world You created. Thank You for Your Son Jesus who is making all things new through those who choose to follow You. May I be in that number. Help me to walk in faithfulness, do kindness, and pursue knowledge of You today and every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 8-9

Editor’s Note: Today’s devotional is written by Cami King of JCC.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Hosea 3

Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” ² So I bought her for myself for fifteen shekels of silver and a homer and a half of barley. ³ Then I said to her, “You shall stay with me for many days. You shall not play the harlot, nor shall you have a man; so I will also be toward you.” ⁴ For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. ⁵ Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.

Rick Warren developed a Bible study tool for narratives called “Picture It,” where you imagine yourself as a character from a Bible story to get a richer understanding of what the passage is trying to teach. While not the most rigorous tool in the arsenal, it’s a useful one for the book of Hosea. This short chapter is full of so much drama that it can seem unbelievably fictional. But it’s not some made up drama. It’s a true story of a real man and his real wife that God is using to show his people what their relationship with him really looks like. And I think we stand to learn much from it about the heart of our faithful God.

Picture it: you’re Hosea. How would you feel if the woman you loved left you to be with other men? What kind of heart would you have to have in order to still love her after that – and not just a feeling of love, but to also do love towards her by finding and rescuing her, overcoming your pride and publically loving her. What would you have been thinking or doing those lonely nights when she was away? As you headed to the auction block, what would be running through your mind? How would you feel as you watched her exposed and being sold to the highest bidder? How would you feel as you gave your precious resources to buy back your own wife? Slow down and try to imagine.

Most of us read this story absolutely furious with Gomer. We want to scream, “What are you doing? Don’t you see? Stop this right now!” But as Brooke Frasier once said, “We are Hosea’s wife.” We are constantly turning away from God who loves us more than anything and prostituting our hearts in worship of far less worthy lovers. And it’s easy to forget that with God, we are in a relationship with a real personal being. And while He’s faithful beyond measure, His faithfulness looks like something, feels like something, and costs something (just as it did for Hosea). May our hearts be moved as we remember the loyal love and faithfulness of our God today!

Prayer: Precious Savior, You are faithful (slow down and really declare those words to the Lord). My heart is so prone to wander, and I am constantly turning away from the life You offer me with You, to live my own way. Please forgive me. But no matter where I go, Your goodness and loyal love do indeed pursue me wherever I go. And for that, I am deeply grateful.

 Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 7

Lunch Break Study

Read Exodus 34:5-8: The Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord. 6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” 8 Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship. 

Questions to Consider:

1. When the Lord reveals Himself (shows His glory) to Moses on Mount Sinai, how does He describe Himself? What do each of these characteristics mean, and what kind of picture does this passage paint of what God is like?
2. What do you think the Lord means by His words in the last clause of verse 7? How did we see this at work in our passage from this morning?

Notes:

1. (1) Compassionate & (2) Gracious – God’s compassion and grace work hand in hand. The first is the feeling in His heart concerning us that leads to acts of benevolence toward us. (3) Slow to anger – God is patient. While He does get angry in the face of sin and brokenness, He is slow to punish us in hopes that we will repent and be saved. (4) Abounding in lovingkindness – this is God’s loyal or covenantal love that endures forever. This is what we see playing out in Hosea. (5) Abounding in truth – As Jesus said, He himself is the truth. (6) Keeps lovingkindness for thousands – God’s love spreads wide and is offered to all who will believe. (7) Forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin – God forgives; He makes a way for us to be forgiven instead of being punished. (8) By no means leaves the guilty unpunished – God is also just, so His grace isn’t cheap. He doesn’t just overlook sin – He either punishes it or atones for it.
2. “Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” This can be a tough phrase to understand. Elsewhere in Scripture we learn that no man is punished for something He didn’t himself do. So what is God saying here? Sometimes, God gives people up to their own sin and allows the natural consequences of those sins to play out. Commentators call this God’s “passive judgment” where He isn’t necessarily punishing actively, but allowing sin to take its full course. And as many of us have experienced, the consequences of our patterns of sin affects those closest to us – especially our children.
   In this morning’s passage, we saw that God would leave His people without king or sacrifice (v. 4). Because of their rebellion (they turned away from God’s king and from worship of Him), they would go without a king and without worship (sacrificial system) for a time before God restored them. This would help them to see the full weight of their sin and rebellion against the Lord and send them running back to Him.

