Walk in the Light

January 25, 2024

January 25th, 2024

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Hebrews 3

Highlight Verse:

“Remember what it says: “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My hands are pretty rough.

Years of working on copiers (my day job) with tools and harsh cleaners and washing my hands often have left my fingers calloused and dry.

A massage from me would feel like sandpaper.

In the same way, years of making excuses for sin and using the harsh tools of denial and even dishonesty can leave a heart calloused and dry.

When we start down that road, we usually know when we are doing something wrong. Over time and rationalizations, we may start to redefine sin. We build up such a defense against conviction that we no longer recognize it.

The simplest, most practical definition of sin I’ve heard is “anything that comes between you and God.”

Of course, there is forgiveness. But eventually a person may get to the place where they either don’t think they need forgiveness, or they don’t think they can be forgiven.

Let me make this clear. There is no sin that God cannot forgive short of denying His sacrifice.

Satan gives us guilt to drive us away from God and convince us to reason our sin away.

God gives us conviction, that we may be able to move ever closer to God.

Are there things that you have been rationalizing away even though you know they are putting distance between you and God?
Have you been wallowing in guilt thinking you sin is too much for God to forgive?
Can you trust God to do what He promised and remove the guilt of sin from you “as far as East is from the West”?
January 24, 2024

January 24th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Kings 18-20

Highlight Verse:

“Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there.”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ve always been amazed that Elijah could oversee the spectacle of fire from God consuming his completely drenched sacrifice, defeat all the prophets of Baal, and correctly predict the return of rain after a severe drought, and then run for his life because of the queen’s threat.

I mean, it doesn’t make sense.

I would say to myself, “I would never do that.”

And then I stop to think about it.

How many times do I do that?

How many times have I seen God provide from my family and turn around and worry about getting the bills paid?

How many times have I seen God protect me from evil, yet I worry about safety?

How many times have I seen God heal my sickness, yet I stress about a little cough?

I’m not saying I should ignore finances, safety, health, or the million other stresses of life.

But why would I face them with a defeatist attitude?

I’ve seen so many victories in my life and I’ve seen God carry me through the defeats.

No matter what comes my way, I can be confident that God will deliver me or see me through.

What amazing victories have you seen in your life?
Can you look back at those victories and be confident that God will bring you though anything that comes your way?

Please share your stories. Here’s one of mine:

I moved to Colorado in 2006 in an old minivan. I left the Philadelphia area after my last day of work on a Friday evening. By 10pm, I had made it 230 miles on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with all my possessions in that van when the engine threw a rod.

I got towed to the closest town and made it to a motel by about midnight. At that point all I could do was pray, “God, I’ve got nothing. This is all in your hands.”

I truly believe it was God who provided a mechanic and an engine and the finances for me to get back on the road. On top of that, He gave me a much needed 4-day break in the beautiful town of Somerset.

I’ve been here in Colorado going on 18 years now and God has blessed me here more than I could have imagined.

Now I can look back at that and not have to get to the “I’ve got nothing” moment to trust God completely.
January 23, 2024

January 23rd, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Leviticus 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“Do not use yeast in preparing any of the grain offerings you present to the Lord, because no yeast or honey may be burned as a special gift presented to the Lord.”
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I first read this, I thought it simply harkened back to the Passover when the people didn’t have the time to put yeast in their bread to make it rise.

But that wouldn’t make sense for honey.

It turns out that honey and yeast have something in common. They are both used for fermentation.

Because of this little fact, ancient cultures often associated both honey and yeast with corruption.

Therefore, since God wanted nothing to do with corruption, anything associated with corruption was forbidden from the sacrifices.

While honey and yeast are not associated with corruption today, we still want to keep corruption far from our worship.

In what ways can we keep corruption away from our worship today?
What would be the modern-day equivalent to honey and yeast?
January 22, 2024

January 22nd, 2024
Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 4

Highlight Verse:

”When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.“
‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This part of Jesus’ story speaks volumes.
- Jesus was tempted just like we are.
- Jesus countered temptation with Scripture.
- Jesus prepared to face temptation with fasting and prayer.
- And so on..
Today’s highlight verse made me think, “When was Jesus tempted again?”

While there may have been unrecorded times of temptation for Jesus, the next time we hear of Him being tempted is in the Garden of Gethsemane.

