I Have Changed

October 26, 2016

I Have Changed

That is why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong. I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you and that our work had been useless.

1 Thessalonians 3:5

I have often wondered what happened in Jesus in the short period of time between when he called out from the cross, “My God why have you forsaken me?” and he said, “Father into thy hands I commend my spirit.” There are some mysteries that will never be solved until we get to see Jesus face to face.

There are other, seemingly contradicting, positions which are not as difficult to sort out. All of the anxiety Paul expressed in the text above is an example. Remember, this is the same Paul who wrote in Philippians 4, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”

The first step I take to sort out the difference between Philippians 4 and today’s reading is to acknowledge that Paul’s pastoral heart is much like the heart of a parent for their child. It doesn’t do any good to tell a parent not to worry about their children; worry is an essential part of the parent’s job description.

The second step is to remember that the issue with Jesus mentioned above was in a time frame of an hour at most. The issue with today’s reading and Paul’s letter to the Philippians is a time frame of ten years. That’s the length of time between the two letters. Acts 18-28 covers this period of time in Paul’s life and was packed with adventure, turmoil, imprisonment, persecution as well as awesome displays of God’s grace and power. Paul changed a great deal during this period. Older, wiser, and more spiritually mature, Paul was resting in God’s love as he wrote his prison letters, which includes Philippians.

In writing my daily meditations, this is my second trip through Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians. I have found it interesting to go back and read my thoughts from July 2011 when I wrote meditations based on these letters. I have changed in these five years. Much has happened to deepen my faith and trust in the Lord’s provision for my life.

So, how are you growing in Christ? How is your life different today, from a few years ago? Are you aware of how God is working to form Christ in you? I think it is good to remember Paul’s prayer from Ephesians 3 and ask ourselves if we are seeking God to make this prayer a reality in our lives:

“I pray that from God’s glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.”

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, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.