Walk in the Light

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.
January 15, 2024

January 15th, 2024

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Luke 3

Highlight Verse:

“Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I believe in giving a legacy of faith to my children.

That said, my children, just like every other person in the world, must have their own faith.

I hope and pray for that faith to be in Jesus. But, if it isn’t their own faith, it means nothing to them.

The church I grew up in was more about culture than faith. Everyone there would identify themselves as Christian but that didn’t mean they had faith in Jesus. For many it was just the cultural group they associated with.

The same was true in the Hebrew faith in Jesus’ time.

There were many who were culturally and often genetically Hebrew but never took the time to really think about faith.

John the Baptist saw that and hit them right between the eyes with that fact.

And many came to faith for the first time because of it.

What are some ways that we can confront those who mistake culture for faith without driving them away?
How deep does your faith go? Is it a culture you identify with or God in whom you place all your trust?
January 14, 2024

January 14th, 2024

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Proverbs 7

Highlight Verse:

”Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family.“
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭7‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is step one in protecting yourself from seduction.

First, let me make it clear that seduction comes in many forms.

This chapter focuses on a seductress tempting a young man. If you are a young man, that is a very tough temptation to fight off.

Your temptation may be very different.

Maybe those snack cakes are calling your name.

Or that one drink too many (which for me would be one drink) could be whispering to you how good it would feel.

Whatever your temptation, the key expressed in this verse is getting very familiar with wisdom long before the temptation arises.

That way, when that temptation arises, wisdom steps right up and blocks its path.

I’ve know several people who wanted to know wisdom so much that they read a chapter from Proverbs every day. That took them through the Book of Proverbs every month.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Have you experienced the protection of wisdom against temptation? Can you share about it?
What has worked for you to make wisdom more and more familiar to you?

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.

That said, my children, just like every other person in the world, must have their own faith.

There were many who were culturally and often genetically Hebrew but never took the time to really think about faith.

John the Baptist saw that and hit them right between the eyes with that fact.

This is step one in protecting yourself from seduction.

Your temptation may be very different.

Whatever your temptation, the key expressed in this verse is getting very familiar with wisdom long before the temptation arises.