Evening Reflection

What are the other “lovers” in your life that draw your heart away from the Lord? In other words, what things are you willing to compromise for? Is it career and success? Having a certain kind of lifestyle or a certain kind of family? Is it recognition or the approval of others? Is it wealth and comfort? We all have altars where we offer devotion (our time, treasure, talents) to achieve things we think will satisfy us or make us happy. Spend some time identifying those areas and offering them to the Lord, asking for freedom. Remember Hosea’s wife and ask God to give you singular devotion to Him alone.  Remind yourself of God’s great love for you and all He has done to buy you back from bondage to those things.

Editor’s Note: Today’s devotional is written by Jabez Yeo of TRPC.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Ecclesiastes 1:12-18

I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind. 15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted. 16 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind. 18 For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

History is filled with people who have sought meaning in philosophy—only to be disillusioned by the fruitlessness of their search. One such person was Justin Martyr (born in the early 2^nd century A.D.), who attempted to find fulfillment in the Greek philosophy of Stoicism.  Unconvinced, he then cycled through the teachings of different philosophers but was never completely satisfied.  Around A.D. 130, conversations with an elderly believer led Justin Martyr to surrender his life to Jesus and experience a powerful life transformation.

Around the same time, the heresy of Gnosticism was becoming rampant in the early church. In a nutshell, the Gnostics believed that the material world was unimportant and that physical bodies were prisons trapping the human spirit, which they considered to be the “spark of God.”  Thus, they proposed that Christ had not come in the flesh, but only appeared to be human.  Since its inception, Gnosticism has spawned heretical beliefs, including the elevation of the soul to divinity that has echoed throughout history, especially in the recent New Age movement.

Utilizing his past experience in Greek philosophy, Justin Martyr countered the claims of Gnosticism thoroughly in his writings. In particular, Justin Martyr delved into the concept of the Logos—God’s pre-existent Spirit who became incarnate in Jesus Christ. He explained, “Just as fire comes from fire without diminishing the original source, so Christ as the universal Logos pre-existed as God’s Son.”[1]  Justin Martyr then wrote Syntagma, which established him as the most important 2^nd century apologist in the eyes of many— it was the first major anti-Gnostic writing by an orthodox Christian.

Ultimately, Justin was arrested for his faith and was ordered by Roman authorities to denounce his belief in God. Refusing to do so, Justin was then executed and surnamed “Martyr” as he gave his life for what he considered to be “true philosophy.”  As Christians today, may we also find our true satisfaction, not in the world’s wisdom, but in God’s eternal truth.

So, let us study and train our minds for God; and then live for God’s glory.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for being the Way, the Truth and the Life. Help me to find ultimate meaning in Your Word and may it spur me to lead a life that is pleasing to You. May I not trust in my own intellect or in the world’s wisdom but help me to place my hope in Your truth,even though my mind cannot completely comprehend it. Lord Jesus, as my Good Shepherd, lead me in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. In Your Name I pray.  Amen.

[1] Olson, Roger. The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition & Reform.

 Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 6

Lunch Break Study

Read Acts 17:16-21: While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean.” 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

Lk. 9:23-5: Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?

Question to Consider

1. I have heard some people say that philosophy (love of wisdom) is inherently harmful.  That’s nonsense.  How can philosophy help us?
2. But Paul didn’t like the way the Athenian philosophers went about it—why?
3. Fundamentally, how is the Christian faith different from philosophy?  How did Justin Martyr show this difference?

