REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provide by Pastor Peter Yoon of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego, was first posted on October 14, 2017. Peter is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Another 438 Years?”

Genesis 11:10-26

¹⁰ These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. ¹¹ And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad 500 years and had other sons and daughters. ¹² When Arpachshad had lived 35 years, he fathered Shelah. ¹³ And Arpachshad lived after he fathered Shelah 403 years and had other sons and daughters.¹⁴ When Shelah had lived 30 years, he fathered Eber. ¹⁵ And Shelah lived after he fathered Eber 403 years and had other sons and daughters.¹⁶ When Eber had lived 34 years, he fathered Peleg. ¹⁷ And Eber lived after he fathered Peleg 430 years and had other sons and daughters.¹⁸ When Peleg had lived 30 years, he fathered Reu. ¹⁹ And Peleg lived after he fathered Reu 209 years and had other sons and daughters.²⁰ When Reu had lived 32 years, he fathered Serug. ²¹ And Reu lived after he fathered Serug 207 years and had other sons and daughters.²² When Serug had lived 30 years, he fathered Nahor. ²³ And Serug lived after he fathered Nahor 200 years and had other sons and daughters.²⁴ When Nahor had lived 29 years, he fathered Terah. ²⁵ And Nahor lived after he fathered Terah 119 years and had other sons and daughters.²⁶ When Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Patriarch	Age	Bible Reference
Shem	600	Genesis 11:10–11
Arphaxad	438	Genesis 11:12–13
Shelah	433	Genesis 11:14–15
Eber	464	Genesis 11:16–17
Peleg	239	Genesis 11:18–19
Reu	239	Genesis 11:20–21
Serug	230	Genesis 11:22–23
Nahor	148	Genesis 11:24–25
Terah	205	Genesis 11:32
Abraham	175	Genesis 25:7

From: https://answersingenesis.org/bible-timeline/genealogy/did-adam-and-noah-really-live-over-900-years/ 

I once asked my wife after thinking about the ages of some of the Bible patriarchs of Genesis, “Honey, can you imagine being married to me for another 438 years?” I think I actually asked her this question during one of our wedding anniversary dinners—meaning on a good day. Well, you can imagine what she said in response. =) 

When I read about the number of years some of our forefathers lived, I cannot fathom what life would have been like living so many years. Could you imagine feeling this way in this single-panel comic? 

On the positive side, I thought, we’d be really good at developing some of our skillsets. Could you imagine playing basketball for 438 years of your life? You’d be really good. But on the flip side, could you imagine working for another 438 years at your job? Even if you love your job, you’re probably saying to yourself, “No thank you.” 

Well, either way, you won’t have to work for another 438 years. Nor do you get to refine your skills for that long. And I won’t have to figure out how my wife and I will celebrate our 438^th anniversary, let alone our 20^th (whew…), but for many of us, we still have a good number of years and decades ahead of us. 

Job 14:5 tells us, “A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.” 

Whether it is 438 or 38, we all have a limited number of days on earth. Given that perspective, the big question is, “How then will we live this One.Life we get to live before our time expires?” In other words, what dream will you chase with your One.Life? 

In a book I recently read titled, One.Life Jesus Calls, We Follow, the writer, Scot Mcknight, proposes: “Religion isn’t enough. Climbing the corporate ladder isn’t enough. Solving intellectual problems isn’t enough. Chasing the American dream isn’t enough. Finding the person to love isn’t enough. Sex isn’t enough. Friends aren’t enough. Science isn’t enough. Politics isn’t enough. Money isn’t enough. Food and drink aren’t enough. Fame isn’t enough. Nothing’s enough. The only thing that is enough is Jesus, and the only way to get to Jesus is to follow him, and that means one thing: giving your One.Life to him and to his dream.”

I truly believe if we are living that sort of life of following Jesus, 438 years might not seem that bad after all. None of us will get to 438. But given the One.Life that we have, let’s not waste it on anything else but following Jesus. 

