MONITE SUNE 15, 2026

SAAME 40-45; MATIU 5:1-12

Your body always moves toward what your heart has been longing for.

‘Oku nga’unu ma’u pe ho sino ki he me’a ‘oku hohoi ki ai ho loto.

If I could eavesdrop on the longings of your heart, what would I hear? Maybe you're single and long for the lifelong companionship of marriage. Maybe you have a job, but what you long for is a satisfying career. Perhaps in the midst of extended family chaos, you long for the sweetness of family peace. Maybe you're sick and long for physical health and strength. Perhaps you long for enough money to pay your bills or to afford a dependable car. You may be a student who longs for success in your upcoming exams. Our hearts are never free from longing and, as the Bible reveals, our bodies follow after the longings of our hearts.

Psalm 42 is about the beautiful and life-giving longing that God designed to rule our hearts and shape how we live. What is this longing? It is longing for God himself. Longing for God involves longing for his presence, his fellowship, his wise rule, his rescuing grace, and the gathering of others who long for him as well. But in order to long for God, grace must first inspire and empower that longing. At the center of what sin is and does is a longing to be God. This desire goes all the way back to the fall in the garden of Eden. And because we are born in sin, we are born with idolatrous longing. Rather than naturally longing for God, we long for his position, power, and rule. We all need grace to rescue us from idolatry of self, so that our hearts may reach up to the one who first reached down to us.

Psalm 42 is both convicting and encouraging:

As a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you,

My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

O God.

When shall I come and appear before God?

My tears have been my food

day and night.

while they say to me all the day long,

"Where is your God?"

These things I remember,

as I pour out my soul:

how I would go with the throng

and lead them in procession to the house of God

with glad shouts and songs of praise.

a multitude keeping festival. (Ps. 42:1-4)

Be honest today: Do you hunger after and long for God? Are you like a parched deer, panting for water? Does longing for God propel your devotional life, your relationships, and your participation in public worship? Longing for God will always produce love for the people of God and joyful participation in  the public worship of God.

If you lack that longing, remember that Jesus came to restore what sin robbed you of. Pray that God would place longing for him in your heart. God delights when his people long for him, so he delights in answering our prayers  for that longing.

 SAPATE SUNE 14, 2026

SAAME 36-39; KALETIA 6:6-10

Willing and humble patience is a significant aspect of faith in God.

Ko e loto ke fa’a tatali ‘i he angavaivai ko e konga lahi ia ‘o e tui ki he ‘Otua.

In his infinite wisdom, God faithfully delivers, in his own time, what he has ordained and promised. God's timing is never wrong. Not only does he give us what is best, but he gives it at the very best time. This means that if, by faith, we place our lives in God's hands, then we must be willing to wait. Waiting is an essential element of biblical faith. This is hard for me. For reasons I don't completely understand, I am very time-oriented. I hate being stuck in traffic. I don't like waiting in long lines. I dislike waiting for my name to be called in the waiting room of a doctor's office. I have a hard time being patient as I am waiting to go somewhere with my wife and she is not quite ready. I do understand that impatience is prideful. It puts my needs, wants, and schedule first. Impatience is frustrated self-sovereignty, a desire for greater control over people and situations than God designed us to have.

Because patience is such a significant function of biblical faith, and because it is a personal struggle for me, I have found Psalm 37 to be both convicting and motivating:

Fret not yourself because of evildoers;

be not envious of wrongdoers!

For they will soon fade like the grass

and wither like the green herb.

Trust in the LORD, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the LORD,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in him, and he will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;

fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,

over the man who carries out evil devices!

Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

For the evildoers shall be cut off,

but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land. (Ps. 37:1-9)

What does waiting look like? It looks like not giving in to fear even when it seems as though the bad guys are winning. It looks like not envying the prosperity of those who break God's rules. It looks like delighting in the Lord while you are waiting. It looks like willingly committing your life to the wise rule of the Lord. It looks like not giving way to anger and believing that God blesses those who are willing to wait. Now, none of these aspects of waiting is natural for us. So, in order to wait with joyful, fear-free patience, we need God to meet us and empower us with his grace. If waiting is an essential aspect of true faith, then it is also a fruit of divine grace.

