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

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“When Worship Becomes a Mere Tradition”

Mark 7:1-8

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bible Reading for Today: John 1

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Lunch Break Study

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

Questions to Consider

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

Notes

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

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Evening Reflection

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

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

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

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Jon’s First Time”

Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Timothy 4

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

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Meaning of Raising Three Little Munchkins” 

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

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

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

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

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

Prayer: Help, Lord! Thank You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Timothy 2-3

REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional QT, first posted on February14, 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

“Success and Power”

Genesis 45:9-11

Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not tarry. 10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. 11 There I will provide for you, for there are yet five years of famine to come, so that you and your household, and all that you have, do not come to poverty.”

I have distinct memories of my parents telling me starting at a very young age that it was my responsibility to be successful—that is, to grow up, do well in school, and get a good, well-paying job.  The purpose was so that I could provide for my parents financially and take care of them.  They would move into the house I owned that would presumably be big enough for them and my future wife and children.  This is the expectation of a firstborn son, like me, in a traditional Chinese family.  

Joseph would have made a great firstborn Chinese son.  His hard work and perseverance had paid off.  His position as the “lord of all Egypt” made him one of the most powerful people in the world and a very wealthy man as well.  He sends word to his father to come to Egypt, because Joseph is so successful that he is able to provide for his father and his whole family financially, giving them a place to live in Egypt in the midst of a severe famine.  Joseph used his success and his power to care for his family.

We live in a culture where success and power is about elevating the self.  If someone “makes it” in life, they are supposed to buy the nice house, nice car, expensive gadgets, and go on extravagant vacations— and all of this is to glorify the self.  The traditional Chinese ethic is a bit better, since the goal of success is to provide for your family; but even then, it is a self-centered path.  God calls us to use our success and power for something much greater than providing for our own families.  

While Joseph did use his wealth and power to provide for his family, God was using him for much greater purposes.  Joseph was blessing nations who were in need of food, and thus he was preserving lives.  And, of course, in taking care of his family, Joseph was being used by God to keep His covenant with Abraham and make his descendants into a great nation.  Joseph did not work to glorify himself, but he was glorifying God through his success and power.

As you do your work today, what or who are you doing it for?  What is the purpose of your success, power or privilege?  Let’s seek to use whatever God has given us to be a blessing to this world!

Prayer: Jesus, help me to be a blessing to others this day. I pray that I will not focus on myself and what I get out of life, but I will be used by You to bless those around me.  Use me for Your glory, God. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today:  2 Timothy 1

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Lunch Bible Study

Read 1 Timothy 6:17-19: As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Questions to Consider

• According to this passage, what are the dangers of being rich?  Why is this a danger for all of us, even if we are not wealthy now?
• What should the rich do with their wealth?
• What is the reward for being righteous with our wealth?

Notes

• Paul tells Timothy to warn those who are rich to not be proud or put their hope in their wealth.  The danger of riches is that we can find ourselves trusting in those riches for joy and security, instead of trusting in God.  In today’s world, if you are able to read this devotional, you are VERY rich, especially in comparison to the rest of the world.  So this is a warning for all of us.  We must all be careful not to put our hope in riches or in future riches, but we must strive to put all of our hope in God and His love for us. 
• The rich are to do good, do good works, and be generous and ready to share their wealth to anyone in need.  In 1 Timothy 6:10, Paul calls money “the root of all kinds of evil,” but money itself is not intrinsically evil.  If we have riches, God has a purpose in giving it to us; it is meant to be used to bless others.  
• The reward for generosity and doing good works with our riches is that we “take hold of that which is truly life,” meaning that when we are people who receive wealth and freely give it away, we get to live life the way it’s meant to be lived.  People who give generously live joyfully, while people who are stingy and hold on to their riches will never feel fulfilled or fully joyful.

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Evening Reflection

Think about all that you have financially, materially, relationally and spiritually. If we step back and really think about how much we have, we should realize that we are wealthy.  God has not given you everything you have just for your comfort and joy; He has a much greater purpose for you. Pray about all that you have and see what God might have you do with it.

REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional, first posted on February 8, 2018, is provided by Pastor Doug Tritton. Doug has been pastoring Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia since 2021.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Finding Family”

Genesis 43:11-4

Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 12 Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. 14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”

Many of us likely know the story of the prodigal son, a parable told by Jesus in Luke 15. A son, who was the younger of two brothers, asked his father for his share of the inheritance and, having received it from his father, left and went to live in a far country where he wasted all the money. But upon realizing his utter bankruptcy, the son thinks to himself, “Perhaps I should return home.” However, because of his worry that the father won’t accept him unless he returns as a servant, he plans a speech accordingly: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:18-9).

