February 11, Wednesday

UPDATED Todays’ AMI Quiet Time, originally posted on February 23, 2019, is provided by Pastor Ryun.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Our Two-Headed Enemy: Prayerlessness and Spiritual Exhibitionism”

Psalm 5:1-3

Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. 2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. 3 In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Matthew 6:5a

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others.

As the head of Israel, King David was an extraordinarily busy man. Yet his mornings were devoted to seeking God. He understood that once the day began, uninterrupted time with the Lord would be hard to come by. And this wasn’t a brief, hurried encounter—David pleaded, cried out, and waited on the LORD.

How do you typically spend your morning hours? Could they be better used to nurture spiritual growth? As a new day begins, is there anything tugging at your heart, stirring worry or restlessness? Take a moment to lay that burden before God. Ultimately, prayerlessness reveals that we neither trust nor rely on Him.

But there is something even worse than prayerlessness: praying in order to be seen by others and appear spiritual—a kind of spiritual exhibitionism. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day perfected this practice. Yet the temptation is hardly unique to them. Many of us slip into similar patterns through other “spiritual” displays—biblical knowledge, ministry involvement, or public acts of devotion—made all the easier in an age shaped by constant socialmedia visibility. Beneath it all lies a deeper question: What truly anchors our sense of security—our performance or God’s unconditional acceptance of us in Christ?

What’s the trap when we try to earn people’s approval through our performance? It becomes addictive. Those intoxicated by it will do almost anything—tell lies, spread gossip, even stage events—to keep their audience. In the 1980s, before mobile phones became common, some people installed fake carphone antennas just to appear important. What a vivid picture of insecurity.

So how do we break free from living like that? Paul points us toward a surprising path in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” One way to confront insecurity is to practice vulnerability—to acknowledge our weaknesses honestly and then testify to how Christ continues to heal, strengthen, and transform those very areas. Another way is to resist the impulse to showcase every act of devotion on social media. Paul puts it this way: “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3). Choose the life of hiddenness.

Try it today.

Prayer: Lord, give me the wisdom and discipline to seek You first in the morning. I lay before You all my burden, for You are gentle and humble in heart, and Your yoke is easy and burden is light. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 11

Lunch Break Study

Read Matthew 6:1-5: “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

Questions to Consider

1. Who said this and to whom was this said (Mt. 5:1)?

2. Why was this taught² (Mt. 16:5-6, 11, 23:2-3)?

3. What was in it for the Pharisees to behave like this? What were they willing to do to get what they wanted (Mt. 23:5-6; Mk. 11:18; Jn. 7:31-32)?

Notes

1. Jesus said this to a large crowd that had followed him to a mountainside to listen to him.

2. He was concerned that they may learn to act like the Pharisees, their hypocritical leaders (“Don’t do what they do”). Bad spiritual leadership can really affect people; thus, we need to be judicious in choosing our spiritual leader.

3. Having gotten used to receiving approval from the audience, the Pharisees craved for more and were willing to do anything, like praying ostentatiously before people to impress them (thus, making spirituality a means to a carnal end), or conspiring to eliminate their competition, that is, Jesus (thus, breaking the very commandments they had taught the people to obey).

Evening Reflection

Were you busy today? Too busy to pray or too busy not to pray? Write out a prayer asking God for strength to trust Him amid your trials and those things that make you feel insecure.

February 10, Tuesday

REPOST Today’s blog, written by Pastor Sam Lee of Catalyst Agape Church in New Jersey, was originally posted on July 22, 2014.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“The Weapon of Choice”

1 Peter 2:11-12

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

Interestingly, Peter addresses his readers as “Dear friends,” putting himself in a position not only as their teacher but their friend; a friend who is genuinely concerned about their welfare concerning sin. He doesn’t want to just give impersonal techniques and programs to overcome sin, but his exhortation comes from a deep sense of care for them.

He reminds the believers that as “foreigners” in this world, we are called to be different from the world. Though the people of the world spend much energy to fulfill their sinful desires, not caring about the consequences or how much sin hurts others and themselves, for the believers, the sinful desires “wage war against your soul.” Peter reminds us that we can’t just blindly be dragged through the alleys by these desires; but rather, we need to take up arms and fight the good fight.

