Walk in the Light

November 3, 2023

November 3rd, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 4

Highlight Verse:

“Tenderhearted women have cooked their own children. They have eaten them to survive the siege.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭4‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Sorry, but I just couldn’t get this verse out of my head.

How desperate do you have to get to eat your own children?

It’s unthinkable!

Apparently, food was not the only thing they lacked. They suffered from a very serious lack of conscience accompanied by a lack of parental protective instincts.

I wouldn’t want to survive if it came down to sacrificing children.

Not a chance!

Yet, Jeremiah points out that even the tenderhearted women did this unspeakable thing.

If our society dissolves to the point of accepting that, we have some serious problems.

And we do.

…Have serious problems, that is.

You may think I’m speaking of the serious lack of morality in our society.

What I am more concerned about is the way we combat that immorality and hatred since that’s what we can control.

When we confront it with hate, we fan the flames causing more people to reject God.

When we confront it with love and compassion,

we quench the flames

as we quench the deep longing for love that so many people have.

What can you specifically do to quench the flames of hatred and immorality in our society?
Do you have hope left for our society?
How do you express that hope?
November 2, 2023

November 2nd, 2023

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 2 Thessalonians 1-3

Highlight Verse:

“Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us.”
‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If you listen to all the predictions by “wise” people since I was born, the world would have ended at least a dozen times in my lifetime.

I believe that we are closer to the end times than ever before. I dare say that it could happen tonight. Or it could happen in hundreds of years.

I don’t know.

What I do know is that we should be ready.

Our words and deeds should be motivated by love in order to bring God’s love to the world.

How do you explain the end times to those around you?
Do you think that people are better motivated to accept and trust the Gospel through fear or love?
November 1, 2023

November 1st, 2023

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 17-18

Highlight Verse:

“The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.””
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭33‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How tempting it was to highlight the fact that Absalom was undone by his huge head of hair.

But I felt more led to speak of a father’s emotions.

I can relate to David.

Okay, I’m no great warrior or king, nor have I committed adultery or murder.

But he was a man of many emotions.

My kids have not always walked in the ways I would like. No, they haven’t stolen half my kingdom, but there are times when I have to pray that their plans not succeed. I want them to seek earnestly after God and sometimes their plans go against that.

At the same time, I love them deeply. I would take a bullet for any of my kids or my wife in a heartbeat.

So, I understand David mourning.

Sure, he could have been a little more discreet about it, but he was a dad.

The takeaway for me here is that emotions are real and complex. While there are times they need to be kept under control, there are also times when they need to be released.

David had deep compassion. That came out as deep sorrow in this case.

Sometimes it must in us as well.

Are you a person of deep emotions?
Do you sometimes express deep sorrow?
Are those emotions channeled into deep passion for action at other times?
October 31, 2023

October 31st, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 21-22

Highlight Verse:

““You must not mistreat or oppress foreigners in any way. Remember, you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭22‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I admit it. I took the easy verse to highlight.

That said, let’s look at the herd of elephants in the room.

Old Testament laws and rules seem very harsh by today’s standards.

But, when you read them, keep two things in mind –

• These were rules meant to keep the Israelites a strong nation in a world nearly devoid of morals. And…
• They were revolutionary at the time. They granted limited rights to women and slaves. In that day, in that region, that was nearly unheard of.

Back to the highlight verse. Israel had a rather welcoming attitude toward people visiting their land and even joining their nation.

This stemmed from the fact that they were foreigners in a foreign land before coming to the promised land.

I can relate, at least a little.

My Dad’s family came from Spain to Mexico and then from Mexico to the US.

Being half Mexican, half white, I never felt fully a part of either culture. I can understand a little of how the Israelites felt when they settled the promised land.

God defends His people with a rule granting his people citizenship in their own nation.

He also defends the foreigner in the land by granting them some rights.

I believe we would do well to welcome the foreigner with God’s love and respect.

Mind you, I’m not trying to politicize the treatment of foreigners in the land. I think this principle allows for a wide range of immigration policy which I won’t comment on.

But I believe a precedent is set here about how we personally treat individuals and families.

Is it difficult for you to treat certain types of people with respect?
Can you relate to the foreigner in the land?
October 30, 2023

October 30th, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Matthew 17-18

Highlight Verse:

“Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Once again, Jesus turns His disciples’ notions on their heads.

They were looking for evaluation of their merits to see who the best was. Jesus threw their merit system out the window.

It makes sense too. Think about it. Jesus is the Son of God, one with the Father, the Creator. He came from a position of supreme greatness to that of a little baby in a poor Israeli family. He was familiar with humility.

Humility doesn’t come naturally, at least not to me.

I remember a science fair in high school. I ran into some people checking out some of the displays. I bragged about mine to them. I won second place. Later I found out from my teacher that I would have won first place if I had not bragged to the judges. Oops.

We compete, we excel, and we thrive on the accolades. It comes naturally.

But it seems that life works out better when we approach it with humility.

That’s greatness.

Jesus gave us the ultimate example of that.

So, the way we can be most like Jesus is to be humble.

Do you struggle with humility (like me)?
What ways have you found to remind yourself to act in humility?
October 29, 2023

October 29th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 134-136

Highlight Verse:

“Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭134‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV

I often listen to the Bible. YouVersion has an excellent narrator for the NLT. But when I listen to the Psalms that way, it’s easy to forget that these were songs.

When I read Psalm 134 from my old leather-bound Bible, a song immediately leapt into my mind.

A couple of days ago, I mentioned working at a Christian conference center. I went on to full time staff there for a couple of years and one of the groups that came back every year was Jews for Jesus.

