But Joy Comes with the Morning

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Season of Advent 

December 3, 2025

But Joy Comes with the Morning

For his anger lasts only a moment,

but his favor lasts a lifetime!

Weeping may last through the night,

but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 30:5

When Jesus was on the Cross, he quoted from Psalms 22 and 31. Because of those quotes, it has been suggested he may have prayed all the psalms from 22-31 while on the Cross. Psalm 30 is certainly a psalm Jesus would have remembered, if not on the Cross, then in his Garden of Gethsemane prayers.

The instructions for the psalm refer to the dedication of the Temple. From about 160 B.C. the Jews included this psalm in their celebration of Hanukkah. Judas Maccabaeus led Israel against a foreign army that had invaded Israel and defeated them. Maccabaeus then led the people to purify the Temple and to hold a festival every year to commemorate the rededication of the Temple. This festival, Hanukkah, which means dedication, is held at a time on the Jewish calendar that is close to our December 25 date.

When David wrote this psalm, he was remembering all the suffering and the feelings of abandonment he experienced during the period King Saul was pursuing him across all of Israel. The people of Israel had very similar feelings under the oppression of the foreign invaders, so this psalm was an appropriate expression of their joy when the yoke of the oppressors was broken.

The author of Hebrews calls us to look “unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). When I read that verse, I immediately think of Psalm 30:5: “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

My Takeaway: Psalm 30 finds its ultimate fulfillment in the mouth of Jesus as he sang and danced as he burst forth from the grave on Resurrection Sunday. In times of sickness or distress, Psalm 30 is a very helpful reminder to keep our eyes on Jesus. When we do, we can sing with the psalmist, and Jesus,

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.

You have taken away my clothes of mourning

and clothed me with joy,

that I might sing praises to you

and not be silent.

O Lord my God,

I will give you thanks forever!

Psalm 30:11-12

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.

 

Jesus’ Prayer of Thanksgiving

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Season of Advent 

December 2, 2025

Jesus’ Prayer of Thanksgiving

Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples and said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen.  I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.”

Luke 10:23-24

In Luke 10:21-24, Luke presents all three persons of the Trinity. Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Jesus spoke to his Father, Lord of heaven and earth. The Trinity is revealed in complete unity and harmony.

In this passage, Jesus blessed his disciples, and, by extension, he blesses you and me, his disciples today. How can this be? We are blessed because our Father in heaven has revealed the truth of Jesus to us. We did not learn this from any human being. Remember when Peter made his affirmation: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16) Jesus immediately tells Peter, “. . . my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.” 16:17) This is just as we saw yesterday; Jesus does the calling, and Jesus does the revealing. It may be helpful here to think, the Trinity does the calling and revealing. This understanding is important to me as we enter the season of Advent. In this season, we remember the incarnation of Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us. And we remember that our Christian expectation looks for the coming of Jesus again in final victory. I admit this is more than my mortal mind can fully comprehend. To that, I trust Jesus’ Father in heaven will reveal His truth to me.

My Takeaway: The Apostle Paul understood this blessing of Jesus when he wrote, “The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

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.

The First Disciples

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Season of Advent 

December 1, 2025

We are now in the Christian season of Advent. This English word comes from a Latin word meaning “coming” and as used in the Christian calendar it designates the four Sundays before Christmas during which Christians reflect on the meaning of the second coming of Christ and prepare for the Christmas season (Twelve days from Christmas to the Epiphany, January 6). Advent connects the first and the final coming of Christ because it is through our belief in the first coming of Jesus – his birth and his life, death, and resurrection – that gives us faith and hope in his promised coming again in final victory. 

The First Disciples

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me,

and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Matthew 4:19

Fifteen years ago, I had the opportunity to stroll along the water’s edge on the Sea of Galilee. I thought about Peter and Andrew and James and John leaving their nets and boats to follow Jesus. My thoughts then turned to when I heard Jesus call me to follow him. I don’t mean my call to the itinerate ministry. When did I hear Jesus call me to be his follower, his disciple, a Christian? I recalled bits and pieces, starts and stops, youth groups and college classes. I remembered a friend inviting me to church. As I looked back, I was thankful for all the starts and stops, funerals and weddings. All the places where I heard bits and pieces about Jesus and the love of God that were used by God as His prevenient grace to prepare me for the most important day in my life: the day I heard Jesus call my name.

Two points stand out to me today as I read this passage. First, it is Jesus who does the calling. It wasn’t my idea to become a follower of Jesus – it was his idea, he called me! Secondly, I don’t mold myself into a follower of Jesus. Jesus shows me how to be his follower. (see Philippians 2:13)

My Takeaway: Jesus didn’t wait long to show his disciples how to follow him. Immediately after today’s passage, Jesus delivers his Sermon on the Mount, an intense course in advanced discipleship. (Matthew 5, 6, & 7) Jesus has, and is, giving us everything we need to be his faithful followers.

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.

The Air He Breathed

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

November 28, 2025

NOTE: On December 1, 2025, I will interrupt this series of meditations and focus on the Seasons of Advent and Christmas. Meditations on Staying In the Grace for Today will return on January 5, 2026.

The Air He Breathed

“What’s more, the Lord will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me. The Lord will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat.”

