Editor’s Note:  The AMI devotionals for July 20-24 are provided by Pastor Ryun Chang.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 King 20:13-18: When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.  Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁴ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”  ¹⁵ The Lord said to him,. . . ¹⁸ Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Since not many people serve God in “reckless abandonment” as Elijah did, grasping the aloneness he felt would be a stretch for us.  Believing that he was the only true believer left in Israel, Elijah felt so overwhelmed and spent—no wonder he said, “O Lord, take away my life” (19:4).  But I wonder what George Barna would have told him at that moment

“No Church? No Problem,” said the heading of an article appearing in a 2006 Christianity Today, which dealt with the pollster Barna’s book Revolution.  According to Barna, there were “some 20 million people . . . who live ‘a first-century lifestyle based on faith, goodness, love, generosity, kindness, and simplicity’ and who ‘zealously pursue an intimate relationship with God.’”  But these folks no longer attend church—which was just fine with Barna because, to him, the “meeting-in-a-building” model is a social construct (i.e., man-made) that can be deconstructed for a more relevant model.

Barna is right if you believe that the Church is a Church only if you congregate inside of a building with a pulpit in the front, surround by stained glass windows.  But Barna is wrong if he believes that a lone individual seeking God constitutes the Church that God had in mind.  While individuals ought to constantly seek God, our communion with Him isn’t complete until “two or three [believers] are gathered in [His] name” (Matt. 18:20) to praise, pray, partake of His word and share the sacraments.  In that collective moment, the sense that God is “among us” is truly enhanced.

I wonder how Elijah felt when he learned that he wasn’t alone in his battle to defend God’s honor because there were 7,000 others like him in Israel. Personally, I would’ve been encouraged and would’ve wanted to meet them to “stir up one another to love and good works” (Heb. 10:24).  And that’s what the collective body of believers does when they gather— “Encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (v.25).

So, don’t just go to church out of habit.  Worship God with others, and then encourage one another to strive for God’s honor in this increasingly secular and rudderless society.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I exalt You today because it was by the blood shed on the Cross that the Church was constituted through the Spirit.  Forgive me for my spiritual negligence in missing the corporate meetings of my church over frivolous reasons.   Help me to be the Church as well to seek you daily and to encourage others.

Bible Reading for Today: Amos 2

Lunch Break Study

Read Acts 2:46-7: And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 12:12-3: When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” 12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

Question to Consider

1. In what sense did these gatherings constitute a Church?
2. Note where these believers met: What does that say about what constitutes the Church?
3. How can we incorporate Barna’s comments in our walk with God without giving up on the Church? How is your commitment to your local church?

Notes

1. A collective group of believers was gathered to praise God, pray together and break bread (i.e., sharing sacraments and a meal afterwards).
2. They met at homes as well as at the temple. Either way, it was a place where a group of believers gathered to worship and pray together—that’s the Church.
3. While we meet as a corporate body at a designated time and place, individually we should seek God and do good deeds on our own—it doesn’t have to be an either/or.

 Evening Reflection

Have you ever seen yourself as a Church—a place where the Spirit dwells?  That makes you a temple of the Holy Spirit.   So when you go to your secular workplace, in a sense, you are bringing the Church there.  In that light, how did your coworkers, fellow students, or family members benefit by your presence today?  Can you think of one thing that you did or said that made someone think about God and His goodness?  Pray for a more meaningful day tomorrow.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI devotionals for July 20-24 are provided by Pastor Ryun Chang.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 King 19:1-9: Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.” 3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there, 4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.  All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.  7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. 9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.

Some think that a right theology can cure them of the sin problem.  For certain Reformed believers, the imputation of Christ’s righteousness is the cure for all sin.  According to some Wesleyans who adhere to the doctrine of “Sanctification Entire,” we can reach a permanent spiritual state in which we no longer struggle with sin but have only love for God and others.  But what a mega-church pastor in Singapore said tops them all: “Your sins were imputed to Jesus so that they would never be imputed to you. . . . [So] stop examining yourself and searching your heart for sin.”  What?

