Seeking the Life in Christ: January 2022

Monday, January 31, 2022

Connecting the Dots

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

January 31, 2022

Connecting the Dots

When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”

Luke 5:8

Read: Luke 5:1-11

In Chapter four, we learn that Jesus traveled to Capernaum, which was Simon Peter’s hometown. Jesus stayed there quite a while teaching in the synagogue every Sabbath day. (4:31) On one occasion, he cast a demon out of a man, then went to Peter’s house and healed Peter’s mother-in-law. Later that evening, he healed many of various diseases and set many free from demons. Peter would have been aware of all this. Jesus used Peter’s boat as a pulpit and then gave Peter a fishing lesson. Peter’s response to Jesus indicated he already had a great respect for him: “Master,” Simon replied, . . .” (v.5)

Peter obeyed Jesus’ lesson on fishing and was stunned by the size of the catch. Verse eight, above, is itself quite stunning. Peter proclaims Jesus as ‘Lord’ with the same word that is used for God in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. In just a few moments, Peter went from addressing Jesus with a respectful, Master, to proclaiming him God. Peter’s epiphany moment was so compelling, he left everything and followed Jesus. (v.11)

From the time Jesus first began teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum, Peter’s epiphany, his realization that Jesus was someone very special, began to take shape. Jesus’ fishing lesson ran counter to everything Peter knew about fishing, and the size of the catch was what Peter needed to connect the dots; Jesus was special, he taught with authority, but he was more. Jesus was God.

My Takeaway: Sometimes a personal epiphany of Jesus happens suddenly – like with Peter on the shore of the lake, or Paul on the Road to Damascus. Sometimes the process takes years, or even decades. But I am certain that God, who through His prevenient grace, began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6)

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.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the 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.

Friday, January 28, 2022

The Power of God’s Spoken Word

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

January 28, 2022

The Power of God’s Spoken Word

Amazed, the people exclaimed, “What authority and power this man’s words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command!”

Luke 4:38

Read: Luke 4:31-44

In today’s reading, three points caught my attention. First, in the preceding passage, Jesus said, “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!” (v.21) That scripture promised Good News to the poor, the captives will be released, the blind will see, and the oppressed will be set free. (v.18-19) Those promises were fulfilled in Capernaum.

Secondly, Jesus simply spoke, and the demons obeyed him and illnesses, such as the one Peter’s mother-in-law had, were instantly healed. All by the authority of the words Jesus spoke. This reminds me of the power of God’s spoken word as Paul says in Romans 4:17, “(God) calls into existence the things that do not exist.”

The third point is solitude: “Early the next morning Jesus went out to an isolated place.” (v.42) Jesus had the power to simply speak and disposed of demons and illness. Yet, he needed his quiet time alone with God. If so for Jesus, how much more so for me?

My Takeaway: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27, NRSV) The same Jesus who cast out demons and healed illnesses by the power of his words, is in me. I need to spend a considerable amount of time pondering this truth. Perhaps seeking time alone with God is exactly what I need more of.

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.)

Thursday, January 27, 2022

God’s Agenda, Not Mine

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

January 27, 2022

God’s Agenda, Not Mine

When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious.

Luke 4:28

Read: Luke 4:14-30

The old church expression, ‘You’ve gone from preaching to meddling’ comes to mind after reading today’s passage. Or as the great preacher Fred Craddock noted, there are two kinds of preaching people won’t listen to: bad preaching and good preaching. Bad preaching wasn’t the issue in Nazareth.

History reveals that the Jewish people were longing for God to rescue Israel from the oppression of their enemies. Jesus announced he is the Messiah, the One whom God sent to save Israel. What was so offensive about Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah? It’s all about control. Jesus was saying the Messiah was coming to proclaim God’s grace for all people, including the Romans, the enemy of Israel. The people very much wanted God’s grace, but just for Israel, no other nations. The people wanted to control God’s agenda and be the ones who determined which nations were redeemed and which were not.

The people in Nazareth wanted to be like God. That’s a familiar theme not just for first century Jews. In our world today, we still suffer from the sin of wanting to control God’s agenda. Several years ago, a devotion in Daily Guidepost for New Year’s Eve said I only need to remember two things in the New Year: “Love God with all that I am and love my neighbor as much as I love myself.” Still today we struggle as much as the Nazarenes with wanting to determine who our neighbor is.

