Have you ever been out in the dark late at night with a group, and someone leading the group has a flashlight. As you walk down a trail, or down the beach, all you can really see is the flashlight and what it shines on. The flashlight makes everything else appear darker and almost invisible.

Jesus says in Matthew 6:22, “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.”

Bible commentaries have a number of interpretations of this verse, but I think one of the messages is, like a flashlight in the dark, where we look with our eyes will determine the direction for our thoughts and actions.

If we are looking at improper things, we are setting ourselves up to act improperly, and if we keep our focus on what is moral and proper, we are leading ourselves toward living moral and proper lives.

Dear Lord, You have provided us with many lessons for our lives in the Bible. Help us read and understand with the intent of implementing your wisdom. Help us keep our eyes set on what is good, right and proper, so that our actions will follow. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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One of the challenges I have, and you may have too, is thinking, though incorrectly, that it is my job to “convert” people into believers.

Fortunately, our job is not to “convert,” people, it is sharing the Word, the Good News of Salvation that comes to those who believe, and leaving the Holy spirit to work in their hearts.

Paul tells us in Romans 10:17, “So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” and in Ephesians 2:8 he says, “by grace we are saved through faith,” and in 1 Corinthians 12:3, “…and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.”

We share the word. The Holy Spirit does the “converting.”

Dear Lord, Help us remember that you are the Savior, we are the witnesses. Give us the strength and wisdom to share your word so the Holy Spirit can bring your saving grace to those who hear. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Have you ever thought you knew someone, and found out later that you were completely wrong? Maybe it was someone who had a very hard and contentious personality, but they turn out to be very caring and considerate, or as a Manager or business owner, you thought a prospective employee was friendly and hardworking, and they didn’t turn out to be the way you expected.

We don’t have the ability to read what truly makes up the character of people without spending time engaging with them, and even with time we may not truly know them. God, however, knows what is inside all of us.

In the Old Testament, God tells Samuel, a prophet, to go to Bethlehem to find one of Jesse’s sons who will be the next King of Israel. Jesse had eight sons, the youngest and least impressive from outward appearance was David.

God told Samuel after Samuel assumed the most impressive looking son, Eliab, would be God’s chosen, in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Dear Lord, You see deep inside all people and know them better than they know themselves. Give us your wisdom to see others the way you do, and not make our judgments solely on appearance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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I imagine most of us have attempted to tune in a radio station on an AM or FM radio. When the radio tuner is not on the station, all we hear is static, but as we tune to the right frequency, the static fades and information from the station becomes clear.

I think this is somewhat like what Paul is describing in 1 Corinthians 2:11-12, “No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.”

As believers, we have the Holy Spirit in us, allowing us to “tune in” to God’s wisdom. In verse 16 Paul says, “But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.” The more we search out God’s wisdom by reading, studying, and meditating on God’s word in the Bible, the more wisdom we can receive, and the more we will understand.

Dear Lord, we thank you for your Spirit, living in us, so that we may begin to understand your will and have confidence in your grace and salvation for us. Help us all share your Good News so others may also accept and receive your Spirit and Salvation. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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Luke 13:10-13 “On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.!”

This was one of the texts during church yesterday, and it made me wonder, “How we determine if physical problem is caused by an evil spirit or is an illness is with a different cause?.” After studying in attempts to learn the answer this question, I thought, “Does it matter, the cause of the ailment?” what matters is that God is the cure.

When we or others face ailments, our hope should be in God for relief, cure or restoration. There is nothing, including death, that is beyond his power.

Dear Lord, You have power over all. No sickness, malady, or demon is beyond your control. Help us remember to put our faith and hope in your saving and restoring power. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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