Seeking the Life in Christ: 2026

Friday, June 5, 2026

God’s Faith Working in You

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 5, 2026

God’s Faith Working in You

“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.”

Habakkuk 2:4

God loves us as we are, not as we should be. God’s love for us, as we are, will transform us so that we can love ourselves as we are, not as we should be. God’s love for us, as we are, will transform us so that we can love others as they are, not as they should be. That’s the theological theory of the Gospel of Grace.

Because of the sinister nature of sin, the great danger to grace is the attitude of those who told the Apostle Paul that we should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more of his wonderful grace. (Romans 6:1) That temptation is very real, which is why Paul devoted the entire chapter six of Romans to show us an alternative way to live, which is the life in Christ.

The proud person, who trusts in themself, will develop strategies, disciplines and programs all aimed at trying to redeem the flesh that is so prone to spiritual laziness and moral laxity. Alas, the flesh isn’t redeemable, which is why Paul turned to the only solution: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20a). Paul used this same imagery in Romans, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin” (Romans 6:6-7).

When we embrace the pure grace of God, our adversary will tempt us toward spiritual laziness and moral laxity knowing that our tendency will be towards rules and laws to discipline our flesh. If we have a measure of success, we become prideful because we have trust in ourselves. If we lack success in self-discipline, we may become discouraged and lose hope. This is why Paul so powerfully proclaimed that the cure for our sin is God’s grace, and the cure for our susceptibility toward spiritual laziness and moral laxity is God’s grace.

My Takeaway: The Greek translation of Habakkuk 2:4 renders it, “But the righteous person will live by my faith.” (Emphasis mine) Paul made a similar observation: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). Do you see it? God’s faith is working in you; the Gospel of grace is transforming you!

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.

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, June 4, 2026

I Need Saving

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 4, 2026

I Need Saving

“We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.”

Isaiah 64:6

One of the most daunting sentences in the Bible is Jesus’ words to the church in Ephesus, “If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches” (Revelation 2:5b). When I served as a pastor, I kept a lamp burning in the chancel area to remind the congregation that as the Lord gives, the Lord can take away. In the case of Ephesus, the church didn’t love Jesus or each other as they did at first. Much like the church at Laodicea, they had become like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, and Jesus was prepared to spit them out of his mouth! The poor Laodiceans said, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need anything!’ And Jesus said, “You don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” (Revelation 3:15-17).

One of the greatest temptations facing the followers of Jesus is to delude ourselves into thinking that it is the other guy who needs saving; it is the other person who needs spiritual maturity; it is others who need self-discipline. One of the signs we are yielding to this temptation is in our disagreements over little things. Novelist Anthony Trollope wrote, “. . . the apostle of Christianity and the infidel can meet without a chance of a quarrel; but it is never safe to bring together two men who differ about a saint or a surplice.”

Evangelist Peter Lord loved to tease Christians by giving them a True / False quiz. The first question was, “A good description of a Christian is a sinner saved by grace.” Most reply True, but it really is a trick question. Yes, a definition of a Christian is a sinner saved by grace. However, Peter Lord said that’s not a good description. Becoming a Christian is becoming a new person. A Christian is a child of God, a joint heir with Christ. I don’t disagree with Peter Lord’s point, but I think we need never lose sight of the fact that both answers are correct. That’s the point Isaiah was trying to teach Israel, and it is the same point Jesus was trying to teach to the Ephesians and Laodiceans.

My Takeaway: Jesus wants me to embrace this truth every day. It is not the other guy who needs saving; it is me. Apart from Christ, I am the one who is wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

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.)

Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Sing a New Song

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 3, 2026

Sing a New Song

Sing a new song of praise to him;

play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.

Psalm 33:3

Please take a piece of paper and make two lists in parallel columns. First, take a few moments to remember the events and happenings in your life over the last few weeks. Now in the column on the left list the things that saddened you. Then in the column on your right, list the things that gladdened you. When you finish this little exercise come back and continue reading.

