Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from August 24-30 are provided by Kate Moon who serves as a missionary in E. Asia.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

2 Kings 12:4-6:  Joash said to the priests, “Collect all the money that is brought as sacred offerings to the temple of the LORD . . . Let every priest receive the money from one of the treasurers, and let it be used to repair whatever damage is found in the temple.”  But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple.

Why had the priests failed to repair the temple?  Was it because of corruption or faulty spirituality?  Jehoiada, the leader of the priests at that time, instructed the king to do what was right in the eyes of the LORD (v. 2).  Was it because of a lack of organizational ability?  This was the same priest who had mobilized the nation’s leaders to execute the successful coup that put Joash on the throne.  In verse 8 is a suggestion of where the problem lay: “The priests agreed . . . that they would not repair the temple themselves.”  Both the priests and king had perhaps been thinking that only the priests were qualified to do this job when in actuality, it could only get done when they began involving others.

Sometimes we can keep looking to the same people to do everything because they seem like the best candidates.  When I was a high school English teacher, I worked with two student leaders on the school newspaper.  They were great, but because they were so great, they were also on the “most wanted” list for multiple other clubs on campus.  While this would look great on their college applications, it wasn’t the healthiest way for the school community to run.  They fulfilled their responsibilities for the paper, but just barely. And I can’t help but think how it would have been better if other students were involved who may not have been as obvious choices but who would have been devoted and able to contribute more than “just barely”—with the end result being a better paper.

Is there anything you’ve been trying to do yourself but find that it isn’t getting done?  Perhaps you need to admit your limitations, let go, and invite others to get involved.  Do you see something not getting done that is frustrating you?  Perhaps you need to offer to help out because those who are trying to do it themselves can’t do it alone.

Prayer

Lord, there are things, not only in my personal life but for Your greater kingdom purposes, that need to get done.  Help me to see my role, what I need to do (or let others do).  Thank you for the body of Christ, for we are in this together and none of us bears the responsibility alone.

Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 2

Lunch Break Study

Read Acts 6:3, 7: 3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.  We will turn this responsibility over to them . . . 7 So the word of God spread.  The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

Questions to Consider

1. How is the situation in this passage (early church) similar to that of King Joash’s time we read about this morning (v. 3)?
2. How are the people who were to receive this responsibility described (v. 3)?
3. What was the result of responsibility being turned over to others (v. 7)? How do these verses challenge or encourage you in terms of your service to the Lord?

Notes

1. There was a group of people who needed to turn a responsibility over to others.
2. The community recognized them as being filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom.
3. The kingdom of God continued to advance. When I am asked to take on a responsibility, it means that someone sees me, to some extent, as being wise and Spirit-filled.  And when I take on a responsibility, it contributes to the advancing of God’s kingdom—meaning, my service is significant.

 Evening Reflection

As we reflect on the ways we are currently serving the Lord or considering getting involved, let’s take a moment to thank the Lord for the awesome privilege of being able to contribute to his kingdom work, of more people coming to know his love, more people being set free to truly live.

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from August 24-30 are provided by Kate Moon who serves as a missionary in E. Asia.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

2 Kings 11:14:  She looked and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets.  Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, “Treason! Treason!”

When King Joash at age seven retakes his rightful place on his father’s throne, the people of the land were rejoicing, but Athaliah cried out, “Treason!”

That she is calling this situation “treason” is so ironic because it was she who had actually committed treason when she murdered all the possible heirs she could find and seized the throne for herself six years prior.  And yet she had come to believe that she was the rightful ruler of the land and that all these others were currently in the wrong.  She was deluded and deceived.

It is a sad story, but could it be that we are sometimes the same?  Getting upset at what is happening to us and blaming others, not being able to see that we are the ones who are actually in the wrong?

The Bible tells us that the heart is deceitful above all things, and each of us is susceptible to self-deception.  Do we have someone in our lives before whom we can humble ourselves and ask whether they see anything gone awry, either in our lives or the way we see the world?

