September 9

Isaiah 3:1-5:30, 2 Corinthians 11:1-15, Psalm 53:1-6, Proverbs 22:28-29 



Pray: Lord, help me not to lean on my own understanding but in everything acknowledge You so that You can direct my words, thoughts and actions. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Read: Paul confronts the false teaching that was going on in and around Corinth because it put the work and the ministry of the church in jeopardy. Paul didn’t want the Corinthians to lose their single-minded love for Christ. The same is true for us today… keeping Christ first in our lives can be difficult when we have so many distractions threatening to sidetrack our faith. It can be easy to lose focus. when we lose focus, we lose momentum. When we lose momentum, we stop taking ground for Christ. Paul was worried about the potential loss of momentum and decided to address it head on.  

Edify: Have you ever heard someone say something that made you ask yourself, “Is that really true?” It is this very kind of thing that Paul is talking about. There is a saying that is heard throughout pastoral gatherings and along the halls of seminaries that goes, “Within every heresy is a seed of the truth.” That is the difficult thing about discerning truth from untruth… sometimes there is a little bit of truth within the lie. Our culture is teaching some of these things every day. The media is plastering it across our television and computer screens. It is our job to make sure that we are vigilant with all that we hear and when necessary filter information through the lens of Scripture to determine its validity. Be cautious out there with what you take at face value!

Practice: Pray for discernment when it comes to the things of this world. We are inundated with more information than we can manage and it is within this information dump that we may get ourselves in trouble by making choices without the proper information. Don’t rush to a decision, rather, take time in prayer and discernment before committing to anything.

September 8

Isaiah 1:1-2:22, 2 Corinthians 10:1-18, Psalm 52:1-9, Proverbs 22:26-27

Pray: Father, I have to thank You for looking beyond my faults and for loving me unconditionally. Forgive me when I fail to love others in the same way. Give me eyes to see the needs of the difficult people in my life, and show me how to meet those needs in a way that pleases You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Read: I’m sure you’ve never been in a church that questioned the authority of the pastor but it happened in the church at Corinth. Paul planted this church and left on a missionary journey, leaving it in the capable hands of others. In his absence, there arose a group, which began to question his authority saying that he was bold in his letters, but had no authority in person. Paul fights back against those claims in our reading today in second Corinthians. He reminded the people that he had been given authority by God and that it was God’s work and ministry that he was doing, not his own. Have you ever had your authority challenged? Has anyone ever accused you of hijacking the mission for your own glory?

Edify: When you are the leader, you will face challenges and adversity. It is vital for all leaders to always stay focused on the mission at hand and not listen to the nay-sayers in the crowd. When Joel Osteen was interviewed following the social media chaos over Lakewood’s alleged refusal to open the doors of the church to those displaced by the flooding of Hurricane Harvey, he was asked about all of the people who were talking so negatively about him (Osteen) and the church. He was asked if he had read the reports. Osteen’s response impressed me. He said, and I paraphrase, that there will always be people who talk negatively about you and that he didn’t read or listen to those reports. He said that there were more important things that needed to be done than for him (and the church) to listen to the voices of those trying to keep them from their task. 

Practice: Don’t listen to the negative voices around you that may be trying to tear you down or keep you from being focused on your task at hand. Remain focused on the mission that God has called you to in this season and on this day.  

September 7

Song of Solomon 5:1-8:14, 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, Psalm 51:1-1, Proverbs 22:24-25

Pray: Father, today I ask for forgiveness of all the negative and harmful words I have spoken about myself. I do not want to abuse myself in such a way again. Transform my thoughts and let me understand how marvelously you made me. Change my habits so I use my tongue to speak hope and favor upon my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Read: In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he reminds the people to fulfill their commitment that they had made to send money to the church in Jerusalem. Paul uses some powerful imagery to help the worshipers realize the importance of their gift and how God will provide for their needs. Have you ever been reluctant to give generously to the church for fear of not having enough to meet your own needs? Sure, we all have! Paul reminds us that if we plant only a few seeds then there will be only a small crop but if we plant generously then there will be a generous crop with a much greater return than our initial investment. Paul also reminds us that our heart toward our giving is just as important as the giving itself. We are to give with a grateful heart and with great cheer and not out of pressure to do so. 

