Seeking the Life in Christ: February 2020

Friday, February 28, 2020

Several People Saw Me

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 28, 2020

Several People Saw Me

Page 321-322

Matthew 28:16; Mark 16:12-13, 14b;

Luke 24:13-43; John 20:19-25

The story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus is a picture of the normal Christian life. Cleopas and his wife Mary, who was one of the women at the foot of Jesus’ cross, had despaired over the political, economic and spiritual conditions in Israel. They had encountered Jesus and had hoped that he would be the one to set them free. Then that hope was destroyed by the death and burial of Jesus. They had not been able to grasp that Jesus was the fulfillment of their hope, because they had been looking at the scriptures with too narrow a focus. On the road to Emmaus, as Jesus comes alongside them, he gives them a new perspective. Jesus’ revelation to them of God’s ultimate plan of redemption for all people, everywhere, prepared them to experience the presence of Jesus, anew, as Jesus broke bread with them.

The first meal recorded in the Bible is when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. Through their act of disobedience, sin and death entered the world. Here, in the first meal recorded after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus, the victor over sin and death, is revealed.

When Jesus appeared to his disciples on the evening of the first day of the week, he gave them the responsibility for taking his message of God’s New Creation to the entire world. When Jesus breathes on them, it invokes memories of Genesis 2:7 where God “breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” Now the disciples have received New Life in Christ.

My Takeaway: Cleopas and Mary’s experience with Jesus reveal the core of our Christian life. We are to study the scriptures, with Jesus as our guide, and celebrate his presence with us in the sacrament of Holy Communion.

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.

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.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

My Tomb was Sealed / My Tomb was Empty

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 27, 2020

My Tomb was Sealed / My Tomb was Empty

Page 313-321

Matthew 27:62-66, 28:1-15; Mark 16:2-8b, 9-11;

Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-18

The Gospel accounts of the resurrection are as surprising for what they record as they are for what they do not record. If I were telling the story, I think I would have given great detail to the actual event – the resurrection, but the Gospels provide precious little details. If I had been telling the story, I think I would have been tempted to present the disciples as great men of faith, receiving the good news they had expected; their master has risen just as he said he would. In the Gospels, no one expected Jesus’ resurrection, no one believed when first told, and the first witnesses were women, not men. In the world of the first century, women were not deemed as creditable witnesses. The first followers of Jesus were surprised, and the Gospels want us to have an opportunity to share in their surprise.

Not long after the first Easter Sunday, the church developed a liturgy for their Easter worship services which is still practiced by thousands of churches around the world.

He is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!

Too often, this powerful affirmation is left echoing in sanctuaries without any impact on our world. Why? Because it is one thing to announce Jesus is Risen, with your friends, in the safety of a sanctuary; it is another to make the truth of this powerful affirmation the way of your life.

As followers of this Risen Jesus, we are seeking to make the Life in Christ our way of life. In the devotional experience, Everyman’s Way to the Cross, which follows the fourteen Stations of the Cross, Christ speaks these words at Station Fourteen:

“So ends my mortal life. But now another life begins for Mary, and for Mary Magdalene, for Peter and for John, and you. My work as a man is done. My work within and through My church must now commence. I look to you. Day in, day out, from this time forth, be My disciple, servant, saint.”

The closing meditation then reminds us that Jesus’ life was not complete until he crowned it by his death. Our way is not complete unless we crown it by our life. Jesus has promised us: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” With this assurance, Jesus commands us: “Go now! Take up your cross and with your life complete your way.”

My Takeaway: JESUS IS WAITING FOR OUR RESPONSE

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.)

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.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

My Burial

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 26, 2020

My Burial

Page 309

Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47, 16:1;

Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42

Joseph of Arimathea, after receiving permission from Pilate to bury Jesus, had to hurry as it was already late in the evening on Friday. The Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday, and continues through sundown on Saturday. He had to purchase a burial shroud and place Jesus in a tomb before sundown.

“On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation” (Genesis 2:3-4).

Jesus had completed his work as the Messiah of God, so on the seventh day he rested from all of his work.

