Be Sure of This

March 31, 2016

Be Sure of This

“And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20b

Good-byes are difficult. I don’t mean casual good-byes at the end of an evening together. I mean good-byes when we know we will be separated by time and distance, and especially when our being together again is not at all certain.  Jesus had thrilled his disciples with his post-resurrection appearance to them. He had commissioned them to carry on his work of making disciples and building for the Kingdom of God. Then he left them. Matthew does not record any of the details surrounding Jesus’ departure, other than, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I suspect some of the disciples, if not all of them gathered with Jesus that day, took Jesus’ words to mean that he would be with them through their memory of all the places they had gone with Jesus and all the teachings they received from Jesus. Ten days later they realized that Jesus meant exactly what he said, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” On the Day of Pentecost the promise of Jesus was fulfilled as he indwelled within them through the presence of the Holy Spirit.

It is so very important for the followers of Christ to hold onto the promise that God is still working to bring about the complete reality of His New Creation. The way of the world today is not the way it will always be. Most certainly, Jesus is coming again in final victory at the end of this age; but we are not left alone just trying to stay busy until Christ returns. “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Before this day is over your faith will be tested by some circumstance. At the moment of your testing: remember, you are not alone! “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

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.

What Wondrous Love Is This?

March 30, 2016

What Wondrous Love Is This?

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.”

John 11:25a

We can know about someone: we can know of them; or we can know them, know them personally. I love the music of Robin Mark of Belfast, Northern Ireland. I had listened to and enjoyed his music, but after spending a week with him in a setting where he led worship services for our group twice per day, I got to know him. After hosting him to lead worship at my church, corresponding with him, and reading his book, Warrior Poets Of The 21st Century, my personal knowledge of him grew, and my appreciation for his music and his ministry deepened.

John 11:17- 44 tells the story of Martha and Mary, and Jesus raising their brother Lazarus from the dead. Martha and Mary had been in various settings with Jesus on numerous occasions, and they had come to have great respect and appreciation for his ministry. Yet, they still did not know him. Martha and Mary’s ‘if only’ statements to Jesus reveal an underlying trust in his supernatural powers, but do not reveal an intimate knowledge of the person of Jesus. In raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus was able to help them understand that the resurrection was not some future event that will happen some day; the resurrection is a person. As God’s Messiah, Jesus has brought the future hope of God’s restored Kingdom to become a present reality.

In the midst of this hugely difficult theological and doctrinal point to grasp, Jesus reveals the very heart of God. Jesus wept. Jesus fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down” (Isaiah 53:4).

The Palmist tells us that God cares deeply for us: “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book” (Psalm 56:8).

God keeps our tears in a bottle and Jesus weeps with us. Our standing invitation is to come and know God the Father Almighty as our dear Abba, and to intimately know Jesus as our friend and comforter. When we do, our hearts will sing . . . 

What wondrous love is this,

O my soul, O my soul,

what wondrous love is this,

O my soul!

What Wondrous Love Is This?

Dr. Alexander Means, 1835

(My ancestor and name sake)

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.

For Just Such a Time As This

March 29, 2016

For Just Such a Time As This

“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength”

Philippians 4:13

We are living in dark times. The carnage caused by terrorists in just the last week is incomprehensible. The danger is not only on foreign soil. On Easter Sunday, security personnel in a large church in Memphis captured a man armed with a rifle and handgun. This present darkness also covers the political realm in our country as the current campaigns keep going lower with their vulgar and degrading content. As Christians, we know God does not expect us to sit placidly on the sidelines; what are we to do? I have two suggestions.

First, I draw strength from the witness of those who have gone before us, such as John Wilberforce, the English politician and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade in Great Britain. Wilberforce faced seemingly impossible odds for success, yet successful he was because he relied on God’s strength and wisdom. Our greatest need is to be as sure of our mission as was Wilberforce of his. When we are so persuaded of our cause, we can consider the Apostle Paul’s assertion, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength,” in a slightly different way. Perhaps a better way of making that statement is, “I can do everything God wants me to do, through Christ who gives me strength.”

Secondly, let us daily reaffirm the message of Easter. Remember, while it was still dark, God rolled away the stone. While the disciples were still wrapped in the darkness of their despair, God was at work. At daybreak the disciples witnessed what God had done in darkness: the Resurrection of Jesus. Yes, we are living in very dark times; even so, this present darkness is not greater than God. In these dark times, let us hold close to our calling to be co-laborers with Christ as we build for the Kingdom of God.

For just such a time as this, the world desperately needs to see fully-devoted followers of Christ, in whom the life of Jesus is made visible in their mortal flesh. (2 Corinthians 4:11) Could it be that you and I are called to be these faithful witnesses for 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 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.

Now Here

March 28, 2016

Now Here

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,

and he will give you everything you need.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Matthew 6:33-34

As I have moved into another beautiful springtime in WNC, I have been feeling the need for a new and fresh perspective for my life. On such occasions, I’ve found no better place to go than the Sermon on the Mount, especially the passage quoted above.

 One of my favorite expressions is, “I’ve got nowhere to go and all day to get there.” For the last few years, the days without meetings, appointments and places to be are few and far between. In my expression, being nowhere is a place of rest. However to some, being nowhere carries negative connotations. To say we are nowhere means we haven’t made progress, or that where we are is of no significance. However, when we look at the word nowhere we see that it is made up of two words: now and here. When we learn to practice the spiritual discipline of now-here, we are making great progress in our spiritual transformation, and we are in a place of great significance.

Two great temptations in life try desperately to keep us out of now-here. We are either distracted by issues in our past, or we are side-tracked by worries of what may happen in the future. These dual enemies keep us inattentive to the present needs and realities of our life. Perhaps you have heard the word play someone fashioned about God’s self-identification to Moses:  “God replied to Moses, “I AM who I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you”” (Exodus 3:14). God didn’t say I was or I will be. He said I AM which is to say He is our God of the present moment; He is our God of now-here. God’s desire for His people is that we will learn to live in the present moment, the now-here, with Him.

Jesus’ words in his Sermon on the Mount are a call to me to be very focused, very intentional, very proactive in seeking the Kingdom of God above all else, and to live righteously. The new and fresh perspective I am seeking is hidden in God’s Kingdom --- waiting to be discovered by faithful seekers.

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.