REPOST  Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on March 11, 2017, is provided by Pastor Mark Chun through whom God founded the Radiance Christian Church (S.F.) in 2012. Mark, after stepping down as its Lead Pastor in January of 2023 and a year of sabbatical that followed, just returned to Radiance as a staff.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

Genesis 3:14-19 (ESV)

The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. ¹⁵ 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.” ¹⁶ To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” ¹⁷ And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸ thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

In our day and age, it has become increasingly unpopular to talk about sin and its consequences.  But because we tend not to identify sin, it festers and grows unchecked and ignored.  In the early 70’s, the influential American psychiatrist Karl Menninger wrote a book entitled Whatever Became of Sin?  From his vantage point in the field of mental health (he began as a professor at Harvard Medical school in the 1920’s to the writing of this book in the 70s), he witnessed a dramatic change in the average American’s attitude towards sin.   In the opening of his book, he makes this observation:

 “In all of the laments and reproaches made by our seers and prophets, one misses any mention of ‘sin,’ a word which used to be a veritable watchword of prophets. It was a word once in everyone’s mind but now rarely if ever heard. Does that mean that no sin is involved in all our troubles—sin with an ‘I’ in the middle? Is no one any longer guilty of anything? Guilty perhaps of a sin that could be repented of or atoned for?… Anxiety and depression we all acknowledge, and even vague guilt feelings; but has no one committed any sins? Where, indeed, did sin go? What became of it?”

What the author is referring to is the fact that we have gone from one extreme, where we blamed everything on sin, and have swung to the other side of the pendulum, where nothing is a result of sin.  We are simply victims of circumstances, chemical imbalance, and bad parenting.  The truth most likely is found somewhere in the middle.

Like many things in life, harmful actions tend to lead to over-reactions that often times are equally damaging, if not even more so.  The over-reaction against religious judgment, feelings of condemnation, and the legalistic culture of many churches has been the wholesale rejection of the idea of sin.  However, from the outset of the Scriptures, God has a clear plan of redemption for the problem of sin.  That is the good news of Christ, who would be born of a woman, born to bruise the head of our enemy, and to set us free from the bitter consequence of sin.  

Prayer:  Father, we often underestimate the power of sin in our lives.  You tell us that we are slaves to sin, that our sin has separated us from You, and that it is the reason for death.  Clearly, this is a bigger problem than we recognize, and it is for this problem that you gave Your only beloved Son.  And for that great sacrifice of love, we thank You and praise You.  In His precious name, Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Romans 14-15

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on June 2, 2017, is provided by Mei Lan Thallman—now a friend of AMI—who had served at Grace Covenant Church UC (now Philadelphia) for a long time.   

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Legacy of Faith”  

2 Timothy 1:3-7

I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

After becoming a Christian at age 17, the foundation of my faith was built through my college years at Asbury University.  As important as the sound doctrine of faith I learned through chapel and Bible classes was, the life witnesses of countless Christian professors and missionaries, along with their wives and families, have left a profound influence upon my life.  The longer I live, the deeper I treasure the legacy of faith I have received through the authenticity of their vibrant faith and faithfulness.

Although I did not grow up in a Christian home like Timothy did, with a godly grandmother and mother, God blessed me with many spiritual fathers and mothers who loved me like Paul loved Timothy.  I experienced powerful love from my spiritual family and inherited a rich spiritual heritage through their lives.  Tuck and Cathy, my spiritual parents who drove an hour to take me to church, discipled me in God’s word and prayer; to this day they continue to pray for me and my family on a daily basis. Dr. Gray, my Accounting Professor, exemplified an intimacy with Christ and a grace filled life; she prayed with me for years for the salvation of my family and discerning God’s will for my life.  Mrs. Coppedge impacted me through her contagious and passionate desire to live wholeheartedly for Jesus.  She tenderly followed the Spirit’s leading and tirelessly testified His workings in her life as a wife, mother, and women’s Bible teacher. My family strives to live by a motto we heard from her: “All of me for all of Jesus.”