What is most telling about today’s text is this: we are WEAK!  Remember, Elijah was a powerful man of God, for he singlehandedly took on 850 false prophets and “won” the battle of whose God was greater.  While the shouting and slashing by nearly thousand men did nothing, when Elijah prayed, “the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice” (1 Kings 18:38).  The stunned crowd, after shouting, “The LORD—he is God” (v.39), seized the false prophets and slaughtered them (v.40).

But by next day, this brave man lost all will to live, praying that “he might die.”  Why?  Because Elijah, who did not bat an eye when threatened by 850 men, flinched when a lone woman—Queen Jezebel—threatened his life (19:2): “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life” (v.3).

Certainly, good theologies and programs can make us better, but don’t be fooled into thinking that our fallen nature is eradicated—the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit has diminished its potency but when allowed, it can come back with vengeance. That is why we often fumble and trip over temptations and trials.

But the fact that God didn’t condemn Elijah for being weak and failing should comfort us.  Instead, God allowed him to rest, providing warm food and refreshing drinks to strengthen the prophet.  And that’s what will get us through: daily reliance on a good and gracious God who gives us a way out when we are tempted (1 Cor. 10:13), forgives us when we sin, and strengthens us when we are weak.

Prayer

God, You are my Rock and Fortress in whom I trust.  I possess nothing that would help me to overcome the temptations and trials of life.  Please deliver me from my sinful and weak nature.  I’m grateful that I have a real hope in Christ whose Spirit empowers me to prevail. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Amos 1

Lunch Break Study

Read Mark 14:66-72: And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, 67 and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.” 68 But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you mean.” And he went out into the gateway and the rooster crowed. 69 And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” 70 But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.” 71 But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak.”

Gal. 2:11-13: But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.

1 Cor. 6:18: Flee from sexual immorality; 10:14: Flee from sexual immorality; 2 Tim. 2:22: So flee youthful passions.

Question to Consider

1. Seeing human nature through Peter’s antics, what can we learn about it?
2. To a Christian who was disappointed at his wavering faith, I said, “Look, don’t get too down on yourself; remember that Peter had denied Jesus three times.” This person, then, responded, “That’s before he was baptized with the Holy Spirit.”  What do you think I said to him?
3. Of course, we should not play dead as if we cannot overcome sin whatsoever. If we had a healthy respect for sin, what would we do?

Notes

1. First, it indicates that we are capable of caving in to sin when our faith in Christ may result in a significant personal loss; and second, we are liable to compromise our faith in order to be accepted by the right crowd (for Peter, it was the Jews).
2. Both Peter and Barnabas committed a blatant hypocrisy (pretending that they weren’t eating non-kosher food with Gentiles) even after they had been baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. You don’t just transcend your fallen nature by some theology or experience—even if it is good and wonderful.
3. We don’t play with sin! Yes, we should pray and read the Bible, but also, we should not allow our nature to get its way by fleeing from any and every thing that is lurking to tempt us.

 Evening Reflection

It would be a lie to say that we weren’t tempted today.  What temptations did you face?  How did do you handle them?  I hope you haven’t become so numbed to sin that you don’t feel any struggle when you are actually being tempted.  Ask God what areas in your life need to be awakened in order to, at least, struggle with sin.  Then, pray for strength to overcome it instead of always giving into lies, gossips, pornography, greed, anger, etc.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI devotionals from July 13-19 are provided by Pastor Charles Choe of Tapestry LA.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 18:41-46

So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Mount Carmel. And he bowed himself down on the earth and put his face between his knees.

Depression is the common cold of our emotions. It can strike us at any time, even the most cheerful amongst us. It would be nice to think that as Christians, we don’t have dark days and discouragement doesn’t really get to us, but looking through the Bible’s greatest heroes, we find that time and again, despair can visit any one of us—at any time.

The classic study of a depressed person in the Bible is the prophet Elijah, the champion of Mt. Carmel. Of the many things we can say about depression, especially with the benefit of modern psychology, what is of interest for our purposes is the timing of Elijah’s depression. The onset of his depression is not during the famine or in the drought, but immediately after he defeats the false prophets of Baal, and God sends rain for the first time in three years.

