Editor’s Note: The AMI QT devotionals for October 5-11 are provided by Pastor Barry Kang of Symphony Church (Boston).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Read Ezra 3:12-13

But many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first house, wept with a loud voice when they saw the foundation of this house being laid, though many shouted aloud for joy, 13 so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted with a great shout, and the sound was heard far away.

The referee blows his whistle to signal the end of the game.  From one end, a roar of jubilation erupts.  Exuberant players jump up and down and embrace.  Coaches are baptized in Gatorade.  On the other end, tears flow—not of joy but of regret and bitter disappointment.  Players of a different uniform fling themselves onto the ground and weep.  They tell themselves and one another to never forget this feeling, because they never want to experience it again.  There is something about sports that resonate with the human experience: joy on one hand; sorrow on the other.

It’s rare that joy and sorrow are experienced by the same team at the same time.  But that’s what is depicted here at the end of Ezra 3—sorrow and joy from the same team.  We can understand the joy of the exiles as they saw tangible evidence for hope and the faithfulness of God.  But as the people gathered to celebrate the laying of the new temple’s foundations, the people could not distinguish the cries of sorrow from the cries of joy.

Could not distinguish?   Joy is usually much louder than sorrow.  What was behind the sorrow so that its sound matched the sound of joy?  We are told that it was the elderly who had seen the first temple who wept aloud.  Perhaps they mourned as they compared the beginnings of this new temple with their remembrance of the majesty of the former temple.  The prophet Haggai seems to confirm this in Haggai 2.

But does this explain the intensity of their sorrow?  I suspect that they could have been remembering what had made this day of celebration necessary.  It was their (and their nation’s) sin and idolatry that had brought divine judgment in the form of the Babylonian captivity.  Perhaps they grieved as they remembered how they and their fathers had grieved God.

I believe Ezra 3:12-13 gives us a whole picture of worship.  We give worship to God in joy and sorrow.  My wife Sunny has been reminding me recently that our worship to God is given in the midst of brokenness and pain.  This is a special kind of worship that we will not be able to offer in heaven where we will worship in the perfection of God’s shalom!

Even our ability to bring worship to God captures this tension.  We can only come into the presence of God because of an event that also evokes joy and sorrow:  the joy of the resurrected Christ and sorrow that our sin required the death and suffering of the same.

I believe God is honored as we come to Him with both joy and sorrow.

Prayer

Father, I want to worship You with the wholeness of my being, bringing worship in the midst of my brokenness and pain, and remembering with sorrow the cost of my sin.  Yet I’m filled with joy and hope because of what You have done.  Thank You for Your compassion and sorrow that moved You to redeem this world.  Thank You that You invite us into the fullness of Your joy.  Help me to grow in each of these areas.  In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Daniel 8

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT devotionals for October 5-11 are provided by Pastor Barry Kang of Symphony Church (Boston).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Read Ezra 3:1-11

When the seventh month came, and the children of Israel were in the towns, the people gathered as one man to Jerusalem. 2 Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 They set the altar in its place, for fear was on them because of the peoples of the lands, and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, burnt offerings morning and evening. 4 And they kept the Feast of Booths, as it is written, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the rule, as each day required, 5 and after that the regular burnt offerings, the offerings at the new moon and at all the appointed feasts of the Lord, and the offerings of everyone who made a freewill offering to the Lord. 6 From the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord. But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid. 7 So they gave money to the masons and the carpenters, and food, drink, and oil to the Sidonians and the Tyrians to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus king of Persia. 8 Now in the second year after their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak made a beginning, together with the rest of their kinsmen, the priests and the Levites and all who had come to Jerusalem from the captivity. They appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to supervise the work of the house of the Lord. 9 And Jeshua with his sons and his brothers, and Kadmiel and his sons, the sons of Judah, together supervised the workmen in the house of God, along with the sons of Henadad and the Levites, their sons and brothers. 10 And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David king of Israel. 11 And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.

Worship as the Foundation!

On Thursday, we looked at the priorities of the returning exiles in Ezra 2—how they made provision for the rebuilding of the temple before they focused on resettling the land.  Today, we look again at priorities as the exiles began the work of rebuilding the temple.  Ezra 3 is a story of foundations—both figurative and literal.

