Editor’s Note:  The AMI Devotionals from June 15-21 are provided by Doug Tritton of Symphony Church, Boston.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 5:3-5: You know that David my father could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him, until the Lord put them under the soles of his feet. But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side. There is neither adversary nor misfortune. And so I intend to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord said to David my father, “Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, shall build the house for my name.”

King David’s reign was far from peaceful and he certainly had little time to rest, being constantly harassed by his many enemies. Upon his death, David’s son Solomon inherited a kingdom that finally had attained a fair amount of peace. Yet, rather than just sitting back and relaxing in this time of ease, Solomon set to work building the temple, a task ordained by God.

What is challenging about this passage is that Solomon gave up leisure to focus on building the temple. How difficult that is! So often in my own life, when I find myself in a season of ease and peace, I turn immediately to distractions like Netflix or Hulu, binge-watching shows for hours on end, thinking that I am taking advantage of this extra free time. This is no different than the servant who buried his talent in the ground in the parable of the talents (see Matt. 25:14-30). Periods of ease are gifts from God for the sake of investing into His Kingdom.

How would our lives look differently if we invested our times of rest into Kingdom-building activities? Perhaps we could utilize those times to go deeper in our personal Bible Study. Or maybe we could use the time to build stronger relationships with brothers and sisters in the church. There is a multitude of activities that we could do that would be more impactful and more fruitful than spending time on the couch (as appealing as the couch may be).

What do we do in periods of relative ease? How do we spend our free time? Are we building up the new temple of God, the Church, or we squandering it in leisure? While there is certainly nothing wrong with a little bit of leisure, often the best times to sow for the Kingdom are the times of peace in our lives.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for placing me in Your Kingdom and giving me a new purpose. I pray that I may value my place in Your Kingdom and not waste it on vain pursuits. May my eyes ever be on You and not on this world. May Your Kingdom come and will be done in my life.

Bible Reading for Today: Philippians 4

Lunch Break Study

Read Ephesians 5:15-17: Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Questions to Consider:

1. What are some things you do that may be unwise with your time? What are some things you could do that would be wise with your time?
2. What does Paul mean when he says that the “days are evil”?
3. How can one understand “what the will of the Lord is”? Why is this contrasted with foolishness?

Notes

1. There are many, many things that are unwise! As discussed previously, binge-watching television shows is a great example. But anything that distracts us from the reality of God’s Kingdom could be unwise. Wise things would be reading the Word, praying, spending time in fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ, evangelizing, and a whole host of other activities that promote sanctification in our lives.
2. The days are evil because we live in a world that is so often against God. We face temptations every day, but God calls us to look past this world and to see the hope of the Kingdom. Remember, Jesus said each day will bring trouble (Matt. 6:34), but our aim is to seek first His Kingdom.
3. What a difficult question! But the only way to truly know God’s will is to know God; thus our time ought to be devoted to knowing Him more. This is true wisdom: to know God. Foolishness is ignoring God and thinking we can still understand His will. Before attempting anything for God, we ought to start with first knowing Him more.

 Evening Reflection

Evaluate how you spent your time today. Do you feel like you wasted your time or do you feel like it was invested into the Kingdom of God?  Remember that God gives grace and His mercies are new every morning. Pray for the strength and resolve to seek first the Kingdom of God tomorrow.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals for June 8-14 are provided by Philip Chen, who oversees the college ministry of Church of Southland.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 4:34 (ESV): And people of all nations came to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom.

The late pastor Adrian Rogers once told the story of a boy who was sitting under an oak tree, looking at a watermelon patch. He said, “You know, if I were God, I wouldn’t put those great big watermelons on those weak little vines, and those tiny little acorns on that big oak tree. That seems backwards to me.” A little while later, an acorn fell and hit him on the head, and suddenly he was glad it wasn’t a watermelon. How great is God’s wisdom even in this comical situation!

What is wisdom? A lot of people misunderstand knowledge to be wisdom. There is the assumption that your intelligence is correlated with the amount of wisdom you have—that could not be further from the truth. Knowledge is the understanding of a principle or action, but wisdom is the ability to see the importance of a principle and apply it into your life. You could be knowledgeable about many things and still lack wisdom. Many of us operate out of a place of knowledge only. We know what to do and how to do it, but we haven’t grown in the wisdom of applying it to our lives, nor have we grown in the wisdom of understanding the depth and significance of things.

