Walk in the Light

July 18, 2026

July 18th, 2026

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Mark 3:20-35

Highlight Verses:

“One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat. When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I taught the elementary kids last Sunday so I missed the sermon.

I just now got around to watching it.

When our pastor talked about this verse it jumped out at me – for good reason.

In my favorite verse, Paul tells us that if we seem to be crazy (out of our mind) it is for God’s sake. (2 Corinthians 5:13a paraphrased)

Now I know where Paul got that.

In this context, Jesus’ family did not understand the truth that Jesus preached.

They tried to make him be normal.

Jesus stood firm making it clear that He needed to follow the Father’s will and if that disagreed with their’s, so be it.

Don’t feel too bad for Jesus’ family.

They came to see the truth.

They are listed among the early Christians in Acts chapter 1.

Jesus stood firm in the truth and they eventually saw it.

We might not always see eye to eye with our families or friends, but

we need to prioritize the truth.

Of course, verify the truth with the Bible.

And always treat others with respect.

But when it is needed, always stand up for the truth.

Have you ever had to disagree with family or friends by taking a stand for the truth of the Gospel?
Were you able to stay respectful?
How did it turn out?
July 17, 2026

July 17th, 2026

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Amos 9

Highlight Verse:

““Even if they dig down to the place of the dead, I will reach down and pull them up. Even if they climb up into the heavens, I will bring them down.”
‭‭Amos‬ ‭9‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I gave up running from God a long time ago.

He always finds me.

Why would anyone want to run away from God anyway?

Well, there’s shame, and pride, fear, and maybe even a little selfishness.

People have all sorts of reasons to run from God.

We’ve all tried to run at times, if only just a little.

And we were all wrong.

It is only in God’s presence that all shame is erased through the sacrifice of Jesus.

The only one worthy of pride is God.

If we have respectful fear of God, all other fears can fade.

And in His presence is complete satisfaction with every godly need and want met.

So, if you are trying to run from God, turn around. He’s right there.

Give up the run and take that one step back to Him.

Have you ever tried to run away from God?
How far did you get?
How close was He when you turned around?
July 16, 2026

July 16th, 2026
Thursday – Letters

Reading – 3 John

Highlight Verse:

“Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God.”
‭‭3 John‬ ‭1‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The three letters by John have an interesting progression.

1 John is a general letter to all believers.

2 John is likely written to one specific church.

3 John is apparently written to an individual, though this individual was a leader in his church.

Much of this letter is written to counteract Diotrephes, who was leading people astray claiming that John and the other apostles were wrong.

Over my life I have seen many people like Diotrephes.

Somehow, they think that God has given them special insight to show them the “true” meaning of Scriptures.

They then bad mouth anyone who disagrees with them.

How can you tell if they are right or wrong?
- When they exclude every other point of view.
- When they use their exclusive viewpoint as a basis for asking for money.
- When they talk more about how others are wrong than about the gospel.
Christianity today has many Diotrephes type characters.

The self-centeredness, greed, and sinfulness of certain “Christian” leaders has driven many people away from the truth of the Gospel.

Today’s highlight verse tells us how to deal with the Diotrephes in our lives.

Don’t let them influence you.

Follow the truth in the Word of God.

When someone stands against that truth, don’t let them influence you.

I would take it a step further and say the best way is to become a beacon of truth that would outshine the lies of those who twist the truth.

Have you been influenced by the lies of those who twist scripture to their own benefit?
How did you discern between truth and lies?
How do you deal with the lies?
July 15, 2026

July 15th, 2026

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Chronicles 16-18

Highlight Verse:

“At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa and told him, “Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead of in the Lord your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the king of Aram.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In his early years, King Asa was a good king.

He fully trusted God, despite how his father behaved.

In his later years, he let his faith falter.

It got so bad that, when he was confronted for his bad decision to ally with Ben Hadad, he didn’t just get defensive, he threw the prophet in jail.

A person’s faith can change over the course of their life.

Some who are zealous in their youth become lukewarm later on.

Anger, temptation, pride, fear, and even wealth can distract us from our dedication to God.

• Anger unchecked can lead to bitterness against others and against God.
• Temptation and sin can cause us to to ignore the inner pleadings of faith to obey.
• Pride puts us in the place of God, since we are not God, that won’t end well.
• Fear can cause us to rely on only what we can see to save us from perceived trouble.
• Wealth can cause us to rely on money instead of God.

Wealth, along with an unhealthy dose of fear convinced Asa to rely on the physical help he could see rather than the perfect but unseen help of God.

It is very easy for us to fall into the same trap.

We don’t tithe or give for fear God won’t provide for us.

We fear speaking up thinking we will offend someone, even though we could be the only Jesus that person might see.

We don’t confess for fear we will be rejected.

Ironically, our fear is what brings the very failure we’ve tried to avoid.

