Seeking the Life in Christ: May 2024

Friday, May 17, 2024

What Wondrous Love Is This?

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 17, 2024

What Wondrous Love Is This?

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

John 11:25a

We can know about someone: we can know of them; or we can know them, know them personally. I love the music of Robin Mark of Belfast, Northern Ireland. For several years I had listened to and enjoyed his music, but after spending a week with him in a setting where he led worship services for our group twice per day, I got to know him. After hosting him to twice lead worship at my church, corresponding with him, and reading his book, Warrior Poets Of The 21st Century, my personal knowledge of him grew, and my appreciation for his music and his ministry deepened.

John 11:17- 44 tells the story of Martha and Mary, and Jesus raising their brother Lazarus from the dead. Martha and Mary had been in various settings with Jesus on numerous occasions, and they had come to have great respect and appreciation for his ministry. Yet, they still did not know him. Martha and Mary’s ‘if only’ statements to Jesus reveal an underlying trust in his supernatural powers, but do not reveal an intimate knowledge of the person of Jesus. In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus was able to help them understand that the resurrection was not some future event that will happen some day; the resurrection is a person. As God’s Messiah, Jesus has brought the future hope of God’s restored Kingdom to become a present reality.

Amid this hugely difficult theological and doctrinal point to grasp, Jesus reveals the very heart of God. Jesus wept. Jesus fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down” (Isaiah 53:4). The Palmist tells us that God cares deeply for us: “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (Psalm 56:8).

My Takeaway: God keeps our tears in a bottle and Jesus weeps with us. Our standing invitation is to come and know God the Father Almighty as our dear Abba, and to intimately know Jesus as our friend and comforter. When we do, our hearts will sing . . .

What wondrous love is this,

O my soul, O my soul,

what wondrous love is this,

O my soul!

What Wondrous Love Is This?

Dr. Alexander Means, 1835

(My ancestor and my name’s sake)

Sē’lah

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life. The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Thursday, May 16, 2024

Be Prepared in Season And Out Of Season

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 16, 2024

Be Prepared in Season And Out Of Season

Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.

2 Timothy 4:2

In this retirement season of my life, I have a growing list of things I will no longer be doing. I no longer have responsibility for weekly planning of worship services and casting a vision for a local church. Even so, the commission of Jesus is to be prepared to be used by Christ as a vessel of grace, regardless of the circumstances or seasons of our life, and in some cases, especially because of the circumstances of our life.

If I catch myself thinking my usefulness to the Lord has diminished, I turn to one of my greatest heroes of the faith, Saint Patrick. Patrick was born into a Christian family, where his father was a deacon, and his grandfather was a priest. About 400 CE, as a teenager, Patrick was kidnapped by marauders and sold into slavery in Ireland. For six years, he tended his slave-master’s flocks on the slopes of Slemish Mountain. In remembering his time as a slave in his memoir entitled The Confession, Patrick said he prayed at least one hundred times per day and almost as many times at night. Eventually Patrick was able to escape and return to his home in Great Britain where he studied for the pastoral ministry. Patrick believed God was calling him to return to Ireland, and he convinced the church to commission his return to Ireland as a missionary. One historian described Patrick’s mission field as, "It was an Ireland of tribalism, an Ireland of war, an Ireland of suspicion, an Ireland of violence and death. Here (Patrick) came as a virtual stranger to this country of warring factions." Even so, Patrick's ministry lasted 29 years. He baptized over 120,000 Irishmen and planted 300 churches. In my trip to Ireland last year, we visited The Rock of Cashel. Originally the seat of the kings of Munster, according to legend, St. Patrick himself came here to convert King Aenghus to Christianity.

It was the person of Christ who comforted Patrick while he was a slave; it was the person of Christ who prepared Patrick to return to Ireland as a vessel of grace; and it was the person of Christ who inspired Patrick to pray,

"Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger."

My Takeaway: This same person of Christ will prepare us as well, in season and out of season, to be his vessels of grace.

