Being In Harmony With God

May 31, 2016

Being In Harmony With God

But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

Philippians 3:12b

John Wesley urged his pastors to always have the mind-set that they were ‘going on to perfection,” and that phrase is still used today when new pastors are ordained in the United Methodist Church. Wesley’s intention was rooted in his understanding of the Biblical word, holiness. John Wesley loved the word holiness. He talked about scriptural holiness, holiness of the heart and holiness of life. Many people mistakenly think holiness has to do with rigid laws, or rules, which through obedience make a person holy. Not so; holiness is a state of being. As Christians, we know that our state of being, our acceptance by God, comes as a gift of God’s grace, through faith in Jesus. The definition that best fits John Wesley’s use of the word holiness is a state of being in harmony with God.

In the context of today’s passage, because we have holiness of heart as a gift of God’s grace, we, like Paul, are pressing on to make what is true in our heart, true in our way of life. Thus our mission in life is seeking the life in Christ (our holiness of heart) as our way of life (holiness of life). Some of Wesley’s contemporaries thought he was wrong. They believed in holiness of heart, but thought achieving holiness of life was impossible. However, Wesley understood that God is the Lord of the impossible and what is impossible for us, is possible for God. Because I serve the Lord of the impossible, I am always close to this eternal truth:

For God is working in you,

giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Philippians 2:13

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.

God in Christ Jesus is Telling Us the Truth

May 30, 2016

God in Christ Jesus is Telling Us the Truth

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

Philippians 3:8a

              

As we journey toward becoming fully devoted followers of Jesus, God is calling us to join with the Apostle Paul to regard everything as worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord.” How are we, like Paul, to regard everything but knowing Jesus as worthless?

Our life in Christ has been described as coming to the place in our lives when we realize the world’s culture has told us a pack of lies about who we are, who our neighbor is and who God is. In this place in our lives, we also come to the conclusion that God in Christ Jesus is telling us the truth. This is what Paul is saying in Philippians 3. Paul came to the place where his conversion was complete. He described his life as living, moving and existing in Christ. (Acts 17:28) By complete conversion, I do not mean perfection. Later in Chapter 3, Paul admits that he has not reached perfection. What he has reached is the complete assurance that everything he desires in life is found in Jesus and in Jesus alone!

Paul came to the place where his choices in life were simple. He could rely on his human ability, or he could rely on divine grace. Today’s culture has a third alternative. Instead of the “either / or” of Paul, there is a “both / and” movement that tries to hold to both a belief in God and confidence in human ability. However, there is a huge problem with the “both / and” approach. The “both / and” approach creates a temptation to dismiss or ignore the parts of Scripture we do not like, or do not understand, and instead, trust our own judgment and intellect. When we do so, we leave the “both / and” camp and move squarely into the Humanist camp. Paul’s way of living in our environment does not ignore human intellect and potential; it affirms that human intellect and potential are fully realized within God’s divine grace and will.

There is no shortcut to Paul’s place of complete conversion. Paul’s bucket list became very short: he wanted to gain Christ and become one with him. Do you need to thin out your bucket list? Take some time to consider where you spend your money, how you spend your time and where your day dreams take you. How well do these line up with gaining Jesus and becoming one with 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. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

Safeguard Your Faith

May 27, 2016

Safeguard Your Faith

Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.

Philippians 3:1

Today’s text lays a foundation for the entirety of our life in Christ. We rejoice in the Good News that we belong to Jesus. Our relationship to Jesus is made secure not because of what we did, or we are doing, or what we have refrained from doing. Rather, we belong to Jesus because he has united us to himself in his death, burial, resurrection, and enthronement. This is our Good News. We never stop rejoicing in this Good News, because rejoicing in the goodness of Jesus safeguards our faith.

The church in Philippi was being tempted to deviate from relying solely on the goodness and faithfulness of Jesus to secure their right relationship with God. Instead they were being urged to trust in the works of the flesh by obeying certain religious rules and doing good works. No one understood religious tradition, rules and discipline like Paul. Paul had zealously pursued God only to come up empty-handed. Then Jesus found Paul and everything in Paul’s life changed. Until the day he died, Paul continued to zealously pursue God, but after he encountered Jesus, his pursuit of holiness was always resting on the truth that Jesus securely had him in his grasp. Paul was always basking in God’s smile of affection for him as he journeyed to make the life in Christ his way of life. Today, with his out-stretched hand, Paul looks back toward us and says, “Come and learn to rest in God’s smile of affection for you.”

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 Lord of the Impossible

May 26, 2016

The Lord of the Impossible

Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need.

Philippians 2:25

Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. He is saying that we should care as much for the welfare of our neighbor’s family as we do for our own household. Jesus’ words are often filed away with other Biblical platitudes because they seem rather unrealistic. However, as Paul concludes Chapter 2, his self-disclosure gives us a real insight into what it looks like when we care deeply for our brothers and sisters in Christ. I offer three observations about Paul’s Christian community.

First, Paul makes it abundantly clear that he is no Pollyanna. Yes, Paul will tell us in Chapter 4 to rejoice in the Lord always and that we can trade our anxieties for the peace of God that passes understanding. (Philippians 4:4, 7) But he also tells us that our love for one another can be exceedingly painful. Referring to his friend and companion, Epaphroditus, Paul writes, “And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another” (Philippians 2:27). Paul’s sorrow was that he was hindered from proclaiming the Gospel and he was separated from the people of the church. The thought that his friend Epaphroditus might die seemed unbearable to Paul. Here is the Christian life experiencing real sorrow, real pain.

Secondly, Paul’s experience with his friends in the church gives us a window into the depth and quality of life in a Christian community. This whole chapter has been about unity within the church and learning to live self-sacrificially for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ and for the sake of the Gospel. Is this really possible for 21^st Century America? Yes, and that is my third observation.

Jesus did tell us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves, and he also told us that things that are impossible for us are possible for God. When we embrace God’s vision for our Christian community, we can reply on God to do the impossible.

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire

and the power to do what pleases him.”

Philippians 2:13

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.