September 11

Isaiah 8:1-9:21, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Psalm 55:1-23, Proverbs 23:4-5 

Pray: “But shouldn’t people ask God for guidance?” (Isaiah 8:19). It’s a novel idea, isn’t it? We search all over for answers. We go to Google, Wikipedia, and YouTube to figure out things. Have we consulted God? Seek Him today. Ask for His guidance and direction. Other sources give information, but only God gives transformation.

Read: Is it Christmas? Isaiah 9 is a familiar passage read in most churches around Christmastime. Did you know that the word “Christmas” literally means Christ’s mission? During the celebratory season of Christmas, we sing, preach, and worship…all centered around the fact that “a child is born to us, a son is given to us…” (Isaiah 9:6). Yet, His mission was so much bigger than His birth. It’s extremely important, to be sure, but there is more. Is it Christmas? Is it time for the mission of Christ? For the follower of Christ, every day should be Christmas…every day should be the day we participate in the redemptive mission of our Lord!

Edify: What are your weaknesses? Can you state your character flaws/defects? In Celebrate Recovery, that’s a huge part of the process of growth. We can’t improve upon what we refuse to admit exists. The Apostle Paul writes that he has a “thorn” in his “flesh” in 2 Corinthians 12. There is much speculation about what that might be, but specificity aside, it’s refreshing to hear a man admit he’s not perfect. How does Paul deal with his thorn? He goes to God, he takes comfort in the grace of God, and he boasts about being weak! He allows his weakness to be used to glorify God’s strength. How is God's strength showing up in your weaknesses?

Practice: At 19 years old, my friend Jim decided to try day-trading in the stock market. He quickly took a few hundred bucks and amassed a little over a quarter of a million dollars. That sounds like a success story, but it’s not. His obsession with wealth turned into something he could no longer control. His $250,000+ began to drop. Before long, he lost all his earnings and even lost the few hundred with which he started. Solomon warns us about the pursuit of wealth: “In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle” (Proverbs 23:5). Wealth is not evil, it’s not a bad thing. Solomon is warning us, though, not to be consumed by it, nor to allow it to become our aim/goal in life.