Brightly Shining

 

Your word is a lamp to my feet …

—from Psalm 119:105

Did you ever think of an “Instruction Manual” as a bright light? If you think about it, a set of instructions on how to do something is a very bright light that shines on the darkness of our lack of knowledge. When we go about doing something that we’ve never done before, the “Instruction Manual” tells us what we need to do, how to do it, and it may even warn us about mistakes we might make. Let me illustrate my point with this narrative.

I have a dear friend who works for a company that manufactures sophisticated electronic equipment for television stations. Among his many tasks is the responsibility to write “Instruction Manuals” for new equipment that his employer has created. To do this, he must work with the new equipment until he learns as much as he can learn about the features of the equipment and how to properly install it. Then, he writes a set of clear instructions for others to follow. Because of the time he has invested in learning about the new equipment, the “Instruction Manual” he creates saves the customers who buy this equipment a great deal of time.

As Christians, God has given us a brightly shining light in His written Word, the Bible. Notice what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:105:

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

We have the written Word of God available to us, in order to shine a bright light on the pathway of our lives. If we follow the direction this precious written Word gives us, we will find the road of our lives a much more easily traveled one than if we just boldly took off on our own.

As we begin a new day, let’s allow God’s written Word to illuminate our pathway. And, let’s thank God for this gift He has given us: a gift that shines brightly on the path He has laid out before us.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Source of Gladness

 

For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord …

—from Psalm 92:4

We have a wide range of words to express our emotions: happy, sad, disappointed, tearful, gloomy, joyful, glad—to name just a few. The word “glad” is a particularly interesting word. The dictionary offers these synonyms as definitions: “pleased, delighted.” We may think of glad as a somewhat reduced sense of happiness. But actually, glad is the sense that all is well, we are secure, our hearts are uplifted.

Psalm 92 is a song written for the Sabbath Day. Speaking to God and about God, this Psalm contains many uplifting and joyful words, including these words found in Psalm 92:4:

For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the works of your hands.

When we look around us and see the hand of God at work in our lives, and in the lives of others, the very natural response we feel is gladness. So, as we begin a new day, let’s keep an eye out for the very things that show us God is at work. Then, we can make our response to God one of gladness. Certainly that will set our day on the right pathway.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Our Shepherd

 

The Lord is my shepherd …

—from Psalm 23:1

Nothing delights us more than to have someone care for us in a loving and compassionate way. Please let me share this illustration.

When I was a small boy, probably six years old, I became very ill with what eventually became obvious was a severe stomach flu. At the height of my most intense distress, my mom happened to be uncharacteristically away from home attending a women’s retreat. I was home alone with my dad.

I remember laying on the davenport in the living room all bundled up in a comforter. My stomach hurt badly. I was shaking with a fever. I was very sick. And, I was very scared.

My dad came into the room and sat down next to me. I looked up at him and, with tears flowing down my cheeks, I asked:

“Daddy, am I going to die?”

Now my dad was never an outwardly affectionate man. He was a wonderful father, a devout Christian man, a hard-working provider for my mom and me. But, he was not given to many outward signs of affection. In this instance, however, my dad lovingly took my hand in his and, in his most soothing voice, told me that God loved me and God would care for me. He reminded me that, as my dad, he would be right there with me.

In that moment, I remember feeling a strangely warm sensation of comfort wash over me. God loved me. My dad loved me. I was loved. I was protected. I was cared for in a wonderful way. I can still, all these many years later, remember that feeling of tender love that enfolded me and comforted me. That’s what shepherding is all about.

When King David penned these familiar words from Psalm 23:1, he knew first-hand what it meant to be a shepherd:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

As we begin a new day, we must remember that, this day and every day, God is our shepherd. His divine love invades every aspect of our lives. He holds us lovingly, and with amazing compassion, in the hollow of His mighty hand. We are shepherded by the greatest of all shepherds.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

The Least We Could Do

 

I will be glad and rejoice in you …

—from Psalm 9:2

Have you ever thanked someone for doing something for you only to have them respond:

“It was the least I could do.”

Many times this is an attempt on the part of your benefactor to show humility. But truthfully, we don’t really know how to actually be humble. It goes against many of the core tenets of our current society, where a more common claim is:

“Hey! Look at me! Look how wonderful I am!”

Sometimes, when we reach out to extend God’s love to others, that act of kindness truly is the very least that we could do. After all, if God has done so much for us, how can we withhold our love and concern from others? At the same time, in response to the overwhelming gifts that God has given us, the very least that we can do is to obey Him and to praise Him with our most sincere thanksgiving. As King David wrote in Psalm 9:2, speaking to God:

I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

Why did David want to praise God? Because David knew that all he was and all that he had came to him as a precious gift from God. And, that is exactly the same place we are: all that we are and all that we have has come to us as a precious gift from God.