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to see things as You do, properly and not distortedly.  Help me not to be deceived about who I am and what I’ve done; I don’t want to be deluded.  If there is any area in which I am in the wrong, help me to see it clearly and repent.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Matthew 1

Lunch Break Study

Read Jeremiah 17:9-11: The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?  10 ‘I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.’  11 Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means.  When his life is half gone, they will desert him, and in the end he will prove to be a fool.

Questions to Consider

1. What is the answer to the problem of a deceitful heart? If we can’t trust our own hearts, who can we trust (v. 10)?
2. How does God reward a person’s actions (v. 10)?
3. What happens to the person who “gains riches by unjust means” (v. 11)? What warning or comfort does this truth bring to us?

Notes

1. Though our very own hearts can deceive us, God cannot be deceived. We can trust Him to judge rightly and should turn to Him.
2. God examines that person’s heart and mind—their true motives. God also rewards us fairly, according to what we deserve.
3. The riches will not stay with him (just as Athaliah who seized power by unjust means lost it in the end). We are to be careful to live right lives and can even take comfort in the face of injustice done to us, knowing that God will bring about justice in the end.

 Evening Reflection

Was there a situation today in which I was tempted to blame others?  Did I ask God to shine His light into that situation and check my heart to make sure there wasn’t any wrongdoing on my part that I needed to address instead?

Editor’s Note: The AMI QT Devotionals from August 24-30 are provided by Kate Moon who serves as a missionary in E. Asia.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

2 Kings 11:2-3:  “But Jehosheba . . . took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered.  She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed.  He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the LORD for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.”

My mom became a grandmother last year, and the new addition to our family is the joy of her life.  There are pictures of baby Ziggy (his parents started calling him that while he was still just a zygote and the name stuck) all over the house, and though she’s tiring of traveling as she grows older, she’s already gone the length of the country twice to see him.

Grandmothers are usually known to dote on their grandchildren, but not so Queen Athaliah.  Because of her ambition to rule, once her son, the king of Judah, was dead, “she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family” (v.1) by trying to kill off all of the royal princes, among whom was her own grandson, baby Joash.  What kind of ungodly influence could be so strong that it could trump a woman’s basic instinct to nurture and protect the young?  It’s hard to imagine, yet as the country was falling more deeply into the sin of worshipping gods other than the one true God, this is the kind of event that resulted.

In contrast, however, we also see Jehosheba, his aunt, bravely rescuing Joash, believing for a better time to come.  Though the six years of rule by an evil queen may have been bleak, all the while, hope was hidden away and growing, preparing to be revealed when the time was right.  Sometimes when we look at humanity or the lack thereof in this world, at the distortion of all that was meant to be good, we wonder where the hope has gone.  But throughout history, God has always reserved hope, and in due course, the dark times do come to an end.

Is there a situation you are looking at where you are wondering where the humanity has gone?  Appalled at the lack of common decency?  Take heart, for God has a plan, and he will not wait a moment longer than is necessary.  Even if it seems premature (Joash became king at age seven), he will bring that hope to the light as soon as the moment is right.

Prayer

Dear Lord, when times look dark, help me to place my hope in you.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Obadiah 1

Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Kings 10:25-27: “In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign . . . His mother’s name was Athaliah, a granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.  He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family.”

Questions to Consider

1. At this time, the nation that was originally Israel was split into two kingdoms, “Israel” and “Judah.” Jerusalem and the temple were located in Judah, so it was supposed to be the kingdom that was truer to God, yet what do we notice here?
2. Omri led the nation into further idolatry and was the father of Ahab, one of the most wicked kings in the history of Israel. How does Athaliah’s family background help us understand her later actions?
3. What warning can we take to heart regarding the sin of idolatry and the influence it can have? Is there idolatry in our lives that we are not dealing with because we don’t take it as seriously as we should?

Notes

1. There seemed to be no difference between Israel (ruled by the house of Ahab, described as doing evil in God’s sight) and Judah.
2. Athaliah came from a family that practiced evil and idolatry; her later slaughter of all the royal princes can be seen as the fruit of this kind of spiritual influence she had received.
3. Worshipping other gods puts us under an evil spiritual influence that can cause us to act in less than human ways. If there is even a hint of worship of other gods in our hearts, we need to deal with it swiftly and decisively.

