📖 TRUTH TUESDAY — “I THOUGHT…”

Have you ever looked at something happening in your life and thought:

“Well…that’s not how I thought this was going to go.”

Naaman certainly did.

He came to Elisha believing God could heal his leprosy. But when Elisha told him to wash seven times in the Jordan River, Naaman became angry.

Why?

Because Naaman didn’t just have a request.

He had a script.

In 2 Kings 5:11, Naaman actually says:

“Behold, I thought…”

He had already imagined how God ought to work.

And sometimes we do the same thing.

I thought God would answer differently.

I thought that door would open.

I thought this season would be easier.

I thought my life would look different by now.

But something changes in Naaman. In verse 14, instead of acting according to what he thought, he goes down into the Jordan “according to the word of the man of God.”

That’s the turn:

“I thought…” becomes “according to the word…”

💭 Today’s Truth

Faith doesn’t require God to follow my script. Faith trusts God when He doesn’t.

And there’s one more beautiful piece.

After Naaman is healed, he returns to Elisha and says in verse 15:

“Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel…”

“I thought…”

became

“according to the word…”

and eventually became

“Now I know…”

Naaman came looking for healing.

He left knowing God.

That doesn’t mean laying down our expectations guarantees God will give us what we wanted another way. Sometimes He changes our circumstances. Sometimes He doesn’t.

But the greatest thing God could ever give us isn’t the life we’ve scripted.

The greatest thing God gives us is Himself.

🙏 Today’s Prayer

Father, I confess that sometimes I come to You with more than a request—I come with my own script for how I think You should answer. Help me hold my expectations with an open hand. When Your ways are different from what I expected, keep me anchored to what You have said in Your Word. Teach me to trust You even when I don’t understand what You are doing. More than getting the outcome I want, I want to know You and experience your presence and walk faithfully with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Is there an “I thought…” that you need to place into God’s hands today?

🎧 Today’s Five More Minutes is also available wherever you listen to podcasts.

🇺🇸 MOTIVATION MONDAY — WORK WASN’T THE CURSE

Happy Labor Day, friends!

We celebrate Labor Day by…trying our best not to labor. 😂 But here’s something interesting: if you think work entered the world because of sin, you’re one chapter too late.

📖 Genesis 2:15 tells us that before the Fall, before the curse, and before there were any thorns or thistles, God placed Adam in the garden “to cultivate it and keep it.”

Work wasn’t the curse. The curse made work painful.

God created us with purpose—to cultivate, create, care for, serve, accomplish, and contribute.

And there’s a beautiful glimpse of this at the other end of the Bible. Revelation 22:3 tells us that when the curse is finally gone, God’s servants will still serve Him.

We don’t need to speculate about exactly what that will look like. Scripture gives us enough:

The curse disappears. Purpose doesn’t.

💭 Today’s Truth

Your ordinary work matters to God when it is faithfully done for Him.

That’s why Colossians 3:23 tells us:

“Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.”

Whether your work happens in an office, a classroom, a factory, a truck, a kitchen, a hospital, your own business, or at home caring for the people God has entrusted to you—your work doesn’t have to look “spiritual” to matter to God.

So enjoy Labor Day! Rest. Spend some time with family. Maybe eat something good off the grill. 😂

And when you return to the ordinary work God has placed in front of you, do it faithfully. Do it heartily. Do it for Him.

🙏 Today’s Prayer

Father, thank You for creating me with purpose. Help me see the work You have placed before me as an opportunity to honor You. When my work is frustrating or tiring, remind me that the frustration is not the whole story. Give me strength to be faithful in the ordinary things You have entrusted to me. Whatever I do today, help me do it heartily and for You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

What has God placed in front of you to faithfully do in this season?

🎧 Today’s Five More Minutes is also available wherever you listen to podcasts.

📖 Faithful Friday — He Goes Ahead

We were in John 10 just last week, but I came back to the passage and noticed another little phrase I had walked right past.

Jesus says of the shepherd:

“…he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.”

— John 10:4

Don't miss those words:

“He goes ahead of them.”

The Shepherd doesn't stand behind the sheep shouting directions.

He leads from the front.

And maybe you need that reminder today.

You may not know what next month holds.

You may not understand where the road you're walking is going.

You may be asking God to show you how everything is going to work out.

Psalm 23 reminds us:

“He guides me in the paths of righteousness…”

And even when that path goes through the valley,

David's confidence is NOT: I understand this road.

It's: “You are with me.”

I love this picture:

The sheep doesn't get a map.

The sheep gets a Shepherd.

💭 Today's Truth

You don't have to know where the road leads when you know the Shepherd who leads you.

Proverbs 3:5–6 tells us:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.”

Following Jesus doesn't mean we never make plans.

It means our plans remain surrendered to the Shepherd.

We plan.

We pray.

We use wisdom.

But underneath it all is a simple posture:

“Jesus, You lead. I'll follow.”

🙏 Today's Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for being my Shepherd. Thank You that I don't have to know everything that lies ahead because You are leading me. Forgive me for the times I have trusted my own understanding more than I have trusted You. Help me listen to Your voice through Your Word, stay close to You, and faithfully follow the next step You place before me. When the road is uncertain, remind me that You are with me. Jesus, You lead. I'll follow. In Your name, Amen.

Maybe today the question isn't:

“Lord, will You show me the whole road?”

Maybe it's simply:

“Am I staying close to the Shepherd?”

You don't need the whole map.

Stay close. Follow Him.

🎙️ Today's Five More Minutes is also available wherever you listen to podcasts.