Walk in the Light

November 26, 2023

November 26th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 147-150

Highlight Verses:

“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭147‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We wrap up Psalms as we enter the Advent Season.

For some, this can be a tough season.

Some have lost loved ones during this time of year. Others are affected by loneliness. Some, like me, are affected by the lack of light and the cold days.

When I saw these two verses side by side, I realized that was no accident.

First, God provides healing for our hearts. He binds the wounds of loss with His love, He comforts the lonely with His presence, and He brings hope to those who struggle with darkness.

Then there’s the stars.

Keep in mind that the writer of this Psalm would have seen the stars as just tiny specks in the sky. If God knows each and every one of those billions of tiny specks, how much more would he notice each of us.

He knows each of us. He heals, he comforts, and He strengthens each of us according to our needs and our callings.

Are there things you struggle with through this time of year?
Have you turned to God for His healing, comfort, and hope?
November 25, 2023

November 25th, 2023

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Esther 4

Highlight Verses:

“Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.””
‭‭Esther‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

The holidays are upon us. For many that means pressure.

Year-end deadlines at work are fast approaching.

There’s a house full of family to buy gifts for.

Many get last minute surgeries done to beat the deductible and out of pocket limits for insurance.

Then there’s the parties and that uncle that drank too much last Christmas.

And on and on.

All that was nothing compared to the pressure Esther faced.

Her people needed her to confront King Xerxes. That was a big deal. One did not approach the king unbidden.

But she must.

The pressure was on.

And then she showed us the right way to handle that pressure.

Pray.

In fact, flood it with prayer.

That’s what she did.

Not only did she do that, but she got everyone she trusted praying too.

She was still stressed under a ridiculous amount of pressure. But she did what she had to do.

Oh, and just in case you aren’t familiar with the story, in doing what she had to do, she saved the nation of Israel.

What kind of pressures are you facing this season?
Are you flooding those situations with prayer?
Can we help with that prayer?
November 24, 2023

November 23rd, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Ezekiel 4-6

Highlight Verse:

““I will shower you with the deadly arrows of famine to destroy you. The famine will become more and more severe until every crumb of food is gone.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It is so tempting to just declare that this is Old Testament and the new covenant in the New Testament negates this prophecy. To some extent, that’s true.

There are, however, still lessons to be learned from these prophecies!

In the American church, we have a tendency to think that God will protect us from anything bad. Some people take that a step further claiming that, if something bad happens to you, there must be some unconfessed sin blocking the grace of God.

There’s a modicum of truth in that too.

But there are times when bad things happen to good people.

You could argue that sin got in the way, but I assure you that everyone sins at times. There is not a perfect human in the world. We all have the option of doing the right thing. But we don’t always.

Whether it is my own fault or not, bad things may happen to me. Sometimes God uses those situations to bring growth to my life.

When bad things happen, that leaves me to ponder, “what can I learn from this situation”?

There may or may not be some sin at the root of it, but I can grow through the situation regardless.

Do you watch for the lessons to learn from every situation?
What have you had to learn the hard way?
November 23, 2023 – Thanksgiving Day

November 23rd, 2023

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Timothy 3

Highlight Verse:

“Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.”

1 Timothy 3:16 NLT

I admit that I looked for thankfulness in today’s reading.

In the letters, it is not usually hard to find. Paul tends to be outspokenly thankful for all the people he writes to. That includes Timothy. Just not in this chapter.

So, I fell back on something to be thankful for – or, rather, someone.

God came to the earth in the form of a man, Christ.

That’s a real story in history which we celebrate in a festival that is officially a month and 2 days from now. But really, we celebrate the birth of Christ for the entire next month.

As we celebrate thankfulness today, let us draw that thankfulness out through the whole next month and celebrate the season of Christmas with an eye on how thankful we should be for God coming to meet us here on Earth.

Have you given thanks for the miracle of the birth of Christ today?

As we enter Advent, can you find something to be thankful for each day until Christmas?
November 22, 2023

November 22nd, 2023

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 23-24

Highlight Verse:

“Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled. He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the Lord gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder!”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭23‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Of the Mighty Men of David, Eleazar stood out. It wasn’t the fact that he was able to kill so many Philistines in battle, nor was it his father’s funny name.

It was his consistent commitment.

Even when the rest of the army had fled, he stuck to David’s side in the face of certain death and fought until he could no longer hold his sword.

Here’s the kicker. Despite the impossible odds, God gave them victory that day!

I want to emulate that commitment.

Even when the odds are stacked against me and all the world gives up on that type of commitment, I want to be that one who stands committed to my Lord through the worst. And when I am completely spent, I will rest in that perfect victory made possible by the grace of God.

What has God called you to commit to?
How will you ensure that you will stay completely committed to it?
November 21, 2023

November 21st, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 26

Highlight Verse:

““For the inside of the Tabernacle, make a special curtain of finely woven linen. Decorate it with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭26‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I read this over and over and consulted commentaries trying to figure out what to say about curtains.

Some commentaries drew all sorts of farfetched conclusions about the symbolism of the different features of the tabernacle.

Maybe.

Nah. Not going there.

What I saw, the more times I read this chapter was that the inside of the tabernacle was exquisitely beautiful!

According to the description, it took some very talented people to make the tabernacle as good looking as the description.

Now the Old Testament tabernacle made by human hands has returned to dust.

