Walk in the Light

July 22, 2025

July 22nd, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 47

Highlight Verse:

“So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. All the Egyptians sold him their fields because the famine was so severe, and soon all the land belonged to Pharaoh.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭47‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I work for a major corporation.

Like most major corporations, it has some policies that I don’t necessarily agree with.

There are times when I question whether I should be doing my best to help the corporation make the best profits possible.

When you read today’s chapter, you must realize there were things that Pharaoh stood for that were contrary to Joseph’s values.

That didn’t stop Joseph from using his wisdom and leadership skills to help solidify Pharaoh’s power in Egypt.

In that generation, Joseph’s family prospered as a result.

My influence on my employer’s profits can’t be compared to Joseph’s.

Nonetheless, I have been a key player in keeping one of our largest customers in this area.

I continue doing my best for my employer, not for the purpose of profits but so people will see my faith in my work and be drawn toward Jesus.

How does your faith affect how you approach your work?
Have you had people ask you what motivates you to do your best?
How do you answer?
July 21, 2025

July 21st, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Mark 14

Highlight Verse:

“But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭14‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This little comment by Jesus seems to have been ignored by the disciples.

Peter got defensive and contradicted what Jesus had said just before this line.

The line was not completely forgotten, or we wouldn’t be able to read it here.

But, if they had listened to Jesus and believed what He just said, they would have been filled with hope and excitement for Jesus to show back up.

They would have gone to Galilee to wait and wouldn’t have bothered to go fishing the day when Jesus appeared on the beach of Galilee.

Speaking for myself, I have been know to completely miss the words of God that seem to me to be aimed at those with newer faith.

God’s words apply to all believers, not just those whose faith is young.

How easy it is for me to overlook the basics, especially when I need to be reminded of them!

Have you ever missed the words of God that could have encouraged you?
Have you had such confidence in your own faithfulness that you missed the words of God that required a humble heart to hear?
July 20, 2025

July 20th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalm 86-88

Highlight Verse:

“Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David knew what he was talking about here.

He’s been called a “man after God’s own heart.”

But even David had to ask God to give him purity of heart.

Some versions say, “unite my heart.”

David realized that his heart was divided between his selfish desires and dedication to God.

If we are honest, I think we can all say that about our hearts.

It’s likely that our hearts won’t be completely pure until we reach heaven.

In the meantime, we weed out that which divides our hearts.

But just like my yard, the weeds come back.

The gardens of our hearts need constant attention.

May we daily pray, “Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.”

And follow that up with actually removing that which divides our hearts.

Have you made a habit of daily asking for purity of heart?
If you have been doing that daily, how has it changed your life?
July 19, 2025

July 19th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic (In the Garage Series)

Reading – 1 Samuel 17:32-47

Highlight Verses:

“But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today, I’m bringing back what I am currently calling the “In the Garage Series” where I feature a classic car and relate a lesson from the Bible to that car. It’s a car guy thing so my apologies to those who are not into cars.

Today you are looking at a 1968 Plymouth Satellite Station Wagon.

This wasn’t just any Satellite, it was my first car.

I learned to drive in this car.

Normally you would think an American station wagon would be an easy car to learn with.

This one… not so much.

The only thing power on it was the rear window.

That’s right, no power brakes, no power steering.

If that wasn’t enough, it was a 3 speed column shifted manual transmission.

And I learned to drive on the narrow crowded curvy streets of the San Francisco Peninsula.

It took a while but I mastered that beast and felt like I could drive almost anything afterward.

David, as a teenager, drew the short straw and was sent to mind the families sheep.

From today’s verses, that sounds like a challenging job as he had ferocious animals to deal with.

But, with the help of God, he mastered those beasts.

That gave him the confidence he needed to convince Saul he could beat Goliath.

It also gave him the confidence to stand up to Goliath.

That brought freedom to Israel.

I’m not advocating fighting lions and bears or even learning to drive on a difficult car.

I am saying that we shouldn’t always take the easy path.

We especially shouldn’t always offer the easy path to our kids.