Prayer: Lord, You have numbered my days. Help me to live today and everyday that follows, following You, Jesus. I don’t want to follow anything or anyone else, but You and You alone. In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Job 6-7

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotionals, first posted on October 18, 2018, is provided by Pastor Paul Liu who pastors the Grace Covenant Church Singapore. He is a graduate of University of Illinois (BA) and Biblical Theological Seminary (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Ring of Fire”

Jeremiah 48:6-13

Flee! Save yourselves!  You will be like a juniper in the desert! 7 For, because you trusted in your works and your treasures, you also shall be taken; and Chemosh shall go into exile with his priests and his officials. 8 The destroyer shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the Lord has spoken. 9 “Give wings to Moab, for she would fly away; her cities shall become a desolation, with no inhabitant in them. 10 “Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness, and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from bloodshed.

I used to live in the Ring of Fire, which sounds kind of cool but actually is terrifying.  It refers to a horseshoe shaped area in which 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes occur.  So, every couple of years, there would be a major earthquake somewhere nearby.  On several occasions, I participated in disaster relief in affected places.  I remember my first time when I had only been in the new country for half a year and barely spoke the language.  But still, I wanted to help so I tagged along with a group that was bringing supplies to local neighborhoods.  We had a basic training module but the main thing I remember was being told, “Just ask people whom you meet, ‘What happened here?’ and let them share.”  That was it.  It wasn’t complicated.  It was incredibly human.  And even though my language was limited, people wanted to talk. And for many, the disaster served as a wakeup call to realize how their life’s priorities had been misplaced. 

Similarly, one of the greatest horrors of God’s judgment is realizing too late the consequence of our misplaced priorities.  In today’s text, God speaks to the Moabites, Israel’s neighbors, and rebukes them for trusting “in your works and your treasures.” The ultimate Authority was exposing their wrong allegiance to achievement and things rather than to God. And the Moabites paid a dear price for their misplaced priorities. 

Our culture is no different, for we like to talk about the “self-made man or woman.”  The term describes someone who has earned what he or she has through hard work and determination.  Actually, the Bible celebrates such diligence (Prov. 6:6-8), but not to the point of self-satisfaction and self-sufficiency—not to the point where we think we don’t need God.  In fact, all of Scripture testifies that you cannot be happy apart from God.  The Moabites relished their sustainable industries and isolation from much of the conflicts of the region.  They were satisfied but sadly, also separated from knowing the true God.  Neither wealth nor achievement; strength nor security can give you what God, your Creator, can. Remember Psalm 20:7 that says, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”

Prayer: Lord, show me today the price tags I place on the things of my life: my achievements, my dreams, my stuff, my personality and my relationships.  Help me to receive them as good gifts from You, but teach me to keep You as the center and treasure of my heart!  

Bible Reading for Today: Job 5

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Lunch Break Study  

Read Ephesians 2:13-22: But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Paul describes the kind of life that those who trust Jesus can enjoy.  It is the opposite of judgment—the opposite of hostility.  Notice how many times the word “peace” is used.  The effect of peace is more than a dividing wall coming down—it also brings us a new identity and access and confidence.  

Questions to Consider 

• List the ways in which Jesus made peace between us and God.
• Sometimes we struggle because we don’t feel like new men and women.  We feel the same.  We even struggle with the same sins.  How does our citizenship in God’s kingdom and membership in God’s family address this insecurity?  
• How does the Holy Spirit minister peace to us? 

