REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Christine Li, was first posted on February 1, 2018. Christine, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, serves as a deaconess at Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

Why Work?

Genesis 42:6 

“Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.”

There is a Christian colleague I catch up with from time to time. A while back, I had confessed to her that I had felt disengaged, unmotivated to work furiously towards the success of our company. She had been feeling the opposite: she felt blessed to work hard. Over the last couple of years, her team had been very successful, and each person had received generous bonuses. To her surprise, she was able to pay off her student loans years ahead of schedule. After she saw how God had used a seemingly worldly thing to miraculously provide in her life, she believed that working hard was a way to honor Him. Upon hearing this, I was chastened and encouraged to work hard as an act of worship. 

The “sacred-secular” construct is one that we as Christians often wrestle with—that is, we are tempted to overvalue some types of work because they happen within a church context and undervalue work that does not seem to have eternal consequences. However, we never completely know what God intends to do through and around us. He can use any “holy” or “unholy” part of our lives, like a bonus because of a successful project at work, to bring about a testimony of His grace.

Joseph governed over a land that was not God-fearing. As far as we can tell, he was faithful and committed, and he made wise and fair decisions. Through Joseph’s administration, God provided for both non-believing Egyptians and their believing neighbors during the years of famine. Imagine if Joseph despised being an administrator because it seemed too unspiritual to be used by God! He would have missed the opportunity to let God set redemptive plans in motion.

Today, let’s remember that God is honored when we work diligently. When we use our gifts and talents, we showcase the brilliance of the Creator who made us. We do not know how He will use the work of our hands, but let us keep in mind that being hardworking and responsible is an act of worship. He will open our eyes to see how He aims to use everything for His glory!

Prayer: Father, open our eyes! We are so short-sighted when it comes to what You orchestrate on this earth. We confess that we can be so callous to Your presence all around us. Would You open our eyes so that we can worship You through our work? Give us a fresh perspective on what it means to worship You with the work of our hands. Help us to be faithful and find great joy in our work today. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 12

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Lunch Break Study

Read Colossians 3:1-17: If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.  7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Questions to Consider

1. What does it mean for us to live but still set our lives on things that are above?
2. After we are instructed to set our mind on things above, what are the rules for how we should live the rest of our lives on earth?
3. Let’s take note of all the qualities Paul lists here as characteristic of God’s people. Which ones are you good at exhibiting, and which ones can be increased? Pray and ask God to continue to transform our hearts and character.

Notes

1. Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, our lives are now transformed and hidden with Him. We set our lives on ’things above’ but living with a heavenly perspective. We are completely rooted in the reality of our lives on earth; however, our ultimate purpose, identity, and goals are linked with the eternal life we have with God.
2. The meaning and impact of our lives are largely defined by the attitudes of the heart. The dimension of our work that is most important revolves around reflecting the image of Christ to those around us. The focus is now whether we love God and others deeply. 
3. Personal reflection.

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Evening Reflection

Reflect on the past day of work. Did we find an opportunity to find God as we yearned to be faithful and attentive to the tasks at hand? 

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on June 27, 2018, is written by Phillip Chen, who has been serving as the associate pastor of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego for many years. He and several like-minded people are planting, the Lord willing, a new AMI church in Houston this summer. Please pray for them.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Being a Prophetic Voice”

Jeremiah 15:10 (ESV)

Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land! I have not lent, nor have I borrowed, yet all of them curse me.

I strongly dislike confrontation; not only that, I’m just not good at it. Sometimes when I need to rebuke someone or point out an area that they need to improve on, I stress out while planning out what I’m going to say. Of course it may sound good in my head—until, the actual confrontation happens. Then, for some reason, all of the things I’ve prepared escape my mind, and I talk about everything but what I need to say, until I’ve thoroughly confused the person. I definitely have to grow in this area. Yet some people are naturally good at it: for example, my wife can rebuke people with a smile on her face, and they actually leave feeling convicted and loved. 

Whether you’re good at it or not, there are times where we need to confront people— particularly convictions that God has placed on our hearts. After all, we are His mouthpieces. Whether it’s sharing the gospel with someone we’re nervous about sharing with, or having a difficult conversation about sin in people’s lives, we know that we must be faithful to the word that the Lord has put on our lips. But it’s definitely not easy.

I used to think about how amazing it must be to be a prophet, since they get to be the direct mouthpiece of God; not only that, they had the ability to do miraculous things (because the power of God was so present in their lives). And then I realized that most of the prophets actually had a very difficult time. They had to say hard things to people that no one wanted to say and were probably hated by many. They were definitely not the popular ones—many of them lived very tragic lives. Jeremiah (known as the “weeping prophet”) probably cried so many tears over the nation of Judah because he knew what was coming for this nation but also because the whole land hated him. In fact, in the middle of this conversation with God, he cries out in agony because the whole nation is angry at him for prophesying destruction upon their nation. How difficult it must have been to be a prophet in a time of rampant sin, prophesying that God’s judgment was coming! 

Yet God gave Jeremiah the grace to speak the difficult words that needed to be said—despite a whole nation against him. God has also given each of us specific words that need to be said. In the midst of difficult conversations, and the truth we must speak from our convictions, He gives us the grace to do so. May we live prophetic lives, speaking forth the word of God through our lips with grace and truth. 

