The Source Of My Life

June 6, 2017

The Source Of My Life

On the holy mount stands the city he founded;

    the Lord loves the gates of Zion

    more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

Glorious things are spoken of you,

    O city of God.    Selah

Psalm 87:1-3 (NRSV)

When you arrive in Israel at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, you are greeted with a huge sign, “Welcome Home.” As I passed underneath the sign, I assumed it was meant for the Jews who were returning to their homeland. Ten days later, as I again passed under that sign, I realized I too had been welcomed home. One of the enduring images from my trip was on the Friday evening we drove into Jerusalem. As our bus topped a hill, the gleaming walls of Old Jerusalem, high on Mount Moriah, came into our view. The stereo on the bus began playing The Holy City Hymn and we all sang, “Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Hark! How the angels sing, Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna to your King!” (The Holy City Hymn. Lyrics: Frederick Weatherly, 1892.   Composer: Michael Maybrick.)

In the Apostles’ Creed, when we affirm our belief in “the holy catholic church,” we are affirming the universal Body of Christ. In Psalm 87, the psalmist was looking into God’s future when all people will live in the presence of God:

“Regarding Jerusalem it will be said,

    “Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there.”

    And the Most High will personally bless this city.

 When the Lord registers the nations, he will say,

    “They have all become citizens of Jerusalem.”

                                                                                Psalm 87:5-6

After my visit to Jerusalem, I gladly sing with the psalmist,

“The source of my life springs from Jerusalem!”

Psalm 87:7

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.)

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.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

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.

Teach Me Your Ways

June 5, 2017

Teach Me Your Ways

Teach me your ways, O Lord,

that I may live according to your truth!

Grant me purity of heart,

so that I may honor you.

Psalm 86:11

As I read Psalm 86 my mind is flooded with thoughts of our new life in Christ: “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Apostle Paul instructed the church to “Let your bearing towards one another arise out of your life in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 NEB). When he was in Athens, Paul described his life in Christ this way: “For in him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28a). Paul expounded on this theme to the church in Colossae, “For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory” (Colossians 3:3-4).  These passages are my inspiration to seek the life in Christ as my way of life. I believe they make clear that the Christian faith is so much more than a system of morality. Being a Christian is not only about believing in Jesus; it is also about our allowing Jesus to live his life through us. All Christians join with the Apostle Paul as we make our affirmation of faith: “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” (Galatians 2:20).

How did I make such a leap of faith from Psalm 86 to the Christ life? Because Psalm 86 is an affirmation, a prayer of David, that expresses a life totally devoted to God. David’s life was immersed in God. David affirms God’s faithfulness and unfailing love. He praises God, “For you are great and perform wonderful deeds” (v.10a); and David prays to God, “Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth!” (v.11a) All of this, and more, causes David to proclaim, “With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. I will give glory to your name forever” (v.12).

As I ponder this beautiful prose of David in Psalm 86, I am inspired to make his prayer, my prayer:

“Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you” (Psalm 86:11b).

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.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

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 Hope Is In The Lord

June 2, 2017

Our Hope Is In The Lord

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,

    for he will speak peace to his people,

    to his faithful,

to those who turn to him in their hearts.

Psalm 85:8 (NRSV)

In Psalm 85, the psalmist is interceding for the people of Israel. The nation is facing a crisis, probably brought on by a military defeat. The psalmist is looking forward to Israel once again resting within God’s favor:

Unfailing love and truth have met together.

    Righteousness and peace have kissed!

 Truth springs up from the earth,

    and righteousness smiles down from heaven.

Psalm 85:10-11

This intercessory prayer of the psalmist evidences a great hope that God will restore Israel. The foundation of this hope is Israel’s experience with God. This is not the first time Israel has strayed away from her covenant relationship with God. In her past, God’s unfailing love, and His mercy restored Israel to a right relationship with God. Based on these experiences with God’s grace, the psalmist has a confident hope that God will, once again, act on Israel’s behalf.

When Christians gather together in small groups for study and nurture, the most important question before each person is, “How have you experienced God in your life since we last met?” How we answer this question is vitally important because without a past and present experience of God, we will have little hope to experience God in our future. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and this assurance is based on how we have experienced God working in our lives. (Hebrews 11:1)

The Bible says, “Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10). Without this hope to experience God, our life withers: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs13:12).

In our life today, we are, once again, in transition as we wait for the next step in our future to unfold. I sense God may be calling Cheryl and I to establish a ministry of healing and wholeness for our church. However, we are just at the beginning, and are seeking discernment and wisdom. While I do not have certainty for what the future may hold for us in ministry, I know very well who holds our future. God has been faithful in our lives. Over and over again, he has manifested his presence in our life, and shown himself strong. While we are most assuredly curious about how we will be serving the Lord, we are not anxious. Our hope is in the Lord.

“We put our hope in the Lord.

    He is our help and our shield.

 In him our hearts rejoice,

    for we trust in his holy name.

 Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,

    for our hope is in you alone.”

Psalm 33:20-22

Nothing Less, Nothing More, Nothing Else

June 1, 2017

Nothing Less, Nothing More, Nothing Else

Happy are those who live in your house,

ever singing your praise.

Selah

Psalm 84:4 (NRSV)

At the time of the psalmist, idolatry was prevalent. The people in the surrounding nations worshipped many different gods, including Baal and Artemis. The people believed their gods resided in the hills or in the temples erected in their honor. Within the temples, or on hill tops, statues were set up. This form of worship stood in sharp contrast to the Jew’s worship of God. When Solomon dedicated the Temple in Jerusalem he said, “But will God really live on earth? Why, even the highest heavens cannot contain you. How much less this Temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27). While God had made the Temple His dwelling place on earth, the Jews knew the Temple could not contain his glory. While the worshippers of Baal may have longed to go to a place where they believed their god lived, the Jews longed for their God. Psalm 84 is the cry of one’s heart to know God, to be in the presence of God.

For me, Psalm 84 is a great reality check. It seems at times as though my heart, my desires, my wants are scattered here, there and everywhere. Sometimes, I allow the silliest things to steal my joy in the Lord; I allow insignificant things to steal my peace in God. When I read Psalm 84, I am reminded what the heart of a fully-devoted follower of Jesus truly desires:

 How lovely is your dwelling place,

    O Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

I long, yes, I faint with longing

    to enter the courts of the Lord.

With my whole being, body and soul,

    I will shout joyfully to the living God.

A single day in your courts

    is better than a thousand anywhere else!

I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God

    than live the good life in the homes of the wicked.

Psalm 84: 1-2, 10

I compare these longings with those within my heart and then, with the help of the Holy Spirit, I identify where I got off track. I confess my errors that caused me to miss the mark, and then reaffirm my desire to know only God’s will for my life. Nothing less, nothing more, nothing else.

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.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

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.