REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Charles Choe who leads Tapestry Church in Los Angeles, was first posted on October 27, 2017.  Charles is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“At What Price?”

Genesis 16:3-4

So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

In a Saturday Night Live commercial spoof, a woman discusses taking Chantix to end her smoking addiction. While the benefits of the drug may have helped her to quit smoking, the unintended side effects— which is listed between nausea and her desire to kill her own husband— is rather comical. The spoof seems to be saying, “The goal to quit smoking is met, but at what price?”  

Sin is not that different from these drug commercials you see on television. The thirty second commercial spends five seconds telling you what benefit this new wonder drug will have for you, and then the next twenty-five seconds explaining all the adverse side effects—including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, heart attack, and even bugs nesting in your ears. The only difference between these commercials and sin is that sin never tells you what the negative side effects are until after you’ve committed the sin. Then it says, “Oh yeah, here’s the fine print I forgot to tell you about. You got what you wanted, but your life is now going to be miserable. Enjoy!”

At first, things seem to work out just fine for Abram and Sarai. It looked as though everything was going according to plan. Hagar conceived their long-awaited child, and now Sarai and Abram had the baby they were so desperate for. But, as with all sin, there were unexpected, negative consequences. Sarai was not any happier than when she was without a child; having exactly what she thought she wanted did nothing for her—it only brought her even more discontent.  

And we see this in the way Sarai despises Hagar. Perhaps Sarai is reminded of the feeling of being “cursed” (not to be able to herself bear a child), or maybe Abram had surprised her with affections for Hagar—as it would not be unimaginable for a father and mother of the same child to share. Whatever may have been the case, things became increasingly difficult in Abram’s household. This didn’t feel like a blessing at all, but more like a curse, as envy, anger and mistreatment was the new norm for Sarai and Abram. 

This is what sin does to us. It promises so much, but it never tells us about the problems that is sure to follow. Sin will never make us happy. It will only lead to heartache and disappointment. The momentary pleasure is fleeting, but the assurance of God’s presence is satisfying for all times. Let us strive to be holy and without sin. When we fail, let us trust God to forgive us through His Son Jesus Christ. 

Prayer:  God, help me to take sin seriously. Help me to hate it and not believe in the promises it makes to me. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Samuel 3

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Lunch Break Study

Read Isaiah 40:28-31: Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 

29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. 30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; 31 but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Questions to Consider 

1. When waiting on the Lord, we may grow weary and be tempted to go our own way. Why does Isaiah insist we remain?  

2. Compared to an older person, youth is seen as a symbol of strength and virility. When we feel weak and unable, what is a clear way of being replenished?   

3. What mistakes and sins have you committed because you are not waiting on the Lord?    

Notes

1. The Lord, by the strength of His character, will keep us from growing weary and exhausted. We can trust Him for sustaining strength.  

2. We are replenished in strength by waiting on the Lord. 

3. Personal reflection.

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Evening Reflection

We began the day thinking about the deceptive nature of sin: it seems and feels so promising at first, but before we know it we find ourselves in “hell” on earth.  There are stages to the progression of sin.  James put it like this: When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (1:14-15).  Before going to sleep tonight, examine yourself whether you are caught in the web of deception of sin.  If so, consider what stage you are in based on James’ word; but, regardless of where you are at, know that the best measure is to turn away from it: consider repenting. 

REPOST  Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on June 24, 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 Day When All Our Questions Will Be Answered”

Revelation 10:5-7

Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, ⁶ and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer, ⁷ but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets.

Over the last few years, I have been attending a lot of weddings. Watching this couple whom I’ve known since their freshmen year, thinking about all the things that they struggled through and overcome, how they have grown in faith, and how they continue to fight the good fight even now, has been such a blessing. It has reminded me of so many good times we’ve shared, but also, the dark times we treaded together, trusting in the Lord. This is one of my favorite parts of pastoring—walking through the different seasons of life together. But as many of you can probably relate, this also means confronting many situations where we are left thinking, “Why did this happen, Lord?” or “I believe You are good no matter what, but why is this really necessary?” And unfortunately, there is no cleanly packaged answer to these questions. 

