July 17, Wednesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on March 22, 2017, is provided by Pastor David Kwon who leads Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. David is a graduate of Drexel University (B.S.) and Columbia International University (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Importance of Communion”

1 Corinthians 11:17-32

But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

A few weeks ago, my oldest daughter asked me, “What’s the purpose of daylight savings time?” At first, I gave her a general answer, but after doing some research, I came back and told her the history, rationale, and purpose of daylight savings. I’m not sure it actually satisfied her question, but at least she has a better understanding of it!

Similarly in today’s text, Paul is giving the church in Corinth the purpose and importance of the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is the sign of Christ’s presence among His people and of their unity in Him. As Paul called out the Corinthians for their divisions and factions, he points attention to the fact that by warring with one another, they are abusing the meaning of the central ritual of the church. He is reminding them that we should united as a body, and the Lord’s supper should remind the believers of that.

Also, each time we take communion we are remembering what Christ has done for us, but also it means that we feast spiritually. Pastor John Piper put it like this, “‘This is my body,’ and ‘This is my blood,’ mean eat spiritually, that is, eat by faith. That is, feed your soul on all that I am for you. Nourish your heart on all the blessings that I bought for you with my body and blood. That is what faith is: faith is a being satisfied in all that God is for us in Christ. Christ has given us the Lord’s Supper to feed us spiritually with himself.”

We are reminded that because of the broken body and shed blood, we can have access to God and be satisfied in him here and now – not only during communion. Through prayer and the word, we can draw closer to God and be spiritually satisfied.

Take some time this morning to remember the sacrifice of Christ. Spend time in His Word and prayer. May we find our delight in Him alone.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for the Lord’s Supper. It’s a reminder of all that You have done for us. May we never take it for granted and during this Easter season, may we hunger for more of You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 4

Lunch Break Study

Read James 1:22-25: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. [23] For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. [25] But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Questions to Consider

What does James emphasize when it comes to the Word?
What is the result of being a doer of the Word?
James uses a brilliant illustration of a mirror showing what it is like when we are not doers of the Word. What areas in our life are we just being listeners and not doers?

Notes

James points out that it is not enough simply to know Scripture or godly teaching. Knowledge alone is useless. It is even worse than useless, for the person who thinks that knowing the Bible makes one godly is self-deceived.
The contrast here between the hearer and the doer is that the doer remembers the “law of liberty.” The one who obeys the Word finds greater freedom and blessing.
Personal response.

Evening Reflection

Thank God for what He’s done for you. His promises and His Word are true, and we can put our hope in them today.

July 16, Tuesday

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on August 8, 2017.

Devotional Thought For This Morning

How Did That Happen in Cuba?

Mark 4:26-29 (ESV)

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

In chaper 2 of my book on missions published in Mexico, while writing about the impressive growth of Christian faith in closed countries, I talked about Cuba without actually seeing what God was doing there. I finally had that opportunity during my recent teaching trip to Cuba for a week, taking back with me the reminder that “seeing is believing.”

In 2005, I wrote: “For over 40 years, Cuba was the only country in the Western Hemisphere that had embraced atheism publicly. Many believers were imprisoned because of their faith. But Castro could not kill the church of God. In early 1994, after 35 years of persecution, the Protestants in Cuba began to experience a renaissance. In 1998, six percent of Cubans (700,000) continued to attend church, of which 57 percent were Protestant. For instance, the Methodist congregants grew from 6,000 members in 1959 to 50,000 by 1994. Despite almost no help from outside for 30+ years, it is believed that there are 4,000 churches in Cuba.”

And the first thing I experienced in Cuba, before my first class began, was worshiping in one of these churches on Monday morning (as if Sunday wasn’t enough). Now, this was no ordinary service: over 200 seminarians and local church leaders singing praise to the Lord at the top of their lungs, moving and dancing in the Spirit, and crying out to God in desperate pleas (for most Cubans are in need economically). And what went on in the classroom was no different: 71 seminarians intently studying in a crammed space, praising and crying out to God just as sincerely. Their days began at 5:30 AM to get ready for morning prayers at 6, followed by a time of Bible reading. Only then the first of daily five classes would begin, totaling six hours of classroom instructions.

So, how can we account for this impressive growth without the help of Western missionaries? According to Mark 4:14, the seed in today’s parable can also represent God’s Word; and once it is planted in the soil of human heart, its inherent power does the rest in expanding in God’s Kingdom on earth, through the sharing of God’s Word by ordinary people of faith empowered by the Spirit. That’s what happened in Cuba and can also happen in our country. Are you up for it?