Those guys could sing!

And dance!

Psalms were not a calm poetic reading to them. This Psalm was a vibrant, lively praise song! You could dance to it. It was fun and full of praise.

These Psalms were sung as the people of Israel travelled to Jerusalem for festivals. They weren’t just a way to remind people of the greatness and history of God. They were a celebration of all that God had done for them.

So, as you read these, think of the liveliest praise song you know and double the amount of joy and celebration from it, and you might come close to what the Israelites experienced with these.

Do you celebrate the greatness of God through music?
Have you ever experienced the joy of a Messianic Jewish celebration?
October 28, 2023

October 28th, 2023

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – 1 Timothy 6:1-10

Highlight Verse:

“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.”
‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Yes, it’s Saturday and here’s another Bible misquote to start us into today’s text. “Money is the root of all evil.”

Today’s misquote is just that – a misquote of verse 10 of today’s reading. Many have misused that verse to rail against capitalism.

In fact, it is the love of money that is a root of evil.

Way back when I was in college, I knew a guy who purposely made just enough money to pay taxes just so he could refuse to pay it to a government that was, back then, building a very strong military.

In a sense, though wasn’t greedy, he still let money take over his life.

I have had times when I didn’t know where my next meal was coming from and times when I had plenty. I’m somewhere in the middle now.

But I’m content.

I wouldn’t mind having more money or more of the things it can buy, but I refuse to be obsessed by stuff. ButI’m thankful for what I have.

Have you found your way to thankfulness instead of greed?
How did you get this far?
October 27, 2023

October 27th, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Lamentations 3

Highlight Verses:

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.”
‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In the summer of 1985, I ran sound for a large Christian conference center. The theme that summer was “God is Faithful.”

Twice a day, all summer long, we sang the hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness.

Some of you may be thinking, “how boring.”

I look back and think, “how strengthening!”

Hearing and singing that day after day for a full summer helped ingrain into my mind how faithful God really is.

It was then that I learned the origin of that hymn was from today’s Bible reading.

In the midst of a book of literal laments, blooms this little gem of faith.

No matter how bad the Israelites’ situation seemed, God was still faithful to them.

That helped me to realize that no matter how bad my situation may get, God is still faithful.

He stands by His promises. He provides what I need. He leads me on the best path. He carries me through the storms.

In my life, He always has!

In what ways has God proven faithful to you?
How has He carried you through life’s storms?
Can you trust that He will be faithful going forward?
October 26, 2023

October 26th, 2023

Thursday – Letters

Reading – 1 Thessalonians 3-5

Highlight Verses:

“Finally, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to stay alone in Athens, and we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our brother and God’s co-worker in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith,”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love how Paul and his associates care enough to follow up with the people whose lives their ministry has affected.

The Thessalonians were going through some pretty serious persecution.

Paul was concerned.

He turned that concern into action by sending his apprentice Timothy to check on them and encourage them.

How well do we do at follow up?

Speaking for myself, not very well.

I have a tough time remembering to contact the people I am supposed to be leading.

I let life get in the way and procrastinate far too much.

That’s not to say that I don’t follow up at all. But certainly not enough.

What people do you affect through your ministry, be it professional or informal?
Do you follow up and express care to those you affect for Christ?
October 25, 2023

October 25th, 2023

Wednesday – History

Reading – 2 Samuel 15-16

Highlight Verse:

“Absalom did this with everyone who came to the king for judgment, and so he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.”
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

And here’s a prime example of someone breaking almost all the commandments pertaining to loving your neighbor.

• Absalom certainly wasn’t honoring his father.
• He committed adultery with David’s concubines.
• He coveted what his father had so badly that…
• He deceived the people of Israel to turn against his father, ultimately…
• Stealing the throne from his father.

Which leads me to the question, how did no one see this coming?

Surely there had to be signs.

But then, how many times has life blind-sided me.

We hope for the best and are shocked when the worst happens.

I don’t want to be that person who trusts no one because of past hurt.

But I also want to have discernment to recognize problems as they approach.

I believe the answer lies in those two commandments Jesus highlighted – love God and love people.

If we do that, when the bad comes, there will be those who love us back and will help us through.

Ultimately, God will always help us through every hard time.

Have you ever been on the receiving end of a betrayal?
Did you see it coming?
How did you make it through?

It’s unthinkable!

we quench the flames

If you listen to all the predictions by “wise” people since I was born, the world would have ended at least a dozen times in my lifetime.

What I do know is that we should be ready.

But he was a man of many emotions.

David had deep compassion. That came out as deep sorrow in this case.

Sometimes it must in us as well.

That said, let’s look at the herd of elephants in the room.

I can relate, at least a little.

But I believe a precedent is set here about how we personally treat individuals and families.

Once again, Jesus turns His disciples’ notions on their heads.

Humility doesn’t come naturally, at least not to me.

But it seems that life works out better when we approach it with humility.

When I read Psalm 134 from my old leather-bound Bible, a song immediately leapt into my mind.

So, as you read these, think of the liveliest praise song you know and double the amount of joy and celebration from it, and you might come close to what the Israelites experienced with these.

In fact, it is the love of money that is a root of evil.

But I’m content.

I look back and think, “how strengthening!”

He stands by His promises. He provides what I need. He leads me on the best path. He carries me through the storms.

Paul was concerned.

How well do we do at follow up?

And here’s a prime example of someone breaking almost all the commandments pertaining to loving your neighbor.

Which leads me to the question, how did no one see this coming?

I believe the answer lies in those two commandments Jesus highlighted – love God and love people.