Seeking the Life in Christ

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Satisfaction And Complacency Should Be Guarded Against At All Costs

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

October 28, 2026

Satisfaction And Complacency

Should Be Guarded Against

At All Costs

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,

but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:7

Corporate trainers like to talk about Critical Success Factors. They will often show the WWII movie, Midway, to illustrate their point. In the movie, the Japanese Navy launched reconnaissance airplanes to search for the American Navy Aircraft Carriers. The reconnaissance mission was successful in locating the US forces, but when the aircrew tried to radio their location, they found their radio wasn’t working. Their radio was one of the critical success factors, and they had failed to check it before leaving on their mission.

In our desire to remain securely centered in God’s grace, we need to be aware of the critical success factors in our individual lives. Sometimes this is referred to as besetting sin, or the place where we are most vulnerable to drifting into a legalistic or moralistic mindset. This is where the Ancient Greek precept, know thyself, becomes essential as we seek the life in Christ as our way of life. As we learn about ourselves, we can discern what aspects of our personality are most susceptible to being tempted to turn from the matchless grace of our Abba Father and seek to meet our needs for love, acceptance and self-worth through our own self-efforts.

Peter Kassig was murdered by ISIS on November 16, 2014. Peter wrote an email to his family and friends while he was in captivity. One of those excerpts has been particularly haunting to me: “It is okay to be happy and content, but satisfaction and complacency should be guarded against at all costs.” (Email to professors and mentors, March 2012)

I am involved in several community and church-related activities. However, I find that it is easy for me to drift into a state of satisfaction and complacency, thinking that enjoying the bliss of my retirement years should be my primary goal in life. I know that I need to guard against complacency lest I miss God calling me into new adventures.

My Takeaway: I find this prayer helpful in guarding against satisfaction and complacency:

"Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

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.

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

If God Stopped Thinking of Me, God Would Cease to Exis

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

October 27, 2026

If God Stopped Thinking of Me,

God Would Cease to Exist

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.

You believe in God; believe also in me.”

John 14:1

Sometimes our adversary, the enemy of God, confuses us into thinking Christian faith is about believing in certain doctrines such as incarnation, salvation, atonement and redemption. Those doctrines can be quite helpful to grasp the immense love that is God, but they are not the essence of biblical faith. Biblical faith is all about trusting God. Our Abba’s will for us is for us to respond to His unconditional love for us by unconditionally trusting Him. The foundation for such trust lies in our awareness of this truth spoken by the Seventeenth Century priest and mystic, Angelus Silesius, “If God stopped thinking of me, he would cease to exist.” I believe those words were true for Silesius, they are true for me, and they are true for you! When you trust your Abba Father, who is always thinking of you, the following statement is also true.

Because of Christ's redemption, you are a new creation of infinite worth. You are deeply loved, you are completely forgiven, you are fully pleasing to your Abba, and you are totally accepted by Him. You are absolutely complete in Christ. When your performance reflects your core identity in Christ, that reflection is dynamically unique. There has never been another person like you in the history of humankind, nor will there ever be. God has made you an original, one of a kind, a special person.

Wait! There’s more.

Because Christ is your life, God, your Abba Father, declares that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Abba further attests that this righteousness, since it was given to you as a gift, is not based on your behavior. You are not his righteousness or new creation because of what you did, or what you are doing, or what you have refrained from doing. Rather, it is because of what Abba has done in uniting you to Christ in death, burial, resurrection, and enthronement.

My Takeaway: Go and trust in who you are in the eyes of your Abba Father.

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, October 26, 2026

100% Winning Deal

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

October 26, 2026

100% Winning Deal

I have put my words in your mouth

and covered you with the shadow of my hand

Isaiah 51:16

Not long after personal computers became commonplace, the manufacturers began including the card game Solitaire on their computers. Beyond the obvious entertainment value, the game helped the user master keyboard strokes and later become familiar with the computer’s mouse. Recent editions of this computer card game have included the option of “100% Winning Deals.” This option doesn’t mean that you will win every hand, only that every hand is winnable. If you don’t win on the first try, you can play the same hand over again. I like that option. I like playing the hand over again, knowing that the hand can be won. It’s not a futile effort; it is winnable!

