SWEET

JUNE 13, 2026

“How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Psalm 119:103

The World Cup kicked off on Thursday! Hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, the

world’s most popular sports event will run for a month, featuring 104 awesome

international soccer games. As a soccer fan, I am very excited. But let me tell you a

personal story that happened 12 years ago, around the time of the 2002 Korea/Japan

World Cup.

My country, Korea, reached the semi-finals, which was a historic moment for us Koreans.

I was crazy for soccer; I did not want to miss a single game. But then there was a conflict.

My dad and I had planned a mission trip to China, and we were to leave on the day of the

World Cup finals. I wanted to watch the game so much. The only thing I had in mind was

canceling the mission trip to China, just because I wanted to watch a 90-minute soccer

game. I remember telling Dad that I didn’t want to go to China. In return, he scolded me

pretty badly. I deserved it. Eventually, we went to China as scheduled. I was really blessed

on that mission trip to China. I still remember the things we did in China 12 years ago.

What about the World Cup? I don’t even remember who won that World Cup in 2002

anymore, because it’s not even worth it.

I share this with you because similar foolish thoughts have come to mind recently. I was

really excited about this year’s World Cup, but I was slightly disappointed to know that I

would be gone for the camp meeting for 2 weeks right in the middle of the World Cup.

When I realized my foolishness, I repented. I did not realize that I would receive so many

more blessings throughout the camp meeting period as I listened to the beautiful Words

of God from chosen speakers.

If you have trouble deciding what to do when there is a conflict between secular things

and godly things, then choose the latter. When it comes to listening to the Word of God,

nothing else can come in the way. Spending time with God is definitely “sweeter than

honey.”

CAPTAIN

JUNE 6, 2026

“Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” Matthew 8:26

Some years ago, on Memorial Day, our family visited the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was such a beautiful day to visit, and we had a great time walking around the campus. We entered this big building called Bancroft Hall. We were really impressed by the size of the hall and all the wall decorations, but this gigantic banner hanging from the center wall caught my attention. It was a black banner with these words written in white: “DON’T GIVE UP THE SHIP.”

This quote reminded me of the tragedy that occurred on the morning of April 16, 2014, in my home country of Korea. A ferry named ‘Sewol’ sank on the west coast of the Korean peninsula, causing more than 300 deaths in the tragedy. One of the news reports regarding the tragedy that got all the Koreans so angry was the fact that the captain of the ferry was the first one to abandon the ship, leaving everyone else behind. How can the captain be the first one to abandon the ship? The captain should be the last one to leave. But that did not happen on April 16.

We have a captain who is faithful to us. The synoptic gospels tell us about our Captain Jesus. Matthew tells us that Jesus and the disciples got into a boat. Since Jesus was tired, he fell asleep, I mean a deep one. While Jesus was sleeping, a huge storm came! The disciples came to Jesus and tried to wake him up! Among the 3 gospels, I like how Mark wrote what the disciples said to Jesus to wake Him up: “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38)

Jesus “arose and rebuked the wind.” The wind ceased, and there was great calm. Then Jesus said, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). This is what Luke writes: “Where is your faith?”

The captain of Sewol did not care. He only cared for himself. But our Captain Jesus is different. He cares. He has things in control for us. He is always consistent. It is we who are inconsistent. Let us ask ourselves, “Where is my faith?”

CHARACTER

May 30, 2026

“When she(Naomi) saw that she(Ruth) was determined to go with her, she stopped speaking to her.” Ruth 1:18

Naomi was a Hebrew woman who was married to Elimelech. They had two sons named Chilion and Mahlon. Because there was famine in the land of Judah, the family moved to Moab to survive. While they were living in Moab, the two sons got married to Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth.

As time passed, all the men in this family died, leaving only Naomi, Orpah, and Ruth. One day, Naomi heard that the LORD was providing food to the people in her homeland, and she decided to return with her two daughters-in-law. As they were on the way, Naomi reasoned that there was no point in taking Orpah and Ruth to go with her. They were Moabites. They were still young, and they could find new husbands. Naomi told them to return. Orpah and Ruth both said they wanted to go on with their mother-in-law. Naomi was firm. She once again told them to return to their homeland of Moab. At this, Orpah kissed Naomi and returned. But Ruth wasn’t yet firm with her decision to go to Judah with Naomi. When Naomi realized how determined she was, she gave up trying to convince, and the two of them went to Judah.

When I look at this, I am impressed with both Naomi and Ruth. Judah was a foreign land with a different culture and a different religion. Yet Ruth wanted to know about the God of Naomi. Transitioning to a new environment is very challenging, but for Ruth, it was worth a try. Eventually, Ruth becomes the great-grandmother of the great King David.

But what impressed Ruth so much that she was willing to move to Judah with Naomi? I believe it was Naomi herself who impressed Ruth. The lifestyle and character must have impressed Ruth so much. Her life of faith was speaking to Ruth. Her character showed the love of God. Naomi influenced Ruth through her actions.

Our actions will speak a lot. It will speak to people around us. It will influence others.