Walk in the Light

January 23, 2026

January 23rd, 2026

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Ezekiel 31-33

Highlight Verse:

““Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭33‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse begs the question, “Are we called to be watchmen for our people.”

The simple answer is “yes.”

But that doesn’t mean we should be exactly like Ezekiel.

We are not all called to be prophets.

But we are all called to speak the truth of the Gospel to the ends of the earth (see Matthew 28).

In that context, I believe we are responsible to speak up when we have the opportunity.

How we speak up depends on the situation and, especially, the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit may prompt you to speak the Gospel through your acts of charity.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit may ask you to speak direct uncomfortable words.

Always, He will have you act in love.

It is our responsibility to speak and/or act when the opportunity arises.

How has God used you to speak truth to people?
How have people responded?
January 22, 2026

January 22nd, 2026

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Hebrew 3

Highlight Verse:

“Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.””
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s easy to think of this verse in the context of people who totally turn their backs to God.

Think again.

In the New Testament context, this is aimed squarely at believers.

It’s not “if” you hear His voice but “when.”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve hardened my heart when I heard His voice over the years.

Too many times!

He’ll nudge me to feed that hungry person, or introduce myself to that new person, or help that struggling person, or (this is painfully true) not eat that extra helping.

And I reason away that it wasn’t really God’s nudge, or maybe that it’s not really that important, or that verse doesn’t really apply to me.

A whole generation in Israel hardened their hearts and missed out on the Promised Land.

There are many blessings that we miss out on when we harden our hearts to the voice of God.

We’ve all done it.

We can all listen and act on what we hear starting today.

Of all the things God tells you to do, what is the hardest for you?
What blessings do you think you’ve missed out on because of not listening to God?
What blessings do you think await when you follow His guidance with a soft, listening heart?
January 21, 2026

January 20th, 2026

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Kings 17-19

Highlight Verse:

“When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?””
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Elijah is amazing!

The things he did in these chapters took such incredible faith that I can only imagine having.

He just faced down Ahab and 450 prophets of Baal and prevailed.

And the moment Jezebel threatens him, he runs away.

I mean really away, all the way to Sinai.

Did he lose touch with God?

No. God met him there in a big way.

And what are God’s first words to Elijah?

“What are you doing here?”

Ouch!

Even the amazing Elijah had to get back on track.

He spoke plainly to him and laid out his path.

That would be cool. But let’s be honest. I’ve never heard that clearly from God.

But there has been a time or two of when God had to get my attention and said, “What are you doing here?”

The message was usually spoken through a bad situation or through a trusted friend. Sometimes He just made a Bible verse jump out at me.

But God directed me back on the right path every time

(okay, it may have been more than twice).

Have you ever heard God ask you, “What are you doing here?”
How did he get your attention?
How did you respond?
January 20, 2026

January 20th, 2026

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 39-40

Highlight Verses:

“So the people of Israel followed all of the Lord’s instructions to Moses. Then Moses inspected all their work. When he found it had been done just as the Lord had commanded him, he blessed them.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭39‬:‭42‬-‭43‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The people of Israel obeyed and they were blessed.

Last night in Student Ministry, we talked about obedience.

I specifically asked the high school guys who were not brought up in church what they thought of when they heard the word obedience (the church guys all related it to obeying God’s commands because they love Him and trust Him).

The non-religious response was “dog training.”

I thought that was an awesome response. And it illustrates how many think of obedience to God.

Some get in their heads that obeying God is like a dog obeying a master to make it easier to control them. It’s no wonder that people would wander from faith if they think like that.

But God is a Father.

With a Father’s love, He has given us commandments and scriptural guidelines to help us get the most out of this life.

We obey because we trust that He knows what’s best for us.

We love God. But respect and trust are why we obey His commands.

And when we do, we are blessed.