My Takeaway: The people of Nazareth responded to Jesus with anger and death threats. We see that behavior modeled everyday in our society. Thus, I need to be continually reminded it is God’s agenda, not mine. I am called by God to confidently trust in the future He has planned for me, and all who give their lives to God in Christ Jesus.

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.)

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

The Scriptures Say

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

January 26, 2022

The Scriptures Say

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, . . .

Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, . . .

Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, . . .”

Luke 4: 4,8,12

Read: Luke 4:1-13

There are two primary obstacles for the Christian seeking to live the life in Christ as their way of life. The first obstacle is our self, what the Apostle Paul calls our flesh, or our fallen nature. We are tempted seek our self-gratification over the will of God in our life. The other obstacle is the evil one. Jesus tells us the evil one comes to kill, steal, and destroy the people of God. Jesus says the evil one is a liar, the father of all lies; the truth is not in him. (John 8:44) The liar’s mission is to disrupt and destroy the work of building for the Kingdom of God.

It has been my experience the evil one does not tempt us with overt evil. Jesus was not tempted to kill, steal, or destroy people; he was tempted to prove he was God’s Messiah. The people were poor and hungry. After fasting for forty days wouldn’t it have been a good thing for Jesus to turn the stones into bread and feed himself as well as feed the people? The alternative ways to fulfill his role of Messiah offered by the evil one were essentially shortcuts that avoided suffering or crucifixion for the Messiah.

There were no shortcuts for Jesus and there are no shortcuts for his followers. The Christian vocation is unique to each individual as we each have our own gifts and graces given to us by God. Developing our vocation takes dedication and hard work, just as a musician must apply these attributes in learning to play a musical instrument.

We all will be tempted to take short cuts which, if taken, will compromise our Christian integrity. However, Jesus has shown us the way to respond to temptation. No dilly dallying, no debate; just immediate responses using the Word of God as our authority. Since the Reformation Protestant churches have maintained that the Bible is our sufficient guide for faith and practice. Certainly, if the scriptures were sufficient for Jesus, so shall they be for his followers.

My Takeaway: In Mark’s Gospel, the Spirit compelled or drove Jesus into the wilderness. (Mark 1:12) Mark used this language to connect Jesus to Genesis 3 where God drove Adam out of the Garden and into the wilderness, and thus Jesus is the second Adam. The first brough sin into the world, the second Adam, Jesus, brought salvation to the world. That language reminds me that the Spirit will also compel me to go into difficult places where I will need to fully rely on the presence of Jesus and do as Jesus did: “the Scriptures say.”

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.)

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Abundance Not Scarcity

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

January 25, 2022

Abundance Not Scarcity

Standing nearby were six stone water jars, used for Jewish ceremonial washing. Each could hold twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” When the jars had been filled, he said, “Now dip some out, and take it to the master of ceremonies.” So the servants followed his instructions.

John 2:6-8

Read: John 2:1-11

“This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory.” (v.11) This passage became personal to me when we visited Cana in 2010. In a chapel in Cana, Cheryl and I renewed our wedding vows.

This passage took on new meaning to me when Cheryl and I visited the Louve in Paris in September 2021. After viewing the Mona Lisa, we stood before a huge painting depicting the wedding at Cana which is located across the room from Miss Lisa. The size of the wedding party in the painting brings the one hundred-eighty gallons of wine Jesus made into perspective. It was certainly an appropriate amount for such a large gathering. Even so, I suspect Jesus may have had a twinkle in his eyes as the Wine Steward took a sample of the new wine to the bridegroom. Jesus may have said to himself, “Laissez les bon temps rouler --- “Let the good times roll.”

In John 10:10, Jesus says, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (NRSV) There is so much we can unpack in this verse. Most certainly, I believe, Jesus wants us to have a sense of abundance as opposed to a sense of scarcity. Jesus has long been trying to teach this lesson to me, and he really broke through to me on our trip to Paris last September. Our trip to France was magnificent in so many ways. When sharing some of our experiences with a friend, she noted, “You were walking in the FOG – the favor of God.” Yes. Yes, indeed. Our trip to Paris brought us lasting memories of living in the favor of God. The trip was another personal epiphany as we experienced God’s favor providing for us every day.

My Takeaway: I am writing this on the eve of a winter storm warning. My weather app forecasts between twelve and twenty-two inches of snow tonight and tomorrow. My personal epiphanies with Jesus have taught me to fear not. He, and His favor are with us.

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.)

Monday, January 24, 2022

The Light in the Darkness

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

January 24, 2022

The Light in the Darkness

Jesus told them, “Go back to John and tell him what you have heard and seen— the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” And he added, “God blesses those who do not fall away because of me.”

Matthew 11:4-6

The Day of Epiphany officially falls on January 6, the day following the 12 days of Christmas, and it begins The Season after Epiphany. The season of Epiphany lasts until Ash Wednesday, which this year is March 2, 2022. The theme of Epiphany is the manifestation that Jesus is the Messiah, and the season begins with the visit of the Maji, the baptism of Jesus, and the wedding at Cana. Throughout the season, we see the ways in which Jesus was revealed as God’s Son, the Savior of the world. Our response to the scriptures in the Season of Epiphany is to look for ways Jesus is revealing himself in our lives and our communities.

In December 2012, we were busy unpacking as we had just moved into our own home after I had retired in June of that year. Cheryl told me her doctor had called and reported she had an abnormal mammogram. He wanted to perform another test. The second test was inconclusive, and a biopsy was suggested. A day or two after the biopsy her hospital nurse advocate called and said the biopsy was negative for cancer. We breathed a sigh of relief and offered a prayer of thanksgiving. The next afternoon we were preparing to attend a Christmas concert with friends when Cheryl received a phone call from her doctor. He told her that the hospital had mixed up the results of the biopsies and had given her the wrong report. Her biopsy was positive for cancer. An appointment with a surgeon was arranged and four weeks after the initial incorrect biopsy report, I waited as Cheryl was in surgery to remove the cancerous tissue. Her surgery was successful. Five days later I had a heart attack and five days after being admitted to the hospital, I had open-heart surgery with five bypass grafts. Those were dark days for us.

In the six months before our hospital visits, we made many new friends in the community where we purchased our home, and we had connected with a church family. Throughout our surgery and recovery, we were surrounded by our pastor, church family and neighbors who encouraged us, prayed for us, and assisted us in our recovery. Truly, they were bringing the light of Christ into our lives; they were an epiphany for us.

My Takeaway: As I was wheeled into the surgery suite, I was praying the words of Psalm 23: “Thou art with me . . .” Cheryl said the recovery room nurse, who was a Wesleyan pastor’s wife, told her those same words were on my lips as I regained consciousness from the anesthesia. Knowing Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us is my personal epiphany.

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.)

Friday, January 21, 2022

I Believe in a New Heaven and a New Earth

This I Believe

Meditations on My Core Christian Beliefs

January 21, 2022

I Believe in a New Heaven and a New Earth

And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”

Revelation 21:5a

Read: Revelation 21:1-7

In Genesis 1, we learn that God created earth and humankind for his intended purpose to come and dwell with His people. In Revelation 21 and 22, the Apostle John has a magnificent vision of a new heaven and a new earth where God will dwell with His people.

In chapter 13, evil, in the form of the beast, came out of the sea. Here in chapter 21, when John says the sea was gone, it is an apocalyptic way of saying that evil has been removed. In this new earth, humans will enjoy the immediate and unhindered presence of God, and with that death, crying, and pain are gone.

As John continues with his description of New Jerusalem, he reveals that the entirety of the new city is the Holy of Holies, and God will dwell with all his people, continuously. Interestingly, no Temple is described in this New Jerusalem, suggesting that where, at one time, worship was limited to a place and a time, now worship will be a state of being as God is worshiped through everything that a person does, wherever they may be.

My eternal destination is not in heaven, far removed from earth. My eternal destination is with God in His new heaven and new earth. In this new creation, every promise of God, from Genesis through Revelation, will be fulfilled.

My Takeaway: Hebrews 12:2 tells us because of the joy awaiting him, Jesus endured the cross. Because of the joy awaiting me in God’s new creation, I too can endure my burdens. And because of the glorious future promised to me, I can avail myself of God’s grace to resist evil and allow my promised future shape my witness for Christ today.

Epilogue: In my meditation on November 24, 2021, building on the theme of “Know what we believe and say it!”, I noted my plan to begin on January 3, 2022, a six- week series of meditations of what I think are the core beliefs of the Christian faith. At that time, I was thinking more in terms of key doctrinal beliefs. That plan changed and evolved into a three-week series on my core Christian beliefs. I chose fifteen Bible passages that I believe reveal God’s grand design to redeem humankind. I believe these passages show the wonderful continuity in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. These passages draw me ever closer to the heart of God, and I pray they have helped you in your spiritual growth as well.

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.)

Thursday, January 20, 2022

I Am a Living Sacrifice

This I Believe

Meditations on My Core Christian Beliefs

January 20, 2022

I Am a Living Sacrifice

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Romans 12:1 (NRSV)

Read Romans 12:1-5

I believe one of the benchmark days in the life of a Christian is when we grasp the truth that the world's culture has told us a pack of lies about who God is, who we are and who our neighbor is, and that God in Christ Jesus is telling us the truth. When we come to this place, God transforms us into a new person by changing the way we think. (v.2a) In the second part of verse 2, Paul asserted that when we let God transform the way we think, we will learn to know God’s will for us, which is good and pleasing and perfect. This language is very similar to how Paul expressed God continually working in our lives in his letter to the Philippians: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13).

In verse 1, Paul is asserting a powerful truth that is both quite humbling and compelling. When the priest offered a sacrifice to God, it had to be perfect to be received by God as holy and acceptable. Because I am alive in Christ, I am welcomed into God’s sanctuary because God’s deems me as holy and acceptable as a living sacrifice.

My Takeaway: Today’s passage reminds me of Genesis 3:8, “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden.” At that time, humankind hid in their sin and shame because they were afraid of God. Today, God deems me holy and acceptable, and I can enjoy fellowship with Him as we share in the cool evening breezes. Thanks be to Christ Jesus, who loved me and gave himself for me to make this possible.

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.)

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Christ Lives in Me

This I Believe

Meditations on My Core Christian Beliefs

January 19, 2022

Christ Lives in Me

I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

Galatians 2:21

Read Galatians 2: 15-21

In this passage, Paul proclaims the foundation of the Christian faith:

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”

Galatians 2:20b

As the followers of Jesus, our life, our identity is in Christ. The Jewish believers were initially shocked to find that God’s plan of redemption included the Gentiles. As they struggled to accept this ‘new’ salvation of God, they assumed that it would mean the Gentiles would be incorporated into the Jewish faith and customs. Paul then confronts them with the news that God is doing a completely NEW work in and through Christ. While the Jews were the first to hear the Good News, that did not mean a Gentile had to become a Jew to receive the Good News. Salvation is not about incorporating Jesus into our existing life. Salvation is about completely letting go of our existing life and immersing ourselves into New Life in Christ Jesus.

The Life in Christ we seek is experienced only after we have come to the place in our lives when nothing, absolutely nothing, but the love of God in Christ Jesus satisfies the longings of our soul. The only way we can come to that place is to first experience that our efforts in the flesh to satisfy our longings for love, acceptance and worth do not bear lasting fruit. The Apostle Paul contrasts the flesh life with the life in Christ as the difference between night and day, as between death and life:

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20

“You’ll never know Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have.” (This statement has been attributed to both Mother Teresa and Corrie Ten Boom) How do we get to the place that Jesus is all we have? Getting to the place where we are broken, clinging to nothing but Christ is the work of our sovereign God, and God alone. Our part is to trust where God is taking us and to keep our eyes on Jesus.

My Takeaway: “Let your bearings towards one another arise out of your life in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5 (NEB 1961)) This verse changed my life and gave me my life’s mission statement: Seeking the life in Christ as my way of life. It is our life in Christ that enables us to choose a believing-obedience way of life that brings glory to our God and empowers us to be co-laborers with Christ for the Kingdom of 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.)

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Believing Obedience

This I Believe

Meditations on My Core Christian Beliefs

January 18, 2022

Believing Obedience

Through Christ, God has given us the privilege and authority as apostles to tell Gentiles everywhere what God has done for them, so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.

Romans 1:5

Read: Romans 1:1-5

Paul’s letter to the Romans is a systematic presentation of God’s plan of redemption for the entire world. In the first five verses, Paul outlines this plan which he fully developed in the sixteen chapters of this letter. Perhaps more than any other book in the New Testament, Paul’s letter to the Romans has been used by God to keep his people on the right track.