Ezra 3 tells us that even before the physical foundations were laid, a spiritual foundation was being laid: “they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord.  But the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid” (v. 6).  As such, we can better nuance the priorities of the exiles—even before the actual house of God was built, they prioritized the purpose of the temple, which was to worship God.  They had come to Jerusalem for the explicit purpose of rebuilding the temple, but they played the highest priority upon the worship of God, not on the building in which that worship would occur.

There were likely some who would have said, “Let’s wait for a real temple before we start sacrifices.”  But the leaders of Judah knew that worship could and should begin right away!

Then when the workers had laid the foundation, they stopped everything for an extended time of praise and thanksgiving.  Again, the pragmatists in the crowd might have said, “Why are we stopping now?  We will lose momentum.  Let’s build now and worship later.”  But again, the leaders insisted upon the right spiritual priorities.

Ezra 3 challenges us to have the right spiritual foundations in our lives and to make worship one of those foundations. The Westminster Shorter Catechism (A.D. 1647) proclaims that our chief purpose in life is “to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”  Worship is our fundamental purpose and is the foundation upon which we can pursue any mission of God.

Prayer

Father, you are indeed good.  And Your steadfast love does endure forever!  I thank You that even as You invite us into Your work, first of all, You invite us into Your presence to behold You and declare who You are, with all of our souls, bodies and minds.   May my worship of You be the foundation of my life and may everything else follow!  In Jesus name I pray.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Daniel 6-7

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT devotionals for October 5-11 are provided by Pastor Barry Kang of Symphony Church (Boston).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Read Ezra 2:68-69

Some of the heads of families, when they came to the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem, made freewill offerings for the house of God, to erect it on its site. ⁶⁹ According to their ability they gave to the treasury of the work 61,000 darics of gold, 5,000 minas of silver, and 100 priests’ garments.

They gave according to their ability. 

We are not told much about the journey of the returning exiles to Jerusalem, but we do know what they did first when they got there.  They gathered at the ruins of the temple and, according to their ability, each made freewill offerings for the house of God to be rebuilt.

We learn something remarkable about the priorities of the returning exiles here.  They had left their homes in Babylonia to return to their ancestral home, but after nearly 50 years of captivity, they wouldn’t know if they had homes to return to.  We would well understand if their first priority was to resettle the land and build homes.  And indeed, they did do that, but only after making provision for the house of God first.

Their example teaches us much about the heart of true worshipers.  Worshipers prioritize their giving to God, not because they are obligated to give, but because they put God and his work above all other things.  When God is not our first priority, we ask, “How much should I give?”  A true worshiper simply asks, “How can I give?”

Prayer:

Father, I am thankful for the example of these worshipers in Ezra, for it reminds me that You are a God who is worthy of being my first priority.  Like these people in Ezra 2, I want to give generously for Your kingdom work.  Help me to join in that work today.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Daniel 5

Lunch Break Study

Read Mark 12:41-44

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. 43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. 44 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

Questions to Consider

1. Why do you think Jesus was watching people put money into the offering box?
2. Why did Jesus say that the widow had given more than the others? What is the lesson He is teaching?
3. Read Mark 12:38-40. Does the preceding passage help us learn a broader lesson?

Notes

1. I don’t believe Jesus was in the habit of watching the offerings at the temple, but He certainly was interested in teaching His disciples a lesson about giving.
2. Jesus considered the widow to have given more than the others, as she had more relative to what she had. What is important is not so much how much we give, but how we give.  Do we give sacrificially, acknowledging God’s worth and provision?
3. This passage seems like a simple lesson in giving, but when read in light of the preceding verses, there may be a deeper lesson. In verses 38-40, we see Jesus lamenting the actions of the scribes who “devour widow’s houses.”  In verses 41-44, Jesus praises the actions of a poor widow whose house may have been devoured, if all she had was two copper coins.  Jesus celebrates the widow’s act of radical giving, but also laments her circumstance.  Perhaps if those gave “out of their abundance” were to be more radically generous and caring, fewer would have to give “out of poverty.”

