Walk in the Light

December 12                                                                                             

Scripture Reading
Read Isaiah 2:1-5 and reflect on the passage.

“He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths…let us walk in the light of the Lord.” As I read this passage from Isaiah, I am humbled and filled with hope. We will never, no matter how much we pray and study, truly know the Lord’s ways and paths—not until we are fully restored in heaven. We talk about walking in the light of the Lord here on Earth—following and imitating Jesus as best we can.

But I dream of heaven, where I will actually walk in the real, present, tangible light of Jesus. On earth, we have light inside us given by Jesus, but in heaven, as we walk upon the mountain of the Lord, further up and further in, we will walk not only with light inside us, but with the light of Jesus all around us. This is God’s beautiful promise that I rejoice in. This is hope when I feel burdened by the darkness in the world—that, just like Isaiah says, someday God will settle all disputes and everyone will put down their weapons. All nations will stream together and walk in the light of the Lord.

Questions
1. Until we walk in heaven's light, how can we better carry and demonstrate the light of Jesus inside us?
2. How can we better give thanks and praise to God for the light that He gives us and the paths He guides us along?

Prayer
Jesus, thank you for the light I carry in me today, and that someday I will walk in it upon the mountain of my Father.

                                                                                                                            Kelsey Payne

Lead – Follow – Or Get Out of the Way!

Nehemiah 1: 11-18

It is comforting and inspiring when a strong, confident leader takes hold of a situation and stands firm regarding what needs to be done. Many of our country’s great leaders and doers were those who could instill this type of feeling in us. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” J.F.K. “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Ronald Reagan. “I have a dream!” Martin Luther King. Thank God for strong, insightful managers of this nation!

Nehemiah was this type of man. He was not bold or crass, but a sincere man of God on a mission, with the breath of the Lord at his back, filling his sails to continually remind him of his great mission.

Nehemiah demonstrated patience, wisdom and caution, yet was passionate. He may not have felt like a leader before the Lord put this burning on his heart to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, but as he listened and obeyed, his charge became clear and the leader in him evolved into something unstoppable.

Leaders are not just dreamers, though it may start out that way. They may initially be followers or even just bystanders, until in the quiet and stillness they hear the voice of God. We can all be leaders in some way, as we think, plan and work toward taking action on what is placed on our heart to accomplish for the glory of God.

As God invites us to accomplish great things for Him, He challenges us not to go it alone. If we are in the lead, we are to take others along with us and light the way. If we are following, we are side by side with other followers doing the will of the Lord, perhaps leading within the group. And if we are standing out of the way, we should be holding out our hand, ready to be pulled in, and get to work!.

Nehemiah 2: 1-18 

Pharaoh Dreams, Joseph Raised - Genesis 41

Pharaoh, deeply troubled by dreams, needs someone to interpret them. Hearing of Joseph’s wisdom, he sends for him. Joseph reveals to Pharaoh the coming of seven years of plenty and seven years of famine throughout the land of Egypt.

Joseph repeatedly testifies about God. "God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires…God has revealed…God has shown…the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon."

God is always happy to work through someone whose only concern is to reveal Him. Joseph leaves no doubt, when everything happens as he states, it is by God’s power.

Pharaoh recognizes the spirit of God within Joseph. He says to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Joseph suddenly goes from the dungeon to entering the service of the king!

Seven years of famine happen after the seven years of abundance.

Joseph accepts his responsibilities as his mission from God. Because of Joseph’s faith and hard work there is enough food stored to save lives in Egypt and many nations.

Joseph can enjoy great wealth and power. He can have revenge against his brothers and Potiphar’s wife. But, with God’s help, he chooses to forget all his troubles.

Joseph is blessed with two sons. He acknowledges and praises God for his blessings.

As I think about Joseph, I am reminded of the importance of maintaining a relationship with God. Prayer and storing up His Words in my heart everyday is essential as He wants to bless me and use me to bless others.

We enjoy receiving your comments. To email your comments, click here.

To read today's text, Genesis 41, click here.

Joseph, Family Alienation - Genesis 37

Joseph, the son of Jacob, and great-grandson of Abraham finds himself in tense conflict with his brothers.

He gives a bad report about his half-brothers to their father. Does Joseph see danger in his future and hope his father will intervene. Why isn’t he in the fields with his brothers on another occasion? Is Joseph a tattle tale and privileged to stay out of the fields? We are not told.

Joseph, is the son of Rachel, the wife that Jacob always loved. He receives a richly ornamented robe from his father. It is an outward sign of Jacob’s great love for Joseph.

Scripture captures the story, “When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.”

Joseph foolishly shares his dreams with his father and older half brothers. Seeing his future superior to his parents and brothers gets him into a lot of trouble. His favored life is altered forever.

Joseph is sold into slavery in Egypt.

If parents favor one child over another as Jacob did, children very quickly notice it. This causes jealousies, quarrels, and hatred in families. Acting on these feelings can end up with disastrous results. What a difference it makes, in the life of a child, who grows up knowing they are loved and are a very special creation of God!

If you would like to email your comments to us, click here.

Genesis 28 - Jacob's Dream

Sometimes I am awakened by a dream so real it is hard to believe it’s a dream. The dream may contain an answer to prayer, or an insight into something I am writing about or experiencing. In today’s text Jacob was awakened by a powerful dream. It gets his attention and changes his life.

Alone in the desert, Jacob is filled with anxiety and fear. He has a lot of sleepless nights. There is time to think about his behavior. An intense dream awakens him during the night. He considers God’s presence in his life and His promise to take care of him.

"When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven." Genesis 28:16-17

I can feel Jacob's rebellion and disobedience melt into worship and thanksgiving. He takes on a feeling of peace and confidence realizing he can trust God. God prepares Jacob for greatness and fulfills his purposes despite Jacob’s weakness and sin.

Jacob’s life reveals God’s willingness to use very human people despite all their human flaws to do His work. What might God be up to in your life?

We enjoy receiving your comments, click on Comment below.

If you prefer emailing your comments directly to us, click here.

To read today's text, Genesis 28, on Biblegateway, click here.