Prayer: Father God, I pray that You would help me to speak Your truth with wisdom and grace. In times when I need to have difficult conversations with someone, strengthen me and give me the courage to speak forth Your truth. Give me a love for people and a tenderness in my words to lead people closer to You rather than further away from You. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 11

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Lunch Break Study

Read Colossians 4:2-6 (ESV): Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Question to Consider

1. What is the Paul’s prayer request? 

2. What are some ways salt would be used, and why do you think Paul uses this analogy of being “seasoned with salt”?

3. When you have a conviction from the Lord to confront someone, how do you approach it? 

Notes

1. That he would have opportunities to share about Jesus. Even though he is in prison on account of the gospel, his prayer is that God would use and strengthen him to be faithful in speaking forth the good news of Jesus. He also asks the believers in Colossae to pray that he would be clear in his speech so that people would understand the mystery of Christ. 

2. Salt was used to bring greater taste to bland foods, it was used to preserve foods that would spoil easily, and in some instances, it was used as a means of healing. With that, our speech ought to bring greater taste (edifying), it ought to preserve this decaying world, and it definitely must be a means of healing. Our words are so powerful and ought to be used to build up rather than to destroy.

3. Personal response.

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Evening Reflection

James 3 talks about the power of the tongue – it has the power to do great things (to build up or destroy people). Think about the words that came out of your mouth today. How did you use these words? Did you speak forth the love of God? Or did you use it to hurt others? Spend some time reflecting before the Lord and ask Him to fine tune your tongue to be used as an instrument for His glory.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on May 1, 2018, is provided by Jabez Yeo. He and his family are getting ready to leave for Thailand as missionaries with OMF.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“A Shattered Reputation”

Mark 15:1-15

1 Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate. 2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate. “You have said so,” Jesus replied. 3 The chief priests accused him of many things. 4 So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of.” 5 But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed. 6 Now it was the custom at the festival to release a prisoner whom the people requested. 7 A man called Barabbas was in prison with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the uprising. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did. 9 “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate, 10 knowing it was out of self-interest that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. 12 “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them. 13 “Crucify him!” they shouted. 14 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!” 15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

After having worked for a financial corporation in New York City for several years, I have learned that a common theme running through today’s corporate culture is branding. Whether it’s the status of our company or our personal reputation, managing our standing is given high priority. Thus, we meticulously display our best selves on our resumes and social media, and minimize our weaknesses by terming them “areas of improvement.” And if any false accusations are leveled against us—whether through gossip or hearsay—we act quickly to dispel those rumors to maintain our reputation. 

In contrast, today’s reading displays Jesus, the only perfect man to have walked this earth, staying silent (v.5) despite being falsely accused (v. 3). Even an outsider like Pilate was able to discern that the ill treatment towards Jesus was based on envy as opposed to justice (v. 10). And when Pilate asked the crowd what wrong Jesus had committed (v.14), there was no response to his question, only further cries to “crucify him” (v.15). Why did Jesus accept such vile treatment? 

One possibility is that Jesus knew His mission from the Father and only lived to do His will (John 4:34). Luke notes that “when the days drew near for him [Jesus] to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Like a solider, Jesus did not entangle Himself in civilian pursuits but only aimed to please God (2 Tim. 2:4). Knowing that fulfilling His Father’s mission involved being despised by others (Isa. 53:3), Jesus endured the abuse and completed His task. The irony of it all is that He will eventually be praised by all men (Phil. 2:9-11).

As believers today, are we getting involved in the wrong battles? Are we diverting precious time and effort from kingdom work by curating our reputations? When we hear something about ourselves that we may not like, perhaps deeper understanding and reconciliation can be achieved by trying to understand, instead of instantly defending ourselves. And even if such words about us are wholly false, let us take comfort that He who knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21) was not immune to such attacks. Let us ask Him for His strength today.  

Prayer: Lord, I confess that I care too much about what others think or say about me. I confess that I spend time putting out these fires, instead of resting in the righteousness that You have given me. Give me the wisdom to discern when to speak and when to be silent. And thank You that in Your eyes, I am fully righteous because of the work of Christ. In Your Name I pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 10

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Lunch Break Study

Read Isaiah 50:5-9: “The Sovereign Lord has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. 6 I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. 7 Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. 8 He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! 9 It is the Sovereign Lord who helps me. Who will condemn me? They will all wear out like a garment; the moths will eat them up.”

Isaiah 50:5-9

Questions to Consider

1. How does Jesus resemble the Suffering Servant in this passage?

2. Why does the Suffering Servant have such boldness and confidence in verses 8-9?

3. Do you have such trust and confidence in God?

Note

1. Jesus did not turn away from His accusers (v.5-6). He took comfort that God the Father would keep Him from disgrace and set His face like a flint to carry out God’s will (v.7).
2. He has tremendous trust in the Lord, who vindicates Him (v.8) and helps Him (v.9). As Christians, we, too, can have the same confidence that it is the work of Christ, not our own actions that justify us.
3. Personal response.

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Evening Reflection

Unlike Jesus, we are not perfect people. Even the harshest of criticism or slander may have a sliver of truth. If you have been the recipient of some choice words, ask God for His help to discern what may actually be helpful.

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.