Don’t Be Timid, the Leap Isn’t That Far

January 29, 2016

Don’t Be Timid, the Leap Isn’t That Far

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Philippians 2:5

Hear with me the words of a spiritual director, “Give up trying to look like a saint. It’ll be a lot better for everybody.” When we are at peace with God, who is at peace with us, we can lay aside our obsession with projecting the perfect Christian image and get on with living our life in Christ, which is simply a matter of practicing WWJD. (What Would Jesus Do?)

When we lose our preoccupation with ourselves, we are amazed to see that the life in Christ is not rocket science. Whenever Jesus was moved with emotion for the condition of people, he took action. Jesus illustrated how this can work out in our lives in his parable of the Good Samaritan. The priest and the Levite, the ones who knew the most about God, failed to act. The Samaritan, who supposedly knew the least about God, was commended by Jesus because he acted with compassion. “Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same” (Luke 10:37). The Apostle John summarized Jesus’ commendation of the Samaritan when he wrote, “Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions” (1 John 3:18). When we obey Jesus’ imperative, when we say “yes and amen” to John’s teaching, we will grasp the power of Saint Paul’s imperative for us to have the same attitude as Jesus had.

This is the life in Christ in a nutshell. Take a leap of faith, and embrace your right standing with God, and then go and do what the Holy Spirit shows you Jesus would do if he were standing in your shoes. Don’t be timid, because the leap isn’t that far since “Christ (is) in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27b NRSV).

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, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

All That I Am and All That I Have

January 28, 2016

All That I Am and All That I Have

When he discovered a pearl of great value,

he sold everything he owned and bought it!

Matthew 13:46

What does our life look like when we are participating with Him as He works in us, giving us the desire and the power to do what pleases him? (Philippians 2:13) For me, I believe when I embrace Jesus’ words in Matthew 13:46 as my own, Jesus will become visible in my mortal flesh: “I have discovered a pearl of great value, and I sold everything I owned and bought it!”

Why do I put myself into Jesus’ parable? I believe when Jesus gave that parable, the merchant represented two different identities. The first was a representation of God, who gave everything, even His only begotten son, for the redemption of human kind. Secondly, the merchant represents those who, after saying yes to God’s sheer grace, sell off all that they are and all that they have for the Kingdom of God.

What does it mean to sell everything for the pearl of great value? I think of the words I spoke to Cheryl as I put a ring on her finger at our wedding: “I give you this ring as a sign of my vow, and with all that I am and all that I have, I honor you. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.” In my wedding, those words were my public commitment to love Cheryl as Christ loves his church. When I make that statement to God, I surrender my rights to my own life and submit myself to the sovereignty of Jesus Christ.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus stated “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give (you) a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10). My purchase, by surrendering my life to Jesus, of the pearl of great value opens my heart to receive Jesus’ rich and satisfying life. My heart’s desire is to risk everything on this Gospel of Grace.

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, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Creeping Universalism

January 27, 2016

Creeping Universalism

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.

Matthew 7:21

Jesus amplifies this teaching later in the Gospel of Matthew when he gives his parable of the Final Judgment, Matthew 25:31-46. The common thread in both passages is that not everyone will make the cut! Those were not unexpected teachings at the time Jesus first spoke those words, but today they are even harder to hear because we live in a culture where everyone gets a ribbon. To avoid the stigma of having losers because we recognize winners, the culture awards participant trophies. Throughout history some people achieved success, and some didn’t. Societies understood this and provided incentives for people to strive toward success. However, this attribute of society has changed.

What is true in the general culture is true within some parts of the church society as well. Yes, there are still many who celebrate Saint Paul’s hope, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8). However, more and more I see signs of the culture influencing the church, instead of the other way around. More and more universalism is creeping in, where if not everyone, most everyone are saved.

Those who lean toward universalism will say that Jesus’ words in Matthew were before his crucifixion, and that after his death and resurrection everything changed, everyone gets included in God’s redemptive plan, whether they choose to follow Jesus or not. There are many places in the New Testament that dispel such a notion, but for now just look again at Paul’s words quoted above: “all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.” To eagerly look forward to the coming again of Jesus in final victory is to fully embrace his divinity, his values, and his ways. To eagerly look forward to the coming again of Jesus in final victory is to live your life in obedience to his Word and to bear fruits of righteousness.

I am saddened to see more and more people who have deceived themselves into believing that they can live life their way and still expect to receive Gods’ crown of righteousness. I agree completely with Brennan Manning: God loves us unconditionally, just as we are, not as we should be, because none of us are as we should be. Even so, God does call us to turn our hearts to Him and His ways. We are called by God to participate with Him as He is working in us, giving us the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

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, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I Am Not My Own

January 26, 2016

I Am Not My Own

If you cling to your life, you will lose it;

but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.

Matthew 10:39

Notice what Jesus does not say in this passage from Matthew’s Gospel. He does not say if you give up your life for the church. He does not say if you give up your life for Christian service. He does not say if you give up your life for the law.

He says if you give up your life for him! Perhaps this is why the Apostle Paul was so dramatic, at the risk of hyperbole, in discussing new life in Christ:

“Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism.”

Romans 6:3-4a

Or

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20

The entirety of our faith, our relationship with God, is centered in the person of Jesus! We are not called to give our allegiance to great causes, to a church or denomination, or to any pastor or leader. Jesus calls us to give our lives to him and to him alone. As I seek the life in Christ as my way of life, I have found this simple prayer of adoration a great help in keeping me grounded in Christ and Christ alone.

Adoration

O Lord, my savior, how excellent is your name in all the earth;

I worship you. With all angels and saints I adore you.

I acknowledge you Jesus to be by Creator and my Lord.

I render you the entirety of my being and my life.

I am not my own, I belong to you.

By creation and redemption I belong to you.

I will devote myself to you this day and forever.

O grant me grace for this, dear Lord.

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 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, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.