REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on December 8, 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

“Like Father, Like Son”

Genesis 26:6-13

So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance. 8 When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife. 9 So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’” 10 Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” 12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.

Like father, like son—or in the case of my friend, like father, like daughter. To give context, my friend is a 250-pound man who was known to be like a rock—emotionless and unmovable. That was until his daughter came into the picture and found himself crying. Surprisingly, it was not when she was born, but it was the first time she had done something bad. What made him cry was the fact that he saw his own bad habits in his precious little baby daughter. He couldn’t believe how such an innocent child could follow after his own selfishness.  Even when he was disciplining her, he felt like he was disciplining an innocent baby, a victim of his own selfishness. 

Today’s passage shows us another instance of like father, like son. God finally commissions Isaac; and the first thing mentioned about him is his total failure—a  failure familiar to us. In fear for his own life, Isaac gives up his wife to save himself. Even worse, he risked the promised blessing that was supposed to come through her had she been defiled by the Philistines. It was the same selfish and thoughtless heart that Abraham had, but now in his son. But despite Isaac’s selfishness, God still chooses to bless him and remains faithful to the promise made to him. Pastor Jonathan Parnell describes it as the “Providence of God, where He preserves the order of all things and guides them toward His intended end.” In other words, nothing can thwart the fulfillment of God’s purpose in us (Job 42:2).  

For many of us it’s difficult to think that despite our failures, God still chooses to work in us. In our performance driven world, a failure either means some sort of punishment or disqualification, because we think God’s blessing is conditional on our performance. However, when my friend witnessed his daughter’s selfishness, it did not change his love or affection for her. He still had to discipline her, but even this was done in love for her betterment. Imagine how much our Father in heaven continues to love and desires to work in us. May we be encouraged this morning that He works relentlessly for the good of those who love Him. Even in His discipline, He does so in love, so that we would ultimately become more like Christ. Take heart, for He will finish the good work that He started in you.

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your faithfulness to us. Thank You that there’s nothing we can do to hinder Your plans for us. Help us to remember that You are working for our good and that we can trust in Your providence. Jesus, we thank You for what You did on the cross, for nothing can separate us from the love of the Father.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 21

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Lunch Break Study

Read Micah 7:6-9:  For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man’s enemies are the members of his own household. 7 But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me. 8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. 9 Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD’s wrath, until he pleads my case and upholds my cause. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.

Questions to Consider

1. How does Micah respond to the sins of God’s people?
2. What releases Micah from the bondage of sin?
3. What can we learn about dealing with sin? How do you usually respond when you have fallen in sin?

Notes

1. The context of the passage is the people of God have rebelled not only against God, but even against each other (v. 6).  First, Micah looks to the Lord and reminds himself that his salvation comes only from the Lord. This gives him the confidence to fight against the enemy’s guilt and shame. Micah puts his hope in the Lord to be delivered from such unrighteousness.
2. In verse 9, Micah writes, “I will bear the indignation of the Lord”—meaning, there is an acknowledgment of sin against the Lord. However, Micah points out that it is the Lord who pleads our case, and only He is the one to execute judgment. Notice here that God is not only the Judge, but He is also his Advocate. As believers we know this was made possible through Jesus Christ who stands on behalf of us and frees us from all condemnation (Romans 8:34). 
3. Our first response must be to look the Lord, knowing that our salvation was never based on our ability to be righteous. Know that it is God who delivers us from our guilt and shame.  Second, let this truth lead us to repentance. Lastly, may we remember that through Christ we are cleansed of all unrighteousness.

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Evening Reflection

Spend a few moments meditating on these verses: 

I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. 3 He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! – Psalm 57:2-3

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. – Psalm 139:16

The psalmist was convinced that God knew him, every aspect of him—his past, present, and future. May we come to this conclusion for ourselves this evening. 

