Desperate Faith

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

September 9, 2025

Desperate Faith

Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,

and the other prisoners were listening.

Acts 16:25 

Many years ago, cruise ships with casinos began offering overnight cruises out of Biloxi, MS. A church there was concerned when they learned the cruise ships offered childcare in areas that included toy gambling equipment. The church prayed for a season (a month), and then the Lord led them to initiate their own overnight childcare, at no charge. Soon, and very soon, their facility was full of children whose parents were off on a casino cruise.

Desperate times call for desperate faith. It wasn’t medical research that caused Naaman to dip seven times in the river; it was desperation. (2 Kings 5) Peter was jailed in chains, and his desperate friends, behind closed and locked doors, prayed for him, and an angel of the Lord escorted Peter out of the prison. (Acts 12) Paul and Silas were chained between the guards in a prison cell. With no other options, they prayed and worshipped God by singing hymns.

My Takeaway: I am blessed to be very comfortable in my retirement years. However, as I look over my prayer list, I see many friends and family members in truly desperate circumstances. I pray that my acts of faith in praying for them will be as effectual as Naaman’s trust, as the prayers of Peter’s friends and those of Paul and Silas.

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

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.

H Times 3

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today

NOTE: Cheryl and I will be traveling over the next two weeks, and I will have limited email availability. I may not be able to promptly reply to your questions or comments. I have worked ahead, and the next two weeks of meditations are already in the cue and ready to be posted each day.

September 8, 2025

H Times 3

I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.

I will praise you with songs.

I will be careful to live a blameless life—

Psalm 101:1-2a

I am thankful to my friend, Rev. Dick Brown, for teaching me the acrostic H³. It is so helpful in remembering the basic qualities of a follower of Jesus: Hunger for God; Heart for people; and Hatred of sin. Elements of all three of these are used by King David in Psalm 101.

When God’s people were preparing to enter the Promised Land, Moses gave them final instructions. As the Covenant people of God, they were promised God’s blessings: “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world.” “But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you” (Deuteronomy 28:1, 15).

As the King of Israel, David was responsible for modeling Covenant-life for his people. In this psalm, he is taking responsibility to lead the people in faithfully obeying God’s commands.

Jesus fulfilled Psalm 101, and Jesus makes it possible for us to fulfill Psalm 101: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

I believe Psalm 101 can serve as a reminder of the importance of modeling before those in our circle of influence the life of a fully-devoted follower of Jesus.

My Takeaway: While there may be nuances in how each of us is experiencing the life in Christ, depending on our own Christian maturity and our environment, we’ll always be close to the heart of Christ if we remember H³, Hunger for God; Heart for people; and Hatred of sin.

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

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.

 

God Can Be Trusted

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

September 5, 2025

God Can Be Trusted

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm,

for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

Hebrews 10:23

I recall reading, many years ago, Principals of Spiritual Growth, by Miles Stanford. In the book, he wrote, to be disappointed with yourself, is to have believed in yourself. I believe this is a thought worth pondering, but don’t tarry here too long. The essence of Stanford’s thought is simply an issue of whether we are trusting God to keep His promises or are we trusting in ourselves for our spiritual growth. I learned a long time ago that my flesh cannot be rehabilitated. I can’t make myself become a better person through spiritual disciplines, no matter how hard I try. The Apostle Paul understood this and used rather graphic descriptions for our entering into new life in Christ. Look at how he discusses death to self in Romans 6, or perhaps even more graphically in Galatians 2:20, “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Emphasis mine)

To be disappointed in circumstances and how we relate to those circumstances is a part of life. As an example, consider the two disciples walking to Emmaus on Resurrection Sunday. (Luke 24) They were disappointed and confused. Then something happened, or rather, someone happened. “They said to each other, “Didn’t our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32) When we are disappointed in our circumstances, or in ourselves, let’s have a go-to place that can ground us once again in the eternal truth that God can be trusted to keep his promise. We may not have something as dramatic as the two disciple’s Emmaus Road experience, but when we feel ourselves slipping into the mire of disappointment, we need our own pathway out of the mire.

My Takeaway: I have two pathways to help me in times of disappointment. The first is Psalm 23 and reminding myself, “thou art with me.” The second is in the Eucharist where upon receiving the elements of Holy Communion, I am reminded that I am experiencing anew the presence of Christ within me. In both places, I am reminded, God can be trusted to keep his promise. 

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

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.

 

Eternally His

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

September 4, 2025

Eternally His

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

    my fortress where I will not be shaken.

