Set High the Bar

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

April 29, 2026

Set High the Bar

“Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me”

Isaiah 6:8 

Many years ago, I started an exercise program of running. I began by running laps at the local high school track. Off to the side of the track was the high jump pit. At the same time I began my training, a young student began training for the high jump. He was pitiful as he began and unable to even clear a waist high bar. But he didn’t stop, he kept trying and on several occasions a coach helped him. At the end of my time running on the track, the young man was gracefully clearing six feet, a height taller than himself. Two lessons have stayed with me from those days at the high school track.

First, a six-foot-high jump was always within the young man; it was just waiting for an opportunity to come out. Secondly, that experience at the track proved the axiom: it is possible to do with training what is impossible to do by trying.

One other principle for life was also very well illustrated by the young man; it is vitally important to set high the bar of our personal expectations. We all may have various expectations of our achievements in our chosen professions, how accomplished we become at our avocations, and how well we manage our personal life. As the followers of Christ, we never want to forget that it is our Abba Father who sets the bar of expectation for our life in Christ: “For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29).

My Takeaway: As I seek to make the life in Christ my way of life, I join my voice with Isaiah: “Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me” (Isaiah 6:8). 

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.

Did You See A Lion or A Lamb?

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today 

April 28, 2026

Did You See A Lion or A Lamb?

“Blessing and honor and glory and power

    belong to the one sitting on the throne

    and to the Lamb forever and ever.”

Revelation 5:13b 

How do you describe the indescribable? The writers of scripture were masters of this art, and I marvel at how they were able to synthesize so many diverse images to help us open our minds and hearts and “lay hold of that for which also we were laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12 NASB). In the Apostle John’s description of Jesus in Revelation 1, he uses at least ten metaphors in five verses to describe Jesus! However, in Chapter five he dials back his rhetoric a bit and uses just two images of Jesus, which I believe are the most compelling in all of scripture. As I try to make my way on this journey of new life in Christ, these two images are my constant traveling companions.

John first sees the Lion: “Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David’s throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5). But when John turns to look at the Lion, he sees a Lamb: “Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered.” (Revelation 5:6a).

Ok John, in your vision of Jesus, did you see a Lion or a Lamb?

“Yes,” John replies.

So, it has been in my life. I have seen miracles, and I have seen God make a way where there had been no way. The One who spoke the universe into being by the power of His Word, the One who parted the sea has most certainly shown Himself strong in my life. I have also had times when I prayed desperately for the Lion to make a way, like the time I prayed for my father as he lay on his hospital bed, and when I looked for the Lion to come and bring healing and wholeness, I saw a Lamb who came and took my father unto himself. This is the part of our faith that seems like utter foolishness to those who do not know God; but to those who love Jesus “it is the very power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

My Takeaway: The Lamb was slaughtered and laid in a grave. But he didn’t stay there. “On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven; he is seated at the right hand of the Father.” Because this is true, when the Lamb is our traveling companion, we are assured of victory just as when we are trailing along behind the Lion, and thus with the whole company of heaven we sing,

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—

    to receive power and riches

and wisdom and strength

    and honor and glory and blessing.”

“Blessing and honor and glory and power

    belong to the one sitting on the throne

    and to the Lamb forever and ever.”

 Revelation 5:12-13 

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 in Fact, Christ Has Been Raised from the Dead

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today 

April 27, 2026

But in Fact, Christ Has Been Raised from the Dead

“And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless”

1 Corinthians 15:14

I believe the greatest threat to Twenty-First Century culture is the vacuum that was left when society ushered religious faith to the exit door. In the latter days of the last century, state legislatures would publish directories of their elected officials. Included with the brief biography of the official was a listing of their religion. This practice was dropped when most of the officials stopped listing any religious affiliation. This is representative of the larger society where the Judeo-Christian moral and ethical heritage in the USA have been replaced with nothing, hence the vacuum. If society is to govern themselves with ideas of right and wrong, good and bad, what is the basis of their beliefs? If society removes a belief in the sanctity of human life created by God, what then is the basis for respect of human life? How do you teach these beliefs, and to what do you point as authority for societal beliefs?

My Takeaway: For the followers of Jesus, we can point to the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-6-7) as the standard by which we govern our human interactions with God and one another. Someone may ask us, “Why should those words from antiquity still be valid today?” “Because Jesus lives,” we respond. The one who spoke those words was resurrected from the dead, and he lives today! His words are valid today because he is alive today!

“And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.  But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died.”

1 Corinthians 15:14, 20 

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.

 

Knowing Jesus

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today 

April 24, 2026

Knowing Jesus

“I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

Philippians 3:8a (NRSV) 

As we seek the life in Christ as our way of life, we are seeking to grasp the power of Jesus as “the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25a). On our journey, we join with the Apostle Paul to “regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8 NRSV). How are we, like Paul, to regard everything as loss?

