Walk in the Light

March 16, 2024

March 16th, 2024

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – James 1:2-8

Highlight Verse:

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is the exact verse that you don’t want someone to quote to you when you are going through the fire.

And it’s the exact verse that you need at that moment.

That makes it a prime candidate for memorization.

When those tough times come, you’ll have no one but yourself to get angry with when you repeat the verse.

And then it may spark that joy that goes beyond understanding.

That joy that makes no sense will bring you through the tough times that make no sense.

Take a moment to watch the video linked below.

Do you have the strength to pull through situations like that?
Do you know the One who does?
March 15, 2024

March 15th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Daniel 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

At first reading, this verse sounds like they are bravely hedging their bets.

I think they are just trying to make their stand perfectly clear so there would be no doubt in the king’s mind about their commitment to God.

What really stood out to me from this verse is how respectful they were to the king.

They used the polite term “your majesty” (or “Oh king” depending on the translation). While they refused to worship the image of the king, they still showed proper respect for him.

And the king got royally ticked off.

That begs the question whether we should couch our statements of faith with respect or not. If it ticks people off all the more, is it worth it?

I say look at the results.

While we can’t say what would have happened if they had not shown respect, I am sure that it was the truth that caused the king to crank up the heat. It was the miraculous deliverance that opened the king’s eyes to the truth.

It’s quite possible that it was the respect that caused the king to honor Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego after they stepped out of the furnace.

When you speak truth to someone, do you water down the truth to make it less likely to cause offense?
Or do you speak the truth bluntly?
Or do you surround it with respect?
March 14, 2024

March 14th, 2024

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Hebrews 10

Highlight Verse:

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Let’s simply do that today.

Share with us a way to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

I’ll start.

For those of us who are in Colorado today, a great act of love for our neighbors would be, when we go out to shovel the snow from our sidewalks, shovel the neighbor’s walks too.

You might not know them, and they may not figure out that you did it but if that act is part of a pattern of acts of kindness, they’ll see the difference in you and want to know more.

What are your ideas? Let’s share them and have a conversation about it.
March 13, 2024

March 13th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Kings 15-17

Highlight Verse:

“He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.”
‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭15‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I was 16, I had dreams of being president someday.

It’s now forty-four years later and I wouldn’t want anything to do with the job.

Uzziah / Azariah (depending on which translation you read) seems to have had the opposite problem.

He was forced to be king when he was 16.

Toward the end of his reign, his pride got the best of him, and God had to give him leprosy to get him back into his right mind.

In the middle, the author says almost nothing about his life.

More is said in 2 Chronicles but, for a 52-year-reign, Uzziah made very little impact.

It doesn’t matter much to me if people remember my name.

What does matter is the difference that I made.

It is my deepest prayer that when I leave this earth, I will have left it a better place.

Do you have aspirations of being in charge or would you prefer a quiet life that made a positive difference in the world?
What have you learned from Uzziah that will help you to make a difference?
March 12, 2024

March 12th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Leviticus 14-15

Highlight Verse:

“The following instructions are for those seeking ceremonial purification from a skin disease. Those who have been healed must be brought to the priest,”
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭14‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I got in a conversation with a coworker yesterday about healing. It seems his pastor, who had at one point experienced healing from cancer, was once again in the last stages of the disease and was expected to take the trip to heaven any day now.

My friend was taking it well, but we were both concerned for those who believed that God would heal whenever we ask.

Our concern was for those whose faith could be damaged by the passing of this pastor.

We both agreed that God was not a heavenly genie there to do our bidding. He is absolutely able to heal but also sees the big picture and knows when the time is right to call us home.

In Leviticus, God made provision for those who would live with disease and for those who would receive healing from disease.

Healing has always been part of God’s plan.

But God has always been the one in charge of it.

Have you ever had a crisis of faith because of the death of a loved one?
Can you share how you got through it?
March 11, 2024

March 11th, 2024

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 11

Highlight Verse:

“But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I must admit that I sometimes feel foolish bringing the same request to God time and time again.

That’s when I need to remember that Jesus taught us to have “shameless persistence.”

So don’t give up. Bug God about that difficult request. Be open to whatever His answer is, but until you hear that answer be shameless in your persistence.