Edify: It’s easy to look at a church and see them as doing nothing more than beggin' for money. However, the reality is that if it weren’t for the generous support of givers in the church, the mission and ministry of the church could not and would not happen. Scripture tells us that our giving to the mission of the church is yet another demonstration of our trust and faith in God. Paul reminds us today that it is not out of obligation or duty that we should give but out of a love and devotion to God and the mission of the church. There is a double edged sword that comes with giving… one is that it is absolutely necessary so that the Kingdom efforts can continue here on earth and the other is that we need to give to demonstrate our trust and faith in God.

Practice: Will you pray for our Vision 2:28 campaign? Will you pray for life change to occur during this campaign? Also, we ask that you will pray for how you can be a part of the campaign if you have not already been a part? What will your sacrificial gift be to the kingdom of God and to the future of God’s church through Christ Church? No matter where you find yourself financially, there is a place for you at the table of God and in Vision 2:28. We have said it often, and will continue to say, “It’s not about equal gifts, but equal sacrifice.”

September 6

Song of Solomon 1:1-4:16, 2 Corinthians 8:16-24, Psalm 50:1-23, Proverbs 22:22-23

Pray: Lord, grant me tenacious, winsome courage as I go through this day. When I am tempted to give up, help me to keep going. Grant me a cheerful spirit when things don't go my way. And give me courage to do whatever needs to be done. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Read: Saturated with stories of sexual escapades, secret rendezvous, and extramarital affairs, today’s media teaches that immorality means freedom, perversion is natural, and commitment is old fashioned. Sex, created by God and pronounced good in Eden, has been twisted, exploited, and turned into an urgent, illicit, casual, and self-gratifying activity. Love has turned to lust, giving into getting, and lasting commitment into “no strings attached”. There is much debate over the meaning of this song. Some say it is allegorical for God’s love of Israel and the church, others see it as a literal story of married love. Most say it is both. As we begin to read from Song of Solomon, remember that you are loved by God, and commit yourself to seeing life, sex and marriage from His point of view.

Edify: I love the practicality, the honesty that is practiced in the Bible. In second Corinthians we hear of “another brother” traveling with Paul and Titus. The churches that Paul and Titus were traveling to elected this man as an accountability partner for Paul and Titus as they deliver the large financial gift to Jerusalem. While there was never any accusation of wrongdoing, it was just a practice. Paul explained that by traveling together there could be no suspicion and people would know that the gift was being handled honestly. The church did not need to worry that the bearers of the gift would misuse the money.  

Practice: Take a few minutes today to think about your own accountability practices. What safeguards do you have in your life that keep you from “running aground” in even the calmest of weather? Do you have boundaries in your interactions with others? Do you have safeguards in place on your technology? What could you do better in an effort to ensure that no one could ever accuse you of not living above reproach?

September 5

Ecclesiastes 10:1-12:14, 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, Psalm 49:1-20, Proverbs 22:20-21 



Pray: Dear Lord, I don't know who or what will cross my path today. But I do know that You are my Rock and my Fortress. You are my Shield and my Strong Tower. Help me to anchor myself to You today. Teach me how to stand strong in You and choose only Your way today. Help me walk by Your truth and not my feelings. Help me to embrace anything that comes my way as an opportunity to see You at work and as an opportunity to point others to You. Thank You that You love me and nothing can ever take that away from me! Even if I fail today and fall short, You whisper Your unconditional love deep into my soul and remind me that Your mercies are new every morning. That truly amazes me, Lord. Thank You for meeting with me today. Would You wake me again tomorrow with the same sweet whisper of Your love? I can't wait to meet with You again. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Read: Solomon continues to pour his wisdom into the future generations during these final chapters of Ecclesiastes. Many of the verses read like fortune cookies in their brevity and succinctness, yet they are powerful in their content and application. I wonder what the world would look like if all of God’s people would read through and apply the knowledge that Solomon is sharing on these pages? While much of it seems so much like common sense, the reality is that there are many people who lack that very thing. As followers of Christ, we are called to point people to Jesus but also to demonstrate a life that is governed by the love of God and even these seemingly simple, yet profound, truths. To live a life that is guided by these Ecclesiastical truths could dramatically change the way that we interact with the world.

