Walk in the Light

April 1, 2024

April 1st, 2024

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 14

Highlight Verse:

“And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭14‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Many have interpreted this to be a form of earning salvation.

Other Scriptures make it clear that is not the case.

Jesus took away all of the guilt that kept us from a relationship with God. We need not fear any eternal judgement if we have trusted Jesus and accepted His sacrifice.

The people in the region and time Jesus lived on earth knew all about carrying the cross.

They understood that just following Jesus came with the risk of crucifixion.

Today in most of Western culture, the worst we face is a rare bit of ridicule and unfair stereotyping. Frankly, that has led us to be spoiled believers. In many cases, our faith can be shown weak when we face real challenges.

In many parts of the world, it is a capital offense to worship Jesus and to share His love. It is there that people truly understand this verse.

They must have a solid faith so they can stand like steel!

I would never advocate persecution for the sake of strengthening faith. But I think we would do well to remember daily those who lay their lives on the line every day to follow Jesus.

Wisdom would remind us to realize that we could be among the persecuted someday.

Have you witnessed real persecution firsthand?
Is your faith solid enough to withstand true persecution?
March 31, 2024 – Easter / Resurrection Sunday

March 31st, 2024
Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Proverbs 20

Highlight Verse:

“Ears to hear and eyes to see— both are gifts from the Lord.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭20‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬
- The guards saw terror in the earthquake and the rolling stone.
- The religious leaders heard the end of their power draw near at the words of the guards.
- The people saw confusion in the conflicting stories.
- Mary saw fear and despair in the empty tomb.
- Peter and John saw the first hints of hope in the words of the angel.
- Thomas saw doubt in the reports of his fellow disciples.
- The Apostles saw joy in the presence of their living Messiah.
- God saw restoration in the tearing of the temple curtain that no longer kept mankind separate from Him!
What are you hearing and seeing on this Resurrection Day!
March 30, 2024

March 30th, 2024

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – John 21

Highlight Verse:

“She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him.”
‭‭John‬ ‭20‬:‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I know from experience that it is tough to see when you’re blinded by tears.

Mary experienced that form of blindness at the graveside.

Foresight can be blinded by our situations.

Oversight can be blinded by the mundane details.

Insight can be blinded by what we want to see.

But hindsight is always 20/20.

Going into this Easter weekend culminating in Resurrection Sunday, let’s not lose sight of the tremendous cause for celebration that is the Resurrection of Jesus.

At His death and resurrection, Jesus set us free from slavery.

May your celebrations this weekend reflect the joy that comes from such freedom!

What are the best ways have you found to celebrate the Resurrection?
What brings you the most joy this time of year?
March 29, 2024

March 29th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Daniel 7-8

Highlight Verse:

“While he was speaking, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground. But Gabriel roused me with a touch and helped me to my feet.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭8‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I can relate to Daniel.

I hear prophecies of the end times and strange prophetic dreams in the Bible and want to stick my fingers in my ears and go “lalalalala” so I can’t hear anything.

At least that used to be my perspective.

Then a wise person long ago told me that when I read end time prophecies, I should look for how they should change my life today.

I still don’t like to figure out timelines and how all the prophecies will play out.

But I don’t fear them.

These prophecies given to Daniel are especially confusing. But then my study Bible has a nice neat chart that illustrates how these prophecies already came true in history.

Daniel glimpsed history before the events played out.

I don’t know all the ins and outs of the prophecies, but I know that Daniel was a man of very high integrity and put in a position to make a difference in history.

It is one of my life goals to make a positive difference in this world, and this scripture confirms it for me.

Do unusual prophecies like these creep you out too?
What lessons have you gleaned from Daniel?
March 28, 2024

March 28th, 2024

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Hebrews 12

Highlight Verses:

“Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT

Notice that it doesn’t say to earn your way to God by acting good. It says to be thankful by worshipping.

The worship is borne out of thankfulness, not duty.

By “devouring”, God means to consumes our entire attention.

It is not a meticulous following of rules, but a grateful response from an imperfect follower of Jesus.

Do you have that motivation for worship?
Do you understand how much we have to be grateful for?
March 27, 2024

March 27th, 2024
Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Kings 21-25

Highlight Verse:

“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother was Hephzibah.”
‭‭2 Kings‬ ‭21‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Sorry the reading was so long today. I guess it was appropriate since we read about the longest reigning king of Judah.

That begs the question, “Why was Manasseh, a king who did so much evil, allowed to reign for so long?”

It turned out that the account in 2 Kings 21 leaves out much of the story. If you read the account in 2 Chronicles 33, you find out that Manasseh was captured by the Assyrians and held captive.

After he humbled himself and repented before God, he was released and continued his reign.

