PULELULU ‘EPELELI 30, 2025

ON KINGDOM BUSINESS

NGAUE MA‘A HONO PULE‘ANGA

JAMES 1:9-11

"Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits." 

SEMISI 1:9-11

9 Pea ko eni, ke vīkiviki si‘i tokoua lotu ‘oku mā‘ulalo ‘oka hākeaki‘i ia: 10 ka ko si‘i koloa‘ia ‘oka fakatōkilalo‘i: he ‘oku hangē ko e fisi‘i mohuku ‘ene mole ‘a‘ana. 11 He na‘e hopo ‘a e la‘ā mo ‘ene faka‘a‘afu, pea mae ‘a e mohuku, pea ngangana hono fisi, pea mole hono matamatalelei. ‘E pehē pē foki ‘a e kekena ‘a si‘i koloa‘ia, ‘oka fai atu hono ‘alunga ko ia.

The most famous work of the Scottish economist Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, was first published in 1776, the same year that the Thirteen American Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. In the years that followed, the new nation (along with most of what became the Western world) embraced this book and its argument, becoming one of the finest examples of economic prosperity that the world has ever witnessed - and, along the way, reinforcing for its population the unfortunate idea that human existence is largely about financial success.

James does not say that there is anything wrong with wealth. Through him, though, the Holy Spirit does remind the affluent that life in God's world is not about the accumulation of riches. Rather, we are to remember that we are as frail as a summer flower and that riches are fleeting. James calls us to use godly wisdom, which enables us to view our possessions and circumstances from a perspective that is both right and radical - right because it is a view based on the reality of eternity; and radical because it will lead us to hold loosely to what we have, being far quicker to give it away than to grasp it tightly.

There is nothing wrong with wealth, but there is danger in having it. Jesus gave his own warning: "Be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions" (Luke 12:15). He spoke of a rich fool who didn't apply this wisdom, instead building bigger barns in which to store all his crops and relying on his wealth to enjoy his life - yet that very night God demanded that life from him (v 16-20). This man relied on foolish wisdom rather than God's, and Jesus said we, too, are foolish if we lay up treasure for ourselves and yet are not rich toward God (v 21).

True riches can never be found or placed in earthly banks, vaults, or portfolios. We might be tempted to use these as a basis for significance or security, but the wisdom of God shows their hollowness. So, instead of pursuing that which will fade, do as James instructs: focus on using your possessions wisely, generously, and for kingdom business - no matter how great or small they might be.

MATTHEW 6:19-34

Bible Through The Year: Numbers 7-8; Revelation 17

 TUSITE ‘EPELELI 29, 2025

THE SECOND REACTION

KO E FO‘I NGAUE HONO UÁ

1 SAMUEL 8:6

"But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, 'Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD." 

1 SAMIUELA 8:6

Ka na‘e hā kovi kia Sāmiuela ‘a e me‘a, ‘a ‘enau pehē, ‘Omi hatau tu‘i ke fakamaau kitautolu. Pea lotu ‘a Sāmiuela kia Sihova.

How do you react when something displeases you?

It is understandable that when the people of Israel asked for a king, the prophet Samuel was displeased. After all, there was a personal slight in the request. Samuel had judged the people well, demonstrating leadership at its finest. He had preached repentance, and the people had repented. He had prayed for them, and the Philistine forces had been vanquished without any weapons being lifted in defense or to attack (1 Samuel 7:5-10). Finally, a stone of remembrance had been set up to signify God's goodness to Israel for time immemorial (v 12-13). Samuel had done his best - and his best had been good.

But the years had passed since those victories. Samuel had grown old, and the leaders of Israel had decided it was time for a change. They were ready to push Samuel out and move on.

Samuel's immediate and understandable reaction was to be unhappy and angry. But he didn't dwell there. Instead, his second reaction was to pray. Samuel's disapproval led him to talk to God about all that was happening and to seek His counsel and His intervention.

We see a similar first and second reaction in the book of Nehemiah. When Nehemiah heard the news that had come out of Jerusalem concerning the destruction and chaos that was taking place there, he sat down and wept. But then, for many days, he prayed to God and fasted (Nehemiah 1:1-4). His first reaction was to weep; his second reaction was to pray.