An example of wisdom is having the correct perspective of your life; that is, having an eternal perspective is one of the pillars of wisdom. Knowledge is not enough when it comes to simply knowing the brevity of our life and the importance of the Kingdom of God. Wisdom is what will really transform us into people who will live a life with eternity on our minds. Before we apply the wisdom of investing in heavenly treasures rather than earthly treasures in this lifetime, it is simply a knowledge that produces no fruit. Wisdom is a matured knowledge that will lead to fruitfulness and the blessing of God in our lives.

Many people actually lack wisdom and need to turn to those who have wisdom to share. That was the case when Solomon was king—and it is still the case now. When we see someone with wisdom, our automatic reaction is to latch on to them and ask them to give insight on our lives. But James 1:5 teaches us that none of us need to live without wisdom: If we lack wisdom, we can ask God, who will give it abundantly to us. No longer do we need to go to “kings” who have been gifted with wisdom to receive direction in our own lives. We have received the Holy Spirit, who will give us wisdom in abundance if we simply ask.

When was the last time you asked for wisdom in your life? Is it something that you ask for constantly or only when you have an important decision in your life? As we grow as children of God, let us not only grow in knowledge, but also in wisdom, which we know is a gift from God. Ask God to give you wisdom daily and trust that He will give it to you generously!

Prayer

Father, we trust that You will not withhold wisdom from us if we ask for it. We want to be a people who are characterized by wisdom, just like King Solomon was. We ask for a double portion of wisdom so that we may live our life rightly on this earth. Thank you for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. May we continue to seek Your wisdom in our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Philippians 3

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals for June 8-14 are provided by Philip Chen, who oversees the college ministry of Church of Southland.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 3:23-28 (ESV): Then the king said, “The one says, ‘This is my son that is alive, and your son is dead’; and my son is the living one.’” And the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So a sword was brought before the king. And the king said, “Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other.” Then the woman whose son was alive said to the king, because her heart yearned for her son, “Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means put him to death.” But the other said, “He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide him.” Then the king answered and said, “Give the living child to the first woman, and by no means put him to death; she is his mother.” And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.

While the wisdom of God displayed through Solomon in this story is certainly one to behold, I thought it would be interesting to look at this story from another perspective. Indeed, God is just and in due time, justice will be given to His people, but behind it we also see an important lesson—the light that is shed on darkness.

Picture yourself as a spectator in this debacle as it is unfolding. You’re standing in the king’s courtroom and watching these two women fight over the one baby that is alive. It seems hopeless in figuring out who is the real mother as both of the women adamantly declare that the baby is theirs. How could anyone know whom the baby belonged to since no one was there that night and the baby didn’t look like either of the women yet? Just when all hope seems to be gone and justice seems unobtainable, the king quiets the courtroom with a statement. There is some commotion and you see a soldier getting ready to cut the baby in half. As you turn to look at the two women, you notice one of them crying uncontrollably and the other without much emotion in agreement of what is happening. The king orders everyone to stop and hands the baby to the woman who is crying. The courtroom erupts with gasps and everyone is in awe of the wisdom of God displayed through the king. The courtroom is dismissed and people are left with the wisdom of Solomon and ultimately the wisdom and justice of God.

Beyond the wisdom of Solomon the king, we see an important principle –that nothing done in darkness will be hidden forever. In this case, God gives Solomon the supernatural wisdom to shed light on what was done in the darkness. In the dark of night, the wicked woman stole the baby from another woman and evil looked as if it were going to prevail. But God shed light on the situation through the giving of wisdom to Solomon. Oftentimes, we try to hide our sins and can sometimes use circumstances to try and cover our sins and our wickedness. But even if we might be able to fool most people, we cannot fool God. In our lifetime, we will attempt to cover up many of our sins and hope that the consequences never catch up to us. And it is true that even in this lifetime, some of our sins will not catch up to us (although most of them do). However, we will all stand before God one day and give an account of everything that we have done. On that day, the fullness of God’s wisdom and justice will be like a piercing light that cuts through the darkness of our hearts and we will need to give an account for it.

Do you believe that everything done in darkness will be brought to light? How does that affect the way you choose to walk in obedience to the Word of God? In light of the understanding that we cannot fool God, let us approach this life with much fear and reverence of the holiness of God. May we strive for holiness and walk in the light by the power of His Holy Spirit. May we not grow weary of doing good and trust that in due time, justice will be given to God’s people.