1 Samuel 28:19 

King Saul had lost the favor of God. A new king, David, had already been anointed. In the last days of Saul’s reign; the Philistine army had amassed against Israel. Saul, desperate to find favor with God had issued a decree that any worship of idols or seeking of fortune tellers would be punishable by death. Yet when all his desperate attempts to receive a word from the Lord failed, Saul went to a fortune teller and had her conjure up the spirit of the prophet Samuel who had first anointed Saul as king. Samuel’s message to Saul is devastating: “Tomorrow you and your sons will be dead like me.”

Much has been written about Saul and what he did, or didn’t do, that cost him God’s favor. I think George Eliot, in one of her novels perfectly captured Saul’s nature. In describing a character in one of her novels, she wrote: “The opinion of others formed the very air he breathed.” Saul never satisfied his appetite for approval. Repeatedly, he deferred to what he thought the people wanted as he sought their love and adoration. Repeatedly, he chose the applause of the people over his obedience to God’s will.

The Bible teaches us about another man named Saul, also of the tribe of Benjamin. He, too, was anointed by God as a chosen vessel to lead God’s people. When this Saul, who is better known as the Apostle Paul, arrived in Corinth he proclaimed, “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2 NIV). Paul stayed true to his word and never sought the applause of people over the applause of heaven.

My Takeaway: Seeking God’s approval over the approval of people is a core value of the life in Christ. I am helped in this regard as I seek to pattern my life after the essential nature of Paul’s life. When Paul was in Athens he described his life in Christ as, “For in (Christ) we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28 NIV). I want the air I breathe to be living, moving and being in Christ.

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.

Thankful For My Shepherd

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

November 27, 2025

Happy Thanksgiving

Thankful For My Shepherd 

The Lord is my shepherd;

    I have all that I need.

Psalm 23:1 

For more than thirty-five years, I have had a fascination with the Bible’s use of metaphors of sheep and shepherds. My good friend in South Georgia, who had sheep on her farm, looked at me and said, “I don’t get your fascination with sheep. Don’t you know they are as stupid as a hammer?” No, I didn’t know that, but I have learned that sheep aren’t smart.

They will wander into running water for a drink and when their wool gets saturated, they may drown. They need a shepherd to lead them to still waters. Sheep have no natural defenses. They are helpless and desperately need a shepherd with a rod and staff to protect them. Sheep have no sense of direction. They need a shepherd to lead them along right paths.

I, too, can be swept away by situations I should have avoided. I, too, lack natural defenses against the wiles of the evil one who “prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) I too can get lost trying to find my way in a world that opposes everything Holy to me. I, too, need a shepherd to lead, protect, and guide me.

Thank God, the Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.

Cheryl and I hope you have a blessed day with family and friends and that you too will rejoice for Christ Jesus, our beloved Shepherd.

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.

Just in Case

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

November 26, 2025

Just in Case

“. . . Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her.”

Genesis 31:19b

In the Book of Genesis, we learn that Isaac sent his son, Jacob, to Paddan Aram, the homeland of Jacob’s mother Rebecca, to seek a wife. He met and fell in love with Rachel but through the shenanigans of his uncle, Laban, Jacob first married Rachel’s older sister, Leah. It was seven years later that he married Rachel. Several years later, Jacob sensed God saying, “Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you” (Genesis 31:3). When Jacob told Rachel his God was calling him to return to his homeland, she affirmed that his God had blessed them abundantly and that there is no God but Jacob’s God, the God of Israel. But as she packed to leave, Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her. Just in case.

It is not unusual for people coming to the Christian faith from other cultures and religions to bring with them some of their previous cultural and religious customs. The Apostle Paul addressed these concerns in his letters to the Colossians and Corinthians. It is also not unusual for Christian people to adopt and incorporate into their life, customs from their culture that have no relevance to the life in Christ. Sometimes these new add-ons are innocent and harmless; however, sometimes, like Rachel with her purloined idols, we are knowingly hedging our bets.

We never, ever want to lose sight of the truth that God wants the entirety of our lives! To this end, I often pray, “I render Thee the homage of my being and my life. I am not my own, I am Thine. By creation and redemption, I am Thine.”

My Takeaway: In my personal devotions, the Sunday preceding the Season of Advent is Christ the King Sunday where I affirm Christ as King over my life. I look for any “Just in Case” customs or idols, that may have crept into my life, by praying Psalm 139:23-24. Perhaps you will join me in this prayer.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

    test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you,

    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

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.

Christian Faith is Trusting

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

November 25, 2025

Christian Faith is Trusting

Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.

Hebrews 6:18b-19 

Hebrews tells us that Christian hope is like an anchor. This is the only place in early Christian writings where an anchor is used to express this idea. Even so, the anchor has become one of the most widely used symbols of the Christian faith.

The hope the writer refers to is grounded on two central truths of the Christian faith. The first is that we can have great confidence because God bound himself with an oath. (6:17) Secondly, our hope leads us into God’s inner sanctuary where Jesus has already gone for us. (6:19-20) It is Jesus who has hold of our anchor.

These twin truths lead me to two observations. First, Jesus didn’t promise us our lives would be free of difficulties, trials and tribulations. The provision of an anchor implies there will be difficulties, trials and tribulations. The promise of God is that Jesus has hold of the anchor, and we will be safe and secure in His grasp. Secondly, Christian faith trusts God and continues to trust God during the storms of life. We trust God’s promises, and we trust the one who is holding our anchor!

My Takeaway: We are taught to walk by faith, not sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) That doesn’t mean we ignore what we see. It means we don’t let what we see outweigh what we know to be true: Jesus is our anchor! With our hope and our anchor, circumstances will not derail us because the resurrection of Christ Jesus defines us.

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.