Who I have become today is the result of God graciously using faithful people like them throughout my spiritual development.  What I have witnessed and received from them have become my life’s passion to pass it on with the same diligence and faithfulness.  That is the beauty of God’s love.  Whom has God used in your faith journey thus far to encourage your walk with Christ?  Let’s take some time to thank God for them.  Write them a text or an email to encourage them today, by sharing with them how God has used them to spur your faith.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the wonderful people of God whom You placed in my life to mold and shape to be more like Christ. Help me to be like such people, so that I could also help those who are looking for spiritual mentors.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Romans 13  

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Lunch Break Study

Read Hebrews 10:23-25: Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Questions to consider

1.  What is the hope we profess?

2.  How can believers spur one another toward love and good deeds?

3.  Who can I encourage today?

Notes

1.  Our hope is in the person of Christ Jesus (v.21), our High Priest, based on the unfailing promise of God.

2. Believers hope in Christ is maintained and renewed through regular fellowship (v.23), as well as mutual encouragement through words of affirmation and love prompted by acts of service for one another.

3. Personal response.

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Evening Reflection

God desires to use your life to draw others unto Himself, just as He has used His many children in your life to point you towards Him thus far.  Will you cooperate with Him by making yourself available to be used by Him in your family, school, work place, church, and neighborhood? Let us say: “Here I am, Lord Jesus, send me.”

REPOSTToday’s AMI Devotional QT, first posted on April 27, 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

“Not Tourists but Ambassadors”

2 Corinthians 5:20

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

One of the biggest pitfalls of the social media is that we see pictures of people on vacation.  We’ll go into Facebook and see that friend from college having an amazing time, swimming with dolphins in the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean.  Or on Instagram, we may see a neighbor on a rustic European vacation, surveying the beautiful Roman architecture, hiking through the Alps, and eating exquisite European cuisine.  

Now, of course, there’s nothing wrong with taking a vacation or going sightseeing, but when we see these pictures pop up on our screen, a couple of problems arise:  First of all, most of us can’t avoid feeling a sense of envy or comparison and think, I need to go to such and such a place and take in the sights, sounds, and food! We can’t help but want to be tourists of all of these different parts of the world.  Secondly, as we are exposed to these pictures again and again, we get lulled into a mindset that this world is our playground and that the main purpose of going to any place is for our enjoyment and consumption.  These destinations end up being places to be used and enjoyed, where we just drop in for our own personal pleasure and then leave.  Meanwhile, we become desensitized to the fact that these are places are where people live, where there are people who need to be reconciled to God, and where people are in need of a Savior.  

We are not called to be tourists to all of the hotspots of this world—but rather we called to be ambassadors for Christ. Ambassadors do go to foreign lands, but they don’t go only to consume and enjoy; they go to represent their kingdom, appealing to others on behalf of their king.  As ambassadors for Christ, we are called to go and cross cultures—domestically and internationally—with a divine purpose.  We need to see every person that we encounter as people that God wants to make His appeal to, so that we could be a blessing to the people of this world.  Let us strive to represent our King this day as ambassadors for Christ!

Prayer: Jesus, I pray that today, I can be an ambassador for You. Help me live in this world while not being of this world. Help me turn away from a consumer mindset, but instead may I seek to be a blessing wherever I go this day.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Romans 12

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Lunch Break Study

Read Jonah 4:5-10: Jonah went out of the city and sat to the east of the city and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, till he should see what would become of the city. 6 Now the Lord God appointed a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be a shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort. So Jonah was exceedingly glad because of the plant. 7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the plant, so that it withered. 8 When the sun rose, God appointed a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint. And he asked that he might die and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” 10 And the Lord said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?”

Questions to Consider

1. What made Jonah exceedingly glad about the plant?  
2. How did Jonah feel about the people of Nineveh?
3. How often do you and I have more love for inanimate objects, and what they do for us, than for people we see or walk by every day, people made in the image of God?  According to this passage, how does God feel about them?  

Notes

1. Because it provided a shade for him as he sat in the hot sun—he enjoyed the plant because of what it did for him.  
2. It says that Jonah was sitting where he sat to “see what would become of the city,” thinking he had front row seats for when the city of Nineveh would be destroyed like Sodom and Gomorrah.  Clearly, Jonah had no love for the 120,000 people of the city of Nineveh.  He did not see them as people whom God loved and wanted to make His appeal towards, but he essentially saw them in his own mind as less than human.
3. God clearly has a heart for the people of Nineveh—calling it a “great city”—and God even makes it a point to show that He knows the number of people in that city.  We should reflect on our own hearts and how we need more of God’s heart for the people of this world. 