But how do we fight the battle? Not with the weapons of this world; we have a different kind of weapon. Whereas the enemy wants us to lose hope and become bitter when we are faced with sin, Peter tells us to do the opposite of what the devil tells us to do: “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (v. 12). Or, as Paul puts it, “Do not be overcome by evil, overcome evil with good” (Rom. 12:21). He reminds us that when good is done in the midst of evil, it’s like light shining brighter in the midst of darkness.

Prayer: No weapon forged against me will prevail. Lord, thank You that I will overcome in Christ.

Though I walked in the valley of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 10

Lunch Break Study

Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Questions to Consider

1. Many use guilt (condemnation) to motivate themselves to do better (live a holy life). Upon what basis can we root our faith (that is not guilt driven) so that we may live a holy life (Rom. 12:2)?

2. This passage says, “We do not wage war as the world does.” What is one spiritual battle you are going through that you can apply this teaching? What would you do differently?

Notes

1. Here, Paul is talking about the importance of a clear, biblical thinking that sees right through thoughts and beliefs that are detrimental to our faith. In Romans 12:2, the apostle talks about renewing of our mind, which leads to approving what God’s will is –his good, pleasing and perfect will. When we live accordingly, a holy life (separated from the worldly values) will be its outcome.

2. When we have a problem with a person, the first thing we think of doing is to talk to that individual. This verse teaches us that we ought to pray before we speak to anyone. It is not just a problem between people; there may be a spiritual dimension that needs to be addressed. After praying, we may no longer feel the need to talk to that person, but instead keep on praying.

Evening Reflection

Pray for one person that seems to be dragging you down spiritually. How can you move in the opposite spirit of this person?

February 9, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Christine Li, was originally posted on October 14, 2019. Christine serves as a deaconess at Remnant Church in Manhattan, New York.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Up Close and Personal”

Hebrews 1:1-4

“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.”

This past year, I had the chance to see a musician that I admire very much. Prior to the concert, I did my homework: I listened to his songs (even memorizing some) and read all his recent interviews. I even began googling other people’s experiences of the concert tour to anticipate the setlist. Going in, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. However, the live experience was even better than expected! Seeing him in the flesh was incredible; it made every attribute of his come alive: the tone of voice, facial expressions, spontaneous decisions! He became more than the impression and construct I’d made in my head.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that God has revealed Himself in a similar manner. In the past, He spoke only to certain people, He left a written account to tell us what He values, and He even revealed His power with some miracles. Devoted scholars would have had plenty of resources to form an impression and understanding of God. But all those things paled in comparison to the actual experience of having Jesus in the flesh. Now, through the Son, God has spoken to us in a new, concrete way. His character comes alive through the demonstrations of His love, mercy, compassion, holiness, and justice.

Do you or I adequately appreciate how wonderful it is that God came in the flesh for us? It’s possible that we have taken accounts of Him (the Gospels) or accounts of His effect on men (Acts and the rest of the New Testament) too lightly. You and I, being born on this side of Christ’s life, have the wonderful privilege to know Him directly and be able to reference what He said, how He spoke, what He did.

Let us spend time today meditating on how the person of Christ fills up our understanding of God. Through Him, we understand perfect love. Through Him, we understand holiness. Through Him, we understand compassion and grace. Let’s thank God that He did not leave Himself shrouded in mystery but instead came to this world and fully exposed us to His goodness.

Prayer: God, thank You for coming! Thank You for not staying a distant and mysterious being but coming in the flesh so that we would know You with certainty and with intimacy. Help me not to take Your revelation for granted but teach me to understand You better. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 9

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 John 1:1-4: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.”

Questions to Consider

What does John say here about our senses being engaged in knowing God? Why would this be important?
Why does John have to proclaim this reality of the Word of life? What is his goal?
In these elements of encountering, testifying, and fellowshipping, which one are you most engaged in? Which one would you like more of?

Notes

John notes multiple senses engaged in knowing God: sound, sight, touch. Instead of knowing God abstractly (an eternal God “from the beginning”) and distantly, the disciples experienced Him fully: He was known, seen, regarded, beheld, and physically touched. Because Jesus came in the flesh, God was fully revealed to men.
Testimony is the natural outflow from someone who has encountered God intensely. Deepening one’s fellowship with God is the end goal; even fellowship with one another is yet another means of enjoying the presence of God and heightening the joy of having encountered God. For joy do the disciples continue to testify of God’s reality and closeness.
Personal reflection.

