A few months ago, I visited a new family who had registered at our Wimbledon Church. During our conversation, they told me that their whole family subscribed to QTin and used it for devotional meditation, but they found it difficult because they did not know how to answer the questions in it. Naturally, we began talking about how the QTin devotional differs from traditional devotional books. This is also connected to my own long journey of meditation.
For forty years, I have encountered various devotional books. After coming to God’s Vision Church, I used a devotional called GT for more than fifteen years. Then, a year and a half ago, I switched to QTin. I thought there could hardly be a better devotional book because it is produced by a staff of about forty people, all generations meditate on the same passage, and even the English translation is done directly by native speakers. However, within a few months of subscribing, I began to regret it. No matter how remarkable the testimonies were, I felt that the interpretation of the biblical passages was not deep enough.
Still, with a humble desire to learn, I visited Wooridle Church, observed the ministry firsthand, and read Pastor Kim Yang-jae’s sermons and books. Through that process, I came to understand how my previous way of meditation differed from theirs. The meditation I had practiced until then focused on gaining good insights from Scripture, whereas QTin focused on bringing that truth deeply into my life. It persistently probes the areas of my life that need to be changed.
Therefore, there are two main reasons why QTin may not resonate with people. First, many of us are accustomed to a style of meditation that seeks new insights from the Bible. QTin does not devote much space to explaining the passage in that way. Second, many people are not in the habit of seriously examining their own lives. Most people live busy lives, thinking mainly about immediate practical concerns, the tasks they need to accomplish each day, and the future they desire. They spend very little time reflecting on who they are, or on their inner thoughts and motivations.
But QTin urges us to examine our lives carefully and thoroughly. For ordinary people who are not used to such deep self-reflection, QTin’s questions feel unfamiliar, and they often cannot think of an answer right away. If they take time to pray, they may discover the answer, but it feels like an energy-consuming task, so they find it burdensome. It would seem easier if the devotional simply explained the passage well and allowed them to apply it to their lives in a moderate way.
Scripture says that it equips God’s people thoroughly for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17). But is that truly happening in our lives? We listen to many sermons, read and study the Bible, and accumulate a great deal of knowledge in our minds, yet our actual lives often remain much the same as before. The reason is simple. The Bible says that we are changed through teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, but most of us stop at teaching. The other three—rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness—are all connected to our real lives, including the hidden areas that need repentance. Without meditating in the QTin way, it is difficult to experience genuine transformation in life.
What I mean is not that QTin’s explanations and questions are always correct. Rather, the QTin approach of connecting Scripture with one’s actual life is profoundly biblical. Through the ongoing meditation seminars, I believe many people will come to experience this for themselves.