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus gives his parable of the Growing Seed. Jesus said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.” (Mark 4:26-27). Jesus is telling us that the Kingdom of God is a 100% Winning Deal. The Kingdom of God is coming, and no power on earth can stop it. We know that the Christian witness for God in times of persecution is the most powerful witness for God in the world. We can remain faithful to God in difficult times because we know our cause is just, and because we know with an absolute certainty that Jesus is coming again. The Kingdom of God cannot be stopped because it is a 100% Winning Deal.

What about the normal ebb and flow of our lives? How can our faith in the unstoppable Kingdom of God impact our daily lives? We can, by faith, believe that God has placed us in the center of His will. By faith in the certainty of God’s Kingdom, we can join Saint Paul and say, “In (Christ) we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).

My Takeaway: Certainty in God’s Kingdom enables us, with hearts of humility and gratitude, to thank God for putting His words in our mouths and hiding us safely in His hand. When you know you are a winner, you can live life differently.

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 23, 2026

A Cornucopia Overflowing with The Fruit of The Spirit

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

October 23, 2026

A Cornucopia Overflowing with The Fruit of The Spirit

“. . . immense in mercy and with an incredible love, (God) embraced us. He took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us!”

Ephesians 2:4-5 (MSG)

It is quite normal for Christians to feel overwhelmed by the demands of God. When Jesus was asked what the most important commandment of God was, he replied, you must love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22: 37-39). Seriously? Jesus’ response seems so outrageous. Surely, he was speaking with hyperbole. His words seem like a classic Catch-22. A Christian is supposed to love God with all their heart, soul and mind, and care for their neighbors with the same measure as they care for their personal lives. That’s an impossible standard to keep; thus, there must be no Christians. Logically, that may be true, but no one has ever accused God of being logical.

Recall that God sent Christ to die for us while we were still lost in our sin (Romans 5:8), and “even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead” (Ephesians 2:5 NLT). This truth points to the defining characteristic of our faith that sets Christianity apart from every other religion. The Apostle Paul beautifully presents this characteristic: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13 NLT). It is God who does the heavy lifting.

It is the immense mercy and incredible love of God that has embraced us. “His mercy and love took our sin-dead lives and made us alive in Christ. He did all this on his own, with no help from us!” It is this very same mercy and love of God that is “working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Do you see it? In every other religion, humans reach out to their god trying to justify themselves and endeavoring to win their god’s favor and blessings. In our faith, our Abba Father has reached down to us: “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1 NLT). Our God continues to reach out to us, and through His Holy Spirit works within us, transforming our desires and empowering us to fulfill His will for our lives.

My Takeaway: If the followers of Christ were trapped in a performance-based-acceptance religion, the radical demands of our faith would only produce the fruit of fear, anguish and insecurity. But we are not so trapped. Our faith overflows in the grace, mercy and love of our Abba Father, and thus produces a cornucopia overflowing with the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22ff)

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, October 22, 2026

The Only Real Sadness in Life is Not to Be a Saint

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

October 22, 2026

The Only Real Sadness in Life is Not to Be a Saint

The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world;

the world is peripheral to the church.

Ephesians 1:22 (MSG)

Far too often the followers of Christ shrink back at the notion that they are a saint. Even though Protestants don’t agree with the Roman Catholic tradition of bestowing the title, Saint, on only a chosen few, nevertheless, they tend to think that it is rare indeed when a Christian can be referred to as a saint. Against this backdrop is the stunning theological truth that to be a Christian is to have been sanctified by the blood of Jesus. You can’t be a Christian without first being sanctified; you can’t be a Christian unless you are a saint. Hence, it is precious to God when His saints die because the last obstacle to His children being fully present with Him has been removed: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psalm 116:15 KJV).

Perhaps it was this theological truth that led the French poet, Leon Bloy, to write, “The only real sadness in life is not to be a saint.” Bloy’s words are double-edged. First, there is the sadness for those who never embrace for themselves the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Secondly, there is the sadness of those who, although they have tasted the grace of God, never allow God’s grace to fully transform them. These sad ones look at Saint Paul’s remarkable description of being in the fullness of God as the romantic musings of a mystic that never can be the experience of the masses: “Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18 MSG).

