Walk in the Light

December 24, 2025 – Christmas Eve

December 24th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Kings 8

Highlight Verses:

“So all the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the annual Festival of Shelters, which is held in early autumn in the month of Ethanim. When all the elders of Israel arrived, the priests picked up the Ark. The priests and Levites brought up the Ark of the Lord along with the special tent and all the sacred items that had been in it.”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭8‬:‭2‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I spent much of yesterday visiting temporary shelters for the homeless (checking on their copiers as part of my job).

Though they were once nice hotels, they were not pleasant places. The scent of stale cigarette smoke and body odor still lingers in my mind.

Despite the less than pleasant conditions, one of the managers mentioned that one of the toughest parts of their jobs was convincing the guests that these were only

temporary accommodations.

When Solomon dedicated the Temple, the people of Israel were in temporary accommodations.

It was during Sukkot, the Festival of Shelters.

During this festival, Israelites would stay in tents for seven days to commemorate the Exodus when the whole nation sheltered in tents as they wandered around the wilderness.

In a sense, bringing the ark of God’s presence to the permanent home of the temple during Sukkot was appropriate.

It brought the story of God’s relationship with His people full circle back to a time when they had to trust God completely to get them through a difficult transition.

By that same reasoning, it was appropriate, and perhaps prophetic that Mary and Joseph had to seek temporary shelter when Jesus was born.

It was the beginning of the time when God, the Son, came to His temporary home here on Earth making it possible for everyone to have a permanent home in Heaven.

Maybe my thinking is twisted but I think it’s pretty cool that He chose to enter the world in that way.

What about you? Do you think there is significance to Jesus entering this world in a temporary shelter?
Do you believe this world is only a temporary shelter for you? If so, how do you live out that belief?
December 23, 2025

December 23rd, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 32

Highlight Verse:

“Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!””
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭32‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Aaron was the high priest and brother of Moses.

But he lacked the close relationship with God that Moses enjoyed.

He may have thought he was doing a good thing by making the golden calf.

From our perspective, it’s easy to say, “What on earth was he thinking?”

Clueless, impatient people swayed him.

And perhaps the lure of power tempted him.

And he messed up big time.

If you are going to lead people, especially in the context of faith, it is important to cultivate a close relationship with God and with people who are wise in the faith.

Those who follow only the popular trends and ideas end up leading social clubs rather than the family of God.

Do the people you look to for spiritual leadership cultivate a close relationship between themselves and God?
If you are in leadership (or aspire to it), what are you doing to cultivate a close relationship with God?
December 22, 2025

December 22nd, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 26

Highlight Verse:

“Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26‬:‭30‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Did you know that Jesus sang?

I can imagine He had an amazing voice, however, the prophecies about Him spoke of Him being a plain man who didn’t stand out because of His looks but because of who He was and what He said.

Regardless of what His voice sounded like, to sing just hours before He was betrayed and crucified is incredible.

What He sang was most likely the traditional song that Israelites sang after the Passover meal. It was called the Hillel and consisted of Psalms 116 through 118. Many of the lines of the Hillel were poignant and appropriate for the moment including Psalm 118:22, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.”

If only the disciples knew the importance of those words. They probably would have never gotten through the whole song.

But Jesus knew. I believe He sang them in triumph knowing they were about to be fulfilled.

At this time of year when we sing many hymns and carols about the coming of Jesus,

we would do well to remember the fact that He came as a real human, like us, and that He came for a purpose.

I believe He sang for a purpose as well.

What do you think Jesus sang like? Why?
What is your favorite Christmas song and what does it mean to you?
December 21, 2025

December 21st, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Proverbs 3

Highlight Verses:

“Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I bet you thought I was going to choose the previous pair of verses.

They are a couple of my favorite verses, but these are the ones I need to hear today.

It’s easy to be fully convinced of our own correctness even when we’re not correct.

It’s harder to be humble and recognize that our ways are not always the best ways.

But when we stay humble, reverence the Lord, and turn away from evil ways, it’s always good for us.

It’s always good for us spiritually.

But did you know that it is also good physically?

God designed our bodies to work best when we follow the path of righteousness.

And when our bodies don’t cooperate, we have a God who never shied away from healing.

That’s encouraging as I get older and the aches and pains sneak in.

It was His strength in my bones that allowed me to complete the chores I had yesterday.

And it is his wisdom that will guide me through the rest of my life.

Have you experienced God’s physical healing? Tell us about it.
In what ways do you think that righteousness can bring about healing and strength?
December 20, 2025

December 20th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Luke 2:6-20

Highlight Verses:

“Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The theme of the third week of Advent is Joy.

