📖 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.

📖 Thankful Thursday — Rest a While

Sometimes you're tired because you've made poor choices.

But sometimes...

you're tired because you've been faithfully doing a lot of good things.

In Mark 6, the disciples returned to Jesus after He had sent them out to minister. They had been serving, helping people, and doing exactly what Jesus had called them to do.

And in verse 31, Jesus looked at these tired disciples and said:

“Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.”

Jesus noticed their weariness.

And I'm thankful for what that shows us about His heart:

💭 Today's Truth

Jesus doesn't confuse our limitations with unfaithfulness.

Maybe you're tired today too.

Maybe it's work.

Family.

School.

Caring for someone you love.

Serving others.

Or maybe life has simply required a lot from you lately.

Here's something I'm having to learn myself:

Rest isn't the opposite of faithfulness. Sometimes rest is part of faithfulness.

And sometimes following Jesus even means saying no to good things.

Every need doesn't automatically become my assignment.

Every opportunity doesn't require my yes.

Sometimes Jesus says, “Go.”

Sometimes He says, “Serve.”

And sometimes He says:

“Come away...and rest a while.”

Jesus gives us another beautiful invitation in Matthew 11:28: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.”

Notice where true rest leads:

“Come to ME.”

🙏 Today's Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for knowing my limitations and noticing when I am weary. Give me wisdom to know what You are asking me to carry and what I need to release. Help me say yes faithfully when You call me to serve and give me the courage to say no—even to good things—when they are not my assignment. Teach me to rest without guilt and to remember that true rest is found by drawing near to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

If you're tired today, maybe the question isn't, “How can I keep doing everything?”

Maybe it's simply:

“Jesus, what would ‘rest a while’ look like for me today?”

You don't have to hide your weariness from Him.

Come to Him.

Rest a while.

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

📖 Wisdom Wednesday — Tell What Jesus Has Done

Have you ever thought:

“I'd talk about Jesus more if I just knew more?”

In Mark 5, Jesus completely transforms the life of a man who had been living among the tombs under terrible demonic oppression.

By verse 15, the man who had been tormented is:

“sitting down, clothed and in his right mind.”

Jesus had changed everything.

But here's what amazes me.

This man hadn't studied theology.

He hadn't spent years following Jesus.

He had known Jesus for...well, maybe Five More Minutes! :-)

And when he asks to go with Jesus, Jesus gives him another assignment:

“Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He had mercy on you.” — Mark 5:19

Jesus didn't tell him to go explain everything.

He told him to go tell what God had done for him.

💭 Today's Truth

You don't have to know everything about Jesus to tell somebody what Jesus has done for you.

And that's incredibly freeing.

What if somebody asks you a question you can't answer?

It's okay to say: “I don't know the answer to that. But I can tell you what Jesus has done for me.”

Psalm 66:16 says:

“Come and hear, all who fear God,

And I will tell of what He has done for my soul.”

Your testimony doesn't have to be dramatic.

It doesn't have to impress anybody.

Because you're not the hero of your testimony. Jesus is.

If He has saved you, forgiven you, carried you, given you hope, shown you mercy...

you have something to tell.

🙏 Today's Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for what You have done in my life. Thank You for Your mercy, Your grace, and the salvation You have given me. Help me never believe that I need to know everything before I can tell someone about You. Give me an opportunity to share what You have done for me, and help me keep the focus of my story on You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

So here's today's question:

What has Jesus done for me that I could tell somebody else?

Ask God for an opportunity! And tell YOUR story of Jesus!

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

📖 Truth Tuesday — But First...

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to intend to obey God...

later?

In Luke 9, Jesus encounters three people who talk about following Him.

One says:

“I will follow You, Lord; but first...” — Luke 9:61

Those two words are worth noticing:

“But first...”

None of these people simply says, “No, I won't follow.”

The problem is that following Jesus keeps getting pushed behind something else.

And we can do the same thing.

I'll forgive...later.

I'll deal with that sin...later.

I'll have that conversation...later.

I'll get serious about spending time with God when life slows down.

Sometimes “later” sounds a lot more spiritual than “no.”

But James 4:17 gives us a direct reminder:

“Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

The issue isn't always that we don't know what God wants us to do.