Evening Reflection

As disciples of Jesus, God asks us to radically participate in His work, using our material resources, skills, time and energy.  How are your priorities?  Let us journal a confession or declaration of intent as the Spirit leads.

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT devotionals for October 5-11 are provided by Pastor Barry Kang of Symphony Church (Boston).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Ezra 2:1-2, 64-65

Now these were the people of the province who came up out of the captivity of those exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried captive to Babylonia. They returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to his own town. 2 They came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum, and Baanah. . . . 64 The whole assembly together was 42,360, 65 besides their male and female servants, of whom there were 7,337, and they had 200 male and female singers.

Why so few?

Yesterday, we saw that not everyone returned back to Jerusalem.   In fact, we learn in Ezra 2 that the total number of returnees numbered fewer than 50,000.  This was a tiny number in comparison with those who had originally been taken captive.  Why so few?

It appears that many of the exiles in Babylon had settled down and created new lives for themselves.  Indeed, Jeremiah the prophet had urged them to make the best of their captivity (see Jer. 29:4-7).  The result was that many of the Jews had grown comfortable and even prosperous, so that when the call came for them to travel some 900 miles to a ruined city and a temple that no longer existed, they could not rise to the occasion.  The cost was too big.  The shock to their lives was too great.

However, some—a remnant—chose to make the journey.  They rose up and stood on the precipice of greatness—they chose to take an active part in God’s story.  Often, that takes personal sacrifice.  William Booth once said: “You cannot improve the future without disturbing the present.”  As mentioned yesterday, that remnant was enough.  God can do more with one person who is 100% committed to Him than with one hundred people who are 90% committed.

On a side note:  No one would write books about the Jewish people who stayed in Babylon.  History remembers the people who acted with courage, not the people who opted for the status quo.  Actually, not always true! I am reminded that the biblical book Esther was written about a woman whose grandparents or great grandparents had chosen to stay in Babylon.  Even those who stayed in Babylon were under the grace of God!

Prayer:

Father, I know that you have called me into a godly life—not a comfortable life.  I want to join in the adventure You have for me.  I want to live in your presence, for Your mission, and with Your resources.  Forgive me for the times that my comfort has been a barrier to joining Your mission.  In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Daniel 4

Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 14:22-33

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Questions to Consider:

1. Describe the circumstances surrounding Peter’s walk on water.
2. What needed to happen so that Peter could walk on water?
3. Is God asking you to get out of your boat in some way? What is stopping you from walking toward God?

Notes:

1. Jesus tells the disciples to get into their boat and go to the other side of the sea. Dutifully, they set off, but find themselves battling the winds and the waves all night.  By the time Jesus reaches them (as He walks on water) in the very early morning, they must have been on the brink of exhaustion.  As the wind blows and the waves knock the boat around, the shadowy figure approaching the boat would have been terrifying for the disciples.  However, Jesus announces His identity—and Peter courageously asks Jesus to call him to come.  Jesus obliges, and Peter climbs over the rail, stepping onto the raging waters, as the boat tossed back and forth.
   Sometimes, we want God to make all the conditions perfect for us before we take a step of faith.  Peter, however, had no such conditions.  He was stepping out of one precarious situation (a boat knocking back and forth by the wind and waves) into the waves themselves—the frying pan into the fire, as it were.  We will not always have perfect conditions to follow Jesus.  But true peace comes only after we follow Him.

2. In order for Peter to walk on water, three things needed to happen: (1) Jesus had to call him. We can’t decide to walk on water—Jesus has to invite us first. (2) Peter had to get out of the relatively safe boat and step into the chaos of the sea. (3) Peter had to keep his eyes focused on Jesus.  When he focused on the waves instead of Jesus, fear set in, and he began to sink.

Evening Reflection

Is God asking you to leave your comfort zone and follow Him in faith?  Let us journal a prayer of faith as we seek to follow Jesus more.