Sē’lah

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

I Press On

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 15, 2024

I Press On

“Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you! See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.”

Isaiah 49:15b-16a

People believe all manner of different things about God and His relationship with humankind. There are some who say that God only saves a chosen few, and those chosen are saved for all eternity. There are others who say that God wants all people to be saved, but people must choose to be saved by God. Once saved, these people must behave themselves, and if they don’t, they get unsaved. If they decide they want to be saved again, they must start the process all over again.

Then there’s me. I believe God wants all people to be restored to a right relationship with Him. I believe God stirs the sin-sick souls of people to awaken their spirit to become aware of His love for them. Once awakened, these people get to make a choice. Do they want to live their way, or God’s way? If they chose God’s way, the Holy Spirit baptizes them into the life of Christ. Then they hear Jesus say to them: “You are now my sheep; listen to my voice. I know you, and now you will follow me. I give you eternal life, and you will never perish. No one can snatch you away from me, for my Father has given you to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch you from the Father’s hand. Because the Father and I are one, you are safe and secure for all eternity.” (See John 10:27-30)

Then, as these new children of God gaze in total amazement at their Shepherd, Christ Jesus, they see God the Father Almighty standing behind Jesus, and He is inscribing their name on the palms of His hands.

My Takeaway: I know some people disagree with me. Some people have tried to convince me that it is possible to lose our right-standing with God. Maybe, but I don’t think so, because I am convinced Jesus has me in his hand and isn’t going to let me go. Therefore, I press on with the Apostle Paul to “lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12b NASB).

Sē’lah

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Kingdom, Power, Glory. Forever!

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 14, 2024

Kingdom, Power, Glory. Forever!

“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Matthew 6:13

The New Testament church took the words of Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and incorporated them into the liturgy of worship services. The phrase, “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” was added to the liturgy and eventually those words were inserted in some later manuscripts of Matthew’s Gospel. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah truly waxed eloquent when he affirmed this same nature of God: “Surely Yahweh's mercies are not over, his deeds of faithful love not exhausted; every morning they are renewed; great is his faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NJB). I find much comfort in these affirmations of the eternal nature of God.

I was born into the Baby Boom era, and I have lived through the post WWII era, the Korean and Viet Nam war era, Camelot, Watergate, recessions and periods of inflation, post 9-11, and now this repugnant era of antisemitism. There have been periods of history when we sang “happy days are here again,” and hoped they would never end, but they did. There have been periods of history that seemed intolerable, but they too passed. The truest proverb of all time is “This too shall pass.” Everything has its season; everything will pass except the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension ushered in the eternal new era of God’s Kingdom. Just as God’s mercies are renewed every morning, so also His Kingdom is born anew with each new birth of a follower of Jesus. “For yours is the kingdom forever.” Hallelujah.

“For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). God’s power is eternal, therefore “I am certain that God, who began the good work within (me), will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6). “For yours is the power forever. Hallelujah!

The very essence of God is goodness, mercy, holiness, and love. The Glory of God is the revelation of God’s essence. This glory is revealed through the presence of God. God, as a burning bush to Moses, and as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night for the Israelites during the exodus are examples of God’s Glory. The ultimate expression of God’s Glory is in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of our Lord, Christ Jesus, and his glory is everlasting. “For yours is the glory forever. Amen.” Hallelujah!

My Takeaway:

Now all glory to God,

who is able to keep you from falling away

and will bring you with great joy

into his glorious presence

without a single fault.

All glory to him who alone is God,

our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All glory, majesty, power, and authority

are his before all time,

and in the present,

and beyond all time!

Amen.

