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Luke 22

Our passage starts on a Thursday when the Passover meal would be eaten. We see some interesting things happen within the vicinity of this day. First, Judas is possessed by Satan. He is one of two people in the bible that is possessed by Satan himself. The other person is the future Antichrist. The next thing we see is a plot starts to form to kill Jesus. While all of this is happening, Jesus sends Peter and John to go make preparations for the Passover meal, which Jesus fervently desired to share with His friends.

During this weeklong feast of Unleavened Bread, the mood should be remembering and celebrating the great things God did bringing His people out of Egypt. This is not so for Jesus. In these last few days, Jesus would deal with betrayal, isolation, and denial.

Let’s start with betrayal. There is not much more pain that can be felt from a friend than being stabbed in the back. When we look at Matthew’s gospel, Judas not only plotted to have Jesus killed, but he did it for 30 shekels of silver. His greed was greater than his love for his friend and teacher of at least three years.

Not only was Judas leading the chief priests, captains, and elders to Jesus, but the other eleven were sleeping in Jesus’ greatest need of prayer. When we compare the Gospel of Matthew, this was not just one occurrence, this happened three times on Jesus’ last night with His friends. He asked them to pray but they slept instead. They isolated Jesus in his last night of prayer and then scattered after He was arrested.

Lastly, Jesus was denied by one of His closest disciples, Peter. Betrayal hurts, but so does denial. Imagine pouring so much into a friendship that you spend three straight years together through thick and thin. These men were bonded by hardship, sleepless nights, and impact moments (essentially miracles upon miracles). The pain Jesus must have felt to know one of His closest disciples would not just deny being an acquaintance but would deny even knowing Him. Peter denied the friendship, the closeness, and the bond that they experienced. Don’t think that Peter is such a bad guy, you and I would do the same thing if we were in that situation.

Jesus wasn’t just plagued by physical suffering in His last days, but was also dealing with the pain of betrayal, isolation, and denial from his closest friends. Let’s look at the strength of Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prays, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” His prayer shows strength in time of suffering. Jesus recognizes the pain, but His love for you was of more importance in the garden. He submitted to the Father’s will so that He could have relationship with you. He was obedient where we are not. Put your trust in Him today.

Today’s Reading: Matthew 11 

Every day we are asked to be someone different. We are asked to be a parent. We are asked to be a sibling. We are asked to be a child. We are asked to be a spouse. We’re asked to be a friend. We are asked to be a coworker. We are asked to be a person.

In all these asking, we sometimes can forget or need a reminder of who we actually are. We are a child of God through Christ. That’s the one thing that we have to remember. When we lose sight of that, then we can try to play all the roles that society has put on us.

 But when we forget that we are our child of God, then we are confused and disillusioned. Even in this text of this passage, Christ and John the Baptist are seen differently through the lens of society.

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭7‬-‭9‬, ‭18‬-‭19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Many times we place so much effort on what the world and others think of us that…

We become depressed.

 We become anxious.

We become distraught. 

We become insecure.

 But through Christ, we are able to become more than our wildest thoughts.

 We have become strong … compassionate…  loving … fearless … beautiful individuals.

Let us look at ourselves this week as God sees us. Let us look at ourselves, as beautiful creations. Let us deafen the noise of the world and embrace our beauty in Christ.

Be  blessed

Psalm 73

Asaph’s writing in Psalm 73 is something probably we all experience at least a little bit as part of our daily lives.  He shares with us how he nearly walked away from God because he was constantly seeing arrogant, corrupt people living their best lives.  These people were healthy, wealthy, no problems, no consequences.  Meanwhile, he was doing everything right and still getting beat up by life.  Sound familiar?  “Why do good things happen to bad people” type behavior.  He felt like following God was pointless.

But right before he was about to go public, or go post on social media in today’s way, he held off.  Instead, he went to the sanctuary, he felt a shift.  He got perspective.  Not new information, but perspective.

He realized the wicked aren’t winning, they are standing on thin ice.  Their prosperity is temporary.  The end of it all is always inevitable.  He even looks back on it and calls himself thoughtless for even envying them in the first place.  Like a big, dumb animal that could never understand the bigger picture.

Here we are in 2026 and Asaph’s testimony rings even truer today than ever.  Back then it was either first-hand experience or word of mouth.  It still is that plus tv, cell phones and social media all at our fingertips.  All the celebrities and billionaires you can fathom.  Even the wealthiest of people sometimes in our communities.

Asaph’s story is black and white.  What seems like perfection vs. what is simply imperfection.  From my experience, I certainly never compare myself to Elon, Bezos or the likes of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.  Good for those guys.  I wish them the best and hope and pray they do have a relationship with Jesus and are generous to the world with their fame and fortune.  I will never truly get to know them on a deeper level.  I can only speak of the people I actually do rub shoulders with, those I do business with or even my ‘friends’ on social media.  The ones who talk about or post all the time about ‘having it all’.

In today’s reality it is sometimes that feeling you get scrolling through Instagram  or Facebook watching people make up stories and cut corners to make it look like it is all hunky dory.  Meanwhile you are grinding and barely keeping it altogether.

