   The worship pathway. When you're on the worship pathway, you resonate with the psalmist: 'I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord"' (Psalm 122:1 NKJV). Something deep inside you feels released when praise is given. Your heart opens up and you come alive. You find yourself in tears, sometimes in moments of deep joy, because God seems so close. 

   But here are two cautions if you're on this pathway: (1) Don't judge people who are not as outwardly expressive as you. Some people grew up in churches where no one raised a finger, let alone a hand in worship. (2) Guard against an experience-based spirituality that has you always looking for the next 'worship high'. C.S. Lewis wrote about the fatal sin of saying, 'Encore!' by demanding that God reproduce an experience or an emotion. He said that of all prayers, this may be the one God is least likely to grant because it can lead us to worship an experience rather than the God to whom our experience points. Music, for instance, can be a great gift to worship. But because music affects our feelings so powerfully, we can grow dependent on it to produce a certain emotional response. In this case, you may need to spend some time worshipping God without music, so that your worship is based on who God is and not a matter of getting swept up in certain sounds. Also, you may need to engage more in Bible study so that your heart is deeply rooted in the knowledge of God.





— SCRIPTURE —

    'I was glad when they said..."Let's go to the house of the Lord."' Psalm 122:1 GWT
— SOULFOOD —

    1 Sam 16-17, Matt 23:1-12, Ps 64, Pro 16:27-30
    

The worship pathway. When you're on the worship pathway, you resonate with the psalmist: 'I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord"' (Psalm 122:1 NKJV). Something deep inside you feels released when praise is given. Your heart opens up and you come alive. You find yourself in tears, sometimes in moments of deep joy, because God seems so close. But here are two cautions if you're on this pathway: (1) Don't judge people who are not as outwardly expressive as you. Some people grew up in churches where no one raised a finger, let alone a hand in worship. (2) Guard against an experience-based spirituality that has you always looking for the next 'worship high'. C.S. Lewis wrote about the fatal sin of saying, 'Encore!' by demanding that God reproduce an experience or an emotion. He said that of all prayers, this may be the one God is least likely to grant because it can lead us to worship an experience rather than the God to whom our experience points. Music, for instance, can be a great gift to worship. But because music affects our feelings so powerfully, we can grow dependent on it to produce a certain emotional response. In this case, you may need to spend some time worshipping God without music, so that your worship is based on who God is and not a matter of getting swept up in certain sounds. Also, you may need to engage more in Bible study so that your heart is deeply rooted in the knowledge of God.
 
 — SCRIPTURE — 
 'I was glad when they said..."Let's go to the house of the Lord."' Psalm 122:1 GWT 
 — SOULFOOD — 
 1 Sam 16-17, Matt 23:1-12, Ps 64, Pro 16:27-30

The Word For Today is a daily devotional by authors Bob and Debby Gass. Every day, tens of thousands of people across New Zealand are encouraged and uplifted by its relevant insights.

The daily readings resonate with people as they often speak into their current circumstances. Often readers express wonder at how a particular day’s devotion appeared to be ‘written just for me’

The Word For Today is a daily devotional by authors Bob and Debby Gass. Every day, tens of thousands of people across New Zealand are encouraged and uplifted by its relevant insights.
The daily readings resonate with people as they often speak into their current circumstances. Often readers express wonder at how a particular day&rsquo;s devotion appeared to be &lsquo;written just for me&rsquo;

The Word For Today

Spiritual pathways (4)

   Some of the world's greatest achievers went through life with physical disabilities and overcame incredible adversities. Sir Walter Scott was disabled. John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim's Progress, was imprisoned. George Washington, America's first president, almost died in the snows of Valley Forge. Abraham Lincoln played a critical part in ending slavery in America, yet he was raised in abject poverty and died prematurely from an assassin's bullet. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was subject to bitter religious prejudice. Franklin D. Roosevelt was struck down with infantile paralysis. Ludwig van Beethoven became deaf. Glen Cunningham, an Olympic runner, had his legs badly burned in a school fire. Booker T. Washington, Harriet Tubman, Marian Anderson and George Washington Carver were born into racial discrimination. Enrico Caruso was from a poor Italian family where only a few children survived past infancy. Itzhak Perlman, concert violinist, lost the function of his legs at age four.