 Evening Reflection

Rather than adding to the darkness, was I part of the hope in the world today?  Was I decent human being?  Was God my one and only true God today?  Did I seek to be ruled and influenced by him and him alone?

Editor’s note: The AMI QT devotionals from August 17-23 are provided by Pastor Yohan Lee of Radiance Christian Church (S.F.).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

2 Kings 10:28-31

Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel. 29 But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan. 30 And the Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”31 But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin.

I am ashamed of this reference on so many fronts, but if you are about my age, you’ll get it.  At the end of the 1990 classic Pretty Woman, Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) and Philip Stuckey (Jason Alexander) get into a fist fight.  After the fight, Edward fires Stuckey from his position as his lawyer and C.E.O. of gobbling up other businesses.  Stuckey, upon being fired and beaten up, begs, “What is wrong with you?  Come on, Edward!  I gave you ten years!  I devoted my whole life to you!”  And Edward responds (edited for language): “[That’s a lie!]  It’s the kill you love, not me!  I made you a very rich man doing exactly what you loved.”  The “kill” referred to acquiring and consuming other companies—which Stuckey seemed to have a thirst for.

If you’ve been following our devotions over the last few days, you have probably come to the realization that Jehu is a complicated character.  True, he was God’s instrument of judgment on the house of Ahab, and he was very zealous in doing his work, which again was cutting off Ahab’s descendants.  Furthermore, Jehu was also credited with killing all the priests of Baal and eliminating Baal worship from Israel.  As a result of his work, God allows his family to rule Israel for four generations.  On the flip side, we read that Jehu continued in the sins of Jeroboam, worshipped golden calves in Bethel and Dan, and caused Israel to do the same.  My conclusion:  Jehu, much like Stuckey, “loved the kill,” but he never truly loved God.  The reason Jehu performed his tasks so admirably was that he was probably a violent man who literally loved the kill.  If God had asked him to do anything else, I think he would have failed.

Why do you do ministry?  Why do you go to church or get involved in cell groups or community groups or serve in general?  Unfortunately, I’ve served with many people who got involved because something about ministry, other than the love of God, appealed to them.  Some liked the business of planning events, others liked the activities, or the friendships; some served simply to feel important, etc.  Ultimately, this is a reminder to check your hearts.  Do you serve and get involved because you love Jesus more than you love His work?  I hope this is the case for you and all of us.

Lastly, here is the scary part: God genuinely used Jehu, though his heart was not devoted to Him.  I’ve seen God use many people with ulterior or impure motives—meaning just because God is using you or your ministry is not a sure tell that you are fully devoted to Him.

Prayer

God, please give me a heart that is genuinely devoted to You.  Though it is good to enjoy ministry, help me to have pure motives in all that I say and do.  Thank you that I can love You because You first loved me.

Bible Reading for Today: Colossians 4

Editor’s note: The AMI QT devotionals from August 17-23 are provided by Pastor Yohan Lee of Radiance Christian Church (S.F.).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

2 Kings 10:10-11

Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done what he said by his servant Elijah.” 11 So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his close friends and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

Most parenting experts will tell you that when it comes disciplining our children, the most important thing is to be consistent. Inconsistency is why I might be the worst parent in the world. I have two year old boy-girl twins, Jon and Abbie. My wife and I joke that Jon is “not smart enough to punish.” For example, if we send Abbie to her room for ill behavior, she cries knowing she’s being punished. But when we send Jonny in there, he smiles and laughs. (I think he thinks we are playing hide-and-seek.) At nap time (they share a room), we tell them both to stay in bed, and if they get out they are going to get punished. Whenever I go in their room because I hear mischief, Abbie is always in her bed, while Jon is always out. Don’t get me wrong, they are both being troublemakers, but Abbie knows, at least, to stay in bed. When I tell Jon that he needs to be punished, he looks at me like, “What did I do?” And when I tell them it is time to get spanked, Abbie runs away in fear, while Jon runs toward me smiling and laughing as if I am going to read him a book. The truth of the matter is that I find Jon really cute, and when he looks at me and smiles with that blank look on his face, many times, I cannot bring myself to punish that guy (inconsistency). In my heart of hearts, punishing the lad is not what I want to do. But I know that good parenting involves disciplining our children, and teaching them that there are consequences for their actions.

