Thursday, July 1st, 2010 You sent abundant rain, O God, to refresh the weary Promised Land. There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, you provided for your needy people. Ps 68:9-10 If you remember a couple of weeks ago it rained much more than usual for our part of the country, especially in early summer. In some parts of our city, it was stormy; trees up- rooted, houses struck by lightening and burned. In some parts of the city they got up to four inches of rain. At our house, however, it was enough to cause our plants and grass to grow without watering. In fact, Sharon and I had to cut back the growth of some of the plants because they were overtaking the grass in the yard. God is so good to cause what He has given us to flourish in the midst of a usually dry place and during a typically dry season of the year. The children of I think this is a figurative example for our lives as well. God has made promises to each of us. If you have not yet discovered His promise to you, you will, I’m confident of that. But when you do, you will still need the rain of the Holy Spirit to prepare the way for you to reach His promises to you. And even though there will be a tendency to hurry to reach that place of promise, like the Children of Israel, your journey may take a while. Right now you may have found yourself in a dry season of your life and of His promises. Do not despair. The rain is on the way and with it comes growth. Or, if you have found yourself lately in a place of needing to remember the promise of the last part of verse ten. It has been given to ALL of His people: “O God, you provided, and still provide, for your needy people.” No matter what you need, follow His lead, expect the abundant rain from the Holy Spirit and get ready for the promise. They’re on the way. Lord God, thank you for your great and precious promises to each of us. Send the rain of your Holy Spirit so that we might see the fruit of them today. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ACTS 21:1-16 PSALM 149:1-9 The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matt 13:44 Have you ever gone shopping and found something on the rack that you thought you really wanted, and so you hid it until you could decide? Or maybe you didn’t have enough money at the time, and so you hid it among other clothes or the wrong sizes, until you could go home and get more funds? I don’t know about you, but I have done this many times. This is not that strange. In fact this is the principle for the story that Jesus is telling here to help them understand the value of the I know people who shop garage sales, flea markets, and estate sales hoping to find that unknown treasure that will bring them wealth. They are looking to find that thing of value, someone does not know they have, and turn it into wealth for themselves. Jesus said that the Jesus said in Luke 17:21, “The Today, open up the trunk of your heart and discover again the treasures that have been hidden away. The May your Kingdom come and may Your will be done in us today, as it is done in Heaven. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ACTS 21:17-36 PSALM 150:1-6 WEEKEND SCRIPTURE ACTS 21:37 – 22:16 PSALM 1:1-6 ACTS 22:17 – 23:10 PSALM 2:1-12 Monday, July 5th, 2010 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Ps 5:12 (NIV) Ever since I was young I have enjoyed science fiction. I really enjoy the old television series Star Trek. I guess in some ways you might even say I’m a Trekker. Every time the Federation Star Ship would encounter the Klingons from some other entity, trying to destroy the galaxy the This scripture tells us that God has created for us a kind of “force field.” But unlike the When we put on the righteousness of Christ it becomes a “force field” that causes the fiery darts of the enemy to not be able to penetrate our soul and destroy us. It keeps the enemy from affecting God’s purpose and plan for our lives. We may hear exploding threats around about but they don’t reach us. It is an invisible shield that protects us from all the enemy would try to do to destroy what He, the Lord, has purposed for us to accomplish. Hey! Before there even was a Star Trek and a supernatural protective barrier, King David wrote about our “force field” and so did the Apostle Paul. Like the scripture above, Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 to put on this armor everyday. Two of the supernatural pieces of armor are described in verses fourteen through sixteen and they are the “breast plate of righteousness” and the “shield of faith.” These are supernatural protection for us everyday. So put on these protections today. He wants to surround you with His favor. He wants to bless and protect you. And if things get too bad, don’t worry, He’ll just beam you up. Lord, we ask for your supernatural protection today. Surround us with your righteousness like a breastplate. Protect us by your power like an invisible shield and use us for Your Kingdom purpose today. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ACTS 23:11-35 PSALM 3:1-8 Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. Ps 16:1 (NIV) When I was young and something scared me I always felt safe if I could just hide in my parent’s room. It seemed to be the safest place on earth. When a storm came or when something else made me afraid it was always the place I ran for comfort and security. Whether my parents were there are not really didn’t matter, if in my fear I could just get home and hide in their room I knew I was safe. Today, I have exchanged their room for the Arms of Jesus. He is my hiding place. He is my high tower away from the enemy below. He is my refuge in the midst of the storm. He has become for me all that my parent’s room was because you see; I still get afraid and I still need a place to hide. How about you, do you need a hiding place? May I recommend to you today the Arms of Jesus? There is a song I used to sing that the words of the chorus went something like this; “So let the storm clouds rage, the dark clouds rise, they don’t bother me, for I’m safe within the Arms of God. He walks with me and nothing on earth shall harm me, for I’m sheltered in the Arms of God.” I guess that kind of sums it up. You may feel like running away and hiding someplace right now. Maybe you are going through something today and you just wish you could hide and not see or be seen. Why not try the Arms of Jesus. Go ahead, I recommended it. I’ve hidden a lot of times and it’s the best place I’ve ever found. Lord, some of us need to hide in the shelter of your wings today. Cover us and keep us from the storms of life and fear of this world. We just need to hide out in Your arms for a while until the storm passes by. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ACTS 24:1 – 27 PSALM 4:1-8 Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Ps 32:1 Several years ago, while living in After just a few months of our paying on the bill, he sent us a note saying that the rest of the debt to him had been counseled. When I contacted him, he said it was because of the influence I can’t tell you how happy I was. Not only did we have a new central air conditioning system in our home, but also it was paid for in full. We had both the joy of a cool home and the joy of no debt; and that was really cool. He canceled a debt that would have taken me years to pay off. Jesus has forgiven a debt that would have taken more than a lifetime to pay off and the truth is we really never could repay that debt. It is a debt far beyond our ability to repay, repayment was never considered. Today, if you have chosen to call on Jesus to take care of your sin problem your hell has been cancelled and there is no debt on your part to repay. So go ahead, be cool. For you, Hell’s fires have been put out and you have a new life, debt free in Christ. Man is that cool or what! Lord, thanks for paying the debt we couldn’t and then not asking anything more of us except tell others about what kind of a Savior you are. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ACTS 25:1-27 PSALM 5:1-12 Thursday, July 8th, 2010 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Ps 34:7 (NIV) I have heard it told of old that many who camped in the wilds would keep a guard up at night to protect the camp. It was important for someone to stay up and protect those who slept from wild animals and to worn them of their enemies as well. We have an enemy who is like a wild animal and wants to destroy us. He just waits to catch us sleeping. This is told to us in scripture I Peter 5:8. So how do we protect ourselves when we need to rest? We don’t. The angel of the Lord encamps around us, and we are protected by Him. We can’t put up enough guards to protect us from the enemy unless the Lord protects us. We all need rest and it is such a relief to know that even if we camp right next to the enemy’s lines, we are still protected by the angel of the Lord. You may feel today that you are right next to enemy lines. Well even if you are, you are still protected. Not by what you do but by the angel of the Lord. So go ahead rest. No matter how bad the situation may seem around you, the Lord has a rest for you and it is today. The Bible says He gives His beloved rest and that His angels are encamped around you. So go ahead rest in the Lord. Remember the words to that popular song a few years ago; “He’s got His angels watching over you.” Lord, keep watch over us today. We need a day of rest from our battles and we need your protection and your angels to encamp around us. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ACTS 26:1 – 32 PSALM 6:1-10 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom. Ps 51:6 (NKJ) What do you think about when you are all alone? How do you act when no one is around that you’re worried about pleasing? How do you act if someone is around you are afraid you will displease? In the secret places of your thoughts, what is in your thinking? Are these questions too many and too hard to answer? They all have to do with the scripture for you today. God is always looking at our hearts more than our actions. Notice I didn’t say ‘instead of’ but ‘more than’. Let me be clear. Our actions are important, but sometimes they can cover what is really in our heart. This was the glaring difference between Saul and David in the Old Testament. David was a man after God’s heart and God knew it. Saul was a person after man’s approval and God’s okay, and God knew that as well. David in this Psalm wrote of what he knew. God desires truth from down deep inside of us. When God, who is Spirit, searches our spirit, He wants to find a love for Him hidden in our hearts. The promise then, is that He will, “make me to know wisdom,” when that hidden part is tuned into Him. So, today answer these questions honestly to yourself. I won’t know what your answer is, but He will. Remember, we might lie to yourself and others---but we can’t lie to God. He knows our hearts. Search our hearts today Oh God and show us if we need to change. We want to fall in love with you more and more each day. We desire wisdom and know it only comes from You, so help us to be truthful within so we can become wise without. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ACTS 27:1 – 20 PSALM 7:1-17 WEEKEND SCRIPTURE ACTS 27:21-44 PSALM 8:1-9 ACTS 28:1-31 PSALM 9:1-12 Monday, July 12th, 2010 Now the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. II Cor. 3:17 (NIV) It is getting close to that time of the year when high school football begins. In just a matter of a few weeks, the cheerleaders will begin cheerleading practice, the bands will begin band practice, and drill teams and flag teams will begin practice, as well. All of these will be getting ready to use whatever means within their area of talents to encourage their teams to victory. The bands will be blasting out their fight songs, the cheerleaders will try to get everyone to yell for their team. The flag team and drill team will lead the way for their team onto the field and to get the fans excited about the possible victory in that night’s game. When you get in this arena, there is freedom and liberty to be as loud and as excited as you want. Hey! This is High School football. What about the victory that has already been won for us? The last chapter in the Word of God says----we win. Satan, our enemy on this playing field of life, is defeated. Seems to me that this is something we should get excited about. Seems to me that this is something we might want to shout about. Seems to me that this might be something worth dancing about. Seems to me that this might be something worth playing and singing about. Seems to me that this is the game and the arena I want to be in. How about you? “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom,” so let His Spirit fill you with freedom today. You don’t have to dance, but you may want to. You don’t have to shout, but you may need to. You don’t have to sing, but you ought to. Remember, just like at a football game, it’s not the quality that gets the response. It’s the intensity level. So, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord.” (Psalms 98:4) Let the freedom of your Spirit be in us today; free us to what is really important. May the same excitement over earthly things bring us excitement in You, because you are our God and our Redeemer. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ROMANS 1:1-17 PSALM 9:13-20 Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Matt 13:3-4 (NIV) When my dad was pastor in There was this path that went from the gate to the shed where he would walk out in the pasture to feed the orphan calves. He would use a large bucket of milk with which to feed them. He would prepare the milk like it was a large baby bottle, because they were still too young to know how to graze on the grass. When he would start down the path, the calves would nudge him as he walked, knowing that they would soon be feed. Later when they were old enough to graze on their own, they never grazed the path, because nothing grew there. Even though the same seed fell there, the path was too hard for growth to nurture their needs. As they got older they had two choices, either continue to watch the path for my dad to come with milk or go to the area of the pasture where the seed had taken root and grown grass. This is like your life and mine. We can either sit around waiting for someone else to feed us the “milk of the Word” or as mature believers we will find the pastures of His Word to feed our hungry souls. Even in Psalms 23 it talks of Him leading us to “green pastures.” These “green pastures” imply a place where our needs are being meet. So, today do you still live like an orphan or a mature growing believer? Right now is the time for you to begin seeking the pastures of God’s Word to nurture your life. Don’t wait for TBN, some tape, or even messages at our church to feed you. If you’re watching the path to find the “milk of the Word” from the Lord, you may be looking for a bucket that will never come. And it is certain that on that worn path, nothing is going to grow. However, there is a “green pasture” for you and it will nourish your soul today. It is the pasture of His Word. As I feed on Your Word today, nurture my soul and give me knowledge where to seek Your “green pastures.” Help me not look to others but to You to feed my hungry heart. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ROMANS 1:18-32 PSALM 10:1-15 Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Gal. 6:9 (The Message) Have you ever felt like giving up on doing good? It seems that sometimes it’s like the old saying, “Good guys finish last.” And in our society that may well seem to be the truth. I know that in one of the Survivors series, the public ridiculed Colby for keeping his word and not making every effort to win the money. Instead, He was a nice guy and he didn’t win! It seems sometimes like the old saying is really true, but it really isn’t. For all of us who are believers and even for those who follow this principle, doing good always returns to you even if it is sometimes slow in getting there. Nothing that is planted grows fast. And some things that are planted take longer than others. This is the way of goodness. We must realize that what we do in the kindness of the nature of Christ will return to us because it is promised in His Word. It may seem long but it will return a harvest So don’t be ruled today by that old saying “Good guys finish last,” let the truth of God’s Word rule. Be kind and do good in every area of your life. At just the right time, when you expect the least, you will receive the reward for your goodness. And how sweet is the fruit of that reward! Help us to do good and never listen to the world’s attitude toward kindness. Help us never become fatigued with Your goodness being worked out in our lives as we wait for Your reward. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ROMANS 2:1-24 PSALM 10:16-18 Thursday, July 15th, 2010 Pray for the peace of Today’s devotional is more of a command to you from the Lord than just an encouragement from scripture. We hear much on the news about the problems in the Here we have two groups fighting over the same city and the same mount for their worship, the temple mount. All of this fighting began because Abraham tried to fulfill God’s promise through the wrong woman. God told him that Sarah would bare him a son, but he went behind the will of God. He chose to hurry God up by having a child with Hagar, the Egyptian maidservant of Sarah. Thus, from Abraham and Hagar we have the descendants of Ishmael, who are the Arabs, and from Abraham and Sarah, a son Isaac and all the Israelis. And because we have two descendents from the same man, they argue over who has the rights to Abraham’s inheritance. For us our command is simple, pray for the peace of So, as part of your prayer today, pray for the peace of Lord, today we pray for the peace of TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ROMANS 2:25 – 3:8 PSALM 11:1-7 Friday, July 16th, 2010 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Luke 5:11 (NIV) A small boy, after seeing the need of the hungry people on television, pulled out a dollar from his pocket and asked his mom, “How many will this feed.” The mother smiling explained that it wouldn’t feed many but it would surely help. The young boy thought for a minute, reached back into his pocket and pulled out his last two dollars and said, “What if I give it all?” His mother said, “Then that could change the world.” I think that maybe one day in heaven when God was discussing what it would take to redeem mankind, Jesus may have said the same thing. “What if I give it all?” I think in the hurry of our lives we some times forget the cost of our sins and the price He paid. But the greater question for us today is what will we give to the Lord. You can look all through the New Testament and you will never find where Jesus ever asked for anything less than ALL. We can try to make a deal with Him and ask Him into our lives but He wants to not “be in” in our lives but He wants “all of” our lives. Nothing less than ALL will do. It seems that the disciples understood this. They “left everything and followed Him.” How about us? What if you and I give it all to Him today, what would happen? What would happen? Well, maybe we should ask the disciples. You know it’s kind of like my dad would say about the word ALL. “ALL means ALL and that’s ALL, ALL means.” And you know what, that’s ALL I’ve got to say about ALL. Today we pray the words to that old hymn of the faith. I surrender all, I surrender all, all to thee my blessed Savior. I surrender all. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ROMANS 3:9-31 PSALM 12:1-8 WEEKEND SCRIPTURE ROMANS 4:1-12 PSALM 13:1-6 ROMANS 4:13 – 5:5 PSALM 14:1-7 Monday, July 26th, 2010 “Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. 