I Need Saving

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today 

June 4, 2026

I Need Saving

“We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.”

Isaiah 64:6 

One of the most daunting sentences in the Bible is Jesus’ words to the church in Ephesus, “If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches” (Revelation 2:5b). When I served as a pastor, I kept a lamp burning in the chancel area to remind the congregation that as the Lord gives, the Lord can take away. In the case of Ephesus, the church didn’t love Jesus or each other as they did at first. Much like the church at Laodicea, they had become like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, and Jesus was prepared to spit them out of his mouth! The poor Laodiceans said, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need anything!’ And Jesus said, “You don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” (Revelation 3:15-17).

One of the greatest temptations facing the followers of Jesus is to delude ourselves into thinking that it is the other guy who needs saving; it is the other person who needs spiritual maturity; it is others who need self-discipline. One of the signs we are yielding to this temptation is in our disagreements over little things. Novelist Anthony Trollope wrote, “. . . the apostle of Christianity and the infidel can meet without a chance of a quarrel; but it is never safe to bring together two men who differ about a saint or a surplice.”

Evangelist Peter Lord loved to tease Christians by giving them a True / False quiz. The first question was, “A good description of a Christian is a sinner saved by grace.” Most reply True, but it really is a trick question. Yes, a definition of a Christian is a sinner saved by grace. However, Peter Lord said that’s not a good description. Becoming a Christian is becoming a new person. A Christian is a child of God, a joint heir with Christ. I don’t disagree with Peter Lord’s point, but I think we need never lose sight of the fact that both answers are correct. That’s the point Isaiah was trying to teach Israel, and it is the same point Jesus was trying to teach to the Ephesians and Laodiceans.

My Takeaway: Jesus wants me to embrace this truth every day. It is not the other guy who needs saving; it is me. Apart from Christ, I am the one who is wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

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.

 

Sing a New Song

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 3, 2026

Sing a New Song

Sing a new song of praise to him;

    play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.

Psalm 33:3

Please take a piece of paper and make two lists in parallel columns. First, take a few moments to remember the events and happenings in your life over the last few weeks. Now in the column on the left list the things that saddened you. Then in the column on your right, list the things that gladdened you. When you finish this little exercise come back and continue reading.

As you review the list of events or happenings that gladdened your heart, does your list include the joy of being able to pray, “Abba, I belong to you”? Does your list include the joy of being able to worship and study with a community of faith? Perhaps your list includes the time you spent alone with God and your Bible. Does your list include opportunities you had to serve God in a caring, compassionate ministry, or just being a kind and compassionate friend?

As you review the list of the things that saddened you, does your list include your concern that you don’t make enough quality time for prayer and devotional reading? Were there times of spiritual laziness and moral laxity that are grieving you? Jesus’ last commandment was for his followers to love others as he loved them. Were you saddened over your lack of fidelity to this command of Jesus?

My Takeaway: First, the only way I can process my responses to this exercise is to remember, “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). If you are like me, you may not be all that pleased with yourself after this exercise and you may question your spiritual maturity. Even so, we can sing a new song of praise to our Abba, and we can sing with joy because first, last and always, we can affirm the truth of scripture: I am a child of the Most High God and the Most High God is for me!

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.

Redeemed for Compassion

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today 

June 2, 2026

Redeemed for Compassion

But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” (Deut. 21:23 Greek version)

Galatians 3:13 

How much of our wrongdoing was included in the death of Jesus on the cross? How much of the wrongdoing of the entire world was included in the death of Jesus on the cross? Is there any sin, any wrongdoing, any deviant behavior, any monstrosity, any crime or brutality, any act of oppression that is not included in the death of Jesus on the cross?

The clear and unambiguous teaching of Scripture answers those three questions with a resounding NO! The death of Jesus on the cross redeemed all humanity from the penalty for all our sins against God. The compassion of Jesus to bear our transgressions is more than my finite mind can comprehend. I am surprised that the Gospels only used the word compassion eight times in describing Jesus’ response to human need. For me, I am not sure there is a better word to describe what was in the heart of God in Christ as he took upon himself the curse for my sins.

Merriam-Webster says compassion is a feeling of wanting to help someone who is sick, hungry or in trouble. Wikipedia says compassion is the feeling of empathy for others. Compassion is the emotion that we feel in response to the suffering of others that motivates a desire to help. That pretty much sums up Jesus’ motivation to go to the cross for us, his response to the suffering of humanity. Jesus’ compassion for me saved me!

My Takeaway: I sense God calling me to spend more time contemplating His compassion for me. Why? I believe it is God’s compassion for me which motivates Him to reach out to me repeatedly. As the Father draws me into His compassionate heart, He engenders compassion within me: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Colossians 3:12 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 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 Road Most Traveled

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today 

June 1, 2026

The Road Most Traveled

“No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God.”

John 5:44 

Jonah’s epiphany, “For my salvation comes from the Lord alone” (Jonah 2:9), was lost on the religious leaders confronting Jesus. Jesus told them they could not believe in him as God’s Messiah because to do so required them to take their eyes off their own self-efforts to make themselves right with God. There is still a lot of that attitude in our performance-based-acceptance culture.

