Walk in the Light

October 22, 2023

October 21st, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 130-133

Highlight Verse:

“How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭133‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Most translations use the word “unity” instead of harmony. I believe both words convey the truth behind this verse.

But I love the connotations behind the word harmony.

In order to have harmony in music, there must be different voices.

Together, the different voices make a more beautiful sound than the individual voices on their own.

The same is true in the body of Christ. Diversity within the body makes for a much more wonderful and pleasant expression of the life of Christ. The different parts working together are far more effective than all the individuals working separately.

Likewise, our diversity allows Christ’s voice to reach far beyond where a single voice could.

As Tobymac would say, “Welcome to Diverse City.”

Have you found your place in the harmony that is the body of Christ?
October 21, 2023

October 21st, 2023
Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Romans 5:1-11

Highlight Verse:

“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Like last week, I want to highlight a phrase that many believe came from the Bible but didn’t.

I’ll start out with a correction from last week. The phrase “Cleanliness is next to godliness” did not come from Poor Richard’s Almanac but from a John Wesley sermon. (Thanks to an article from Aaron Earls from Lifeway Research for that info).

One saying that did come from Poor Richard’s Almanac was “God helps those who help themselves.”

Today’s highlight verse pretty much shoots that down. We are completely helpless when it come to salvation.

The bottom line is we need to depend completely on God.

But there is a little side note to that. God does bless our efforts.

A quick look at the lives of Joseph, Ruth, David, Paul and several other people in the Bible can confirm that.

Two key things to remember are:
- They were all acting in faith.
- They were helping others, not themselves.
They turned their faith into action and God blessed the results.

Have you been relying on your own deeds or on God’s grace through Jesus’ sacrifice for salvation?
How does your faith spur you into action?
October 20, 2023

October 20th, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 2

Highlight Verse:

“The leaders of beautiful Jerusalem sit on the ground in silence. They are clothed in burlap and throw dust on their heads. The young women of Jerusalem hang their heads in shame.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Disaster and war can be great equalizers.

In Israel’s case, the rulers and the wealthy had it tougher than the poor.

Most of the poor were allowed to stay in the land so they could do their normal jobs.

The wealthy who survived were carted off to Babylon.

The life of the poor changed little while the wealthy endured unheard of suffering (at least in their eyes).

God had compassion for them both.

Who can you relate to more – the rich or the poor?
Have you had to endure any of life’s great equalizers?
October 19, 2023

October 19th, 2023

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“So you received the message with joy from the Holy Spirit in spite of the severe suffering it brought you. In this way, you imitated both us and the Lord.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Did you notice the mention of suffering?

What kind of joy stands up to suffering?

The joy of the Lord.

The joy that surpasses all understanding.

Does that mean that they experienced some sort of euphoria upon learning of Jesus?

While that may have happened, I believe the joy they speak of is a deep abiding hope, encouragement, and peace that comes from being spiritually alive and in fellowship with God and fellow believers.

This kind of joy stays alive even when hard times come and happiness is hard to find.

This kind of joy kept the church in Thessalonica together despite Paul having to flee the city for his life. It kept them going through serious persecution, even turning that persecution into a rallying cry that gave them uncommon strength.

That kind of joy has sustained me through the highs and lows of my life, keeping me on the path of life.

Do you know that kind of joy?
What has joy brought you through?
October 18, 2023

October 18th, 2023

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 13-14

Highlight Verse:

“Now Absalom was praised as the most handsome man in all Israel. He was flawless from head to foot.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭14‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I told my wife that’s what people say about me. After she stopped laughing, I decided this would be the verse I would highlight today.

No, of course I don’t think that I’m flawless.

Neither was Absalom.

He was handsome, and very shrewd. But he wasn’t kind or forgiving.

Ok, he was kind to his sister Tamar by taking care of her after their half-brother Amnon raped her.

And then he murdered his brother.

Okay, harsh, though you might say Amnon had it coming.

Then he plotted the overthrow of his Father, King David.

Truly harsh!

But I’m getting ahead of today’s reading. Let’s just say it gets ugly.

It’s safe to say that David raised a narcissist.

Stay tuned for more of the story in coming weeks.

Can you begin to see how dramatic the true stories in the Bible are?
Does this passage make you more or less convinced of the accuracy of the Bible?
October 17, 2023

October 17th, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 17-18

Highlight Verse:

““You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭18‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

And now for a bit of business advice from the Bible.

This is courtesy of Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, who brought sage advice when he visited Moses and Israel in the wilderness.

In a word – delegate.

We weren’t designed to carry everyone’s burdens and responsibilities by ourselves. We were meant to live in community.

The leaders of the community do well to share the leadership to the extent that they do not get burned out and so that proper attention be given to details.

This worked quite well for Moses.

