Seeking the Life in Christ: March 2020

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Our Practice of The Golden Rule

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

March 31, 2020

Our Practice of The Golden Rule

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.

This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

Matthew 7:12

Jesus said, the essence of all of God’s law and the teaching of the prophets is, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.” Wow! That’s quite a statement. Actually, it only seems like such a radical assertion when the Golden Rule is taken out of the context of the entire Sermon on the Mount. When we keep it in the Sermon, we then recall how Jesus took the prevailing norms of his culture and turned them upside down. He gave his followers a new perspective, a new way to pray and new ways to live in right relationships with God and their neighbors. When we put into practice all that Jesus teaches us, then what we do unto others, and what we want others to do unto us, reflect Kingdom values.

Jesus removes any doubt about the application of the Golden Rule when later in Matthew’s Gospel he again distills God’s law and the teaching of the prophets: “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:37-40).

My Takeaway: How may Jesus teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, and about the greatest commandments, inform our practice of the Golden Rule? If today we are seeking “the new way of living in the Spirit” (Romans 7:6), which is to live in the reality of God’s grace and mercy for us, how can we offer grace and mercy for our neighbors as an expression of the Golden Rule?

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.

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.

Monday, March 30, 2020

How Much More

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

March 30, 2020

How Much More

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

Matthew 7:7

Jesus teaches us here that God wants our prayers to be bold, adventuresome and flowing from our heart. Our prayers are not judged on whether we get the words, doctrine or theology right. Our prayers are not judged good because we rightly understand our own needs, or what is best for us. We don’t need to understand our own needs because “(our) Father knows exactly what (we) need even before (we) ask him!” (Matthew 6:8).

Jesus is telling us to just ‘ask’ God! With childlike trust in God, just ask your Abba; tell Him what is in your heart, and trust Him to sort out your prayers. There will be times when you are not able to articulate what you are feeling. In those times, Jesus says we are to seek God. That doesn’t mean God is hiding; rather, this is an invitation to explore different types of prayer such as centering prayer, contemplative prayer, or fasting prayer. With persistence we keep at it until God’s peace gives us the assurance we are in His grasp. Then there are other times when we are desperate. Articulating our prayers is not an issue. Neither do we need to seek to find God; we know where He is. What we need is help, and we need it now! In those times, Jesus says Heaven awaits our holy boldness. Jesus assures us that when we bang on the doors of heaven, the Heavenly doors will be opened for us.

Jesus is teaching us about “the new way of living in the Spirit” (Romans 7:6). To emphasize the wonder of our right-standing relationship with God, Jesus introduces a wonderful phrase at the end of this passage: “how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him” (Matthew 7:11b Emphasis mine). Here, at the end of the first quarter of this New Year, it is a good time to pause and ask ourselves, “How is it going with my life?” Where are the places in my life where I can heed Jesus’ invitation to keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking?

My Takeaway: And, as I keep on asking, seeking and knocking, I do so with an expectant heart believing how much more God wants to bless me.

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, March 27, 2020

Jesus, On Self-Righteousness

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

March 27, 2020

Jesus, On Self-Righteousness

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.

Matthew 7:1

Jesus’ words, on first reading, seem to contradict the wisdom of Edmund Burke who said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” However, when we read the full passage (Matthew 7:1-5), we see Jesus didn’t issue a command to stand passively in the face of wrong; rather he gave us a formula for how to speak the truth with love and compassion. Again, Jesus wants us to see the application of his beatitudes, especially, “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

Jesus, the master of using hyperbole in his metaphors, invites us to first consider the log in your own eye before we confront our friend about the speck in their eye. This invitation to a life of self-aware humility is so very much needed in our culture. We certainly do not see this practiced by our political leaders or opinion writers in newspapers and social media. At this point, you may be tempted to say, “Why bother” to practice such a virtuous life when it is clearly not the norm in our culture. Good point; why should we aspire to be the odd-man out? But wait. Didn’t we just read something about this last week? (Hint: March 19, Salt & Light.)

“You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13a, 14a). God’s mission is to form Christ within us: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). As we make the life in Christ our way of life, we become salt and light to the world.

My Takeaway: The desire of Jesus’ heart is for me to trust him and allow him to be salt and light through me, wherever I may be, even, or perhaps especially, where discord and strife abound.

