REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on April 3, 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

“The Problem Is Me”

Mark 7:14-15;21-23

And he called the people to him again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand:  There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him… For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Several years ago, I was driving back to Boston from the New Jersey area. It was late at night and I was surprised at the number of cars that were on the highway with me. Even more unusual was the number of cars that were honking and high-beaming. A car would swerve in front of me, and honk obnoxiously, and then speed ahead. I thought to myself “Yup, Massachusetts drivers… rude!” Another car kept high-beaming me from behind, for 5 straight minutes, before swerving around me and speeding off. My frustration with these terrible drivers was coming to a boiling point. It was in this moment that I looked down at my dashboard and realized that my headlights had been off during my entire drive. I had been driving 80mph, lightless, in the dead of the night, putting myself and everyone in my vicinity in danger. No one was around to see, but my face turned bright red in embarrassment as I realized, the problem was me.

When things go wrong, when relationships turn sour, when people get hurt, we are always looking to understand the source of this pain. Our first reaction may be to analyze the circumstances; perhaps we were just in an unfortunate situation. Then, our tendency is to look for faults in other people. But our passage for today teaches us that the primary source of evil and brokenness in our lives is the very heart that is within us. It takes a lot of humility to recognize that we are broken on the inside. But when we come to terms with the true condition of our hearts, that’s when the door opens for God’s healing to come. 

Today, let us not be too quick to cast blame on others or the flaws of our society in general. Before we go there, let’s first admit that we, too, are in need of redemption.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, help us today. Without Your help, what righteous thing can we do? Grant us the humility to recognize the brokenness of our own hearts. At the same time give us confidence, knowing that You are living and working within us, empowering us to be Your ministers of reconciliation. In his name, amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 18

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Lunch Break Study

Read James 3:7-12: For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Questions to Consider

1. According to James, what is the problem with the tongue?
2. What hope does James offer in regard to fixing this problem?
3. Read Luke 6:43-45 what does Jesus say about the tongue (mouth)? 

Notes

1. According to James, the tongue (our words that proceed from it) is evil and full of deadly poison. He explains that it’s because we use our lips to bless God, but also to curse people.
2. Unfortunately, James offers no hope. In fact, he states that “no human being can tame the tongue.” In other words, there is no power within us that is able to fix this problem. 
3. In this passage, Jesus says, “for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” We see that the problem of the tongue is but a symptom of the heart. The root of the issue is not about having enough self-control to be able to hold back certain words. Rather, the source of the brokenness is the heart itself. The good news is that when we come to God, He is in the business of giving us new hearts.

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Evening Reflection

Spend some time this evening thinking of people in your life who might be blessed by a word of encouragement from you. It may be a co-worker, a classmate, a roommate, or a family member. Pray for them tonight, and perhaps you can share a word of encouragement with them the next time you see them. 

NEW Charmer Pratt, a longtime member of Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia, has served faithfully in the welcoming ministry since 2016.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Clear the Trees” 

Joshua 17:14-18 

The people of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the LORD has blessed us abundantly.” “If you are so numerous,” Joshua answered, “and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites.” The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have chariots fitted with iron, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.” But Joshua said to the tribes of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment ¹⁸ but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have chariots fitted with iron and though they are strong, you can drive them out.” 

The Lead Pastor of the Remnant Church in New York City, Pastor Joseph Chung, preached on this passage at AMI Revolution 2023 in Boston, and something that God spoke through this message is what I would like to share today.

In this moment of the book of Joshua, Israel has taken over most of the Promised Land and is dividing it. However, the tribe of Joseph are complaining about the size of their allotment. Joshua, God’s appointed leader of Israel, tells them that more land is available if they clear the forests occupied by the Perizzites, Rephaites, and Canaanites, who were already promised to be driven out by LORD through Israel (see Exodus 34:11). Joshua also reminds them that they have already been equipped by the LORD to do this. In response to this, the people of Joseph decry the difficulty of the task. 

I think we can all relate to the way the tribe of Joseph is feeling in this passage in one way or another. Although almost none of us has been called or will be called to clear out a forest or drive out a nation, we’ve all seen a problem, but shrank in fear when God is calling us to be used by Him to solve it. Immediately, our minds can go from resolute complaining to excuse making in a matter of seconds, and we can come up with a dozen excuses for why we’re not qualified for the task that God has called us to do. 

I’ve been feeling this way for at least the past two years in my own life. For years, I’ve been reading these AMI Quiet Times wondering why the new posts have stopped until one day God told me, “Then you write something.” I’ve come up with many poor excuses to not write, from lack of time or Biblical knowledge to worrying what others will think of my writing style. But God’s command is persistent, so here is my disobedience turned into obedience. 

Is there something you see that is bothering you and causing you to think, “Why is nothing being done about this?” Perhaps it’s a sign from God that He is calling you to be the one to be used by Him. 

