Wednesday, March 12,
2014
A New Reality for the People of Christ
John 16: 23-33
Jesus tells his followers that
when he is through birthing God’s New Creation, his followers will have the
very same standing with God the Father, as he does. When our prayers embody the
life of Jesus, our prayers are unimpeded as they ascend to God. Think of what that
means. When we pray in the Life of Christ, we receive the full and undivided
attention of God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
Jesus says that when we pray in
his name, we are not going through him to God; we are speaking directly to God
the Father. Jesus’ incredible promise is really hard to wrap your mind around,
and that only becomes more difficult when you consider the next thing he told
his disciples: “But the time is
coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own
way, leaving me alone” (John 16:32a). Jesus made his promise in the full
knowledge that his followers, in their human frailty, would falter and not
always remain faithful. Our prayers will not always fully embody the life of
Jesus. Jesus knows all of the pitfalls that are in the pathways of his
disciples, and responds by making yet another incredible promise: “I have told you all this so that you may
have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take
heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
You are God’s beloved child with
whom He is well pleased, and upon whom His favor rests. What is true for Jesus is true for
Christianoi, the people of Christ. As a disciple of Jesus, you have unfettered
access to God the Father. Yes, these promises of Jesus seem impossible for us
to fully grasp. Even so, I invite you to join me as I take a leap of faith, and
choose to dwell in God’s new reality for the people of Christ.
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.
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