REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Christine Li, was first posted on August 6, 2017. Christine, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, serves as a deaconess at Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York.  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

Daily Bread

Exodus 16:15b-20 

“Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’” 17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed. 19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” 20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.”

 Every so often, my roommate and I will find ourselves with a plethora of snacks left in our apartment – either gifts from other people or food that we purchased for the occasion. Over time, the snacks still get stale no matter how many preservative chemicals have been added to keep them fresh.  We have to throw them out before anybody else comes over and wants to eat them. While they might be barely edible and non-toxic, they’re no longer fresh and enjoyable.

I have often found myself doing something similar with God’s blessings. Instead of approaching God’s word to learn something new each day, I’ll just reflect on something I already know from the week or month prior. Instead of asking God to grow my faith, I’ll allow a significant experience from the past to become the focal point of my relationship with Him. By overemphasizing and over-relying on what God has done in the past, I fail to be open to new things from Him, and I fail to be expectant that He can do even greater things than in the past.

God’s message to the Israelites of how they must seek Him constantly was physically backed up by this demonstration through manna, the bread from heaven that would become inedible in a short span of time: There is enough for today.  There will be even more tomorrow. But, we cannot live on what we gathered yesterday – yesterday’s portion is rarely suitable for today. The same concepts apply to our spiritual life. Each day we are to seek Him freshly; each day we are to expect that He, in love, will provide for us. We cannot keep going off what we have tasted from the past – if we want to grow and thrive, we will need to receive newly from Him.

After a while, even the best of our old experience with God will grow cold and stale. Let’s not live on yesterday’s grace when God has an abundance in store for us. Today, as we come before Him in the sanctuary, let’s remember that our Father is infinitely rich and has all things at His disposal. When we approach Him, we can be sure that He will send new grace, new sustenance, and new mercies. 

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your endless provision in our lives. Lord, we confess that, out of fear, we keep returning to the things we’ve received and sometimes stop asking for more of You. Help us stop clinging to hindsight and look forward to what You are able to do in our lives. Grow anticipation, expectation, and firm trust in Your goodness and Your love! 

Bible Reading for Today: Mark 16

REPOSTToday’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on April 15, 2017, 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 Thoughts For This Morning

Don’t Just Do Something… Sit There

Luke 10:38-42

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

According to Barna Research, after conducting a national survey with the question, “Do you read the Bible at least once a week?” The Baby Boomer generation (55+) chimed in at 49%. The Millennials were the lowest group, coming in at 24%. Now I don’t know how exact those numbers are, but one thing I can say with confidence: we are currently living in the least bible-reading generation since the printing press made Bible available to the public. 

Ironically, our information intake has skyrocketed. A study done eight years ago showed that the average person consumes about 100,000 words a day. Since then, with the explosion of social media, that number has grown to around 150,000. Despite the 50% increase in information we are soaking in, we are reading the Word less and less.

But not all of this is necessarily due to an antagonistic view towards God’s Word. Most people (including Christians) simply don’t read books anymore. Our culture is shifting away from reading books, and moving towards fast-paced articles, snippets, designed to give us an adrenaline shot of information. Perhaps we need to take a cue from Mary. Despite the pressures of all the things she needed to accomplish, and the fast-paced lifestyle exemplified by her sister Martha, she slowed down and sat at Jesus’ feet. 

The truth is, in this fast-paced, information saturated culture, unless we learn to slow down and sit at Jesus’ feet, listening/reading His Word… we will inevitably miss out on the intimacy of knowing God in the stillness. Today, spend some time slowing down and spending time in stillness at the feet of Jesus. 

Prayer: Holy Spirit, help me to slow down for the sake of sitting at your feet. Help me to see that although there may be a lot of good things going on around me, only “one thing is necessary” and that is to know you. In Jesus’ name I pray.

Bible Reading for Today: Mark 14-15

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on July 12, 2018, is written by Tina Pham who, along with her family, is serving in E. Asia as a missionary. Tina is a graduate of Biola University (BA) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Two Lives Lived Differently: Jeremiah and Pashhur”  

Jeremiah 20:1-4, 6

When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2 Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the Lord. 3 On the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name the Lord has called you, but rather Magor-missabib. 4 For thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I am going to make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; and while your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. 6 And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have falsely prophesied.’”