We see in the passage this grand angel of the Lord that we are introduced to at the beginning of this chapter, and He who lives forever and ever makes an oath. The angel declares that there will be no more delay, that the mystery of God is finished. Commentators note that when we read mystery of God, it doesn’t primarily mean something hidden or kept secret, but rather it means act of divine knowledge being revealed to man. Paul similarly talks about the mystery of God in Ephesians as the revelation that Jews and Gentiles are now fellow heirs and members of the same body. The angel declares in the Name of the Lord that these things will come to a finish, that is, to completion.

Brothers and sisters, take heart, for there will come a day where all the questions of your heart will be answered. There will come a day where all the things you have been through, including all that you have suffered and endured, will find its answer. There is a finality to these things. And although that ending should cause the unrepentant to fear, for those who are in Christ, it is the moment that we have been longing for. 

Prayer: Father, thank You that not only my life, but all of history has been in Your hands. Thank You that all that has happened and will happen has been according to Your perfect plan. Help me to live not as one bogged down by what I see right before me but live with the hope of what is to come in mind. In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Samuel 2 

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on September 2, 2017, is provided by Hee Jung Lee. Hee Jung, a graduate of Biblical Theological Seminary, serves at Catalyst Agape Church (New Jersey) along with her husband Pastor Sam Lee. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Enduring in Prayer”

Psalm 40:1

 “I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me and heard my cry.”

When our oldest daughter Anna was two years old, I quit my job in hopes to have another child and be a stay-at-home mother. My husband and I thought that by the time we had our second, the kids would be three years apart which seemed ideal to us. However, things did not go as smoothly. I was unable to get pregnant as easily as we had anticipated or experienced with our first child. But, whether the enemy intends for harm or life brings us challenges to overcome, God will always use the situation for our good (Rom. 8:28). 

The waiting period of about one year was a wonderful time of discovery for me in my personal relationship with the Lord. One main thing I learned was the importance of persistent prayer. There is something about the process of persisting in prayer that God uses to develop maturity in us that cannot be obtained outside of enduring. Prayer is a learning place in itself, meaning it is a place of being taken deeper into God’s love, getting an inside scoop to God’s plans, His heart and likeness, revelations about ourselves, understanding the operations of spiritual realm, etc.  However, persistence in prayer seasons us and develops character that enables us to stand when uncertain times come. It deepens our spiritual endurance and perception, enabling us to know the Lord in stillness and in trust. The Lord has assured us that we shall reap in due time if we do not give up. 

In Luke 18, we see Jesus Himself teaching His disciples this principle of persisting in prayer by sharing a parable with them about a widow who kept coming to a judge. The judge ends up granting her what she wanted because of nothing else than her sheer persistence. Also, in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we are encouraged to pray without ceasing, yielding, or giving up. When the Lord tells us to keep praying, He is assuring us that there is something to be gained in the process and in the end.  The process is just as important, if not more, to the Lord.  

In Beni Johnson’s book, The Happy Intercessor, she shares a story of a man who died for four minutes and returned to life. He testified that heaven was actually loud because of all the intercession taking place. Our intercession and what is the Lord’s will in heaven eventually coming together into one rhythm and heartbeat when we do not give up. And as we wait on the Lord, seeking Him without giving up on asking, we too will sing as David sang in Psalm 40:1 “I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me and heard my cry.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the joy of waiting on You in prayer. Thank You that the process will be used for my good as that is how you do things. I want to be still before you as I learn to endure and trust in Your faithfulness. I want more of You that is to be gained than anything else. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen.

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 31-2 Samuel 1

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotionals, first posted on November 17, 2017, 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 Thoughts for This Morning

“The Blessing of Rebuke”

Genesis 20:8-18

So Abimelech rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very much afraid. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.” 10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What did you see, that you did this thing?” 11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 And when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, I said to her, ‘This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, “He is my brother.”’” 14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him. 15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; dwell where it pleases you.” 16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.” 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they bore children. 18 For the Lord had closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

No one likes to hear the words, “I told you so,” even when we know we’re wrong—it just sounds annoying and reeks of condescension. Yet for all the ways we don’t like to have our faults pointed out to us, we usually won’t grow without it. In fact, the apostle Paul tells us: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Notice the functions of Scripture in these verses: teaching, reproof, correction, equipping and training. Yes, there’s a cognitive aspect in teaching, but there is also correction and reproof (NIV says, ‘”rebuking”), which means, if we are to grow in faith, we need the rebuke of Scripture, as well as others to rebuke us according to Scripture. It’s part of our training in faith.

