TUSITE ME 12, 2026

2 KALONIKALI 17-20; TANIELA 3:8-30

There is no greater form of courage than when you act with moral boldness because of your trust in the wisdom, commands, presence, power, and grace of the Lord.

Ko e to’a mo’oni, ‘a e taimi ‘oku ke fai ai ho’o ngaue ‘i he loto pau’ia, koe’uhi ‘oku ke falala ki he poto, ngaahi fekau, lotolotonga, ivi mo e kelesi ‘a e ‘Otua. 

We love tales of courage. We are inspired when we read of a soldier who puts his own life at risk in order to preserve the lives of his fellow soldiers. We love the stories of people who have suffered through physical disabilities to accomplish great physical feats. We are moved when we hear of the firemen who climbed the steps of the burning World Trade Center as everyone else was running down and trying to get out. We marvel at the stories of bold elderly people who have stood up to thieves. Recently I read of firemen who left the warmth and safety of their firehouse to go out into a historic blizzard to save families trapped in their cars. Although we are thrilled and encouraged by these stories, they often leave us haunted by a question: If I were in any of those situations, would I be able to muster up the same kind of courage?

Courage is something we all admire, but perhaps few of us think we are truly courageous. We wonder where true courage comes from, or what real courage looks like. Second Chronicles 17 gives us a clue. Here's how the reign, life, and character of King Jehoshaphat are summarized: 

The LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the LORD established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. (2 Chron. 17:3-6)

For all of the greatness of his riches and honor, the most important thing about Jehoshaphat is captured in ten words: "His heart was courageous in the ways of the LORD." Here was a king who believed so deeply in the presence, power, and commands of his Lord that he acted with courage in the face of evil. He tore down all of the high places of idol worship, standing against the entirety of the spiritual culture of Judah, and therefore God established his kingdom and gave him great success. There is no greater form of courage than moral courage. But moral courage is not natural for us. Faith in a God we cannot see or hear is not natural. So, in order to stand with courage of heart in the midst of this idolatrous world, we need to be visited by grace. That grace is readily available to us because of the life, death, and resurrection of the Lion of Judah, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He hears our cries and grants courage to those who seek him.

 MONITE ME 11, 2026

2 KALONIKALI 13-16; ‘EKISOTO 15:1-18

Your Lord is the ultimate warrior. He always battles on behalf of those whom he has chosen to be his own.

Ko Sihova ‘a e to’a laulotahaa. ‘Oku ne tau ma’u pe ma’a kinautolu kuo ne fili ma’ana.

Picture two young boys about to fight. Although they project a kind of pugilistic bravado, they are both more afraid than they would ever admit. So their taunts move quickly from their strength to the size and ability of their fathers. "My dad is bigger than your dad." "Oh yeah? My dad is stronger than your dad." "My dad is really strong. He played football in college." "My dad is even stronger than that. He's a marine." The father-taunts that fly back and forth are both silly and very sweet. Neither dad is going to fight with a neighbor because of some petty quarrel between two nine-year-olds. So the father-threats are meaningless. But the safety that both boys feel in the strength of their fathers and the belief they have that their fathers would battle on their behalf is quite endearing.

This mundane but deeply human scene reminds me of deep spiritual truths. I cannot defeat many of the broken and evil things in this world. So much temptation comes at me that I cannot resist on my own. Even when I successfully turn from evil outside of me, I have little power on my own to liberate myself from the sin inside me. But confessing my weakness and inability does not depress me, because I have a heavenly Father who battles on my behalf. I can look evil in the face and say, "My Father in heaven is bigger and more powerful than your father, the devil." How encouraging it is to know that this is not a meaningless and silly taunt, but one rooted in the truth of God's covenant faithfulness.

In 2 Chronicles 13:13-16 evil King Jeroboam has amassed a huge army because he intends to defeat King Abijah and destroy Judah. The much smaller army of Judah is surrounded on all sides by Jeroboam's troops. But what Jeroboam doesn't understand is that he is not fighting just Judah, but Judah's Father, the Lord Almighty. God will not let Judah be destroyed because Judah has a place in his redemptive plan. With trumpet blasts and shouts, Jeroboam is defeated and five hundred thousand of his men die. And what is recorded of that victory? "God defeated Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah. The men of Israel fled before Judah, and God gave them into their hand" (2 Chron. 13:15-16).

