Saturday, September 19, 2026

Opening Scripture

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death – and the worst kind of death at that – a crucifixion.

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth – even those long ago dead and buried – will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 (The Message)

Opening Prayer

Gracious Father, I praise You for all that You are and all that You’ve done. I praise You for Your abundant blessings to me in Jesus Christ, my Lord and Your Son. I praise You for Your Spirit, who lives in me, comforting, counseling, and guiding each day. Thank you for adopting me into Your eternal family. I offer myself to You this day, through Jesus Christ, who rules and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever more. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Isaiah 11

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD – and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.

He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist. The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.

The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious. In that day the LORD will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean.

He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, and Judah’s enemies will be destroyed; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim. They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east. They will subdue Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.

The LORD will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that anyone can cross over in sandals. There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.

Reflection  

Today’s extensive reading provides another Messianic prophecy. The Perfect Ruler presented in yesterday’s passage is now described as “a shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” This imagery contrasts the annihilation of Assyria, which will never rise again, with the destruction of Judah, from which new life will emerge: a shoot, a root, a branch, bearing fruit.

Here, the Branch refers to the ideal King, whom God will send to lead His people. The Messiah’s humble origin, from a “stump,” contrasts with the pomp and circumstance surrounding most kings emerging from the “line of David.” We are given a description of His character and qualifications to rule. “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him – the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD – and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.”

Since Almighty God is concerned about the exploitation and oppression of the weak, “with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.” The eventual result of the Messiah’s reign will be a universal “peace,” not seen in creation since the Fall. His coming kingdom – the New Zion – will include the restoration of all things, a return to Eden, paradise. “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat… the lion will eat straw like the ox.” This is what “the whole creation has been groaning for” in eager anticipation (Romans 8:22).

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

Eventually, all earthly kingdoms will fall. For much of the Old and New Testaments, the great world powers were the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. In fact, these kingdoms cover most of recorded human history, from about 3,000 B.C. to 500 A.D. All of them were ultimately destroyed.

Throughout history, there have been many powerful pharaohs, renowned caesars, dominant khans, influential emperors, iconic kings, and formidable monarchs. Many of their names define the roles. Ramesses II. Julius Caesar. Genghis Khan. Charlemagne. Napoleon Bonaparte. Cyrus the Great. Alexander the Great. Suleiman the Magnificent. Catherine the Great. All of them eventually died.

Then, there is Jesus the Messiah and the Kingdom of Heaven.

This was Daniel’s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands – a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy” (Daniel 2:44-45).

Later, Daniel had a vision of the Kingdom of Heaven. “As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed” (Daniel 7:9-10,13-14).

The words to Michael W. Smith’s song Above All come to mind. “Above all powers, above all kings, above all nature and all created things, above all wisdom and all the ways of man, you were here before the world began. Above all kingdoms, above all thrones, above all wonders the world has ever known, above all wealth and treasures of the earth, there’s no way to measure what you’re worth.”

This is the God we worship. This is the Lord we serve. Come, let us adore Him!

This week’s collective prayer: Lord, You have placed a lost person on my heart. Please make them aware of how much You love them. Amen.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!