There is a similar feeling expressed by Jacob and his sons in our passage for today. They believe they have wronged Joseph and feel like they need to appease him when they return, hence all the gifts they plan to bring with them. There certainly was fear over how Joseph would treat the brothers when they returned to Egypt. Jacob even wonders if he will lose his children. Yet (spoiler alert), when the brothers return to Egypt, they do not encounter a man desiring to punish them like servants, but they encounter a brother wishing to be reconciled to them as family. This is similar to the prodigal son story: the son expected to return as a servant but was rather greeted as a son, as family.

Many of us operate out of fear in our relationship with God. We have the mindset of Jacob and his son, or of the prodigal son, assuming the worst, assuming only condemnation and punishment. Yet, that’s not who our God is! Romans 8:15 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” 

Are you operating out of fear in your relationship with God or out of grace? Remember today that our God delights to call us sons and daughters, not slaves. Through Jesus, we do not find condemnation in God, rather we find family. May we return to Him and receive grace upon grace; may we return to Him and receive the heart of the Father.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for opening a way for me to be called a child of God. Thank You that I am now part of Your family. May I not live in fear, assuming condemnation and punishment. Help me to live in joy, because You have given me grace upon grace. I praise You for this great love You have shown me. May I return to You today. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 50

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Lunch Break Study  

Read Luke 15:20-24: And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

Questions to Consider

• How does the father react to seeing his son coming home?
• What does the father do in response to his son’s rehearsed speech?
• What does this reveal about the father’s heart for us?

Notes

• First off, the fact that the father saw his son means the father was looking for him. He did not move on – he still held onto hope that his lost son would come home. So, when he sees his son on the horizon, his reaction was compassion. He could probably sense the brokenness inside the son. Out of this compassion, the father ran to his son, despite the shame of running, despite the shame his son brought on him. The father ran to his son and embraced him.
• The father cuts him off! The son doesn’t even get to finish his prepared statement. The father basically says, “Stop talking! You are home! You are welcome here and you are still part of this family!” The father clothes his son, thus accepting him back as his son, not slave, and then the father throws a party for him. The father is joyous!
• This is a picture of our Heavenly Father. Despite the distance we may feel between us and Him, despite the brokenness and unworthiness we may feel inside ourselves, the Father always welcomes us back. He runs to us and embraces us and calls us sons and daughters. Our Father is joyous when we come to Him!

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Evening Reflection

This evening, go to the Father. Feel His embrace, feel His ever-present love. Feel the joy that He has for you. Let this consuming love give you peace. May you rest tonight in the love of the Father.

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor Andrew Kim, was originally posted on April 18, 2018. Andrew is presently pastoring Alive Church in Montreal.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Can We Move Mountains?”

Read Mark 11:20-25

“As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God.23 Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have receivedit, and it will be yours. 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Recently, I had dinner with a missionary who I’ve known for a very long time. And one of my favorite things about meeting with him has always been the stories he would share about how God has been moving in his ministry. Although each story is different, the underlying thread is the faith that the missionary has in God to do the impossible—whether it’s reaching out to someone who seems hopelessly lost or the huge financial deficit that needs to be resolved by a certain deadline. Each challenge isn’t met with anxiety, fear or trying to work harder to overcome the roadblocks; instead, he chooses to go to God and ask for mountains to be moved. 

In our passage for today, Jesus challenges us to do the same. Here we find an interesting story about a fig tree that’s withered as a result of Jesus cursing it; and then, He begins to talk about prayer and faith. What’s the connection? The fig tree represents the temple that Jesus had just cleansed in the previous passage. Just like the fig tree, the temple was useless because it bore no fruit— it was busy with religious activities but did not further the mission of God. For Jewish readers, this was a shocking statement since the temple was the focal point of their religion. Jews who were not living in Jerusalem would face east towards the temple when praying, because it was where the presence of God resided.

However, Jesus in this story is suggesting that the temple no longer functions in the same role. With His coming, the temple has dissolved, and as a result, prayer and faith must be directed towards Him. For this reason, the disciples should not lose heart over the failures of Israel exemplified by the temple; instead, they should have faith in God (v. 22) and pray for the impossible. Their movement is not dependent on an institution but on the God who loves them, the One who would ultimately die for them. 