Here is what we can learn from Elijah’s bout with depression: No one can run full throttle all the time. We all need to slow down to an idle occasionally. Keeping healthy in general –getting enough of the right kind of food, enough sleep, and sufficient exercise—may not guarantees us against depression, but it may help to prevent it and will certainly keep the body in a better state to deal with it.

The key is maintaining the pace God has built into His creation. Keep a rhythm between work and rest. If you are depressed, first get a good physical check-up to see whether there is anything physically or chemically wrong with you. If everything is all right physically, take some time off to let your body and soul catch up with one another.

And given that today is Sunday, you can make an immediate application. Go to church and worship with your community; rest in the Lord among friends. In fact, this should be a lifestyle: Sunday worship must be a priority. Minimize being away on the weekends, either for work or for vacations. If you are to rejuvenate not just body but spirit as well, you need make worship an essential part of your weekly schedule. This is true rest from your labor where your physical, emotional and spiritual needs are met.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the joy of salvation. There are moments when I don’t always understand my own emotions, but I thank You that You know me perfectly. In my moments of loneliness and depression, may I sense the nearness of Your presence. Thank You for the community of faith You have given me. Help me to not take them for granted. May I find refreshment and encouragement through my friends at church. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Haggai 2

Editor’s Note:  The AMI devotionals from July 13-19 are provided by Pastor Charles Choe of Tapestry LA.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 18:20-40

And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. 

A great war was about to take place between the Birds and the Beasts. The two armies assembled on either side—but the Bat hesitated which to join. The Birds that passed the cave said, “Come with us,” but the Bat said, “I am a Beast.” Later on, some Beasts who were passing by yelled out to him, “Come with us!” but he said, “I am a Bird.” Luckily, at the last moment peace was made and no battle took place.  So the Bat came to the Birds and wished to join them in the celebrations—but they all turned against him and he had to fly away. He then went to the Beasts, but soon had to retreat, lest they tear him to pieces in their anger. “Ah,” said the Bat, “I see now.  He that is neither one thing nor the other has no friends.”

A myriad of stories is found in the Bible of people choosing between faith in God and faith in something else. King Ahab and his wicked wife, Jezebel, placed their trust in something else—namely Baal—and as a result Israel suffered through three years of drought and famine. Others were found teeter tottering between Baal and Jehovah, which is what Elijah confronts Israel with in this famous scene in Mount Carmel. Elijah calls them to move off the center and to decide whom they will serve.

Just as in Elijah’s day, there are many who are uncommitted and unaware that their indecisive straddling is hazardous to their spiritual health. To straddle as a Christian is to misunderstand the very nature of Christianity. One may even attend church regularly, yet remain uncommitted, which can be compared to a soldier who will not join an army or a football player who does not join a team. There’s a difference between interest and commitment: When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit, but when you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses—only results.

Jesus says, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Luke 16:13). Jesus knows how devastating remaining in the middle of the road can be: the unbeliever’s indecision can cost eternity, and the believer’s indecision can cost him the opportunity to experience genuine love and freedom God has to offer His child.  Furthermore, it is repugnant to God: “So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16).

As followers of Christ, we must see that we will never realize the promises of God without first being fiercely committed to Him. We must stop thinking that our commitment will lead to loss of freedom and see the paradoxical truth—that we are only truly free when we are enslaved to Christ. Consider your commitment to Christ today. Pray that God will help you to clearly choose Him today with the many choices you will make throughout the day.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to renew myself to You today by committing wholeheartedly my life in its entirety. Expose the idols of my heart for what they are: empty promises and inevitable disappointments. I repent of trusting in things that do not bring me life, but only increasing thirst. You alone are able satisfy the thirst of my soul. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Hosea 14; Haggai 1

Editor’s Note:  The AMI devotionals from July 13-19 are provided by Pastor Charles Choe of Tapestry LA.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 18:1-19

When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” And he answered, “I have not troubled Israel, but you have, and your father’s house, because you have abandoned the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals. 

