SAPATE MA’ASI 15, 2026

SIOSIUA 16-18; HEPELU 11:1-3

Hope in the Lord is not a wish or a dream. It is a confident expectation of a guaranteed result.

Ko e ‘Amanaki ‘i he ‘Otua ‘oku ‘ikai ko ha faka’amu pe ko ha misi. Ko e fakana’una’u pau ‘o ha ola kuo ‘osi sila’i.

What gets me up in the morning is not that I think I have the wisdom, gifts, strength, and character to forge a good life for my family and myself. No, what gets me up in the morning are the promises of God. I wake up every morning with an unshakable joy; no matter what is going on, I am absolutely sure that God will do for me what he has promised. So morning after morning I reach up my hands and grab hold of what God has promised, and I do  not let go until I am asleep. The following are just a few of the things God has promised me:

He will never leave or forsake me.

His Spirit will live inside of me, to convict me of sin and empower me to

obey.

He will supply everything I need.

He is ruling over all things for the sake of his people.

He has forgiven and will forgive my sins.

He will give me strength.

He will give me rest.

He will bring good out of hardship.

He will never fail.

He will give me wisdom.

He will finally defeat sin and death.

He will reserve a place for me in the new heavens and new earth. 

These promises of God get me up and give me hope and joy morning after morning. Because I cling to God, I cling to his promises every day. And I therefore don't find Joshua 16-18 boring at all. As I read about allotment after allotment of the promised land to the tribes of Israel, I feel peace and joy. You see, God recorded and preserved these passages for us with loving intentionality. We see that he will never forget, ignore, or turn his back on his promises. He will faithfully deliver just what he has said he will deliver. He will do for his people things that are so wonderful and amazing that they will never be able to say they deserved them or to take credit for them. We stand in amazement and wonder as we see Israel march through and possess the land in the power of God, just as he promised they would. Here is divine demonstration of sovereign power and authority, a rule and a power that cannot be stopped. Equally important, here is God's unfailing faithfulness. In a world where few things are sure and things and people fail us, it is so good to know that God never fails. The tribes of Israel settle into their particular place in the promised land because God rules, and he is faithful.

There is a greater promise than the land of promise. Back in Genesis 3 God promised a conquering Savior who would crush the head of the enemy. Jesus came, because God is faithful. He conquered sin and death in his life, death, and resurrection. In him you find everything you need and a destiny that is secure. God makes promises. He always fulfills them, and that changes everything. So get up, reach out, and grab his promises; don't let go, but go out and live with hope.

 TOKONAKI MA’ASI 14, 2026

SIOSIUA 12-15; SAAME 2:1-12

In times that you wonder what God is doing, it's important to remember that he will unleash his power for the defense, protection, and guidance of his children.

‘I he taimi ‘oku ke fifili ai ki he ngaue ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘oku mahu’inga ke ke manatu’i, te ne tuku mai hono ivi mafimafi ke fai tau, malu’i mo tataki ‘a ‘Ene fanau.

We all go through times when God seems distant, passive, and maybe even uncaring. In these moments we can be tempted to believe that God has forgotten his promises to us or, even worse, has forgotten us. We may even get to the point at which we wonder whether God is who he's declared himself to be. In our fear, discouragement, and doubt, we may begin to wander away from him. We may begin to let go of habits of personal devotion and prayer, wondering what good they do. When we're in a spiritual desert or experiencing a dark night of the soul, we are susceptible to hearing the lie of the enemy, as Adam and Eve did in the garden. It is always the same lie: there is something better out there than trusting, worshiping, and obeying the Lord.

I am deeply persuaded that biblical history - and what it reveals of the glory of God's character, plan, and work on behalf of his people - is designed to speak with wisdom and hope when we are about to lose hope. In those moments, we need a fresh vision of the glory of God working on behalf of his people. When God's glory is clouded, we all need something that will break through the clouds. Joshua 12 is that kind of cloud-bursting passage. Stand back and take time to consider what it says about the power of God and his work for his people: 

And these are the kings of the land whom Joshua and the people of Israel defeated on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal-gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, that rises toward Seir (and Joshua gave their land to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their allotments,...): the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one. (Josh. 12:7,9-18)

You may be thinking, "Paul, what in the world does this have to do with the hard thing I'm facing right now?" This passage should blow your mind and fill your heart with hope. King after king after king was defeated - not by Joshua and the Israelite army alone, but by the power of God. God will do whatever is in his almighty power to provide for, protect, and defeat the enemies necessary of his people. The ultimate example of this is Jesus, who came in divine power to defeat the ultimate enemies of sin and death, and is fighting now for you.

