Seeking the Life in Christ

Friday, October 2, 2026

Joy Comes with the Morning

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

October 2, 2026

Joy Comes with the Morning

“weeping may stay for the night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

Psalm 30:5

The instructions for Psalm 30 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 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 the New Testament letter, 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 KJV). When I read that verse, I recall the encouraging prose of Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” (NLT)

My Takeaway: David, in Psalm 30, gives us the same encouragement as the writer of Hebrews. In times of sickness or distress, we are encouraged to keep our eyes on Jesus. When we do, we can sing with the psalmist,

You turned my wailing into dancing;

you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.

LORD my God, I will praise you 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.

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.

Thursday, October 1, 2026

For With the Lord There Is Unfailing Love

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

October 1, 2026

For With the Lord There Is Unfailing Love

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

People often talk about being “burned-out.” It has become a bit of a cliché and almost trite to say it. However, burn-out is one of the most tragic, and at times deadliest, fruits of our society. Burn-out is more than being tired and needing a vacation, or a change of pace. Burn-out occurs when you realize that what you had hoped for in life is not going to be realized. Have you ever been to see Greyhound racing or their commercials on TV? A fake rabbit is attached to the rail of the track and always travels at a faster pace than the dogs can run. Some of the dogs eventually realize they will never catch the rabbit and just give up; they stop racing. That’s burn-out. King Solomon’s greatest understatement is “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Hope deferred, hope lost, can kill. A person experiencing burn-out may not be dead, but their life feels dead to them.

Some people may seem to have great inward strength, great tenacity, as they seem to play the games of life endlessly. On the outside, it may appear they are juggling all the balls of life well and keeping them all in the air. The reality is an inward weariness and boredom as their life feels like drudgery. Our innate appetite for being loved, accepted and valued is insatiable. It never, ever goes away. Even when people become aware, like the Greyhound, that they are not going to catch the rabbit, the aching hunger to be loved, accepted and valued remains.

My Takeaway: There is but one, and only one cure for a heart sick because of deferred hope: Jesus.

“hope in the Lord,

for with the Lord is unfailing love

and with him is full redemption.”

Psalm 130:7

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.)

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

The Sufficiency of Grace

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 30, 2026

The Sufficiency of Grace

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

Romans 5:1-2a

When the Apostle Paul took his issue with a thorn in his flesh to God, the answer he received was, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). While Saint Paul was writing about his particular concern at that time, he would be quick to add that God’s response to all of the issues we face in life is always, “My grace is sufficient for you.” That response leads us to ask ourselves whether God’s grace is enough for us.

Certainly, we believe in the sufficiency of God’s grace to make us right in God’s sight. We know that God saved us by his grace when we believed. And we can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God, so none of us can boast about having been made right in God’s sight. Where we question the sufficiency of God’s grace is in the everyday ebb and flow of our lives.

We share our core needs with every other human being: the need to be loved, to be accepted and to have a sense of self-worth. How do we meet our needs? The culture around us meets these needs by playing the games of life. Using manipulation, intimidation, or whatever ego strengths they have, people play the money game, the security game, the gender game, the power game, the knowledge game, the expert game, whatever games they can master to satisfy their longings to be loved, to be accepted and for self-worth.

Over and against this backdrop, we hear our Abba Father gently whisper in our soul, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Do we believe our Abba? Do we believe enough to drop out of all the games people play?

My Takeaway: When we exit the playing fields and begin to trust in the sufficiency of God’s grace to meet our needs for love, acceptance and self-worth, we will soon realize that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8: 38-39).

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.)

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Do You Love Me?

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 29, 2026

Do You Love Me?

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

John 21:17a

The exchange between Jesus and Peter in John 21 is so very compelling. Throughout the conversation, Jesus refers to Peter by his formal name, Simon son of John, even though Jesus had changed his name to Peter. (See Matthew 16) Interestingly, the Gospel writer used the name, Peter, throughout this conversation, even though Jesus consistently called him Simon son of John. Jesus’ formality with Peter may have had to do with Jesus using this conversation to redeem Peter from his failure when he denied he even knew Jesus. Or perhaps Jesus was so formal because he was formulating the most critical question Peter, or any follower of Jesus, will ever face: “Do you love me?”

I have three thoughts to keep in mind as we consider our own response to Jesus. First, Peter was uncompromisingly honest with Jesus. When Jesus said love, he used the word agape, which is the same word for love used in John 3:16 and when Jesus gave us the Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:38). In Peter’s response to Jesus, he used the word, philo, which is saying, “Yes Lord, I really like you a lot.” As we consider our response to Jesus’ question, let us be as honest as Peter, and remember that “God loves us unconditionally, just as we are; not as we should be. Because no one is as they should be.” (All is Grace by Brennan Manning)

Secondly, after each of Peter’s responses to Jesus’ three questions, Jesus gave Peter an assignment: “Jesus said, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17c). God accepts us just where we are: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,” (Matthew 12:20a). Jesus has work for us to do, just where we are, as we become co-laborers with him, building for the Kingdom of God.

Lastly, the words of Mordecai’s rhetorical question to Queen Esther are relevant to every Christian today: “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b). God has redeemed you, and calls you His own, for just such a time as this! Your family and your neighbors, your co-workers, as well as all the people throughout your environment, are depending on you to respond to Jesus’ question: “Do you love me?”

