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

June 25, 2026

   “The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory. That's the essence of it.” 

― Vince Lombardi Jr.

JOB 4-6

1Then Job replied:

2“If only my grief could be weighed

and placed with my calamity on the scales.

3For then it would outweigh the sand of the seas—

no wonder my words have been rash.

4For the arrows of the Almighty have pierced me;

my spirit drinks in their poison;

the terrors of God are arrayed against me.(6:1-4)

ACTS 7:20-43

20At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God.e For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house. 21When he was set outside, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. 22So Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action.

JOURNAL 

Job's story dismantles the idea that life with God operates according to a simple formula. Scripture repeatedly describes Job as blameless and upright. Yet he suffers more than almost anyone in Scripture. His losses were not punishment for sin, nor evidence that God had abandoned him. In fact, the very foundation of the book is that Job's suffering occurs despite his faithfulness.

In Job 6:1-4, we hear the raw honesty of a man overwhelmed by grief. His pain feels heavier than the sand of the seas. He feels pierced by the arrows of the Almighty. Job does not hide his anguish, but neither does he abandon God. Even in his confusion, he remains engaged in relationship with Him.

In Acts 7, Stephen recounts the story of Moses. Moses was chosen by God, preserved as an infant, educated in Egypt, and prepared for a great purpose. Yet his path was not one of immediate success. He was rejected by his own people, forced into exile, and spent decades in the wilderness before stepping into the role God had for him.

The same chapter ultimately leads to Stephen's own death. Moses is spared and restored to lead Israel. Stephen is stoned for proclaiming the truth. One regains his life and purpose in this world. The other loses his life. Yet both glorify God.

That is the lesson. The Christian life is not a transaction where obedience guarantees comfort, success, or favorable outcomes. Job was blameless and suffered. Moses was chosen and rejected. Stephen was faithful and killed. God's purpose was never simply to give them an easier path. His purpose was relationship and the revelation of His glory through their lives.

The question is not whether circumstances turn out the way I want. The question is whether I will remain connected to Him through them. God calls me to seek Him, trust Him, and become a conduit of His power, love, and discipline. The circumstances may differ dramatically, but the calling remains the same.

Vince Lombardi Jr. said, "The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That's real glory. That's the essence of it."

Job was brought to his knees. Moses was brought to his knees. Stephen was brought to his knees. Yet each, in his own way, exalted God. Their lives remind me that true success is not measured by outcomes but by faithfulness. When hardship comes, my greatest purpose is not to escape it but to allow God to work through it, shaping me into a living expression of His love and making my life an outpost of His Kingdom.

Romans 12 reminds me that worship is offering myself completely to God and allowing Him to renew my mind. As I do, my life becomes less about controlling results and more about reflecting His character. Whether I experience restoration like Moses, suffering like Stephen, or bewildering trials like Job, my calling remains unchanged: seek God, trust God, and allow His power, love, and discipline to flow through me for His glory.

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

ROMANS 12:1-2

JUNE 24, 2026

  " There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."            -Albert Einstein

JOB 1-3

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

and naked I will depart.^c

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;

may the name of the Lord be praised.”

22In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.

ACTS 7:1-19

1Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these charges true?”

2To this he replied: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Harran. 3‘Leave your country and your people,’ God said, ‘and go to the land I will show you.’^a

JOURNAL 

Job loses nearly everything a person can lose, yet his response is not resentment, blame, or despair. Stephen stands before powerful men who are preparing to condemn him, yet he speaks with courage, clarity, and conviction. Neither man is defined by his circumstances. Instead, both reveal a deeper reality: peace does not come from what is happening around us. It comes from knowing who God is and trusting Him regardless of what is happening.

I think that is why Einstein's observation resonates with me. There really are two ways to live. One is to move through life assuming that everything is ordinary, predictable, and ultimately meaningless. The other is to recognize that every moment is infused with purpose and possibility. Not because life is always easy, but because God is always present.

Too often I find myself waiting for the big moment. The breakthrough. The accomplishment. The answer. The victory. I can easily fall into the trap of believing that significance exists somewhere in the future, just beyond the next goal or achievement. Yet Scripture consistently points in a different direction. God meets people in ordinary moments. He speaks during routine days. He shapes character in seasons that seem uneventful. He builds faith long before anyone notices.

Perhaps the greatest miracle is not found in dramatic interventions but in God's constant presence. The ability to endure hardship without losing hope. The strength to continue serving when recognition never comes. The courage to keep moving forward when the outcome remains uncertain. The capacity to love, forgive, build, and restore in a world that often encourages the opposite. These are miracles too.

