“I Am He”

March 31, 2015 ~ Tuesday of Holy Week

“I Am He”

“Who is it you want?”  “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said.

John 18:4-5

The first half of John 18 details the arrest of Jesus and Peter’s three denials of Jesus. Through these details, God’s grand and glorious ‘do-over’ is becoming more clear. Recall that the Gospels present the story of Jesus in a particular setting. There was the first exodus of God’s people led by Moses. Now God’s Messiah is leading the second exodus. There was the Garden of Eden inhabited by Adam. Now we are in a second garden, Gethsemane. In the first Garden, God, in the cool of the evening, came looking for Adam. In the second Garden, in the cool of the evening, sinful man comes looking for Jesus, God’s second Adam. (The Apostle Paul writes much about the ‘first’ and ‘last’ Adam in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15) Another Garden will be the setting for Jesus’ resurrection.

‘Who are you looking for?” Jesus asked. “Jesus of Nazareth” the soldiers replied.

Those gathered in the Garden hear much more than Jesus’ simple reply, “I am he.” They hear; “I AM.”

 “I AM The Bread Of Life.”

“I AM The Light Of The World.”

“I AM The Gate.”

“I AM The Good Shepherd.”

“I AM The Resurrection And The Life.”

“I AM The Way, The Truth And The Life.”

‘I AM The Vine.”

With the memory of these seven ‘I AM” statements echoing through the Garden, the absurdness of the moment was overwhelming: sinful man was arresting God. The arresting force drew back and fell down. I suspect we would have as well.

Full of love and loyalty, Peter makes his way to the place of Jesus’ interrogation. When questioned, Jesus tells the truth. When questioned, Peter lies. Immediately Peter understands Jesus’ teaching: I am the vine, you are the branch. Apart from me you can do nothing. Peter embodied the weakness of sinful flesh that cannot be overcome until Jesus sends The Helper, The Advocate, The Holy Spirit.

As Peter warmed himself by a charcoal fire, the rooster crowed. We too have times in our life when we hear the crowing rooster remind of us our failures. When we do, we want to remember that Peter met Jesus beside another charcoal fire in John 21:9. That meeting is a glorious reminder that “He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle” (Matthew 12:20).

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 is 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  is available 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.

That I Myself May Be in Them

March 30, 2015 ~ Monday of Holy Week

That I Myself May Be in Them

“I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

John 17:26

In Chapter 17 of John’s Gospel, we are brought into the inner sanctum, the holy of holies, the very heart of Jesus, where we can sit at the feet of Jesus while he prays for us. I am in awe of Jesus’ prayer that brings his followers into a personal, intimate relationship with the Father. Jesus envisions his followers experiencing the very same unity that is glorified in the unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

This is a good place to reflect on how the Christian church has said ‘Thanks, but no thanks” to Jesus’ intercession for his church. The disharmony between denominations and blatant disrespect and lack of unity within some denominations is reprehensible. Perhaps the best evidence of sin’s total corruption of humanity is how Christians sing praise to God; all the while refusing to edify their brothers and sisters in Christ in other churches. Could John have been any clearer when he warned the church? “If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness” (1John 2:9).

The way John writes Jesus’ prayer suggests that he may have incorporated the prayer into his own devotional life as well as taught others to pray Jesus’ prayer. This can be a helpful devotional practice for us as well. Here is my incorporation of Jesus’ prayer in verse 13-19 into my prayer:

“Father, Jesus has told me many things while I am in this world so I would be filled with his joy. Jesus has given me your word. The world hates me because I do not belong to the world, just as Jesus did not belong to the world. Father I’m not asking you to take me out of the world, but to keep me safe from the evil one because I do not belong to this world any more than Jesus did.

“Father, make me holy by your truth; teach me your word, which is truth. Just as you sent Jesus into the world, Jesus is sending me into the world. As Jesus gave himself as a holy sacrifice for me so I can be made holy by your truth, may I glorify you and your Son, Christ Jesus, by being obedient to your truth. Amen”

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 is 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  is available 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.

Love Self for God’s Sake

March 27, 2015

Love Self for God’s Sake

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.”