As we begin a new day, let’s make certain we praise God for who He is and for what He has done. After all, it’s the very least that we could do. And, when we reach out to touch those who cross the pathway of our lives, let’s also remember that, based on what God has done for us, helping others and showing God-breathed agape love to them is truly the least that we could do.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

God Is My Safe Space

 

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

—from Psalm 91:1

We hear a lot about “safe spaces” today. Usually, these words are used to describe locations on college campuses where students can be protected against hearing things they don’t want to hear. Instead of teaching our children to listen carefully to everything that people may say and apply discernment in order to decide what speech is instructive, useful, and helpful, we have raised children that don’t want to hear anything that goes against their own set of presuppositions. This creates a situation that is the very opposite of the concept of “free speech.”

Because “free speech” is one of the foundational building blocks of a free society, anything that stands in the way of people’s ability to express themselves without fear of suppression also offers a threat to our liberty and our way of life. Instead of needing protection that will shield us from what people may say, we need to develop the ability to receive information from everyone and then, using discernment, make a decision as to what we will believe as individuals.

As Christians, we sometimes need a “safe space” of an entirely different kind. We need a place of refuge from the darkness that surrounds us in our sin-infested world. Fortunately, God lovingly provides such a place. Notice what the Psalmist writes in Psalm 91:1-2:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

As we place ourselves in the shelter of God’s loving arms, we will find ourselves shielded from the darkness that surrounds us. There, we will be able to rest and recharge, so that we can go out from that place of refuge and, once again, enter the spiritual fray. As we begin another day, let’s rejoice that God has given us exactly the kind of “safe space” that we need.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

Never Envy a Violent Person

 

Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways …

—from Proverbs 3:31

Did you ever see someone who seemed really tough and wish you could become more like that person? Maybe that kind of feeling is just a “boy thing.” Most young boys look up to real people, or comic book heroes, who are big, strong, and tough. Almost no one identifies with a powder-puff weakling. It’s always the superhero who gains the attention.

But in life, the tough guys are also often the bad guys. Of course, there are exceptions. United States Marines are tough guys and not bad guys. So, are Navy Seals and Army Rangers. But, for the most part, the toughest guys are gangsters, or bullies, or otherwise bad dudes.

Women are not exempt either. There are tough women, who also fit into the “bad person” category. Their toughness is usually magnified by deviousness and treachery. Naturally, some very strong women are truly kind and fair. But, for the most part, when we think of “tough” women, we think of violent ones, or nasty females who would just as soon stab someone as look at them.

In sharp contrast are those who follow Jesus. There’s nothing wrong with God-given strength. But, violence and toughness of the basest kind has no part among Kingdom warriors. Notice what King Solomon wrote, as recorded in Proverbs 3:31-32:

Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways, for the Lord detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence.

There is no room for violence in the Kingdom of God.

“Wait a minute,” you say. “Didn’t God send the Israelites to destroy their enemies? Wasn’t that violent?” Yes, of course it was. But, it wasn’t violence simply for violence sake.

The God of justice was “rewarding” the sinfulness and godlessness of the people who had rejected His overtures of love, joy, and peace. Their rampant sinfulness caused Him to send His chosen people to destroy them. The just reward of those people whom God destroyed serves as a cautionary tale for all those who choose to reject God, His holiness, His righteousness, and His judgment. That God-directed punishment is something quite different from the kind of violence that springs forth for no good reason and wreaks havoc.

As we begin a new day, we need to guard our minds and hearts against violence of all kinds. We need to put off any prospect of physical violence. And, even more so, we need to put aside any form of mental, emotional, or intellectual violence, as well. Our words can hurt someone as deeply as the wound of a sword. Even in our zeal for what we deeply believe, we need to make certain we are not using hurtful, sharp, condemning words.

God celebrates strength under control. That’s one of the many reasons He has given us His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will help us remain strong, without any tendency toward violence—in the things we do and the words we say. We do so much better when we lay aside every attempt of our enemy to drag us into violence.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}

 

A Special Kind of Love

 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart …

—from Mark 12:30

“Love makes the world go ’round,” the motivational speaker stated forcefully.

“No!” shouted someone in the back of the room. “Change makes the world go ’round. Love only keeps it populated.”

The 2,000 people in the audience roared with laughter.

No matter how you may feel about that exchange, love does play a very important role in the life of a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here are Jesus’ own words, as recorded in Mark 12:30-31:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

God breathes His love into us—into all four of our human modalities: heart, soul, mind, and strength. In return, we must first breathe that love back to God. And, we must do so with all four of our human modalities: emotional (heart), spiritual (soul), intellectual (mind), and physical (strength). Then, we must breathe that love outwardly, so that it touches the lives of the people who cross the pathway of our lives.

As we begin a new year of life here on earth, let’s ask God to fill us full with His God-breathed agape love. Then, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us breathe that God-breathed agape love back out into a world that desperately needs God’s love.

 

_{Copyright © 2026 by Dean K. Wilson. All Rights Reserved.}

_{More info at www.DeanKWilson.com}