As you review the list of events or happenings that gladdened your heart, does your list include the joy of being able to pray, “Abba, I belong to you”? Does your list include the joy of being able to worship and study with a community of faith? Perhaps your list includes the time you spent alone with God and your Bible. Does your list include opportunities you had to serve God in a caring, compassionate ministry, or just being a kind and compassionate friend?

As you review the list of the things that saddened you, does your list include your concern that you don’t make enough quality time for prayer and devotional reading? Were there times of spiritual laziness and moral laxity that are grieving you? Jesus’ last commandment was for his followers to love others as he loved them. Were you saddened over your lack of fidelity to this command of Jesus?

My Takeaway: First, the only way I can process my responses to this exercise is to remember, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). If you are like me, you may not be all that pleased with yourself after this exercise and you may question your spiritual maturity. Even so, we can sing a new song of praise to our Abba, and we can sing with joy because first, last and always, we can affirm the truth of scripture: I am a child of the Most High God and the Most High God is for me!

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.)

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Redeemed for Compassion

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 2, 2026

Redeemed for Compassion

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” (Deut. 21:23 Greek version)

Galatians 3:13

How much of our wrongdoing was included in the death of Jesus on the cross? How much of the wrongdoing of the entire world was included in the death of Jesus on the cross? Is there any sin, any wrongdoing, any deviant behavior, any monstrosity, any crime or brutality, any act of oppression that is not included in the death of Jesus on the cross?

The clear and unambiguous teaching of Scripture answers those three questions with a resounding NO! The death of Jesus on the cross redeemed all humanity from the penalty for all our sins against God. The compassion of Jesus to bear our transgressions is more than my finite mind can comprehend. I am surprised that the Gospels only used the word compassion eight times in describing Jesus’ response to human need. For me, I am not sure there is a better word to describe what was in the heart of God in Christ as he took upon himself the curse for my sins.

Merriam-Webster says compassion is a feeling of wanting to help someone who is sick, hungry or in trouble. Wikipedia says compassion is the feeling of empathy for others. Compassion is the emotion that we feel in response to the suffering of others that motivates a desire to help. That pretty much sums up Jesus’ motivation to go to the cross for us, his response to the suffering of humanity. Jesus’ compassion for me saved me!

My Takeaway: I sense God calling me to spend more time contemplating His compassion for me. Why? I believe it is God’s compassion for me which motivates Him to reach out to me repeatedly. As the Father draws me into His compassionate heart, He engenders compassion within me: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12 NRSV).

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.)

Monday, June 1, 2026

The Road Most Traveled

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 1, 2026

The Road Most Traveled

“No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.”

John 5:44

Jonah’s epiphany, “For my salvation comes from the Lord alone” (Jonah 2:9), was lost on the religious leaders confronting Jesus. Jesus told them they could not believe in him as God’s Messiah because to do so required them to take their eyes off their own self-efforts to make themselves right with God. There is still a lot of that attitude in our performance-based-acceptance culture.

There is a huge temptation in our American culture to transfer what works in the economic systems of the world to the spiritual life. Will the success of the self-made person, operating in the marketplaces of the world, find similar success applying the same standards to their spiritual life? Will their attributes of self-discipline, SMART goals, and hard work transfer well to the spiritual realm? You can build a good life through spiritual self-effort, for a while. Eventually though, the reality of Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall,” will come crashing down on the self-made person.

The challenge for the followers of Jesus is to find the balance between being an active, engaging doer of the Word and resting in the incomprehensible love of God. Martha’s sister Mary discovered this balance sitting at the feet of Jesus and she heard Jesus affirm her choice: “There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42a).

The Apostle Paul, reflecting on his life as a religious leader and Pharisee, made the same discovery as Mary: “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ” (Philippians 3:7-9).

My Takeaway: I made this same discovery and when I knelt to be ordained, I opened my Bible to this passage in Philippians. I have also discovered something else. Because the temptations of the American culture are so insidious, I must rediscover Mary and Paul’s discovery with regularity, lest I find myself taking the self-made road, the road most traveled.

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.)

