Pathways Press.com

MEDITATION:

Written by Elton Trueblood (1900-1994), an American Quaker author, theologian, and former chaplain to both Harvard and Stanford universities.  This is an excerpt from his book “The New Man for Our Time.”

Because we cannot reasonably expect to erect a constantly expanding structure of social activism upon a constantly diminishing foundation of faith, attention to the cultivation of the inner life is our first order of business, even in a period of rapid social change. The Church, if it is to affect the world, must become a center from which new spiritual power emanates. While the Church must be secular in the sense that it operates in the world, if it is only secular it will not have the desired effect upon the secular order which it is called upon to penetrate. With no diminution of concern for people, we can and must give new attention to the production of a trustworthy religious experience.

PRAYER:

Written by Claude de la Colombiere (1641-1682), a French Jesuit priest, missionary, and ascetical writer.

Lord, I am in this world to show Your mercy to others.

Other people will glorify You

by making visible the power of Your grace

by their fidelity and constancy to You.

For my part I will glorify You

by making known how good You are to sinners,

that Your mercy is boundless

and that no sinner no matter how great his offences

should have reason to despair of pardon.

If I have grievously offended You, My Redeemer,

let me not offend You even more

by thinking that You are not kind enough to pardon Me. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Albert Edward Day (1884-1973), Methodist pastor and leader of the Disciplined Order of Christ movement. This is an excerpt from his book “The Captivating Presence.”

I came to a new understanding why Jesus passed up the religious establishment of his day, the economically secure, the socially prestigious, and sought out the poor, the outcast, the sinner, the broken, the sick, the lonely. He felt, as we so often do not feel, their sorrow. He was acquainted, as we too seldom are, with their grief. On Calvary he died of a broken heart. But that heart was broken long before Black Friday, by the desolation of the common people. “In all their afflictions he was afflicted.” Most of the time we are not. We seem to have quite a different conception of life. We avoid as much as possible the unpleasant. We shun the suffering of others. We shrink from any burdens except those which life itself inescapably thrusts upon us. We seek arduously the wealth and power that will enable us to secure ourselves against the possibility of being involved with another’s affliction. Lazarus sometimes makes his way to our doorstep. We toss him a coin and go on our way. We give our charities but we do not give ourselves. We build our charitable institutions but we do not build ourselves into other’s lives.

PRAYER:

Written by Thomas More (1478-1535), an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He was also a councilor to Henry VIII.

Almighty God, take from me all vainglorious minds, all appetites of my own praise, all envy, covetise, gluttony, sloth, and lechery, all wrathful affections, all appetite of revenging, all desire or delight of other folks’ harm, all pleasure in provoking any person to wrath and anger, all delight of exprobation or insultation against any persons in their affliction and calamity. And give me, good Lord, a humble, lowly, quiet, peaceable, patient, charitable, kind, tender, and pitiful mind, with all my works, and all my words, and all my thoughts, to have a taste of Your Holy, Blessed Spirit. Give me, good Lord, a full faith, a firm hope, and a fervent charity, a love to the good Lord incomparable above the love to myself; and that I love nothing to Your displeasure, but everything in an order to You. Take from me, good Lord, this lukewarm fashion, or rather keycold manner of meditation, and this dullness in praying unto You. And give me warmth, delight and quickness in thinking upon You. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Max Lucado, a contemporary pastor and author. This is an excerpt from his book “Trade Your Cares for Calm.”

