Walk in the Light

September 7, 2023

September 7th, 2023

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Ephesians 3-4

Highlight Verse:

“Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I have a confession to make.

I have OCD tendencies.

Not only is that a fault of mine, but it also makes it more difficult for me to overlook the faults of others.

Yes, that pair of socks on the floor in front of the sofa I’m sitting on kinda drives me nuts; but not enough for me to pick them up, thereby spoiling the child who left them there.

Or maybe I should pick them up if I’m to follow the command of this verse.

Yes, the imperative tense of this verse makes it a command. Actually, three commands.

These are some of the toughest commands to follow.

They’re also some of the most important commands.

So, pardon me while I go throw a pair of socks in the laundry.

And pray for me that I may keep a grip on my attitude.

Are the faults of those around you driving you up the wall?
Are you doing the same for them?
Can you find a way to make allowances for other’s faults?
September 6, 2023

September 6th, 2023

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“After this, David asked the Lord, “Should I move back to one of the towns of Judah?” “Yes,” the Lord replied. Then David asked, “Which town should I go to?” “To Hebron,” the Lord answered.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The “this” referred to at the beginning of this verse is David’s mourning of Saul and Jonathan’s deaths.

At this point it would seem obvious that David and his men and family should move back to Israel. But what does David do?

He asks God first!

There are many times in our lives when our next steps seem obvious. Logic would dictate prudent moves.

In David’s case this time, the obvious move was the one God would have chosen for him.

Sometimes the next step is not the obvious one.

That’s why David asked for God’s guidance.

That’s why we should ask too.

Is your first inclination to pray for God’s guidance when a major decision comes up?
What has been the result of seeking God’s guidance with a major choice?
What has happened when you didn’t seek God in a major decision?
September 5, 2023

September 5th, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 9

Highlight Verse:

“Please beg the Lord to end this terrifying thunder and hail. We’ve had enough. I will let you go; you don’t need to stay any longer.””
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭9‬:‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Pharaoh and Moses had an interesting relationship.

You have to ask, “Why didn’t Pharaoh just kill Moses and Aaron?”

Did Pharaoh respect him? Fear him? Fear God?

Maybe it was all of the above.

One thing is certain, by the time the plague of hail came, Pharaoh knew for certain that Moses could stop the plagues with a prayer.

So why did he wait until the worst plague possible to stop going back on his word to let the people go?

Maybe we should ask ourselves the same thing.

We do that thing that God asked us to not do, or we don’t do that thing he asked us to do. Then we repent. We earnestly turn to the right path and swear we’ll never do that again. And then we blow it again. Or we mess up in an entirely different way.

But if we truly trust Jesus, we will make progress.

We may have relapses or discover something else that is wrong with how we live. But we trust Jesus to guide us on the best path and learn with each step.

Pharaoh never really learned his lesson. You’ll read how that turned out for him later.

Do you trust that Jesus will guide you on the best path for you?
Do you act on that trust?
September 4, 2023

September 4th, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 8

Highlight Verse:

“Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus, but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭8‬:‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So, the people of that region are amazed when he frees two men from a legion of demons. And they beg him to leave?

You would think that Jesus would insist on staying and preaching to them.

Nope!

In the first verse of the next chapter, he gets back in the boat and leaves.

But, that’s not the end of the story. In Mark’s version of the story, Jesus told the man who was freed from the demons to go home and tell of what God had done for him.

He did.

In fact, he went through the whole land proclaiming what Jesus had done for him.

Jesus didn’t leave that land without the Gospel.

He delegated the telling of it to another.

Have you been touched by Jesus?
Has he freed you from a life of slavery to sin?

I believe he would ask you to go to your own land and proclaim what God has done for you to those who know you!
September 3, 2023

September 3rd, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 107-108

Highlight Verse:

“Those who are wise will take all this to heart; they will see in our history the faithful love of the Lord.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭107‬:‭43‬ ‭NLT‬‬

You don’t have to have known me long to know that I am a history buff.

I’m one of those who actually sometimes stops at those roadside historical markers.

Why?

Like every history professor I’ve ever had has said,

if you don’t study the past, you’re doomed to repeat it.

(Apparently, that saying is so popular that the autocomplete on my iPad keyboard has it memorized).

I know this is the day we study poetry in the Bible, not history, but the Bible’s poetry is integral to its history.

While this section of scripture refers to Israel’s wandering in the wilderness, this concept can be applied to all of history.

We can see God’s hand of grace and mercy throughout history; His love through all generations.

Let’s learn from the mistakes of the past and embrace the love of God displayed over time.

Have you ever stopped to study how God’s hand has repeatedly been seen throughout history?
How has the hand of God affected your history?
September 2, 2023

September 2nd, 2023

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Exodus 20:1-17

Highlight Verse:

““Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Today we are driving to Nebraska to visit my Father-In-Law.

The long weekend gives us an extra day to spend with him. The only thing on our agenda is to spend time with him.

We hope that is honoring to him.

It is often mentioned that this is the first commandment with a promise.

That is true and, I believe, is significant.

But I also believe that adherence to each commandment will reward us with positive benefits.

God didn’t give us the commandments so that He could control us

or even to test our obedience. I’m pretty sure he already knew how disobedient we were going to be.

I believe He gave us the commandments to guide us along the best path for our lives.