It has been my experience that I can’t be salt and light until I first ask, “how is it with my soul?”

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, March 26, 2020

Living in the Present

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

March 26, 2020

Living in the Present

“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Matthew 6:34

Two of the greatest temptations facing the followers of Christ is living in the past and living in the future. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he addressed this issue and encouraged his friends to not worry. Easier said than done for most of us!

Sometimes we find ourselves in the grip of regret about our past. All Christians struggle with this, not the least of which was the Apostle Paul. We first encounter Paul while he is holding the coats of those who martyred Stephen. Next, we learn that he has been promoted to the leader of those making brutal assaults on the followers of Christ. Certainly, Paul had plenty from his past that could have haunted him and immobilized him in service to God. But Paul fully accepted God’s forgiveness and embraced his calling to proclaim the Gospel of grace. The foundation of his ability to live in the present moment is contained in two verses: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:10 NRSV), and, “but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13).

We also can get easily snared in the trap of fretting about what tomorrow holds. Jesus didn’t sugar-coat his counsel: don’t worry about tomorrow because today has more than enough issues to keep us occupied. Whether we find ourselves tempted to be obsessed with our past failures or consumed with worry about what may happen in the future, the result is the same; we miss out on what is happening right now, where God has placed us.

Today, a person may cross our path who needs a word of encouragement, or correction. Today we may have an opportunity to engage an issue for which God has uniquely prepared us. Today, our great God needs us to be ready and willing to be used as His vessels of grace.

My Takeaway: I don’t want to miss my assignment from God because I am caught up regretting my past or being pre-occupied with what may happen down the road.

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, March 25, 2020

The Way You Live

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

March 25, 2020

The Way You Live

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.

Matthew 6:19

Jen Hatmaker’s wrote her book, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, after a visitor commented on the extravagance of her family’s upper middle-class home. 7 is the true story of how Jen took seven months, identified seven areas of excess, and made seven simple choices to fight back against overindulgence. Jen’s visitor was a kairos moment for her. She was able to step back and examine the priorities of her life. Her experiment revealed to her that she had been sucked into the American dream where happiness and success means more, bigger, and better.

Sometimes it seems like the American capitalist economy is a giant Ponzi scheme. Economists want the daily stock market reports to show an increase, never a decrease. Even remaining unchanged is not a good option. In order for the markets to increase, consumers have to spend more and more money; therefore, industries continually advertise bigger and better gizmos to replace the gizmos we already have and that work just fine. If we all follow Jen’s example and drastically reduce our spending, the house of cards will come tumbling down. Or so it seems.

Over and against the reality of our times, Jesus teaches us, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19-21).

My Takeaway: I want this prayer of Paul to be the reality of my life:

“So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, emphasis mine).

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.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Kingdom, Power, Glory. Forever!

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

March 24, 2020

Kingdom, Power, Glory. Forever!

“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Matthew 6:13

Early on, the New Testament church took the words of Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and incorporated them into the liturgy of worship services. The phrase, “For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” was added to the liturgy and eventually those words were inserted in some later manuscripts of Matthew’s Gospel. The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah truly waxed eloquent when he affirmed this same nature of God: “Surely Yahweh's mercies are not over, his deeds of faithful love not exhausted; every morning they are renewed; great is his faithfulness!” (Lamentations 3:22-23 NJB). I find much comfort in these affirmations of the eternal nature of God.

I was born into the Baby Boom era, and I have lived through the post WWII era, the Korean and Viet Nam war era, Camelot, Watergate, recessions and periods of inflation and the post 9-11 eras. There have been periods of history when we sang “happy days are here again” and hoped they would never end; but they did. There have been periods of history that seemed intolerable; but they too passed. The truest proverb of all time is this too shall pass. Everything has its season; everything will pass away except the Kingdom of God. Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension ushered in the eternal new era of God’s Kingdom. Just as God’s mercies are renewed every morning, so also His Kingdom is born anew with each new birth of a follower of Jesus. “For yours is the kingdom forever.” Hallelujah.

My Takeaway: God’s power is eternal; therefore “I am certain that God, who began the good work within (me), will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6).

“For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

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.)

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, March 23, 2020

Be Perfect! Seriously?

