REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on May 21, 2018, is provided by Jennifer Kim who had served as a staff in multiple AMI churches in the past, She is a graduate of Boston University (B.A.) and Alliance Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Holy Love of God”

Jeremiah 5:1-9

“Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.  2Although they say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives,’ still they are swearing falsely.”  3Lord, do not your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain; you crushed them, but they refused correction. They made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.  4I thought, “These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God.  5So I will go to the leaders and speak to them; surely they know the way of the Lord, the requirements of their God.” But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke and torn off the bonds.  6Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them, a wolf from the desert will ravage them, a leopard will lie in wait near their towns to tear to pieces any who venture out, for their rebellion is great and their backslidings many.  7“Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I supplied all their needs, yet they committed adultery and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.  8They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for another man’s wife.  9Should I not punish them for this?” declares the Lord. “Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?”

During the early seeds of my Christian faith, I struggled to understand the call to be holy and righteous in all things when it seemed that certain sins did not affect others and most went unnoticed. After speaking with an older believer, her response shook me to my core when she said, “Nothing is hidden with God. Even if you get away with something now, when you go to heaven everything will be revealed.” I remember the crippling fear that came over me as I thought about all the sins that I thought I had gotten away with but would be revealed to everyone in heaven. I feared judgment from the people I had wronged, I feared what people would think of me, and I feared the consequences of my actions. Mind you I was a new believer with no biblical foundation on heaven, love, grace, and mercy, but it certainly convicted my eleven-year-old self to be pure and righteous in all things.

When we read today’s passage, we may have a similar reaction of fear and shock towards God’s response to the nation Judah. Sending a lion to attack the people of Jerusalem, a wolf who will ravage them, and a leopard who will tear apart all those who try to escape seems nothing like the loving God we know! But if we look closely at the passage, God had searched all of Jerusalem for one righteous person in order to forgive the entire city, and He had taken measures to warn, rebuke, and correct the people to help them turn from their ways and repent. Yet in God’s efforts to restore the people that He had set apart as His chosen nation, not one was found righteous.

While this passage may show God’s wrath that demands holiness from His people, it is ultimately God’s love that compels Him to such actions. God only disciplines those He loves and chastises those He accepts as His children (Heb. 12:6). When we become selective of the attributes of God by focusing only on certain attributes and not others, such as the love of God and not His holiness, we narrow our scope of understanding God and His ways. It is God’s love for His people that He must judge the actions of His people because our God is holy. If our Lord was only a God of holy perfection, we’d be crushed by the sense of inadequacy to change. If God were only a spirit of love, we’d be complacent in our sin. But our Father is a God of holy love, who requires His children to live in holiness in order that we may live in the fullness of His love.

Prayer: God, thank You that You are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Help me to see Your love in light of Your holiness that I may walk in the ways of truth. Forgive me for the ways I have walked in sin, and may my life be one that is honoring to You. In Jesus’s name. Amen

Bible Reading for Today: John 9

Lunch Break Study:

Read Exodus 36:6-7:And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7 maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”

Questions to Consider: 

• What one attribute can be used to summarize the characteristics that Moses proclaims about God?
• It seems like verses six and seven list contradicting attributes of God, but what do these two groups show about God?
• What attributes of God do you struggle to live by? What can you do to grow in this area?

Notes:

• All the attributes listed by Moses show of God’s goodness. It is God’s goodness that leads Him to compassion, grace, faithfulness, and love, yet it is also His goodness that leads him to punish those who sin. 
• See above.
• Personal response.

Evening Reflection

Take time to list the attributes of God that you have personally experienced in your relationship with God. Does your list contain attributes that are all similar in nature but not on other attributes of God? (i.e., focusing on God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, but not on His wisdom, omnipotence, glory, justice). Our theology of God will be based on our understanding of His character, but God desires His children to know the fullness of His presence. Ask God to reveal more of His character to you that you may experience more of Him in your life.

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on May 13, 2018, is provided by Jasmin Izumikawa who attends the Church of Southland in Anaheim, California.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Food Fight”

Proverbs 22:24; 13:20 (ESV) 

Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare . . .Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

James 3:2, 8

For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body . . . no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. 

“Play” fights occur often in my classroom. Most of them are friendly banter but sometimes students will rally back and forth jabs and jokes to each other and occasionally, somebody will take it too far. The following day, a student will announce to me, “I can’t sit with . . . I can’t stand him.” 

