Pathways Press.com

MEDITATION:

Written by Chuck Swindoll, a contemporary Christian pastor, broadcaster, and author.

J. Oswald Sanders, in his book, Paul, the Leader, writes, “We form part of a generation that worships power—military, intellectual, economical, scientific. The concept of power is worked into the warp and woof of our daily living. Our entire world is divided into power blocs. Men everywhere are striving for power in various realms, often with questionable motivation.”

The celebrated Scottish preacher, James Stewart, made a statement that is also challenging: “It is always upon human weakness and humiliation, not human strength and confidence, that God chooses to build His Kingdom; and that He can use us not merely in spite of our ordinariness and helplessness and disqualifying infirmities, but precisely because of them.”

That’s a thrilling discovery to make. It transforms our mental attitude toward our circumstances. Let’s pause long enough here to consider this principle in all seriousness. Your humiliations, your struggles, your battles, your weaknesses, your feelings of inadequacy, your helplessness, even your so-called “disqualifying” infirmities are precisely what make you effective. I would go further and say they represent the stuff of greatness. Once you are convinced of your own weakness and no longer trying to hide it, you embrace the power of Christ. Paul modeled that trait wonderfully, once he grasped the principle. His pride departed and in its place emerged a genuine humility that no amount of hardship could erase.

PRAYER:

This prayer is from the 5^th century liturgy of the Syro-Malabar church, which traces its origin to Thomas the Apostle.

 O God, you are the bottomless well of peace,

the heavenly sea of love,

the fountain of blessings,

and the giver  of affection,

and you send peace to those who receive it.

Open to us this day the sea of your love,

and water us with the flowing streams of your grace.

Make us children of quietness, and heirs of peace.

Enkindle the fire of your love in us;

plant holy reverence for you in us;

strengthen our weakness by your power;

bind us closely to you and to each other

in one firm bond of unity;

for the sake of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

 MEDITATION:

Written by Pete Greig,  a contemporary English pastor, author, and founder of the global 24-7 Prayer movement.  This is an excerpt from his book “How to Pray.”

To start we must stop. To move forward, we must pause. This is the first step in a deeper prayer life: Put down your wish list and wait. Sit quietly. “Be still and know that I am God.” Become fully present in place and time so that your scattered senses can recenter themselves on God’s eternal presence. Stillness and silence prepare your mind and prime your heart to pray from a place of greater peace, faith, and adoration. In fact, these are themselves important forms of prayer.

No one stares up at the Northern Lights thinking, “Wow, I’m incredible!” We are hardwired to wonder and therefore to worship. The Lord’s Prayer begins with an invitation to adoration: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your Name.” Having paused to be still at the start of a prayer time, the most natural and appropriate response to God’s presence is reverence. Try not to skip this bit. Hallowing the Father’s name is the most important and enjoyable dimension of prayer. Linger here, rejoicing in God’s blessings before asking for any more. Like an eagle soaring, a horse galloping, or a salmon leaping, worship is the thing God designed you to do.

PRAYER:

Written by William Bright (1824-1901), an English ecclesiastical historian and Anglican priest.

O almighty God,

every good prayer comes from you,

and you pour out the Spirit of grace and prayer

on all who desire it.

Deliver us from coldness of heart

and wanderings of mind

when we draw near you,

that with steadfast thoughts

and warmed affections

we may worship you in spirit and in truth;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

 MEDITATION:

Written by Annie F. Downs, contemporary Christian author.

Everything you have, from your health to your friendships to a roof over your head to the food in your belly, is a gift from God. And we even have something else to be thankful for: that God doesn’t change! I love that about Him. We can hold tight to our never-changing God and be okay because, in every other area of life, change is pretty much guaranteed. And you know what? Brave people are willing to let go of everything as they hold tight to God, even when things start to change.

In the last three months, I have seen the most change in my personal and professional life that I’ve ever had. For my counselor, I listed every North Star person (you know, a person who is important to you and gives you guidance) who has left my life in the last three months, and the number is seven. Seven. And you know what? It’s okay. If I chose to live in a world where I hated change all the time, I would be really miserable. If I chose to put all my hope in people, I would be really miserable. (I’ve tried both. It’s always miserable.)

I don’t love change, but I know that God is always working for my good. So, I can say, “Man, this is the worst!” But I have a totally trustworthy God who is looking out for me. Does God need a reminder that He has all this under control? No, friend. He doesn’t. You do. I definitely do. We all do. Remembering that He’s the boss and His plans are for our good and He loves us — that can make us brave, even when everything that felt secure seems to be changing.

PRAYER:

From The Mozarabic Rite, also called the Visigothic Rite or the Hispanic Rite, is a liturgical rite of the Latin Church once used generally in the Iberian Peninsula (Hispania), in what is now Spain and Portugal in the 500s.

Lord Jesus Christ,

true God and truly human,

you do not change,

and you are holy in all your works.

Remove all our unbelief and doubt,

and fill our hearts with the gifts of your grace

that we may believe and know you as true God,

and by your miracles and mighty works

know you as Savior of all. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Os Guiness. A contemporary Christian author and social critic. This is an excerpt from his work “Purposeful Living for Today and Beyond.”