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

March 23, 2020

Be Perfect! Seriously?

But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

Seriously? I wonder if Jesus was smiling when he said that. Maybe he gave a wink and said, “Just kidding.” Jesus’ statement seems like such hyperbole that we are tempted to pass over it. In truth, we know we can never measure up to this standard. Then, we remember something else Jesus said: “Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible” (Matthew 19:26). OK then, if raising us up to a level of Godly perfection is within the realm of possibilities for our Heavenly Father, perhaps we can look at Jesus’ examples of behavior that more closely reflect the heart of God.

Jesus’ teaching on anger, marriage, and our relationships with others (Matthew 5:21-48) can all be traced back to his beatitudes. God is seeking to form Christ within us, to replace our narcissistic, self-absorbed hearts, with hearts of compassion that have love for our neighbors and enemies alike. The first step in this process is to know ourselves. As we truly grieve for the ways our natural instincts are the opposite of the life in Christ, we can begin to hunger, to long, and to thirst from the depths of our souls to be made right with the God of all creation. As we do, the words of scripture liberate our souls: “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). Now we can shout it from the rooftops, “With God everything is possible.”

My Takeaway: As we live in the reality of our right-standing with God, we express the merciful, forgiving, reconciling will of God. This is living our life in Christ; this is being perfect, even as our Father in heaven is perfect.

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.

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Jesus Calms the Storm

Jesus Calms the Storm

Mark 4:35-41

“Who is this man?” they asked each other.

“Even the wind and waves obey him!”

Mark 4:41b

The morning I visited the Sea of Galilee and looked eastward toward the Golan Heights, the Sea was very calm with barely a ripple on the surface. The Sea is situated in a valley and the weather is temperamental as winds funnel down through the mountains. Other than the fishermen on the Sea of Galilee, the Jews were not people of the water. They feared the sea and believed that evil, or monsters, came out of the sea. (See Daniel 7) They believed that only God was greater than the power of the sea. (See Psalms 65; 89; 93; and 107) In this passage from Mark, I imagine the disciples were incredulous that Jesus curled up and took a nap as they sailed across the Sea. The disciples kept a careful watch for the dangers they knew lurked in the Sea.

Although the disciples had witnessed Jesus perform miraculous healings, and even the raising of a boy from the dead, those memories faded into the background when the storm struck and all the fears they associated with the sea became very real. They knew they were about to die, and snoozing Jesus didn’t even seem to care.

Jesus calmed the storm in a demonstration of his authority over all creation and asked his disciples “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). In the face of a very real peril threatening the disciples, Jesus’ questions seem harsh. Jesus’ words needed to be strong because they were an invitation for the disciples to process something more terrifying than their fear of the sea: “The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!” (Mark 4:41).

It is Jesus, who has been “given authority, honor, and sovereignty” over all creation (Daniel 7:13-14) for whom even the wind and sea obey.

In this season of social separation and quarantines, I invite you to join me in this devotional exercise.

What do you identify as your greatest fear?

Let’s take a moment and concentrate on your fear and allow yourself to feel your anxiety.

Now, in your mind’s eye look up and see Jesus walking to you.

See him sit next to you.

With his presence so close to you, erase any preconceived notions you have about your fear, and drop any assumptions you may have about what Jesus may say about your fear, or what he may do.

Sit quietly in his presence and listen for the Holy Spirit to speak to our soul.

Remember, the person in the boat with the disciples was Jesus. The disciples didn’t have to be afraid.

Neither do I.

Neither do you.

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, March 20, 2020

Old vs. New

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

March 20, 2020

Old vs. New

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:20 (NRSV)

There was a pretty large crowd assembled on the shores of the Sea of Galilee as Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount. I can just hear the crowd murmuring when Jesus made the statement quoted above. They were incredulous. How could they outdo the scribes and Pharisees? If the religious leaders tithed – paid 10% to the Temple, would they have to pay 15%? If the religious leaders fasted two days per week, would they have to fast three? No.

By “exceeds,” Jesus wasn’t referring to a quantitative measure of the lives of the religious elite; he was referring to the quality of their offerings to God. Remember Saint Paul’s affirmation of God’s mission to form Christ within us: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). God is not looking at how well we do stuff that we feel we have to do to please Him. God is looking at our heart; how well do we love doing the things that please God?

