Walk in the Light

August 30, 2025

August 30th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Colossians 3:22-25, Deuteronomy 24:14-15

Highlight Verse:

“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As we enter Labor Day weekend, the holiday in America that we celebrate working people,

I thought I would see what the Bible says about labor.

From the beginnings of Israel as a nation, God has urged employers to take care of their workers.

Deuteronomy 24:15 tells employers to pay laborers daily because they depend on their pay.

In fact, if employers had always taken good care of their workers, we probably wouldn’t have this holiday.

Labor Day was founded at the behest of labor unions which would likely not exist if workers were always treated fairly.

So, what does God tell the workers.

God tells us to work as if we are working for God.

In other words, we need to put forth our best efforts, whether our bosses notice or not.

When have you gone out of you way to do an excellent job for your employer?
In what ways has your employer gone out of the way too treat you well?
August 29, 2025

August 29th, 2025
Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 37-39

Highlight Verse:

““But I am afraid to surrender,” the king said, “for the Babylonians may hand me over to the Judeans who have defected to them. And who knows what they will do to me!””
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭38‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The person who inspires the strongest emotional response from me in today’s reading is… Zedekiah.

I didn’t say positive emotions.

It seems like everything he did was out of fear.
- He put Jeremiah in prison because he is afraid of his advisors.
- He rescued Jeremiah because he was afraid of Jeremiah’s friends.
- He called for Jeremiah’s advice because he was afraid of God.
- He ignored the advice because he was afraid of the King of Babylon and his countrymen.
And he paid the price in a most gruesome way.

At least he got one thing right. He consulted God through Jeremiah.

But he was too afraid to obey what God said through Jeremiah.

To be sure, walking the path God has for us is not for the faint hearted.

Like Zedekiah, we need to consult God. Today we have the Bible to consult and wise people to advise us.

Unlike Zedekiah, we need to act on what God says.

Zedekiah could have spared himself so much pain and suffering if only he had been bold enough to act on what God said.

We could not only save ourselves pain and suffering but we could spread the joy of God’s love if we just do what He says.

Have you ever suffered for not following God’s Word?
How has God blessed you when you have followed His Word?
August 28, 2025

August 28th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Ephesians 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Did you know that you bring God pleasure?

I’ve written before about how I understood God’s love when my first child was born.

To sum it up, there is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect my children and there is nothing my children could do that would make me love them less.

There is one shortfall in that comparison to God’s love.

He chose us!

He made a great sacrifice, literally, to adopt us.

Our middle daughter was adopted by my wife and her late first husband.

They experienced great joy when they brought her home and a second wave of joy when the adoption was finalized.

Of course, we love all our children equally.

God loves the billions of His children equally.

But you and I have the power to bring pleasure to the God who created the universe.

All we have to do is accept adoption into God’s family.

I believe that continues beyond the day of adoption.

Every time with do what He has called us to do, we bring Him pleasure.

What has God called you to do while you are here on Earth?
What do you think of the fact that you give God pleasure?
August 27, 2025

August 27th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Samuel 29-31

Highlight Verse:

“David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭30‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I cannot imagine anything worse than coming home to find that my wife and children had been kidnapped.

It didn’t help that the reason David and his men were away from home was to aid their historical enemies.

I may have felt the same way as David’s men in that circumstance.

But David found his strength in the Lord.

Instead of getting mad at God or despondent about losing his family, David found strength in God.

He consulted God and with God’s blessing and strength, he rescued all that been taken from them.

I’d like to say that whenever something bad has happened in my life, I’ve turned straight to God for strength and direction.

I’ve not always acted that wisely.

But when I did, restoration, blessing, and growth followed.

What is your first reaction when something bad happens in your life?
What do you do to keep your focus on God?
August 26, 2025

August 26th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 5-6

Highlight verse:

““Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.””
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

According to the latest Pew Research study (2023/24), The percentage of people in the United States who claim to be Atheist is only 5%. Even if you include all those who identify as anything other than Christian, it is still a minority of 38%.

So why do the words of Pharaoh sound so familiar today?

The majority of those who have managed our system of education seem to think that the separation of church and state means that we have to deny any public mention of God.

I don’t wish to sound political, but this is just wrong.

While I would not draw a direct parallel with Pharaoh and the plagues that followed his refusal to recognize God, I will say that the institutional denial of the existence of God can only lead to terrible consequences.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we should have a state church or advocate one religion over another in schools and public functions.

But in trying to keep religion out of public life, we have institutionalized the religion of atheism.

Instead, we should allow the open honest discussion of religion in public, including schools.

If we are honest and not judgmental, people can judge for themselves.

I believe that the mercy and grace of Jesus would win the day when the truth is presented honestly.

Sorry for the departure from normal expository study of the Bible but I felt it had to be said before we end up like Pharaoh. I’ll step down from my soap box now.

Have you been able to share the Gospel in ways that have been accepted in public?
What can we do to foster the honest discussion of faith in public?
August 25, 2025

August 25th, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 6

Highlight Verse:

“And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I am reading a novel series now that has the underlying message of “you’d better get ready for the hard times to come.”

It doesn’t sit well with me.

I mean, there’s nothing wrong with being prepared. We have a fairly full pantry and should probably stock up more on some staples.

But when you expend a significant amount of time and energy and resources worrying about the future,

you lose part of today.

I have been in that place when my resources were overwhelmed by my needs.

God provided every single time.

Sometimes He sent others to step up and help.

Sometimes He showed me that I didn’t need what I thought I needed.

Every time I made it through, and God provided all my needs and then some.

Even though our budget is a little on the tight side, we are still blessed with more than we need.