Even in our adult lives, our lives are riddled with misdelivered words, hurtful statements, and thoughtless remarks. Sometimes, it comes from the people we look up to or people we work closely with or sometimes from the very people we love. It can be easy to lean back in our chair, cross our arms, and spew right back. And when the impact of those words goes too far, it can take weeks, months, and even years to mend the relationship. Yes, the apostle James is right when he noted that what we say can be “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

And these hurtful words have a way of hurting us back. We can learn a valuable lesson from the story of U.S.S. O’Bannon. This is the true story of how a U.S. warship targeted a surfaced Japanese submarine, and barely avoiding collision, coasted alongside the enemy submarine. Without the capability to fire their weapons because of the close range, the sailors looked for anything to throw at their enemy. What they had on hand were potatoes; so, believe it or not, they began hurling potatoes at the enemy’s submarine deck. The Japanese crew, believing the spuds were hand grenades, began pelting them back at O’Bannon, and they then retreated. Eventually, the submarine sunk, along with all 66 crewmen. 

When we use words to hurt others, we’re scraping the bottom of barrels for anything we can hurl and before we know it, we are pelting attacks back and forth, ridiculously, like these men did. And we know, far too well from our own experiences, that words can and will inflict pain when spoken out of hate, revenge, insecurity, envy, pride, and manipulation. What we need to do is to speak words of life and kindness. So much of what we say can produce love, forgiveness, humility, and empathy. 

Let us heed the wise and inspired words of the apostle Paul who penned: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Eph. 4:30).

Prayer: Lord, You bring life and light in Your words. Would you forgive me for the hurt I have caused those I love, work with, look up to? Would you repair my heart and spirit from the hurtful words used towards me? Help me to use words in ways that make You glad. I want to forgive and embrace the life you have for me: one that involves freedom from damaging words and injuries from my past. Stop me from making the mistake of thinking and saying words out of my own insecurities, hate, envy, and pride. Fill me with words of prayer and blessings always. Breathe into me new breath to speak words of life. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: John 8

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Jabez Yeo who is now a friend of AMI, was first posted on May 5, 2018.  He and his family are getting ready to leave for Thailand as missionaries with OMF. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Help My Unbelief” 

Mark 16:9-14

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

As someone who has primarily attended non-denominational churches, I am more familiar with contemporary worship songs than classic hymns. However, the few hymns I have sung always resonate with me due to the weightiness of their lyrics. Most recently, I heard “Trust and Obey” for the first time during commencement and was struck by the simple yet straightforward truth in the chorus: “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”

In today’s passage, we read that the disciples heard multiple testimonies of Jesus’ resurrection from Mary Magdalene (v.10) and other disciples (v.12). Yet the disciples did not believe these accounts (v.11,13) and were eventually rebuked by Jesus for their lack of faith (v.14). It is important to note that Jesus’ rebuke was not given in a vacuum, for Mark 8-10 alone details three separate instances when Jesus taught about His death and resurrection (Mark 8:31; 9:30-31; 10:33-34). Nevertheless, the disciples stubbornly refused to believe (v.14) the joyous news until Jesus appeared to rebuke them. Simply put, the disciples failed to trust in Jesus and His word. 

When I first became a Christian, I remember being amazed at the disciples’ lack of faith, despite spending three full years with Jesus. But as time passes, I only realize more and more how that same lack of faith resides within me.  Despite God’s provision throughout my life, I find myself becoming anxious when thinking about the future or certain vocational decisions. Despite witnessing His healing touch, I question God’s ability to restore deeper wounds that have been uncovered in myself and others. And despite confessing that Christ is the only way to salvation, I catch myself trusting in my “good works” instead of the cross to justify myself. Perhaps you are familiar with some of these things.

For those of us struggling with unbelief, may we cry out, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). May faith, one of the promised fruit of the Spirit, arise in us today, as we are powerless to grow in faith on our own. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your resurrection and for Your victory over sin, Satan and the world. I confess that at times, I lack faith in Your goodness and in Your resurrection power. I confess that at times, I feel overwhelmed by the darkness I see, forgetting that in the darkness, Your light shines the brightest. Help my unbelief and strengthen my faith today. In Your Name I pray. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: John 6-7

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on August 31, 2018, is provided by Pastor Peter Yoon who is the Lead Pastor of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Not Placing Trust in Fickle People”  

Jeremiah 34:8-11 (NIV) 

The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. 9 Everyone was to free their Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Hebrew in bondage. 10 So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. 11 But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again.