My Takeaway: How can we take steps to change our mindset; how can we more fully embrace our truest identity as the saints of God? One way is to begin to fully embrace the words of Saint Paul to his friends in Ephesus: “The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church” (Ephesians 1:22 MSG). When you begin to see yourself living at the center of God’s will for your life, your view of yourself and your environment will change.

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, October 21, 2026

The God of Now-Here

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

October 21, 2026

The God of Now-Here

God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

Exodus 3:14

One of my favorite expressions is, “I’ve got nowhere to go and all day to get there.” Even in retirement, my days without meetings, appointments and places to be, are few and far between. In my expression, being nowhere is a place of rest. However, to some, being nowhere carries negative connotations. To say we are nowhere means we haven’t made progress, or that where we are is of no significance. However, when we look at the word nowhere, we see that it is made up of two words: now and here. When we learn to practice the spiritual discipline of now-here, we are making great progress in our spiritual transformation, and we are in a place of great significance.

Two great temptations in life try desperately to keep us out of now-here. We are either distracted by issues in our past, or we are side-tracked by worries of what may happen in the future. These dual enemies keep us inattentive to the present needs and realities of our life. Perhaps you have heard the word play someone fashioned about God’s self-identification to Moses: “God replied to Moses, “I AM who I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you”” (Exodus 3:14 NLT). God didn’t say I was or I will be. He said I AM which is to say He is our God of the present moment; He is our God of now-here.

The practice of the spiritual discipline of now-here is preceded by the spiritual discipline of reflection. Take time to reflect on your day. Remember the places where you went and the people you encountered. Let Psalm 139 be your guide as you reflect on all the activities of your day: “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” (Psalm 139:23-24 NLT). As you practice the disciple of holy reflection, you will begin to see the places where your enemies, past and future, diverted your attention from living now-here.

My Takeaway: Let’s not tarry too long over regret for missed opportunities that could have been used as an opportunity for grace by our Master; let’s simply purpose in our heart that, with the help of our Holy Comforter, we will endeavor to become more aware of living now-here.

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, October 20, 2026

How Beautiful Is the One Who Made Us!

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

October 20, 2026

How Beautiful Is the One Who Made Us!

Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for his name alone is exalted;

his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

Psalm 148:13

As Jesus entered Jerusalem, the crowd was shouting, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” (Luke 19:38-40). What do you suppose the stones would have said?

Saint Francis suggested this: “How beautiful is the one who made us!” I think both Jesus and Saint Francis may have taken their inspiration for creation praising their Creator from Psalm 148. Among the psalmist’ exhaustive list of those who praise God are all God’s angels, all the armies of heaven, the sun and moon, all the twinkling stars, the skies above, the vapors high above the clouds, the creatures of the ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather, mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds, as well as kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, young men and young women, old men and children. Whew!

Included within the psalmist’ call for all creation to praise God is the virtue of unity within God’s creation. This reminds me of the Apostle Paul’s assertion that “creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Romans 8:21-22 NLT). Someday the lion and the lamb, all creation, even the “small scurrying animals” will sing praise to God in perfect unity and perfect harmony.

As I hear the call of the psalmist for all creation to praise our Creator, I find Saint Francis’ suggestion quite compelling. My tendency has been to praise God for ____ (fill in the blank). The blank could be for specific things I feel are blessings in my life, or it could be the beauty of God’s creation. Saint Francis is asking me to consider simply praising my Maker, not for the wonders He has performed, but because He is God.

My Takeaway: “How beautiful is the One who made 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.)

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Satisfaction And Complacency Should Be Guarded Against At All Costs

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

If God Stopped Thinking of Me, God Would Cease to Exis

Monday, October 26, 2026

100% Winning Deal

Friday, October 23, 2026

A Cornucopia Overflowing with The Fruit of The Spirit

Thursday, October 22, 2026

The Only Real Sadness in Life is Not to Be a Saint

Wednesday, October 21, 2026

The God of Now-Here

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

How Beautiful Is the One Who Made Us!

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