When Abraham moves his family to the Philistine town of Gerar—thinking that nobody fears God there—he acts out of disbelief and fear. He lies that Sarah is his sister and not his wife—which leads to a world of trouble when King Abimelech claims Sarah for himself. So God continues Abraham’s training by using the words of a pagan king to rebuke His own prophet. Abimelech doesn’t say, “I told you so,” but he does question Abraham’s integrity in misleading him and bringing God’s anger against his household. It’s correction. It’s reproof. And like many of us, Abraham doesn’t respond well, becoming defensive and making excuses. He cannot deny his fault, but he doesn’t fully take responsibility for his failures either. It’s a lesson half-hearted learned, which might be why we revisit this same scenario in the life of Abraham’s son in Genesis 26 (same place: Gerar; same problem: fear; same failure: lying that his wife is his sister).

The end result in today’s passage is that God’s prophet blesses his new neighbors from a position of humility and grace. God still uses the trouble-making prophet and humbles him through truthful rebuke.

Prayer: Lord, give me a teachable heart today, so that my pride would not keep me from facing the areas in my life that You want to change. Help me to recognize Your correction, no matter what form it comes in. And give me the strength to take responsibility for my sin so that I might experience the fullness of Your grace. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 30

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Lunch Break Study

Read Ephesians 4:14-16: Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Questions to Consider

1. How might “teaching,” “cunning,” “craftiness,” and “deceitful scheming” undermine genuine faith?
2. Why do you think “speaking the truth in love” is important for the church?
3. Is there a person in your life who needs to hear the truth in love? Take a moment to write down biblical truths that need to be incorporated into their life. Begin to pray about how you might share this truth in love. Pray also for opportunities in which you might do so.

Notes

1. Paul is telling us that maturity inevitably involves discernment—that is, being able to identify what is not true, only partially true, and distortions of the truth. Because until and unless we can do this, we will always be susceptible to manipulation, like children struggling to tread water in the sea; this means, we must nurture an inquisitive mindset when approaching Scripture and seek understanding rather than just taking the word of our spiritual leaders. This does not mean that we are to be skeptical or judgmental; rather, we are to be teachable, eager to learn, and able to study the Bible for ourselves. 
2. It is the means through which growth happens in the church. It’s truth in love; NOT JUST TRUTH: I’m sure we can all think of instances where someone “gave it to us straight,” and we could not stomach it because of how it was said. And NOT JUST LOVE: Most of us also know the “love” side, where we avoid telling the truth, even to the point of tolerating bad behavior—all in the name of being a good friend. Neither approaches are adequate in Jesus’ church. Telling the truth in love is a matter of attitude and care. Our goal is the growth of our brother and sister; our motive is caring concern; and our approach is truthful but gentle—not belligerent or vengeful. In truth, this approach is also a skill we need to develop, since so much of our previous experience emphasizes one to the neglect of the other (truth over love, or love over truth). 

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Evening Reflection

Quote: “Too often, we say we are defeated by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated. We are simply disobedient. It might be good if we stop using the terms victory and defeat to describe our progress in holiness. Rather, we should use the terms obedience and disobedience. When I say I am defeated by some sin, I am unconsciously slipping out from under my responsibility. I am saying something outside of me has defeated me. But when I say I am disobedient, that places the responsibility for my sin squarely on me. We may in fact be defeated, but the reason we are defeated is because we have chosen to disobey.

“We need to brace ourselves up and to realize that we are responsible for thoughts, attitudes, and actions. We need to reckon on the fact that we died to sin’s reign, that it no longer has any dominion over us, that God has united us with the risen Christ in all His power and has given us the Holy Spirit to work in us. Only as we accept our responsibility and appropriate God’s provisions will we make any progress in our pursuit of holiness.”
― Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness

We see in the life of Abraham that it’s one thing to be protected by God and another to be teachable. Abraham’s lying becomes a repeated pattern in his life and in the life of his descendants because he failed to receive the correction of God fully. What areas of weakness did the Holy Spirit bring to your awareness today? Pray that God may lead you in rejecting every impulse that comes from fear and insecurity. And ask for His strength to make you courageous, consistent and truthful. 

