Pathways Press.com

Written by Ray Stedman (1917-1992), an American pastor and author.

I have always been fascinated by the questions God asks of man. These four words go right to the heart of life. In them Jesus asks the most profound question in anyone’s life: “What are you looking for?” Did you ever ask yourself, “Why am I here? What do I really want out of life?” That is the most penetrating question you can ask yourself.

Jesus turned around and saw them following. He said to them, “What are you looking for?” They answered, “Teacher, where are you staying?” [John 1:38]

Read Full Post »

Written by Lacy Finn Borgo, a contemporary author.  This is an excerpt from her book “Faith Like a Child.”

Imagination is essential to faith. We will not trust an unseen God without a little imagination, and we will not be able to catch a vision of the kingdom of God or participate in it without imagination. Imagination isn’t dabbling in what isn’t real; instead it helps us to live with what is unseen. Faith, hope, and love are all made tangible by imagination.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. [2 Corinthians 4:18]

Read Full Post »

Written by Corie ten Boom (1892-1983 ), a Dutch watchmaker, Christian writer, and public speaker.  This is an excerpt from her book “The Hiding Place.”

It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, a former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there – the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie’s pain-blanched face. He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. ​“How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein.” He said. ​“To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!” His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people in Bloemendaal the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side. Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him. I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I prayed, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness. As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself. 

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [Matthew 5:43-45]

Read Full Post »

Written by Toni Pate, a contemporary pastor. This is an excerpt from her sermon “Ongoing Easter.”

The experience of this traveler [on the road to Emmaus] may well be like your own. You may be the unnamed one. You may know a lot about Jesus. From church, from home, from the Bible, or from TV — who knows where we get our images of him. You may know a lot, and you may care a lot about Jesus and Christianity.  But do you ever feel disappointed that God is not making things happen the way you thought he would? That your life has not turned out the way you had hoped? Have you been confused about where Jesus is during difficult times? Does it sometimes seem that as much as you believe Jesus is the Son of God, his promises of lighter burdens, of peace, answered prayers, and freedom from fear are not a reality for you? Then you are right there on this long walk — needing Jesus to come alongside you and help you to recognize his presence. But it’s a process. He wants to walk you through your doubts and disappointments. He wants to take you back through the story of God’s interaction with people from the very beginning and to see how it matches your own story. He wants to be invited into your home to share your everyday life. And at some point, if you have ears that want to hear, eyes that want to see, you will know he is alive and is with you. In the simplest act — a song, a prayer, a long-forgotten Bible verse, a meal — you will know him as the one who gave himself for you.

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. [Luke 24: 13 – 14].

Read Full Post »

Written by Josh Axe  a contemporary author and doctor.  This is an excerpt from his book “Think This, Not That.”

A divine identity affirms that human beings are made up of more than flesh and bones; we are also spiritual beings, made in the image of God. For the Christian, a divine identity answers the question of who you are by first knowing who God is…Having a divine identity offers us a lens with which to see others. When our identity is in a God who created all people, we are more likely to treat all people with value, honor, and respect. When you have a divine identity, you have positioned yourself to live with purpose and to have an eternal impact. Studies demonstrate that when someone’s identity is linked to their beliefs in God, they contribute more to society and are more charitable in their giving. They volunteer more with acts of service. They are also more virtuous in character. Faith and character, both of which spring from a divine identity, knowing and believing who God says you are, stand at the top of the identity hierarchy. While you can’t change some simple facts about yourself, you always can grow in faith and character and continue to become a better version of yourself than you were yesterday.

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.  [Genesis 1:27]

Read Full Post »

Written by Jana Harmon, a contemporary professor and author.  This is an excerpt from her work “Is it Rational to Believe in God?”

In his book Miracles, C.S. Lewis declared the need for a transcendent, intelligent, powerful Mind in these endeavors. Drawing on the thought of Alfred North Whitehead, Lewis stated, “Men became scientific because they expected Law in Nature, and they expected Law in Nature because they believed in a Legislator.” But, for someone who believes only nature exists, there is no rational basis for what we observe in the cosmos. They are compelled to admit the universe came from nothing by nothing for no reason. They cannot demystify why the universe is present, much less why it appears ordered or fine-tuned for life. They cannot account for the complex information and exquisite functioning of our DNA and the origins of life. They cannot unravel how life began from non-organic life, how consciousness arose from physical matter, how human beings are qualitatively different in kind from the rest of creation. Those inconvenient facts about reality are presumed, not adequately explained. Yet, within a God-centered and created universe, the cause is sufficient to the effect. These amazing realities can be adequately explained by the presence and purposes of a transcendent, powerful, intelligent, personal Creator who had us in mind.

They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.  [Romans 1:25]

Read Full Post »

Written by Mark Roberts, a contemporary author and editor.

Gracious God, you are the source of all wisdom. You are, indeed, the embodiment of wisdom. All praise be to you! I thank you for the ways in which you have helped me to become wise. But, Lord, I recognize just how much wisdom I lack. So, I ask you for wisdom. Give me eyes to see as you see, a heart that feels as you feel, and a mind that understands as you understand. Amen.

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. [James 1:5]

Read Full Post »

Written by Thomas Kelly (1893-1941), an American Quaker educator and author. This is an excerpt from his book “The Eternal Promise.”

We are men of double personalities. We have slumbering demons within us. We all have also a dimly-formed Christ within us. We’ve been too ready to say that the demonic man within us is the natural and real man and that the Christ-man within us is the unnatural and the unreal self. But the case is that our surface potentialities are for selfishness and greed, for tooth and claw. But deep within, in the whispers of the heart, is the surging call of the Eternal Christ, hidden within us all. By an inner isthmus, we are connected with the mainland of the Eternal Love. Surface living has brought on the world’s tragedy. Deeper living leads us to the Eternal Christ, hidden in us all. Absolute loyalty to this inner Christ is the only hope of a new humanity. In the clamor and din of the day, the press of Eternity’s warm love still whispers in each of us, as our deepest selves, as our truest selves. Attend to the Eternal that He may recreate you and sow you deep into the furrows of the world’s suffering.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. [Colossians 3:15]

Read Full Post »

Written by the Lead Like Jesus Team, an organization founded by Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges that promotes a transformational leadership model based on following Jesus.

God, thank You that I can come into Your presence. Thank you, Jesus, for opening the way to the Father, and thank You, Holy Spirit, for making my needs known moment-by-moment. Father. Work out Your will in and through me today, I pray in Jesus’ name, amen.

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.   [Romans 8:26-27]

Read Full Post »

Written by Catherine Marshall (1914-1983), an American author. This is an excerpt from her book “Something More.”

The ‘how” of forgiveness is through knowing how to use our will – the rudder of our life. We are responsible for the set of this rudder; once we have willed a course of action. God will be responsible for our feelings if we will hand them over to Him. Otherwise, nothing we can do would change these feelings. When I put that conclusion alongside David du Plessis’ statement, “Forgiveness means, ‘the other person may be as wrong as wrong can be, but I’ll not be the judge,’” I saw that forgiveness is simply the decision of our wills to release a particular person, followed by verbalizing that to God. As for faith that such a non-emotional release would result in changes in the other person’s life I confess that we began with deficient faith. The process of releasing the ‘aughts’ seemed too simple, too pat. We were about to be shown that when we follow Jesus’ direction, the simplest ways are the most powerful.

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  [Luke 6:37]

Read Full Post »