MONITE MA’ASI 2, 2026

TEUTALONOME 8-10; 2 TIMOTE 2:8-10

Of all the things your mind needs to remember, nothing is more important than remembering God.

‘I he kotoa ‘o e ngaahi me’a ‘oku fiema’u ke ke manatu’i, ‘oku ‘ikai mo ha toe me’a ‘e mahu’inga ange, ka ko ho’o MANATU’I ‘A E ‘OTUA.

It was the morning of my first job. I was sixteen years old and very nervous. If you had asked me, I'm not sure I could have remembered my name. My dad had filled me with all kinds of advice about how to work, how to relate to my fellow workers, and how to relate to my bosses. I was clueless as to what I was facing, because I had never had a real job before. As I was about to leave my house, dad stopped me and said, "Remember who you are representing." He didn't mean himself, or our family. No, he was reminding me that I represented the Lord. He had saved that bit of advice for last, because he wanted me to drive to my newfound world of work with this paramount issue in mind.

Of all the many laws God gave to his children, the commandment to remember him was perhaps the most important. If he was not at the center of all they thought, desired, said, and did, then they would not live in a way that pleased him, and their forgetful hearts would be susceptible to the allure of the idols of the nations around them. So Moses instructed the people:

Take care lest you forget the LORD your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 

(Deut. 8:11-14)

Do everything you can not to forget me.

Do everything you can not to forget how I brought you out of slavery.

Do everything you can not to forget how I gave you my law.

Do everything you can not to forget how I chose to dwell in your midst.

Do everything you can not to forget how I sustained you in the wilderness.

Do everything you can to remember me.

When we are walking through the wilderness of life, feeling weak and dependent, we tend to remember and cry out to the Lord. But as Deuteronomy 8 warns, it is in seasons of comfort and ease that our minds become forgetful and our hearts begin to wander. May God give us the grace to remember our Lord and the magnitude of how he continues to bless us in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And in remembering, may we worship and serve him with joy.

 SAPATE MA’ASI 1, 2026

TEUTALONOME 5-7; SAAME 1:1-6

God's commands are wisdom-drenched gifts of divine love. It would be foolish to resist their protecting and directing beauty.

Ko e ngaahi fekau ‘a e ‘Otua, ko e ngaahi me’a’ofa ‘oku anuanu ‘i he poto faka-’Otua. ‘Oku ‘ikai totonu ke tau si’aki ‘a e masani mo e malu’i ‘oku nau ‘omi ki he’etau mo’ui.

God did not give his law as a means of gaining his acceptance; his standard is too lofty, too holy. No, God's law was a gift to those he had already chosen to love, so that they would know how to live and, in following his commands, thrive. That's why the psalmist can exult, "Oh how I love your law!" (Ps. 119:97). The words that follow are my celebration of the gift of God's commands and the grace that empowers us to love and keep them.

God's law is perfect, holy, righteous, good. It is God's gracious, loving, wise, tender welcome to the good life, where sinful impulses are restrained, where we are protected from our wandering hearts, where we learn to live as our Creator designed us to live. God's protective boundaries, the fences of his law, are an expression of his love. These laws have been given not to earn his love, but as a gift of grace to those he has chosen to love. In an ever-changing world-valleys deep, mountains high, woods dark, enemies abounding, temptations whispering - there is security in God's unchanging law. 

There simply is nothing to add to his holy and righteous commands. Who would've thought, who could've ever conceived, who had the wisdom to design such a plan, such purpose, such a moral structure for human help, hope, thriving? It's an act of arrogance, confusion, rebellion, foolishness to subtract things from God's holy and loving moral plan for us. 

So settle in, believe that God always knows what is best, and pray for grace to surrender your thoughts, desires, choices, words, actions, to him.

 Tokonaki Fepueli 28, 2026

TEUTALONOME 3-4; SELEMAIA 2:26-28

Sin is fundamentally idolatrous. It always puts something in God's place as the functional ruler of your heart.

Ko e angahalaa ko e tauhi ‘aitoli. ‘Oku ne fokotu’u ma’u pe ‘a e me’a kehe ke ne fetongi ‘a e tu’unga pule ‘o e ‘Otua ‘i he loto.

It was weird and creepy to me. I didn't want to be there. I wanted to run outside and escape the spiritual darkness that enveloped that place. I was looking down at a Hindu priest, lying flat on his stomach with his arms and legs stretched out. He was lying in a posture of complete surrender and submission before an idol carved out of wood by human hands. He seemed to be emotional and in awe. It seemed as if he stayed in that position for an eternity. I wanted to yell at him, "It's just a piece of wood!" I wanted to reach down and yank him off the floor. I wondered what it would take to convince him that this idol was not a god, that it could do him neither harm nor good because it lacked

life. The harm came from surrendering his heart, life, hopes, and dreams to this inanimate object.

