MONITE ‘AKOSI  4, 2025

GENUINE SERVICE

NGAUE MEI HE LOTO FAI MO‘ONI

JOHN 3:29-30

"The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease."

SIONE 3:29-30

29 Ko ia ‘oku ne ma‘u ‘a e ta‘ahine, ko ia ia ‘a e ‘eikita‘ane; ka ko e moa‘uli ‘a e ‘eikita‘ane, ‘a ia ‘oku ne tu‘u ‘o fakaongo kiate ia, ‘oku ne fiefia–ka ko ha fiefia–‘i he ongo mai ‘a e le‘o ‘o e ‘eiki ta‘ane: ‘āua, ko e fiefia pē ‘ena ‘oku ‘a‘aku, pea tā kuo kakato. 30 Kuo pau ke faka‘a‘au ia ki mu‘a, ka u faka‘a‘au au ki mui.

There are people who claim to be experts at reading body language. They can discern what is being communicated in the ways others position their bodies and hands and by the facial expressions they make. This could be a useful skill, especially for knowing - or at least coming close to knowing - whether someone is being genuine or false.

There are ways, though, that Christians can conduct themselves with inauthenticity that cannot be read by people fluent in body language. It's a sad fact that different motivations drive people to serve in the name of Christ. Some people serve not out of genuine interest in the well-being of others but with self-interest leading the way. They may want to be noticed. They may crave a pat on the back. They may be pursuing a good reputation. Such a motivation may lead to good things being done, but it doesn't produce genuine service. Christian service, in other words, can be fake. From a distance, it looks like the real thing, but get up close and you find it to be wanting.

So how do we know what is authentic? Here are two signs of a genuine heart of service for us to look for in ourselves, as well as in others.

First is the willingness to serve in anonymity. This is the kind of service that delights in doing good regardless of any attention. "Among those born of women none is greater than John," said Jesus Himself (Luke 7:28) - and yet the Baptist longed to see Christ glorified at his own expense, a passion articulated so memorably when he confessed, "He must increase, but I must decrease."

Second is the existence of sincerity. The apostle Paul affirmed that his friend Timothy, for example, was "genuinely concerned" for the Philippians' welfare, unlike those who "seek their own interests" (Philippians 2:20-21). Epaphroditus, too, was "longing for" the good of the Philippian church (v 26). Such longing cannot be faked but arises out of genuine love.

Many years ago, one preacher declared that he was "content to be God's errand boy." Could you say that with integrity? Do you delight in decreasing if that means Christ's glory will increase? Do you have real concern-longing, even-for the good of others? Those around us may not be able to tell what motivates us, but we can be sure that the Savior we claim to serve most certainly can.

Perhaps this is a good opportunity to prayerfully consider the example of Paul, who said, "I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus" (Acts 20:24). Ask God for the grace to echo these words with sincerity. Who knows what He might do with a life that you have fully surrendered to Him?

I CORINTHIANS 3:5-15

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 66-67; Acts 23:16-35

 SAPATE ‘AKOSI  3, 2025

AN ATTITUDE LIKE CHRIST'S

LOTO HANGE KO KALAISI

PHILIPPIANS 2:3-5

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind amoung yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus." 

FILIPAI 2:3-5

3 ‘o ‘oua ‘e feinga ki ha me‘a ko e fakafekāke‘i, pe ko e fie ongoongoa; ka ‘i ho‘omou loto ta‘ehiki mou takitaha lau ‘oku lelei hake ‘a hono kāinga ‘iate ia: 4 pea ‘oua na‘a takitaha tokanga ki he‘ene me‘a ‘a‘ana pē, ka ki he me‘a ‘a e kakai kehe foki. 5 ‘Io, ke ‘iate kimoutolu ‘a e loto pehē, ‘a ia na‘e ‘ia Kalaisi Sīsū foki. 