That temptation is reflected in His prayer for the cup to pass over him.

We owe our salvation to the fact that He didn’t give in to that temptation.

I am not Jesus.

I give the devil plenty of opportunities to tempt me.

Perhaps that’s the real lesson here.

The devil watches for any opportunity to tempt us.

We would do well to be prepared for when He does.

Fasting certainly builds strength.
Learning Scripture to counter temptations is priceless.

Overall, the closer you get to Jesus, the more likely you are to be targeted for temptations but also more likely to be able to stand against those temptations.

Do you have stories of victory over temptations that you can share?
How will you prepare for the next temptation?
January 21, 2024

January 21st, 2024

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Proverbs 8

Highlight Verse:

“All who fear the Lord will hate evil. Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance, corruption and perverse speech.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭8‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

After yesterday’s lengthy post, I’m going to keep this simple today.

Today, we find Solomon, writing in the voice of wisdom, tackling an important aspect of evil.

It is easy to hate pride in others, but have you ever found yourself slipping into a prideful attitude and liking it (at least at first)?
Do you think arrogance, corruption, and perverse speech are being presented at equal to pride here or arising out of pride?
January 20, 2024

January 20th, 2024

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Revelation 3:14-22

Highlight Verse:

“I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ve always loved the way Laodicea is pronounced (lay-odd-uh-SEE-uh). But that’s not why I chose this scripture.

I’ve written in the past about how it is important to study scriptures in context.

The whole of a chapter or book tells a lot about what the author is referring to.

If you really want to understand scripture, it is also important to understand the cultural context around the verses you wish to study.

I’ve heard this verse preached on by pastors stating that God would rather you be on fire for Him or dead to him rather than lukewarm. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Laodicea’s fresh water supply came through a long Roman aqueduct. By the time it arrived, it was lukewarm and boring.

One town nearby had a fresh spring with very refreshing cold water.

Another nearby town had a hot spring that was said to have healing properties.

The people of Laodicea would have understood that God would prefer us to be refreshing or healing rather than boring.

I got that context from Bible College (thanks Professor Eiben) but there are many resources available to dig deeper into the context of Scriptures.

Some cost. Some are free online. Just search for “commentary on (Bible reference here)”.

It’s worth it for those times when you want to dig a little deeper.

Have you found good resources for commentaries and historical context?
Are there scriptures that you would really like to find out the context so you could fully understand them?
January 19, 2024

January 19th, 2024

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Ezekiel 28-30

Highlight Verse:

“Son of man, give the prince of Tyre this message from the Sovereign Lord: “In your great pride you claim, ‘I am a god! I sit on a divine throne in the heart of the sea.’ But you are only a man and not a god, though you boast that you are a god.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭28‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

I think we can safely say that the Prince of Tyre had a problem with pride.

It’s very easy for me to say, “at least I don’t struggle with pride on that level!”

But then, how many times to I go about my life making decisions – sometimes significant decisions – without once praying and asking God for guidance.

It’s easy to think that I have enough wisdom to make decisions on my own.

I think I have all the information I need to make a good decision.

But I never have a true God’s eye view of every situation.

I am not a god.

I have a very limited perspective.

For any significant decision, it would probably be a good thing to consult with the one who truly does have a God perspective – God.

Have you ever caught yourself making decisions without God’s perspective, only to have those decisions blow up in your face?
Where do you draw the line between a significant decision and an insignificant one?
January 18, 2024

January 18th, 2024

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Hebrews 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Years ago, a friend took me out on the southern end of San Francisco Bay in a small sailboat.

One thing that still sticks in my mind after all these years is being amazed at how well he could steer the boat. The wind blew more or less constantly from one direction. But he was able to steer the small craft in any direction he liked through careful direction of the sails and rudder.

When he let go of the sails and the rudder, the boat would just drift roughly in the direction of the wind.

When he again engaged the controls and paid close attention to his boat and the surroundings, he was able to direct us where we were supposed to go.

You know where I’m going with this.

When we let go of the sails of our lives, we just drift along at the mercy of the wind.

When we direct our spiritual sails according to the guide of His Word, we quickly and safely get to where we are supposed to be.

It is important that we pay attention or we can misjudge the wind and end up heading the wrong direction.