One experienced pastor once told me, “I love my church members. I just don’t trust them.” That idea stayed with me. Now, I need to be careful so that today’s QT does not inadvertently lead you to more cynicism towards others. I believe the pastor was encouraging me to always love the people around me, while guarding myself from mistakenly placing my trust in them.   

Today’s passage takes place during a momentary lifting of the Babylonian siege (cf. 34:21; 37:5, 11); but during the siege, slave owners had actually freed their slaves.  Assuming that the danger was past, however, they decided to take back the slaves, which was contrary to the promise they had made to the Lord. If an Israelite could not pay his debts, he sometimes sold himself, his family, or his children to serve the creditor for a period of years. However, the Mosaic law provided for the freeing of Israelite slaves after six years of servitude (see Exod 21:2–11). Further reading of chapter 34 will reveal how much this infuriated the Lord. 

Yesterday, in chapter 33, we looked at the faithfulness of God. Today, we see the fickleness of the human heart. In fact, the reason for the release of the slaves during the time of the siege may have been driven by selfish motives (though the reason is not explicitly stated).  It was not economically practical for the owners to feed and care for the slaves, so they released them to fend for themselves (New American Commentary). 

Unfortunately, this picture of people’s sinfulness reminds us all that we cannot and should not place trust in man or even ourselves. Ultimately, all of us have sinned and have fallen deeply short of God’s glory. Not only are we fickle and greedy, but Jeremiah had earlier reminded us: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jer 17:9, NTL). Certainly, we must love one another, but as for placing our trust, let’s place that in our faithful God. 

Prayer: Lord, perhaps my disappointments come because I had placed unrealistic expectation on others. Help me to place my trust only in You. And help me to love and serve others, and when necessary forgive others when I’m wronged. In Jesus’ Name.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: John 5

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Lunch Break Study 

Read Matthew 13:21-35 (NIV): Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him.25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Questions to Consider

• What does Peter’s question to Jesus reveal about our human condition?  
• What is the master’s expectation from the servant whose debt was cancelled? 
• According to this parable, what is it like to live in God’s Kingdom? 

Notes

• The question reveals that in our sinfulness, we have a very limited capacity to show mercy and extend forgiveness. 
• To practice mercy towards others. 
• Living in God’s Kingdom allows us to show mercy and forgiveness, even if we have been hurt by others.  

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Evening Reflection

Are there people in your own life in whom you might be placing too much trust (parents, spouse, friend, co-worker) for your personal well-being? If so, shift your focus on trusting in God as your father, bridegroom, friend, and co-laborer. 

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional Spiritual, first posted on August 23, 2018, is provided by Hee Jung Lee. Hee Jung, a graduate of Biblical Theological Seminary, serves at Catalyst Agape Church (New Jersey) along with her husband Pastor Sam Lee. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Forgiveness”

Jeremiah 31:33-34 

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.

In these two verses, the Lord speaks of a new covenant that would be made between God and His people. The old covenant, which was written on stone tablets and the people were unable to keep, would be void as God makes a new covenant that would be written on the heart (flesh) of His people. The route to making this covenant possible would happen through the initiative of God and would also require a tremendous cost on His part. This route was forgiveness. Because of God’s love for His people and desire for a relationship with them, He says, “…I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more” (v.34). 

For this purpose, the Lord sends His Son Jesus to die upon the cross to bear the iniquities of all mankind—once and for all. This excruciating responsibility that was placed upon Jesus required the laying down of His divinity, as well as extreme suffering to the point of death. But it had to happen because forgiveness is the only possible route to freedom. Forgiveness equals freedom: freedom to love God; freedom to walk in relationship with Him; freedom to be loved; and freedom to love another. This is the power of forgiveness. Forgiveness is living in the new covenant. It is fruit the Word of God inscribed into our hearts. 