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 3

Lunch Break Study

Read Phil. 1:15-16 (written during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome):Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

Heb. 4:12: For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Questions to Consider

1. Briefly describe what was going with some of Paul’s colleagues in ministry while the apostle was imprisoned in Rome.

2. Did Paul think that God’s Word proclaimed by those with wrong motives could not bear any fruit? If the answer is no, then what does this say about God’s Word?

3. What does God’s Word intend to accomplish—that is, what does it do for us?

Notes

1. Apparently, some of Paul’s ministry colleagues, given to envy and rivalry, were glad that the apostle was imprisoned so that they could shine before men through the preaching of God’s Word. In other words, their ministry was not discharged out of good will but in pretense.

2. Nevertheless, the apostle Paul felt that as long as these men preached Jesus correctly, God would honor His Word despite the impurity of their motives. This underscores the inherent power of God’s Word that supersedes the flaws of imperfect vessels. Nevertheless, James 3:1 assures that God will judge these types of teachers.

3. Everything: God’s Word intends to challenge our values and worldview, to heal us physically, and to disclose what is really in our hearts to transform us (Rom. 12:1).

Evening Reflection

We began the day reflecting on what God had been doing in Cuba without much help from Western missionaries. We noted how this shows the inherent power of God’s Word to build His kingdom on earth with our minimal participation. Yet I hope that this doesn’t discourage you from being proactive in serving the Lord. So, what can you learn from passionate Cuban believers? Would you spend a moment to allow the Spirit to speak to you about it?

July 15, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on August 25, 2017, is provided by Jonathan Moon who is an AMI missionary serving in Coban, Guatemala. Jonathan, who was born and grew up in Bolivia, is a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.). He and his wife Stephanie are proud parents of three children.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“A Portrait of Dedicated Missionaries”

1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 1:29

Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God; for this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me

As my wife and I pray about going to the mission field, we’re trying to figure out what it means to be a missionary and what missionary work looks like. Being in Cuba and staying in Pastor Gustavo and Angela’s home (with their two young daughters) gave me a glimpse of what that looks like.

First, what stands out about them is their love for God and the Cubans. This was readily visible in the way they talked about their ministry and how they desire to glorify God in all things with thankfulness; as they shared, they constantly had smiles on their faces, even though life in Cuba isn’t easy for foreigners. To give you an idea, these are a few examples: they were using a dial-up connection since Wi-Fi is not allowed inside; supply of certain foods is inconsistent (milk, for instance, may not be available for months); then there is a constant security concern due to government monitoring.

But none of this seems to affect this missionary couple who is obviously overworked: Gustavo, who heads the seminary, oversees all the operations, including leading worship and prayer meetings, and disciples and cares for 71 seminary students. Angela wakes up early to prepare breakfast and lunch, takes care of the girls, and she is constantly translating materials from Korean to Spanish for the next teacher who will come the following week, as well as interpret for the current teacher!

So often, we grumble when we have to serve the church. We feel that after having served once or twice a week, we have done our “duty” and no one should dare to ask us to do more. We have a hard time letting go of our free time or saying no to fun events in order to serve the church or attend a church event. But what if we realize that NONE of that is more important than God? What if we realize that our friends can wait, our free time is not that precious, work is work, and God will take care of us? What if we live our lives wholly and completely devoted to Him, where we give Him everything and not just the small moments that we spare for Him? What impact would that make? What would we be able to do for the Kingdom? I guess we won’t know it until we actually dare to live it.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ who left the glory of heaven to dwell among men to save them. I also thank You for people like Pastor Gustavo and Angela for their dedication, sacrifice, passion, and obedience to God. Help me to let go of my sense of entitlement to live more fully for You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Isaiah 1 Samuel 2

Lunch Break Study

Read Philippians 3:4-11: If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Questions to Consider

1. Would you say that the apostle Paul had a lot to give up in order to “take up his cross and follow” Christ (Lk. 9:23)? What were some of his credentials (cf. Gal. 1:13-14)?

2. In what sense does Gustavo and Angela capture Philippians 3:8 in which Paul talks about counting everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus?

3. What is the ultimate goal of giving up that which was beneficial to me before: to produce more fruits for Christ or to know Him better.

