In 1880, Thomas Edison patented the electric incandescent lamp.

Thomas Edison, considered one of America’s greatest inventors, has been credited with ushering in the electrical age with the refinement and development of the electric incandescent lamp—otherwise known as the light bulb. Although people had been using electric arc lights, which produced light by creating an arc of electricity between wires, the blinding glare that these arc lights gave off made them unsuitable for use in the home. Edison came up with the idea of producing light by heating a wire (or filament) until it glowed brightly. While others had come up with a similar concept, Edison patented the first practical electric light bulb, one that used only a small current and that lasted a long time before it burned out.

Incandescent lighting remains the primary way that we light our homes today. Take a walk through your home and count all the light bulbs. You may be amazed to discover how dependent we are on this one single invention.

But just as we depend on Edison’s incandescent lamp to light the way in our home, we need to depend upon another type of lamp to light our path for living. Psalm 119:105 says that God’s word is a “lamp for my feet and a light for my path.” Just as you turn on the light before you enter a darkened room, so you turn to God’s Word the Bible to help you see the right way to live.

Whenever you are confused or wondering about what you should do, read God’s Word to help guide you and light your way.

Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105).

To Do

Think of a Bible verse that has helped “light” your path. Write it down and carry it with you today.

Also on this day . . .

1756—Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born.

1888—The National Geographic Society was founded in Washington, D.C.

1926—John Baird, a Scottish inventor, demonstrated a pictorial transmission machine called television.

1973—The Vietnam Peace Agreement was signed.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.