Have you had times when you didn’t catch the direction of the wind of the Holy Spirit and drifted?
How did you get back in line?
January 17, 2024

January 17th, 2024

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Kings 15-17

Highlight Verses:

“So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.”
‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭17‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Have you ever wondered why God didn’t just provide a bunch of food for this widow?

She could have fed Elijah and her son for as long as they wanted without fear.

But he only gave her just enough for a very simple meal every day.

I don’t think God forbids wealth.

If that were true, he wouldn’t have blessed Solomon with so much. He also used wealthy people to provide for the needs of the early Apostles and for Paul.

While the reason is never explicitly given to us,

I believe God used this time to build Elijah’s faith.

There are some scenes coming up in which Elijah needs an incredible amount of faith.

So, if my faith is already amazingly strong, is God going to bless me with a ton of wealth?

My faith, and, I dare say, yours pales in comparison to Elijah’s. And don’t forget that God sees a much bigger picture than we do.

If He thinks you can handle it, He might just send you that big deal that makes a fortune, or that winning ticket.

Or not.

Accept it, trust God, and Go about His business.

Have you ever had a “why me” attitude while God was trying to build your faith?
Conversely, have you ever had your faith built up during a lean time? Tell us about it.
January 16. 2024

January 16th, 2024

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 39-40

Highlight Verse:

“Present Aaron and his sons at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and wash them with water.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭40‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Why do I picture this verse with Moses standing there with a hose spraying down Aaron and his sons. Sorry, my imagination never got past middle school. This is probably why I write middle grade fiction (novels for those around 10-14).

But seriously, this cleansing of the priests was done to keep the tabernacle pure so that the presence of God could live there.

Even cleaned as they were, the priests could only approach because of the daily sacrifices to cover their sins.

Those sacrifices have ceased.

And we are no better than Aaron and his sons.

And this is why we need Jesus.

For most of you this is just a reminder.

For some this may be an eye opener.

God is perfect and cannot coexist with sin.

We are sinners. None of us are perfect. We all have our flaws and rebellions.

The sacrifices at the altar at the tabernacle and, later, the temple daily balanced the scales so the priests could approach the presence of God.

Jesus, fully God and fully human, being the only human to ever live a sinless life, sacrificed himself to balance those scales permanently, so that anyone who chooses to accept that sacrifice may enter the presence of God. That means both in heaven and now through the Holy Spirit.

So there you have it. The precursor to the Gospel can be found in a group of priests willing to allow themselves to be cleansed.

The Gospel message brings that cleansing to all who would accept it.

My hands are pretty rough.

In the same way, years of making excuses for sin and using the harsh tools of denial and even dishonesty can leave a heart calloused and dry.

Let me make this clear. There is no sin that God cannot forgive short of denying His sacrifice.

And then I stop to think about it.

But why would I face them with a defeatist attitude?

No matter what comes my way, I can be confident that God will deliver me or see me through.

Please share your stories. Here’s one of mine:

It turns out that honey and yeast have something in common. They are both used for fermentation.

While honey and yeast are not associated with corruption today, we still want to keep corruption far from our worship.

Today’s highlight verse made me think, “When was Jesus tempted again?”

The devil watches for any opportunity to tempt us.

We would do well to be prepared for when He does.

Today, we find Solomon, writing in the voice of wisdom, tackling an important aspect of evil.

If you really want to understand scripture, it is also important to understand the cultural context around the verses you wish to study.

It’s worth it for those times when you want to dig a little deeper.

I think we can safely say that the Prince of Tyre had a problem with pride.

But then, how many times to I go about my life making decisions – sometimes significant decisions – without once praying and asking God for guidance.

For any significant decision, it would probably be a good thing to consult with the one who truly does have a God perspective – God.

When he let go of the sails and the rudder, the boat would just drift roughly in the direction of the wind.

When we let go of the sails of our lives, we just drift along at the mercy of the wind.

It is important that we pay attention or we can misjudge the wind and end up heading the wrong direction.

Have you ever wondered why God didn’t just provide a bunch of food for this widow?

I don’t think God forbids wealth.

I believe God used this time to build Elijah’s faith.

Accept it, trust God, and Go about His business.

But seriously, this cleansing of the priests was done to keep the tabernacle pure so that the presence of God could live there.

For some this may be an eye opener.