In the NRSV Bible, the first five verses are one sentence and are somewhat convoluted, making it difficult to grasp Paul point. The NLT breaks this passage into five sentences where Paul’s passion is easier to see. Paul is writing to a group of Christians in Rome, which in his time was the political, financial, and military center of power for the known world. Implicit in Paul’s announced intention of his letter is that while Caesar may claim to be god, the only true and living God has sent His Son to be the Savior for the entire world.

I chose this passage as one of my fifteen essential scriptures that form my core Christian beliefs for two reasons. First, I find it so valuable because of the way Paul shows God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit in complete unity in providing for the redemption of humankind.

Secondly, I chose this passage for the phrase, “so that they will believe and obey him, bringing glory to his name.” (v.5) I like N.T. Wright’s translation of this phrase where he uses, “believing obedience.” This is the explicit purpose of God’s redemption of humankind: that we would live in a state of believing obedience to Jesus and thus bring glory to his name. This was the practice of the first-century followers of Christ. When challenged about their ideas, Christians pointed to their actions. They believed their behavior said what they believed; it was an enactment of their message. They lived out the life in Christ as seen in The Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, and 1 Corinthians 13.

My Takeaway: The good news about the Good News is that Jesus enables his followers to live in a state of believing obedience.

For God is working in you,

giving you the desire

and the power to do what pleases him.

Philippians 2:13

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.)

Monday, January 17, 2022

I Believe Jesus is With Me

This I Believe

Meditations on My Core Christian Beliefs

January 17, 2022

I Believe Jesus is With Me

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

Matthew 28:18

Read: Matthew 28:16-20

In Matthew 1:23, an angel of God appeared to Joseph in a dream and quoted the prophet Isaiah, ““Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” (NRSV) In verse 20 of today’s passage, Jesus affirmed the words of Isaiah, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” My belief in this statement of Jesus is the foundation of my Christian beliefs because Jesus has given me, and all his followers, a huge assignment. The only way I can accomplish my assignment is having the presence of Jesus by my side.

What does it look like when Jesus’ followers believe that all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him, and that he is with his followers always? The first century Christian communities practiced making the life in Christ their way of life. Through their faith in Jesus, they lived out the Beatitudes, the Sermon on the Mount, and their lifestyle embodied the virtues of love set forth by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13. And they changed the world.

But this was not a one-off proposition. Every generation must choose whether to believe Jesus has all authority in heaven and in earth and that he is with us always. And every generation must decide whether to accommodate their faith to the prevailing culture, or to teach new disciples to obey all the commands Jesus gave us. (v.20)

My Takeaway: The first-century followers of Jesus witnessed to their faith not in words, but in deeds. Their behavior said what they believed. May it be so in my life.

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.)

Friday, January 14, 2022

I Need to Listen to the Voice of Jesus

This I Believe

Meditations on My Core Christian Beliefs

January 14, 2022

I Need to Listen to the Voice of Jesus

Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!

Luke 24:31

Read: Luke 24:13-35

I noted in yesterday’s meditation that many of Jesus’ followers turned away from him because they didn’t think Jesus was living up to their expectations. Some of the followers who didn’t turn away from Jesus were discouraged after Jesus’ crucifixion and thought he wasn’t the Messiah he claimed to be. They didn’t think their Messiah could be crucified; therefore, Jesus’ mission had ended in failure. “We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel” is how the disciples on the road to Emmaus put it. (v.21) They couldn’t see Jesus for who he was because the whole counsel of scripture was not the rule of their faith and life. (See my meditation of January 6, 2022)

To their discouragement, Jesus spoke a truth I need to hear today: “Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (v.27) Yesterday I noted that Jesus’ call to repent is a call to surrender my agenda, or ideas on how God should rule His Kingdom. In place of my personal agenda, I believe I am called by God to embrace the Word of God. I am called to the exposition of all the scriptures where I will hear the voice of Jesus reveal his fulfillment of God’s plan of redemption.

In today’s passage, as Jesus took the bread and blessed it, the eyes of the disciples were opened, and they recognized him. (V. 30-31) This is the other place to hear the voice of Jesus. In the sacrament of Holy Communion, as we come by faith to receive the bread and cup, we experience anew the presence of Jesus in our lives as we look forward to his coming again in final victory.