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Christine Li, was first posted on June 29, 2017. Christine, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, serves as a deaconess at Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Seeking Glory like Pokémon Go”

Genesis 28:16-19 

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” 18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel,[e] though the city used to be called Luz.

Last year around this time, the game Pokémon Go was released. It sent a flurry of students and working people exploring their neighborhoods, searching for Pokémon to collect. Wouldn’t you know—an empty park or hotel lobby in real life actually teeming with Pokémon! Who knew that a game could turn such common landmarks into places of treasure?

Somewhat similarly, we often go through our normal habits and spaces, thinking them commonplace and mundane. The work, circumstance, or environment we are in might seem so devoid of God’s presence. Just like it seems to be for Jacob, who is fleeing to his uncle Laban after outwitting Esau, the visible, physical world (and its troubles) are all there is. But because of his dream, Jacob awakens to realize that the God of his forefathers is present, and his primary response is to worship God.

I’m sure many of us woke up this morning to another routine-filled day, thinking that our reality is not quite as spectacular or as fun as we might hope. But if we know that God’s kingdom is on this earth, then we are never truly in a boring place—we are always in a place of worship. God is with us, and He is waiting to reveal Himself. 

Would that God open our eyes today to see this reality and for us to believe and sense that He is present! At every place, in every moment, His glory is waiting to be found. Let’s remind ourselves of the good news that God has broken the divide between us and Him–He is already near us, engineering our circumstances, keeping close watch. May we ask Him to awaken us to a renewed earth of wonder and worship once again.

Prayer: Father, You are indeed the Lord over all the earth! Help me to be more aware of Your presence, and open my eyes to see the spiritual reality beyond the physical world. Every inch of ground belongs to You, and because You are near, I am on holy ground. Make every place of my life a place of worship. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 29

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Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Kings 6:13-20: “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” 14 Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. 16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike this army with blindness.” So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. 19 Elisha told them, “This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for.” And he led them to Samaria. 20 After they entered the city, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” Then the Lord opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria.

Questions to Consider

1. How does Elisha use the strength of the angel army against the army of Aram?
2. In what ways does Elisha demonstrate faith in God’s power?
3. There are spiritual and physical visions turned on and off throughout the passage. How does Elisha cause this to happen? How can we get them in our lives?

Notes

1. Strangely, Elisha does not. The spiritual army is still only a sign of God’s might and power, which is what Elisha fully relies on. Notice that He calls on God directly to blind the eyes of the army from Aram.
2. Not only has Elisha prayed for God to directly blind the eyes of the enemy, but he himself goes out to meet them. He personally leads the entire army, all the way to Samaria (sources indicate this is a distance of 10-13 miles). In these ways, he demonstrates faith in God’s power.
3. Each time that vision is changed—to see the army, for them to be blinded to the truth, for their eyes to be opened—occurs after Elisha prays. Corrected vision, one that sees spiritual and physical realities, comes only from God. It is not something we can do ourselves, but is something we must pray for Him to do. 

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Evening Reflection

Were you able to discover God’s presence and glory where you were today? Let’s reflect on where it was easy to see God working and where it was hard to find His presence. Let’s continue to ask Him to increase our sensitivity to His presence and His work so that we may worship Him continuously. 

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Doug Tritton, was first posted on October 4, 2017.  A graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), Doug is the Lead Pastor of Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Yes and Amen”

Genesis 9:8-11

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

Recently, I have come to really enjoy this song called “Yes and Amen” by Housefires. The chorus speaks of the faithfulness of God, that all His promises are Yes and Amen (see 2 Corinthians 1:20). Every time I sing this song, I just want to shout the chorus – I love singing of God’s faithfulness because truly our God is faithful!  