Misplaced words and unkind have great potential to cause division. We all know how easy it is for friendships to be torn apart through such seemingly minor offenses. But if we trace the problem to its root, we'll discover that at the center of our disunity is the ugliness of pride and the exaltation of self. How easily we say, "If she thinks I'm going to apologize, she's got to be crazy! If he wants me to say I'm sorry, he's going to have to do something first. I didn't start it; therefore, I don't need to end it."

When Paul wrote to the Christians in Philippi, he was concerned about their attitudes. He wanted to make sure that they would have harmonious relationships and tender hearts toward one another. It was important for them as a church family to enjoy unity of heart, mind, and purpose, particularly as they came under pressure from their culture to renounce Christ or compromise on their obedience to Him.

In seeking to instill a spirit of unity among these Philippian believers, Paul didn't give them something like "seven principles on establishing unity." Rather, he pointed them to the element that is foundational to all harmonious relationships: humility. And what better way to illustrate true humility than to turn their gaze to the Lord Jesus Christ! Paul knew that if only they would consider Jesus, they would see that His humble attitude was the very example and pattern that needed to pervade their minds and their Relationships.

Within the church, our prayer should be that people will look at our relationships and say, "There is such a sense of unity and harmony among these people! It seems that they are all for Christ and that they are all for one another. There is a Christ-like attitude about them. I wonder how they came to be that way?"

We don't muster up humility from our own resources; we depend upon the Holy Spirit to enable us to be humble as He conforms us to the image of Christ. Read Paul's words to the Philippians and take them to heart, fixing your eyes on your Savior. Reflect on the selfless incarnation and obedient death of the Lord Jesus Christ, and all your selfishness and pride will begin to look so dreadfully ugly. You cannot think about Jesus and simultaneously excuse your self-centeredness. So, look at Christ! There die all your selfish aspirations.

PHILIPPIANS 2:1-6

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 63-65; Acts 23:1-15

 TOKONAKI  ‘AKOSI  2, 2025

NO GOOD APART FROM GOD

‘IKAI HA LELEI ‘O MAVAHE MEI HE ‘OTUA

PSALM 16:1-2

"Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, "You are my Lard: I have no good apart from you." 

SAAME 16:1-2

1 KE ke tauhi au, ‘e ‘Otua; He Kuo u hūfanga ki he ‘Afiona. 2 Kuo ke lea kia Sihova, ‘e hoku laumālie, “Ko hoku ‘Eiki koe; ‘Oku ‘ikai ha‘aku lelei ‘o mama‘o mo koe.”

What do you treasure in this life? We all have something that brings us great delight or somewhere that just seems restful and right. Sometimes, though, we catch a glimpse of life without those earthly pleasures. Maybe it's illness or even bereavement that clarifies things for us. What kind of car you drive away from the hospital when you find out that your loved one has been diagnosed with malignant cancer doesn't matter, does it? The same goes for your clothes, your jewelry, your gadgets, your house - all of a sudden, they're not nearly as important as they once seemed.

We can and should enjoy what God has graciously given us. He "richly provides us with everything to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17). It's not that the good things of the earth are bad. But what we have in God is so delightful, so rich, that coming to know Him is like discovering a treasure hidden in a field. That treasure so enraptures us that in our joy, we do whatever it takes to get that field and the delights it contains (Matthew 13:44).

Without the treasure we have in God, as Psalm 16 tells us, we ultimately have no other good. When we sit down to a bowl of cereal or oatmeal or whatever breakfast may be, in our minds we ought to be saying, Apart from You, Lord, I have no good thing. You're the one that made the grain to grow. You're the one who provides my food. When we get up and walk out of the door, and have health and strength to do so, who makes it possible for us to walk? When we lie on our beds at night and we can enter into the rest of the evening, who makes it possible?

You have no ability even to see these letters, to hold up this book, or to comprehend what you are reading apart from the enabling grace of God. Only He can preserve and sustain us. Only God gives to us "life and breath and everything" (Acts 17:25). In the end, we have no good apart from Him-but He has more than enough goodness to go around. He is the source of all our treasures - and He is Himself our greater treasure.