The worse eruption of a volcano took place in 1816 in Indonesia, claiming the lives of 92,000 people. The volcano itself was reduced from 13,000 feet to 9,000 feet. 1816 became known as the “year without summer” because the ash in the atmosphere reduced the temperature, which was felt worldwide, not just in Indonesia. Interestingly, it is thought that an additional 100,000 people may have died from crop failures as far as Europe and America due to the decrease in temperatures from the eruption.

Following the reign of King David and his son Solomon, the kings of Israel did much evil in the sight of the Lord. The worst king in this list of infamy was Ahab who did enough evil on his own, but to make matters worse, Ahab married Jezebel, who was bent on building temples and altars to Baal, and eradicating Israel of the prophets of God. Ahab was an evil king who had no regard for God’s commandments.

Ahab, however, convinced himself that the drought Israel was presently suffering was the fault of the prophet Elijah. When Ahab finally finds Elijah, we hear in his accusation, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?” the fundamental truth: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). Or as our Jesus said, “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil” (Matthew 12:34-35).

Ahab’s heart was filled with evil treasures, hatred, resentment and vengefulness. So seeing Elijah, his volcano of corruption erupted in accusations, name-calling, slandering, condemnation, and blame. That’s exactly what a heart filled with evil does; it is ready to erupt, causing incalculable damage to all within its reach. All it needs is the right situation, and bang! The mouth speaks out the corruption that has been festering within.

More than the words we speak, we need to keep a close check on our hearts. Our words, whether they be disparaging or life-giving, will be consistent with what is happening in our hearts. We must guard our hearts, for Jesus teaches us that “murders, adulteries, thefts, false witness, and slanders come from the heart” (Matthew 15:19). If we are to have shalom in our lives, for ourselves and for others around us, we must examine and become students of our own hearts. And when we find ourselves tempted with hate, resentment or bitterness, we must quickly confess them and ask the Lord to give us a way out of temptation.

Bible Reading for Today: Hosea 13

Lunch Break Study

Read Luke 6:44-45

For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.

Questions to Consider

1. Why does Jesus say what we store in our hearts are like treasures, whether they be evil or good?
2. What does the inevitability of “each tree being known by its own fruit” suggest to those who are following Christ?
3. What is a sin or temptation you are secretly harboring or entertaining in your heart?

Notes

1. The thoughts we harbor are like treasures because we value them and put our trust in them. We keep them because we think they will provide us with our needs and wants, as well as solve our problems. We think they will handle our pain or meet our needs as we perceive them.
2. We will eventually know that we follow Christ by the fruit we bear. Our fruit will tell on us.
3. Personal answer.

 Evening Reflection

“Don’t use words too big for the subject. Don’t say infinitely when you mean very; otherwise you’ll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite.” –C.S. Lewis. Pray “succinctly” to the Lord what’s in your heart.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI devotionals from July 13-19 are provided by Pastor Charles Choe of Tapestry LA.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 17:17-24

And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah. And the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 

It’s not every day that one thinks about death, but presiding over a funeral recently had me thinking about it head on. If we are honest, death can be a very scary prospect—even more so if we’ve lost a love one in a very untimely manner. Such is the case for the widow in our story today whose son became ill and he died. She was devastated. Not only had she lost her husband, but now her son as well. In her grief, she looked to Elijah for answers, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son” (v.18)?

At this point, we might wonder why we are looking to this widow as an “OT figure of faith.” Instead of entrusting her son faithfully to the Lord and accepting that it was His will to take him at this time, she lashes out at the prophet of God, Elijah. And even Elijah seems to be shaken, saying, “O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?” (v.20). Here was one of the Lord’s most prominent prophets apparently taking God to task for ending this boy’s life and causing the widow extreme heartache and hardship.

Death has a way of doing that to us. The most faithful amongst us can be shaken to the core in the time of death. There is something so final, so irreversible about death, that it can send shudders down our spines. Death rattles us, push us to our limits, and can even call God into question.

But as a way of preview of Christ’s resurrection, we see that God is the God of life— and He has power over death. Using Elijah, God raises the widow’s son to life. When Elijah gives back her son, she says, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth” (v.24). So through this miracle her feeble faith was confirmed and strengthened.

