Seeking the Life in Christ: February 2022

Monday, February 28, 2022

Our Devotion To God

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 28, 2022

Our Devotion To God

The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit.

Luke 10:1

Read: Luke 10:1-16

This passage, when taken together with the closing passage in chapter nine, reveals the double sense of urgency Jesus felt as he increased his disciples by six-fold to assist him in calling people to become the children of God.

The first urgency is for our individual lives as they are connected to family and friends. Jesus is pointing to the truth that we can never fulfill our responsibilities in the highest and best way possible until we are the children of God. It is only through knowing and applying Godly principles and practices in our lives that we are able live and relate to others as God’s beloved children.

The second urgency is that how we relate to one another in our most basic family and cultural units has huge implications for our communities, even our nation. God is love; Israel, God’s chosen people were characterized by hate. They hated their neighbors, including the Samaritans, which is the subject of Jesus’ parable in the second half of chapter ten. They hated the Romans. They wanted all-out war against the Roman invaders. Jesus knew Israel, unless she turned her heart to God, was heading head-long into destruction by the Roman Empire; hence the urgency in calling people to become the children of God.

My Takeaway: When we choose our devotion to God above all else, we come to know Jesus as the Prince of Peace and then the circle is complete; “God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

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, February 25, 2022

More on the Cost of Discipleship

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 25, 2022

More on the Cost of Discipleship

But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 6:62

Read: Luke 9:46-62

Immediately after Jesus heals the boy, Jesus told his disciples about the reception awaiting him in Jerusalem. The disciples didn’t understand. They knew they didn’t understand but were afraid to reveal their ignorance by asking Jesus questions. Instead of asking Jesus questions, the disciples argued among themselves about who was the greatest, the wisest, and the best disciple. The disciples saw another person doing the work of the Kingdom but wanted to shut him down because he wasn’t in their group. A village did not welcome Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem, so the disciples wanted to call fire from heaven to burn them up.

All the above occurred in just twelve verses, 44-56. These episodes reveal more of the brokenness of humanity as we saw yesterday. Remember the rebuke Jesus gave his disciples in verse 41? The irony of their arguing about who was the greatest in the Kingdom is so rich!

Many people try to diminish the importance of the closing verses in chapter nine by asserting such devotion only applies to the elite, people like John Wesley, Mother Teresa, or Billy Graham. Does God really expect us to place our devotion to Jesus above spouse, children, job, and country? Within the Christian practice of discipleship, this question is one of the most controversial. But Jesus is quite clear. His charge to those who would enter the Kingdom of God is to deny ourselves, to take up our cross and follow him.

In the light of the failures of Jesus’ disciples, it is tempting to lower the bar of expectations for our life as his disciples. After all, if the twelve disciples didn’t get it, if the twelve disciples behaved badly, why should I expect my life to be any different?

My Takeaway: Because Jesus does.

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, February 24, 2022

The Transfiguration

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 24, 2022

The Transfiguration

“They were glorious to see. And they were speaking about his exodus from this world, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem.”

Luke 9:31

Read: Luke 9:28-45

The NIV and NRSV Bibles translate this passage as Moses and Elijah speaking with Jesus about his departure. The NLT, quoted above, correctly translates the word as exodus. Luke wants us to see the connection between the Law and Prophets, Moses and Elijah, and the exodus of God’s people from slavery to the land of milk and honey. And Luke wants us to grasp that Jesus is leading us on an exodus from sin and death to eternal life, living in God’s righteousness.

The story of Jesus’ transfiguration reveals human weakness. First, we see that while Jesus had invited the three disciples to join him in prayer, they had fallen asleep. This was a scene that would be played out again in Jerusalem in the Garden of Gethsemane. Once the disciples were awake, they wanted to build tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah for as Peter noted, “Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here!” (v.33) Yet, after hearing the voice in the cloud proclaim, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him” (v.35), the disciples didn’t tell anyone what they had seen or heard.

The story of Jesus healing the demon-possessed boy includes the curious comment by Jesus, “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you and put up with you?” (v.41) Although Jesus had given his disciples the authority to heal diseases and cast out demons, they couldn’t help the boy. This passage, like the story of Jesus’ transfiguration, reveals the limitations, even frailty, of humans living in their flesh, as opposed to living their life in Christ.

My Takeaway: Jesus’ comment in verse 41 are words directed to faithless Israel by both Moses and God in the Old Testament. Although Jesus recognizes our human frailty, our fallen state is totally unacceptable to him. He is insistent that we will be transformed as his life is completely formed within 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.)

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

The Cost of Discipleship

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 23, 2022

The Cost of Discipleship

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.

Luke 9:23

Read: Luke 9:18-27

I believe we are living in an era of cheap grace. Dietrich Bonhoeffer noted in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” Bonhoeffer contrasted cheap grace with costly grace: “Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.”

Verse 23 is included in the three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In our process of spiritual growth, I believe there will come a time when we are able to own verse 23 as our own proclamation of the Lordship of Jesus in our life. For me, my time came many years ago when I came across this prayer of adoration:

O Lord, our Lord,

how excellent is Thy name in all the earth;

I worship Thee.

With all angels and saints I adore Thee.

I acknowledge Thee to be by Creator and my God.

I render Thee the homage of my being and my life.

I am not my own,

I am Thine.

By creation and redemption

I am Thine.

I will devote myself to Thy divine service

this day and forever.

O grant me grace for this, dear Lord.

Amen

As soon as I first read this prayer, the words, “I am not my own, I am Thine. By creation and redemption I am Thine” resonated deeply within my soul. I knew this is how I want to live my life, knowing that my life belongs to God.

My Takeaway: “For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’” (Acts 17:28 NRSV)

Salah

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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, February 22, 2022

They Kept Coming Back To Jesus

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 22, 2022

They Kept Coming Back To Jesus

Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people.

Luke 9:16b

Read: Luke 9:1-17

Today’s passage includes Luke’s telling of Jesus feeding the 5,000. I see some interesting nuisances in the story, such as Luke using the words that were later incorporated in the church’s sacrament of Holy Communion: Jesus ‘took the bread’, ‘blessed it’, ‘broke it’, and ‘gave it’.

I also noticed, “. . . he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people.” (v.16b) Jesus didn’t break the loaves into pieces and then sit back as the disciples distributed them. He gave a piece of the bread to the disciples, they distributed it to as many people as they could, then they came back to Jesus and got another piece of bread. They kept coming back to Jesus.

Our natural tendencies are to try to solve our problems the best we can, as the disciples did when they suggested sending the crowd away to find lodging and food. Jesus’ response to the suggestion of his disciples reveals three principles in learning to make the life in Christ my way of life.

First, there are some practical, logical things I can and should do, like Jesus organizing the very large group into more manageable parts. Secondly, God does not intend for me to go it alone. As we saw yesterday, God invites me to come boldly to His throne and receive His mercy and grace.

My Takeaway: Thirdly, as a disciple of Jesus, I need to keep going back to Jesus, over and over, so he can fill my cup.

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, February 21, 2022

Jesus Heals in Response to Faith

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 21, 2022

Jesus Heals in Response to Faith

“Who touched me?” Jesus asked.

But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.”

Luke 8:45, 50

Read: Luke 8:40-56

In first-century Jewish society, the practical needs for public and private hygiene were codified into laws and rules governing how to remain ceremonial clean. Persons deemed ‘unclean’ were forbidden by these laws and rules with having contact with any other persons because any contact would render the others unclean as well. Two circumstances that were strictly governed were the issues of bleeding and handling dead bodies.

The woman in our story does her best to hide her identity both before and after she touched Jesus because, if discovered, the crowd would angrily shun her. But Jesus calls her out of her darkness to affirm her faith and her new state of wholeness.

Jairus receives the news that his daughter has died immediately after he witnessed Jesus healing the woman. I suspect his heart leaped for joy when Jesus told him “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.” When Jesus arrives at Jairus’ home, he takes the child’s hand, he touches a dead person, and calls her to life.

Jesus’ messianic power is clearly displayed. So is his mission. God’s Messiah took upon himself the ‘uncleanness’ of the people. Jesus came to where the people were, and he intermingled himself into their lives. He got his hands dirty.

Jesus’ interactions with the woman and with Jairus’ family put a very real context on the promise of Hebrews 4:14-16:

“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

My Takeaway: The early church wanted the woman with the bleeding problem to be remembered always. They gave her the name of Veronica, and in the devotional exercise, The Stations of the Cross, she is the woman who wipes Jesus’ face at station six. Both Jarius and Veronica went boldly to Jesus, and both received mercy and grace to help when they needed it the most. Their epiphany invites me to trust Jesus with that which I need the most. Their epiphany invites me to go boldly to Jesus for my needed mercy and grace.

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.

Friday, February 18, 2022

Tell Them Everything God Has Done For You

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 18, 2022

Tell Them Everything God Has Done For You

“No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.

Luke 8:39

Read: Luke 8:26-39

In 2010, on my first morning in Israel, I stood on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee and looked eastward toward the Golan Heights which, now as it was in Jesus’ time, is not a part of Israel. I tried to imagine Jesus and his disciples crossing this lake. On the way across the Sea, Jesus calmed a storm in a demonstration of his authority over all creation. He demonstrated this authority again when he arrived on the other shore.

At the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the Roman invaders were thought to be the personification of Satan. It was also believed that evil, or monsters, came out of the sea. The Jews believed that any contact with a person, such as the demon-possessed man encountered by Jesus would make them unclean, as would contact with pigs and cemeteries. Accordingly, everything in this incident, from the perspective of the Jews, was evil and unclean. When Jesus exercised his authority over the demons (the forces of evil) and gave them permission to enter the pigs he was sending the evil back to the sea from whence it had come.

As Jesus prepares to leave, the newly freed man wants to go with him. Jesus bids him to stay with his family “and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.” (v.39)

Do you notice what happened? Jesus told the man to tell what God had done for him. The man went about telling what Jesus had done for him. For two thousand years, the church has struggled to find a way to describe the truth of God in Christ. The man did not allow himself to get bogged down in trying to understand how God and Jesus were one and the same. He just testified to what he knew Jesus had done for him.

My Takeaway: That’s all I need to remember: “Tell them everything God has done for you.”

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, February 17, 2022

Vastly Superior (Again)

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 17, 2022

Vastly Superior (Again)

21 Jesus replied, “My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.”

Luke 8:21

Read: Luke 8:16-25

I’ll comment on two of the three sections in today’s reading. First, I go back to a phrase I have used twice this week: vastly superior. Jesus’ response, when he was told, his family had come to see him, (“My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it” (v.21)), was not a put down of his family. It was a reference to the vastly superior new covenant Kingdom he was announcing. In first-century Israel, one’s personal family was vastly superior to all other relationships. In the Kingdom of God, all believers are brothers and sisters; we are all family.

As I think of the fierce storm Jesus and his disciples encountered on the lake, I recall that many times in the Bible, God is revealed as mightier than the sea and the forces of nature. Here are just four examples from the Book of Psalms:

65:7 You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves

89:9 You rule the oceans. You subdue their storm-tossed waves.

93:3-4 The floods have risen up, O Lord. The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves. But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore—the Lord above is mightier than these!

107:28-29 “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He calmed the storm to a whisper and stilled the waves.

Jesus had just concluded teaching two parables about the Kingdom of God. Luke just tells us Jesus rebuked the storm. However, Mark tells us in just three words Jesus rebuked the storm and revealed he is God: “Silence! Be still!” If I had been in the boat with God, I too would have been terrified.

My Takeaway: Lord, I invite you to speak to my anxieties, my fears. Silence them. Still them. You are Master of the wind and waves. Nothing is impossible for you. Amen.

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, February 16, 2022

Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 16, 2022

Parable of the Farmer Scattering Seed

And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.

Luke 8:15

Read: Luke 8:1-15

In today’s passage, Jesus talks with his disciples about how the people are responding to his proclamation of God’s Kingdom. The parable of the farmer provides images the disciples can easily relate. Luke wants us to be sure we do not think of this as a theoretical exercise, as in how people might respond to God. Luke has already introduced us to all the people represented in the parable.

There were the people in Nazareth, when upon hearing Jesus teach from Isaiah trampled on the word as they rushed Jesus out of the synagogue.

There was the Pharisee who wanted to hear more of Jesus’ words and invited Jesus to dinner. But his prejudice against Jesus and the woman made Jesus’ words land upon the rocks and stones of his heart.

There were the discontents who responded to neither John the Baptist nor Jesus. Their lives had too many distractions that choked out the words of the Prophet and those of Jesus.

But there were also the Gentile Centurion, the woman at the table with Jesus, and the twelve disciples. These, and many others, are the ones Jesus refers to in verse 15: “And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.”

Verses 2-3 introduce us to the group of women who traveled with Jesus. There was a high cost to their discipleship. Not only did they support his ministry with their financial means, but they also served Jesus with a willingness to go against many of the social customs of their day. These women were the first disciples to truly get out of their comfort zone and dare to live a new way in response to the life-giving words of Jesus.