What one command have you not trusted God enough that you don’t obey it consistently? There could be more but pick one.
What would help you to trust God in that act of obedience?
January 19, 2026

January 19th, 2026

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 3

Highlight Verses:

“One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.””
‭‭Luke‬ ‭3‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Can you imagine the scene?

The Holy Spirit Descending as a dove.

The voice from Heaven.

John the Baptist’s recent declaration of the coming Messiah.

It would be like standing at the biggest moment of history up until that moment –

Because it was.

Luke shows a definitive beginning of Jesus’ ministry.

He recorded the event within its historical context.

Because of its spiritual focus, secular historians often discredit the Bible as a source of accurate historical information.

While it is true that the purpose of the Bible is to lead people to spiritual truth, Luke’s Gospel was so thoroughly researched that

it rivals or beats the most detailed historical records of the day for accuracy.

What that means to you and me is that we can depend on it.

Yes, we believe by faith, but that faith is founded on truth, and it makes sense that truth should be backed up by facts. And many of those facts are found here in Luke’s Gospel.

How do the facts presented here affect your faith?
Are there questions about your faith for which you would like to find answers in the facts of the Bible?
January 18, 2026

January 18th, 2026

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Proverbs 7

Highlight Verses:

“Obey my commands and live! Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes. Tie them on your fingers as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭7‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We have a safe hidden in our house.

There’s nothing expensive in it; no great horde of cash or jewelry. Just important documents that we want to keep safe from fire.

The problem is, I can never remember the combination.

When we need one of those documents, I have to look up the combination and use it to open the safe. It can be a royal pain that wastes time.

You would think I would value the combination enough to memorize it.

There are scriptures that would help us greatly through life if only we could recall them when we need them.

If we were to memorize the verses that help guide us, life could be so much easier.

We could skip the search for that verse and know just what we were looking for, applying it immediately.

What verses would you choose to memorize first
How would knowing those verses help you?
January 17, 2026

January 17th, 2026

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – John 15:1-17

Highlight Verse:

“I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!”
‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I honestly think that Jesus was fun to be around.

I envision He and his disciples joking around, playing games, laughing, just plain having a good time in a righteous manner.

I think I can prove it.

You see, God gave us the ability to laugh.

He gave us an innate sense of humor that can bring joy to almost any situation.

If God didn’t have a sense of humor, why does the Bible contain so many cases of irony.

I mean within the first few chapters, the murder rate soars to 1 in 4.

A father-in-law sends in the wrong daughter to the groom just so his eldest daughter could be married first.

A donkey rebukes its owner.

Jesus turns water into wine.

God turns our mourning into dancing?
A short guy climbs a tree to see Jesus pass by.

These incidents make it obvious to me that God wants us to enjoy life.

If you think that God doesn’t want us to laugh and enjoy life, stop and take a closer look.

What do you think is the funniest story in the Bible?
How do you bring joy into your life?
January 15, 2026

January 16th, 2026

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Ezekiel 28-30

Highlight Verses:

““Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you think you are as wise as a god, I will now bring against you a foreign army, the terror of the nations. They will draw their swords against your marvelous wisdom and defile your splendor!”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭28‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have a confession – I have OCD tendencies.

Those of you who know me well are saying “duh” right now.

I’m not extreme. I don’t have to straighten every crooked picture or rug that I come across, through I have been known to straighten some.

I do like to do the laundry, both because I enjoy seeing things become clean and neat and because I like to have my clothes washed and folded the way my mom taught me.

My tendency to see little details has helped me do an excellent job at work.

It also has a tendency to make me think that my way is the only way.

It is not.

I’ve had to learn that the hard way over many years with much Bible study and prayer.

I know better now, but I still have to battle that prideful tendency.

The king of Tyre took things to a whole other level. His intelligence and success made him start considering himself a god.

That was a bad idea

God thought so too – so He did something about it.

Tyre fell.

Their pride was stripped away through invasion.

Hopefully, it doesn’t take that much to get our attention today.