Notes

• This peace that Jesus gives us is not earned; rather, it is received—“You have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”  Thus, the way to attain peace is by trusting in Jesus because “He himself is our peace.”  Notice: He brings us near (v.13); He breaks down what separates us from God (v.14); He makes us new people (v.15); He dies so that there is NO condemnation for believers (v.16); He takes the initiative to speak peace to us (v.17); He gives us access to the Father (v.18); He gives us a new identity (v.19); He is Himself our solid foundation for faith (v.20); He unites believers into God’s family (v.21); He gives us the Holy Spirit to build us up (v.22).  This is a complete and decisive victory that Jesus won for us.  Receive it!
• These two identities remind us that just because you don’t “feel” different does not mean that you are still the same.  When you are part of the family, you belong regardless of your failures.  In the Roman world, adoption was absolutely permanent and once adopted, you could not then be disowned.  Now, it is true that when people change their citizenship, they remain the same in some regards (same ethnicity, family, preferences), but there are also telling differences, such as having new opportunities, enjoying benefits and exercising the rights offered by the new country. So it is with saints who still continue to struggle with sin: you might feel the same, but you are not!  
• Verse 18 tells us that the Spirit enables us to access God’s presence.  This doesn’t mean God is not with us.  He is, but we may be unaware of it.  The Spirit manifests God’s presence to us so that we might enjoy the benefits of Christ’s victory.  Verse 22 says the same but in a corporate context.  The Spirit unites and builds up believers so we might know that God is in our midst.  

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Evening Reflection

One of the ways we express priority and value to God is worship.  How was your worship today?  It doesn’t just mean singing songs.  We worship when our hearts are devoted to God and our unseen intentions are to please Him.  Take a moment to worship the Father for His patient love; the Son for making a way for you; and the Spirit who pulls us into the place of transformation.  

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

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Pride” 

Jeremiah 46:14-17 

The word that the Lord spoke to Jeremiah the prophet about the coming of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to strike the land of Egypt: 14 “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; proclaim in Memphis and Tahpanhes; say, ‘Stand ready and be prepared, for the sword shall devour around you.’ 15 Why are your mighty ones face down? They do not stand because the Lord thrust them down. 16 He made many stumble, and they fell, and they said one to another, ‘Arise, and let us go back to our own people and to the land of our birth, because of the sword of the oppressor.’ 17 Call the name of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, ‘Noisy one who lets the hour go by.’

St. Augustine was probably the most influential Christian thinker after the apostles. His contribution to the church has been felt throughout the ages especially in the formation of Christian thought around the Fall. He concludes that the Fall was due to human pride, where Adam and Eve thought of themselves more highly than they ought. Instead of yielding to the boundaries laid out by God (not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil), they chose to trust in their own judgments and ate from the forbidden tree. Pride blinded them from recognizing that autonomous living apart from God leads to death rather than to more freedom and life. In other words, pride always keeps us from seeing our need for God. 

In today’s passage, we are once again reading through Jeremiah’s prophetic judgments upon the nation of Egypt. Their doom is imminent and inevitable. At first glance, it would be easy to see God in this passage as one who is simply angry, ready to lash out at His enemies. But when we read carefully, we see a God who had given the Egyptians a chance to repent. In verse 17, it says, “noisy one who lets the hour go by.” Many commentators suggest that the statement meant that Pharaoh did not seek God’s mercy and help but rather chose to go in his own way. Due to his persistent refusal to ask for God’s grace, the hour for repentance had closed and gone by. Simply put, it was his pride that blinded him from his need for God to save him and his nation. 

Many of us live with the same type of pride in our lives. Although we might talk about God as if we need Him, the way that we live our lives betray that sentiment. We have chosen to make our own way without His help. However, it is important to learn from the mistake of Pharaoh—that pride always leads to our own destruction. Even in our success we must learn to rely upon God through prayer and a heart posture of need. There is something so attractive about people who wear humility in their daily attire, acknowledging their weaknesses and constantly leaning upon the power of God. Let us be those types of people. Let us be people who see clearly because we have learned to seek God in our lives! 

Prayer: Father, it is so easy to become prideful and self-sufficient, and to live life as if I don’t need You. Help me to recognize my weaknesses and my need for you. Teach me how to lean into Your power in my everyday life! Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Job 4

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Lunch Break Study 

Read 2 Corinthians 3:1-6: Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Questions to Consider

• What is Paul referring to as his letters of recommendation? 
• What makes Paul sufficient to be effective in his ministry? 
• In what tangible ways can you be more dependent on God? 

