"My Greatest Enemy" September 28 Readings: Isaiah 66, 2 Corinthians 12–13, Psalm 109:1–5, Proverbs 23:34–35
Reading the Bible in 2023
Each day this year we will read a selection from the Old Testament, the New Testament, a portion of the Psalms, and part of Proverbs. By the end of the year, you will have read the entire Bible. We read this way to give you a bit of variety. In reading four portions of God's word in a day, one of them is bound to speak to your life!
NOTE: If you get behind, do not give up. Read today's readings and try to catch up when you have a chance. The goal is not to "accomplish a task" but to meet God in his word. Read the word. Also, if you are short on time, READ GOD'S WORD and skip my devotional!
Bible Readings: Isaiah 66, 2 Corinthians 12–13, Psalm 109:1–5, Proverbs 23:34–35
Scriptures linked to Bible Gateway in ESV version
Daily Devotional: My Greatest Enemy"
Armies spend a lot of time doing surveillance on their enemies, trying to figure out who they are, what their resources are, and how they can be attacked. If you want to win, you need to know your enemy.
What is the greatest enemy in my Christian life - that one thing that will derail me? The "things that are in the world" are always with us - the lust of the eyes (greed), the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. I am constantly in danger of each one of them.
But Paul knew what the greatest danger was, that which keeps us from effective ministry and kingdom success. It is pride. In 2 Corinthians 12, he says some things that go directly against our normal way of thinking. Though he had received great promises from God and had even been blessed to be a witness of heavenly glory in a vision, he refused to boast about any of that. Instead, he turned that around and he boasted in his weaknesses.
To avoid arrogance, God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh (verses 7-8) that would keep him humble. No one knows what this thorn in the flesh was - a physical pain, a constant source of temptation, a person who irritated him - but we know that Paul cried out to God that the thorn might be removed. God refused.
Why? Why would the God who healed so many through Paul not heal Paul of this thorn? Paul explains that. It was "so I would not exalt myself." Paul's thorn reminded him daily that it was all of God and not of him - a lesson we so often forget.
God was willing to allow his beloved servant Paul to experience ongoing, persistent pain and aggravation so that he would remain humble.
In the middle of that pain, that humiliation, Paul learned something wonderful and life-changing, which he expressed in 2 Corinthians 12:9.
We don't need to pretend we are more than we are or to hide our weaknesses. God's goodness and grace flow to the weak, not to those who pretend to be strong.
What is the greatest enemy in my Christian life - that one thing that will derail me? The "things that are in the world" are always with us - the lust of the eyes (greed), the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. I am constantly in danger of each one of them.
But Paul knew what the greatest danger was, that which keeps us from effective ministry and kingdom success. It is pride. In 2 Corinthians 12, he says some things that go directly against our normal way of thinking. Though he had received great promises from God and had even been blessed to be a witness of heavenly glory in a vision, he refused to boast about any of that. Instead, he turned that around and he boasted in his weaknesses.
He recognized that the greatest enemy of Christian success is pride. As soon as we become entangled in our own arrogance and self-centeredness, we lose our effectiveness and become spiritually impotent.I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 12:5
To avoid arrogance, God gave Paul a thorn in the flesh (verses 7-8) that would keep him humble. No one knows what this thorn in the flesh was - a physical pain, a constant source of temptation, a person who irritated him - but we know that Paul cried out to God that the thorn might be removed. God refused.
Why? Why would the God who healed so many through Paul not heal Paul of this thorn? Paul explains that. It was "so I would not exalt myself." Paul's thorn reminded him daily that it was all of God and not of him - a lesson we so often forget.
God was willing to allow his beloved servant Paul to experience ongoing, persistent pain and aggravation so that he would remain humble.
In the middle of that pain, that humiliation, Paul learned something wonderful and life-changing, which he expressed in 2 Corinthians 12:9.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness. Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.
We don't need to pretend we are more than we are or to hide our weaknesses. God's goodness and grace flow to the weak, not to those who pretend to be strong.
Father, my weakness is a reality I often forget. May I boast in your power that resides in me, and nothing else.
Consider God's Word:
Did one of these passages speak strongly to you today? Which one?
Is there sin in your life that needs to be confessed and dealt with that was revealed in one of these passages?
Is there a struggle in your life that one of these passages spoke to?
Do you hide your weaknesses, or do you admit them and revel in the strength God gives you?
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