Jesus invites His disciples to pray impossible prayers—like having mountains taken up and thrown into the sea—as they continue in their mission to usher in the kingdom of God. I wonder how many of us approach God in our prayers with that type of faith and audacity. As we try to live for God as believers, do we have faith as we pray? Do we easily get discouraged by the difficulties of life, or do we boldly approach God in prayer knowing that He can pull us through? As followers of Jesus, let us be people of faith. Let’s spend some time in prayer, asking God to move the mountains in our lives for the sake of His glory! 

Prayer: Father, thank You that You are a great God who can do the impossible. I ask that You grant me the type of faith that asks with certainty for mountains to be moved in Your name. Help me to trust in Your power and not in my own strength. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 49

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Lunch Break Study 

Read Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Questions to Consider 

• What are we called to make known to God? 
• What is the result engaging God in prayer and supplication? 
• How do you deal with things that make you anxious in life? 

Notes 

• We are called to make known to God about everything. Oftentimes we simply engage God with only the bigger things of life; however, Paul commands us to bring everything before God. 
• We are given the peace of God. This does not always mean we will understand the struggles and difficulties of our lives, but nonetheless, God will grant us a peace that is beyond our own understanding. 
• Personal response.

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Evening Reflection 

Our busy lives are often full of worry and anxiety. Instead of trying to figure things out on our own, take some time to name them and surrender them before God. Tell Him about all the “mountains” in your life that need to be moved. 

Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on April 24, 2018, is provided by Myra Huang. Myra, a graduate of Juilliard School (BA) and The Manhattan School of Music (M.A.), lives in NYC with her husband Ed Huang and two lovely daughters. She had been a member of The Remnant Church since its inception in 1995. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“I Probably Won’t Win”

James 1:17-8 (NLT)

“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.  He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.  He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word.  And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.” 

Last November, I found out that my last album with my colleague Nick was nominated for a Grammy Award in the “Best Classical Vocal Solo” category.  I am a classical pianist, and I concertize and record albums with opera singers.

When I was young, I grew up winning every competition I ever entered and being the star pianist in my hometown.  However, around the time of college, for the first time, I wasn’t winning everything and doors were closing on me.  I thought to myself, Ah, now that I’m growing as a Christian, God must want to humble me, so He doesn’t want me to win anymore.  So when this Grammy nomination presented itself, I thought, How lovely!  But God probably doesn’t want me to become arrogant, so we probably won’t win.

I spent a few weeks losing sleep because of my anxiety about losing—I knew it was going to hurt.  But then one day, a couple weeks before the actual Grammys Award Ceremony, God met me during worship.  He simply said, “You are not a loser.”  Those words, coming directly from the Lord of my life, exposed that I had almost made a career of learning to be humbled by God.  I thought He would never entrust winning to me again because it was my lot in my life to be humbled.  But with the words “You are not a loser,” I understood in an instant with beautiful clarity that behind God’s sovereign directing of my life was His deep, vast, all-encompassing love.  

Yes, He wanted to work in me so that I would not base my identity on winning or success … because He LOVED me.  He loved me so much that He wanted to give me a security not based on such fleeting things.  God’s timing was so loving to heal me right before the Grammys, so that I could actually enjoy the moment rather than fearing losing.  Also for the first time, I was able to begin imagining all the good things that the Lord had in store for me, rather than just the slice of plain bread I would be rationed every day to survive.  I was able to grasp how lavish was the love my God had for me, and hope began to flood my thoughts as I thought about the future.  I was transformed from a servant who was allowed to be in God’s family, to a prized daughter who was dressed with her Father’s favor.  

So, remember that you are a winner in God’s eyes, apart from anything you do or fail to do, and live a stress and anxiety free day today.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your death and resurrection. The hope of eternal life with You gives meaning to my existence, apart from anything I do or fail to do, and brings joy to the things that I get to do here on earth. Help me to live in light of the joy of eternal life today. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 48

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Lunch Break Study

(Pastor Ryun)

Read Luke 19:1-6 (NIV): “Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Questions to Consider

• Given the category of being a winner or a loser, where would the Israelites place Zacchaeus and why?
• Where would Jesus place Zacchaeus in this category?  Winner or loser? Why do you think so?
• Are you a winner or a loser in God’s eyes? Justify your choice.