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT devotionals for October 5-11 are provided by Pastor Barry Kang of Symphony Church (Boston).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Ezra 1:5-10

Then rose up the heads of the fathers’ houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the Lord that is in Jerusalem. ⁶ And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered. ⁷ Cyrus the king also brought out the vessels of the house of the Lord that Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and placed in the house of his gods. ⁸ Cyrus king of Persia brought these out in the charge of Mithredath the treasurer, who counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. ⁹ And this was the number of them: 30 basins of gold, 1,000 basins of silver, 29 censers, ¹⁰ 30 bowls of gold, 410 bowls of silver, and 1,000 other vessels; ¹¹ all the vessels of gold and of silver were 5,400. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up, when the exiles were brought up from Babylonia to Jerusalem.

It had been almost 50 years since the exile; enough time for two whole generations to be born in foreign lands; enough time that life within the Babylonian empire was all that many Jews knew about.  Cyrus’s proclamation must have come like a bolt of lightning for the Jewish people.  Jerusalem?  Rebuild the temple?  Walk hundreds of miles through possibly dangerous territory?  Leave the life that they had built?  Understandably, not everyone RSVP-ed.

But some rose up—heads of houses, priests, Levites and others “whose spirits God had stirred up.”  Not everyone—but  enough.  The number that God calls is always enough for the task.  And for those called to return, God provided what was necessary to finance the trip to their ancestral home, to rebuild the temple, and to replenish the temple with its implements of worship.

When God calls us to a task, He always provides what is necessary for carrying out that task—whether human resources, money, materials or power.  As a church planter, I have seen God provide over and over again the past five years.  Has your spirit been stirred by God for some great (or small) endeavor?  Trust in God to provide!

Prayer:

Father, I thank you for Your gracious and sovereign provision!  I thank You that even beyond people, money or materials, You provide me with salvation and grace.  I want to trust that You will always be enough.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Daniel 3

Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Kings 4:1-7

Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” ² And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” ³ Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. ⁴ Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” ⁵ So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. ⁶ When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. ⁷ She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

Questions to Consider:

1. What was the widow’s situation? What options were available to her?
2. Why do you think Elisha asked the widow what she had in her house?
3. What specific steps of faith were required for the widow to experience God’s provision?
4. How much did God provide?

Notes:

1. The widow was in debt and owed her sons as slaves to a creditor. At this point, her only option, other than surrendering her sons, was to ask for help.
2. I am sure that the widow did not consider her present resources as sufficient in any way to overcome her circumstances. But Elisha directs her attention to what she does  Just as Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes, God can use what we already have.
3. The widow had to show faith in a number of ways: (1) she had to decide to obey Elisha’s instructions; (2) she had to instruct her sons to ask her neighbors for many empty vessels (which must have seemed like a strange and potentially humbling request); and (3) she had to pour out the one jar of oil that she had into another vessel (if this didn’t work, presumably some of the oil would be wasted in the transfer).
4. The jar of oil did not stop flowing until the last vessel was filled. God provided in exact proportion to the widow’s lived out faith!  This was enough to pay off the widow’s debts and enough to live on afterwards.

Evening Reflection

How has God provided for you?  As we journal, let us gladden our hearts by remembering instances of God’s provision for us.

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT devotionals for October 5-11 are provided by Pastor Barry Kang of Symphony Church (Boston).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Ezra 1:1-4 (NLT)

In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah.  He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom:  ² This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. ³ Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem. And may your God be with you! ⁴ Wherever this Jewish remnant is found, let their neighbors contribute toward their expenses by giving them silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock, as well as a voluntary offering for the Temple of God in Jerusalem.”

God can use non-Christian leaders

Yesterday, we looked at how God keeps His promises.  Remarkably, God’s promise to return His people from exile was fulfilled through a non-Jewish, pagan king – Cyrus of Persia – who conquered Babylon in 539BC.

While Cyrus sounds like a believer in Ezra 1, we know from the historical record (particularly from a document known as the ‘Cyrus Cylinder’) that he primarily worshiped Marduk, but he was also a respecter of regional gods (as Cyrus would have seen them).  In the Cyrus Cylinder, Cyrus describes some of his works in the following manner:

I returned to (these) sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris, the sanctuaries of which have been ruins for a long time, the images which (used) to live therein and established for them permanent sanctuaries. I (also) gathered all their (former) inhabitants and returned (to them) their habitations.