Notes

1. Paul had many things going for him: he was a leading Pharisee, an immaculate keeper of the law, And a true Jew who was also very well-educated (Acts 22:3).

2. There is something to be said about Pastor Gustavo and Angela’s dedication, sacrifice, passion, and obedience to God. They have embodied Philippians 3:8 and have counted all as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus, for whose sake they have lost all things.

3. The ultimate goal is to know Christ better by a way of identifying with His great suffering through our small suffering for His sake.

Evening Reflection

Though we are not all called to be missionaries overseas, we are all called to be missionaries where we are. Before we go to bed tonight, let’s ask ourselves these questions: What am I doing to expand God’s Kingdom where I am? Am I serving as little as I can or want, or is God’s work my main priority? Am I ready to count it all as loss for Christ? Spend some time in a reflective prayer.

July 14, Sunday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on May 21, 2017, is provided by Pastor Barry Kang, who heads Symphony Church in Boston. Barry is a graduate of Stanford University (B.S.), Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and Gordon Conwell Seminary (D.Min.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Beginning and Ending in Grace”

2 Corinthians 13:14

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Paul began his letter to the Corinthians with a benediction (literally means “a good word”) of grace: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 1:2); and now ends with a benediction of grace. His message begins with grace, the middle is full of grace, and again ends with grace.

Before he met Jesus, Paul was not a man known for grace. He was known for his zeal for God and his knowledge of the Scriptures. He was also known for persecuting the sect of Jewish believers known as Christ followers. But after he met Christ, he became a man full of grace. Grace was the most important thing he had received and the most important thing he had to offer.

As we follow Jesus, many of us begin with grace, but at some point, we can be tempted to replace the grace of God with our human works. But the thing is, we never graduate from the Gospel of grace. Our Christian lives begin with grace, sustained by grace, and end with the grace of God.

Paul had many reasons to be angry with the church in Corinth, but he never forgot grace. His pain and anger was tempered by love, and he ends with a sincere blessing over them. I pray that we would never forget grace, and that it would overflow in our lives.

Prayer: Father, I thank You for Your amazing grace. Your grace saved me, forgave my sins, brought me into a relationship with you, sustains me and leads me into holiness. Forgive me for any ways that I’ve been trying to earn Your love or any ways that I’ve sought a righteousness of our own. Help me to never forget grace. May Your grace, love and fellowship sustain and lead me throughout my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 1 Samuel 1

July 13, Saturday

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on April 29, 2017, is provided by Pastor Shan Gian. Shan, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), is the Lead Pastor of Remnant Westside Church in Manhattan.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Commending Ourselves in Christ”

2 Corinthians 6:4-10

but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.

As a pastor and probably also as an Asian, I feel somewhat awkward when I receive a compliment about a sermon I preached or some other ministry responsibilities that I carried out. The Asian side of me simply isn’t used to receiving compliments, but the Christian/pastor side of me feels awkward about them because I’m supposed to strive for humility and not let myself get “proud” about what I have done. Because of this, I find it interesting that Paul is willing to say in 2 Corinthians that “as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way.”

Since it seems strange that any servant would try to commend or prove himself to others, we should be mindful of the context of 2 Corinthians. Here, Paul tried to establish that he was a servant of God to the Corinthian congregants who were rumblings about whether he was worthy to be considered as an apostle or someone with spiritual authority over them. Paul certainly was not trying to boast or show off, but even if he was, he had a funny way of doing it. If Christians were required to apply for a position as God’s servant, having to submit a resume that shows why they should be selected for the position, Paul probably wouldn’t have gotten an interview! Now, while the approval by the Holy Spirit and the power of God certainly would’ve worked to his advantage, experiences such as afflictions, hardships, and poverty wouldn’t have; that is, these don’t seem like the kind of stuff that anyone should be boasting about. So why would Paul boast about these things?

Paul commended himself because all that he had on his resume, including the trials and struggles he had gone through as someone striving to serve God, pointed to something beyond him. The apostle was able to endure all of the hardship and boast about it because he was empowered by the love of Jesus to love the church. Because Paul so intimately knew the love of God, he could declare that he was sorrowful but always rejoicing, that he was poor or having nothing but really possessing everything. He was so in love with Jesus that he knew that all he had was in Christ and that no afflictions or calamities or hunger or anything could hinder him from displaying that love to the church and to the world.

