Walk in the Light

September 5, 2026

September 5th, 2026

Reading – James 5:1-6, Colossians 3:22-4:1

Highlight Verse:

“For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.”
‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Like 90% of Americans, I have never been a member of a union.

Nor have I ever had a boss like the one described in James 5:4.

But I am very thankful for at least one thing labor unions brought about that’s coming up this Monday – Labor Day.

I purposely selected two very different passages to read today.

The one in James was used by some of the early unions to take a stand against unjust employers.

The Colossians passage is used by some to oppose unions and by others to portray the Bible as antiquated and irrelevant.

I think the two passages work together to improve our world.

Paul was not in a position to abolish the practice of slavery when he wrote to the Colossians.

But he could make a difference in the relationships between believers who were slaves and believers who were slave owners.

When the Masters treated slaves as fellow believers and believing slaves worked as if they were working for God, it became a much better experience for everyone.

The same is true today.

When workers work as if they were working for Jesus, and employers treat their workers with respect and honor, life is good and God is honored.

I have always tried to work “as unto the Lord.”

For the most part, it has served me well with decent pay and encouraging bosses.

And plenty of holiday and vacation time off.

So, I will enjoy my relaxing 3-day Labor Day weekend and pray that you do as well.

What suggestions do you have for us to work as unto the Lord?
If you are the boss, what do you do to treat your employees with respect?
September 4, 2026

September 4th, 2026

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Micah 7

Highlight Verse:

“Where is another God like you, who pardons the guilt of the remnant, overlooking the sins of his special people? You will not stay angry with your people forever, because you delight in showing unfailing love.”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭7‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We often think of the Old Testament as a time when God’s mercy and redemption was no yet known.

In fact, every time His people repented, God’s mercy and grace was present.

Given that Micah was a prophet, you could say that this verse was prophetic, looking forward to the time of Jesus.

There may be some truth to that, but the fact remains that the grace of God was available to the repentant long before the cross.

The sacrifice of Jesus was for all time.

Any who have turned to God in faith and repentance throughout history have found grace and mercy and eternal life.

Personally, I’m looking forward to meeting King David, Elijah, Joshua, and many others.

I am just as confident that the people of faith from the Old Testament will be in heaven as I am confident that many from the New Testament will be.

And all who trust in Jesus today will also be at that great party in heaven.

If you ask me, that’s a great reason to celebrate.

Who are you most looking forward to seeing in heaven?
Will you be there too?
September 3, 2026

September 3rd, 2026

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Revelation 6

Highlight Verse:

“I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

For me, this is the chapter where Revelation starts turning scary.

But look how it starts – with victory!

I don’t want to argue the old pre/mid/post-tribulation theories here. I have my opinion though I have heard interesting arguments for other views.

What I do want to point out beyond the shadow of a theological doubt that Victory comes first.

Yes, it involves battles and martyrs, but the victory is already determined.

What difference does that mean to us today?

Many people live in fear of evil and evil beings.

To be sure, evil has an effect on all of us as we live out our lives in this fallen world.

But as we walk through this “valley of the shadow of death,” if we belong to Jesus, we need fear no evil.

We walk with the Champion of All Time.

Do you fear what the future holds?
Do you know the one who holds the future?
What victories over evil have you seen in your life? Please share!
September 2, 2026

September 2nd, 2026

Wednesday – History

Reading – Ezra 1-2

Highlight Verses:

“So a total of 42,360 people returned to Judah, in addition to 7,337 servants and 200 singers, both men and women.”
‭‭Ezra‬ ‭2‬:‭64‬-‭65‬ ‭NLT‬‬

That seems like a lot of people until you realize that there were between 100 and 250 thousand people in Judah before the exile.

A hundred years before that there were between 300 to 650 thousand people between Israel and Judah.

During the time of King David there were between 1 and 2 million.

Statistically, the nation of Israel barely survived.

But it did.

This is what God was speaking of in the popular verse in Jeremiah 29:11. This remnant was the future and hope of the world from that verse.

God preserved the remnant though unexpected means (who would have thought that King Cyrus would want to rebuild the temple).

Jeremiah 29 was written while thousands were dying when Babylon conquered Judah.

Its prophecies were being fulfilled during the time of Ezra.

And God’s ultimate plans fell into place a little over 500 years later with the life and sacrifice of Jesus.

Sometimes the statistics in our lives don’t look so good – the bank account dwindles, friends wander away, loved ones pass away.

But if we cling to God like these exiles did, He is faithful to bring the plans He has for us to completion.

They might not look exactly like our plans. But trust me, if they are different, they will be better.

