Walk in the Light

January 19, 2023

January 19th, 2023
Thursday – Letters

Romans 3

Highlight Verse:

“Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.”

Romans 3:27 NLT

Here’s my attempt to simplify Romans –
- We have all sinned and fall short of God’s standard.
- Nothing we do can make up for that shortfall.
- Jesus made up for our failure through His sacrifice.
- We need to trust in Him in order to accept that sacrifice.
- We strive to do what is right because we trust that He knows what is best for us.
- No matter how good we are, we have nothing to boast about as we still fall far short and our life depends on God’s grace.
Did I miss anything?

Take a moment to ponder that and realize much much gratitude we owe to God!
January 18, 2023

January 18th, 2023

Wednesday – History

Joshua 7-9

Highlight Verse:

“So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord.”

Joshua 9:14 NLT

This was referring to when the Gibeonites deceived the people of Israel. The decision seemed so obvious to them that they didn’t stop to inquire of the Lord.

Tonight, one of my daughters asked me to order something on Amazon that we had talked about earlier. I told her to sleep on it and if she still wanted it tomorrow, I’d order it for her. (She was paying me for it). By the end of the evening she told me not to order it because she wanted to save her money for something else.

Why is it that we are sometimes so confident that we don’t bother praying about a decision? I’ve done it. Sometimes, those decisions turn out bad in ways we couldn’t possibly imagine before we made the decision.

Of course hearing from God is a topic all to itself.

Have you made decisions that you wish you had talked to God about first?

How do you go about asking God to make His will known in a decision?
January 17, 2023

January 17th, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Genesis 4

Highlight Verse:

“So Cain left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”

Genesis 4:16 NLT

I always thought that Adam and Eve were banished from the Lord’s presence when they were banished from the Garden of Eden. Not so. In the previous verses,

Cain spoke personally with God.

And God spoke back.

When Cain and Abel brought their sacrifices, they brought them directly to God in person.

That must have been incredible!

Then, after Cain killed Abel, God banished Cain from that land. It’s important to note that God did not banish Cain from His presence. Cain assumes that He did but that’s not what God said.

This bears out in this verse where Cain leaves God’s presence.

It’s not God who left Cain.

How sad.

But the same is true today.

God does not leave people behind or banish them. He welcomes them into His presence. Since Christ’s sacrifice, people only need to trust God to take away their sins. No matter how bad their past has been, their future can be in the presence of God.

That’s incredible!

Do you know anyone who feels like God has turned His back on them?

Can you reach them with this message?

If you are that person, can you accept God’s forgiveness and walk in His presence?
January 16, 2023

January 16th, 2023

Monday – Gospels

John 4

Highlight Verse:

“Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.”

John 4:6 NIV

I am tempted to think “This is Jesus. Why is He tired?”

This passage goes to prove that Jesus was fully human. His miracles and resurrection and ascent prove His divinity.

But that’s not the main point I got from this passage.

Jesus, despite being tired and thirsty, uses this opportunity to reach out to the people of Sychar through His conversation with the woman at the well.

He did not let His exhaustion get in the way of touching people who need Him.

As it happens, at this moment, I am rather exhausted. I know the temptation of wanting to ignore the rest of the world and just relax. But I took advantage of my opportunities to reach out to students this evening and to you tonight.

There are other times when we don’t feel like talking to people but the opportunities abound. While I don’t always do it, I believe it would be wise for us to follow Jesus’ example here and share the Good News with those around us through situational opportunities like this.

Have you ever had a chance encounter that turned into a fruitful conversation?

How could you be more aware of those opportunities that arise in everyday life?
January 15, 2023

January 15th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Psalms 7-9

Highlight Verse:

“Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”

Psalms 8:2 NIV

We spend billions on the military when all we needed was a children’s choir!

Don’t worry. I’m not that naïve. I support our military.

But I also know our struggle is not against flesh and blood.

Of course, David could be referring to Jehoshaphat’s battle against the Ammonites and Moabites, but that was men singing. (2 Chron. 20)

Have you ever heard a child singing earnest praise and worship. There’s something pure about that faith that establishes the groundwork for the miraculous.