I am beginning to see that wonder is not something I discover by changing my circumstances. It is something I experience by changing my perspective. When I slow down enough to pay attention, I realize that God is already at work. He is present in conversations, opportunities, challenges, relationships, and even interruptions. What often appears random may actually be part of a larger story unfolding around me.

This challenges me because I naturally gravitate toward outcomes. I want measurable progress. I want visible results. I want evidence that what I am doing matters. But God seems far more interested in faithfulness than outcomes. He invites me to focus on the work in front of me and trust Him with everything else.

Stephen was prepared for his defining moment because he had spent years faithfully walking with God before it arrived. Job was able to endure suffering because his faith was rooted in something deeper than comfort. Neither man's strength was created in a crisis. The crisis simply revealed what had already been built within them.

Maybe that is the invitation for today. To stop looking past the present moment in search of something more significant. To recognize that this day itself is sacred. This conversation. This opportunity. This challenge. This act of service. This moment to love someone well.

If God is writing a story through my life, then there are no meaningless chapters. Every page matters. Every scene has purpose. Every interaction becomes an opportunity to bring His power, love, and discipline into the world.

Today I want to live with my eyes open. I want to see God's hand in both the extraordinary and the ordinary. I want to approach this day with gratitude, curiosity, and expectation. Not because life is perfect, but because God is present. And wherever God is present, there is always something miraculous unfolding.

20When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. 21Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” 

LUKE 17:20-21

JUNE 23, 2026

  “Before success comes in any man’s life, he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat, and, perhaps, some failure. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do. More than five hundred of the most successful men this country has ever known told the author their greatest success came just one step beyond the point at which defeat had overtaken them.” 

― Napoleon Hill

ESTHER 7-10

 24For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. 25But when the plot came to the king’s attention,^a he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles.(9:24-25)

1King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores. 2And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king had promoted, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia? 3Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.(10:1-3)

ACTS 6

8Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

11Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”

12So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

15All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

JOURNAL 

There is a lesson that seems to surface over and over in my life: peace and joy are not products of my circumstances. They do not come from finding the perfect job, the perfect team, the perfect family situation, or the perfect season of life. Peace and joy are born from something much deeper. They come from living in alignment with who God created me to be and faithfully using the gifts He has entrusted to me.

For years, I believed that if I could just find the right situation, everything would finally settle into place. But the more I reflect on Scripture and on my own life, the more I see that God rarely changes us through comfort. More often, He develops us through challenge, opposition, and uncertainty. The question is not whether the environment is ideal. The question is whether I will continue to live out my calling within it.

Mordecai, Esther, and Stephen all faced circumstances that would have caused most people to retreat. They encountered opposition, injustice, false accusations, and real danger. Yet none of them allowed their circumstances to define their purpose. They understood something deeper. Their confidence came from knowing who they served and why they were there.

Mordecai remained faithful when no recognition seemed likely. Esther stepped forward when fear would have been the easier choice. Stephen stood firm even when lies were being spread about him. What stands out is not that they avoided difficulty. It is that they remained steadfast within it. Their strength came from an internal conviction that God was at work through them regardless of what was happening around them.

I often find myself wanting God to remove the difficulty when He may be asking me to bring His presence into it. I look for a better situation when He is calling me to become a better steward. I look for peace in the environment when He is trying to cultivate peace within my spirit.

The story of Haman reminds me that God sees far more than I can see. What appears to be victory for evil is often temporary. What appears to be defeat for God's people is often preparation for something greater. Again and again, God demonstrates His ability to redeem what seems hopeless and turn circumstances in ways no one could have predicted.

Stephen's example challenges me as well. Even when facing false accusations and mounting hostility, he displayed a remarkable calmness and confidence. His peace did not come from public approval. It came from being filled with God's presence. The people around him were consumed by fear, anger, and control. Stephen was anchored by something deeper.

Napoleon Hill observed that many successful people found their greatest breakthroughs just beyond the point where they were tempted to quit. That resonates with me because so much of growth happens on the other side of discouragement. The moments that define us are often not the moments of victory but the moments when we decide to keep going despite uncertainty.

Perhaps that is one of God's greatest invitations. Not to wait for ideal circumstances, but to faithfully show up where we are. Not to seek escape, but transformation. Not to measure life by comfort, recognition, or achievement, but by obedience and purpose.

Today, I choose to believe that peace is not waiting somewhere in the future. It is available right now. It comes from knowing that I am part of something bigger than myself. It comes from understanding that God's Kingdom advances through ordinary people who are willing to trust Him, serve others, and remain faithful when circumstances are difficult.

This day may not be easy. It may not unfold according to my plans. But it is still a gift. And my calling is not to conquer it, control it, or escape it. My calling is to enter it fully, carrying God's power, love, and discipline into whatever opportunities He places before me.

"This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it."

PSALM 118:24