Prayer

Father, help us to walk in the light and not in darkness. Forgive us for the time we persist in walking in darkness and disregard holiness because we have gotten away with our sins. We ask for Your Holy Spirit to renew and refresh our spirits so that we are once again able to see Your holiness and justice so that we are able to walk before You in the right manner. May You be glorified in our lives. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Philippians 1-2

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals for June 8-14 are provided by Philip Chen, who oversees the college ministry of Church of Southland.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 3:11-14 (ESV): And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”

Have you ever played the ice-breaker game “Desert Island’? In this game, you are trapped on a desert island and need to think of three things that you would want to bring to this island that you will be on for the rest of your life. In a sense, this shows what the desires of our heart truly are. In a way, God asks Solomon this question as well – What would you like me to give you?

God is pleased with Solomon as he asks for wisdom to rightly rule over Israel so that the people would be faithful to God. Not only does God honor Solomon’s request, He gives Solomon much more than is requested. A king can acquire riches and honor by his own strength, but wisdom is not something that cannot be bought. Wisdom is truly a gift from the Lord.

God is not opposed to giving people riches and honor. What He is opposed to is the mixing up of priorities in the things we seek after. Oftentimes we get our priorities mixed up as we seek riches and honor before we seek Him and the wisdom He has for us. When we have our priorities mixed up, we end up idolizing the very riches and honor He wants to bestow upon us. This becomes problematic because we begin to value the gifts more than the Giver of gifts. Also, having wisdom allows Solomon to be a good steward of the riches and honor that is entrusted to him. Without wisdom, there is a high chance the riches and honor will be squandered.

We do not strive to imitate a formulaic faith in seeking Him so that we will be guaranteed riches and honor. But we know that He is a God that blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others. He is not a stingy God, but a generous God who desires to bless His people greatly. As we journey through life, let us seek His wisdom above ours. Let us ask Him to give us wisdom and a discerning mind and believe that is much more valuable than any riches or honor this world can provide.

Prayer

Father, give us the right perspective. We pray that we would desire the wisdom that You have for us. Though it is difficult for us at times, we pray that our eyes would be fixed on You and the eternity more than just the temporal things in front of us. Give us wisdom and an understanding mind.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 48

Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 6:33(ESV): But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Question to Consider

1. What is the reminder that Jesus gives us in this passage?
2. What are “all these things that will be added to us”?
3. Why do we worry?

Notes

1. Jesus reminds us not to be anxious about anything – that God, our Father, really cares about us and that He sees our every need and is in control of all things.
2. When we seek the Kingdom of God first and foremost, His promise to us is that everything we need shall be provided for us. We must trust that He understands us far better than we understand ourselves in what we need. He doesn’t promise we will all be rich (in the worldly sense), but that we do not need to be anxious about anything.
3. We worry when we are not in control. When we come into the full understanding that God is in control of everything, we no longer need to fear chaos because Jesus was thrown into the cosmic chaos on our behalf so that we might enter into an eternal rest.

 Evening Reflection

Something important that we constantly need to evaluate is what the desires of our heart is. Jesus tells us that what we see as our treasures is where our heart will be. Take a moment to evaluate what you believe your treasures to be, and what your actions display as your treasures, and ask God that they be aligned with the Kingdom of God.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals for June 8-14 are provided by Philip Chen, who oversees the college ministry of Church of Southland.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 3:7-12 (ESV): And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you.

As I was watching the movie Selma, I was struck by what a difficult position Martin Luther King Jr. must have been in as he pioneered the Civil Rights Movement. In the movie, many important decisions needed to be made, including the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. In one scene during a peaceful march, he kneels down and prays, then makes a decision to turn back, despite pressure to move forward. What a difficult decision to make!

Solomon recognized the difficulty of governing a multitude of people and leading them to follow the ways of the Lord. He rightly asks God for supernatural wisdom in leading the people of God, understanding the complexity behind leadership. He understands his limitations and appeals to God for greater wisdom and discernment. He does this because he sees how precious these people are and understands that they are entrusted into his stewardship, which causes him to take his reign over Israel seriously rather than nonchalantly.

There are two things that we can glean from this passage. First, we must understand the gravity of decisions that our leaders must make, therefore, we should constantly pray for God to give them wisdom in discerning what is right and wrong. We must trust that the leaders that God appoints over us desire our good and must answer to God for what was entrusted to them in a position of leadership. In that, we need to continually pray for God to give them an understanding mind to lead His people.