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on November 30, 2017, is written by Pastor David Son who pastors the Thrive Church in Taipei.  He is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley (BA) and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.). Stay up to date with Thrive Church by following them here: https://www.instagram.com/thrivechurchtaipei/

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“God’s Will in Marriage”

Genesis 24:1-4

Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years. And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”

 The city of Shanghai has a peculiar event called the “Shanghai Marriage Market.” Think local farmer’s market meets eHarmony. At this meet and greet, parents write the basic information of their child on a slip of paper, and it gets put on display on a wall, along with hundreds of other “advertisements.” Pertinent information includes age, height, job, income, zodiac sign, etc. The hope for parents is that they would meet another parent whose child is a suitable match for their own child. As you might expect, the children mostly despise their parents’ participation in the Shanghai Marriage Market. But it continues to take place on a weekly basis because of the strong desire of parents to preserve their cultural traditions for the next generation. 

In our text for today, Abraham is also very serious about whom his son, Isaac, will marry. He makes his lead servant take an oath to go back to his home-country and find a non-Canaanite wife for Isaac. But what was Abraham’s motivation? Was it simply a desire to preserve culture and traditions? Or was there something much deeper going on? (We see a similar thing happen later when Jacob is in search of a wife in Genesis 28.) 

For a long time, I didn’t understand why God didn’t want His people to intermarry, particularly with the Canaanites. For a second I even thought, Is God against marriage of people of differing ethnicities? But that didn’t seem right in line with the rest of Scripture. It wasn’t until I read Deuteronomy 7:3-5 that I began to grasp what is really happening here: “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods.” God’s primary concern here is holiness. Abraham’s request was not about racial elitism, nor was it merely about preserving one particular culture/tradition; it was a matter of holiness. Abraham understood the power of marriage to transform and influence his son Isaac, and so it was his final mission to help his son find a wife who loved the Lord, and would help move him toward holiness.

A lot has changed since the time of Abraham and Isaac, especially in dating/marriage traditions. But this truth remains: God’s will for us is to move us toward holiness in/through all aspects of our lives. Whether it’s in marriage, relationships, or even our careers, God’s will is that we grow to love Him more through each of these areas. This morning, take a moment and consider if these areas are moving you closer to Him, or further away from Him.

Prayer: God, may everything in my life be used to draw me closer to You. Especially the areas that have the most impact on me, I ask that You use them to sanctify me. Give me wisdom and discernment to be able to identify relationships/activities that may be pulling me away from You. In all things, I ask for Your grace to cover me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 20

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Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:14-18: And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Questions to Consider

1. According to Paul, why should we obey these commands?
2. What do all of these commands have in common?
3. What can we learn about the will of God from this passage?

Notes

1. Paul gives us a clear motivation as to why we ought to do these things: because it is the will of God for us!
2. It may not be obvious at first glance, but all of the commands listed here have to do with our character. It seems that God is more concerned about who we are becoming than what tasks we can accomplish.
3. Most often, we think the will of God has to do with career path: “Should I take this job offer or this other one?” But this passage says nothing about occupations, titles, or salary. Instead, it says that the will of God is for us to be encouragers, helpers, patient, doing good to all, rejoicers, pray-ers, and giving thanks in all circumstances. Perhaps you are in a season of your life where you are seeking God’s will. If so, may this passage give you a clear place to start! 

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Evening Reflection

Often, the hardest places to live out God’s will are the places that are closest to our hearts: our families and/or our roommates. For some reason, it’s much easier to be more patient and kind to people whom we don’t have to see all the time. But it’s these people (families, roommates, etc.) that God has placed in our lives that can have the biggest impact in forming Christ-like character in us. This evening, spend some time praying for those that God has placed closest to you.

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provide by Pastor Peter Yoon of Kairos Christian Church in San Diego, was first posted on October 11, 2017.  Peter is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.). 

Devotional Thoughts for This Morning

“No Longer Confused” 

Genesis 11:7-9

Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” 8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel—because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

One afternoon, I took my son, Nathan, to H-Mart, a local Korean grocery store. At the check-out line, I spoke to the cashier in Korean. My son looked stunned that a foreign language was coming out of my mouth. With confusion in his eyes, he said, “I didn’t know you can speak Spanish.”  I had a good laugh sharing that story with my wife later that evening.  

However, when confusion is a result of misinterpretations and misunderstandings, it is quite frustrating.  Even when speaking the same language with one another, how often our miscommunications and misunderstandings have impeded a project, or worse, wrecked a relationship?  