While going through the narrative history of Israel, eventually, we would have to broach the topic of punishment. Make no mistake about it, Jehu was the Lord’s agent of punishment and judgment on the house of Ahab. Ahab and Jezebel’s alliance was wicked; as individuals, they were wicked, and as a household they led Israel into further idolatry and evil action. Their deeds deserved to be punished. I think when reading the Bible, we often mistake patience with inconsistency. God is patient, but I wouldn’t say He is inconsistent. In fact, part of God’s immutable nature is that He remains at all times consistently good, fair, and just. And when God says that He is going to punish evil, you can be sure that He is not inconsistent like human parents.

Prayer

Lord, help me to see that justice and discipline are as much a part of Your character as grace and forgiveness. Help me to trust in Your hand even if the results are difficult to understand or terrifying. Help me to know that You are always good and always sovereign.

Bible Reading for Today: Colossians 2-3

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals from August 17-23 are provided by Pastor Yohan Lee of Radiance Christian Church (S.F.).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

2 Kings 9:24-26

And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot. 25 Jehu said to Bidkar his aide, “Take him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember, when you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father, how the Lord made this pronouncement against him:26 ‘As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons—declares the Lord—I will repay you on this plot of ground.’ Now therefore take him up and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”

The one phrase that stuck out at me in today’s passage is when Jehu says to his assistant Bidkar in v. 25, “For remember, when you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father…”  I wonder how Jehu felt about overthrowing Joram, Ahab’s son.  Put it this way: imagine if you rode behind the king for many years, being his faithful army commander, supporting him in many battles, then leading a rebellion against his son. How would you have felt?  I know that Jehu was no choir boy, but even he had to feel some remorse over what the Lord had called him to do.  The truth is, obeying the Lord is sometimes hard, and it can drive a wedge between you and your loved ones.

A few years back, we were on the topic of sharing our faith in a Bible study group.  One of the sisters said that she will never share the gospel to a close friend since when she tried it in high school, it ended up straining their relationship. I was a little taken aback because I had been going to church with her for over a decade, and I assumed that sharing the gospel was vital to her.  Yet I know that this type of stuff happens all the time when it comes to following God—your friend one day can become your enemy the next all because of your faith.

In Matthew 10:34-35, Jesus says, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother…”  In the end, Jesus never said that following Him would bring popularity and peace; sometimes, following Him will cost your relationships. The question we need to ask ourselves today and every day is, “How worthy is He?”  Is He worth fracturing our relationships if need be?  Is He worth your reputation if you have to stand up for Christ against popular opinion?  Is He worth your job if you have to do the right thing?  Is He worth your life?

Prayer

Lord, help me to know that You are worthy of it all.  There is no relationship more important than my relationship with You.  Help me to choose You— no matter the cost or heartache.

Bible Reading for Today: Colossians 1

Lunch Break Study

Matt 10:34-39

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Questions to Consider

1. What is the Lord’s point in this passage? Does He literally want us to be at odds with our parents or those in our household?
2. What are the relationships you have that compete with your devotion to the Lord?
3. What does it mean for you to lose your life and take up your cross?

Notes

1. Jesus was being very matter of fact. I don’t think His intention is for us to hate our parents; however, sometimes following Christ will bring divisions in the family.  We see this happening to many non-Christian families when a family member converts to Christ.  Following Christ can be a great divide.
2. This is a personal question; however, I have met a lot of parents whose love for their kids is borderline idolatry (or straight idolatry). I have also seen children who obey and love parents more than God.
3. Personal application question.

 Evening Reflection

Who are the idols in your life?  How can we release these people to the Lord?  Are there relationships which you feel like you might have to strain in order for that person to know Christ or grow in Him?  What does it mean for you to love God first and foremost?