Therefore, every time you make a choice to forgive someone, you are choosing to live in the New Covenant that has been obtained for you through the cross. You are choosing to remain in this freedom. Unforgiveness binds you into a mirage of a past moment as if it has a power to harm you in the present. The past, no matter how recent or old, is not reality anymore and it need not have power over you. Forgiveness keeps you in the freshness of love and offers relationship over and over again, in the same way that it has been offered to you. Only a person who lives in forgiveness can truly understand intimacy and the joys of such a real relationship. 

Therefore, live in the freedom that is yours today by being quick to release others from any wrongdoings against you. Let nothing bind you to a false reality of the past and why not choose this day to live in the present!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the truth that it is for freedom that Christ has set me free (Gal 5:1). Please release me from all bitterness and any unforgiveness that holds me captive to my past. I want to live in complete freedom to love and to be loved. Thank You! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 4

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Lunch Break Study

Read Ephesians 6:12: For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Questions to Consider

• Are you holding any unforgiveness? Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you.
• What are some of the fruits of unforgiveness?
• What are the fruits of forgiveness?

Notes

• Offense is a strategy of Satan to bind God’s people into bitterness. It is important to remember that the battle in our lives is never against a person but against the rulers of the darkness of this age and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). To remain in freedom, you must obey God’s principle of forgiveness and keep your spirit free from any defilement. 
• Unforgiveness is rebellion against God’s laws of love. This rebellion invites the fruits of the flesh (carnal) which include hatred, jealousy, judgmentalism, pride, arrogance, division, anger, retaliation, etc. The flesh opposes the Spirit and the fruits reveal as such.
• Forgiveness is walking according to the Spirit and allows you to live in love. Forgiveness invites intimacy, understanding, grace, as well as all the fruits of the Holy Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control).

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Evening Reflection

Today, we were reminded that we need to live a life of forgiveness to remain in the freedom of being God’s child. In the light of this truth, did you practice forgiveness?

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on April 4, 2018, is written by Pastor David Son who pastors the Thrive Church in Taipei.  He is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley (BA) and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.). Stay up to date with the church by following them here: https://www.instagram.com/thrivechurchtaipei/

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Yes Lord; yet…”

Mark 7:24-30

And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

As a child, I grew up under the notion that one must never question God. I believed that doing so would not only be a show of irreverence to Him, but also signaled a lack of faith. And while I still certainly believe that we ought to be reverent to the Lord, when I look at Scripture, I see many men and women of faith asking questions and making requests to the Lord:  In Genesis 18, Abraham is, in a sense, bargaining with God to spare the city of Sodom. In Judges 6, Gideon asks God for multiple signs. In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah pleads with God, that He would give her a child. The Psalms are full of questions being raised up to God: “How long, O Lord?  Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?” These are just a few examples of Scripture that lead me to believe that our Heavenly Father is not only willing to hear our questions/requests, but He desires to respond to us! 

Our passage today is perhaps one of the boldest moves I’ve ever read about in the Bible. The Syrophoenician woman asks Jesus to heal her daughter, but Jesus initially denies her request, indicating that His ministry is primarily for the Jews. At this moment, I might have walked away. After all, who am I to question Jesus? However, this woman’s response is incredible: “Yes, Lord; yet…” Captured in those three words, I believe, is the correct attitude with which we ought to present our requests to God: with reverent submission. 

I love Jesus’ response. He grants her request by delivering her daughter of demon oppression, and in doing so he reveals that our God is not only sovereign but also graciously relational. Today, let’s remember that we can bring our questions and requests to our Father. He is not angry at us for asking questions; on the contrary, I believe that our Father is eager to respond to our requests. 

Prayer: Thank You, Jesus, for pausing and loving on this Syrophoenician woman, even though it wasn’t really her place to be asking You for things. It’s none of our places to be asking You for things, and yet You never turn down a desperate, contrite heart. Help us to come to You today as Your children, in humble submission, but also with boldness and confidence, knowing that you love to hear from us. In Your name we pray. Amen.

 Bible Reading for Today: John 3

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Lunch Break Study

Read Philippians 4:5b-6: The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Questions to Consider

• According to the passage, what truth allows us to not be anxious about anything?
• How, and with what attitude, are we to let our requests be made known to God?
• In what situations/circumstances are we to hold to these truths?