My Takeaway: As you respond, “Yes Lord, I ______ you,” listen for the Lord to reply,

“Accept each moment as it comes to you, with faith and trust that all that happens has my mark on it. So seek me not in far-off places. I am close at hand. Your workbench, office, kitchen, these are altars where you offer love. And I am with you there. Go now! Take up your cross and with your life complete your way.”

(Adapted from, Everyman’s Way to the Cross)

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.)

Monday, September 28, 2026

Abba’s Child

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 28, 2026

Abba’s Child

You received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.

Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:15b

While the 23^rd Psalm is quite helpful in grounding the children of God in the intimacy our Heavenly Father desires with us, the most compelling depiction of our intimacy with the Father is the Apostle Paul’s assertion in his letter to the Romans:

“You received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.

Now we call him, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15b).

Let’s put this assertion into its basic context.

The average child begins to formulate words at about eighteen months of age. Imagine such a child sitting in his father’s lap and saying, “Da, da, dad, daddy.” If the child were Jewish his words would be, “Ab, Ab, Abba, Abba.” The Apostle Paul is telling us that we can express intimate love to the Creator of the Universe by calling Him, Abba, Father. This assertion helps us grasp Jesus’ meaning when he said, “For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children” (Matthew 19:14b. See also Matthew 18:3).

Throughout the Bible, as men and women encountered the presence of God, or even one of His angels, they responded with fear and foreboding. That is certainly understandable considering that man’s ability to split the atom and unleash nuclear bombs pales in comparison to the power of God who looked at a world that did not exist and spoke it into being by the power of His Word. Humanity’s loftiest achievements in the arts are incomparable to the beauty of God’s holiness. Even the splendor of nature, the majestic mountains and natural wonders, are mere shadows of the beauty and splendor that is our God. Yet, we get to know this awesome God as our Abba!

My Takeaway: If you are not yet at the place where your default position, your go-to mode is to know and relate to God as your Abba Father, what might you begin to do, or stop doing to help open your soul to an intimate, loving relationship with Abba?

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.)

Friday, September 25, 2026

Perfected Compassion

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 25, 2026

Perfected Compassion

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Luke 10:37b

Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity and served in the hospice she founded in Calcutta until her death in 1997. Countless individuals journeyed to Calcutta to spend time with her to learn her secret for life. They assumed she must have some insight she could give them to help them sort out the meaning of their lives. Mother Teresa’s insights were quite simple, incredibly profound:

Spread love everywhere you go.

Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.

Mother Teresa’s advice points us to the place in our lives where we fully rely on the sufficiency of Christ. Mother Teresa told the pilgrims coming to Calcutta that the meaning of their lives would be found in understanding the conjunction between Matthew 5:48 and Luke 6:36.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus’ message to his followers is, “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” (Luke 6:36)

So, which is it? Are we to be perfect or compassionate? Yes.

We are perfected in our compassion! Mother Teresa gently pointed out to those pilgrims making the journey to Calcutta that Christ calls us to express God’s compassion wherever we find ourselves, each day.

My Takeaway: Perfected compassion is not only administered in Calcutta; it is expressed in Florida, North Carolina, Iowa, Missouri, Jerusalem, and on the road to Jericho.

“Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

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.)

Thursday, September 24, 2026

For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 24, 2026

For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free

There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.

Colossians 3:11 (NJB)

I believe what sets Saint Paul apart from so many of his contemporaries, what makes his words still resonate deeply within the hearts of men and women two thousand years after they were first written, is that Paul was so very certain of the sufficiency of Christ. Whether Paul was in a jail cell in Philippi, debating with Greek philosophers on Mars Hill, or proclaiming the Good News of Jesus in every hamlet and village across his missionary journeys, Paul lived, moved and existed in Christ. (Acts 17:28) Paul heard God tell him, “My grace is sufficient for you,” and Paul believed God (2 Corinthians 12:9a NRSV). How might our lives be different if we too rested in the sufficiency of Christ in our lives?

Several years ago, I toured Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry and Antietam. Over one hundred fifty years have passed since Civil War battles were fought on these grounds. Yet there remains evidence of what men and women sacrificed for the cause of freedom. In visiting Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, I was struck by the commitment he, and fifty-five others, made to “mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor” in support of the Declaration of Independence and freedom for the United Colonies. What has our freedom to be the people Christ called us to be?

“For freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1 NRSV). In our personal lives, the prevailing culture tempts us to lose our way in vain efforts to find satisfaction in the accumulation of power, money and self-indulgence in temporal pleasures. Over and against the ways of the prevailing culture, Christ has set us free from the powers of the spiritual forces of evil so that we can dwell continually in his presence. The same words God spoke to Paul; He speaks to all His children: “My grace is sufficient for you.”

My Takeaway: If we, like Paul, will choose to believe God, like Paul, we will conclude, “There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything,” and we will be free.

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.)

Friday, October 2, 2026

Joy Comes with the Morning

Thursday, October 1, 2026

For With the Lord There Is Unfailing Love

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

The Sufficiency of Grace

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Do You Love Me?

Monday, September 28, 2026

Abba’s Child

Friday, September 25, 2026

Perfected Compassion

Thursday, September 24, 2026

For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free

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