What plans do you think God has for you?
How is it looking for those plans right now?
September 1, 2026

September 1st, 2026

(New reading list is posted on the downloads page)

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Numbers 35-36

Highlight Verse:

“These are the commands and regulations that the Lord gave to the people of Israel through Moses while they were camped on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭36‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ve often said that scripture passages should be looked at within their context. This is no less true for today’s chapters.

But I noticed some points that are remarkably similar today.

First there is the land for the Levites.

Did you know that this practice was the foundation for parish laws today?

You might notice that some pastors live in very nice homes. This is because laws in most places exempt money allocated for ministers’ homes from income tax.

This dates back to the old practice of providing a parish house for the minister of a church.

That practice has its roots in the provision of towns for the Levites.

Then there’s the justice system. Establishing “malice aforethought” is still a major factor for the difference between murder and manslaughter.

Two witnesses are also generally still required where evidence does not firmly establish guilt.

As for chapter 36, the requirement for women landowners to marry within their tribe was designed to avoid situations like modern-day Baarle-Hertog in Belgium and Baarle-Nassau in the Netherlands, a region where there are many pockets of each country inside the other, making for a very complicated border and jurisdiction issues.

The reasons for the modern border problem are different from what would have happened in Israel, but the results could have been similar.

The rules in chapter 36 kept the individual tribes cohesive and strong.

So, what do we learn from today’s reading? As you read through sections that seem to have no bearing on your life,

check the context and see if the reasoning behind the passage applies to you today.

What stood out in today’s reading to you?
How does it apply to your life today?
August 31, 2026

August 31st, 2026

Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 11

Highlight Verse:

“But when Peter arrived back in Jerusalem, the Jewish believers criticized him.”

‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭11‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

A pastor friend once told me that on the Sunday afternoon menu for most churchgoers is roast pastor.

We Christians (and humans in general) have made an art form of criticizing pastors and churches.

Even today, there is a post making the rounds on social media criticizing the church we used to attend for how they handled a situation.

What if – Instead of criticizing a sermon, we tried to figure out what we can learn from it. Even a bad sermon will likely have some truth we can apply to our lives.

What if – Instead of criticizing a church’s policy, we engaged in productive conversation to get the policy improved.

What if – Instead of gossiping about what a person did, we befriended that person to help guide them in a better path.

Churches and pastors will make mistakes. We all do.

There is a place for constructive criticism. In fact, that’s what the Jewish believers were doing in today’s passage.

But read on and notice that they listened to Peter when he explained the situation. They were open to this new move of God once they heard his story.

So, when you see something wrong, go ahead and talk about it – to the person who did the wrong or who can make a difference.

Anything else is gossip.

Have you ever been the victim of public criticism?How have you helped correct a wrong in the past?

By the way, if you disagree with this or any other day’s devotion, feel free to respectfully let me know in the comments.
August 30, 2026

August 30th, 2026

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Job 7-8

Highlight Verse:

““My days fly faster than a weaver’s shuttle. They end without hope.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭7‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Auto-correct keeps changing Job to Jim or Jon – whichever it feels like in the moment. It can’t seem to handle Job. (Of course, it didn’t change it in that paragraph.)

To be honest, sometimes I have a hard time dealing with Job too.

It is natural for us humans to not want to face anything to do with depression.

It’s not comfortable.

But it is real.

And Job had it bad.

Of course, he had good reason to be depressed. He lost everything and was in physical pain as well.

You don’t have to lose everything to feel the effects of depression.

When our thoughts turn away from hope, it doesn’t take much to push them over the edge into depression.

For some, brain chemistry plays a significant role as well.

I’m here to say that, even when the valley or depression is so deep, there is no light of hope to be seen,

hope is still there.

It may be a long struggle to get out of the valley to where you can see that hope, but Jesus is always available to help you as much as you will let Him.

He can give you the strength to make that climb, even holding you up when you stumble.

Even when Job couldn’t see it, hope was there. Take a peek at the end of the book if you don’t believe me.

Then rest in that hope.

When have you been in hopeless situations and how did you get out?
Are you in need of hope now? Let us lift you up in prayer to the Author of hope.
August 29, 2026

August 29th, 2026

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – 1 Peter 1:1-12

Highlight Verse:

“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Institutions would have me accept that what they believe about God is the only possible truth.

Everything they teach is based on this one assumption.

I don’t have that kind of faith.

What they believe about God is that He doesn’t exist.

Everything they believe about how the Earth and everything on it came to be is based on the assumption that there is no God.

They believe this with such passion that anyone who disagrees with this assumption is banned from teaching.

They teach their theories as facts.

And if God does exist, their theories fall apart.

Their faith is flawed.

I wrote recently about Creation as the proof that there is a Creator.