So, we wait. Ultimately, we wait for the fulfillment of the promise that we will be with our Savior face-to-face.

 TOKONAKI SUNE 13, 2026

SAAME 32-35; SAAME 103:6-14

As a child of God, you receive the blessing of complete and final forgiveness.

‘I ho’o hoko ko e taha ‘o e fanau ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘oku ke ma’u ‘a e tapuaki ‘o e fakamolemole kakato mo aofangatuku ‘a e ‘Otua.

What is the biggest blessing in your life? I know that I have been blessed in many ways. I have been blessed with a long-term marriage to my hero, my counselor, and my best friend, Luella. I cannot imagine what my life would have been without her. I have been blessed with four children, now adults, and the relationships of love we share with them. I have been blessed with six wonderful grandchildren. I have been blessed with a ministry life that has been more motivating and exciting than I ever could have dreamed. I have been blessed to always have food to eat and homes in which to stay. I have been blessed to be in wonderful churches that are committed to the gospel. I have been blessed with many faithful friends. I could go on and on with the undeserved and unearned blessings in my life, but one blessing is so amazing and life-transforming that I will celebrate it for the rest of eternity. This blessing gets me up in the morning and gives me hope. It has captured my heart and set the direction for my personal life and my ministry life.

What is this amazing blessing that outshines every other on my list? Psalm 32 captures it well:

I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I did not cover my iniquity;

I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"

and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Selah (Ps. 32:5)

We are all born in a condition so deep, dark, and destructive that it always leads to death. This darkness pervades every aspect of our personhood. We have no power whatsoever to escape it. It captures our heart and controls every thought and desire. It is the cause of every moral and relational human dysfunction. It makes life hard and sad. Sin is the worst thing that could have ever happened to us. Therefore, God's forgiveness is the best thing that could ever happen to us.

David uses three words to characterize this dark condition: sin, which is falling short of God's holy standard; transgression, which is the rebellion that causes us to step over God's boundaries; and iniquity, which is moral uncleanness. 

God's forgiveness covers each aspect of what sin is and what sin does. It's an amazing blessing that we don't have to work to clean ourselves up or try to make ourselves acceptable to God in order to earn his forgiveness. No, he meets us as we are, asking us to come to him with humble words of confession and trust his forgiving mercies. Minimizing, denying, or excusing our sin never defeats it. Arguing for our own righteousness has never made us righteous. Comparing ourselves to others never breaks the hold that sin has on us. Our only hope in the face of this terminal disease is divine forgiveness. Psalm 32 looks forward to how that forgiveness will be finally secured for us by Jesus.

 FALAITE SUNE 12, 2026

SAAME 26-31; KOLOSE 2:6-10 

Theology can be deeply personal. It concerns our identity, our need, our provision, and our hope for the future.

Ko e Teolosia, ‘oku ‘i ai ‘ene fekau’aki vaofi mo kitautolu. ‘Oku lave ki hotau tu’unga fakaetangata, ‘etau fiema’u, tokonaki mo ‘etau ‘amanaki ki he kaha’uu.

Many believers associate the word doctrine with academics, intellectuals, and seminary students. They think of abstract theological concepts discussed and debated by the Christian elite. A counselee once told me, "Don't lecture me with that doctrinal stuff. Just tell me how Jesus can help me." She failed to understand that nothing is more practical for daily living, times of suffering, and spiritual struggles than the theology we find in the word of God. The beautiful doctrines presented in God's word are intensely personal. They help us think through who we are, why we do the things we do, how we should live, and how our hearts and lives can change. Most importantly, those doctrines introduce us to our Creator, our Lord and Savior, for whom we are meant to live and in whom we find redemption and eternal hope.

In reality, everyone is a theologian. Everyone seeks to make sense out of life. Everyone develops an identity and assigns meaning to life. Everyone carries around a system of "doctrine" that helps us interpret and respond to situations and relationships. You get your theology either from the Bible or from somewhere else, but you have a theology. Psalm 27 is one of my favorite psalms. Consider the theology of the first verse:

The LORD is my light and my salvation;

whom shall I fear?

The LORD is the stronghold of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid? (Ps. 27:1)

David wrote Psalm 27 when he was in the middle of heart-crushing trouble. He was trying to escape either the jealous anger of Saul or the violent betrayal of his son Absalom. But Psalm 27 doesn't begin with trouble; it begins with theology. In times of trouble, theology is meant to be our comfort and guide. We also see how doctrine is presented in this psalm. David doesn't say the Lord is light, the Lord is salvation, or the Lord is a stronghold, as though these doctrines are distant and removed from David's life. No, he writes, "The LORD is my light… the LORD is my salvation... the LORD is the stronghold of my salvation." These truths are deeply personal for David. They define his identity and depict where his help and hope are found. He is saying, "I have been connected to this glorious one by grace, and therefore he is all of these things for me." The theology expressed in Scripture introduces us to the one in whom life is found. It gives life to all who put their trust in the one who sits at the center of every doctrine in the word of God.

 TU’APULELULU SUNE 11, 2026

SAAME 21-25; HEPELU 4:14-16

The Bible graphically depicts the hardships of life in this fallen world, assuring us that God sees, knows, and understands our suffering.

‘Oku fakamatala kakato ‘e he Tohitapu ‘a e faingata’a ‘o e mamani ‘oku uesia ‘e he angahala, ka ‘oku ne fakamo’oni mai, ‘oku fofonga mai ‘a e ‘Otua, mo ne tokaima’ananga ‘a ‘etau faingata’a’iaa.

When suffering enters our door when we are weakened and distressed by the unexpected, the unplanned, the unwanted-we are susceptible to listening to the lies of the enemy. One lie is that we have been singled out; that is, that our suffering is unique. This is the lie that God has favorites, and we are not one of them. Another lie comes in the form of a question: "Where is your God now?" This is the lie that God has abandoned us and doesn't always keep his promises. In our moments of weakness, the enemy wants us to doubt the love, goodness, and covenant faithfulness of the Lord. The enemy knows that when we begin to doubt God's goodness, we stop going to him for help, because we seek help only from someone whom we know we can trust. If we doubt the love of God, then we won't follow him by faith.

In its honesty about the dangers, hardships, and trials of life in our broken world, the Bible silences these lies. Over and over, the Bible shows us the struggles of people like you and me. Scripture doesn't give us a sanitized depiction of life, one free of disappointments and hardships. This assures us that God sees, knows, understands, and cares about what we are going through. He reminds us that his promises do not depict some unreal world that none of us live in. Rather, he gives us hope in the middle of the real world of hardship. One place where the cries of the sufferer are graphically depicted is Psalm 22:

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest....

I am poured out like water,

and all my bones are out of joint;

my heart is like wax;

it is melted within my breast;

my strength is dried up like a potsherd,

and my tongue sticks to my jaws;

you lay me in the dust of death. (Ps. 22:1-2, 14-15)

Psalm 22 not only accurately depicts our struggles in times of hardship; it also welcomes us to take our cries to our Lord. Jesus applies this psalm to himself, reminding us that he is one with us in our suffering (Matt. 27:46; Heb. 5:7), But there is more. Jesus came to earth, willing to suffer on our behalf, to purchase for us the guarantee that someday we would suffer no more. In him we find comfort as we suffer now and hope for a future when we will be free from suffering forever.

 PULELULU SUNE 10, 2026

SAAME 17-20; SIONE 15:16-17

You can pray that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the thoughts and desires of your heart would be completely acceptable to your Lord.

‘Oku malava ke ke lotu, ‘i he ivi ‘o e Laumalie Ma’oni’oni, ke hoa ‘a e fakakaukau mo e holi ‘a ho loto pea mo e finangalo ‘o e ‘Otua.