The good news is that God doesn’t leave us to our own devices to sort all this out. Again, as Saint Paul affirms, it is God working in us giving us the desire and the power to make the life in Christ our way of life. In the next passage, Matthew 5:21-48, Jesus gives a half-dozen examples of what it looks like to exceed the righteousness of the religious leaders.

My Takeaway: Over the weekend, I invite you to join me in taking time to ponder this summary of the quality of life that fulfills Jesus’ teaching:

“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.

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Salt & Light

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

March 19, 2020

Salt & Light

“You are the salt of the earth.

You are the light of the world.”

Matthew 5:13a, 14a

With the Beatitudes, Jesus has given his disciples the characteristics of their life in him. The Apostle Paul reminds us our responsibility is to cooperate with God in His mission to form Christ within us: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). Our Godly desire is to make the beatitudes, to make the life in Christ, our way of life. When we do, we become salt and light to the world.

It is so very essential that the followers of Jesus embrace and own his call: we are to be salt and light! I can see two obstacles immediately as I think of my life, both individually, and as a part of a local church. First, for me personally, I want to avoid conflict. However, it is into the fray we are called. I must admit there is hesitation within as I try to emulate Isaiah’s response to God’s call: “Here I am. Send me” (Isaiah 6:8). It is unnatural for me to want to be salt and light where discord and strife abound.

Secondly, we live in a culture where it seems only the mega-church is valued. Many smaller churches are little noticed and quickly forgotten by denominational officials and most parishioners alike. However, in Jesus’ economy, the lone individual offering a cup of water to a stranger is as highly regarded as the mega-church and her scores of mission teams dispatched far and wide. Salt and light are needed across the street, and across the sea.

My Takeaway: Jesus’ word to me today is a stirring reminder that my life matters to him. He can see all of the 7.5 billion people in the world, one at a time, including me. He knows me and knows where I am. The desire of his heart is for me to trust him, and allow him to be salt and light through me, wherever I may be, even, or perhaps especially, where discord and strife abound.

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, March 18, 2020

Blessed are the Persecuted

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

March 18, 2020

Blessed are the Persecuted

“God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs”

Matthew 5:10

Let’s begin first with the blessing: “the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.” The New Testament is written from the perspective that human history is divided into two periods: the present age and the Age to Come. The Age to Come is when the Kingdom of Heaven is fully established on earth, and evil, sin and death have been banished. Jesus the Messiah inaugurated the Age to Come through his life, death, resurrection and ascension. The Kingdom of Heaven, or Age to Come, will not be some spiritual experience above and beyond life on earth; it will be new life on the earth, as the paradise God intended. Everything will be made right, and truth and justice will flourish. In this new age, life will be full of possibilities. There will be absolutely no barriers, or obstacles to fulfilling every Godly dream and ambition you have. Whether you long to create beautiful music or art, experience deep, fulfilling relationships, or any other noble pursuit, in the Age to Come, your dreams will come true. Often, those who live with abundance now assume that the culture in the Age to Come will operate the same as this present culture. However, Jesus taught that where this present age is wedded to materialism and performance-based acceptance, the Age to Come will be wedded to the magnificent grace of God.

As we seek the life in Christ as our way of life, it is vital that we, just like Jesus, keep our eyes on the prize. “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne” (Hebrews 12:2). Jesus endured the cross because of the joy awaiting him; we can endure persecution because of our hope in the Age to Come.

In Revelation 19, the Apostle John teaches us that the Christian witness for God in times of persecution is the most powerful witness for God in the world. The faithfulness of God’s people in standing firm on the Word of God is crucial to the defeat of the forces of evil. In Revelation 21, we get a glimpse of what it will be like when the persecution of God’s people has ended. With the ultimate and final defeat of evil, God’s people will be completely unrestrained in worship. Worship will not be confined to times and places; worship will be a state of being as God is worshiped through everything that a person does, wherever he or she may be.

My Takeaway: The followers of Christ have been commissioned to speak God’s Word and God’s truth into this present darkness. Our commission is to remain diligent in our responsibility to honor God as we wait for Christ to come in final victory and fulfill all of his promises for the Age to Come.