Friday, May 29, 2026

Jonah’s Epiphany

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

May 29, 2026

Jonah’s Epiphany

“But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

Jonah 2:9

For the Christian, every crisis in our lives is a revelation of the depth of our faith and trust in God. How we respond in the crisis, including a crisis of our own making, reveals what we truly believe about God. In Jonah’s case, his refusal to follow God’s call on his life created the crisis. Jonah’s first response was to try and run from God. However, Jonah quickly found he could not outrun God: “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!” (Jonah 2:2). This epiphany resulted in Jonah’s affirmation, “For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

God’s call took Jonah totally out of his comfort zone, which is why his first instinct was to flee. There may well be times in our life when God will direct us to places, we would rather not go. Dare we courageously pray with Jabez, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” (1 Chronicles 4:10). Can we trust God to do for us as He did for Jabez and grant our request.

Sometimes fear of being drawn out of our comfort zones immobilizes us from responding to the call of God on our lives. When all is said and done, the real measure of our life is not so much whether we traipse off to Nineveh with Jonah or face up to our border bullies with Jabez. Rather, the measure of our lives will be in the quality of our interest and compassion for those we encounter each day. Do we make quality time for a child, express genuine appreciation for the delivery person, share our abundance with those with less, and do we gladly bear interruptions to our agenda?

My Takeaway: If we remember our salvation comes from the Lord alone, and like Jonah, fulfill all our vows to the Lord, we will have rightly revealed Christ Jesus in our mortal flesh.

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.)

Thursday, May 28, 2026

The Lord Lift Up His Countenance Upon You

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

May 28, 2026

The Lord Lift Up His Countenance Upon You

“The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:25-26 (NRSV)

After interviewing a man, Abraham Lincoln told his secretary, “I don’t like that man’s face!” His secretary immediately responded, “But that’s his face! He’s not responsible for his face.” To which Lincoln replied, “After forty every man is responsible for his face.”

Coach Bill McCartney, the founder of Promise Keepers, said that he could look at a woman’s countenance and know whether her husband was a Christian and loved her well. The coach was making the same observation as Mr. Lincoln: our face is a mirror to our soul and reflects the mood of our heart. Mr. Lincoln believed that after forty years of living, a person should have sufficient maturity to control their emotions and become master of their moods. According to Mr. Lincoln’s schedule, some days it seems like I am thirty-nine years past due.

Brennan Manning, after someone asked him, “Why are you in such a rotten mood?” spent time reflecting on Proverbs 15:15, “For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast” Apparently Manning’s face was a window to his soul.

In my journey with Christ, I am being drawn to spend more time in contemplative prayer to allow the Holy Spirit opportunities to synchronize my outward emotions and facial expressions with the inner truth of my “real life (that) is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

My Takeaway: I have found the wonderful benediction of Numbers 6:24-26 is a great place to camp out and spend quality time with the Lord:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26 (NRSV)

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.)

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Where Jesus Is, I Am Called to Be Also

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

May 27, 2026

Where Jesus Is, I Am Called to Be Also

“Light shines in the darkness for the godly.

They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.”

Psalm 112:4

The godly, the followers of Jesus, are generous, compassionate, and righteous. Why? Because we are destined to become just like our leader Jesus who is generous, compassionate, and righteous. All those attributes I noted yesterday about the incomprehensible love of God, beyond worthiness and unworthiness, beyond fidelity and infidelity, without caution, regret, boundary, limit, or a breaking point, are attributes God is working into our character as Christ is formed within us. How does God work these attributes into our character; how is Christ formed in us?

God is at work in us, working all things together for our transformation, when we are pressed on every side by troubles, when we are perplexed, when we are hunted down, and when we get knocked down. Although in the eyes of the world’s culture we are fragile, vulnerable, and weak, nevertheless it is in these times that the life of Jesus is made visible in our mortal flesh. (See Philippians 2:13 & 2 Corinthians 4:7-11)

It is much easier to write this observation about the life in Christ, than it is to live out these realities. Everything in our American culture has conditioned us to be strong, not weak, to be successful, not failures, to be self-sufficient, not dependent. The life in Christ cuts across the grain of our cultural norms. My personality draws me deep into my cave where I can live in isolation; the personality of Jesus, my Master, draws me back outside where I can engage and interact with the culture. Why? Because where Jesus is, I am called to be also.