In this morning’s passage, we get to see how Pashhur the priest finishes his life. Pashhur had great influence being the chief officer in the temple of the Lord. However, his role in Jerusalem did not spare him from the destruction and years of exile that Judah was about to face. After hearing of Jeremiah breaking the clay jar as a message to Judah of impending judgment, Pashhur was angry at Jeremiah and put him in prison overnight. After a painful and humiliating night, Jeremiah was released and foretold Pashhur the terrible pain he was about to experience. He would not only be taken into exile along with Judah, but he and his household would also die in exile. The main reason for a painful end to his life is that he falsely prophesied to many people while being entrusted with the role as a priest. The words he spoke stuck with many of his friends, and they also would be buried in exile. 

The name Pashhur means “ease, tranquility,” and the name that the Lord is now giving him is Magor-missabib, which means “terror on every side.” Pashshur’s ministry for a length of time brought him great ease and freedom as his hearers like what he prophesied. Though his words sounded good to them, they were false prophecies resulting in blindness towards the uncomfortable, yet true words of God and the need to repent and return to the Lord. As a result of opposing God and misleading God’s people, Pashhur now faces the terror of the exile.  

In contrast, though Jeremiah faced overwhelming opposition in fulfilling God’s call, he treasured God’s message in his heart and was faithful to proclaim it in his lifetime. In a previous passage, Jeremiah proclaimed to God regarding the unpopular message he would have to say to Judah, “Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jer. 15:16). This morning, let us consider the example of Jeremiah, who persevered in following God’s call in the midst of unease and hardship.  

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, thank You that You have called me by Your name to be in a relationship with You and to fulfill a special purpose in my lifetime. Increase my strength to complete the work that You have entrusted to me, and enable me to persevere faithfully until the end. In Jesus’ name.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Mark 13

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Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22: Do not quench the Spirit;do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.

Questions to Consider

1. Why did Paul emphatically instruct them not to quench the Spirit?

2. Why is it important not to despise prophetic utterances?

3. How does Paul instruct the Thessalonians to respond to those who give words of prophecy?

Notes

1. Evidently, some people in the church displayed the attitude of despising prophecy. A likely reason is that some people in their midst had misused the gift in some way, leading to hardened hearts; therefore, they wanted to get rid of prophetic utterances altogether. 

2. When we despise or resist prophetic utterances, we quench (put out, extinguish) the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst. The Holy Spirit has given prophecy as a gift to the church to build up the church. 

3. He instructs them to examine and to discern, instead of to reject. To discern means to recognize that there are both genuine prophetic utterances that the Holy Spirit gives to church members, but there are also utterances that are not from the Holy Spirit. The key is to discern the words in light of the truth of Scripture. If the utterances and the one speaking exudes the fruit of the Spirit, then that is “good” and we must hold fast to it; otherwise, we shouldn’t tolerate anything that doesn’t align with the truth of Scripture or reflect the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control).  

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Evening Reflection

1 Peter 4:13: “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on May 17, 2016, is provided by Ulysses Wang who pastors Renewal Church in Sunnyvale, California. Pastor Ulysses is a graduate of New York University (BA) and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.).  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“If You Return …”

Jeremiah 4:1-2

“If you return, O Israel, declares the Lord, to me you should return. If you remove your detestable things from my presence, and do not waver, 2 and if you swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness, then nations shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory.”

There was a period in my life, probably around 12 or 13 years of age, when I used to go to a strategy gaming club every Sunday. To say that I loved turn-based strategy games would be an understatement. It was my Sunday ritual—my “church” before I started going to church. As an adult, I still love these games but have also come to see that they can be a time drain and can get in the way of getting other important things done. This became all the more so when some of my favorite games appeared in online form; now there was no need to look for someone to play with—the worldwide online community was available 24/7. This tension came to a climax in my early twenties, when I felt like my love for strategy games was competing with my commitment to God. I felt the need for change but stopped short of actually doing anything about it. I would acknowledge that my hobby was getting out of hand, that I was probably even addicted, and even pray about it, confessing my poor stewardship of time to God—yet nothing changed. The reason for this was simple: I felt bad, but not bad enough to actually remove the source of the addiction.