We learn from this story that God understands our fears and worries about death. But He is calling us to look to Him because He is able to do the impossible. By putting our faith in Jesus, we overcome our greatest fears. Let us never put our confidence in ourselves—even when death comes our way—but let us always place our faith in the object of our faith: Jesus who became nothing so that we might have everything, including life over death.

Bible Reading for Today: Hosea 12

Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Corinthians 9:7-8

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Questions to Consider

1. Why does God love a “cheerful giver”?
2. Why are we not to give “grudgingly or of necessity”?
3. Consider how you give your offering to the church? Is it with a cheerful heart?

Notes

1. God loves joy-motivated giving to others because it expresses contentment in God’s gracious giving to us.
2. To give grudgingly—or out of a sense of obligation—is to not thoroughly understand God’s blessings, the way he has blessed us and continues blessing us.
3. Personal response.

 Evening Reflection

“As base a thing as money often is, yet it can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the hungry and clothing for the poor. It can keep a missionary actively winning lost men to the light of the gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values. Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.” –A.W. Tozer

Editor’s Note:  The AMI devotionals from July 13-19 are provided by Pastor Charles Choe of Tapestry LA.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 17:9-16

12 And she said, “As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”

Have you ever felt like throwing the towel in, where your situation was utterly hopeless, where you felt like your back was up against the proverbial wall, and that no matter what you did, you weren’t going to make it? Such was the case of the widow in today’s reading. She, along with her son, was faced with starvation and was fixing their final meager meal when the prophet Elijah met her. And through this impossible situation, both Elijah and the poor widow would find out that God is the God of the impossible.

Imagine asking a widow, a single parent raising her son alone in the middle of a famine, for the last morsel of food she had. This is by all accounts an unreasonable, if not a ridiculous request. She was in a hopeless situation with no means of solving her dilemma. But here is what God wanted to show her: He wanted the widow to take the focus off of herself and the situation and focus on the Lord and His power. And for this to happen, she needed to first offer what she had –which was a jar of oil—to the Lord. Though she didn’t have much, she still had something that God could use.

God is going to do miracles—but first, He wants us to offer what we have. God can actually create something out of nothing, but He wants us to first see what He has given us and offer that to Him. We see this all throughout the Scriptures: Moses’ rod became the “rod of God,” and the little boy gave up the few loaves and two fishes to God. For Jesus taught: “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt. 17:20). God will bless you respectively to the degree you empty yourself to Him.

The truth is, the Lord doesn’t always let us in on what He’s doing, but trust fills the gap when we don’t understand. We must give our good Father the benefit of the doubt: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Prov. 3:5-6).

Bible Reading for Today: Hosea 11

Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Corinthians 9:7-8

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Questions to Consider

1. Why does God love a “cheerful giver”?
2. Why are we not to give “grudgingly or of necessity”?
3. Consider how you give your offering to the church? Is it with a cheerful heart?

Notes

1. God loves joy-motivated giving to others because it expresses contentment in God’s gracious giving to us.
2. To give grudgingly—or out of a sense of obligation—is to not thoroughly understand God’s blessings, the way he has blessed us and continues blessing us.
3. Personal response.

 Evening Reflection

“As base a thing as money often is, yet it can be transmuted into everlasting treasure. It can be converted into food for the hungry and clothing for the poor. It can keep a missionary actively winning lost men to the light of the gospel and thus transmute itself into heavenly values. Any temporal possession can be turned into everlasting wealth. Whatever is given to Christ is immediately touched with immortality.” –A.W. Tozer

Editor’s Note:  The AMI devotionals from July 13-19 are provided by Pastor Charles Choe of Tapestry LA.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 17:6: And the ravens brought [Elijah] bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.
Droughts and famines happen in every area of life. In baseball, when a player finds himself in a drought, it’s called a “slump.” And everyone has them—even the best of them. One time Mickey Mantle, the all-time great, went through a terrible slump that just would not end. One particular game, he struck out in all three at bats. Disgraced, he sat on the bench muttering to himself, when a young boy named Tommy Bera, the son of the great manager Yogi Bera, walked over to him. Upon reaching him, he tapped Mantle’s knee tenderly to say the words, “You stink!”