When we follow the commandments, life becomes more fulfilling, healthy, and happy.

We all fail to follow them perfectly.

When we do, the commandments help us to get back up and get on the best path again.

Have you looked at the commandments as difficult rules or a guide to the best life?
How would your life be different if you did your best to follow the commandments? (If you don’t already.)
September 1, 2023

September 1st, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 37-39

Highlight Verse:

“Jeremiah was put into a dungeon cell, where he remain for many days.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭37‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Okay! Not exactly a verse that encourages someone to stand for the truth of the Gospel!

That didn’t stop Jeremiah.

He kept telling the truth.

It landed him in jail.

We still have freedom of speech here in the United States. Many are persecuted daily for following Jesus in other parts of the globe.

Even here, some would ban the message of Jesus as unfair.

We can only persevere in the midst of persecution and stand by our message. In the end it will prove true.

Have you ever been the object of persecution?
How have you reacted?
August 31, 2023

August 31st, 2023

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Ephesians 1-2

Highlight Verse:

“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If there was only one thing that I have now that I wish I had when I was young, it is that confident hope the Paul speaks of here.

Oh, I had hope. But, it was far from confident.

Now I have decades of experience and study that has built that hope to a point where it cannot be shaken.

My prayer, then, for you the reader is that you would experience that confident hope rooted in faith in the Author of our faith.

May you catch on earlier than I did, and may you not be distracted by the doubts that inevitably come.

Have you experienced the confidence that Paul speaks of here?
August 30, 2023

August 30th, 2023

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Samuel 29-31

Highlight Verse:

“And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭30‬:‭6‬ ‭ESV‬‬

And you thought your neighborhood was bad.

In that time and place, the political system was simple feudalism. Different kings led small kingdoms which often fought against each other.

In this story, David and his men returned home to find their town burnt to the ground and their wives and children kidnapped.

David was both crushed by the loss of his wives and fearful for his own life as his men blamed him for allowing this tragedy to happen.

David turned that anguish into action as he pursued those who had attacked his home. That action paid off.

There are times in our lives when we feel we are at the rock bottom. It is then that we most want to give up. We would do well to remember David at his rock bottom. He chose to channel that anguish into action.

May we choose action over despair too.

Have you ever felt like giving up in despair?
What motivated you to not give up?
August 29, 2023

August 29th, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 7-8

Highlight Verse:

“Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three when they made their demands to Pharaoh.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭7‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It’s just a little verse that opens up so many questions.

First, did you know that Aaron was older than Moses?

Apparently, Pharaoh didn’t have the baby boys killed off when Aaron was born. It’s quite possible that Aaron knew about Moses the whole time he was growing up in Pharaoh’s household. Aaron obviously knew about Moses when Moses encountered God at the burning bush since Aaron was already on his way there.

Why did God choose to speak through Moses who then needed Aaron to speak publicly?

I won’t spoil the story in case you haven’t read it, but Aaron tended to be a people pleaser. He gave in to the people when Moses stood strong.

Moses even talked back to God. Think about that. Moses was no pushover!

Why did God wait until Moses and Aaron were so old to have them speak to Pharaoh?

Life expectancy in Egypt during the time of the Pharaohs was about 40 years. Many Pharaoh’s lived much shorter lives. There would have been a sharp contrast between these two extremely old (by the standards then) men and a young impetuous Pharaoh.

God may have planned this so that Pharaoh would be less likely to give in to Moses’ demands and more miracles would be displayed.

Now that I’ve bored you with that little history lesson, here’s my takeaway from this verse. We tend to think of the prime time of our lives as being when we’re younger. In reality, the most productive decade of our lives in terms of eternal legacy tends to be when we are in our 70’s! The second most productive decade is our 80’s.

So if you’re feeling old, just keep Moses and Aaron in mind and see that their most important career started in their 80’s.

Have you felt the drag of aging pulling you down?
What does it feel like knowing that the most productive years are yet to come for most of us?

I have a confession to make.

These are some of the toughest commands to follow.

So, pardon me while I go throw a pair of socks in the laundry.

He asks God first!

Sometimes the next step is not the obvious one.

That’s why we should ask too.

Pharaoh and Moses had an interesting relationship.

Maybe we should ask ourselves the same thing.

But if we truly trust Jesus, we will make progress.

He delegated the telling of it to another.

I believe he would ask you to go to your own land and proclaim what God has done for you to those who know you!

if you don’t study the past, you’re doomed to repeat it.

Let’s learn from the mistakes of the past and embrace the love of God displayed over time.

We hope that is honoring to him.

God didn’t give us the commandments so that He could control us

When we follow the commandments, life becomes more fulfilling, healthy, and happy.

Okay! Not exactly a verse that encourages someone to stand for the truth of the Gospel!

If there was only one thing that I have now that I wish I had when I was young, it is that confident hope the Paul speaks of here.

May you catch on earlier than I did, and may you not be distracted by the doubts that inevitably come.

And you thought your neighborhood was bad.

May we choose action over despair too.

First, did you know that Aaron was older than Moses?

Why did God choose to speak through Moses who then needed Aaron to speak publicly?

Why did God wait until Moses and Aaron were so old to have them speak to Pharaoh?

So if you’re feeling old, just keep Moses and Aaron in mind and see that their most important career started in their 80’s.