Walk in the Light

October 21, 2025

October 21st, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 17-18

“Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!””
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭17‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I read this, my mind went all over the place.

It makes sense that the people would be concerned about the lack of water.

But notice that when Moses went to God with the problems,

he didn’t complain about the lack of water, he complained about the complaints.

In fact, Moses never even asked for water.

Personally, I think the parting of the sea was fresh in his mind and he was confident that God would provide a way through the problem of no water.

And he did.

One commentary I read (Enduring Word) made a good point. This situation shows that it is normal for people to come upon difficulties even when they are doing what God asked of them. God will provide in those times.

God allowed the problem.

He also provided the solution.

Once again, their faith was reinforced by the miraculous.

Have you had your faith reinforced by the miraculous?
What situations has He provided a way through?
October 20, 2025

October 20th, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 14

Highlight Verse:

“After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As many times as I’ve read this chapter before, I don’t think I ever realized that Jesus was mourning the death of John the Baptist during this time.

After hearing the news of John’s death, Jesus tried to get some time alone.

The crowds and His compassion for them would not allow it.

Once his ministry was completed for that time, He finally got the solitude He craved.

I can only imagine that He dealt with his grief in conversation with the Father in that time alone.

If Jesus had to take time to deal with grief, how much more do we need to take time to deal with the grief and other issues in our lives?

I believe God designed us with that need to work through emotions. I also believe that He is there to help us work through it.

He has perfect compassion and knows how to help us handle life’s rough times.

We need to be willing to start that process by spending time in prayer.

Are you working through issues that God could help you with? Is there something keeping you from spending time in prayer to work through them?
Have you experienced God’s emotional healing power in times of grief? How has He helped you through it?
October 19, 2025

October 19th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 126-129

Highlight Verse:

“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭126‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I was a young adult, I ran sound at a major Christian conference center in California. In that capacity I got to sit in on many different conferences put on by a wide variety of groups.

One of my favorites was Jews for Jesus.

Here was this group of believers from a people group that went through the Holocaust just 45 years before. Those who chose to follow Jesus were often shunned by their families.

But their worship was some of the best I have ever seen.

They sang and danced with such joy that none of the other conferences could match.

And they graciously invited me to join in the celebration.

They truly lived out today’s highlight verse.

The Psalms we read today are part of a group of Psalms specifically written for people to sing as they journeyed to Jerusalem for festivals.

Even back then, celebration was built into the culture.

Psalm 126 was written after the exile when Israel was a fraction of the size they were before.

Despite this, or more accurately because of this, they sang and danced with the joy of the redeemed and restored.

Have you been redeemed and restored?
Does the joy in your praise and worship reflect that?
October 18, 2025

October 18th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – 2 Peter 1:3-11

Highlight Verses:

“In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The car guy in me is peaking out.

I thought of the following story as traffic flew around me the other day.

I wasn’t always a careful driver.

When I was in college, I had this little Opel 1900 wagon.

It wasn’t powerful but it handled well.

I was coming out of Santa Cruz on Highway 9, a very curvy narrow road.

A Mazda RX7 (sports car) was going very slowly ahead of me and let me pass. They then proceeded to follow right on my tail matching my speed as I enjoyed the twisty road.

I pushed that little wagon to it’s limits as we doubled the speed limit through the curves.

Toward the end of the curvy section, there was a turn out for slower vehicles. I knew the Mazda had far more power, so I pulled into the slow lane.

The other driver decided to pull around me before I was clear of the lane.

When they hit leaves and pine needles in the center of the road, they lost traction.

The next thing I knew, they had slid off the road and had stopped with the front peeking over the embankment and the wheels turned toward each other.

They were okay and I gave them a ride into town. I learned a lesson in recklessness that day. The lesson was far more expensive for them.

In the 41 years since then I’ve slowed down quite a bit but there are still times when I have to learn a lesson.

I pray that my eyes are open to the lessons I still need to learn. It’d be nice if those lessons weren’t too expensive either.

What was the most expensive lesson in patience that you had to learn?
Have the lessons gotten easier or harder as you get older?
October 17, 2025

October 17th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 2

Highlight Verse:

“All the strength of Israel vanishes beneath his fierce anger. The Lord has withdrawn his protection as the enemy attacks. He consumes the whole land of Israel like a raging fire.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Most of this chapter is Jeremiah lamenting what God does to Jerusalem and Judea.

