APRIL 27, 2026

“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” 

― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

2 SAMUEL 17-18

31Then the Cushite arrived and said, “My lord the king, hear the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today by delivering you from the hand of all who rose up against you.”

32The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?”

The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”

33The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!”^g(18:31-33)

LUKE 21:1-19

10Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

12“But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13And so you will bear testimony to me. 14But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17Everyone will hate you because of me. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19Stand firm, and you will win life.

JOURNAL 

Regret has a way of pulling me backward into moments I cannot change, and if I stay there too long it begins to distort everything about who I am today. It whispers that my past mistakes define me, that I am disqualified, that I should shrink back instead of stepping forward. Over time, that voice can become so loud that it doesn’t just revisit the past, it starts sabotaging the present. I hesitate, I hold back, I pass on opportunities because somewhere deep down I feel unworthy of them.

The danger is not just the pain of remembering, it is what that pain convinces me to do now. Regret can become a quiet form of surrender. Instead of living fully, I begin protecting myself from the risk of failing again. Instead of embracing what is in front of me, I live as if the best parts of my life are already behind me. And in doing so, I unknowingly trade the richness of today for the shadow of yesterday.

This past weekend at our 30th anniversary of the Chili Pepper golf tournament with my fraternity brothers brought that truth into clear focus. It was an amazing weekend, the kind you wish you could bottle up and keep. What struck me most was not just the laughter or the stories, but the overwhelming sense of acceptance. Looking around, I realized every one of us carries regrets. Every one of us has things we would change if we could. And yet none of that diminished the moment. If anything, it deepened it.

Often, I have let regret shape how I see the present. I have let it discolor what is right in front of me instead of seeing it in the fullness and beauty of what is true. This weekend reminded me that the richness of life is not found in perfection, but in the shared understanding that none of us are perfect. The joy we experienced was not because we lived flawless lives, but because we showed up as we are, fully known, with all our failures, mistakes, sins, and imperfections, and still chose to love each other.

When I live in regret, I minimize the wonder that still exists right in front of me. I miss the beauty of ordinary moments, the opportunities to love, to grow, to show up with courage. Joy cannot survive in a heart that is constantly looking backward with condemnation. And when joy fades, something much heavier takes its place. It becomes easier to drift into discouragement, then into despair, and from there into a kind of internal darkness that touches every part of life.

But this weekend reminded me that who I am today is not erased by where I have been. Growth, wisdom, resilience, and even compassion are often born out of the very things I regret. If I allow it, the past can refine me instead of define me. It can shape how I live now without stealing my ability to live now. In a strange way, even the regrets have added color and depth to who we all are. To remove them would be to flatten the very richness that made the weekend so meaningful.

There is freedom in choosing to stand in the present without carrying the full weight of yesterday’s judgment. When I do that, I begin to recover joy. And joy changes everything. It restores perspective, it brings energy back into my steps, and it reconnects me to purpose. Instead of shrinking, I engage. Instead of hiding, I step forward. Instead of surrendering to regret, I begin to live again with intention and gratitude for what is still in front of me.

 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

JOHN 10:10

APRIL 26, 2026

  “Do not let arrogance go to your head and despair to your heart; do not let compliments go to your head and criticisms to your heart; do not let success go to your head and failure to your heart.” 

― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

2 SAMUEL 15-16

11David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 12It may be that the Lord will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.”

13So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. 14The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.(16:11-14)

LUKE 20:27-47

45While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 46“Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

JOURNAL 

In one of the more tragic episodes of David's life, we find the great king forced to flee his kingdom, driven out by his own son, Absalom (2 Samuel 15). As if this humiliation were not enough, David is further disgraced by Shimei, who curses and throws stones at him along the road (2 Samuel 16:5–13). It is a heartbreaking and almost unbearable scene—one that speaks to the vulnerability even the greatest leaders can face.

Yet David's response is striking. He accepts this humiliation, not out of weakness, but in profound surrender to God. He trusts that God is ultimately in control, whether to vindicate him or to humble him further (2 Samuel 16:10–12). In time, God does restore David to the throne, but this moment stands as a powerful reminder that none of us are immune to embarrassment, betrayal, failure, or deeply humbling circumstances, no matter our status or strength.

Jesus later echoes this very principle when He warns His disciples against pride and self-exaltation. In Luke 20:45–47, He cautions that those who love to be honored and elevated will ultimately be brought low. True greatness in the Kingdom of God is marked not by outward status but by humility and dependence on the Father.