Notes

1. Since philosophy deals with matters of reality, existence and knowledge, a wrong philosophical foundation produces a wrong worldview which distorts the truth. In my opinion, philosophy is helpful when it acknowledges the existence of fixed truth, and the limitation of science and moral law.
2. These philosophers did nothing but talk about the latest ideas. In fact, they didn’t care about how these ideas were relevant to real life.
3. The Christian faith begins with “ideas” about how life ought to be lived under the rubric of a personal God who sent Jesus Christ to save us from the penalty of sin. This led Justin to die for Him when given the choice between believing God—or  denying Him.  Philosophy, by definition, loves ideas, rather than putting the ideas into practice.

Evening Reflection

Today was a different kind of devotional, right?  The followers of Christ should be doers but not before having first become thinkers.  That’s part of loving God with our mind.  What do you really believe?  Are you living accordingly?  Do you have a set of non-negotiable beliefs and values that you will not compromise under any condition? What are your non-negotiables?

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from Dec. 14-16 are written by Andrew Kim who is an intern at Radiance Christian Church (S.F.).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Hosea 2:19-20

And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. 20 I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.

I’m sure at one point, all of us have thought about “the one.” It’s this person who embodies all of our dreamy attributes or perfect personality traits to fit our every need and desire. But as you get older, this list gets shorter and shorter because we begin to see that there is no such person.

I’m sure Hosea was not thinking that Gomer was “the one.” During those days, it was wrong for a man, let alone a prophet, to marry a woman who was with another man. Gomer, in this case, was not with just one man but with many men and would continue to be unfaithful.

Like Gomer, the Israelites had been unfaithful to God, turning to worthless idols, and rejecting His glory. Yet, God does the unimaginable. Even in their unfaithfulness, God calls them back and declares that they shall be married to Him. But for a marriage to be consummated, the man would have to pay a bridal price. This price would be based on His righteousness, His justice, His love, and His compassion; and it would be fully displayed through his Son Jesus Christ. How great is our Lord who promises to be faithful to us and invites us into a relationship with him so that we will know Him! This relationship wouldn’t be based on our attributes or even our traits, but on Jesus Christ alone—this is grace.

As you continue to dive deeper into the narrative of Hosea, my prayer is that God will reveal the magnitude of His love and grace for you.  And during this season of warm greetings and gift exchange, remember those in our midst who will receive none; perhaps you can show them what God’s love and grace truly looks “with actions and in truth” (1 Jn. 3:18).

Prayer

Father, thank You for loving me, even in the midst of my failures and unfaithfulness to You. Jesus, thank You for the price that You paid for me. Holy Spirit, may I continue to live in the grace that You have shown me.

 Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 5

Lunch Break Study

Read Romans 5:6-8: You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

Questions to Consider

1. What does Paul emphasize about human nature?
2. How does God demonstrate His love for us?
3. What does this passage tell us about the nature of God’s love?

Notes

1. Like much of Romans, Paul is emphasizing human depravity. In the Greek tense, the words “were still” denotes an ongoing action that shows that even in our continuous depraved nature, God chose to save us.
2. By sending His Son Jesus to die for us. Not only to die for us but to justify us from all unrighteousness so that we may enter into a relationship with Him.
3. God’s love is unconditional, timely, and undeserving. There is nothing that we can do or be to earn His love. The relationship that He calls us into is solely based on His merit. Using the argument of dying for a righteous person, Paul shows how undeserving we are of His love.

Evening Reflection

Maybe you haven’t done all the right things today, or prayed enough. Do you feel separated from God? Remember, it’s not about what we are or how well we did something—we are saved through Christ and Christ alone.

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from Dec. 14-16 are written by Andrew Kim who is an intern at Radiance Christian Church (S.F.).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Hosea 2:7-8

She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.’ ⁸ And she did not know that it was I [the Lord] who gave her the grain, the wine, and the oil, and who lavished on her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.

Have you ever had someone take credit for your hard work? I’m sure all of us have stories where we did all the work, put in the hours and the effort, but someone else unrightfully took all the glory. The worst part is when the other is valued for work that we did. Surely it wasn’t a good feeling and thus perhaps we can understand God’s anger in this passage a little better. The Israelites have done two things: they attributed the blessings from God to their idols, but more importantly robbed God of His glory. How often do we find ourselves following in the same footsteps? Some of us attribute it to luck or even coincidence. Some of us think we deserve it because we’re the ones who put the work in. In all this we put pride in ourselves and forget it was God who has brought us this far, and placed us here. Rather than having hearts of gratitude, we develop hearts of consumerism, constantly wanting more and failing to discern between our needs with our wants. John Calvin consequently describes our neglect as, “thrusting God from his preeminence, and insult his glory.” As the year is coming to an end and we celebrate Christmas, let us give thanks and glory to God for all that he has done for us. Let us give credit where credit is due.