Jude 1:24-25

Sē’lah

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Monday, May 13, 2024

The Thief’s Purpose is to Steal and Kill and Destroy

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 13, 2024

The Thief’s Purpose is to Steal and Kill and Destroy

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:13 NIV

The mother of the disciples James and John (the sons of Zebedee), came with her sons to Jesus and asked a favor, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” James and John quickly replied, “Oh yes, we are able!” Jesus then affirmed that indeed they would share in his suffering but as for their mother’s request, he deferred to his Father who oversees Kingdom seating arrangements. (Matthew 20:20-23)

The other disciples were indignant when they heard about James and John’s request and Jesus turned the incident into a teaching session about servant leadership. Jesus could have reminded them that after he was baptized, he “was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry” (Matthew 4:1-2). Those wilderness experiences inspired his prayer, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Jesus teaches us that we have an enemy, the devil, who is the adversary of God. This enemy, whom Jesus referred to as the thief, has but one mission: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10a). Jesus also tells us that the devil “was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44b). Our journey confronts us with daily choices of whether we will be led by our sinful nature or the Holy Spirit. Seeking the life in Christ is difficult. Even when we have a measure of success putting to death the deeds of our sinful nature through the power of the Spirit (Romans 8:13), we have an adversary who is out to steal and destroy our witness. Perhaps this is what G. K. Chesterton had in mind when he noted, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”

My Takeaway: This prayer of Jesus is not that we will avoid temptation or attacks of the evil one. This prayer of Jesus is a reminder that life is a mine field of obstacles to our faith. However, because Jesus teaches us to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,” this prayer reminds us of Jesus’ promise, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b).

Sē’lah

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, May 10, 2024

I’m a Christian, It’s Required of Me That I Forgive

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 10, 2024

I’m a Christian, It’s Required of Me That I Forgive

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Matthew 6:12 NIV

Whenever I think about forgiveness, I recall Terry Anderson the American journalist who was captured in Lebanon in 1985 and held hostage by Hezbollah militants until 1991. Mr. Anderson died April 21, 2024. In an interview after his release from captivity, he was asked whether he could ever forgive his captors. He responded, “I’m a Christian, it’s required of me that I forgive, no matter how hard it may be.” (Time, December 16, 1991) Our passage for today is often used as theological support for Anderson’s statement. Paul’s letter to the Colossians also addresses this issue: “Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:13b). Both interpretations may imply a quid pro quo ("this for that" in Latin), which is an exchange where one transfer is contingent upon the other. Is God’s forgiveness of me contingent upon my forgiveness of others?

No! “While we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus modeled this truth when he said from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). The forgiveness of our sins rests solely on Jesus’ sacrifice for us. We are forgiven by faith through grace, not by our performance. When we ask God for forgiveness, He doesn’t hold our request in abeyance until He sees whether we have forgiven others: “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9).

How are we to understand, “forgive us, as we also have forgiven?” I believe this statement is an affirmation of the life in Christ as our way of life. As followers of Christ, we are letting our relationships with one another arise out of our life in Christ (Philippians 2:5), and our willingness to forgive those who have sinned against us is a fruit of the life in Christ. Jesus shows us what this looks like in his Sermon on the Mount. He said when we come to make an offering to God and remember that another person has an issue with us, we first seek to right our relationship with the other person before we make our offering to God. (Matthew 5:23-24)

My Takeaway: Because we have been forgiven, because we have received new life in Christ, because God our Abba is head-over-heels, passionately in love with us, we want to be in a right relationship with other people. I believe the witness of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers calls forth a “Yes and amen” to this assertion. If you do not have that witness, I offer the counsel of St. Paul, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5 NRSV).

Sē’lah

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Especially Those in Caesar’s Household

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 9, 2024

Especially Those in Caesar’s Household

“Give us today our daily bread.”

