Walk in the Light

June 12, 2025

June 12th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Corinthians 15-16

Highlight Verse:

“And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

This is my least favorite verse of today’s reading.

But it kept coming back to me as I dwelt on today’s reading.

Why?

I believe it is also the most misunderstood verse in today’s reading.

I’ve heard people use it to say that if the Christian life isn’t miserable, you’re not living it right.

Balderdash.

Paul and the church in that time and region were heavily persecuted. If they rejected Jesus, they would escape that persecution.

That wasn’t an option.

But the joy that awaited them in heaven was worth every moment of pain.

And the joy in that hope and in fellowship with Jesus and fellow believers made their present difficulties bearable.

For most of us, the difficulties of this life pale in comparison to what Paul and the early church had to endure.

But for those who are overwhelmed with the troubles of this world – there is hope, there is help, and there is life.

How has that hope brought you through tough times?
If you are in a tough time, have you reached out to God and to fellow believers for help and hope? If not, what’s stopping you?
June 11, 2025

June 11th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Samuel 7-8

Highlight Verse:

“Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!””
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭7‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My last two years of high school, I attended Ebenezer United Methodist Church way up in the back hills of Spring Valley, VA.

If I’m honest, there’s a lot that the UM denomination teaches now that I cannot fully agree with.

But that little church out in the country helped lay a firm foundation of faith for me.

• They helped me understand the power of worship.
• They helped me find the power of the Holy Spirit.
• They helped cultivate in me a thirst for God’s Word.
• My Sunday school teacher helped me know how to be a man after God’s own heart.

While we should not dwell on the past, it is good to have those monuments in our lives that continue to encourage us in our relationships with Jesus.

Ebenezer Church is one of those “stones of help” in my life.

What “stones of help” can you look back on?
How do they affect your life today?
June 10, 2025

June 10th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 38

Highlight Verse:

“About this time, Judah left home and moved to Adullam, where he stayed with a man named Hirah.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭38‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

This story is all kinds of messed up.

First Judah moves away from his family. Makes you wonder why he would do that.

Next, Hirah, presumably a pagan, appears to be a close friend of Judah. Judah lives with him. His association with Judah lasts from before Judah got married until after Judah’s sons had grown up. He was close enough that Judah trusted him to retrieve his identification from what they thought was a prostitute.

By the end of the story, Hirah seems to be subservient to Judah.

When Tamar is found to be pregnant, Judah is the one whom people turn to for judgement. That shows he has kept his sin hidden.

To his credit, when he finds out the truth, Judah judges himself rather than Tamar.

The takeaway?

Two things:
• Be sure that your sin will find you in the end.
• When it does, own up to it.

I’ll let you add your questions to today’s devotion as it has been a long day of driving and visiting with family for me. Thank you for your indulgence.
June 9, 2025

June 9th, 2025
Monday – Gospels

Reading – Mark 6

Highlight Verse:

“And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What does it take to amaze Jesus?
- Your faithfulness won’t amaze Him.
- Giving way beyond a tithe won’t amaze Him.
- People being healed won’t do it either.
People not believing in the light of His power and grace amazes Him.

He still appreciates all the good things you do.

But He has enough faith in you to expect that not doing those things would be the exception.

So, as strange as it may sound, let’s not amaze Jesus.

What other things that you have seen people do would, in the way we a speaking of today, not be amazing to Jesus?
June 8, 2025

June 8th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 69-71

Highlight Verse:

“Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭71‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT

That, my friends, is what it’s all about.

Okay, for me it might be called the next next generation. While it’s true that my youngest is still in high school for one more year, this fall will mark 43 years since I started serving in next generation ministry.

Why.

Years ago, I heard that some 85% of adult followers of Jesus started following Jesus at under the age of 18.

I don’t know what the current figure is, but I know it is vitally important to plant the seeds of faith at an early age.

For me, my earliest memory was in church. True, I was crying for my mommy in the nursery, but it shows that I started hearing about Jesus pretty much from birth.

While I didn’t fully understand the things I learned in Sunday School, they helped bring me to the point where 13-year-old me knew I should decide one way or another what I would believe.

People who felt called to serve and love the next generation through camp ministry and leading our church’s youth group convinced me that Jesus was real through the way they cared about me and others.

I don’t know where I would be without them.

In what ways have you invested in the next generation?
What can you do now to sow seeds of faith to those who need them?
June 7, 2025

June 7th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Acts 2:42-47

Highlight Verse:

“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.”
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭2‬:‭42‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is my favorite Saturday morning of the month.

A bunch of us guys from church get together for breakfast and fellowship.

Our big get-togethers aren’t exactly deep but they are places where we can encourage each other, and foster relationships that lead to accountability and growth.

That growth leads to stronger, more godly men and ultimately a Church that follows and represents Jesus more closely.

While it looks like we’re just a bunch of guys who love to eat breakfast food, the truth is

we are a bunch of guys who love Jesus and want to help others find and follow him.

While I have always emphasized the importance of next generation ministries, I believe that men’s ministries (and women’s ministries) are just as important if we want to have godly effective leadership in the Church.