I admit that I am one of those who would rather just do it all myself.

God’s best includes working with the whole community.

Do you have the tendency to want to do everything yourself?
Have you been able to delegate unimportant tasks so you can and concentrate on the most important?
October 16, 2023

October 16th, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 14

Highlight Verses:

“But Jesus said, “That isn’t necessary—you feed them.” “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered. “Bring them here,” he said.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

They’re just three very short verses but they pack a punch.

Verse 16 – Jesus gives his disciples a task.

Verse 17 – His disciples state what they have.

Verse 18 – Jesus tells them to trust Him with the outcome.

We are those disciples.

We are entrusted with bringing the Gospel to our community.

We see it as impossible but bring what we have to Jesus anyway.

Jesus will take what we bring and multiply it to reach all those He has called.

As long as we are willing to bring what we have to Jesus, He will use us to reach the world.

What do you have to offer?
Are you willing to bring it to Jesus?
Do you believe that he will multiply it?
October 15, 2023

October 15th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 125-129

Highlight Verse:

“May the Lord continually bless you from Zion. May you see Jerusalem prosper as long as you live. May you live to enjoy your grandchildren. May Israel have peace!”

Psalms 128:5-6 NLT

We continue through the Psalms of Ascents which were sung by pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem for the various festivals.

Two of them end with a message very appropriate for today. “May Israel have peace.”

In case you are reading this at a later date, Hamas has attacked and taken many hostages in the Gaza Strip in Israel.

Israel is far from at peace right now.

For today’s study time, I suggest that we spend the time praying for the peace of Israel.

Will you join me?
October 14, 2023

October 13th, 2023

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – John 13:1-17

Highlight Verse:

“Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.””
‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When I brainstormed to come up with a topic today, for some reason, the verse “Cleanliness is next to godliness,” popped into my head.

Mind you, that’s a verse from Poor Richard’s Almanac by Benjamin Franklin, not the Bible.

So I tried to think about when Jesus spoke of cleanliness.

There were a few times, but this one stood out.

In well-to-do families, a servant would have performed the foot washing in those days. Foot washing was a necessary part of life as people wore sandals and there was almost no pavement so feet would get very dirty in a day’s walking.

I am sure that Jesus’ main point in washing the disciples’ feet was to show them a good example of servant leadership. You’ve probably heard that sermon many times.

Good lesson, but I was intrigued by a simple fact. Apparently, the disciples kept clean. Jesus assumed that Peter had already had a recent bath, stating that only his feet were dirty.

If Jesus’ disciples stayed clean, I’d say that it’s a good idea for us too.

So maybe Ben wasn’t that far off with his saying.

What do you think?
How important is servant leadership to you?
How important is physical cleanliness to you?
Why?
October 13, 2023

October 13th, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 1

Highlight Verse:

“How deserted lies the city, once so full of people! How like a widow is she, who once was great among the nations! She who was queen among the provinces has now become a slave.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Lamentations is exactly what its name implies.

It contains 5 poetic laments over the fall of Jerusalem.

It could have been considered to be among the books of poetry except for two things.

1 – It was positioned among the books of the Prophets.

2 – It was most likely written by the prophet Jeremiah.

This chapter is the first of three acrostic poems. That is to say, each of their 22 verses begin with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet.

This verse sets the scene. The author expresses deep sorrow over the fall of Jerusalem.

I believe that the tone of this chapter and book, for that matter, reflect how deeply God loves his people.

Do you have any idea how deeply God Loves and cares for His people?
What does it tell you about God that He feels so deeply?

In order to have harmony in music, there must be different voices.

Likewise, our diversity allows Christ’s voice to reach far beyond where a single voice could.

One saying that did come from Poor Richard’s Almanac was “God helps those who help themselves.”

The bottom line is we need to depend completely on God.

They turned their faith into action and God blessed the results.

Disaster and war can be great equalizers.

God had compassion for them both.

What kind of joy stands up to suffering?

This kind of joy stays alive even when hard times come and happiness is hard to find.

That kind of joy has sustained me through the highs and lows of my life, keeping me on the path of life.

Neither was Absalom.

Truly harsh!

Stay tuned for more of the story in coming weeks.

And now for a bit of business advice from the Bible.

In a word – delegate.

This worked quite well for Moses.

They’re just three very short verses but they pack a punch.

As long as we are willing to bring what we have to Jesus, He will use us to reach the world.

Two of them end with a message very appropriate for today. “May Israel have peace.”

For today’s study time, I suggest that we spend the time praying for the peace of Israel.

So I tried to think about when Jesus spoke of cleanliness.

If Jesus’ disciples stayed clean, I’d say that it’s a good idea for us too.

Lamentations is exactly what its name implies.

I believe that the tone of this chapter and book, for that matter, reflect how deeply God loves his people.