Matthew 6:11 NIV

When a person was put into jail in the Roman Empire, the prisoners’ family and friends were responsible for feeding and providing for their personal needs. As the Apostle Paul draws his letter to the Philippians to a close, he thanks them for their generosity in meeting his needs while he was in prison, hundreds of miles away, in Rome. He then gives them this powerful benediction, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

One of the obstacles we encounter in our journey to make the life in Christ our way of life is learning to understand our needs from the perspective of God. Certainly, part of the problem is that we confuse our wants with our needs. Even when we can distinguish between wants and needs, we tend to think of needs in a future tense, as in what do I need for the next week, month, year, ten years. Often when I pray, “Give us today our daily bread,” I recall a mission trip to Matamoros, Mexico, and a Friday evening worship service. A woman shared that on Wednesday afternoon she came to the church to pray because she had no food in her house. When she returned home, she found a box of food by her door. Her need for daily bread had been met.

Most people we know have not been in such a dire place. Even so, we have needs that are just as compelling. Written in the DNA of every human being are the needs to be loved, to be accepted and to have worth – a sense that it matters we are alive. All our efforts to meet these needs, out of our own strength and resources, will never satisfy those needs. Yet we go through life trying to meet our needs for love and acceptance through our relationships with others. We try to feel love and acceptance by performing in certain ways or by manipulating other people. The Good News is that God has met all our needs through His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.

When we allow ourselves to be fully present with God and trust that God will indeed satisfy our every need, we can learn to be fully present with the people around us. Such a place is fertile ground for miracles like that which Paul testified to in the close of his letter to the Philippians: “And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household” (Philippians 4: 22).

My Takeaway: Paul was trusting God to give him his daily bread. The church in Philippi was helping to meet Paul’s needs. Together this witness for Christ reached the most unlikely of places: Caesar’s household. Who in our environment can God touch as we trust God for our daily bread?

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Your Kingdom Come

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 8, 2024

Your Kingdom Come

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Matthew 6:10 NIV

Maran Atha is an Aramaic phrase that is most often transliterated as Maranatha. The Apostle Paul used this phrase in 1 Corinthians 16:22 and it is also used in the Didache, which is a collection of some of the earliest Christian writings. The phrase is translated, “Our Lord, Come’ and was used in the earliest Christian worship services. It relates to the line in The Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom Come.” The phrase summed up the hope of the church, and by using the Aramaic it was a means to bind all the churches together in unity, regardless of their location or their native language.

For the followers of Jesus, there are two applications of Maranatha. First, Maranatha is an affirmation that the Kingdom of God has come into the life of the Christian. When we made our confession of faith, the Holy Spirit baptized us into the life of Christ. Now we are a new creation in Christ; “The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This new life is the Kingdom of God on earth. Therefore, part of this prayer is our affirmation that God’s will is reflected in His new creation: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

The second application of Maranatha applies to our understanding of God’s hope for the world and our role in bringing God’s hope into reality: “And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:18b-20).

The mission of every Christian is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. One of the most important ways we transform the world is building for societies that reflect the heart of God. What is the heart of God? God’s heart is for the poor and the orphan; the oppressed and the destitute; and the poor and helpless. We are commissioned by God as Christ’s ambassadors for such as these.

In the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus revealed God’s Kingdom is for those who are poor and realize their need for him, those who mourn, those who are humble, those who hunger and thirst for justice, those who are merciful, those whose hearts are pure, those who work for peace, and those who are persecuted for doing right. The Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. (Matthew 5:3-10)

My Takeaway: Every time we pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we are affirming God’s Kingdom within us and our willingness to be Christ’s ambassadors for the building of God’s Kingdom on earth.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Our Father in Heaven

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 7, 2024

Our Father in Heaven

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name . . .”

Matthew 6:9 NIV

The next six meditations will be on the Lord’s Prayer. It has been my experience that many Christian congregations do not include the Lord’s Prayer in their worship services each week. When Cheryl and I connected with an Anglican congregation four years ago during the covid pandemic, we observed they not only recited the Lord’s prayer in their worship services, but they also recited the Lord’s prayer at the conclusion of Sunday School class and their weekly Bible study class. I believe this is good liturgical practice. I also believe the words of this prayer are some of the most radical words spoken by Jesus. In this and the following five meditations, I want to plumb the depths of this amazing gift Jesus has given to us.

