Subscription Lists
The Way
by Kevin Pauley
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. Mark 10:51 The Lord is still asking us that question. So many times I have been guilty of vague, open-ended prayers. These are the prayers of a coward. A coward makes his prayers nice and vague so that he can claim anything as an answer. He can use that same obfuscation to excuse the lack of effectiveness in his prayer. Either way, he’s covered himself. In the French language, the verb “to love” and the verb “to like” are the same. This is surprising in a language that is known for its… ( Click for more )
Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you He will not fail you or forsake you. - Deuteronomy 31:6 I was sitting in the lunch room, eating my pb ‘n’ j sandwich and reading my Bible, when a co-worker sat down beside me. “What are you reading?” she asked. I was reading Deuteronomy 6:4-9, a passage the Jewish people refer to as the “Shema”. I explained to her that they have been reciting these verses as a prayer every morning and evening for thousands of years. Suddenly… ( Click for more )
And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. – Luke 2:36-38
Albert Einstein once said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle.… ( Click for more )
“…Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” - Matthew 19:21
Awiya was renowned as a great hunter. People far and wide talked of his exploits and craftiness. Being part pygmy, he stood barely five feet tall, but he did not rely on his strength or speed to catch his prey. He knew his quarry well and caught them by using their weaknesses.
One day, he went into the jungle to catch a monkey. He went to a coconut tree and found a nut. Drilling two holes into the nut (one larger than the other)… ( Click for more )
Abraham named the place “The Lord Will Provide.” This name has now become a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” Genesis 22:14 Abraham was at home one day when the Lord spoke to him. By now, he recognized the Voice because he had spent so much time listening to it. Just as a football player must study the play book in order to be a good player, a true worshiper realizes that worship is not based on our likes, dislikes, personal preferences or priorities. It is based solely on the scriptures. Because true worship is based on the Bible,… ( Click for more )
Keep all my laws and obey them, for I am the Lord, who makes you holy. - Leviticus 20:8 At the village church in Kalonovka, Russia, attendance at Sunday school picked up after the priest started handing out candy. One of the most faithful attendees was a pug-nosed, pugnacious lad who recited his Scriptures piously, pocketed his reward, and then fled into the fields to munch on it. The priest took a liking to the boy and persuaded him to attend church school. This was preferable to doing household chores from which his devout parents excused him. By offering other inducements,… ( Click for more )
With unfailing love you will lead this people whom you have ransomed. You will guide them in your strength to the place where your holiness dwells. - Exodus 15:13 A woman’s husband returned home from the war with post-traumatic stress syndrome. She was unable to deal with him or get him to care for himself and was soon ready to leave him. But first, she sought the help of a wise man who told her he could make a potion to heal her husband, but the remedy required the chest hair of a bear.
The woman spent months befriending a bear at its cave, getting closer and closer… ( Click for more )
“Were you not afraid to kill the Lord’s anointed one?” David asked. Then David said to one of his men, “Kill him!” So the man thrust his sword into the Amalekite and killed him. “You die self-condemned,” David said, “for you yourself confessed that you killed the Lord’s anointed one.” - 2 Samuel 1:14-16 David had been anointed as Israel’s king for many years but God had not seen fit to remove the reigning king, Saul, yet. Saul had disobeyed God and lost His approval. David understood that God’s plan… ( Click for more )
The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God." - Luke 1:35-37
God took an ordinary, every day girl and gave her life such a shake that the whole world has been reeling from the results ever since. She was no different from you and I. She did not… ( Click for more )
And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the new wine would burst the wineskins, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine must be stored in new wineskins.But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the new wine. ‘The old is just fine,’ they say. – Luke 5:37-39
An old biblical scholar had an odd habit. His students, being curious, asked him, “Why is the first page number missing in all your works? Why does each begin with the second?”
