OCTOBER 13, 2026

 “Make each day your masterpiece.” 

― John Wooden

ISAIAH 50-52

 Who are you that you fear mere mortals,

human beings who are but grass,

13that you forget the Lord your Maker,

who stretches out the heavens

and who lays the foundations of the earth,

that you live in constant terror every day

because of the wrath of the oppressor,

who is bent on destruction? (51:12-13)

1 THESSALONIANS 1

2We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

JOURNAL 

Recently I was talking with a friend and he was discussing his golf game...he said that he usually isn't much fun to play with because he's only broken seventy a couple times but every time he plays he expects to shoot 67. While funny...isn't this also the problem most often in our lives? We expect perfection when perfection isn't possible. We expect or hope for  a "perfect life" when a perfect life by "our standards" has never existed.  For me this is what constantly gets me in trouble. I seem to always fail to forget that the only perfect life was still marred by poverty, perceived failure, scorn, ridicule, rejection, betrayal and undeserved death. 

So what is the point in trying, what is the point in pushing ourselves to be better and working to improve? If Jesus himself couldn't avoid all of the heartache's of life, then what hope do I have? I think this is where the goals of life become the ultimate problem. What is it that I am trying to achieve? Going back to the golf conversation...is the point of playing to shoot 67...then for me, or my friend, it's pointless to play. However if the goal is to get better, enjoy being outside, enjoy the fellowship then it's worth it. Because those goals can be achieved. 

If the goal of my life is to avoid pain, always win, and get everything I want...then I don't need to bother waking up tomorrow...it's not gonna happen. However if my goal is to walk with God, love others, get up when I fail, get better (no matter how small the improvement) and be grateful for the gift of another day...then those are attainable goals. 

This verse in Thessalonians really captures the point and the source of the energy and endurance to live this life.  For it is faith that is the motivation to work, love that is the energy to labor and hope in Christ that is the endurance to keep going.  I needed this today. I look outside and its so beautiful and I am reminded again that it really is an amazing wonderful world that I live in and another opportunity to walk with God in living out this day. 

13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

ROMANS 15:13

OCTOBER 12, 2026

 ““If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry.”” 

― Martin Luther King Jr.

ISAIAH 48-49

10See, I have refined you, though not as silver;

I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. (48:10) 

COLOSSIANS 4

 5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

JOURNAL 

“Make the most of every opportunity.” What if I approached every action of every day with the understanding that it matters? That everything I do, regardless of how insignificant it appears, has an effect on my life and the lives of others. Nothing happens in isolation. Newton's third law states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. While this is a physical law, it reminds me of a much broader truth about life. Every action creates an effect, and every choice contributes to something beyond itself. The consequences are not always immediate, visible, or equal, but they are real.

I am continually inspired when I encounter someone doing what society might consider an insignificant job, yet they approach it with extraordinary care, effort, and pride. There is something powerful about watching someone give their very best to a responsibility that others might overlook. Their attitude transforms the work itself and affects everyone around them. It reminds me that significance is not determined by the importance society places on what we do, but by how we choose to do it.

What if I approached every action of every day with that same understanding? Nothing I do happens in isolation. Every action has an effect on my life and the lives of others. The way I speak, listen, work, care for myself, and fulfill my responsibilities contributes to something beyond the immediate moment. Even the smallest actions can influence another person's attitude, effort, or understanding of what is possible. I have experienced this countless times through people who likely had no idea of the impact they were having on me.

This is what makes being in tune with God so important. When I am aligned with Him, I begin to recognize the value of what is directly in front of me. My actions come from a place of love, discipline, and a desire to grow and serve. When I am out of tune, I become distracted by outcomes, comparisons, and my own desires. I begin to measure the importance of what I am doing by what I expect to receive from it rather than what I have the opportunity to give. In doing so, I overlook the very opportunities God has placed before me.

Paul's instruction to make the most of every opportunity takes on greater meaning from this perspective. Every responsibility is an opportunity to practice faithfulness. Every interaction is an opportunity to influence another life. Just as salt brings out the flavor of food, the way I approach even the most ordinary responsibilities can bring out something greater in the people around me. Excellence, kindness, effort, and discipline are contagious. So are indifference, selfishness, and neglect. Whether I recognize it or not, I am influencing the world around me through the way I live.