God never abandons his covenant promises, which means he will battle on behalf of his people until the final victory is won. There is no spiritual battle that we fight on our own, because our Savior is the ultimate warrior. He will continue to put enemies under his feet until the last enemy is finally destroyed. Then he will welcome us into his final kingdom, where war will be no more. 

 SAPATE ME 10, 2026

2 KALONIKALI 9-12; MATIU 20:20-28

God makes people great - not for their glory, but for his.

‘Oku ngaohi ‘e he ‘Otua ha kakai ke nau tu’ukimu’a - ‘o ‘ikai ke nau langilangi’ia ai, ka, ki he langilangi pe ‘O’ona.

I watched as a gifted pastor not only lost the plot but lost himself. He had been blessed with a quick mind and awesome communication skills. He was a natural leader. He began his ministry knowing that his gifts were for a much higher purpose than his own success and glory. He had lived with a deep sense of gospel calling and dedicated his abilities to discipling people in the life-transforming truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But he became lost in the middle of his own story. What had been all about his Lord, was now about him. He was successful and powerful, and he knew it. Pride closed his heart to the counsel of others that he so desperately needed. He loved hanging with "people that matter." He loved telling the story of the rise of his ministry, and he loved giving people tours of his ministry kingdom. This once tenderhearted man became angry and controlling. Where once he led by encouragement and vision, he now led by intimidation and threat. His was a story of spiritual decline, and soon everything he had built crumbled.

When I witness the spiritual decline of pastors, I ask myself, "Why does God choose to make certain people great? Why does he bless them with great gifts? Why does he provide them with great resources? Why does he surround them with smart and dedicated people?" The answer in Scripture again and again is that human greatness is not an end in itself but a means to an end. God does not pour his greatness into people so they can bask in their own glory and be worshiped by others because of it. He knows the dangers of greatness. He is aware of how quickly pride in oneself replaces humble gratitude. He knows that success is far more spiritually dangerous than failure. So why does God make people great?

The answer to this question is found in the words of the Queen of Sheba as she reflects on the greatness of King Solomon: "Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and set you on his throne as king for the LORD your God! Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness" (2 Chron. 9:8). The queen gets it right. Solomon's greatness is not about Solomon; it's about God's love for and faithfulness to his people. Human greatness is not a possession. It is an instrument given by a God of grace and glory for the sake of his people and the proclamation of his own glory.

May we willingly and joyfully surrender every gift and ability we've been given to him, for his purposes and for his glory.

 TOKONAKI ME 9, 2026

2 KALONIKALI 5-8; SAAME 42:1-11

We all tie our hope to something, and what controls your hope controls your heart. And what controls your heart controls you and everything you do.

Ko e tokotaha kotoa ‘oku nono’o ‘ene ‘amanaki ki he me’a, pea ko e me’a ko ia ‘oku ne pule’i ho’o ‘amanaki, ‘oku ne pule’i ho loto. Pea ko e me’a ‘oku ne pule’i ho loto, ‘oku ne pule’i koe mo e me’a kotoa ‘oku ke fai.

Hope is in the heart and language of every human being.

"I hope you're doing well."

"I hope I get the job."

"I hope the weather is good."

"I hope my marriage problem will be solved."

"I hope he grows up to love Jesus."

"I hope to get over this sickness."

"I hope that what God says is true."

"I hope I can afford it."

Hope is an expectation tied to a particular object or outcome. Everything we do every day is fueled by some kind of hope in something or someone. We are motivated and guided by hope in ways we might not even recognize. The problem is that so much of what we hope in fails us. Hope in marriage is often dented and weakened because marriage is an intimate relationship between two people who still battle with sin. Hope for our children weakens as we realize that, even though we can guide, provide for, and discipline them, we have no power whatsoever to control their hearts. Hope in your job is rocky since you can't control your boss, the corporation you work for, or the economy. Hope in your physical strength wanes as age and illness weaken you. The failure of our horizontal hopes makes commitment to vertical hope (hope in God) even more important.

