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 Samuel, Elizabeth behind John the Baptist, Eunice behind Timothy, and on and on. Their praying, weeping, and pleading gave birth to lions for the kingdom of God.  But, then, so do fathers.In this week’s edition of PathLight, we will be reminded that although God may not call us to accomplish mighty works, He may allow us to train someone who will.  This week’s program is entitled “Knowing Your Father’s God.”

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 is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee.” (John 17:1). And, of course, the agony of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane brings out the same concern for His Father: “Not my will but thine be done” (Luke 22:42). I always find it moving to see those times in the Gospels when Jesus resolutely sets out to Jerusalem knowing what awaited Him. And it is easy to focus on the fact that He is motivated to do that by love for me. But a true reflection of the New Testament will ALSO have in mind that He is motivated by a desire to obey, please, and glorify the Father that He loves. For this year’s PathLight Father’s Day message you are invited to join Dr. T. D. Worthington as he discusses the Love our Lord had for His Father 

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 time, the society was able to recognize truth. We knew when something didn’t smell just right.  Today, we are blind to truth. God continues to reveal it, but we are insensible to that revelation. It would appear we are no longer able to sniff out the truth.  The modern press sure seems incapable of discovering truth.Perhaps that is because truth is no longer defined by our Creator.  We have created a new world, a world free of facts, morals, and free of God Himself.  As people suppress the truth of God’s existence, they also reject the hard facts of the reality, He has created.In this week’s edition of PathLight, we will be reminded that God’s people have one-book, so it should be easy to speak with one-voice, but apparently it is not.  This book tells us how to be wise in a foolish world.  This book tells us what should smell noxious to us.  This is the standard, and when applied, it will keep us from smelling bad and looking dumb in the eyes of the righteous.

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 to the general definition.  I might could say that I am hedonistic about coming to church, because I find it satisfying and pleasureful.  So, the negative or positive nature of the term, depends a lot on the character of the individual. For the unsaved, I know you are seeking for pleasure, for there is none that on their own seek after God.  I do hope you will allow the Holy Spirit to convince you that you will find the pleasure you seek in Christ and Christ alone.But for Christians, I don’t believe you are to seek for pleasure.  You and I seek to obey God and seek first the Kingdom.  Indeed, we seek His pleasure, not ours.  Yet, in so doing, we will secure for ourselves the greatest pleasure and satisfaction available to man.

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 dark roads, best not traveled.In this week’s PathLight program, Dr. Worthington will remind us to beware.  As precious time can be wasted and spiritual decline may set in. Relationship problems might arise in the home, the church, and the place of work – all because the respectable cell phone, tablet, or computer has been turned into an idol—masquerading as a tool…or even an innocent toy.

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, one that cuts both internally and externally. The outside is the easiest to see, especially now that social media has given us a front row seat to so many people’s wrath. But, beneath the outward disdain is a dangerously unrealistic internal assumption that warps our ability to view others correctly.Are you easily offended or are others walking on eggshells around you?  If so, the offense you are taking is a trap that may destroy your testimony, your friendships, and maybe even your closest relationships.  It is also going to hurt your walk with God.  In this week’s PathLight, we will be reminded to keep a humble, realistic view of our own ideas, motivations and opinions. 

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" (Genesis 42:22). The concept of "sinning against the child" should catch our attention. There are many ways parents can be guilty of sinning against their children. Of course, some are pretty obvious.Dr. T. D. Worthington reminds us that our children are a sacred inheritance from the Lord. As with any stewardship, we must be faithful to the Lord with that which has been entrusted to us. Failure to do this will cost us severely, not only throughout eternity, but even in this life. The wise man wrote, "A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother (Proverbs 10:1) . . . He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy" (Proverbs 17:21). To guard ourselves from this earthly sorrow, let us not "sin against the child.”

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 nice, because the truly kind response won’t always be pleasing to the other person. In many situations, being nice is not necessarily kind at all.  Niceness can be dangerous for the Christian.  When we pretend not to see the sin or error, then before long we tend to stop seeing altogether; we don’t have to pretend anymore.  Niceness can fold a gentle cloth over our eyes so we no longer see sin clearly.  We become all things to all people, not to win them to Christ, but just because we want to be accepted.  Of course, eventually you will begin to assume that everyone else is as fake as you are. In this week's PathLight, we will be reminded that if our relationships are just nice, no one will tell us the truth, and therefore no one can really be trusted. Niceness lures us in with the promise of being liked, maybe even loved, then leaves us with hollow relationships, that lack authenticity.  You are invited to join Dr. T. D. Worthington for this week's program.