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals from August 17-23 are provided by Pastor Yohan Lee of Radiance Christian Church (S.F.).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

2 Kings 9:11-13

11 When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, they said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the fellow and his talk.” 12 And they said, “That is not true; tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and so he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’” 13 Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”

I have always found this exchange interesting and very insightful into human nature.  If you read the entire account, starting at verse 1, we see that the prophet Elisha tells his unnamed servant to go and anoint Jehu, likely a prominent commander (or general) in the Israelite army, as king.  Jehu is further charged with the task of wiping out Ahab’s household (the current monarchy).  Make no mistake, Jehu is charged to commit treason.

Here’s the interesting part: one would think that such an important and troubling charge would come from a prominent prophet, Elisha himself even.  But Elisha didn’t go; he sent an unnamed under-prophet with questionable credentials.  In fact, Jehu’s friends even describe this prophet as a “mad fellow.”  Let’s put it like this: let’s say that God wants you to commit some act of treason against your country (He is not asking for this, by the way); my guess is that in order for you to even consider it, Tim Keller, John Piper, and the rest of the Gospel Coalition as well as all of the other prominent evangelicals in Christendom better be behind you.  You would not go and betray your country on the advice of that street preacher who stands on the corner of Crazy Ave. and Obnoxious Blvd. yelling at everybody, “Repent or die!”  No way would you do that.  So the question we must ask is, “Why did Jehu and his companions act on this prophet’s words?”

To me, the fact that this prophet was legit and from the Lord is irrelevant.  How many times in the OT have prophets of the Lord been put to death because the recipients did not like their message?  I think the reason Jehu and his men were willing to start a revolution is that the prophet told them something that they all wanted to hear.  Think about it—if this prophet had come in and said, “Jehu, in the name of the Lord, I command you to quit killing people, repent, and pick up crochet,” Jehu’s men probably would have utterly disregarded, maybe even killed, this “mad fellow.”  But because he gives them good news—major promotions for everyone, they are all willing to listen to this seemingly crazy man and his seemingly crazy command.

Here is what I find insightful about human nature.  When it comes to good news or flattery, we don’t care who the source is, do we?  If your worst enemy gave you a compliment, you’d be happy.  Why is it that when we are struggling with an issue, we tend to only ask advice from the people who will tell us what we want to hear?  On the flip side, when it comes to criticism, we are often quick to disregard the critic as hypocritical or unknowledgeable.  As people of God, we must understand that God has spoken truth through seemingly crazy, uneducated and even wicked people, and on at least one occasion, a donkey.  Our job is to humbly accept truth whatever the source, even if it hurts.  We should also be careful not to run on everything our itching ears want to hear.

Prayer

Lord, please grant me humility and discernment to hear your truth no matter the source.  Lord, help me to be honest in my heart so that I can discern if my desires align with your will.

Bible Reading for Today: Ephesians 6

Lunch Break Study

Proverbs 27:5-10

5 Better is open rebuke

    than hidden love.

6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;

    profuse are the kisses of an enemy.

7 One who is full loathes honey,

    but to one who is hungry everything bitter is sweet.

8 Like a bird that strays from its nest

    is a man who strays from his home.

9 Oil and perfume make the heart glad,

    and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.[a]

10 Do not forsake your friend and your father’s friend,

    and do not go to your brother’s house in the day of your calamity.

Better is a neighbor who is near

    than a brother who is far away.

Questions to Consider

1. What do these Proverbs say about friendship?
2. How does an enemy masquerade as a friend?
3. How are you as a friend? Do you speak the truth in love?  Are you faithful and loyal?

Notes

1. Friends can wound you with open rebukes, but those wounds are good for you (vs. 5-6). The value or sweetness of a friend’s comes from his honest counsel (vs. 9).  And friends (or neighbors) are near in times of trouble (vs. 10).
2. Enemies in contrast give “hidden love” and “kisses.” (They compliment when rebuke is needed or they tell you things are okay in times of distress.) They are far when trouble comes (vs. 10).
3. Personal question. Please evaluate your friendships and yourself as friend.