In this sin-scarred world, which does not function as God intended, idolatry is a very-present danger. Idolatry is not just about how an idolatrous culture influences us; it is a matter of the heart. As long as artifacts of sin are still present in us, our hearts will be prone to wander. Idolatry always credits something other than God for what only God can do, causing us, then, to surrender to it our thoughts, desires, choices, and actions. The catalog of potential God-replacements is endless.

So it makes sense that as Israel entered the promised land, Moses warned them against this clear and present danger:

Watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the LORD spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them.. Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the LORD your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the LORD your God has forbidden you. For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God. (Deut. 4:15-19, 23-24)

The danger of surrendering our hearts to something other than the Lord is as great for us as it was for the children of Israel. May we be warned and comforted by the holy jealousy of our Lord, who will not share our hearts with anyone or anything. And may we remember that Jesus came to free us from idols, so we would bask in the freedom and blessings of what he is for us and what he will provide for us.

 Falaite Fepueli 27, 2026

TEUTALONOME 1-2; 2 KOLINITO 12:9-10

You are in spiritual danger when you are able to convince yourself that God is not enough.

‘Oku ke ‘i ha tu’unga fakatu’utamaki fakalaumalie ‘i he taimi ‘oku ke pehee ai ‘oku ‘ikai fe’unga ‘a e ‘Otua.

After setting his love on them and taking them as his own…

After unleashing his power to deliver them from slavery in Egypt....

After miraculously parting the Red Sea and defeating Egypt…

After thunderously giving the law at Mount Sinai…

After resting his glory cloud on the tabernacle.

After guiding his people with the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night…

After providing daily manna to sustain them.

After all of God's mighty display that he was with Israel to guide, protect, and provide, the people of Israel are now separated from the promised land by just a mere river, and they refuse to go in because of the opposing forces there. This is much more than a military calculation based on information from surveillance of the land. No, the refusal of Israel is deeply spiritual. After all of God's displays of power and glory, his people stand looking at the land that has been promised to them and conclude that God is not enough. Their rebellious refusal to enter the promised land and fight battles in the power of the Lord is rooted in unbelief. Unbelief is the ultimate rebellion. It gives you reason not to embrace God's promises or submit to his commands. Unbelief blames rebellion on God; that is, it asserts that he is not enough and has not done enough.

Pay careful attention to these words from Moses's first sermon in Deuteronomy.

"The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place." Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God, who went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you by what way you should go. (Deut. 1:30-33)

Let these words sink in: "The LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son." This is how faithful, tender, and complete the guidance, care, and protection of the Lord were over his Israelite children. But Moses said that, in the face of all God had done, Israel still refused to believe that he would unleash his power to deliver the land he had promised. The Savior of Israel is our Savior as well. In his incarnation, his miraculous ministry, his righteous life, his substitutionary death, his victorious resurrection, the miracle of his ascension, and the gift of his indwelling Spirit, he has shown us that he will do all that is needed to give us all he has promised. Yet, in the face of this display of redeeming grace, a question remains. Today, as you face opposition and trial, will you conclude that your Savior is not enough?

 Tu’apulelulu Fepueli 26, 2026

NOMIPA 35-36; NEHUMI 1:6-9

It is vital to remember that Jesus is not just your Savior. Between your conversion and your homegoing, he is your refuge as well.

‘Oku matu’aki mahu’inga ke tau manatu’i ko Sisuu, ‘oku ‘ikai ko ho Fakamo’ui pe. Mei he vaha’a taimi ho’o fanau’i fo’ou mo ho’o ‘alu ki langi, ko Iaa ko ho Kolo Hufanga.

God's attributes never work in conflict with one another. His love does not weaken or negate his holiness. His justice does not derail his mercy. His sovereign plan does not work in conflict with his tender, patient heart. We see this clearly in Numbers 35:34: "You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell, for I the LORD dwell in the midst of the people of Israel." In these words we see the Lord's holy justice and patient mercy working in cooperation. Let me explain.

Note these words earlier in Numbers 35:

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there. The cities shall be for you a refuge from the avenger, that the manslayer may not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment." (35:9-12)

Now compare the two passages I have quoted and note that two things from the heart of God are operating here. First, God is uncompromisingly holy and will not have the land in which he dwells defiled by sin that is not properly dealt with. But that is not the only thing happening here. A city of refuge would provide mercy for the accused, a place where he could flee and stay until given a just trial. Although confined to a city of refuge, he would not be driven out of the land but, in mercy, could remain and be properly tried for his offense. In the creation of the cities of refuge, we see God's holiness and mercy acting not in conflict with one another but in perfect cooperation. In the cooperation of divine holiness and mercy we find hope right now, and hope to come.

We see God's holiness and mercy working in beautiful cooperation in a later account, too. The entire biblical narrative marches to a hill outside of the city, where, on a rough-hewn cross, God's uncompromising holiness and tender mercy would meet. The cross was necessary because God would not turn his back on the idolatry and rebellion of sin and act as if sin's offenses against him were okay. But the cross was necessary also because the God of mercy promised to provide a way for sinners to be forgiven and reconciled to him. This means that we, too, have a city of refuge to which we can run. Our city of refuge is not a place but a person, and his name is Jesus. It is beautiful to know that Jesus met all of God's holy requirements on our behalf and paid the penalty for our sin so that he could be a refuge for sinners like you and me.