Christ Himself modeled this perfectly. The most powerful and sinless man who ever lived—the very Son of God—endured mocking, ridicule, brutal humiliation, and crucifixion (Philippians 2:5–8; Hebrews 12:2). He submitted fully to the will of His Father, choosing obedience and suffering so that He could open the path of redemption for us all (John 10:17–18).

Reflecting on David’s trials and Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice brings profound perspective. The discomforts and hardships I face, while real, are often trivial in light of eternity. My life, brief as it is—a mere "mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14)—has been deeply valued by Christ, who died that I might live. It humbles me to remember that this life is not about grasping for position or clinging to pride, but about surrendering daily to the One who gives true and abundant life (John 10:10).

1Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
PHILIPPIANS 2:1-4

APRIL 25, 2026

  “The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” 

― Fyodor Dostoevsky

2 SAMUEL 13-14

13The woman said, “Why then have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son? 14Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.(14:13-14)

LUKE 20:1-26

9He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. 10At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. 12He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.

13“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’

14“But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 15So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”

When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”

17Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written:

“ ‘The stone the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone’^a ?

18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

19The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.

JOURNAL 

David is grappling with the banishment of his son, Absalom, after Absalom kills his brother, Amnon. The kingdom is filled with heartbreak and betrayal, and it is painful to watch everything unravel. However, this tragedy can be traced back to David’s sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:1-27). David made serious mistakes as a leader, and as a result, he brought a spirit of selfishness into his family and his kingdom. While God forgave David (2 Samuel 12:13), the consequences of his actions would still affect him and his kingdom. The spirit of selfishness he introduced would have lasting repercussions.

In the same way, Jesus addresses this destructive spirit in His parable to the Pharisees. Their pride and arrogance blinded them to the truth. Despite all their searching and waiting, they failed to recognize that Jesus was the Messiah, the answer to their prayers for redemption, joy, and peace. They couldn’t see that He was the path they had been longing for (Matthew 23:37-39).

I believe this all comes down to the underlying motive behind our actions. What drives us? Is it for good or for evil? As believers, our motive should be rooted in goodness. It must drive us to serve others and give our best for the collective good, for the kingdom of God. Our motive should urge us to act assertively—not to seek glory or honor for ourselves but for the benefit of the community. We are all part of some team, whether it’s a family, a community, a country, or even the world. As members of a team, we are connected to everything and everyone around us (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

We are important, and each of us has a role to play. In fulfilling that role, we are called to give our very best, every day and every moment. This is our greatest challenge: to give our best and to fight against the temptation to procrastinate, avoid, lie, deceive, or give in to hatred. The present moment is where the battle takes place—it’s where the war is fought for our souls and the allegiance of our hearts. If we fight our daily battles and give our best for the team, God promises that we will experience true joy—peace, hope, and contentment (Philippians 4:6-7).

However, our enemy, shame and fear, will try to tempt us. When we surrender to these emotions, we begin to question the present, wishing it were different, longing for more or less, or wishing things had gone another way. We risk losing our joy, our hope, and our gratitude. This despair can lead us to seek anything to numb the pain, to try to change the past, or to fear the future. We lose sight of the one thing we can control—the present. This temptation to turn away from the present was the same that led Adam and Eve to disobey God (Genesis 3:6). It was the same force that drove David to commit adultery with Bathsheba and have Uriah killed (2 Samuel 11:1-27). It was the evil that tempted Judas to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16) and caused Peter to deny Him (Matthew 26:69-75).

Jesus, however, walked a different path. He lived a perfect life, paving the way for us to enter the kingdom of God. Through His sacrifice, He made us part of His team (John 14:6). He gave us a purpose and a role to play, and He sent His Holy Spirit to comfort and guide us along the way (John 14:16-17). By following Jesus, we can live out our purpose with integrity, and He promises that, in doing so, we will experience peace and true joy (John 15:10-11).

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Philippians 1:2-4

APRIL 24, 2026

  “God desires to reveal His heart to us and to build His heart into us as we seek His face.” 

― Bill Mills, Adequate: How God Empowers Ordinary People to Serve

2 SAMUEL 10-12

11The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

4“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

5David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! 6He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

7Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. (12:1-9)

LUKE 19:29-48

41As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Jesus at the Temple

45When Jesus entered the temple courts, he began to drive out those who were selling. 46“It is written,” he said to them, “ ‘My house will be a house of prayer’^c ; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’^d ”

47Every day he was teaching at the temple. But the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the leaders among the people were trying to kill him. 48Yet they could not find any way to do it, because all the people hung on his words.

