Pathway Weeklies

“The childish idea that prayer is a handle by which we can take hold of God and obtain whatever we desire leads to easy disillusionment with both what we had thought to be God and what we thought to be prayer,” says Robert L. Short. Two failings on our part are evident in these words. A failure to understand God’s nature as Provider and a failure to pray for and pursue the right things.I will begi...

“That has love written all over it!” “I couldn’t have said it any better than that!” These are common responses that we make when our minds touch our hearts and we open our senses to express our deepest feelings about a person or an event. I read Psalm 111, and I believe that the hymn writer does this very thing. A Bible commentator expresses similar sentiment when he writes about this psalm: “Her...

The psalmist writes, “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:7). The wonder of this offer is that we too often see it only as a last resort. I had a dear friend who offered me a place of retreat, time and time again, which I continued politely to decline to accept. It is not that I did not want to go. I simply “could not find the time.” I will ...

“Welcome-ish. Depends On Who You Are and How Long You Stay,” is an example of a humorous front door sign on a home. I’m certain that you also have a read a few funny ones. Many folks post or place some type of family greeting or warning at the front door to all who approach their homes. It may be as simple as the word “Welcome,” a warning to potential intruders, or even some type of blessing. John...

“They caught nothing” are the universal words of disappointment and, at times, embarrassment to fisher men and women! I’ve been in this uneasy position on several occasions. Thankfully, I did not have someone recording the spiritual lessons to be learned and the theological implications for all who read the events that surrounded my failure! Hallelujah, we may thank God that John, the Gospel write...

What would you do if your prayers seemed unanswered and your circumstances remained unchanged? Many of us would long to have a meeting with God where we could air out our differences with Him, but we would likely never follow through. Well, Habakkuk did! The tiny nation of Judah was surrounded by evil wickedness and war, and the people found themselves in a constant state of lamentation. God would...

The Universalists’ claim, that “all paths lead up the same mountain,” meaning that all religious trails arrive at the same destination of eternal salvation, has been around for centuries. This fact concerns me. However, that a growing number of popular, professed Christian heralds have emerged with similar types of messages sounds a major alarm in my mind. It seems to me that the answer to the que...

“I am persuaded that love and humility are the highest attainments in the school of Christ and the brightest evidences that He is indeed our Master” (John Newton). Peter carries forward the theme of patient suffering for Christ by exhorting his readers to practice humility. To patiently endure God-ordained suffering seems extreme for many contemporary Christians. We have extreme sports, but to be ...

“Christ is the Good Physician. There is no disease He cannot heal; no sin He cannot remove; no trouble He cannot help” (James Aughey). Amen! I’m telling you today that these words hit their mark when I read them. I know the truth of them through personal experience, and I will share one such testimony a bit later in this devotional. James writes similar words in our focal chapter today and demonst...

Human deliverance in my mind most often causes me to think of events surrounding some catastrophe. For example, it is not at all uncommon in the age of social media to view daring rescues of people from catastrophic accidents or fiery buildings. My son-in-law occasionally does this very thing as a firefighter. Eventually the cameras are turned off and the “deliverer” returns to their daily busines...