Walk in the Light

October 25, 2025

October 25th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – John 14:1-14

Highlight Verses:

“There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”
‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

TobyMac recently released the official music video for the song “Heaven on My Mind.”

You may want to watch it before you read on – spoilers ahead.

In it, people get to meet those who went on to heaven before them.

That got me wondering if that is how it happens.

I admit, I hope so. Scripture is not perfectly clear.

One thing I do know is that all those who trust in Jesus will be with Him in the Father’s house.

That must be an amazingly large house because Jesus said there was more than enough room for all believers there and that He was preparing a place for us there.

I have questions.

Many questions.

But when I get to heaven, all will be clear (1 Corinthians 13:12).

I believe from that clarity and all believers being in one place that we will see our loved ones who enter heaven before us.

While that will be wonderful, I believe that joy will pale in comparison to the joy of being in God’s presence.

Who are you looking forward to seeing in heaven?
Who do you want to bring with you? Not at the same time unless the rapture comes first, be nice 🙂
October 24, 2025

October 24th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 3

Highlight Verses:

“Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have fond memories of the hymn based on these verses.

Verse 22 was the theme throughout the summer that I ran sound at Mount Hermon Christian Conference Center back in the ‘80s.

I heard that hymn so many times that it is ingrained into the fabric of my mind.

That’s a good thing.

But then, most of us sing this hymn with no thought to the context.

The author proclaims a long list of complaints about the exile of Israel to Babylon.

It was a hopeless time for Israel.

In the middle of the long list of bad news sits this little treasure chest of encouragement.

Israel needed it desperately.

Sometimes we do too.

While most of us haven’t been exiled, we all still have difficult days, weeks, months.

In our best days and our worst, God is our hope.

In the midst of our worst trials, He is faithful.

On the darkest mornings, His mercies still arrive anew.

What is your favorite hymn or song to remind you of God’s faithfulness?
How have you seen God’s faithfulness show up in dark times?
October 23, 2025

October 23rd, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Thessalonians 3-5

Highlight Verses:

“Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

For a change, I highlighted four verses.

Together, they make one unified thought.

How is it that people stifle the Holy Spirit?

Four ways are listed right there:
• Making fun of prophecies.
• Accepting or rejecting prophetic ideas without testing them against the Bible.
• Letting go of the good.
• Welcoming evil.

To keep from stifling the Holy Spirit:
• Respect prophetic attempts.
• Test those prophecies to make sure they are Biblical.
• Learn from those prophecies that agree with the Bible.
• Reject evil.

I once was given a prophecy that, in essence, was rooted in evil.

I didn’t know what to do with it, so I sought advice from a trusted wise friend.

He simply asked me if the message agreed with the principles of the Bible.

I checked. The so-called prophecy was rooted in fear and gossip, not Biblical wisdom.

I embraced the good that I learned from testing that prophecy against the Bible. I released the fear and gossipy nature of it and stuck to Biblical principles.

I also accepted the fact that I am as imperfect as those people who brought the “prophecy” to me in error.

I honestly don’t remember if I brought my concerns to my prophetic friends.

But I learned the importance in checking everything by the principles of the Bible, whether I am receiving or giving advice or guidance.

With this scripture and my experience in mind, I urge you to check prophecies with the Bible. If they are Biblical, do not hesitate to accept or give them depending on whether you are on the receiving or giving side.

No matter how good or bad they are, learn from them in accordance with what the Bible has to say.

Have you been on the receiving end of an inaccurate prophecy? How did you deal with it?
If you have been used in prophecy, how did you check to be sure it was correct?
October 22, 2025

October 22nd, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 15-16

Highlight Verse:

“Then Absalom would say, “You’ve really got a strong case here! It’s too bad the king doesn’t have anyone to hear it.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I used to be more into politics.

I once backed a candidate who was very honest (a rare bird indeed).

He had some great ideas and would have had a very positive impact on our state as Lieutenant Governor.

His opponent had more money and flooded the state with lies and exaggerations.

Our candidate stayed honest and polite.

Election Day wasn’t that pleasant for us that year.

Absalom reminds me of the opponents of our candidate.

You gotta admit he was intelligent.

But he used that intelligence and persuasive power to win enough support to take over the kingdom through deception.

But the lies were empty, and his intelligence didn’t translate well to running a country.

In the end…, well, let’s save that for another day.

Let’s just say it’s far better to stay honest and to align yourself with honest people.

That doesn’t mean that honest people don’t have tough times. But, in the end, integrity will win out.

When has honesty and integrity helped you succeed?
When have you seen the dishonest come to shame?
October 21, 2025

October 21st, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 17-18

“Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!””
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭17‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I read this, my mind went all over the place.

It makes sense that the people would be concerned about the lack of water.

But notice that when Moses went to God with the problems,

he didn’t complain about the lack of water, he complained about the complaints.

In fact, Moses never even asked for water.

Personally, I think the parting of the sea was fresh in his mind and he was confident that God would provide a way through the problem of no water.

And he did.

One commentary I read (Enduring Word) made a good point. This situation shows that it is normal for people to come upon difficulties even when they are doing what God asked of them. God will provide in those times.

God allowed the problem.

He also provided the solution.

Once again, their faith was reinforced by the miraculous.

Have you had your faith reinforced by the miraculous?
What situations has He provided a way through?
October 20, 2025

October 20th, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 14

Highlight Verse:

“After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As many times as I’ve read this chapter before, I don’t think I ever realized that Jesus was mourning the death of John the Baptist during this time.

After hearing the news of John’s death, Jesus tried to get some time alone.

The crowds and His compassion for them would not allow it.

Once his ministry was completed for that time, He finally got the solitude He craved.

I can only imagine that He dealt with his grief in conversation with the Father in that time alone.

If Jesus had to take time to deal with grief, how much more do we need to take time to deal with the grief and other issues in our lives?

I believe God designed us with that need to work through emotions. I also believe that He is there to help us work through it.

He has perfect compassion and knows how to help us handle life’s rough times.

We need to be willing to start that process by spending time in prayer.

Are you working through issues that God could help you with? Is there something keeping you from spending time in prayer to work through them?
Have you experienced God’s emotional healing power in times of grief? How has He helped you through it?
October 19, 2025

October 19th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 126-129

Highlight Verse:

“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭126‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I was a young adult, I ran sound at a major Christian conference center in California. In that capacity I got to sit in on many different conferences put on by a wide variety of groups.

One of my favorites was Jews for Jesus.

Here was this group of believers from a people group that went through the Holocaust just 45 years before. Those who chose to follow Jesus were often shunned by their families.

But their worship was some of the best I have ever seen.

They sang and danced with such joy that none of the other conferences could match.

And they graciously invited me to join in the celebration.

They truly lived out today’s highlight verse.

The Psalms we read today are part of a group of Psalms specifically written for people to sing as they journeyed to Jerusalem for festivals.

Even back then, celebration was built into the culture.

Psalm 126 was written after the exile when Israel was a fraction of the size they were before.

Despite this, or more accurately because of this, they sang and danced with the joy of the redeemed and restored.

Have you been redeemed and restored?
Does the joy in your praise and worship reflect that?
October 18, 2025

October 18th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – 2 Peter 1:3-11

Highlight Verses:

“In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The car guy in me is peaking out.

I thought of the following story as traffic flew around me the other day.

I wasn’t always a careful driver.

When I was in college, I had this little Opel 1900 wagon.

It wasn’t powerful but it handled well.

I was coming out of Santa Cruz on Highway 9, a very curvy narrow road.

A Mazda RX7 (sports car) was going very slowly ahead of me and let me pass. They then proceeded to follow right on my tail matching my speed as I enjoyed the twisty road.

I pushed that little wagon to it’s limits as we doubled the speed limit through the curves.

Toward the end of the curvy section, there was a turn out for slower vehicles. I knew the Mazda had far more power, so I pulled into the slow lane.

The other driver decided to pull around me before I was clear of the lane.

When they hit leaves and pine needles in the center of the road, they lost traction.

The next thing I knew, they had slid off the road and had stopped with the front peeking over the embankment and the wheels turned toward each other.

They were okay and I gave them a ride into town. I learned a lesson in recklessness that day. The lesson was far more expensive for them.

In the 41 years since then I’ve slowed down quite a bit but there are still times when I have to learn a lesson.