Notes

• The passage begins with this truth: “The Lord is at hand.” “At hand” simply means “near.” This is the truth that establishes the foundation upon which we are able to walk in the next two commands.
• How do we make requests unto God? By prayer and supplication (supplication is a “prayer of asking”). With what attitude are we to pray? With thanksgiving!
• Paul says not to be anxious about ANYTHING, but in EVERYTHING, we should pray with thanksgiving, making our requests to God. That means that this is applicable in all situations and circumstances. And the reason is because “the Lord is at hand.”

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Evening Reflection

Today, we read about the Syrophoenician woman who desperately pleaded with Jesus regarding her daughter who was oppressed by a demon. When was the last time you were desperate for the Lord? Most of us would agree, at least in our minds, that we couldn’t live without Jesus. But how often do we feel this desperation for His presence? This evening, let’s remember our need for God and rekindle our desperation for more of Him.

REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional QT, first posted on February13, 2018, is provided by Pastor Shan Gian who leads Remnant Westside Church in Manhattan.  Shan is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Half Empty or Half Full?”

Genesis 45:4-8

So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. 6 For the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are yet five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7 And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. 8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

 “Is the glass half empty or half full?” If someone answers that it’s half full, you can presume that he approaches life with optimism, but if someone says the glass is half empty, then he must be a pessimist, perceiving situations with a negative point of view.  There’s no right or wrong answer, of course, but what this question shows us is that how a situation is perceived depends on one’s point of view.

If we look at how Joseph’s saw his own life at this point, it seems like he is a “half full” kind of a person.  He tells his brothers that it wasn’t because of them that he was in the position he was in, but that it was God who sent him into Egypt so that he could preserve life.  This is quite an amazing statement, considering all that Joseph had been through and what his brothers had done to him.  If any of us went through what Joseph had experienced, we would be pointing our fingers and blaming these brothers for all of the terrible things we had to endure.  Somehow, Joseph’s perception of his life was not that everything was so terrible and that he was treated wrongly or unfairly.  Instead, Joseph was able to look at his life and say that it was for good.  

Joseph’s view of his life is not an example of positive psychology or proof of the power of positive thinking.  He’s not just a “half full” kind of guy with an optimistic view of life.  Rather, Joseph was able to recognize the true reality: that his life belonged to God and that it was God’s hand that led him to where he was. When we think about our lives, our stories, or our past, we need to strive to have the same perspective that Joseph had.  We all need the faith to see God’s hand working, no matter how good or bad the circumstances in our lives have been.  Let us strive this day to see the reality of God’s presence which is with us always.

Prayer: Jesus, I think You for Your enduring presence and faithfulness in my life. Give me eyes of faith to see that You have always been with me, and that You will continue to be with me all the days of my life.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  John 2

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Lunch Bible Study

Read 2 Kings 6:15-17: When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 

Questions to Consider

• Why was Elisha’s servant afraid?  
• Why was Elisha not afraid, in spite of seeing this massive army surrounding them?
• How can we be like Elisha and not fear in our difficult circumstances?

Notes

• Because when he looked outside, he saw a huge army of horses and chariots (army of the Arameans) surrounding the city they were in, and they had come to capture Elisha.  To see a vast group of your enemies surrounding you would certainly be something to be fearful of.
• Because he could see the full reality of the situation—not just the physical reality but also the spiritual reality.  His servant could only see with his physical eyes, but after Elisha prayed, his eyes were opened to the spiritual dimension where he could see what Elisha could see, an even greater and more powerful army, the army of God surrounding them and protecting them.  
• We need to pray that our eyes can be opened to the spiritual reality; not only are God’s armies with us, but God Himself, the Holy Spirit, dwells within us always.  As 1 John 4:4 says, “…he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” We do not need to fear anything in this world because He is with us.

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Evening Reflection

As you reflect on this day, did you have a sense of God’s presence with you throughout the whole day?  It’s easy for us to forget that He is with us, so we must praying continually that our eyes will be opened to seeing Him and His presence with us.  Remind yourself of His presence and pray that God will continue to open your eyes to see Him.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on April 2, 2018, is written by Pastor David Son who pastors the Thrive Church in Taipei.  He is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley (BA) and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.). Stay up to date with the church by following them here: https://www.instagram.com/thrivechurchtaipei/

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“When Worship Becomes a Mere Tradition”

Mark 7:1-8

Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other traditions that they observe, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

