TOKONAKI ME 2, 2026

1 KALONIKALI 12-14; ‘EFESO 3:14-21

When God calls you, he supplies everything you need to answer his call.

‘I he taimi ‘oku ui ai koe ‘e he ‘Otua, ‘oku ne tokonaki ‘a e me’a kotoa pe te ke fiema’u ke tali’aki ‘a ‘Ene ui.

Sometimes God calls us into his service not because we are able, but because he is. When God calls us into his service, he is not necessarily endorsing our character, wisdom, power, or righteousness. His call reveals not how great or worthy we are, but how perfectly great and worthy he is. God knows we are sinners in need of grace. He knows that he has created us with limits. He knows we are still tempted to love what is foolish and to think that we are far wiser than we truly are. He knows how often our minds and bodies fail us. So every call and command of God is accompanied by his empowering grace. We need grace both to desire and to do what God calls us to do. I am convinced that we should never allow ourselves to forget that God's grace is designed to move us not from dependence to independence, but from independence to a greater and deeper dependence on him. Mature believers are mature because they have forsaken the delusion that independently they can be what God calls them to be and do what God calls them to do.

First Chronicles 11-12 records for us all the mighty men who come to King David and swear their loyalty to him in service and in battle. It is an impressive list of men of wisdom and valor. But as we read this history, we must understand what is happening here. These men gather around David in loyal service, surrendering their gifts and abilities to him, not simply because he is great. No, something grander and more encouraging is occurring. God has called David to unify and lead Israel, an extremely difficult task. To accomplish this, David is going to need lots of help. So God, in faithfulness to his servant, supplies him with what he needs. These men gather around David because when God calls one of his children into his service, he supplies what that servant needs. These men of valor are physical evidence that when God calls, he supplies.

God never calls us into his service and then walks away. He never calls you and then stands back to see how well you are doing. When God sends you, he goes with you. When he appoints you to a task, he supplies you with what you need to do that task.

David's Lord is your Lord; he will supply what you need, just as he did for his servant so long ago. Answer his call; he will supply.

 FALAITE ME 1, 2026

1 KALONIKALI 10-11; SAAME 37:1-6

We should always hold our plans with an open hand, because God is perfectly wise and sovereign and we are not.

Ko ‘etau ngaahi palani ‘oku totonu ke tau hapai kotoa ki he ‘Otua, he ko Ia pe ‘oku poto haohaoa mo aoniu, ‘o ‘ikai ko kitautolu.

What do you really want? Be honest with yourself and with God as you make this assessment. If you could have anything, what would it be? What personal dreams do you hold onto and revisit? Where do you wish you were sovereign and able to make the world do your bidding? What makes you dissatisfied with your life? Where are you tempted to doubt the wisdom or goodness of God? How do you handle disappointment? What do you tend to do when your plans are thwarted? What have you prayed for and later wondered why God failed to provide? Is there a struggle in your life between your plans for you and God's plans for you? Are you ever tempted to think that you are smarter than God?

The biblical story is God's story. It was written to introduce you to the magnificent glory of his glory. He is the character that dominates every narrative. The biblical story is meant to expose you to God's character, his will, and his plan for his own. He is the hero of every story. All the victories belong to him. Every great man or woman of faith is great only because of God's empowering presence and grace. In the biblical story, human plans fail, but God's never do. Human power is limited and temporary, but God's isn't. Human love is weak and fails, but God's love is strong and always prevails. But, despite God's zeal to reveal himself to us in such a way that should encourage us to trust him, follow him, and surrender our will to his, there is a constant struggle in the biblical story between what people want and what God knows is best for them.

Israel was dissatisfied with having no human king, even though God was an infinitely better ruler than any human king they could ever have. They looked at the nations around them and wanted a king like they had. So God gave them what they wanted. Sadly, Saul was a king like the other nations' kings. His repeated rebellion against God, his obsession with his own power, and his jealousy all led to his demise. God had planned something better for his children, something much better than what they envied in the surrounding pagan nations (see 1 Chron. 11:1-4). God wanted for his children a king after his own heart. He would covenant with this king to give him a throne that would never end. Out of this king's line would come Jesus, the Son of David, the Savior of the world. As a wise Father, God always knows what is best for his children. His plans are always best. His way is always right. We will never know  more than he knows or be wiser than he is. Surrendering your desires, plans, and will to the Lord of lords is never a bad choice. Demanding your own way never produces anything good. The plan of the ultimate planner is always the wisest and best plan. Surrender your plans to him, and you will be glad you did.