In 2 Chronicles 5 Israel is in a moment of national celebration. They are celebrating not because of political or military victories. No, the festivities are deeply spiritual; they get to the core of who these people are and why they continue to exist. Solomon has completed the building of the temple; the ark of the covenant and all the furnishings for the Holy Place are now in the temple; and the glory-cloud of the Lord has descended on his house. It is a glorious moment, setting Israel apart from every other nation on earth. The temple, the ark of the covenant, and the visible indication of God's dwelling with his people together remind the people not only of who they are, but of where lasting, faithful, and trustworthy hope is to be found. In response to God's faithfulness, the people sing, "He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever" (2 Chron. 5:13). Israel was delivered from Egypt because the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever. They were sustained in the wilderness because the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever. They conquered the nations in the promised land because the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever. They are a nation with a temple filled with the Lord's presence because the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever.

Nothing we put our hope in for this life will last forever, except the steadfast love of the Lord. Putting your hope in him is never a risk. He is sovereign, he is almighty, he is holy, he is faithful, and he is good. Rest your hope in your Lord; he is worthy of your trust.

 FALAITE ME 8, 2026

2 KALONIKALI 1-4; 1 PITA 5:5-11

Pride is the soil in which every other sin grows.

Ko e ‘afungi, ko e kelekele ia ‘oku tupu ai ‘a e ngaahi angahala kehekehe.

Pride is the enemy of every single human being. It is the disease of diseases, the pandemic that infects and destroys everyone, apart from divine intervention. It is the reason every day is a spiritual war. It causes us to be shockingly self-righteous. It turns relationships of love into battlegrounds. It causes you to excuse your sin while being all too focused on the sin of others. Pride makes you rebel against authority, while desiring way too much power and control. It causes you to be eaten up by bitterness and envy. It makes you want to be first, and it makes waiting feel painful. It causes you to get mad when people disagree with you, and it makes you think your ideas are always the best. It makes you think you are religious, when the only thing you really worship is yourself. Pride led to the fall in the garden of Eden and has caused every fall ever since. It is the root cause of every transgression of God's law, every moment when someone tries to steal his glory.

There is only one solution to the universal pandemic of pride: the sightgiving, convicting, rescuing, forgiving, and transforming power of God's grace. Only divine power can rescue us from our obsession with ourselves and our desire to be central. Only God's grace can cause you to mourn your pride and and release you from cry out for God's help. Only grace can humble you and release you from your bondage to your kingdom of one. Only grace can keep you from constantly taking credit for that which you never could have done in your own wisdom and strength. Pride destroys. Its roadway always leads to one destination: spiritual death. Essentially, pride is about wanting the acclaim, glory, power, and control that belong to God alone.

Second Chronicles 1:1 offers a thunderous summary of Solomon's power, wisdom, and wealth: "Solomon the son of David established himself in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him and made him exceedingly great." Solomon is not the focus or the hero of his own story. Solomon is not the one in the narrative that we should be amazed by. Solomon is not whom our awe and praise should land on. Everything that Solomon has and has accomplished is ultimately the work of someone greater. Glory belongs to the one who chose Solomon and who exercised divine power to make him great. Why was Solomon great? Because God was with him and made him great. May this also be true of us and of every good and great thing in our lives. Humility begins when we confess that behind every form of human grandeur is the incalculable grandeur and glory of the King of kings and Lord of lords. May God give each of us the grace to make that confession again and again.

 TU’APULELULU ME 7, 2026

1 KALONIKALI 28-29; PALOVEPI 15:22

Your life is always shaped by the counsel you seek, listen to, and follow.

Ko ho’o mo’ui ‘oku uesia pe tokonia ‘e he fale’i ‘oku ke kumi ki ai, fanongo ki ai mo muimui ki ai.

God creates people with the need for counsel. Immediately after creating Adam and Eve, God begins to talk to them. He does this because he knows that they need truth, which they will never discover on their own, in order to make proper sense of who they are and what they have been created to do. God has never stopped counseling his people. This is why he has given us his word, so that we would know him, ourselves, the nature of the world we live in, and how we are meant to live. We are meant to live under the guidance and counsel of the Counselor of counselors, as he speaks to us in his word.