2 There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” John 14:1-3 I have never been much of an Eschatologist (a person who studies and is knowledgeable on end time’s prophecy). I was never sure where I stood on the return of Christ to redeem His church; some use the term “rapture” but that term is not found in scripture. There are three views: “Pre,” before the seven years of tribulation; “Mid,” between the three and one half years of somewhat good before the turmoil of the last three and one half years and “Post,” at the end of the seven years of tribulation. My dad always said he was a “Pan” because he was on the preparation team, to get people prepared and not on the planning team. He said, “It will all pan out.” I have held that view most of my ministry until now. I think things are beginning to pan out. But after reading scripture, reading Dr. David Jeremiah’s book, “What in the World is Going On” and studying the allegories that Jesus used concerning His return for His Bride the church I now consider myself a “Pre” tribulation believer. Jesus uses the example to His disciples of a bride-groom going to prepare a place for him and his bride. In our case, Jesus says we are His bride (Rev. 19:7) and He is the Bride-groom. Taking this further, after a marriage had been arranged, a bride-groom stole his bride away in the middle of the night (Mathew 24:43-44). He would then take her to the place he had prepared for them at his father’s house and they were together for one week, seven days. After this week then there was a wedding ceremony at the place where she had lived previously. Get the picture? I believe that Jesus will come to rescue His bride, “the church” before the beginning of tribulation. We will spend seven years with Him in protection from the turmoil of the earth in a “honey moon bliss” if you will and then we will return with Him to defeat Satan and for the wedding of the Lamb with His church (Rev. 19:6-9). Now we can see why Jesus says, “Comfort each other with these words. John wrote in Revelations 19:9 Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” He has been preparing a place of each of us ever since we chose His great salvation. It is time for us to prepare, and I believe He is coming soon to get His bride. Lord, we pray even like John in Revelations 22:20, “Come Lord Jesus.” TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ROMANS 9:22 -10:13 PSALM 20:1-9 Tuesday, July 27th, 2010 Praise the LORD, I tell myself, and never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagles! Ps 103:2-5 I was reading in another part of scripture about the Lord as the one who heals us and it came to me that this is where we often put our trust in the wrong place. I mean, I go to the doctor every three months for my regular check-up and blood work for my type 2 diabetes. He looks at the results and says, “This seems to be working, let’s stick with it.” Or he says, “This is not working let’s try something else.” Even with his education, training and knowledge and doctoral degree, he still has to try different things to see what works. This is why they call it a “practice.” Don’t get me wrong, my doctor is a great one and an even greater man of God. We discuss prayer needs and talk of the work of God in our everyday life but I do not count him as my healer. He’s just my doctor and my friend. This past week my daughter-in-law asked me to call and pray for her older sister; she was on her way to get the results of some very serious tests: As I did so I reminder her of the passage of scripture for today’s devotional. I have decided not to quit taking my medications or going to see my doctor on a regular basis but as I continue to do this, I will put my trust and my confidence in truth of healing and not the practice. And that truth is this: Ex 15:26 “I am the LORD who heals you.” Ps 147:3 “The Lord heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.” 1 Peter 2:24-25 “Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds we have been healed.” Do you need healing today? Claim one or all of these scriptures. If God is true in anything, He is true in everything. Lord, we declare today that you need no practice because you are our Healer. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ROMANS 10:14 – 11:12 PSALM 21:1-13 Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Eph 4:16 (NIV) Sometime back one of our church members had surgery on his knee. He had an accident on the job that had caused some damage to the knee. This was not the first time this knee had been injured or had surgery. In fact, when the doctor came in just before the surgery the patient asked would he use the same incisions. The doctor answered he didn’t know, he might. It is tragic when we become injured and need surgery, but it is even more tragic to be injured and not be able to have the surgery. It is even more tragic to need the surgery and to not know it or deny the need---and go on with life until you do irreparable damage. This is kind of what Paul is talking about here. We are all part of the Body of Christ. He is the