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 truth, but how to spot a lie.Christians certainly know that it is a sin to go around telling lies, but not so many know that it is also a sin to believe a lie.  Of from time-to-time we are all guilty of this, and for me, the lies we were told about COVID proves just how vulnerable we are to accept falsehood.  In this week’s PathLight, we will be reminded that discerning truth from error in the things we hear, believe, and pass on, is a Christian virtue we might need to brush up on.   Please join Dr. T. D. Worthington for this week's program.

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 Lord we may also need to learn to improvise. In this week’s PathLight we will see that improvising is not a free-for-all or a care-less attitude.  Actually, it involves deep listening, looking for new pathways, drawing from history, experience, and the examples of others.  It involves holing your life open so God can write His own story.  Please join Dr. T. D. Worthington for this week’s message.

Every step to the cross Jesus echoed the words: “My Father is of infinite worth.  His will, His pleasure, His holiness, and His justice are the reality of life.”  And every hammer blow driving the nails into His hands and feet on the cross echoed through the universe: “My Father is of infinite value.  What He has purposed, is all that matters.”   The Father delighted in His Son.  His Son delighted in Him.  And the Son, and the Father delighted in us out of mere grace.  The Easter Season represents greatness and power to me.  The greatest forgiveness was given, the greatest love was displayed (Son to the Father), the greatest sacrifice was made (blood of Christ), and the greatest worship was given.  We worship God when we sacrifice, thus the greatest act of worship would have to be linked to the greatest sacrifice. (We might also say that it was the greatest defeat, the greatest debt was paid, greatest victory, etc.)You are invited to join Dr. T. D. Worthington for this week’s edition of PathLight.  This week, you will be reminded how God was pleased to give His Son to die in our place and how glorious God is in His love and grace.

There really is no middle ground. Either Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, or He wasn’t. If He was, how is it that the Jewish people by and large didn’t recognize him when He came 2000 years ago?  Our text in Isaiah 53 tells us that almost no one believed what He had to say.  Jesus came as the Messiah, but Israel wanted nothing to do with Him. We know that for a time Jesus had a powerful and growing ministry, especially in Galilee. Thousands flocked to hear Him speak and watch Him heal the sick. Yet, in the end they concluded that Jesus simply could not be the Messiah.  In this week’s PathLight we are reminded that you can be wrong about many things and still go to heaven, but you can’t be wrong about Jesus. That’s the reality of unbelief then and now. Dr. T. D. Worthington reminds us that Jesus died for sinners. Are you a sinner? Then come near to the cross of Jesus. Look upon the Saviour. See His arms outstretched in love for you. Look, and believe, and receive the free gift of eternal life.  To those who receive Him He gives the right to become the children of God.  What will you do with Jesus?

There is a direct connection between the resurrection of Jesus and our future hope.  There is also a direct connection between the resurrection of Jesus and our present rest and security. This is hope that can stand in the middle of the deepest difficulties of life; hope that won’t fade in the face of disappointment and discouragement; hope that doesn’t die in the face of pain and loss and it is only found at the empty tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ. There we find our future hope; there we find our present rest; He is our future; He is our King; He is risen, and His name is Jesus.In this week's PathLight, we are reminded that Jesus is defeating one enemy after another right now.  He is empowering you to defeat every enemy that comes against you.  Yet, He is saving the enemy of death for last.  Why?  Because death poses no real threat for you and I.  Death has no sting and  the grave has no victory.  We want Jesus to destroy that enemy now, but in His wisdom, He knows you have bigger enemies than death to overcome.  That’s why…death…can wait.

We all walk closer to the edge than we think. There is a thin line between disaster and prosperity, joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, life and death.Let a car pull out in front of you.  Let a tiny switch malfunction and the whole plane crashes.  Let the train jump the tracks.  Let the brakes give away.  Let a tiny virus enter our system.  Let the lightning flash and in just a moment we are gone.So much teaches us that we’re not in control of our own destiny.  Who can understand the mysteries of the universe? Why are you alive today and someone else is dead? Why have we been to many funerals and no one has been to ours–yet!  That leads me to make the following point: As bad as things are, if it weren’t for God, things would be much worse. That seems obvious, and perhaps it is, but we need to hear it again. If it weren’t for God, no matter how bad things are in your life right now, they would be much worse without the Lord.  You are invited to join Dr. T. D. Worthington for this week’s edition of PathLight.  Our message is entitled “Astonishing Gratefulness.”