If you are a man, what have you gotten out of men’s ministries?
If you are a woman, how effective has men’s ministry been for the men around you?
You can flip those questions around and answer them for women’s ministries too.
June 6, 2025

June 6th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 1-3

Highlight Verse:

““I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.””
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jeremiah was called before He was conceived.

Let that sink in.

Does that mean that God has a calling for each of us?

I think so.

I believe I have the choice of whether or not to follow that calling. But that doesn’t make the calling less valid.

Jeremiah followed his calling faithfully.

As a result, the people of Israel were given a chance to repent.

Eventually most did, largely because Jeremiah’s prophecies gave them hope for life after the exile.

I pray that when I follow my calling, people will find hope.

And faith.

And love.

What do you know about the calling God has for you?
How closely have you followed that calling?
June 5, 2025

June 5th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Corinthians 13-14

Highlight Verse:

“If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It seems like the older I get, the rowdier the music I listen too.

I like cymbals… and drums, guitars, etc.

Maybe not gongs so much.

But I don’t think this verse is really talking about musical instruments.

I think it is talking about stuff like a video I saw recently.

A legalistic preacher was tearing apart the sermon of a Methodist pastor who was talking about reaching people where they were with the Love of God regardless of their sins.

I got the impression that the legalistic preacher posted that video not out of love for God but because of a felt need to be right and to be heard.

He was a clanging gong.

I might disagree on some points of theology with that Methodist minister too, but I agree with the notion of leading with love.

The legalistic preacher might have cared some too, wanting people to escape the grasp of sin. But the way he presented the Gospel would drive most people away from the perceived hate before they had the chance to repent.

While I would not downplay the seriousness of sin, I would always lead with love.

What is your favorite part of this chapter’s description of love?
Why?
June 4, 2025

June 4th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Samuel 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor anyone who enters the temple of Dagon in Ashdod will step on its threshold.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse had to make me think, “How did he know?”

I’m sure the author wasn’t a Philistine so he must have heard a rumor of the superstitions of those who worshipped Dagon.

He knew better.

That empty idol had no power.

But he might not have realized that the ark had no power either.

The power was not in the ark but in the God that it represented.

He brought the plagues on the towns that hosted the ark for two reasons:
• To make the Philistines realize that their idols were powerless and
• To bring the ark back to Israel keep the Israelites from backsliding further.

God may have used the ark to encourage His people, but God is not found in any object no matter how beautiful.

The ark carried reminders of God’s Commandments and His faithfulness, but God is found in the hearts of His people.

Have you ever been tempted to put your faith in things that you can see and touch rather than the God who touches hearts?
What keeps your faith strong in those times that nothing you see or touch seems to point to God?
June 3, 2025

June 3rd, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 37

Highlight Verse:

“When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, “Your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Get ready, and I will send you to them.” “I’m ready to go,” Joseph replied.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭37‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Joseph had his faults.

If he wasn’t downright arrogant, he certainly didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.

But for all his faults, he had one characteristic that served him well throughout his life.

He was willing to serve.

When his father asked him to go to his brothers, he didn’t hesitate.

If he was wiser in the ways of the world, especially when it came to jealous siblings, maybe he would have hesitated.

But he didn’t.

That willing attitude went a long way toward putting him in a position to save his people.

But that’s getting ahead of the story. More in coming weeks.

Has your willingness to serve ever served you?
Have you seen an unwilling attitude hurt those who held that attitude?

One simple example from my life:
When Covid hit, several of us technicians were asked if we would be willing to be reassigned. I volunteered.
I like to say I spent the next 8 months in the hospital (I worked in the print room).
After several months of Covid, layoffs came since they could no longer keep paying people for not working (people weren’t using their copiers so we weren’t needed to maintain them).
None of us who were willing to work different jobs were laid off.

This is my least favorite verse of today’s reading.

I believe it is also the most misunderstood verse in today’s reading.

But for those who are overwhelmed with the troubles of this world – there is hope, there is help, and there is life.

But that little church out in the country helped lay a firm foundation of faith for me.

While we should not dwell on the past, it is good to have those monuments in our lives that continue to encourage us in our relationships with Jesus.

This story is all kinds of messed up.

To his credit, when he finds out the truth, Judah judges himself rather than Tamar.

Two things:• Be sure that your sin will find you in the end.• When it does, own up to it.

What does it take to amaze Jesus?

People not believing in the light of His power and grace amazes Him.

But He has enough faith in you to expect that not doing those things would be the exception.

That, my friends, is what it’s all about.

Years ago, I heard that some 85% of adult followers of Jesus started following Jesus at under the age of 18.

I don’t know where I would be without them.

This is my favorite Saturday morning of the month.

we are a bunch of guys who love Jesus and want to help others find and follow him.

Jeremiah was called before He was conceived.

As a result, the people of Israel were given a chance to repent.

I pray that when I follow my calling, people will find hope.

And faith.

And love.

But I don’t think this verse is really talking about musical instruments.

He was a clanging gong.

While I would not downplay the seriousness of sin, I would always lead with love.

He knew better.

The power was not in the ark but in the God that it represented.

He was willing to serve.

That willing attitude went a long way toward putting him in a position to save his people.

Two things:
• Be sure that your sin will find you in the end.
• When it does, own up to it.