Back in the days when my daddy was still alive, he ordered from Amazon an 18-pack of super-bright LED flashlights featuring a compact design, constructed of high impact ABS casing in an assortment of colours. Each flashlight had a comfortable, durable, rubber-coated handle, and was equipped with nine LED bulbs, providing 30 lumens of light output. Included and pre-installed were 54 AAA heavy-duty batteries.

Daddy had ordered the flashlights so that each of us would have at least two of them and have extra ones around the house if the power ever went out or if we needed a little extra light on something.

Daddy gave me three. I put one in my purse, one in my car, and one on my nightstand. Mom got the same number, and Daddy had his.

One night when Daddy had to walk out to the shop, his flashlight put out enough light to give him vision in the darkness of the southern evening to turn out lights that he had left on, and the flashlight got him back inside. He didn't trip on anything or step on any slithering creatures. (We live in the country, so one never knows!)

One night, we were without power, so to entertain myself, even at age 50-plus, I got out a flashlight to read a book under the covers. My little light was bright enough to get me engrossed in my novel of choice.

As today's Scripture states, God is light, and in Him is no darkness.

In our journey of life, God is far more than a flashlight — His beams have a wider range, illuminating our path as we seek to become closer to Him. To keep walking in the light, we need to be reading His Word, listening to Him, waiting on Him, praising Him, worshipping Him. The "battery" that powers His light, the Holy Spirit, beats the Energizer Bunny™ by leaps and bounds!

And then, the Scripture today goes a step further. If we continue walking in the light, as God is in the light, we can fellowship one with another, and because we choose to believe the gospel — as John 3:16 tells it — Jesus cleanses us from our sins, saves us, and brings us into God's family, where we have eternal life with the light: God the Father, and His Son Jesus.

I don't know about you, but I'd rather have God as my light than a flashlight that may not last more than three weeks before the battery needs changing. What do you think?

Choose Jesus as your light.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You. We love You. We want You to be our guiding light as we journey through life's hills and valleys. Amen.

• Sixty-four percent of American adults consume coffee every day, an average of 3.1 cups per day, for a total of 400 million cups per day and 146 billion cups per year.
• Seventy-nine percent of Americans prepare coffee at home.
• Thirty-five percent of coffee drinkers usually consume classic black coffee.

There are many different varieties of coffee beans, roasting techniques, coffee flavours, decaf versions, and methods of preparing coffee, including espressos, lattes, and cappuccinos — and let's not forget regular drip coffee. Coffee producers and sellers work very hard at enticing consumers into choosing their products over the rest.

My dad believed that black coffee was the real deal. I can't tell you how many times that he would affectionately make fun of me because I just couldn't down a cup of coffee without some sort of sweetener. He would snub his nose at anyone who drank flavoured coffee or decaf coffee, because in his mind, those weren't real coffee.

Matthew 7:15-16a – Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. (ESV)

In today's verse, Jesus is telling us that there are fake prophets and those trying to sell themselves or their product as the real form of religion. Out there in the world, with all the different versions of what people claim to be the real God, we can be confused about what is right to believe.

But at the end of John 10:10, we see Jesus' perfect description of a Christian life: "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (ESV) Jesus came to give His life so that our sins can be forgiven and we can have a full and eternal life. All we have to do is choose to accept Him and His way.

Jesus is the real deal. He came to obey and fulfill God's Word perfectly. No one else can make that claim. Let us trust Jesus implicitly and believe steadfastly in His truth and authority.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son so that we can accept Him as the real deal toward a life with You in charge. Keep us always on the right path and away from the fakes. We love You! Protect us from harm, and keep us from harming others. Help us to be the people that we need to be as we exhibit Your qualities, and do our best to be authentic. Amen.

She taught me how to drive and how to put on makeup, she helped me with my homework, and even showed me on a pillow how to plant a kiss on a boy's cheek. (I was too young to learn anything else that she told me!) Together, we went shopping, we went to the movies, and we went out to eat. Before she married, I was always at her house. My maternal grandmother called us "two peas in a pod".

We were always together — that is, until she became older, was married, and started having children. I didn't marry; I chose a career to be my "husband", and the newspaper articles that I wrote were my "children". So, we were both busy doing different things and had different lifestyles. Tracey went through a dark time, and we went our separate ways because of it. A few years before she died of cancer, we met and shared a hug. We both knew the truth that no matter what happened between us, sisters we would always be.

Matthew 28:20b – Be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (NLT)

This verse is a reminder that we are together with Jesus always, even when we don't feel His presence. He is with us in our joys and sorrows, in our triumphs and failures, in our doubts and fears. He is with us in every moment of our lives, guiding us, comforting us, and strengthening us.

When we face challenges and difficulties, it's easy to feel alone and abandoned. But Jesus promises that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

He is always there, walking with us, holding our hand, and leading us through the storm. So let us take comfort in His promise for today and remember that we are never alone. Jesus is with us always, even to the end of the age.

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for always being with us, and for never giving up on us. Amen.

The basket of laundry in the closet was overflowing with a mixture of bath towels, kitchen rags, Mom's clothes, and mine. I just sighed. Washing clothes isn't a favourite chore of mine, but it is one that must be done on a regular basis. It is kind of tedious, right?

Sorting through the basket, I found enough clothes for four small loads. I could have made just two big loads, but Mom was giving me her supervisory eye.

As most know, there's a process in washing clothes: sorting them, spraying them with stain remover, making sure the water temperature and load size are right, putting in just the right amount of laundry detergent, closing the lid, pushing the start button, and walking away, letting the machine get the clothes clean.