Evening Reflection

Take some time to think about today’s topic. Does Jesus seem real to you, or does God feel distant and abstract? Let’s ask God to engage our senses in knowing Him and ask that He would grow our understanding of Him more tangibly.

February 8, Sunday

REPOSTToday’s Spiritual Food for Thought, originally posted on December 23, 2018, is provided by Joshua Chzen. Joshua recently moved to Houston be part of a new church plant.

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Imperfect Love”

Ephesians 5:28-30

In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body.

After living with my wife for a few months, she pointed out a bad habit of mine that I hadn’t really paid attention to before. (In truth, there were quite a few things that needed to be pointed out ☺.) I love eating junk food, and I love eating it late at night. When we moved to our new apartment, there were two Jack-in-the-Box restaurants within a mile of us. Personally, I didn’t think much of it—

after a long day of work, I viewed it as a fair way to treat myself to something satisfying. It was my way of “loving myself”, even if a little bit indulgent. Of course, this sort of habit would be detrimental to my health both in the short and long term, which is why my wife took issue with it in the first place.

In reality, my imperfect way of loving myself affects not only myself, but my wife as well. Paul directs husbands to love their wives as their own bodies, and he’s talking about complete selflessness in love and attitude. But even as I look at how my heart is shaped through something like indulging myself, I can see that same heart reflected in how I love and care for my wife. On the other end, if my desire is to grow in and prioritize holiness, then I will love and care for my wife in a way that reflects that for her. The way I “feed and care for my body” will be the same as how I “feed and care for” my wife.

This makes it all the more important to pursue a life of love in Christ. We understand how Jesus “feeds and cares for” his body, the church. He sacrifices himself for it; he builds it up and equips it; he casts out its fears and covers its weaknesses; and he brings it to holiness, righteousness, and purity. As members of his body, we can personally experience this perfect love. And we understand that, as Jesus calls us to love others as we love ourselves, he’s not referring to an imperfect love that’s been shaped and affected by worldly understanding or fleshly desire; on the contrary, he’s calling on all of us to reflect that same perfect love that we experience as Christ himself loves his body.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for loving me and caring for me as part of Your body. Show me how to love like You do—and if it seems unnatural, difficult, or in conflict with where I am, I pray that You would reorient my heart back to You. In Jesus name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 8

February 7, Saturday

REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, originally posted on June 8, 2018, is provided by Pastor Phillip Chen. Phil is spearheading the planting of Pillar Church in Houston, which is scheduled to launch on February 22, 2026. Praise the Lord!

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“God Is a Jealous God”

Exodus 34:11-17 (NASB)

“Be sure to observe what I am commanding you this day: behold, I am going to drive out the Amorite before you, and the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. ¹²Watch yourself that you make no covenant with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a snare in your midst. ¹³But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim ¹⁴—for you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God— ¹⁵otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice, ¹⁶and you might take some of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters might play the harlot with their gods and cause your sons also to play the harlot with their gods. ¹⁷You shall make for yourself no molten gods.

We typically think of the word “jealous” with a negative connotation, because after all, didn’t God say, “You shall not covet?”—meaning, you shall not be jealous of your neighbor, but be content with what you have. Don’t you find it strange then that God refers to Himself as a Jealous God? Yet there is a difference between a righteous jealousy and an unrighteous jealousy. Righteous jealousy is one that is jealous for what actually belongs to you; whereas, unrighteous jealousy is one that is jealous (or envious) of what does not belong to you. For example, if I were jealous of my friend who just bought a brand new car, that would be an unrighteous jealousy. And unrighteous jealousy breeds discontentment—and discontentment can spiral into all kinds of problems.

An example of righteous jealousy that I read says this: If another man comes up to my wife and flirts with her, I would clearly be jealous. I would be righteous in my jealousy because my wife and I are committed to one another. She belongs to me and I belong to her. Can you imagine if I were completely okay with it and just let it happen without stepping in? It would actually be a bit absurd if I were not jealous at all.

God is jealous for the people of Israel because He calls them His people—meaning, they have entered into a covenant relationship with Him. As much as His people belong to Him, He is committing Himself to them and saying that He belongs to them. We see this theme throughout the Bible – God’s jealousy for His people. God doesn’t want His people entering into covenants with other gods. He warns them again and again not to whore after other gods in the land that they are about to enter, but this is exactly what Israel does.

When you look at the history of Israel, it’s actually pretty sad. God spends the majority of the exodus years trying to convince His people of His love for them and make them into a holy nation. But shortly after they enter the Promised Land, they turn quickly to idols; and for hundreds of years they do exactly what God tells them not to do. In fact, if you look at the history of Israel, only small portions of their existence as a nation are spent on being faithful unto God. For the most part, they are unfaithful, constantly giving themselves to idol worship. It culminates with Solomon building a temple for the LORD, but immediately filling this temple with idols from all ends of the earth for political expediency.

Though many of us may no longer have idols made out of wood or stone, we have many idols of the heart that we need to address. There are many altars and sacred pillars in our lives that God is instructing us to smash and destroy. Could it be that as you are moving forward in life, there are dangerous idols that must be destroyed so that you could remain faithful unto God? Maybe you are graduating college, and the idols of money and recognition are at the doorstep. Or you are about to get married, and the idols of your spouse and future children are ones that God wants you to give to Him. Maybe you are considering transitions in life and the idol of “your plans” is what God wants you to release to Him. Whatever may be an idol of your heart, remember that God is jealous—He’s jealous because He loves you with a passion and you belong to Him. He asks you to destroy these idols before they destroy you. Let’s never forget that our God is a jealous God, who is rightly jealous for us!

Prayer: Father God, thank You for Your love for me, and that You are jealous for me and for my heart. As much as I want to love You with all of my heart, it is difficult, because there are so many temptations and possible idols every corner I turn. But Lord, help me to destroy these snares, so that I may rightly love You as you have passionately love me. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 6-7

February 6, Friday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, originally posted on July 19, 2018, 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.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“God’s Will?”

Jeremiah 42:1-6

Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— 3 that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” 4 Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.” 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the Lord your God sends you to us.6 Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”

Confession time. I—like most men—am more sensitive than I let on. So if someone were to negatively criticize one of my sermons, lessons, how I run a ministry, or even my choice of outfit for the day, on the outside I would appear receptive. I might even thank them for their opinion—but inside, I would somewhat be deeply wounded. That is why, because of my fragile ego, my wife has learned to ask this question before giving her opinion: “Do you want the truth, or what you want to hear?” Example: I would ask, “Honey, I just came back from the gym. Doesn’t my chest look huge?” Her: “Do you want the truth or what feels good?” Me: “What I want to hear, of course!” Her: “Massive—I don’t know how you don’t tip over.” Me: “Thanks.”

Let’s be honest: we don’t always want the truth in our lives, but we want to hear what we want. Even in our prayer lives, we have said at least one time, “God, tell me what you want me to do, and no matter what it is, I’ll do it.” What we’re hoping to hear from God is, “Keep on doing what you’re doing.” When He actually says, “Sudan,” we do our best to brush it off as youthful exuberance.

In today’s passage, Johanan and the rest of the leaders of Judah came to Jeremiah with a request and a promise, essentially saying, “Tell us what the Lord wants us to do, and we’ll do it.” If you recall from yesterday, the Jews were considering fleeing to Egypt and were seeking the Lord’s stamp of approval with this plan. But as we’ll read over the next few days, they didn’t really want to obey God; they just wanted to hear Him say yes to what they wanted.

The take home is obvious. Do you genuinely want the Lord’s will and truth in your life, or do you—like Johanan and the rest of the Israelites—want Him to give you the stamp of approval for what you want to do? Have you made promises to obey and then went ahead and disobeyed? But the good news is that with the Lord, there are often second chances to obey.

Prayer: Father, cleanse my heart. Help me to genuinely desire obedience; give me courage to follow through. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 5

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Samuel 15:22-23 (For context, this is Samuel’s rebuke to Saul after he disobeyed God’s orders to wipe out the Amalekites.): And Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.”