 FALAITE MA’ASI 13, 2026

SIOSIUA 9-11; NGAUE 20:17-24

God's sovereignty over everything, everywhere, all of the time isn't an invitation for you to live a passive life.

Ko e Aoniu ‘a e ‘Otua ‘i he me’a kotoa pe, mo e potu kotoa pe, ‘i he taimi kotoa pe, ‘oku ‘ikai ko ha fakaafe ia kia koe ke ke nofo noa.

As we read through Old Testament history, we discover that the most important element in all that has been recorded and preserved for us is God's consistent revelation of himself. In these stories he reveals his wisdom, power, love, faithfulness, holiness, sovereignty, and patience. In these stories he progressively unfolds his redemptive plan. He reveals that he is willing to forgive, but there must be a sacrifice for sin. He shows that he will make a way for sinners to dwell in his presence and that he will be faithful to deliver every one of his promises. The Old Testament story is a divine glory display pointing to the Savior, Jesus.

Joshua 10:8 is one of many divine glory-revealing passages. It reveals something significant about who our God is, but it also reveals something important about who God designs us to be. God called Joshua to lead the Israelite army into battle against the five kings of the Amorites. Any sane leader would be a bit afraid when considering this task, but pay attention to what God said to Joshua: "Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you."

Do you see the stunning glory of God in this passage? These verses reveal the sovereignty of God in a way that should leave us in awe. God didn't say to Joshua, "Don't be afraid; I will be there for you." No, he said, "I have given them into your hands." Past tense. This means not only that God had decided, before the foundations of the earth were laid in place, to unleash his power in defense of his people, but also that his sovereign rule is specific to a certain time, place, and people. God wrote into his divine plan Joshua's victory over these particular kings in this particular place and at this specific moment before there was a Joshua, Amorite kings, or a land of promise. God really does rule with specificity over all things for the sake of his own.

But something else is important to see in this account. Even though God had determined the outcome, he still called Joshua to do battle. God's sovereignty is no reason for our passivity. No, God exercises his sovereign rule through the vehicle of valid human choices and actions. It's not the sovereignty of God or the responsibility of people. It's both operating together to deliver God's preordained plan. God in his sovereign plan pours out his grace on us, while he calls us to trust, obey, and follow. The way to rest in his sovereignty is to give ourselves actively to what he has called us to do.

 TU’APULELULU MA’ASI 12, 2026

SIOSIUA 5-8; MATIU 4:1-11 

What do you do when the thing that God is calling you to do seems absurd?

Ko e ha ho’o me’a ‘e fai kapau ‘oku ngali kehe ‘a e me’a ‘oku ui koe ‘e he ‘Otua ke ke fakahoko?

It really is true that God's thoughts are not like our thoughts and his ways are very different from our ways.

I sat in my chair during a difficult and painful recovery from a surgery I had hoped to avoid. I was so weak that I could barely get out of that chair. I sat there doing nothing because medications had scrambled my brain enough that I couldn't do the writing I thought God had called me to do. It seemed absurd that at the moment of what I thought was my greatest gospel influence, I had been weakened almost to immobility and my world had shrunk to this chair in our loft in Philadelphia. On a human level, it didn't make any sense. I knew God wasn't toying with me. I knew him to be present, faithful, and right in every way. But I was impressed with the seeming absurdity of the moment.

