TUSITE SEPITEMA 30, 2025

THE PATHWAY TO HOLINESS

KO E HALA KI HE MA’ONI’ONI

ROMANS 8:13

"If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." 

LOMA 8:13

He kapau te mou mo‘ui fai ki he kakano, ko hono ālonga pē ‘o ha‘amou mate: ka ‘o kapau te mou fai‘aki ‘a e Laumālie, ‘o ‘ai ke mate ‘a e feinga kovi ‘a e sino, te mou mo‘ui.

Your holiness matters.

In the Old Testament, the word "holy" doesn't always refer to a moral state; often, it refers to a relationship. Cities are described as holy cities, vessels as holy vessels, and buildings as holy places. This means that they stood in a special relationship to God. And so it is in redemption: we have been placed in a special relationship to God. We have been set apart for a holy use.

If you are married, perhaps you had other relationships before the one you enjoy with your spouse. I was married in the summer of 1975. That day, whatever romantic relationships I had had in my past were all over and done with - finished - because I was united to my wife. I was made new. I came to our wedding as an individual; I left married. My wife and I were set apart for one another through the vows, the covenant commitment, that we made to one another.

We cannot make vows to the Lord Jesus Christ and then just treat Him anyway we want. We simply cannot fool around with holiness. Why not? Because without holiness "no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 12:14). The apostle Paul goes so far as to say that we must "put to death the deeds of the body." The Puritans called this "the mortification of the flesh." And this mortification doesn't happen automatically. It doesn't happen unconsciously. It's not a process of osmosis. Rather, what we need is the painstaking, day-by-day working out of our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). We need the Spirit's prompting and enabling to remind us that we have to weep deliberately and consciously over our own sins, repent of them, turn from them, and seek to obey our Lord - and not only with those sins that are clear and obvious but also with inward sins such as envy, pride, malice, hypocrisy, and self-righteousness. It's a wonderful day when God shows us the ugliness of a sin that has been indwelling us and prompts us to tackle it. Here's the way to deal with sin: ruthlessly, immediately, consistently.

When true holiness begins to take root in our lives, it does not make us judgmental or unbending. That is legalism, where we set ourselves apart for rule-keeping pride; it is not holiness, where we are set apart for pleasing God. Instead, holiness manifests itself in graciousness, pleasantness, and goodness. So holiness is attractive. When we see it in others, whether or not we call it holiness, we warm to it and long for it. And holiness is possible, because the Lord Jesus died for the failings of our flesh and sent His Spirit to dwell in us so that we can fight sin and walk toward eternal life.

The pathway to that holiness emerges from thinking upon the wonder of all that Jesus has done for us. Ponder that path. Ask Jesus to make it real to you in a way that it's never been before. And as you walk, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus, "the founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 24-26; John 13:21-38

Lau ‘a e Tohitapu ‘i he ta’u ‘e taha: ‘Isikeli 24-26; Sione 13:21-38

 MONITE SEPITEMA 29, 2025

BETWEEN FAITH AND FEAR

VAHA’O E TUI MO E ILIFIA

LUKE 24:39-41

"See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have ' And when he had said this. he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them. ‘Have you anything here to eat?”

LUKE 24:39-41

39 Vakai mai ki hoku ongo nima ni, mo hoku va‘e, ko au mo‘oni ia: fāfā au ‘o ‘ilo; he ‘oku ‘ikai kakano mo hui ha fa‘ahikehe, ‘o hangē ko ia ‘oku mou sio ai ‘iate au. 40 Pea ‘i he‘ene lea pehē, na‘a ne faka‘ali‘ali kiate kinautolu hono ongo nima mo e va‘e. 41 Pea ‘i he‘enau kei tuingata‘a, koe‘uhi ko ‘enau fiefia mo ofoofo, na‘a ne toe pehē kiate kinautolu, ‘oku ai ha‘amou me‘akai heni?

The disciples were real people - and they found believing in the resurrection difficult.

News of Jesus' resurrection produced a roller coaster of emotions within His disciples. One minute they seemed to be up on the crest, and the next minute they were hurtling toward the ground. Reports of an empty tomb were met with mixed emotions of awe and unbelief. Indeed, they thought the words of the women who had discovered it were "an idle tale, and they did not believe them" (Luke 24:11).

