JUNE 7, 2025

 “You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.” 

― Thomas Merton

2 CHRONICLES 23-25

17After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. 18They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem. 19Although the Lord sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen.

20Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you.’ ”

21But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the Lord’s temple. 22King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, “May the Lord see this and call you to account.”(24:17-22)

JOHN 16:16-33

25“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. 27No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

29Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. 30Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.”

31“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32“A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

33“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

JOURNAL 

The pattern is painfully clear throughout Scripture. A king rises with humility, seeks God, listens to wise counsel—and God blesses him. But then, with success comes drift. The pursuit fades. Obedience becomes optional. Ego replaces trust. In 2 Chronicles 24, King Joash starts strong under the influence of the priest Jehoiada, but after Jehoiada's death, Joash listens to flattery instead of truth. He abandons the temple, ignores the prophets, and ultimately orders the death of Zechariah—the very son of the man who had guided and protected him.

Why does this happen so often, not just in them but in me?

I start with good intentions. I trust God. I seek Him. And then, when things begin to go well, I slowly drift—subtly replacing God's voice with my own logic, the Spirit’s prompting with the world’s affirmation. Like Joash, I forget the kindness and faithfulness that once sustained me. I begin to listen to voices that say I’m not enough, that I’m missing something, that God’s way isn’t sufficient. It's the echo of the Garden all over again—the lie that I need something more than what God has already provided.

And yet, Jesus speaks to this very tension in John 16. He acknowledges the trouble, the scattering, the inevitable loneliness that comes when we drift or suffer or doubt. But then He says something stunning: “Take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

Not you have overcome it. Not your plans will fix it. I have overcome it.

That’s the invitation. Not to figure everything out. Not to have a five-year spiritual forecast. But to show up, to be faithful in the moment I’m in. Jesus promises peace not in the absence of trouble, but in the presence of Himself. That’s what makes the moment sacred, not its predictability, but its proximity to God.

Proverbs 3:5–6 becomes more than a proverb in that light. It becomes a lifeline:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Not clear. Not easy. Not painless. But straight. Directed. Covered.

Today I don’t need to know what’s next. I just need to resist the urge to run ahead or turn away. I need to recognize the holy possibilities of now—and embrace them with courage, faith, and hope.

Because the battle isn’t between success and failure.
The battle is between trust and self-reliance.

And only one of those roads leads home.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

6in all your ways submit to him,

and he will make your paths straight.^a

PROVERBS 3:5-6

JUNE 6, 2025

 

“Ninety percent of success in life is just showing up." 

- Woody Allen

2 CHRONICLES 20-22

15He said: “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. 17You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.’ ”(20:15-17)

JOHN 16:1-15

 7But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

JOURNAL 

Scripture reminds us that faith is not about the absence of fear—it’s about presence in the midst of it. In 2 Chronicles 20, when Jehoshaphat and all of Judah stood before an overwhelming enemy, God didn’t ask them to win the battle in their own strength. He didn’t even ask them to fight. What He asked was simple: show up. “Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you... Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you” (2 Chronicles 20:17).

Their obedience didn’t require military strategy. It required trust. And movement. That’s the paradox of faith—sometimes the most courageous thing you can do is stand still in God's promises.

I’m beginning to realize that this principle plays out in my own life constantly. The enemy I face doesn’t always wear armor or carry a sword. Sometimes it’s anxiety, doubt, or the paralyzing thought of failure. I project into tomorrow, I calculate outcomes, I try to play God in my own story—and in doing so, I forget who the battle really belongs to.

Like Adam and Eve in the garden, I start to question, Did God really say...? That’s where the spiral begins. Doubt opens the door to fear, and fear tries to convince me that hiding is safer than obedience.

But Jesus, in John 16, speaks a better word. He promises the coming of the Advocate—the Spirit of Truth—who will guide us into all truth (John 16:13). Not drive us. Not push us with fear. Guide us. Gently, faithfully, daily. And it’s through the Spirit that we learn not only to hear the voice of God but to trust that voice, even when the terrain ahead looks like a battlefield.

So today, I’m reminded: obedience starts with presence. I don’t have to solve tomorrow. I don’t have to fight every fear. I simply need to take up my position—whatever that looks like—and trust that the God who goes before me is already at work.

