Walk in the Light

May 8, 2026

May 8th, 2026

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Hosea 7-8

Highlight Verse:

““The people of Israel mingle with godless foreigners, making themselves as worthless as a half-baked cake!”
‭‭Hosea‬ ‭7‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There was a movie theater with in-theater dining near us. One of my favorite selections there was their “half-baked cookies.” They were gooey and delicious.

That’s not what Hosea is talking about here.

Half-baked cake doesn’t sound nearly as good as those cookies.

I dare say it wasn’t something Israel should have been striving for.

The people of Israel were well instructed in the Law of Moses.

They even went through most of the religious motions in keeping with their culture.

But that didn’t keep them from indulging in the carnal practices of the peoples around them.

They dove so deep into the cesspool of sin that any remnant of love for God was left behind.

All they had was an empty shell of religion.

If you’ve known me for longer than a couple weeks, you know that I am far from legalistic, but I am passionate.

I love God enough to trust Him to lead me in the right way.

I know I’m far from perfect, but I strive to live a better life each day.

For me, among other things, that means trying to avoid media that will take me down a dark path.

For you it might mean something different.

For everyone, we need to avoid that which can drag us away from trusting God.

It’s not a legalistic thing; it is a heart for God thing.

What is it that you need to avoid to keep your heart right toward Jesus?
What are you doing to avoid it?
May 7, 2026

May 7th, 2026

Thursday – Letters

Reading – James 5

Highlight Verses:

“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.”
‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

By nature, I am not a patient person.

I never got into fishing because of the waiting involved.

And as for gardening, we won’t even go there.

As far as waiting for Jesus to return, I’m not impatient.

But to call that being patient is not exactly accurate.

I want to be around for grandkids and to live this life to its fullest.

And that might be just what James is encouraging here.

In the early church, there was a lot of expectation that Jesus would be returning during the lifetimes of those who saw Him ascend to Heaven.

People would focus their whole lives around that expectation and ignore other important aspects of life.

A healthier expectation would be to live a life of purity and urgency toward bringing people to Jesus so you can be ready if Jesus came back tomorrow.

At the same time prepare and work to sustain a long life if Jesus does not come back in that time.

Where do you strike that balance in your life?
Have you ever had a time in your life when you were convinced Jesus was about to appear or the rapture was about to happen? How did that affect your life?
May 6, 2026

May 6th, 2026

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Chronicles 16-18

Highlight Verse:

“Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given, you children of his servant Israel, you descendants of Jacob, his chosen ones.”
‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My time is limited for writing this so I will leave the writing to you.

David urged his people to remember God’s wonders and miracles and the rulings He has given.

Tell us your stories of wonders and miracles you have seen or how following His commands has helped you.

When I have time, I will revisit this and share one of my stories.
May 5, 2026

May 5th, 2026

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Numbers 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“But the Levites will camp around the Tabernacle of the Covenant to protect the community of Israel from the Lord’s anger. The Levites are responsible to stand guard around the Tabernacle.””
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭1‬:‭53‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Levites were a special tribe of Israel that was set aside to take care of God’s business from packing and transporting the temple and its contents to acting as an ambassador between man and God.

Since we now have direct access to God, we don’t technically need priests. We can talk directly with God.

Still, there are those who are called by God into full-time ministry.

They have been set apart to point people to Jesus and to help people understand the things of God.

While Pastors and others in ministry are not selected from a single family, they are selected by God for ministry.

We would do well to honor them with the respect due their calling.

When was the last time you offered thanks or appreciation for those around you that are called to vocational ministry?
How does you church show appreciation for its pastor(s)?
May 4, 2026

May 4th, 2026

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 18

Highlight Verses:

“Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As tempting as it may be, this nerd is not going to write anything (more) about May the Fourth be with you (so tempting).

You can thank today’s highlight verses for that.

I have always been passionate about next generation ministry.

In the past I have quoted what I learned in Bible College – that 85% of adult Evangelical Christians started their faith journey before the age of 18 according to Barna Research.

I decided to check more recent research.

A study by Grey Matter Research and Infinity Concepts released in 2024 stated that

72% of adult evangelicals came to faith before age 18.

While it is speculation, I believe the difference could be because

a much larger percentage of children are being raised with little or no Christian influence.

You could say that it is good that we are reaching a larger percentage of adults who were raised outside of the church. If that is true, that is awesome.

But one thing those statistics tell us is that we are not going beyond our comfortable churches to reach children and youth outside of the church.

Our outreach needs to go way beyond the four walls of the church and into the community.

Some are. The student ministry I am a part of has encouraged a culture of reaching out to friends and classmates. They hold regular outreaches to provide easy opportunities to invite others.

What is your church doing to reach children and youth in your communities?
How are you helping with those efforts?

Student ministry worship (cartoonized for anonymity).
May 3, 2026

May 3rd, 2026

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Proverbs 26-27

Highlight Verse:

“A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I don’t like fasting.

But there are many benefits, both physical and spiritual.

One benefit we don’t usually think about is that the first meal after fasting usually tastes much better than normal.

In a spiritual level, when someone first finds the joy of salvation, that joy is through the roof.

We often speak of it as “first love.”

We want to live on that high throughout our spiritual lives.

Next year will mark 50 years of following Jesus.

I can tell you that my faith has had its ups and downs throughout those years.

I can also tell you that the ups were the result of intentional hunger.

Unlike fasting, the more you feed on the Word of God, the more hunger you get.

Let me be clearer.

Studying the Bible for historical, philosophical, or literary purposes might not spark that hunger (though I’ve seen that happen).

Diving into the Bible to extract the amazing attributes and gifts of God and put them into practice will instill a hunger that makes every part of God’s Word invaluable to our lives.

If you don’t believe me, try it.

