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Read: Psalm 119:97-105

After the church service was over, Cooper helped his mother straighten up the nursery. It was raining hard, so when they were almost finished Mom went to get the car while Cooper put the rest of the toys away. Just as he was about to leave, a crash of thunder shook the building and all the lights went out. “Oh, great!” Cooper said, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the blackness. They didn’t. The room was deep in the building and had no windows. I’ll just have to be careful, he thought.

Cooper walked cautiously toward the door. His knee bumped into something. He reached down and felt a table the toddlers used. He stepped to the right. “Ow!” he exclaimed as his head caught the corner of a shelf. It rattled, and books fell to the floor. This isn’t like when the power goes off at home, he thought. There you know where things are. Feeling his way along the wall, he walked straight into a box of building blocks. The box turned over and the blocks tumbled out as Cooper fell to his knees. This is ridiculous, he thought. He found the wall again and moved slowly to the door. Where is Mom, anyway? I need a light!

Just then a phone light flickered at the end of the hall, and he heard his mom’s voice. “Hang on, Cooper,” she called. “I’m coming.”

As they headed home, Cooper told his mother about the verse his class had learned that day. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” he recited. “But the Bible certainly didn’t give me any light in that dark nursery room!”

Mom laughed. “You know that verse isn’t talking about the kind of light that comes from the sun or from lamps, right? It’s talking about light the Bible shines on our lives by showing us our sin and what Jesus has done to save us. It also gives us wisdom and direction as we trust and follow Him. Does that make sense?”

Cooper nodded. “That’s pretty much what my teacher said too.”

“Stumbling through the building in the dark was bad enough,” said Mom. “I’m glad God gave us the Bible so we wouldn’t have to stumble through life without His light!”

–Debra W. Smith

How about you? Are you stumbling through life without the light God gives through His Word, the Bible? It tells us who God is and how we’ve been separated from Him because of our sin, and how Jesus died to save us so we could have eternal life. It also offers us wisdom and encouragement as we trust in Jesus and show His love to others. Shine light on your life by reading God’s Word!

Today's Key Verse: Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: The Bible gives light

Whether it’s in the Garden of Eden, Egypt, the wilderness, or a mountainside near the Sea of Galilee, God knows how to provide for His people. Let’s learn about the tables and meals in Scripture.

Receive 

How lovely that the story of God happens around tables. From the farm-to-table picnic of lavish eating in the Garden of Eden, to the “fast food,” rushed meal during the first Passover, to God’s provision in the wilderness of heavenly food, on into the New Testament servings of a simple lunch to feed thousands, God delights in providing for His people. May we relish in knowing that God longs to fellowship with His people, including us, and a wonderful way He chooses to do so is to set a table for us. 

Reflect 

• Read the verses connected with this episode below. As you reflect on the Scripture, what stands out to you? 
• Genesis 1–3 
• Exodus 12:1–20 
• Exodus 16 
• Psalm 23:5  
• Matthew 14:13–21 
• Mark 6:30–44 
• Luke 9:13–17 
• John 6:1–13 
• How does Genesis 1:29–30 show God’s generosity toward Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden? 
• How does the Passover lamb mentioned in Exodus 12:12–13 point to the coming of Jesus, the Lamb of God? 
• What does Exodus 16:13-20 teach us about God’s willingness and ability to provide for His people even in the wilderness? 
• Psalm 23:5 says God prepares a table for you even in difficult situations. How does that give you courage? 
• How does the miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 with just a simple lunch found in Matthew 14:13–21, Mark 6:30–44, Luke 9:13–17, and John 6:1–13 encourage you that God can provide for your needs? 

Respond 

(Use this prayer to start a conversation with God) 

“Dear God, thank You for how You lovingly provide for Your people from generation to generation. Thank You for how You continue to faithfully provide for me. Help me to always believe that You alone can satisfy my every need.” 

Discover more about the topics in this episode with these recommended resources 

Mentioned in this episode: 

• The Holy Land Series 

Listen: 

• The Abundant God 
• Sinners Dinners 

Read: 

“We wave until they’re out of sight. It’s a way of showing that we love them.” Those words from my mother when I was a boy explained a habit she and my father had when a family member left our home after a visit. Mom and Dad stood outside and waved to the ones leaving until they disappeared in the distance. Sometimes they stood there a long time, but that didn’t matter. When I left home myself, I understood why.

Seeing them waving in the rearview mirror touched my heart, and I felt loved and cared for. I still say goodbye to our family visitors that way to show love for them. It’s a habit I hope my children will continue.

Another way we can express love for our families is to communicate God’s love shared in Scripture. As the Israelites prepared to cross the Jordan into the promised land, God taught them with these instructions for life: “Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds. . . . Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 11:18-19).