Psalm 62:6 

Yesterday, I applied the imperative of Hebrews 12:2, keep your eyes of Jesus, in a general way of encouraging us to keep our attention on Jesus to stay on our right paths here on earth. However, this imperative also reminds us that, “Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.” This part of the imperative helps me put the verse quoted above in context.

Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28) The Apostle Paul also alludes to this image in Philippians 3:12, “but I press on to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of me.” (NRSV) I understand these, and other passages, as proclaiming I am secure in my salvation in Christ Jesus. I don’t drift in and out of the eternal life Christ as promised me.

However, I also know all of us are in one of three places: In a crisis, coming out of a crisis, or entering a crisis. Or, as my good friend, Tom Grady, put it, there are only two kinds of people in the world; those who have been hurt, and those who have been hurt more. We live in a dangerous, evil world. Some places are more dangerous and eviler than others, but where we are is evil and dangerous all the same. Being a follower of Jesus is not a guarantee of complete safety and security from the forces of evil on earth. Rather, being a follower of Jesus is a guarantee we too will have to endure “the cross” and its shame.

My Takeaway: BUT, after the cross, Jesus is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. AND, because Jesus is my rock and my salvation, my fortress, where I will not be shaken, when my time comes, he will receive me unto himself! 

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

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.

Our Eyes on Jesus

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

September 3, 2025

Our Eyes on Jesus

Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Matthew 6:21

One of my heart’s desires is a simple lifestyle and a life free from clutter. I can hear Cheryl laugh out loud when she reads this, because I am the KING of clutter. Even so, I don’t like it. I look at my writing desk; there is barely enough room for my laptop with pens, and scraps of paper and odds and ends and books here and there. I know my hesitation in “de-cluttering” lies in the need to decide on each piece of clutter, and I am also the KING of procrastination; I avoid making decisions.

So, do I treasure clutter? No, I don’t think so, but let’s leave this rabbit trail and ponder what Jesus is saying in the verse above. I hear Jesus saying my treasure lies in knowing where I am going, eternally, and knowing the source of my strength. And the desires of my heart lie in not allowing clutter, hurriedness, or business to interfere with my pursuit of my right-standing with my Creator.

How do we weed the clutter, hurriedness and business out of our lives? It is simple, really, we daily apply the imperative of Hebrews 12:2, we keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.

My Takeaway: We can also pray, “I am not my own, I am Thine. By creation and redemption, I am Thine.” This daily prayer will help keep us in God’s grace for each day.

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

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.

 

Freedom in Christ

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

September 2, 2025

Freedom in Christ

He is so rich in kindness and grace

that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son

and forgave our sins.

Ephesians 1:7 

The word freedom is prominently proclaimed by political leaders and the media in today’s culture. Some of the people in Gaza proclaimed their desire for freedom by killing over one thousand people, and taking another two-hundred fifty hostage, on October 7, 2023. In contrast, God purchases our freedom by his own self-sacrifice.

The New Testament uses the word free over one hundred times, most often in the Letter to the Galatians where it is used sixteen times. As Christians, we understand the most important quality of freedom is knowing that freedom comes not through our power, but through our submission; not through our control, but through our surrender; not through our possessions but through loving our neighbor as we love ourselves.

Paul makes clear in the verse quoted above, through our faith in Christ Jesus, we have been set free by the only One who can condemn us, therefore we can rejoice in these words of Jesus, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” (John 8:36) Free for what you ask?

My Takeaway: 1- “For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.”

2- But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Romans 6:7 & Romans 7:6) 

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

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.

 

God Make Me Right Again

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

September 1, 2025

God Make Me Right Again

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

    and put a new and right spirit within me.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

Psalm 51:10, Matthew 5:6 (NRSV) 

Whenever I have a craving for food, it is generally for something salty or sweet, foods that are not healthy for me. I can’t recall ever having a craving for vegetables, maybe for tropical fruit, but never for vegetables. A craving is a powerful desire for something, so it is not limited to food. I’ve certainly experienced cravings for a comfortable lifestyle, for success in my work, and on the tennis court.

My cravings differ quite a bit from those of the psalmist and Jesus’ beatitude quoted above. My natural cravings are like drinking salt water, they only make me thirstier. When I think about my cravings attempting to meet my deepest needs, I am reminded of Paul’s lament in Romans 7:24, Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by my natural cravings? (My paraphrase) Of course, Paul doesn’t ask a question without giving us an answer: “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:25a)

One of many reasons I have come to crave the sacrament of Holy Communion weekly is that within the liturgy, I affirm my desire for God to make me right, again.

My Takeaway: Our answer is Jesus: “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.” (Romans 8:26) The Holy Spirit prays for us to seek a clean heart, a new and right spirit. 

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

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.