Ryun Chang: Thank you Charmer for obeying the Lord—finally a new post in two years!

Prayer: LORD, please forgive me for my complaining, bystanding heart. When You show me areas of my life, my church, and my community where action needs to be taken, may I see it not as a source to gripe, but as an opportunity to be used by You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 17

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Lunch Break Study

(by Jennifer Kim, first posted on November 19, 2017)

Read Luke 18:1-8: Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me legal protection from my opponent.’ 4 For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

Questions to Consider

1. Why did the widow approach the judge?
2. How did the judge respond to the widow?
3. In light of this parable, what is God teaching us about prayer?

Notes

1. The widow kept coming to the judge seeking justice.  She wanted legal protection from her opponent (v. 3).
2. The judge was unwilling at first, but he listened to the widow because of her tenacity and her persistence (v. 5).
3. God is teaching us to pray at all times and to not lose heart.  If even an unjust judge who has no respect for God or man is willing to listen to the widow, then how much more will a just God respond favorably to the appeal of His children?  When we ask for the things that align to the purposes of God, He assures us to not give up because He will bring about His justice quickly.

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Evening Reflection

We learned today that we ought to be tenacious for the things of the Lord.  Take a moment to think about something that you really desire from Him.  Don’t be afraid to ask!  Pray that ultimately God would give you His perspective and wisdom in your asking.

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on April 8, 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/

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Love Overrides Shame”

Mark 8:38

For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

In my college years, I was incredibly anxious about the idea of marriage. Even though I knew I wanted to get married, eventually, so many things about marriage scared me. Perhaps the scariest thing for me was the proposal. For some reason, whether through movies or people telling me grandiose stories about the proposal of a friend of a friend, I had gotten it in my mind that my proposal had to be this epic, historic event… otherwise my fiancé wouldn’t be happy. In college, I wasn’t even dating yet, but the thought of having to put together such a monumental feat made my palms sweat just thinking about it. There’s something about making a public declaration that makes most people at least a little bit nervous.

Perhaps that’s why many Christians are ashamed, or scared, about being public in their walk with Jesus. For me, the thought of evangelism evokes many of the same anxieties I had when I was thinking about proposals in college; it’s the fear of standing out for something you believe in. Even Jesus’ disciples went through this. When Jesus was arrested, just before He was crucified, Peter was asked multiple times if he was a follower of Jesus; and Peter, out of fear, denied even knowing Him. Yet when Jesus encounters Peter alone again, He restores him by asking him three times, “Do you love me?”

In a profound way, love overrides shame. When it came time for me to propose to Grace, now my wife, I was still a bit scared and nervous. But my love for her overcame whatever fear existed within. Also, I came to the realization that what she actually wanted wasn’t the most exuberant proposal in all of human history, but rather, a sincere confession of my love for her. 

In a similar way, when it comes to living out our faith in the public arena, we shouldn’t just willpower our way into being witnesses. Instead, we have to remember our love for Jesus, because our love for Him can override any shame that exist within. And I believe that what Jesus is asking us to do isn’t necessarily to put on the largest spectacle, but rather, demonstrate a sincere confession of our love for Him. The main question then becomes, “Do I love Him?” Let’s spend some time today renewing and reminding our hearts in our love for Jesus.

Prayer: Jesus, we love You. We sing about it all the time, but it’s also a reality in our hearts. Help us to love You more. Out of our love for You, we also want to be unashamed. Help us to overcome any fears that reside within our hearts. You know us better than anyone and so we have nothing to hide from You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 16

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on June 2, 2018, is provided by Pastor Joshua Kim. Joshua, a graduate of Emory University, Columbia Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Talbot Theological Seminary (Th.M.), is the Lead Pastor of Upper Room Seattle church.  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Wise in Our Own Eyes”

Jeremiah 8.4-12

“You shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord,

“Do men fall and not get up again?
Does one turn away and not repent?
5 “Why then has this people, Jerusalem,
Turned away in continual apostasy?
They hold fast to deceit,
They refuse to return.
6 “I have listened and heard,
They have spoken what is not right;
No man repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his course,
Like a horse charging into the battle.
7 “Even the stork in the sky
Knows her seasons;
And the turtledove and the swift and the thrush
Observe the time of their migration;
But My people do not know
The ordinance of the Lord.

8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the law of the Lord is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.
9 “The wise men are put to shame,
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord,
And what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 “Therefore I will give their wives to others,
Their fields to new owners;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest
Everyone practices deceit.
11 “They heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
12 “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They certainly were not ashamed,
And they did not know how to blush;
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
At the time of their punishment they shall be brought down,”
Says the Lord.

