Editor’s Note: The AMI QT devotionals for September 26-27 are provided by Jabez Yeo of TRPC (NYC).
Devotional Thoughts for Today
Hebrews 11:8-16
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God… 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
13 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”
In J.R.R. Tolkien’s short story, “Leaf by Niggle,” Niggle is a perfectionist painter who wants to paint a picture of a leaf and then a whole tree. While this project becomes his sole responsibility, Niggle doesn’t get much done because of his intense focus on painting the leaf and his heart for helping his neighbors. After an unfortunate accident, Niggle dies— weeping that he left only a single painted leaf. But as Niggle enters heaven, he is comforted by Mercy because of his willingness to sacrifice for others. He, then, discovers that his tree, fully detailed and finished, is now “part of the True Reality that would be enjoyed forever.”
As Christians, each of us may have different godly visions or promises that we hope will be fulfilled in this life. In the case of Abraham, God had specifically promised him the land of Canaan and descendants as numerous as the stars (Gn. 12:1-3, 15:1-5). Yet at the time of Abraham’s death, Abraham only had a small plot of ground (23:17-18) and two sons (25:7-11). And Hebrews 11:13 notes that Abraham “died in faith, not having received the things promised….”
How, then, did Abraham have faith, even in the midst of seemingly unfulfilled promises? Hebrews 11:13 explains that heroes like Abraham saw God’s promises and “greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” As believers today, do we remember that this world is not our final destination? When we seek a homeland (Heb. 11:14) and desire a heavenly country (11:16) like Abraham did, we can have faith that what we do for the Lord has eternal significance, even if we don’t see the desired end results.
As sons of Abraham by faith (Gal. 3:7), we know the final ending, in which “a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues” (Rev. 7:9) will gather to praise the Lord. Let’s put our faith in God that He will fulfill His promises—in this life or the next.
Prayer
Lord, increase my faith in You, the faithful promise keeper. I confess that so often, I have to see to believe. Remind me once again how blessed are those who have not seen but have yet believed. Thank You for Your patience with me, and help me to fully seek my true home where there will be no more tears, pain or death. In Your Name I pray, Amen
Bible Reading for Today: 2 Timothy 3-4
Some of us who follow a reading plan to read the Bible in one year, have had times when we had absolutely no idea what we had just read; nonetheless, we were content to mark off another 5 chapters from the reading chart. But King Josiah wasn’t like that. Upon discovering the Book of God’s Law that had been lost for a long time, he devoted himself to purify the land of Judah of its idolatry so that Judah’s ways would conform to what was written in God’s book. He read God’s Word to the people of Judah and led them to renew their commitment to walk in the way of the Lord. The majority of this chapter (vv. 4-20) records how Josiah removed idolatrous priests from the house of the LORD, removed altars that previous kings of Judah had built, burned vessels that were for Baal and Asherah worship, and more. Josiah truly turned to the Lord with all his heart, all his soul, and certainly, with all his might.
How amazing is it that we effortlessly fill our brain with trivial stuff (e.g., batting average of your favorite player) while neglecting the important matters, which, in the end, will cost us dearly. 2 Kings 23 shows us that when God’s people disregard God’s Word (in Israel’s case, she didn’t even know where the “Bible” was), not only their hearts turn away from God, but they end up doing the unthinkable.
Fall is football season, and there are few sports in which the beauty of teamwork is more evident. Marathons are by nature individual, basketball can be played one-on-one, but with football, you need a team. Even before the quarterback throws the ball, he is only able to because he has teammates protecting him from getting tackled, giving him the time he needs to assess the overall situation on the field and make the best decision. The quarterback could then run with the ball himself, but most of the time it’s more effective for him to pass it to another in a better position to run with it. Teamwork is therefore essential and a great part of what makes the game enjoyable.
Leaders will be held accountable by God for the influence they exert, for good or for evil, and the direction in which they lead people; but people are also responsible for their choices. In 1 & 2 Kings, we have seen a succession of good kings and bad kings, their reigns and legacies defined by this one standard: whether or not they did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. If they did what was right, the nation flourished; if not, the nation suffered. When the nation’s history is recorded in a structure that highlights the lives of the leaders, it can be easy to start thinking that it was all the kings’ responsibility. Even in today’s passage, if we just read verses 11-14, it could seem that Manasseh was a wicked king that led a hapless people into sin, and that because of what he had done, God was going to punish the whole nation; how sad, unfortunate, and almost unfair to the people.
When I was younger, I liked reading books about magic. Before Harry Potter, there were classic fairy tales, the Oz books, the Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. I remember one of the very first series I really enjoyed as a young reader featured a little witch named Dorrie. I loved the whimsical illustrations and charming narration: “This is Dorrie. She is a witch. A little witch. Her hat is always on crooked and her stockings never match.” Because she wasn’t a grown-up witch, her spells did not always come out exactly right, and that was what made things fun.
It’s always easier to start a project than to finish it. A simple proof of this is looking at the attendance of your local gym. At the beginning of January, the gym is packed full of people starting off with goals to lose weight and get physically fit. But usually by the end of the month, the gym looks the same as it did in December, with only a handful of people still on top of their New Year’s resolutions.
When I was in elementary school, I would sometimes pray to God and say things like, “God, if you give me a new Nintendo, I will read the Bible everyday this week.” Unfortunately, I never got that Nintendo (and I probably didn’t read the Bible every day that week either). I’m sure many of us have prayed similar prayers when we were children. But if you’ve been a Christian for a while, you probably know better than to bargain with God like that; that is, you can’t curry a favorable answer or response to your prayers by promising to do something.
Hezekiah and the people of Judah were facing a terrible enemy, Sennacherib king of Assyria and his mighty army. They had come with frightening threats against Hezekiah that left him and his people in great fear. Hezekiah was deeply distressed by all of this, and he does the best thing that any one of us can do when we’re faced with such hardship—he prayed. Hezekiah goes to God and cries out to Him for help; and He responds. The LORD assures Hezekiah that He will defend Jerusalem and save it from the encroaching enemy.
For Hezekiah, these were the darkest of days. The mighty army of Sennacherib was bearing down on Judah. Defeat was knocking on his door. The Assyrian messengers were already declaring victory over God’s people. The end seemed to be near; there seemed to be no hope for Hezekiah and everything was out of his control.