Well, we can “thank” those who attempted to build a tower thousands of years ago in their attempts to become gods themselves.  That contemptible effort only resulted in God’s judgment of confusing their language, thereby making it impossible for them to work together. 

But confusion, segregation, and frustration was never God’s intended plan; in fact, God made Eve because it was not good for man to be alone.  God’s plan for His children was for them to enjoy harmonious relationships based on clear communication, genuine intimacy, and strong unity. 

Thousands of years later, the pattern of confusion and segregation finally got reversed when Christ inaugurated the Kingdom of God (Mt. 12:28).  Later, as the Holy Spirit came upon all the believers—irrespective of their gender, age or economic standing—at Pentecost, we see the reversal of effect of the Tower of Babel.   There in Jerusalem, God enabled people who had come speaking different languages to hear the good news of God’s kingdom in their own language.  Subsequently, the believers began to live in a new kind of community that once again reflected intimacy and unity.  The language barrier no longer divided as the Spirit of Jesus brought peace, thereby destroying “the dividing wall of hostility” (Eph. 2:14). 

As our society increasingly becomes polarized over seemingly endless hot-button issues, our words and/or actions based on biblical conviction can often be misunderstood by those on the other side who then respond with sharp criticism and accusation.  This is all the more reason why we should hold fast to the Spirit of Christ so that the Body of Christ continues to break down walls of hostility rather than erecting new barriers. 

Prayer: Lord, give us unity in our churches. Help us to forgive; help us to be generous; help us to submit to one another; help us to live in the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 19

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Lunch Break Study  

Read Acts 1:6-8 (NIV): Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Questions to Consider

1. What does the question raised by the disciples reveal about their understanding of God’s Kingdom?  
2. According to this passage, why is it important for the disciples to receive power? 
3. Read the prayer of Jesus in John 17:23 – “I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” Do you see any connection between the power of the Holy Spirit and the unity of the disciples?

Notes

1. The disciples still had a limited understanding of the Kingdom of God; they still thought that the nation of Israel would soon rule over Rome and other nations. However, God’s Kingdom (spiritual) would arrive on earth through the Spirit of God. 
2. We see that power is necessary for the believers to serve as witnesses of the good news of Jesus. 
3. The result of power and unity is salvation of unbeliever. The “power” of the Holy Spirit is often exclusively associated with sign gifts such as healing and prophecy; however, it is also necessary for the disciples to preserve the unity of peace because, without it, the world cannot tell them apart from unbelievers.   When the world sees a genuine Christian unity, this makes the gospel that much attractive for unbelievers.

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Evening Reflection

Ask the Lord to mend a broken relationship that might be affecting you, especially as it pertains to your family or your church (e.g., pastors, small group leaders, etc.). 

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Doug Tritton, was first posted on October 13, 2017.  A graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Seminary (M.Div.), Doug is the Lead Pastor of Grace Covenant Church Philadelphia. 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Precious Life”

Genesis 9:4-7

But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. 6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. 7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

Shortly after I got my driver’s license, when I was in high school, I drove some of my friends to the Poconos Mountains outside of Philadelphia for a snowboard trip. The drive would take about two hours, and so it was my longest drive without my parents in the car with me. Before setting off, the mom of one of my friends said to me, “Be careful; you have precious cargo in the car.” For some reason, this stuck with me. The life of my friend was very precious to her mother, obviously, but, really, there is something precious about life in general.

God did not have to create life, yet He did. As His creation, God cares for life; so as stewards of creation, God calls us to care for all life as well. This doesn’t mean we need to become vegans, since a previous verse says that we may eat of “every moving thing” (see verse 3). Yet, we should be mindful of the environment and our impact on it. To recklessly destroy God’s creation is an offense to God and an offense to the role He gave us as stewards.