Secondly, we must also see whom God has entrusted into our hands and ask God for wisdom and understanding for ourselves in leading them to Him. We need to see the people whom God has placed in our lives as precious in His sight and desire to see them enter a maturing relationship with Jesus. Understand that in your lifetime, there will be those you answer to and those that answer to you. We are constantly in a cycle of being led and leading others, so let us submit to those leading us and faithfully care for those we are leading.

Prayer

Father, we pray for our leaders who need so much wisdom in leading us. Help us to trust in them as they lead and watch over us, and give them the wisdom to do what is pleasing to You. We also pray that You would reveal to us those that You have placed in our lives for us to influence. May we see each and every person You place in our lives as a precious one that You desire to love and may we be faithful in leading them in Your ways as well. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 47

Lunch Break Study

Read Hebrews 13:17-18 (ESV): Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Question to Consider

1. Why does the author encourage us to obey and submit to our leaders?
2. How can we bless our leaders?
3. How can we pray for our leaders?

Notes

1. Those who are leading us are accountable for us. When they stand before Jesus, they will have to answer for the way they cared for us and led us, and so we should not grieve them by trying to question their every move (assuming they are faithfully following God).
2. When we submit to them and trust that they really care about our well-being, we can see their joy in leading rather than groaning because of the opposition of those that they are leading. A leader cannot lead well if those they are leading constantly oppose them.
3. We not only pray for wisdom for our leaders, but that they have a clear conscience in their leadership. Leaders are not superhuman and are prone to sin as well, so we should pray all the more that they hear God clearly and have the character to obey God and lead His people.

 Evening Reflection

Do you pray for your leaders? Do you take the people you are leading seriously? Begin to get in the habit of praying for God to release a spirit of wisdom over your leaders as well as asking God for wisdom so that you might be faithful in leading others in the ways of the Lord.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals for June 8-14 are provided by Philip Chen, who oversees the college ministry of Church of Southland.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 3:5-10 (ESV): At Gibeon, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant David my father, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you. And you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne this day. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child. I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of your people whom you have chosen, a great people, too many to be numbered or counted for multitude. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.

There is an Aesop’s fable of a foolish donkey that had an idol strapped on his back as he was led through the town to deliver the idol. All of the people who saw the idol would bow down in respect and worship. After a while, the donkey believed that it was he that the people were bowing down to in worship. One morning, when the idol was not strapped on his back, he wandered into the towns, expecting to be worshipped by the people. But no one even gave him a second glance. In anger, he demanded worship by those around him, but soon found out that he was, in the end, just a donkey who was undeserving of worship.

Although the focus of this passage is on Solomon’s request for wisdom and understanding in ruling God’s people, he says something very important in this dream that we should not overlook. He declares that it is the Lord God who has given David a seat on the throne over Israel and that it is the Lord God who has made Solomon king over all of Israel.  He hasn’t done anything to earn it. He recounts God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. Surely Solomon would have heard from his father of what happened to Saul and how God could take away his position as king over Israel as quickly as He established him as king. Solomon does not overlook this fact and shows what it means to have wisdom and understanding: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. The understanding of who we are in comparison to God and the brevity of our time on this earth is what helps us approach God with humility. The understanding that everything is but a gift that is given to us by the Lord is an important reminder that we must come back to again and again

We can often get caught up with our own accomplishments and think of ourselves higher than we ought to. Let us strive to live a humble life by ascribing glory unto our God rather than deceiving ourselves into believing that glory belongs to us. Solomon, in his early reign, is marked as a man with great wisdom and understanding because of his humility. May it be that we are also described as people with great wisdom and understanding.

Prayer

Father, forgive us for the times we robbed You of Your glory. Too often we tend to wrongly take credit for what You are doing in and through our lives. May we become more and more aware of the times we do this and correct ourselves so that we are correctly ascribing glory to you. You are the One who is truly deserving of all praise and worship! Help us have the wisdom to understand that. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 46

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Chronicles 29:12-16 (ESV): David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying,  “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. We are foreigners and strangers in your sight, as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.

Question to Consider

1. Where did David give this declaration and why is it important?
2. What does David mean that they were foreigners and strangers in God’s sight?
3. David says that everything comes from God’s hands, and all of it belongs to him. What are things in our lives that we need to attribute to Him?

