Bringing In The Sheaves

July 31, 2017

Bringing In The Sheaves

Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,

We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves,

Bringing in the Sheaves

Knowles Shaw, 1874

Psalm 126 was Knowles Shaw’s inspiration for what has become one of the most loved Gospel hymns. The psalmist took his inspiration from the return of the exiles to Israel. Brought on by Israel continually turning away from God, Israel was conquered and her people taken into exile. First, in about 721 B.C., Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel. In 586 B.C., the southern kingdom was conquered by Babylon. Many years later, after the Persians conquered the Babylonian Empire, a remnant of the exiles was allowed to return to Israel.

The psalmist was encouraging the Jews to remember their joy and celebration of the faithfulness of God,

“When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem,

    it was like a dream!

We were filled with laughter,

    and we sang for joy.”

Psalm 126:1-2a

By remembering God’s faithfulness, the Jews bolstered their faith that God would provide for them in their present time. The Apostle Paul used this same form as he draws to a close the matchless eighth chapter of his epistle to the Romans:

“What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:31-32).

Earlier in his epistle, Paul wrote that God sent Christ to die for us while we were still sinners, thus proving God’s love for us (Romans 5:8). Yes indeed, God is for us! Nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:39). Let us remember all that God has done for us; let us be filled with laughter and joy. Let us trust in the everlasting promises of God:

“And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours

   according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:19 NRSV

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.

God Has Not Left Us Empty-Handed

July 28, 2017

God Has Not Left Us Empty-Handed

Just as the mountains surround Jerusalem,

    so the Lord surrounds his people, both now and forever.

Psalm 125:2

A syndicated columnist recently lamented the vestiges of latent and sometimes overt racism still prevalent in many sections of our country. The columnist mused about various causes and solutions, but in the end wondered if things would ever be different. If asked, I would suggest the columnist read Psalm 125.

About three hundred years ago, there was a seismic shift in worldview. The birthing of the scientific and industrial age was also the birthing of the Age of Enlightenment. The moral foundation of nations shifted from the Bible to government. Society would now advance and improve through good government and good education, leading to good habits. Many of the churches of that time were corrupt, and thus, a Bible-based worldview was vulnerable to challenge.

The fatal flaw in their new philosophy was that the foundation they built on was shifting sand. They replaced Godly moral absolutes with a new morality defined by whoever may hold the power. I can imagine the promoters of this failed worldview excusing their choice with the classic line, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” If they had looked, perhaps they would have discovered the timeless truth of scripture: “There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death” (Proverbs 14:12). The Apostle Paul warned his student Timothy of such dangers: “For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths” (2 Timothy 4: 3-4).

When the psalmist proclaims “The wicked will not rule the land of the godly” (v. 3a), we remember the Kingdom of God now rests in the hearts of God’s people. We do face the forces of evil in our times; however, God has not left us unattended or empty-handed. God has provided all the armor and weapons we need. (See Ephesians 6) Therefore, we can rest in the sure promises of our God,

   

“Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion;

    they will not be defeated but will endure forever.”

Psalm 125:1

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.

If It Had Not Been The Lord

July 27, 2017

If It Had Not Been The Lord

Our help is from the Lord,

    who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 124:8

Psalm 124 is an extension of the prayer of Psalm 123. In the preceding psalm, the prayer asked God to act on behalf of Israel. In Psalm 124, the psalmist responds to God answering Israel’s prayers, “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side” we would have been destroyed. “Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey. . . Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth (v. 1, 6, 8 NRSV).

As we seek the life in Christ as our way of life, Psalm 124 can remind us that because “our help is in the name of the Lord,” we “can do everything through Christ, who gives (us) strength” (Philippians 4:13). When we journey through those times when it seems we may be overwhelmed, because “our help is in the name of the Lord,” we rejoice in the truth that “the temptations in (our) life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than (we) can stand. When (we) are tempted, he will show (us) a way out so that (we) can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

“If it had not been the Lord who was on our side. . . ”

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.

I Lift My Eyes To You

July 26, 2017

I Lift My Eyes To You

“I lift my eyes to you,

    O God, enthroned in heaven.

We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy,

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy,”

Psalm 123: 1-2a, 3a

Psalm 123 is a prayer for our journey as we seek the life in Christ as our way of life. Seeking the Life in Christ as our way of life is a process of becoming what we already are. The Apostle Paul proclaimed our new life in Christ to the church in Corinth, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In this new life, today, we are in a right relationship with our Heavenly Father because, “God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!

In this new life, we are living in Christ, between his coming in the flesh as Emmanuel, and his coming again in glory as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We are learning to crucify our flesh, to unlearn our old way of living and fully embrace our transformation. “And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18 The Message).

Even though we are new creatures in Christ, we still live in a fallen world that does not worship our God. We still are tempted by the evil one, the enemy of God, to sin. Our mission is to live “so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh” (2 Corinthians 4:11 NRSV). In the times when we feel faint, when we are struggling on our way, Psalm 123 can help us pray and stay on the path to scriptural holiness, harmony with God:

“I lift my eyes to you,

    O God, enthroned in heaven.

We keep looking to the Lord our God for his mercy,

Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy,”

Psalm 123: 1-2a, 3a

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.