There is a huge temptation in our American culture to transfer what works in the economic systems of the world to the spiritual life. Will the success of the self-made person, operating in the marketplaces of the world, find similar success applying the same standards to their spiritual life? Will their attributes of self-discipline, SMART goals, and hard work transfer well to the spiritual realm?  You can build a good life through spiritual self-effort, for a while. Eventually though, the reality of Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall,” will come crashing down on the self-made person.

The challenge for the followers of Jesus is to find the balance between being an active, engaging doer of the Word and resting in the incomprehensible love of God. Martha’s sister Mary discovered this balance sitting at the feet of Jesus and she heard Jesus affirm her choice: “There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42a).

The Apostle Paul, reflecting on his life as a religious leader and Pharisee, made the same discovery as Mary: “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ” (Philippians 3:7-9).

My Takeaway: I made this same discovery and when I knelt to be ordained, I opened my Bible to this passage in Philippians. I have also discovered something else. Because the temptations of the American culture are so insidious, I must rediscover Mary and Paul’s discovery with regularity, lest I find myself taking the self-made road, the road most traveled.

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.

 

Jonah’s Epiphany

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today 

May 29, 2026

Jonah’s Epiphany

“But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

Jonah 2:9

For the Christian, every crisis in our lives is a revelation of the depth of our faith and trust in God. How we respond in the crisis, including a crisis of our own making, reveals what we truly believe about God. In Jonah’s case, his refusal to follow God’s call on his life created the crisis. Jonah’s first response was to try and run from God. However, Jonah quickly found he could not outrun God: “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me!” (Jonah 2:2). This epiphany resulted in Jonah’s affirmation, “For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”

God’s call took Jonah totally out of his comfort zone, which is why his first instinct was to flee. There may well be times in our life when God will direct us to places, we would rather not go. Dare we courageously pray with Jabez, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” (1 Chronicles 4:10). Can we trust God to do for us as He did for Jabez and grant our request.

Sometimes fear of being drawn out of our comfort zones immobilizes us from responding to the call of God on our lives. When all is said and done, the real measure of our life is not so much whether we traipse off to Nineveh with Jonah or face up to our border bullies with Jabez. Rather, the measure of our lives will be in the quality of our interest and compassion for those we encounter each day. Do we make quality time for a child, express genuine appreciation for the delivery person, share our abundance with those with less, and do we gladly bear interruptions to our agenda?

My Takeaway: If we remember our salvation comes from the Lord alone, and like Jonah, fulfill all our vows to the Lord, we will have rightly revealed Christ Jesus in our mortal flesh.

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.

 

The Lord Lift Up His Countenance Upon You

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today 

May 28, 2026

The Lord Lift Up His Countenance Upon You

“The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:25-26 (NRSV)

After interviewing a man, Abraham Lincoln told his secretary, “I don’t like that man’s face!” His secretary immediately responded, “But that’s his face! He’s not responsible for his face.” To which Lincoln replied, “After forty every man is responsible for his face.”

Coach Bill McCartney, the founder of Promise Keepers, said that he could look at a woman’s countenance and know whether her husband was a Christian and loved her well. The coach was making the same observation as Mr. Lincoln: our face is a mirror to our soul and reflects the mood of our heart. Mr. Lincoln believed that after forty years of living, a person should have sufficient maturity to control their emotions and become master of their moods. According to Mr. Lincoln’s schedule, some days it seems like I am thirty-nine years past due.

Brennan Manning, after someone asked him, “Why are you in such a rotten mood?” spent time reflecting on Proverbs 15:15, “For the despondent, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast” Apparently Manning’s face was a window to his soul.

In my journey with Christ, I am being drawn to spend more time in contemplative prayer to allow the Holy Spirit opportunities to synchronize my outward emotions and facial expressions with the inner truth of my “real life (that) is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).

My Takeaway: I have found the wonderful benediction of Numbers 6:24-26 is a great place to camp out and spend quality time with the Lord:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26 (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 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.

Where Jesus Is, I Am Called to Be Also

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today 

May 27, 2026

Where Jesus Is, I Am Called to Be Also

“Light shines in the darkness for the godly.

    They are generous, compassionate, and righteous.”

Psalm 112:4 

The godly, the followers of Jesus, are generous, compassionate, and righteous. Why? Because we are destined to become just like our leader Jesus who is generous, compassionate, and righteous. All those attributes I noted yesterday about the incomprehensible love of God, beyond worthiness and unworthiness, beyond fidelity and infidelity, without caution, regret, boundary, limit, or a breaking point, are attributes God is working into our character as Christ is formed within us. How does God work these attributes into our character; how is Christ formed in us?

God is at work in us, working all things together for our transformation, when we are pressed on every side by troubles, when we are perplexed, when we are hunted down, and when we get knocked down. Although in the eyes of the world’s culture we are fragile, vulnerable, and weak, nevertheless it is in these times that the life of Jesus is made visible in our mortal flesh. (See Philippians 2:13 & 2 Corinthians 4:7-11)

It is much easier to write this observation about the life in Christ, than it is to live out these realities. Everything in our American culture has conditioned us to be strong, not weak, to be successful, not failures, to be self-sufficient, not dependent. The life in Christ cuts across the grain of our cultural norms. My personality draws me deep into my cave where I can live in isolation; the personality of Jesus, my Master, draws me back outside where I can engage and interact with the culture. Why? Because where Jesus is, I am called to be also.

My Takeaway: Did I mention Jesus never said following him would be easy?

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.