   In his family's eyes, David wasn't considered worthy to be Israel's next king. Moralists and legalists would have disqualified him because of his affair with Bathsheba. Yet God referred to him as 'a man after my own heart' (Acts 13:22 NIV). And David said: 'My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion...I have put my trust in the Lord God' (Psalm 73:26, 28 NKJV). 

   The word for today is: with God's help, you will succeed.





— SCRIPTURE —

    'He is the strength of my heart; he is mine forever!' Psalm 73:26 TLB
— SOULFOOD —

    1 Sam 24-26, Matt 24:1-14, Ps 102:1-11, Pro 17:4-6
    

Some of the world's greatest achievers went through life with physical disabilities and overcame incredible adversities. Sir Walter Scott was disabled. John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim's Progress, was imprisoned. George Washington, America's first president, almost died in the snows of Valley Forge. Abraham Lincoln played a critical part in ending slavery in America, yet he was raised in abject poverty and died prematurely from an assassin's bullet. British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli was subject to bitter religious prejudice. Franklin D. Roosevelt was struck down with infantile paralysis. Ludwig van Beethoven became deaf. Glen Cunningham, an Olympic runner, had his legs badly burned in a school fire. Booker T. Washington, Harriet Tubman, Marian Anderson and George Washington Carver were born into racial discrimination. Enrico Caruso was from a poor Italian family where only a few children survived past infancy. Itzhak Perlman, concert violinist, lost the function of his legs at age four. In his family's eyes, David wasn't considered worthy to be Israel's next king. Moralists and legalists would have disqualified him because of his affair with Bathsheba. Yet God referred to him as 'a man after my own heart' (Acts 13:22 NIV). And David said: 'My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion...I have put my trust in the Lord God' (Psalm 73:26, 28 NKJV). The word for today is: with God's help, you will succeed.
 
 — SCRIPTURE — 
 'He is the strength of my heart; he is mine forever!' Psalm 73:26 TLB 
 — SOULFOOD — 
 1 Sam 24-26, Matt 24:1-14, Ps 102:1-11, Pro 17:4-6

With God's help, success!

   The contemplative pathway. If you relate to God best through the contemplative pathway, you love large blocks of quietness and uninterrupted time alone. Maybe when you were a child, your parents would tell you to go outside and play with other kids more. Reflection comes naturally to you. You often feel like an observer in life. Here are some Scriptures you easily identify with: 'Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still. Selah' (Psalm 4:4 NKJV). 'Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret' (Psalm 37:7 NKJV). 'Be still, and know that I am God' (Psalm 46:10 NKJV). 'Truly my soul silently waits for God; from him comes my salvation' (Psalm 62:1 NKJV). 

   God is most present to you when distractions and noises are removed. Images, metaphors and pictures may help you as you pray. If you get too busy or spend too much time with too many people hanging around, you begin to feel drained and stretched thin. You do not require much external stimulation. Making time to listen to God in silence and solitude is vital to the health of your soul, and it's necessary for you to experience a deepening sense of his presence. You need regular, protected, intense, undistracted time alone. 

   But here's the word of caution: the Bible says, 'If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another' (1 John 4:11 NKJV). And love takes time and effort. Sometimes it requires sacrifice. One of the best ways to show your love for God is by interacting with the people around you.