I’m speaking from quarantine to all of you presumably in quarantine. I think the heart of the challenge of the pandemic is that it strikes at modernity’s love of control, mastery — control through reason, science, technology, management — and suddenly the angel of death arrives and we realize we’re not in control. So it’s an extraordinary time for reflection and self-examination. I’ve certainly tried to think of it that way. We can think of it in terms of, say, America and the Western world, or the global world, or we can think of it as we’re doing this today in terms of our individual, personal lives.

I start my book, Carpe Diem Redeemed, with a time when I was on the Eurostar, going from Brussels to London. As you come into St. Pancras station, there are a number of dilapidated Victorian buildings splattered with graffiti. One of them reads like this: “You only live once, and it doesn’t last. So live it up. Drink it down. Laugh it off. Burn it at both ends. You can’t take it with you. You only live once.”  Now that of course was the famous YOLO philosophy (“You Only Live Once”). Many people who followed — they knew it came from the Greeks: “Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” But what many people forget is that one of the original formulations was “You only live once — if then.” In other words, life is short, life is fragile, life is vulnerable, and the question is, How do we live it well? And how do we make sense of it in order to live it well?  I think we have to start thinking it through for ourselves, each of us, and I include myself, because we’re all in this world where life is short and fragile and vulnerable. 

PRAYER:

From The Mozarabic Rite, also called the Visigothic Rite or the Hispanic Rite, is a liturgical rite of the Latin Church once used generally in the Iberian Peninsula (Hispania), in what is now Spain and Portugal in the 500s.

O God,

you are the well of life,

and in your light we see light.

Shine the light of your holy knowledge on us

and show us your flowing fountain.

Give our thirsty souls living water

and shine your light from heaven on our darkened minds;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Lawrence W. Althouse, a contemporary Christian author. This is an excerpt from his work “A Distant Second,” published in the “Blount Countian.”

Freedom can be very elusive and fleeting because the dimensions of freedom evolve along with society. The Exodus from Egyptian slavery is one of the great liberation stories of all time. But, the world of 1300 BC (approximate date) was a radically different world from ours. The Israelite escapees made giant steps for human freedom, but they were limited to what was conceivable at the time… We are proud that dissident religious groups came here searching for religious freedom. But that pride must be tempered by the realization that many of the religious groups seeking freedom for themselves established colonies in which it was denied to others. Abraham Lincoln later commented in a letter, “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, and under a just God, cannot long retain it.”

As William Lisle Bowles wrote, “The cause of freedom is the cause of God.” Tyranny, suppression, and injustice are abominations to the God who brought Israel out of Egypt. The conviction that “freedom is for me” must evolve into “freedom is for all.” We are getting there, but we are not there yet. The God who leads us to freedom is above all our human political institutions. Politics should be subservient to religion. Whether we are Republicans or Democrats, Liberals or Conservatives, our highest loyalty must be to God, not our party or ideology. In fact, Christians must be critics and watchdogs of all parties, starting with our own. We will support our party when it is responsive to God’s purpose and criticize it when it is not. The gospel will be our ultimate source of authority, not the ideology of our respective parties. Yet, despite our pretensions as a Christian nation, it is our party spirit and ideology, not the divine teachings of Jesus, that drive our governments at every level. Let Egyptians and Israelites know, as well as Democrats and Republicans: God first, party, a distant second.

PRAYER:

Written by Augustine of Hippo (354-430), an early Christian theologian, bishop, and philosopher.

Eternal God,

who are the light of the minds that know you,

the joy of the hearts that love you,

and the strength of the wills that serve you;

grant us so to know you

that we may truly love you,

and so to love you

that we may fully serve you,

whom to serve is perfect freedom,

in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Ron Moore, contemporary American pastor and Christian author.

David was on the run through no fault of his own. Jealous King Saul was in hot pursuit intent on putting him to death. David’s ragtag army was no match for Saul’s elite soldiers. David knew that if they ever caught him. they would most certainly tear him apart like a lion.

Have you ever been unjustly accused…at work, by friends, or even in your home? You admit that you are not perfect. You know you can say things that others misunderstand. But this time, at least, you are innocent. Your accusers are not intent on ripping you to pieces like David’s, but they are out to get you nonetheless. What do you do? Retaliate? Make similar accusations? Spread rumors? Mount an all out social media attack? No. Do what David did.

David found protection in God alone. God was his refuge so he made his appeal to the One who will “judge the peoples.” He is the One who knows your heart and will bring vindication. He is the righteous and just God. Can you trust God with accusations against you? He is more than capable to deliver you and deliver justice.

PRAYER:

This is a traditional Welsh prayer.

Grant me, O God, thy merciful protection; and in protection give me strength, I pray; and in my strength, O grant me wise discretion; and in discretion, make me ever just; and with my justice, may I mingle love; and with my love, O God, the love of thee; and with the love of thee, the love of all. Amen.