It is then that I find myself going to the sanctuary.  For me that is church on Sundays or those few minutes talking with God before I call it a night.  It is then I am reminded than a ‘perfect life’ doesn’t exist and what matters most is the person who I fold my hands together for and bow my head to.  It really makes me think how miserable my life would truly be had I never have known Him.  Simply put, I would just be another fool like the rest of them.  But fortunately, like Asaph said, ‘How good it is to be near God!’

My prayer is that we never, ever forget how good God is, and that we never stop realizing that He loves us and only ever wants the best for us.

Psalm 27 is a declaration of confidence in God when life feels uncertain, threatening, or delayed. David does not pretend there are no enemies, fears, or troubles. He names them plainly. Yet his focus is not on the size of the threat but on the strength of the Lord: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”

Joy appears in David’s deepest desire: to dwell with the Lord and behold His beauty. His joy is not rooted in easy circumstances but in God’s presence. Hope appears as David waits for the Lord, believing that he “would have lost heart” unless he expected to see God’s goodness. Endurance appears in the final command: “Wait on the Lord; be of good courage.” This is not passive waiting. It is courageous trust while the answer is still unfolding.

Psalm 27 reminds me that strength is not always loud, fast, or forceful. Sometimes strength looks like worshiping while afraid, praying while confused, and waiting without giving up. God’s presence gives joy. God’s character gives hope. God’s faithfulness gives endurance.

How does joy, hope, or endurance appear as strength in this passage?
They appear as a steady confidence that God is greater than fear, delay, opposition, and uncertainty.

How will I practice it?
I will practice it by turning fear into prayer, choosing worship before worry, and waiting on the Lord with courage instead of trying to control every outcome.

Joshua 1

The book of Joshua starts with some sad news on the banks of the Jordan river outside of the promised land. The leader of the people, Moses, was now dead and it was time for God to raise up the next leader. Moses struck the rock in Kadesh and because he did not hallow God in the eyes of the children of Israel, he would not enter the promised land (Num. 20:12). Moses is a type of the Law. The Law is a good teacher for us to see our sin, but it will net get us into heaven. Joshua is a type of Christ who leads us to the promised land.

God speaks directly with Joshua as He did with Moses. In verse 3 He states, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.” In verse 5 God states, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” God will keep His promises. Using Paul’s words (Rom. 3:4), “Let God be true and every man a liar.” God doesn’t just make promises with His people, but he also makes commands for them. Let’s look at a couple.

In verse 2 the first command is to arise and to cross the Jordan. The second command is a major theme in the book of Joshua: be strong and courageous. The third command God gives to Joshua is to keep the law and to not turn to the right or left. This command is extended. God says that the book of the law should not leave their lips and they should be meditating on it day and night. God concludes this section of commands by telling Joshua to not be afraid nor dismayed. Let’s look at some promises that aid Joshua in keeping these commands.

God tells Joshua that He will never leave him nor forsake him. This is the key promise. Joshua could go and conquer in Canaan because God would not leave them nor forsake them. Joshua could be strong and courageous because God would not leave them nor forsake them. Joshua could keep the law while having a relationship with God because he knew God would not leave them nor forsake them. God tells Joshua that his obedience to the law would lead him to success. God’s law has a good and wise design, so it should not surprise us to hear that if you keep his commands things will go well for you. This is not to say that there were not times when Joshua faced suffering and pain, but there is a blessing when you keep God’s commands. And no, don’t think this is prosperity gospel. You must do some gymnastics to interpret this as a promise for financial blessing.

As you read through the Bible yourself, look for specific promises that you should take hold of and commands you need to keep! Be strong and courageous!

Today’s passage: Exodus 17

“Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭17‬:‭8‬-‭12‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I’m tired. 

I can’t go on.

When will this be over? 

These are some of the words and phrases that we say constantly when we are going through something or experiencing something that is not manageable. 

We are human. 

We are vulnerable. 

We are fallible. 

We get tired and frustrated and distraught. But in this passage, we see that God gives us the ability to persevere, but he also has resources that are there to help hold us up, Aaron and Hur. 

No matter what we’re going through God has sent support to us in the midst of our battles and our troubles.

 The thing that we have to do is to allow others to support us when we are in need.

Be Blessed

Revelation 19

In Revelation 19, Jesus is called:

• “Faithful and True” (v.11)
• “The Word of God” (v.13)
• “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (v.16)

His names reveal who He is and how we experience Him. Yet even with all the names we know, there is still a mystery about Him. Revelation says He has a name written that no one knows but Himself (v.12). And even if we knew it, could we fully understand it?

Many of His names describe what He does for us:

• Avenger — He fights the battle against the enemy.
• Rescuer — He pulls us from the grip of evil.
• Conqueror — He defeats the beast and overcomes all opposition.
• Just Judge — He deals righteously with sin and unrighteousness.

His names aren’t merely titles; they are revelations of His character and His work.

The question for us is: What do you call Him?