 Evening Reflection

Who are the cheerleaders in your life?  Who are the people that tell you what you need to hear?  Do you have enough of those people in your life?  Is there anyone in your life who needs to hear biblical counsel?  Do you handle truth well?  Are you teachable?

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals from August 17-23 are provided by Pastor Yohan Lee of Radiance Christian Church (S.F.).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

2 Kings 8:16-19

In the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, began to reign. 17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18 And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 19 Yet the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah, for the sake of David his servant, since he promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.

When I was a kid, I hated when my parents would tell me to stop hanging out with a such and such friend because they perceived him to be a bad influence on me.  Of course, as a kid, I didn’t believe that people were that easily influenced (certainly not me). And besides, I was probably the worst influence in the neighborhood.

Now that I am a parent, I am shocked at how my thinking has done a 180 degree turn on the matter.  There is this one boy in our neighborhood whom I wish my kids would steer clear away from—I find myself constantly thinking this kid is such a bad influence on my son.  In fact, I cannot help but feel that every time my son comes home from hanging out with him, he’s picked up some more attitude and is more prone to say things like, “What the heck!”  The truth of the matter is that I just want to blame my son’s attitude and semi-potty mouth on others, and not come to grips with the fact that my boy is a genuine sinner.  That is, what I once believed—that good kids do good things while the bad ones do bad—isn’t true.  So as a sinner, all children are prone to disobedience, but it is also true that their sinfulness is augmented by influences (i.e., environment) around them.

I think this is the point that the Scripture writer was making when he discussed Jehoram’s alliances.  Jehoram was clearly a wicked king who “walked in the way of the kings of Israel,” but his wickedness was augmented by his alliances, particularly his wife, the daughter of Ahab (one of the most wicked kings of Israel).  It would be incorrect to assume that had Jehoram not married Ahab daughters, he would have been fine—just like it is wrong to blame others for our shortcomings.  Sure, others can be bad influences on us or some others may know how to push our buttons in just the right way, but at the end of the day, we need to take responsibility for what lies within our hearts.

That being said, “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals’” (1 Cor. 15:33). Ahab’s wife probably did not help Jehoram to honor and serve the God of Israel.  We must understand that some of our relationships will not help us to grow in the Lord either; therefore, be wise with the company you keep.

Prayer

Lord, change my heart so that the fruit of my life will reflect a tree that is good.  Help me to be responsible for myself and my actions and never to blame others.  Also, help me to keep good company.

Bible Reading for Today: Ephesians 5

Lunch Break Study

Luke 6:43-45:

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, 44 for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45 The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Questions to Consider

1. What good fruit do you see in your personal life/character?
2. What good fruit do you see in your ministry?
3. Are there bad batches of fruit that come out of your life that need correcting?

Notes

1. This is a reflective question, but I want you to think about your character and who you are or are becoming. How is your family doing?  How is your marriage?  These are some areas of personal fruit which come from either a good/bad tree.
2. Are people growing as a result of your ministry (either formal ministry or informal)? Does your ministry help the church?
3. What are some areas that you are having struggles? Perhaps, the list includes anger, materialism, lust, judgmental thoughts, etc. Bring these before the Lord and ask him to prune the tree.

 Evening Reflection

Similar to this afternoon’s study, how is your personal life, character, and ministry doing?  Are you bearing good fruit?  Did you blame others for the things that may have been your own doing?  What areas of your life and character would you like to change for God’s glory?

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals from August 17-23 are provided by Pastor Yohan Lee of Radiance Christian Church (S.F.).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 8:10-13

And Elisha said to him, “Go, say to him, ‘You shall certainly recover,’ but[a] the Lord has shown me that he shall certainly die.”11 And he fixed his gaze and stared at him, until he was embarrassed. And the man of God wept. 12 And Hazael said, “Why does my lord weep?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the people of Israel. You will set on fire their fortresses, and you will kill their young men with the sword and dash in pieces their little ones and rip open their pregnant women.” 13 And Hazael said, “What is your servant, who is but a dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Syria.”

