Fri/Sat/Sun—December 15–17•Humility Yields Strength But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9–10) Humility is one of the strongest weapons we have against falling away from our faith. I challenge you to confess your weakness, just as the apostle Paul did in today’s Scripture passage. Don’t put confidence in your own strength, but humbly learn to depend on the Holy Spirit for power to live daily in accordance with God’s principles and priorities. I don’t mean to imply that Christianity requires no personal effort. We do need to cooperate with God and avail ourselves of the resources that He provides. However, we need to understand that we don’t stay strong by our own effort. The Gospel tells us that we are saved by faith, and we also are sanctified by faith. Let us learn to distrust any confidence that does not depend entirely on the Holy Spirit. Put no confidence in the flesh, no confidence in your own determination, no confidence in your will, no confidence in your knowledge, no confidence in your experience. Put your confidence in Christ and in His spirit alone. If you feel that you’ve slipped in your commitment, come humbly to Jesus and make a full surrender to His Lordship. I assure you, instead of limiting you, it will liberate you to experience life with exuberance in the power of the Holy Spirit. WEEK Week 9 James 4:7–10 begins with this: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” It ends with this: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” Read that full passage. Then use it to explain how the principles outlined there can protect us from falling away from our faith, or can help us pursue restoration if we have already slipped in our devotion to Jesus. Daily Reading: Micah 1:1–7:20, Nahum 1:1–3:19, Revelation 6:1–8:13, Psalm 134:1–136:26, Proverbs 30:1–9 FOR YOUR SMALL GROUP December 11–17 Read James 4:7-10, and then use it to explain principles that can protect us from falling away from our faith, or help us pursue restoration if we have already slipped in our devotion to Jesus. List three principles: _______________ _______________ _______________ 51
20514 Man in Mirror
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