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.