Even when Jesus appeared suddenly and stood among His disciples, their sorrows were not soothed and their fears were not calmed. Instead, we discover that they were still in panic mode. Face-to-face with the resurrected Christ, they "were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit" (Luke 24:37). Even after Jesus showed them His hands and feet, they still battled disbelief as it jostled against the dawning joy.

This is a wonderfully honest picture, isn't it? Here we find the group of people who were to be the pillars of the church, all essentially hiding behind couches and coming out of closets, saying. We thought we saw a ghost!

The disciples' battle against fear and disbelief is a great encouragement for those who flip between hope and despair. It's one thing to affirm our belief in the resurrection on a fine Sunday morning, surrounded by a crowd of fellow Christians. It is quite another to affirm it on a difficult Tuesday afternoon, surrounded by people who are convinced it is an idle tale, or when we are waiting on test results in the doctor's office or fending off loneliness.

A real Christian is not someone who does not doubt; it is someone who brings their doubts to the fact of the empty tomb and reminds themselves that our faith rests on historical events, and that those historical events are ones which cause us to feel joy and marvel at God. If you find yourself today in a battle against fear and unbelief, cry out to God, praying the prayer of the man in Mark 9: "I believe, help my unbelief!" (v 24). The disciples' doubts and fears did not exclude them from the kingdom; neither did they preclude them from kingdom work. So today, ask God to guard your faith, and walk forwards remembering that Jesus really has risen and really does have work for you to do.

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 22-23; John 13:1-20

Lau ‘a e Tohitapu ‘i he ta’u ‘e taha: ‘Isikeli 22-23; Sione 13:1-20

 SAPATE SEPITEMA 28, 2025

GOD'S WISDOM

KO E POTO ‘A E ‘OTUA

ECCLESIASTES 7:29

"This alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes." 

KOHELETI 7:29

Sio mai, ko eni pē e me‘a kuo u ma‘u: na‘e ngaohi ‘a e tangata ‘e ‘Elohimi ko e tonusika; ka kuo feinga‘i ‘e he fa‘ahinga ko ia ha fāliunga lahi.

I once received a letter from a young man who'd been educated at the highest level in both American and British universities. In that letter, he wrote, "I must say, all the education in the world has made me the most stupid and unenlightened man." It's hard  to believe that these words came from such a scholar - but truly, he knew enough to recognize that foolishness has nothing to do with mental faculty but everything to do with moral rebellion.

Human foolishness exists because of our disobedience to God, who is the only source of true wisdom and enlightenment. Such rebellion results in alienation from God and others. And since God must punish sin, the foolishness of man leads to condemnation. We are created to be "upright," but we lean into self-sufficient, self-aggrandizing schemes. We are twisted and stunted because we live for ourselves instead of our Creator. So we can know all sorts of things and yet know nothing. Yet in our hopeless state, the wisdom of God can be made known to us in the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:2-3). This wisdom becomes ours only when we believe in Him as our God and Savior, for "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7, emphasis added). God's Spirit enables us to turn from our old way of life and start on a new journey. As we turn to Him in repentance, the Lord will accept us, even in our sinfulness. And then, by His great power, He will take us and change us by His grace.

That is God's wisdom. You can't find it in any self-help book. You can't find it in mere religion or philosophy. You can't find it in the best universities. Those are dead-end streets. You can only find it in Jesus, who offers to become your wisdom and righteousness. In our foolishness, we have all run from the one who made us-yet He has pursued us, made known to us our condition, and chosen to reveal His Son to us. Take time to praise God for His infinite wisdom and amazing grace! And then consider this: Would anything need to change if you made all your decisions and set your direction in life by beginning with "the fear of the LORD" and not with the schemes of man?

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 20-21; John 12:27-50

Lau ‘a e Tohitapu ‘i he ta’u ‘e taha: ’Isikeli 21-21; Sione 12:27-50

 TOKONAKI SEPITEMA 27, 2025

MYSTERIOUS PROVIDENCE

KO E MISITELI FAKAPALOVITESINI

ACTS 27:3

"The next day we put in at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him leave to go to his friends and be cared for." 

NGAUE 27:3

Bea bogibogi hake ai, na’a mau tuku taula i Saitoni. Bea na’e ‘ofa a Juliusi kia Baula, ‘o ne tukuage ia ke ‘alu ki ‘uta, ke ne ma‘u ‘a e ‘ofa ‘a hono kaiga.(UESI)

Acts 7:58 records that Saul of Tarsus watched over the coats of those who were stoning Stephen, the first martyr. Soon after this, Saul (later also known as Paul) was at the forefront of the persecution that resulted in Christians being driven out of Jerusalem, scattering them into the regions around it and spreading the gospel along with them (8:3-4)! And then Saul was converted: Christ brought him to faith and commissioned him as an apostle even as he was "breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" (9:1).

