Walk in the Light

August 27, 2024

August 27th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Numbers 35-36

Highlight Verse:

“designate cities of refuge to which people can flee if they have killed someone accidentally.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭35‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Imagine a city to which anyone who claims they are innocent of murder (despite killing someone) could take refuge in.

I can just imagine the outcry from the NIMBY (Not In My BackYard) crowd.

Sounds crazy to us today, but during a time when justice was handed out without any judicial process,

this was an unprecedented show of fairness.

In fact, this system forms some of the earliest roots for our modern justice system.

What provisions for justice did today’s reading point out to you?
How would you feel if you accidentally killed someone in this system?
What if you were the next of kin to a victim?
August 26, 2024

August 26th, 2024

Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 11

Highlight Verse:

“When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, “We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.””
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭11‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’m old enough to remember much worse racial tension. Despite growing up in California, there was enough prejudice against Hispanics that my dad, a full-blooded Mexican, refused to use Spanish at home.

By the time I was in college, the trend had reversed, and I could have gotten extra financial aide by claiming my Hispanic heritage. Since I appeared white, it didn’t seem right to me.

Times changed.

Just as they did in New Testament times.

The early Christians realized that God loved all races, and the Gospel was for the whole world.

That was a radical concept back then.

We do well to remember it now.

We in America have a tendency to think that our brand of Christianity is the only way or at least the best way.

The truth is there are churches overseas who send missionaries to the United States because they are concerned that we are too wrapped up in ourselves to see the Gospel.

Politics are important and may have eternal effects when it comes to the ability to spread the Gospel.

But the effects of the Gospel itself are always eternal.

While I am all in favor of patriotism, community pride, and civic responsibility, we should never let that get in the way of the eternal value of the good news of forgiveness and new life that comes through Jesus to the whole world.

We should always remember that we are citizens of heaven first.

Which do you spend more time trying to advance, your political agenda or the Gospel?
What civic responsibilities do you think a citizen of heaven should have?
August 25, 2024

August 25th, 2024

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Job 7-8

Highlight Verse:

“Why won’t you leave me alone, at least long enough for me to swallow!”
‭‭Job‬ ‭7‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I read this complaint of Job to God, I want to shout to Job, “What are you thinking? Find your hope in God. He didn’t do this to you.”

But, in the middle of his suffering, he has lost all hope.

In his frustration, he cries out in hopelessness to God to let the suffering be over.

God not only allowed Job to complain, but he allowed Job’s words to be immortalized in the Bible.

We will see later how Job reacted when God spoke back to him and his friends.

For today, just realize that God allows us to voice our complaints to Him.

He doesn’t want us to stay in that hopeless place, but he allows us the healing that comes through speaking out of our pain.

Have you ever voiced bitter complaints to God?
How did that turn out in the end?
August 24, 2024

August 24th, 2024

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Ecclesiastes 5:16-20

Highlight Verse:

“Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I work for a major corporation.

For the most part, I preferred it when I worked for a local company. It was more like being part of a family than working for a huge faceless name.

But every now and then the corporation gets something really right.

That can be said about “Recharge Day.”

Every employee was given an extra day off as long as they used it for something that would help them improve their health, either physically, emotionally, or mentally.

I took my day to go on a hike with my family. We capped it off with dinner and ice cream in Georgetown, CO.

It was very refreshing and helped me feel better about my job as well.

Solomon knew this way back when.

Even further back, God knew we needed a regular break too, so He instituted the Sabbath.

Have you been able to take regular breaks from your work (vacation)?
What have you done to rest and recharge?
August 23, 2024

August 23rd, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Micah 3-4

Highlight Verse –

“People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.”
‭‭Micah‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Does this verse refer the Temple Mount?

At this point in history, I would say that is a solid “no.”

The temple present there now points to the teachings of a very misguided man from the 6th and 7th centuries after Jesus.

What did come out from Jerusalem is the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

We are now the Temple of the Holy Spirit and He will teach us and teach through us as we seek Him in the Bible, in prayer, in worship, and in our fellow believers.

Are you open to what God is willing to teach you?
Are you willing to check what you think you heard from the Holy Spirit to see if it is in alignment with what He has taught us in the Bible?
August 22, 2024

August 22nd, 2024

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Revelations 4

Highlight Verse:

“From the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven torches with burning flames. This is the sevenfold Spirit of God.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ve been in some pretty crazy thunderstorms before.

I’ve even been struck (indirectly) by lightning.

I’ve seen, heard, and felt the awesome power present in each lightning strike.

According to today’s verse, lightning comes from God’s throne.