Questions to Consider

1. How do you suppose people in the 21st century try to substitute sacrifices for obedience?

2. Why do you suppose Samuel compares rebellion to divination and presumption to iniquity and idolatry?

3. Are there areas in your life where the Lord is calling you to greater obedience?

Notes

1. Now, instead of sacrificing animals, we sacrifice our service, time, and money. But even if we’re spending hours in church, small group, or faithfully tithing, we can still be in a state of disobedience. More than anything, the Lord desires hearts that trust and obey Him.

2. Divination and idolatry are both similar in that we search out other sources of guidance or allegiance. In both cases, God is able to meet all of our needs and is worthy of our loyalty. So in this sense, rebellion and presumption are not different than idolatry and self-worship.

3. Personal application.

Evening Reflection

Today’s theme was obedience. Is there anything you feel like the Lord is asking you to do that you haven’t followed through? Perhaps you need a friend to speak truth in your life. Whatever steps you need to take, ask the Lord for the courage to follow through.

February 5, Thursday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Pastor Andrew Kim, was originally posted on June 27, 2019. Andrew is presently pastoring Alive Church in Montreal.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Nothing Will Separate You from God’s Grace in Christ Jesus”

Exodus 40:1-3

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting. 3 And you shall put in it the ark of the testimony, and you shall screen the ark with the veil.

In Exodus 40:1-3 we read about the holy of holies, which was the very epicenter of God’s presence in the Old Testament era. The passage tells us that the ark of the testimony was covered by a veil. Since the people of Israel were sinful and unclean, they were not allowed to enter the holy of holies. The high priest would enter once a year on the day of atonement, and only after a series of rituals to ensure his cleanliness. He would also put on bells to let the people outside know if he was still alive or dead (Exodus 28:34-35). Bell sounds meant he was still moving. No sounds meant something went wrong and he was no longer alive. There was a real sense of fear when entering God’s presence. The high priest needed to make sure he did all the right things and was in the right state before going into the holy of holies.

To some degree I can relate to this. Ever since I was younger, I had always struggled to feel safe in God’s presence. There has always been this sense that I had to be good enough, at least for a period, before I could freely be with God. I felt as if God would allow bad things to happen to me, that He wouldn’t answer my prayers, or would meet me in a posture of disappointment because of my shortcomings. However, all that changed once I had truly understood the gospel of grace for the first time—that I did not need to be fearful anymore.

Matthew 27:51 says that after Jesus died “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” In other words, due to the substitutionary death of Jesus, the veil was no longer necessary. Jesus’ work on the cross had paid our debts and reconciled us back to the Father. As those who have professed their faith in Christ, there is no need for bells to alert people if we’re still alive in God’s presence. We are assured a place at His table through the work of grace in Christ.

Many of us struggle with fear before the Father. Some of us have not been able to be in God’s presence for a long time because the weight of guilt has been heavy on our hearts. But let us look to Christ and His atoning work! Let us be assured that God looks at us through His Jesus Christ, and for this reason, we can enter His presence freely!

Prayer: Father, I confess that at times I struggle with accepting Your grace. There is a part of me that feels the need to work and prove my goodness before I come to You. Help me to trust in Your grace and Your forgiveness!

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 4

Lunch Break Study

Read Ephesians 2:1-10: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Questions to Consider

What was the condition of humanity before the grace of God in verses 1-3?
How have we been made alive in Christ according to this passage?
Do you easily accept the grace of God or do you feel the need to work to be in good standing with God?

Notes

We were dead in our sins and trespasses, carrying out the desires of our flesh, and following the prince of the power of the air (another term for the devil). It is interesting that the description does not communicate that before Christ we were simply apathetic or indifferent towards God, but we were actively rebellious.
It is by the rich mercy of God; specifically verse 8 says, “By grace you have been saved through faith and this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God. Paul puts it in clear terms that we have not been made alive by our own work, but by the work of Christ.” Even the faith to believe has been a gift given from God.
Personal response.

Evening Reflection

“You see, the verdict is in. And now I perform on the basis of the verdict. Because [God] loves me and He accepts me, I do not have to do things just to build up my resume. I do not have to do things to make me look good. I can do things for the joy of doing them. I can help people to help people – not so I can feel better about myself, not so I can fill up the emptiness.” – Tim Keller

February 4, Wednesday

REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, written by Charles Graham, a former staff at Kairos Christian Church in San Diego, was first posted on July 7, 2018.

