The LORD is Great!

March 31, 2017

The LORD is Great!

But may all who search for you

    be filled with joy and gladness in you.

May those who love your salvation

    repeatedly shout, “The LORD is great!”

Psalm 40:16

When reading the psalms of David, I find it helpful to remember James Moore’s book, When You're a Christian... the Whole World Is from Missouri. David was God’s anointed, he was a leader. He was watched closely by his followers, and his detractors, alike. Christians are also closely observed by others. Moore’s book has the sub-title, Living the Life of Faith in a "Show Me" World.” While Missouri may be the "Show Me" state, for Christians, it is the whole world that says, "If you're a Christian, then show me!" Christians, in the normal course of life, can experience many of the same feelings of the psalmist.

In Psalm 40, David is agonizing over both his own sinful failures, and also the persecution of his enemies. How did he respond to these issues? He spends the first two-thirds of the psalm remembering the faithfulness of God! In verses 6-8, He recalls the substance of worship. In verses 9-10, he recalls the foundation of faith-sharing. Then, he lifts his confession and petitions to God’s throne of mercy.

The passage in verses 13-17 is repeated in Psalm 70 because it became a regular part of the liturgical worship of God by Israel. Perhaps you will want to remember parts of this passage in your prayers, and then you can join the psalmist is singing;

“As for me, since I am poor and needy,
    let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
    O my God, do not delay.”

Psalm 40:17

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

My Hope Is In You Lord

March 30, 2017

My Hope Is In You Lord

And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?

    My only hope is in you.

Psalm 39:7

Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve-step programs adopted a prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr that has become known as The Serenity Prayer:

“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.”

This is a good prayer for all of us, because Christians are always challenged with knowing what God expects us to do, and what God wants us to let Him do. This is the great dichotomy of the Christian life, and God’s wisdom is needed to understand the application of the Apostle Paul’s assertion, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). Perhaps a better way of making that statement is, “I can do everything God wants me to, through Christ who gives me strength.”

The Psalmist was well-intentioned; he did not want to sin with his words. His solution was simple, to avoid saying something sinful, he wouldn’t say anything at all. His plan came crashing down when he realized he couldn’t refrain from speaking good. (The Prophet Jeremiah, and many others, including me, experienced this same truth: “But if I say I’ll never mention the Lord or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!” (Jeremiah 20:9)

The psalmist’s frustration leads to his musings about how his failures make him feel so small, as measured against the eternal, infinite majesty of God. His musings lead him to conclude, “And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you” (v.7).

The psalmist wanted to please God and felt a great burden for what he believed he had to do to earn God’s favor. When he failed to measure up to his self-imposed standards, he experienced what he interpreted as punishment from God. Jesus has freed us from having to perform to please God. Our new life in Christ enables us to live in harmony with God where our focus is not on what we have to do to please God; rather, it‘s on what we get to do, because we are the beloved children of God. We do not have to live in fear of God because Jesus has accepted the punishment for our sins. God’s discipline is not fearful because it is flowing from the love of Christ, who died for us while we were yet sinners.

When I mediate on the blessings of living life in Christ, I conclude with the psalmist,

“And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you” (Psalm 39:7).

 

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

Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places

March 29, 2017

Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places

“Do not abandon me, O LORD.

Do not stand at a distance, my God.

Come quickly to help me,

O Lord my savior”

Psalm 38:21-22

Waylon Jennings song, Looking for Love, can be sung through the experience of many, many people: “Playing a fool’s game, hoping to win. Telling those sweet lies and losing again. I was looking for love in all the wrong places.”

All people have needs for love, acceptance and self-worth. God alone can fully, and eternally, meet these needs. Yet we go through life trying to meet our need for love and acceptance through our relationships with others. We try to feel love and acceptance by performing in certain ways or by manipulating other people. But true love is not “I’ll love you if you love me;” it is unconditional. Until you know who you are in Christ, you cannot truly and authentically love others. All you can do is take from others as you try to satisfy your needs for love.

The author of Psalm 38 is sick: not the sickness of a diagnosable physical illness, but the sickness of sin. Perhaps the greatest tragedy of the 21^st Century church is how closed our spirits have become. In an era of entitlement, we have acute feelings of alienation when we don’t get what we want; however, seldom are people aware of their sin sickness that is caused by their seeking from the world what only God can give.

 In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus quotes Isaiah 42:3, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice” (Matthew 12:20).This is Good News for us. God does not give up on us; “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9). Therefore, with hope and courage let us cry out to God,

“Do not abandon me, O Lord. Do not stand at a distance, my God. Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior” (Psalm 38: 21-22).

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

Your Innocence Radiates Like The Dawn

March 28, 2017

Your Innocence Radiates Like The Dawn

Commit everything you do to the Lord.

Trust him, and he will help you.

He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,

and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

Psalm 37:5-6

The psalmist, an old and very wise teacher, crafted this psalm as an acrostic poem, the stanzas of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Basically, the psalm is a collection of wise sayings that contrast the lives of the wicked with the lives of those who are faithful to God. The psalmist’s wisdom and experience have taught him that the spoils of the wicked are “like grass, they soon fade away. Like spring flowers, they soon wither” (Psalm 37:2), but the blessings of God are eternal.

The essential message of the psalm is in verses 5-6:

“Commit everything you do to the Lord.

Trust him, and he will help you.

He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,

and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.”

This is a very profound, yet simple, way to pattern your life. First, you commit your life to God. Second, you exercise faith in God by trusting Him with your life. Third, God will act. The psalmist is not very specific about how God will act, but the description is rather breathtaking. The psalmist is trying to describe the wonder, beauty and awe associated with being in the presence of God. The reward for faithfulness to God is being in perfect peace as you rest in the presence of your Heavenly Father. Seven times the psalmist refers to the blessing of God as, “The godly will possess the land and will live there forever” (Psalm 37:29). This means the reward is eternal.

Our culture bombards us with messages that rewards and blessings have to be tangible and received in the here and now. But God’s blessings are His presence with us, now and forever. Because of God’s faithfulness we can sing:

Blessed Be Your Name

In the land that is plentiful

Where your streams of abundance flow

Blessed be your name

Blessed Be Your name

When I'm found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness

Blessed Be Your name

Blessed be Your name

When the sun's shining down on me

When the world's 'all as it should be'

Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name

On the road marked with suffering

Though there's pain in the offering

Blessed be Your name

Every blessing you pour out

I'll turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in

Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed Be Your Name

Matt Redman

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