In today’s passage, God gives us a lesson on what real repentance is: “If you return” means you also have to “remove your detestable things from my presence.” Israel’s failure time and again to “remove the high places,” that is, the places of idol worship on the hilltops and mountaintops, would lead to them being ensnared in worship of false gods again and again. Their revival might have seemed genuine at the time, but it was only a matter of time before the cancer on the high places spread back down to village life. This is why Hezekiah is remembered as such an important reformer—not only did he remove the idols from the Temple complex, but he even removed those pesky high places.

If there are “high places” in your life, chances are you know what they are. True change comes from not only admitting them but taking decisive action to remove the source of temptation from your life. For this, accountability is key. Invite a trusted brother or sister or two to journey to your high places with you and start smashing some sacred stones.

Prayer: Dear Lord, help me to get rid of whatever is tripping me up in my relationship with You. Convict my heart that nothing is worth getting in the way of our relationship. Help me to make tough decisions and bring people into my life who can help me remove the high places. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Mark 12

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Lunch Break Study  

Read Mark 10:17-22: And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” 20 And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” 21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Questions to Consider

1. If the rich young man was so good at keeping commandments, why didn’t he think that he was worthy of eternal life?

2. Does Jesus’ command to the young man mean that we also need to give away everything we have? How does this apply to us?

3. What was Jesus’ attitude towards the young man when He commanded him to sell everything? How should this encourage us?

Notes

1. There was another god in his life: money.  And he could feel it weighing on his soul.

2. Whatever it is that we are not willing to give away is what Jesus would have us give away.

3. He loved him. Whatever it is that God is asking you to surrender, you can do so in faith because you know that His motivation towards you is love.

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Evening Reflection

Take a moment to reflect upon your day. What were the moments of tension or conflict that you experienced in your heart? Do you notice a pattern that might reveal something that has mastery over your heart?

Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on September 11, 2018, is provided by Pastor David Yoon. David served as the executive pastor at Tapestry Church, Los Angeles. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“A Step of Faith”

2 Kings 5:8-14

“But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.”9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.”11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.”

When I was 13 years old, I went on my first short term mission trip to China and South Korea. Towards the end of our trip, we visited a memorial for Reverend Son Yang-won. Rev. Son is remembered as a martyr of love who embraced the burden of colonial oppression and war. At his memorial, I saw a large painting of Rev. Son embracing the communist soldier who killed his two sons whom he later adopted. But the painting that really caught my attention was the one that showed Rev. Son removing blood from the infected wounds of lepers with his mouth. I had learned about leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, in Sunday school but it was my first time seeing how terrible the disease was. The paintings and the love of Christ that was practiced by Rev. Son would leave a lasting impression on my life. 

In today’s passage, we read about Naaman, a great commander of the Syrian army, who had wealth, power, and popularity. But one day, a physician told him what no person would want to hear: “You have leprosy.” In those days, leprosy, a highly contagious disease, had no cure. 

However, a little Israelite girl, who served his wife, tells Naaman about Elisha, a prophet in Samaria who could cure him. Entrusting her words, Naaman goes to Elisha’s house, but he is enraged when the prophet has his servant tell the general to wash himself in the river Jordan seven times. In response Naaman becomes resentful but why? Is he merely being prideful?  Certainly so but have you considered this: The moment this proud general takes off his armor, everyone can see his disfigured flesh—the source of his deepest pain and shame. This is to say, everyone around Naaman who respected this mighty warrior would see him in his weakest state—naked and diseased.

Many of us can relate to Naaman because we, too, have deep pains we would rather keep hidden—the very wounds we have tried to mask with different remedies (e.g., success, accomplishment, relationships, etc.) so that others around us cannot see them. In light of this, let us hear the words of Christ, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” May we take a step of faith and ask the Great Physician to come into the deep crevices of our wounds—to bring healing, restoration, and renewal. 

