Thursday, February 28, 2013

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Thursday, February 28, 2013       My Meeting with Zacchaeus

Page 207      Mark 10:46a; Luke 19:1-10

Tax collectors like Zacchaeus were despicable, immoral and hated in their communities. Often, when a person had a significant encounter with Jesus, they immediately began to follow Jesus. Did you notice that Zacchaeus did not follow Jesus out of Jericho? The inference is that he stayed in his community to work out the meaning of his new life in Christ.

This little story has three themes. First, there is the issue of wealth and money and how they should be understood in the Kingdom of God. Second, there is the company Jesus keeps; he continually goes to the least, the last and the lost. Third, there is the faith that affirms Jesus as Messiah and that leads to new life.

The story of Zacchaeus makes an interesting contrast to the rich young man we read about in Luke 18. Our human nature wants to reduce Jesus’ encounters to principles that can be replicated. In the case of the rich young man in Luke 18, the obvious conclusion for those seeking eternal life is that you must sell everything you have and follow Jesus. Zacchaeus only offered one half of his wealth and he did not leave home. Even so, Jesus said “Salvation has come to this home today” (Luke 19:9). So much for our principle!

Actually, there may be a principle at work in this story of Zacchaeus. While Zacchaeus is a good contrast to the rich young man, he has much in common with the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Both humbled themselves and acknowledged their sin and both received new life.  

Sē’lah

The second edition of my book, First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGQL5JC

<><  <><  <><  <><

What word or phrase in today’s reading attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Friday, March 01, 2013      Another Man Received His Sight 

Page 207-208         Matthew 20:29a, 31-34; Mark 10:46b-52

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Wednesday, February 27, 2013   James and John Make a Request &

A Blind Man's Sight Was Restored

Page 206-207         Matthew 20:20-28, 29b-30; Mark 10:35-45   Luke 18:35-43

Jesus has been teaching his disciples about the principles of leadership from a Kingdom of God, servant-leader perspective. They still didn’t understand, as evidenced by James and John jockeying for position. Just in case we are tempted to shake our heads at James and John and chastise them for being so crass, our text for today includes the story of Jesus healing the blind man.

The blind man called out, “Lord, Son of David,” a reverent Messianic title for Jesus. How did the crowd respond? The crowd told him to ‘Shut Up!’, but Jesus responded, “What do you want me to do for you?” The Gospel is asking us to choose which camp we will join: Jesus’ camp of servants (The sign over the camp says, “Lord, Son of David”), or will we campout with the crowd? (The sign over this camp says, ‘Shut Up!’) Whenever I am prone to put my needs, convenience, or desires ahead of others, I am shouting to the world that I am camping out with the “Shut Ups.”

We all have blind spots in our lives, places where we are still caught up in self-centeredness. (In prayer, you can ask God to show you your blind spots.) The blind man believed Jesus was the Messiah; that’s why he called out to Jesus as Son of David. He knew Jesus could heal his condition. Jesus affirmed his faith and the man left his blindness behind him as he followed Jesus to Jerusalem. We can do the same!

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

What word or phrase in today’s reading attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Thursday, February 28, 2013       My Meeting with Zacchaeus

Page 207      Mark 10:46a; Luke 19:1-10

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Tuesday, February 26, 2013        My Disciples Were Filed With Dread      

Page 205-206         Matthew 20: 17-19, 23:37-39; Mark 10:32-34;

Luke 13:22-35, 18:31-34

There are different depths to knowing. I learned about the aeronautical principals of airplane flight from a book. Those principals took on another level of meaning when I made my first solo flight. In our passage today, Jesus, for the third time tells his disciples how his story will end; but they still don’t understand, and they will not grasp the truth until they behold the Resurrected Lord. Jesus knows what awaited him in Jerusalem and he was grieving over those of his own nation who would not seek their salvation in him. His reference to working two days and accomplishing his purpose on the third day is a thinly veiled reference to his resurrection on the third day. Jesus provided us with these insights to help us understand the meaning of what will happen in Jerusalem, Gethsemane, Golgotha, and the Garden Tomb.  The heart of our faith is in these places.

Isaiah, in Chapters 40-55, presents the Messiah of God who suffers and dies for the sins of Israel and the world. Jesus referenced Isaiah’s words to make clear that he is the Messiah. It is impossible to embrace the Christian faith apart from the cross, and it is impossible to embrace the cross without embracing the resurrection. However, neither makes sense apart from understanding Jesus as God’s Messiah. God sent his Messiah to announce the time of the Lord’s favor had come. God’s favor, or God’s Kingdom, reorders the lives of individuals as well as society.

What did Jesus mean when he said, “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom” (Luke 13:24). The entrance door to the Kingdom of God is narrow and the pathway through the doorway is not paved by good works. It is difficult to enter into the Kingdom of God because there is no drive-through window. The Kingdom is not for the casual observer, or for those who want just a piece of the Kingdom to add to their life. The Kingdom demands all or nothing; and Jesus says, there will come a time when the doors to the Kingdom are closed. There will come a time when all people will be rewarded with the eternal consequences of the choices they have made. Some will choose to be with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and others will not.

Sē’lah

The second edition of my book, First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGQL5JC

<><  <><  <><  <><

What word or phrase in today’s reading attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Wednesday, February 27, 2013   James and John Make a Request  &

A Blind Man's Sight Was Restored

Page 206-207         Matthew 20:20-28, 29b-30; Mark 10:35-45   Luke 18:35-43

Monday, February 25, 2013

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Monday, February 25, 2013         Again, I Healed on the Sabbath   

Page 201-202         Luke 13: 10-21

Perhaps a lingering thought from yesterday is, “What difference can one person make?” Jesus answers that today, but first things first. The language Jesus uses in his discussion following the healing of the woman on the Sabbath makes clear that he sees himself as the Messiah, sent to unbind Israel. Jesus wants to do for Israel what he did for the woman.

Is the healing of one woman in an obscure village enough to announce the Kingdom? Jesus answers our questions with two simple parables. The tiny mustard seed goes in the ground and then grows into a tree. One tiny seed becomes a nest for many birds. (Jesus’ parable is a thinly veiled reference to his own burial and resurrection.) Then there is a little amount of yeast put into enough flour to make bread for hundreds. The language of the parable suggests the yeast was hidden in the flour, not in plain sight. The yeast was hidden in the flour by a woman, a gender that is not associated with prominence or power at that time in Israel. Jesus used hyperbole by having the woman hide the yeast in thirty pounds of flour to illustrate the potential for good of just one person living for Christ. 

Every faithful response to Jesus is a victory for the Kingdom of God, and every victory moves us closer to the time when Jesus shall return in Final Victory.

“But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

1 Corinthians 15: 57-58

Sē’lah

The second edition of my book, First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGQL5JC

<><  <><  <><  <><

What word or phrase in today’s reading attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

(Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House. http://www.seedsowers.com/)

Tuesday, February 26, 2013        My Disciples Were Filed With Dread      

Page 205-206         Matthew 20: 17-19, 23:37-39; Mark 10:32-34;

Luke 13:22-35, 18:31-34