The actions of Samuel and Nehemiah set us a challenging example. When something displeases you and your first reaction to a situation is anger, sorrow, or disappointment, what's your second reaction? Perhaps you tend to tell everybody how let down you have been, or you brood in self-pity or lash out. But here's the challenge: while it is understandable to weep or to feel displeased, we are not to stay like that, and we are to make sure that our second reaction is to pray. Like Samuel, when something has caused you displeasure, let your second reaction be to talk to God about all that is happening, seeking His perspective and His help in the situations before you.

NEHEMIAH 1:1-11

Bible Through The Year: Numbers 5-6; Revelation 16

 MONITE ‘EPELELI 28, 2025

THE COMFORT OF GOD'S WAYS

KO E NGAAHI ‘ALUNGA FAKANONGA ‘A E ‘OTUA

2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-4

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 

2 KOLINITO 1:3-4

3 Ha taha ā ke fakamālō‘ia pe ko e ‘Otua mo Tamai ‘a hotau ‘Eiki ko Sīsū Kalaisi! ‘a ia ko e Tamai ‘a e fai manava‘ofa, mo e ‘Otua ‘oku ‘a‘ana ‘a e tokoni kotoa pē; 4 ‘a ia ‘oku ne tokoni kimautolu ‘i he‘emau tu‘utāmaki kotoa pē, koe‘uhi ke mau lava ai ke tokoni‘i ‘a kinautolu ‘oku ‘i he tu‘utāmaki kehekehe, ‘aki ‘a e tokoni ‘oku tokoni ‘aki kimautolu ‘e he ‘Otua.

The suffering that God brings into our lives enables and equips us to comfort others in their trials. Yet this enabling is only possible because of the great comfort we receive from God in the midst of our own affliction. Indeed, in tenderness and mercy, God ministers to us specifically "so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction."

If we are to bestow compassion on those who are suffering, we must first battle the tendency to grow bitter and inward-focused as a result of our own troubles. In the Old Testament, we read the story of a young Israelite girl who was captured in a Syrian raid, taken far from her family, and forced into servitude. Her life held great potential for bitterness, anger, and vengefulness. But when she learned that the master of her household had contracted leprosy, she encouraged him to seek the Lord's healing, even directing him to someone who could help (2 Kings 5:1-3). How was she able to have such compassion that she was willing to point him towards such comfort? At least in part, it must have been that when she witnessed all her master's turmoil and heartache, her own experience had already so softened her heart as to make her empathetic to his concerns.

In addition, we must avoid offering merely intellectual or pat answers, which often hurt rather than heal. In-depth philosophical discussions on the nature of suffering might stimulate the mind, but nothing but the gospel can settle the heart. And we do well to remind ourselves that God's ways are beyond our understanding. We do not have to have all the answers. We must not forget the eloquence of empathetic silence. Arguably, one of the most helpful ways in which Job's companions entered into his suffering and offered comfort was when they simply "sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him" (Job 2:13). In fact, they were being good friends to him until they decided to open their mouths!

The greatest comfort we can extend to others in their suffering is, gently and with tears over their trials, to point them to Christ Himself, because only Christ can fully enter into our pain. As our ascended King and Great High Priest, He is able to "sympathize with our weaknesses" as "one who in every respect has been tempted as we are (Hebrews 4:15).

Are there wounds in your life that you have never allowed to surface - deep sorrows that you have never given over to God? Today, ask the Lord to help you cast your burdens afresh on Him. Ask for His divine enabling to view your suffering through the prism of Christ's cross so that you may be overwhelmed by His amazing compassion and, in turn, be a blessing to others.

2 KINGS 5:1-5, 9-14

Bible Through The Year: Numbers 3-4; Revelation 15

 SAPATE ‘EPELELI 27, 2025

GOD WORKS THROUGH EVERY GIFT

‘OKU NGAUE ‘A E ‘OTUA ‘I HE TUFAKANGA KOTOA

1 PETER 4:10

"As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." 

1 PITA 4:10

Ke mou fetauhi‘aki kimoutolu ‘aki ‘a e mafai fakalaumālie ne mou takitaha ma‘u, ‘i he ‘alunga ‘o ‘ene ma‘u, ‘o taau mo ha kau sētuata lelei ‘o e kelesi faifio ‘a e ‘Otua.