(Pritchard, Ancient Near East, 1:208.)

Amazingly, the prophet Isaiah names Cyrus as one “anointed” by God — a “messiah” who has been raised up by God to do His bidding (Isaiah 45:1).

I confess that I am not heavily involved in praying for national politics (here or abroad).  I do not convene with other pastors to intentionally pray for local political leaders.  But this passage encourages me to pray much more for them.  Why?  Because the story of Cyrus tells us that God can and does use leaders (even non-Christian leaders) to bring about God’s will.  God is sovereign over all the nations.  He doesn’t need national leaders to believe in Him to be their ultimate ruler!

Prayer:

Dear Lord of lords, I am reminded by Your word to pray for all leaders—even those who don’t acknowledge You or seem to have a wrong understanding of You.  I pray for the leaders of countries where Christians are officially persecuted.  I pray especially for Syria.  I ask that you would guide leaders there as you once guided Cyrus, and that they might be used as instruments of Your will.  May Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Daniel 2

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Timothy 2:1-4

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Questions to Consider:

1. Who does Paul instruct us to pray for? How might this change our prayers?
2. Why does Paul ask us to pray for national leaders?
3. In respect to your answer to question 2, why is this pleasing to God?

Notes:

1. Paul instructs us to pray for everyone in general; and in particular, kings and those in high positions. Our prayers ought to be global and broad in scope—particularly for leaders who have been given great influence. It is instructive to note that in Paul’s time, no national leaders were believers in Christ.
2. We are to pray for leaders so that “we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” The basic benefit of good government is peace –from war and civil strife–so that free worship of God can be given and people can live “dignified” or holy lives.
3. God is pleased with this kind of peace as it is His desire that “all people” will be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. We are to pray for leaders to effect an environment where the gospel can be advanced freely.

Evening Reflection

I encourage you to journal some ways that you can be praying for national leaders, international leaders and local leaders (including, perhaps, your boss).  How is God encouraging you to pray more globally and broadly?

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT devotionals for October 5-11 are provided by Pastor Barry Kang of Symphony Church (Boston).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Ezra 1:1-4

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 2 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 And let each survivor, in whatever place he sojourns, be assisted by the men of his place with silver and gold, with goods and with beasts, besides freewill offerings for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

Can God forget His promises?  It must have seemed that way to the people of Judah.

In 587 BC, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem: They killed the leaders of Judah, plundered the temple before burning it to the ground, destroyed most of the city and its walls, and took the cream of the crop (people-wise) to Babylon.  In one swoop, the Jewish people had lost their homes and the landmarks of their identity—they were displaced, exiled, and broken.  But where was God?  What was He doing?  Surely, this wasn’t how things were supposed to be!

It turns out that God was doing what He said He’d be doing all along.  The prophet Jeremiah had warned that a judgment was coming, but that in seventy years, God would bring his people back to Jerusalem and the temple would be restored (cf. Jer. 25:11; 29:10).  God was doing what He had promised all along!

Our God keeps His promises.  We can easily forget this truth when we are going through our own personal exile or dark night, and the situation seems bleak.  The enemy will often seek to direct our attention to the circumstances rather than to God, whispering, “God has forgotten,” but it is in these times, especially, that we need to hold on to the promises of God.

God is faithful—that’s just who He is.  As Paul reminds us, “if we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself!” (2 Tim 2:13).

Prayer:

Father, help me to remember that You are the God who keeps Your promises.  You will not leave us in exile but will continue to draw us back to You.  Thank you that Your faithfulness isn’t dependent upon my remembering Your promises—You remember them well enough!  In Jesus name, I pray.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Daniel 1

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Corinthians 10:6-13

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, 10 nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 11 Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. 12 Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Questions to Consider:

1. Who does “they” refer to in verse 6?
2. Why does Paul list these examples? What are the four examples that Paul cites (verse 7-10)?  Do you recall how God responded to each of these?
3. How does Paul encourage us? If you are tempted in any of the specific examples of question 2, let us seek God’s way of escape.