And above all, God sees the life of humans as precious. Even before the Ten Commandments were given, God gives a warning against murder, as we see in today’s passage. Ending a human life completely goes against the cultural, creative mandate that God had given to mankind. So, when Jesus says that even getting angry at someone is murder (see Matthew 5:21-22), we should take that very seriously. God calls us to love, but anything other than loving those around us goes against God’s design for us, His design for His creation. Let us be a people of love, a people who uphold God’s design for humanity. Let us love not only one another, but also this world that God has entrusted to us.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for being a creative God. Thank You that designed this world and You designed us out of love. And may we continue to show that love to one another and to this world. Help us to care for Your creation just as You do. May we not neglect our role as stewards of creation.  Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 18

Lunch Break Study  

Read Matthew 5:21-24: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Questions to Consider

1. How does Jesus amplify the commandment against murder?
2. What is Jesus’ prescription for anger?
3. Who in your life do you need to be reconciled to?

Notes

1. Jesus took a well-known command, “Do not murder,” and made it go deeper. Many people can say to themselves, “I’m a pretty good person since I haven’t murdered anyone.” Yet, Jesus shows us that this commandment goes beyond action; the command cuts to the heart. We commit murder even by getting angry at someone else.
2. Forgiveness! Though many will read this passage and think it’s about not being angry, it’s actually about forgiveness. Unforgiveness, in a way, is like murder – it tears people apart. God’s design for humanity is love, a love shown through relationship.
3. Don’t just gloss over this final question. Think deeply and ask God to help you see to whom in your life you need to be reconciled to. Ask God for His help to bring true reconciliation and forgiveness.

Evening Reflection

Before going to sleep tonight, ask God for forgiveness in the ways you’ve damaged His creation – whether through anger, unforgiveness, or even through damage to the rest of God’s creation. Ask God to give you His heart towards all of creation.

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Jabez Yeo who is now a friend of AMI, was first posted on April 17, 2017.  He is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (B.S.) and Columbia International University where he studied Islam (M.A.). 

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Fellowship with the Father as God’s Children”

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

When thinking about great heroes of the faith, George Muller should be considered on anyone’s list. Born in 1805 in modern day Germany, Muller established several orphanages in England, which cared for over 10,000 orphans during his lifetime. Despite exorbitant costs, Muller never made requests for financial support to anyone except God. Yet time after time, God’s provision of financial support would come at exactly the right time. Muller’s incredible faith and prayer life inspired other “faith missionaries” such as Hudson Taylor, who would go on to establish China Inland Mission (now known as Overseas Missionary Fellowship).

Learning about men like George Muller may lead us to wonder how some can reach such incredible levels of faith and prayer, especially when we have orphan-like tendencies. For some of us, our prayer lives are non-existent. For others, we realize that we use our prayers as a way to manipulate God for our own pleasure. We “delight in God” so that He may give us what we want, and we continue to “delight in Him” as long as our desires are being fulfilled. The apostle James notes that this tendency is a form of adultery and warns that such living signifies friendship with the world (James 4:3-4).  

The saddest thing is that God, our Heavenly Father, eagerly desires to converse with us (Zeph. 3:17). He longs to capture our hearts so that we would be more like Him, allowing us to live life to the fullest (John 10:10). When we receive, by faith, God’s delight in us through prayer, we as His children will begin to delight in Him. And as God becomes our utmost desire, our desires slowly but surely align with His, leading to the ultimate fulfillment of Psalm 37:4.

It is only through prayer that we lose our self-will and receive power to do God’s will God’s way. It is only through prayer that the kingdom of self is demolished and the kingdom of heaven is glorified. Rather than asking God to change our circumstances, can we ask God to change us? Let’s do so today. 

Prayer: Father, thank You that You love me and long to have fellowship with me. I confess that my time with You has been lacking or has primarily been about me. Father, I want to live the life that You want me to live. Change me from the inside out, help me to become more like You and to desire what You desire. May You be lifted high in my life. In Your Name I pray, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Proverbs 17

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Lunch Break Study 

Read Romans 8:26-7: We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. 26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. 

Questions to Consider

1. What is the hope in which we are saved?
2. Oftentimes, we have trouble knowing what to pray for. How does God help us in this?
3. How does this truth comfort you in the midst of your struggles?

Notes

1. The redemption of our bodies, which our adoption to sonship will eventually bring. We no longer have to live as orphans as we have the Holy Spirit in us. 

