Our Godly Calling

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

May 12, 2025

Our Godly Calling

I press on to lay hold of that for which Christ has laid hold of me.

Philippians 3:12b (NRSV) 

In a preceding verse, Paul wrote, “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead.” (Philippians 3:10a) Then Paul adds to his goal in verse 12 above, and then summarizes his quest by stating, “Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:13b-14)

First, by writing, “Christ Jesus, is calling us,” Paul reveals that this isn’t just his goal, his quest; rather he sees this as the goal, the quest of all Christinas, including you and me. In verse 12, Paul reveals that this isn’t really his goal; Christ Jesus has laid hold of him, and you and me. Paul is discussing Jesus’ goal for you and me. To put that goal simply, it is for us to seek the life in Christ as our way of life. This Christ life is living continually with an awareness that our life belongs to God; by creation and redemption, we belong to God. A line in my Daily Office bedtime prayer captures this thought:

“Guide us waking, O Lord,

and guard us sleeping;

that awake we may watch with Christ,

and asleep we may rest in peace.”

My Takeaway: “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.” (Romans 8:11a) God has empowered us to stay in the grace for today by placing His Holy Spirit within us. Hallelujah!

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’s Law

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

May 9, 2025

God’s Law

Blessed is the one

    who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

    or sit in the company of mockers,

but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

    and who meditates on his law day and night.

Psalm 1:1-2 (NIV)

While some newer Bible translations render verse one gender neutral as “happy are those” or “blessed are those”, the original text uses a word that is very gender specific and should be translated, “Blessed is the man.” Jesus is this perfect man who delights “in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.” As followers of Jesus, yielding ourselves to be transformed to become like him, Psalm 1 gives us a clear example of how to order our lives. But is it possible for a mortal human being to get excited about meditating on God’s law, day and night?

When the Psalmist refers to ‘the law’ he does not mean just the Ten Commandments or other rules and regulations. Here in Psalm 1, law refers to God’s nature. God is love. God’s nature is to forgive. God’s law includes:

His love that cannot fail;

His Word that does not return to Him void; and

His mercies that never come to an end.

This line in the prayer we use in our liturgy for Holy Communion reveals this understanding of God’s law:

We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies; . . . But thou art the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy.

The Psalmist has in mind the law of God that looked at a world that did not exist and brought it into being by the power of His Word. The law of God can be summed up in one verse:

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The Psalmist pronounces God’s blessing on us as we take time to reflect on all the ways we have experienced God in our life. Psalm 1 is our invitation to mediate on how we have experienced God’s mercies and forgiveness, His favor, and how we know God to be our Shepherd.

My Takeaway: The bedrock of our faith, our means of grace to stay in the grace for today, is to meditate on God’s law, day and night.

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.

Do Not Judge

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

May 8, 2025

Do Not Judge

“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For the judgment you give will be the judgment you get, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.

Matthew 7:1-2 (NRSV) 

The passage above is a part of what we call Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5-6-7) This sermon reminds me of William Law’s classic, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life. (1729) In this book, Law proclaims that God does not merely forgive our sins, He calls us to obedience and to a life completely centered in Him. One of my yearly goals is to read the Sermon on the Mount, and as we are almost half through this year, today’s text is my wakeup call to move the sermon up on my priority list.

The term, cancel culture entered our vernacular in 2018. The term refers to a cultural phenomenon in which an individual thought to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner is ostracized, boycotted, shunned or fired. The chief tool to cancel a person is through social media. Obviously, people who are ostracizing, boycotting, or shunning another person haven’t read Matthew 7:1-2. However, the danger for the Christian is that the cancel culture has become mainstreamed, even normalized in our culture. We must guard against being drawn into the ways of the world’s culture, or as Titus put it yesterday, “We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God.”

As I recall my conversations and interactions, just over the last few days, I shudder at how often my thoughts about other people have been judgmental. But I also take comfort knowing God is not through with me yet: “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6)

My Takeaway: I believe in prevenient grace, God at work in people even before they are aware of God. This truth helps me stay in the grace for today as I interact with other people because I realize God is not through with them either.

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.

