Pathways Press.com

This devotional is from the pray.com team.

Have you ever entered a situation assuming the worst in people? Abraham did this several times. Twice, he journeyed south to another land, and twice, he encountered kings who he assumed would ruthlessly kill him to steal his wife. In order to preserve himself, Abraham lied and told these kings that Sarah was his sister. As a result, Sarah was taken, and Abraham was spared. Our lies often affect those we love most. Abraham’s lies saved him but put his wife in dangerous situations. Furthermore, it turned out that these kings weren’t such terrible guys. When God revealed to them that Sarah was Abraham’s wife, both kings were outraged. Apparently, they wouldn’t have taken Sarah if they knew she was a married woman. This is a classic example of a self-fulfilling prophecy born from lies and fear. Abraham assumed the worst and lied to save himself. As it turns out, those lies are what ended up costing him the most. Truth is the only way to face the world. When we face uncertainty and fear with lies and deception, we create more chaos. We must be willing to accept that living truthfully, even when uncomfortable, is the only way to engage with the world.

Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelech king of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her. [Genesis 20:1]

Written by Abba Poeman (340-450), a Christian monk and early desert father. 

The nature of water is soft, that of stone is hard; but if a bottle is hung above the stone, allowing the water to fall drop by drop, it wears away the stone. So it is with the word of God; it is soft and our heart is hard, but the [one] who hears the word of God often, opens his heart to the fear of God.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. [Ezekiel 36:26]

Written by Tim Chester, a contemporary British pastor, speaker, and author. 

When we pray, it’s all too easy to think we’re praying to a thing or a force. It can seem a bit abstract. We try to imagine God, but God is invisible. How can we see the invisible God? How can finite people know the infinite? The answer is we can’t! We don’t have a relationship with “God” in a general sense. We can’t know the essence of God—the “god-ness” of God. His nature is beyond our comprehension. But we can know the Persons of God. God lives in an eternal community in which the Father, Son and Spirit relate to one another in love. And when God relates to us, He relates to us in the same way—as Father, Son, and Spirit. So, when we talk about having a relationship with God, that’s really shorthand for having a relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. [2 Corinthians 13:14]

Written by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British writer, scholar, and Anglican lay theologian.

If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink, sex, and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased. 

The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him.  [2 Chronicles 16:9]

Today’s prayer, written by Ignatius of Antioch (? – 108), an early Christian writer and the Patriarch of Antioch.

Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. [Psalm 6:4]

Written by Mark Batterson, a contemporary American pastor and author. This is an excerpt from his book “The Circle Maker.”

Prayer was never meant to be a monologue; it was meant to be a dialogue. Think of Scripture as God’s part of the script; prayer is our part. Scripture is God’s way of initiating a conversation; prayer is our response. The paradigm shift happens when you realize that the Bible wasn’t meant to be read through; the Bible was meant to be prayed through. And if you pray through it, you will never run out of things to talk about.

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. [Romans 8:26]

Written by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), an Indian poet, writer, educator and environmentalist.  This is an excerpt from the book “The Heart of God.”

When the heart is hard and parched, come upon me with a shower of mercy. When grace is lost from life, come with a burst of song. When tumultuous work raises its din on all sides, shutting me out from beyond, come to me, God of silence, with Your peace and rest. When my beggarly heart sits crouched, shut up in a corner, break open the door, my God. When desire blinds the mind with delusion and dust, O Holy One, come with Your light and Your thunder.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:6-7]

Written by Grace Pouch, a contemporary writer and content manager.

Being Jesus’ apprentice includes planned practices like fasting, prayer, and scripture study—as well as unplanned surprise lessons in the everyday classroom of life…When you scan the centuries for the most vibrant Christian lives, you find that nearly every standout adopted an interdisciplinary lifestyle, seamlessly integrating overtly “religious” practices with their vocations, hobbies, friendships, creative endeavors, and academic interests… Intense contemplation of anything that “declares the glory of God”—nebulas, newborns, Pythagorean theorems, harmonies, helibores, and honey bees—can drop us to our knees and renew our minds. Deep thinking and devotion go hand in hand. Effort and delight endear us to the Lord. Apprenticeship that is interdisciplinary shapes a thicker, sturdier, truer—and more lovable—idea of God in our mind’s eye. It’s a theology that, as Keas put it, “warms the heart as it informs the mind.”

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy. [Psalm 65:5-8]

Written by Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889-1929), an Indian Christian missionary and sadhu. This is an excerpt from his book “At the Master’s Feet.”

Many there are in this world who know about Me, but do not know Me; that is, they have no personal relationship with Me, therefore they have no true apprehension of or faith in Me, and do not accept Me as their Savior and Lord. Just as if one talks with a man born blind about different colors such as red, blue, yellow, he remains absolutely unaware of their charm and beauty, he cannot attach any value to them, because he only knows about them, and is aware of their various names. But with regard to colors he can have no true conception until his eyes are opened. In the same manner, until a man’s spiritual eyes are opened, howsoever learned he may be, he cannot know Me, he cannot behold My glory, and he cannot understand that I am God Incarnate.

But God raised him [Jesus] from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. [Acts 10:40-41]

Written by R.C. Sproul (1939-2017), a minister, author, radio broadcaster, and founder of Ligonier Ministries.

The beginning of the Christian life is rooted in repentance. The word for repentance in the Greek is metanoeō, which refers to a changing of the mind. Prior to your repentance, you thought one way. You thought according to the precepts of this world. You thought just like your secular neighbors, doing everything in your power to bury your sin in your subconscious. But when the Holy Spirit brought you to conviction, awakened you to your absolute need for a Savior, and you rushed to the cross, your mind and the entire direction of your life were changed. The mind is in the center in this . This transformation comes by having a new mind … A changed mind is a necessary condition for transformation, but it is not a sufficient condition. You can study the things of God, you can study the Word of God, you can make 100 percent on every theological examination that you ever take—you can have it in your head but never get it to your heart. If it does not get to your heart, you will never be transformed. However, the way God has made you is that the avenue to your heart is through the mind. The Bible was written and given for our understanding so that we might begin to think like Jesus thinks, approve what He approves, and despise what He despises. That is the way our lives are changed. When we begin to think like Christians, we get a new mind. Out of that new mind, we pray that the heart will be changed. When the heart is changed, the life is changed, and we are a transformed people.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. [Philippians 2:5]