My Takeaway: Did I mention Jesus never said following him would be easy?

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.)

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

As I Am

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

May 26, 2026

As I Am

“For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Zephaniah 3:17

God loves us unconditionally, just as we are, not as we should be. Because no one is as they should be.” (All is Grace by Brennan Manning) I never get tired of pondering the depth of Manning’s observation about the incomprehensible love of God, our Abba. In one of his devotional books, Manning mentioned a passage in Exodus as part of his foundation for understanding God’s grace: “The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out, “Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations” (Exodus 34:6-7a). Yes, the love of God is incomprehensible to our finite human minds.

This passage in Exodus, and the above passage from Zephaniah tell us that God’s love is beyond worthiness and unworthiness, and beyond fidelity and infidelity. God loves us without caution, regret, boundary, limit, or a breaking point. (Reflections for Ragamuffins by Brennan Manning) Incomprehensible is the only word that fits when I realize that God fully loved and accepted me the day I offered tenderness and compassion to a dying member of my church, and He fully loved and accepted me last week when I took His name in vain after cutting my foot in an act of acute stupidity.

Picture in your mind the image of Jesus hanging on the cross. Before we had one iota of awareness that there is even a Creator God of the universe, God our Abba became human, suffered and died on that cross in the hope, really a gamble, that one day we would open our hearts to receive his unfailing love.

My Takeaway: If I could have one more conversation with Brennan, I would ask him if he would consider adding one little word to the end of his statement. I think I would end his statement this way: “Because no one is as they should be, yet.” I am convinced that the more I live into the reality that Abba loves me just as I am, the more I will be transformed into the likeness of Christ, and thus, the more I become the person my Abba created me to be.

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.)

Monday, May 25, 2026

Still I Press On

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

May 25, 2026

Still I Press On

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.”

1 John 5:1

What is the hardest commandment of God for you to obey? For me, the call to love God’s children is by far and away the most difficult command for me. While John refers to the children of God as those who believe Jesus is the Christ, Jesus made it clear that his followers are to love all people: friends and enemies, those we think are fellow Christians, as well as those we are sure don’t care for Jesus.

The issues that make this a difficult command for me run very deep. God’s call to love is not a call to have warm fuzzy feelings about other people. It is not a call to just have passive good feelings toward others. God’s call to love is a call to invest ourselves into the lives of others. Others are lonely, needing affirmation and understanding. Godly love sees these needs in others and reaches out to include them within the mantle of our genuine concern. However, to extend my mantle of concern is to open my heart to them. I cannot embrace their hopes, fears, dreams, joys and disappointments, and at the same time keep hidden from them the hopes, fears, dreams, joys and disappointments of my life. That’s the tough part for me. My default position is to be very private, my deepest feelings hidden from others.

Sometimes I feel like responding to Jesus the way his disciples did when Jesus told them it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God! (Matthew 19:24) “The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked” (Matthew 19:25).

Confronted with my own reluctance to let my guard down and become open and vulnerable with others convinces me that I will never measure up, that I’ll never be perfect. But the Hound of Heaven won’t let me give up on Him, or myself. First, he reminds me of the precious teaching of my friend Brennan Manning, “God loves us unconditionally, just as we are; not as we should be. Because no one is as they should be. (All is Grace by Brennan Manning)” Then the Holy Spirit reminds me of the words of Jesus, “Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26).

My Takeaway: So, I press on.

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.)

Friday, May 22, 2026

Faith is a Verb

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

May 22, 2026

Faith is a Verb

“So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”

James 2:17

It has been said that God created us as human beings and we have turned into human doings. That is certainly true in our modern culture. With all the electronic gizmos we have available to us, seldom do we come to a place of rest, peace and quiet in our lives. I am convinced that for God to do His work of transforming our lives and forming Christ within us, we need ample periods where we respond to God’s call to us: “Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10). However, there is a greater danger to our progress in transformation than not resting in God; it is being idle.