If you are not actively fighting against it, you are a self-centered person; and so am I!  The human nature, due to the corruption of the original sin, is deeply curved in on itself.  Self comes first!  Sometimes it is so bent that we can even become prideful about the gifts of God.  Dr. T. D. Worthington reminds us that when you are curved inward, your happiness will depend on people and circumstances. Cynicism, hopelessness, grumbling, complaining, self-pity, apathy, cowardice, jealousy, all show that your allegiance is too much toward yourself and the things of earth. These things cannot exist in a heart consumed with the love of God and the love of others; one attitude will necessarily displace the other. In this week’s PathLight broadcast, you will be asked if you are you joyful?  You will be asked if you are content?  Questions like this will help you determine if you are bent inward rather than upward and outward. 

Do you ever talk to yourself?  Sure, we all do.  So, what do you say to yourself when you talk to yourself?  I'm talking about the ongoing self-talk, the stuff that you say to yourself over and over and over again in your mind. If you're like a lot of people, unfortunately, you get stuck in what you might call a negative loop.A negative mindset is easy to acquire, but it is not always easy to get rid of.  Actually, you will probably need a little supernatural help from God and a little intentional work on your end.  But the effort will be worth it, because it really matters.  Your thoughts are more powerful than you can imagine, BUT you have more power over your thoughts than you think you do.In this week’s PathLight, Dr. T. D. Worthington reminds us that it is time to find strength, not in our own power, not in our own positive thinking, but in the power of a life-changing presence of God.  

All of us, one time or another, have prayed and asked God for something and have had to wait…and wait. Waiting is perhaps one of life's most difficult tasks. We hate the fact that we have to wait for something. We have become a society where delays are not accepted or tolerated. We have become a society of impatient people and now it is pouring over into the church.  If you have been a Christian for very long, you have experienced God’s delays. David experienced them. He wrote, “I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.” (Psalms 69:3). You are invited to join Dr. T. D. Worthington for this week’s edition of PathLight.  We will be reminded that when God brings delays into our lives, we must learn to trust Him more fully and to submit more thoroughly to His lordship over our lives.The message is entitled “Delayed Deliverance.”

Are you open-minded or narrow-minded?  The modern world says that if you are open-minded, you are accepting, tolerant, unbiased and understanding; you are just a wonderful person. But if you are narrow-minded, you are bigoted, conservative, opinionated, reactionary and intolerant; you are some kind of jerk.  So, we know what the answer is supposed to be. Let’s all be open-minded.But is that always a good idea? When I hire someone one to do a job for me, I want him to be pretty narrow-minded.  I want him to do the job as I have asked him to do it.  Narrow mindedness in lesser matters is good, but many condemn it in matters of faith and morals.Let’s face it. Christians are supposed to be narrow-minded about God’s truth. We believe God has spoken in his Word and that his Word is settled and is to be is to be obeyed, not debated.You are invited to join Dr. T. D. Worthington for this week’s edition of PathLight.  The message is entitled “Open-Minded Christianity.”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff,” we’re told. While it is important not to major on the minors, we still know that small things have the power to influence the direction of a day—or a life.  A set of lost car keys can put the whole household in an uproar. A leak under the sink can lead to a huge mess. In a positive way, a dandelion from a child can be a treasured gift. Little things matter.The small decisions that we make this year will shape the direction of our lives.  Dr. T. D. Worthington invites you to join him in pursuing something great this year, one small decision at a time.  So many Christians are so close to greatness.  So close to being a champion, but their soft choices to take the easy way, the lazy way, robs them of victory.  They will never defeat Goliath because they cannot be counted on, nor are they willing, to deliver the cheese.  In this week’s PathLight, we will be reminded to avoid the misconception that when we shine for God, it has to be big. Often it is the little things that make the largest statements. It’s in the mundane, everyday moments that we have such opportunities to serve and share Jesus with the world.

Marriage is one of the most powerful relationships that we can participate in, as human beings. The first book of the Bible establishes marriage as the foundation for human connection. Families are produced, homes are situated, and cultures extend from the central point of marriage. While marriage is an important institution, it also challenges both husband and wife to go beyond their limitations to connect with each other. As we gain a deeper understanding of God’s design for marriage, we can invest in our marriages with purpose and intention.We cherish our marriage relationships, and we don’t want anyone or anything to come between our love for one another. To do this, we must be committed to ask God to maintain a “Hedge of Protection” around our marriage, to preserve the integrity of our relationship. However, our Lord also expects us to do all we can, as empowered by the Holy Spirit, to protect our marriage.  When you have a picture taken as a couple, an experienced photographer may ask you to assume several poses.  In this week’s edition of PathLight, Dr. T. D. Worthington challenges us to pose for three distinct pictures as we embrace what it means to be a couple.