And so it was that by Acts 27:3. Saul, now always known as Paul, had Christian friends in Sidon - likely members of a community founded in the city at the time of the persecution and dispersion that had followed Stephen's death. The friends that were available to Paul in Sidon were there because Saul of Tarsus had been such a horrible persecutor. God indeed "moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform."

If we had been among those who were persecuted by Saul, we likely would have joined in their mourning, saying, O Lord, we're all being spread apart. Our families are being scattered. Our communities are being broken up. Isn't this dreadful and awful? From their perspective, it certainly appeared so. Even in the midst of such great tragedy, however, we see God's mysterious providence: Paul himself, now a Christian, was on the receiving end of Christian kindness from a church that existed in that city in part because he had been such a determined persecutor.

In due time, the tangled messes of our present lives, of our difficulties and disappointments, will all be put in their proper perspective. We should remember that...

Ill that He blesses is our good,

And unblest good is ill;

And all is right that seems most wrong,

If it be His sweet will!™

[Frederick W. Faber, "I Worship Thee, Sweet Will of God" (1849).]

This little anecdote from Paul's life reiterates the truth that Joseph declared to his brothers when they sought his forgiveness for having sold him into Egypt: "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Genesis 50:20). God is able to sweep even the evil intentions of people into the unfolding drama of His purposes for His children. He is faithful and unchanging. Take comfort in His mysterious providence, knowing that He will not allow anything to befall you which will not ultimately be used for your good and His glory.

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 18-19; John 12:1-26

Lau ‘a e Tohitapu ‘i he ta’u ‘e taha: ‘Isikeli 18-19; Sione 12:1-26

 FALAITE SEPITEMA 26, 2025

THE CROWN OF LIFE

KO E KALAUNI ‘O E MO’UI

JAMES 1:12

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." 

SEMISI 1:12

Monu‘ia ā ka ko e tangata ‘oku ne kātaki ha ‘ahi‘ahi: he ‘oka ‘osi hono sivi, te ne ma‘u ai ‘a e kalauni ‘o e mo‘ui, ‘a ia kuo ne tala‘ofa kiate kinautolu ‘oku ‘ofa kiate ia.

It's easy to want to graduate without taking the required classes. But without taking the classes there's no way to be ready for the tests, and without a test there's no graduation. As in academia, so in our faith: it would be foolish to think that we can graduate to maturity and completeness in the Christian life before taking the courses and going through the tests.

When James writes about the believer who "has stood the test," he uses the word dokimos, which refers to someone who is tested, tried, and approved. This kind of person has the seal of God's approval on their life, and that becomes clearer and clearer through their perseverance.

The "crown of life," or, more accurately, the crown that consists of life, is "a picture of eternal life," which God promises to His people. It suggests the idea of God welcoming us at the finish line and crowning us with honor, blessing, and life that is everlasting. So the duration of the test is the duration of our lives. Our test lasts until Christ returns or calls us home - and so here is a call to remain steadfast to the end.

It is this perspective and this promise that transform how we meet the most difficult times of our lives. We're often tempted to regard individual trials as intruders rather than welcoming them "as friends" (James 1:2, Phillips). But when we understand that the whole of life is a series of tests, that can reassure us, giving us an opportunity to think seriously and realistically about what we go through. We can know with confidence that ahead of us lies the crown of eternal life with Jesus, and that our trials are opportunities to learn perseverance and grow in Christlikeness, proclaiming to the world that the one whom we are walking toward is sufficient not just for life but also for joy.

The Christian life has no simulation phase to prepare us for the real thing; it is a real-time experience all the time, every day. We're not afforded the opportunity to find out exactly how we will parent our children, deal with the sudden loss of a loved one, or react to whatever else might come our way until these things actually come our way. These are the real-life courses we must take to graduate on to spiritual maturity. What trials are you walking through today? These are the classes, unchosen by you though they may be, which the Lord knows will enable you to persevere and will prepare you for your crown. As, by His grace, you remain steadfast in the storms today, remember that you are "blessed." not with the false blessing of an easy life now but with the eternal blessing of the "crown of life" to come.