Good parents give gifts to all their children, excluding none. Thoughtful parents select appropriate gifts for each child to match their stage, aptitudes, and character. If we care for our children and love them without favoritism, we will give to each one what is fitting at any given time to meet his or her unique needs and desires. And often the best gifts are ones that can, while owned by one child, then be enjoyed by the whole family.

Our heavenly Father operates in the same way. He gives gifts to all His people-generously, lavishly, and purposefully.

Three verses in 1 Corinthians 12 confirm to us God's generosity to all His children:

"It is the same God who empowers" all kinds of gifts and service and activities "in everyone" (v 6, emphasis added).

"To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" (v 7, emphasis added).

Every spiritual gift is "empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each individually as he wills" (v 11, emphasis added).

Like a good parent, God gives gifts to all His children, all for the good of Christ's body, the church family.

Sometimes, though, untaught by our Bibles and unguided by the Spirit, we take the view that the people who really count are those who possess certain gifts - whatever those gifts might be, in whatever given context. This elitism leads to defeatism: those without the "privileged" gifts feel they have no meaningful contribution to make.

We must therefore be very clear on the basics of spiritual gifts. Who gives them? God. Who gets them? All believers. Spiritual gifts are not reserved for a chosen few; they are the privilege of the whole Christian family. Our gifts differ, but we all have them, and every gift is good, necessary, and integral to the life of the body. Each one is given for the "common good," as 1 Corinthians 12:7 puts it.

Instead of wondering about what we haven't received, being jealous of what someone else has been given, or wishing we could exchange our gift, God wants us to enjoy and make use of what He has kindly provided to us. "As each has received a gift," says Peter, "use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace." As God's child, you are a recipient of God's grace. He has given you abilities and opportunities. He calls you, in the strength He supplies, to steward that grace for the fame of Christ's name and the good of His family. So consider: What are the gifts He has given you? Have you thanked Him? And how might you use those gifts to serve your church? Remember, God-given gifts are most enjoyed when they are used for the good of the family.

1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-13

Bible Through The Year: Numbers 1-2; Revelation 14

TOKONAKI ‘EPELELI 26, 2025

SEEING JESUS ONE MORE TIME

TOE MAMATA FAKA‘OSI KIA SISU

 ACTS 1:3

"He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God." 

NGAUE 1:3

Ko kinautolu ia foki na‘a ne fakahā ia ki ai hili hono feia: pea lahi mo mahino ‘ene ngaahi fakamo‘oni kuo ne mo‘ui: he na‘a ne hā kiate kinautolu, ‘o ‘aho fāngofulu, mo ne lea ki he ngaahi me‘a na‘e kau ki he Pule‘anga ‘o e ‘Otua. 

Jesus could have simply risen from the dead and gone directly to heaven. After all, the work of redemption was complete. He had made full atonement in His death, and He had triumphed over death. Why not just return directly to the Father? Because Jesus did not intend to leave His followers with their final memories of Him bloodied and beaten, hanging on a cross. Rather, their last memories were to be of a resurrected Christ.

It is a mark of His grace and kindness that after His resurrection Jesus "presented himself alive" to His disciples. He answered their questions. He banished their fears. He "opened their minds" to better understand the Old Testament Scriptures (Luke 24:45). He prepared them for the coming of the Holy Spirit. And then, and only then, did He leave.

How glad doubting Thomas must have been that Jesus did not leave immediately! Had Jesus done so, Thomas would have been unable to meet his Savior and to have his questions answered and his fears dispelled (John 20:24-29). Surely Peter, too, in all of  his discouragement and in his disgrace, was equally glad of the opportunity to spend time with the risen Jesus. He had denied Christ repeatedly at the crucial hour. But then Jesus came and met him on the shore, made him breakfast, and gave him the opportunity to be reinstated as he gave a threefold affirmation of his love for Christ (21:15-19). And don't you think the mother of Jesus was also glad for these 40 days? She who had laid Him in the manger had witnessed the brutality that was meted out upon her son, her boy, on the cross. But Mary's final vision of Jesus was of Him resurrected and ascending - a vision that prompted her and those with her to worship Him and return to Jerusalem "with great joy" (Luke 24:52).

