FALAITE MA’ASI 20, 2026

FAKAMAAU 6-7; ‘EKISOTO 4:1-17

Fear fails to rest in the power of the Lord and looks too much at the ability of oneself.

Ko e ilifiaa ko e ‘ikai nofo ma’u ‘ete falalaa ‘i he ivi ‘o e ‘Otua kae sio pe ki hoto mafai fakaetangata.

Judges 6 is a master class on the anatomy of fear.

Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor." And Gideon said to him, "Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian." And the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?" And he said to him, "Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." And the LORD said to him, "But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man." And he said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me." (Judg. 6:11-17)

Pay attention to how fear operates in the face of the call of the Lord. Let me set the scene for you. God calls Gideon, who is threshing wheat in a winepress, to lead Israel against the Midianites. You crush grapes in a winepress, but wheat needs to be threshed in an open, airy place so the wind can separate the grain from the chaff. Gideon is doing something inside that needed to be done outside, because he is afraid of the Midianites. God knows exactly who he is calling. God often chooses the most unlikely person to do the grandest thing, so that he gets the glory and not some human hero. Note how God greets this fearful man: "The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor." Because the Lord is with him, "mighty man of valor," is, in fact, Gideon's true potential. But Gideon misses the point entirely and is afraid for two reasons.

First, Gideon has come to doubt the presence, goodness, and faithfulness of the Lord, saying, "God, if you are with us, then why has all this bad stuff happened to us?" The defeat of Israel by the surrounding nations had nothing to do with the absence or weakness of the Lord; it was his discipline of Israel for their disobedience and idolatry. But a second thing contributes to Gideon's fear. He looks too much to his own experience and ability. "Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least of my father's house." Here's the plan. God calls the weak to be vessels for the display of his power, so that he will get glory and our hearts will turn to worship him. 

 TU’APULELULU MA’ASI 19, 2026

FAKAMAAU 3-5; SELEMAIA 2:10-13

Nothing is sadder than when we exchange worship and service of the Lord for one of an endless catalog of God-replacements.

‘Oku ‘ikai mo ha toe me’a fakaloloma ange ka ko ‘etau fakafetongi ‘a e hu mo e tauhi ki he ‘Otua ‘aki ‘a e ngaahi me’a fakamatelie kehekehe.

It is heartbreaking how blind and foolish we can be. It is sad to think of how we are often content to make bad moral bargains. It is hard to think about the times when we are willing to exchange God's good thing for the world's bad thing. It is sad to watch someone grab hold of a temporary pleasure while letting go of eternal gain. It is tough to see someone begin to think of the enemy's lies as trustworthy while doubting God's truth. It is clear that the drama of the human community and of human history is all about one thing: worship.

The most significant function of any human being is his capacity for worship. Every human being is a worshiper. I don't mean this in the formal, religious sense. The most irreligious person is a worshiper, because that's how God designed him. This worship capacity is meant to drive us to the Lord, to offer ourselves to him, and to find our identity, meaning, purpose, and rest in him. Being a worshiper means you will always give over the rule of your heart, the causal core of your personhood, to something. Whatever controls your heart will then shape your thoughts, desires, choices, words, and actions. Nothing is more life-dominating than worship.

The children of Israel were blessed to be chosen to be the people of God. God blessed them with his presence, his grace, and his love. He poured out his almighty power to deliver, provide for, guide, and protect them. He made a way for their sins to be forgiven. He gave them his wise and holy law so that they would know how to live. He exposed them to his glorious glory. Quite apart from what they deserved, he lavished these blessings on them. They were set apart from all the other nations on earth to be his children, his possession. It's hard to overstate the generosity of the blessing that God poured down on them. And in the display of his glory, God made it clear that there is no God like him. You might think that God had done so much for his children that they wouldn't even think of serving other gods. But then we come to one of the saddest verses in the Old Testament: "And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods" (Judg. 3:6). Let the sadness of these words grip you: "They served their gods." They turned their backs on the God of glory and grace (who had placed his love on them and led them into Canaan) for gods of wood and stone, completely lacking life, love, or power. This idolatry, the epicenter of sin, is the sad drama of the human condition, and it is the reason for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. He came to rescue us from us, and to free us from the bondage of the idolatry of our own hearts in order to worship God and God alone.

 PULELULU MA’ASI 18, 2026

FAKAMAAU 1-2; FILIPAI 2:1-11

The problem with partial obedience is that it is disobedience masquerading as obedience.

Ko e palopalema ‘o e talangofua fakakonga, he ko e talangata’a pe ia ka ‘oku fakapuli ko e talangofua.

Do you find joy in obeying your Lord? Do you treasure his commands? Do you recognize the protective wisdom of the boundaries he has set for you? Do you really believe that God's way is always the best way? Do you pick and choose which commands you obey? Are there moments when your behavior is formed more by your passions than by God's commands? Regardless of how correct your theology might be, at street level do you love your way more than God's? In what ways are you tempted to debate the wisdom of God's law? Do you use the grace of forgiveness as an excuse for stepping outside God's moral boundaries? Are you content with partial obedience? Do you respond to or resist the conviction of the Lord?