The entirety of the Christian faith rests on one and only one event: the Resurrection. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless” (1 Cor. 15:14). By the time the Gospels were written, various stories had been put forth by the religious leaders to try and discredit the Resurrection. Some would say Jesus never died. Some would say his body was stolen from the grave. In the reading today, all those stories are put to rest. Before the Gospels could announce the Resurrection, they first had to establish Jesus was dead and buried. Thus, the text for today became the basis for the Apostles’ Creed to affirm: “(Jesus) suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day he rose from the dead.”

My Takeaway: Jesus was laid in a tomb so that he could spend the seventh day in a Sabbath rest; but Jesus isn’t through. The first day of the new week is coming. Sunday promises to be the first day of God’s New Creation.

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.)

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.

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

The Crucifixion

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 25, 2020

The Crucifixion

Page 303-306

Matthew 27:32-56; Mark 15:21-41;

Luke 23:26-49; John 19:14, 17-34, 36-37

There are dozens of references to the Old Testament in today’s passage because the death of Jesus was a fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation. It is important that we see these connections because we want our faith to rest on something more substantial than just experience or emotion. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17 NKJV).

The events at the end of Jesus’ life symbolized that the Kingdom of God was being established through the death of the Messiah. Jesus’ crying out in a loud voice represented the commanding authority of God as spoken by His Son, which was similar to God’s commanding voice when He spoke to Moses from the mountain. (Ex19: 9, 19). The tearing of the temple curtain represented the end of the temple system. Now all people have access to God because of the death of Jesus. The earthquake represented the judgment of God upon the ruling powers and the establishment of God’s new order. The saints rising from the tomb represented Ezekiel’s dry bones coming to life through the life-giving Spirit of God. (Ezekiel 37:1-14)

Multiple times, we have been told that these events in Jesus’ life occurred during the Passover celebration. While Jesus was on the cross, the soldiers used hyssop branches to extend a sponge soaked in wine to Jesus. In Exodus 22, we read that God commanded the Jews to use hyssop branches to brush the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts. In Hebrews 9, we read that it was hyssop branches Moses used to confirm the Covenant God made with the Jews in Exodus 24. The Gospel account of Jesus’ crucifixion is showing us that Jesus is the Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. It is showing us that Jesus confirmed the New Covenant by his own blood.

The bystanders who mocked and jeered Jesus considered Jesus a failure because he was being executed by the Romans, the very people the Messiah was supposed to defeat. However, the Messiah didn’t come to defeat the Romans; the Messiah came to defeat the power of sin and death. The Messiah, the King of the Jews, fulfilled God’s promise to set us free from oppression.

My Takeaway: The Apostle Paul shows me how to respond to the Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world:

“But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit.”

Romans 7:6

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.)

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.

Monday, February 24, 2020

I Was Brought before Pilate and Herod

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 24, 2020

I Was Brought before Pilate and Herod

Page 295-298

Matthew 27:11-31; Mark 15:2-20;

Luke 23: 1-25; John 18:28-19:13, 15-16

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” (Lord Acton, British historian, 1834-1902) Pilate, on behalf of Rome, and the priests of Jerusalem demonstrated the truth of this axiom. Although Rome boasted of having the most advanced legal and justice system in the world, justice was the last thing on Pilate’s mind. He had absolute power, and used his power at the whims of his own vanity. The priests had power, though not absolute, and used it with equal vanity. Both are affirming the wisdom of King Solomon: “Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). Can the irony be any thicker than the priest’s refusal to enter Pilate’s residence, lest they be ceremonially defiled and unable to participate in the Passover? Yes, it can.

The absurdity of the moment escaped the priests as they conspired to kill an innocent man, while expressing a need to remain faithful to their law by refusing to touch something unclean. However, the irony thickens as they shout for the release of a man lawfully convicted and sentenced to die, and substitute in his behalf the innocent blood of Jesus. They thought they were being clever. What they really did was make it clear that the innocent Jesus was dying for sinful people.

Of course it was not just the sins of Pilate, the priests, the crowd, and the Roman soldiers that Jesus took to the cross. Mine were nailed there as well. As I celebrate Jesus’ sacrifice on behalf of all humanity, it will be worth my while to examine my life. Where does my basking in God’s grace collide with my legalistic attitudes toward others? Where are the places in my life where I shout for my interpretation of justice for others, while I’m praying for God’s mercy in my life?

My Takeaway: Barabbas’ role in this drama is recorded for one reason: Jesus was innocent and was put to death, Barabbas was guilty and set free. Barabbas was not the only person set free through the sacrifice of the innocent Jesus.

“For 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

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.)

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.

Friday, February 21, 2020

The High Council & Judas

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 21, 2020

The High Council & Judas

Page 291-292

Matthew 27:1-10; Mark 15:1;

Luke 22:66-71

Judas betrayed Jesus. Judas apparently did not contemplate that his act of betrayal would result in the death of an innocent man. Remorseful, and in an act of repentance, he confesses his sin to the Chief Priest and returns the money he had received for his treachery. In his arrogance, the Chief Priest offers no absolution. The Chief Priest is not at all troubled to have the blood of an innocent man on his hands, but Judas is very troubled.

The Chief Priest betrayed God and the very heart of the Law of Moses. In an act of blatant hypocrisy, the Priest bought a field from a potter (a person who made pots) and used it as a cemetery for foreigners. How ironic that this cynical act took on a note of honorable charity, as for many hundreds of years a public cemetery for indigents was known as the “Potters Field.”

Judas was at the table when Jesus initiated the Sacrament of Holy Communion. As he held a cup of wine, Jesus said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many” (Matthew 26:27b-28).

Didn’t Judas hear him? Didn’t Judas know that Jesus’ blood covered even his sin?

My Takeaway: Trying to grasp the infinite grace of Jesus will be our lifelong goal and the reason Saint Paul wrote of his quest to “lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12 NASB)

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.)

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.

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Peter Denied Knowing Me

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 20, 2020

Peter Denied Knowing Me

Page 291

Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72;

Luke 22:56-62; John 18:17, 25-27

Full of love and loyalty, Peter makes his way to the place of Jesus’ interrogation. When questioned, Jesus tells the truth. When questioned, Peter lies. Immediately, Peter understands Jesus’ teaching: I am the vine, you are the branch. Apart from me you can do nothing. Peter embodied the weakness of sinful flesh that cannot be overcome until Jesus sends The Helper, The Advocate, The Holy Spirit.

Today in Jerusalem, at the site of the home of the High Priest, there is a statue depicting Peter sitting around a fire as he denied he knew Jesus. His loss of integrity, his act of betrayal is memorialized for all time. Also today, in Rome, there is Saint Peter's Basilica. It has the largest interior of any Christian church in the world. Tradition holds that this is the burial site of its namesake, Saint Peter.

Peter’s journey from coward to saint affirms the power of God’s promise “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).

Near the statue of Peter, there is also a pit, hewed deep into solid rock. Jesus was imprisoned in this pit overnight, before being taken before Pilate. When I visited Jerusalem, I stood in this pit and read Psalm 88 to our group.

“You have thrown me into the lowest pit, into the darkest depths.”

Psalm 88:6

That vision is a continuing reminder to me that Jesus paid a very dear price in order to open heaven’s gate for a sinner such as me.

My Takeaway: The vision of Peter’s statue reminds me that the possibilities of new life in Christ, won by Jesus descending to the depths of the Pit, are endless.

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.)

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.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

I Was Tried before the Jewish Leaders

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 19, 2020

I Was Tried before the Jewish Leaders

Page 287-288

Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65;

Luke 22:54-55, 63-65; John 18:12-16, 16-24

Jesus was taken to the home of the High Priest. Peter followed. Jesus stood alone before the High Priest; one of his disciples has already betrayed him, nine others had run for cover, and Peter soon denied even knowing Jesus. What Jesus had to do, only he could do, and he had to do it alone. Only the Messiah, by the sacrifice of his own life, can open heaven’s gate for the rest of us.