This final vision of Jesus as the resurrected, all-powerful, ascended King is the answer for those of us who have been looking in other places to find an antidote to doubt, shame, fear, or grief. The cross is empty, as is the tomb. King Jesus is in His heavenly dwelling place, and He is coming back. Until then, lift up your head, know that your Savior lives and His kingdom is open, and encourage your soul as you praise your King:

Jesus, hail! enthroned in glory,

There forever to abide;

All the heavenly hosts adore Thee,

Seated at Thy Father's side.

There for sinners Thou art pleading:

There Thou dost our place prepare;

Thou for saints art interceding

Till in glory they appear."

(John Bakewell-1757)

LUKE 24:36-43

Bible Through The Year: Ecclesiastes 10-12; Revelation 13

 FALAITE ‘EPELELI 25, 2025

THE WAY TO HAVE HOPE

KO E MA‘U‘ANGA ‘O E ‘AMANAKI

LAMENTATIONS 3:21-22

"This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never  ceases; his mercies never come to an end." 

TANGILAULAU 3:21-22

21 ‘Oku ou fakahake ‘i hoku loto ‘a e me‘a ko eni, Ko ia ai, ‘oku ‘i ai ha‘aku ‘amanaki. 22 Ko e ‘ū ‘ofa pē ‘a Sihova, ‘a ia ‘oku ‘ikai te tau ‘auha ai; Koe‘uhi ‘oku ‘ikai ke ‘osi ‘ene fai faka‘atu‘i.

Where, ultimately, do you find your hope?

The exile in Babylon left the people of Israel without any hope. Everything that had been theirs - all that had brought them joy - had vanished, left far behind in Judah. Jeremiah expressed their common sentiment: "My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD" (Lamentations 3:18). Yet just a few verses later, his tone completely changes: "This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope" (v 21). The circumstances hadn't improved. Nothing had changed. So why the sudden positivity?

The answer is simple: because of faith.

Christianity is about history. It's about reality. It's about real people in real time having real encounters with a real God. It's not fiction. And so it makes a real difference. No one's experience of this life is marked only by great seasons of joy and triumph. Difficulties confront us with our finitude. Our loved ones die, marriages disintegrate even when we've done our best to sustain them, our health proves frail, and our failures from the past arise like demons in the night.

So what do we need to do when we encounter life's difficulties? We need to do what Jeremiah does! He starts with his faith - with what he believes about God - and he thinks. He brings his mind to bear upon his feelings and so must we. In our trials, we must remember who God is and then bring our honest petitions before Him. You can pray, "Gracious God, You made me. You love me in Jesus. You've promised that You'll hold me fast. I'm not feeling very secure right now, Lord, but I also know what Your word says: that Your steadfast love never ceases and Your mercies never come to an end."

In the midst of triumphs and trials alike, here is what can give you stability: that God's steadfast love and mercies toward you will never expire. Rest secure in this, then: that though all hell may be let loose against you, the Lord God omnipotent reigns, and He does so perfectly, with love and mercy. He will accomplish His purposes. Nothing can stand in His way. Call to mind these truths in the day of trouble and you can live with an unassailable hope in your heart and remain firm in your faith to the end.

LAMENTATIONS 3:16-33

Bible Through The Year: Ecclesiastes 7-9; Revelation 12

 TU’APULELULU ‘EPELELI 24, 2025

THINKING DEEPLY FOR GOD'S SAKE

FAKAKAUKAU LOLOTO KI HE NGAAHI ME’A ‘A E ‘OTUA

2 TIMOTHY 2:7

"Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything."

2 TIMOTE 2:7

Feinga ke ma‘u ‘a e ‘uhinga ‘o ‘eku lea, koe‘uhi ‘e ‘atu ‘e he ‘Eiki ‘a e poto ‘i he me‘a kotoa pē.

It is not unusual - in fact, it's quite common - for the Christian faith to be regarded as a kind of illogical belief in improbable events. For some, faith is seen as a crutch to prop up less rational people as they navigate life's challenges. Such critics may be surprised to learn that in reality, Christianity calls its followers not to neglect their minds but to critically engage them.