Jeremiah seems to be adding up the bad things God has done against Israel, like God was personally responsible for it.

What did God really do there?

He withdrew his hand of protection from the land.

And then Jeremiah writes about the terrible things God did.

Keep in mind that Jeremiah was a prophet.

As such, he could speak with the mouth of God. That is, God is speaking these things to and through him.

It is God’s broken heart that carries the pain of seeing Israel destroyed to the point of taking the blame upon Himself like a Father who failed to protect His children.

Only He didn’t fail. It was a painful part of His plan. Very painful, but it was still part of His plan of redemption.

As such, we get a glimpse of the heart of God, who was willing to go through the pain of being seen as hurting His children.

Lamentations are not just Jeremiah lamenting the fall of Jerusalem, it is God’s lament for Jerusalem’s fall.

Have you gone through times when it feels like God is attacking you?
Were you able to see the bigger picture of God’s hand on the plan for your life afterward?
October 16, 2025

October 16th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Thessalonians 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“This letter is from Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We are writing to the church in Thessalonica, to you who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May God give you grace and peace.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I usually credit Paul with evangelizing the greater Mediterranean region and writing the vast majority of letters to the early Gentile churches.

That’s not exactly how it happened.

From the first day on the road to Damascus, Paul had help.

While he was the main speaker, he never could have fulfilled God’s call for him without many helping him.

Silas was a frequent companion sharing the teaching duties and suffering.

Timothy was his best-known trainee, helping establish the churches that Paul started.

Luke travelled with and helped support Paul, especially toward the end.

Various scribes, disciples, and helpers accompanied him, helping support the work in different ways.

They were a team.

Paul himself taught about the importance of believers working together to do the work of the Church.

While it is possible to be a Christian in isolation, it is far from ideal.

God’s calling for each of us is best accomplished as a body working together.

Paul showed this throughout his letters including the very first line of today’s letter to the Thessalonians.

Have you ever been an isolated Christian? How did that work for you?
What success have you experienced as part of a team?
October 15, 2025

October 15th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 13-14

Highlight Verse:

“So at Absalom’s signal they murdered Amnon. Then the other sons of the king jumped on their mules and fled.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭13‬:‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This one verse raises so many questions.

The first thing that stands out to my slightly warped brain is, “Mules? Why mules? Didn’t they have horses?”

I don’t know the answer to that nor do I really care. The important thing is that they got away.

What next stands out to me is the fact that Absalom was incredibly persuasive. I’m sure his good looks helped, but to get people to kill for you takes a diabolical amount of persuasive power.

Looking back at his life, things look like they started going sideways when Amnon took advantage of his sister.

Instead of seeking justice, he sought revenge.

His revenge against Amnon came quickly but he extended his rage against his father and brothers.

More on that in the coming weeks.

Today we see Absalom’s rage turn pathological. It controlled him to the point that his actions became diabolical in the literal sense of the word.

He let the devil control his thoughts and actions in an attempt to destroy David’s kingdom.

All this started with taking justice into his own hands rather than turning it over to God and the justice system God put into place in Israel.

Terrible things happen. The need for justice can make people do desperate things.

But God is the ultimate judge and will bring justice one way or another.

Have you ever been tempted to take justice into your own hands?
What do you do when you doubt that justice will be served?
How can you help assure that proper justice will be served?
October 14, 2025

October 14th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 16

Highlight Verse:

“On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much as usual—four quarts for each person instead of two. Then all the leaders of the community came and asked Moses for an explanation.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭16‬:‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

At this point, the people of Israel had worked every day for their entire lives.

There was no Sabbath for them in Egypt.

But God called for their lives to be radically different.

In addition to trusting God to lead them through the wilderness, they had to trust God to provide for them through a day of rest every week.

To those of us with a 5-day work week, a day of rest seems normal.

To them it was a new concept.

While we are used to the concept of weekends, sometimes God calls us to step out in radical faith.

Just like God provided extra Manna on the sixth day,

God will provide for your needs when you step into His calling.

When God called me to go to Bible College, He provided the opportunity for me to start a business that provided my living expenses while giving me the flexibility to attend classes and assignments.

It was hard work, but God always provided.

