Walk in the Light

July 9, 2023

July 9th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 83-85

Highlight Verse:

“What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. Interlude”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭84‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There’s a reason I chose to read the poetry books on Sundays. So much good praise!

I’m blessed to go to a church that has a really good worship band that does an amazing job of bringing the congregation to the throne of God.

But that’s not the point of this verse.

When this Psalm was written, the faithful came to worship God at the Temple in Jerusalem. This Psalm celebrated those pilgrimages.

But today, God comes to us.

We are His temple.

Therefore we are those who can live in the house of the Lord, always singing His praises.

It’s good to gather with other believers to worship but we would do well to remember that we have the privilege of singing God’s praises every moment of every day.

You might ask, “Wouldn’t other people look at me funny if I did that all the time?”

Of course you shouldn’t ignore those around you just so you can sing constantly. But haven’t you met that person who is constantly whistling, or humming, or quietly singing as they go about their days. Sure, it might be annoying at times, but –

Don’t you want that kind of joy?

I assure you that, for those people, it started with a decision.

“I choose joy.”

It might not come naturally, but if you choose it constantly, it will come!

Do you want to be one of those people who are constantly singing praise?
Are you one of those people? If so, how did you get there?
July 8, 2023

July 8th, 2023

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Genesis 2:1-3

Highlight Verse:

“On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ve read this dozens of times and never noticed this.

It’s always been about the rest. God even called the day of rest “holy”.

But here’s what came before the rest…

He FINISHED the work of creation.

I’ll admit, I’m one to start projects and never complete them. The fact that I’ve finished 3 novels is nothing short of miraculous. Mind you, I have at least 5 others started but not completed.

I’m so close to completing the clean up of our back yard in preparation for a gathering next week.

Yet here I am resting.

Okay, tonight I can’t work out there since it’s raining, but you get the point.

We (or at least I) tend to put more emphasis on the resting than the completion.

What would happen if we rested AFTER we completed a project (of reasonable size).

That might be normal for workaholics, but it could be life-changing for procrastinators like me.

What’s your take on this completion concept?
Do you lean more toward overworking or procrastinating?
Where is the balance point?
July 7, 2023

July 7th, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 13-15

Highlight Verses:

“Then I said, “O Sovereign Lord, their prophets are telling them, ‘All is well—no war or famine will come. The Lord will surely send you peace.’” Then the Lord said, “These prophets are telling lies in my name. I did not send them or tell them to speak. I did not give them any messages. They prophesy of visions and revelations they have never seen or heard. They speak foolishness made up in their own lying hearts.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭14‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Why would the false prophets lie about everything going to be okay?

Perhaps it was the King and other leaders wanting to avoid despair.

Perhaps they listened to the people who wanted to believe that everything would be okay.

Perhaps Satan himself gave the false prophets the words to say.

How did Jeremiah know they were lying?

Because he knew what the voice of God sounded like.

He had spent much time listening to God. He was well aware of the false voices. He relayed only messages from the one and only true God.

How well do you know the voice of God?
Can you tell when someone is trying to imitate God’s voice?
July 6, 2023

July 6th, 2023

Thursday – letters

Reading – 2 Corinthians 5

Highlight Verse:

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Okay, let’s see a show of hands – of those who know me, how many thought I was going to highlight verse 13.

I thought so.

Yes, 2 Corinthians 5:13 is still my favorite verse but the one that caught my eye today was verse 17. (Besides, I covered v. 13 on April Fools Day).

Today’s highlight verse begs the question “Why would I wait till I die to come alive?” (as quoted from the Switchfoot song, Afterlife )

When I was growing up, faith was an insurance policy guaranteeing eternal life. I have long since come to realize that my

new life began the day I said yes to Jesus!

Every day I try to live it to the fullest doing what I can to bring positive change to those around me.

Some days are better than others but one thing rings true through it all. This ain’t some dead religion I’m living out.

I’m alive through the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Have you come alive yet?
Do you want that life?
July 5, 2023

July 5th, 2023

Wednesday – History

Reading – 1 Samuel 13-14

Highlight Verse:

“Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned for forty-two years.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This shouldn’t have surprised me. I’ve read this passage several times before.

How can such a foolish and corrupt king reign for so long?

Surely David was ready to reign before he did.

I believe that is where the key lies.

David, arguably the greatest King of Israel ever, proved his loyalty to God many times by refusing to harm Saul since Saul was anointed by God to be King.

If David had taken over earlier, perhaps he would not have developed into the great king that he was.

If someone else had taken over before David was of age, it likely would have been far worse for Israel.

Behind all of this history, God was at work setting things up to be the best possible situation for Israel.

Behind your history, God is setting things up for the best.

It’s often tempting to step out of our godly values and patience and make compromises to God’s direction for our lives.

The best – God’s very best for us – comes from following His values and His will for our lives to the best of our knowledge and ability.

Are there decisions or directions in your life in which you are compromising what you know are the best values in your life?
How would your life and the lives of those around you be different if you lived without compromising God’s values?
July 4, 2023

July 4th, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 44-45

Highlight Verse:

“Joseph could stand it no longer. There were many people in the room, and he said to his attendants, “Out, all of you!” So he was alone with his brothers when he told them who he was.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭45‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It takes a lot of work to live a lie.

As far as his brothers were concerned, Joseph the administrator of Egypt was living one whopper of a lie.

I’m not sure if it was because of spite, or fear, or just plain not wanting to deal with his brothers. The lie was eating him up. Finally, he had to confess to his brothers.

The relief was so great that he wept.