My Takeaway: These courageous women, as well as the others who received Jesus’ words, challenge me to examine my own life. Is there a discernable personal cost for my discipleship?

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, February 15, 2022

She’s a sinner!

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 15, 2022

She’s a sinner!

And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke 7:50

Read: Luke 7:36-50

Jesus was announcing the coming Kingdom of God, but the expectations of the people differed from the reality of God’s Kingdom. In Jesus’ Kingdom, there is exceeding joy, forgiveness of sins, and love. Jesus was teaching there will also be serious opposition to God’s Kingdom. In today’s passage, all these realities are demonstrated in a simple gathering around a dinner table and a discussion about sin.

Sin is not just a nuisance or a simple difference of opinion about morality. Sin cuts to the core of our being and is a compelling force within us vying to be the operating system of our life. Sin is so insidious, so destructive of life, that the Apostle Paul teaches the only way to overcome the power and practice of sin is to surrender our lives to be crucified with Christ. (See Romans 6 and Galatians 2)

In our story today, the Pharisee saw the woman clothed in sin. Jesus saw her clothed in his acceptance. While Jesus had been announcing God’s Kingdom, the woman had an epiphany. She believed Jesus was the Messiah, and she came to express her adoration and love for him. Jesus didn’t diminish the seriousness of her sinful life. Jesus did demonstrate the vastly superior Kingdom of God where there is joy, love, and forgiveness of sins.

The reality of Jesus’ Kingdom is that there is not a nickel’s worth of difference between me and the Pharisee and me and the woman. There is a huge temptation within me to think God’s getting a pretty good deal when he gets me, because I can diminish my sins by thinking they are few and for the most part inconsequential. There is also the reality that my sins are just as deadly, just as shameful as the woman’s sins.

My Takeaway: The question I face is whether I will wallow in my arrogance, or will I, upon receiving Jesus’ forgiveness, humble myself at his feet in love and adoration.

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, February 14, 2022

Vastly Superior

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 14, 2022

Vastly Superior

“Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”

Luke 7:35 (NRSV)

Read: Luke 7:18-35

Jesus went about the land teaching, healing, and demonstrating new life in the Kingdom of God. Jesus let the people draw their own conclusions about his identity and his mission. In the healing of the Centurion’s servant and the raising the widow’s son from the dead, Jesus’ power and authority are clearly on display. When the disciples of John the Baptist arrived, “Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and he restored sight to many who were blind.” (v. 21)

Luke records two responses to Jesus. “All the people—even the tax collectors—agreed that God’s way was right” (v. 29) But the “Pharisees and experts in religious law rejected God’s plan for them.” (v. 30) Why the difference?

Luke is revealing one of the greatest obstacles in our quest to make the life in Christ our way of life. Our expectations about what God should be like, what God should do, get in the way of the truth of Christ. Even John the Baptist stumbled over his own expectations of what the Messiah would be like, what the Messiah would do.

When I am stumbling over my expectations, I am placing myself at the center of my life. When I place Christ at the center of my life, I will come to know that God’s way is right. His way requires that I do the hard work of truly knowing myself, but it is the only way I know to enter the Kingdom of God.

My Takeaway: When Jesus said, “. . . of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of God is greater than he is!” (v. 28), that was not a put down of John. John was the last of the prophets. John prepared the way for God’s Kingdom, God’s New Covenant relationship with His children, which is, in every way, vastly superior to that which preceded it. May God’s wisdom be vindicated by my life. (v. 35)

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, February 11, 2022

God Has Visited His People Today

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 11, 2022

God Has Visited His People Today

When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said.

Luke 7:13

Read: Luke 7:11-17

It has been my experience that Christians are influenced more by the vision captured in the sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (Jonathan Edwards, 1741), than with our reading for today. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the “only begotten Son” of God (John 3:16 KJV). Colossians 2:9 tells us that, “in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.” In describing his ministry, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19. See also John 5:30, 8:28). So Jesus is God in human form. In Jesus, you see the very heart, the compassion, the love of God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

When Jesus was celebrating with friends at a wedding, God was showing him how to turn the water into wine. When Jesus was chatting with the culturally despised Samaritan woman at the well, God was giving him the words to say. When Jesus hung out with women and children, ate with sinners, and healed the Centurion’s servant, he was following the lead of his compassionate Father, whose mercy never ends, and whose compassion encompasses all that He has created. Some people see Jesus standing between humans and an angry God. Yet the Bible teaches us that all the compassion that flowed from Jesus first flowed from the heart of God.