Do you have friends who fit the description, “He has no shame?” (I hope you aren’t one of them.) Let me describe this type of person: a friend with no shame will consistently come over for dinner unannounced; he is generally looking for freebies; he does not filter his conversation topics; and he can generally be counted on to do uncouth things in social settings. Sometimes shameless people are so because they are socially clueless, but others are this way because they simply don’t care what others think. Sometimes, I wish I were like the latter group.

I used to think that shame was something that I suffered because I was insecure in some aspect of my life. So if I was ashamed to talk about my faith at work, it would probably be because I was insecure in myself and my relationship with Christ, and I didn’t want my co-workers to think of me as some religious fanatic. So I always just assumed that as I grew in the Lord, feeling embarrassed and the fear of shame would slowly be crucified in the cross. However, as I look at today’s passage, I realize that there are redemptive qualities to shame. What we see in this passage is that when Hazael was confronted with the sin he was planning, he was so embarrassed he could not even look at Elisha. Unfortunately, not even the shame he felt stopped him from assassinating Ben-Hadad, but the point is that sometimes when we are about to commit sin, there can be a feeling of shame and embarrassment. We also see that after Adam and Eve fall in Genesis 3, they attempt to cover themselves, as they feel shame for the first time.

Ultimately, I don’t think that the fear of being embarrassed should be our primary motivation for living a good life in Christ, but to be completely truthful, every once in a while, we all need a little fear to motivate us. If you have been struggling with something in your life, and the love of Christ is not having the effect it should, maybe you should try thinking of how embarrassing it would be to explain later. For example, if you surf too much internet at work, consider how embarrassing it would be to tell your boss that the quarterly report is late because you were too busy working a trade for your fantasy football team. If we are going to feel shame, let’s at least redeem it for God’s glory!

Prayer

Lord, the truth is, that because of your righteousness which You give to me, I have nothing to be ashamed. Today, help me to live in a way that honors You.

Bible Reading for Today: Ephesians 4

Lunch Break Study

Psalm 25:1-7

In you, Lord my God,

I put my trust.

2 I trust in you;

do not let me be put to shame,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.

3 No one who hopes in you

will ever be put to shame,

but shame will come on those

who are treacherous without cause. 

4 Show me your ways, Lord,

teach me your paths.

5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

6 Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,

for they are from of old.

7 Do not remember the sins of my youth

and my rebellious ways;

according to your love remember me,

for you, Lord, are good.

Questions to Consider

1. What do you think the psalmists means when he says that “No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame?” Is it literal or spiritual?
2. What is the theme of verses 4-7? How is this related to shame?

Notes

1. Many times Christians do feel shame for their faith. Some will feel the persecution of standing for Christ in this country, while others have had to suffer undignified treatment because of faith in Christ. Shame before man and shame before God can be two different things. Those who trust in God will never have to stand before Him ashamed.
2. Continuing on the point above, those who live rightly before the Lord and hope in Him will never have to stand before the Lord ashamed as even their sins will not be counted against them (v. 7).

 Evening Reflection

Did you walk with integrity today? Did you work an honest day and honor the Lord in all you did and said? Was there anything for which you were embarrassed? Do you see the Lord’s grace even in your shortcomings and are you secure as His child?

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals from August 17-23 are provided by Pastor Yohan Lee of Radiance Christian Church (S.F.).

Devotional Thoughts for Today

2 Kings 8:1-6

Now Elisha had said to the woman whose son he had restored to life, “Arise, and depart with your household, and sojourn wherever you can, for the Lord has called for a famine, and it will come upon the land for seven years.” 2 So the woman arose and did according to the word of the man of God. She went with her household and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3 And at the end of the seven years, when the woman returned from the land of the Philistines, she went to appeal to the king for her house and her land. 4 Now the king was talking with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, “Tell me all the great things that Elisha has done.” 5 And while he was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life, behold, the woman whose son he had restored to life appealed to the king for her house and her land. And Gehazi said, “My lord, O king, here is the woman, and here is her son whom Elisha restored to life.” 6 And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed an official for her, saying, “Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now.”