2. The Holy Spirit helps us and intercedes for us in accordance with God’s will.

3. Personal response.

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Evening Reflection

How has God been speaking to You today? What are some of your desires that are not aligned with His? Only God can bring change or even the desire to change. Let’s ask that He would empower us for the next day.

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, first posted on November 27, 2016, is provided by Pastor Yohan Lee.  He is a friend of AMI who in the past has served as a staff at several AMI churches.  He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Cairn University (MA).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Loving the Wrong Thing”

Hebrews 11:37-38

They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

If you are like most Americans, you probably watched your share of movies this holiday weekend. You younger and hipper folks out there probably went to the theaters; cheap and lame folk like myself just turned on the television and found a Star Wars marathon on TBS, a bunch of superhero movies on TNT, more action movies on FX, and of course rom-coms on Oxygen.  Because I am male, I am slightly ashamed to admit that I’ve watched my share of rom-coms.  One somewhat common theme we see in this genre is the bad guy turned good by the right girl.  In theory, it’s a cute plot, but now that I have daughters, I hate it. I hate it because Hollywood is trying to sell us a love story that the guy in these movies has no business buying.  Example, when Jack Nicholson tells Helen Hunt in the 1997 film As Good as It Gets that “She makes me want to be a better man,” the audience is touched and everyone hopes these two get together.  We neglect the fact that Nicholson played an OCD, narcissistic, jerk who was not good enough for Hunt’s character. I would never want my daughter to date a guy like that!  Don’t try to convince my daughters that this is a great love story!  By the way, I’ve heard many a college student and young man use that cheesy line to make would-be girlfriends swoon.  Ladies be warned—it comes from a movie!  

All kidding aside, I think we all romantics at heart in our movies.  We don’t care if the lead man is noble in character or actually worthy of the love of the girl he pursuits, as long as the film makes us feel good.  When I read today’s passage, the author of Hebrews reminds us of many great men and women of God who loved God and his people so fiercely, yet were not loved in return.  In fact, just the opposite, they were stoned, sawed in two, and killed.  His description of these people hits the description of these people on the head, the world was not worthy of them (vs. 38).  

Truthfully, not much has changed since the first-century.  Some of the greatest men and women of God have loved the people of this world, and have gotten very little or nothing at all in return (think Mother Theresa types who served lepers in Calcutta).  And if you find yourself feeling like this, meaning you have been serving a people who don’t seem to appreciate your efforts or are not changing, then I want to encourage you to press on.  Christian life can be tough at times; we are called to love and pray for those who persecute us.  We do this because we have faith that this is what our Lord would have us do.  We imitate his example, knowing that our efforts will be rewarded.  If you think about it, the Gospel is the ultimate rom-com in which an utterly worthless people are loved and pursued by a worthy and good God.  Will you do the same?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your example.  You loved and sacrificed for a people who were not worthy of your love and sacrifice.  Help me to follow your example, to love and serve a people who may not respond kindly, because I have faith in you. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 16

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Christine Li, was first posted on November 19, 2016. Christine, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, serves as a deaconess at Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York.  

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Hearing from God”

Hebrews 1:1-3a 

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power.”

In middle school, I gained a pen pal when one of my closest friends moved to Japan. For two years, we kept in touch by sending snail mail to each other. It was exciting to send a letter or a package to her, but the anticipation of waiting for a response was a nightmare for my insecure, teenage self. With each passing day of nothing in the mail for me, I would worry: What if she didn’t like what I had sent or shared? What if her letter to me got lost? What if she got tired of corresponding and didn’t want to continue? 

Sometimes, doesn’t it feel like hearing from God can be similarly confusing? When I started getting more serious in my walk with God, I marveled when people said they heard from Him. I didn’t know how to hear Him, and I would wonder in frustration: “Have I done something that makes Him not want to talk to me? Does He even hear what I prayed? What if He’s trying to speak to me but I miss it?” Because I didn’t know what to do, the result was that I had little motivation to seek His voice. 

