OCTOBER 4, 2026

 “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”

― Mahatma Gandhi

ISAIAH 29-30

 13The Lord says:

“These people come near to me with their mouth

and honor me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me.

Their worship of me

is based on merely human rules they have been taught. (29:13)

EPHESIANS 6

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

JOURNAL 

Yesterday I found myself thinking about history and how every person I read about was once simply living a day just like I am today. They didn't know it as history. It was simply the present moment in front of them. And here I am doing the same thing. This moment will someday be history, but God isn't asking me to worry about what history will say about it. He is asking me to live it.

That brings me to the Parable of the Talents. Everything I have today has been entrusted to me by God. My life, abilities, relationships, opportunities, and energy are gifts of grace. The question isn't how much I have been given or how it compares to anyone else. The question is what I will do with what God has placed in my hands.

There is freedom in that. I don't have to manufacture the future or control the outcome. God has given me today. My responsibility is to receive what He gives, invest it, and trust Him with what comes from it. What God pours into me isn't meant to stop with me. Love can produce love. Encouragement can produce encouragement. Energy given away can create energy in someone else. 

For that to happen, I have to stay in tune with God. Isaiah warns about honoring God with our lips while our hearts remain far from Him. Fear, ego, worry, resentment, and self-absorption pull me out of tune. So I return to Him each day to confess, surrender, listen, and allow Him to tune my heart again.

Paul says, "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." Not my power. His. I don't need tomorrow's strength today. I need what God provides for this day, and then I need to use it.

The servant in the Parable of the Talents allowed fear to cause him to bury what he had been given. I don't want to bury today by worrying about tomorrow or living in yesterday. I want to take what God has placed in my hands and put it into circulation.

The more in tune I become with God, the more freely His power, love, and discipline can flow through me. I don't have to force it or determine where it leads. I simply need to remain connected to the Source, use what I have been given, and trust Him with the result.

Today itself is a talent God has placed in my hands. Receive it. Invest it. Give it away. Trust God with what it becomes.

 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-