If only we could order life the way we order gourmet coffee. Wouldn’t you love to mix and match the ingredients of your future? “Give me a tall, extra-hot cup of adventure, cut the dangers, with two shots of good health.” “A decaf brew of longevity, please, with a sprinkle of fertility. Go heavy on the agility and cut the disability.” “I’ll have the pleasure mocha with extra stirrings of indulgence. Make sure it’s consequence free.” “I’ll go with a grande happy-latte, with a dollop of love, sprinkled with Caribbean retirement.” Take me to that coffee shop. Too bad it doesn’t exist. Truth is, life often hands us a concoction entirely different from the one we requested. Ever feel as though the barista-from-above called your name and handed you a cup of unwanted stress? Life comes caffeinated with surprises. Modifications. Transitions. Alterations. You move down the ladder, out of the house, over for the new guy, up through the system. All this moving. Some changes welcome, others not. We might request a decaffeinated life, but we don’t get it. None of us pass through this life surprise free. If you don’t want change, go to a soda machine; that’s the only place you won’t find any.

So make friends with whatever’s next. Embrace it. Accept it. Don’t resist it. Change is not only a part of life; change is a necessary part of God’s strategy. To use us to change the world, He alters our assignments. God transitioned Joseph from a baby brother to an Egyptian prince. He changed David from a shepherd to a king. Peter wanted to fish the Sea of Galilee. God called him to lead the first church. God makes reassignments. Over time, we discover that the thing we thought we wanted is far less satisfying than what God has prepared for us.

PRAYER:

Attributed to Reinhold  Niebuhr (1892-1971), a Reformed minister, theologian, ethicist, and professor at Union Theological Seminary. The prayer is used by recovery groups.

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as he did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that he will make all things right if I surrender to his will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life And supremely happy with him forever in the next.

MEDITATION:

Written by Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916), a cavalry officer in the French Army, an explorer and geographer, and later a Catholic priest hermit who lived in Algeria. This is an excerpt from his book “Meditations of a Hermit.”

Don’t economize in almsgiving—cut off nothing in charities, rather increase them if anything. “Give and it shall be given to you.” “In the measure that you do to others so shall it be done to you. What you give to the poor you give to me.” The best way of always having enough is to share generously with the poor, seeing in them the representatives of Jesus himself. And then be full of confidence. “He who gives life will also give the nourishment. He who gave the body will give the clothing. Seek the Kingdom of God and his Justice (that is to say, perfection) and the rest shall be given unto you.” This is said for all Christians and not only for monks. Be full of confidence. Keep yourself from all anxiety.

PRAYER:

Written by Peter Ainslie (1867-1934), a minister and strong advocate of Christian unity, world peace, racial inclusiveness, social justice, Jewish-Christian dialogue, and liberal Christianity.

Blessed Father, you are above all in gifts, and out of your giving you have taught me the way to a fuller identification of myself with you. Not only your gift of Jesus and your gift of the Spirit, but every day your gifts are given to me like manna in the wilderness. All I have belongs to you, and of my money I am only a trustee. Command its use as shall please you, and give me the experience of the giver’s joy. Let me see clearly the sin of covetousness and deepen my hatred of its practice. In the name of your unspeakable Gift be praise and dominion forever. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Shilo Taylor, a contemporary youth pastor and Christian author. This is an excerpt from her book “A 40-Day Guide to Life in Christ.”

Have you ever said, “It’s my life. I’m free to do whatever makes me happy?” After a while, whatever you choose to pursue—popularity, alcohol, relationships, living selfishly, or trying hard to be perfect—becomes something that controls you instead of you controlling it. Soon the choice doesn’t feel like a choice at all. Instead of being free, you’re a slave. Before we commit our lives to Jesus we are slaves to sin. Even if we try to be good, we still aren’t free. Freedom is an illusion. We are tangled up in our sin, and it is impossible to set ourselves free. When we commit our lives to Jesus, we are freed from our slavery. Only God brings real freedom. He frees us from everything we’ve been controlled by. Only God—who is absolutely perfect and all-powerful—can make us his children and save us.

Jesus forgives us. Jesus heals us. Jesus makes us whole. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see instant change. The more you know God, the more you will become the person God created you to be. He knows what your purpose is, what is best for you, what you are good at, and how your experiences will be used in the future. He will help you get past what holds you back. He will make you whole.