The battle is not mine. It never was. I’m just asked to be present—to show up, even scared—and let God be God.

 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 5, 2025

  “We can't be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don't have something better.” 

― C. JoyBell C. 

2 CHRONICLES 17-19

3The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David before him. He did not consult the Baals 4but sought the God of his father and followed his commands rather than the practices of Israel. 5The Lord established the kingdom under his control; and all Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so that he had great wealth and honor. 6His heart was devoted to the ways of the Lord; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah.(17:3-6)

JOHN 15

1“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^a so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

9“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17This is my command: Love each other.

JOURNAL 

King Jehoshaphat was a man of faith—deeply committed to following God. Scripture says plainly that “The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the ways of his father David before him… He sought the God of his father and followed his commands” (2 Chronicles 17:3–4). His obedience led to blessing, security, and influence. Yet even this godly king stumbled. In 2 Chronicles 18, he formed an alliance with Ahab, the king of Israel, a man known for wickedness and idolatry. This partnership ultimately led to disaster. Ahab was killed in battle, and Jehoshaphat barely escaped with his life.

This moment is a sobering reminder: even those who love and trust God can fall into dangerous compromise when they align themselves with the wrong influences. As 1 Corinthians 15:33 warns, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”

Still, God remains faithful. Jehoshaphat’s story doesn’t end in failure. Upon returning to Jerusalem, the prophet Jehu confronted him—not to condemn, but to correct. “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, the wrath of the Lord is on you. There is, however, some good in you” (2 Chronicles 19:2–3). Even in his misstep, God called Jehoshaphat back to purpose.

God promises strength, wisdom, and provision to those who remain connected to Him. Jesus echoed this in John 15:5, saying, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” The challenge isn’t only in hearing God’s Word—it’s in daily choosing to walk in it, even when life surprises us, when fear rises, or when shortcuts seem tempting.

The call of Scripture is not to remain in what feels safe by the world’s standards. Rather, it is to remain rooted in God’s truth, where real security and joy are found. As Joshua 1:9 declares: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Obedience doesn’t always mean ease. It often means being pushed from the nest—called to climb spiritual mountains, confront adversity, and walk by faith into the unknown. But this is the very essence of the Christian life: not passive religion, but courageous adventure. And as Jesus reminds us, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11).

True joy isn’t found in staying comfortable—it’s found in staying connected.
That is the journey. That is the reward.

 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 4:4-9

JUNE 4, 2025

  “The credit belongs to those who are actually in the arena, who strive valiantly; who know the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spend themselves in a worthy cause; who at best know the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst, if they fail, fail while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.” 

― Theodore Roosevelt

2 CHRONICLES 13-16

7At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8Were not the Cushites^b and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and horsemen^c ? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. 9For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”(16:7-9)

JOHN 14

6Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really know me, you will know^b my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?10Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. 12Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15“If you love me, keep my commands. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be^c in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” 

JOURNAL 

Input equals output...While Asa was seeking God and obeying him...he was successful at all the things that God wanted him to do. He was blessed and was in step with God. However once he stopped seeking God...everything fell apart. Jesus basically tells the disciples the same thing and promises that if we would seek him then we will get both he and God with the spirit living within us. As a result we have nothing to fear and can face any task or any problem. 

The problem often happens when we define success by means that are other than simply following God. When goals and dreams and their ultimate achievement become more important than relationship and obedience.  It can lead to fear, and ultimately shrinking back and not fully giving our best, because our best often is not good enough to meet the world's definition or expectations of success. It also is not good enough to meet our own as well. Especially when we begin to look at other people and wish for what they have...talent, money, position, opportunity. The ultimate test is to look at Jesus' life to realize that the world's definition is often contrary to God's. Jesus to the world 2000 years ago was a miserable, insignificant failure. 

Therefore the most important action I can take is to tackle the day with God in my heart and trust that whatever the outcome, God will make it good. My best will be good enough, no matter if it doesn't measure up in the world's opinion. Giving my best is my ultimate form of worship. But the key is to truly give my best...

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

JUNE 3, 2025

  “Never miss a good chance to shut up.” 