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 16-17; John 11:28-57

Lau e Tohitapu ‘i he ta’u ‘e taha: ‘Isikeli 16-17; Sione 11:28-57

 TU‘APULELULU SEPITEMA 25, 2025

BLESSED TRINITY

SI’OTO ‘OFA KI HE TOLU-TAHA’I-’OTUA

JOEL 2:32

"It shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." 

SIOELI 2:32

Pea ‘e hoko ‘o pehē, ko ia ‘oku tautapa ki he huafa ‘o Sihova ‘e fakahaofi: he ai ha kau hao ‘i Mo‘unga Saione mo Selusalema, ‘o hangē ko e folofola ‘a Sihova, pea ‘e ‘i he kau toe ‘a kinautolu ‘oku ui ‘e Sihova.

There are "biblical" words that are not, in fact, in the Bible. For example, you will not find the word substitute in your Bible, and yet the word conveys the beauty of what happened when the Son of God died in the place of sinners. You will not find the word Trinity in the Scriptures either, and yet it represents true teaching about who God is. And the truth it captures is wondrous.

Adding to the wonder of the doctrine of the Trinity is the fact that such a teaching arose from a faith that was utterly committed to the one-ness, the unity, of God. The truth that there is one God was fundamental for Old Testament believers. The passage that articulated the monotheistic heart of the Hebrew faith, and which every Jew knew by heart, declared, "The LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4). Salvation is found in this one God alone: "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." It would be impossible to overstate how deeply the truth of God's unity was embedded into the thinking of God's old-covenant people.

This was true when the early church exploded into being in Jerusalem. For men like Peter and Paul, the unity of God was axiomatic. The only way for them to come to understand that the one God exists in three Persons, then, would be for that God to reveal Himself to them. This is precisely what happened in the person of Jesus Christ, who claimed authority to forgive sins and verified that authority by doing what is possible only for God to do (Mark 2:1-12). In this way Jesus revealed Himself to be the divine Son of the divine Father, and together They would send the divine Spirit to Their people (John 14:23-26). Then, before ascending to heaven, this Jesus commissioned His disciples to make disciples of all nations and to baptize them in the one name of God. which is attributed to three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). The disciples understood that the Lord of the Old Testament had been with them in Jesus. They had been fishing with the Lord, had sat at His feet, and had watched Him work wonders. And they understood that when they urged people to call on the name of the Lord to be saved, they were urging them to call on Jesus Christ (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13).

For the disciples, this understanding came as the Spirit of God worked in their hearts and minds as they considered what Jesus had taught them and what He had done. For us, it comes as we meditate on the Scriptures and let the Spirit illumine its pages for us. Yet the truth of God's triune nature is not for our mental exercise alone; it also ought to cause our hearts to swell in adoration of our vast, mysterious, and transcendent God. who nevertheless draws near to us. And it ought to fuel us, as it did the disciples, to go into this unbelieving world with confidence that this triune God-Father, Son, and Spirit-will draw people to Himself as the gospel message goes forth.

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 14-15; John 11:1-27

Lau e Tohitapu ‘i he ta’u ‘e taha: ‘Isikeli 14-15; Sione 11:1-27

 PULELULU SEPITEMA 24, 2025

DRAWING NEAR

‘UNU’UNU ATU KE OFI

HEBREWS 10:22

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

HEPELU 10:22

ko ia ke tau ‘unu‘unu atu mo e loto mo‘oni, kuo ma‘uma‘uluta ‘etau tui, kuo luluku hotau loto ‘o fakama‘a mei he konisēnisi kovi, pea kuo pālutu hotau sino ‘i he vai fakama‘a.

For the vast number of God's people living under the old covenant, access to God was only by way of the high priest. Only he was able to physically draw near to God with any sense of intimacy and this only once a year, on the Day of Atonement! It was therefore dramatic and revolutionary for the writer of Hebrews to exhort his readers to "draw near" to God as they prayed.

What happened to cause such a seismic change in the way people are able to approach God? The answer is, in short, Calvary. When "Jesus cried out... with a loud voice and the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom" yielded up his spirit (Matthew 27:50-51). Under the old covenant, this curtain had restricted access to the presence of God-but now the barrier was obliterated. Now it was possible for men and women, on the basis of Christ's atoning death, to make their way directly into God's presence. Now they could draw near to the God who is majestic in His holiness and in whose presence no sinner could live - until Calvary.