PRAYER:

Written by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) , a Patriarch of Alexandria whose Coptic Liturgy  originated in the early Christian Egypt, forming the core of the historical Alexandrian Rite.

What blessing,

what praise,

what thanksgiving

can we give you, O God, lover of all?

For when we were in the darkness of death

and drowning in the depths of sin

you granted us freedom

and gave us this immortal and heavenly food,

and showed us the mystery kept secret for long ages.

Help us understand your supreme mercy

and the greatness of your goodness and Fatherly care for us. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by David Jeremiah, a contemporary Christian pastor and author.  This is an excerpt from his book “What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do.”

 “Patience” is not a passive term but an active one. It is not a resignation to whatever happens but a strong and tough resolution in the midst of very adverse circumstances. It would be better translated as “steadfastness,” “perseverance,” or “brave endurance.” Trials in the lives of believers refine their faith so that the false is stripped away and the genuine faith that continues to trust God can develop victorious positive endurance. William Barclay points out that the endurance of the early Christians was not a passive quality: “It is not simply the ability to bear things; it is the ability to turn them to greatness and glory. The thing which amazed the heathen in the centuries of persecution was that the martyrs did not die grimly; they died singing.”

Without durability in trials, believers have not yet fully matured. We are to persevere in our trials so that the work that God has begun in us may be brought to completion. It is possible for Christians to be fully grown or mature in most areas in life but be missing this ingredient of steadfastness in trials. Until this has been experienced , they are not yet complete.

PRAYER:

From The Mozarabic Rite, a liturgical rite of the Latin Church once used generally in the Iberian Peninsula (Hispania), in what is now Spain and Portugal.  Developed during Visigoth (Arian Christian) rule of the Iberian peninsula  in the 500s AD.

It is good for us to hold on to you, O Lord,

but increase in us our desire for your good,

that our hope in you may not be shaken

by any wavering of faith,

but may endure in steadfastness of love.

MEDITATION:

Written by Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892), an English Baptist preacher often known as the “Prince of Preachers.”

“On whom dost thou trust?” “I trust,” says the Christian, “in a triune God. I trust the Father, believing that he has chosen me from before the foundations of the world; I trust him to provide for me in providence, to teach me, to guide me, to correct me if need be, and to bring me home to his own house where the many mansions are. I trust the Son. Very God of very God is he–the man Christ Jesus. I trust in him to take away all my sins by his own sacrifice, and to adorn me with his perfect righteousness. I trust him to be my Intercessor, to present my prayers and desires before his Father’s throne, and I trust him to be my Advocate at the last great day, to plead my cause, and to justify me. I trust him for what he is, for what he has done, and for what he has promised yet to do. And I trust the Holy Spirit–he has begun to save me from my inbred sins; I trust him to drive them all out; I trust him to curb my temper, to subdue my will, to enlighten my understanding, to check my passions, to comfort my despondency, to help my weakness, to illuminate my darkness; I trust him to dwell in me as my life, to reign in me as my King, to sanctify me wholly, spirit, soul, and body, and then to take me up to dwell with the saints in light forever.”

Oh, blessed trust! To trust him whose power will never be exhausted, whose love will never wane, whose kindness will never change, whose faithfulness will never fail, whose wisdom will never be nonplussed, and whose perfect goodness can never know a diminution! Happy art thou, reader, if this trust is thine! So trusting, thou shalt enjoy sweet peace now, and glory hereafter, and the foundation of thy trust shall never be removed.

PRAYER:

Written by Francis of Assisi ((c1181-1226), an Italian Catholic friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men’s Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of Saint Claire, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land.

Lord, help me to live this day, quietly, easily. To lean upon Thy great strength, trustfully, restfully. To wait for the unfolding of Thy will, patiently, serenely. To meet others, peacefully, joyously. To face tomorrow, confidently, courageously. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), a Christian pastor, author, magazine editor, and spiritual mentor. This is an excerpt from his book “The Warfare of the Spirit.”