As we all strive to be servants of God in this world, let us commend ourselves to this world by displaying that all we have is in Christ. We may face hardships, trials, and persecution, but we can always be rejoicing in the midst of them as we have been deeply touched by God’s immense love expressed through His Son Jesus.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for your love for me. I pray that as I know you more and more, that I can be empowered to be your servant in this world. Help me to remember that all I have is in you, and give me strength to endure anything that comes my way. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Haggai 1-2

July 12, Friday

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 27, 2017.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Our Brothers Who are Easily Forgotten in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict”

Hebrews 11:10 (NIV)

For [Abraham] was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

The recent United Nations Security Council’s resolution to condemn Israeli settlement in territories taken during the Six-Day War (1967) continues to stir passion on both sides. While U.S. support for Israel may not be what it used to be, Christians who believe in the literal fulfillment of end-time prophecies are squarely on the side of Israel. Yet, in the midst of this bitter conflict, we have forgotten a people whom the believers have more in common with than the Israelis.

In 2015, while attending a conference on theological education in Turkey, I befriended a theological educator named Jiries from Jordan. He is a Palestinian. Never having met a Palestinian Christian before, I cautiously asked, “How do you feel about American Christians unilaterally supporting Israel?” Jiries answered, “It’s a matter of human interpretation of the Bible on the one hand, and God’s justice on the other.” I understood what he meant by “human interpretation,” but since I didn’t get the justice part, I asked for an explanation. The following is his story.

“I was born in Lydda (Lod) near Tel Aviv in 1944—four years before the establishment of Israel as a state in Palestine. In Nov. 1947, the United Nations divided Palestine into Arab state and Jewish state; Lydda was in the part allocated to the Palestinian Arab state. In July 1948, because the Israelis took control of Lydda and expelled its population, my family, including my pregnant mother and three children under the age of four, left home on foot. Walking several hours and spending the night in the open air, we met Jordanian soldiers, who took us to a small town in the remaining part of Palestine. Since then, I’ve lived in Jordan—and I can’t go back to my home and my land. Where is justice in that?”

I had no response; in fact, moved by what this brother said, I promised to share the plight of Palestinian Christians in an ensuing conference in Hong Kong, where I was scheduled to speak. But while preparing for the message, I suddenly felt this urge to share what I believed the Spirit placed in my heart. So, in an email I wrote: “Jiries, ultimately you know that this is not our home, for we are ‘aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one’ (Heb. 11:13-6). Of all people, you must know this better than anyone else.” Jiries later wrote me back, saying, “Thank you for your interest and being fair. Blessings.”

This blog isn’t about political policy but spiritual tension that demands Christ’s followers to move from either/or to both/and. First, the needs of the Palestinian brothers in Christ shouldn’t be ignored, since we are commanded to “do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Gal. 6:10). So, while they wait for “a better country—a heavenly one,” we pray that safe places are found for them to raise their families.

What about Israel? Jiries, in a later communication, wrote, “When we think of the present situation, we pray for three issues: justice, peace and mercy of God for all, including Israel whose existence I validate according to all United Nations’ resolutions.” While I understand Jiries’ position, I find myself increasingly frustrated with the UN’s overall mission in the world. My support for Israel’s right to exist, therefore, doesn’t stem from any UN resolution but God’s Word, “for if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews’ spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings” (Rom. 15:27). Thus, at the very least, we should support Israel’s need for safe places—free from terror—to raise their families; we also pray that they come to a saving knowledge of Yeshua, and enter one day “the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

Prayer: Lord, we pray for the governing bodies represented at the United Nations to treat the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with fairness for all. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6) and that many Israelis will come to believe in Jesus. We also pray for the well-being of Palestinian Christians. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 21

Lunch Break Study

Read Gal. 3:28-9 (ESV): There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Gal. 6:5: For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

2 Cor. 5:27a: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

Questions to Consider

1. What is the basis for Christian brotherhood?

2. What does it mean that there is neither Jews nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female in Christ Jesus?

3. If we truly understand Christian brotherhood, then what kind of church should we strive to be?

Notes

1. Regardless of our ethnicity, class or gender identity, once we believe in Jesus, we all belong to Christ—we are all one in Him.

2. When we are in Christ, all ethnic, class and gender differences are melted into a new creation. “In Christ” is a spiritual melting pot in which all our sins are washed away (i.e., forgiven) by the atoning blood of Jesus.