Grace Teaches Us

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

May 7, 2025

Grace Teaches Us

He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Titus 2:14 

It would be beneficial for us to reflect on today's scripture and incorporate its principles into our personal mission statements. A bit of context may be helpful. Here are the preceding verses:

For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. (Titus 2:11-13)

The trilogy above, wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, remind me of the three instruments that are essential for airplane pilots: attitude indicator, turn and bank indicator, and airspeed indicator.  On the instrument panel, immediately in front of the pilot is an attitude indicator that shows if you are ascending or descending, and at what rate. To the left there is a turn and bank indicator that shows if your wings are straight and level, or if you are in a turning configuration. And there is the airspeed indicator, essential information to keep the plane from overloading, or stalling. Every pilot continually monitors these three instruments while flying. So also, every Christian will monitor their life for Godly wisdom, for righteousness, and for their devotion to God as fully devoted followers of Christ.

My Takeaway: The good news is that we are not relying on our own strength to incorporate this trilogy into our daily lives. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (Philippians 2:13) This verse is our grace for today, and every 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.

 

You Belong to God

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

May 6, 2025

You Belong to God

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

1 John 4:4 

In the first three verses of 1 John 4, John was warning his church that there were false prophets among them who were denying the full divinity and full humanity of Jesus. John reminds his church they do not need to fear those false prophets because they belong to God. What a beautiful phrase; You belong to God!

Because we belong to God, God’s Holy Spirit has been poured into our hearts through our faith in the risen Christ Jesus. (Remember the passage we read yesterday from Romans 8? “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (8:31b))

There is so much noise in our culture. Voices telling us who we are and what we should believe. Voices, within, reminding us of all the times we have tried and failed to measure up to some standard that someone set for us. As we learned yesterday, it is so very important who we believe is telling us the truth, the truth about who God is, who, and whose, we are, and who our neighbors are.

My Takeaway: Today’s verse is another strong plank in the foundation we are building to enable us to stay in the grace for today: “But you belong to God, my dear children.”

Let’s spend the day rehearsing this truth: I belong to God!!!!!!!!

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.

Who Do You Believe?

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

May 5, 2025

Who Do You Believe?

Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own?

No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself.

Romans 8:33 

I am not sure there is another passage in the entire Bible that exceeds the beautiful prose in verses 31-39 that close Romans 8. I believe we would do well to often turn to this passage.  For today, I want to focus on verses 31-34, and especially verse 33 quoted above.

The passage below is from a novel I recently read:

“Men spend their lives asking Who am I when the real question is Whose am I? I don’t think you can answer the first until you’ve settled the second. First horse, then cart. Identity does not grow out of action until it has taken root in belonging.”  (Chasing Fireflies: A Novel of Discovery by Charles Martin, Thomas Nelson (February 10, 2008))

Thank God, I can answer this question, “Whose am I?” - I belong to God. By creation and redemption, I belong to God. That is whose I am! This is so very significant for Christians. We need to know whose we are, so we know who to believe. Bishop N.T. Wright has noted, the world has told us a pack of lies about who God is, who we are, and who our neighbor is. But God in Christ Jesus is telling us the truth, and I choose to believe God.

My Takeaway: God is for me. Who can be against me, and who is more powerful than God? There is none! Nothing can separate me from God’s love for me in Christ Jesus. What else do I need to know? I think I’ll sing, “Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”

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.

“Yes, come,”

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

May 2, 2025

But Jesus spoke to them at once.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here!”

Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you,

tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

“Yes, come,” Jesus said.

Matthew 14:27-29

The disciples were in their boat in a very strong storm with heavy waves. It was 3:00 AM. Then they saw Jesus, coming to them, walking on the water. They thought they were seeing a ghost, and they were terrified. We know Peter got out of the boat and took a few steps on the water. He was then distracted by the waves and took his eyes off Jesus. He started to sink.

As a part of my exercise routine at the YMCA, I work on my balance by standing on two cushions with five-pound weights in each hand. I then do sixty reps with my arms. Before I begin moving my arms, I pick something in the distance and focus my attention there. There is movement all around that I see in my peripheral vision and if I am near a window, there are reflections that can distract me. If the distractions win out, I slip off the cushions. The only way I stay on the cushions is to keep my eyes focused on the distant object.

When we are in dire straits and encounter Jesus in a new way, it is OK to call out to him, “Lord, is this really you?” When he says, “Yes”, keep your eyes focused on him!

My Takeaway: Hebrews 12:2 implores us to keep our eyes on Jesus. If I want to stay in the grace for today, I need to keep my eyes on Jesus.

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.