Walk in the Light

February 8, 2026

February 8th, 2026

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Proverbs 10

Highlight Verse:

“Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of a fool invites disaster.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭10‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse confuses me.

Am I wise or am I a fool?

I love knowledge.

I pursue knowledge about my work to the point that the other techs call me for guidance.

I pursue knowledge of the Bible with insatiable curiosity.

And I fill my head with tons of history and car trivia, which provides good conversation starters.

But then, I tend to babble on too much.

My mouth sometimes forgets to listen before I speak.

Worse, I forget to think before I speak.

Does that make me a wise fool?

Maybe.

But I am trying to lean more toward the side of wisdom.

Feel free to tell me when I babble on too much.

And when the Holy Spirit happens to direct my words, listen to Him despite it being my voice that carries the words.

What do you do to keep your words under control?
What kind of knowledge do you like to accumulate?
February 7, 2026

February 7th, 2026

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Colossians 4:7-18

Highlight Verse:

“Tychicus will give you a full report about how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s about time for another installment in my automotive series of devotions. My apologies to the non-car nuts out there.

Today’s feature vehicle is the Ford F-Series pickup truck.

You’ve seen them everywhere as they have been the best-selling vehicle in the United States since 1981.

The photo is of Rae, my former workhorse.

Seven years ago, I was told that we were getting company vehicles so I decided to get something inexpensive that could haul things.

I found Rae, a base trim work truck with 212 thousand miles. I figured she would last through a couple of months of use as a service vehicle and then just be used as a weekend truck.

The months turned into a year and a half and Rae never let me down.

Now, 7 years and 47 thousand miles later, she needed repairs that were beyond my skill level and budget.

Even as a “mechanic’s special” she sold within minutes of listing for a decent price.

Despite her ridiculously high miles, she still ran reliably.

She was faithful to the end. Kind of like Tychicus.

He left such a positive impression on Paul that he wrote about him in several spots in his letters.

Tychicus may have never been in the spotlight, but he was just what Paul needed to complete his work effectively.

I have you ever known someone who was that reliable of a worker for the Gospel?
What can you do to be that person?
Friday – Prophets

February 6th, 2026
Reading – Ezekiel 37-39

Highlight Verse:

“So I spoke this message, just as he told me. Suddenly as I spoke, there was a rattling noise all across the valley. The bones of each body came together and attached themselves as complete skeletons.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭37‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Valley of Dry Bones remained dead until Ezekiel spoke.

Of course, it was God who brought life into those bones, but He chose to work through Ezekiel.

It may sound like faith to say that God doesn’t need me to accomplish His will on Earth.

The problem with that is it IS God’s will to accomplish His purposes on Earth through us.

His plans include all His people.

Our participation doesn’t make it easier for Him to do His will. I dare say it is harder to work through us than it would be to do it Himself.

But, when we do His will, it changes us.

We would not be complete without the Holy Spirit working through us. We would miss out on a whole level of life if we didn’t let His life work through us.
- If you feel like you aren’t qualified to do God’s work, let God qualify you as you do it.
- If you feel like it would take too much out of you to step up and do God’s work, know that He will supply more than you can imagine to replace what you give.
- If you feel burnt out from doing God’s work, maybe He will want you to focus on training and leading others to do His work.
While God certainly wants us to practice the Biblical concept of Sabbath rest, that concept involves resting and communing with God to empower us to move forward.

Are you willing to speak to the “Valley of Dry Bones” that God places before you?
How has God rewarded you for doing His work?
February 5, 2026

February 5th, 2026

Highlight Verse:

“Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I was a senior in high school, I was the yearbook photographer. I’ve always enjoyed photography and already had a portfolio of landscape photos .

I lost my afterschool job because I spent the summer with my dad out of state.

My parents always provided food, but I wanted to be able to buy hot school lunches. I could no longer afford them, so I started printing and selling landscape photos to teachers and others for lunch money.

The principal got wind of my entrepreneurial enterprise and took it upon himself to sign me up for free lunches.

I appreciated his compassion for me, but I felt cheated out an experience.

Obviously, I cannot compare my hunger for school lunches to the suffering Jesus went through, but I think we miss out on something if we manage to avoid all suffering.

There have been plenty of other moments of suffering in my life that were far more significant than missing hot lunches.

Though none were as serious as what Jesus suffered, each brought a little more strength and wisdom to my life.

Suffering is never fun, but sometimes it can be good.

What lessons have you learned from suffering?
Where do you draw the line when deciding to protect your loved ones from suffering?
February 4, 2026

February 4th, 2026

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Kings 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“Elisha picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen when he was taken up. Then Elisha returned to the bank of the Jordan River.”
‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God could have made Elijah’s cloak fall to rest straight on Elisha’s shoulders.

He didn’t.

Elisha had to choose.

Elijah was the only true prophet of God in Israel.

To don his mantle was a huge responsibility.

Elisha didn’t hesitate.

He picked up the cloak.

He stepped right into his calling.

Can it be that simple today?

You could say that Elisha was a special case. Elijah specifically called out Elisha.

Not everyone is called to be the primary prophet of the people of God.

But we are all called to something.

If you listen to God through His Word and the Holy Spirit and those to whom you look for spiritual guidance, you will likely find your calling.

The tough part is picking up that calling and acting on it.

Have you heard or seen what your calling is?
What have you done to act on it?
February 3, 2026

February 3rd, 2026
Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Leviticus 3-4

Highlight Verse:

““You must never eat any fat or blood. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation, wherever you live.””
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have heard three different explanations for not eating the fat or the blood.
- It kept the Israelites disciplined since the fat was the most flavorful part.
- It kept the Israelites safe from tape worms and parasites that could be found in the fatty tissues.
- It set the Israelites apart from the pagan practices of the nations around them.
In my opinion, I don’t think God wanted the Israelites to be deprived of good tasting food. That does not sound like the nature of a loving Father God.