I pray that my eyes are open to the lessons I still need to learn. It’d be nice if those lessons weren’t too expensive either.

What was the most expensive lesson in patience that you had to learn?
Have the lessons gotten easier or harder as you get older?
October 17, 2025

October 17th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 2

Highlight Verse:

“All the strength of Israel vanishes beneath his fierce anger. The Lord has withdrawn his protection as the enemy attacks. He consumes the whole land of Israel like a raging fire.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Most of this chapter is Jeremiah lamenting what God does to Jerusalem and Judea.

Jeremiah seems to be adding up the bad things God has done against Israel, like God was personally responsible for it.

What did God really do there?

He withdrew his hand of protection from the land.

And then Jeremiah writes about the terrible things God did.

Keep in mind that Jeremiah was a prophet.

As such, he could speak with the mouth of God. That is, God is speaking these things to and through him.

It is God’s broken heart that carries the pain of seeing Israel destroyed to the point of taking the blame upon Himself like a Father who failed to protect His children.

Only He didn’t fail. It was a painful part of His plan. Very painful, but it was still part of His plan of redemption.

As such, we get a glimpse of the heart of God, who was willing to go through the pain of being seen as hurting His children.

Lamentations are not just Jeremiah lamenting the fall of Jerusalem, it is God’s lament for Jerusalem’s fall.

Have you gone through times when it feels like God is attacking you?
Were you able to see the bigger picture of God’s hand on the plan for your life afterward?
October 16, 2025

October 16th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give you grace and peace.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I usually credit Paul with evangelizing the greater Mediterranean region and writing the vast majority of letters to the early Gentile churches.

That’s not exactly how it happened.

From the first day on the road to Damascus, Paul had help.

While he was the main speaker, he never could have fulfilled God’s call for him without many helping him.

Silas was a frequent companion sharing the teaching duties and suffering.

Timothy was his best-known trainee, helping establish the churches that Paul started.

Luke travelled with and helped support Paul, especially toward the end.

Various scribes, disciples, and helpers accompanied him, helping support the work in different ways.

They were a team.

Paul himself taught about the importance of believers working together to do the work of the Church.

While it is possible to be a Christian in isolation, it is far from ideal.

God’s calling for each of us is best accomplished as a body working together.

Paul showed this throughout his letters including the very first line of today’s letter to the Thessalonians.

Have you ever been an isolated Christian? How did that work for you?
What success have you experienced as part of a team?

That got me wondering if that is how it happens.

But when I get to heaven, all will be clear (1 Corinthians 13:12).

While that will be wonderful, I believe that joy will pale in comparison to the joy of being in God’s presence.

But then, most of us sing this hymn with no thought to the context.

Israel needed it desperately.

Sometimes we do too.

On the darkest mornings, His mercies still arrive anew.

No matter how good or bad they are, learn from them in accordance with what the Bible has to say.

Election Day wasn’t that pleasant for us that year.

But the lies were empty, and his intelligence didn’t translate well to running a country.

Let’s just say it’s far better to stay honest and to align yourself with honest people.

he didn’t complain about the lack of water, he complained about the complaints.

God allowed the problem.

He also provided the solution.

Once again, their faith was reinforced by the miraculous.

After hearing the news of John’s death, Jesus tried to get some time alone.

If Jesus had to take time to deal with grief, how much more do we need to take time to deal with the grief and other issues in our lives?

We need to be willing to start that process by spending time in prayer.

One of my favorites was Jews for Jesus.

They sang and danced with such joy that none of the other conferences could match.

Despite this, or more accurately because of this, they sang and danced with the joy of the redeemed and restored.

The car guy in me is peaking out.

When they hit leaves and pine needles in the center of the road, they lost traction.

I pray that my eyes are open to the lessons I still need to learn. It’d be nice if those lessons weren’t too expensive either.

Most of this chapter is Jeremiah lamenting what God does to Jerusalem and Judea.

What did God really do there?

As such, we get a glimpse of the heart of God, who was willing to go through the pain of being seen as hurting His children.

From the first day on the road to Damascus, Paul had help.

They were a team.

God’s calling for each of us is best accomplished as a body working together.