Seeking the Life in Christ

Tuesday, August 25, 2026

My Life Does Not Belong to Me

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

August 25, 2026

My Life Does Not Belong to Me

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and rejoice in you;

I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Psalm 9:1-2

Psalm 9, in its original form, was written in the acrostic poetic form with the first verse beginning with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each succeeding verse began with the next letter in the alphabet. Knowing this helps me appreciate both the poem and its author. This message was important to the author, and he carefully crafted his poem, in form and content, to communicate his message.

The foundation of Old Testament theology was based on a real experience of God’s presence and power, coupled with a belief that one day God was going to restore the entire world to its original created order. The people of Israel longed for the coming Day of the Lord, when God’s mercy and justice would freely flow and everything would be made right. Psalm 9 is an expression of this longing for justice. This longing was carried forth in the New Covenant where God’s people still pray for God’s Kingdom to come, God’s will to be done, on earth as in heaven.

Verse one sets the tone of the psalm and is helpful in showing us how to pray for the coming reign of Christ on earth:

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;

I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.”

My Takeaway: To pray with my whole heart is to recall that my life does not belong to me. My life belongs to God. By creation and redemption, my life, my heart, belong to God. And my life in God is not to be a secret. The reality of God’s love for me overflows from my heart, and I cannot help but tell of all the marvelous things the LORD has done.

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.

Monday, August 24, 2026

Practice the Presence

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

August 24, 2026

Practice the Presence

“Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.

I Kings 8:23

A teacher was asked by his student why he was so devoted to the teachings of Saint Francis Assisi. “Because he allowed Jesus Christ to become transparent in his personality,” he replied. Francis brought about a religious revolution in thirteenth-century Europe, and his substantial influence on the followers of Christ reaches all the way to the twenty-first century. Why? Because as the teacher noted, Francis personified the Apostle Paul’s witness: “For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:11 NRSV).

While we affirm that both Paul and Francis gave God first claim on their time, attention, love and interests, we also may shrink back a bit from their example. Both Paul and Francis spent weeks, and often months in prayer; how are we to follow their example? A mystery of prayer is that we do not have to retreat to our cave for time completely alone and far away from our culture’s countless ways to interrupt our time with God. Centering prayer is a way of conversing with God in the secret places of our heart while the world around us marches on.

We can learn to focus on Christ in the center of our being while we are driving, preparing a meal, sitting in a committee meeting, playing a round of golf or sets of tennis, and even while our team is driving for their winning touchdown. This centering on Jesus does not preclude our being fully present to others, or the other activities in which we are engaged, such as my writing of this meditation on a foggy mountain morning.

My Takeaway: Centering on Jesus in the secret place in our heart is an art, and a skill that we can learn. It takes practice and resolve not to give up. It can become our discipline, our habit, and we can learn to dwell in that special place Brother Lawrence, another mighty man of God, described as “the practice of the presence of God.” The first step toward this centering prayer is to begin pausing, several times each day and focusing your awareness of the reality of Christ’s presence in the secret places in your heart.

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, August 21, 2026

Holy Spirit Awareness

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

August 21, 2026

Holy Spirit Awareness

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.

Acts 4:32

The verse quoted above is at the close of Acts 4 and is a summary of the lifestyle of the first Christian church in Jerusalem. Their life together is an example of the goal that Dietrich Bonhoeffer set for his disciples. Bonhoeffer noted that Satan’s goal is to disrupt the harmony and unity of the church. Satan’s desire for Christians is what Saint Augustine described as incurvatus in se, which basically translates as curved in on ourselves. When we live in ego-centric or self-centered ways, we are destructive in our Christian communities. When we live for ourselves, our lives are curved inward as opposed to the life God intended for us, which is life lived with an outward focus. This outward focus, a life of openness and willing self-sacrifice for the good of others, is a blessing to our communities and a pleasing aroma to God.