Jesus began with what must have seemed like contradictory statements to his first disciples. His first sentence affirmed the holiness of God’s name. This is something his disciples could appreciate because the Hebrews so revered God they would not speak or write God’s name. When writing God’s name, they used four consonants, YHWH, which is rendered LORD in English translations of the Old Testament. Over time other people inserted vowels to render the name of God, YAHWEH. This word was later transliterated into Jehovah. So, the disciples would have expected Jesus to affirm the holiness of God’s name, even though they never wrote or spoke His name. But Jesus astonished the disciples by referring to God as “our Father.” Jesus personalized God, from being a distant power to a close, loving parent. It is one thing to believe in the God who created heaven and earth, it is another to believe that this God is your Heavenly Father who you trust with the care of your life. Jesus was calling his disciples to follow him into a close, personal, trusting relationship with their Heavenly Father, a relationship that would shape and transform every aspect of their lives.

The psalmist looked into the night sky and saw the work of God’s fingers, the moon, and the stars that God set in place. The psalmist then asked, “What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?” (Psalm 8:3-4). Jesus answers the question for the psalmist and for you and me. Humans are loved and adored by the God who hung the moon and the stars.

My Takeaway: The desire of God’s heart is that we would know Him as our Father in heaven. The greatest affirmation of the holiness of God’s name is when His children call Him, Father, or better yet, as the Apostle Paul teaches us in Romans 8:15,

“Now we call him, “Abba, Father.””

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Monday, May 6, 2024

He Knows Where I Hurt

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 6, 2024

He Knows Where I Hurt

Know that the Lord is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Psalm 100:3

Have you ever noticed the seemingly contradictory nature of our humanity? On the one hand, we are incredibly strong. Our bodies will wage heroic battles against disease and illness; it takes a lot to kill us! Even so, a broken fingernail or a simple paper cut can aggravate and annoy us to no end. What’s true in our physical realm is true as well in our emotional lives. We can muster the inner strength to persevere over all manner of obstacles and reach our goals. Even so, a perceived slight by friend or foe can keep us in turmoil for days. We are indeed very complex individuals. In the conundrum that I know myself to be, I take great comfort in knowing that the Lord is my God and that it is he who made me, and I am his; I am his child, a sheep of his pasture.

Because the Lord made me, He knows what makes me smile, and He knows what hurts me. There is nothing that I do, feel, or think that catches my Abba by surprise. He knows me. He knows the way he designed me. He also knows His intended design was altered because of my sin as well as the actions of others, and as consequences of my own choices. As I write this paragraph, an image of a visit to Cuba comes to my mind. Two men were using a hacksaw to alter the shape of the nut on a bolt on a piece of equipment. Their problem was only having one wrench; thus, they had to modify the bolt to fit their wrench. Necessity being the mother of invention, they were doing their best with what they had.

Against that image from Cuba, God the Father Almighty, the one who made me and who knows me is not limited; “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 Emphasis mine).

My Takeaway: The psalmist writes, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (Psalm 56:8). But God does more than keep track of my sorrow and tears; He uses them for His good purpose of transforming my broken life to become like that of my glorious brother, Christ Jesus.

What can we say to such good news?

“Glory to God forever! Oh, yes!”

Galatians 1:5 (MSG)

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, May 3, 2024

No Wonder You Have So Few

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 3, 2024

No Wonder You Have So Few

And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering.

2 Thessalonians 1:5

As we journey through life with Christ, seeking the life in Christ as our way of life, God will bless us with our personal Kairos moments. In these moments, the love of God will be very real to us, and God will reveal His truth to us in ways we hadn’t seen or understood before. These are mountain-top experiences. However, most of our journey with Christ will be spent along the plains and valleys of life. There will also be times when we feel as though we are in a pit, such as the one Jesus was thrown into the night he was betrayed and arrested. (See Psalm 88:1-6)

Jesus promised his followers that we would encounter grief, injury, persecution, and betrayal, just as he did. For all who take up their cross to follow Jesus will come days when we are too tired, too weary, too confused, and too lonely to pray. In such extremity, we may well feel as though we are beyond being comforted by scripture, prayer, or devotional practices. Our hearts will be tempted to cry out the words attributed to Teresa of Avila, “Lord, if this is the way you treat your friends, it is no wonder you have so few.”