At the beginning of the book of Judges, we are greeted with a problem that will haunt the children of Israel, cause them generations of difficulty, and necessitate the loving discipline of the Lord. The problem is partial obedience. God's children start down the moral pathway he had commanded them to walk, but they fail to complete the journey. There are a variety of excuses for partial obedience. Obedience is hard and requires personal sacrifice. It requires really believing that God is wise and that what he calls us to is always best. Obedience requires us to confess that we are not at the center of everything-God is, so life is about his will and his glory. Obedience requires resisting the temporary pleasures of sin. Partial obedience is not obedience at all; rather, it is dressed-up disobedience. Pay attention to what is said of Israel in Judges 2:1-3:

Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, "I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.' But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you."

God had given Israel a job to do; they were to drive the pagan nations completely out of the promised land. But they did not complete the job. Yes, they fought many battles, but they ended up settling for living in and among these pagan nations with their false gods. In a real way, the rest of the drama, the spiritual struggle, and the discipline of the Lord that are so much of the content of the Old Testament have their roots right here. This passage also points us to the necessity of the gift of Jesus. He was sent to obey completely on our behalf, precisely because God knew that sin, somehow, someway, and at some time, makes us all too satisfied with partial obedience. He is our righteousness, because our righteousness is often incomplete.

 TUSITE MA’ASI 17, 2026

SIOSIUA 22-24; MATIU 6:19-24

Between the "already" of our conversion and the "not yet" of our homegoing, the big question is, Where the rubber meets the road in our daily lives, whom or what will we give our hearts to?

‘I he vaha’a taimi ‘o hotau fakamo’ui mo ‘etau ‘alu ki Langi, ko e fehu’i leva, ‘a e fetaulaki’anga ‘o ‘etau tui mo ‘etau mo’ui faka’aho, ko hai pe ko e ha ‘a e me’a ‘oku foaki ki ai hotau loto?

I have made many ministry trips to India. I have seen the dominating power of overt idolatry. I have experienced how idol worship forces itself into every area of a person's life. Those who worship physical idols in the temple also bow before idols in their homes, along the road, and in restaurants. The presence and power of idols cover every place and every activity like a dark and ominous cloud. The presence and influence of these things made of wood and stone seem inescapable.

In the book of Joshua, the children of Israel find themselves in a significant spiritual moment. They are in the place God had promised, but they are surrounded by the false gods of the nations around them. Will they surrender their hearts to God and God alone, being careful to keep his commands and resist idolatrous temptations? Or will they wander away from the Lord and progressively give their hearts away to false gods? Joshua gives the children of Israel this charge:

Be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, but you shall cling to the LORD your God just as you have done to this day. For the LORD has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the LORD your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. Be very careful, therefore, to love the LORD your God. (Josh. 23:6-11)

Joshua reminds the leaders of the children of Israel that, by the display of his awesome power, God has again and again demonstrated that he is the one true God and that no one can stand against him. As the one true God, he gives power to his people so that just one Israelite can drive a thousand enemies away. The one true God has fought and will continue to fight for his people. So Joshua charges them to bow down to no other god and to surrender their lives to the moral code written in the Book of the Law.

Again, it's important to remember that this passage was preserved for our instruction, conviction, and guidance. You might think, "I don't serve any idols." That may be true of physical idols. But the broader definition of idolatry in Scripture includes anything that takes the place in your heart that only God should have. Anything can be an idol. What has the power to control your thoughts, emotions, and desires? May God alone lay claim to our hearts.

 MONITE MA’ASI 16, 2026

SIOSIUA 19-21; MATIU 7:24-27

When you bank on God's promises, you bank on truths that were decided before the earth was set in place; you therefore bank on truths that are absolutely sure.

‘I he taimi ‘oku ke tu’u ai ‘i he ngaahi palomesi ‘a e ‘Otua, ‘oku ke tu’u ‘i he ngaahi mo’oni na’e ‘osi fakatoka kimu’a ‘i he tanupou ‘o mamani; ‘oku ke tu’u ‘i he ngaahi mo’oni ‘oku pau mo ta’eue’ia.

What is absolutely sure in your life? People make a life commitment when they get married, but marriage isn't always sure. Sin can sneak in and destroy a marriage. Or your spouse may suddenly die, leaving you alone. Or perhaps you buy your forever home, with the intention of spending the rest of your life there. But the economy tanks, you lose your job, and you can no longer afford to live in that house. You may have found your best friend forever, the deep bond you were looking for, but sadly your friend betrays you, shattering that friendship forever. You join a church thinking it will be the gospel community you'll give yourself to for the rest of your life, but a new pastor comes in, the church radically changes, and you sadly have to face the fact that you can't be there anymore. Many things in our lives seem permanent and sure but end up failing us. Often we become either fearful or calloused, not willing to trust as we once did. I have heard people say, "I will never get a raise again," or, "I will never join another church," or, "I've been hurt too many times; it won't happen again."

Yet in our hearts we hunger for the peace, security, and rest of soul that come when we find something we can depend on, something that will never fail us. Every human being is on a lifelong search for a rock to stand on. This is why I love the words God preserved for us near the end of the book of Joshua. If you believe these words, you won't need to search for that rock any longer.

Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass. (Josh. 21:43-45)

Please go back and read the last sentence again. God is declaring the utter surety, dependability, and reliability of his promises. God does for his children exactly what he has promised to do, right down to each and every word. He is the solid rock on which we can stand: "On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand." The ultimate solid-rock promise God made is Jesus. He is our solid rock. The question is, Are you building your life on him?

 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.