“Yes, Lord, I believe!”

Friday, January 31, 2014            “Yes, Lord, I believe!”

John  9: 13-41

The response of the formerly blind man’s neighbors, family and many of the Pharisees proves that often it takes as much work to not believe, as it does to believe. While some of the Pharisees said that only through the power of God working through a righteous person could such miracles be performed, most of the others looked for any excuse they could find for not believing in Jesus.

Underlying all the responses to Jesus’ healing of the blind man is the issue of expectations. The people did not have an expectation that faith in God would change lives.  Accordingly, they were astonished when confronted with such a significant change in the man’s life. They looked for a way to explain the change away, or at least to minimalize it.

Jesus initiated the healing of the man blind from birth. The man didn’t ask to be healed, and he made no confession of faith. There are indeed times when God takes the first step, where God goes where God has not been invited. God is sovereign and demonstrates His grace and power when and where He chooses.

When God demonstrates His grace, a response is required. The man, who had been blind, after hearing Jesus’ affirmation that he was the Messiah, chose to believe. The Pharisees chose to disbelieve.

I believe God reveals His grace and sovereign power each and every day. Our daily prayer can be as simple as, “Lord, give me eyes to see your hand at work.” When we see his hand, we then get to choose whether we want to trust his heart, or if we would rather stay blind.

Sē’lah

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(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. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

“Why Was This Man Born Blind?”

Thursday, January 30, 2014      “Why Was This Man Born Blind?”

John  9: 1-12

Jesus’ disciples asked him if the man was blind because of some sin he had committed, or was he blind because of some sin committed by his parents.

When sin entered the world, God’s grand design was fractured. The perfection of God’s creation was altered. God is working to bring about a New Creation, where His perfection will be restored. Until the New Creation fully comes, we are living in a broken world where cancer, birth defects, and physical disabilities, which did not exist in God’s first creation, are now prevalent in our world. When Christ comes again in final victory, the world will again flourish in the glory which God first intended for his creation.

That explanation is not sufficient for many people. Some of Jesus’ disciples envisioned a world where God punished the sins of people by putting deformity or blindness on their children. That vision of the world is also embraced by some religions that believe in reincarnation. Through their belief in cause and effect, if you live a bad life, you will be punished by being born into ‘bad’ circumstances in your next life.

Jesus’ response to his disciples affirms the promise of God to the Prophet Ezekiel, where God said he does not does punish a person for the sins of their parents. (Ezekiel 18:19-20) Then Jesus said to his disciples, let me give you another sign that God is at work establishing His New Creation. Jesus then touches the man and his blindness is banished. He had been blind, but now he sees.

Every time I read this story I hear the Holy Spirit whisper in my ear, “So Alex, what are you expecting God to do in your life; what do you expect to happen at Sunday Worship this week?”

God forgive me, but too many times I am stuck for an answer.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

“Before Abraham Was Even Born, I Am”

Wednesday, January 29, 2014    “Before Abraham Was Even Born, I Am”

John  8: 48-59

There was no one closer to Jesus than John, the author of this Gospel. In telling the story of Jesus, he certainly cannot be accused of editing out anything that may be a bit controversial. In fact, all four gospels resisted any temptation to reinterpret through hindsight the events in Jesus’ life. All four contain passages like the one we read today that either accuses Jesus of being possessed by a demon, or of being in league with the devil.

It is clear that the religious leaders in Jerusalem were listening to Jesus so they could obtain evidence to use against him. They weren’t interested in truly listening to what Jesus was saying. In today’s passage, Jesus is speaking from the heavenly perspective of time. Jesus is able to interpret what it really meant for Abraham to be justified by faith. God told Abraham he would be the father of a great nation. Abraham believed God. Abraham believed God was going to do something extraordinary, and thus was glad. I don’t think Jesus is implying Abraham specifically knew the nature and mission of Jesus; just that if God is in control, miraculous things are going to happen.

Jesus has been asserting that he is working and speaking in complete harmony with his Father. There was nothing in the experience of the people that prepared them to easily comprehend such statements. Like Abraham, they would need to take a leap of faith and believe Jesus.

Jesus’ third ‘I Am’ statement is astonishing to the people. When Jesus said he is ‘I AM”, he was taking for himself the sacred name for God. That name was so sacred that the Jews would neither write nor speak that name. (Instead, they inserted four consonants into their manuscripts; YHWH. In English translations, that word is rendered YAHWEH, or as LORD.)

Such a claim was blasphemy to the Jews, and they were ready to stone Jesus to death. For us today, Jesus’ claim should be awe-inspiring, as Jesus is affirming in his words, what John wrote about him in the opening lines of this Gospel (1:1-2):

In the beginning the Word already existed.

      The Word was with God,

      and the Word was God.

  He existed in the beginning with God.

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

He Is a Liar and the Father of Lies

Tuesday, January 28, 2014        He Is a Liar and the Father of Lies

John  8: 37-47

The people called Abraham their spiritual father, yet they wanted to murder Jesus because they didn’t like what he had to say. If Abraham was truly their spiritual father, they would have lived their lives in accordance with the life of faith modeled by Abraham. Jesus confronted them with the truth; they had a father, but it wasn’t Abraham. Jesus was quite blunt in describing their father: “For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

The more our secular culture shapes our lives, the more Christian people see shades of gray in morality, and the more a life of holiness (harmony with God) becomes an abstract idea rather than a very real way of life. Even so, Jesus is quite clear: “I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God” (John 8:46b-47). From Jesus’ perspective we are either following the truth or we are not; we are either telling the truth or we are not.

Today, far too many people call themselves Christians, and want all the benefits that favor with God brings, but do not want to embrace the truth that faith in God is evidenced by a willingness to invite God to change our lives. God doesn’t want us to just believe in Him. God wants us to become like Him.

God had called Israel to be bearers of His light. Instead, they had become bearers of darkness. God has called the Christian church to be bearers of His light. This may be a good time for a reality check, to ask God to give us eyes to see the truth. Are we, and our Christian community, bearers of light, or darkness?

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.