When we read the Bible, we discover that it never invites us simply to feel things, it never attempts merely to sweep us up in an emotional surge. God never once asks for or endorses the disengagement of our thinking processes. Instead, God's word repeatedly shows us that Christianity is actually a call to think rightly and deeply about God, His world, and our place in it.

When the apostle Paul addressed the Ephesians, we read that he was "reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus," which was likely a school for philosophy or rhetoric (Acts 19:9). Paul wasn't just singing songs or attempting to stir up some emotional experience. No, he essentially said, Citizens of Ephesus, I want you to think and reason with me today. In Thessalonica, too, Acts tells us that Paul "reasoned" with the people, "explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead" (17:2-3). The book of Isaiah begins with a similar call to think earnestly: "Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD" (Isaiah 1:18).

This exhortation to think and reason isn't just for proclaiming the gospel but for growth in Christian maturity too. Writing to the Corinthians, Paul said, "Brothers, do not be children in your thinking" (1 Corinthians 14:20). He wanted the church to think intently and intensely about the issues they were facing. Paul was even more direct when he wrote to Timothy: "Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything." We do need God's Spirit to be at work in order to think rightly (Luke 24:45; 1 Corinthians 12:3), for our intellects are as affected by sin as every other part of ourselves (Ephesians 4:17). But it is as we expend mental energy to consider the wisdom of the Scriptures that God will give us greater and greater understanding.

To follow Christ, then, is not to take a step of blind faith into the darkness but to have your eyes opened to the light of rigorous truth. It will take a lifetime - and more! - to unearth the riches of the truth you encounter in God's word about His Son, but one thing is sure: today, as every day, God wants you to love Him and honor Him with all your mind.

PSALM 1

Bible Through The Year: Ecclesiastes 4-6; Revelation 11

 PULELULU ‘EPELELI 23, 2025

LIVING THE RISEN LIFE

MO‘UI IKUNA ‘I HE MO‘UI TOETU‘U

COLOSSIANS 3:1

"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God." 

KOLOSE 3:1

PEA kapau leva na‘e kaungā fokotu‘u kimoutolu mo Kalaisi, pea mou ngāue ki he ngaahi me‘a ‘o ‘olunga, ‘a e potu ‘oku ‘i ai ‘a Kalaisi, he‘ene ‘Afio mei he to‘omata‘u ‘o e ‘Otua.

In the miracle of conversion, a number of things happen. Our sins are forgiven, we're adopted into God's family, and we're given the status of sons and daughters. Not only that, but we're also given a new location with Christ in the heavenly places. There is for the Christian a radical change in our spiritual environment as a result of our union with the risen Christ - and it is our place in Christ that establishes our priorities. It is because we have been "raised with Christ" that we are to "seek the things that are above."

This reality was important for the Colossian church to grasp. As Paul was writing to them, they were being influenced by deceptive doctrine. False teachers were imposing man-made rules upon them, saying, "Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch" (Colossians 2:21). Yet these external rules, which were intended to improve moral behavior, ironically were "of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh" (v 23). The same remains true for us: even when we attempt to remove ourselves from sin, we won't be able to stop our own propensity towards that which is impure, unholy, and untrue. This form of external religion was a bad virus that was threatening to embed itself within the Colossian church, combining doctrinal confusion with moral carelessness. (The two go hand in hand.) So Paul addressed the issue by reminding his Colossian readers that the way to get to grips with our behavior is by understanding who we are - what we have become in the Lord Jesus Christ.

As Christians, our lives are wrapped up in Jesus. We are in Him, and He is in us. We have been raised with Christ, and our lives are hidden in Him. This fact alone is the only sure basis of our security-our confidence in the face of our own propensity to do wrong things.

Are you trying to live the Christian life by your own efforts and fight sin in your own strength? Are you seeking to be a better Christian and wondering why it is proving elusive-or, worse, are you beginning to wonder whether you are a Christian at all or whether it is worth the effort? As you live in this world, don't dwell upon your failures or look to your own performance as the basis of your security. You have been raised with Christ. He alone is your hope. Make His glory, and not your own goodness, the focus of your days and you will find that your behavior will bear testimony to His life-transforming power.

GALATIANS 5:16-25

Bible Through The Year: Ecclesiastes 1-3; Revelation 10