My Takeaway: There are so many voices in our culture clamoring for my attention and my allegiance. By God’s grace, may I hear the voice of Jesus above the din as he leads me home.

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.)

Thursday, January 13, 2022

I Need to Give-Up My Agenda

This I Believe

Meditations on My Core Christian Beliefs

January 13, 2022

I Need to Give-Up My Agenda

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

Mark 1:15 (NRSV)

Read: Mark 1:14-15

Two things caught my attention in this passage. When Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near”, I think of the prophecy in Isaiah 40 of the second Exodus, of God coming in person to establish his Kingdom on earth. There are some references to the fulfillment of the prophecy coming after 70 times 7 years, which would roughly coincide with the time Jesus spoke these words. Thus, those who heard Jesus make this proclamation, heard Jesus claim to fulfill the prophecy, that he, Jesus, was God coming to His Kingdom. The Gospel of John is not the only place where the divinity of Jesus is revealed. (We can also see this in Mark’s quoting of Isaiah 40 and Malachi 1 in the opening passage of Mark 1)

Secondly, the word, repent, caught my attention. I quoted the NRSV above because the NLT added some words; “Repent of your sins.” That is not incorrect, but it does connote turning away from things you should not be doing. I think Jesus had something deeper in mind. By the end of Jesus’ mission many of his first followers turned away from him because he was not living up to their expectations. They were not so much interested “in the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” (Matthew 11:5) They wanted a Messiah who would form a great army, drive out the Romans and establish Israel as a great nation. To those people, Jesus said repent. Repent from your agenda, repent from your idea of how God should rule His Kingdom. Repent and believe in God’s Good News.

My Takeaway: I need to give up my agenda because my life does not belong to me. By creation and redemption my life belongs to 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.)

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

I Need to See the Way God Sees

This I Believe

Meditations on My Core Christian Beliefs

January 12, 2022

I Need to See the Way God Sees

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

John 1:14

Read: John 1: 1-5, 14

John begins his gospel with the same words the writer of the Book of Genesis used: “In the beginning.” John then describes the creative energy that God used to form the universe as God’s Word. For John, Word is not just words like we read in a book or hear a person speak. Word is the very essence of God. John tells us Jesus is God’s Word.

The crowning achievement of the creation story in Genesis is God’s creation of humankind. As John opens his Gospel, he tells us God’s crowning achievement continues to be His care and love for His people. John writes that when we believe in Jesus, we are given the right to become children of God. We are reborn with a birth that comes from God.

In verse 14, John brings together some of the great biblical themes in Exodus and 2 Samuel. The Greek word translated “home” is used in Greek for tent and invokes the Tabernacle in Exodus where God dwelled with His people. When John wrote, “And we have seen his glory” he invoked the memory of Moses seeing God’s glory in Exodus 32. When John wrote, “the glory of the Father’s one and only Son” he invoked God’s promise in 2 Samuel 7 that from David’s house will come a son who will build a house for the name of God and who will reign as King forever. (See I Need to Trust God, January 5, 2022) Ultimately, we will see in the Gospel of John that Jesus’ glory is revealed in his self-giving love in his crucifixion.

John’s use of Word to describe the creative essence of God and of Jesus, takes me to Isaiah 55:11 (NRSV),

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;

it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

My Takeaway: In one verse John showed that God’s plan of redemption in Jesus was revealed throughout the Old Testament. If I want to understand the Gospel of John, and the New Testament, I need to see the way God sees.

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.)

Monday, January 31, 2022

Connecting the Dots

Friday, January 28, 2022

The Power of God’s Spoken Word

Thursday, January 27, 2022

God’s Agenda, Not Mine

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

The Scriptures Say

Tuesday, January 25, 2022

Abundance Not Scarcity

Monday, January 24, 2022

The Light in the Darkness

Friday, January 21, 2022

I Believe in a New Heaven and a New Earth

Thursday, January 20, 2022

I Am a Living Sacrifice

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Christ Lives in Me

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

Believing Obedience

Monday, January 17, 2022

I Believe Jesus is With Me

Friday, January 14, 2022

I Need to Listen to the Voice of Jesus

Thursday, January 13, 2022

I Need to Give-Up My Agenda

Wednesday, January 12, 2022

I Need to See the Way God Sees

Seeking the Life in Christ

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