In the 1700’s, German settlers in America had an interesting way of predicting the weather. On February 2^nd, the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, they believed that if the weather was sunny, there would be six more weeks of winter. On the other hand, if the weather was overcast on February 2^nd, it would mean an early spring was coming. On that day, residents of Punxsutawney, PA would watch carefully to see if the sun would come out and cast a shadow on a groundhog, peeping out of its hole after hibernation. Thus, Groundhog Day was established. Still today, nearly 300 years later, on February 2^nd of every year, tens of thousands of people travel to this small town to observe the tradition. But it doesn’t actually mean anything to anyone anymore. No one in attendance actually believes that this tradition will make any sort of real difference in their lives. It’s nothing more than a feel-good gathering of attendees. Yet, nearly 30,000 people show up to Punxsutawney, faithfully, every year, to celebrate Groundhogs Day, a mere tradition!

Why do you show up to Sunday worship each week? Do you come with an expectation to encounter the living God? Is there a desire for real transformation each time you enter into worship? Or somewhere along the lines, has worship become a mere tradition?

In our passage today, we discover that the Pharisees and scribes are very faithful about their traditions. And to be clear, none of these traditions are inherently sinful or wrong in their observance (washing hands, washing cups/pots/vessels). In fact, some of these traditions stem directly from obedience to the instructions God gave for His people to follow in Leviticus! However, we see that these things had become mere tradition. Jesus says, quoting Isaiah, “in vain do they worship me….” 

Often I find myself envying the passionate worship of someone who has recently accepted Christ. Have you felt that way before? Perhaps the words “jaded” or “stuck in a spiritual rut” speak to how you’ve been feeling in your faith. Perhaps this is an indication that our worship has become mere tradition. Let’s spend some time this morning, reminding ourselves of why we do the things we do, and who we do them for—particularly if we have been doing them faithfully, for a long time.

Prayer: Father, bring us back to our first love today. Remind us of how You see us and love us. Refresh and renew our souls that we may once again be in awe of You. Breathe life back into the ways that we serve and the ways that we worship. We love You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 1

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Lunch Break Study

Red Isaiah 1:12-17: When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts? Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

Questions to Consider

• In this passage, what is God’s response to the worship of His people? What is surprising about this?
• Why do you think God feels this way towards these acts of worship?
• What kind of worshippers is God seeking? 

Notes

• Surprisingly, God is indignant towards the worship that the Israelites are offering. He says to “bring no more vain offerings” and that “incense is an abomination to [Him].” He even says that when they pray, He will hide His eyes from them and not listen. This is quite surprising because none of these things are actually bad things. In fact, many of them were commanded by God to do! 
• To be clear, God isn’t against worship, offerings, and prayer, and such. But when these things are “vain,” empty, and just a formality of tradition, that’s when God isn’t pleased with them. The Israelites were doing all of these things habitually; meanwhile they were not actually seeking the heart of God. In other words, it had the appearance of worship, but it was empty.
• God instructs His people to wash themselves (repent), learn to do good, seek justice, and correct oppression. In other words, the worshippers that God seeks are those who are being actively transformed by His character. This means that unless there is also some kind of Christ-like transformation happening in the way that we act/speak/think, the ceremonial aspects of worship lose their meaning.

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Evening Reflection

Deuteronomy 5:15: “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.”

This word in Deuteronomy is given to the Israelites more than 40 years after they had been delivered from Egypt. Yet, they are commanded to continually remember the day of their salvation. Likewise, tonight, spend some time remembering how He has redeemed you. The more we remember this, the better!

Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on April 29, 2018, is provided by Pastor Jon Moon. At that time, he was serving as the Children’s Ministry Director at Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco. Since 2019, he and his family have been serving the Lord as missionaries in Cobán, Guatemala.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Jon’s First Time”

Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans .27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God

I remember the first time when someone came up to me and asked me to pray over him, not giving me anything specific to pray for. I recall getting nervous, thinking about what I would pray for and how I would pray for this person: How can I make my prayer sound good? What can I say to make it sound like I’m praying a good prayer over this person? You see, somehow I grew to think that ministering over someone through prayer—not just praying for someone’s prayer requests—and letting the Spirit speak was something that only seasoned pastors, really mature Christians, or those who could speak in tongues could do. I believed that I wasn’t good enough to pray over people—especially those who were older or more spiritually mature than I was. 

