PathLight

There are men and women that I have studied that lift me up from within, when I think of their faith and courage. We have read of them. We know of their names. We are familiar with their stories. Yet, comparatively little is said of the ordinary saints whose prayers, lives, and instruction shaped these men and women so mightily used of God. We admire the flowers and forget the roots. Mothers often play a formative role in the lives of great men: Hannah stands behind Sam...

Near the start of Jesus’ public ministry, He says these words: “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” (John 4:34). As Jesus ministry continued it becomes evident that the work of the Father is wrapped up with His death on the cross. In John’s Gospel particularly the chief reason that Jesus completes this work is because it will bring glory to the Father: “for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name” (John 12:27-28); “Father, the hour i...

There is something in the American air today that most of us have never smelled before. For example, just a few years ago, almost everyone understood that males use the men’s room, females the women’s. Now, confusion is in the air. An evil conspiracy is afloat, as those with questionable morals breathe together a noxious odor; yet finding it enjoyable.Today, facts are no longer important; narrative is all the rage. Subjective narrative replaces the hard truth of reality. At one ti...

We live in a hedonistic society. This is defined as a society where most people spend most of their time seeking their own pleasure and satisfaction. They may not always find the pleasure and satisfaction they seek, but it is always at the forefront of their minds. It is usually pictured as a bad thing.We might think of Las Vegas as being a hedonistic city. In a sense, Disney World is that way. Actually, our vacation may might be termed a bit hedonistic according...

A smart phone can be a valuable tool. So is your tablet, laptop, or desktop. It is a phone, a watch, map, camera, and dozens of other things that help us in our daily lives. Of course, it is also a toy. I can use it to play games, enjoy pictures, videos, or music, engage in hours of useless and trivial conversations or internet searches. But, it can also be an idol; something that leads us away from better things, robs us of our time, and sometimes leads us down ...

Never has a society been more offended or insulted by other people’s ideas than in this modern era. People, including many Christians, are always mad at someone because of some offense.Of course, there is a modern-day innocence to it all. We don’t usually go out into the streets and have a shoot-out—at least in most cases. Yet, there is something deeper and dangerous going on with all the offense being taken.Choosing to allow ourselves to be offended is a double-edged sword,...

It is easy to see how children sin against their parents. Sometimes it is a little more clouded about how parents might sin again their children. In this week’s edition of PathLight we are reminded of the story of Joseph. At one point in the story, Reuben rebuked his brothers for their mistreatment of Joseph some 22 years earlier. He said, "Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required" (Genes...

Unlike what most people assume, being nice and being kind are two different things. They may share a few common attributes, but not many. Being nice involves doing something that is pleasing or agreeable. On the other hand, kindness is doing something that is helpful to others. It comes from a place of genuine concern and benevolence. Therefore, as strange as it may seem, you can be kind without always being nice. A person who is really kind sometimes will not ni...

In our world there are many reports that are fake news, and because of that, there are many who also discount true news. By the same token, there are reports that some label conspiracies that turn out to be true. Just as there are “so-called true” reports that turn out to be false. In short, since the world fell by believing Satan’s Lie, we have lived in a world of lies, half-truths, conspiracies, and fake news. And in that world, the people of the truth must learn not just how to tell the tr...

Have you noticed that God seldom gives you the whole plan at one time? There are a lot of things that God wants you to figure out as you go along. Perhaps we couldn’t handle it all at one time. Perhaps we have to gradually prepare ourselves for what is coming. Perhaps God is teaching us the virtues of faith, patience, dependence, and maybe even the art of improvision.Since the life we are living seldom has all the answers, it appears that as we learn to trust in the Lo...