Notes:

1. “They” refers to the people of Israel during the Exodus.
2. Paul gives us these examples so that we would not “desire evil as they did.” He lists four specific examples of evil: (1) idolatry (v.7); (2) sexual immorality; (3) putting Christ to the test; and (4) grumbling.  In each case, God disciplined His people, but He also provided a way of mercy so that they could continue to journey with Him.
3. Paul encourages us by reminding us that there is no temptation that we face that others have not faced before us, and most especially, by reminding us that God is faithful! While we can be tempted, God will provide a way of escape for us.  God may discipline us when we succumb to temptation, but He also provides a way of mercy and restoration.

Evening Reflection

Jesus is God’s ultimate promised answer to the problem of exile, brokenness and displacement.  On the cross, Jesus took all of our brokenness and restored our relationship with Jesus.  He is faithful, and this faithfulness does not cease just because we can still be tempted today!  Spend some time journaling about examples of God’s faithfulness in your life.

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT devotionals for October 3-4 are provided by Joanna Tzen of Grace Covenant Church (Philadelphia).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

John 10:3

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

Earlier this month, a sheep named Chris made international headlines. He had wandered from his flock and had been living in the Australian outback for five to six years on his own. When they found him, his fleece had grown to five times its normal size. As a result, he could barely see or walk; the heavy wool made it impossible for him to right himself if he had fallen over. He had to be sedated to be sheared because he had not been near humans for so long. The fleece alone weighed a record-setting 89 pounds, and it took 45 minutes to shear him—a process that usually only takes two minutes.

Today’s passage tells us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and that we are His sheep. The way we know Jesus is by His voice. Do we know Jesus by His voice today or are our lives cluttered with many voices? Our hearts and minds can be filled with the world’s opinions—what our parents think of us, and what our peers think of us. We can only know by learning the voice through which Jesus speaks—meaning, knowing His Word through reading of Scripture. It also means slowing down to listen to Jesus in prayer, discerning what are the voices in our lives; that is, to know which one is Jesus and which is not. Are we quick to run to the truth of Jesus, and do we know it because we have spent time in His Word? Or are we sometimes led astray by words of the world?

Jesus is calling you to spend time with Him today and learn His voice. He knows your name, and He longs to lead you into the green pasture (Ps. 23).

Prayer

Jesus, forgive me when I disregard Your voice and am tempted to follow the world’s ways. Help me to not only hear Your voice, but abide by it. I know you are the Good Shepherd; remind me of your faithfulness. I desire to follow You into the green pasture and life everlasting.

Bible Reading for Today: Jude 1

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT devotionals for October 3-4 are provided by Joanna Tzen of Grace Covenant Church (Philadelphia).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Matt 21:18

Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered

My mother-in-law has a fig tree in her backyard that has been growing for years. She cares for it by picking the fruit daily so that birds do not get to it. The figs are especially sweet because they are ripened on the vine, as opposed to after they are picked. I had never seen a fig tree before and when I ventured out specifically to take a closer look, I was amazed by the amount of fruit on the tree.

This is a familiar passage to many of us, but sometimes when we read this passage, indignation may still be the first emotion that comes to mind. What’s the big deal that the tree has no fruit? Does it really have to wither? What Jesus wants to teach us is that it is not about not having fruit—but pretending that we do. Fig trees do not produce fruit until they have leaves. Jesus expected to see fruit because of the leaves.

In the same way, Jesus does not want us go through the routine of religion: going to church, showing up at family group (or cell group), clocking in a certain number of hours at church activities—meanwhile our hearts are far from Him. In other words, are we looking to our own performance in these religious tasks as some form of alternate savior? This performance-oriented mindset will make us not much different than a person who states they do not believe in Jesus as Savior, as it can be just another form of seeking to keep control of our lives.

Jesus warns us that the Lord will see the heart; He cannot be fooled. Let us not delay in coming to our Heavenly Father with honesty and sincerity. Do not be afraid to show Him what is in your heart. Bring all of it—anger, bitterness, sadness, doubt. He is Comforter, Redeemer, Savior and Lord.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, forgive me when I put on the robe of religiosity and withhold my heart from You. The truth is, there is no place I can go that is away from You (Ps. 139). Let me remain humble before You. Lord, I want to be authentic and honest with You about where my heart is. I desire any goodness on the outside to be a reflection of what the Holy Spirit has done on the inside. Thank you that You are faithful to complete the good work You have begun in me (Phil. 1:6).

