JUNE 30, 2026

  “No man needs sympathy because he has to work, because he has a burden to carry. Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” 

― Theodore Roosevelt

JOB 19-20

13“He has alienated my family from me;

my acquaintances are completely estranged from me.

14My relatives have gone away;

my closest friends have forgotten me.

15My guests and my female servants count me a foreigner;

they look on me as on a stranger.

16I summon my servant, but he does not answer,

though I beg him with my own mouth.

17My breath is offensive to my wife;

I am loathsome to my own family.

18Even the little boys scorn me;

when I appear, they ridicule me.

19All my intimate friends detest me;

those I love have turned against me.

20I am nothing but skin and bones;

I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.^a(19:13-20)

ACTS 9:23-43

23After many days had gone by, there was a conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, 24but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. 25But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.

26When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 28So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews,^a but they tried to kill him. 30When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.

31Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

JOURNAL 

Lately I have been thinking about how much time we waste. That thought really struck me while watching The American Experiment. Looking at those early generations, I realized they simply did not have time to waste. Everything required effort. Building a home, growing food, traveling, heating a house, washing clothes, repairing tools, even preparing a meal demanded hours of physical labor. Survival itself occupied the day. Idleness was not a normal way of life unless someone was sick, a drunk, or wealthy enough to avoid responsibility.

Today the opposite temptation exists. We have eliminated so much physical labor that we have created endless opportunities to waste our lives. Entire evenings disappear while staring at a phone. Hours are surrendered to entertainment without a second thought. In many ways, slothfulness has become socially acceptable. We have convinced ourselves that because we are busy, we are productive, when in reality much of our attention is simply being consumed.

Technology is an incredible blessing from God. It has removed countless hours of labor from our lives. But that blessing was never intended to create more idleness. It was meant to create more opportunity. If it once took an entire day to accomplish a task that now takes an hour, then that does not mean I have earned eleven hours of entertainment. It means I have been entrusted with eleven more hours to love, serve, build, teach, encourage, create, restore, solve problems, and glorify God. Every advancement should expand my capacity for meaningful work, not diminish it.

Roosevelt was right when he said that one of life's greatest prizes is the opportunity to work hard at work worth doing. God did not create me merely to be entertained. He created me to cultivate what He has entrusted to me. The blessing of God's Spirit is not given so I can pursue greater comfort. His Spirit empowers me to engage the world with greater purpose. The Spirit gives wisdom to solve problems, courage to face difficulties, compassion to love people, discipline to remain faithful, and strength to finish the work He has prepared for me.

That work is not limited to the extraordinary moments. In fact, most of God's work happens in the ordinary ones. Teaching a lesson well. Coaching a practice. Calling a customer. Mowing the yard. Washing dishes. Answering a text. Taking a walk. Reading Scripture. Writing a journal. Listening to a student. Praying with someone who is hurting. The small things are not interruptions to God's work. The small things are God's work.

That connects with today's reading. Job has been stripped of nearly everything. Family, friends, health, and dignity have all been taken from him, yet even in his suffering he continues wrestling with God. Paul stands on the opposite side of the story. After encountering Christ, he immediately throws himself into God's work. He does not pause to rebuild his reputation or worry about public opinion. He begins preaching so boldly that those who once welcomed him now seek to kill him.

Job's work is to remain faithful in suffering. Paul's work is to proclaim Christ despite persecution. Their assignments could not look more different, yet both are living fully within the purpose God has given them.

That reminds me there is no formula for following God. Sometimes obedience leads through blessing, sometimes through hardship. Sometimes God asks me to endure. Other times He asks me to advance boldly. The constant is not the circumstance. The constant is His presence and His purpose.

Psalm 23 says, "He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake." Those paths are rarely paths of idleness. They are paths of purposeful living. God is always leading somewhere. Even in the valley, He is leading. Even in seasons of peace, He is leading. My responsibility is not to predict the road. My responsibility is to walk it faithfully.

I want to see every day as a sacred trust. Every hour is an opportunity to become a conduit of God's power, love, and discipline. Every task, no matter how ordinary, is another chance to reflect His character. If God has blessed me with health, strength, knowledge, technology, and His Spirit, then those gifts are not meant to make life easier. They are meant to make me more useful.

The question at the end of the day is not whether I stayed busy. It is whether I faithfully invested what God placed in my hands. A life filled with small acts of faithful obedience is never a small life. It is the very way God changes the world.

1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

3he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

4Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,^a

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

PSALM 23

JUNE 29, 2026

  “The comfort zone is a psychological state in which one feels familiar, safe, at ease, and secure.

If you always do what is easy and choose the path of least resistance, you never step outside your comfort zone. Great things don’t come from comfort zones.” 
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

JOB 16-18

1My spirit is broken,

my days are cut short,

the grave awaits me.