Prayer: Father God, thank You for always being patient with me even when I am stubborn in my own ways. May I humble myself today and come before You just as I am. I ask that You heal my pain and brokenness. Allow me to be sensitive to Your leading today and give me the strength and courage to uproot whatever is preventing me from experiencing Your peace and joy. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Mark 11

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Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18: “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Questions to Consider

1. How is our inner self being renewed day by day?
2. How can Paul say that his momentary affliction is light?
3. What should we fix our eyes on?

Notes

1. On a physical level, we are all moving toward death. As we wait for our physical existence to be renewed when Christ returns, Paul writes that day by day, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is renewing our inward self.
2. Paul is writing that the difficulties of this life are minor when compared to the weight of our eternal salvation.
3. Paul writes that we should focus our eyes on what is unseen—our future salvation in Christ.

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Evening Reflection

Ask the Holy Spirit to renew your heart and spirit. The enemy will use fear and fatigue for us to lose heart. Ephesians 6:10-11 says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” 

Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on April 17, 2018, is provided by Pastor Andrew Kim who pastors the Alive Church in Montreal, Canada. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Cleansing”

Mark 11:15-19 

And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 16 And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18 And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. 19 And when evening came they went out of the city.

The story of Jesus cleansing the temple has always been one of my favorite stories in the Gospels. It’s a picture of Jesus unlike any other. Oftentimes, we imagine Jesus to be someone who is always peaceful and calm, and yet, here, in Mark we see a display of Jesus’ anger—not only communicated through words, but by the overturning of tables and physically driving people out of the temple! I remember being shocked when I first read about the temple cleansing. Was Jesus even allowed to react this way? Why is this story in the Gospel accounts? 

However, when we study the text closely, we see that it was an appropriate reaction. The question that must be posed is, “What made Jesus so angry?” Many of us point to the fact that there was a marketplace set up in the temple courts. Since it is the house of God, commercial activity would be inappropriate. Others suggest that a marketplace was necessary, because people had to buy animals to offer their sacrifices; but what angered Jesus was the unjust manner in which business was done by the temple officials. I would suggest that these conclusions are only half-correct. 

When we read Jesus’ response in verse 17, we are offered a clue to the reason for His anger. He says, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?” Here Jesus is quoting Isaiah 56:7, which prophetically spoke of a day when people from all nations would be gathered in the temple of God as His people. In other words, salvation would be offered even to those outside of the nation of Israel. You see, the original vocation of the Jews was not to enjoy the blessings of God by themselves but to be a conduit of those blessings to the world around them—that people might proclaim Yahweh as God. This was the purpose of the Abrahamic covenant. 

 However, instead of living into that vocation, they were setting up a noisy marketplace in the only area of the temple where Gentiles were allowed to worship. Instead of cultivating an atmosphere conducive for people from all nations to encounter the living God, they were using it as a place of commerce. In other words, instead of a house of prayer for all nations, they turned it into a den of robbers.

Simply put, Jesus was angered by Israel’s failure to live out their calling to be the light to the nations. His anger was fueled by His passion for missions; it was something taken extremely seriously by Jesus. And the question we have to ask ourselves is, “Do we have the same passion for God’s mission? Have we also forgotten our vocation to be the light to the nations as the church?” Just like Israel, many of us have often neglected this calling. It only becomes a focal point of our lives during the summer when we venture out with our short-term mission teams. However, we must remember that we have been saved by God to be a light to those around us. Let us remember this calling and not neglect it like Israel! Let us pray and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who do not know Him all the days of our lives!

Prayer: Father, forgive me for neglecting the calling You have given me as a missionary. Help me to live out this vocation faithfully and to have a heart for those who are far away from You. 

Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Mark 10

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Lunch Break Study 

Read 1 Peter 2:9-10: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Questions to Consider 

1. What is the reason that God has called and saved His people? 
2. Have you lived out your identity as someone that is part of the royal priesthood and holy nation? 

Notes 

1. He called and saved His people to proclaim the excellencies of Him. Our salvation is not only for our own benefit, but He has given us a vocation to proclaim and share the gospel message to the world around us—to tell the story of God calling people out of darkness into His marvelous light. 
2. Personal response.

