OCTOBER 2, 2025

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

― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 

ISAIAH 24-26

3You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast,

because they trust in you. (26:3)

EPHESIANS 4

17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

20That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin”^d : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

JOURNAL 

Isaiah tells us that “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3). Paul echoes this in Ephesians, urging us to put off the old self and to live renewed in Christ, ridding ourselves of bitterness, rage, and malice, and instead choosing kindness, compassion, and forgiveness (Ephesians 4:22–32).

These verses strike me right between the eyes. This is the life we are commanded to live—one anchored in trust, peace, and the renewal of our minds. But if I am honest, I often find myself slipping into pride and self-focus. Recently, I listened to Timothy Keller preach on Nebuchadnezzar and pride, and he drove home two points that won’t leave me: everything is a gift, and to see life apart from gratitude and humility is to be consumed by pride.

Humility opens my eyes to the miracle of ordinary gifts, the breath in my lungs, the ability to walk, speak, see, and love. It allows me to see my talents and opportunities as entrusted by God, not achieved on my own. It also reminds me that they could be taken away in a moment beyond my control. That realization presses me toward surrender.

When I surrender to God daily, counting blessings with humility, I no longer need validation from others. I don’t need life to unfold according to my terms. I simply need to acknowledge God’s presence, His grace, and His gifts and follow wherever He leads. That means using my gifts to bless others, maximizing what He has entrusted, and living every moment with joy, the kind that cannot be shaken by circumstances.

Paul reminds us: “Because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4–5).

Today is a tremendous gift. Life itself is grace, and joy is its fruit.

 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 

EPHESIANS 2:4-5

OCTOBER 1, 2025

  “The ragamuffin who sees his life as a voyage of discovery and runs the risk of failure has a better feel for faithfulness than the timid man who hides behind the law and never finds out who he is at all.” 

― Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out

ISAIAH 22-23

17At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. 18Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes. (23:17)

EPHESIANS 3

14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom every family^a in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

JOURNAL 

Reading these passages from Paul...it can at times seem like he is speaking another language.  It saddens me to think how far I fall from really living this way. How my community does not look this way, how I depend so much on the culture and comfort and all the trappings of suburbia rather than truly seeking God with a community of believers.

Reality is that people mostly seek God in desperation...not in gratitude. I hate that about myself, I hate that often I am closest to God when I myself have failed...when I can't figure life out. Does it have to be this way? I don't think it is an absolute necessity...however it usually is the way it happens. Yet with God all things are possible, but I must seek  God always, not as just an answer to my own problems but because I realize the ineptness of my own wisdom. I realize the trappings of my own patterns of behavior. I realize that apart from God I am nothing and am just a vapor. I realize that with God I have the power and love of the creator of the universe and of all things. Why would I ever shrink back from trusting God? Why would I ever go my own way? Why would I ever rely on the things of this world rather than seeking and trusting God?

 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 

EPHESIANS 2:4-5