Scripture reminds us that God has always been continuously speaking to His people. He used prophets to reveal Himself in olden times; in our days, God has spoken decisively through Christ. All the questions we yearn to have answered– whether He loves us, whether He is present, whether He has purposes and plans for us, whether He is with us– these can all be answered when we take time to consider His revelation through Jesus. 

If you find yourself having a hard time learning to hear from God, don’t be discouraged. Let’s start by meditating on what He has already made plain to us. We can study the life of Christ to understand God’s character, His incredible love for us, and the promises that He will keep. As we become more and more acquainted with Him, we will start to learn and understand the messages God has for us and the world.

Prayer: Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to us. We want to know You better and be in constant communion with You. Thank You for revealing yourself directly through Christ and that You will always guide our hearts into Your love. Give us in Your wisdom so we can know how You want us to glorify and honor You with our lives on earth.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 14-15

REPOSTToday’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on July 7, 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

“About Our Superheroes”

Revelation 15:1-4

Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and amazing, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is finished.2 And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations! 4 Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

When we were young, my friends and I spent hours playing as superheroes, using whatever we could find around the house for weapons. Our fantasy battles were the stuff of legends, complete with sound effects from our mouths. My favorite superhero was always Batman; for me, he seemed to be the most human while still standing toe-to-toe with all the other supernaturally-powered heroes. As I look back at my decision, I wonder if it was because I thought he was the closest I could get to making this fantasy a reality. It was my own fairy tale where I would fight crime, save lives, and be the hero of a dark world. We all enjoy such fairy tales and fantasies—many of them also being the story lines for most Hollywood blockbusters. Theologian Matt Smethurst explains it as “a gnawing suspicion—a hope—present deep within us, that our world isn’t the way it’s supposed to be and isn’t the way it always will be.” In fact these desires point to an underlying reality which we inwardly sense to be somehow true—that perhaps there exists something greater than the broken and finite reality we live in today. And we all hope one day it will come to pass. 

Today our passage clearly speaks of this day: a time when all things will come to an end, where the beast has been conquered and God’s wrath has been completed. That heaven is not merely another fantasy or figment of our imagination, but it is a reality for those who believe.  Commentators note the parallels between this passage and that of Exodus 15, but the difference being that this passage points to the final exodus—heaven. That since the beginning of time, the story of redemption and freedom for God’s people was never meant to be yet another fairy tale, but a reality made possible through Christ. And so, may our hope be strengthened by the infinite value of the kingdom that awaits us; it is a reality that our minds cannot fully grasp, so impossible it is to overestimate its wonder and glory. May we always remind ourselves that we are simply sojourners in a broken world—that though we may struggle in this world, there will come a day in which all suffering will cease and we will spend eternity in His glory.  As we finish this series in the book of Revelation, may He create and renew your hope in what is to come. 

Prayer: Lord, restore my hope in Your kingdom that awaits us. We confess that many times we minimize the gospel message to a mere a fairy tale, or we take for granted the life to come after this. Lord, thank You for having already prepared a place for us for that time. Until then, give us the strength to endure and persevere here on earth. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 13

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Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Peter 2:9-12: But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.11 Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Questions to Consider

1. What is our responsibility as God’s people?
2. Why does Peter call us “sojourners and exiles”? How does this affect the way we live?
3. Spend some time reflecting on your life. How would you identify yourself in this world? 

Notes

1. Our first responsibility as His people is to realize that we have been chosen by God. The words “royal priesthood” and “holy nation” can be traced back to the OT. As the job of the priest was to lead the people towards God, God calls us to lead others to Him. This is only made possible through Christ who stands as our High Priest and Mediator, reconciling us once and for all to the Father. This is the excellency that we are called to proclaim to others. 
2. Charles Spurgeon defines the meaning of sojourner to our position and our character. First, we must know that our home awaits us. Secondly, being a sojourner means we should expect to be treated by the world as strangers who do not understand us. Just as when we visit a foreign country and they do not understand our culture or our language, as God’s people we should set ourselves apart in our character. However, this does not excuse us to keep to our own ways, but Peter calls us to live honorably to the world, that they may see the good deeds within us. But more than how we appear to others, we are also called to be strangers to the world in our hearts. In the same manner we would be cautious in a foreign land, we must be cautious and weary of the desires that this world encourages to follow after.
3. Personal response.