Notes

1. David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly. Corporate worship and praise is so important because it is one of the most effective avenues to remember the faithfulness and goodness of our God.
2. David sees the grace of God in that they were once not a people, but now are considered God’s people. They were once aliens and outcasts, but God has drawn them in.
3. Opportunities, health, friendships, even the strength to do certain things all are from Him. Everything indeed is from the Lord.

 Evening Reflection

As the day ends, spend some time reflecting on your current place in life and the position you are in. Ask God to reveal to you how He has brought you this far and how he continues to sustain you each and every day. As you recount His faithfulness and goodness in your life, give Him the praise and glory He deserves!

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals for June 8-14 are provided by Philip Chen, who oversees the college ministry of Church of Southland.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 2:36-46 (ESV): Then the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever. For on the day you go out and cross the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. Your blood shall be on your own head.” And Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.   But it happened at the end of three years that two of Shimei’s servants ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And when it was told Shimei, “Behold, your servants are in Gath,” Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 

And when Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and returned, the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any place whatever, you shall die’? And you said to me, ‘What you say is good; I will obey.’ Why then have you not kept your oath to the Lord and the commandment with which I commanded you?” The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart all the harm that you did to David my father. So the Lord will bring back your harm on your own head. But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.” Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

To understand this text, we must understand the context behind the character of Shimei a little better. Shimei was from the family of Saul and it was customary at the time for the descendants of the previous king to be put to death to ensure the reign of the current king. Technically, Shimei should have been executed, but David showed him mercy. When David and his men were fleeing Jerusalem because of Absalom’s attempt to replace him as king, we see Shimei following them, mocking and cursing him. Some of David’s mighty men wanted to kill him for the violence and curses towards them, but again David showed mercy. As David returned to Jerusalem triumphant over Absalom, Shimei asks for mercy, which David grants. When Solomon succeeds David, he is confronted with what to do with Shimei, and again Shimei is shown mercy. In this passage, Solomon designates Jerusalem as a city of refuge for Shimei, but if he were to leave the city, he would be subject to death. Shimei ends up leaving Jerusalem for petty reasons and flippantly disregards what Solomon has told him which results in his death.

As we look at the storyline of Shimei, many of us would look at this man and think of how foolish he is to constantly take advantage of the mercy of the king. But are we really that different? One of the worst behaviors within the church is the abuse of the mercy and grace of God. In fact, one of the biggest lies floating around the church is that we can do whatever we want with no consequence, since Jesus has paid for all of our past, present, and future sins. But that is simply not true. Though we are shown grace and the eternal consequence of sin has been paid in full, it does not mean there are no temporal consequences for sin nor does it mean that our God does not discipline us.

Shimei had blatant disregard for the mercy that was shown to him and was under the impression that there would be no consequences for his sin against the king. Perhaps we need to also be reminded of the severity of sin and repent so that we might not fall into this false thinking. May we be wiser than Shimei and approach God with humility and reverence, confident that we are forgiven by His grace, but having a healthy fear of the temporal and eternal consequences of sin.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for Your mercy towards us again and again. Thank You that Your work on the cross was sufficient for all of our sins. Though we fail again and again, we pray that we would hold that healthy tension of confidence in Your grace, but a fear of the severity of sin. May we never take Your grace for granted, for we are a people that are bought with a price. May we grow in humility, reverence, and awe of who You are. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 45

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 John 1:5-10 (ESV): This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Question to Consider

1. What is John warning against?
2. What is the difference between walking in darkness and walking in light?
3. If Jesus has cleansed us from all sin, how come we can’t say we have no sin?

Notes

1. He is warning against Docetism (a precursor to Gnosticism)—the idea that as long as you have the “secret knowledge” you are saved. There is still modern day theology that follows the same train of thought that we must be weary of (say a prayer once and do whatever you want for the rest of your life).
2. John warns against living a lifestyle of sin versus sinning (because of our sin nature). Deliberately choosing to live a lifestyle of sin (and rebellion against God) is immensely different from sinning because of our fallen nature. When we walk in darkness, we do not see ourselves clearly; but when we walk in light, though we see our uncleanliness, we can be sure that Jesus has cleansed us from all of our sin.
3. Although Jesus has cleansed us from all of our sin, on this side of eternity, we still sin. We are simultaneously sinners and saints: Saints because of the grace of God through His son Jesus Christ, and sinners because of the sin nature that we are being rid of in this lifetime through the sanctification process.

