Daily Devotional For Friday, October 16, 2026
Good morning Southside! I am following the One Year Chronological Bible reading suggestion and any Bible verses you see highlighted in bold (ex. John 3:16), means it is a link to that verse. All you have to do is click on the reference and it will take you to the verse online. Our daily devotional for today comes from the words of Jesus found in Luke 11:33-36. New Testament scholar William Barclay tells this story:
“A little girl was sitting in her first Good Friday service, and the epic story of the Crucifixion was beautifully read. She heard about Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. She heard about Peter’s denial. She listened to Pilate’s cross-examination of Jesus. She pictured the crown of thorns and felt the beating of the soldiers. Then came the words, “and there they crucified him.” The little girl began to weep and buried her head in her mother’s lap. Her sad voice could be heard throughout the auditorium as she sobbed, “Why did they do it? Why did they do it?” (Source: William Barclay, The Daily Bible Series, The Gospel of Luke,” p. 157).
We can become so familiar with the stories, parables and teachings of Scripture that we become dull to them. Each time we hear the same Scripture, it no longer has the vitality it once did. We listen to it as if we are listening to a weather report. We need to approach Scripture as if it is the first time we are reading it or hearing it. In our text, Jesus mentioned that no one takes a light and hides it but they put it out in the middle of the room for all to see and benefit from its light. Then beginning in verse 34, Jesus says the eye is the light to the body. A healthy eye means a healthy body.
When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness” (v. 34). Jesus means that the eye is the lamp of the body because it lets light in, allowing the mind and interior faculties to comprehend, assimilate, and respond to what the light reveals. If one’s eyes are good, everything can function as it should. But if they are defective, the body is, as it were, “full of darkness.” Everything is adversely affected.
Jesus is speaking metaphorically referring to our spiritual eyes. If our spiritual eyes are good, then they illuminate the light Jesus wants us to see. If our spiritual eyes are corrupt, so will be our heart and soul. This is why in verse 35 Jesus warns us not to let the light that is in us be darkness. First, this means we must be people of prayer confessing our sins to the Lord. We must keep our souls and conscience clean. The religious leaders and people of Jesus’ day could not see the light because of the spiritual darkness in their hearts. Their confession of their sins was only superficial, ritualistic and legalistic. Their hearts had become desensitized to the Light of God and His Word. If we really want the light of Christ in our hearts and souls, we must ask God to illuminate the sin in our lives so that we can confess it to Him
Second, there has to be contemplation. We have to take time to be alone with God so that we can allow the light of Scripture to illuminate all the dark places and sins in our life. This means we must read the Bible with expectancy – asking God to shine His light on our souls and hearts. Listen to this story:
“During the French Revolution some Christians were crammed into a dungeon where once a day for a few moments, as the sun stood at a particular angle, one of the prisoners who had a Bible would be hoisted on others’ shoulders to a sunlit crack, where he would study the Scriptures. When the light dimmed, he would be lowered down, and his friends would say, “Now tell us what you read while you were in the light” (Source: Focal Point, Vol. 6, Number 3).
Reflection Assignment: Do you honestly ask God to illuminate your sins so that you can confess them to Him? Why or why not? Are you serious about dealing with your sins? Why or why not? Do you come to God each day with contemplation? Do you read the Bible with expectancy or is it just a ritual you do now?
Scripture To Meditate On: Acts 26:18, “Open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in Me” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, please use the light of Scripture to illuminate to me the sins that are in my life. I do not want to live in darkness. I beg You to create in me a clean heart. I want to have the attitude of expectancy when I read Your Word. Please forgive me when I start to read a familiar passage and I glance over it rather than ground myself in it. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly