Editor’s Note: The AMI Quiet Times for January 24-25 are provided by Jabez Yeo of TRPC, NYC.
Devotional Thoughts for This Morning
Jn. 4:27-8; 39-42: “Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward Him. . . . Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to Him, they urged Him to stay with them and He stayed two days. And because of His words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
One movie released in 2014 that I enjoyed enough to watch more than once was Interstellar. Among other things, I loved the movie’s breathtaking setting of space; the suspenseful narrative which showcased the best and worst of humanity; the deeply moving Hans Zimmer soundtrack, etc. So whenever there was a discussion among friends or co-workers about good movies to watch, I would (and still do) enthusiastically recommend them to watch Interstellar. Seeing it for the second time with my sisters and watching them get engrossed in it only made me enjoy the movie even more than before
Perhaps you are not a movie watching person or have a different opinion about Interstellar. The point is that whatever activity you enjoy or person you admire; you will naturally praise it amongst others. To praise is to express admiration or approval and praise is so reflexive that we don’t even think about it. Great food from a restaurant, a person’s lifelong accomplishments; a highlight from one of our favorite athletes: all of these can be sources of praise. And whatever or whoever your praise may be about; it will most likely make its way into your conversations in person or perhaps into your statuses and tweets.
The Samaritan woman mentioned in the verses above has often been described as one of Jesus’ first evangelists. After meeting Jesus, she enthusiastically praised Him and shared about His impact in her life with others; and as a result, many became believers. As people who have encountered Jesus in our lives, we too should praise Him and share about His life-changing effect with others. No doubt we may face barriers, but keep in mind that the Samaritan woman had her own obstacles as well. Her inferior status as a woman in Middle Eastern society and her reputation as an adulterer did not prevent her from sharing about Jesus in wise ways (i.e. using a rhetorical question instead of the declaration “He is the Messiah”, which others might have scoffed at or ignored).
But before we begin to praise Jesus amongst others, have we encountered Him recently? Have we remembered His goodness during our times of prayer or our reading of His Word? Methods and strategies are good for evangelism but what’s also important is a heart alive from meeting Christ. Let’s reach out our hands and ask Him to meet us where we are at this Sunday; that He will meet us so that we will naturally declare like David did, “I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done” (Psalm 9:1).
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to share about You with others but I know that I cannot out of my own limited strength and hesitancy. Help me to encounter You today and to tell of all the marvelous things that You have done. May my praise to You overflow from my lips unto the hearts of many this day and in the future. In Your name, I pray, Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Isaiah 29
Indeed, one of the many beautiful things about the Gospel is that it is profound enough to study for one’s lifetime but simple enough for a child to understand. And this fact is important as in this passage, Jesus instructs His disciples to become like little children, lest they find themselves outside the kingdom of heaven. When we think of children, many character traits might come to mind (especially for parents or babysitters!) but one appropriate trait is this: vulnerability. Children are vulnerable because they are weaker (physically, spiritually, mentally, etc.) than they will be in the future. They are vulnerable because most of them are dependent on their parents for their sustenance and survival. And they are vulnerable because of their innocent faith; rarely do children refrain from trusting others, even those whom they have just met.
Restaurants can ask people who don’t comply with their dress codes to leave after they have somehow snuck in. Likewise, anyone who enters a ticketed event with a counterfeit one can be removed if found out later. This parable shows that the same applies to an event held just before the ushering in of eternity: the wedding of the Lamb where Christ and his bride, referring to the church (believers), are officially unified. And the dress code for the participants? “Fine linen, bright and clean, was given [to his bride] her to wear” (Rev. 19:7-8). John explains that “fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.”
Also, this parable isn’t implying that some unbelievers will be mistakenly allowed into the wedding of the Lamb only to be removed later. What it does highlight is that there are some resemblances between the true gospel and the false, where in some cases, their differences won’t be clearly revealed until the end. In the parable of the weeds, when the servants noticed that the wheat and the weeds were growing together, they asked the master, “Do you want us to . . . pull them up?” But the master responded, “No. . . because while you are pulling the weed, you may root up the wheat with them” (Matt. 13:29).
“Kyle” served at our church, then later became a youth pastor at another church and got married. I called him up, one day, in order to catch up; and when I asked about his present ministry, he said, “My present ministry is focusing on my wife.” Since the word ministry comes from the Greek word diakoneō, meaning to serve, Kyle certainly ought to love his wife (Eph. 5:28) and “treat [her] with respect” (1 Pet. 3:7).
When we have a lot on our mind, it’s difficult to think about serving God, much less pray or read the Bible. Thus, the Bible exhorts us to avoid circumstances that sap the desire to grow in our spiritual life. Peter says that husbands should treat their wives with respect (thereby avoiding marital conflicts) “so that nothing will hinder your prayers” (1 Pet. 3:7). On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Peter, John and James failed to stay up to pray along with Jesus because they were “exhausted from sorrow” (Lk. 22:45).
In addition, Paul declared, “Do not be anxious about anything” so as to “present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:6). Adding to the list of things that produce anxiety, it is buying things and then using them. Once, I counseled a newly-wed couple who, despite making over $100,000 a year (in the 1990s), still racked up a debt of $40,000. In contrast, I was making one-third of that amount, with two kids, but without any debt. The source of their problem? They were part of the average American who spend 110% of their income each year, thanks to credit cards and easy loans.