In the centuries since the Industrial Revolution, people have grown in their confidence to be able to master their environment. There is a growing belief that through the power of human intellect, better government and education, the problems in human society can be cured. Over and against this idea, the Biblical witness declares the hope for humanity is divine grace.

In the more recent evolution of society, a third alternative has been established. Instead of the “either / or” of humanism or divine grace, there is a “both / and” movement that tries to hold to both a belief in God and confidence in human ability. On the surface, this movement seems to be an appropriate position; however, there is a huge problem with the “both / and” approach.

The “both / and” approach creates a temptation to dismiss or ignore the parts of Scripture we do not like, or do not understand, and instead, trust our own judgment and intellect. When we do so, we leave the “both / and” camp and move into the Humanist camp. The Apostle Paul wants us to remember that in Christ lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:3) When we count all things as a loss compared to Jesus, we are availing ourselves of all the wisdom and knowledge within Christ.

My Takeaway: In my Wesleyan tradition, we seek the meaning of life through Scripture, Reason, Tradition and Experience. This way of living in our environment does not ignore human intellect and potential; it affirms that human intellect and potential are fully realized within God’s divine grace and will.

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.

 

Father, Into Your Hands

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

 April 23, 2026

Father, Into Your Hands

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

John 11:25a 

The resurrection is not some future event that will happen some day; the resurrection is a person. When Jesus spoke these words to his friend Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus was affirming that as God’s Messiah, he was bringing the future hope of God’s restored Kingdom to a present reality. How are we to understand Jesus’ words in our lives today?

The Apostle Paul made these words of Jesus the very ground of his hope in God. In the magnificent third chapter of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote,

“I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection . . . becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:8, 10-11 NRSV).

Paul believed that the doorway to eternal life, to attaining resurrection from the dead, was through knowing Jesus and becoming like Jesus in his own death. Is that even possible for us mere mortals?

Yes it is! “For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3)

My Takeaway: Because the resurrection is the person of Jesus, we, like Paul, want to regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord. (More on this thought tomorrow!)

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.

 

Blessed Be Your Name

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

April 22, 2026

Blessed Be Your Name

Take delight in the Lord,

    and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Psalm 37:4 

The psalmist wrote in verses 5-6: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.” This is a very profound, yet simple, pattern for  our life. First, we commit our life to God. Second, we exercise faith in God by trusting Him with our life. Third, God will act. The psalmist is not very specific about how God will act, but the description is rather breathtaking. The psalmist is trying to describe the wonder, beauty and awe associated with being in the presence of God. The reward for faithfulness to God is being in perfect peace as we rest in the presence of our Heavenly Father. Seven times the psalmist refers to the blessing of God as, “The godly will possess the land and will live there forever” (Psalm 37:29). This means our reward is eternal.

My Takeaway: Our culture bombards us with messages that rewards and blessings must be tangible and received in the here and now. But God’s blessings are His presence with us, now and forever. Because of God’s faithfulness we can sing:

Blessed Be Your Name

In the land that is plentiful

Where your streams of abundance flow

Blessed be your name

 

Blessed Be Your name

When I'm found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness

Blessed Be Your name

 

Blessed be Your name

When the sun's shining down on me

When the world's 'all as it should be'

Blessed be Your name

 

Blessed be Your name

On the road marked with suffering

Though there's pain in the offering

Blessed be Your name

 

Every blessing you pour out

I'll turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in

Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord

 

Blessed Be Your Name

Matt Redman 

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.

Be Sure of This

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

April 21, 2026

Be Sure of This

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20b 

Goodbyes are difficult. I don’t mean casual good-byes at the end of an evening together. I mean goodbyes when we know we will be separated by time and distance, and especially not knowing when or if we will be together again.  Jesus had thrilled his disciples with his post-resurrection appearances to them. He had commissioned them to carry on his work of making disciples and building for the Kingdom of God. Then he left them. Matthew does not record much of the details surrounding Jesus’ departure, other than remembering these beautiful words Jesus spoke, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I suspect some of the disciples, if not all of those gathered with Jesus that day, took His words to mean that he would be with them through their memory of all the places they had gone and all the teachings they received from Him. Ten days later they realized that Jesus meant exactly what he said, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” On the Day of Pentecost, the promise of Jesus was fulfilled as he indwelled them through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

It is so very important for the followers of Christ to hold onto the promise that God is still working to bring about the complete reality of His New Creation. The way of the world today is not the way it will always be. Most certainly, Jesus is coming again in final victory at the end of this age, but we are not left alone just trying to stay busy until Christ returns. “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

My Takeaway: Before this day is over, there is a very reasonable chance your faith will be tested by some circumstance. In the moment of your testing: remember, you are not alone!

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

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.