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Evening Reflection

What does it mean for you to live like an ambassador of Christ in your neighborhood, school, job, family, etc.?  Think about how you can continue to change your mindset from that of a tourist/consumer, to that of ambassador, as you experience God’s heart for you.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on July 5, 2017, is provided by Andy Kim who is the Lead Pastor of Radiance Christian Church in San Francisco.  Andy is a graduate of Northwestern University (B.S.) and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Being a Witness for Him”

Revelation 14:6

“Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people.”

I hate shopping—and certainly, growing up with an older sister and mom who enjoyed it did not help. While they scavenged the stores, my usual choice of activity was limited to sitting on the bench outside, looking lost and helpless as I waited—what seemed like seconds to them, felt like an eternity to me. But on this day, while waiting, I saw a middle school student and his pastor looking at me from the corner. At the time, I was serving as a youth pastor and already guessed what they were up to. The boy then awkwardly and nervously came and sat next to me. A part of me thought this could be a good teaching moment and could make it difficult by refusing to listen or ask difficult questions about his faith. However, I chose to be a good Samaritan and take in everything he had to say. With his legs shaking and his voice quivering, he began his small talk, asking how my day was going and then proceeded to the “talk.” 

I mean, did I look that helpless and miserable? It was funny and a little offensive to think that this kid was trying to share the gospel with me—a youth pastor. He was so nervous that he accidentally started with “You’re going to hell.” After his cute attempt, I calmed his nerves and let him know that I was already a believer. Instantly, he gave a huge sigh of relief and smiled, telling me that much of his fear was that I wouldn’t accept his words. In that moment I felt the Lord convicting me and teaching me through this kid. First, He was asking me when was the last time I shared the gospel with someone (at least this kid tried). More importantly, He was revealing how my lack of sharing stems from the fear of being rejected and the hearer not believing. But in today’s passage, it reminds us of this: Whether literal or not, “the great task of spreading the gospel in the world will be finished by God Himself through his angels.” Yet how often do we elevate ourselves, thinking that Christ will not return unless every nation hears the gospel through our own evangelistic effort—or even to think that the conversion of the soul is up to us. 

It is for this reason, Christ commands us to be a witness (Matthew 28)—which is the act of giving one’s testimony from you experiencing the event. Christ calls us to experience Him and simply testify the gospel work in your life to those around us. Although we do play a role in His work, we are not the main agents. May this truth release the pressure of sharing the gospel, and that we may trust in the full power of the gospel and let His Spirit move the heart. There are no barriers and people groups He cannot reach. May we—like this kid (hopefully with better words)—not be ashamed to share the gospel to those who are helpless and lost until Christ returns. 

Prayer: Lord, I pray that You would give us a heart for the lost. May our experiences with You overflow into a testimony for others to see who You are. We confess that salvation will only come from you; may we just be good witnesses of Your truth. “O God, grant us to know you in such a way that the fire of our wonder becomes an unquenchable flame of witness to the world” (John Piper). Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Romans 11

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Lunch Break Study

Read James 2:17-26: So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Questions to Consider

1. What is the relationship between faith and works?
2. What is the difference between the two examples of people living by faith in the lives of Abraham and Rahab?
3. What can we learn from Rahab?

Notes

1. R.C. Sproul tells us that while both are distinct, they are both inseparable. Borrowing from the belief of the Reformed, “We are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.” This means that while it is our belief in Christ’s redemption that saves us, such a belief demands a response in our actions—that if we truly believe and have faith in Christ, it will inevitably lead to works of obedience. 
2. Abraham had the high honor of being known as the father of faith and a friend of God. Not much is known about Rahab, other than the fact she was a sinful woman and a harlot. More importantly Abraham was a Jew and Rahab was a Gentile. To think Gentiles could receive salvation was blasphemous. However, James writes that both exercised a saving faith, regardless of their background.
3. As it was credited to Abraham, Rahab was credited with this “saving faith.” How? When the two spies approached Rahab and delivered what God had said about the city, she believed. She heard the Word and knew that her city was indeed condemned. She not only responded in her mind and emotions, she responded with her will; in other words, her belief led her to action. Spend some time applying this truth to your life. 