These are words that would one day find fulfillment in the perfect love of Jesus, who promised, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). As we share His truth and kindness, we can trust that His love is able to overcome every distance.

He was making three-thousand dollars a day dealing in drugs. Curtis Farrar thought he was at the top of the world. But soon, he found he was at the end of himself. Don't miss this compelling true story, on the next UNSHACKLED!

His book on Boundaries made Dr. Henry Cloud a household name. But do you know the backstory of his life? On this Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman, hear this clinical psychologist and New York Times bestselling author talk about his own journey of knowing God intimately. How do you find purpose? How do you experience joy and peace in a world marred with suffering and hardship? Don’t miss Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman.

Featured resource: To Know Him: A 90-Day Invitation To Come To God As You Are

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Read: 1 Timothy 6:6-10; Hebrews 13:5

When Rayna went into the kitchen, Mom was putting the finishing touches on her birthday cake. “It looks like the ants have decided to come to your party,” Mom told her.

“Aunt Joyce and Aunt Linda?” Rayna asked.

Mom laughed. “No, those ants!” she said, pointing to the floor where several ants were scurrying around. “Why don’t you get an ant trap from the closet.”

As Rayna crouched down to put the trap on the floor, she began to cry. Mom set the cake aside. “What’s wrong, honey?”

“Everything!” Rayna said between sobs. “I hate this old house. Melody has a nice house, and she got more stuff shopping yesterday than I’m going to get for my birthday.” Rayna tried to stop her tears. “And she has a dad, and her mom doesn’t have to work like you do. It’s just not fair! Sometimes I—” She hesitated. “Sometimes I almost hate Melody. I try not to feel that way because I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help it.”

Mom put an arm around Rayna. “It can hurt to see others with something we wish we had, but it’s important not to let those feelings turn to bitterness and jealousy.” She pointed to the plastic square on the floor. “Do you know how those traps kill ants?”

“They have poison inside that the ants think is food. They bring it home for all the ants to eat, and it kills them.” Rayna frowned. “But what does that have to do with bitterness and jealousy?”

“Well, they’re a lot like ants. Trying not to feel them is like trying to kill ants one by one—they just keep coming back! But a thankful spirit works like an ant trap—it kills bitterness at its source. After your dad left, I was very bitter. But when I looked to Jesus and remembered that He died to save me and saw all His blessings in my life—like you, my health, and my church family—that bitterness turned to thankfulness. Though I still feel sad, I remember that Jesus loves me—and that He loves your dad too.”

Rayna nodded and wiped her eyes. “I’ll put out a bitterness trap right now by thanking Jesus for all my friends coming to my party—especially Melody.”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Are you jealous of people who have more stuff than you? Do you feel bitter because your life doesn’t look like someone else’s? Bitterness and jealousy are poisonous and can eat you up inside. When you feel them creeping in, go to Jesus. Remember that He died and rose again so you could have eternal life with Him, and think of some other blessings He’s put in your life. Then trust Him to help you replace bitterness with thankfulness.

Today's Key Verse: Let the peace of God rule in your hearts…and be thankful. Colossians 3:15 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus frees you from bitterness

Learn how a person after God's own heart acts by examining the life of David.

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On the basketball court, our grandson’s seventh-grade team did their best to score. Offense was their passion. But after each basket, their coach urged them to hurry back downcourt and play defense, which they were sometimes reluctant to do. Everyone wanted to score, but no one seemed eager to put in the hard work of defending.

The key to the game, the coach taught them, was in anticipating the movements of the opposing players. Stepping in front of a pass or shot would thwart the other team’s scoring and help the team win the game.

A defensive strategy that anticipates the moves of our enemy can also help in our spiritual lives. And who is that enemy? Peter’s letter to believers in Jesus reminds us. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). So “be alert and of sober mind,” Peter wrote. Indeed, we’re called to “resist” our spiritual enemy, “standing firm in the faith” (v. 9).

Living out an active defense leads us as believers in Jesus to be more effective in our lives and in the productive work we seek to do for His kingdom. Then, if we have spiritual setbacks, the God of all grace “will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast” (v. 10). He is the One who establishes us, and who builds our strong defense—in Him.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 begins, “For everything there is a season . . .”. God has designed life to unfold in seasons. With each one comes new challenges, opportunities, and, sometimes, new finish lines. On the next Faith & Finance Live, Rob West and Cody Hobelmann discuss why it’s not only okay to adjust your financial finish line—it’s often the wise and faithful thing to do. Then, it’s on to calls. That’s Faith & Finance Live—where biblical wisdom meets today’s financial decisions—weekdays at 4pm Eastern/3pm Central on Moody Radio.

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