Being Chosen

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today 

April 7, 2026

Being Chosen

You didn’t choose me. I chose you.

John 15:16a 

Those of us with a Wesleyan background will recognize prevenient grace in this statement of Jesus. Prevenient grace is divine grace that precedes human decision. Before we had the capacity to choose God, God chose to reveal himself to us, thus enabling within us an awareness of the love of God and God’s offer of forgiveness through faith in Jesus. We could spend a lot of time pondering the depths of this theological concept, but instead of taking that road, let us back up and ponder the depths of just what it means to be chosen by Jesus.

Sometimes the enormity of scriptural revelation overwhelms us. Jesus said,

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

That passage is so familiar it may have lost some power in our lives. Because that passage is only true if God loves us one at a time, change the text a bit so you can make it personal to you:

For God so loved me that he gave his only Son, so that by my believing in him, I will not perish; I have eternal life.

Read this personal version again and let it sink deep in your spirit. Own it! With the passage in John 15, no editing is required, but you do need to stand back and let the truth wash over you.

“You didn’t choose me. I chose you.” What a phenomenal statement Jesus made. I am not aware of any of the other religions of the world that have anything that remotely compares to the tenderness, the intimacy, the indomitable power in Jesus’ words:

“You didn’t choose me. I chose you.”

Because of the tenderness, intimacy and power in these words of Jesus, we know Saint Paul was absolutely speaking the mind of Christ when he wrote,

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:14, 16 NRSV).

My Takeaway: You were chosen by Jesus to become the child of God, the Father Almighty. There is no competition within the Trinity, no rivalry. Therefore, as God gives us grace to embrace our own chosen-ness, we are given eyes to see the chosen-ness of others. With grateful hearts let us rejoice.

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 © 2026 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.

 

Wounded Healers Listen

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today 

April 6, 2026

Wounded Healers Listen

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

2 Corinthians 4:7

Because our wounds have been healed by Jesus, we have oneness with God. God’s Spirit has come to make His home within our fragile, mortal lives. Therefore, even though we face many difficulties in life, we are not destroyed. As we die to our own self-interest, the life of Jesus becomes visible in our mortal flesh. (2 Corinthians 4: 8-12) It is this truth that empowers us to listen with our wounds.

Whenever we are with a person who is suffering, there is a HUGE temptation to share our own story, our own experience of pain and suffering. However, a wounded healer is one who can listen to a fellow sojourner without succumbing to the temptation to talk about their own pain and suffering. Our wounded experience can empower us to listen with empathy, compassion and love. Having to remember and talk about our own experiences may well be an indicator that we have not yet experienced the fullness of God’s healing in our own lives.

The psalmist implores us to be still and know God. (Psalm 46:10) His inspiration came from God’s promise to King Jehoshaphat,

“Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).

This too is God’s promise to us! The Apostle Paul affirmed this when he wrote, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). This means that when we are with another person who is going through a time of trial, we can be still and trust that God is at work. We can trust that our own wounds will empower us to listen with our whole being.

My Takeaway: Listening as wounded healers will allow us to be vessels of healing for the other person, while we receive God’s grace for our own continued healing.

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 © 2026 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.

 

He Knows My Name

Easter 2026 

April 5, 2026

Easter Sunday

He Knows My Name

“Mary!” Jesus said.

John  20:16

Read: John 20:1-18 (Part 2)

The details in the conversation between Mary and Jesus in today’s passage are life transforming for me!

Mary is lost in her grief. The tomb is empty. In every other encounter between humans and angels, the humans pull back in fear and awe. Mary’s grief is so consuming, she seems unmoved by her encounter with the angels and offers the angels a simple reply to their question. In her grief, she didn’t recognize Jesus standing before her and offered him a simple reply to his question. Then Jesus called her by name, and everything changed.

Has Jesus ever called you by name? I haven’t had this experience often, but I have heard him call me by name. I remember a time in March 1990 when I was weary and burned-out. As I sang in a chapel service during a Tres Dias retreat, I heard Jesus say to me, “Alex, I have left the 90 and nine and come for you.” My life changed that day because the promise of scripture was fulfilled in my life: Jesus “calls his own sheep by name. . .” (John 10:3b).

Next, consider the message Jesus gave to Mary: “But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (John 20:17b). Jesus didn’t say “go find my disciples,” or “go find my servants,” or even “go find my friends.” Jesus said, “go find my brothers.” Another name Jesus has for you, my dear friends, is brother or sister! The Lord of the universe knows you as his brothers and sisters. Jesus, the Lord of the universe, was preparing to ascend to his Father and our Father, to his God and our God. Jesus related to Mary, and he relates to us, in the perfect Trinitarian unity he prayed for us in John 17.

My Takeaway: Take time today and open your heart and your mind to embrace the intimacy of the way the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit relate to you, and “be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Romans 12:2a NRSV).

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 © 2026 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Holy Week 2026

 April 4, 2026

Holy Saturday

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.

John  20:8-9

Read: John 20:1-18 (Part 1of 2 readings)

John is still supplying important details. First, there is Mary Magdalene. She is mentioned four times in John’s Gospel. She is identified as being at the foot of the cross (John 19:25) and in today’s passage she is named three times: she was the first person to discover the empty tomb,  she was the first person to see the risen Lord, and she is the first evangelist as she goes to tell the disciples Jesus is Risen.

In the previous passage, we learned that “Following Jewish burial custom, (Joseph and Nicodemus) wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth” (John 19:40). In today’s passage we learn that Jesus’ tomb was empty except for the “linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings” (John 20:6-7). John follows this with an autobiographical statement, “Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed” (John 20:8). What did John believe, and how did the linen cloths factor in his leap of faith?

First, if someone was going to steal Jesus’ body, I doubt they would have taken the time to unwrap all the linen cloths before moving the body. Secondly, I suspect John immediately thought of the scene recorded in John 11:43-44, “Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!” I suspect John also remembered the words of Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25a).

My Takeaway: And, I suspect John may have been the first person to say,

He is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!

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 © 2026 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.

This Man Who Was Crucified, Was the Messiah of God

Holy Week 2026 

April 3, 2026

Good Friday

This Man Who Was Crucified,

Was the Messiah of God

Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, Golgotha).

John 19:17

Read: John 19:17-42 

John doesn’t supply insignificant details about Jesus. John’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial is full of details that point to the fulfillment of scripture that Jesus is God’s Messiah. (John 19:17-42)

Fifteen times in this Gospel, John mentions Passover -- three times in chapter 19. He mentions the soldiers used hyssop to extend a sponge soaked in wine to Jesus. God commanded the Jews to use hyssop branches to brush the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts (Exodus 22), and Hebrews 9 tells us that it was hyssop branches Moses used to confirm the Covenant God made with the Jews. (Exodus 24) John wants us to know that Jesus is the Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. He wants us to know Jesus confirmed the New Covenant by his own blood.

John identifies four people at the foot of the cross. Mary, Jesus’ mother was there. Her sister, Jesus’ aunt was there. Mary Magdalene was there, and John was there. Decades after the crucifixion, groups opposing Jesus’ resurrection claimed that Jesus never died. John provides, by name, six eyewitnesses to Jesus’ death. John tells us that Jesus was pierced in the side and that blood and water flowed from the wound. Jesus was dead. Joseph and Nicodemus, the other two named eyewitnesses, placed Jesus’ dead body in the tomb and used a huge amount of oil and spices, enough for a King’s burial.

When Jesus was crucified, Pilate placed a sign on the cross, proclaiming Jesus as King of the Jews. The sign was in three languages: Hebrew, Latin and Greek. These languages covered a vast part of the known world, fulfilling the prophecy that Israel’s Messiah would be proclaimed to the entire world. The soldiers gambled for Jesus’ clothes as was prophesied in Psalm 22. Jesus prayed from this same Psalm when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

John wants us to know that this man who was crucified, dead and buried was the Messiah of God, the One the scriptures promised would come to save Israel, save the world.

My Takeaway: Jesus was laid in a tomb so that He could spend the seventh day in a Sabbath rest. But Jesus wasn’t through. The first day of the new week was coming. Sunday would be the first day of God’s New Creation.