That word can get confusing.

I put up lots of lights and cute creations in front of our house because it’s fun.

We put up Christmas trees and garlands and stockings inside our home because it’s both fun and nostalgic.

We exchange gifts at Christmas because it’s fun, we want to express our love for our friends and family, and because it reminds us of the gift that God gave us through the birth of Jesus.

But the angels spoke of JOY that night, because it was finally the day when history split in two –

BC, (Before Christ) and AD (Año Domini – year of our Lord).

JOY came to the World in the person of Jesus aka Emmanuel – God with us.

No other amount of Christmas celebration could top that fact.

It is truly the reason for the season.

What brings you joy at Christmas?
How do you spread that joy?
December 19, 2025

December 19th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Ezekiel 16-18

Highlight Verse:

““Nevertheless, this man of Israel’s royal family rebelled against Babylon, sending ambassadors to Egypt to request a great army and many horses. Can Israel break her sworn treaties like that and get away with it?”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭17‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

God did something unique with Babylon.

Babylon never fully embraced the God of Israel.

Sure, there were incidents during the time of Daniel where faith seemed to flare up but they didn’t amount to much.

But God still used Babylon to restart the faith of the Israelites.

God still does stuff like that today.

Music is one of those ways.

I’ve been seeing videos on YouTube lately by Christians criticizing the Christian music industry for not presenting a pure Gospel with every song.

I agree that there are problems within the Christian music industry, but I’ve never considered it to be a source of theology but of wholesome entertainment.

I’ve been encouraged to action through the lyrics of many of those songs.

But here’s the kicker – I have also been encouraged to action by songs by people who have nothing to do with the Christian faith.

While I certainly don’t want to emulate their lifestyles, I will accept their lyrics when they agree with the principles in the Bible.

Just like God used the Babylonians to preserve the faith,

He can use all facets of His creation to further His kingdom – even those He created who don’t believe in Him.

How has God used unexpected sources to move you to deeper faith in Him?
What influences to you believe you need to avoid to keep your faith strong?

My answers – The Michael Jackson song Man in the Mirror comes to mind as encouraging me to start changing the world by changing me – of course, I see it in the context of faith in Jesus.
As far as what I avoid (or at least should avoid) would be anything that degrades my faith by encouraging me to think of myself or others before God (as in over prioritized romance).
December 18, 2025

December 18th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 2 Timothy 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

At the time of this letter, there were some heretical teachings going on that focused on knowledge as a means of salvation rather than faith and grace.

Paul basically tells Timothy not to even give these teachers the time of day.

Today, we have so many different denominations and differences within these denominations. It can be tough to know who to believe.

When I went to Bible college, one of the things they taught us was “In the essentials, unity, In the non-essentials, diversity.”

I’ve talked here before about how I think diversity between denominations is a good thing as long as they don’t ignore the essentials.

In light of today’s reading, I think it’s important to emphasize the essentials.

If your church or denomination is concentrating on accepting everyone while ignoring sin and our need for forgiveness from it, there’s something wrong there.

Trust includes repentance.

If you are a normal human, you’ll likely need to repent every day.

And if you downplay the seriousness of sin, you downplay the need for the cross.

I’m not saying we should go back to hellfire and brimstone preaching, but I am saying we should never lose sight of the need for the cross.

In trusting Jesus’ sacrifice, we also need to trust His direction that would lead us to a more righteous life.

God made us. He knows what we need and what is best for us. When we fully trust Him, we’ll try to do what He says.

The more we succeed in that, the richer and fuller life we’ll live here on Earth and for eternity.

What does your church teach about sin?
And what do they teach about salvation through grace that Jesus showed us on the cross?
December 17, 2025

December 17th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Kings 7

Highlight Verse:

“One of Solomon’s buildings was called the Palace of the Forest of Lebanon. It was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. There were four rows of cedar pillars, and great cedar beams rested on the pillars.”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭7‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

America has large homes. The average size now is about 2300 square feet. In 1950 it was 1000 square feet.

In King Solomon’s day I’m sure it was much smaller even though the average family was likely much larger.

But this one palace of his was 11,250 square feet just on the first floor, And there were two more floors!

When they say that Solomon was the richest person in his day, they’re not exaggerating.

Despite his incredible wealth, he put God first. He completed the temple before he started on his own palaces.

His palaces were more luxurious and larger than the temple, but the temple was built with far greater care and reverence and artistry.

He put great effort into ruling wisely and reverently.

I’d like to make the point that a wealthy person can still serve the Lord wholeheartedly.