When we step out in faith, God’s blessings cannot be stopped.

What are you facing that causes fear to rise up and stop you?
Have you had times when you stepped out in faith and seen tremendous blessings as a result? Please share!
July 14, 2026

July 14th, 2026

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Numbers 21-22

Highlight Verse:

“So Israel captured all the towns of the Amorites and settled in them, including the city of Heshbon and its surrounding villages.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭21‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love road trips!

Last month I managed to explore nine states and four national parks in one road trip.

It was great.

But it was also good to get home.

I’ve lived in Colorado for 20 years now.

Sounds pretty stable, but I wasn’t always that way.

In my younger years, I moved several times across several states.

There were several reasons for that – some good, some not so good.

In hind sight, I would say that only two of those places were right where God had called me.

As for the Israelites, it would seem good for them to settle in a territory they had just conquered.

Only one problem – it wasn’t the promised land.

This area became the territory of the tribes of Gad and Rueben after they begged to be able to stay there when the rest of Israel crossed into the promised land.

Compared to the fertile land west of the Jordan River, this area was arid and difficult to live off of.

Sometimes we do the same thing as those two tribes.

God has a calling for each and every person.

It may not be easy to see, but if we persevere in prayer and faith, the pieces will fall into place.

Sometimes, along the journey to our calling, our “promised land,” we find the comfortable to be “good enough.”

When we settle for good enough, we miss out on God’s best.

It is not always easy to tell the difference, but with God’s best, you will not have to compromise your values, your faith, your morals, or God’s calling on your life.

It’s a lesson I should have learned long ago.

Have you ever found yourself settling for “good enough” instead of God’s best?
How did you recognize when you were compromising?
July 13, 2026

July 13th, 2026

Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 4

Highlight Verse:

“Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest. They brought in the two disciples and demanded, “By what power, or in whose name, have you done this?””
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Are those names familiar?

This was the same group that Jesus was brought before. (John 18)

The last time Peter was here, he denied Jesus three times.

If you read the whole chapter, you know that Peter reacted differently this time. Even though he and John were the ones in the hot seat this time and he must have suspected that his life was on the line, there was no trace of the fear that once stopped Peter cold.

What happened?

Two things.

In John 21, Jesus restored his relationship with Peter after breakfast on the beach. When Peter reaffirmed his love for Jesus, Jesus challenged him with a leadership role (“feed my sheep”).

Then, in Acts 2, Peter and the rest of the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.

I know there are differing views on the way the Holy Spirit works today but one thing that cannot be denied is the Holy Spirit supplies boldness when it is needed to deliver the good news of Jesus.

Peter experienced that boldness here.

If you let Him, the same Holy Spirit can give you power to spread the good news too.

Have you experienced the power of the Holy Spirit working through you?
In what way would you want to experience that power today?
July 12, 2026

July 12th, 2026

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Song of Solomon 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“Don’t stare at me because I am dark— the sun has darkened my skin. My brothers were angry with me; they forced me to care for their vineyards, so I couldn’t care for myself—my own vineyard.”
‭‭Song of Songs‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My Anthropology professor in college had been a missionary among the indigenous people in Indonesia.

On of the few things I remember from his classes was what the tribal men found most attractive in women.

Thick ankles.

Yes, you read that right. Women with thick ankles were thought to be strong and able to help well with the daily work of survival.

How romantic!

As you read through this, the most romantic book of the Bible, it is clear that the “young man” finds the “young woman” to be the most beautiful in the land.

She doesn’t seem to think so.

But she obviously had some qualities that the young man found very attractive.

We Americans tend to have a very warped view of beauty.

Popular models tend to have tiny waistlines and seductive curves.

Our culture values covering up any imperfections.

The cosmetics industry is huge.

Cosmetic surgery is one of the most lucrative businesses around.

If I’m honest, it makes me angry.

I’m not saying you should never use make-up or that you should feel bad for having cosmetic surgery.

But I am saying God made you beautiful already.

God created us with infinite variety – each beautiful in our own way.

While we should strive to keep our bodies healthy, we should not change our bodies to conform to some arbitrary cultural norm.

If you struggle with your body image, please hear me – God made you beautiful.

He is the ultimate artist.

He designed each person to reflect Himself in some unique way.

As we read through this book, put yourself in the place of the beloved and realize that, in a way,

this book is God’s love letter to you.

Have you struggled with trying to conform with your culture’s ideas of beauty?
Do you have any idea how beautiful God sees you?
July 11, 2026

July 11th, 2026

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Isaiah 4:2-6

Highlight Verse:

“It will be a shelter from daytime heat and a hiding place from storms and rain.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It is summer. And how!

Our normally reasonable temperatures here in Colorado have been peaking above 90° F all week and will likely stay that way for another week.

Of course, I walk through the heat to my air-conditioned van and then walk into my air-conditioned workplace and come home to an air-conditioned home.

