Walk in the Light

February 1, 2025

February 1st, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Psalm 148

Highlight Verse:

“Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭148‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A few days ago, I was cleaning my “man cave” and I ran across some photos from the week in 1977 that marked the definitive beginning of my faith.

One photo in particular reminded me of the night that my fellow campers and I spent sleeping in a ball field under the stars during the Perseid meteor shower.

I remember being in awe of God’s creation that night.

We also spent a lot of time that week learning about the Bible.

My eyes were opened to some of the truth of God’s Word.

As influential as those two factors were, neither of them convinced me to commit to a life of faith in Jesus.

What did?

It was the love that I saw through the counselors and staff of that Christian camp.

If faith in God could make people put love into action like these people did, that was something I wanted a part of.

While my life has been far from perfect, I have never departed the life of faith that began in the middle of August, 1977.

Pointing out God’s amazing creation is certainly a good thing. Bringing the truth of God’s Word to people is applaudable.

But all of that is worth nothing if we do not bring God’s love to the world through everything we do.

How have you seen God’s love in action?
How did that affect your faith?
January 31, 2025

January 31st, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 13-15

Highlight Verse:

“Scream in terror, for the day of the Lord has arrived— the time for the Almighty to destroy.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭13‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Does it trouble you to read about God being angry?

It used to trouble me.

Then I became a dad.

Let’s just say, if anyone messes with my kids, they better be prepared to deal with me too.

Babylon messed with God’s kids. So did the other nations mentioned in today’s reading.

And I understand God’s anger.

God didn’t just protect the nation of Israel. He orchestrated all of history so that His Son could come and pay the penalty for our sin.

That’s some seriously fierce Fatherly love!

If you have kids, what would you do to protect them?
Can you understand the things God did to protect His children?
January 30, 2025

January 30th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Romans 5

Highlight Verse:

“And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In case you ever wondered what my religious background is, here you go:

I was raised Lutheran, went to a tiny United Methodist church with a charismatic bent in my last 2 years of high school. In college, I started out with a fundamentalist EV Free church and then found the Foursquare Church (modern Pentecostal) which I stayed in most of my adult life (including a year and a half of Bible college).

Along the way, I’ve been a part of a couple of really good non-denominational congregations including the one we have been members of for the last five years.

I also ran sound for a Christian conference center in California for a few years.

I have seen many interpretations of the role and manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

My interpretation leans toward the Pentecostal side but I think we Pentecostals sometimes focus too much on the miraculous role of the Holy Spirit and ignore what I consider to be a more important role of the Holy Spirit – to fill our hearts with His love.

Yes, it is through the Holy Spirit that we can grasp how amazing God’s love for us is.

But, when I think of the Holy Spirit filling our hearts with his love, I get a visual of His love filling a heart shaped bucket to overflowing.

In other words, it is through the Holy Spirit that we can overflow with God’s love.

If we are truly filled with the Holy Spirit, we won’t be able to keep from spreading God’s love to all those around us.

In what ways has the Holy Spirit overflowed through you to reach others?
How would you like to see the Holy Spirit work through you?
January 29, 2025

January 29th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – Joshua 13-15

Highlight Verse:
(Caleb speaking)

“So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the Lord is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the Lord said.””
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭14‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A week before I got married, my best man thought it’d would be a great idea to go white water rafting for the bachelor party.

My friends and I had a choice whether to do the beginner run or the intermediate. The guides told us the intermediate would be a lot more work but a lot more fun. So, of course, we chose it.

It was fun.

A lot of fun.

Until that one section where they told us this was the one section where we didn’t want to fall out.

To make a long story short, by our wedding day, my bruises were large and black.

But I have a great story to tell.

If you were to ask Caleb why he chose an area where he would have to defeat giants if think he would say it was because he could, at least with God’s help.

What makes us guys choose the tougher path?

He might also say that anything worth having is worth fighting for.

Caleb and his clan would treasure their land.

If you are facing great difficulty, remember that you don’t fight alone. If it is the right goal, God will help you win the battle.

And you will treasure that victory.

Are you facing a seemingly insurmountable goal?
Have you checked in with God to see if it is something for which He will fight?
Do you trust God to fight for you?
January 28, 2025

January 28th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 5-6

Highlight Verse:

“And be sure to take on board enough food for your family and for all the animals.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭6‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse warms my detail oriented heart.

It’s just a mundane little instruction but it means the difference between life and death for those on board.

To be honest, sometimes my OCD gets the better of me and comes across more rude than loving.

But I truly believe that putting this little detail in Noah’s instructions was purely loving. God wanted Noah to succeed completely.

What is implicit in this instruction is that God made sure that Noah could find enough food to feed each and every occupant of the Ark.

In what ways have you seen God provide for the mundane little details that make all the difference in your life?
Have you ever ignored a mundane little instruction from God only to have it backfire on your plans?
January 27, 2025

January 27th, 2025

Monday – Gospels

Reading – John 5

Highlight Verses:

“When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.””
‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I hate it when I’m sick for more than a couple days. Even then, I’m rarely too sick to get up.

This man was sick for 38 years!

He didn’t ask to be healed. He had given up on anything changing for him.

But Jesus chose him.

Jesus could have chosen from the dozens of other people waiting for healing. They would have been easier to heal.

Sure, they had friends to help them but that didn’t stop Jesus from healing others with friends at other times.