He answered, “No matter how much I may learn, I need to always remember that I… ( Click for more )
The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it. - John 14:12-14 Even greater works? How is that even possible? Jesus fed thousands on a few loaves and fish. He healed the lepers, the lame, the mute, and the deaf. He healed people who did believe and those who did not. He exorcised demons, he taught with power and eloquence. He opposed… ( Click for more )
Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it. - Mark 11:24
There are two types of martial artists: those who are into the forms and breaking boards, and those who fight. Very few people do both. These different styles are for different purposes, requiring completely different training methods. However, they do have this in common: something called follow-through. A friend told me that when he breaks, he tries to mentally see his hand following a straight white line through the boards. He tries to follow that line and the boards just happen to… ( Click for more )
As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." – John 9:1-3 There were once two great scholars. One, Eli, was a renowned biblical scholar, who was famous for his grasp of textual criticism and ancient languages. However, he rarely attended church and did not submit his life to the teachings he so assiduously studied. … ( Click for more )
"To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: "The Holy One, the True One, the One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will close, and closes and no one opens says:" - Revelation 3:7 HCSB The phrase “Key of David” is only found twice in the Bible. It is found in Revelation 3:7 as seen above and in Isaiah 22 where Adonai granted Eliakim son of Hilkiah the “Key of David” and clearly meant the throne of Israel and the authority that came along with it.[1] Keys are representative of power, ability or authority[2],… ( Click for more )
Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” – Luke 1:18-20
Christians’ reverence for knowledge, education and wisdom should be legendary.… ( Click for more )
This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. - 1 John 5:14-15
I am not a great prayer warrior. I often lack faith. Worse yet – I sometimes openly rebel to the will of God. I struggle with my sin nature and am known to fall.
I am not a master of words. Finding the right word – the one that not only has the correct meaning but also the appropriate flavor – is a challenging… ( Click for more )
But then God our Savior showed us his kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us a new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did. He declared us not guilty because of his great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life. – Titus 3:4-7 There once was a rich man who had all the world could offer. But the pride of his life was his son. He arranged a marriage for his son to a beautiful young woman… ( Click for more )
When Jesus had tasted it, he uttered another loud cry, “It is finished! Father I entrust my spirit into your hands!” With these words he bowed his head and breathed his last, releasing his spirit. – Luke 23:46; John 19:30
A man had a son who was the commander of a tank artillery division. After leaving the home as a young man and joining the army, the son had become more and more anti-religious. He was so far gone that he would even complain about a photograph of his grandfather praying over a meal that hung in his father’s house. “That man was… ( Click for more )
Lord, we love to obey your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name. All night long I search for you; earnestly I seek for God. For only when you come to judge the earth will people turn from wickedness and do what is right. - Isaiah 26:8-9
In the beginning, God created. Have you ever considered why? Have you ever stopped to wonder why a limitless, all-powerful God who needs nothing would choose to create creatures that He knew for a fact (due to His ability to foreknow the future) would spit in His face?
It couldn’t have been out of a desire to be… ( Click for more )
Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. Wherever they go, they will find green pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness. – John 10:9-10
Many people feel trapped by their day-to-day lives. Their jobs are boring and purposeless. They could spend their whole lives doing what they’re doing right now and it wouldn’t mean a thing. If they died, no one would notice outside of their immediate circle of acquaintances or business associates. They dream of living great… ( Click for more )
Then he turned to his critics and asked, "Is it legal to do good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing harm? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?" But they wouldn't answer him. He looked around at them angrily, because he was deeply disturbed by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, "Reach out your hand." The man reached out his hand, and it became normal again! At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to discuss plans for killing Jesus. – Mark 3:4-6
A great tzaddik (holy person) once traveled to… ( Click for more )
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these. – 2 Timothy 3:1-5
An incident in Iraq was made much of in the news. Apparently, a group of young soldiers planned… ( Click for more )
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke of the Spirit… John 7:38-39a One day a group of missionaries journeyed into northern Chad in order to reach a particular group of people. The trip took them into some of the most arid and intimidating territory that brutal country has. It is said that Land Rovers and Jeeps go to this area to commit suicide. The temperatures routinely reach 120 degrees in the shade (when you can find it), so water was running short and tongues began to thicken. Concern… ( Click for more )
"But now your reign will not endure. The LORD has found a man loyal to Him, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not done what the LORD commanded." - 1 Samuel 13:14 HCSB God desired a relationship with humanity. Adam and Eve messed it up and God had to kick them out of the garden but that didn’t change His overall plan to have a relationship with humanity.[1] Two individuals were kicked out, but God’s plan for mankind continued. Elohim still sought a relationship with Man but mankind was so evil that He had to… ( Click for more )
Receive the newest devotional each week in your inbox by joining the "The Way" subscription list. Enter your email address below, click "Go!" and we will send you a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your addition to this list.