 Pulelulu Fepueli 25, 2026

NUMBERS 33-34; 1 John 2:15-17

There is always a danger that the surrounding culture will weaken your trust in and daily submission to your Savior.

‘Oku fakatu’utamaki ma’u pe ‘a e ‘ulungaanga fakafonua ‘a e ‘atakai ke ne fakavaivai’i ‘a ho’o falala mo ho’o tukulolo faka’aho ki ho Fakamo’ui.

Most believers in Jesus Christ now deal with the pervasive influence of social media, a catalog of streaming services, and the twenty-four-hour infotainment cycle. We are constantly under the influence of voices that do not speak from a biblical perspective and have rejected the confrontation and comfort of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's naive to think that, while our lives are dominated by a flood of constant noise, we are unchanged by them. I am convinced that the enemy of our souls will gladly give us our formal theology and our regular worship services, if he can control the thoughts and desires of our hearts at street level. Many of us can't be quiet for thirty seconds before pulling out our phones. Many of us reach for a digital device as soon as we wake up and check in with that device just before we go to bed. Are we aware that we have been changed, and are we grappling with the nature of that change?

What is culture? Here's my best answer. Human beings made in the image of God interact with God's world, and culture is what results. God's people have always lived in the midst of culture and its influence. So it makes sense that, as Israel enters the promised land, God gives them this stern but loving warning: "If you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell" (Num. 33:55). These are the words of a jealous God who is unwilling to surrender to other gods the hearts of those he has set his love on and whom he has guided, protected, and provided for. He knows that his children have wandering hearts. They have demonstrated that they often have more allegiance to their own comfort than to his will. In light of the magnitude of God's love for them, they have at times been disloyal, even willing to question God's wisdom, faithfulness, and love.

All this means that, no matter how faithful God's people are in honoring the sacrificial and holy-day systems that God has laid out for them, their hearts are susceptible to wandering away from God and his plan for them. So God warns them against the danger of not driving out these pagan nations, of settling among them, of progressively assimilating their culture, and ultimately of serving their gods.

Although we are in a very different place than the children of Israel, this warning rings true for us today. We need Jesus's protecting grace so we can continue to seek and celebrate that very same grace, even though the story of this grace is seldom reinforced by the culture we live in. The warning in Numbers is repeated near the end of the biblical story: "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15).

 Tusite Fepueli 24, 2026

NOMIPA 31-32; PALOVEPI 15:3

Our sins are never secret, because they never escape the watchful eye of the Lord.

Ko ‘etau ngaahi angahala ‘oku ‘ikai puli, he ‘oku ‘ikai puli ha me’a mei he fofonga ‘o e ‘Otua.

Scripture tells us that sin is deceitful. We are often deceived into believing two lies, as we step outside of God's boundaries and do what he has forbidden. The first lie is that no one will know. That may be true of the people near us. You can hide your sin so that those around you are unaware. But our sin is never hidden from the eyes of the Lord. His eyes are always on his children. You and I will never escape to a place where he is unable to see what we are doing. Hidden sin is a delusion. The second lie is that we can sin without consequences. I have sat with many adulterous men, with marriages in shambles, and thought to myself, "Where did you think this story was going? How long did you think you could have a relationship with a woman other than your wife and still have a healthy marriage?" I am amazed, in my own life and in counseling others, at our ability to convince ourselves that things are okay that are not and never will be okay.

Numbers 32:23 contains eight words of warning that not only were important for Israel, but are vital for us to hear as well: "Be sure your sin will find you out." Moses spoke these words because God had not only blessed Israel with the land of promise, but he had also called them to fight in his power to drive out all the enemy nations. The tribes of Gad and Rueben decided they didn't want to fight, so they settled outside of the promised land. This was not just an act of cowardice; it was direct rebellion against the commands of the Lord. What were they thinking? Did they actually think that God wouldn't care, or that he would say, "Okay, have it your way." God always sees, and he will never accommodate us by compromising his holy commands. Did the tribes of Gad

and Rueben think that their refusal to do what God commanded wouldn't have

Consequences?

These words have been recorded and preserved for us by our loving heavenly Father. They have been recorded for us as a defense against sin's deceit. Just as with the tribes of Gad and Rueben, our sin is never secret or without consequences. It's wonderful to know that our Lord meets us in our weakness and not only warns us but also empowers us to live inside of his boundaries. It is encouraging to see that God's warning to Gad and Reuben was not in vain. They did finally heed God's warning and obey his command. It is also good to know that rather than hiding, because of the completeness of Christ's work on our behalf we can run to him, confessing our sin and receiving his forgiveness once again. Sin is deceitful, but God's grace is up to the task; it will expose sin's lies again and again until we're on the other side and sin is no more.