Devotional Thoughts For This Morning

“Fair Weather Worship”

Jeremiah 17:10-19 (NIV)

“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise. ¹⁵They keep saying to me,“Where is the word of the Lord? Let it now be fulfilled!” ¹⁶I have not run away from being your shepherd; you know I have not desired the day of despair. What passes my lips is open before you. ¹⁷Do not be a terror to me; you are my refuge in the day of disaster. ¹⁸Let my persecutors be put to shame, but keep me from shame; let them be terrified, but keep me from terror. ¹⁹Bring on them the day of disaster; destroy them with double destruction.”

I’m a huge sports fan; following American football and basketball the closest. I may lose some people with this, but being a SoCal native, my earliest memories of watching sports are of my family gathering around a giant CRT TV in the living room, and watching the Los Angeles Lakers. I love the Lakers, and I’ll welcome Lebron James with open arms (and no shame).

Anyway, further down the road, my family moved from LA to San Diego, where I developed a love and appreciation for the (then) San Diego Chargers. Growing into a fan of the Chargers was an interesting experience. In watching and attending games, I began to observe a peculiar pattern in the behavior of most other fans; that they would love the Chargers as long as we were winning, but in down times there were serious concerns of season ticket holders abandoning their passes, or even jerseys getting disowned. As time went on, I grew to understand that these people are known as “fair weather fans,” or more commonly, “bandwagoners.”

Unfortunately, fair weather fandom doesn’t stop at our favorite sports teams. Have you noticed how much friendlier you are to someone when you want something out of them? We use the most polite tones when asking for things from our parents, we’re friendly with our friends because we generally do favors for one another, we’re friendly with potential business partners, entire industries are made or broken over how friendly we are to customers and we’re nicest of all to people we’re just starting to date. Now, what happens in these situations, is we bend over backwards to try to get to that “fair weather” place with whatever we’re interacting with, and then we start the cruise control. Then, the second we deviate from that fair weather spot, it’s a crisis.

The sad truth is, sometimes we bring this fair-weather mindset to our faith as well.

You see, the Israelites got to that fair weather place on their walk with God and hit the cruise control too. As a result, they began spiraling out of control with their idolatry, among other sins. A lot of the time, like the Israelites, we find ourselves in a good place in life, and, though we can remember it was God who got us there, the true weight of that gift in your life is neglected. Slowly, we start to ease up on our commitments to God, and eventually forget them entirely. We convince ourselves “we’ll be alright” if we miss a small group here and there, or take a Sunday off from worshipping, and most times it’s fine. However if the trend remains consistent, and the snowball keeps rolling downhill, one Sunday becomes two, then you’re gone for a month and before you know it, you’re no longer the season ticket holder. You just attend church when you’re winning.

Jeremiah saw this pattern occurring with the Israelites and warned them of God’s coming judgement. God sent Jeremiah with words that would “…uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant,” (Jer 1:10 [NIV]). Unfortunately, the Israelites did not heed Jeremiah’s warning, and were eventually dispossessed of their land and sent into exile. In the passage above, Jeremiah’s words serve as a great reminder of our need for active engagement with God. We need to be die-hard fans of Him.

Prayer: Father, it’s very easy to get caught up in life, and forget about You. Please, don’t let me get to the point of nominal worship. I don’t want to grow numb or ambivalent to You. Please speak to my heart, and rekindle the passion I had for You in the beginning. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 3

Lunch Break Study

Read Psalm 9:1-2: I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. ² I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Questions To Consider

1. What does it mean to love God with all your heart?

2. What does it mean to “be glad and rejoice” in God?

Notes

Interestingly enough, I don’t think loving God with all your heart is quite enough

(though I’m not criticizing David). We are called to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind (Luke 10:27). That is to say, we are called to love God with all of our being. It would seem, God does not want us to only enjoy Him emotionally, but intellectually, physically and spiritually as well.

Everyone goes through times where they feel like the world is ending and their world is coming crashing down, myself included. Though I can’t say there is a universal standard of what being glad and rejoicing in God is, as it may look different from person to person, we can all be fall back on the notion that the God of the universe loves, pursues, teaches and cares for us as a people, and each of us individually.