That statement is true, though a wealthy person has to overcome far more temptations than a poor person. We will see that later in Solomon’s life.

For now, lets just be satisfied with the point that God should always come before material gain.

It is good when we can do great things for God with our wealth, but serving God should always come before gaining wealth.

Has it been easier for you to serve God wholeheartedly during time of prosperity or lack?
What are ways that you would like to use wealth to serve God?
December 16, 2025

December 16th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 30-31

Highlight Verse:

“Like a skilled incense maker, blend these ingredients to make a holy anointing oil.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭30‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This chapter contains formulas for both incense and anointing oil.

I had a pastor friend once who followed the formula for the anointing oil – and it smelled good, very good.

But wait, wasn’t that formula meant to be reserved for the priests and the temple?

Yes. Yes, it was.

And ever since Jesus’ sacrifice, we who have accepted His salvation are the priests and the temple rolled into one.

Just as Jesus’ sacrifice makes us pleasing in God’s sight, the idea of incense is to represent us being a pleasing aroma to God as well.

Just imagine stepping into a friend’s home and getting hit with the aroma of fresh baked bread or cookies. Or maybe for you, it’s stepping onto the patio for the aroma of meat cooking in a smoker.

Either way, it is a wonderful aroma that draws you in closer to its source.

Today, if we wear the incense of salvation and the aroma of anointing,

we will bring delight to God’s heart, not to mention joy to ourselves.

Have you ever been anointed for ministry? Tell us about it?
If not, what ministry would you want to be anointed for?
December 15, 2025

December 15th, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 25

Highlight Verse:

““But he called back, ‘Believe me, I don’t know you!’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I admit that this parable has confused me in the past.

To be completely honest, I’m still not completely sure of the entire meaning of it.

I mean, why speak of bridesmaids when the groom returns and not the bride? Is there a subtle meaning there?

Some is lost in fully understanding the cultural context. A bride in that culture would traditionally have ten bridesmaids for whom it was an honor to serve the bride through the wedding.

Therefore, it would be a great dishonor to be barred from the ceremony for being unprepared.

To miss out on the ceremony would be a big disappointment, but today’s highlight verse zeroes in on the greatest pain.

They were cut off from relationship with God.

He did not KNOW them.

The other two stories in this chapter reiterate the theme.

The unwise servant did not have a close enough relationship with the Master to act on his knowledge of the Master and invest the money.

The person who doesn’t understand the Father’s heart enough to help their fellow man has that relationship with the Father completely cut off for an eternity of punishment.

As for me, I want to be prepared by doing all I can to understand the Father’s heart and act accordingly.

What stood out the most to you in this chapter?
What does it mean to you to be in relationship with the Father?

temporary accommodations.

In a sense, bringing the ark of God’s presence to the permanent home of the temple during Sukkot was appropriate.

Maybe my thinking is twisted but I think it’s pretty cool that He chose to enter the world in that way.

But he lacked the close relationship with God that Moses enjoyed.

And he messed up big time.

Those who follow only the popular trends and ideas end up leading social clubs rather than the family of God.

Did you know that Jesus sang?

But Jesus knew. I believe He sang them in triumph knowing they were about to be fulfilled.

we would do well to remember the fact that He came as a real human, like us, and that He came for a purpose.

It’s easy to be fully convinced of our own correctness even when we’re not correct.

But did you know that it is also good physically?

And it is his wisdom that will guide me through the rest of my life.

The theme of the third week of Advent is Joy.

But the angels spoke of JOY that night, because it was finally the day when history split in two –

JOY came to the World in the person of Jesus aka Emmanuel – God with us.

But God still used Babylon to restart the faith of the Israelites.

But here’s the kicker – I have also been encouraged to action by songs by people who have nothing to do with the Christian faith.

He can use all facets of His creation to further His kingdom – even those He created who don’t believe in Him.

When I went to Bible college, one of the things they taught us was “In the essentials, unity, In the non-essentials, diversity.”

Trust includes repentance.

The more we succeed in that, the richer and fuller life we’ll live here on Earth and for eternity.

When they say that Solomon was the richest person in his day, they’re not exaggerating.

He put great effort into ruling wisely and reverently.

For now, lets just be satisfied with the point that God should always come before material gain.

I had a pastor friend once who followed the formula for the anointing oil – and it smelled good, very good.

Either way, it is a wonderful aroma that draws you in closer to its source.

we will bring delight to God’s heart, not to mention joy to ourselves.

He did not KNOW them.

The other two stories in this chapter reiterate the theme.

As for me, I want to be prepared by doing all I can to understand the Father’s heart and act accordingly.