Sometimes...

we know. We just haven't done it.

💭 Today's Truth

Delayed obedience has a way of becoming disobedience.

Maybe you're waiting for God to show you the next ten steps when He's already made today's step clear.

You don't need tomorrow's instructions to obey today's.

So here's the question:

What have I been postponing that Jesus has already made clear?

🙏 Today's Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your patience with me. Show me where I have been postponing something You have already made clear. Forgive me for the times I have postponed to later when I really needed to obey in the moment. Give me courage to take the step of faithfulness that is in front of me today. Help me follow You without waiting for perfect circumstances or complete understanding. In Jesus' name, Amen.

If that prayer expresses your heart, pray it with me—or find your own words and spend some time honestly talking with Jesus today.

If He brings something to mind...

don't promise Him someday.

Follow Him today.

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

📖 Motivation Monday — Open Hands

The rich young ruler ran to Jesus.

He knelt before Jesus.

He asked Jesus about eternal life.

And then Mark gives us a detail I don't want us to miss:

“Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him...” — Mark 10:21

Jesus loved him.

And because Jesus loved him, He challenged the very thing that had captured his heart.

💭 Today's Truth

Jesus loves us too much to leave unchallenged the things that keep us from following Him wholeheartedly.

For this man, it was his possessions.

For us, it could be money, control, comfort, approval, a relationship, a dream—or simply our plans for how we think life should go.

The question isn't just, “What do I have?”

It's:

“What am I holding so tightly that I would struggle if Jesus asked me to open my hand?”

Because anything I cannot surrender to Jesus has begun competing with Jesus.

And don't miss what Jesus offered this man:

“Come, follow Me.”

Jesus wasn't merely asking him to give something up.

Jesus was offering him Himself.

Sadly, verse 22 tells us the man walked away grieving. Scripture never tells us that he returned.

He wanted what Jesus offered—but he wasn't willing to release what Jesus exposed.

🙏 Today's Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me enough to tell me the truth about my heart. Show me ANYTHING I am holding more tightly than I am holding onto You. Give me the faith to surrender whatever competes for my heart and to trust that nothing I could hold onto is worth more than knowing and following You. Help me live today with open hands. In Jesus' name, Amen.

If that prayer expresses your heart, pray it with me—or find your own words and spend some time honestly talking with Jesus today.

Remember:

The One asking you to open your hand is the One who loves you.

Open your hands.

And follow Him.

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

📖 Faithful Friday — Stay Close

Have you ever been perfectly content with the life God has given you...

until you started looking at somebody else’s?

Peter did something remarkably similar.

In John 21, Jesus has restored Peter after his failure. He gives Peter his assignment and says:

“Follow Me!”

And almost immediately Peter looks at John and asks:

“Lord, and what about this man?”

Peter! Really???

Jesus’ answer is wonderfully direct:

“If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!” — John 21:22

💭 Today’s Truth

Faithfulness isn’t keeping up with someone else. It’s following Jesus where He leads you.

Comparison can quietly steal our joy.

And social media certainly doesn’t make that any easier.

In a few minutes we can see somebody else’s vacation, house, family, marriage, children, ministry, success or opportunities...

and suddenly: Comparison can make you dissatisfied with a life you were thankful for five minutes ago.

Before long, Peter’s question becomes ours:

Lord, what about them?

Why did they get that opportunity?

Why does their life seem easier?

Why did their prayer get answered differently?

And Jesus lovingly brings our attention back:

“What is that to you? You follow Me.”

Somebody else’s story isn’t the measuring stick for your faithfulness.

And don’t miss who receives that invitation.

Peter had failed.

Peter had denied Jesus.

But Jesus restored him and said again:

“Follow Me.”

Maybe you’ve stumbled too.

Receive His grace.

Put your eyes back on Jesus.

And keep following.

🙏 Today’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times I look sideways and compare my life with someone else’s. Thank You for the path You have given me and for Your grace when I stumble along the way. Help me celebrate what You are doing in others without allowing comparison to steal my joy. Keep my eyes fixed on You, and give me the faithfulness to follow wherever You lead. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If that prayer expresses your heart, pray it with me—or find your own words and spend some time honestly talking with Jesus today.

Hear His words again:

“What is that to you? You follow Me.”

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