The New Testament tabernacle is our bodies and spirits. It is constructed by God to be his tabernacle.

If the Old Testament tabernacle was very wonderfully made, how much more so the one made by the hand of God.

Do you realize what a work of art that you are?
During this week of Thanksgiving, can you be thankful for the temple that God has provided for you?
November 20, 2023

November 20th, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 22

Highlight Verse:

“Jesus replied, “Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus made this bold statement to a group of people, the Sadducee’s, who studied the Hebrew Bible religiously, literally.

And yet, they didn’t get it because they didn’t know the power of God.

They read the Bible with an eye toward reinforcing their long-held beliefs rather than being open to what God would teach them of it.

How often do we do that now?

I’ll admit, I’ve done that myself and am still sometimes guilty of reading only to reinforce my own biases. I need to remind myself even tonight to pray before I read and to keep an open attitude toward what God would teach me.

It’s not easy.

And sometimes it hard to know what God wants us to learn from a specific passage. In fact, sometimes God uses the same passage to teach us different lessons that apply to our lives in different ways at different times.

With the Holy Spirit’s help, the guidance of those who have studied before us, and our own increasing knowledge of Scripture, our study of the Bible will help us live a richer, more fulfilling, and God pleasing life.

How do you know when you are hearing from God through His Word?
How has your understanding of the Bible changed as you have grown to know it better?
November 19, 2023

November 19th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 144-146

Highlight Verse:

“Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭145‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

If you could weigh the Earth, it would be about 13,170,000,000,000,000,000,000,000lbs.

But you can’t because it is the very mass of the earth that creates the gravity that allows things to be weighed.

If you could measure the distance to the edge of the known universe, it would be 270,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles.

But no one can travel that far.

No one except God, who created all things!

That’s the kind of greatest I’m taking about – Greatness that cannot be measured.

I think we can afford to set aside a little time to bring Him praise!

Can you fathom Gods true size?
Are you willing to praise Him?
November 18, 2023

November 17th, 2023

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Highlight Verse:

“The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today we venture back into the world of things that sound like they’re from the Bible but aren’t really.

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.” Is a common misquote of this verse.

God will show you a way out. We always have the option to take that way. But sometimes we fail miserably if we try on our own.

Very often the way out is through the accountability of a friend or mentor/sponsor.

Quite often we fail.

That’s when we need the forgiveness that Jesus provided. That is always there until we reach the point of rejecting it.

Mind you, many have let sin grow in their lives to the point of believing they no longer need or deserve God’s forgiveness.

I have good news. We never deserved God’s forgiveness. He offers it anyway.

So, the next time you feel like you’ve blown it one too many times, because you didn’t take that way out that God provided, realize that His forgiveness is still there.

The more you walk in that forgiveness, the less tempting that sin becomes.

And the more you take advantage of that way out through accountability, the more you triumph over that sin.

Are you struggling with discouragement because of a sin that you keep falling into?
Have you realized that God’s forgiveness is endless?
Did you know that the way out usually involves seeking help from others?
November 17, 2023

November 17th, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Ezekiel 1-3

Highlight Verses:

“Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.””
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A prophet is someone who brings the Word of God to people who are wandering from God’s will with the purpose of bringing people back into a relationship with God.

In order to truly make a difference, verse 10 must be true in a prophet’s life.

Anyone who wishes to bring the Word of God to the people around them must first be immersed in that Word of God already.

This is for two reasons –

First – how can you expect to lead a people to God if you don’t know God yourself.

Second – people won’t follow you if you don’t practice what you preach.

The same applies to anyone who seeks to bring people to Jesus.

Since you are reading this, we know that you are committed to learning all you can about God.

Are you seeking to know more about God so you can bring the Word to them?
What are some of the favorite things you have learned about since you started studying the Bible?

For some, this can be a tough season.

He knows each of us. He heals, he comforts, and He strengthens each of us according to our needs and our callings.

The holidays are upon us. For many that means pressure.

All that was nothing compared to the pressure Esther faced.

In fact, flood it with prayer.

There are, however, still lessons to be learned from these prophecies!

When bad things happen, that leaves me to ponder, “what can I learn from this situation”?

I admit that I looked for thankfulness in today’s reading.

As we celebrate thankfulness today, let us draw that thankfulness out through the whole next month and celebrate the season of Christmas with an eye on how thankful we should be for God coming to meet us here on Earth.

It was his consistent commitment.

I want to emulate that commitment.

What I saw, the more times I read this chapter was that the inside of the tabernacle was exquisitely beautiful!

If the Old Testament tabernacle was very wonderfully made, how much more so the one made by the hand of God.

And yet, they didn’t get it because they didn’t know the power of God.

With the Holy Spirit’s help, the guidance of those who have studied before us, and our own increasing knowledge of Scripture, our study of the Bible will help us live a richer, more fulfilling, and God pleasing life.

That’s the kind of greatest I’m taking about – Greatness that cannot be measured.

“God won’t give you more than you can handle.” Is a common misquote of this verse.

The more you walk in that forgiveness, the less tempting that sin becomes.

And the more you take advantage of that way out through accountability, the more you triumph over that sin.

A prophet is someone who brings the Word of God to people who are wandering from God’s will with the purpose of bringing people back into a relationship with God.

First – how can you expect to lead a people to God if you don’t know God yourself.

Second – people won’t follow you if you don’t practice what you preach.