Pathways Press.com

MEDITATION:

Written by Dallas Willard (1935-2013), an American philosopher known for his writings on Spiritual Formation. This is an excerpt from his book: The Divine Conspiracy Continued: Fulfilling God’s Kingdom on Earth.”

Joy is a positive outlook of hopefulness based upon a pervasive, overall sense of well-being. Joy, like love, has a “feeling” component that is pleasant. Yet joy, like love, is not a feeling. Joy maintains a positive posture in life that assumes that good will be supported and eventually triumph over any apparent obstacle. Therefore, joy is fully compatible with the experiences of pain, disappointment, or sorrow, because joyfulness always takes a wider view of circumstances and works with hope to expect good to prevail. Joy enables patience, faithfulness to commitments, and the all-important ability to defer instant gratification. Joy gives one the ability to say no, or perhaps a very firm “not yet,” to the immediacy of desire. Both responses are evidence of joy’s ability to overcome the tyranny of the urgent, since one is joyful with the present state of affairs, whatever that may be. The bearing of joy on the good life should be obvious. It is indispensable to steady contentment and perseverance in any task. Joy liberates from the demand or temptation of immediate satisfaction, which resists waiting for what is good or best. Accordingly, joy is the best platform from which to make any sound investment.

PRAYER:

Written by Rachel Wojo, a contemporary author and speaker.

Dear Father,

I come before you with focused heart.

How can I begin to express my gratitude

for your great love for me?

The depths of your love are so wide

And so deep… and so long

That I can only attempt to understand the vastness.

While my mind can’t comprehend Your greatness in entirety,

My heart’s desire is to follow Your lead.

Every step and every corner,

I surrender to Your plan, no matter where it leads.

While I haven’t always been so willing,

I’m renewing my vows to you, Lord.

I beg you to take me and use me as only you can.

No matter the time or place.

It truly is my joy to say

Your will. Your way.

Amen.

Read Full Post »

MEDITATION:

Written by Rachael Adams, a contemporary writer, speaker, and founder of The Love Offering.

I didn’t start going to church until I was a preteen. During one of the first church services I attended, I remember watching the people in the congregation worship, pray, and belt out an occasional amen. I was fascinated by these activities, but I was also perplexed, even a little uncomfortable. Not long after, I visited a women’s Bible study. I observed and listened in bewilderment at what sounded like a foreign language. I didn’t understand the Christian terms that seemed so familiar to everyone else in attendance. My lack of comprehension was evidenced by my failure to complete the study. Years later, I found that Bible study booklet in my bookcase. Flipping through its pages, I discovered the preteen me had only completed two of the days. Looking back, I see how patient God was with me. He slowly gave me opportunities to get to know Him as I was ready. I went to Vacation Bible Schools, youth groups, and Sunday morning services, but I don’t recall ever reading His Word regularly on my own until I had my son. Having a child jolted me awake from my spiritual slumber. I wanted to be a good steward of what God had entrusted to me. So, in the quiet of my newborn’s nursery, while rocking him to sleep, I began to have my first consistent quiet times with the Lord. I came before the Lord as a spiritual infant, opening my heart to Him as I opened the pages of His Word. As I did, it was as if He sat cradling and rocking me in His loving arms, just as I cradled my son. Around this time, a friend invited me to a Bible study. I hadn’t attended a group study since the one I attempted as a preteen, but, even though I still had to look at the table of contents to find each book of the Bible, I finished the study this time. Being surrounded by a community of women who could answer my questions and with whom I could discuss God’s Word was exactly what I needed. Eventually, our women’s Bible study group began attending Christian women’s conferences…A friend of mine and I were talking about how, while we enjoyed and valued reading about and listening to other people’s encounters with the Lord, we wanted to get to know Him for ourselves, not just through the secondhand accounts we had received up to that point…. So, each morning of the next year, I gathered my Bible, notebook, pen, and cup of coffee, and I sat with my Savior. To be honest, there were times when it was more of a discipline than a desire. Some days, I would sit dumbfounded, unsure how portions of the Scriptures applied to me. Other days, I would sit astounded at how every word seemed to be written just for me and my current situation. Over time, my motive shifted. Reading the Bible became less about how it pertained to me and more about getting to know God. Without fail, when I would show up, He would show up within those black, white, and sometimes red-lettered pages. Whether I needed hope, encouragement, or correction, I received my daily bread. Slowly but surely, what began as a religious ritual became a relationship. In our earthly relationships, the more time we spend with someone, the closer we feel to them. On the other hand, if we go days or even years without conversation or seeing them, they begin to feel distant. We drift away emotionally and don’t feel as connected as we once did. The same is true of the Lord. It takes intention and effort on our part to open the pages of His Word, but I have discovered that when I make being present with Him a priority, His presence is evident to me throughout the rest of my day. His words enter my mind when I need reminding, guiding, or correcting. His Word has never returned void. Now, not only do I want to spend time with Him, I want to become more like Him. Because, truthfully, the Bible isn’t just about receiving information—it is for our transformation.  While we want to increase our knowledge of Him, the true purpose is to apply what we learn—to not only be hearers of the Word but doers of the Word, so others may come to know, love, and seek to be like Him too.