Notes

• He is referring to the people in Corinth who have been affected by his ministry in positive ways. In this letter, people are questioning ministry of Paul. For this reason, he says that the validity of ministry is their own change. 
• Paul says that transformation and the effectiveness of his ministry is not because of anything inherently in himself, but his sufficiency is in God! 
• Personal response.

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Evening Reflection 

Reflect on what Pastor Tim Keller said: “…the essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.” 

REPOST  Today’s AMI Devotional, first posted on October 10, 2018, is provided by Emerson Lin. Emerson, who serves in E. Asia as a missionary, is a graduate of University of California, San Diego (BS) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.).  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Mercy even in Judgement”

Jeremiah 44:1-6

This word came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews living in Lower Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes and Memphis—and in Upper Egypt: 2 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the great disaster I brought on Jerusalem and on all the towns of Judah. Today they lie deserted and in ruins 3 because of the evil they have done. They aroused my anger by burning incense to and worshiping other gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever knew. 4 Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!’ 5 But they did not listen or pay attention; they did not turn from their wickedness or stop burning incense to other gods. 6 Therefore, my fierce anger was poured out; it raged against the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem and made them the desolate ruins they are today.

Recently, I’ve been talking to my mother about disciplining children (since I am going to be a dad soon). My mother probably isn’t all that different from other mothers in that she hated spanking us because it made her sad to see us in pain. Deep in her heart, she hoped that her warnings would be enough to stop us from misbehaving. 

In today’s passage, the Lord is once again speaking through Jeremiah to the Israelites in Egypt. He reminds them of the previous punishment that the Lord inflicted on the people of Judah because they worshipped false idols. While the Lord’s anger burned towards the people of Judah, we see that He still had mercy towards them. In verse 4, God says, “Again and again I sent my servants the prophets, who said, ‘Do not do this detestable thing that I hate!’” Amid their rebellion, God gave the Israelites many chances—approximately 400 years’ worth, to repent from their rebellion. Sadly, despite God’s mercy, Judah refused to repent.

There is a popular view that God is a capricious deity who delights in punishing those who do not follow His ways. Quite the contrary, Scripture presents a God who is slow to anger and rich in love. Yes, our God is truly merciful. Because He hates to punish His children, He first warns them of the consequences that will come if they refuse to repent. However, like with any rebellious child, if there is no change, discipline must be applied. But, even His discipline, which is never punitive, is meant to restore our hearts back to Him.

Our God is a God of second chances who delights in blessing His people. Let’s take some time to give thanks for His mercy.  And if you need a second chance from God, take it. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that You are merciful to us. I know You are a Holy God who cannot and will not tolerate sin, but You still give us second chances to repent of our sins. Help us not to take Your mercy for granted, and to walk in obedience to Your commandments. Amen.

Bible reading for Today: Job 3

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Lunch Break Study

Read Exodus 34:4-14: So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones and went up Mount Sinai early in the morning, as the Lord had commanded him; and he carried the two stone tablets in his hands. 5 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. 6 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.”8 Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9 “Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.” 10 Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. 11 Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 12 Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. 13 Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles. 14 Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

Questions to Consider

• If the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, why does the Lord still punish?
• What covenant does the Lord make with the Israelites? What are His requirements?
• What does the Lord mean when He calls himself a “Jealous” God?

Notes

• While the Lord is slow to anger and rich in love, He is still a holy God, “a righteous judge” (Ps. 7:11), who needs to properly deal with sin, including punishing those who refuse to repent.  But, even in the midst of being punished for our sins, we never bear the brunt of it because “[God] does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” (Ps. 103:10).    