Notes

• The Israelites considered Zacchaeus a profound loser for using performance enhancing drugs (something illegal) to get ahead in his career (“chief tax collector”): he betrayed his people by working for the Romans, and he cheated and lied to collect more than what was required to pocket the excess. 
• Jesus would consider Zacchaeus a profound winner, because he recognized that no title or money could satisfy his sense of inadequacy and emptiness, so he sought Jesus—even though he must have looked like a fool climbing a tree to see Jesus.  Anyone who seeks Jesus and His approval above all else is a winner.
• Personal response. Quiet your soul and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart (Rom. 8:16).   

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Evening Reflection

This morning, the issue was how God ministers to us personally and intimately.  Without being ministered that way, we cannot hear anything from the Lord. God may very well be saying, “You are not a loser,” but what good is it if we aren’t hearing it. So try this before going to sleep tonight and allow yourself to hear God’s voice through the Spirt in your heart: “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Ps 37:7a).

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on February 25, 2018, is provided by Joshua Chzen. Joshua has been leading worship at Kairos Christian Church in San Diego, California, for many years. 

Devotional Thought for Today

“A Deeper Understanding”

Genesis 49:22-25 (NIV)

“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall.
23 With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. 24 But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, 25 because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb.

There’s an old Indian fable about a group of blind men who encounter an elephant in their travels. Since the animal is unfamiliar to them, they begin to feel around to try to understand what they face. As each of them touches a different part, every one of the men reaches a different conclusion about the creature in their path. One man touches the elephant’s ear and decides that it must be a large fan. Another wraps his arms around its foot and thinks he’s embracing a tree. The rest of them think they’ve found a spear (its tusk), a snake (its trunk), and a wall (its side). Of course, none of them are correct. This story is commonly used to illustrate issues of perspective in relation to truth; with only a limited perspective to aid their understanding, none of the men really know the truth of what they’ve encountered. (Of course, someone saw the whole thing; otherwise there is no story to tell—sorry relativism.)

We see another illustration of this in Jacob’s relationship with God. Previously, we see him referring to God as “the God of Abraham” or “the God of Isaac” (Gen. 31:53; 32:9). Many years later as he nears death, Jacob gathers his sons and blesses them before he departs. In his blessing for Joseph, we see how much he has grown in his understanding of God. He uses five different names for God – Mighty One of Jacob, Shepherd, Rock of Israel, your father’s God, and Almighty – which reflect his deeper knowledge and experience of the one he worships. In fact, he doesn’t even reference his forefathers Isaac or Abraham; instead, he mentions himself three times as he blesses Joseph. This is not indicative of self-centeredness or vanity, but rather of ownership of his own relationship with the Lord. Jacob understands who God is.

Our understanding of God often follows the same pattern. It can be easy for us to focus only on specific aspects of God and His relationship to us, and in fact it’s probably natural for us to do so. To some, God is first and foremost a father, and loves us as His children. To others, God is the most high and exalted ruler of the universe, and we are His servants. God is the one who comforts and provides; He’s the one who conquers and judges. To base all of our understanding on any single one of these is to give ourselves an incomplete picture of who God is. God is not one of these things, He’s all of them and more. If we desire to wholly know the one who we worship, we need to seek and ask Him to help get us there.

Prayer: Lord, I want to know you more. Through your Word and your Spirit, speak the truth of who you are into my heart. Help me never to stop going deeper in my relationship with You. In Your name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 47

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Lunch Break Study

Read Ephesians 1:15-19 (NIV): For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

Questions to Consider

• What kind of attitude does Paul have in his prayers for the Ephesians?
• What does Paul pray for the Ephesians to receive? Why?
• How are we supposed to deepen our knowledge and understanding of God?

Notes

• Paul intercedes for the Ephesians with a heart of thanksgiving, understanding that every spiritual blessing has been granted from God through Christ, and the Ephesians now get to share in this blessing through their faith in Him. Paul’s gratitude is apparent and unceasing in his prayers for them.
• Paul prays for the Ephesians to receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, in order that they would know God better and that the eyes of their heart would be enlightened. He goes on to ask that they would know God’s hope and glorious inheritance, as well as his incomparably great power. The apostle makes it clear that this sort of wisdom and revelation comes from God.
• If we want to know God more deeply and grow in our understanding of Him, we need to ask for the same wisdom and revelation that comes not from ourselves, but from God alone. This doesn’t mean we passively wait for Him to reveal himself; especially as He grows us in wisdom, this revelation can come through reading and meditating on his Word, crying out in prayer and worship, and living life in a community of discipleship.