2Surely mockers surround me;

my eyes must dwell on their hostility.(17:1-2)

ACTS 9:1-22

11The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

13“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

15But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

17Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

JOURNAL 

Paul is stricken with blindness, his whole world is turned upside down. As a result Paul will be transformed, yet his transformation comes through his suffering...16I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Job is in the place where the only thing that looks appealing is an end to his suffering. His heart is broken, he feels betrayed, he is all alone, no one understands and things seem to just keep getting worse. So what's the answer? Escape, manipulation, capitulation...? Nope, the answer is to keep suffering, the answer is to keep wading through. This seems crazy, yet it is the path of God, it is the path of Christ and it is the path of the Kingdom.

The way out is through...most of scripture is counter intuitive...the reality is that most things in life are that way as well. This often goes against our culture and some would say our nature. I know I initially look for the easiest and quickest way out of a painful circumstance or experience.  Sometimes the easy way is the best way, yet most of the time, it isn't.  The way out of suffering most often is to suffer. 

What's interesting is that it is also the path of true lasting success. Because it usually requires difficult work, sacrifice, frustration and some type of opposition. It requires persisting in the midst of doubt and adversity. It also usually requires persisting when many bystanders would say it's time to quit. Essentially every story in the Bible somewhat follows this path...guess that's why it's called the "narrow path", and why "many are called but few are chosen". 

Yet suffering absolutely can be joyful, when you know that the suffering is for a purpose. The purpose of my life is to be and to create outposts of God's Kingdom. To do so requires that I persevere, work hard, take chances and always love. It requires that I see each day as a miraculous opportunity to do good work, love others and build outposts.

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^a whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

JAMES 1:2-4

JUNE 28, 2026

 “Lack of confidence, sometimes alternating with unrealistic dreams of heroic success, often leads to procrastination, and many studies suggest that procrastinators are self-handicappers: rather than risk failure, they prefer to create conditions that make success impossible, a reflex that of course creates a vicious cycle.” 

― James Surowiecki

JOB 13-15

1“Mortals, born of woman,

are of few days and full of trouble.

2They spring up like flowers and wither away;

like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.(14:1-2)

ACTS 8:26-40

26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian^a eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31“How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

JOURNAL 

One of the greatest temptations I face is waiting for the dramatic while overlooking the miraculous. I find myself wanting the breakthrough, the mountaintop experience, the defining moment that changes everything. Yet I wonder if God spends far more time working through the ordinary than the extraordinary.

Social media and our culture don't help. We are constantly shown the biggest victories, the biggest failures, the most exciting stories, and the brightest shiny objects. It can make everyday faithfulness feel insignificant. Yet the truth is that the overwhelming majority of life is lived in the ordinary. Most of our days are not marked by dramatic successes or devastating failures. They are filled with conversations, small decisions, quiet acts of obedience, opportunities to encourage someone, moments of gratitude, and chances to love well.

Philip's story reminds me of this. An angel simply tells him to go down a desert road. There is no explanation, no grand announcement, just one small act of obedience. Philip goes, notices a man reading Isaiah, asks a simple question, and God changes a life. The miracle did not begin with the Ethiopian official. It began with Philip taking one ordinary step of obedience.

Job reminds me of something different but equally important. Life is fragile. We are here for only a little while, and trouble is simply part of living in a broken world. We cannot build our faith around circumstances because they are constantly changing. Some days bring joy. Others bring suffering. Neither defines God's presence.

Perhaps the greatest miracle is not found in extraordinary events but in God's quiet work through ordinary people who simply remain faithful. A parent loving their family. A teacher encouraging a student. A coach building character. A friend making a phone call. A neighbor showing kindness. These moments rarely make headlines, yet they may be the very places where God's kingdom advances.

I think I sometimes postpone living while waiting for something bigger. I dream about heroic accomplishments instead of embracing today's assignment. But Jesus never told us to pray for tomorrow's miracles. He told us to pray, "Give us today our daily bread." God's will is lived one day at a time, one act of obedience at a time, one conversation at a time.

If I want to experience God, I do not need to chase spectacular moments. I need to become fully present in the ordinary moments He has already placed before me. That is where most of life is lived. That is where character is formed. That is where love is given and received. And perhaps that is where God's greatest miracles have been quietly happening all along..

9“This, then, is how you should pray:

“ ‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us today our daily bread.

12And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,^a

but deliver us from the evil one.^b ’

MATTHEW 6:9-13

JUNE 27, 2026

 “Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” 

― Denis Waitley

JOB 10-12

13“To God belong wisdom and power;

counsel and understanding are his.

14What he tears down cannot be rebuilt;

those he imprisons cannot be released.

15If he holds back the waters, there is drought;

if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.

16To him belong strength and insight;

both deceived and deceiver are his.

17He leads rulers away stripped

and makes fools of judges.

18He takes off the shackles put on by kings

and ties a loincloth^b around their waist.

19He leads priests away stripped

and overthrows officials long established.

20He silences the lips of trusted advisers

and takes away the discernment of elders.

21He pours contempt on nobles

and disarms the mighty.

22He reveals the deep things of darkness

and brings utter darkness into the light.

23He makes nations great, and destroys them;

he enlarges nations, and disperses them.

24He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;

he makes them wander in a trackless waste.

