Walk in the Light

July 20, 2024

July 20th, 2024

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Matthew 28:16-20

Highlight Verse:

“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

On the eve of our church’s biggest outreach of the year, I fully intended to talk about evangelism today.

But then, the verse just after the one I was going to highlight stood out and practically screamed to be noticed.

I don’t want to belittle the ministry of helping people find Jesus.

But far too many churches leave it at that.

I have seen people come to God with enthusiasm and joy only to fall away due to lack of follow-up.

Instead of greeting people at the door or handing out candy at our “At the Movies” outreach, I’ll be in back teaching the 4th and 5th graders.

As I get older and approach retirement age, I see my ministry shifting from teaching next generation to mentoring younger men, in the hopes of helping them follow Jesus more closely and consistently.

In what way(s) are you willing to teach or lead people to follow Jesus?
How are you helping people find Jesus?
July 19, 2024

July 19th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Amos 9

Highlight Verse:

““In that day I will restore the fallen house of David. I will repair its damaged walls. From the ruins I will rebuild it and restore its former glory.”
‭‭Amos‬ ‭9‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So, apparently Amos thought that God was in the house remodeling business.

And he was right.

No matter what condition your spiritual house has gotten in, God is in the business of restoring and making it stronger than ever.

But you have to let Him do His work.

What kind of spiritual remodeling work has God done for you in the past?
What would you like to see Him restore in the future?
July 18, 2024

July 18th, 2024

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

There was an unfortunate phrase among pastors that I heard when I was in Bible College.

“We’re just one funeral away from a revival.”

One person who, through the force of years attending and financial support, would gain enough clout to keep a church from fulfilling it’s mission.

That sounds like what Diotrephes was to that unnamed local church.

John writes to his faithful friend Gaius to try to stop the spread of that evil before he could get there to put an end to it.

It may be 2000 years later, but people are still people. Those like Diotrophes are still out there sowing dissension and evil in the church.

Even if we are not in a position to stop that person,

each of us can help stop the spread of lies.

Even though such gossip is tempting to believe,

John would tell us to not let that person influence us.

According to John, how can you tell if someone is being faithful or evil when talking against another?
How can we stop that type of evil from spreading?
July 17, 2024

July 17th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Chronicles 16-18

Highlight Verse:

“Then the fear of the Lord fell over all the surrounding kingdoms so that none of them wanted to declare war on Jehoshaphat.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭17‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Did all the surrounding kingdoms fear Jehoshaphat because he had a mighty army?

That might have had a little to do with it.

I think it had more to do with the fact that

he was faithful to God and the surrounding nations knew that God was protecting him.

He even went so far as to send teachers of God’s word out across the nation to teach everyone about God and His Word.

The people saw his strong leadership guided by God and and

they loved him for it.

That loyalty is a big part of why he had such a mighty army.

Each of us is a leader to someone.

We can lead them to the Lord or be a stumbling block that would drive people away from the Lord.

How do your actions lead the people around you?
Would you be pleased if the people around you did the things you do?
July 16, 2024

July 16th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Numbers 23-24

Highlight Verse:

“Then King Balak said to Balaam, “Come, I will take you to one more place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them from there.””
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭23‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

By that definition, King Balak was certainly insane. Three times he tried to get Balaam to curse Israel and three times he failed.

But then, how often do we do the same thing.

We treat people badly expecting them to change.

We entertain temptation expecting to be able to resist it this time.

We expect to lose weight even though we eat out all the time.

We’ve all got something we are a little “insane” about. Most of us have several things.

Maybe it’s time to actually do something different.

Where is your insane spot?
What can you do differently to regain your sanity?
July 15, 2024

July 15th, 2024

Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 5

Highlight Verse:

“The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.”
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭5‬:‭41‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Let’s be clear, the apostles were just flogged.

Flogged!

Not slapped on the wrist with a fine or a warning.

Beaten with a whip.

There is nothing in the description about the severity of the flogging. Given the fact that they carried on as before tells me that it wasn’t debilitating.

But, if anything approaching that were to happen today,

we’d be suing for damages,

not to mention blasting it all over social media to get people riled up against a government that would do such a thing.

Instead, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy of suffering for Jesus, and then went right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Messiah.

Here’s my take on that.

No matter what they came up against, they stayed on target and kept spreading the word about Jesus.

All during this time, the Church continued to grow despite, or maybe because of the oppression from the religious leaders and government.

I don’t know about you but I can get distracted by the political climate.

When Christian opinions are blocked by the government or the media establishment, it really gets my hackles up.

Despite that, I need to always remember to stay on mission to help people to find and follow Jesus.

What is your mission?
Are there things that can distract you from that mission?
July 14, 2024

July 14th, 2024

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Song of Solomon 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“You are beautiful, my darling, beautiful beyond words. Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.”
‭‭Song of Songs‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In today’s culture, the metaphors used in this chapter are almost comical.

In fact, years ago, Christian comedian Mark Lowry composed a very funny song using these verses.