• The Lord promises to reveal His power and glory through the Israelites. Not only will they see God’s power, but also how He blesses the Israelites. The former reminds us that blessing is not just what God does for us, but how we can join in His work.
• The word “jealous” does not mean envy like how we are jealous when someone has nicer things. It is a great compliment to us that God is jealous when we offer our worship to something or someone else. Who are we that our worship would matter to God of the universe! But, it does.  It is in this context we can truly grasp the jealousness of God.

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Evening Reflection

Our God is a merciful God, and He desires all people to turn back to Him. While His mercy is full of kindness, there are times where He exercises discipline to wake us up. Let’s take some time to give thanks to our Father for His mercy. 

REPOSTToday’s AMI Devotional QT, first posted on October 2, 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

“Sin’s Vicious Cycle”

Jeremiah 41:4-8

On the day after the murder of Gedaliah, before anyone knew of it,5 eighty men arrived from Shechem and Shiloh and Samaria, with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, and their bodies gashed, bringing grain offerings and incense to present at the temple of the Lord. 6 And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah came out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he came. As he met them, he said to them, “Come in to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.” 7 When they came into the city, Ishmael the son of Nethaniah and the men with him slaughtered them and cast them into a cistern.

If there was any doubt about what kind of man Ishmael was, it becomes really clear in this passage that Ishmael was not a hero.   In yesterday’s passage, we saw that Ishmael murdered Gedaliah and massacred everyone else around him—including the Babylonian soldiers—   perhaps with a sense of heroism, but definitely he was in rebellion against God.  Here, we see that Ishmael’s actions take him to a darker place as he murders these men who come to Jerusalem for no other purpose than to worship the Lord.

Ishmael probably had no intention of murdering more people when he had resolved to kill Gedaliah, but the path he was on determined his destination and his actions. The nature of sin and rebellion is like that: once we go down that path, it’s not easy to stop, repent and go in a different direction; rather, sin and rebellion begets more sin and rebellion.  There have been times in my life—and all of our lives, I’m sure—where everything started with just one white lie, that was followed by another lie to cover up the first one, then our sin went deeper and deeper, and its effect got wider and wider.  Ishmael shows us a clear example of the vicious cycle of sin—something we all have experienced.

There may be times when it feels like we are stuck in a vicious cycle of sin with no way out—but thankfully, we have hope in Jesus Christ.  As Romans 5:6 says, “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”  At the right time, Jesus came into our lives to not just stop us from going deeper into sin, but to free us completely from the vicious cycle of sin.  Let us go to the Cross of Jesus by repenting and confessing of our sins so that we could receive this freedom.  And let’s be thankful to Jesus for setting us free!

Prayer: Jesus, I pray for freedom from my sin. Thank You for coming into my life in the depth of my weakness and sin.  I pray that I can fully take hold of the freedom You have given me this day. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Job 2

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Lunch Break Study

Read Galatians 5:16-23: But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Questions to Consider

1. What are the competing desires that are within us?  
2. What does it mean to walk by the Spirit?
3. How are you seeing the fruits of the Spirit in your life?  What steps can you take to bear more fruit?

Notes

1. Paul tells us that the desires of the flesh and desires of the Spirit are in direct opposition with one another.  In verses 19-21, we see what the desires of the flesh look like and then in verses 22-23, we see where the desires of the Spirit lead us.
2. Walking by the Spirit means taking every step, living each day by faith, and following the desires of the Holy Spirit within us.  Notice that the desires of the flesh by nature are centered on the self and when we are led by ourselves and thus by the flesh, it leads to all that we see in verses 19-21.  
3. Personal reflection.

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Evening Reflection

Do you feel stuck in a cycle of sin?  If so, remember that Jesus wants to set you free!  Confess and repent of your sins, and pray for a deeper experience of freedom in Him.  If not, spend some time thanking Jesus for the freedom and victory He has given you.

REPOST Today AMI Devotional QT, first posted on September 10, 2024, is provided by Pastor David Yoon of Tapestry Church in Los Angeles. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Recalculating”

Numbers 13:30-33 

But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.”32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height.33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.”