To me, this illustrates 2 things:
- God honors humility.
- And, it’s always best to check the context, including the historical context.
Which wraps up my conclusions.

What did you observe in today’s long reading?
Did you check the context? How?
March 26, 2024

March 26th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Leviticus 18-19

Highlight Verse:

“So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life.”
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭18‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Apparently, peer pressure was a thing even back then.

They might not have known what FOMO (fear of missing out) was, but they experienced it.

Just because it’s in Leviticus doesn’t mean it isn’t at least somewhat appropriate today. Most of today’s reading is very relevant still.

Yes, we have forgiveness from all sin, but some sin has more profound consequences than others. Some sins affect our mental, emotional, and/or physical health. Most sin affects those around us as well.

Most of the rules put forth in these two chapters are very advantageous to follow today.

What do you think are the most important rules in these chapters?
What if any rules do you think are not applicable today?
March 25, 2024

March 25th, 2024

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 13

Highlight Verse:

“About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I used to think that Pilate was misunderstood. He tried to save Jesus but was pressured into crucifying Him.

This verse makes it pretty clear that Pilate wasn’t exactly a nice guy.

Yes, highlighting a seemingly random statement may have pulled my attention away from the main points of this chapter.

But it’s there for a reason.

It’s one more precursor to what will happen to Jesus at Jerusalem.

This chapter is full of them. The Hebrew leaders are incensed at Jesus healing on the Sabbath. In a parable, the owner of a house rejects those to whom he has closed the door. Jesus laments for Jerusalem.

And right at the beginning, Pilate murders people who were worshiping God.

Jesus knows what’s coming. But He loves us enough to keep on teaching us.

Were you surprised at this mention of Pilate nine chapters before Jesus’s trial before him?
What else stood out to you about this chapter?
March 24, 2024

March 24th, 2024

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Proverbs 19

Highlight Verse:

“People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the Lord.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I know this one to be true because, frankly, been there – done that.

We’ve all done foolish things. The hard part is recognizing who is responsible for the consequences.

I know it was my foolishness that put me through hard financial times. And I’m sure I played a part in the end of my first marriage.

While I never lost faith in the Lord, I did have my share of grumpy prayers and “why me”s.

Fortunately for me, grace has brought me out of those situations, strengthened my faith, restored my finances and given me an amazing wife.

Do you have stories of how God restored you from your foolish acts?
Can you share them (while keeping appropriate confidences)?
March 23, 2024

March 23rd, 2024

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – John 12:12-19

Highlight Verses:

“The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!””
‭‭John‬ ‭12‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

They cried out Hosanna!

What a scene it must have been.

People laying down their coats and palm branches before Him as Jesus triumphantly rode a donkey into Jerusalem for the Passover festival.

Joy and expectation were in the air!

The Messiah had arrived!

In one scene from that day, when the religious leaders asked Jesus to quiet his followers, he said that if they didn’t shout out, even the rocks would cry out in praise.

Maybe it would have been better if they had.

At least the rocks wouldn’t turn on him in the space of a few days.

But then most of the people were not truly believers in Jesus. They believed in a Messiah who would come and drive the Romans and other unbelieving foreigners out of Judah and re-establish David’s throne. They cried out “hosanna” which means “save us.” It was a chant with which you would greet a military hero.

Jesus came not for a military coup but for a spiritual coup.

He came to set people free from spiritual captivity into true freedom, not just in Jerusalem but throughout the world and for all time.

Have you cried out “hosanna” to the Messiah?
Do you know Jesus’ true purpose in Jerusalem that day?

They understood that just following Jesus came with the risk of crucifixion.

Wisdom would remind us to realize that we could be among the persecuted someday.

Going into this Easter weekend culminating in Resurrection Sunday, let’s not lose sight of the tremendous cause for celebration that is the Resurrection of Jesus.

May your celebrations this weekend reflect the joy that comes from such freedom!

I can relate to Daniel.

I still don’t like to figure out timelines and how all the prophecies will play out.

I don’t know all the ins and outs of the prophecies, but I know that Daniel was a man of very high integrity and put in a position to make a difference in history.

That begs the question, “Why was Manasseh, a king who did so much evil, allowed to reign for so long?”

To me, this illustrates 2 things:

They might not have known what FOMO (fear of missing out) was, but they experienced it.

Most of the rules put forth in these two chapters are very advantageous to follow today.

This verse makes it pretty clear that Pilate wasn’t exactly a nice guy.

Jesus knows what’s coming. But He loves us enough to keep on teaching us.

I know this one to be true because, frankly, been there – done that.

Fortunately for me, grace has brought me out of those situations, strengthened my faith, restored my finances and given me an amazing wife.

What a scene it must have been.

The Messiah had arrived!

Maybe it would have been better if they had.

Jesus came not for a military coup but for a spiritual coup.