After becoming a believer in 1981, I began praying for my father’s salvation, but he didn’t seem to respond at all. At that time, he was doing well financially operating a cafeteria in an affluent section of Washington D.C. Sensing that his god was his wealth and his mind was set on earthly things, I began praying, “Lord, allow his business to fail if that’s what it’ll take for him to come to You.” Fast forward to 1986, when my parents came to California for my engagement—grabbing my hand, my father said, “I’m so happy right now even though I lost my restaurant because Jesus is in my heart!” No sooner than I was reminded of my earlier prayer, my father added, “Your uncle gave you $1,000 as a gift but I can only give you $100; I need the rest for the engagement.” A bittersweet moment? No, it was all sweet!
In the parable, the first man rejected God’s offer of salvation on account of his business, saying, “I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it.” Either he was lying or wasn’t a good businessman: who buys a field without first seeing it? Ultimately, “whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income” (Eccles. 5:10). Meanwhile, he neglects the things of God until the very day when God says, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself” (Lk. 12:20). Don’t be a fool by bartering away eternal life in Christ with the momentary enjoyment of earthly things. Take a pause and reflect: are you right with God? Confess. Repent.
When the 4th century monk named Telemachus came to Rome from the East, he was shocked by the gladiatorial combats. So, “stepping down into the arena, [he] endeavored to stop the men who were wielding their weapons against one another” (Theodoret). The spectators, indignant at the interruption, stoned him to death. Emperor Honorius, impressed by the monk’s conviction, officially put a stop to gladiatorial fights at the outset of 404 A.D.
The Civil Rights movement, inspired by Rosa Parks and led by Rev. Martin Luther King, was no different. King, using the biblical narrative of Exodus to inspire African-Americans in their fight for freedom from racial repression, never wavered from the just cause even when batons and fire hoses were used to halt the marchers. The conscience of the indifferent American public was stricken upon seeing on television the images of African-Americans being treated like lambs being slaughtered by butchers. While neither the terrorism of the Black Panther Party nor the radicalism the Nation of Islam melted America’s hardened heart, the valiant and non-violent Civil Rights marchers did.
In the NBA, no one could stop Shaquille O’Neil in his heyday; once this powerful player had the ball in the paint area, any strategy used against him mattered very little him—he almost always made a basket.
While the quality of the soil certainly affects whether the seed reaches its fullest potential, it can grow, however anemic, under almost any soil. In another parable, Jesus spoke of how “night and day, whether the [sower] sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how” (Mk. 4:27). Still in another parable, the Lord explained that as long as a kernel “falls to the ground . . . it produces many seeds” (Jn. 12:24). Apostle Paul, in speaking of those who preached God’s word (i.e., sowed the seed) with a wrong motive, said, “The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached” (Phil. 1:18). What do these verses indicate? Regardless of the listener’s receptivity or the preacher’s motive, because “the word of God is living and active[,] sharper than any double-edged sword , it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12 NIV).
It had been nearly 70 years since many Israelites (including Daniel and Ezekiel) were forcibly taken to Babylonia as exiles, but unexpectedly, their life there was comfortable as Jeremiah had prophesized: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I carried you into exile” (Jer. 29:7). But one day, God moved their heart (Ez. 1:5) through Cyrus, the king of Persia, who said to the Jews, “Anyone of his people . . . let him go up to Jerusalem . . . and build the temple of the LORD” (1:3).
But around the time the work had ceased for 16 years, God sent Haggai to remind the exiles about why they had left Persia in the first place. Their response was so underwhelming that God said, “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come for the LORD’s house to be built. . . .’ Is it a time for you and yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin” (Hag. 1:2-3)? These once-committed people had become callous, and instead of admitting their unwillingness to rebuild the temple, they flippantly said that it wasn’t the right time. Meanwhile, they busied themselves by building a mansion (paneled house) for their own home.
These examples point to a “shallow faith” (i.e., seed sown on rocky places) in which the initial joy of hearing God’s word (the gospel) is short-lived because of trouble or persecution. Typically, having no root refers to Christians who lack knowledge of God’s word, resulting in their faith being destroyed (Hos. 4:6). This doesn’t necessarily mean having no biblical knowledge; rather, whatever knowledge they had was incorrect, therefore, their faith was utterly helpless to withstand trouble or persecution. It is as if they were caught by surprise because they didn’t know or no one taught them that “in this world you will have trouble” (Jn. 16:33); or even if you are a Christian, “It has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him” (Phil. 1:29).
At the root of our faith, what’s crucial is not so much the extent of biblical knowledge but whether we know correctly the crux of God’s will revealed in the Scripture. For instance, some know by heart numerous verses that allegedly back the health and wealth gospel. One prosperity teacher declared, “If I walk justly and according to the Word of God, I am completely convinced that I can be free of sickness and pain.” Another declared, “God’s top priority is to shower blessings on Christians in this lifetime.” But when a loved one gets really sick, or you are barely making ends meet despite giving generously, the very teaching that appeared so promising becomes a stumbling block; you may fall as a result.