The results of the truth were undeniable. The nation of Israel, just a clan at the time, was saved from death by the actions and attitude of Joseph.

Is part of your life hiding behind a lie?
What would happen if you were completely honest?
July 3, 2023

July 3rd, 2023

Monday – Gospels

Reading – Mark 11-12

Highlight Verse:

“So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error.””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭12‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The people who had made the error were the Sadducees who didn’t believe in an afterlife.

Jesus used Scripture to prove that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been raised to eternal life. With that, He showed that we too would be raised to eternal life.

It should be noted that the language here made it clear that Jesus was speaking of physical resurrection.

While we won’t be here on this Earth and we will have different bodies from the imperfect ones we have now, it’s clear that

we will have bodies.

It won’t be an eternal life of floating around the ether in spiritual form. We will have physical form with senses and voices.

While there won’t be marriage in heaven, it is spoken of as a wedding feast so I’d say there’s a good chance there will be food.

There are more hints and descriptions of heaven that have been interpreted in a wide variety of ways.

I think we can rest assured that it will be paradise.

That’s the word Jesus himself used to describe it from the cross.

What are you looking forward to in heaven?
What do you think it is going to be like?
July 2, 2023

July 2nd, 2023
Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 80-82

Highlight Verse:

“Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭82‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In the Old Testament, judges and kings were given this charge. They were to protect the poor, the orphan, and the widow.

While it is certainly the job of judges today to do this, it is also true that God has given us a direct relationship with himself. We do not need to go through priests or judges or kings. We are His children, thus we are His royalty.

With that great privilege, the responsibility now falls to us to defend the poor and helpless.

How can we do that in today’s world?
- We can find or be parents to the orphaned.
- We can be sure that those widowed are not forgotten.
- We can help provide for the poor and needy by donating to and volunteering for organizations who help them.
- We can stand up for those being treated unfairly.
Do you have stories of when others have stood up for you?
How have you been able to bless those who need it?
Where can you be helping now?
July 1, 2023

July 1st, 2023

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading Matthew 22:15-22

Highlight Verse:

““Caesar’s,” they replied. “Well, then,” he said, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I just got back inside from hanging a light shining on the American flag on the front of our house. I wanted to be able to fly the flag for the entire 4 day weekend and proper flag etiquette requires any flag flown at night to be lit.

Our flag is lit.

The July 4th holiday is lit (often literally).

This is one way that I “give to Caesar.”

I enjoy celebrating the day that our forefathers took a stand for freedom from tyranny and liberty and equality.

Of course, they had a long way to go but they were heading in the right direction.

I have friends and relatives from all over the patriotic spectrum. I have dear brothers and sisters who have lived in other countries for many years and who have little pride for their native land and think primarily globally.

I have other friends and relatives who think the rest of the world outside the United States is inferior and should be ignored.

I think our hard earned freedom is something to be celebrated.

The effort to earn and maintain that freedom is to be applauded.

While democracy itself is not necessarily a Biblical value, I believe that freedom, justice, unity, and equality are. Democracy gives us our most direct pathway to fulfilling those values as a nation.

We can certainly celebrate Independence Day while being conscious of the fact that God so loved the whole world.

How do you celebrate July 4th while recognizing God’s love for all?
What are ways that you can promote God’s values over this holiday weekend?

Hint – our church does so by having a day of service to our community with organized acts of service for several groups.
June 30, 2023

June 30th, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Highlight Verse:

“When he speaks in the thunder, the heavens roar with rain. He causes the clouds to rise over the earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’ve always loved thunderstorms.

When I was a teenager in Virginia, we lived near the top of a hill. On Summer afternoons, I would sit on the porch and watch the lightning across the valley.

One afternoon when the storm got a little too fierce, I went inside and watched from a window. A lamp glowed beside me.

Until lightning struck the house.

The breaker tripped and the light bulb burned out.

Moments later, as I was still staring at the lamp, lightning struck again. It arced across the circuit breaker and across the blown lightbulb with a bluish glow.

Each time the boom was immediate and deafening.

I was thrilled by the display of God’s power.

Everyday there are an average 3 million lightning strikes around the globe.

I saw a few hundred of them on my drive home today.

And each one reminded me of the awesome power of God.

I know that you can explain lightning with physics and meteorology. But God created the physical laws that cause the lightning.

We also know that he can stop a storm with just a word.

So, as they say, “If that don’t light your fire, you got wet wood.” (You shouldn’t have left it out in that storm).

What most reminds you of God’s power?
Can you relate to Jeremiah in this verse?

We are His temple.

Don’t you want that kind of joy?

“I choose joy.”

I’ve read this dozens of times and never noticed this.

He FINISHED the work of creation.

What would happen if we rested AFTER we completed a project (of reasonable size).

Because he knew what the voice of God sounded like.

new life began the day I said yes to Jesus!

I’m alive through the grace of Jesus, the love of the Father, and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

How can such a foolish and corrupt king reign for so long?

Behind all of this history, God was at work setting things up to be the best possible situation for Israel.

The best – God’s very best for us – comes from following His values and His will for our lives to the best of our knowledge and ability.

It takes a lot of work to live a lie.

The relief was so great that he wept.

we will have bodies.

I think we can rest assured that it will be paradise.

With that great privilege, the responsibility now falls to us to defend the poor and helpless.

How can we do that in today’s world?

I enjoy celebrating the day that our forefathers took a stand for freedom from tyranny and liberty and equality.

I think our hard earned freedom is something to be celebrated.

We can certainly celebrate Independence Day while being conscious of the fact that God so loved the whole world.

I’ve always loved thunderstorms.

And each one reminded me of the awesome power of God.