When you see Him as He truly is, your natural response will be to make Him the center of your life, around which revolve your thoughts, decisions, feelings, and actions. That is, you will say to Him, "You are my Lord," for in His presence "there is fullness of joy." and at His right hand are "pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). Where else would you possibly prefer to take refuge, and what else would you treasure more than Him?

MATTHEW 13:44-46

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 60-62; Acts 22

 FALAITE ‘AKOSI 1, 2025

SERVE WHERE HE HAS PLACED YOU

NGAUE MA’AE ‘EIKI ‘I HE POTU PE ‘OKU KE ‘I AI

ESTHER 4:13-14

"Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" 

‘ESETA 4:13-14

13 Toki fekau ‘e Motekiai ke nau foki kia ‘Ēseta mo e lea ko eni, ‘Oua te ke lau ‘i ho loto ko koe ‘oku ke ngali hao ‘i he kau Siu kotoa ko ho‘o ‘i he fale ‘o e tu‘i. 14 He kapau te ke mātu‘aki fakalongo ‘i he taimi ni, ‘e tupu ma‘a e kakai Siu ha fakahaofi mo ha fakamo‘ui mei ha potu kehe, ka ko koe mo e fale ‘o ho‘o tamai ‘e ‘auha: pea na‘a kuo ke a‘u ki ho tu‘unga fakapule‘anga koe‘uhi pē ko ha taimi pehē. 

When Esther hesitated to speak to King Ahasuerus about Haman's plot against the Jews, Mordecai's response was, to quote one commentator, "grounded in the reality and necessity of God's intervention." He knew that God would keep His covenant promise and could raise up someone else if Esther chose to keep silent. Yet Mordecai also asked Esther to consider whether God had placed her in the right place at the right time to act on behalf of her people. She had won the beauty pageant and become queen, but she hadn't been responsible for putting her nose on her face or determining the color of her eyes or the length of her legs. God had done all of that. Mordecai didn't claim certain inside knowledge of the will of God, but he did realize that God had put Esther in a unique position and that He may well have done so for a unique purpose.

Although it may not always feel like it, God has also put each of us in a unique position for a unique purpose. He has us exactly where He wants us, positioned perfectly for "good works, which God prepared beforehand" (Ephesians 2:10). So, instead of wishing for a new job, location, or abilities so that we can get on with our own big, overarching plan, we need to recognize that God's plan may very well involve simply doing what we're already doing, to His glory.

There is no ideal place in which to serve God except the place where He has set you down - wherever it is. Such a perspective transforms sweeping a floor into divine activity. You may not be a queen like Esther, but your role matters. That's a tremendous liberation from the fear that life is happening somewhere else, and a tremendous motivation to get on with obeying God here and now! Wherever God has placed you, respond today in obedience to His foreordained purposes. As you go to your office, to your school, or throughout your town, neighborhood, or city, let the words of this hymn become your prayer:

Forth in Thy name, O Lord, I go,

My daily labor to pursue,

Thee, only Thee, resolved to know

In all I think, or speak, or do.

The task Thy wisdom hath assigned

O let me cheerfully fulfill,

In all my works Thy presence find,

And prove Thy good and perfect will.

[Charles Wesley, "Forth in Thy Name, O Lord" (1749).]

1 CORINTHIANS 7:25-35

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 57-59; Acts 21:18-40

 TU‘APULELULIU SIULAI 31, 2025

BRINGING OUT THE BEST IN PEOPLE

HOKO KE NE FAKAE‘A ‘A E LOTO TO‘A ‘I HA TAHA

ESTHER 4:10-11

"Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 'All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law - to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days." 