Do you have requests that you have brought over and over to God in prayer?
Have you started to feel hesitant about repeating them?
March 10, 2024

March 10th, 2024

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Proverbs 17

Highlight Verse:

“A truly wise person uses few words; a person with understanding is even-tempered.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭17‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This verse kinda makes me want to stop my comments right here.

But I’m not that wise.

Truth be told, I speak far too much and sometimes without a filter.

And if you only knew what I do filter out.

Words are my thing.

I’m rarely without them.

But sometimes I just need to let them rest.

Are you an under-talker or an over-talker?
What do you do to keep your tongue under control?
March 9, 2024

March 9th, 2024
Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Proverbs 20:24-30

Highlight Verse:

“The glory of the young is their strength; the gray hair of experience is the splendor of the old.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭20‬:‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I like to say I’m 29 with experience.

Today make 31 years experience at being 29!

You’d think I’d be good at it by now.

The truth is the grey hairs outnumber the dark ones. My knees have gotten to the point where I carry an adjustable camping stool for work to make it easier to get back up, and I’ve mastered the art of making old man sounds when I get off the sofa.

With the grey hair and achy joints comes a confidence I didn’t have when I was 29.
- It’s a confidence from making thousands of mistakes and learning from at least some of them.
- It’s a confidence from learning from many people wiser than I.
- And it’s a confidence from reading through the Bible dozens of times, gleaning a little bit more every time.
So, if you’re young, enjoy the strength and vitality, remembering to learn along every step of the way.

If you’re old like me, enjoy that confidence that comes from experience but don’t forget to never stop learning.

Have you looked at the mistakes in your life as opportunities to gain wisdom?
Are you still learning from the Bible and from wise folks around you?
March 8, 2024

March 8th, 2024
Friday – Prophets

Reading – Daniel 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT

Have you ever had “that” kind of boss?

You know, the one who followed his own agenda, didn’t let you know what that was, and gave you grief whenever you didn’t follow that agenda down to the unknown letter.

For some of you, maybe it was a mentally unstable parent or a coach who only coached for the power trip.

Almost all of us have had to deal with someone like that at some point.

I’m blessed with a good boss now but I’ve had some who drove me to the edge of quitting. And then there was my stepdad. Don’t get me started.

So how did Daniel deal with people like that?
- He stayed calm.
- He reasoned with his handlers.
- He put forth his best effort.
- And, most importantly, he relied on God, retaining his integrity and devotion.
Can it be so hard?

Yes.

Some have it very tough. I’m guessing that very few have it as rough as Daniel and his friends had it.

Despite that, Daniel stayed strong in the Lord and put full effort toward following his boss.

Do you struggle with dealing with a difficult person?
Have you given that relationship over to God in prayer?
Can we help pray for you? (Without revealing the identity of that person please).
March 7, 2024

March 7th, 2024

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Hebrews 9

Highlight Verse:

“And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment,”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭9‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s just a parenthetical statement that precedes a statement about Christ, but it establishes a simple but major theological point.

There is no reincarnation.

We live once.

We die once.

After that comes eternity – with God, or not according to our acceptance of Jesus’ sacrifice.

What more can be said about that?

Have you struggled with what to believe about reincarnation?
Do you know the difference between reincarnation and resurrection?

And it’s the exact verse that you need at that moment.

That joy that makes no sense will bring you through the tough times that make no sense.

I think they are just trying to make their stand perfectly clear so there would be no doubt in the king’s mind about their commitment to God.

What really stood out to me from this verse is how respectful they were to the king.

I say look at the results.

Share with us a way to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

When I was 16, I had dreams of being president someday.

In the middle, the author says almost nothing about his life.

What does matter is the difference that I made.

Our concern was for those whose faith could be damaged by the passing of this pastor.

Healing has always been part of God’s plan.

But God has always been the one in charge of it.

That’s when I need to remember that Jesus taught us to have “shameless persistence.”

Truth be told, I speak far too much and sometimes without a filter.

But sometimes I just need to let them rest.

I like to say I’m 29 with experience.

With the grey hair and achy joints comes a confidence I didn’t have when I was 29.

Have you ever had “that” kind of boss?

So how did Daniel deal with people like that?

Despite that, Daniel stayed strong in the Lord and put full effort toward following his boss.

There is no reincarnation.