FEBRUARY 28, 2025

   “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.” 

― Abraham Lincoln

NUMBERS 21-25

10Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. 11Now leave at once and go home! I said I would reward you handsomely, but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.”

12Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me, 13‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord—and I must say only what the Lord says’? 14Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.”(25:10-14)

MARK 7:14-8:21

14The disciples had forgotten to bring bread, except for one loaf they had with them in the boat. 15“Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

16They discussed this with one another and said, “It is because we have no bread.”

17Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don’t you remember? 19When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.

20“And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”

21He said to them, “Do you still not understand?” (8:14-21)

JOURNAL 

The story of Balaam has always felt unusual to me. He is not an Israelite. He is not part of the covenant community. Yet God speaks to him. God restrains him. God even uses him to bless Israel instead of curse them. Balak may have believed he was hiring spiritual power for his own agenda, but the narrative makes something unmistakably clear. The Lord was not confined to Israel’s borders. He was already at work in foreign lands, speaking to a man outside the chosen nation, overruling kings, and directing history.

This challenges the tendency to believe that God belongs to a category, a tribe, or a religious label. Balaam proves that God is not a tribal deity. He is sovereign over all nations and all people, whether they acknowledge Him or not. Scripture consistently reinforces this. Psalm 24:1 declares that the earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. Daniel 2:21 says He changes times and seasons and sets up kings and removes them. Isaiah 45:5 records the Lord saying, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.” Even Cyrus, a pagan king, is called God’s anointed in Isaiah 45:1 because God used him to accomplish His purposes. In Acts 17:26-28, Paul tells the Athenians that God determines the times and places where people live so that they might seek Him, and that in Him we live and move and have our being. None of this is limited to one group.

We may not always have a detailed record of how God intervenes in the lives of those who are not Christians or who do not fit neatly into our theological categories. Scripture does not document every interaction. Yet passages like this remind me that God’s involvement in human affairs is far broader than what is written. Jesus Himself said in John 1:9 that He is the true light that gives light to everyone. That statement leaves little room for exclusivity. God is always reaching, always moving, always drawing.

The disciples in Mark struggle to understand this broader reality. Jesus warns them about the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod, but they think He is talking about bread. Their vision is small and literal. Jesus reminds them of the miracles of feeding the five thousand and the four thousand. He asks if they still do not understand. The issue is not bread. The issue is perception. Their hearts are still limited in how they see God at work.

I often fall into the same trap. I want to define where God is working and how He should work. Yet Balaam’s story and Jesus’ rebuke both remind me that God is active far beyond my categories. He is involved with rulers, prophets, pagans, disciples, and doubters alike. His sovereignty does not depend on human acknowledgment.

Power, then, is not proof of closeness to God. Balaam had influence and prophetic ability, yet his heart was divided. Scripture later shows that his motives were compromised. Lincoln’s quote rings true here. Power tests character. The real measure is not whether someone has influence or spiritual ability, but whether they align with God’s purposes.

Jesus makes His mission unmistakable in Luke 4:18-19. The Spirit of the Lord anointed Him to proclaim good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners, sight for the blind, and release for the oppressed. His purpose was not to accumulate power but to redeem and restore. If God is active everywhere and among everyone, then His ultimate goal is not to elevate a select few but to draw all toward redemption.

This reshapes how I view the world. God is not confined to church walls, national identities, or religious labels. He is moving in places I cannot see and in hearts I would not expect. My role is not to guard the boundaries of His activity, but to align my heart with His character and trust that He is working everywhere, even when I do not fully understand how.

18“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”^f

LUKE 4:18-19

FEBRUARY 27, 2026

  “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” 

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

NUMBERS 18-20

2Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. 3They quarreled with Moses and said, “If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the Lord! 4Why did you bring the Lord’s community into this wilderness, that we and our livestock should die here? 5Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!”

6Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the tent of meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the Lord appeared to them. 7The Lord said to Moses, 8“Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink.”

9So Moses took the staff from the Lord’s presence, just as he commanded him. 10He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

12But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.”

13These were the waters of Meribah,^a where the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and where he was proved holy among them.(20:2-13)

MARK 7:1-13

5So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, “Why don’t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?”

6He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

“ ‘These people honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

7They worship me in vain;

their teachings are merely human rules.’^b

8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

9And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe^c your own traditions! 10For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’^d and, ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’^e 11But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is Corban (that is, devoted to God)— 12then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. 13Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that.”

JOURNAL 

Tradition versus true obedience and love is the issue at hand in this passage. Jesus calls out the Pharisees for missing the heart of the message. They honored God outwardly while their hearts remained distant. I see this reality every day in life and in myself. How often are my actions done simply out of habit or because I am going through the motions? This seems to be part of the human condition. Habits can shape us toward goodness, or they can quietly lead us toward destruction.

When I was in high school, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People became widely influential and introduced a new framework for changing behavior. It began with a powerful paradigm shift that we can choose our actions. The first habit, Be Proactive, established the foundation for everything that followed. I believe this idea echoes what Jesus was teaching. We are not trapped by routine or tradition. We can choose obedience to God instead of blindly following rules simply for the sake of appearance or compliance.

Our minds and bodies naturally rely on habits, yet those habits are not permanent. They can be reshaped. However, if change is driven by selfish ambition or human pride, it ultimately leads to emptiness and destruction rather than transformation rooted in God’s love.

Some people might see this shift as dangerous because it requires questioning inherited patterns and confronting motives of the heart. In truth, it is the only path toward genuine transformation. When we ask why we behave the way we do, we move beyond external performance and into the condition of the heart. That is what God ultimately desires. He is not seeking perfected rituals but surrendered lives.