I don’t doubt that avoiding the fat protected the Israelites from parasites.

But I don’t think that is the main reason.

Our father God truly wanted to protect His children from the evils of the paganism of the surrounding nations.

The consuming of the blood and sometimes the fat was part of the evil pagan practices of the surrounding nations.

To allow that in Israel would have blurred the differences between worshipping pagan idols and worshipping God.

As it was, Israel struggled to follow the Lord throughout history.

Those blurred lines could have made Israel and mere sub-note in history instead of the source of salvation for the world.

What do you think the modern equivalents of the blood and fat would be today?
Is there anything you should cut out of your life that is having the same effect that the blood and fat would have had on Israel?
February 2, 2026

February 2nd, 2026

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 5

Highlight Verse:

“But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I withdraw for prayer to my basement most mornings.

Not exactly the wilderness. But at least most distractions go away down there.

I highly recommend withdrawing to a quiet place daily for prayer.

As dear as studying the Bible is to me, if you have to choose between prayer and Bible study, I recommend prayer (but get back to studying the Bible as soon as you can).

As far the getting to the wilderness, for most of us, that’s not very practical every day.

For the last twenty years, I’ve had the privilege of living in Colorado. An hour’s drive can take me to some of the most beautiful pristine wilderness in the world.

Zion National Park

I’ve enjoyed many a prayerful hike in the Rocky Mountains as well as the Blue Ridge Mountains, the rugged wilderness areas of Arizona and the beautiful coasts and mountains of California to name a few of the more memorable places.

My advancing age is beginning to limit the places I can get to, but there are still plenty of inspiring locations within reach.

I admit I don’t get to those kind of places nearly as often as I should but this year should present a few opportunities.

I’ll take advantage of my opportunities if some of you promise to do the same.

What is the most faith inspiring place you have been to?
Where do you go for day-to-day distraction free prayer?
February 1, 2026

February 1st, 2026

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Proverbs 9

Highlight Verse:

“So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭9‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When my oldest was 2, she was riding on my shoulders in a mall parking lot when I saw one driver bully another out of a space that was rightly theirs.

As the bully driver walked past me, I couldn’t resist mentioning that the space rightly belonged to the other driver because they had to make an illegal maneuver to get it.

He then proceeded to inform me how much he did not appreciate my opinion with language that would make a sailor blush despite my toddler on my shoulders.

I moved on quickly as I saw no profit in furthering the conversation.

As much as it feels like going against what is right, it is usually best not to correct a fool when you are not directly involved in the situation.

Likewise, when you are dealing with someone who trusts you, it is best to speak up when you see them heading into some foolish action.

When trust has been established, they will usually listen and learn.

Have you ever had your advice or opinion blow back up in your face?
Do you have people you trust to lead you in wisdom?
Do you know who will trust you for advice?
January 31, 2026

January 31st, 2026

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Psalm 78:1-8

Highlight Verses:

“So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭78‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This weekend we are going through some of my wife’s parent’s belongings.

Her father passed away a little over a month ago. Her mom over two years earlier.

Her parents lived a simple life, expressing love to their family through words and actions.

Along the way, they taught their children about the Gospel and Jesus.

That legacy lives on through their daughters and grandchildren.

We each have a choice to follow the examples set for us by our parents.

In some cases, they are good examples, leading us along the path of faith.

In other cases, we need to find our own way to Christ.

Whichever way we find our way to a saving faith in Jesus,

it is our responsibility to do all we can to pass it on to the next generation.

It is then up to our children whether to accept it or not.

What are you doing to pass your faith on to the next generation?
Did your parents pass that faith to you? If not, how did you find faith?
Reading – Ezekiel 34-36

January 30th, 2026

Highlight Verses:

““For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search and find my sheep. I will be like a shepherd looking for his scattered flock. I will find my sheep and rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭34‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Do you have loved ones who have wandered away from the faith? Perhaps you know someone who rejected faith in Jesus from the beginning.

Let these verses encourage you.

God doesn’t just wish that the people He created (everyone) would trust him, He longs for them so much that He pursues them like lost sheep from His flock.

Let’s spend the rest of this devotion time lifting those lost sheep up in prayer, praying that God would not only pursue them but that they would be drawn by that love to seek Him.

If you like, you can share the first names of those who you would like the rest of us to pray for.

Am I wise or am I a fool?

Does that make me a wise fool?

But I am trying to lean more toward the side of wisdom.

It’s about time for another installment in my automotive series of devotions. My apologies to the non-car nuts out there.

She was faithful to the end. Kind of like Tychicus.

Tychicus may have never been in the spotlight, but he was just what Paul needed to complete his work effectively.

The Valley of Dry Bones remained dead until Ezekiel spoke.

His plans include all His people.

But, when we do His will, it changes us.

I appreciated his compassion for me, but I felt cheated out an experience.

Though none were as serious as what Jesus suffered, each brought a little more strength and wisdom to my life.

Suffering is never fun, but sometimes it can be good.

Elisha had to choose.

Can it be that simple today?

The tough part is picking up that calling and acting on it.

I have heard three different explanations for not eating the fat or the blood.

To allow that in Israel would have blurred the differences between worshipping pagan idols and worshipping God.

I highly recommend withdrawing to a quiet place daily for prayer.

I’ll take advantage of my opportunities if some of you promise to do the same.

As much as it feels like going against what is right, it is usually best not to correct a fool when you are not directly involved in the situation.

When trust has been established, they will usually listen and learn.

Along the way, they taught their children about the Gospel and Jesus.

We each have a choice to follow the examples set for us by our parents.

it is our responsibility to do all we can to pass it on to the next generation.

Let these verses encourage you.