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Evening Reflection

In an interview with Pastors Timothy Keller and John Piper, a story is mentioned about a woman who had been struggling with this idea of faith and works. She explained that it was “scary” because “if you’re saved by works, there’s a limit to what God can ask of you. You’re like a taxpayer, you’ve paid your dues, and he can ask certain things of you, but not anything. But, if I’m really saved by grace, because of what Jesus has done, there’s no limit to what he can ask of me, and my obedience would have to be unconditional.” And here is the crux of their discussion: We are saved by faith alone, therefore our response is gratitude that manifests in wanting to do things for the One who saved us. (Taken from Church Leaders, “John Piper and Tim Keller Discuss: We Are Saved by Faith Alone, but What About Sanctification?” by Megan Briggs)

Spend some time reflecting on this truth. Think about your faith and belief in Him. Does it lead to some type of outward transformation? How is the goodness of the gospel revealed in your life? Remember, it’s not about a “we have to,” “but a get to” as we serve Him simply out of heart of overflowing thanksgiving and love. 

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 26, 2017.

Devotional Thought for This Morning: 

“Getting to Know Muslims While Praying with Them in the Same Room”

Acts 17:28 (ESV)

For “In him we live and move and have our being”;as even some of your own poets have said,

“For we are indeed his offspring.” 

Whenever I get stuck at an airport on a Sunday while traveling, I try to have a personal devotional time at an airport chapel.   Typical airport chapels in East Asia don’t have any chairs in order to accommodate the way Muslims pray (prostration).  Occasionally, praying in the same room with Muslims, I observed a few things that have helped me to somehow connect with them.  

Last March, no one was in a small Narita airport chapel when I entered; later, while I was reading the Bible, a young Muslim walked in.  I quickly felt uncomfortable because he prayed in a prostrated position directly in front of me.  Upon seeing the ceiling compass, however, I realized that I sat in a direction toward Mecca.  While the scene may have looked funny to some, no distraction was going to keep this Muslim from prostrating before Allah—that’s taking one’s faith seriously and we ought to respect that!

Shortly thereafter, a Muslim woman walked in; and before praying, she first put on her white prayer clothe.  But when I glanced to see if she was praying, to my humor, I saw her fidgeting with her smartphone.  I had no idea what she was searching, but seeing her sidetracked by the same gadget that distracts all of us had a strange effect of identifying with her humanity—that is, whether we are Christians and Muslims, we, as human beings, share a lot in common. 

Agreeing with what was said by a pagan writer, the apostle Paul declares to the Athenians, “For we are indeed his offspring”—meaning God’s creation.  

But to say that Christians and Muslims pray to the same God would be an insult to both.  I tried to demonstrate that the first time I visited a prayer room at the Hong Kong airport.  Seeing that only Muslims were praying, I also wanted them to know that Christians pray earnestly and take prayer seriously just as much as Muslims do, since they typically believe that Christians don’t really pray much.  First, to distinguish myself as a Christian, I knelt facing the opposite direction from the wall faced by Muslims.  At the outset, I was very conscious of wanting to show an earnest praying Christian, but as my prayer got more intense, I forgot all about my surroundings.  It dawned on me only after I was done praying that I was the only one left in the chapel.  To the extent that any Muslims in the chapel noticed a Christian praying as fervently and extendedly as they, I hope it was a moment of distinguishing our faith.  That day, nothing really happened in the prayer room: They prayed, and I did too, with no one interfering on another.  

Is fear of the Muslims rational?  Not the Muslims whom I met at home or abroad.  But, anytime a religion becomes toxic (extreme), whether it be Islam or Christianity, we have reason to be concerned.  But, let’s do our part first: “Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that . . . they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation” (1 Pet. 2:12, ESV).

Prayer: Father, help me to get out of my Christian cocoon and interact with my surroundings with knowledge, the Spirit and love.  Help me to see that the world is changing, and that I need to really know the Scripture as well as what others believe.  Help me to be an effective ambassador for You.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Romans 10

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Lunch Break Study 

Read Prov. 6:6 (ESV): Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!

Acts 14:17: “Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”  

Questions to Consider

1. If we humans can learn something from ants, what positive things can we learn from the Muslims?

2. Acts 14:17 was what Paul said to the pagans in Lystra (today’s Turkey).  While some may assume that God only cares about those who believe Him, how does God really feel toward those who don’t? 