Having read through the biblical narrative over the course of my life, I am tempted to write a book called Divine Absurdities. Please don't misunderstand the title. I don't think that God, in the complete perfection of his wisdom, ever thinks, says, or does anything absurd. But there are moments when God asks us to do something that, at a human level, seems absurd; that is, it's so hard for us to make sense of it that it leaves us confused or a bit scared. Biblical faith calls us to persevere through what may seem absurd and to hold on to our belief that God is holy and wise, that all of his ways are good, right, and true. If you stop at the absurd, you will abandon God's call and turn and run the other way.

Joshua 6 invites us to witness one of those seemingly absurd moments. God calls his children not to attack thick-walled Jericho with military strategy but to parade around it for seven days. On a human level, this doesn't make any sense. It seems like an act of military suicide. But God has a plan. On the seventh day, after the seventh time around the city, the Israelites blow their trumpets and scream at the top of their lungs. The walls collapse and the city is sacked. God's plan was to give his children a victory that they could not take credit for and, in so doing, to instill in them the belief that he would be present with them and that they would fight their battles in the promised land in his almighty power. The absurd was not absurd, but rather a gift of God's grace and glory.

The biblical narrative marches toward another moment that seems absurd. It seems absurd that the entire hope of humanity would rest on God becoming a man, living a perfect life, dying a substitutionary death, rising from the dead, and ascending in victory to sit at the right hand of the Father. But it wasn't absurd; it was the perfect plan, conceived before the earth began. By faith we embrace the plan, God-in-the-flesh, the ultimate gift and giver of grace.

 PULELULU MA’ASI 11, 2026

SIOSIUA 1-4; NGAUE 5:17-42

There is no greater act of courage than to obey the law of God, no matter the opposition, the rejection, or the hardships you face.

‘Oku ‘ikai mo ha toe ngaue loto to’a ‘e mahulu hake, ka ko ‘ete talangofua ki he lao ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘o tatau ai pe ‘a e fakafepaki, ta’e tali pe ko ha faingata’a ‘oku te fehangahangai mo ia. 

From age ten until about fourteen, I was obsessed with reading automobile-racing stories. It didn't matter what kind of racing, or whether the story was about race cars or race-car drivers. I was taken by the bravery of the drivers who committed themselves to this perilous sport. They faced dangerous conditions, endured physical injuries, and overcame discouraging defeats, but they never gave up. As an awkward middle schooler, I was amazed by their courage, and I wondered if I would have that kind of courage when I grew up.

God had chosen Joshua to lead Israel. This man would need loads of courage to accomplish what God had called him to do. Joshua had been chosen to lead difficult, often discontented people who were known to turn on their leader if they didn't like what they were experiencing. Joshua had been chosen to lead this group of people across the Jordan and into battle against the nations inhabiting the promised land. He had been called to be a wartime general leading an unhappy army into battle after battle. He would need courage for the internal and external battles he would face. I think it's important to recognize and understand how God defines that courage:

Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (Josh. 1:7-9)

God defines courage as obeying his law no matter what, never allowing yourself to stray away from it to the right or to the left. We are to bathe in God's law day and night, so that it controls the thoughts of our minds and the desires of our hearts. As I read Joshua's commission, conviction sets in and the Spirit leads me to confess that I often fall short of God's standard. But I am not without hope, because a greater Joshua was sent to us. He was perfectly courageous on our behalf. He went about his mission to defeat sin and death, facing opposition, rejection, and torment of soul and body, yet he never wavered. He perfectly measured up to God's standard of courage. We now stand before God as righteous because of the courageous righteousness of Jesus. That's very good news.

 TUSITE MA’ASI 10, 2026

DEUTERONOMY 32-34; Psalm 86:8-13

No one is like our God. Nothing compares to him. He is glorious beyond our ability to comprehend.

‘Oku ‘ikai ha taha ‘e tatau mo hotau ‘Otua. ‘Oku ‘ikai ha me’a ‘e ala fakatatau mo Ia. ‘Oku ope atu hono langilangi mo hono naunau ‘i hotau mafai ke tatae ‘a ‘Ene ‘Afio.