Hebrews 10:19-22

For much of my past, the hardest question for me to answer was, “What do you want?” When I was asked what I wanted for Christmas or for my birthday I was stuck for an answer. Even something as simple as “Where do you want to go for dinner?” could cause me to stammer and stutter and then mumble, “I don’t know, where do you want to go?” The baggage in my life made it very difficult for me to be assertive and tell someone what I wanted or needed. Over and against this broken way of living, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews says we can come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. (Hebrews 4:16; 10:19)

Some people are not particularly challenged by that assertion. Some people are raised in healthy, nurturing environments and are not reluctant to seek grace and mercy at God’s throne. Others, however, are more naturally inclined to be like the beggar Lazarus and hope a scrap of food may fall their way. (Luke 16:19-20) I believe with every fiber in my being that Abba’s heart breaks for His children who are not able to receive and embrace His liberating love.

One of the great spiritual leaders in the history of the church, Bernard of Clairvaux, wrote of God’s liberating love in his book, On Loving God. In the book, Bernard describes four successive stages in our journey seeking the life in Christ as our way of life. Stage One: Love Self for Self’s Sake; Stage Two: Love God for Self’s Sake; Stage Three: Love God for God’s Sake; Stage Four: Love Self for God’s Sake. In this last stage we are accepting and embracing our true identity as the beloved child of God, with whom He is delighted and upon whom His favor rests.

The writer of Hebrews summarized this fourth stage in Hebrews 10:22, “Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.” Our “sincere heart” is a reference to Ezekiel and Jeremiah’s promise of a new heart when we come to God through faith in Jesus. “Fully trusting” God is a reference to the wonderful assurance our faith gives us that we are God’s beloved children. “Made us clean” is a reference to God fully forgiving us of our sins. “Washed with pure water” is a reference to our baptism. Put all those together and we get to go running into God’s throne room, with hearts overflowing with gratitude as we rest in God’s unfailing love for us.

All of this is God’s doing; we have no bragging rights. Maybe you know this and are already resting in God’s smile of affection for you. If not, pray Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.” If you are already resting in God’s love, I’ll bet you know someone who is not. Be a friend, make a friend and lead your friend to Christ.

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 is 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  is available 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.

You Are My Dear One

March 26, 2015

You Are My Dear One

“Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. The nations will see your righteousness. World leaders will be blinded by your glory. And you will be given a new name by the Lord’s own mouth.”

Isaiah 62:1-2

The prophet Isaiah said that when we receive God’s redeeming love we “shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give” (Isaiah 62:2b NRSV). I remember reading that scripture several decades ago and wondering if God really does give us a new name. One morning as I sat in the quietness of my study, I dared to ask God to tell me my new name. The response stunned me, and I sat silently for over an hour contemplating the wonder of what I heard the Lord say to me.

My encounter with Abba came just a few years after I had come face to face with the root cause of my almost total lack of self-esteem; I hated myself. My shame-based self-hate was the result of childhood abuse, both physical and emotional. I know my parents loved me and wanted the best for me, but they had their own baggage. The result was that my home life was steeped in performance-based-acceptance and I never quite measured up. The most common term of endearment I received was to be called idjit, which means less than nothing. Against this backdrop, on that quiet morning in my study I heard my Abba say to me, “You are my Dear One.”

I went from less than nothing, to more than anything, as Abba named me His Dear One. To be dear to the heart of God was almost incomprehensible to me, but after my hour of quiet contemplation, I purposed in my heart to make a leap of faith and embrace my new name as the authentic me. Allowing myself to be loved and esteemed by God has been the source of my inner healing and my personal realization of the promise of scripture: “anyone who belongs to Christ as become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Perhaps you want to sit quietly and listen for God to speak into your heart and soul the wonders of His love for you. You may also want to take time and ponder again who you know that does not yet know their new name. Your love and acceptance of them will be used by God to help them embrace Abba’s love. Just imagine that one day they too will rejoice as the new creation of God’s love.

I will change your name

You shall no longer be called

Wounded, outcast, lonely or afraid

I will change your name

Your new name shall be

Confidence, joyfulness, overcoming one

Faithfulness, friend of God

One who seeks My face

I Will Change Your Name

(D.J. Butler) 1987 Mercy Publishing.

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 is 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  is available 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.