But, if we go back to the culture and context in which this was written,

the young man who wrote this was very romantic.

He was so romantic that, despite the desires of the amazing King Solomon, he is able to keep his beloved committed to him.

While I can write, and my first published work was poetry (middle school project), I have never been good at writing romantic poetry.

But, I have other ways of expressing romance to my wife.

While I have enjoyed our committed relationship,

I could use more ideas for romance.

What do you do to express romance to your spouse or future spouse? (Keep it rated G or PG, please)
What does your spouse do that kindles the fires of romance? (Again – G or PG rated)
July 13, 2024

July 13th, 2024

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – John 2:1-12

Highlight Verse:

“The next day there was a wedding celebration in the village of Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration.”
‭‭John‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Our church is about to start its annual “At the Movies” series. It is the biggest series of the year, drawing in thousands of people who may not otherwise set foot in a church.

But, it got me thinking, “How Biblical is entertainment?”

Obviously, movies weren’t a thing back in Bible times, but parties were.

Today’s reading makes it obvious that Jesus didn’t mind attending parties with His disciples. He even supplied some of the wine.

In other places, the Bible mentions sports (1 Corinthians 9:24-26) and theatrical events (a parade – 1 Corinthians 4:9).

Besides that, we have a whole section of the Bible dedicated to music and poetry.

That said, I probably don’t need to tell you that we should keep our entertainment wholesome and limited to amounts that don’t push us into laziness.

Remember, King David’s entertainment (watching Bathsheba bathe) ended rather painfully.

King Herod’s entertainment led to the death of John the Baptist.

And, Proverbs reminds us not to let laziness take over.

So, feel free to seek an appropriate amount of wholesome entertainment.

And you might start with “At the Movies” at Orchard Church in Brighton from July 21st through August 11th.

What is your favorite form of entertainment?
How much is too much entertainment for you?
July 12, 2024

July 12th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Amos 7-8

Highlight Verse:

“So the Lord relented from this plan. “I will not do it,” he said.”
‭‭Amos‬ ‭7‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How can such a simple verse open up such a deep theological conundrum?

It raises the question, “If God knows everything that is ever going to happen, how can He change his mind when someone prays?”

I would respond to that with another question, “If God’s will cannot be changed,

why pray at all?”

We could debate circles around this topic but I believe that simple answer is that God is sovereign. That means,

if He wants to change His mind, He can.

I also believe that God wants to hear from His children and allows us to influence His decisions.

He may even choose not to know what He will decide until it comes to pass.

God may live outside of time and have the capacity to know everything that has ever happened and ever will happen, I think He can choose what knowledge to access.

What is your opinion?
Are you a strict Calvinist believing that everything is predestined or do you believe that God chooses to let us influence what He decides and what will ultimately happen?
July 11, 2024

July 11th, 2024

Reading – 2 John

Highlight Verse:

“I have much more to say to you, but I don’t want to do it with paper and ink. For I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete.”
‭‭2 John‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is a tiny book with a lot to unpack.

To begin with, there’s the question of whether the “chosen lady” is a person or a church.

Upon review, I say – it doesn’t matter.

The message is the same.

Stop those who are undermining the Gospel.

A sect known as the Gnostics were preaching that Jesus didn’t really physically come here so you had to follow their set of rules to be saved.

John was rightfully angry about that since it was keeping people from experiencing the grace of God.

That brings us to the Highlight Verse.

Tuesday morning, I was working in a customer’s office helping set up a new machine. At the same time, I was in an online meeting, a portion of which I had to lead.

I wasn’t fully there for anyone.

I muddled through but it wasn’t ideal.

Nothing beats face to face in person interaction.

Communication is much clearer when you can see the each other’s body language. Add to that the ability to ask and respond to questions in real-time.

How often do you get to see your family and friends in person?
Do you have any stories of miscommunication when people meet in any other way that in person? Share them.

I have seen people come to God with enthusiasm and joy only to fall away due to lack of follow-up.

And he was right.

But you have to let Him do His work.

“We’re just one funeral away from a revival.”

each of us can help stop the spread of lies.

John would tell us to not let that person influence us.

he was faithful to God and the surrounding nations knew that God was protecting him.

they loved him for it.

Each of us is a leader to someone.

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

We’ve all got something we are a little “insane” about. Most of us have several things.

Maybe it’s time to actually do something different.

Flogged!

we’d be suing for damages,

Despite that, I need to always remember to stay on mission to help people to find and follow Jesus.

In today’s culture, the metaphors used in this chapter are almost comical.

the young man who wrote this was very romantic.

I could use more ideas for romance.

But, it got me thinking, “How Biblical is entertainment?”

Besides that, we have a whole section of the Bible dedicated to music and poetry.

So, feel free to seek an appropriate amount of wholesome entertainment.

How can such a simple verse open up such a deep theological conundrum?

why pray at all?”

if He wants to change His mind, He can.

This is a tiny book with a lot to unpack.

The message is the same.

Nothing beats face to face in person interaction.