How do you view coincidences? Do you see them as good or bad fortune, or do you see them as God intervening in your life? Several years back, I had a very small incident in my life that got me thinking about this question. I was in seminary and on one night I was finishing up a paper. The paper was due the next day around 6:00 pm, and I was done around midnight the night before, so I had plenty of time. I decided to submit it that evening, but for whatever reason the school’s system for uploading documents electronically was down. The next morning when I woke up, I decided to look over my work one more time before submitting it. It was a good thing I did that because not only I hadn’t proofread it but I forgot to finish my last paragraph. Needless to say, I was glad that I was not able to submit my paper the night before. I later found out that my school’s system for electronic submissions shuts down for several hours each night; that is why I was unable to make my original submission. In the grand scheme of life, the grade I got on a paper in seminary is not that important, but at the same time, I still felt the Lord’s incredible care in this whole incident. The truth is that it would have annoyed me to no end to have gotten a “B” on a paper simply because I forgot to proofread. Through these little coincidences, I realized that our God is not “so big” and “too” important to bless his children in even little ways. Some of us think that God is in only willing to act in huge life events, but I think we need to learn to see his care in everyday moments. We also have to choose to see him working in big and small “coincidences”.

If you recall, we were first introduced to this Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4, where this previously childless woman is not only given a son, but years after his birth, this son is brought back to life after dying from a mysterious head injury. Now several years later, after she had deserted her homeland in order to survive a famine, she found herself in the precarious position of having to beg for her lands back from the king. Now, if you were the king, would you be favorably disposed to giving the land back to this woman, who deserted your country during the rough times, but was now coming back when things got better? I wouldn’t! Of course, God was not going to allow this Shunammite woman to lose everything. So he sent Gehazi, the former aid to Elisha to the king to tell stories of his former master’s exploits, and right as Gehazi tells the story of the Shunammite woman whose son was raised from the dead, in she walks. Crazy coincidence? Or was God once again watching out for this Shunammite woman? I hope you can cultivate the faith to see things as the later, not only for the Shunammite woman, but yourself as well.

Prayer

Lord, give me the faith to see that You are constantly working and moving in great and small ways. Help me to trust in Your sovereign plan and to believe that You are good. Help me to see Your presence in my life today.

Bible Reading for Today: Ephesians 3

Lunch Break Study

Psalm 139:1-16:

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

   you discern my thoughts from afar.

3 You search out my path and my lying down

   and are acquainted with all my ways.

4 Even before a word is on my tongue,

   behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

5 You hem me in, behind and before,

   and lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

   it is high; I cannot attain it

7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?

   Or where shall I flee from your presence?

8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

 If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

9 If I take the wings of the morning

   and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 even there your hand shall lead me,

   and your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

   and the light about me be night,”

12 even the darkness is not dark to you;

   the night is bright as the day,

   for darkness is as light with you.

13 For you formed my inward parts;

   you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.[a]

Wonderful are your works;

   my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

   intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

   the days that were formed for me,

   when as yet there was none of them.

Questions to Consider

1. What is the theme of verses 1-6? How is this supposed to encourage or bless you?
2. What is the theme of verses 7-12? How is this supposed to encourage or bless you?
3. What is the theme of verses 13-16? How is this supposed to encourage or bless you?

Notes

1. In verses 1-6, the psalmist points to the Lord’s intimate knowledge of him, and to a lesser extent, the Lord’s knowledge of all that he has and will do. It’s comforting to know that God knows every good and bad thing we have done, and He still loves us and knows what is ahead of us.
2. Verses 7-12 point toward the fact that we can never escape the Lord’s presence. Or to put it more positively, we are never out of the Lord’s sight or reach.
3. Verses 13-16 show us that we were carefully crafted by the Lord. He is our Maker, and we are His precious children.

 Evening Reflection

Did you feel the Lord’s care and presence over your life today? Did you see Him work in either a small way or big way? Does such love and care motivate you to tell others and serve the Lord?