In our spiritual lives, there is also a process of becoming clean in Christ. First, we need to believe that Jesus is God's Son, that He was born in human flesh, that He died on the cross for our sins, and that He rose again so that we can have eternal life. Then, we need to receive His living Spirit into our hearts to forgive our sins and give us new, spiritual life.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (ESV)

Becoming one in Christ, being clean, and having a new beginning aren't tedious. Praise Him for that! Like an automatic washing machine, Jesus washes ours sins clean "in one cycle" — His death on the cross. But just like our clothes get dirty and need to be washed over and over, our lives become sinful, and we need to confess our sins and be forgiven, over and over. It is a process called sanctification. Praise God that after we have received Jesus, God still views us as righteous, even though we sin.

Let's allow the Lord to keep our lives as clean as possible!

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for the opportunity of a new beginning, and for giving us the chance to become clean and stay clean. Lead us in this thing called life. Amen.

"Now, you behave." How many times did I hear my mom say that in my childhood? If I had a penny for every time that she told me or my sister, Tracey, to behave before school, at the dinner table, before and during church, or at the mall, I'd be a wealthy woman.

Now, mind you, we were not troublemakers, and we were pretty good kids. I think that the phrase, "Now, you behave", is just one that all moms say, no matter what.

What did your mom or dad tell you?

According to my mom and dad, good behaviour is a sign of a good upbringing.

Daddy would tell us, "Straighten up and fly right!" if we were caught misbehaving — for example, arguing with each other or not sharing our toys.

As individuals, we are called to exhibit proper behaviour no matter how old we are. Today's Scripture proclaims that we should genuinely act right even among those who aren't acting right, so that they will see Jesus in us and praise Him.

One of the commandments from God that turns out to be the best example of good behaviour is to love unconditionally — to love like God loves.

John 13:34-35 – A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (NIV)

1 John 4:7 – Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. (NIV)

So, let's remember to "Straighten up and love right!"

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for loving us and for setting the model for good behaviour and being nice. Thank You for Your unconditional love, and help us to follow Your example. Amen.

"I don't know how to use that thing, and not sure I want to. What if I burn the fries?" On a video call, I was telling my friend Melanie about the new air fryer that Mom and I had received for Christmas.

Melanie said something like, "So what if you burn your fries?"

Since I am not really a cook, those ominous appliances that look like mini-spaceships with so many buttons and codes make me a little nervous.

"Once you get used to it, you will enjoy it," she said.

A friend of my mom and me was visiting us. After I got off my video call, I walked to the freezer and grabbed a bag of frozen fries. "Will you help me make sure that I do this right?" I pointed at the air fryer and held up the fries.

"Sure," she said. "It's easy." She talked me through each simple step and kept an eye on the numbers that I was punching in.

We set everything up and sat down. In 18 minutes, the air fryer buzzed that the cycle was ended, and then it buzzed when it had cooled down. I pulled the drawer out where the French fries had been cooking. They looked golden and crispy, and smelled wonderful.

I didn't burn the fries.

As we face the challenges in our daily lives, our verse for today is a source of comfort and courage for us. We may feel weak, afraid, or even overwhelmed by a cooking appliance like an air fryer, but we can trust that God is sovereign over all things. God is always there with us.

He is not distant or uncaring about our struggles, no matter the size of them. God guides, protects, and provides for us. I have no doubt that He sent our friend, who is a marvellous cook, to be on hand for my cooking experience, so that she could help me. It was as if she were taking hold of my right hand on God's behalf, and He were saying to me, "Do not fear; I will help you."

When we grasp God's hand, we are holding on to every part of Him as He leads us through each step of the way. He fills us with joy, hope, and love, which overcome everything else, including anxiety over cooking. This was just a simple example of God's power and love.

Let us not be afraid. Let us believe in God's promises that He is holding our hand, that He will never leave us, and that He will help us. So, go ahead and try it, and even if you burn the fries, it is okay.

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, we praise You and thank You for Your goodness and faithfulness. Guide us and show us how to serve You with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. You are our God, and we love You. Amen.

Recently, a post on social media caught my eye. The picture was of a bunch of groceries and doodads in shopping bags. Above the picture were the words, "Grief Groceries".

The story was about a woman who had lost her loved one. A friend called her and ensured that she was going to be home. The friend then came and dropped off a bag of groceries — easy foods to prepare and enjoy, including cookies, ice cream, pasta, and such. The friend didn't ask if she needed anything, but she just brought some items that she knew the woman could use.

That sounded like a great idea. When my father died in August, friends and family came by to express their sympathy. It was all very nice. Of course, there were people who brought food — cake, cookies, chips, chicken salad, bread, and jugs of sweet tea.

I remember my cousin Jamie coming in with a big pan of chipped barbecue meat that he had taken the time to make. After a few long days, that barbecue meat was the best thing that we had received. It froze well and was enough for many meals and sandwiches.

The food was Jamie's expression of love.

Our verse today is a general reminder to do everything with love. As Christians, we are called to live lives full of love, to be nice to others, to be respectful, and to put others first.

It can be easy to be distracted by our own challenges and forget about the needs of others around us. God calls us to love as He loves us, and to serve others with humility and compassion.

Let's strive to live out this verse in our lives, doing it all in love and being a light to those around us.

Love God; love people.

Prayer: Dear God, there is so much from Your Word that we need to learn and apply in our daily lives. One thing in particular is to love others as You love us. It is not always easy for us to do that, because we are human. Lord, help us to overcome those hurdles that keep us from loving others like You love us unconditionally. Amen.