For a few summers I was a chaplain at a camp in the middle of Pennsylvania. The camp's ministry philosophy was to blow the campers away with the stunning glory of God in creation and give them an introduction to the glory of God as Savior. I loved my time there, as did my family. The camp was located in a valley between two mountain ranges. One afternoon I sat on the porch of the main building that overlooked the valley, and I watched dark clouds rise over the mountains as a storm began to build. In a few minutes the clouds broke, thunder roared, and lightning seemed to be everywhere. Rain came down with power like I had never seen before. I was transfixed, glued to my seat by the scary, thunderous glory I was viewing. The storm passed over us as quickly, as it had risen, the sky brightened, and we could hear claps of thunder in the distance as the storm dumped its glory on another valley. Those of us on the porch spontaneously applauded. We were all blown away by the power we had just experienced, but our applause was about something deeper. We knew that what we had seen was a minute glimpse of the glorious glory of the God behind the storm.

Moses's final act as the great leader of the children of Israel was to pronounce a blessing on each of the tribes of Israel. The great prayer/poem of Deuteronomy 33 builds to this crescendo:

There is none like God, O Jeshurun,

who rides through the heavens to your help,

through the skies in his majesty.

The eternal God is your dwelling place,

and underneath are the everlasting arms.

And he thrust out the enemy before you

and said, "Destroy."

So Israel lived in safety,

Jacob lived alone,

in a land of grain and wine,

whose heavens drop down dew.

Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you,

a people saved by the LORD. (Deut. 33:26-29)

Moses had witnessed incredible displays of divine glory. He had seen God unleash his power to deliver, protect, provide for, and guide the children of Israel. From the plagues in Egypt, to the water walls of the Red Sea, to the glory display on Sinai, to the cloud and pillar of fire, and finally to manna on the ground every morning, God had displayed his glory on behalf of Israel. Moses summarized all he had experienced with these two exultant statements: "There is none like God" and "Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD." 

May we who have experienced the redeeming grace of Christ Jesus start each morning with this twofold declaration: "There is no God like my God" and "I am happy today because I am among that great company of people who have  been saved by the Lord."

 MONITE MA’ASI 9, 2026

TEUTALONOME 30-31; ‘AISEA 40:28-31

Strength for the believer is not an independent accomplishment but rather the result of the presence and power of God.

Ko e ivi ki he tokotaha tui, ‘oku ‘ikai ko ha me’a na’a ne ngaue’i ‘iate ia pe, ka ko e ola ‘o e ivi mo e lotolotonga ‘o e ‘Otua.

Though the life, ministry, and leadership of Moses comes to an end, God does not leave his children leaderless. He raises up leader after leader, until the train of God-appointed leaders culminates with the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As you work your way through the Old Testament, you encounter three kinds of leaders God raises up and through whom he guides his children. Leading Israel are prophets, priests, and kings. These three offices would be fulfilled by Jesus, who is the final and eternal prophet, priest, and king for the children of God.

At the end of Deuteronomy, God's people are in a significant moment of transition. They are preparing to enter the promised land - but without Moses. Who will fill the vacuum that Moses leaves behind? What kind of man will be able to deal with the grumbling, complaining, fearful, God-doubting, and often rebellious Israelites? Who will be able to handle the internal trouble in the Israelite camp, while at the same time leading them to conquer the nations that inhabit the promised land? Who can do this with hope and courage?

God appoints Joshua as the next leader of the Israelite children, but not because Joshua is a giant among men. God does not employ people in his work because they are able, but because he is infinitely able. Listen to the words that accompany Joshua's calling:

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." (Deut. 31:7-8)

It is clear that God doesn't choose Joshua because he is independent, strong, and capable. Then why can Moses say to Joshua, "Be strong and courageous"? Here is why: Moses understands the promises, resources, and power of the Lord. God never sends his children to do a task without going with them. When God sends his children, he doesn't leave his promises behind. When God sends his children to do his work, he empowers them to do the work he has called them to do. When God sends his children, he never turns his back on them or leaves them to the small resources of their own strength. God's children can go forward fearlessly, doing what God has called them to do, for one reason only: he is with them in his glorious presence and power.

The promises of God's presence and power are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who took on flesh and exercised his power to do what we never could have done on our own-that is, defeat the enemies of sin and death. Remember: as you do what God calls you to do, you are never alone.