Evening Reflection

We seek a relationship with God. Any good relationship takes active effort and work for it to grow. Sometimes, even heavy sacrifices must be made to make it work. God has already offered up His sacrifice to to make it work with you. What are you willing to give to make it work with Him?

February 3, Tuesday

REPOST Todays’ AMI Quiet Time, originally posted on January 13, 2017, is provided by Pastor Ryun.

Devotional Thoughts for This Morning

How to Help an Immigrant or Any Kid to Succeed?

2 Tim. 3:6, 10-11 (ESV)

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. . .. 10 For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. 13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.

Soon after immigrating to the States (to Virginia) in 1974, I began attending a middle school without understanding virtually any English. But I felt confident that I could handle math and geography, since they didn’t require much language. Ironically, my desire to take the tests put the teacher in an awkward position: he had been excusing another immigrant boy from taking them but giving him a “B” anyway. Once I chose to take the tests, the teacher could no longer excuse the other boy—who now had to work.

Later, one thrilling moment in high school came when my 10th grade English teacher told me to move to the right side of the classroom, where the students who had passed a grammar test were allowed to study on their own, while the teacher reviewed the test with those who had failed—including some who had mocked my English. Having taken an ESL class in 9th grade, where the teacher expected us to know basic grammar, that test wasn’t as difficult; in fact, I found ESL more challenging than the regular 9th grade English class.

When guiding a young person—immigrant or not—it is important to set reasonable expectations and offer steady encouragement to work hard. But when the bar is set too low by those who believe they are being “understanding” (like my middleschool teacher), and when lack of effort is met with indifference—or worse, rewarded—that becomes a recipe for a life of untapped potential.

In Thessalonica, the apostle Paul faced a similar situation. Some believers had stopped working because they believed “the day of the Lord has already come” (2 Thess. 2:2). Instead, they lived off the generosity of others. The Thessalonian leaders tolerated this behavior, effectively lowering the standard for what faithful Christian living required. Paul did not mince words: “Brothers, keep away from every brother who is idle… If a man will not work, he shall not eat… Never tire of doing what is right” (2 Thess. 3:6, 10, 13).

What happened in my middleschool classroom is not so different from what can happen in the church. When the standard for faithfulness and commitment to the Lord is lowered, many believers end up receiving a passing grade for doing very little.

May someone in your church quietly and humbly show what it means to “never tire of doing what is right.” And may your pastor call you to know well the basics of the Christian faith, so that your potential for Christ is fully tapped for God’s glory.

Prayer: I thank You Lord for all those in my past who have pushed me to tap fully into the potential You gave me. I thank You for all the spiritual leaders who set the bar high and demanded that I work hard for God’s glory. Mostly, I thank You for Your grace, without which I’m either given to pride or misery. Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 2

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Cor. 9:24-7 (NIV): Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. 25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; 27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

2 Tim. 2:6-7 (NIV): The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. 7 Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

Questions to Consider

1. This morning we talked about setting the bar reasonably high, and then to be sufficiently motivated to work hard. Apply that to spirituality: what motivated the apostle Paul to set the bar high for him?

2. Like what Paul says in 2 Timothy 2:7, consider what is said in 2 Timothy 2:6—what understanding has the Lord given you through it?

3. If you were the spiritual coach of your own life, what kind of coach would you be (lenient or tough)? What would you tell yourself about your current spiritual condition? Is your bar set low or high? Are you working hard or just coasting?

Notes

1. If we are being honest here, Paul, at least in this passage, expresses his fear of becoming hypocritical—that is, living contrary to what he tells others to live. He set the bar high, meaning to lead a highly disciplined life to ensure that he receives an imperishable crown from God.

2. Work hard, so you will be the first to receive your share of the crops (Prov. 14:23b: “All hard work brings a profit”); conversely, the expectation of receiving your share of the crop should motivate you to work hard.

3. Personal response.

Evening Reflection

As a missionary in Mexico, whenever a pastor invited me to preach at his church but assigned me a specific passage, I wasn’t exactly a happy camper. It meant I couldn’t use any of my previously prepared sermons. I had to start fresh and work hard to craft a new message—which, in hindsight, was always good for me.

Have you ever been in a similar situation? Learn to enjoy those seasons when you still have opportunities to work hard for something worthwhile. Go all in—but take God with you. In other words, don’t reduce your time with Him. Praying diligently, even if it means having less time to work, can actually increase your productivity. Try it. How about starting right now?