During my trip to Cuba last year, during one of the ministry times that we had after ending one of the classes, Dr. Ryun asked me to go around and pray over people. I felt unworthy or not spiritual enough to pray over pastors or those who I felt were way more spiritually mature than I was. So I just stood there and prayed a general prayer over others. This year, the same thing happened: Dr. Ryun asked me to pray over the seminarians, and once again, I stayed in my little corner and prayed over them. A couple nights later, though, I was able to really experience the Holy Spirit speaking through me as I prayed over the seminarians to close one of our sessions. I felt this deep passion and fire inside of me, and the words were just flowing out of my mouth—it was an incredible experience! 

As wonderful as that experience was, though, I felt like that was a one-time deal, and it wouldn’t happen again. But when our church was preparing to host its first Encounter Retreat, the staff was told that we would be praying over people during ministry time; once again, I wanted to shy away from this responsibility. But as I continued to prepare and pray over the retreat, the Spirit convicted me and reminded me that He was the one who ministered to people—not the fancy words that I needed to formulate to make my prayer sound holy. I was convicted of how prideful I was in thinking that it was my prayer that was ministering to people, and not the Holy Spirit who was doing the work. As the verse reminds us, the Spirit is the one who does the interceding over God’s people, since the Spirit understands the heart and mind of the person more than we can possibly understand.  

As I realized this, I felt a big burden being lifted off my shoulders—a burden that I had placed upon myself. I no longer feel like I have to think hard or worry about what I would say when praying over people, but that I just need to pray for them and allow the Spirit to do the rest. In the Scriptures, we are told to pray and intercede for one another. As you do, don’t let fear or insecurity stop you from ministering to others through your prayers, but remember that it is the Holy Spirit’s job to minister to the person, and you have the privilege of being used by the Spirit to bless that person! 

Prayer: Father, thank You for giving me the privilege to intercede and pray for others. Thank You that even though I am a weak and an imperfect being, You have given me Your Spirit to help me to pray for others. Use me as an instrument of blessing as I continue to minister to others through my prayers in the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Timothy 4

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on April 28, 2018.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Meaning of Raising Three Little Munchkins” 

As I was reading a blog I wrote in 1998 when my kids were 8, 5, 1, respectively, I couldn’t really remember what led me to write this at that time: 

“The other day, my wife confessed that raising three kids has changed her personality for the worse. Why? Well, when you have to yell as often as my wife and I do to prevent our young ones from hurting themselves, not to mention breaking up ‘fights’ between them, you would become a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde too. Then, there is this aspect of parenting that is a real bummer: you no longer have a life of your own; instead, it is dictated by your kids—or rather, by their school—more specifically, by all that the school asks the students to do at home with their parents. I was so relieved the other day after finding this out. Earlier this year, Christy had to do a special project for her second-grade animal book project. For that, she had to cut out pictures of at least two animals in six categories and also write something about each of them. I had to help her, and it was a lot of work—especially the writing part. So when I was told that her third-grade teacher also wanted to do an animal project, but this time with five animals in each of six categories, I was genuinely anxious. But, oh, what a relief it was when Christy told me that the writing part is done in the class! This meant that all I had to do was help her find the right pictures and cut them out! The pressure was definitely off!

So, is all of this worth it: constant doubting about your judgment and ability to properly discipline your kids, changing personality, and a significant loss of your personal space? Of course it is, otherwise, we would have put these munchkins up for adoption by now. 

So, what makes it worthwhile? It’s the joy of seeing them forgive and care for each other; seeing their awareness of God increase by leaps and bounds each day; the joy of hearing their kind words of appreciation for us; the relief and thrill of finishing the project together; and sitting around and having family devotions, which always seem to turn into something else in the end—yes, it is all worth it. 

Lastly, I find that there is nothing quite like parents’ concern for their children that drives them to Christ. Why? It is because you feel so helpless as parents—so you go to Him and plead for mercy for your children’s souls. I just wish that when my kids read Proverbs 17:6b (‘Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children’), they will say, ‘Yes, that’s my parent.’ I wish that when the Lord reviews my life, He will say, ‘Good job bringing them up in the training and instruction of the Lord’” (Eph 6:4b).

Prayer: Help, Lord! Thank You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Timothy 2-3