Don’t Outpace Grace

July 25, 2016

Don’t Outpace Grace

You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.

John  7:8-9

The Festival of Shelters was held at harvest time, and was a reminder for the Jews of the time their ancestors spent camping in the wilderness during the exodus from Egypt. It was one of three great annual celebrations for the Jews, Passover and Pentecost being the other two. John wants us to see that Jesus was demurring about going to Jerusalem in the autumn of the year for the Festival of Shelters because Jesus knew the time was not right. His time would come in the spring, the time for the Passover and the sacrificial lamb.

Later, Jesus changed his mind and went up to Jerusalem for the Festival. However, he did his best to remain incognito and did not follow the urging of his brothers: “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” (John 7:3-4).

Jesus’ brothers had not yet come to faith in Jesus the Messiah. They were pressing Jesus to take the plunge, go to the big city and put on a demonstration that no one could deny. Does that sound familiar to you? It sounds very much like the temptations Jesus experienced in the wilderness. (See Matthew 4:1-11) Jesus did not yield to the temptations of the evil one, or those from his own brothers. Instead, Jesus was following God’s timing and his kairos moment had not yet come. Kairos is God’s time and refers to the right or opportune moment when the Word of God, like a seed planted in good soil, germinates, takes root, grows and begins to produce fruit.

There have been times in my life when I pressed to make something happen, and I soon regretted my decisions. In hindsight, I learned the wisdom of Jesus: wait on God, or as my friend Dudley Hall likes to say, “Don’t outpace grace.”

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. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

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, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

Seized By a Great Affection

July 22, 2016

Seized By a Great Affection

“Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go?

You have the words that give eternal life.

We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

John  6: 68-69

I was born into a family of the Old South. Segregation had always been a way of life for my parents, and their parents. Our heritage was one where children were to be seen and not heard. Children addressed adults with ‘yes sir’ and “yes ma’am.”  However, I only lived in the south for a few years during my childhood. The culture I was exposed to in the far west and northeast was much different than the one where my parents were raised. When I returned to Florida for college, I encountered segregation for the first time. I was confronted with challenges to what I had experienced as the normal way of life, and I had to make a decision about the values of my life.

The Israelites listening to Jesus were hearing a Gospel that confounded everything that had been the normal ebb and flow of their culture. For many, it was too much, and they turned away from Jesus.

Peter’s confession of faith in John 6:68-69, is one of the most compelling insights about Jesus. Jesus’ response to Peter emphasizes the work of the Spirit in bringing people to believe in Jesus, or as the writer of the letter of Hebrews put it, Jesus is the one who initiates and perfects our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

The Christian writer C.S. Lewis was asked by a journalist when he decided to be a Christian. Lewis laughed and responded, “I didn’t decide. I was decided upon.” In his autobiography, Lewis referred to the work of God’s passion for saving His people as, God’s “compulsion is our liberation.” Brennan Manning writes that the Arcadian people who settled Louisiana referred to being ‘born again’ as being ‘seized by a Great Affection.” Both Lewis and Manning are pointing to what Jesus says: “Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me” (John 6:65). We do not choose the time and place of our salvation. It is God who takes the initiative for our salvation. In Wesleyan theology, we call this prevenient grace: God first, last and always taking the first step.

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. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

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, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

The Greatest Prayer Ever

July 21, 2016

The Greatest Prayer Ever

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.

John 6:51

The Gospel of John is known for the “I am” statements made by Jesus, the first of which was Jesus’ assertion that, “I am the bread of life.” I believe John wanted us to see the connection between our celebration of the sacrament of Holy Communion and Jesus’ discussion of our eating his flesh and drinking his blood. (John 6: 47-59) Jesus’ statements about eating his flesh and drinking his blood have been hugely controversial over the centuries, primarily because people forget that John is continually showing how the Old Testament points to, and is fulfilled in Jesus.

In this case, we need to remember a story about King David that is recorded in 1 Samuel 23 and I Chronicles 11. David and his men were pinned down in a battle near Bethlehem. Thinking out loud, David said he would love to have a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem. Later, three of his mighty men, at great personal risk, went through enemy lines and got water from the well and brought it to David. David responded by saying for him to drink the water would be as though he was profiting from his men’s willingness to risk their lives; it would be as though he was drinking their blood. David poured the water onto the ground.

In today’s passage, Jesus is saying that he is not only willing to risk his life, but to lose his life for our sakes. Jesus is saying that we can drink and profit from his sacrifice. Thus, believing in Jesus as our Messiah is like feeding upon Jesus, the bread of life. It is like the drinking of his blood as we participate in his sacrifice for our sins.

Earlier in this chapter, the people couldn’t grasp what Jesus was saying when he told them he was the bread of life. They couldn’t get past what they wanted Jesus to do for them. However, when we begin to grasp that what really matters -- it is not what Jesus can do for us, but who Jesus is -- then their response in ignorance becomes the greatest prayer ever:

“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day” (John 6:34).

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. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

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, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

I Will Raise Them Up at the Last Day

July 20, 2016

I Will Raise Them Up at the Last Day

And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

John  6: 39-40

Many people believe the Christian faith centers on being able to correctly answer the question, “If you were to die tonight, do you know where you will spend eternity?” Regrettably, that’s the wrong question. In John 6:36-46, Jesus gives us two insights into God’s eternal plans for the followers of Jesus.

First, Jesus shows us that eternal life is not a destination. Eternal life is about the quality of life the believers in Jesus get to enjoy here and now. Eternal life begins the very instant we make our confession of faith. Eternal life is life in Christ, right now, and continuing beyond our mortal death; eternal life is life in Christ, uninterrupted by death.

Secondly, when our mortal death comes, our eternal destination is not an out of body spiritual home in heaven. Upon our death, our spirit will return to God the Father. However, resting with God in heaven is our temporary home. Jesus has promised that when he comes again to completely establish God’s Kingdom on earth, those who have died in Christ will receive new resurrected bodies so that we can continue our eternal life, our life in Christ, with Jesus here on the new earth. This truth has been rehearsed by countless believers in the last two millenniums every time we affirm our faith with the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”

While the Gospel is quite simple, it is far too complex to reduce it to a simple question, other than, “Do you know God loves you?” If you need another question, a good one is, “When you wake up in the morning what are you and Jesus going to be doing to build for God’s Kingdom?”

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. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

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, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.