Rather than worry about our finances, I pray that I may be able to prepare to help others. My hope is to be that answer to the prayers of those who find themselves in a place of having to depend on God for provision.

You may find yourself in a place of total dependence on God. Trust and pray and He will provide.

Or you may find yourself in a place of abundance.

Pray that God would open your eyes to where you can be God’s answer to desperate prayers.

How has God provided when you were in desperate need?
How has God used you to be His provision for others?
August 24, 2025

August 24th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 103-104

Highlight Verse:

“You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭104‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There’s a term I like that describes the Earth perfectly.

The Goldilocks Principle.

Simply put, the Earth is “just right.”

If the Earth’s orbit, or tilt, or atmospheric composition were only slightly different, life as we know it could not exist here.

It’s almost as if some brilliant mind designed it for us.

I believe that God was the best architect and engineer possible when it comes to creating a planet for humans to thrive.

Beyond that, He made the Earth a work of art with beauty that defies description.

To say that this all just happened by chance requires far more faith than I could ever muster.

So rather than agreeing with a scientific community that insists that belief in a Creator is foolish,

I’ll trust the greatest architect, engineer, and artist ever known.

I will place my faith in God.

What is the most amazing scientific fact you have heard about?
What do you think is the most beautiful sight in all of creation?
August 23, 2025

August 23rd, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Proverbs 22

Highlight Verse:

“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭22‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

While I cannot claim to have been a perfect parent, I can say that my parenting style was positively influenced by the work of a man who also influence hundreds of millions of people around the world.

That man, Dr. James C Dobson passed from this world 2 days ago at the age of 89.

His advice through Focus on the Family and other ministries has helped me to improve my abilities to lead my children and keep my values based on the Bible.

While he has been vilified by the woke movement, he was a man who loved God and his family deeply and strived to bring as many as possible into the freedom that the Gospel offers.

His efforts have resulted countless salvations, very high adoption rates in the states he influenced, and hundreds of thousands of children being born who otherwise would have been aborted.

Like me, many millions of parents have been positively influenced by his advice.

While I know that my influence will never reach those levels,

I pray that I leave this world a little better for having occupied it.

And when I move on to heaven, I’ll be sure to thank Dr. Dobson for the positive influence that he has had on my life.

Who has influenced you to be a better person?
What are you doing to influence others?
August 22, 2025

August 22nd, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 34-36

Highlight Verse:

“Therefore, this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Jehonadab son of Recab will always have descendants who serve me.’””
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭35‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If you have read this for very long, you know how dead set I am against legalism.

That does not mean that I am against obedience.

Obeying rules will never get you into heaven. That comes from the mercy of God through the sacrifice of Jesus alone.

That said, obedience will be honored.

Just like God honored the sons of Recab for their obedience, faithfulness to God’s call will have good results in our lives.

Respect is earned.

The more faithful a person has been, the more they will positively affect those around them.

While our goal should never be to bring ourselves notoriety, there is great satisfaction in having a positive effect on those around you.

One of my highest goals is to bring more people to Jesus and more Jesus to people.

How has your faithfulness affected those around you?
What can you do from this day forward to be obedient to God’s call on your life?
August 21, 2025

August 21st, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Galatians 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I lived in the South for a total of 12 years. I might go back there for more after I retire.

Why?

Because there’s a lot of people there who know how to live out the second part of this verse.

Oh, they have as many quarrels and differences as any where else, but when someone is hurting, they put aside those differences and help each other without a second thought.

In today’s reading, Paul shifts from telling the Galatians to not be legalistic to what they should be doing instead.

They, and we, should serve one another in love.

That’s not just for those in your same denomination or political party.

Verse 15 makes it sound like the Galatians didn’t get along with each other well at all.

Despite that, or maybe because of that, Paul commands them to serve each other in love.

While he lists 15 results of sinful nature, more than half of those are about getting along with each other. (5:19-21)

He calls us to be free from all sin, not just the classic naughty sins but from anything that would keep us from expressing God’s love to one another.

What ways have you found to serve your neighbor in love?
Does that service to your neighbor have an effect on your heart toward them?

I thought I would see what the Bible says about labor.

Deuteronomy 24:15 tells employers to pay laborers daily because they depend on their pay.

In other words, we need to put forth our best efforts, whether our bosses notice or not.

It seems like everything he did was out of fear.

And he paid the price in a most gruesome way.

Unlike Zedekiah, we need to act on what God says.

Did you know that you bring God pleasure?

He chose us!

All we have to do is accept adoption into God’s family.

Every time with do what He has called us to do, we bring Him pleasure.

But David found his strength in the Lord.

I’ve not always acted that wisely.

But when I did, restoration, blessing, and growth followed.

So why do the words of Pharaoh sound so familiar today?

I don’t wish to sound political, but this is just wrong.

I believe that the mercy and grace of Jesus would win the day when the truth is presented honestly.

you lose part of today.

Every time I made it through, and God provided all my needs and then some.

Pray that God would open your eyes to where you can be God’s answer to desperate prayers.

Simply put, the Earth is “just right.”

It’s almost as if some brilliant mind designed it for us.

I’ll trust the greatest architect, engineer, and artist ever known.

I will place my faith in God.

That man, Dr. James C Dobson passed from this world 2 days ago at the age of 89.

Like me, many millions of parents have been positively influenced by his advice.

I pray that I leave this world a little better for having occupied it.

That does not mean that I am against obedience.

That said, obedience will be honored.

The more faithful a person has been, the more they will positively affect those around them.

Because there’s a lot of people there who know how to live out the second part of this verse.

They, and we, should serve one another in love.

While he lists 15 results of sinful nature, more than half of those are about getting along with each other. (5:19-21)