Every day, about 8 million bolts of lightning hit the earth. Each bolt contains up to a billion volts of electricity.

That’s a lot.

But it’s just a tiny peek at the kingdom of heaven.

Have you ever stopped to really think about how great God is?
If you were to rewrite this chapter, to what would you compare the power of God?
August 21, 2024

August 21st, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Chronicles 31-33

Highlight Verse:

“But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.”
‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭33‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Did you read this whole chapter?

Manasseh was horrible!

He did every evil thing you could imagine and then some.

He sacrificed his own children IN FIRE!

How depraved and detestable can you get?

But when he repented, God forgave and restored him.

There is no one that God cannot restore.

Is there someone in your life on whom you’ve almost given up hope?
Does knowing about Manasseh renew your hope for them?
August 20, 2024

August 20th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Numbers 33-34

Highlight Verse:

“At the Lord’s direction, Moses kept a written record of their progress. These are the stages of their march, identified by the different places where they stopped along the way.”
‭‭Numbers‬ ‭33‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I hate paperwork.

I always have. Even now when it is almost all electronic, it seems like a waste of time – until I have to look back at something to get my facts straight.

Moses did so much paperwork that it became the first 5 books of the Bible.

In today’s snippet of his writing, we are treated to a quick synopsis of Israel’s time in the wilderness.

It helps us recognize God’s hand in Israel’s history – getting the facts straight.

Writing down our stories may very well help us understand our stories in the future, getting our facts straight.

Have you journaled or, in any other way, written down your history?
Has it helped you understand your past?
August 19, 2024

August 19th, 2024

Monday – Gospels and Acts

Reading – Acts 10

Highlight Verse:

“But the voice spoke again: “Do not call something unclean if God has made it clean.””
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭10‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I just noticed something about this. Peter received this message from God BEFORE Cornelius and his household had accepted God’s forgiveness.

While they were certainly ready to be saved, they were not.

Usually, we interpret this passage to mean that we should not discriminate against people of other races or cultures.

What about people in our own cultures with whom we don’t normally associate.

Personally, I had a fairly rough, poor upbringing so I was familiar with some pretty rough characters and got along with most of them.

Even so, I can find myself being judgmental when someone’s style looks more appropriate for a heavy metal concert than church.

How dare I?

They are just as loved as anyone else on the planet. Chances are, they are far more likely to accept God’s grace than the wealthy businessman in a three-piece suit.

Either way, we should treat all those whom God has chosen to put in our path with the same unlimited love of God.

How easy is it for you to love those whom your culture sees as unlovable?
Have you seen God’s grace and power at work in those people?
August 18, 2024

August 18th, 2024

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Job 5-6

Highlight Verse:

““If I were you, I would go to God and present my case to him.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭5‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s easy to blindly take Job’s side in this book. He was the victim, and his friends were lousy comforters.

But Eliphaz wasn’t all wrong. Insensitive but not necessarily wrong.

That’s especially true in this verse.

Job had lost everything. He was drowning in his little pity party.

I’d say this was a pretty good time to have a good conversation with God.

The book of Job is full of “stinkin’ thinkin’” both by Job, his wife, and his friends.

Sprinkled throughout it are little gems like this verse.

Let’s see what we can find as we read through it.

But for today:

When your world is falling apart, is God the first person you talk to?
What’s that conversation like for you?

Imagine a city to which anyone who claims they are innocent of murder (despite killing someone) could take refuge in.

this was an unprecedented show of fairness.

Times changed.

But the effects of the Gospel itself are always eternal.

We should always remember that we are citizens of heaven first.

In his frustration, he cries out in hopelessness to God to let the suffering be over.

For today, just realize that God allows us to voice our complaints to Him.

He doesn’t want us to stay in that hopeless place, but he allows us the healing that comes through speaking out of our pain.

But every now and then the corporation gets something really right.

Even further back, God knew we needed a regular break too, so He instituted the Sabbath.

Does this verse refer the Temple Mount?

What did come out from Jerusalem is the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

I’ve seen, heard, and felt the awesome power present in each lightning strike.

But it’s just a tiny peek at the kingdom of heaven.

Manasseh was horrible!

He sacrificed his own children IN FIRE!

There is no one that God cannot restore.

I hate paperwork.

Writing down our stories may very well help us understand our stories in the future, getting our facts straight.

What about people in our own cultures with whom we don’t normally associate.

How dare I?

Either way, we should treat all those whom God has chosen to put in our path with the same unlimited love of God.

But Eliphaz wasn’t all wrong. Insensitive but not necessarily wrong.

I’d say this was a pretty good time to have a good conversation with God.