PRAYER:

Written by Don Jongsma, a contemporary pastor and church planter.ritten by Max Lucado, a contemporary pastor and author.

Lord Jesus, you came to seek, to serve, and to save what was lost. We want to follow you, our leader. As we do, may we be useful in leading others to you. Amen.

Read Full Post »

MEDITATION:

Written by Emma Danzey, a contemporary author, ministry leader, and singer. This is an excerpt from her work “God Wants to Do a New Thing in You.”

Spring is blooming and the birds are tweeting their songs yet again. The vibrant colored azaleas and tulips begin to reappear. Trees that were once leafless and empty now start to blossom pink, white, and purple. The truth is that God wants to do a new thing in you. He wants to do a new thing within all of us. Just like nature around us is fully dependent on God to change and grow, we are too. As we admire the warmth of the sunlight and the gentle breeze, may what we see in nature be embraced in our own hearts. When we see these visible changes and transformations within nature, we know that every moment of every day, something is happening. The more seasons we have been through, the more common they can become, so we have to be intentional to watch what the Lord is doing and to worship Him in the midst of it. The same is true spiritually speaking. As we seek God, the Holy Spirit is doing a work within us that we may not always recognize, however over time, our thoughts and actions will show the fruit of our hearts. As we look at the work of Jesus, He brings death to life, He completes the old covenant and fulfills the new covenant, and He takes things that are broken and makes them whole. As we examine our own lives, how is Jesus continually sanctifying and making us new in Him each day? Are you being more patient with your spouse? Have you been quicker to listen and slower to speak lately? Are your words of negativity fading under the sound of encouragement? We cannot produce anything eternally good from our lives apart from the work of Christ. It is because of Him that anyone can become a new creation… When we spend time with Jesus reading His Word, praying, worshiping, listening, reflecting, witnessing, and gathering with other believers, we are being refined into His image. At the moment of salvation, we are forgiven and made new. However, on the journey of life, we go through our own “spiritual seasons” where our Father is shaping and molding us into who He desires for us to be. We can trust in Him and surrender to His love as we become like Jesus by releasing areas of sin in our lives. This all points us towards the future when the old heaven and earth will pass away and the Lord will make everything new again. 

PRAYER:

Written by Max Lucado, a contemporary pastor and author.

God, I’m so grateful you sent your Spirit to empower me. Thank you for speaking to me and working in me. Stay near to me and help me hear your voice. Amen.

Read Full Post »

MEDITATION:

Written by Martin Luther (1483-1546), a German priest, theologian, author, and hymn writer who was a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation. This is an excerpt from his commentary on the Sermon on the Mount.