Don’t just read these devotionals but read through the entire reading. Then check other commentaries. Find out how each part of God’s Word applies to your life and then apply it.

Then look and see the difference that makes in your life and in your desire to dive even deeper.

If you see positive change, start your own Bible study and spread the Word to others.

How deep do you dive into the Bible each day?
Has your hunger for God’s Word increased as you dive deeper?
Why or why not?
May 2, 2026

May 2nd, 2026

Saturday. – Open Topic

Reading – Mark 1:21-45

Highlight Verse:

“So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who he was, he did not allow them to speak.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Many think of demons as scary characters in horror movies or Halloween decorations but they don’t take them seriously.

What are demons?

First of all, they are real.

They are former angels who followed the devil after he fell from heaven. Basically, they are the devil’s army.

They are usually portrayed as grotesque, but they can disguise themselves as normal or even beautiful.

In the Bible, they are often associated with illness, both mental and physical.

Today, science dismisses them as religious explanations for what people don’t understand.

But modern science also assumes there is no God.

Modern science is wrong – both about God and demons.

Yes, much if not most illness is caused by viruses, bacteria, and genetics.

But much illness is the direct work of demons.

Besides that, demonic powers often influence people into making unwise, often evil decisions.

Am I trying to scare you?

Not at all.

Jesus has absolute power to stop demons.

It’s not even a struggle for Him.

When we fully trust in Jesus, demons should not scare or even worry us.

Jesus gave us authority to cast them out.

When just need to trust God enough to exercise that authority.

Do demons scare you?
Do you know the authority that God gives us over them?
How do you exercise that authority?

As a little extra today, here’s the song that inspired today’s devotional.
May 1, 2026

May 1st, 2026

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Hosea 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.””
‭‭Hosea‬ ‭6‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Our lawn is breathing a sigh of relief this week as rain begins to waken it. We have had such a dry winter that it will have a hard time recovering, especially with water restrictions in place in our area.

When we seek His Word, He will refresh us like the spring rain.

There are no restrictions to how fervently and thoroughly we can seek to know Him.

Knowledge alone will not bring life. I’ve known plenty of people who knew the Bible but did not trust in God. At best they were religious, devoid of spiritual life.

But when you pursue knowing God Himself,

trusting His Word enough to put it into action,

that’s when He pours out His Spirit, bringing us to a life we may have never known before.

How have you experienced new life in God?
If you haven’t experienced that life, have you ever pressed in to know and trust Him?
April 30, 2026

April 30th, 2026

Thursday – Letters

Reading – James 4

Highlight Verse:

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Consider this verse in the context of the chapter and the book.

We know that we should humble ourselves because of our sin.

We also know that the devil is a tempter, trying his best to bury us in our sin.

When we humble ourselves and allow God’s power to take the place of our own, the devil doesn’t stand a chance!

When we hide our sin in pride, relying on our own power, we are unprotected against the temptations of the devil.

I asked our high school boys’ small group what the difference between guilt and conviction. One of them had an awesome answer.

Guilt knocks you down.
Conviction lifts you up!

A glance at verse 10 will confirm that.

Guilt brings sadness. The devil would have you believe that your sins should really be a source of pride. But that pride will keep you trapped in that sin, guilt, and sadness.

Conviction and humility will also bring sadness, but God won’t let you stay there. He will lift you up.

Have you ever felt trapped in guilt? What brought you out?
If you are still there, have you set your pride aside and humbled yourself before God?
April 29, 2026

April 29th, 2026

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Chronicles 13-15

Highlight Verse:

“So David’s fame spread everywhere, and the Lord caused all the nations to fear David.”

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭14‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Words like “so” should always have something that lead up to it being there.

In this case, source of the “so” was David’s faithfulness to the Lord’s instructions.

That lead the leaders of the nations around him to fear and respect him.

I am writing this commentary very late at night this time because I just got home from a Josiah Queen concert.

The Fillmore about to be filled.

Through his faithfulness to his calling, including how he puts worship and ministry into his shows, Josiah has built a reputation for being genuine and excellent.

Because of that, the Fillmore was more packed than I have ever seen it.

And the Lord moved people through worship, prayer, and a little preaching.

It wasn’t just a good concert; it was a night of ministry.

Do the math – Faithfulness to God’s calling + consistency = reputation.

How are you working toward an excellent reputation?

What is the next step in that process for you?

Half-baked cake doesn’t sound nearly as good as those cookies.

All they had was an empty shell of religion.

For me, among other things, that means trying to avoid media that will take me down a dark path.

It’s not a legalistic thing; it is a heart for God thing.

By nature, I am not a patient person.

And that might be just what James is encouraging here.

At the same time prepare and work to sustain a long life if Jesus does not come back in that time.

David urged his people to remember God’s wonders and miracles and the rulings He has given.

They have been set apart to point people to Jesus and to help people understand the things of God.

We would do well to honor them with the respect due their calling.

72% of adult evangelicals came to faith before age 18.

a much larger percentage of children are being raised with little or no Christian influence.

Our outreach needs to go way beyond the four walls of the church and into the community.

I don’t like fasting.

Unlike fasting, the more you feed on the Word of God, the more hunger you get.

If you don’t believe me, try it.

First of all, they are real.

Modern science is wrong – both about God and demons.

Jesus has absolute power to stop demons.

When just need to trust God enough to exercise that authority.

When we seek His Word, He will refresh us like the spring rain.

trusting His Word enough to put it into action,

Consider this verse in the context of the chapter and the book.

Guilt knocks you down.Conviction lifts you up!

Conviction and humility will also bring sadness, but God won’t let you stay there. He will lift you up.

That lead the leaders of the nations around him to fear and respect him.

Do the math – Faithfulness to God’s calling + consistency = reputation.

Guilt knocks you down.
Conviction lifts you up!