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Evening Reflection

Think about an attribute of God that you struggle to understand. It’s easy for us to gloss over things we don’t particularly like or relate to, but spend some time reconciling your idea of God with who the Bible tells us He is. Continue to pray for His wisdom and revelation, as well as a heart of humility in trying to comprehend a God who is ultimately above our comprehension.

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on February 25, 2018, is provided by Pastor David Kwon who leads Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina.  David is a graduate of Drexel University (B.S.) and Columbia International University (M.Div.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Promise Keeper”

Genesis 48:18-22

And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitudeof nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’ Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slopethat I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”

One of the many lessons I try to teach my children is to always be someone who keeps their promises.  A few weeks ago, one of my daughters promised me that she would clean her room by a certain day, but when the day had arrived, her room was still not clean.  Even though I was disappointed by her lack of responsibility, it was a teaching moment for me; so I explained to her that as God’s children, we are called to keep our promises.  

As we look at the end of Genesis 48, we see that God is a Promise Keeper.  True to His word for His name’s sake, He keeps His covenants from generation to generation.  Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, share in Jacob’s blessing, but the younger Ephraim gets a larger portion of favor. Joseph objects when this happens because his father defies the normal custom, which typically grants a greater blessing to the older son. Later in biblical history, in Egypt and at the exodus, Ephraim and Manasseh were great tribes.  All of these details point back to the covenant God had made with Abraham when He promised that He would make of him a great nation filled with prosperity (Genesis 12:2).  God has always kept His promises throughout history and generations.

Here are a few promises in Scripture about who God is and who we are:

• Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6)
• The same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8)
• Sure Foundation (Isa 28:16)
• He is for us (Rom 8:31)
• Our strength (Phil 4:13)
• We are forgiven (Col 1:14)
• We are loved (John 3:16)

What does it mean that God is a promise keeper?  One practical application is that He is trustworthy.  We can surrender our lives to Him.  Spend time today meditating on the promises of God in Christ Jesus.  Pray that you would continually be surrendered to His will and kingdom purposes.

Prayer:  Lord, thank You that you are the ultimate Promise Keeper.  Help me to trust in all my circumstances.  May I be surrendered to Your will and calling for my life today.  Amen!

Bible Reading for Today: Genesis 46

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on February 17, 2018, is provided by Pastor Shan Gian. Shan, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), is the Lead Pastor of Remnant Westside Church in Manhattan

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Dying Well”

Genesis 46:28-30

He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way before him in Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 Then Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. 30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.” 

Death is something that few like to think about or talk about, but we all know that death is inevitable and unavoidable.  We would rather talk about living a good life, but sooner or later, we have to face our mortality.  Though it may seem morbid and depressing, maybe we would be much better off, if— instead of thinking about having a good time and avoiding death—we thought about what it means to die well.

When we look at Jacob in this latter part of Genesis, he keeps referencing to his own death.  At the end of Genesis 45, Jacob is excited to find out that his son Joseph is still alive, and so he says, “I will go and see him before I die.”  And then in Genesis 46:30, Jacob says, “Now let me die.” Unlike us, Jacob had no fear of talking about his own death.  Why was Jacob so fixated on dying?  It was because he was very old at this point and he was staring at his mortality in the face. But Jacob doesn’t talk about death because he just wanted to get it over with—Jacob was looking forward to dying well.  

Jacob had lived a tumultuous life—a life full of scheming, conflict, and struggle.  And at this point in Genesis, he had lived over a decade, thinking that his beloved son Joseph was dead.  Now as he was advanced in age, he saw that he had this opportunity to be reconciled to his son and be with all of his family.  And now he was “ready to die,” because he could now die with peace. His family relationships were reconciled, he knew his whole family was taken care of, and he knew that his God was walking with him and his people.

We should all consider what it means to die well and to die with peace.  At the end of your days on this earth, what do you want your relationships to be like?  When it’s your time, what kind of legacy do you want to leave?  What do you want your walk with God to be like?  It is uncomfortable to talk about death, but perhaps if we think about dying well, it can lead to living well and to walk humbly with our God.  Let us pray that whenever our time comes, we can die with peace, knowing that we have fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith!

Prayer: Jesus, I pray that for my life I will be able to say, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Help me to walk humbly with You and to live a life worthy of Your gospel.  Amen

Bible Reading for Today:  Genesis 44-45