― Will Rogers

2 CHRONICLES 10-12

  8But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him. 9He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”10The young men who had grown up with him replied, “The people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist. 11My father laid on you a heavy yoke; I will make it even heavier. My father scourged you with whips; I will scourge you with scorpions.’ ”

JOHN 13:18-38

 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.”36Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”37Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”38Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

JOURNAL 

Rehoboam chose pride. Jesus chose love.

It’s easy to see the mistakes of others, especially when reading them in the rearview mirror of history. From the safety of today, Rehoboam’s arrogance seems foolish, and Peter’s denial feels like a failure we would never make. But if I’m honest, those same tendencies live in me.

I see it when I seek affirmation over wisdom.
When I trust in my own judgment before seeking God’s.
When I rush into the day without prayer.
When I speak quickly, defend impulsively, or act without love.
It’s in the pressure to succeed, to be right, to appear strong.

Rehoboam listened to voices that fed his ego. Peter promised courage he couldn’t yet deliver. And I, too, often lean into pride or fear instead of humility and trust.

Jesus, on the other hand, exemplified a better way. A new command: love one another. Not conditionally. Not after getting things figured out. But as He has loved us—fully, humbly, sacrificially.

That’s the call. Not domination, not bravado, not self-preservation. But love.
And that love requires silence sometimes.
A pause.
A prayer.
A surrender of self.

So today, Lord, quiet my heart. Still my ego. Help me to live awake to your presence, aware of your grace, and grounded in your truth. Let me see this day as your gift and respond to it with humility, love, and gratitude.

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

JUNE 2, 2025

 “At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done.We will be judged by "I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.” 

― Mother Teresa

2 CHRONICLES 7-9

 17“As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, 18I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’19“But if you^a turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you^b and go off to serve other gods and worship them, 20then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. 21This temple will become a heap of rubble. All^c who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the Lord done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ 22People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’ ”

JOHN 13:1-17

 3Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him... 12When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

JOURNAL 

Servant...being a servant is what we are commanded as believers to be. We are to serve others. However the only way we can TRULY serve is if we have received the Spirit of God. Otherwise our service will be done out of emptiness and desperation. Our service will ultimately be an attempt to serve ourselves. We receive the spirit when we acknowledge our own emptiness and commit to full obedience. That spirit then gives us the power, love and discipline to face any problem and any challenge. It is the foundation of living a life of love.

So where the rubber meets the road so to speak is how does this play out today? Today is God's gift to me...what I do with this opportunity and this gift is my offering back to God. If I seek him and obey him in my actions towards others and in my dedication to being a better version of me...then I get the joy of his blessing. I experience the peace of his love and approval.

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

JUNE 1, 2025

  “Find a purpose to serve, not a lifestyle to live.” 

― Criss Jami

2 CHRONICLES 4-6

36“When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to a land far away or near; 37and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captivity and say, ‘We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly’; 38and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their captivity where they were taken, and pray toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and toward the temple I have built for your Name; 39then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their pleas, and uphold their cause. And forgive your people, who have sinned against you.(6:36-39)

JOHN 12:20-50

42Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved human praise more than praise from God.

JOURNAL 

Oh man..."for they loved human praise more than praise from God". How I have fallen into that trap. It's subtle but it happens every day. It's part of our DNA, which is why it's so easy. We want and in many ways need to be accepted. It goes all the way back to our need to survive. If we go back to tribal days...getting kicked out of a community ensured a quick death. Our mind and body don't easily rewire or forget this and therefore our emotions center around preserving and ensuring our survival. 

God still though calls us to a higher calling. To follow him may mean rejection...he actually warns us of this reality. For many people throughout history, rejection meant death, it did for Jesus, his disciples and thousands of early Christians. There are reports in other countries of it happening still today. Yet the reality is that for me here in this country, I will most likely not face rejection that physically harms me. More than likely, following God could lead to worldly success in some ways.

Yet I must never follow because of what I get, but simply because God is my God. I must seek to find joy in the following rather than the perceived outcome. This is hard and does take a rewiring of my brain, but it's God's calling and in the end I believe it's worth it. 

22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

COLOSSIANS 3:22-24