June 9, 2026 – Light
JC – “Seek to live in My Love, which covers a multitude of sins: both yours and others’…. Look at other people through lenses of Love; see them from My perspective…. I want My Body of believers to be radiant with the Light of My Presence.”
Days – “Ye are the light of the world” (Matt. v. 14). Simpson adds his thoughts about light, “We are called the lights of the world, light-bearers, reflectors, candlesticks, lamps. We are to be kindled ourselves, and then we will burn and give light to others. We are the only light the world has. The Lord might come down Himself and give light to the world, but He has chosen differently. He wants to send it through us, and if we don’t give it the world will not have it…. We are to be giving light all the time wherever we are…. We should feel always we may never have another opportunity for it, and so we should always be burning and shining for Him.”
Power – Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew [and] approved of you [as My chosen instrument], and before you were born I separated and set you apart, consecrating you; [and] I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Joyce encourages, “Invite Jesus into every area of your life…. The Lord doesn’t see only what we are right now; He sees what we can become. He knows the plans He has for us, and they are plans for progress and success…. (see Jeremiah 29:11).”
Prevail #160 – Ecclesiastes 8:15 – “So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.” Joy radiates light. Larson tells us that, “King Solomon surveyed life and outcomes and came to a conclusion: Life isn’t fair. It’s downright hard sometimes. So what’s a person to do? Have fun. Eat, drink, and enjoy life. Make room for happiness amidst the hardships of life…. Shouldn’t joy and gladness be two of the most defining factors in our lives? Dallas Willard once gave this advice to John Ortberg: ‘You must arrange your day so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God.’* Amen.”
Streams – Psalm 37:3 – “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.” Cowman shares this account from Hannah Whitall Smith: I once met a poor woman who earned a meager living through hard domestic labor but was a joyful, triumphant Christian. Another Christian lady, who was quite sullen, said to her one day, “Nancy, I understand your happiness today, but I would think your future prospects would sober you. Suppose, for instance, you experience a time of illness and are unable to work…. Or suppose – “
“Stop!” cried Nancy. “I never ‘suppose.’ ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want’ [Ps. 23:1]. And besides,” she added to her gloomy friend, “It’s all that ‘supposing’ that’s making you so miserable. You’d better give that up and simply trust the Lord.” The following Scripture is one that will remove all the “supposing” from a believer’s life if received and acted on in childlike faith: “Be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’” (Heb. 13:5-6).
Cowman concludes, “The eagle that soars at great altitudes does not worry about how it will cross a river. selected”
Utmost – Luke 11:10 – “For everyone that asketh receiveth.” Chambers understands a frustrating fact about human nature, “There is nothing more difficult than to ask. We will long and desire and crave and suffer, but not until we are at the extreme limit will we ask. A sense of unreality makes us ask…. The Holy Spirit is the One Who makes real in you all that Jesus did for you….. People say-Preach us the simple gospel: don’t tell us we have to be holy, because that produces a sense of abject poverty, and it is not nice to feel abjectly poor. ‘Ask’ means beg…. We will never receive if we ask with an end in view; if we ask, not out of our poverty but out of our lust. A pauper does not ask from any other reason than the abject panging condition of his poverty, he is not ashamed to beg. Blessed are the paupers in spirit.”
JA – “APART FROM ME you can do nothing. On days when the tasks before you seem overwhelming, remember this: I am with you, ready to help…. Relax, knowing that you’re not meant to be self-sufficient. I designed you to need Me and depend on Me…. Entreat Me to show you the way forward. Instead of rushing ahead, take small steps of trust, staying in communication with Me…. Don’t worry about being successful in the eyes of the world. Bearing fruit in My kingdom means doing the good things planned for you long ago. So live close to Me – ready to do My will – and I will open up the way before you.” See John 15:5, Genesis 28:16, Matthew 11:28-29, and Ephesians 2:10.
New – This book was buried in a stack on the floor beside my chair. I had been thinking lately that I need to bring Slawson back into the group. I pulled various papers from a spot in the book that starts a new chapter entitled, “His Provision.” On the facing page were some encouraging words from Corrie Ten Boom, “If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes.” He provides light, direction, comfort, companionship….all we have to do is ask.
These devotions make me think of Stormie O’Martian’s book, Just Enough Light for the Step I’m On.
JL – “Trustworthy Jesus, I bring You all my feelings, including the ones I wish I didn’t have…. I don’t want to hide from my fear or pretend it isn’t there…. Instead, I choose to bring my anxieties into the Light of Your loving Presence, where You can show me how to deal with them…. In Your faithful Name, Amen.”
*John Ortberg, Soul Keeping (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013), 85.