In Jesus’ last teaching sessions with his disciples, he stressed that leadership in the Kingdom of God is altogether different than the ways of the world. That contrast is on display when Jesus is held by the Temple authorities. Perhaps the keenest insight into the character of the powerful is in how they treat the powerless. The cruel pettiness and brutality of the Temple guards, the dishonest accusations of the leading priests all reveal the lack of character and integrity of the powerful. As Jesus stood silent before the powerful, the Suffering Servant-King, Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 53:7 is brought forward:

“He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.”

By the way, remember there are no meaningless details in Scripture. While Jesus was taken before the Temple leaders, Peter warmed himself by a charcoal fire. (John 18:18) Peter will meet the resurrected Jesus by another charcoal fire in John 21:9.

My Takeaway: Still today, accusations and insults are hurled at the followers of Jesus. Still today, Jesus’ way is our way: “And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth.”

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.)

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.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

I was Betrayed with a Kiss

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 18, 2020

I was Betrayed with a Kiss

Page 283-284

Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52;

Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-11

God began His relationship with humankind in the Garden of Eden with Adam. Now we are in a second garden, Gethsemane. In the first Garden, God, in the cool of the evening, came looking for Adam. In the second Garden, in the cool of the evening, sinful man comes looking for Jesus, God’s second Adam. (The Apostle Paul writes much about the ‘first’ and ‘last’ Adam in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15) Another Garden will be the setting for Jesus’ resurrection.

‘Who are you looking for?” Jesus asked. “Jesus of Nazareth” the soldiers replied.

Those gathered in the Garden heard much more than Jesus’ simple reply, “I am he.” They heard; “I AM.”

“I AM The Bread Of Life.”

“I AM The Light Of The World.”

“I AM The Gate.”

“I AM The Good Shepherd.”

“I AM The Resurrection And The Life.”

“I AM The Way, The Truth And The Life.”

‘I AM The Vine.”

With the memory of these seven ‘I am” statements echoing through the Garden, the absurdness of the moment was overwhelming: sinful man was arresting God. The arresting force drew back and fell down. I suspect we would have as well.

The arrest of Jesus reveals the truth about the brokenness of the human condition. Neither the disciples nor the religious leaders are willing to trust God. Both groups attempt to seize control of the situation in an effort to pursue their own agenda. In the midst of this, Jesus models restraint, an essential quality of God and of those who would be His disciples. Godly restraint is possible when we pray as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “not my will, but your will be done”; but that is much easier to say than do. The first step toward surrendering control of our lives to God is awareness and acceptance of our human condition.

In the Garden, Jesus asked his friends to stay alert and support him in his hour of need. They slept. Judas betrayed him. At the moment of his arrest, Jesus called his disciples to follow his lead by showing restraint because Jesus is the Prince of Peace. The disciples chose violence.

Still today, while Jesus calls his disciples to go and make disciples, they sleep. Still today, there are those who twist and turn Jesus into a Messiah of their own making. Still today, many of the followers of Jesus prefer violence as a means to achieve their goals. Why is it so hard to get it right? Because we can’t fix our problem.

My Takeaway: There is one and only one solution:

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in my body, I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2: 19-20).

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.)

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.

Monday, February 17, 2020

Gethsemane

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 17, 2020

Gethsemane

Page 277

Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42;

Luke 22:40-46; John 18:1

The Mount of Olives, a mountain approximately 2,600 feet high, faces the Eastern Gates of Jerusalem. The Mount slopes gently down to the Kidron Valley. Mount Moriah, or the Temple Mount, rises on the other side of the valley. Gethsemane is an olive grove on the Mount of Olives and Jesus and his disciples went to this olive grove where Jesus prayed.

Jesus said you can pray for anything, and if you really believe, and you have no doubt in your heart, it will be yours (Mark 11:23-24). If there was ever a person who lived who had faith in God, without doubt in his heart, it was Jesus. It was with this faith that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me” (Mark 11:36).

Jesus did not receive what he asked for. Is there a contradiction between Jesus’ teaching on prayer and his own practice of prayer? No! Implicit with Jesus’ teaching on prayer is how he ended his own prayer; “Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (v.36).