Do you remember a time when we had to use a physical road map to find our way from one place to another? We would carry multiple foldout maps in our car’s glove compartment and could never fold it back the way it was when we purchased it. Today, with the advancement of technology, we use a navigation app on our smartphone or car’s GPS. When we miss or take a wrong turn the GPS notifies the driver, “recalculating” with an updated estimated time of arrival.

In today’s passage, Israel is on a road trip to the Promised Land—millions are traveling together. And throughout the trip we read that Israel is full of complaints, where at times, they desire to return to the life of slavery in Egypt and even built and worshipped idols, after promising God they would follow Him.  Even Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ brother and sister, began to complain about Moses’ leadership. But whenever Israel made a wrong turn, God would simply say, “recalculating.” Finally, the nation of Israel reaches its destination and sends a man from each tribe to spy out the land of Canaan. They report, “We came to the land to which you sent us. It flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. However, the people who dwell in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large” (Num 13:27-28). After hearing the report, the Israelites doubt God, and He in turn allows them to go their own way—the wrong way.

In our walk of faith, how many times do we take the wrong turn because of fear and doubt? God demonstrated to the people of Israel His goodness and faithfulness many times throughout the years, yet they were quick to forget His mercy and love. In Exodus, Moses proclaimed to Israel, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” Are you facing battles in your life today? Let us hold fast to His Word and pray a prayer of faith as James writes, “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” 

Prayer: Father God, I praise You for Your abundant mercy and grace. I thank You for Your faithfulness, even though I am not as faithful to You. Will You heal my heart and help me to live each day in faith trusting in Your promises? Help me to overcome the fears and anxieties of life as I surrender my day to You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Job 1

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Lunch Break Study

Read Romans 8:31-39: What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Questions to Consider

1. If God is for us, who can be against us?
2. What does Paul mean when he asks: “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” 
3. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

Notes

1. Salvation turns on the will of God, not the will of man; opposition to God from mankind will not affect the will of God.
2. Paul is stating that it is illogical for God to give His most treasured “possession” – His only Son – for the salvation of sinners, and then not give everything else to bring salvation to completion.
3. The world is cursed and is under the control of the evil one. There will be times when it can appear that we have been separated from the love of God. Paul wants to dispel this notion and remind believers that nothing can separate us from God’s love. 

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Evening Reflection

The greatest evidence of faith is in how you love: 1 John 4:7-8, “⁷Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸ Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Did you reflect God’s love to those around you today? Spend time examining your day, and ask God to help you to love others as He loves you.

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on July 29, 2017, is provided by Jennifer Kim who served faithfully as a staff at several AMI churches in the past

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Overcoming Fear to Serve God”

Exodus 4:1-12

Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6 Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7 Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. 9 If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” 10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” 11 Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.

While many have heard the testimony of my time serving in Shanghai, not as many people know about the long two-year journey I had wrestling with God before I obeyed Him to serve overseas. On a regular Friday night worship service, our church was singing the song, “How Great is Our God,” and while I was meditating upon the words, I was so encompassed by the truth of the lyrics of how majestic and awesome our God is. Captured by His presence, I prayed to the Lord, “There is nothing more that I want than to serve the awesome God You are for the rest of my life.” Immediately after, I heard the Lord say to me, “Then will you go.” While this was one of the greatest moments of my faith, it also became one of my most shameful moments, because while I had just prayed this prayer of submission to the Lord, the moment God asked me to go overseas a fear came upon me, and all I could say was, “God I can’t do that.”

In today’s passage, Moses encounters the living God through a burning bush, and immediately after, the Lord commissions Moses to go to Egypt to deliver the Israelites from Pharaoh. While Moses is in the midst of God’s presence and given this incredible calling to be used by God, he wonders how he could be used for such a task as this, sharing all his doubts to the Lord. Yet the Lord addresses all of Moses’ fear by telling him exactly what to say to Pharaoh (3:13-22), by showing him miracle after miracle to show His incredible power (4:1-7). God even eases Moses’ insecurity regarding his inability to speak by allowing him to bring his brother Aaron (4:13-17).