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Thess. 2-3

Editor’s Note: AMI devotionals from Sept. 28-Oct.2 are written by Pastor Ryun Chang.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

2 King 25:8-12, 21b

In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 And he burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 11 And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile. 12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen. . . . 21 So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

No one really criticized the San Antonio Spurs— leading by 5 points with 28 seconds left in the 6^th game of the 2013 NBA Finals against Miami—for overconfidence as they prepared to celebrate their win.  Stunningly, what many saw as an insurmountable lead, quickly evaporated as the Spurs somehow lost that game and the next—they returned home as losers.

In much the same way, the Jews in Judah believed that they held an “insurmountable lead” that couldn’t be squandered.  Although Jeremiah warned that “a besieging army is . . . raising a war cry against the cities of Judah” (Jer. 4:16) to inflict “terrible destruction” (v.6), they couldn’t believe God would permit it since His glorious temple stood tall in their midst.  They felt that no matter what detestable things they did, as long as they “come and stand . . . in this house, which bears [God’s] name, and say, ‘We are safe’” (7:9-10), everything would be okay. But God disagreed, saying, “Do not trust in deceptive words and say ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!’” (v.4). What did He mean by that?  Unless “you really change your ways and your actions” (v.5), no “lead”—including the presence of the temple—is ever safe with God when we deceive ourselves into believing that faith without deeds (James 2:26), that is, “merely listening to the word” without “do[ing] what it says” (1:22), is okay.

The Spurs, by squandering the lead, merely lost the championship; they would get another crack at it the next year.  However, for Judah, the final curtain fell in 586 BC when the third Babylonian invasion ended the Davidic dynasty and annihilated the temple.  Tens of thousands of Jews were deported to Babylon and would die there while yearning to return home.  It would take 70 years before the Jews would be allowed to return home.

What makes us believe that we are okay with God?  Impressive family pedigree (“My dad was a pastor”)?  Faithfulness in the past (Ezk. 18:24)?  Or passionate first love for God (Rev. 2:5)?  None will do apart from loving and obeying God in the present.  How is your love for and obedience to God?

Prayer

God, I don’t stand a chance if I’m trying to earn your approval by what I do.  While I’ve tried to love and be faithful to You, my effort has been inconsistent and utterly inadequate.  Lord, I’m banking on my trust in your Son to make me right before you. Thank You for your grace.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Philippians 1

Lunch Break Study

Read John 8:39-40: They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, 40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.”

Col. 1:22-23: he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

 Rev. 2:4-5: But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

Question to Consider

1. What made the Jews believe that they were right with God? Do you do the same?
2. We are saved by grace and our adoption into God’s family is secure in Christ. But, to the extent that we are talking about sanctification (becoming free from the power of sin in the present), how do verses like Col. 1:22-23 and Col. 18:24 help us in that process?
3. What is John warning against in Rev. 2:4-5? Does that apply to you?  If so, what are you going to do about it?

Notes

1. They were banking on their ethnic and theological heritage: “We are categorically okay with God since Abraham, the one with whom the Lord established His covenant, is our forefather.” That’s like saying, “I am okay with God since I agree with the teachings of Calvin or Wesley.”
2. The key phrase is, “if indeed you continue in the faith”; that is, if you have stopped working out your salvation (Phil. 2:12) in the present, all the work done in the past toward sanctification may not matter since presently you are either spiritually lazy or living in sin.
3.   He warns against those who used to love God but now have other lovers.   In that case, we must identify these other lovers (e.g., career, family, romantic interest, hobby, etc.) and must reduce their role or significance in our lives so that God, once again, becomes the sole object of our love.  For some, a momentary fasting (e.g., 1 Cor. 7:3-5) may be in order.

Evening Reflection

How was your day?  In the midst of meeting deadlines, screaming children, and other urgent matters, we often fail to remember that there is a God who loves and cares for us.  Think about a meaningful way to show your appreciation for the Lord tomorrow.  Don’t be religious; be real!