Droughts happen in every area of life, but spiritual droughts are the worst. When the brook runs dry in your soul, the easiest thing to do is to give up in despair. But despairing and quitting are not what God’s people do.

Elijah the great prophet is suffering right along with the entire nation of Israel through a famine, as part of the judgment for Israel’s idolatry. Elijah was called to be obedient in the midst of it, and we too are called to obey whether in plenty or famine. But we must understand this: God never calls us to endure a situation that He Himself is not prepared to sustain us through.

God provided for Elijah during the famine. God says, “I have ordered the ravens to feed you.” The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and evening. The ravens!—the dark, dirty, scavenging birds, close relatives to vultures, creatures the Law declared “unclean” (Leviticus 11:13-19). God used these greedy robbers known to snatch up dirty pieces from carcasses to provide sustenance for Elijah. God can and often will use the most unlikely source to supply his people when they are in need. Can you imagine the utter dumbfoundment on Elijah’s face the first time these birds dropped off his meal?

If you are spiritually dry right now, if the brook is running dry, then take a moment and consider how God is sustaining you. Such a reflection may surprise you. God’s grace may be through an unexpected friend or perhaps through a struggle that you sense the Lord is allowing for your eventual good. In recognizing God’s provision, you might find yourself closer to revival than you think. In all, we must remember the promise that “…God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). God wants to sustain and refresh you.

Bible Reading for Today: Hosea 10

Lunch Break Study

Read Romans 8:28-30

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. [29] For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. [30] And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Questions to Consider

1. God weaves everything together for the good of His children. The “good” in this passage does not suggest earthly comfort, but conformity to whom (verse 29)?
2. What aspects of salvation are listed in this passage?
3. We are told that God has always been doing “good” for us, starting from creation to the day of Christ’s return. How does this comfort you today?

Notes

1.  The “good” is conformity to Christ. God works for our good as we strive to be more like Christ.
2. These are all aspects of salvation: justification (v.30), glorification (v.30) and sanctification (v.28 – in that God is working all things together for our good, presently).
3. Personal response.

 Evening Reflection

“Our heavenly Father understands our disappointment, suffering, pain, fear, and doubt. He is always there to encourage our hearts and help us understand that He’s sufficient for all of our needs. When I accepted this as an absolute truth in my life, I found that my worrying stopped.” – Charles Stanley

Editor’s Note:  The AMI devotionals from July 13-19 are provided by Pastor Charles Choe of Tapestry LA.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 16:21-28 

Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. 22 But the people who followed Omri overcame the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri became king. 23 In the thirty-first year of Asa king of Judah, Omri began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for twelve years; six years he reigned in Tirzah. 24 He bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he fortified the hill and called the name of the city that he built Samaria, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill. 25 Omri did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did more evil than all who were before him.

An enigma in Major League Baseball is Pete Rose. They don’t know what to do with him. As the all time hit-leader, he is clearly one of the best the game has known. But he bet on baseball games, as both player and manager, and for that reason he has been banned from MLB and the Hall of Fame. The most successful hitter in baseball is seen as a failure.

This brings us to King Omri. Of the many kings listed in this chapter, Omri stands out because he was one of the most successful kings to reign over the Northern Kingdom of Israel. He took the small nation in political turmoil and brought a long period of internal peace and stability. His family formed the longest lasting dynasty in Israel, holding the throne for a number of generations. He built Samaria, a brand new capital, which was considered one of the great cities of the day. He was rich and his country became more powerful. We know from archaeology that he conquered such formidable enemies like the Moabites and even managed to take parts of some of the Assyrian Empire’s territory.

Now it goes to reason, a book chronicling the kings of Israel would be full of praise for such a great king! But this is not the case at all. He only gets six verses and, far from being full of honor, they are scathing about him. He is not depicted as one the best, but one of the worst. How could he have accomplished so much, and yet, his own nation remembers him with such a negative view?