A difficult path often offers the greatest gifts.

What have you learned from the hard paths in your life?
How have you safely led your children down the more difficult paths?
July 18, 2025

July 18th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 19-21

Highlight Verse:

“Then say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: As this jar lies shattered, so I will shatter the people of Judah and Jerusalem beyond all hope of repair. They will bury the bodies here in Topheth, the garbage dump, until there is no more room for them.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭19‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This chapter was harsh.

First God tells Jeremiah to take a new pot out to the dump.

In his day, the dump was considered “unclean.” Only the unfortunate souls assigned to work there would go there.

On top of that, he has to declare that all the bodies of the unclean people will be dumped there when Jerusalem is attacked.

I bet he ruffled a few feathers.

In fact, I know he did since he landed in jail over it.

Why did God use such harsh imagery in this chapter?

To give people reason to repent.

God didn’t want the kind of outcome that was prophesied.

God wanted people to repent and escape that kind of disaster.

Sadly, his prophesy came true and many perished.

But the nation survived.

We were rescued.

I don’t know how effective such harsh prophecies would be today.

I do know that people still need to hear the Gospel and sometimes God calls us to do unusual things to bring people to Himself.

Has God ever had you preach the good news of the Gospel in an unusual way?
What were the results?
July 17, 2025

July 17th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 2 Corinthians 7-8

Highlight Verse:

“When we arrived in Macedonia, there was no rest for us. We faced conflict from every direction, with battles on the outside and fear on the inside. But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭7‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Have you ever had one of those “But God” moments?

• Everything is going wrong.
• The bills pile up.
• The kids get sick.
• The car dies.
• Conflicts arise with family or friends.

But God –

• Brought an encouraging friend.
• Provided some unforeseen money.
• Brought your family through illness.
• Provided a helpful mechanic.
• Brought healing to relationships.

All of those “but God” situations have happened to me and then some.

God has brought me through the lowest valleys and celebrated with me on the mountaintops.

I would be a lost and lonely man… but God…!

Have you been through the “but God” situations I listed above?
What “but God” situations can you add to the list?
July 16, 2025

July 16th, 2025
Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Samuel 17-18

Highlight Verse:

“If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves!”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Did you ever wonder why Saul trusted David to challenge Goliath?

Think about it – If Goliath wins, all of Israel becomes slaves of the Philistines.

I tried to think it through.
- Maybe Saul had complete faith in David based on his stories of defending his sheep.
- Maybe Saul had so little faith in his army and God’s protection that he thinks he has nothing to lose.
- Maybe Saul thought (and rightly so) that Goliath wouldn’t take David seriously, so he wouldn’t hold Israel to the terms of the challenge.
If you ask me, Saul had very little faith in his army. They had been there for quite some time without making a direct attack against the Philistines.

It should be noted that the Philistines had little faith in their army too or they would have attacked already.

And so, it came down to the two bravest people present – David and Goliath.

We all know how that turned out – David victorious and Goliath’s last thoughts, “Nothing like that has ever entered my mind before.”

Have you ever been in a situation where confidence was severely lacking by everyone?
How can we bring faith and hope into those situations?
July 15, 2025

July 15th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 46

Highlight Verses:

“Then he said, “When Pharaoh calls for you and asks you about your occupation, you must tell him, ‘We, your servants, have raised livestock all our lives, as our ancestors have always done.’ When you tell him this, he will let you live here in the region of Goshen, for the Egyptians despise shepherds.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭46‬:‭33‬-‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Why on earth would you want to be despised in the country where you took refuge?

I think Joseph and Jacob knew.

Certainly, God did too.

Since they were despised, the Egyptians would not intermarry with them and take away their national identity.

It was out of that nation that God was planning on raising the Messiah of the world. Even when that nation was in its infancy,

God was laying the groundwork for our salvation.

Sometimes today, it seems like God is acting irrationally. From our perspective, some things make no sense.

For those who have experienced loss and pain, I don’t wish to belittle that.

But God can make good come out of everything and His plans span eternity. So should ours.