3. We live at a time when the believers need to be on top of their “game” (i.e., faith)—meaning we really need to know how to articulate and defend our faith against both the thought-policing by some liberals and bigotry among some conservatives. In reflecting upon this morning’s devotional, what are some takeaways that can help you better relate to Muslims?

Notes

1. Since Muslims take their prayer life very seriously, the Christians in the West should imitate that. The devout Muslims pray five times a day— that’s dedication!  Since God tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17), we ought to develop a life of constant prayer (which may include a lengthy uninterrupted time of prayer as well as brief prayers throughout the day).  

2. Paul declares very clearly that God is kind to those who don’t acknowledge him, making sure that they have plenty to eat.  The fact that many still go hungry in the world has to do with corrupt political systems that won’t allow the aid to get to the needy people, rather than with God. 

3. Personal response.

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Evening Reflection

Seeing how people live on the other side of the globe broadens our perspectives and prompts us to appreciate the greatness of God’s love for all peoples.  Have you ever had an opportunity to step outside of the comforts of America and step into the land of different religions, cultures, and living standards?  The next time you travel, sit back and watch the people.  I like to watch how outdoor merchants interact with their customers, or in some cases, sit idly while waiting for them.  I see how industrious they are as well as their despondency; their joy as well as disappointments.  Oh, how I desire that they know the God of this universe, who created them in His likeness (James 3:9), and sent His own Son to die for them!  Would you pray for the people of the global south right now, where there are many Muslims?  Pray earnestly for them, “for God so love the world that He gave his one and only Son.”

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on May 22, 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.). 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Listen and Obey”

Revelation 1:1-3 (ESV)

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

As a teenager, I had a bad habit of leaving the lights on when I left a room—and my mom would constantly remind me of this. I certainly heard her say it—in fact, I can still hear it in the back of my head—and definitely understood why it was important to do so. But for some reason, it was in one ear and out the other, and I continued to forget to turn the lights off. In our passage today, John is writing this letter to the seven churches in Asia with specific instructions from the Lord. He starts out by reminding them that it’s not only important to hear these instructions, but to keep them. On a larger scale, we also must be reminded that it’s not only important to hear God’s Word, but also to earnestly obey what He has commanded us. 

For the Jewish mind, there is no differentiation between listening and obeying. The Hebrew word Shema means to listen, but it could also mean to obey. However, as the Jews were scattered in the Greco-Roman world, they began to further divorce the abstract from the practical. The conceptual was split from day-to-day living so that they could mentally assent to something and yet disobey. Isn’t that why James has to remind us that faith without works is dead? If we’re honest, we can often read the Bible and hear God’s word, but we don’t really listen; we don’t obey—in fact, it has become natural for us to do so. We can agree that we shouldn’t gossip or slander, yet we still talk about others behind their back. We can believe that sharing the gospel is important, but we just don’t feel like doing it. We all struggle with this, and it’s not a problem that will disappear, but I believe that we can take steps towards bringing the abstract and reality closer together. We can choose to listen and obey, and experience the blessings God has for us. Furthermore, the phrase “The time is near” or “The Day of the Lord is near” is used both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is a well-known phrase that is used to command obedience from the listeners and to awaken those who were slumbering. John must have really wanted his listeners to pay heed to the Word of God!

Today, we are reminded that we shouldn’t just hear, but we need to keep what is written in it as well. Let’s ask ourselves this: How do we approach the Word of God? Do we read it and keep what is written? Let’s remember that the time is near, and so we should not only hear the word of God but seek earnestly to obey what is written in it.

** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KQLOuIKaRA << Helpful word study on “Shema”

Prayer: Father God, help me to not only hear Your word but also to obey them. Soften my heart so that my life is daily renewed by Your very word. I desire to live a blessed life, walking in faith as Your word guides me. Help me in my weakness. In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Romans 9

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Lunch Break Study

Read James 1:22-25 (ESV): 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.

Question to Consider

1. What does James compare a person who hears the word only but does not do it?

2. Why does James use the mirror and the law of God interchangeably in this passage? 

3. What is one thing that you have recently heard and been convicted of but have not yet done anything about it?

Notes

1. He compares it to a person who looks intently into a mirror and notices his or her unkemptness but walks away forgetting and doing nothing about it.  