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Evening Reflection 

Consider this statement made by Leslie Newbigin, a missionary from England who serviced in India for forty years: 

“Mission begins with a kind of explosion of joy. The news that the rejected and crucified Jesus is alive is something that cannot possibly be suppressed. It must be told. Who could be silent about such a fact? The mission of the Church in the pages of the New Testament is like the fallout from a vast explosion, a radioactive fallout which is not lethal but life-giving.” 

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on January 8, 2018, is written by Tina Pham who, along with her family, is serving in E. Asia as a missionary. Tina is a graduate of Biola University (BA) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Way of Escape”

Genesis 35:1-5 (NASB)

Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; 3 and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever, I have gone.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem. 5 As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

Jacob and his family had settled in Shechem after purchasing some land from the sons of Hamor. As they dwelled inside the land of Canaan, they quickly become vulnerable to attack by the surrounding cities because Jacob’s sons deceitfully killed the men of Shechem and plundered their wealth as a revenge towards Shechem, who defiled their sister, Dinah (Gen. 34). Jacob needed to problem-solve and figure out a way of escape for his family.

By chapter 35, we begin to observe small steps of Jacob’s transformation and the new way in which he reacts to circumstances. The turning point for Jacob was in the previous chapters—  when the Lord personally appeared to him at Bethel when he was in distress about meeting Esau (Gen. 32), and when he received mercy from Esau at their reunion (Gen. 33). Although he would still face sinfulness in himself and in his sons later on, Jacob was becoming different in that he began to look toGod in his circumstances. He knew by experience that God is the source of all blessings and that He is merciful. By looking to God, he got rid of other sources of security and safety—such as the foreign gods—so that he could place his trust fully in God, from whom all blessings flow. 

In trying to remedy his sons’ mistake, he didn’t flee, deceive others, or problem-solve with his own rationale like he did in the past; instead, he listened to the Lord, who told him to move and to prepare a place of worship at Bethel. This time he knew the answer was to look to God, “who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” God provided a right way of escape for Jacob—the “escape” was to worship God.  And God indeed protected Jacob and his sons from the surrounding cities.  

This morning, let’s invite God to be the source of wisdom and insight in all our circumstances, so that we may react to situation with faith instead of fear or self-dependency.

Prayer: Dear Father, I thank You and I celebrate the small victories You give me in my growth and walk with You. As I continue to encounter circumstances that cause me to react with fear or worry, remind me to look to You and to earnestly seek You, because You have always answered me in my distress and have been with me wherever I have gone. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Mark 9

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Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Corinthians 10:13-14. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

Questions to Consider

1. Why is Paul giving the Corinthians this encouragement and warning?

2. How does Paul describe God’s faithfulness?

3. What is idolatry?

Notes

1. In the context of this passage, Paul tells the Corinthians of Israel’s history of displeasing God, in their acts of idolatry, immorality, testing God, and grumbling. His point is that Israel’s history was written down in the Old Testament for our instruction, so that we may be aware that our struggles with temptation are common, and that people in all generations struggle with common trials. This is supposed to encourage us as well as to exhort us to actively overcome these temptations.  

2. In our trials and temptations, we may humanly feel that they are beyond what we can handle, but from God’s point of view, He is able to provide you the way of escape and to teach you how to endure it. He is faithful to help you become an overcomer!

3. Idolatry is anything in our hearts that replaces our security and trust in God. It could be a material thing, but also be way of thinking or impure desires.

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Evening Reflection

Tonight, reflect on the word “arise.” Often, Jesus used the verb “arise” to command the sick to receive His healing and to instruct His servants to go on a mission. God called Jacob to arise as well and to take a step of faith towards Him. How is the Lord leading you to arise and to do His will? 

