JULY 17, 2025

  “Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, and so they give their lives to little or nothing. One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it…and then it’s gone. But to surrender who you are and to live without belief is more terrible than dying...” 

― Jeanne d'Arc

PSALM 22-24

1The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

2He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

3he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths

for his name’s sake.

4Even though I walk

through the darkest valley,^a

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

5You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

6Surely your goodness and love will follow me

all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.(23)

ACTS 20:1-16

7On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

JOURNAL 

“One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it... and then it’s gone.” That line pierces me every time. Jeanne d’Arc spoke it centuries ago, but it still holds weight today. The sobering truth is: everyone gives their life for something—whether it's comfort, status, applause, or eternity. The tragedy isn't death itself; it’s living without conviction. To surrender who you are and live without belief is, as she said, more terrible than dying.

Psalm 23 brings me back to center. “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” Not I will lack nothing someday—but right now. In Him, I have enough. When I chase approval, comfort, or control, it’s because I’ve forgotten that. But when I surrender my grip and follow the Shepherd, I find peace—even in valleys of shadow and uncertainty.

God doesn't promise the absence of hardship. But He promises presence—“You are with me.” That’s the difference. That’s what emboldens me to live a life that actually means something. A life marked by love, truth, and obedience—not fear or compromise.

Acts 20 gives this image of Paul, pouring out his life until the very last drop—talking until midnight, raising the dead, breaking bread again before dawn. There’s something beautiful in that. He wasn’t trying to preserve his life. He was spending it. And people were comforted not just by his words but by his faith.

I want to live like that. Fully spent. Not for fleeting gain, but for something eternal.

Psalm 23:5 reminds me—“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” That means God doesn’t just rescue me from hardship; He meets me in it. He feeds me, anoints me, refreshes me—not when I’ve escaped the valley, but right there in the thick of it. That’s His goodness. That’s His promise.

Hebrews 10 echoes the call: Don’t throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. Remember the days when the fire burned bright? When faith cost something? You endured... you stood... you suffered... because you knew there was something better. I want that courage again. Not nostalgia, but resolve. Not passive belief, but active surrender.

So today I ask: What am I giving my life to?

And is it worthy?

Because I only get one.

32Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 

HEBREWS 10:32-35