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 © 2026 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.

But It Was Our Sins That Did That to Him

Holy Week 2026 

April 2, 2026

Thursday of Holy Week

But It Was Our Sins That Did That to Him

“. . . it was our pains he carried—

   our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

Isaiah 53:4 (MSG)

Read: Isaiah 53:1-12 

In the first sixteen verses of John 19, the irony of the conspiracy to murder Jesus increases. Pilate, who has absolute authority over Israel, vacillates. He is indecisive and fearful. At first, he toyed with the priests; if they wanted to crucify Jesus, he would let Jesus go, just to spite them. Then Pilate senses there is more being played out than he understands and wants to distance himself from the proceedings. Enter the ultimate irony. The priests, who were completely under the authority of Pilate, manipulate Pilate to do their bidding. Pilate capitulates, but the cost to the priests and the crowd is expensive beyond measure. They have repudiated their God by claiming they have no king, but Caesar. They have crucified the First Commandment: “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me.” (Exodus 20: 2-3)

Thus, the words of the Prophet Isaiah were fulfilled: (Please read this passage from Isaiah slowly, and out loud.)

“. . . it was our pains he carried—

   our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

We thought he brought it on himself,

   that God was punishing him for his own failures.

But it was our sins that did that to him,

   that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!

He took the punishment, and that made us whole.

   Through his bruises we get healed.

We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.

   We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.

And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,

   on him, on him.

 He was beaten, he was tortured,

   but he didn’t say a word.

Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered

   and like a sheep being sheared,

   he took it all in silence.

Justice miscarried, and he was led off—

   and did anyone really know what was happening?

He died without a thought for his own welfare,

   beaten bloody for the sins of my people.

They buried him with the wicked,

   threw him in a grave of a rich man,

Even though he’d never hurt a soul

   or said one word that wasn’t true.

(Isaiah 53: 4-9 The Message)

My Takeaway: I’ve got nothing to say. I just need to be still.

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 © 2026 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.

 

To Know God as Our Strength

Holy Week 2026

April 1, 2026

Wednesday of Holy Week

To Know God as Our Strength

“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

Psalm 22:1

Read: Psalm 22

It is not just this opening line that connects this psalm to the crucifixion of Jesus. Throughout this psalm you can see Jesus on the Cross, and you can see the people gathered around Jesus. See the crowd scorning the psalmist in v. 6-8 and compare with Matthew 27:39-43; the gambling for garments in v.18 and compare with John 19:23-24. Also consider the psalmist’s cry in v. 15 “My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth” and Jesus’ cry, “I thirst” in John 19:28. As you read the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion, you will see even more parallels. Both Matthew and the writer of Hebrews proclaim that Jesus fulfilled this psalm. Why should that be significant to us today? I can suggest three reasons.

First, all the Gospel writers want us to know that Jesus, who was crucified, dead and buried, was the Messiah of God, the One the scriptures promised would come and save Israel, save the world. By connecting the events in the life of Jesus to Old Testament prophesies, we can see God at work fulfilling His plan to redeem the world.

Secondly, the psalm points to the coming again of Jesus in final victory. (Psalm 22:27-28) As followers of Jesus, it is important for us to always be mindful that Jesus isn’t finished with his work. He will complete the restoration of His Kingdom on earth, and we get to be co-laborers with him in that work.

Lastly, I began writing this meditation while there was heavy fighting in the war in Iran called Operation Epic Fury. Soon after this war began, our morning devotion and prayer time has included specific prayers for this conflict and the soldiers, sailors and airmen in harm’s way. In such times, Jesus is our model. As we yield ourselves to him, he will empower us to follow his path that was prophesied in Psalm 22. Like Jesus, we can openly acknowledge to God our sense of despair, to remember God’s past care for our lives, to embrace the reality of our circumstances, and to know God as our strength who comes quickly to our aid.

My Takeaway: Let us proclaim with the psalmist,

“I will praise you in the great assembly.

I will fulfill my vows in the presence

of those who worship you.”

Psalm 22:25

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 © 2026 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.