This passage for today in Genesis is one of those promises to which God is faithful. Noah and his family had just gotten off the ark after the flood waters had receded, so God promised Noah that there never again would be such a catastrophic flood. God was faithful to Noah through the storm, to save him and his family. He was faithful to maintain His creation in order that that the earth would be repopulated. This promise of God to Noah was not a “maybe”; it was a mighty “YES”. God’s promises are not something to doubt; they are the basis for our faith in Him! I’m sure Noah and His family found comfort in this promise of God as they began to rebuild their lives outside of the ark.

God makes many promises throughout the Bible, and He is faithful to each and every one of them. Let us hang on to the promises of God, knowing that He is faithful. Oftentimes, when we think of promises, we can remember people in the past who have broken promises with us. But let us find peace knowing that God absolutely will not break His promises to us. He is faithful to us and always will be.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for being so faithful to us, Your children. There are so many things in this life that can cause us to worry and fear, but may we find peace in the surety of Your promises to us. Let Your faithfulness bring us comfort this day. Help us to find true rest in Your promises.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 28

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Lunch Break Study  

Read 2 Corinthians 1:19-22: For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.” 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Questions to Consider

1. What does it mean that Jesus Christ “was not ‘Yes’ and ‘No’”?
2. Why does Paul say that all of God’s promises are ‘yes’ in Christ?
3. What sign do we have now of God’s continual faithfulness to us?

Notes

1. Some may fear that Jesus may be faithful at some times, but not at others. But Paul here is saying that this is not true. Jesus is always YES to us, because He is always faithful. This means we can trust Him and the truth of His gospel.
2. Jesus Christ was the culmination of all God’s promises. Through Jesus we see the fullness of God’s faithfulness to us, that He was willing to be true to us even at the cost of His beloved Son. May we never take for granted the cost of God’s promises, that Jesus had to pay the ultimate price to demonstrate God’s faithfulness to us! 
3. The Holy Spirit! One of the reasons God sent His Spirit into us was to seal us in Him. Because of the Spirit in us, we can trust that God is not letting go of us, no matter what. The Spirit signals that we belong to God, and since we are God’s, we are fully secure.

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Evening Reflection

Take some time this evening to reflect on God’s faithfulness to you. Perhaps there is some particular worry on your mind. Surrender that to God and allow His faithfulness to bring you comfort, that you may rest easy in Him tonight.

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on October 31, 2017, 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

“A Covenant to Remember”

Genesis 17:9-14

Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

In elementary school, my friend and I would make pacts with each other. We promised to be best friends forever and to write letters if one of us moved away. To seal the pact, we drew a picture of our favorite superhero and gave it to each another. Unfortunately, both of these promises were broken by the time we moved onto middle school.

In this passage, God makes a covenant with Abraham and his descendants. The covenant entails that if Abraham and his descendants follow the Lord, He will flourish them as a people group: “The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you: and I will be their God” (v. 8).

Why did God heavily emphasize circumcision to Abraham in regard to the covenant? Like my friend and I, humanity is prone to break covenants with the Lord. In Scripture, there is a cycle of the Israelites disobeying the law of God and God restoring them. Therefore, to make things clear for the Israelites, God commands Abraham to circumcise males, so that it will be a constant reminder to follow the Lord. 

As believers, we constantly forget our covenant with the Lord. We understand that we are saved, yet we are quick to disobey and follow our own ways. However, the Lord helps us remember our covenant with Him through His sacraments. As we take the bread and the wine, we are reminded of the covenant God established with us through the blood of Jesus. This is God’s grace to us!

Prayer: Lord, help me to remember Your faithfulness in my life. I know that I am prone to forget, yet Your grace reminds me that Your ways are always better than mine. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 27

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Lunch Break Study

Read Joshua 4:4-7: So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

Questions to Consider

1. What do the stones serve as? (v. 7)
2. Apart from the current Israelites, who else was the memorial for? Why is this important? (v.6)

Notes

1. The stones serve as a reminder for the people that God stopped the flow of the Jordan. 
2. Apart from the current Israelites, this memorial was intended for the Israelite children. It was expected for the parents to re-visit this memorial and teach their children about the faithfulness of God. As future descendants become more distant from this great miracle, they are more likely to forget. Therefore, it is the responsibility of past generations to remind them of God’s faithfulness. 

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Evening Reflection

In light of today’s sharing, what are some ways that you help remind yourself of the Lord’s covenant with you? If you are prone to forget, how can you better remember His faithfulness in your life?