I long for that innocent pure faith to blaze in me!

What encounters have you had with pure, innocent faith?

What have you learned from that experience?
January 14, 2023

January 14th, 2023

Saturday – Open Topic – Justice

Micah 6:8

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?”

Micah 6:8 NKJV

This was listed as one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite Bible verse. It has been one of my favorite verses since my college days.

Micah reminds us that God does not want religion but an active faith. Do, love, and walk are active verbs for an active faith.

With an active faith, one can change the world!

How is your faith lived out in your actions?

How does one “do justly?”
January 13, 2023

January 13th, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Isaiah 4-6

Highlight Verse –

“What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever.”

Isaiah 5:21 NLT

It is the tendency of those of us with OCD to see the way we do things as the only correct way. We are wise in our own eyes.

Then I read this verse.

Ouch!

Okay, I know there are other ways to do things. But I can’t bring myself to do them any other way. That’s okay. But when I see other people do things differently, biting my tongue is not enough.

I have to refrain from thinking my way is better and I’m so clever for thinking of it.

The struggle is real!

But pride is a sin that I have to repent from daily. I’ve come a long ways but I have a much longer ways to go.

Do you struggle with pride?

Have you come up with any great ways to deal with OCD? (Please share!)
January 12, 2023

January 12th, 2023

Thursday – Letters

Romans 2

Highlight Verse –

“No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.””
‭‭Romans‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

To put this in context, Paul just spoke about hypocrisy. Particularly, he addresses the error of teaching people not to do something and then doing it.

There’s a little hypocrisy in each of us. Paul reminds us how important it is to fight against that tendency. When people see that in us, they see our faith as fake. We may try to explain that we are only human but our hypocrisy robs us of our credibility.

Don’t get me wrong. We are saved through grace by faith alone, not by anything we do short of putting our trust in Jesus.

But, when we do the things that go against what Jesus taught us, we put a stumbling block between others and our faith.

None of us are perfect, but we strive to bring those we love into the faith that brings eternal life.

For me, that is my deepest desire and my greatest regret when I fall short.

Have you known people who shun faith because of what they have seen Christians do?
How do you live your life before others in a way that attracts them to faith?
January 11, 2023

January 11th, 2023

Wednesday – History

Joshua 4-6

Highlight Verse –

“So the men did as Joshua had commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River, one for each tribe, just as the Lord had told Joshua. They carried them to the place where they camped for the night and constructed the memorial there.”

Joshua 4:8 NLT

A few weeks ago, we were in Nebraska and decided to visit my wife’s late husband’s grave. The stone bore testimony to the life he lived on Earth and the life he now lives in heaven. That’s the first thing I think of when I hear the word memorial.

I have been to Washington DC and seen the many memorials to the men and women who built this country. They bring our history alive.

The memorial Joshua had built went beyond that.

It was intended to teach future generations about the greatness of God and His faithfulness to His people.

What kind of memorials to God do we build today?

For me, the answer to that is in my writing? Even in my fictional writing aimed at general audiences, my ultimate aim is to get people thinking about God and Faith in Him.

What are your memorials?

How would you like to be able to teach future generations about God and His faithfulness?
January 10, 2023

January 10th, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Genesis 2-3

Highlight Verse:

“When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.”

Genesis 3:8 NLT

The first thing I thought when I read this verse was, How amazing would that be to walk in the same garden as God Himself!

And then they hid.

They knew they had crossed the line. They had betrayed the trust that God had put in them.

God knew it.

But they hid anyway.

Isn’t that just like us.

When we mess up, the last thing we tend to want to do is spend time with God.

In fact, that’s when a lot of daily devotions go off the rail.

People don’t want to face God and the Bible and be reminded how far from perfect they are.

Let’s face it. Not one of us is perfect.

But we have something that Adam and Eve could only dream about – the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.

So when we mess up, what can we do?

Get right back to trusting Jesus. Trust His sacrifice to cover that sin. And get back into the Word and prayer so you can see the next one coming and do your best to avoid it.

How do you handle it when you mess up?

What steps can you take to get back on track?