My greatest insecurity regarding God’s commission to serve the Lord overseas was my fear of leaving my comfort zone, as well as the reaction of my non-Christian parents. For the next year, God addressed all of those insecurities when I had to be re-located to another state for a job and saw God’s amazing provision in my life, and when my parents gave me their full blessing to serve in China. While I had never asked God to ease these insecurities, He showed me powerfully that He is the God of miracles and the sustainer of our lives, and thus I could trust that He would be with me in Shanghai.

God has called each and every one of us to serve His Kingdom. We may struggle through fear and doubt, but I want to encourage you today to be honest about these fears. Ask God to show you His provision and grace, so that you may align yourself to God’s calling over your life. For: “God will supply all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

Prayer: God, what an amazing privilege it is to join Your Kingdom work. Help me to surrender my fears to You so that I may serve faithfully in all that You ask of me. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Nahum 3

REPOST  Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Pastor Doug Tritton, was first posted on July 16, 2017. A graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), Doug is the Lead Pastor of Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“God Remembers”

Exodus 2:23-25

During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

Yesterday, as we covered the above passage in Exodus, I mentioned the American proverb “The squeaky wheel gets the grease”, meaning that the loudest cries best attract help. In the passage, the Israelites cried out loudly–in their prayers, in their groaning, in their desperation for God to return their freedom.

The reason we can be loud before God is that He is the One with the “grease” for our squeaking. What this passage tells us is that, after hearing the cries of the Israelites, God remembered His covenant with Abraham. It can be easy to read this and think, “Did God remember because He previously forgot about the covenant?” No, of course not! God does not forget. Rather, in the Hebrew mind, remembering was not about recalling something that was forgotten – it was actively responding to knowledge, which in this case, was the knowledge of the promise that God had made with the Israelites through their forefather Abraham. 

When we declare that God remembers us, we are declaring that God actively responds to our cries and our groans, because He is faithful. God’s remembrance is a demonstration of His faithfulness to us; it’s why we cry and plead with God in the first place, because He is faithful to respond to us.  Once, King Jehoshaphat, facing a huge enemy force, declared to the Lord: “We will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save” (2 Chron. 20:9).  He did. 

So, as we discussed yesterday, let’s bring our distress and desperation to Him, and let’s remind ourselves that we have a faithful God who listens, and more than that, responds to our cries. 

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You are a God who remembers us. You do not leave us to our own ways, but rather You remember us and respond to us. Lord, hear our prayers, hear our cries, remember us and Your promises to us. Come and bring Your deliverance, for we know You are faithful! Thank You, Lord, for You are the only One who can help us. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Nahum 1-2

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on March 16, 2017, is provided by Joanna Tzen, a friend of AMI, who attended and served at Grace Covenant Church (UC) for a long time. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Creator Who Knows Me”

Psalms 139:13-16

For you created my inmost being;you knit me together in my mother’s womb.14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;your works are wonderful,I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from youwhen I was made in the secret place,when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;all the days ordained for me were written in your bookbefore one of them came to be.

This passage often comes to mind when we think of babies. For me, I come back to this passage every time a circumstance has whispered the lie that I was unknown or insignificant. The psalmist’s words remind me of how intimately my Creator knows me and has formed me. Our God is so big and sovereign, yet He knows what each of our days will hold.

These verses took on a new light during my pregnancy, when I started to think about how that process was currently taking place in the new life within. It made me think about how each person—not just me— is known intimately by the Lord. When I think about how the Lord has created and purposed an unborn child, I am filled with awe at His sovereignty, and it gives me much comfort. 

