Guard Against Being Glib

July 31, 2016

Guard Against Being Glib

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.

James 1:5a

Outside of the Imperial Cathedral in Speyer, Germany, there is a large sculpture depicting Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. At the top of the sculpture is an angel holding a cup as Jesus prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (Matthew 26:39). For me, the sculpture was a reminder of the two most important prayers I want to be front and center in my life.

The first is quite obvious: not my will, but God’s will. The second is the wisdom to know God’s will. The challenge here can be illustrated by remembering the Serenity Prayer. This is the common name for a prayer attributed to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and made popular by Alcoholics Anonymous. The best-known form is: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

James adds an admonishment to his assertion of God giving us wisdom: “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone” (James 1:6). That does seem to complicate things a bit. I believe James’ point is that we want to guard against being glib. God is gracious and generous. Our first step in appealing to God’s gracious and generous nature is to realize how utterly dependent we are on His grace. This is why it is good to begin our prayer with remembering to whom we are praying and who it is that is asking. Maybe not always, but certainly with some frequency, we can expect the Spirit to direct our prayers to Psalm 139:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

    test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you,

    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Psalm 139:23-24

When you pray this way, I am certain you will experience the fulfillment of James’ promise: If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.

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.

Come to Jesus

July 30, 2015

Come to Jesus

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Hebrews 4:15-16

Somewhere in my life’s journey I recall a dialog: “It must be very difficult being you” the first person said, somewhat facetiously. “You have no idea!” the other person replied, revealing that the comment contained much more truth than the first person realized. That simple exchange resonated deeply within my soul.

The wounds of life can cut deeply, and for many, the work of building a solid foundation on the faithfulness of Christ must begin anew each day. Thankfully, “The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning” (Lamentations 3:22-23).   

Sometimes we may be tempted to focus more on our weaknesses and the fact that when Jesus faced the same testing we do, he did not sin, but we do. Such focus can make us reluctant to ask, hesitant to receive blessings from God. When I find myself so situated, I like to recall John’s vision of the Risen Christ in Revelation 1. As John contemplated this vision, as he looked upon the face of Jesus which was like the sun in all its brilliance, he fell at the feet of Jesus, as if he were dead. Jesus’ response is something I want to ever keep before me: “But (Jesus) laid his right hand on (John) and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave” (Revelation 1:17b-18).

Jesus told John, and he is telling you and me, “Don’t focus on your sin and weakness; focus on my victory over sin and death!” That is exactly what the writer in Hebrews was saying. Don’t focus on your weakness, your failed testings and sin; focus on the throne of our gracious God. Because of Jesus’ victory over our sin and death, we are promised God’s mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Because of our brokenness, coming boldly to God’s throne of grace may cut against every instinct within us. Even so, don’t focus on your instincts; focus of the One holding the keys; come to Jesus!  

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.

Sweet Hour of Prayer

July 29, 2015

Sweet Hour of Prayer

“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private . . . “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do . . .  Don’t be like them . . .  Pray like this: Our Father in heaven . . .”

Matthew 6:6-9 (selected portions)

There are times when I follow this quote attributed to St. Augustine: "Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you." When I see results that I judge as good, I am thankful for God’s blessings and take a bit of pride in my hard work. This is as it should be because God created us to be proactive participants, not passive observers, in the work of building for His coming Kingdom.

There are also times when I feel stuck in neutral. My prayer life and attention to spiritual disciplines is lacking. Sometimes in the midst of this dry and barren place a wave of light bursts into my existence, and I receive from my Master’s gracious hand a new insight or other blessing. When this happens, my heart agrees with Tillich’s observation, “If that happens to us we experience grace. After such an experience we may not be better than before, we may not believe more than before. But everything is transformed." (Tillich, Paul, The Shaking Of The Foundations)

The transformation I experience is really rather simple. When I pray, before I mention my petition, I first draw close until I am fully aware of to whom I am praying. When my senses are full aware of My Father, I then rest until I am fully aware of who is it that is asking, “For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16). With this fresh vision of what it means to know the Creator of the universe as my Abba, I generally forget my petitions. Not to worry though, “your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” (Matthew 6:8b).

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.

Showers of Blessings

July 28, 2015

Showers of Blessings

You make springs pour water into the ravines,

    so streams gush down from the mountains.

You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,

    and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.

Psalm 104:10,13

Down through the ages people have stood in awe of nature. John Muir was one of those people. He explored what is now Yosemite National Park, and urged that the area be preserved as a national treasure because it was such a magnificent display of the beauty of God’s creation. Psalm 104 calls us to take time in life to observe the wonder of God’s creation. That is pretty easy for me as I get to observe every day the handiwork of the Lord where “Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed” (Psalm 104:8).

I believe the psalmist wants us to go beyond God’s initial acts of creation. The psalmist wants us to consider that God created . . . and is still creating. God created the very first sun rise and He created the magnificent sunrise I saw this morning. God not only created all things, God is proactively caring for His creation. God didn’t just create the first tomato; He also created the tomatoe that will soon fit nicely between two slices of bread for my lunch.

The Apostle Paul reached this same conclusion when he wrote of the supremacy of Christ, “He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together” (Colossians 1:17, emphasis mine). What happens when Christ stops holding all creation together? The psalmist answers that in Psalm 104: 29-30 (NRSV):

“When you hide your face, they are dismayed;

   when you take away their breath, they die

   and return to their dust.

When you send forth your spirit, they are created;

   and you renew the face of the ground..”

If the psalmist had been with me this morning as I stood in awe of His lofty mountain grandeur and observed the hawks soaring across the valley below, he would have pointed out that God created those hawks. God also created the air currents that were keeping them aloft; and God created the trees where they nest; and because “the Lord takes pleasure in all he has made” (v. 31b), the Lord is smiling as he watches over His creations playing in the air; and He is smiling as He watches me standing in awe.

“I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.

    I will praise my God to my last breath!

May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,

    for I rejoice in the Lord.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 104:33-34, 35b

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.