Just as the evil one tempted Job in the Old Testament and Jesus in the wilderness after his baptism, so also the evil one seeks opportunities to tempt the people of God. No rational person volunteers for such an assignment, which is why Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). This is why Jesus, on the night of his betrayal, prayed three times for the disciples to be saved from temptation. (Mark 11: 31, 40, 46). When we do face temptation, and seek God’s will, we are assured of God’s help: “Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him” (Luke 22:43).

God has a plan of redemption for the entire world, and God has a particular purpose for every person to help bring into fulfillment His plan. God’s desire is for our life to always flow where we fit into His plan as opposed to fretting over how we can fit God into our plans.

Every church split, every controversy in a church is about control, and control is always about focusing on our will instead of God’s will. This principle applies to our personal lives as well. Breakdowns in marriage and family relationships can always be traced back to a fork in the road. One road is our journey toward self-fulfillment; the other road, the road less traveled, is the road of God’s will, God’s purpose for our lives.

My Takeaway: Proverbs 3: 5-6 helps us find the road less traveled.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

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.)

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.

Friday, February 14, 2020

I Warned My Disciples

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 14, 2020

I Warned My Disciples

Page 274

Matthew 26:30-35;

Mark 14: 26-31;

Luke 22: 31-39

Today’s reading is a classic illustration of strategy and tactics. A strategy is the master plan employed to fulfill a vision. Tactics are specific actions implemented to advance the strategy. God’s vision is the redemption of all humankind. God’s strategy was simple: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The tactics of Jesus, God’s only Son, included all the miracles he performed, as well as the times when Jesus sent out his disciples “to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9: 1-6 and Luke 10:1-20). In those instances, God’s tactics included Jesus’ favor going with the disciples for their protection, and the assurance of the success of their mission. In today’s reading, Jesus told his disciples that the former tactic (Jesus’ favor for protection) will no longer be employed. Now the disciples are to “take your money and a traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one!” (Luke 22:36). The Acts of the Apostles and the epistles of Paul contain ample proof that Jesus’ hedge of protection for his followers had been removed, as the disciples encountered many trials and tribulations in the fulfillment of their mission.

However, Jesus has not left us alone and defenseless. Jesus prayed for Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:31-32). And, “Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:34 NIV).

God’s vision is still the redemption of the world. His strategy for Jesus as the Messiah of Israel has been replaced with Jesus living his life through his fully- devoted followers. God’s tactics for fulfilling His strategy are for His children to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you” (Matthew 28:19-20a).

My Takeaway: Without doubt, our mission is very demanding and difficult, and at times dangerous. Even so, God is faithful: “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b).

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.)

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.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

I Prayed for All Believers

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 13, 2020

I Prayed for All Believers

Page 273-274

John 17

Jesus has brought us into the inner sanctum, the holy of holies, the very heart of God, where we can sit at his feet while he prays for us. I am in awe of Jesus’ prayer that brings his followers into a personal, intimate relationship with the Father. Jesus envisions his followers experiencing the very same unity that is glorified in the unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I believe Jesus wants us to be blessed in knowing he prayed for us (John 17:20), and he wants us to incorporate his prayer into our own devotional life. Some of the phrases, such as John 17:3, suggest that John had already been incorporating this prayer into his devotional life before he wrote his Gospel. I suggest reading through the chapter aloud slowly, and make note of what words or phrases grab your attention. Focus on those words or phrases and allow the Holy Spirit to show you God’s will for you in this part of His word.

My Takeaway: Today, verse 17 caught my attention: “Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”

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.)

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.

Friday, February 28, 2020

Several People Saw Me

Thursday, February 27, 2020

My Tomb was Sealed / My Tomb was Empty

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

My Burial

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

The Crucifixion

Monday, February 24, 2020

I Was Brought before Pilate and Herod

Friday, February 21, 2020

The High Council & Judas

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Peter Denied Knowing Me

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

I Was Tried before the Jewish Leaders

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

I was Betrayed with a Kiss

Monday, February 17, 2020

Gethsemane

Friday, February 14, 2020

I Warned My Disciples

Thursday, February 13, 2020

I Prayed for All Believers

Seeking the Life in Christ

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