This time Jesus chose the guy with no friends and no hope.

And He healed that man with one sentence.

Today’s verse is especially for those with no true friends and no hope.

If you are that person, please hear me when I say that Jesus wants to bring you hope and healing. You need only accept it.

If you know the hope of Jesus, please realize that you are the hands and feet of Jesus in this world. All around us are those without true friendship, hope or healing.

Please pray that we may see them and bring the healing of Christ to them.

Have you ever been that hopeless person who found healing in Jesus? Please share your story.
In what ways has God used you to bring healing to the hopeless?
January 26, 2025

January 26th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 10-12

Highlight Verse:

“I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As a city kid transplanted into rural southwest Virginia, I once had to walk done a very long wooded driveway to wait at the road for my parents to give me a ride.

I had no flashlight.

It was pitch black.

When I made it to the road, I stood in the middle of it staring at the one patch of clear moonless sky.

Even though I was in the mountains, I was afraid.

Not too many years later, I lived in downtown San Jose and would sometimes have to go out at night.

I wasn’t afraid, though it was a far more dangerous area.

By then I had confidence that I was in the Lord’s hands.

Now I don’t advocate foolishly dangerous actions, nor do I object to taking defensive measures.

But for me, I am confident that as long as God has more for me to do on this earth, He will protect me.

I am equally confident that when it is time for me to pass from this world, I will be welcomed to eternal life in heaven.

Do you have confidence in the Lord’s protection?
Are you equally as confident of what lies beyond this life?
January 25, 2025

January 25th, 2025

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Philippians 3:12-21

Highlight Verses:

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Does this sound familiar?

Last week I highlighted verse 13 speaking of how we were challenged at church to find one word to focus on this year.

I spent most of this week trying to change the word that kept dominating my prayer time –

Focus.

I finally concluded that the Lord wanted me to focus on “focus”.

I am easily distracted.

It has taken me far too long to progress on what I believe God has called me to – specifically writing.

I believe God would have me focus my efforts on growing in my spiritual strength, reliance on God, and the art of writing.

My goal is to create writing that will bring the most lasting impact to those around me and beyond.

I am convinced that if I bring my best to this effort and rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance and power, by God’s grace, I will achieve this goal.

What is your focus on?
How will that focus bring maximum impact?
January 23, 2025

January 24th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 10-12

Highlight Verse:

“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I lived in Santa Cruz in the 80s, there was a congregation there called Tsemech Adonai – The Branch of the Lord.

It was a Jewish Synagogue that believed that the Messiah had already come in the person of Jesus Christ.

They were right.

According to some scholars, Isaiah contains 48 prophecies about the Messiah.

The odds of any person filling all those prophecies are 1 in 10 to the 157th power (1 followed by 157 zeroes).

Even if you only believe in the eight most obvious prophecies, that puts the chances at 1 in 10 to the 17th power (1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000) (source: preceptaustin dot org)

That’s more that a hundred million times longer odds than winning the lottery

But one person did fulfill all those prophecies.

His name is Jesus – The Branch of the Lord.

What more proof do you need?
If you have faith, do you even need that proof?
January 23, 2025

January 23rd, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Romans 4

Highlight Verse:

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭4‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In case you didn’t read the previous verses, the context here is when God promised to make Abraham’s descendants numerous, despite the fact that he was 100 years old and childless.

That’s faith!

And Abraham’s faith grew stronger in the midst of that impossible challenge.

Can you imagine the feeling when Isaac was born?

The promise was beginning to be fulfilled.

God’s promises are still valid today.

Through His grace,

God has made us capable of the same kind of faith.

What does that kind of faith look like for you?
Is there an impossible promise that you are believing for?

I remember being in awe of God’s creation that night.

My eyes were opened to some of the truth of God’s Word.

If faith in God could make people put love into action like these people did, that was something I wanted a part of.

But all of that is worth nothing if we do not bring God’s love to the world through everything we do.

Does it trouble you to read about God being angry?

Then I became a dad.

And I understand God’s anger.

That’s some seriously fierce Fatherly love!

I have seen many interpretations of the role and manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

If we are truly filled with the Holy Spirit, we won’t be able to keep from spreading God’s love to all those around us.

A lot of fun.

If you were to ask Caleb why he chose an area where he would have to defeat giants if think he would say it was because he could, at least with God’s help.

If you are facing great difficulty, remember that you don’t fight alone. If it is the right goal, God will help you win the battle.

This verse warms my detail oriented heart.

But I truly believe that putting this little detail in Noah’s instructions was purely loving. God wanted Noah to succeed completely.

But Jesus chose him.

And He healed that man with one sentence.

Please pray that we may see them and bring the healing of Christ to them.

Even though I was in the mountains, I was afraid.

I wasn’t afraid, though it was a far more dangerous area.

But for me, I am confident that as long as God has more for me to do on this earth, He will protect me.

Does this sound familiar?

Focus.

I believe God would have me focus my efforts on growing in my spiritual strength, reliance on God, and the art of writing.

I am convinced that if I bring my best to this effort and rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance and power, by God’s grace, I will achieve this goal.

They were right.

That’s more that a hundred million times longer odds than winning the lottery

His name is Jesus – The Branch of the Lord.

That’s faith!

God’s promises are still valid today.

God has made us capable of the same kind of faith.