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Evening Reflection

Sometimes being a Christian is difficult. Often we must deny ourselves many things that bring some type of enjoyment to our lives. However, we forget that for every refusal, we are saying yes to the true joy and hope that awaits us. Spend some time reminding yourself of the wonderful hope we have in eternity and may you be renewed by this truth. What are the areas in your life which you struggle to relinquish? Spend some time asking that His Spirit will empower you, for we know that those who live by the Spirit will bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). 

REPOST  Today’s AMI QT Devotional, first posted on November 23, 2017, is provided by Pastor Joshua Kim. Joshua, a graduate of Emory University, Columbia Theological Seminary (M.Div.) and Talbot Theological Seminary (Th.M.), is the Lead Pastor of Upper Room Seattle church.  

Devotional Thoughts for This Morning

“Thanksgiving”

Genesis 21:22-34

At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.” 24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.” 25 When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized, 26 Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.” 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. 28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. 29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 30 He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” 31 Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them swore an oath. 32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our AMI family! I pray that wherever you are, your heart is full of gratitude because of God’s faithfulness in your life. It was almost 400 years ago when the first US Thanksgiving was celebrated by a fraction of the surviving pilgrims who came to the New World. It had been the first successful harvest after much suffering and loss. And on this day, alongside Native American friends who had greatly assisted the Pilgrims in settling in their new homes, they got together for three days of feasting and fellowship. Literary Critic Kathleen Donegan in a PBS special on the First Thanksgiving recounts the following:

Part of the reason why they were grateful was because they had been in such misery… so in some way, that day of thanksgiving is coming out of mourning. It’s also coming out of grief. And this abundance that is a relief from that loss… but we don’t think about the loss; we think about the abundance.

Today’s passage can easily be overlooked. But upon further investigation, this part of the story  actually has a lot of connections to the first observance of Thanksgiving. Commentators note the significance of this covenant made between Abraham and Abimelech as Abraham’s first steps of leaving the nomadic way of life and establishing himself in the land where God had promised to make him a great nation—Canaan. What may not be apparent especially to modern-day readers is this dispute over a well.  Scholars note that in such arid climates, the securing of a water source is of greatest importance when it comes to establishing a settlement. By having Abimelech guarantee the ownership of the well at Beersheba as belonging to Abraham, he had now secured his water source. And much like the Pilgrims who celebrated God’s provision in helping them settle in their new home, Abraham begin to establish roots into the promised land of God. 

As you take this day to remember all the ways the Lord has been faithful to you, how He has established your ways through His blessings, is your heart overflowing with gratitude? Or are we too consumed by the things that we do not have or, as Donegan put it, are we focused on the miseries and the loss? Not that those things are insignificant, but because God is so much more significant, we are able to focus on His goodness. May God bring to remembrance today all that He has done for us, starting with the cross of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Father, thank You! Thank You for who You are! Thank You for all that You have done! You are Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. You are Jehovah Shalom, the God of my peace. Everything I have in life is because of Your grace. And on this day, I choose to look to Your goodness. Help me to make this the posture in which I live every day of my life. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Proverbs 12

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Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18: Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Questions to Consider

1. According to this passage, what is rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks a summation of? What allows you to do this?
2. What is the relationship between rejoicing, prayer, and thanksgiving? How do you see these things playing a role in your life?
3. As you take a moment to reflect, is there an example of a hardship in your life where in Christ, you were able to or you could have given thanks in even that circumstance? How so?

Notes

1. The passage shows that rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks is the will of God for us—this is what He wants for our lives. When so many of us ask about the will of God in terms of direction or decisions, this passage points to the posture in which we are called to live. And this is possible all because of what Christ has done and accomplished on our behalf. 
2. It is often explained that these three things are three aspects of the same experience. Rejoicing is the inward experiencing of God; thanksgiving is the outward expression of that rejoicing toward God; prayer is the process through which we come to understand and experience from God’s perspective. The psalms are an expression of these three things at play. Therefore, it (singular) is the will of God for us—you cannot truly have one without the other. 
3. Personal reflection. Really spend some time thinking through this—go deeper with the Spirit rather than giving a “Sunday school” response. Taste and see that it is possible to give thanks in all circumstances. 

