Devotional Guide for the week of August 28th

The Parable of the Great Banquet Luke 14:16-24

1. Today is the last sermon in the series on the 9 personalities types in the enneagram. #9 is The Peacemaker. The Enneagram Institute describes 9s: Nines are accepting, trusting, and stable. They are usually creative, optimistic, and supportive, but can also be too willing to go along with others to keep the peace. They want everything to go smoothly and be without conflict, but they can also tend to be complacent, simplifying problems and minimizing anything upsetting. They typically have problems with inertia and stubbornness. At their Best: indomitable and all-embracing, they are able to bring people together and heal conflicts.

2. The challenge for the Peacemaker however, is the need to keep the peace leads to a retreat and put themselves to sleep. 9s can use food, sex, drugs, and television to numb themselves from their pain and the pain of the world. The “sin” of a 9 in this sense is “sloth” and the difficulty of making decisions.

3. Read Jesus’ parable of the Great Banquet. What were the excuses of the one’s who refused the invitation? How do the excuses sit with you? Have you ever thought of an excuse not to attend some gathering you didn’t really want to go to in the first place? Part of the meaning of this parable is for the 9: awaken to your spiritual self, quit making excuses, and make choices that support cultivating a relationship with God.