Walk in the Light

January 28, 2025

January 28th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭6‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse warms my detail oriented heart.

It’s just a mundane little instruction but it means the difference between life and death for those on board.

To be honest, sometimes my OCD gets the better of me and comes across more rude than loving.

But I truly believe that putting this little detail in Noah’s instructions was purely loving. God wanted Noah to succeed completely.

What is implicit in this instruction is that God made sure that Noah could find enough food to feed each and every occupant of the Ark.

In what ways have you seen God provide for the mundane little details that make all the difference in your life?
Have you ever ignored a mundane little instruction from God only to have it backfire on your plans?
January 27, 2025

January 27th, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – John 5

Highlight Verses:

“When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.””
‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I hate it when I’m sick for more than a couple days. Even then, I’m rarely too sick to get up.

This man was sick for 38 years!

He didn’t ask to be healed. He had given up on anything changing for him.

But Jesus chose him.

Jesus could have chosen from the dozens of other people waiting for healing. They would have been easier to heal.

Sure, they had friends to help them but that didn’t stop Jesus from healing others with friends at other times.

This time Jesus chose the guy with no friends and no hope.

And He healed that man with one sentence.

Today’s verse is especially for those with no true friends and no hope.

If you are that person, please hear me when I say that Jesus wants to bring you hope and healing. You need only accept it.

If you know the hope of Jesus, please realize that you are the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. All around us are those without true friendship, hope or healing.

Please pray that we may see them and bring the healing of Christ to them.

Have you ever been that hopeless person who found healing in Jesus? Please share your story.
In what ways has God used you to bring healing to the hopeless?
January 26, 2025

January 26th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 10-12

Highlight Verse:

“I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As a city kid transplanted into rural southwest Virginia, I once had to walk done a very long wooded driveway to wait at the road for my parents to give me a ride.

I had no flashlight.

It was pitch black.

When I made it to the road, I stood in the middle of it staring at the one patch of clear moonless sky.

Even though I was in the mountains, I was afraid.

Not too many years later, I lived in downtown San Jose and would sometimes have to go out at night.

I wasn’t afraid, though it was a far more dangerous area.

By then I had confidence that I was in the Lord’s hands.

Now I don’t advocate foolishly dangerous actions, nor do I object to taking defensive measures.

But for me, I am confident that as long as God has more for me to do on this earth, He will protect me.

I am equally confident that when it is time for me to pass from this world, I will be welcomed to eternal life in heaven.

Do you have confidence in the Lord’s protection?
Are you equally as confident of what lies beyond this life?
January 25, 2025

January 25th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Philippians 3:12-21

Highlight Verses:

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Does this sound familiar?

Last week I highlighted verse 13 speaking of how we were challenged at church to find one word to focus on this year.

I spent most of this week trying to change the word that kept dominating my prayer time –

Focus.

I finally concluded that the Lord wanted me to focus on “focus”.

I am easily distracted.

It has taken me far too long to progress on what I believe God has called me to – specifically writing.

I believe God would have me focus my efforts on growing in my spiritual strength, reliance on God, and the art of writing.

My goal is to create writing that will bring the most lasting impact to those around me and beyond.

I am convinced that if I bring my best to this effort and rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance and power, by God’s grace, I will achieve this goal.

What is your focus on?
How will that focus bring maximum impact?
January 23, 2025

January 24th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 10-12

Highlight Verse:

“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I lived in Santa Cruz in the 80s, there was a congregation there called Tsemech Adonai – The Branch of the Lord.

It was a Jewish Synagogue that believed that the Messiah had already come in the person of Jesus Christ.

They were right.

According to some scholars, Isaiah contains 48 prophecies about the Messiah.

The odds of any person filling all those prophecies are 1 in 10 to the 157th power (1 followed by 157 zeroes).

Even if you only believe in the eight most obvious prophecies, that puts the chances at 1 in 10 to the 17th power (1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000) (source: preceptaustin dot org)

That’s more that a hundred million times longer odds than winning the lottery

But one person did fulfill all those prophecies.

His name is Jesus – The Branch of the Lord.

What more proof do you need?
If you have faith, do you even need that proof?
January 23, 2025

January 23rd, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Romans 4

Highlight Verse:

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In case you didn’t read the previous verses, the context here is when God promised to make Abraham’s descendants numerous, despite the fact that he was 100 years old and childless.

That’s faith!

And Abraham’s faith grew stronger in the midst of that impossible challenge.

Can you imagine the feeling when Isaac was born?

The promise was beginning to be fulfilled.

God’s promises are still valid today.

Through His grace,

God has made us capable of the same kind of faith.