3. A church that doesn’t discriminate based on ethnicity, class and gender; a church where everyone is welcomed whether they are white, yellow, black, rich, poor, educated, not educated, etc.

Evening Reflection

Before it was called Palestine, the place where Israelis and Palestinians live today was called Canaan. It was to this place—a land of milk and honey—that God had called the enslaved Jews in Egypt to enter. The Jews’ claim to this land is based on the Old Testament, but while they were absent from Canaan for nearly 2,000 years, the Palestinians have lived there for centuries. Certainly, they both have a compelling case for having a stake in the land. I share this so that you can pray for these people, that there will be prosperity (milk and money) for all, and a genuine revival among them so that the dividing wall of hostility would be finally demolished.

For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility (Eph. 2:14).

July 11, Thursday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on September 14, 2017, is provided by Pastor Jason Sato who, along with his wife Jessica and three young children, serves in Japan as an AMI missionary. Jason, a graduate of UC San Diego (BS) and Westminster Theological Seminary (M.Div.), is currently planting a church in Tokyo. Please pray for this work.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Good News of War”

Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

“I will put enmity between you and the woman,and between your offspring and her offspring;he shall bruise your head,and you shall bruise his heel.”

In response to Adam and Eve’s sin, God pronounces judgment. First, he curses the snake that tempted them. The end of this curse is sometimes called the proto-euangelion (i.e. the first gospel). What is the good news that God shares?

News of war.

Human beings and Satan will constantly be at war. And ultimately the war will end with the offspring of the woman destroying the serpent.

This is the greatest news that Adam and Eve could possibly receive. The devil had succeeded in separating them from God. Death had entered into the world. Sin would keep them enslaved.

But in the end, the devil will not win. Death will not win. Sin will not win. One descendant of the woman would come. He would be bruised but victorious.

Sometimes peace in and of itself appears to be best. But it always depends on what kind of peace and with whom. By and large, the German church was at peace with the Nazi party. In that time, war was the better option.

Today, we are lulled into thinking that peace with sin is grace, but making peace with the cancer that kills you or the addiction that keeps you in bondage is not a peace worth having.

Thank God, Jesus does not make peace with death. Instead, He wages war. And He will not falter, He will not cease to fight until evil is extinguished and sin, death, and the devil are done away with for good.

He will fight until the knowledge of the glory of God covers the earth as the waters cover the seas. May we have peace with God and with our neighbor and may we wage war against sin and the enemy if that is what it takes to obtain it.

Prayer: Father, I am so thankful that Your Son has brought me peace with You. Thank You that I am no longer Your enemy but Your child. May I always be at peace with You and at war with sin that would try separate me from You. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 20

Lunch Break Study

Read Exodus 15:1-4 (ESV): Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying,“I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously;the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.[2] The LORD is my strength and my song,and he has become my salvation;this is my God, and I will praise him,my father’s God, and I will exalt him.[3] The LORD is a man of war;the LORD is his name. [4] “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea,and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.

Question to Consider

Exodus 15 follows the crossing of the Red Sea. According to v. 1 and 4, why do the people sing?
In verse 2, the people sing of God’s salvation. What did the Lord save them from?
According to verse 3, what is part of the greatness of Israel’s God?

Notes

Surprisingly, they are not most impressed by the raw miracle of the Red Sea splitting. They sing of how God destroyed the Egyptian army.
The Lord saved Israel from slavery and more immediately He saved them from certain death and capture at the hands of the Egyptian army.
The Lord is a man of war. He is a conquering warrior.

Evening Reflection

Reflect upon your day. What evil did you witness in your own heart, home, or community? Pray that God would grant forgiveness to sinners but that He would also destroy this sin and wickedness.

July 10, Wednesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on September 27, 2017, is provided by Pastor David Kwon who leads Journey Community Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. David is a graduate of Drexel University (B.S.) and Columbia International University (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Wait on the Lord”

Genesis 7:17-24

The flood continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters.19 And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered.20 The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep.21 And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind.22 Everything on the dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.23 He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.24 And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

I do not like waiting. I have gotten better over the years but patience has been a virtue in my life that I have had to work on. Whether it is waiting for an email reply, waiting for my food to be served at a restaurant, or waiting for the birth of my children while my wife was in labor, patience has been something that I have asked God to grant me over the years.