Life’s rough.

It was almost rough in my childhood.

I grew up in Fresno where most summer days peaked over 100° F. Sometimes over 110° F. We traveled in an old VW bus with no AC. It was hot. But we made it through just fine.

Neither of those situations could hold a melted candle to the heat of the Middle East.

And according to Isaiah, the Lord was a shelter from the heat of that desert land.

Here’s how I see it.

Imagine the hottest day you’ve lived through. I mean outside, not in the shelter of air conditioning.

You’re hot and sweaty. The heat seems to sear your lungs. You are perpetually thirsty no matter how much water you drink.

And then you step into an air-conditioned room. Or, if you prefer, you plunge into a cool swimming pool.

You are refreshed.

On a spiritual and emotional level, that is what it is like to lay your burdens down at the feet of Jesus.

When you trust Him with your life, your spirit is refreshed.

I am not saying that everyday is paradise once you trust Jesus.

But when you need it and seek it, God will supply times of refreshing to quench your spiritual thirst and strengthen your spirit.

Allow yourself to trust Him for that refreshment and see what He can do.

When has God given you great times of refreshing?
Are you in need of that right now?
If so, what keeps you from that refreshing?
July 10, 2026

July 10th, 2026

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Amos 7-8

Highlight Verse:

“Then he showed me another vision. I saw the Lord standing beside a wall that had been built using a plumb line. He was using a plumb line to see if it was still straight.”
‭‭Amos‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In case you didn’t know, a plumb line is just a string with a weight on one end.

My plumb line. (Yes, I know my workshop needs sweeping).

It is one of the simplest tools in my workshop, yet nothing is more accurate to measure a vertical line.

I like woodworking and simple carpentry.

I love tools like plumb lines, levels, straight-edges, and T-squares, because they keep my projects straight and accurate.

Without them, my projects would not just look sloppy, but they would lose the strength that comes from an exact fit.

Such tools measure how true my work is.

Truth was sorely lacking during the time Amos prophesied.

The official prophets had all agreed to prophesy that everything was fine.

That was a lie.

The whole religious system at the time was perpetuating lies.

God called the outsider, Amos, to prophesy the truth.

The religious hated him for it.

But Amos stuck to the truth.

In the end, he was proven right.

What is your plumb line for finding the truth?
Are you strong enough to stand for the truth when everyone else is perpetuating lies?
July 9, 2026

July 9th, 2026

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 2 John

Highlight Verse:

“I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning.”
‭‭2 John‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Does this sound familiar?

It should.

Almost everything in this letter is repeated from 1 John.

Why is it here?

There are some things we need to hear over and over.

In this case, that was made possible by the practice of writing to multiple churches.

The most common interpretation of “the chosen lady” and her “sister” is that they are local churches, not individuals. This is reinforced by the terminology of the letter.

Unlike Peter, John chose to keep the identity and location of the recipients anonymous.

These letters were written considerably later than Paul’s letters.

Persecution had gotten worse over time, and it was increasingly advisable to keep letters like this anonymous.

John never gives his name in this letter but, in ways that would be familiar to the early church, it was pretty obvious who he was.

The main teaching points are truth and love.

John once again reminds us not to perpetuate the false teaching that Christ did not come in the flesh.

He then reminds us of how essential love is.

Love and truth go hand in hand.

What truth in this letter do you need to be reminded of over and over?
How will you put that truth into action?

They tried to make him be normal.

Jesus stood firm in the truth and they eventually saw it.

we need to prioritize the truth.

He always finds me.

People have all sorts of reasons to run from God.

Give up the run and take that one step back to Him.

Christianity today has many Diotrephes type characters.

Don’t let them influence you.

I would take it a step further and say the best way is to become a beacon of truth that would outshine the lies of those who twist the truth.

In his later years, he let his faith falter.

It is very easy for us to fall into the same trap.

Sounds pretty stable, but I wasn’t always that way.

Only one problem – it wasn’t the promised land.

It is not always easy to tell the difference, but with God’s best, you will not have to compromise your values, your faith, your morals, or God’s calling on your life.

The last time Peter was here, he denied Jesus three times.

Then, in Acts 2, Peter and the rest of the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.

If you let Him, the same Holy Spirit can give you power to spread the good news too.

How romantic!

But I am saying God made you beautiful already.

this book is God’s love letter to you.

It is summer. And how!

Imagine the hottest day you’ve lived through. I mean outside, not in the shelter of air conditioning.

Allow yourself to trust Him for that refreshment and see what He can do.

It is one of the simplest tools in my workshop, yet nothing is more accurate to measure a vertical line.

Truth was sorely lacking during the time Amos prophesied.

But Amos stuck to the truth.

Almost everything in this letter is repeated from 1 John.

The main teaching points are truth and love.

Love and truth go hand in hand.