This has to with the fact that the book of Kings is ultimately written by God, although through human agents. So how success is measured is not by humans or nations—but by God. Great material and political success is not necessarily a sign of God’s blessing, for God measures success by one’s obedience to him.

We are told Omri did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of King Jeroboam, who set up two altars, one to God and one to a golden calf. Like Jeroboam, Omri ruled with his own selfish interest in mind. This is why God saw him as a failure— despite all his power and wealth and defeating the old enemies of his country and people, his reign was a failure.

If we are to be successful in life, we must not seek our own glory, but the glory of God. If we run around pursuing our own ambitions and doing what pleases ourselves and not seeking and obeying the will of God, then, no matter what we achieve in a worldly sense, God will deem as our one big failure.

Bible Reading for Today: Hosea 9

Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 (NASB)

“Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8 we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Questions to Consider

1. We are called to live by faith and not by sight? What does look like in practice?
2. Ambition is not a vice; in fact, it can be a virtue. When is it a virtue?
3. What are some of your goals for school, career or life?

Notes

1.  This is not a reference to believing the unbelievable but to living all of one’s life based on confident trust in God’s promises for the future, even when one cannot yet see the fullness of the coming glory.
2. When we are using our ambition to please him (verse 7).
3. Personal response.

 Evening Reflection

Dedicate your study or work to be used for God’s purposes and it will succeed. Whatever you want God to bless, you give to him first. Dedicate it, consecrate it, sanctify it, and then God will bless it. “Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16:3).

Editor’s Note:  The AMI devotionals from July 6-12 are provided by Cami King, who serves on the church staff of JCC, Raleigh.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 15:1-5, 9-14

Now in the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam began to reign over Judah. ² He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ³ And he walked in all the sins that his father did before him, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father. ⁴ Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, setting up his son after him, and establishing Jerusalem, ⁵ because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite… ⁹ In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah,¹⁰ and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. ¹¹ And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as David his father had done. ¹² He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. ¹³ He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron. ¹⁴ But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the Lord all his days. 

A local pastor told the following story: Ducking into confession with a turkey under his arms, a man said, “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I stole this turkey to feed my family. Would you take it and settle my guilt?” “Certainly not,” said the priest. “As penance, you must return it to the one from whom you stole it.” “I tried,” the man sobbed, “but he refused. Oh, Father, what should I do?” “If what you say is true, then it is all right for you to keep it for your family.” Thanking the priest, the visitor hurried off. When confession was over, the priest returned to his residence. When he walked into the kitchen, he exclaimed, “Where’s my turkey?!”

In our Scripture passage for today, we see two examples of sons who grew up under wicked fathers. One chose to repeat patterns of wickedness and the other did not – he chose instead to be a reformer and leverage his life to accomplish God’s will instead of his own. When I look at the world around me, I see just how easy it is for us to repeat patterns of sin we grew up seeing. Parents make tons of mistakes and children often learn more from the mistakes than the successes. Even further, the Church in America is dealing with a lot of its mistakes at this point in history. Christianity has a reputation of bigotry when dealing with those who are different and a lack of compassion when dealing with those in need. The far political right certainly gives us a bad rap in these areas. But be it our earthly parents or Christians who’ve gone before us, our passage for today reminds us that we can choose. We can repeat the patterns of sins practiced over us or we can choose another way.

And at the end of the day it comes down to desire. How much do we honestly want to follow in the ways of the Lord? It has been said many times that if someone really wants to sin, he’ll find a way to do it. Like in the illustration above, we can maneuver our way out of doing the right thing when we want to. But I think the opposite is true. If we truly desire to honor the Lord, we will find that God provides ways for us, even as broken people with a tarnished history, to do just that. And like King Asa, if we look far back enough into our history or look hard enough at the world around us, we will find examples of believers to follow who walked in the way of righteousness. But ultimately the choice is ours.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for Your eagerness and willingness to lead me in the way of righteousness. I’ve learned a lot of bad habits from those who’ve gone before me, but my sincere desire is to honor You with my life. Please teach me the way I should go. Help me walk in a manner worthy of the calling of Christ in my life.

Bible Reading for Today: Hosea 8