Thus, I take to my heart Scripture’s constant call for us to be patient. Job had to endure a long period of trouble before hearing from God. The Psalms regularly urge us to wait for the Lord’s deliverance (for example, 37:5–7). Paul lists patience as a fruit of the Spirit’s work in the Christian (Gal. 5:22–23) as well as a key component of love (1 Cor. 13:4).

In today’s passage, Noah and his family are in the midst of the flood that the Lord had sent. We read how great and destructive this flood was as it covered the mountains and destroyed every living thing on the earth. God sent rain upon the land for forty days and nights and the waters covered the earth for 150 days in total (v. 24). One lesson we can take away is Noah’s life encourages us to wait upon the Lord especially in seasons of suffering and despair. For Noah, there must have been moments when he might have doubted the Lord or even wondered if God would ever end the flood. But Noah waited patiently and was faithful to what the Lord had commanded him to do. We are also called to do the same.

Are you waiting patiently for the Lord? Maybe for you it has been a prayer you have been praying for many years. Or are you waiting for a person to change or a situation to turn out differently? God is calling you to wait upon him and to be faithful.

Prayer: Lord, help us to wait patiently upon You in all the areas of our lives. May we never think that Your timing should be the same as ours but help us to have patience and to be faithful. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 19

Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Peter 3:8-10: But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Questions to Consider

What do we learn about the timing of God? What does this mean for you?
What is our hope according to Peter?
What do you feel you are called to do in light of these verses?

Notes

We need to be reminded that God’s timing is not our timing. He is sovereign over time and we need to be reminded of that truth daily.
Our hope is that the Lord fulfills his promises. He is faithful to His Word and we are commanded to trust.
The Lord is patient because He does not want anyone to perish. It means we are called to be witnesses for Him and to share the Good News to all who hear.

Evening Reflection

Gratitude is one of the best ways to overcome a discouraged and complaining heart. Spend some time this evening giving thanks to the Lord especially for the many blessings he has given you.

July 9, Tuesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted September 5, 2017, is provided by Pastor Mark Chun. Mark, after stepping down as its Lead Pastor in January of 2023, is now serving as a staff at Radiance.

Devotional Thought for This Moring

“What God?”

Genesis 1:3-24 (NIV 2011)

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. 6 And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day. 9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. 14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21 So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day. 24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

In today’s world, creationism is dismissed as a myth or the wishful dreams of the uneducated. CS Lewis once observed that within the scientific discipline, biologists tend to be the most irreligious and that physicists are the most religious. The reason for this general trend is evident. Biologists tend to look at life as a closed system, that there is life and death, a beginning and an end. On the other hand, physicists ultimately have to deal with the mystery of ultimate beginnings and how the universe came to be. Any honest scientist has to confess that the idea of the universe being created from nothing cannot be intellectually satisfying.

I would propose that the view that is better than any theory out there is the belief that the universe began by the initiative of God. In fact, the idea that everything has its beginnings in God’s initiative is at the heart of Biblical Christianity. The world was created because God desired its creation. The fallen mankind can be saved because before the foundation of the world, God chose his Son as a ransom for our sin. We can love because God first loved us from the very beginning and we can know Him because He has made Himself known. Our fundamental understanding of God comes from the belief that everything starts with Him, including our own existence.

The acceptance of God as our creator is the most logical place to start a relationship with Him. Some years ago, a young woman, who was wrestling with her faith, asked me, “Did God create man or did man create God?’’ And whether she realized it or not, she landed on the foundational question that every single person, whether you are religious or not, has to answer. And ultimately your answer to this question places you on two completely different paths of life. Sadly, this young woman decided that God was an invention of man and decided to walk away from the Christian faith.

Our world is filled with distorted ideas of who God is and what spirituality should look like. Every idol and every false system of theology begins with a rejection of God’s initiative and replaces it with the initiative of man. We become the creators of our own gods. The challenge that awaits us as Christians is how we can break the stronghold of idolatry and the deception of false gods (e.g., materialism).

Prayer: Lord, we thank You for taking the initiative in creating us and ultimately loving the ones You created. As You have first loved us through Christ, teach us to love others in the same way. Help us to submit our lives to You so that You can shape us as the potter shapes the clay. Reminds us that in You we move and breathe and have our being. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 18

Lunch Break Study

Ephesians 1:3-10 (NIV 2011): Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to sonship n through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

Questions to Consider

When did God come up with the plan of salvation?
Why and for what reason did God predestine our relationship with Him?
Where does our salvation fall into the greater scope of God’s plan?