Everyone is being counseled by someone all the time. You may be counseled by your parents, a friend, or a mentor. In fact, you can't really have a relationship without the give-and-take of counseling. Perhaps you are being counseled by Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, and you don't even know what a huge shaping influence they are having on your life. The counsel that we hear, that captures our hearts and minds, and that we allow to shape our identity, meaning, and purpose is very important.

So I have a question for you. If you were about to die and your son were about to succeed you in the work you had given your life to, what would be your final words of counsel to him? What identity would you want to instill? What confidence would you like to give? What success would you like him to seek? What hope would you like to impart? First Chronicles 28:9-10 preserves for us David's final words of counsel to his son Solomon: "Know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. Be careful now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong and do it." There may be no better words of counsel in all of Scripture.

Here are the four life-shaping things that David wants Solomon to know and allow to shape his life:

1. Serve God with a whole heart and willing mind. Give your heart to the Lord, which will then shape everything you do.

2. The Lord searches hearts and knows every thought and plan. You will   

 never  fool the Lord. He knows your heart better than you do.

3. If you seek him, you will find him. The Lord is gracious, tenderhearted,

loving, and kind, and he will never hide from those who seek him.

4. Be strong and do what the Lord has chosen for you to do. Don't let

anything inside of you or outside of you keep you from doing what God has

called  you to do.

I can't think of better advice than this. Keep God central in all you think, desire, and do. Remember that he knows your heart, and don't let anything keep you from serving him. May God give each one of us the grace to follow these wise words of counsel. And may our lives be a hymn to the glory of our Lord as we do.

 PULELULU ME 6, 2026

1 KALONIKALI 25-27; SIONE 4:16-26

No human function is more important than worship. What or whom you worship sets the direction for your life.

Ko e fatongia mahu’inga taha ki he tangata ko e hu. Ko e ha mo e ko hai ‘oku ke hu ki ai ‘oku ne fakatonutonu ‘a ho’o mo’ui.

I once counseled a man who was hugely successful. But he was also driven, impatient, intolerant, and angry. In the corporate world he was an absolute star. Companies held bidding wars for his services. But the cost of his success was a shattered marriage and almost complete estrangement from his children. He had demanded, pushed, and bullied his way to a sad and lonely form of success. But he had no sense of personal guilt or remorse. He told himself that he had done it all for his family and that he was the victim of their ingratitude. He may have been the toughest person I ever counseled. I dreaded our appointments because they felt like hand-to-hand combat. He wanted me to fix everything, but he had no desire to change. I resorted to doing something I had never done before: I began reading him Scripture about worship. It irritated him, but one day he said, "Stop!" I thought, "Oh no, here we go. Another argument." But he had tears in his eyes. He said, "You're reading this to me because the only god I have worshiped for years is me." Then he began to weep. He was right - all the destruction in his life was the result of worship. He was his own false god; that is, he was the sovereign he demanded everyone to worship, or else pay the price for refusing to do so. Change for my friend had to come vertically before it could ever come horizontally.

Many believers fail to understand that not only are we called to worship, but we are worshipers. Worship is not just our most important function; it is our identity. Everything we do and say is the fruit of worshiping someone or something. This is why we need to pay attention to David's zeal in 1 Chronicles 25-27. He pours his power, influence, and gifts into one thing: the building of an awesome temple to the glory of God. David wants this temple to be a visible reminder of God's existence and presence. David wants it to remind the people of Israel that everything they have is the result of God's exercising his power on their behalf. This edifice will stand as a constant reminder that nothing in all of life is as important as the worship of God. David will not be the one to actually build the temple, but he wants to leave everything and everyone in place so that God's house will be a monument to God's glory and a constant reminder to worship him.

We do well to share David's zeal - not to build temples, but to live in a constant awareness of God's existence, presence, and power and always to remember that nothing in life is more important than worshiping him. As we do this, we need to remember that worshiping God is not natural for us. If our lives are to be shaped by the worship of him, then we need to be visited by his grace. It is his grace that rescues us from us and turns our hearts toward him.