Has God provided for you when He called you to step out in faith? Please share.
Is there something God has called you to do but you have hesitated because of fear of failure (financially or otherwise)? What would it take for you to follow His call?
October 13, 2025

October 13th, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 13

Highlight Verse:

“Then they scoffed, “He’s just the carpenter’s son, and we know Mary, his mother, and his brothers—James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭55‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The modern version of this could be complacent Christianity.

It’s easy to take Jesus for granted when the culture is saturated by churchy things.

Even in the Bible Belt, it is easy to relegate Jesus to a social activity on Sunday morning.

I once personally knew a healing evangelist who held revivals in the Southeast US and in India.

His meetings in the US might have 50 to a hundred people attend and a handful of healings. It was rare that unbelievers attended, much less found Jesus.

In India, thousands flocked to the meetings and hundred were healed and saved.

You might not agree with the tactics of a healing evangelist (I had a hard time dealing with his style), but you can’t deny how much more God moved in areas where Jesus wasn’t a household word.

While we strive for Christian values to be restored in America (a worthy cause), we should also strive for people to truly trust Jesus as a life changing savior, not just a cultural icon.

Our faith should lead to life changing commitment, not just cultural conformity.

If someone threatened your life unless you renounced Jesus, how would you react?
How can we help others move from cultural acceptance to trust in Jesus?
October 12, 2025

October 12th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 120-124

Highlight Verse:

“I look up to the mountains— does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭121‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’m at the edge of the mountains as I write this.

Yesterday afternoon, I went for a hike up what felt like a mountain to a place deceptively called Ladybug Lookout.

Mountain goats take one look at the last 50 feet of that trail and say, “No thank you!”

Not being of the mountain goat persuasion, I went for it.

While I scrambled up those rocks, I had the audacity to think, “At least I have good cell service up here if I get hurt.”

When I got to the top, I could clearly see the Garden of the Gods, a stunning collection of red rock formations, and the surrounding ridges and hills with Peaks Pike looming above.

I hear people say that these ridges were formed millions of years ago by the forces of plate tectonics that raised Pikes peak, tilting these ridges exposing the different colors of sandstone that wore into these beautiful shapes.

Personally, I believe God created them this way.

But even if He chose to use plate tectonics to create them, it was His artistic touch that made them beautiful.

He didn’t have to infuse them with the elements that made those amazing colors.

He didn’t have to give us the ability to see 100 million different colors.

He didn’t have to supply the right amount of erosion to create those amazing shapes.

But He did.

My dad was an atheist for most of his life.

After seeing enough of the amazing beauty of creation, he finally came to accept that there must be a Creator.

If God has the ability and imagination to create this amazing planet, He can help when we call out to Him with our needs as well.

When is the last time you got out to enjoy God’s creation?
How did it inspire you?

he didn’t complain about the lack of water, he complained about the complaints.

God allowed the problem.

He also provided the solution.

Once again, their faith was reinforced by the miraculous.

After hearing the news of John’s death, Jesus tried to get some time alone.

If Jesus had to take time to deal with grief, how much more do we need to take time to deal with the grief and other issues in our lives?

We need to be willing to start that process by spending time in prayer.

One of my favorites was Jews for Jesus.

They sang and danced with such joy that none of the other conferences could match.

Despite this, or more accurately because of this, they sang and danced with the joy of the redeemed and restored.

The car guy in me is peaking out.

When they hit leaves and pine needles in the center of the road, they lost traction.

I pray that my eyes are open to the lessons I still need to learn. It’d be nice if those lessons weren’t too expensive either.

Most of this chapter is Jeremiah lamenting what God does to Jerusalem and Judea.

What did God really do there?

As such, we get a glimpse of the heart of God, who was willing to go through the pain of being seen as hurting His children.

From the first day on the road to Damascus, Paul had help.

They were a team.

God’s calling for each of us is best accomplished as a body working together.

This one verse raises so many questions.

Instead of seeking justice, he sought revenge.

But God is the ultimate judge and will bring justice one way or another.

But God called for their lives to be radically different.

While we are used to the concept of weekends, sometimes God calls us to step out in radical faith.

God will provide for your needs when you step into His calling.

The modern version of this could be complacent Christianity.

It’s easy to take Jesus for granted when the culture is saturated by churchy things.

Our faith should lead to life changing commitment, not just cultural conformity.

Yesterday afternoon, I went for a hike up what felt like a mountain to a place deceptively called Ladybug Lookout.

But He did.

If God has the ability and imagination to create this amazing planet, He can help when we call out to Him with our needs as well.