Augustine noted that incurvatus in se is the very essence of original sin. As such, we need to look to the Holy Spirit daily for discernment of the ways we are still curved in on ourselves. We also look to the Holy Spirit for the power to say yes when the Spirit motivates us to action, and to say no to our bent toward self-gratification.

My Takeaway: Our culture celebrates self-awareness, self-motivation and taking the initiative. God celebrates our Holy Spirit awareness, our Holy Spirit motivation and our willingness to respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Be patient and allow God to develop your discerning heart, and He will teach you how to do what is right, how to love mercy, and how to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 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.)

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Christianoi

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

August 20, 2026

Christianoi

This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you.

Galatians 2:4-5

We live in a hyphenated culture. Seldom is someone referred to by just one defining characteristic. People are referred to as African-Americans or Asian-Americans or Italian-Americans. We also divide ourselves into sub-groups based on schools and universities, states and regions. As seriously as some people take these divisions, they pale in comparison to how the Jews in the first century marked their identity as God’s people through male circumcision. This national, religious and cultural identity ran so deep that even the Jews who had accepted Jesus as their Messiah expected all the male followers of Jesus to be circumcised. This was a huge point of contention between the Apostle Paul and those leaders in the Christian movement who tried to require Gentile believers to comply with male circumcision and the Law of Moses. (These leaders were known as Judaizers.)

At one time, the followers of Jesus were known as Christianoi, People of Christ. Over the centuries, we have become Roman Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Pentecostals, and Anglicans etc. Why all the denominations and non-denominations and differing local churches?

It’s all about control. With churches, it is a way of trying to hold on to our past, and at the same time step into God’s Kingdom. This puts us in a dilemma. The way churches are organized creates a temptation to think we are right and others, not in our church, are wrong. This creates disunity in the Body of Christ. But our churches in their present form are all we have. This reality creates a huge temptation for us to think we can just bring our Christian faith alongside of our cultural beliefs and try to blend them together.

How can we respond to this dilemma? First, don’t take your denominational or non-denominational doctrine and structure too seriously. The most important thing is to keep your eyes on Jesus. Paul told the Corinthians “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17). He was more emphatic on what he told the Galatians. Not only is our old life gone, but our old identity is dead. We have a new identity as the People of Christ. (Galatians 2:20)

My Takeaway: The Jews set themselves apart from others through their mono-theistic faith in the Creator God, their male circumcision and their dietary laws. Today, the People of Christ are set apart by their belief in justification by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Any other form of identification for the followers of Christ is not of God.

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, August 19, 2026

A Pleasing Aroma to God

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

August 19, 2026

A Pleasing Aroma to God

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Jesus reconciled two seemingly irreconcilable truths he experienced on the cross. By resting in the truth of God’s affirmation of him -- “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy” -- Jesus was able to confront his negative emotions --“My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” -- and return to resting in God’s love -- “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” As the followers of Christ, we too are called to reconcile two seemingly irreconcilable truths.

Our life, apart from the saving grace of Jesus, is totally repugnant to God. Even so, while we were completely lost in our sin, God loved us, and Christ died for us. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NRSV). We have been saved by grace and we live by grace. We can never, ever do anything to earn our right standing with God. Even though God speaks those most precious of all words to us when we come to Him by faith, “This is my dearly loved (Child), who brings me great joy,” nevertheless, our works within our own strength are still repugnant to him because they are offered through our sin-broken flesh.

However, Jesus shows us how to reconcile our life in grace with the works of our hands. Jesus “loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2). The Philippians grasped this truth when they sent an offering to Paul while he was in jail. Paul wrote to them that their offering was “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18c). When the love of Christ for us moves us to express his love for others, especially when we give sacrificially of ourselves and our resources, our offering becomes a pleasing aroma to God.

My Takeaway: As you seek to make your life a pleasing aroma to God, never forget that it is God working in you to transform your life into a sweet-smelling sacrifice. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13 NLT).

May God, “equip (us) with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:21).