Edify: In Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth, he told them of the generosity that had been shown to him while on his journeys. He was hoping that the news of this generosity of the churches he had visited in Macedonia would encourage the Corinthian believers and motivate them to solve their problems and reunite in fellowship and ministry. The reality was that the church at Corinth excelled in everything… they had great faith, gifted speakers, knowledge, enthusiasm and love, but they were not great leaders in the area of giving. At Christ Church we can say that same thing. We are gifted in so many ways, even in the area of giving. There are many among our ranks that practice extravagant giving and for that we are eternally grateful. It is even more important that we embrace the power of giving when it comes to our Vision 2:28 campaign this Fall. As we experience God pouring out his Spirit upon all people, we must be generous in all areas of our lives, including giving, so that the work of the church can be expanded and multiplied!

Practice: Pray today that we will have 100% participation in the Vision 2:28 campaign. We can’t do the ministry that God is calling us to do without the necessary resources to do them with. It is our prayer that EVERY PERSON IN CHURCH will financially be a part of the Vision 2:28 campaign in some way! We serve a BIG God so we ask boldly for big things!

September 4

Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18, 2 Corinthians 7:8-16, Psalm 48:1-14, Proverbs 22:17-19



Pray: Dear Lord, help me remember what a difference it makes when I make time with You a priority in my morning. Awaken me in body and spirit each day with a desire to meet with You and to hear You speak words of affirmation, assurance and wisdom over my heart as I prepare to go into my day. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Read: Have you ever heard anyone say that sometimes we have to learn by making our own mistakes? As we continue in Ecclesiastes we read Solomon’s thoughts on the importance of wisdom and the limits of that wisdom. He also writes to the future generations about the importance of obedience and the inevitability of death. Solomon’s efforts in these chapters of Ecclesiastes are meant to help people understand the way the world works so that people could learn from his wisdom and experience gained by his successes and mistakes rather than learn by making their own mistakes. In spite of this vast amount of knowledge that has been shared with us by the wisest man in the world, I see so many people ignoring his teachings and doing life without consulting the Book of Life. Are you one of them?  

Edify: Wisdom is so important yet so neglected. Solomon could have asked for anything in the world and he chose wisdom. To be wise is to understand the way that the world works and interacts with itself. Our culture today glorifies beauty and riches and ability, but to be wise is to understand all of those things and to understand all of those things not only allows you to obtain them but to also have dominion over them. Solomon was wise just in his wishes which boded well for him in all areas of life.

Practice: Today, take a moment to listen to the words of someone you consider wise. Hopefully, there are people that you interact with that you consider wise. Just listen and learn. Ask questions, and listen some more.

September 3

Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12, 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:7, Psalm 47:1-9,Proverbs 22:16



Pray: It is good for us to praise You Lord! You are worthy of all praise and honor and glory. May we make time today Lord to sing songs of worship and praise to You! Amen.

Read: Have you ever wished you could get away from it all? People get on your nerves, circumstances ruin your plans and the best solution seems to “go it alone.” As Solomon looked at the problems of life, he saw adversity and inequality, but he realized no one can make it alone. Maybe you have been avoiding joining a life group? Now would be the perfect time in this new season to join with other like-minded followers of Jesus.

Edify: Believers in the church were compromising with the world and not walking separate. God longs to have a closer fellowship with us, but He will not share our fellowship with this world. It is one thing to ask God to cleanse you, it is another to try and put away those things in your life that defile. Sometimes cleaning means surgery - cutting out of you that one thing that is causing you to doubt the love of God in your heart.

Practice: A reminder to care for the poor and not be partial to the rich is in our Proverb today. What practical step can you take today to help someone in need?