REPOST  Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on June 25, 2017, is provided by Pastor Joshua Kim. Joshua, a graduate of Emory University, Columbia Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Talbot Theological Seminary (Th.M.), is the Lead Pastor of Upper Room Seattle church.  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“The Irrefutable Difference between the Wisdom of God and the Ways of the World”

Revelation 10:8-11

Then the voice which I heard from heaven, I heard again speaking with me, and saying, “Go, take the book which is open in the hand of the angel who stands on the sea and on the land.” ⁹ So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he *said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.” ¹⁰ I took the little book out of the angel’s hand and ate it, and in my mouth it was sweet as honey; and when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter. ¹¹ And they *said to me, “You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”

I love listening to Podcasts. If you ask the staff here at Southland, they’ll tell you that I’m often sharing with them about the different things that I learned through a recent episode of this Podcast and that. In fact, I have often referred to things that I have learned on Podcasts in some of the quiet times I have written for this blog. But one thing that has always been in the back of my mind is really thinking about the kind of information that I am absorbing. It is probably no surprise to you that many of the Podcast programs that are available today present things in a very humanistic kind of way that lacks the fear of God. Unless you are careful, you can easily find yourself agreeing with certain agendas that stand in opposition to the truth of God. 

In today’s passage, we see something that has happened to other prophets before. Jeremiah and Ezekiel also had similar experiences where they are commanded by God to eat the words of God.  Both recount that the words were sweet like honey in their mouths; John’s experience was a little different. The word of God tastes sweet in his mouth but becomes bitter in his stomach. 

This experience of John points our attention to the irrefutable difference between the wisdom of God and the ways of the world. The word of God is delightful and sweet to those who are under the grace of Jesus Christ, but those same word is a message of condemnation and judgment to those who are resistant to Christ (2 Cor. 2:15-6).

And the command comes to John in the midst of the bitterness in his stomach: You must prophesy again. I believe that this command is for us as well. To try to harmonize the ways of the world and the ways of God is an impossible task—the two stand in utter opposition to one another. And there comes a time in the life of a Christian when he must declare the “whole will of God” (Acts 20:27), even if it is bitter to those that are recipients of that condemnation. The good news of Jesus Christ is not a popular message. 

There is something that is very important here to note: John is experiencing the bitterness in his stomach, deep inside himself. And this detail shows the kind of compassion we are to have when declaring the word of God. Perhaps this is similar to the turning from within that Jesus experienced when He saw the crowds without a shepherd. 

Brothers and sisters, may we be the church that will always stand firm on the truth of God, knowing that the ways of this world stand in opposition to this truth. But may we also be the church that delivers this truth with compassion and love, being moved by the bitterness in our stomachs, out of a desire that they will turn from their wicked ways and come to know the One true God. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your truth that is indeed, honey on our lips. We also recognize that this sweet truth to us, who have been given the free gift of grace, is bitter to those who have not accepted You. Lord, may we not be removed from this bitterness of the stomach, this pain that we know You experience for the lost. May we be moved by Your love to faithfully proclaim Your truth not matter how unpopular it maybe, but with utmost compassion and care. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Mark 8

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on July 9, 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

“My Most Prized Possession”

Luke 7:36-39

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

Growing up I had one dream in life, and unlike most kids, my dream never changed: I wanted to be the first female Asian  Spielberg. To kick-start this dream, when I was in 6^th grade I asked my parents for a very specific camcorder—the Sony DCR-TRV22. Now this camcorder was the most state-of-the-art recorder of its day, and I took care of this thing like it was my baby! This camera was my most prized possession because at the heart of it, I believed it would bring me closer to my dream of becoming Director Jennifer Kim. 

In today’s passage, we read of a woman identified only as “a woman in the city who was a sinner,” who owned a very prized possession: an alabaster jar of perfume. A single vial of this perfume was said to be the equivalent of one year‘s wages, and prostitutes at the time were actually known to wear these vials around their neck to increase their appeal. In other words, this jar of perfume was most likely the most expensive thing this woman owned; it was her livelihood and income as it was the source of her continuing lucrative business. Yet more than that, it was her very source of identity that labeled her the city sinner.