25They grope in darkness with no light;

he makes them stagger like drunkards.(12:13-25)

ACTS 8:1-25

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 2Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 3But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

JOURNAL 

One of the religious sayings I have struggled with for years is, "We don't deserve anything." I understand what people are trying to communicate, but I have always wondered, what does the word deserve even mean? How do you measure it? Compared to whom? According to what standard?

Stephen certainly did not seem to receive what most people would call fair. He faithfully served Christ, was filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaimed the truth without compromise, and was stoned to death. Saul hunted Christians, dragged families from their homes, approved of Stephen's execution, and yet God chose him to become Paul, the greatest missionary in history. Job is described as blameless, yet he loses everything while his friends spend chapters confidently explaining why he must have deserved it.

Scripture refuses to fit inside our definition of fairness.

That is why I have always viewed "Deserve Victory" differently. It is not a demand that God owes me success. It is not a claim that if I do enough good things, life will reward me. It is a mindset. It is a commitment to become the kind of man who prepares faithfully regardless of what tomorrow brings. Victory is never guaranteed, but faithfulness always remains within my control. The more I read Scripture, the less concerned I become with what I deserve and the more concerned I become with where I am seeking wisdom for today.

Job reminds us that wisdom belongs to God alone. He raises nations and brings them low. He humbles rulers, exposes darkness, and governs history in ways no human can fully understand. If that is true, then my greatest need each morning is not to figure out whether life is fair. My greatest need is to seek the One who sees what I cannot.

That raises a far more practical question. Are my actions congruent with my seeking? If I say I trust God's wisdom, do I actually pursue it? If I claim that his Spirit directs my life, do my decisions reflect that? Am I receiving my energy, purpose, courage, and direction from him, or am I quietly depending on myself?

Stephen and Saul remind me that God can transform any heart. Job reminds me that suffering is not proof of failure. Both remind me that I cannot judge a story before God has finished writing it. So today is not about determining what I deserve. Today is about receiving the wisdom God freely gives and living in alignment with it. My responsibility is not to control outcomes but to faithfully seek him. The outcome belongs to God.

Isaiah gives the invitation that answers the whole question. Those who hope in the Lord renew their strength. They run without growing weary. They walk without fainting. Strength does not come from believing life is fair. It comes from trusting the One whose wisdom is greater than my understanding.

That is enough for today.

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and his understanding no one can fathom.

29He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

30Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

31but those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint.

ISAIAH 40:28-31

JUNE 26, 2026

   ...This story shall the good man teach his son;

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
~ Shakespeare, Henry V

JOB 7-9

32“He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him,

that we might confront each other in court.

33If only there were someone to mediate between us,

someone to bring us together,

34someone to remove God’s rod from me,

so that his terror would frighten me no more.

35Then I would speak up without fear of him,

but as it now stands with me, I cannot.(9:32-35)

ACTS 7:44-60

54When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

JOURNAL 

Job longed for a mediator. Stephen stood before the very Mediator Job could only anticipate. Job cried out from the middle of suffering, while Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked into heaven and saw Christ standing to receive him. The difference was not that one man suffered and the other did not. Both suffered deeply. The difference was that Stephen lived on this side of Christ's work and surrendered himself completely to the Spirit of God.

Somewhere along the way we began believing that life should be comfortable, predictable, and constantly enjoyable. If we are unhappy, frustrated, or facing hardship, we assume something has gone wrong. I know I often think that way myself. Yet Scripture never promises a life free from conflict. Eden was the only place without pain, and humanity chose to leave it. Ever since then, we have lived in a world marked by brokenness, resistance, and struggle.

The Christian life is not an attempt to escape that reality. It is an invitation to live faithfully within it. Stephen did not spend his final moments wishing he were somewhere else or imagining a different set of circumstances. He accepted the position God had placed him in and lived it fully. There was no hesitation, no compromise, no regret. The Spirit of God flowed through him because he was no longer resisting the moment God had given him. Even while stones struck him, he prayed for the forgiveness of those killing him. That was not human resolve. That was the life of Christ being expressed through a willing servant.

Perhaps that is what it means to be a conduit of God's Spirit. We stop asking God to constantly change our circumstances and instead ask Him to fill us so completely that His love, power, and wisdom flow through us regardless of our circumstances. We become fully present where He has placed us, trusting that every challenge becomes an opportunity for His character to be revealed.

That is why stories like Henry V stir something so deeply within us. We are moved by men who willingly embrace sacrifice for a purpose greater than themselves. We instinctively admire courage, loyalty, and perseverance because we were created for lives that matter. Yet Stephen's story goes even further. He was not fighting to defeat an earthly enemy. He was participating in God's redemption of the world. His faithfulness became part of Saul's story, the very man who would later become Paul and carry the gospel across the Roman Empire.

The goal, then, is not to avoid conflict or pursue comfort. The goal is to become so surrendered to Christ that wherever He places me, whether in victory or suffering, success or disappointment, His Spirit can flow freely through my life. That is a life of purpose. That is a life that echoes into eternity.

 8And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 CORINTHIANS 9:8