JUNE 26, 2026

   ...This story shall the good man teach his son;

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be rememberèd-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.
~ Shakespeare, Henry V

JOB 7-9

32“He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him,

that we might confront each other in court.

33If only there were someone to mediate between us,

someone to bring us together,

34someone to remove God’s rod from me,

so that his terror would frighten me no more.

35Then I would speak up without fear of him,

but as it now stands with me, I cannot.(9:32-35)

ACTS 7:44-60

54When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56“Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

57At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, 58dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

59While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

JOURNAL 

Job longed for a mediator. Stephen stood before the very Mediator Job could only anticipate. Job cried out from the middle of suffering, while Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked into heaven and saw Christ standing to receive him. The difference was not that one man suffered and the other did not. Both suffered deeply. The difference was that Stephen lived on this side of Christ's work and surrendered himself completely to the Spirit of God.

Somewhere along the way we began believing that life should be comfortable, predictable, and constantly enjoyable. If we are unhappy, frustrated, or facing hardship, we assume something has gone wrong. I know I often think that way myself. Yet Scripture never promises a life free from conflict. Eden was the only place without pain, and humanity chose to leave it. Ever since then, we have lived in a world marked by brokenness, resistance, and struggle.

The Christian life is not an attempt to escape that reality. It is an invitation to live faithfully within it. Stephen did not spend his final moments wishing he were somewhere else or imagining a different set of circumstances. He accepted the position God had placed him in and lived it fully. There was no hesitation, no compromise, no regret. The Spirit of God flowed through him because he was no longer resisting the moment God had given him. Even while stones struck him, he prayed for the forgiveness of those killing him. That was not human resolve. That was the life of Christ being expressed through a willing servant.

Perhaps that is what it means to be a conduit of God's Spirit. We stop asking God to constantly change our circumstances and instead ask Him to fill us so completely that His love, power, and wisdom flow through us regardless of our circumstances. We become fully present where He has placed us, trusting that every challenge becomes an opportunity for His character to be revealed.

That is why stories like Henry V stir something so deeply within us. We are moved by men who willingly embrace sacrifice for a purpose greater than themselves. We instinctively admire courage, loyalty, and perseverance because we were created for lives that matter. Yet Stephen's story goes even further. He was not fighting to defeat an earthly enemy. He was participating in God's redemption of the world. His faithfulness became part of Saul's story, the very man who would later become Paul and carry the gospel across the Roman Empire.

The goal, then, is not to avoid conflict or pursue comfort. The goal is to become so surrendered to Christ that wherever He places me, whether in victory or suffering, success or disappointment, His Spirit can flow freely through my life. That is a life of purpose. That is a life that echoes into eternity.

 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