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, March 17, 2020

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

March 17, 2020

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”

Matthew 5:9

Peace is a vitally important subject in the New Testament. Jesus spoke of peace over twenty times in the Gospels, and peace was discussed over sixty times in the rest of the NT. The Apostle Paul inspires us to become peacemakers from this affirmation: “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1). This truth inspired Paul to practice what he preached, and the short epistle of Philemon reveals Paul’s work as a peacemaker.

Paul wrote from his prison cell in Rome to a man named Philemon who lived in Colossae. According to Colossians 4:9, the letter was sent to Philemon together with Paul’s epistle to the church at Colossae. Philemon was a wealthy businessman who probably came to faith in Jesus when he heard Paul preach in Ephesus. Philemon opened his home in Colossae for a new community of faith to be established.

Onesimus was a slave owned by Philemon. He had deserted Philemon and had at some point come into contact with Paul, and like Philemon, had come to faith in Christ. Onesimus had grown in faith, and had become an important contributor to Paul’s ministry. Even so, Paul knew that true growth in Christ comes through accountability. Paul was seeking to be a peacemaker so that Philemon and Onesimus could be reconciled. Paul knew that for Philemon and Onesimus to live out the life in Christ in this manner would be a huge testimony to the community of Colossae about the authenticity of the church, and the power of Christ to change lives.

Paul does not share his counsel to Onesimus, but I think it is safe to assume his encouragement for Onesimus would have been substantially the same as we see for Philemon. Paul built his case by reminding Philemon of whom he was in Christ, and that the cause of Christ has priority over everything in our life. Paul appeals to Philemon to do the right thing, because that’s what followers of Christ do. What a powerful affirmation of the power of Christ that Onesimus returned to Colossae, and that Paul entrusted his friend Onesimus to Philemon.

My Takeaway: While we do not know for certain what became of this reunion, we do know that in the years following this reunion, the church in the area of Colossae elected a Bishop named Onesimus. Onesimus was quite an unusual name, and though we cannot be certain, it is quite possible that the slave Onesimus became the Christian Onesimus who then became Bishop Onesimus. And the Apostle Paul was a peacemaker and a child of God.

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, March 16, 2020

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

Meditations on the Sermon on the Mount

March 16, 2020

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

“God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.”

Matthew 5:8

Jesus again turned to the psalms for his inspiration in the Beatitude, Blessed Are the Pure in Heart: “Who may climb the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord’s blessing and have a right relationship with God their savior. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob” (Psalm 24:3-6).

This Beatitude prompts us to consider our attitude about worship and to ponder just how pure are our hearts. First, what does worship mean to you? Generally, people tend to think of worship as an expression of adoration, praise and love to God. Certainly, such expressions are included within worship, but does that understanding truly get to the heart of worship? Perhaps we should first ask, why do we worship, what is the purpose, or goal, of worship?

Biblical worship, especially the worship described in the Book of Psalms, has but one purpose: to enter into the presence of God. When we experience the presence of God, our lives are healed and made whole, and we experience the transformation the Apostle Paul described in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. 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” (The Message). When the Bible describes worship, the people are bowing down; they are kneeling, in reverence and submission to God (See Psalm 95:6-7). I sense that the church in our culture is very casual and hardly submissive when gathering for Sunday morning worship services. Take a few minutes and ponder what it would be like if the church came together, and with hearts united with a longing to be in the presence of God, submitted to God’s righteous reign in our lives.

My Takeaway: Jesus promises us, that as we put our whole trust in him, we can allow God to transform our lives so that the things we desire, the things we do, are reflections of God’s heart for humankind. And, thus as we allow God to make our hearts pure, we will see God.

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.

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Our Practice of The Golden Rule

Monday, March 30, 2020

How Much More

Friday, March 27, 2020

Jesus, On Self-Righteousness

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Living in the Present

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

The Way You Live

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

Kingdom, Power, Glory. Forever!

Monday, March 23, 2020

Be Perfect! Seriously?

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Jesus Calms the Storm

Friday, March 20, 2020

Old vs. New

Thursday, March 19, 2020

Salt & Light

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Blessed are the Persecuted

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Blessed Are the Peacemakers

Monday, March 16, 2020

Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

Seeking the Life in Christ

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