— SCRIPTURE —

    'Truly my soul silently waits for God.' Psalm 62:1 NKJV
— SOULFOOD —

    1 Sam 20:30-23:29, Matt 23:23-39, Ps 98, Pro 17:1-3
    

The contemplative pathway. If you relate to God best through the contemplative pathway, you love large blocks of quietness and uninterrupted time alone. Maybe when you were a child, your parents would tell you to go outside and play with other kids more. Reflection comes naturally to you. You often feel like an observer in life. Here are some Scriptures you easily identify with: 'Meditate within your heart on your bed and be still. Selah' (Psalm 4:4 NKJV). 'Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret' (Psalm 37:7 NKJV). 'Be still, and know that I am God' (Psalm 46:10 NKJV). 'Truly my soul silently waits for God; from him comes my salvation' (Psalm 62:1 NKJV). God is most present to you when distractions and noises are removed. Images, metaphors and pictures may help you as you pray. If you get too busy or spend too much time with too many people hanging around, you begin to feel drained and stretched thin. You do not require much external stimulation. Making time to listen to God in silence and solitude is vital to the health of your soul, and it's necessary for you to experience a deepening sense of his presence. You need regular, protected, intense, undistracted time alone. But here's the word of caution: the Bible says, 'If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another' (1 John 4:11 NKJV). And love takes time and effort. Sometimes it requires sacrifice. One of the best ways to show your love for God is by interacting with the people around you.
 
 — SCRIPTURE — 
 'Truly my soul silently waits for God.' Psalm 62:1 NKJV 
 — SOULFOOD — 
 1 Sam 20:30-23:29, Matt 23:23-39, Ps 98, Pro 17:1-3

Spiritual pathways (6)

   The activist pathway. When you're on this spiritual pathway, you have a high level of energy. This may be one of your favourite Scriptures: 'Work hard at whatever you do' (Ecclesiastes 9:10 CEV). 

   If you're an activist, you love a fast-paced, problem-filled, complex, strenuous way of life. At the end of the day, you want to be able to say, 'I ran really hard. I used every ounce of effort and zeal at my disposal, and it's all for you, God.' One biblical example of an activist is Nehemiah. When he heard that the walls of his beloved Jerusalem were in ruins, he wept, he prayed, he petitioned the king for the resources to rebuild them, and then he rolled up his sleeves and went to work. If you are an activist, you need a cause. Without it, your spiritual life will stagnate. 

   One of the dangers of relating to God best through the activist pathway is that a big chunk of your motivation can be self-fulfilment and self-satisfaction. Hence Paul wrote: 'Since you are so eager to have the special abilities the Spirit gives, seek those that will strengthen the whole church' (1 Corinthians 14:12 NLT). And another word of caution: don't get so excited about your cause that you run over people or exploit them. And be aware of this: if you're an activist, you may have a hard time discerning God's true calling from your own strong impulses to action. If that's the case, take added time to pray and hear from God and have a qualified friend in your life whose counsel you trust.





— SCRIPTURE —

    'Work hard at whatever you do.' Ecclesiastes 9:10 CEV
— SOULFOOD —

    1 Sam 18:1-20:29, Matt 23:13-22, Ps 95, Pro 16:31-33
    

The activist pathway. When you're on this spiritual pathway, you have a high level of energy. This may be one of your favourite Scriptures: 'Work hard at whatever you do' (Ecclesiastes 9:10 CEV). If you're an activist, you love a fast-paced, problem-filled, complex, strenuous way of life. At the end of the day, you want to be able to say, 'I ran really hard. I used every ounce of effort and zeal at my disposal, and it's all for you, God.' One biblical example of an activist is Nehemiah. When he heard that the walls of his beloved Jerusalem were in ruins, he wept, he prayed, he petitioned the king for the resources to rebuild them, and then he rolled up his sleeves and went to work. If you are an activist, you need a cause. Without it, your spiritual life will stagnate. One of the dangers of relating to God best through the activist pathway is that a big chunk of your motivation can be self-fulfilment and self-satisfaction. Hence Paul wrote: 'Since you are so eager to have the special abilities the Spirit gives, seek those that will strengthen the whole church' (1 Corinthians 14:12 NLT). And another word of caution: don't get so excited about your cause that you run over people or exploit them. And be aware of this: if you're an activist, you may have a hard time discerning God's true calling from your own strong impulses to action. If that's the case, take added time to pray and hear from God and have a qualified friend in your life whose counsel you trust.
 
 — SCRIPTURE — 
 'Work hard at whatever you do.' Ecclesiastes 9:10 CEV 
 — SOULFOOD — 
 1 Sam 18:1-20:29, Matt 23:13-22, Ps 95, Pro 16:31-33

Spiritual pathways (4)

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