The life of a Christian is hard as if he were walking on a narrow path, in fact, on nothing but razors. Beneath us in the world is the devil, who is continually snapping at us with his jaws in order to bring on impatience, despair, and murmuring against God. In addition, the world is advancing on us, and it refuses to yield to us or to let us pass. And around our neck lies our own flesh. Thus, we are hemmed in on every side. The way itself is so narrow that it would be difficult enough even if there were no dangers or obstacles in the way. Nevertheless, we have to go through or become the property of the world and the devil. Think about this and guide yourself accordingly. If you want to be a Christian, then be one. It will never be any different. You will never make the way any wider…But let this be your comfort: first, that God is standing next to you; and second, that after you have gone through, you will enter a beautiful and wide room.

PRAYER:

Written by Joyce Meyer, a contemporary speaker, teacher, and writer.

Father, help me to choose the narrow path today—in my thoughts, with my words, and through my actions. When my feelings rise up and I’m tempted to take the broad path, please strengthen me by Your Spirit and help me to make wise decisions I will be happy with later. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Read Full Post »

MEDITATION:

Written by Meghan Kleppinger, a contemporary author and activist.

Washington D.C. is a politically powerful city and it’s easy for young professionals working there to get carried away by all of its bells and whistles. As a recent college graduate who experienced this firsthand, I found that it doesn’t take long to adapt to the culture. It’s an exciting place to be, but the problem with becoming a full-blown Washingtonian is that too often, people forget why they are there to begin with. Most people move to Washington to support a cause or to work for a politician representing a state. I, for example, worked for a non-profit that worked to preserve family values, and many of my peers worked for their state senators or representatives. To help pop the D.C. bubble we were living in, several of us developed the discipline of reading our hometown papers online each morning. By reading the Richmond Times-Dispatch every day, I was reminded of my roots, culture, where I was from, and for whom I was really working. This practice, along with repeating our mantra, “this isn’t the real world,” enabled many of us to start each day in Washington as Virginians, Pennsylvanians, Texans, etc., representing the states we called home. Sometimes life gets tough, circumstances cause confusion and doubt, purpose becomes unclear, and faith seems irrelevant and far removed from everyday struggles. It doesn’t take much for the line between the world we currently live in, and the promise of our eternal home, to become blurry – it’s those times when “home” with Christ sometimes seems so far away. For me, these bleak moments almost always coincide with periods of times that I’ve stepped away from praying and spending time in God’s Word each day. It’s not that prayer and study act like a magic formula changing my circumstances, though sometimes God does change them; usually, it is simply this set-aside time that causes me to regroup and change my perspective of the circumstances. God is greater than man. He’s our creator, sustainer and He’s in control of everything. He loves us, gives us purpose, and promises us a future with Him. This life is temporal and is nothing in comparison to spending eternity with Christ. How do I know these things? It’s all in God’s Word. Revisiting scripture and praying on a daily basis acts as a needle bursting the bubble I live in. Like reading my hometown paper each day, scripture reminds me that this world doesn’t own me. No matter how long I’m on earth, it’s not my home and I’m not here to represent it – instead, I need to be an ambassador for my Father until it’s time to go home to Him.

PRAYER:

Written by Callie Logan, a contemporary teacher and writer.

Lord, we ask today for more of Your Holy Spirit in our lives. Lord, it can be easy for us to become consumed with the fears that surround us in life, but we know that just as Your eye is indeed on the sparrow, so also do You care for and see us. Teach us today to become more reliant on You. Bring us into a greater discernment of how You operate, so that we may come into a deeper understanding that all we see with natural eyes is not all that is. Today we ask for eyes to see Your hand in all matters, and hearts open to Your work. Amen.

Read Full Post »

MEDITATION:

Written by Sarah Phillips, a contemporary author.

