Pathways Press.com

Written by Ken Boa, a contemporary author and founder of Reflections Ministry.

Jesus emphasized that the most important priority in life, regardless of life stage or situation, is indeed relationships; every other command ultimately falls under this larger umbrella… If you talk to people approaching the end of their lives (or those who interact with such people, like hospice and palliative care workers), it is almost without exception that some people’s primary end-of-life regrets are in the area of relationships. A high percentage wish they had: spent less time working and more time with family, especially their kids when they were young;  done more for other people; and been a better spouse or parent.  When we recalibrate, we do well to pay close attention to the relationships in our lives so we will avoid such regrets.  If our plans and goals center on ourselves—on grabbing instead of giving, on finding comfort and pleasure for ourselves rather than showing compassion to others—then we’ve missed the heart of the Christian life. This doesn’t mean we ignore our own needs at the expense of others (we’re to love others as we love ourselves, Jesus reinforced), but neither should we become so focused on ourselves that we neglect those around us. Prioritizing people will look different in everyone’s life. God is not concerned with appearances or quantity; He looks at our hearts. Serving others quietly without anyone’s knowledge is just as laudable as loving and serving in more visible ways.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. [Matthew 22:37-40]

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Written by Billy Graham (1918-2018), an American evangelist, minister, and civil rights activist.

No thoughtful person can approach New Year’s Day without some introspection. We are reminded of the brevity of time. We also look back over our failures, mistakes, and missed opportunities, and vow that we will make better use of our time during the coming year. We should take time to be pleasant, to smile, to extend the small courtesies we often omit – to show love to our family. Psychiatrists tell us that most people are starved for love. Take time for the goodbye kiss; we shall go to work with a sweeter spirit. Let us take time to get acquainted with our families. We are not machines. We are not robots. The secret of a happy home is that members of the family learn to give and receive love. Let us take time to express our love in a thousand ways.

Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should. [Psalm 90:12]

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Written by Dennis Lee, a contemporary pastor and author.

Today, we’re entering a brand-new year, and many of us are making resolutions about those things we know we have to do, like losing weight, exercising, eating healthier, and taking our vitamins. We also begin to list out what we need to do spiritually, like reading the Bible and praying every day, using our gifts and talents in God’s service, to be more loving, Christ-like, and obedient to God’s word. The only problem is that while we resolve to do these things, our resolve soon fades because we really don’t have the power to keep them. And it doesn’t have to do with our will power, but rather because circumstances beyond our control happened. And so, as we enter this New Year, we need a new beginning, which starts with a new heart and new spirit…What we need is the type of heart the Lord wants us to have…Today, with all that is happening in our world, our hearts are becoming hardened. But God can give us a heart transplant, where He’ll remove our stony heart and give us a heart of flesh, that is, a heart that is open to all God has…God also gives us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of power. In the Old Testament that word for Spirit is “ruach,” which means wind or breath. The Holy Spirit, therefore, is the breath of God…God gives us a new spirit, a new breath of life to assist us in our time of need… We can change! But we cannot change on our own. Change comes from within. That’s what transformation is all about, it’s a change that takes place on the inside. And that’s the beauty of the promise given by God through Ezekiel is that we’ve been given a new heart and a new spirit, that is, God’s word written on our hearts, and the Holy Spirit being placed within us. And so, as we look to start this New Year, let’s do so by asking God to give to us a heart that is new, a heart that has been cleansed through confession and forgiveness, and then ask the Lord for a renewed spirit through a genuine Holy Spirit revival in our lives and in the life of the church.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. [Ezekiel 36:26-27]

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Written by Trevor Hudson, a contemporary author and minister. This is an excerpt from his book “in Search of God’s Will”

You have been loved into existence by God. You are known, chosen, and called by name. Your life counts. God wants you to live life in all its fullness. There is an unrepeatable purpose for your being here on earth. No one else will ever be in the space that you occupy in this time and place. Your divine calling is to become the unique person you are meant to be and to do those unique tasks that have your name written on them.

In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will [Ephesians 1:11]

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Written by Dallas Willard(1935-2013), an American philosopher, speaker  and writer on spiritual formation. This is an excerpt from his book “Life Without Lack.”

Lord, slip up on us today. Get past our defenses, our worries, our concerns. Gently open our soul, and speak your Word into them. We believe that you want to do it. And we wait for you to do it now. In your name, amen.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  [Hebrews 4:12]

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Written by Raven Carey-James, a contemporary writer and marketing specialist. 

As a justice major and Black American, my heart is always with those on the margins. I stay awake at night thinking of citizens in Gaza, Nigeria, Sudan, and Jamaica who are grieving and desperate to rebuild their lives in the wake of tragedy. Even here in the States, I’m mindful of immigrants facing oppression, … families enduring food insecurity, or parents fearing for their children’s safety in schools. In a world marked by conflict and uncertainty, it’s not easy to keep hope and joy alive. Still, [I’m reminded] that with the Lord, joy is possible. In our communities, workplaces, and leadership practices, placing our hope in God and nurturing joy through unprecedented times strengthens us.  However, practicing joy takes active listeningand intention. Luke Bobo reminds us thatjoy is grounded in our knowledge of who God is and in trusting God’s promises even when circumstances are bleak. Amid pain and injustice, God can sustain us. Through prayer, silent reflection, and generosity, we can collectively rediscover joy and renew our hope for a better world.

Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength. [Nehemiah 8:10]

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Written by Louie Giglio, a contemporary pastor, speaker, and author.

We were created with a deep longing for God, yet many of us mistake that thirst for other desires. Only God, the living water, can truly satisfy our souls and restore us to the relationship for which we were made. 

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.  [John 7:38]

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Written by Sarah Ivill, a contemporary writer, Bible teacher, and speaker.

Most people find it very difficult to be content. Contentment is difficult because we are fallen people living in a fallen world. No longer do we worship God alone and work for His glory. Until Jesus returns, we will battle the desire to want Christ plus someone or something else. But be encouraged. If you are united to Christ by faith, you can truly, though not perfectly, be content…One of the reasons we find it hard to be content is because we don’t really trust that God loves us and is working all things for our good. But when we “see what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God” and believe that “for those who love God all things work together for good,” then we can rest in His plans for our lives…we can stop trying to control who we are and what we have, and instead, we can be content with the truth that the Lord is King over all…If we are living for the things of this world, we will never be content…Instead of pursuing the pleasures of this world, we are to pursue “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness” and “take hold of the eternal life to which [we] were called.”

I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content . . . I can do all things through him who strengthens me. [Philippians 4:11, 13]

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Written by Raechel Myers, a contemporary author.

Whether it’s Christmas morning or evening, whether you’re home or traveling, with the ones you love or apart from them, whether it looks the way you hoped or not, Christmas came, didn’t it?  The day we remember the birth of our lowly baby-King, the day we worship with wonder the God who can form bones in a virgin’s womb, and the day we contemplate all that it means that our Creator would choose to be Creator-with-us, is finally here! … God kept His two-millennia-old promise to Abram. He chose righteous Joseph and Mary to appear unrighteous in order to be the parents of His only Son. He invited the uninvited shepherds to hear the news first by sending an actual crowd of angels to proclaim literal “peace on earth” to their weary ears. God came in the least and most spectacular way, to be with us…God with” not only happened in Bethlehem then. It extends beyond Galilee and Jerusalem. Because of Christmas, “God with” is even bigger than the pillar of fire at night and cloud by day. It’s not only in tents or temples or burning bushes. Because of Bethlehem, and because Jesus left us His Spirit, “God with” reaches from Nazareth to Nairobi to New Hampshire, from Capernaum to Charlottetown to Colorado Springs. It extends from then to now to eternity because God intends to dwell with His people again in a way mankind hasn’t known since the garden…Today, consider as clearly as you possibly can the reality of “God with you.” And on this day that we remember and celebrate God becoming like us—God being with us—my prayer is that the most remarkable part of your day (more than gifts or food or fellowship or lack of any of these things) will be that you met with the One who came as a baby in a manger, that you know Him personally and sensed His Spirit’s presence with you today. That … our preparations for the Christmas season would dim in comparison to our preparations for the return of our King. That “God with us” would be both our comfort and our aim. And, whether I’m the first or the fortieth to say it to you today, Merry Christmas, beloved one. Jesus came for you, and that is worth celebrating today!

But when the right time came, the time God decided on, he sent his Son, born of a woman, born as a Jew, to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own sons. [Galatians 4:4-5]

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Written by Brenda Meredith from The Village Church

As a child in public elementary school, we learned “Silent Night” during class time. What struck me most wasn’t just the melody—it was the atmosphere it created. The usual classroom antics faded away. A calm reverence settled over us as we sang, each of us quietly moved by the image of a holy night and a holy infant. I believe the lyrics touched more than just our school day; I’m sure some classmates carried that hallowed feeling home to their families. I remember singing the third verse with all my heart: “Son of God, love’s pure light.” I wanted everyone to hear that part clearly. Even then, I sensed the weight of those words—the bright love of Christ shining into the world. Years later, “O Holy Night” swept me away. The opening lines—“the stars are brightly shining” and “it is the night of our dear Savior’s birth”—lay the foundation for a soul’s response. But it’s the chorus, “Fall on your knees!”, that still brings tears to my eyes. I can hear the music swell in my mind, as if angel voices are joining the congregation in worship. It’s as though the most powerful notes were saved for that moment of surrender. I dare anyone to listen with an open heart and not be deeply moved. So today, I encourage you: put on your favorite music that points to God—seasonal or not. Open your heart to love’s pure light. Be brave enough to worship Him, just you and Him. He has proven Himself holy and worthy of our adoration. Enjoy the sacred time when He inhabits your praise. And may you share that gift with others—with joy, with boldness, and with abandon.

Silent night, holy night. Son of God, love’s pure light. Radiant beams from Thy holy face. With the dawn of redeeming grace. Jesus Lord, at Thy birth. Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.

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