How should we respond to the writer's invitation? First, we ought to draw near with confidence. The writer prefaces his exhortation by saying, "Since we have confidence..." (Hebrews 10:19). Whereas previously our approach to God could only ever have been tentative and fearful, now we're able to come confidently in faith and great joy on the basis of "the blood of Jesus" (v 19).

Second, we ought to draw near with gratitude. We should recognize the wonder of being able to come into His presence directly. We are not to draw near haphazardly or flippantly, for it took the death of the Son of God to open "the new and living way" to God (Hebrews 10:20). We are therefore to approach Him in humble and reverent Thankfulness.

Whereas the Old Testament way, as Franz Delitzsch puts it, "was simply a lifeless trodden by the high priest, and by him alone," the way that we now walk is pavement indeed new and living. Thanks be to God that we now draw near through Jesus, fully assured that we are accepted by our Maker. Are you holding back from praying to your almighty Father out of an awareness of your sin? Be sure that the blood of Jesus has covered it. Are you under the impression that you need to clean up your act and bring your good deeds before God if He is to accept you? Be clear that the curtain is torn and Jesus has done it all. Do you skip drawing near to God out of complacency or busyness? Be aware that Jesus died to give you that privilege. Because of Calvary, we can, and should, draw near with confident, grateful joy today.

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 11-13; John 10:22-42

Lau ‘a e Tohitapu ‘i he ta’u ‘e taha: ‘Isikeli 11-13; Sione 10:22-42

 TUSITE SEPITEMA 23, 2025

HOW TO OVERCOME JEALOUSY

KO E FOUNGA HONO TAU’I ‘O E FUA’AA

PROVERBS 27:4

"Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy"

PALOVEPI 27:4

Ko e tafulu ko e tama fekai, Pea ko e ‘ita ko e vai fā; Ka ko e fua‘a, ‘e matu‘uaki ‘e hai?

Jealousy has been the downfall of humanity since our very beginning.

In Genesis 4 it was Cain's jealousy of his brother Abel that led to murder. While it might be easy to dismiss their story as inapplicable to ourselves, since we probably don't have a criminal record for murder and are not tempted to obtain one, it is possible to bring ruin to those we envy without ever laying a hand on them, through a snide word here and a blessing withheld there. Not only that but jealousy, when left unaddressed in our hearts, will crush us and overwhelm us.

Jealousy flourishes when others receive more or achieve better than we do. It can penetrate our minds even as we observe the lives of people we don't know well, simply because we perceive them to have some form of advantage unavailable to us. When someone else experiences happiness because of success or a good reputation, jealousy may manifest as a kind of sadness for ourselves that excludes any gladness for the other. Consider the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32): when the elder brother watched his father celebrate the homecoming of his delinquent younger brother, he refused to cheer along. Why? Because even though he had never lost good standing with his father, he resented the joyous forgiveness and recognition given to another.

Jealousy can make us hostile toward those who have never meant to harm us. When Joseph's brothers observed how their father loved him, "they hated him and could not speak peacefully to him" (Genesis 37:4). Suddenly, at their breakfast table, relationships were broken and through no fault of Joseph's! He had done nothing by his own design to intentionally harm or hinder his brothers, but they hated him because seeds of jealousy were planted deep in their hearts.

Jealousy also fails to recognize that God knows what He is doing when He apportions gifts. When we are jealous of another's success, we say to God, "You ought to understand that I am supposed to be there... I should look like her... I should have what he has." But shall the potter have to endure such questions from the clay (Isaiah 64:8)? Why do we think we can question God's divine wisdom as He deals with us and with others? He has made us and arranged our circumstances exactly as He desires. 

Rare is the man or woman who does not struggle with jealousy for one reason or another, at one time or another. So what is the cure for it? With the Holy Spirit's help it is to name jealousy for the sin that it is and ask Him to help us daily to root it out. purposefully and ruthlessly. And, again with the Spirit's help, we can consider all that we have in Christ--for as we think about the spiritual blessings that are ours through Him, jealousy withers and contentment grows in its place. Do not let envy grow in your heart  today--and if and where it has done so, root it out. 

Bible Through The Year: Ezekiel 8-10; John 10:1-21

Lau ‘a e Tohitapu ‘i he ta’u ‘e taha: ‘Isikeli 8-10; Sione 10:1-21