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Charles Choe who leads Tapestry Church in Los Angeles, was first posted on October 25, 2017.  Charles is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Extent of God’s Love”

Genesis 15:9-21

He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other. But he did not cut the birds in half. 11 And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”

An early crush I had in the seventh grade was a young blond name Tammy. She, to my shock, reciprocated my feelings. So we started passing notes between classes and eventually started “dating.” (I had no idea what that meant; I just knew it meant we had feelings for each other.) Things were going well, until one day after school—on a public bus no less— I heard the crushing news that she was beginning to develop feelings for one of my closest friends. It was devastating; I had never felt so much heartache before. It wouldn’t be the last time I would be disappointed with unrequited “love,”— but this first one really stung. 

In our story today, we find God is prepared to show the extent of His love. It starts with Abraham carrying animals to be sacrificed. In verse 10, Abraham—with a sharp blade—carves the animals in half. I can just imagine the smell, the sight of the warm blood soaking the soil, and the sound of groaning from the dying animals. All the work must have made him tired, as Abraham falls into deep sleep.  Then the next event takes us to the whole point of this ceremony: “When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates’” (verses 17-18). 

This is so understated, but in some cryptic way, the smoking pot and the blazing torch represents God—His visible manifestation passing between the pieces. To appreciate this, we have to know how covenants were sealed. Today, we use lawyers and legal documents, but back then, they would cut animals in half, and the two parties would walk through it—essentially saying, “Let it be done to me as it has been done to these animals if I break my oath.” And here, God condescends to reassure questioning man with a smoking fire pot and a blazing torch; God cuts a covenant with Abraham. 

Here is what this is saying to us: The promise is that God loves us with a steadfast love. This is anchored in His own character—not in what we do or don’t do. His love is steadfast, unchanging, and reliable. This is the key to His covenant. This is why God’s covenant with us is not bilateral. Only God pledges and walks through—Abraham is utterly passive. God assumes full responsibility for the covenant.  And do you know what this is called? Grace. One way love. So here’s the promise: God loves you and He always will.

Do you see what this is foreshadowing? Jesus. The Son of God’s flesh was torn like those animals. That was God fulfilling His promise: “I will be your God and you will be my people. I will rescue you, I will pour out my Spirit.” Every promise uttered was fulfilled in Christ. And we know this to be true by faith. Faith is God’s benevolence towards us; it’s founded on His promises and sealed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. And that’s the place where we have to go every day and let it capture our imagination, until more and more, it becomes our story. 

Prayer: God, help me to see the many ways You are faithful to me today. In every moment of fear, help me to my knees so that I can surrender all of my fears and worries to you. Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 26

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Lunch Break Study

Read Galatians 3:13-20: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. 15 To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. 16 Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. 17 This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void. 18 For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise; but God gave it to Abraham by a promise. 19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. 20 Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one.

Questions to Consider 

1. In verse 15, Paul first establishes the principle that even with a covenant among men, the covenant stands firm once it is made—no one annuls or adds to it. Why does Paul use this as an example? 

2. What purpose, then, does the law serve?  

3. What promise do you sense the Lord is telling you to hang on to?    

Notes

1. Paul’s point isn’t really about covenants among men, but he uses it as an example to say, “How much more will God keep His promises.” 

2. Part of the reason the law was given was to restrain the transgression of men through clearly revealing God’s holy standard. It was to keep us from destroying ourselves before the Messiah came. The law also clearly shows our rebellion against God’s holy standard, showing us more clearly our need for salvation in Jesus. 

3. Personal reflection.

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Evening Reflection

“God’s plan is not to abandon this world, the world which he said was “very good.” Rather, he intends to remake it. And when he does he will raise all his people to new bodily life to live in it. That is the promise of the Christian gospel.” –N.T. Wright

REPOSTToday’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on July 23, 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/

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“I’ll Bring You More than a Song”

Psalm 9:1-2

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart;

I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and exult in you;

I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

When I was a single man, my singleness was sometimes a source of discouragement and frustration. There was one particular season that was especially hard – I had confessed my feelings of attraction to a friend, and she rejected me. The next few months, I found it difficult to sing praise songs. Most of the time I draw energy from those praising God around me, but during that time, seeing them discouraged me even more, because I felt even more disconnected from the Lord in comparison to those around me.