For some of us last year was one in which we did not acquit ourselves very nobly as Christians, considering the infinite power available to us through the indwelling Spirit. But through the goodness of God we may go to school to our failures. The man of illuminated mind will learn from his mistakes, yes even from his sins. If his heart is trusting and penitent, he can be a better man next year for last year’s fault-but let him not return again to folly. Repentance should be radical and thorough, and the best repentance for a wrong act, as Fenelon said, is not to do it again….

Brother Lawrence expressed the highest moral wisdom when he testified that if he stumbled and fell he turned at once to God and said, “O Lord, this is what You may expect of me if You leave me to myself.” He then accepted forgiveness, thanked God and gave himself no further concern about the matter.

PRAYER:

Written by Dan Jeremy, a 12^th century Christian.

O Lord Jesus,

grant us your grace and give us time for repentance.

We want to keep your commandments and do your bidding,

choose the better part and no longer follow evil.

Give us your strength to do this,

O loving Savior,

for your own name’s sake. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British writer and lay theologian. This is an excerpt from his book “The Screwtape Letters.”

Screwtape advises Wormwood on using time to wear down a soul:

The Enemy has guarded him from you through the first great wave of temptations. But, if only he can be kept alive, you have time itself for your ally. The long, dull, monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather. You see, it is so hard for these creatures to persevere. The routine of adversity, the gradual decay of youthful loves and youthful hopes, the quiet despair (hardly felt as pain) of ever overcoming the chronic temptations with which we have again and again defeated them, the drabness which we create in their lives and the inarticulate resentment with which we teach them to respond to it—all this provides admirable opportunities of wearing out a soul by attrition. If, on the other hand, the middle years prove prosperous, our position is even stronger. Prosperity knits a man to the World. He feels that he is ‘finding his place in it’, while really it is finding its place in him. His increasing reputation, his widening circle of acquaintances, his sense of importance, the growing pressure of absorbing and agreeable work, build up in him a sense of being really at home in earth, which is just what we want. You will notice that the young are generally less unwilling to die than the middle- aged and the old.

PRAYER:

From the Gelasian Sacramentary, a book of Christian liturgy, which is the oldest western liturgical book that has survived.  The book is linked to Pope Gelasius I. It was compiled near Paris around 750.

O God,

you make all things work together

for good to those who love you.

Fill us with the invincible power of your love

that the holy desires you have put in our hearts

may not be changed by any temptation;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Louis Evely (1910-1985), a Belgian Christian writer and Roman Catholic priest. This is from his book “In the Christian Spirit.”

To believe in God is to believe in the salvation of the world. The paradox of our time is that those who believe in God do not believe in the salvation of the world, and those who believe in the future of the world do not believe in God. Christians believe in “the end of the world,” they expect the final catastrophe, the punishment of others. Atheists in their turn invent doctrines of salvation, try to give a meaning to life, work and the future of humankind, and refuse to believe in God because Christians believe in him and take no interest in the world.

All ignore the true God: he who has so loved the world! But which is the more culpable ignorance? To love God is to love the world. To love God passionately is to love the world passionately. To hope in God is to hope for the salvation of the world. I often say to myself that, in our religion, God must feel very much alone: for is there anyone besides God who believes in the salvation of the world? God seeks among us sons and daughters who resemble him enough, who love the world enough that he could send them into the world to save it.

PRAYER:

Written by Timothy Keller, contemporary pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, author, and speaker.

Lord, I have been trying to earn my own salvation and weave my own righteousness. But you are my salvation and righteousness. I am accepted in your Son! All my problems come because I am forgetting how loved, honored, beautiful, secure, rich, respected, embraced and free in Jesus I am. All other ways of finding honor, respect, purpose and so on are vain. Let me be so ravished with your love for me that no other love can control me. Amen.