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 Mission 20:21 campaign. As we strive to not allow a generation to grow up not knowing the Lord and what He did for them, 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 Mission 20:21 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 Mission 20:21 campaign in some way! We serve a BIG God so we ask boldly for big things!