JOURNAL 

As humans, we are often blinded by our fears and our pride. I still struggle to understand how David, a man after God’s own heart, could fall so far, so quickly. The answer, however, may lie in the fact that when we cease to rely on God, we open ourselves to the possibility of falling prey to sin in ways we never imagined. What’s particularly troubling about David’s downfall is that he didn’t seem to turn away from God in the traditional sense; rather, he stopped seeking and depending on God as he had before. This shift allowed him to misuse his power, leading him to commit grave sins: he orchestrated the breaking up of a marriage and even had one of his own men murdered (2 Samuel 11:1-27).

What’s especially noteworthy is that David’s sin began as a result of boredom. While his army was out at battle, David stayed home, perhaps feeling a sense of complacency and self-satisfaction. From the roof of his palace, he admired his kingdom, and in that moment, he saw Bathsheba. Despite having many wives and concubines, he became consumed with greed and lust, desiring what was forbidden. This temptation to take something that didn’t belong to him—something that was off-limits—echoes the same primal desire for what is forbidden that we see from the beginning of the Bible, in the story of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:6).

This pattern is what I believe Jesus refers to when He says, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace” (Luke 19:42). We often think that success, riches, or leisure will bring us peace, but as David’s story shows, these things do not satisfy the soul. In fact, they can even lead us astray. In my own life, I’ve found that it is during times of struggle and when I am actively working through problems that I truly experience the most profound joy. While vacations or periods of rest can provide peace and relaxation, they don’t necessarily contribute to spiritual growth. Those moments of rest don’t stand out as times of deep revelation or significant transformation.

True peace with God is found in seeking Him, and this often happens most deeply when we are faced with challenges that take us beyond our own wisdom. When I find myself in situations where I must rely on God for guidance, when I’m struggling to understand or resolve something, that is when I experience a deeper connection with Him. As Paul writes in Philippians 4:6-7, peace comes not from our circumstances, but from God’s presence, “which transcends all understanding.” This peace guards our hearts and minds when we seek Him, especially in our struggles.

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. 

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9

APRIL 23, 2026

    “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”

- Theodore Roosevelt

“I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast! And when I run I feel his pleasure.” 

― Eric Liddell

“Hide not your talents, they for use were made,
What's a sundial in the shade?” 

― Benjamin Franklin

2 SAMUEL 7-9

18Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:

“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!^c(7:18-19)

LUKE 19:1-28

20“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. 21I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’

22“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? 23Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’

24“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’

JOURNAL 

It’s interesting that Jesus tells this parable right after saying that salvation has come to Zacchaeus' house. Zacchaeus was a tax collector, someone most people in his community hated. Tax collectors were seen as dishonest and greedy because they worked for the Romans and often took more money than was owed. But Jesus didn’t seem to care about Zacchaeus’ past or his reputation. Instead, Jesus looked at Zacchaeus’ heart. While others might have only seen a sinner, Jesus saw someone who was ready to change.

This idea is something we see all throughout the Bible. For example, when God chooses David to be king, He tells Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7, NIV). Jesus was always focused on what was inside a person, rather than their past mistakes or or reputation.

From David to Zacchaeus, the heart of God always values action over timidity. This idea is also seen in another one of Roosevelt's quotes: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those timid spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” This message connects with what Jesus teaches too—our lives should be defined by boldness, courage, and action.

For Zacchaeus, he didn’t just talk about changing, he took action. He promised to give half of his possessions to the poor and pay back four times what he had stolen. Jesus didn’t just look at what Zacchaeus had done wrong in the past; He saw the change in Zacchaeus’ heart and the actions he was now willing to take to make things right.

God gives us the freedom and strength to live with courage and love, even when we feel afraid or distracted by things that seem important in the moment. His Spirit helps us to stop holding back and instead act with confidence.  God doesn’t want us to be afraid of doing what’s right. He wants us to live boldly, to love others, and to make a difference in the world.

Just like Jesus showed Zacchaeus, salvation isn’t about how perfect we’ve been or how much we’ve failed—it’s about a heart that is willing to change and take action. God wants us to live boldly and act with love, to be transformed every day into the people He created us to be.

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 1:7