Notes

We read that God chose His people for salvation even before the creation of the world. This reminds us that none of the events of history came as a surprise to God. Sin and all of its consequences were permitted by the will of God so that He could choose a people for Himself solely on the basis of His grace.
Although there is a lot of debate about predestination, the apostle Paul’s main emphasis was on God’s love as the primary reason for initiating this relationship with us. From the beginning of time, it was God’s plan to take sinners like us and adopt us into His family as spiritual sons and daughters.
Man’s salvation is the climax of God’s saving work. It is the crowning achievement in the redemption of the whole created order. One day God will bring all things into unity under the reign and rule of Christ. This is why Paul tells us that all of creation waits eagerly for the sons of God to be revealed. (Romans 8:19)

Evening Reflection

Every day is a gift from the Lord. It is one more day to celebrate His salvation and to live in the joyful knowledge that God has known you and loved you from the very beginning. As parents carefully plan their future family, Christ has been preparing a place for you in God’s family. Reflect on this truth and pray to the Lord.

July 8, Monday

REPOSTToday’s AMI Devotional QT, first posted on October 16, 2017, is provided by Pastor Shan Gian who leads Remnant Westside Church in Manhattan. Shan is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Being Rich”

Genesis 13:1-4

So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, 4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.

Many of us tend to have a paradoxical view of wealth and possessions. While so many people strive for greater and greater wealth, these same people feel contempt towards those who have great wealth. One example of this is how much people love the classic stories of Robin Hood. They are exciting and inspiring stories about the bravery of Robin Hood and his merry outlaws as they fight injustice. Robin Hood is a hero to most because he steals from the rich to give to the poor, yet people tend to ignore the fact that what he’s doing is theft; and since most people themselves would love to be rich, Robin Hood would be stealing from them!

Some have a negative view of the wealthy for a variety of reasons: perhaps we think of the wealthy as being conceited, selfish, or entitled. Yet at the same time, most people would love to have that problem.

In Genesis 13, it is made very clear that Abram is very rich. He is loaded with tons of livestock, silver and gold. If Abram were our neighbor, he would’ve been the one with the biggest house, the nicest cars, and the best clothes. But what we see about Abram’s life in this passage is far from any mental picture we have of conceited, rich people. Instead, we see from Genesis a man who is not defined by what he has but in whom he trusts with his life. He is not this selfish or entitled man who looks down on others or don’t have need for others; instead, we meet a man who trusted not in himself, but called upon the name of the Lord in worship.

Having lots of money or possessions is not inherently wrong or sinful, but they can lead us to be conceited or entitled if they define us and lead us away from trusting in God. In fact the opposite can be true as well: not having a lot of money and possessions can lead us away from trusting in God if in our lack, there is an unhealthy striving for more. The only way for us to have a healthy relationship with our possessions and wealth is to follow Abram’s example—and that is to call upon the name of the Lord and worship Him and Him alone. Let us not be defined by our possessions and wealth but let us seek to trust only in God!

Prayer: Jesus, I entrust my life to You today. I pray that I will not let myself be defined but what I have or don’t have, but instead, I will be defined by who You are and what You have done for me. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: John 17

Lunch Bible Study

Read 1 Timothy 6:6-10: But godliness with contentment is great gain, 7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. 8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

Questions to Consider

What is the biggest enemy of contentment, according to this passage?
Verse 10 is often misquoted as saying that the “money is the root of all evil” instead of “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” There’s a slight difference in wording but there’s a drastic difference in meaning and application. What is the difference for our lives?
How have you seen the love of money be a hindrance to your own walk with God? What steps can we take to be more content?

Notes

The biggest enemy of contentment is the love of money—the desire to be rich. This love/desire is what plunges “people into ruin and destruction” and leads them away from faith.
To say that “money is the root of all evil” implies that money itself is what corrupts us, which is wrong because is money is not inherently good or bad; rather, it is “love of money” that is the source of “all kinds of evil.” And that means that it is the sinful desires of our own hearts that is the source of many kinds of evil. Money is not the problem but it is our relationship with money that leads us away from contentment and trusting in God.
Personal reflection question.

Evening Reflection

In what ways are you defining yourself by your possessions or wealth? The desire for more is something that we all struggle with and something that we all need to bring before God in prayer. Surrender your heart and desires to God and seek to trust in Him alone.