As my wife and I prepare for our first child, I have noticed how much more attentive I am of how other people interact with their own kids—how they speak to the child, what they let get away, what they don’t, the countenance of the parent when interacting with their child. If you were to ask me how I feel about preparing for our first child, I’d confess that I’m honestly not sure because the thought of raising a child, let alone, raising a child well is so beyond my understanding that I am not sure what to think.

Yet, I catch myself noticing certain behaviors of parents or kids… and saying to myself, “Oh my daughter definitely won’t be like that.” “She’s never behaving like that.” I know, I know, especially parents are chuckling, thinking, “Boy, are you going to get owned.”

This thought that all of us probably have had where we think we know better or more than someone else, this idea that we have a wisdom, is such a falsehood that we hold onto. In fact, this presumption of knowledge when we read in scripture is actually not just wrong but wicked before the eyes of God, especially when it comes to understanding our lives. 

In today’s passage, God calls out the people for this very reason. He talks about how normal it is for someone who falls to get up; someone who goes the wrong way to turn back around, and yet these people continue to go down the path of disobedience. Something that comes so naturally to storks and turtledoves, God’s people cannot seem to grasp. And yet they regard themselves as wise—why? Because they have the law of the Lord. As we discussed on Monday, religion had replaced true relationship, and the people believed in this deceit. 

True wisdom, scripture teaches us, it not having a lot of knowledge, of laws and obligations. True wisdom is a way of life that is lived under the fear of God. True wisdom is dynamic—not something possessed and stagnant. And I pray that all of us would have this humble spirit in us that acknowledge that apart from a life intertwined to God, we are nothing. 

Prayer: Father, thank You that in You, we can have true wisdom. Forgive us for the ways we think we know how all of this works. We may have all the knowledge in the world, but unless that knowledge is anchored in You, we nothing but fools. Help us to not be like the people of Judah who find comfort in how much we know. Rather, in humility, help us to find ourselves before Your feet, asking for You to speak to us. In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 14-15

REPOSTToday’s AMI Devotional QT, first posted on February 16, 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

“Moving into the Unknown”

Genesis 46:1-4

So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. 4 I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”

One of the most laborious and painstaking things in life is—moving.  This past summer my family moved from our old apartment into our new house, and while we were thankful for God’s provision of a new home, the process was not fun at all.  If you’ve moved recently, you know that it’s so much work: you pack up all of your belongings and put them in boxes, much less load up a truck, recruit help, unload, clean your old place and your new place, and the list goes on. Because there’s just so much work involved, as people get older, there is a growing desire to be settled.  I’d imagine that for most of us, by the time we reach retirement age, the last thing we’d want to do is to move.

But that is exactly what Jacob had to do. Jacob was very old at this point in Genesis, and it seems that he was not in great health either; but this one last time, he had to move from Canaan to Egypt. He was uprooting his entire life—all of his family, all of his flocks, and all of his possessions— to go to a place that he did not consider his home.  For Jacob, this wasn’t just a laborious thing to do— like my family’s move this past summer—but it was emotionally difficult, because he was going into the unknown.  He was going to Egypt to start over in a new place.  In his advanced age, instead of being settled and secure, he must have felt fearful and insecure as he ventured into the unknown.

It’s difficult to move, but even more difficult is to go into the unknown.  I think we all would have felt anxious and fearful if we were in Jacob’s shoes, but the good news for Jacob—and for us— is that God’s presence is promised.  God doesn’t just tell Jacob that everything would be okay and that he didn’t need to worry, but God so personally promises him, “I myself will go down with you to Egypt.”  Moving into the unknown or walking into uncertainty is never easy, but if we remember our God who promises His presence, we can walk by faith, knowing that God Himself walks with us.  

Prayer: Jesus, help me to walk by faith this day and help me to remember Your enduring presence, which is with me every day.  I pray that Your peace will rest upon my soul as I trust in You.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today:   John 13

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Lunch Bible Study

Read Exodus 33:12-16: Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ 13 Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” 14 And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” 15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”

Questions to Consider

1. What does Moses ask of God in this passage?
2. How does God reassure Moses?
3. Why was God’s presence so important to Moses?

Notes

1. Moses asks God, “let me know whom you will send with me” to bring the people of Israel into the Promised Land. Moses isn’t asking about the names of the angels or other agents—he’s essentially asking God to show him that He is with Moses and Israel. 
2. God promises that His presence will go with him and bring him rest/peace in the lord.
3. Moses didn’t feel like it was worth going into Canaan unless God’s presence went in with them.  It was important to Moses (and to God) that Israel be distinct and different from all other people on the planet because of God’s presence with them.

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Evening Reflection

As you think about this day, did you get a sense of God’s presence?  If so, praise God! If not, consider whether there’s a part of you that feels distant from God or not really seeking Him.  Regardless of where your heart is, take some time to pray and ask Him for help and for His presence.

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