Ecclesiastes reminds me that there is a time and season for everything. My responsibility is not to determine the significance of each moment by its eventual outcome, but to recognize the opportunity within it. I cannot know how far the influence of a single action might extend, and I do not need to. God has given me this moment, these responsibilities, and these people. My purpose is to give the best of myself to what He has placed before me and trust Him with what follows.

There is no insignificant action when I recognize its potential to affect another life. The person sweeping a street with extraordinary care reminds me that greatness is not reserved for extraordinary opportunities. It is found in the way we approach ordinary ones. To live in tune with God is to see the importance of what others might overlook, to give my best without needing recognition or reward, and to understand that every action is an opportunity to contribute to something greater than myself.

1There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

2a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

3a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

4a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

6a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

8a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace

ECCLESISASTES 3:1-8

OCTOBER 11, 2026

   “When anything in life is an absolute requirement for your happiness and self-worth, it is essentially an ‘idol,’ something you are actually worshiping. When such a thing is threatened, your anger is absolute. Your anger is actually the way the idol keeps you in its service, in its chains. Therefore if you find that, despite all the efforts to forgive, your anger and bitterness cannot subside, you may need to look deeper and ask, ‘What am I defending? What is so important that I cannot live without?’

― Timothy J. Keller, Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope that Matters

ISAIAH 45-47

8“Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure,

lounging in your security

and saying to yourself,

‘I am, and there is none besides me. (47:8)

COLOSSIANS 3

1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your^a life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.^b 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

JOURNAL 

The more I understand what it means to be in tune with God, the more I recognize that the condition of my heart and mind never affects me alone. Whether I am in tune with God or not, the consequences extend to everyone around me. There is no escaping that reality. Every decision, every interaction, and every responsibility is influenced by the spirit from which I am living.

When I am in tune with God, my thoughts and actions flow from a place of love, discipline, and a desire to grow. I become more intentional in how I live and more aware of the people around me. I listen to understand rather than simply respond. I care for my health because I recognize that my body and energy are gifts entrusted to me. I approach my responsibilities with purpose, seeking to develop and use what God has given me in service to others. My focus shifts from what I can gain to what I can give.

When I am out of tune with God, that perspective begins to change. Fear and selfishness gradually influence my thinking, and immediate gratification becomes more appealing than the discipline required for lasting growth. I become more concerned with my comfort, my desires, and protecting my own interests. The consequences reach beyond me because the way I live inevitably influences the people who depend on me, work alongside me, and share their lives with me.

What strikes me is how often this plays out in the smallest decisions. It is found in the attention I give someone who is speaking, the care I take with my health, the effort I bring to my work, and the way I steward my time and abilities. These moments can seem insignificant, but collectively they shape the person I become and the influence I have on others. The gifts God has entrusted to me are not simply for my own benefit. They carry a responsibility to cultivate them so they can become a source of strength, encouragement, and love for others.

The challenge is that what seems so clear when I am in tune with God can become remarkably murky when I am not. Being out of tune distorts my perspective. I begin to rationalize decisions that serve immediate desires while losing sight of their eventual consequences. I can convince myself that a small compromise does not matter or that neglecting a responsibility affects no one but me. Yet the very thinking I am relying upon has been influenced by the fear and selfishness I have allowed to take hold.

This is why consistently seeking God through Scripture, prayer, and surrender is so essential. His truth restores my perspective and exposes the difference between what I desire in the moment and what ultimately produces life. Colossians describes the transformation of putting off the old self and being renewed in the knowledge of our Creator. The more I come to know God, the more I recognize His wisdom in the way I should live. His love begins to shape my motives, His power gives me courage to act, and His discipline enables me to pursue what is good beyond the desires of the moment.

Ultimately, being in tune with God is not simply about finding personal peace or making better decisions for myself. It is about becoming the person He created me to be so that His spirit can flow through me into the lives of others. Every day, in ways both small and significant, I am influencing the people around me. The question is whether that influence is flowing from fear and selfishness or from the power, love, and discipline of God. That is why getting in tune with Him each day matters so much. My life never affects only me.