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, August 18, 2026

How Foolish Can You Be?

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

August 18, 2026

How Foolish Can You Be?

Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?

Galatians 3:3

Our culture differs greatly from that of the Galatians. Most of the people in our culture do not believe in any gods, much less in the Christian God. Many Christians, while affirming their faith in God, see their faith as a means to a better quality of life, not a means to be in a right relationship with the God of the universe. I believe it is in the DNA of Americans to be proud, rebellious and self-reliant. When I visited the Museum of Western Expansion in St. Louis, I saw this character trait embodied in a quote from the journal of someone who was a part of a wagon train heading west:

‘We had preceded only a few days travel, when the American character was fully exhibited. All appeared to be determined to govern, but not to be governed.”

However, it was vitally important to the people in the Galatian congregations to be in a right relationship with God. This was not optional to them. It is not hyperbole to say it was a matter of life and death to them. You can sense Paul’s frustration. Paul had proclaimed the Gospel to them, and the Galatian Christians had experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They had entered a right relationship with God by grace, through faith in Jesus. Now the church leaders were backing up and forcing their congregations to keep rules and laws in a desperate attempt to stay in a right relationship with God. Do you remember the third chapter of 2 Corinthians where Paul talked about the veil being removed? The Galatians were putting the veil back up, and Paul was doing his best to get them to remove the veil and live by grace, not works.

Seeking the life in Christ is hard work! On one hand, we rejoice that God loves us, unconditionally, just as we are. On the other hand, we know this marvelous grace of God does not give us a license to keep on sinning. We are called to crucify our flesh with its sinful desires. We want to glorify God and live in a manner that others can see Christ in our mortal flesh. However, the witness of Christ within us comes by grace, not an accumulation of good works. (See 2 Corinthians 4)

My Takeaway: It has been my experience that reaching a balance where our good works are evidence of God’s grace at work in our lives is more of an art than it is a process to be learned. As we seek to release the graceful artist within us, we’ll do well to remember Paul’s admonishment to the Galatians, “Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?” (Galatians 3:3).

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, August 17, 2026

When the Angels Are Absent

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

August 17, 2026

When the Angels Are Absent

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:17

Because Jesus is fully divine, the Word made flesh, he can forgive our sins. Because Jesus is fully human, the author of Hebrews could proclaim, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” (Hebrews 4:15). I am comforted to know that Jesus experienced the same self-doubts that I do.

There were times when Jesus must have wondered if it really was the Holy Spirit who led him to the River Jordan to be baptized and then led him into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. I suspect there were times when he got tired of the hostility heaped onto him by the Pharisees, and when he grew weary of his disciples who just couldn’t connect the dots of his ministry. Even so, we don’t have to wonder how he handled those times of doubt: “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16).

During those times of prayer, I believe Jesus’ Heavenly Father was gracious to speak again those most comforting of all words, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” I believe there were other times when, as in his wilderness temptation experience, that God’s “angels came and took care of Jesus” (Matthew 4:11). I also believe there were times when heaven was silent and the angels were absent.

It was during these silent and absent times that Jesus’ faith was forged into unbreakable iron. This is the faith that allowed Jesus to reconcile two seemingly irreconcilable truths he experienced on the cross.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)

During those silent times in the wilderness, Jesus may not have heard again the voice of God, but he never forgot what he did hear that day in the River Jordan, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

My Takeaway: By the way, a voice from heaven said the same words (Matthew 3:17) to you when you were baptized. In your moments of weakness, recall those words and remember you are God’s beloved daughter or son, and allow the Holy Spirit to forge strong your faith.

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, August 25, 2026

My Life Does Not Belong to Me

Monday, August 24, 2026

Practice the Presence

Friday, August 21, 2026

Holy Spirit Awareness

Thursday, August 20, 2026

Christianoi

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

A Pleasing Aroma to God

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

How Foolish Can You Be?

Monday, August 17, 2026

When the Angels Are Absent

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