Prayer

Father, I give you glory and thanks for all the things in my life both the good and the bad. I repent of all the ways in which I have fallen short of giving you praise and put my value in worthless things. Help me to have a heart of gratitude so that in all things you may be glorified.

 Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 4

Lunch Break Study

Read Romans 1:21-23: 21

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Questions to Consider

1. What is Paul saying about the Romans? What is he saying about what it means to “know God?”
2. What are the consequences of knowing God improperly?
3. What was the result of their foolish thinking? What are the things in our life that we exchange for His glory?

Notes

1. The Romans were aware of God and had some knowledge about him, possibly his ‘eternal power’ and ‘divine nature (verse 20).’ However, Paul is saying that a true knowledge of God will lead to praise and thanksgiving.
2. We begin to rely on futile thoughts that lead to nothing, but more importantly our hearts become darkened and desensitized towards God.
3. Rather than worshipping God, they rejected him and turned to idolatry. They followed after created things rather than the creator, giving glory to things of no value.

Evening Reflection

Spend some time reflecting on where you are today: your career, family, friends, and even the small things in life. Rather than praying about your needs or wants, spend some time praying simply thanking Him for his goodness.

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from Dec. 14-16 are written by Andrew Kim who is an intern at Radiance Christian Church (S.F.).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Hosea 1:2-3

2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.” 3 So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you suddenly became famous and made your debut? Who would be there and what would you be doing? Messing up would not be an option since your precious reputation is on the line.

Well, for Hosea his first debut as a prophet involved scandalously marrying a promiscuous woman who would forever tarnish his reputation. Not what you would have in mind as the perfect debut by any means. Some scholars argue that this story is a metaphorical vision, but nowhere in the rest of the book do we see evidence of this. Reformed commentator John Calvin argues, “It is, in short, an exhibition… placed, as it were, before their eyes in a visible form”—meaning, God is actually calling Hosea to do the unthinkable. The decision to marry her would tarnish his reputation, honor, and even his family line. Why would anybody choose to go through with something like this? It was simple: the Lord said to go, and Hosea did.

I’m sure Hosea had some questions and weighed the costs of his obedience. But for Hosea, obeying God was worth more than his reputation, his comfort, and even more than his own understanding of the situation. Can you imagine if the Word of God had that much authority on your life? Hosea did not know that his marriage would resemble the marriage that Christ would have with His people. Jesus in the same way would display the greatest act of obedience at the cost of his life to save us.

So today, be mindful of showing the love of Christ to that coworker, fellow student or spouse who, perhaps, isn’t behaving as badly as Gomer, but is pretty annoying nonetheless. Pray first.

Prayer

Jesus, thank You for sacrificing Your life for us. May we learn to trust and obey in Your Word alone. Speak to us today and may we have the ears to listen.

 Bible Reading for Today: Ecclesiastes 3

Lunch Break Study

Read James 1:22-25: 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

Questions to Consider:

1. What is James emphasizing in this passage?
2. How are we deceived?
3. What is the purpose of His Word?

Notes:

1. Simply hearing the Word through sermons and our daily QT’s is futile if we are not putting the Word into action. As disciples of Christ, we are called to outwardly respond to his Word in our lives.
2. It’s like looking in a mirror and seeing all the blemishes but doing nothing to fix them because of distractions.
3. Only the Word of God provides a true reflection of who we are and who we are called to be. In this freedom and obedience to His word, we are then spiritually blessed.

Evening Reflection

As you pray and meditate on His Word, how is He speaking to you today? Are you responding to His Word in obedience? Do you take heart to His Word and put them into action? Take some time to reflect.