There is much written today about how the world has lost touch with God and morality. It’s easy to view the past with rose-tinted glasses, to believe in “the good old days” or reminisce about a golden era.  We do this in the Church all the time, often pointing to one practice that, if resurrected, would surely turn this generation around. “If only the women still wore head coverings in church… ” “If only we sang ancient hymns… ” “If only young men and women got married earlier… ” Don’t read me wrong here… these issues are important. But the stark reality is, every generation has fallen short of God’s glory. Every generation has sinned. Does this sound familiar? “The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.” How often have I been tempted to mutter these words when encountering today’s teenagers? But this quote is attributed to Socrates by Plato. Apparently, teens weren’t doing so well in the ancient world either. The fallen nature of man has followed us through the ages, plaguing the youth and old alike. Our broken nature manifests itself in so many ways… from the darkest sins to our lack of basic manners and courtesy. Jesus himself seemed to grow weary of the sins of his own day. I imagine the opening scripture was expressed with a mix of sadness and righteous anger. But what is the rest of the story? Even as his sinful followers surrounded him, Jesus healed the spiritual and physical afflictions of a possessed boy. We see here that going back to the “good old days” doesn’t have the power to save us. It’s the person of Jesus Christ who saves.  Is the world worse today than it was yesterday? Does it matter? God’s patience and mercy for our “perverse and unbelieving generation” reveal the depths of his divine love. And those forgiven the most sins have the greatest number of reasons to rejoice.

PRAYER:

Written by William Barclay (1907-1978), a Scottish author, radio and television presenter, professor of Divinity, and minister in the Church of Scotland.

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom: Enlighten by your Holy Spirit those who teach and those who learn, that, rejoicing in the knowledge of your truth, they may worship you and serve you from generation to generation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever, Amen.

Read Full Post »

MEDITATION:

Written by Max Lucado, a contemporary pastor, speaker, and author. This is an excerpt from his book “Live Loved.”

It’s a simple promise. . . . Everyone who believes in [him] will have eternal life (John 3:15). The simplicity troubles many people. We expect a more complicated cure, a more elaborate treatment….We expect a more proactive assignment, to have to conjure up a remedy for our sin. Some mercy seekers have donned hair shirts, climbed cathedral steps on their knees, or traversed hot rocks on bare feet. Others of us have written our own Bible verse: “God helps those who help themselves” (Popular Opinion 1:1). We’ll fix ourselves, thank you. We’ll make up for our mistakes with contributions, our guilt with busyness. We’ll overcome failures with hard work. We’ll find salvation the old-fashioned way: we’ll earn it. Christ, in contrast, says: “Your part is to trust. Trust me to do what you can’t.” By the way, you take similar steps of trust daily, even hourly. You believe the chair will support you, so you set your weight on it. You believe water will hydrate you, so you swallow it. You trust the work of the light switch, so you flip it. You have faith the doorknob will work, so you turn it. You regularly trust power you cannot see to do a work you cannot accomplish. Jesus invites you to do the same with him. Just him. Not . . . any other leader…Not even you.  You can’t fix you. Look to Jesus . . . and believe.  —From 3:16: THE NUMBERS OF HOPE

PRAYER:

Written by Max Lucado, the author of today’s meditation.

 Lord, you have invited us to trust you for salvation and for everything we need. You’ve promised rest and restoration if we will simply trust in you. Teach us to trust you more. Forgive us when we struggle to do what you long to do for us, amen.

Read Full Post »

MEDITATION:

Written by Julian of Norwich (1342-?), an English anchoress (a woman who chooses to withdraw from the world to live a solitary life of prayer and mortification. This is an excerpt from her work “Showings.”

God showed me something small, no bigger than a hazelnut, lying in the palm of my hand, as it seemed to me, and it was as round as a ball. I looked at it with the eye of my understanding and thought: What can this be? I was amazed that it could last, for I thought that because of its littleness it would suddenly have fallen into nothing. And I was answered in my understanding: It lasts and always will, because God loves it; and thus everything has being through the love of God. In this little thing, I saw three properties. The first is that God made it, the second is that God loves it, the third is that God preserves it. But what did I see in it? It is that God is the Creator and the protector and the lover. For until I am substantially united to God, I can never have perfect rest or true happiness, until, that is, I am so attached to God that there can be no created thing between my God and me.

