A Light in the Window

December 29, 2017

A Light in the Window

Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.

Revelation 21:14

Cheryl and I started a new tradition two years ago. Every Sunday morning at breakfast we pick a special blessing from the previous week and make a note of it on a slip of paper. We put the paper in a quart mason jar. On New Year’s Eve, we will gather around our Christmas tree and put all those slips of paper in a basket. Then, one by one, we will review all of our many blessings from 2017. (And, on January 1, 2018 we will start filling the jar once again!)

We also have an end-of-the-year ritual to take stock of this last year, make necessary adjustments, and set our sails for the coming New Year. We have found it helpful to look at the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23 and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us where we need to focus our attention in the coming year.

Our circumstances differ, but there is one essential truth that is for all of the followers of Jesus Christ. When we reach our final destination, we will lift our heads, and we all will see a light in the window of God’s Mansion, with a sign on the door,

“Welcome Home My Beloved.”

I pray this eternal truth will guide you as you take time to review your life of 2017 and set your sails for 2018:

Your Heavenly Father is head-over-heels,

passionately in love with you.

You are His beloved child,

with whom He is delighted

and upon whom His favor rests.

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.

Copyright © 2017 by Alex M. Knight

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.

I Trust Him With All My Heart

December 28, 2017

I Trust Him With All My Heart

“The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart.”

 Psalm 28:7

Jesus taught his disciples “with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26).  Sometimes our faith is tested because we do not see answers to our prayers. Can we still believe, even though we do not see? The writer of the letter to the Hebrews makes clear that faith is the unwavering determination to trust God, to believe God, even when we do not see the results we want. “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1).

Because God is the Lord of the impossible, bringing life out of death, bringing success out of apparent failure, we can look at seemingly impossible circumstances and choose the way of the psalmist: “The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart.”

In the first portion of this psalm, David seems overwhelmed with the corruption of society. He steadfastly believes in the judgment of God and does not want to be caught up in God’s judgment of the wicked. As David prays to the Lord, his rock, he asks for mercy. Then, in the midst of his lament, his prayer for mercy turns into a prayer of praise, “Praise the Lord! For he has heard my cry for mercy.” What caused his change?

I believe the Apostle Paul helps us understand this change. In Romans 8: 15-16 Paul writes, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.”

When we come to God in faith, God participates in our prayers. God’s Spirit bears witness to our spirit, and God’s Spirit thus helps us stand firm in our faith, even when our circumstances have not changed. With the Spirit’s help, we trust God with our lives. Thank God for the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise. He did not leave us alone.

Hallelujah!

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.

Copyright © 2017 by Alex M. Knight

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.

This Is What The Sovereign Lord Says!

December 27, 2017

This Is What The Sovereign Lord Says!

They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people.

But I am sending you to say to them,

‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’

Ezekiel 2:4

Ezekiel recorded the words of God to Israel many thousands of years ago, but they can just as easily be His words to me today. I am very much in need of the Holy Spirit coming to me, over and over again, and reporting to me, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’

I am in need of this remedial training because it is so difficult to completely overcome the ways of my past that are so deeply ingrained within me. And I am not alone. I recall my wife, Cheryl, sharing with me an incident when she was driving her mother to the store. Her mother had been widowed for about a year. Cheryl’s father had been quite successful in life and had provided well for his family. Cheryl’s mother was completely debt-free, and had a substantial income in her retirement. As they drove toward the store, Cheryl’s mother turned to her and asked, “Do you think I can afford to buy a new pair of house slippers?” Given her financial standing, her question seemed absurd. Given that she had been raised in poverty during the Great Depression, her question made perfect sense. The experiences of our past deeply shape our perspective on today.

We live in a culture that emphasizes awareness of emotions and feelings. The experiences of our past deeply shape our feelings about today. This is why we so need the Holy Spirit reminding us of the truth of God. We can choose to turn from our past and its influential feelings and turn to God’s Word.  When we choose God’s Word, we will see that the world’s culture has told us a pack of lies about who we are, and who God is, and we will learn that God, in Christ Jesus, is telling us the truth. We are the beloved children of God, with whom He is delighted and upon whom His favor rests.

Because the virgin conceived a child, this truth of our identity as the beloved children of God is our Christmas gift. She gave birth to a son, and we call him Immanuel, which means this truth is always with us.

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.

Copyright © 2017 by Alex M. Knight

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.

Jesus Overcame The World; He Can Overcome You!

December 26, 2017

Jesus Overcame The World; He Can Overcome You!

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.

Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.

But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

As I study history, I have been struck by the huge difference for good just one person can make. History records the deeds of many individuals who at one time seemed like a lonely voice in the wilderness calling for change, and change came. Think of Wilberforce’s leadership to stop slavery in England, or John Wesley’s zeal to take the Gospel to the common man, or President Harry Truman taking a stand for the state of Israel. Of course, the corollary is just as true. Either for good, or for evil, one person can make a huge difference.

Some people are in places where their actions can influence hundreds, even thousands of others. Some people are in places where their range of influence may not stretch beyond their nuclear family. Even so, all people have influence. Too many people negate their potential for influence because they seem to have so little influence over their own life. For these people, it seems they are continually waging war, and not winning many victories against the same enemies: moodiness, laziness, grudges and resentments, self-centeredness and their feeble life of faith.

Do you, or someone you know, feel that personal failures cancel your potential to be an influence for good in the lives of others?  If so, be reminded, and remind your friend, that the issue is not whether you are able; the issue is whether Jesus is able! Our Savior, Christ Jesus, transformed the world through his birth in Bethlehem. Take heart! He has overcome the world and is quite capable of transforming your life! Appropriate your Christmas gift of hope, and give your life to God as a force for good in His world!       

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.

Copyright © 2017 by Alex M. Knight

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.