Prayer can be a fickle and deceptive thing. Though prayer appears to be a pure act of faith in God - speaking words to one you cannot see or hear - it can also be an occasion for our idols to rear their ugly heads. Prayer empty of praise and worship, lacking confession of sin, devoid of an attitude of surrender, and dominated by a list of wants and desires is shaped by something other than devotion to God. Prayer is not about bringing your list of wants or perceived needs to God and asking him to sign off. No, prayer is surrendering all your wants and desires to the perfect plan and will of your heavenly Father. Often in prayer, worship and service of the Creator battle with worship and service of the creation. In prayer, do you sit in restful awe of your Lord, gazing upon his beauty and placing your life in his hands? Does a surrender to his perfect will shape the way you bring your requests to him? Do you long for his kingdom to come and his will to be done right here, right now-in your marriage, at work, in your friendships, with your money, in your children, and in your home-as it is in heaven?

Because prayer is spiritual warfare, we do well to echo the words of Psalm 19:14:

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (Ps. 19:14)

This simple prayer goes right to the core of our spiritual battles. We live out of the heart. That which rules your heart exercises inescapable influence over your thoughts, desires, choices, words, and actions. A God-honoring life does not begin with acts of obedience. Godward living results from a heart captured by love for and worship of God. Your mouth goes where your heart has already gone. Your choices are the result of the desires and decisions of your heart. We honor God when we ask him to recast every meditation of our heart so that they will be acceptable to him, by his grace.

We pray this because, on our own, we cannot create hearts that are acceptable to God. We pray for rescuing, forgiving, transforming, and delivering grace. But something more needs to be said about Psalm 19:14. This prayer cries out for and has its perfect fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus. His heart was perfectly acceptable to his Father all of the time and in every way. And he lived this way for us. In the perfection of Jesus, we are made perfectly acceptable to our heavenly Father. So, as you pray for a heart that is acceptable to God, rest in the acceptance that is yours because of the perfect life, acceptable sacrifice, and victorious resurrection of his son, Jesus.

 TUSITE SUNE 9, 2026

SAAME 9-16; ‘EMOSI 5:18-24

The Lord, who rules over everything, is perfectly just all the time and in every way. Therefore, justice and righteousness will never end.

Ko e ‘Otua ‘oku pule ki he me’a kotoaa, ‘oku haohaoa ma’u pe ‘ene tu’utu’uni ‘i he tapa kotoa pe. Pea ko ia ai, ko ‘ene faitotonu mo ‘ene haohaoa ‘e ‘ikai ngata.

In the heart of every human is a desire for justice. All of us have felt the pain of injustice. A child sees someone cheat in a game on the school playground and "That's not fair." A worker gets accused by his boss of doing something he says, did not do. A person is rejected because of his skin color and wonders how he will ever escape racial injustice. An elderly woman is cast aside because of her age. A family arrives home from vacation to discover that they've been robbed. A man living in poverty feels as though everything is against him, making success impossible. A family attends the funeral of a dad and husband who lost his life because of a drunk driver. A wife watches her unfaithful husband build a new life that seems much easier and better than the one she's left with. A criminal system is too light on crime, and the bad guys seem to win while the good guys struggle.

We all have moments when we cry out for justice. We all wish that right would win more often. When you read the Psalms, you find your cries for justice there. I often think that the book of Psalms is in the Bible to keep us honest about the true nature of faith between the "already" and the "not yet." The grittiness of faith - its doubts and fears, its battles and enemies, and its dark valleys and mountain peaks - is graphically depicted in the Psalms Here we are confronted with the fact that a life of faith isn't easy; it's more of an arduous journey than a paid vacation. But the book of Psalms, with all of its stark realism, doesn't leave us discouraged, depressed, or hopeless. It doesn't ask you to deny reality, nor does it allow you to let the fallenness of this sin-scarred world dominate your meditation, because in the middle of all the realism is a God of righteousness, justice, and grace. Psalm 9:7-9 makes this very clear:

The LORD sits enthroned forever;

he has established his throne for justice,

and he judges the world with righteousness;

he judges the peoples with uprightness.

The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

Justice can be found, because the Lord of lords has established his throne for justice. Even if we can't always see his justice, he judges his world in righteousness and, because he does, he is a stronghold of safety for his people. Your cries for justice are heard, and there will be a glorious day when righteousness will win. Don't give up. God will act in righteousness on behalf of the children of his love.