Oftentimes, the things that we hold onto as our most prized possession are the very things that cause us to sin. We can wear our titles, careers, family, relationships, and perhaps even our spiritual gifts around our neck, thinking they will increase our appeal. Yet while these things are not essentially bad, when they become the source of our identity, they become the very source of sin in our lives which only lead us to the feet of Jesus weeping like this woman. My camcorder is a silly example of my most prized possession, but it was the sole purpose of my heart that made me live in pursuit of an identity that never satisfied my heart, leading me further and further from the Lord. Our most prized possessions may be the things dearest to our heart, even becoming our source of income and our identity, but I want to encourage you today to reflect on whether God is asking you to lay your jars of perfume at the feet of Jesus, so you may live in the fullness of Christ Jesus. As this woman pours out her perfume to anoint Jesus’ feet, He says that what this woman has done will be remembered whenever the gospel is preached. Our sacrifices to the Lord are remembered forever, and God does not waste them as long as we surrender to Him. May we be people who fully surrender for the fullness of Jesus in our lives as we remember that God did not withhold anything for us.

Prayer: God, thank You for Your unending love to sacrifice everything, so I may enjoy fullness in You. May I also surrender my most prized possessions in pursuit of my identity in You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Mark 6-7

REPOST Today AMI Devotional QT, first posted on March 23, 2018, is provided by Pastor David Yoon of Tapestry Church in Los Angeles. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Perfect Storm”

Mark 4:35-41 

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

Gloucester, Massachusetts was historically known for being an important shipbuilding center. More than 100,000 Gloucestermen died at sea due to severe storms from 1663-1923. In 1925, the town designed and built a sculpture famously known as the Man at the Wheel. On a small plaque it reads, “Memorial To The Gloucester Fisherman, August 23, 1923.” On the front plaque there is an inscription taken from Psalm 107:23: “They that go down to the sea in ships”.  In 2000, there was a movie titled The Perfect Storm that was based on a true story dedicated to the Gloucestermen lost at sea. 

Such as the storms that took many lives at sea, we, too, experience severe storms in our lives when we face hardships, trials, and crises. At times we may feel as though we can weather the storm and ride the wave; but then there are times when we truly feel as though we will perish. In today’s passage, we read of a great windstorm that struck the disciples as they were crossing the Sea of Galilee. Surrounded by mountains, the Sea of Galilee was—and still is—infamous for sudden squalls, such as violent storms and water rising without warning. In this particular storm, the waves were so strong that the boat was breaking and beginning to fill with water. Although the disciples were seaworthy fisherman and were accustomed to the storms of the Sea of Galilee, this storm was so fierce that they feared for their lives. But Jesus was very tired from days of traveling and ministering to large crowds, so He was sleeping. The disciples woke Jesus up and asked, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Did the disciples wake Jesus up so that He could take over the storm? We can infer from their response that they did not expect Jesus to calm the storm, for they were filled with great fear and awe as Jesus rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” 

Are you currently going through a season of storm? Is your heart filled with doubt and fear? The anxieties and worries of our everyday lives can often lead us to ask God, “Where are You?” When we are hurt by those around us or blinded by the troubles of this world, we could also lose sight of Jesus Christ—the hope of the world. In light of this, consider how you will react when you are faced with fear. Instead of responding to the storms of our lives with fear, let us respond with faith.

Prayer: Father God, help me to keep my eyes on You through the storms of life. Allow me to hear Your voice and have faith in You. I lay down all my worries and fears at the feet of the cross today. In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Mark 5

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Lunch Break Study

Read Philippians 4:4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 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

1. What are the truths that Paul reminds us of in these verses?
2. How can you rejoice in the Lord today?
3. How can you be more intentional so that your hearts and minds are guarded in Christ Jesus?

Notes

1. The Lord is at hand and the peace of God surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
2. It’s tempting to focus on the areas of your life that might be going according to your plan. Stretch yourself to thank God and rejoice in even the things that may not be the best thing yet. 
3. Try to think of tangible and measurable ways in which you can practice guarding your heart and mind from the worries and thoughts of the world. 

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Evening Reflection

Take time to reflect on how you viewed and responded to the events in your day. Did you find yourself rejoicing in the big and small aspects? Was your heart and mind guarded from the storms of worry? Ask God to give you direction and peace as you prepare for a new day.