One Sunday morning, my lead pastor’s wife shared some small encouragement with me that l would never forget. She challenged me to take everything I was feeling, even the discouraging thoughts and frustrations, and put them in an imaginary jar, and then offer that jar to the Lord as my “worship.” She said that this kind of worship is some of the most precious to the Lord. As I listened, something in me came awake. At that moment I realized that worship isn’t merely about having the ability to sing praise to Him. Worship is about offering myself—my heart, my thoughts, my hopes—unto Him, and entrusting Him to do His will with me. This completely changed the way I worship the Lord, and it simultaneously reversed my perspective on my singleness. Whereas previously my discouragements would hinder my intimacy with the Lord, they now became opportunities to offer worship, and confess my trust in Him. In doing so, I found myself being glad in Him!

In today’s Psalm, David does mention “I will sing praise to your name…” but he also mentions three other ways to worship God: “I will give thanks… I will recount… I will be glad and exult in you…” This morning, as you worship the Lord, let your worship not simply be relegated to the singing of praise, but also remember to give thanks, consider what He has done for you, and be glad in Him!

Perhaps you are in a season where it is especially difficult to worship God through the singing of songs. If that’s you, I would encourage you to take the current state of your heart, and entrust it unto the Lord; let that be the worship that you bring to the Lord this morning.

Prayer: Lord, we offer our whole selves to You as a living sacrifice. We come just as we are: imperfect, broken, dissatisfied. But we come by the blood of Jesus Christ. Would You wash us clean this morning, and satisfy us with Your presence. In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 25

REPOSTToday’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on May 27, 2017, is provided by Phillip Chen who is associate pastor at Kairos Christian Church in San Diego. Phil is a graduate of University of California, San Diego (BS) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Christ and Culture”

Revelation 2:12-17 (ESV)

“And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my fait] even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

Richard Neibuhr, in his book Christ and Culture, outlines the several different approaches people have taken to reconcile how Christians ought to interact with their culture: views range from “culture is evil” to “culture is ultimately good.” It a difficult challenge, as many of these views have been regarded as insufficient; and this has been a hot topic for the church for many generations. We definitely face this same challenge today. In today’s passage, Jesus speaks to the church in Pergamum, which was a place riddled with immorality and idolatry.

The city of Pergamum was one of the religious capitals of the Roman province in Asia, where there were many temples devoted to many different cults—including emperor worship and idol worship. This is the place where “Satan’s throne” dwells. The Christians are doing their best to hold fast to His name—denouncing idol worship—and Jesus commends them for that. Yet there are still some who hold the teaching of Balaam. What is the teaching of Balaam? He was the one who gave the Israelites poor counsel to intermarry with foreign women, which led to idol worship and sexual immorality (cultic prostitution) in their midst. This ultimately led to punishment from God through a plague that came upon their congregation. For the church in Pergamum this was an indictment but probably more of a warning for the church to remain pure. Not only were they to maintain sound doctrine, but they were to be very careful not to be caught up in the adulterous ways of their culture and society. Temptation was all around them.  To the faithful, they were warned to remain pure and steadfast, but for those who had fallen into temptation, they were warned to repent. 

In the same way, our culture and society has myriad of things that are not approved by our God, but we are reminded to remain pure and steadfast. Don’t get me wrong, there is much beauty in culture—but there are also many cultural acts and traditions that are twisted and perverse. In Neibuhr’s book, one position is called “Christ the Transformer of Culture,” and I believe this is the position we ought to take. We do not distance ourselves from culture, nor do we passively go along with culture, believing in its beauty; rather, we are to seek to bring Christ into our culture, allowing Him to transform our culture. With that in mind, we must also remember that above all, the battle we fight against isn’t against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). Let’s devote ourselves to prayer and purity, so that we might win the culture for Christ!    

Prayer: Father God, it’s so easy to get caught up in the currents of society. We want You to come and transform our culture  and our society. We confess that we have not prayed enough for our cities, for our societies, for our culture. But this morning, we invite You to empower us so that we could be used by You as agents to transform our culture. May You be lifted up. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 23-24