2. Simply put, the Word of God is a mirror to our soul. Through the word, we see all of the imperfections and the ways we fall short of the glory of God. We see our true self as we look into the Word of God.  

3. Personal reflection.

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Evening Reflection

In a society that places a high premium on knowledge and intellectual pursuits, perhaps we have spent too much of our energy in trying to know more and hear more. We can spend so much time reading different articles and listening to different sermons, but maybe we need to spend more time just being obedient in the simple things. Write down a few things that you want to be obedient in and start there.

REPOST  Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Pastor Doug Tritton, was first posted on April 2, 2017.  A graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), Doug is the Lead Pastor of Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia. 

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“God is Really Among You!”

1 Corinthians 14:20-25

Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature. 21 In the Law it is written, “By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” 22 Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign not for unbelievers but for believers. 23 If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? 24 But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, 25 the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.

The past two days we’ve been looking at the gifts of prophecy and tongues. We talked about how both are to be desired, but prophecy even more so. Today, we will explore in a little more depth why prophecy is to be desired above tongues. At first glance, it seems fairly obvious why prophecy is to be desired over tongues – prophecy is understood by all who are around, while tongues are understood only by God.

But there is a theological reason as well, which is mentioned in this passage. In v.21 Paul quotes a passage of Isaiah, and looking directly at this passage, this is what Isaiah 28:11 says, “For by people of strange lips and with a foreign tongue the LORD will speak to this people.” This passage is from a judgment God proclaimed against His people Israel, that because they did not listen to Him, He would speak through a different people, with a different language (think Pentecost, when the church spoke in many languages which outsiders could understand yet the Jews in Jerusalem could not understand). 

When Paul is saying in v.22 that tongues are a sign for unbelievers, he is saying that tongues are a sign that unbelievers are outside of God’s covenant. Basically, tongues demonstrate to outsiders that they do not belong to God. Imagine a non-Christian coming to service and people are speaking in tongues for all to hear but there is no interpretation; this will not draw that person to God. In fact, Paul even says that person will think this church is out of their minds! (v. 23)

However, when prophecy is spoken, all can understand, even non-Christians. Thus, prophecy is a sign for believers – it demonstrates the availability of God’s voice to His people and His faithfulness to His people, that they are His covenantal people. So, if a non-believer comes to service and hears prophecy, that person will know that God is there and they will be convicted (v.24-25). This is why prophecy is to be desired above tongues – prophecy demonstrates the reality of the church being His people and opens up the heavens to even those who do not yet believe.

In summary, tongues in a sense closes the door of the Kingdom on unbelievers while prophecy opens up the Kingdom to all. Though this passage is specific to tongues and prophecy, there are many ways that we either close or open the door of the kingdom to outsiders. Let’s reflect on our lives, on our interactions with unbelievers. Are we living in a way that invites others in, or are we living in a way that pushes people out? This is a great question to always keep in mind in all areas of our lives – in church, at home, at work, in school, at the coffee shop…anywhere.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that You have remained faithful to us, Your people. Though we do not deserve to be Your people, still You have called us Yours. Help us to live in a way that makes the reality of Your Kingdom open to all people, for we know that You desire all to be saved. Help us to demonstrate that truth in the way we interact with others. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Romans 8

REPOSTToday’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on February 4, 2017, is provided by Jasmin Izumikawa who attends the Church of Southland in Anaheim, California.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

Psalm 77:6

I will remember my song in the night. 

Waking up in the mornings was easy to do when I was home recovering from chemo, because I barely slept at all. Those days of silence were spent in countless sleepless hours late into the night and into the early morning. Although I was finally finished with treatments, I had little to celebrate in my heart. Sorrow had silenced me for many months. So in the days and weeks to come, I spent my sleepless nights staring at the ceiling and watching the light from passing cars sweep across my dark room until it was morning again.

I remember one early morning while I lay in bed, a song broke the silence. This wasn’t a quiet Moonlight Sonata rising with the morning sun. It was a song boldly sung by a bird outside my window. The tenacity of this bird to rehearse its long-winded aria at my dark and silent hour was striking to me. The next morning, she arrived again, breaking the silence with the same piercing tune. In that very early morning, while it was still dark, I began to envy a bird that was able to sing even in the dimness of night.