What does that kind of faith look like for you?
Is there an impossible promise that you are believing for?
January 22, 2025

January 22nd, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – Joshua 10-12

Highlight Verse:

“He and his people became very afraid when they heard all this because Gibeon was a large town—as large as the royal cities and larger than Ai. And the Gibeonite men were strong warriors.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭10‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Becoming allies with the Gibeonites was a very bad mistake.

Despite all the problems with that alliance, there was a silver lining.

That alliance inspired fear in their enemies.

That fear caused several of the enemies to combine and attack the Gibeonites.

Because the Israelites were honor-bound to defend the Gibeonites, they came to their defense and soundly defeated five allied kings in one campaign instead of five.

Does that justify Israel’s foolish alliance.

No.

Does it mean that there are no negative consequences for that poor decision.

No. Plenty of bad came from it.

But God can bring good out of any and every situation, even when we are to blame for the error.

Have you ever messed up but had good come out of the situation anyway?
Was the good side effect easy or hard to see?
January 21, 2025

January 21st, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 4

Highlight Verse:

“So Cain left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭4‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The first thing I noticed in this chapter was that Cain would speak with God face to face.

In fact, God initiated that contact to confront Cain about murdering Abel.

But God did not banish him, at least not in any of the translations I read.

God states the fact that Cain is banished but phrases it in such a way that it appears that the blood-soaked ground and Cain’s act itself has banished Cain.

Cain tries to say that God has banished Him when it was Cain himself who initiated the banishment through murder.

I get the sense that God is doing everything He can to restore His relationship with Cain.

But he won’t do that without Cain’s consent.

Have you given God permission to confront you with your poor judgement?
How do you react when God asks you to confess and turn around?
January 20, 2025

January 20th, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – John 4

Highlight Verse:

“Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.”
‭‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I always figured that Jesus waited outside the Samaritan town purposely so that He could have that conversation with the Samaritan woman and word would spread about Him in that village, not to mention the countless sermons that would be preached about this story.

But He waited there because…

He was tired!

Of course He was God. But He was also human.

His body needed rest and water.

I’m not saying He didn’t care about the Samaritan woman or the people from her town.

He cared enough to bring the Gospel to her in spite of His exhaustion.

He sought her help for His physical need for water.

And He supplied truth for her spiritual needs.

There are many times in this life when we are exhausted and need to rest.

Even in those times, we should always keep our eyes open for opportunities to meet the spiritual needs of those around us.

Have you ever been in a place when someone was helping you, and you we able to bring them spiritual help?
How did you handle that situation?
January 19, 2025

January 19th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 7-9

Highlight Verse:

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭8‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

On an ideal night with excellent vision, one can see up to about 43,000 objects in the night sky.

Science and math tell us that there are between 100 and 400 billion stars in our galaxy alone.

And there are hundreds of billions of galaxies.

And God created it all with His spoken Word.

And He created mankind in His image.

He put us in charge of His creation on Earth and entrusted us with the truth of His salvation.

I don’t know about you, but it makes me want to live up to His trust.

What do you think it means to be in charge of creation?

How do you live that out?

This verse warms my detail oriented heart.

But I truly believe that putting this little detail in Noah’s instructions was purely loving. God wanted Noah to succeed completely.

But Jesus chose him.

And He healed that man with one sentence.

Please pray that we may see them and bring the healing of Christ to them.

Even though I was in the mountains, I was afraid.

I wasn’t afraid, though it was a far more dangerous area.

But for me, I am confident that as long as God has more for me to do on this earth, He will protect me.

Does this sound familiar?

Focus.

I believe God would have me focus my efforts on growing in my spiritual strength, reliance on God, and the art of writing.

I am convinced that if I bring my best to this effort and rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance and power, by God’s grace, I will achieve this goal.

They were right.

That’s more that a hundred million times longer odds than winning the lottery

His name is Jesus – The Branch of the Lord.

That’s faith!

God’s promises are still valid today.

God has made us capable of the same kind of faith.

Despite all the problems with that alliance, there was a silver lining.

No.

But God can bring good out of any and every situation, even when we are to blame for the error.

But God did not banish him, at least not in any of the translations I read.

Cain tries to say that God has banished Him when it was Cain himself who initiated the banishment through murder.

I get the sense that God is doing everything He can to restore His relationship with Cain.

He was tired!

He cared enough to bring the Gospel to her in spite of His exhaustion.

Even in those times, we should always keep our eyes open for opportunities to meet the spiritual needs of those around us.

On an ideal night with excellent vision, one can see up to about 43,000 objects in the night sky.

And God created it all with His spoken Word.

I don’t know about you, but it makes me want to live up to His trust.