O Lord, faithful God, Father

October 31, 2014

O Lord, faithful God, Father

Into your hand I commit my spirit;

you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

Psalm 31:5 NRSV

Sometimes, when Jesus quoted scripture he added his own interpretation. We see this in Psalm 8:2, “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength.”  At Matthew 21:16, Jesus quotes this verse saying, “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’”

Jesus also added his interpretation to Psalm 31. Verse five states, “Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.” In Jesus’ final cry from the Cross he quotes this verse as, “‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ The expression, O LORD was a formal, very reverent, rendering of the name of God. On the Cross, Jesus changed this expression to, Father, and expressed the intimacy of parent and child.

Throughout Psalm 31, David is expressing his trust in God as he moves immediately from petition to affirmation: “Be my rock of protection, a fortress where I will be safe. You are my rock and my fortress. For the honor of your name, lead me out of this danger” (Psalm 31:2b-3). David’s foundation for trust is not in his own worthiness to receive God’s care; rather, his foundation is the grace of God.

Over and over again David communicates the wonders of trusting in God’s care: “But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, “You are my God!” My future is in your hands. How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection. Praise the Lord, for he has shown me the wonders of his unfailing love. He kept me safe. Love the Lord, all you godly ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to him. So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!” (Psalm 31:14, 19, 21, 23-24).

Jesus took all of these gracious expressions for the love and care of God and teaches us to come before God’s throne, as his children, praying, “Our Father, who art in heaven . . .”

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.

Joy Comes With The Morning

October 30, 2014

Joy Comes With The Morning

“Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Psalm 30:5

The instructions for Psalm 30 refer to the dedication of the Temple. From about 160 B.C. the Jews included this psalm in their celebration of Hanukkah. Judas Maccabaeus led Israel against a foreign army that had invaded Israel, and defeated them. Maccabaeus led the people to purify the Temple and to hold a festival every year to commemorate the rededication of the Temple. This festival, Hanukkah, which means dedication, is held at a time on the Jewish calendar that is close to our December 25 date.

When David wrote this psalm he was remembering all the suffering and the feelings of abandonment he experienced during the period King Saul was pursuing him across all of Israel. The people of Israel had very similar feelings under the oppression of the foreign invaders, so this psalm was an appropriate expression of their joy when the yoke of the oppressors was broken.

The author of the New Testament letter, Hebrews, calls us to look “unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 KJV). When I read that verse I recall the encouraging prose of Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

David, in Psalm 30, gives us the same encouragement as the writer of Hebrews. In times of sickness or distress, we are encouraged to keep our eyes on Jesus. When we do, we can sing with the psalmist,

You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.

You have taken away my clothes of mourning

and clothed me with joy,

that I might sing praises to you

and not be silent.

O Lord my God,

I will give you thanks forever!

Psalm 30:11-12

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.

For With The Lord There Is Unfailing Love

October 29, 2014

For With The Lord There Is Unfailing Love

Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.

Proverbs 13:12

People often talk about being “burned-out.” It has become a bit of a cliché and almost trite to say it. However, burn-out is one of the most tragic, and at times deadliest, fruits of our society. Burn-out is more than being tired and needing a vacation, or a change of pace. Burn-out occurs when you realize that what you had hoped for in life is not going to be realized. Have you ever been to see Greyhound racing or their commercials on TV? A fake rabbit is attached to the rail of the track and always travels at a faster pace than the dogs can run. Some of the dogs eventually realize they will never catch the rabbit and just give up; they stop racing. That’s burn-out. King Solomon’s greatest understatement is “Hope deferred makes the heart sick.” Hope deferred, hope lost, can kill. A person experiencing burn-out may not be dead, but their life feels dead to them.

Some people may seem to have great inward strength, great tenacity, as they seem to play the games of life endlessly. On the outside, it may appear they are juggling all the balls of life well, and keeping them all in the air. The reality is an inward weariness and boredom as their life feels like drudgery. Our innate appetite to be loved, accepted and valued is insatiable. It never, ever goes away. Even when people become aware, like the Greyhound, that they are not going to catch the rabbit, the aching hunger to be loved, accepted and valued remains. There is but one, and only one cure for a heart sick because of deferred hope: Jesus.

   “hope in the Lord;

    for with the Lord there is unfailing love.

    His redemption overflows.”

                                                            Psalm 130:7

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.

The Sufficiency of Grace

October 28, 2014

The Sufficiency of Grace

Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.

Romans 5:1

When the Apostle Paul took his issue with a thorn in his flesh to God, the answer he received was, “My grace is all you need” (2 Corinthians 12:9). While Saint Paul was writing about his particular concern at that time, he would be quick to add that God’s response to all of the issues we face in life is always, “My grace is all you need.” That response leads us to ask ourselves whether God’s grace is enough for us.

Certainly we believe in the sufficiency of God’s grace to make us right in God’s sight. We know that God saved us by his grace when we believed. And we can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God, so none of us can boast about having been made right in God’s sight. Where we question the sufficiency of God’s grace is in the everyday ebb and flow of our lives.

We share our core needs with every other human being: the need to be loved, to be accepted and to have a sense of self-worth. How do we meet our needs? The culture around us meets these needs by playing the games of life. Using manipulation, intimidation, or whatever ego strengths they have, people play the money game, the security game, the gender game, the power game, the knowledge game, the expert game, whatever games they can master to satisfy their longings to be loved, to be accepted and for self-worth.

Over and against this backdrop, we hear our Abba Father gently whisper in our soul, “My grace is all you need.” Do we believe our Abba? Do we believe enough to drop out of the games people play? When we exit the playing fields, and begin to trust in the sufficiency of God’s grace to meet our needs for love, acceptance and self-worth, we will soon realize “Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory” (Romans 5:2).

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.