This caused me to think, Had I forgotten what the LORD has done? His healing and grace had rested on me, and yet, why could I not praise Him? Why could I not speak thankful words to Him? As I began to cry out to the LORD, I believe my true healing began. 

Many times, when we find ourselves trapped in our fears and doubt, we begin to question God’s love and acceptance for us. Remember that even in your darkest hours, God is boldly rich in love for you. His heart aims to serenade you at times when there is pain and loneliness. Be comforted and remember your song in the night. 

I will remember my song in the night;

I will meditate with my heart

I will meditate on all Your work

And muse on Your deeds.

Your way, O God, is holy;

What god is great like our God? 

(Ps. 77:6, 12-3)

Prayer: LORD, thank You for the gift of life and for meeting me in my darkest hours. Heal my heart and strengthen me. You humble my heart with Your loving kindness; how could I keep my joy silent? I want to draw nearer to You and rest in Your loving arms. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Romans 6-7

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Christine Li, was first posted on February 17, 2017. Christine, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, serves as a deaconess at Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York.  

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Stewardship in Our Daily Lives”

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 

“Now it requires that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”

Once, I had a friend who was going on a trip, who needed to borrow a point-and-shoot camera. I agreed, since I wasn’t in need of mine. I thought I was so cool to be so generous, but I am embarrassed to admit that I ended up extremely anxious and on-edge for the duration of her trip. I was so relieved when it was returned to me, though I really should have been more trusting and known that my friend, who was extremely careful by nature, would have taken care of it on my behalf.

This is stewardship – taking care of what does not belong to you until it is returned to the original owner. And stewardship should be the theme of our lives on earth. We believe that God has gifted us with everything in our lives. But these resources, objects, and people are not for our own taking – they are our responsibility to guard and treasure for the day that He returns. 

What is there that He has entrusted to us? Stewardship not only covers traditional resources we think of (time, money, etc.), but also other gifts: relationships, intellect, opportunity, etc. Do we see the people around us as gifts to be treasured and taken care of on behalf of God? When God gives us understanding, are we using that knowledge to benefit others or to just elevate ourselves? When He gives us opportunity, do we take it so that we can further His name, or are we using it to build our own kingdoms?

At the end of our lives, we will be giving an account to God of how faithful we have been with what He entrusted to us. So, how are we doing with stewardship? If the Master came back to visit today, would we have good reports for Him? Or would we have to make some changes so that we could, in good conscience, let Him know that we are being responsible? 

To be clear – fear should not be our motivation to steward well; instead, stewardship is best an expression of love and affection for God. He has been so generous to give us so much each day, so let’s ask to be in-sync with Him. We want it to be our joy to take care of His work and His resources while we are on this earth. 

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your many gifts in our lives. Teach us how to steward Your gifts and Your people wisely, Lord. Let us not use them for our own selfish gain, but give us hearts that will rightly protect and grow the things and people You’ve entrusted us with. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Romans 5

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Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 25:14-25: For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’”

Questions to Consider

1. It is interesting that the master gives such different amounts to the servants. Do you think the master entrusted his property to the servants fairly?
2. What do the responses from the account settling reveal about the first two servants?
3. What motivates the third servant to hide his talent in the ground? Since we are cautioned away from his example, let’s reflect on which things we must steward better so we do not make the same mistake.

Notes

1. It is interesting to note that God has given each person a different amount to be responsible for. However, the text says that the master distributed according to the servants’ abilities. He already knew their capacity. There is not a distinction at the moment of the worth of the servant; each one has a specific task he is appointed for. 
2. The first two were diligent in carrying out how to steward the money, and both were honest with the master about their earnings. Also, neither concealed any of their earnings for personal gain, showing that they fully trusted their master would take good care of them. 
3. The third servant’s decision to not work with the talent showed that he had little affecton for the master. As a result, he had no motivation to do something good with the investment since he had no personal care for the master.
   

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Evening Reflection 

As you went through the day, were you able to identify things or people that God has called you to faithfully steward? Let’s ask Him for the integrity and strength to be faithful to the task tomorrow as well.

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Ryun Chang (AMI Teaching Pastor), was first posted on January 31, 2017.