Even so, when we find our faith lagging, Jesus’ faith in us and in his coming Kingdom is not lagging! While we will most certainly experience days when we feel our flame has been extinguished, fear not; Jesus will not quench a smoldering wick. While we will most certainly experience days when we feel we have been bruised and battered and are no longer useful, fear not; Jesus will not break a bruised reed. (Matthew 12:20)

My Takeaway: I suspect Teresa uttered her now famous words with just a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. Even though she had fallen (literally off her horse), she knew she was for evermore Jesus’ friend. So are you, so am I.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Thursday, May 2, 2024

The Very Heartbeat of God

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 2, 2024

The Very Heartbeat of God

May the Lord lead your hearts into a full understanding and expression of the love of God and the patient endurance that comes from Christ.

2 Thessalonians 3:5

When we experience a Kairos moment, when God makes real to us His unconditional love for us, we will begin to see scripture in a different way. For instance, read these verses from John 13:23-25 (NKJV)

“Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask who it was of whom He spoke. Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he said to Him, “Lord, who is it?”

Those verses are within the larger passage where Jesus identified the disciple who would betray him. The verses seem to just reveal Peter asking the disciple John to ask Jesus for more information. Look deeper. Consider the position of John, leaning on Jesus’ breast. Now remember these words from the Nicene Creed’s description of Jesus: “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.” John was in a position where he was able to hear the heartbeat of Jesus, the very heartbeat of God.

My Takeaway: Revealed in the innocent details of Jesus having supper with his disciples is an understanding of what our relationship with Jesus is meant to be.

Seriously?

Yes, I believe so. God wants us to be so intimately close to Him that we can hear His heartbeat.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Christ Is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 1, 2024

Christ Is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God

It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

1 Corinthians 1:22-23

When the Jews anticipated a messiah, they were looking for one like King David who would lead a mighty army to restore the fortunes of Israel. A crucified Messiah didn’t fit their expectations. When the Greeks thought about a messiah, they had in mind one like Plato. When the Apostle Paul met with the Greek philosophers on Mars Hill, they were amused by his description of a God who would humble himself and become flesh. A crucified in the flesh messiah didn’t fit their expectations.

Still today, many in our world are offended by Jesus. Still today, many in our world say the ways of Jesus are nonsense. We live in a time when more and more the Christian faith is being marginalized by the powerful. More and more, the voices we hear in the mainstream media are of those who are offended by Jesus, or the voices of those who think the Christian faith is all nonsense. As I contemplate my place in this world, I am often drawn to the Apostle Paul’s magnificent prose on the Supremacy of Christ:

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross” (Colossians 1:16-20)

My Takeaway: I raise my voice to the naysayers and proclaim with Paul, “. . . to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). Yes, and Amen.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

Friday, May 17, 2024

What Wondrous Love Is This?

Thursday, May 16, 2024

Be Prepared in Season And Out Of Season

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

I Press On

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Kingdom, Power, Glory. Forever!

Monday, May 13, 2024

The Thief’s Purpose is to Steal and Kill and Destroy

Friday, May 10, 2024

I’m a Christian, It’s Required of Me That I Forgive

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Especially Those in Caesar’s Household

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Your Kingdom Come

Tuesday, May 7, 2024

Our Father in Heaven

Monday, May 6, 2024

He Knows Where I Hurt

Friday, May 3, 2024

No Wonder You Have So Few

Thursday, May 2, 2024

The Very Heartbeat of God

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Christ Is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God

Seeking the Life in Christ

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