 MEDITATION:

Written by Billy Graham (1918-2018), an American Christian evangelist.

Man hungers for food, and God sends the sun and rain upon the golden fields of grain. The grain is made into flour, and flour into bread, and man’s physical hunger is satisfied. Man hungers for love; and God ignites the fire of affection in another heart, and two hearts are made complete in the bonds of holy matrimony.

Man hungers for knowledge, and God raises up institutions of learning, calls men to be instructors, puts it into the hearts of the rich to endow them; and men are satisfied in their thirst for knowledge. Man hungers for fellowship; and God allows him to build cities where men can share their industry, and their knowledge, and their skills.

Don’t tell me that God can supply man with an abundance of everything material and yet will let him starve spiritually! . . . God will satisfy the hunger and thirst of those who desire His righteousness because He loves the world with an undying affection.

PRAYER:

Written by Robert Parker (1564-1614), an English Puritan clergyman and scholar.

Show me how to love the world, that my bold love for you would increase. Remind me that the fashions of the world pass away, and their momentary glory will vanish into emptiness and nothing. Draw my heart to you and set my mind on things that will last forever. Help me love you fiercely, and cleave to you with a perfect heart. May nothing here satisfy my soul. Protect me through the rest of this day, that I may fall into no temptation, and no danger of soul or body, for the sake of Jesus Christ my blessed Redeemer. Amen.

 MEDITATION:

Written by Dallas Willard (1935-2013), an American philosopher known for his writings on Christian spiritual formation. This is an excerpt from his book “Knowing Christ Today: Why We Can Trust Spiritual Knowledge.”

The unity of humankind is to be achieved by witness to truth in love, co-working with God. Paul repeatedly affirms human unity under Christ in his letters. The prophet Isaiah spoke long ago to Israel for the God of Israel: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, so that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (49:6). But this was not to be achieved by political or military power, though the Jews of Jesus’s day, including his own apostles, could think only of that. Many today have gone no further in their understanding.

By the force of truth and love alone—spoken and lived—the people of Christ, as they dwell in their part of the earth and move about on earth, “make disciples of all nations,” all ethnic groups, all kinds of people. But what that means must be rightly understood if it is to be effectual for good in the way Jesus intended. Most Christians of the Western world today take this directive to “make disciples” to mean doing “missionary work” in other parts of the world, especially in “underdeveloped” or “backward” countries. That is how it has been presented to them. Thus, they look to “the ends of the earth” from where they stand and forget that the process starts in “Jerusalem and Judea,” which in their case is precisely the Western world and its churches. It is right where they live. The “all nations” is above all our own “nation.” North America, for example, is the primary place for North American Christians to make disciples from the various human groupings, surround them in trinitarian reality, and “teach them to obey everything” Jesus commanded. The failure of the American church to do this is very obvious, but to fail here “at home” is to fail the need of the world as a whole.

PRAYER:

Written by Benedict (480-547), the father of Western monasticism and founder of the Rule of St. Benedict, a monastic community.

O gracious and holy Father, give us wisdom to perceive you, diligence to seek you, patience to wait for you, eyes to behold you, a heart to meditate upon you, and a life to proclaim you, through the power of the spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 MEDITATION:

Written by Louis Evely (1910-1985), Belgian priest and author on spiritual life. This is an excerpt from his book “In the Christian Spirit.”

Bad religion has always favored escape, passivity, irresponsibility. By dint of fixing one’s eyes on heaven above, one does not see what takes place on earth here below.  The upward looking must come to an understanding with the forward looking. We believe that our God calls us to go forward. Our faith in an absolute does not immobilize us in contemplation, but invites us to discover him according to our means of creating a world inspired by his love: a world where justice dwells and where people love one another.

PRAYER:

Written by Dominic of Osma (1170-1221), a Castilian priest and founder of the Dominican order.

May God the Father who made us bless us.

May God the Son send his healing among us.

May God the Holy Spirit move within us and

give us eyes to see with, and ears to hear with,

and hands that your work might be done.

May we walk and preach the word of God to all.

May the angel of peace watch over us and

lead us at last by God’s grace to the Kingdom. 

Amen.

MEDITATION:

Written by Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997), a Roman Catholic nun and missionary in Calcutta, India.  This is an excerpt from her book “A Gift For God .”

Suffering is increasing in the world today. People are hungry for something more beautiful, for something greater than people round about can give. There is a great hunger for God in the world today. Everywhere there is much suffering, but there is also great hunger for God and love for each other.

PRAYER:

Written by Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), a Benedictine monk, abbot, philosopher and Christian theologian. He served as the archbishop of Canterbury from 1093-1109.

O Lord my God.

Teach my heart this day where and how to find you.

You have made me and re-made me,

And you have bestowed on me all the good things I possess,

And still I do not know you.

I have not yet done that for which I was made.

Teach me to seek you,

For I cannot seek you unless you teach me,

Or find you unless you show yourself to me.

Let me seek you in my desire;

Let me desire you in my seeking.

Let me find you by loving you;

Let me love you when I find you. Amen.