Devotional Thought for This Morning  

“The Gospel of Justice and Social Justice: Cousins, Not Identical Twins”

2 Cor. 5:21 (ESV)For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

One can be tempted to think that justice is synonymous with “social justice,” that it is all about maintaining fair social and political relations. But in Christianity, the primary aspect of justice is about how the individual relates to God; the word “justification,” which is at the heart of salvation, is just another form of the Greek word for “justice.” Christian justice is mainly about how a person can be made right before God, which is through faith in divine grace and exemplified by good works. 

Justice is inherently and ultimately centered on God, not human rights or identity politics, although these may indeed be helpful concepts in implementing justice. In fact, virtually all Bible verses on doing justice are somehow based on God’s vision for how we ought to live. This means that for the Christian wanting to work for a more just society, the main part of this project will be focused on how to create a world that is right before God’s eyes. This can create tricky issues: do we work to eliminate all sin or is it better for justice’s sake to not let all immorality be illegal? Although sorting through problems like these require much spiritual wisdom and discernment, one thing is for certain—our vision for social justice must be about how to create a world that God desires. 

But justice is not only about public policy or laws—it is also about how we personally relate to God. Commands on doing justice are often paired with a call to righteousness, as the two are closely related, even perhaps identical concepts, sometimes translated interchangeably. This means that our personal moral lives are a matter of justice before God. The fight for justice inevitably involves our struggle for righteousness. One can be a noble crusader for economic rights for the marginalized or against human trafficking, but if he rebels against God in his personal life by committing adultery or telling falsehoods, he is not a complete man of justice—in public justice, he is perhaps a hero but in private justice, an abject failure, and God does not fail to look at both spheres when contemplating his justice. 

We can “remove all mountains” and deliver up the “body to be burned” in all our social justice zealotry, but if we are unrighteous by failing to love God through our personal lives, then have we indeed gained “nothing”?  (1 Corinthians 13:2-3). We may look upon the struggling single mother, the starving orphan, or the bullied transgender with sentimentality that pushes us to social justice fervor, but if we have no love for God in living righteously before him, how much do we really love justice? As James 1:27 says, let us fulfill the twin pillars of justice, that of protecting the weak and the oppressed but also of living righteously, all in the hope of building a better world that is right before God. 

Prayer: Above all, Father, we thank You for the greatest gift of salvation.  What a mind-boggling truth that a righteous God would justify us, miserable sinners, imputing His perfect righteousness on us through Christ.  Help us to honor You by declaring the gospel of justice as well as social justice.  Amen. 

Bible Reading for Today: Romans 4

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Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Jn. 3:16-8 (ESV): By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Mt. 7:22-3: On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?” 23 And then will I declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

Lk. 10:17, 19-20: The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’. . . [Jesus said] “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Questions to Consider

1. Unfortunately, Christians and their churches tend to privilege one justice over the other.  Which justice is privileged by the people described in 1 Jn. 3:17-8? 

2. Basically, the people described in the Matthew passage had done impressive works to help people (casting out demons certainly does that), but they were never known by God?  What does that mean?

3. While we shouldn’t privilege one justice over the other, what is Jesus warning against in the Luke passage?

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Note

1. These believers may have privileged the gospel of justice but not social justice, because they ignored the physical needs of the poor.  John reminds them to love both in deed (social justice) and in truth (the gospel of justice).

2. While something drove them (like humanitarian idealism) to engage in good works, no doubt including social actions, they personally never addressed their sin issue; in other words, they were never justified by God by way of believing Jesus as the perfect atonement for their sins.  

3. Jesus warns the Christian workers not to get too impressed by their own good works to help people.  After having done social justice, we should always be mindful of what the gospel of justice has done for us: our name written in heaven.  This will remind us to share the gospel of justice with those whose social needs are being addressed.  After all, what good is it to be free from all earthly oppressions, only to end up in eternal hell. 

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Evening Reflection

This morning we talked about the amazing gospel of justice; and no one knew that better than John Newton, a reckless and godless commandeer of a slave ship who, after coming to know the Lord, wrote the all-time favorite hymn, Amazing Grace.  I invite you to sing this hymn in honor of what God, in Christ, has done for us. Then, let us pray for friends and relatives who still haven’t experienced this grace. 

“Amazing grace (how sweet the sound) that saved a wretch like!  I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see; 2. ‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; how precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed; 3. Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come. ‘Tis grace brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”