 Evening Reflection

When was the last time you thought of your sins and more importantly, your sin nature? Many of us have become experts of grace, but need to re-think our nature as sinners. Repent of your sin, ask for forgiveness and trust that Jesus’ work on the cross is enough so that you will not end up justifying your sin with His grace.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals for June 8-14 are provided by Philip Chen, who oversees the college ministry of Church of Southland.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 2:1-4 (ESV): When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’”

When I was a child, I loved inventing new games with new rules. What was most enjoyable was that I would always win because I would set the rules to benefit me. Many of us did this and think we have moved on from this, but believe it or not, we still do this as adults. We tend to blame the postmodern culture for the moral decline, as what is “right” becomes increasingly subjective in our society. But wanting to set our own rules for our lives is not new; it is something that is inherent in us. However, when we are the ones in charge of making the rules for our own lives, we are set on a course of self-destruction.

King David knows this well. In fact, Solomon is a living testimony of David’s sin with Bathsheba that resulted from his flagrant disregard of the ways of the Lord. So he actually takes the last few moments of his life to relay this important truth: Keep the charge of the Lord, walk in his ways and keep his statutes so that you might prosper in all that you do. In his lifetime, he has seen the hand of the Lord upon him and the hand of the Lord against him. He has also experienced firsthand the blessing of God that comes through obedience.

When we dig deeper, the reason we want to make our own rules rather than follow the precepts of our God is because of our pride. We think we understand ourselves better than our Creator does. What we need to ultimately understand is that God is our Creator who understands the inner workings of our being. He has designed us and given us statutes, commandments, and rules for our benefit, because the Designer knows His design the best.

David’s reminder to Solomon serves as an important reminder for us as well—to diligently seek to follow the laws and ways of the Lord. In order to follow the ways of the Lord, we need to actually know the ways of the Lord by vigorously studying the Word of God. As we devote our lives to this, we will increasingly see the beauty of the law of the Lord – that it is meant to protect and prosper us rather than simply restrict us.

Prayer

Father God, truly Your ways are higher than my ways and Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. Help me to grow in my hunger for Your word and live my life in obedience to Your every word. May I know the power in walking in Your ways and keeping Your statutes.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 44

Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 1:1-3 (ESV): Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

Question to Consider

1. What is the psalmist encouraging us to do?
2. Why is the one who delights in the law of the Lord compared to a fruitful tree?
3. Can we always expect to prosper if we follow God?

Notes

1. The psalmist encourages us to meditate on the law of God day and night because it is for our benefit.
2. Jesus refers a lot to fruitfulness as something that God is looking for. A tree that is planted by streams of water must be constantly receiving water for its roots and is pictured to constantly have the nutrients needed for bearing fruit. In the same way, those that delight in the law of the Lord have the necessary nutrients for living a godly life.
3. It depends on what prosperity means to you, but it does not always mean “earthly” prosperity. We can be sure that those that follow the Lord and delight in His word (and obeys) will receive an abundance of treasures in heaven. But not only that, general and practical wisdom tell us that following the Word of God does indeed have temporal benefits as well.

 Evening Reflection

The shocking thing of the church these days is biblical literacy. We simply do not cherish the Word of God enough. Something that challenged me in an article that I read was a statement that an atheist made to his Christian friend: If you Christians really believe the Bible is the actual words of God, how come you don’t spend time to really study it? How come it’s so difficult to spend time reading it?  What a sobering truth!  This should challenge the believers to get to know the Word of God better so that we are able to follow the ways of the Lord with faithfulness.

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals for today are provided by Pastor Yohan Lee of Radiance Christian Church.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

Read 1 Kings 1:5-10

 

5 Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. 6 (His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.) 7 Adonijah conferred with Joab son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest, and they gave him their support. 8 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei and Rei and David’s special guard did not join Adonijah. 9 Adonijah then sacrificed sheep, cattle and fattened calves at the Stone of Zoheleth near En Rogel. He invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah,10 but he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the special guard or his brother Solomon.

My friend Young (not Pastor Young) has the best “most embarrassing” story.  It was near the end of his senior year in high school, and his school was having their senior awards ceremony.  The award for most accomplished student was being presented, and Young was absolutely sure he was going to get it.  The principal started describing the accomplishments of the actual winner by saying, “We are so proud of the work and dedication of this young woman…”  However, my friend who again was so sure he was the winner of this award only heard “young” (his name) and proceeded to walk onto the stage.  Could you imagine how silly he felt upon walking up to the stage to receive his award only to realize that it was for another student?  I love this story, but I get embarrassed for him when he tells it.