Jesus perfectly modeled a life balanced with times of prayer and meditation and times of action. This, I believe, is what James wanted the church to see in his powerful affirmation that the followers of Christ are called to action. Just as love is not a feeling but a verb, so also is faith. The evidence of God’s love is in His doing. He sent His son, He sends His Holy Spirit and His mercies never end; they are renewed every morning. The evidence of our faith in God is in our doing: “Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds” (James 2:18).

The words of James can be quite chilling: “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works” (James 2:26). If we are not careful, our adversary will use guilt and condemnation to steal our joy in serving Christ. As we press on to achieve the balance between rest and good works, we are always mindful that God loves us, unconditionally, just as we are. We want to glorify God and live in a manner that allows others to see Christ in our mortal flesh.

My Takeaway: The witness of Christ within us comes by grace, not an accumulation of good works. (See 2 Corinthians 4) I believe reaching a balance where our good works are evidence of God’s grace at work in our lives is more of an art than a skill to be learned and thus requires a daily dialogue with Christ.

Jesus never said following him would be easy.

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.)

Thursday, May 21, 2026

I Press On

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

May 21, 2026

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 have to 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

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.)

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Training Myself in Godliness

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

May 20, 2026

Training Myself in Godliness

“No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.”

1 John 4:12

A few weeks ago, the Board for my Homeowners Association honored me for many years of service to our community. For the most part my participation in the HOA has been well and good, but there have been some contentious issues. My fight against the temptation to be drawn into these issues has had mixed success. To this end, the Apostle John’s affirmation about our life in Christ is very helpful to me.

The ways of the world’s culture teach us that it is all about winning and losing, tit for tat, and being ever ready with an appropriate rejoinder when we feel slighted, or that the other person may prevail. Over and against the prevailing sentiment of our culture is the truth that all my thoughts and deeds, my words directed at other people, are directed. Did Jesus really mean this when he said, “I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!” (Matthew 25:40). Yes, I think so.

To conduct myself in the reality that every word that comes out of my mouth, as well as every thought that rattles around in the recesses of mind, are directed to Jesus seems like an impossible mission! This is a good time to remember that it is possible to do with training, what is impossible to do by trying. Authentically seeking the life in Christ as my way of life requires that I submit to appropriate spiritual disciplines to “train (myself) in godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7b NRSV).

My Takeaway: A spiritual discipline for me is to fully immerse myself in 1 John 4:12 so that before I speak, I will first think, “God lives in me, and his love is brought to full expression in me.”

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.)

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Where’s the Power?

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

May 19, 2026

Where’s the Power?

“He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.”

1 Peter 2:24

In Romans 8, after identifying almost a dozen obstacles, difficulties and adversities in life, the Apostle Paul declares, “overwhelming victory is ours through Christ” (Romans 8:37). So how is the overwhelming victory coming into your life? For me, sometimes it seems it is not me, but all the obstacles, difficulties and adversities in life that are winning the overwhelming victory. More often, I identify with Paul’s metaphor that I am like a fragile clay jar (2 Corinthians 4), rather than being more than conquerors as the NRSV renders Romans 8:37.

Of course, the spiritual reality is not either / or; rather it is both / and. There are times when we will be more than conquerors, winning an overwhelming victory over the issues in our lives. Even when we are feeling more like fragile clay jars, we know that through the power of Christ within us, we are not defeated. “We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

The Holy Spirit baptizes us into the life of Christ so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed and have “become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This is the power that leads to overwhelming victory. This is the power to make reality in our lives the truth that when we get knocked down, we are not destroyed. The power is in our new life in Christ that enables us to be dead to sin and live for what is right.

My Takeaway: “What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?” Thanks be to God “for Christ Jesus who died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us” (Romans 8:31a & 34b).

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.)