PRAYER:

Written by John Eldredge, a contemporary American author, counselor and lecturer on Christianity.

 Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me and choosing me before You made the world. You are my true Father – my Creator, my Redeemer, my Sustainer, and the True End of all things, including my life. I love You. I worship You and I trust You. I give myself over to You now to be one with You in all things as Jesus is one with You. Thank You for proving Your love for me by sending Jesus. I receive Him and all His life and all His work that You provided for me. Thank You for including me in Christ, for forgiving me my sins, for granting me His integrity and righteousness, for making me complete in Him. Thank You for making me alive with Christ, raising me with Him, seating me with Him at Your right hand, establishing me in His authority, and anointing me with Your love and Your Spirit and Your favor. I receive it all with thanks and give its total claim to my life. And I bring the life and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ over my home and over my family this day, over my life and throughout my household and my vehicles and my work and my finances and throughout my domain. I stake it there in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Read Full Post »

MEDITATION:

Written by Mother Teresa (1910-1997), an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary who served the poor of Calcutta. This is an excerpt from her book “My Life for the Poor.”

I’ll never forget during the Bangladesh suffering: we had ten million people in and around Calcutta. I asked the government of India to allow a number of other congregations to come to our aid, to help us, because we were working the whole time. They allowed them to come: about fifteen or sixteen different sisters came to help us, and each one, on leaving Calcutta, said the same thing: “I have received much more than I have given and I can never be the same person again; because I have touched Christ, I have understood what love is. What it is to love and to be loved!” … Giving needs not be confined to money or material gifts, but I would like more people to give their hands to serve and their hearts to love—to recognize the poor in their own homes, towns, and countries, and to reach out to them in love and compassion.

PRAYER:

Written by Janel Breitenstein, a contemporary author.

 God, as people head to school and work, I ask that You would help us to love one another through our work. Thank you for the roles each person in our community plays so we can all benefit! I ask Your forgiveness for the ways we work for our own glory, control, and comfort; for others’ approval of us; and out of fear. Creator, reorder our worship so that we’re not making a name for ourselves, but so your Name and renown are our goals. Turn the eyes of our community’s hearts outward, so that we are inspired to use our gifts to serve. Like Ruth, multiply our faith in you and our service performed out of love so it produces far more than we’d ever comprehend.  Amen.

Read Full Post »

MEDITATION:

Written by Richard Rohr, a contemporary Franciscan friar, ecumenical teacher, and author. This is an excerpt from his book “Everything Belongs.”

We are desperately afraid of having no power. We fear loneliness, poverty, and boredom. We fear failure terribly. Nonviolence, nonpleasure, nonaggression are also part of our American shadow. These are the things that we avoid to create our character armor. We lust after the king of aggression that allows us to be dominant, to be powerful. We settle for a certain kind of pleasure that really isn’t joyous. Sometimes pleasure, as a liminoid [secularized sacred] experience, is the avoidance of joy. It is to entertain one part of our body, perhaps, but at the price of the inner glow and juice of our whole being. Poverty is the ultimate shadow for many of us. We cannot imagine being happy without our money. We would be petrified to be without our many options. We’ve substituted freedom of choice for the freedom of the soul which alone gives spiritual joy.

PRAYER:

Written by Debbie McDaniel, a contemporary Christian author.

 Dear God, at the start of each day, help us to recognize you above all else. Enlighten the eyes of our heart that we might see you, and notice how you’re at work through our lives. Give us wisdom to make the best choices, fill us with a desire to seek after you more than anything else in this world. Let your Spirit and power breathe in us, through us, again, fresh and new. Thank you that you are greater than anything we may face in our day. Thank you that your presence goes with us, and that your joy is never dependent on our circumstances, but it is our true and lasting strength, no matter what we’re up against. We ask that your peace lead us, that it would guard our hearts and minds in you. We ask for your grace to cover our lives this day. We love you Lord…we need you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Read Full Post »