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Audible TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 1–3; Luke 11 One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided...
Key Takeaways
- In Zechariah 1–3, God offers a powerful message of restoration and removes the shame of His people, contrasting the Accuser's condemnation with divine grace.
- Jesus warns in Luke 11 to examine our spiritual perception, noting that it is possible to become accustomed to darkness and mistakenly call it light.
- False lights in the spiritual life include fear, self-righteousness, legalistic tradition, and a theology that leaves believers frightened of God rather than experiencing His love.
- Jesus embodies the true light through His self-giving love, moving toward the marginalized, forgiving sinners, and inviting us to step out of the shadows.
- Turning our eyes toward the true light of Christ exposes dark corners of fear and shame, allowing His grace to illuminate and transform our entire lives into something radiant.
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- TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 1–3; Luke 11
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One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus’ kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved.
TODAY’S EPISODE
Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is September 28th, and our readings are Zechariah 1–3 and Luke 11.
Zechariah brings us into a series of strange and beautiful visions given to a people who have returned from exile.
Jerusalem has been devastated. The temple is being rebuilt. God's people are trying to imagine what restoration might look like.
And into that uncertainty comes a word of hope.
God has not abandoned them.
God is returning.
God is restoring.
God is removing shame.
God is bringing his people into something new.
Then in Luke 11, Jesus teaches his disciples to pray.
He tells them to ask, seek, and knock.
He confronts religious systems that have become preoccupied with appearances while neglecting justice and the love of God.
And then Jesus says something that deserves our attention:
“Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.”
That's a sobering invitation.
Because not everything we call light is light.
Religion can call something light that produces fear.
Tradition can call something light that keeps people in bondage.
Self-righteousness can feel like light while preventing us from seeing ourselves or our neighbor clearly.
Jesus invites us to turn our eyes toward the true light.
The light of God's love.
And when that light fills us, Jesus says our whole lives can become radiant.
So today, let's step out of the shadows.
Bring on the floodlights.
TODAY’S DEVOTION
Bring on the Floodlights
If all the world's a stage, then I want better lighting.
I remember hearing an actor say something like that once.
And I understand it.
When you're on a stage, you learn pretty quickly to find your light.
You can have the best lines.
You can give the best performance.
But if you're standing in the shadows, nobody can see what's happening.
So you find the light.
And maybe that's a good image for the spiritual life too.
Find the light.
Or perhaps more importantly, make sure the light you've found is actually light.
Because Jesus says something rather startling in Luke 11:
“Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness.”
That's worth sitting with.
Because apparently it's possible to become accustomed to darkness and call it light.
It's possible for religious traditions to become so familiar that we stop asking whether they actually look like Jesus.
It's possible to confuse certainty with light.
It's possible to confuse being right with light.
It's possible to confuse fear with light.
It's possible to imagine that a theology that leaves us frightened of God is somehow illuminating God.
And Jesus says:
Check the light.
Look again.
Because Jesus himself is the light by which everything else is seen.
He is the one who shows us what God is like.
And when we look at Jesus, what do we see?
We see him moving toward people.
We see him touching those others avoid.
We see him eating with those religion has excluded.
We see him forgiving.
Healing.
Restoring.
Setting people free.
We see him telling us to love our enemies.
We see him laying down his life rather than taking the lives of his enemies.
We see self-giving love.
This is the light.
And Jesus is confronting religious leaders in Luke 11 who have become very good at managing appearances.
Everything looks clean on the outside.
But Jesus says the inside tells another story.
They carefully tithe even the herbs from their gardens, but they ignore justice and the love of God.
That's darkness masquerading as light.
And I don't think Jesus confronts them because he hates them.
I think he confronts them because he loves them.
He wants them to see.
He wants them to wake up.
He wants the light to break through.
Zechariah gives us another beautiful picture today.
Joshua the high priest stands before God in filthy clothes.
And the Accuser is there.
Ready to accuse.
Ready to condemn.
Ready to define Joshua by what he is wearing.
But God rebukes the Accuser.
And then God says:
“Take off his filthy clothes.”
And Joshua is given new clothes.
A new identity.
A new beginning.
That's light.
The Accuser says, “Look at him.”
God says, “I have taken away your sins.”
The Accuser points toward shame.
God moves toward restoration.
And Jesus shows us that this is the heart of God.
Maybe there are some dark corners in us today.
Fear.
Shame.
Resentment.
Religious ideas that have taught us to hide from God instead of running toward him.
Maybe we've mistaken some of those things for light.
Jesus invites us to open the curtains.
Bring on the floodlights.
Let the light of Christ shine into every corner.
Let him show us what God is really like.
Let him expose the false lights that have kept us afraid.
And let his love illuminate our lives.
Jesus says that when we're filled with light, our whole life becomes radiant, as though a floodlight were filling us with light.
I love that.
God isn't inviting us to spend our lives hiding in the shadows.
He's drawing us into the light.
Into freedom.
Into grace.
Into love.
And as our eyes become filled with the light of Christ, maybe we begin to reflect that light into the world around us.
So turn your face toward Jesus today.
Look at him.
Keep looking.
Let him show you the Father.
Let his love expose every false light.
Let his grace illuminate every shadow.
His light has come into our darkness.
And the darkness cannot overcome it.
Bring on the floodlights.
That's the prayer I have for my own soul.
That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, and my son.
And that's the prayer I have for you.
May our eyes be filled with the light of Christ.
And may our whole lives become radiant with the love of God.
May it be so.
TODAY'S PRAYERS:
Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.
Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
And now Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, Joy. Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life. Amen
And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray...
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ. Amen.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Bible chapters are covered in the September 28th episode of Encounter Christ in Scripture?
This episode covers Zechariah chapters 1 through 3 and Luke chapter 11.
What does Jesus mean by checking the light in Luke 11?
Jesus cautions His disciples to make sure the light they think they follow is not actually darkness, warning against religious traditions and self-righteousness that mimic God's light while missing justice and love.
How does the vision of Joshua the high priest in Zechariah relate to God's grace?
In Zechariah 3, Joshua stands before God in filthy clothes facing accusations, but God rebukes the Accuser, removes his dirty garments, and gives him new clothes to symbolize a fresh identity and restored relationship.
What is the primary focus of the devotional 'Bring on the Floodlights'?
The devotional focuses on identifying true spiritual light found in Jesus Christ, exposing false lights like fear and legalism, and letting Christ's unconditional love illuminate our lives.