‘ESETA 4:10-11

10 Pea tali ‘e ‘Ēseta kia Hātaki, ‘o tuku ‘ene fekau kia Motekiai, ‘o pehē, 11 ‘Oku lāu‘ilo ‘a e kau tamaio‘eiki ‘a e tu‘i, mo e kakai ‘o hono ngaahi vahefonua, ka ‘ilonga ha taha–ha tangata pe fefine–‘a ia te ne a‘u atu ki he tu‘i, ki he loto‘ā loto, te‘eki ke ui mai ‘e he tu‘i, ‘oku taha pē ‘a e lao ki ai, ke ne mate, ngata pē ‘i ha taha ‘e mafao atu ki ai ‘e he tu‘i ‘a e sēpita koula, ka ne mo‘ui: ka ko au kuo ‘aho tolungofulu mo e ‘ikai ui mai au ke u ‘alu ki he tu‘i.

Mordecai had made a big request of Esther: "to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people" (Esther 4:8). Esther basically responded, easy for you to say! You're not the one doing this! Many of us respond similarly when there is some great drama before us, adventure awaiting us, or challenge confronting us. We tend to put on the brakes and insist. "Let's not get carried away. Let's use our minds and be sensible."

It was risky for Esther to do what Mordecai was asking of her. The likelihood of Esther losing her head was significant. The only chance of pulling off such a scheme was if the king indicated his approval by holding out his golden scepter - and Esther was not hopeful. She didn't feel she had special access or leverage to go in uninvited, as she had recently slipped down the list of the king's desirables.

Esther recognized that Mordecai and the Jewish people had a major problem, but, at least at first, she didn't see herself included in that problem. She was not going to play the beauty card or the queen card. Frankly, she didn't want to play any card. The cost of getting involved was too great.

We can be encouraged by the faintheartedness of Esther. When the word of Haman's plot reached her, she was not enthusiastic about taking the initiative on behalf of God's people. If we're honest, we see our own hearts in her response. Most of us are reluctant to step up and to put our reputations or comforts or incomes (let alone our lives) in jeopardy for the living God and for His people. We tend to echo Esther's instinctive reaction: "I'm not doing that. I'm not going there."

Nevertheless, God didn't set Esther aside. Esther would go to the king, and Esther would be the means by which God's people would be saved. God brings the best out of people in order to achieve His purposes, even when we say no at the outset. It's remarkable! Be encouraged, then, to go and do what you know God is asking of you, even when-indeed, especially when you feel fainthearted.

ACTS 1:4-11

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 54-56; Acts 21:1-17

 PULELULU SIULAI 30, 2025

LEAVING THE SHADOWLANDS

MAVAHE MEI HE POTU ‘OKU TE TOITOI AI

ESTHER 4:8

"Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people." 

‘ESETA 4:8

Na‘a ne ‘ange foki kiate ia ‘a e hiki ‘o e tohi tu‘utu‘uni kuo tufa ‘i Sūsani ke faka‘auha kinautolu, ke sio ki ai ‘a ‘Ēseta, pea ke fakahinohino kiate ia; pea ke fonosi ia ke ‘alu ki he tu‘i, ‘o hū, ‘o kole tonu ‘i hono fofonga telia hono kakai.

“Her people." The secret was out. Esther was the woman who won the beauty pageant, became queen to the most powerful king in the known world, and kept her true identity concealed for years. Yet if no one had known before, Hathach the eunuch now knew that the queen was a Jew. She and her family were included in the edict of extermination. Esther's identity had been flushed out, not as a result of God intervening with a burning bush, a miraculous sign, or a dramatic voice from heaven but by a message from her cousin.

The queen was confronted with a situation that called for her to leave the shadowlands behind and reveal who she was, what she believed, and to whom she belonged. In her private world she knew she was a Jew, part of the covenant family of God, but she had been living in a public world where that fact remained undisclosed. Privately she had one identity, but publicly she had another - and now circumstances had brought her to the moment when she would have to determine who she would be. Was her identity primarily in being a queen of Persia or in being a woman of God?

Some of us are confronted by that very same predicament: we've got a private little world, we believe the gospel in our hearts, and we're in church on a Sunday, but there's no one in our office, on our streets, or anywhere around us who knows. And then the moment comes when private and public cannot be kept apart: a note from a friend, a call from your mom, a conversation with your business colleague, or a seemingly random interaction brings you to a moment when you must choose which side of the fence you will live on. The ancient words of Joshua challenge you: "Choose this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15). For ultimately, a private faith that never reveals itself publicly is not a true and living faith at all. If our allegiance to King Jesus is real, it must be public.

So perhaps this verse and this page bring you to your moment of challenge. Perhaps today you find yourself in the shadowlands between two worlds, and you know that you are being challenged to declare boldly, in the place where you have been keeping it private, "This is who I am, this is where I belong, and this is what I believe." Will you do that? God is worthy of nothing less than your full, open devotion.

ACTS 5:17-42

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 51-53; Acts 20:17-38

 TUSITE SIULAI 29, 2025

CALLED TO ACTION

TAMA TONGA, TU‘U ‘O NGĀUE

ESTHER 4:7-8

"Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people." 

‘ESETA 4:7-8

7 Pea fakahā ki ai ‘e Motekiai ‘a e me‘a kotoa pē kuo hoko kiate ia, pea mo e mahu‘inga ‘o e siliva kuo tala‘ofa ‘e Hāmani te ne fakahū ki he ngaahi fale koloa ‘o e tu‘i, koe‘uhi ko e faka‘auha ‘o e kakai Siu. 8 Na‘a ne ‘ange foki kiate ia ‘a e hiki ‘o e tohi tu‘utu‘uni kuo tufa ‘i Sūsani ke faka‘auha kinautolu, ke sio ki ai ‘a ‘Ēseta, pea ke fakahinohino kiate ia; pea ke fonosi ia ke ‘alu ki he tu‘i, ‘o hū, ‘o kole tonu ‘i hono fofonga telia hono kakai.

Mordecai regularly walked up and down the streets outside the entrance to King Ahasuerus's gate in order that he might pick up snippets of information and hear the latest news. What he heard on the day described in these verses, however, was irregularly distressing: the Persian Empire was about to drive the Jewish people to extinction.

His cousin, Queen Esther, wasn't around the city gates. She was isolated in her palace and had no clue about what was going on. When the news reached her that the Jews, including Mordecai, were mourning, fasting, and weeping, she responded with compassion, but she was in the dark as to the nature of the problem (Esther 4:3-5).

Though one understood the gravity of the situation and the other was at this point unaware, both Mordecai and Esther were confronted with weighty questions. How was a man like Mordecai to hold the line as both a believer in God and a significant subject of the king? Was he helpless against the tyranny of the Persian Empire, or could he make a difference and change the course of events? How was Esther, who had been taken into the king's bed, to navigate the fact that she had a Persian name and a Jewish name? Would she identify with God's people? Or would she choose to live in the splendid isolation that was afforded her in the palace?

Ultimately, Mordecai did not just sit back. He attracted the attention of Esther's companions and helped her to understand what was happening and the role she could play. Esther chose to sacrifice her comfort, and possibly her life, to risk intervening on behalf of God's people. Both understood that the providence and sovereignty of God do not relieve believers of their responsibility to do what is right and use whatever influence they have on behalf of His people.

As people believing in God's providence, then, how should we live in a world that is opposed to the gospel? At times, we may feel that we are helpless to effect any change in a culture that seeks to undercut our faith. We may also simply prefer the comfort of naivety, isolating ourselves from society by talking only with other believers, reading only Christian books, and watching only "faith-based" movies or TV shows. But God's providence doesn't call for inactivity. It calls for activity. For God's providence is often worked out for and good. Today, as you read your Bible, seek to understand how it relates to the current events of your world. And ask God's Spirit to show you how He might be calling you to step out in faith, take risks, and speak up, for the sake of the gospel and the people of God. 

MARK 6:14-29

Bible Through The Year: Psalms 49-50; Acts 20:1-15