This life is but the doorstep into our eternal lives.

While I want to make the most of life here on porch, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s on the other side of that door.

What are your thoughts on all that the people of Israel went through to bring salvation to the world?
Have you seen God use the confusing times in your life to bring about His better plans?
July 14, 2025

July 14th, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Mark 13

Highlight Verse:

“For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I was a youth pastor, a fellow youth pastor told me the story of a guy he knew who claimed to be a satanic priest.

When my friend confronted him with Jesus, the guy snapped his fingers and produced a flame that burned from his thumb like a lighter.

“Can your god do that?” The guy asked.

I don’t know how genuine that flame was. A quick search revealed a $15 device that creates that effect.

I do know that the man was trying to use miracles or the appearance of miracles to lead people astray.

But I’ve also seen miracles lead people to faith in Jesus.

One evening I felt the urgent need to pray so I did.

Later that evening, our next gen pastor called to let me know of a child from church who had fallen from a second story window headfirst onto concrete. The prognosis was bad. Many were praying.

The next day, the boy walked out of the hospital after a miraculous recovery.

Miracles still happen. I seen several myself.

When you see one, ask yourself, is this leading people to Jesus or away from Jesus.

Let your faith and the Bible guide your response.

Have you ever seen miracles lead people astray?
Have you seen them inspire faith in Jesus?
Please share your stories with us.
July 13, 2025

July 13th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 83-85

Highlight Verse:

“What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭84‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So, if I want joy, I should book a flight to Jerusalem?

That’s not exactly what that means.

The equivalent of that phrase in New Testament times would be “who have set their minds on following Jesus.”

Many stay away from faith and church because they fear that they would miss out on all the fun.

I fear that if I didn’t follow hard after Jesus, I would miss out on all they joy!

Yes, there is a difference between fun and joy.

Many sinful actions are fun. But the fun is fleeting. It is often followed by painful consequences.

Joy lasts.

It’s far more powerful than fun. It carries no bad consequences.

It brings blessings.

Like joy.

On a scale of 1-10, how joyful are you?
What brings that you true joy?

There are times when I question whether I should be doing my best to help the corporation make the best profits possible.

That didn’t stop Joseph from using his wisdom and leadership skills to help solidify Pharaoh’s power in Egypt.

I continue doing my best for my employer, not for the purpose of profits but so people will see my faith in my work and be drawn toward Jesus.

This little comment by Jesus seems to have been ignored by the disciples.

But, if they had listened to Jesus and believed what He just said, they would have been filled with hope and excitement for Jesus to show back up.

God’s words apply to all believers, not just those whose faith is young.

But even David had to ask God to give him purity of heart.

In the meantime, we weed out that which divides our hearts.

May we daily pray, “Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.”

This wasn’t just any Satellite, it was my first car.

It took a while but I mastered that beast and felt like I could drive almost anything afterward.

But, with the help of God, he mastered those beasts.

A difficult path often offers the greatest gifts.

This chapter was harsh.

God wanted people to repent and escape that kind of disaster.

I do know that people still need to hear the Gospel and sometimes God calls us to do unusual things to bring people to Himself.

But God –

God has brought me through the lowest valleys and celebrated with me on the mountaintops.

Did you ever wonder why Saul trusted David to challenge Goliath?

If you ask me, Saul had very little faith in his army. They had been there for quite some time without making a direct attack against the Philistines.

And so, it came down to the two bravest people present – David and Goliath.

Why on earth would you want to be despised in the country where you took refuge?

God was laying the groundwork for our salvation.

While I want to make the most of life here on porch, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s on the other side of that door.

“Can your god do that?” The guy asked.

I do know that the man was trying to use miracles or the appearance of miracles to lead people astray.

But I’ve also seen miracles lead people to faith in Jesus.

When you see one, ask yourself, is this leading people to Jesus or away from Jesus.

The equivalent of that phrase in New Testament times would be “who have set their minds on following Jesus.”

I fear that if I didn’t follow hard after Jesus, I would miss out on all they joy!

It brings blessings.