FEBRUARY 9, 2026

   “Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” 

― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

LEVITICUS 7-9

5They took the things Moses commanded to the front of the tent of meeting, and the entire assembly came near and stood before the Lord. 6Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.”(9:5-6)

MATTHEW 25:31-46

31“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

JOURNAL 

God does not separate worship from love of others. In Leviticus, the people are called to come near, to bring what has been commanded, and to stand together before the Lord. Obedience is communal. Love is visible. And God’s glory appears not when faith is private, but when it is lived out in action. What we bring, how we give, and whether we show up matters.

Jesus makes this accountability unmistakable in Matthew 25. The final judgment is not described in terms of knowledge, intention, or religious posture, but in terms of love expressed. Feeding the hungry. Welcoming the stranger. Clothing the poor. Visiting the sick and imprisoned. These are not optional acts of kindness; they are evidence of whether love truly ruled our lives. To serve those in need is to serve Christ Himself. To ignore them is to turn away from Him.

For a long time, I believed this teaching applied mainly to those with abundance. Those with more time, more money, more margin. But Jesus removes that excuse completely. He does not measure generosity by quantity, but by willingness. He speaks to all believers, regardless of how much or how little they possess. The question is never “How much do you have?” but “Did you love with what you were given?”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.” That truth reshapes everything. Love does not wait for ideal conditions. It responds to need. It gives what it can, when it can, without calculating status, reward, or recognition.

I often wonder what life would look like if this were truly how we lived, in my community, in the world. If we were not consumed with what we lack or obsessed with what we possess, but instead focused on honoring the dignity and worth of others. It would feel like a kind of paradise. Gratitude would replace fear. Generosity would replace comparison. God’s goodness would be visible everywhere.

I believe this is the vision God places in the hearts of His people. This is what He calls us to participate in creating. This is the Kingdom come. A life where love governs our choices, where giving flows freely, and where trust replaces control. God does not ask for reluctant obedience or forced generosity. He invites us into joyful giving, confident that He will supply what is needed as we abound in every good work.

Love is not passive. It is accountable. And in living it out, the glory of the Lord appears.

6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 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 9:6-8

FEBRUARY 8, 2026

 “A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” 

― William G.T. Shedd

LEVITICUS 4-6

1The Lord said to Moses: 2“If anyone sins and is unfaithful to the Lord by deceiving a neighbor about something entrusted to them or left in their care or about something stolen, or if they cheat their neighbor, 3or if they find lost property and lie about it, or if they swear falsely about any such sin that people may commit— 4when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt, they must return what they have stolen or taken by extortion, or what was entrusted to them, or the lost property they found, 5or whatever it was they swore falsely about. They must make restitution in full, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the owner on the day they present their guilt offering.(6:1-5)

MATTHEW 25:1-30

24“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28“ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

JOURNAL 

If there were ever any doubt about what God desires us to do with our lives, Jesus removes it in the parable of the talents. God is not indifferent to how we live, what we do with what we are given, or why we choose to act or not act. He takes our stewardship seriously. Not only our actions, but our motivations. Fear does not excuse disobedience. Caution does not justify burying what God has entrusted to us.

Leviticus makes this unmistakably clear. God demands accountability not only for outright theft, but for deception, passivity, and failure to make things right once guilt is realized. Restoration is required. Full restitution is required. God is showing us that our choices matter because people matter, because truth matters, and because obedience matters. Grace does not lower the standard. It restores us to it.

Jesus carries this same truth forward in Matthew 25. The servant who buried his talent was not condemned for immorality or theft, but for fear. He acted as if preservation was obedience. As if returning what was given without loss was faithfulness. But the master calls him wicked and lazy, not because he failed, but because he refused to try. Fear kept him from giving his best, and God does not treat that lightly.

William G. T. Shedd said, “A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” Neither are we. God did not create us to protect potential, but to invest it. To risk it. To multiply it. Not at the expense of others, but through effort, courage, and faith.

Gratitude, then, is not optional. It is the fuel for faithful living. If I live as though this life is precious and limited, I am far less likely to waste it on fear, distraction, or worry. Fear pulls my focus toward outcomes. Obedience pulls my focus toward effort. When I fixate on results, I become the servant who buries the talent. When I focus on faithfulness, I become free.

God does not ask me to control the harvest. He asks me to plant, tend, and give my best. The blessing of the outcome belongs to Him. Where I have stumbled in the past is in trying to write the script ahead of time, deciding what success should look like, and shrinking back when it did not align with my expectations. That, too, is fear. And fear masquerading as wisdom is still disobedience.

My calling is simpler and harder than I want it to be. Fan into flame the gift God has placed within me. Give my best in obedience. Release the results to Him. The Spirit God has given me is not timid. It is powerful, loving, and disciplined. God takes my choices seriously because He believes deeply in what I can become.

And in the end, that tells me something essential. God is not trying to limit me. He is trying to bring out the very best in me.

6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 TIMOTHY 1:6-7

FEBRUARY 7, 2026

  “Believe in Your Heart

Believe in your heart that you're meant to live a life full of passion, purpose, magic and miracles.” 

― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

LEVITICUS 1-3

1The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock.(1:1-2)

MATTHEW 24:23-51

45“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

JOURNAL 

Over the past year, the tension between life’s brevity and the call to live fully has increasingly shaped my thinking. As I have spent more time immersed in Scripture, one truth has become clear. Today is not a placeholder for something better later, but a gift meant to be lived with intention and gratitude. This requires a fundamental shift in mindset and asks whether I truly trust God. Do I believe He sets before me a life marked by purpose, passion, wonder, and meaning, or do I assume the future is governed by loss and disappointment? The reality is that both joy and suffering are woven into life, but with God, even pain is not wasted. In His hands, every moment, especially today, becomes a step toward redemption and, ultimately, paradise.

“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” (James 4:14)

Part of this awareness has come from reading a biography of Theodore Roosevelt. His life exposes how often I drift into comfort and assumption rather than urgency and gratitude. He seemed to live as though every day mattered, perhaps because illness constantly reminded him that strength was never guaranteed.

That idea aligns with Scripture’s insistence that each day is a gift, not a promise:

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)

One of Roosevelt’s greatest struggles was severe asthma, a condition that could render him helpless without warning. I wonder if that ever-present weakness pushed him to live decisively when he could. Scripture often shows God using limitation to awaken purpose:

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)

The truth is undeniable: tomorrow is unknown. No one can truly predict the future. Yet my daily habits often suggest that I believe I can. Scripture confronts this quiet arrogance directly:

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” (Proverbs 27:1)

More often than not, I live as though tomorrow is guaranteed and controllable. When life refuses to follow my expectations, frustration and fear surface. James names this tendency plainly:

“You say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city…’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.” (James 4:13–14)

What Scripture calls for instead is humility, trust, and daily faithfulness. Jesus Himself makes this unmistakably clear:

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34)

We are not commanded to ignore the future, but to release it. Our responsibility is obedience today; God’s responsibility is provision tomorrow:

“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Living this way creates urgency without panic and gratitude without complacency. It aligns perfectly with Jesus’ teaching on daily dependence:

“Give us today our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11)

When I focus fully on today with gratitude, my dependence on God becomes clear and honest. Fear loosens its grip because I am no longer trying to carry a future I was never meant to hold:

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.” (Psalm 37:5)

And if tomorrow comes, it arrives not as a threat, but as a new gift...received the same way as today...by trust.

4Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^a 5Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

DEUTERONOMY 6:4-7

FEBRUARY 6, 2026

“Remember this your lifetime through:

Tomorrow there will be more to do.

And failure waits for all who stay

With some success made yesterday.

Tomorrow you must try once more,

So when the moment of truth is here,

You will not have the time to fear.”

-John Wooden

EXODUS 39-40

42The Israelites had done all the work just as the Lord had commanded Moses. 43Moses inspected the work and saw that they had done it just as the Lord had commanded. So Moses blessed them.(39:42-43)

MATTHEW 24:1-22

9“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

JOURNAL 

In Exodus 39 and 40, the Israelites completed the work exactly as the Lord commanded. Moses inspected it, saw that it was done faithfully, and blessed them (Exodus 39:42–43). They were not asked to finish everything, only what was placed before them. Obedience in that moment was sufficient.

Jesus speaks just as plainly to His disciples in Matthew 24. He does not promise ease. He prepares them for hardship and calls them to stand firm (Matthew 24:9–13). Faithfulness, not comfort, is the measure. 

For all my life I have seen my past in terms of regret or nostalgia. I wish I could rewire my brain, but I am learning that yesterday does not need fixing. Yesterday and the past is no longer my life. Today, there is life to live, love to give, work to do, and a God who fills me with His Spirit. That is more than enough. How could I ask for more?? Yet there are days and moments when that is exactly my thought and wish...more, different. Why???

I think it's because there is more waiting and promised. But I don't get to know exactly what that is so I doubt. But the goodness of tomorrow is not mine to live yet...the only life I can live is today and today is truly amazing in all it's goodness. 

12When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

JOHN 8:12

FEBRUARY 5, 2026

  “One thing you can't hide - is when you're crippled inside.” 

― John Lennon

EXODUS 37-38

 22Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything the Lord commanded Moses; 23with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan—an engraver and designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen.(37:22-23)

MATTHEW 23:23-39

23“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

25“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

JOURNAL 

Oh how often I am guilty of this...making sure the outside looks good before worrying over the inside. I think it is common for us all because we get something out of the outside being "clean" yet most often the internal is between us and God. Yet if there is one place to start it is in "justice, mercy and faithfulness". To seek perfection in these 3 will take care of the part that the world sees. 

I can't help but wonder the blessings and the change that would happen if we truly aspired to loving others and valuing compassion, grace and love as much as we do winning, championships and fame. 

To see hard work, dedication and excellence play out in way that is rewarded is great. But how much greater to honor and seek the fruits of the spirit and to truly walk in the heart and soul of the spirit of God...It all though goes back to living life from the perspective of today, and truly believing that tomorrow will be a blessing. Truly believing that God will see through all that he puts on my heart. Trusting that any problems, frustrations or setbacks will serve the purpose of his kingdom coming to earth. 

27“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

MATTHEW 23:27-28