Paul’s words in Romans capture this calling clearly. We are invited to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. True worship is not conformity to religious patterns or cultural expectations. It is the continual renewal of the mind. Through that renewal we learn to discern God’s will, which is good, pleasing, and perfect.

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

FEBRUARY 26, 2026

  “Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.” 

― Robert A. Heinlein

NUMBERS 16-17

1The Lord said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. 3On the staff of Levi write Aaron’s name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. 4Place them in the tent of meeting in front of the ark of the covenant law, where I meet with you. 5The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites.”

6So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron’s staff was among them. 7Moses placed the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the covenant law.

8The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.(17:1-8)

MARK 6:33-56

53When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 54As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

JOURNAL 

The story of the rebellion by Korah is an interesting one. The Israelites seem to constantly be grumbling about all that they don't have. Their focus is constantly on the negative rather than the positive. They want things now and are disgruntled when they don't get them.  Unfortunately that is a narrative that is often in my own heart. 

In these few verses in Mark Jesus feeds the 5,000 and then walks on water...and the what a scene at Genneseret! I can only imagine the joy, the dancing, the absolute rejoicing. Jesus has become a rockstar. The people had be so overcome with excitement that the messiah had come to the masses...he wasn't in the synagogue vying for political position. He wasn't an untouchable or unapproachable religious prude. He was one of them and feeding them, rescuing them and loving them. 

To really take in this scene and to know that it ends with him on a cross is heartbreaking. How could it turn so quickly and how could that really be God's plan?? It's because God is not us...he is far greater, far wiser than I can comprehend. I ultimately know that his death becomes the key to my own hope and salvation....yet it's still so comforting to read these verses and see his heart. To know that he isn't too tired, or agitated or busy to tend to those on the fringes. It gives me hope and assurance that his love is not conditional. 

34“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

JOHN 13:34-35

FEBRUARY 25, 2026

  "Don't put in average effort and claim you want exceptional results." - James Clear

NUMBERS 14-15

1That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

5Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. 6Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”(14:1-9)

MARK 6:1-32

30The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.

JOURNAL 

The Israelites frustrate me. God has brought them out of Egypt, performed miracle after miracle, and led them right to the edge of promise. Yet the moment things become difficult, fear takes over. They panic, complain, and even long to return to slavery because the wilderness feels too hard. God has called them to something extraordinary, but they are unwilling to endure the effort, sacrifice, and courage required to step into it.

If I am honest, I see myself in them. One of the hardest moments in life is recognizing when I have fallen short. It is easy to blame circumstances, other people, or bad timing. It is much harder to admit that I did not truly give my best. I often claim wholehearted effort while quietly holding something back. At the same time, I still hope for exceptional outcomes. I want extraordinary results without always embracing extraordinary discipline.

God is gracious and does perform miracles, but He also calls His people to faithful action. Joshua and Caleb believed not because the task was easy but because God was faithful. Their confidence required courage, obedience, and forward movement. Faith was not passive belief. It demanded participation.

God also understands human limits. He knows exhaustion, discouragement, and fatigue will come. That is why Jesus called His disciples away to rest. Rest is not retreat or failure. Rest is restoration so that we can return strengthened, focused, and ready to live faithfully again. In Him we are renewed with power, love, and self discipline.

Today I am reminded that following God means both surrender and effort. I rejoice because the Lord is near. I release anxiety through prayer and gratitude. When I bring my weakness honestly before Him, His peace guards my heart and mind and equips me to pursue excellence with humility and trust.

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.

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7

FEBRUARY 24, 2026

 “Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” 

― Maya Angelou

NUMBERS 11-13

26They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. 27They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. 29The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”

30Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

31But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” 32And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. 33We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.”(13:26-33)

MARK 5:21-43

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. 25And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. 26She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. 27When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 28because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 29Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

30At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

31“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”

32But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. 34He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

JOURNAL 

Sitting here in our modern world, it is easy for me to judge the Israelites for their lack of faith and their ungratefulness. In chapter 10 they complain about the manna and long for Egypt, believing slavery was somehow better than freedom. Now they stand at the edge of the promised land and doubt that God can deliver what He has already promised. They see abundance yet focus on obstacles. They want victory without struggle, blessing without dependence, and provision without trust. They desire rich food in the desert and an easy conquest without adversity.

Yet when I look honestly at my own heart, I recognize the same spirit within me. I also crave the easy path. I become dissatisfied with today’s blessings and quietly believe life should offer more comfort, more certainty, or fewer challenges. The rebellion that lived in Israel still lives in me whenever gratitude fades and fear grows louder than faith.

God’s discipline suddenly feels less harsh and more loving. He is not punishing weakness but shaping trust. He is teaching His people, and me, that faith is not proven when life is easy but when obedience moves forward despite uncertainty.

I want the spirit of Caleb, who saw the same giants yet believed in God’s promise more than in human limitation. I want the faith of the bleeding woman who pressed through the crowd believing that even the smallest touch of Christ was enough. Both chose trust over fear. Both moved toward God instead of retreating from difficulty.

Father, form that spirit in me. Teach me to meet every circumstance you allow with gratitude and courage. Nothing placed before me is greater than your power. Whatever season I walk through is an invitation to trust, to persevere, and to rejoice. Let gratitude shape my vision so that I see promise instead of giants and opportunity instead of complaint. May I conquer each day not through strength alone but through faith, joy, and thanksgiving, knowing that your will for me in Christ Jesus is to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances.

12Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

16Rejoice always, 17pray continually, 18give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:12-18