I could go on for many pages about that, but I’d like to look at the situation a little differently.

The secular science education establishment has become as religiously zealous about science excluding God as churches in the dark ages were about following their rules.

They leave no room for questioning their assumptions.

To the most ardent of them, their theories are hard facts “proven” by their evidence.

I would suggest that their attitude will come back to bite them.

We were made for faith.

Where there is no room for doubt or disagreement, human intellect dies.

I offer this backwards logic as an encouragement to those who have ever had their faith tested. I would say that if you have never questioned your faith in God, then it has never been tested and is not as strong as it could be.

It is through tests of faith that our faith emerges victorious and strong.

So, when your thoughts turn to doubt, push in and learn from them. Face those difficult questions with an open mind. Find the answers through the Bible. And build a faith that can bounce back when the lies of the devil assault it.

How has your faith been tested?
What brought you through that test?
August 28, 2026

August 28th, 2026
Friday – Prophets

Reading – Micah 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Micah sets out God’s will for us in simple language.

“To do what is right” – The language here implies this is about relationships.
- Do right by your family, friends and neighbors.
- Don’t take advantage of them.
- Treat them with respect.
“Love mercy” – Not just like or appreciate but love it.
- This implies that mercy will be your default mode.
- When wronged, you will automatically not hold any wrong against people if you follow this.
- This reflects God’s mercy for us, which we should also love.
“Walk humbly with your God” – Walk, not just try to look humble.
- Walking humbly implies consistency.
- It does not imply bragging about your humility.
- True humility seeks to put all the attention on God and others.
Let’s be honest, I’m not terribly good at following these instructions. Pride and selfishness rear their ugly little heads too often in my life.
As I learn to walk in humility, the pieces begin to fall into place a little more each day.

If we walk together, perhaps we can help each other learn true rightness, mercy and humility.

Which of these three commands stand out the most to you? Why?
Please share any ideas you have about living them out.
August 27, 2026

August 27th, 2026

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Revelation 5

Highlight Verse:

“And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.””
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Is it bad that when I read this, the fun folk tune (All God’s Critters Got) “a Place in the Choir” pops into my

Read that verse again.

It clearly means that the entirety of God’s animal creation will sing praise together.

I don’t know if it means that the animals will literally sing those words together.

That would be fun!

But even if it’s figurative, think about it.

The sheer variety and the complexity of the animal kingdom points to incredible engineering and creativity.

Take the lowly squirrel.

Not only can a squirrel smell nuts through a foot of snow, but it can also detect whether the nuts are fresh enough to bury. Then it knows to pretend to hide nuts when other animals are looking and goes off and hides them in secret.

It even knows to plant trees for future harvests by leaving about a fourth of its stash uneaten.

And to climb down trees, its hind ankles can rotate 180 degrees to get a better grip.

In my opinion,

the amazing designs of animals serve to bring God praise in a very special way.

But I’m still looking forward to seeing that animal and human concert of praise someday.

What is your favorite animal?
How do you think God’s design of that animal brings praise to the Designer?

But I am very thankful for at least one thing labor unions brought about that’s coming up this Monday – Labor Day.

I think the two passages work together to improve our world.

When workers work as if they were working for Jesus, and employers treat their workers with respect and honor, life is good and God is honored.

In fact, every time His people repented, God’s mercy and grace was present.

The sacrifice of Jesus was for all time.

And all who trust in Jesus today will also be at that great party in heaven.

But look how it starts – with victory!

What I do want to point out beyond the shadow of a theological doubt that Victory comes first.

But as we walk through this “valley of the shadow of death,” if we belong to Jesus, we need fear no evil.

Statistically, the nation of Israel barely survived.

And God’s ultimate plans fell into place a little over 500 years later with the life and sacrifice of Jesus.

But if we cling to God like these exiles did, He is faithful to bring the plans He has for us to completion.

But I noticed some points that are remarkably similar today.

check the context and see if the reasoning behind the passage applies to you today.

A pastor friend once told me that on the Sunday afternoon menu for most churchgoers is roast pastor.

Churches and pastors will make mistakes. We all do.

So, when you see something wrong, go ahead and talk about it – to the person who did the wrong or who can make a difference.

It is natural for us humans to not want to face anything to do with depression.

You don’t have to lose everything to feel the effects of depression.

hope is still there.

Then rest in that hope.

Institutions would have me accept that what they believe about God is the only possible truth.

And if God does exist, their theories fall apart.

It is through tests of faith that our faith emerges victorious and strong.

If we walk together, perhaps we can help each other learn true rightness, mercy and humility.

That would be fun!

Take the lowly squirrel.

the amazing designs of animals serve to bring God praise in a very special way.