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.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2022 by Alex M. Knight

 

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.