Seeking the Life in Christ

Monday, May 20, 2024

Learning to Wait in Silence

Meditations for Ragamuffins

May 20, 2024

Learning to Wait in Silence

“People listened to me expectantly,

waiting in silence for my counsel.”

Job 29:21 (NIV)

I had to chuckle when I read today’s text from Job. The passage is so succinct, so simple, almost understated, and yet it contains three attributes that I find so difficult to master in my life: waiting, silence, and seeking advice. Not surprisingly, these attributes are so difficult because their fruit is so satisfying for our soul. Our adversary, the great enemy of God whose “purpose is to steal and kill and destroy,” will use all his power to deny us the fruit (John 10:10). But God is greater and is working in our lives to fulfill Jesus’ purpose to give us a rich and satisfying life.

My human nature may not like to seek advice, but the divine nature of Christ in me relishes in the promise of God: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you (Psalm 32:8 NIV).

My human nature wants to pour out all my cares and concerns to the Lord. The divine nature of Christ in me reminds me the writer of Ecclesiastes was right: there is “a time to be silent and a time to speak” (Ecclesiastes 3:7b NIV). Thus I am learning to heed the counsel of Habakkuk: “But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him” (Habakkuk 2:20).

My human nature thinks waiting is time wasted. The divine nature of Christ in me is teaching me the wisdom of God: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31 KJV).

My Takeaway: I do have much to learn, and I am exceedingly blessed that my teacher, the divine nature of Christ in me, is equal to the task.

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.

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.)

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.)

Monday, May 20, 2024

Learning to Wait in Silence

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

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