43“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighborⁱ and hate your enemy.’ 44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

MATTHEW 5:43-48

OCTOBER 10, 2026

 “Any person who only sticks with Christianity as long as things are going his or her way, is a stranger to the cross” 

― Timothy J. Keller

ISAIAH 43-44

I have made you, you are my servant;

Israel, I will not forget you.

22I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,

your sins like the morning mist.

Return to me,

for I have redeemed you.” (44:21-22) 

COLOSSIANS 2

9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh^b was put off when you were circumcised by^c Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead

JOURNAL 

Reading Isaiah and Colossians, I am struck by the declaration of God's absolute power and the freedom that comes from living in obedience to Him. No earthly circumstance, no temporary disappointment, and no perceived failure can diminish His authority or alter His promises. The question is not whether life unfolds according to my expectations, but whether I remain in tune with God regardless of how it unfolds. His power is constant. It is my awareness of His presence and my willingness to surrender to His authority that fluctuate.

Isaiah reminds me that I belong to God, that He created me, redeemed me, and has not forgotten me. Colossians declares that Christ is above every power and authority and that through Him I have been brought to fullness. There is tremendous freedom in understanding this. I have nothing to prove to the world and nothing to gain from controlling outcomes. My responsibility is to pursue God, trust His wisdom, and discipline myself to live in obedience to Him. The more consistently I seek Him, the more my heart and mind become aligned with His Spirit. That alignment produces a peace and joy that circumstances cannot provide or take away.

This is the challenge of faith. It is easy to trust God when life is unfolding as I hoped. True obedience is revealed when it is not. The cross itself is the ultimate demonstration that earthly defeat does not determine eternal victory. What appeared to be the greatest failure in human history became the greatest victory. Stephen's death appeared to be another defeat, yet his witness became part of the story of Paul's transformation. God's purposes are not confined to what I can see or understand. His power is not dependent on favorable circumstances, and neither should my faith be.

I want to live with the discipline of continually returning my thoughts, desires, and decisions to God. Not to secure a particular result, but because He is God. The Creator of everything has redeemed me and invited me into a relationship with Him. Obedience is not the price of His love, but the response to it. The victory has already been won through Christ. My purpose today is to live in tune with that truth, trusting that whatever the earthly outcome, nothing can diminish the power, love, and grace of God.

12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13Nothing has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted^d beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,^e he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

1 CORINTHIANS 10:12-13

OCTOBER 9, 2026

  “Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” 

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

ISAIAH 41-42

 10So do not fear, for I am with you;

do not be dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (41:10)

COLOSSIANS 1

We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,^e 10so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you^f to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

JOURNAL 

 Paul in writing to the Colossians emphasizes that his desire is that they will receive the spirit in order to "live a life worthy of God", "pleasing him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work..." this spells out what my life is to be consumed doing...it is laboring in love and living a life that honors God in action and deed? Paul says that God has already "rescued us" and that we are now living in the "kingdom of the son".  We are forgiven and redeemed! Not in the future...now.

How then am I living this out? Is my life reflective of God's kingdom? Is my existence active and passionate? OR is my focus on what I have or what I have done?  Every day, every moment is a gift and as a believer I have been made new in a way that changes my focus and my goal. I am to share this good news in loving others and taking an active existence in living out the love of God in all I do and say.

Man this is good news but it also changes the game...its the opposite of the goals and focus of our culture. We have a culture that rewards, accumulation, greed and selfishness...however when tragedy strikes we see and know that what really matters are acts of love and sacrifice, not those of self-preservation and greed. The heroes of any great tragedy of the past history of mankind  are those that demonstrated sacrifice and love in the face of personal suffering, heartache and death. Position, title, wealth, social status...none of that mattered when tragedy struck...what mattered were acts of love, sacrifice and courage. 

The benefit of history is that we get to learn priceless lessons. We get to see what truly matters and the characteristics of true success. Each moment we get on this planet is a gift. I don't know how many I'll have. Yet I do get to choose how I live them. I have a choice...do I live it with gratitude, trusting and boldly living out God's love or do I live in regret, bitterness, fear and greed? According to scripture I have all I need to live a life that will honor God.  I have all I need to live a life that "bears fruit in every good work". I have been "strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might". There are no excuses...

11I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

PHILIPPIANS 4:11-13