February 2, Monday

REPOST Today’s AMI Devotional, originally posted on March 11, 2019, was written by Tina Tsu.

Devotional Thought for This Morning

“Justice is His Work”

Exodus 11:1-3, 12:35-36

Now the Lord said to Moses, “One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt; after that he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will surely drive you out from here completely. Speak now in the hearing of the people that each man ask from his neighbor and each woman from her neighbor for articles of silver and articles of gold.” The Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Furthermore, the man Moses himself was greatly esteemed in the land of Egypt, both in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.Now the sons of Israel had done according to the word of Moses, for they had requested from the Egyptians articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

Psalm 103:6

“The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.”

When it comes to asking people for help, we all differ in our degree of courage in asking. Some of us may feel confident knowing the validity of our request, and others of us tend to feel afraid to ask, due to feeling like a burden or inconvenience. In today’s passage, God instructs the Israelites through Moses to ask the Egyptians for articles of gold and silver. In a way, God is instructing the Israelites to ask for justice, for these articles would serve as the wages for all their hard labor under severe oppression. I could only imagine the fear I would feel to approach my oppressor to ask for these materials. However, the emphasis in the passage is that the Egyptians’ response, as well as justice for the Israelites, are all God’s doing.

When the Lord instructed the Israelites to ask for articles of gold and silver, He was preparing to execute the last plague in Egypt which would finally cause Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave. It is my guess that the Israelites would have been overjoyed simply to be delivered from slavery, but God made it a point for them to receive their wages for their labor from Egypt through these articles. Through the nine previous plagues and His acts through Moses, God revealed his great power and might to the Egyptians. Though Pharaoh’s heart only became harder, the servants and people of Egypt saw how the God of Israel was greater than Egyptian power and Egyptian gods. Their hearts changed towards the Israelites and their fear of God grew. They had previously been oppressors, but they began to esteem Moses and to look upon the Israelites with greater respect. The Lord had given the Israelites favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. They would not leave Egypt empty-handed, but would have gold and silver, which would later become material for the tabernacle, the place where God’s presence would dwell. God’s act of justice worked towards their freedom, and they would be freed to serve and worship God.

This morning, let us consider how God is the initiator and finisher of all that is fair and just. When justice is His doing, He causes those whom He wants to lift up to be esteemed in the eyes of others, and He gives great favor to them. Let this passage remind us that our welfare and life conditions are in God’s hands.

Prayer: Dear Father, I praise You because You are a wonder-working God! You look upon those who are helpless in dark places and You work justice and righteousness for them. Lord, I pray that You would indeed work righteousness and justice for those who face oppression. I entrust their lives and future into Your hands. May Your power and deeds cause oppressors to see You, and may their actions change as they witness Your greatness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Bible Reading for Today: Acts 1

Lunch Break Study

Read 1 Peter 2:23-25: When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Questions to Consider

What is Peter emphasizing about Jesus Christ?
What is Peter’s message to his immediate readers?
Christ is the Shepherd and Overseer of your soul. How does this speak to you as you face your present, and perhaps difficult, circumstances?

Notes

Peter is referring to Christ’s suffering on the cross. When insults were directed to him on that day, he did not retaliate or act against his oppressors, but he entrusted himself to the Father. He made it his goal to be the Savior by bearing everyone’s sins on the cross. He did not act as the judge in that moment, but trusted God the Father to be the judge of all deeds.
Peter’s point is that since Christ bore our sins on the cross, we are no longer slaves to sin, but we are freed to live for righteousness. An aspect of living for righteousness is to follow in Christ’s footsteps, which is to not retaliate when we are treated harshly, but to entrust ourselves to God, who judges justly. Peter instructed his immediate readers to submit to their masters in v. 18, even if they are not treated well, as a way of following Christ’s example.
Personal Response.

Evening Reflection

The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the LORD; He turns it wherever He wishes. (Proverbs 21:1).

Scripture frequently reminds us that man’s authority and power will not prevail against God’s. Are you facing an unjust situation or a situation where you are falsely accused or misunderstood? Entrust your case to the Lord, and invite the Holy Spirit to give you strength to rest in the Lord’s timing and doing.