My Takeaway: On February 2, I wrote that I always want to offer God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe, and that I want every experience of worship to grip me with wonder and awe. Today’s passage ends with the people who witnessed Jesus raising the widow’s son from the dead proclaiming, “God has visited his people today.” (v.16) Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our congregations stood after the benediction and in one voice proclaimed: “God has visited his people today.”

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, February 10, 2022

In Humility Ask

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 10, 2022

In Humility Ask

“Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof;

Luke 7:6b

Read: Luke 7:1-10

Jesus spent most of his ministry in the Galilee area, in and around Capernaum, Peter’s hometown. The Centurion, through his close friendship with the people, had heard of Jesus’ teachings and the miracles associated with Jesus’ ministry. The Centurion concluded that the God of Israel was the God of creation, the one, true living God. He also concluded that this God was present in Jesus. As one very familiar with the chain of command, the Centurion expresses simple faith: if Jesus says someone will be healed, they will be healed! The Centurion’s faith was completely centered in Jesus, not on whether he deserved God’s favor because of the good works he had done for the people. The Centurion simply believed that Jesus was the Lord over all creation and in humility asked Jesus for help.

As part of the liturgy for Holy Communion, our church incorporates the affirmation made by the Centurion:

Pastor: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him that takes away the sins of the world.”

People: “Lord, I am not worthy that thou should come under my roof, but speak the word only and my soul shall be healed.”

The Centurion’s affirmation is a reminder to me that I am what I am by the grace of God. As I remain faithful in this humility, like Paul, his grace toward me will not be in vain. (I Corinthians: 15:10)

My Takeaway: Jesus is the Lord of the universe. If I really believe that, how can my prayers change? If I really believe that, how can I live my life differently?

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, February 9, 2022

A Good Heart

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 9, 2022

A Good Heart

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.

Luke 6:45

Read: Luke 6:39-49

Chapter six closes with Jesus concluding his teaching on what it looks like to live as the children of God. In the next chapter, we will get a glimpse of an actual person putting Jesus’ teaching into practice.

As I reflect on today’s passage, I recall a photograph I saw a few weeks ago. My favorite college basketball team had just won a close game against their rival. In an empty arena after the game was over and the crowd had left, the photograph was of one of the star players, alone, shooting free throws. Always practicing, always improving.

So it is with us. As I noted yesterday, God has very, very high expectations for his children, and he will not rest until his children are transformed to be like Jesus. Our responsibility is to position ourselves to grow in Christ. For the last several years, most of my spiritual growth came through studying to prepare these mediations and preparing Sunday School lessons two or three times per month. Now I am blessed to participate in two classes per week where I get to be the student with an outstanding teacher. Always learning, always growing in Christ.

My Takeaway: The closing passage, v. 46-49, perfectly summarizes Jesus’ teaching: obedience. I believe the epiphanies, the manifestations of the presence of Jesus in my life will increase as my obedience to Jesus increases.

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, February 8, 2022

A Good Measure

Meditations in the Season of Epiphany

February 8, 2022

A Good Measure

“. . . give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

Luke 6:38

Read: Luke 6:27-38

Jesus follows his charge with instructions for living as the children of God. The instructions are not complex; rather, they are quite simple, direct, and easy to comprehend and remember. Love your enemies! Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, offer the other cheek also. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. Love your enemies! (Mentioned twice – must be important!) You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge others. Do not condemn others. Forgive others.

Even so, there was then, as there is now, a scarcity of disciples of Jesus who take seriously these instructions. G. K. Chesterton noted, "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." However, the enormity of God’s love for us is matched by His patience. God has very, very high expectations for his children, and he will not rest until his children are transformed to be like Jesus.

Jesus ends this teaching with a promise. (v. 38 above) This is the time of the year when I gather my financial records in preparation for my tax returns. I’m so very thankful for the quality of our lifestyle and all that we have been able to do in retirement. I also noticed that our charitable giving increased by more than 10% last year. And I am also very keenly aware we are living God’s promise: “give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

My Takeaway: Every Sunday, as the followers of Jesus gather in their sanctuaries for worship, the Holy Spirit moves through the pews and can be heard asking, ““Who will be a follower of Jesus? Who among you will live for Christ in this world?”

Who among us will respond, “Here I am; I will be his disciple.”

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.)

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A Good Measure

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