Adonijah, like my friend Young, made the mistake of presuming too much in life.  But in all fairness, who wouldn’t make the same mistake?  He was probably the oldest remaining son of David (Amnon was dead; Absalom was dead, and we know nothing about this mystery son Daniel, only mentioned in 1 Chron. 3), and who would expect the son of Bathsheba (remember how they got together) to be the heir to the throne?  Plus, Adonijah had the backing of the commander of David’s army, Joab, and the highly revered priest, Abiathar.  I would have assumed that the throne was mine, too.

I have met many people who have been passed over for a promotion or a position that they presumed (rightly or wrongly) was theirs.  I have dealt with the heartbreak of couples who presumed that having children would be an easy process.  And I tried to comfort many who have presumed their dreams in life were also God’s plans for them.  The problem with presumption is that it doesn’t take into account the sovereignty of God; in other words, we presume to know the Lord’s will, when we are often blinded by our own desires or biases.

In Luke 14, Jesus gives us another reason why we should not presume.  He tells us to take the lowest seat at the banquet, and maybe the master of the banquet will elevate you.  You don’t want to make the mistake of my friend who essentially took the best seat at the awards ceremony, only to be shown a lesser place.  Avoid that embarrassment.

Prayer

Lord grant me the humility to accept that your plans for me may not align with what I presume or want them to be.  If that is the case, grant me faith to remember that you are a good Father who knows best for me.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 43

Editor’s Note:  The AMI QT devotionals for today are provided by Pastor Yohan Lee of Radiance Christian Church.

Devotional Thoughts for Today

1 Kings 1:1-4

When King David was very old, he could not keep warm even when they put covers over him. 2 So his attendants said to him, “Let us look for a young virgin to serve the king and take care of him. She can lie beside him so that our lord the king may keep warm.” 3 Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king. 4 The woman was very beautiful; she took care of the king and waited on him, but the king had no sexual relations with her.

In the English language the common idiom, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” points to an idea that once a person has reached a certain age, he or she cannot change by giving up the old ways to learn new habits, ways of thinking, skills, etc. In other words, as you get older and more set in your ways, you become less teachable, and more stubborn.  Although I have never been particularly fond of the idea conveyed by this expression, I do have to admit that I have found it to be incredibly true.  In fact, most people I’ve encountered to whom this idiom holds true aren’t even that old.  I can’t tell you how many people in their 20’s and 30’s I’ve talked to who do not heed good advice or who have surrendered into a resolve of, “Hey, this is who I am, and I will never change.”

Here is the spiritual truth: If the Holy Spirit is truly living inside of you, not only are you capable of change (no matter your age), but you are expected to change more and more into the image of Christ.  Unfortunately, I’ve noticed two primary thought patterns that have inhibited growth in many believers.  First, is the aforementioned defeated position where some settle into saying and thinking things like, “I’m just an angry guy with a short fuse, and I’ll never be gentle.  I can’t change.”  The other pattern is that we actually like our old selves too much and do not want to embrace the characteristics of Christ, thinking, “I like being the snarky, sarcastic, say what I feel, guy.  I don’t really need to season my conversations with salt” (Col. 4:6); neither way of thinking is becoming of the disciple of Christ.

Though weird, I find today’s passage to be quite encouraging.  Think about David’s biggest sin—sleeping with Bathsheba and killing her husband to cover up the conspiracy.  It was a sin sparked by lust.  As we read about David many years later, we see how far he has come to overcome lust.  The beautiful young Abishag was brought in to keep the king warm at night—you know the royal advisors had R-rated intentions,  yet the Bible is clear that King David never slept with her.  In essence, Abishag became a professional teddy bear (odd job to put on your resume), and this odd relationship took on a sweet PG tone.

For those of you who are struggling with a persistent issue, David is proof that every sin can be overcome by the follower of Christ.  In other words, we are not “too old to be taught new tricks.”

Prayer

Lord, help me to see some of the thought and life patterns that have been beating me.  Give me courage and the resolve to overcome.  Fill me with the Spirit.  Also bring to light any areas that I need to change but am hesitant to submit to You because I actually like these things.

Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 41-42