What do you do very well?
Do you have to resist that temptation to boast about what you do well?
January 15, 2026

January 15th, 2026

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Hebrews 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Even though I love the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” it is completely wrong about angels.

Human’s do not become angels.

Angels are separate creations who were present when God created the Earth. (Job 38)

Angel lore was big in 1st century Hebrew culture.

The writer of Hebrews knew that and debunked the theories that called Jesus an angel.

Jesus is God. Angels are not.

While they may have supernatural knowledge and can go before the throne of God, they are here to help us and God.

They wage spiritual warfare that we cannot even imagine.

At times they step into this world to help us.

When they are visible on Earth, they are usually mistaken for humans.

I shudder to think what this world would be like without them.

Have you ever had a situation where, in hindsight, you think angels intervened? Share it.
Where do you think the Bible says angels came from?

In answer to the first question, I cannot positively point to a time when I saw an angel but one time in the early ‘80s, I was riding with a friend on Christmas Day in Yosemite. Despite the beautiful snowy views, the road was mercifully free of snow – until we came around a corner and it was a sheet of ice.

We slid – straight toward another car.

I remember praying, “Lord, gets us back in our lane. Lord don’t let us hit too hard. Lord don’t let my friend get hurt too bad.”

Despite the ice continuing, the little pickup we were in suddenly jerked back into our lane.

It was as if a hand gently shoved in back on track.

I can’t prove it, but I believe there was an angelic hand there.

What is your story?
January 14, 2026

January 14th, 2026

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Kings 15-16

Highlight Verse:

“He committed the same sins as his father before him, and he was not faithful to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been.”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭15‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It is a sad fact that sometimes sins are repeated in successive generations.

Children often follow similar paths as their parents.

Abijam followed his father Rehoboam’s example.

In contrast, his son Asa did not follow the bad example Abijam set for him.

He forged his own path in obedience to God.

My own father and stepfather were not exactly stellar examples of obedience to God. In fact, they should have gone to jail for some of the things they did.

But that does not mean that I am destined to follow in their footsteps.

Like Asa, we forge our own path.

If we can learn from the good examples of our parents, great.

When the examples are not so good, remember that we have a Father in heaven. We can take the lessons that He taught us and follow the path of righteousness regardless of our past.

What good things did you learn from your parents?
What things have you had to learn from your Heavenly Father?

This verse begs the question, “Are we called to be watchmen for our people.”

But we are all called to speak the truth of the Gospel to the ends of the earth (see Matthew 28).

It is our responsibility to speak and/or act when the opportunity arises.

In the New Testament context, this is aimed squarely at believers.

A whole generation in Israel hardened their hearts and missed out on the Promised Land.

We can all listen and act on what we hear starting today.

Elijah is amazing!

And the moment Jezebel threatens him, he runs away.

“What are you doing here?”

But God directed me back on the right path every time

The non-religious response was “dog training.”

With a Father’s love, He has given us commandments and scriptural guidelines to help us get the most out of this life.

We love God. But respect and trust are why we obey His commands.

Because it was.

it rivals or beats the most detailed historical records of the day for accuracy.

What that means to you and me is that we can depend on it.

The problem is, I can never remember the combination.

If we were to memorize the verses that help guide us, life could be so much easier.

I honestly think that Jesus was fun to be around.

If God didn’t have a sense of humor, why does the Bible contain so many cases of irony.

If you think that God doesn’t want us to laugh and enjoy life, stop and take a closer look.

I have a confession – I have OCD tendencies.

I know better now, but I still have to battle that prideful tendency.

Hopefully, it doesn’t take that much to get our attention today.

Human’s do not become angels.

Jesus is God. Angels are not.

I shudder to think what this world would be like without them.

It is a sad fact that sometimes sins are repeated in successive generations.

In contrast, his son Asa did not follow the bad example Abijam set for him.

Like Asa, we forge our own path.