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Evening Reflection

I hope your bellies are full at this point. We have spent the day reflecting upon the goodness of God that has established our lives to where it is now. As we prepare for tomorrow, take this moment to posture yourself to give thanks now for what will happen tomorrow. In what ways can you already start tomorrow by giving thanks now.

REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional QT, first posted on September 6, 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, is currently on a sabbatical.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Who Created Sin?”

Genesis 1:27-31(NIV)

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. 

Some years ago, I had a chance to go on a mission trip across the Western United States with a group of high school students; and we went on the streets of cities like Portland, Seattle, and Salt Lake City to share the gospel.  One of the first stops during this trip was the campus of Cal Berkeley.    After one particular session of street evangelism, we started to discuss our experiences.  One student came back very troubled, because he had run into a homeless man who asked him a simple but very profound question:  “If God created everything, then who created sin?”  

Being relatively new to the Christian faith at that time, I had absolutely no answer to that question—and neither did anyone else in our group. Eventually, we all chose to forget about the question and dismissed it as being too intellectual and simply a hindrance to our faith.  Unfortunately, because we didn’t have an answer to this basic philosophical question, we opened the doors of doubt in the mind of this particular student.  I now believe that every single Christian should be able to give a rational defense of the Christian faith based on the word of God.   

Knowing Berkeley, I would not be surprised if this man habitually used the dilemma of the origin of sin and evil as a stumbling block to believers.  The reason why this question is so loaded is that at the heart of the matter, it casts a shadow doubt on the goodness of God.  And once you start doubting God’s goodness, you cannot trust Him, you cannot love Him, and you certainly cannot live for Him.  Our relationship with God is predicated on His goodness, and that is why the first chapter of the Bible is spent establishing that God is good and that everything He created at the beginning was also very good.  In hindsight, if we understood the story of Genesis, we could have given a satisfying answer to the question of the origins of evil. 

Everything that God created was good, but He also created morally free creatures who have the potential to take that which is good and use it for evil.  Even the fact that we are born with our freedom is a good thing.  However, what we choose to do with that freedom is entirely up to us, and we will be held responsible for it.  In the world that God created, the freedom of man could only be truly free if there was also the potential for evil.  Sadly, in our world, we take many of the things that God created for good, and we exercise our moral agency and use it for evil.  This does not negate God’s goodness, but rather it highlights our wickedness and our need for His saving grace.    

Prayer: Lord, we bless You because You are good and Your love endures forever.  Even though we are tempted to question Your goodness and compassion towards us, we acknowledge that You are not like us and You do not waver between good and evil.  You are good at all times and You never change.   May we rest our hope in Your unwavering goodness.   Amen.

Bible Reading for Today:  Proverbs 11

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Lunch Break Study

Read James 1:13-18 (NIV): When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. 

Questions to Consider

1. Why is it wrong to accuse God of tempting us?
2. What is the source of our temptation?
3. How can we fight against the deception and lies of the enemy?   

Notes

1. James makes it clear that God cannot be tempted by sin nor does He actively tempt anyone to sin.   However, God does permit Satan as a free being to bring temptation into the believer’s life; but this is vastly different from saying that God personally is involved in tempting us with sin.      
2. The source of our temptation rests within our own sinful nature.  This is the area of our hearts that Satan exposes and takes advantage of because we are enticed by our own evil desires.  This also gives us strong motivation to put to death the old nature and to live in the newness of life.   
3. We combat the lies of the enemy by growing in the truth of God’s word and believing in the foundational doctrines of the Christian faith.  Every good and perfect gift has come from an unchanging God.  

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Evening Reflection 

It is so important to pause once in a while to consider the goodness of God.  In what ways has God been good to you?   Think about your family and friends, your health, your job, and your church.  These are all blessings from the hands of God.  It is easy to believe in God’s goodness when things are going well.  The challenge is to trust that God is good when life is difficult.