Pregnancy is a funny thing in that it is a very outwardly obvious circumstance—even strangers can observe this personal part of me and comment about it. Most of the time, I welcome people’s comments for they are funny and strikes up interesting conversations; but inevitably there is well-meaning advice that stirs up anxiety or doubt. However, God’s promise to us in this psalm reminds us how deeply we are known and cared for. In addition, He is sovereign and in control. There is no circumstance we encounter where His help and His presence is not found.

Is there a circumstance in your life today that is making you anxious? Have you taken time to remember God’s promises of who you are and who He is as your Creator?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to trust You more. Help me to see where I have built for my own glory and labored in vain. I want to depend on You. If you are dismantling something in my life, help me to see it as discipline from my Heavenly Father (Heb. 12:7). Help me to trust You as You build up a new thing in my life. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 13

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Lunch Break Study

Read Phil 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Questions to Consider

1. What does Paul encourage believers to do when then are anxious?
2. What is the result of this action according to Paul?

Note

1. Paul encourages believers, with thanksgiving, to pray and petition and give our requests to God. This means we come with humble hearts, thanking God, not demanding the fulfillment of our needs. At the same time, we are encouraged to be honest with our requests.

1. When we meet with God in prayer, we are given supernatural peace that comes despite difficult circumstances, as we remember who He is and His promises.

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Evening Reflection

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are so sovereign and yet You draw near to us. Thank You that you know us fully and completely, yet You choose to love us. Remind us that Your love is not earned, but is based on our position as children of God purchased by the costly blood of Jesus Christ.  When we forget this, we are tempted to be anxious and fretful. Root us again today in the promises of Your Word. Amen.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on March 22, 2018, is provided by Pastor David Yoon. David, a graduate of California Baptist University and Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is serving at Tapestry LA Church as its executive pastor. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Distractions That Keep Us from Hearing God’s Word”

Mark 4:1-9 

Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land.2 And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow.4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away.7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain.8 And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at a summer youth retreat in seventh grade. I still remember the tent that was used as the chapel, and where I was standing when I first experienced God’s overwhelming love and grace. During praise and response, I would lift my hands up to worship God; and at times, I would get on my knees to pray as my eyes filled with tears—my heart was filled with the Holy Spirit. Looking back, this was when my love relationship with God began and a spiritual marker in my life.  

In today’s passage, Jesus is teaching through parables—which literally means “to throw alongside” to a large crowd from a boat. A parable is a metaphor comparing a spiritual truth with something from the listeners’ everyday world. Unlike the modern method of agriculture, the seed was sown first and then plowed under. It was important for the farmer to remove the rocks from their fields before planting because nothing would grow on rocks. The parable begins and ends with an admonition to listen carefully. The parable of the soils illustrates God’s offer of salvation and the mixed response to that offer.

When it comes to hearing and listening to God’s Word, having a heart that is like good and healthy soil will allow God’s truth to take deep root and yield thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. Yet there are many distractions that can keep us from listening to God’s Word. Jesus gives the example of some seed being devoured by birds, landing on rocky, shallow ground, and being burned up by the sun. Other seeds grew but were chocked by thorns. Though I encountered God and gave my life to Him in seventh grade, He had been sowing seeds through my relationships, church, and His Word throughout my childhood years. However, only when my heart was centered on Jesus Christ and through the working of the Holy Spirit were these seeds able to take root. In light of this, let us ask the Holy Spirit to make our hearts like good, healthy soil –that it will allow His Word to take deep root.

Prayer: Father God, you know the innermost crevices of my heart and soul. Keep me from turning my heart away from You. Allow me to listen and follow Your voice today. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Nehemiah 12

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Lunch Break Study

Read Galatians 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Questions to Consider

1. What does it mean to be “crucified with Christ”?
2. Does Christ live in you today?
3. How can you live a life of faith and exemplify the love of Christ to those around you?

Notes

1. Being crucified with Christ means we are united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection. 
2. Faith is required to live in Christ.
3. By dying with Christ, we are free from the law. 

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Evening Reflection

Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

End the day by reflecting and putting your trust in God’s sovereignty.