head. When we do not love the Body of Christ like we love our own physical body, then we cause injury that requires at least attention, if not surgery, to repair. And when we allow that “injury” to go untreated, it can cause irreparable damage and thus hurt the body’s effectiveness in the world. I don’t know about you, but for me being ineffective is one of my greatest fears. Jesus said that we are like salt, and that when it is no longer salty, it is no good for anything except to be stepped on. If I understand the context of what He was saying, I think He is talking about being effective, “the salt of the earth.” So, if you have been injured, or, if you think you have injured some other part of the Body, care about the Body of Christ in the same way you would your own physical body---and get it taken care of. When we allow part of the Body of Christ to remain injured, then we just help the devil’s cause. Because if he can keep us injured, he can make us ineffective, and, if he can keep us ineffective, then he can halt the work of the Kingdom in us and if…well you get the picture. Some oil of the Holy Spirit, some Spiritual therapy, some surgery by the Great Physician, whatever it needs, get it done today before it is too late. Reveal to us today anyone in the Body of Christ who is hurting and let us be healing and repair for them. We are one body; give us one set of nerves to feel because when one hurts, we all hurt. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ROMANS 11:13-36 PSALM 22:1-18 Thursday, July 29th, 2010 “He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:8 (NIV) Several years back before Randy and Kelli came to CMC to take the pastoral lead, he and the family had come here for vacation. Randy and I took Austyn and Dylan canoeing down the I thought back that in just the four years that I have been living in this area; I know they have withstood two large floods. And for the trees to be as large as they are there is no telling how many floods they have withstood before those. At the time we were there, the river was low and many of the roots were exposed, but the trees continued to have leaves that bore a shade for the banks and even over the river itself. This scripture dawned on me as I saw those trees. It dawned on me that in our lives there are storms and floods, wind and drought, times of great ease and times of great pressure. But in all of these, like the trees along the Guadalupe, we are to continue to bear fruit for the Lord. We are to continue to be a shade for others, from the heat of Satan and the world. But we can only do this when our roots go deep into the banks of His “river of love.” Revelations 22:1 tells us that there is a river that flows from the throne of God. For us today this is a supernatural river that we are to be like those trees along the Guadalupe, and be planted by its banks. When we plant our lives next to what God is doing, rain or drought, wind or flood, we will be secure, and we will supply both fruit and shade. And like those Oaks, we will be what God has created us to be. Whether you are going through a good season or a dry one, a rush in your life like a flood or the streams of life are gentle, He has planted you with one thing in mind; that you bear fruit and that you be a shade to those caught in the heat of this world. Father God, plant us so deep in the banks of Your River that we can withstand anything life throws at us. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ROMANS 12:1-21 PSALM 22:19-31 Friday, July 30th, 2010 He whose walk is blameless is kept safe, but he whose ways are perverse will suddenly fall. Prov 28:18 When I was a teen and living in the small country community of If something had happened, it would have been impossible to blame it on anything except our stupidity and daring. God, however, seemed to watch over our silly antics and protected us from harm and possibly death. This is much like our scripture for today. When we are careful to live and walk a blameless life, our paths are protected. It’s like the difference between driving with our lights on and be able to see where we are going or with our lights off and having no idea. When we head into our day without the Lord’s direction, most of our decisions are for sure selfish and maybe even perverse with only our own interests at heart. When this is the case, we can expect a sudden fall, or maybe even a crash. Choose today to walk blamelessly, with the light of His leadership directing your paths. You will find it a much safer place to be and you’ll avoid that fall or even that crash. You know, walking in the light of the Lord is just a safe place to be. Lord, help us to be blameless before you today. Help us not to live our lives like people driving in the night with the lights off. But help us to walk in your light and to let you direct our paths. Keep us safe even from ourselves. TODAY’S SCRIPTURE ROMANS 13:1-14 PSALM 23:1-6 WEEKEND SCRIPTURE ROMANS 14:1-23 PSALM 24:1-10 ROMANS 15:1-22 PSALM 25:1-15