Seeking the Life in Christ: April 2023

Friday, April 28, 2023

Trusting in the Son of God

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 28, 2023

Trusting in the Son of God

He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

2 Corinthians 5:15

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:11-15

In yesterday’s meditation, I discussed the tension between being God’s children and being accountable for the conduct of our lives. Paul helps resolve this tension in today’s passage when he states, “those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ . . .” (v.15 above)

In Philippians 2:4, Paul explained what it means to live for Christ: “Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others.” This verse can be an epitaph for Paul’s life as an apostle as well as a mission statement for those of us seeking the life in Christ as our way of life.

In verse 14, Paul gives the rationale for our mission statement: “Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.” This is a point Paul often alludes to, such as in Galatians 2:20, “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.”

My Takeaway: In Joshua 24:15, God’s people were challenged to choose this day whom you will serve. This is a challenge I give myself daily: Will I choose this day to live by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for 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.)

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.

Thursday, April 27, 2023

Those Who Belong to Christ

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 27, 2023

Those Who Belong to Christ

For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

2 Corinthians 5:10

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10

In the first few verses in today’s passage, Paul discusses the tension he sometimes felt holding onto his faith in eternal life. He longed to be home with the Lord, but he also longed to complete his work as an apostle and share Christ wherever he could. He also experienced the tension between the realities of the world he lived in and his hope in the resurrected Christ. He continually resolved this tension by remembering to walk by faith, not by sight. (v. 7 NRSV)

In verse 10 (above), Paul makes clear that how we choose to live our lives is very important: “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged.” We know we are justified by grace through our faith in Christ Jesus. Even so, we live daily with the tension of already being God’s children (1 John 3:2) and being accountable for the conduct of our lives.

My Takeaway: “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

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, April 26, 2023

The Best is Yet to Come

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 26, 2023

The Best is Yet to Come

God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:5

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

Paul has discussed the trials and tribulations that are a normal part of our life, and he has discussed the feelings of being crushed, perplexed, driven to despair, and forsaken that we experience when persecuted for our faith in Christ. Now Paul wants to assure the followers of Christ that what we experience in our mortal lives does not encompass our total lives. We are living eternally, that is a life that is uninterrupted by our mortal death. There is more to come, a life beyond our mortal experience.

What our life will be like after we die is not clear. But what is abundantly clear in the scriptures is that we will be with God eternally. When we die, our spirits return to God where we will remain until Christ comes again to earth in his Final Victory. What is not entirely clear is whether we will get our newly resurrected body when we get to heaven, or will our resurrected bodies await us in the final judgement.

Although I have uncertainty about the specifics of what happens when we die, the Apostle John has given me great comfort about life after death.

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. (1 John 3:2)

My Takeaway: I may not be able to definitively explain what awaits humanity when our mortal life is over, but of this I am sure: I believe the Apostle John, therefore the best is yet to come.

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, April 25, 2023

Never Give Up

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 25, 2023

Never Give Up

But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.

2 Corinthians 4:13

Read: 2 Corinthians 4:13-18

Paul quotes the beautiful Psalm 116 in affirming his motivation to serve God. It is so simple, “I believed in God, so I spoke” (2 Corinthians 4:13, Psalm 116:10).

Paul believed God was working all things together for good. Paul believed God was working in him to give him both the desire and the ability to fulfill God’s will for his life. Paul believed “by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:10 NRSV).

Paul believed that “when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands” (5:1).

Like Paul, I believe God. I believe He wants to use me to invite people into the eternal relationship with Him that is made possible because Jesus Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

Like Paul, I want to live by trusting that God is at work in me, and in the world, to establish His everlasting Kingdom. I want to live as a Christian by fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

My Takeaway: Paul never lost sight of His goal and I never, ever, want to lose sight of God’s purpose in me. If I keep my eyes on Jesus, I will stay true to the course God has set for 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.)

Monday, April 24, 2023

Life and Death

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 24, 2023

Life and Death

For we who are living are always being handed over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our mortal flesh.

2 Corinthians 4:11 (NRSV)

Read: 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

The Apostle Paul believed that nothing in his life was wasted. He knew that everything in his life was an opportunity for the world to see how he had faith in God. That is what Paul means when he says the world can see Jesus in his mortal flesh. (2 Corinthians 4:11) However, Paul never denies the reality of the sufferings that are part of human life, and especially to those who serve God.

Take a minute to contrast verses 8-9 in Chapter 1, where Paul talks about the intensity of his suffering, with verses 8-9 in Chapter 4, where Paul affirms how God used those experiences to reveal Jesus to the world. Paul is testifying to the fulfillment of God’s promise to work everything for good in our lives. (Romans 8:28-29) In chapter one, Paul says he was feeling crushed, perplexed, driven to despair, forsaken, and nearly destroyed. That is what he felt during his troubles. But he still trusted God, and now in hindsight he testifies, “We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed.” (4:8-9 NRSV)

My Takeaway: As a follower of Jesus, I want the world to see the resurrected life of Jesus in my mortal life. However, Paul has given me an important caveat. If I want to make the life in Christ my way of life, I need to be prepared to see crucifixion at work in my life as well. (See Philippians 3:10-11)

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, April 21, 2023

Go Forth . . . Bear Witness

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 21, 2023

Go Forth . . . Bear Witness

Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up.

2 Corinthians 4:1

Read: 2 Corinthians 4:1-6

In reading today’s passage, I thought of two other passages of scripture – one from Jesus, and one from Paul – that are fulfilled in this passage.

The one from Jesus is in John 10: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.” (v.10a) (see also John 8:42-44 where Jesus. referring to the devil, says, “. . . for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Paul says Satan “has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News.” (v.4)

The one from Paul is in Philippians 2:4, “Let each of you look not to your own interests but to the interests of others.” In verse 5 of today’s reading Paul shows he is following his own teaching: “We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.” Paul understood his role as an apostle was to preach Jesus as Lord, and to serve the church in humility. He was always seeking to serve the interest of others.

My Takeaway: These two passages remind me of a portion of a benediction I often used in church services. I think it is good advice for daily living as a follower of Christ:

Go forth to serve God and your neighbors in all that you do. Bear witness to the love of God in this world so that those to whom God is a stranger will find in you generous friends.

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, April 20, 2023

Face to Face

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 20, 2023

Face to Face

Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.

2 Corinthians 3:12

Read: 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

The only model for leadership the people in Corinth knew was that of the pomp and circumstance of the Roman’s. Think about our President. The President never travels alone; he is surrounded by helpers, and everything around him is first class quality, the best. Consider Paul. He often traveled alone. He bought his clothes at Good Will, did not stay in the best hotels, and worked at manual labor to provide for his needs. The people of the Corinthian church wanted their leaders to be more like the leaders in their cultural world.

Paul points out to the church that if they want to see glory, they are looking in the wrong place. He uses the example of Moses, and the people of Israel from Exodus 34 to make his point. While Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments (Old Testament; Old Covenant; law), the people turned from God to idolatry, and made for themselves a golden calf to worship.

When Moses came down from the mountain he was outraged, but not nearly as much as God. God insisted that there must be accountability for their sin against Him. Moses returned up the mountain, and in prayer interceded for the people. God revealed His mercy to Moses and sent Moses back to the people. After being in the very presence of the glory of God, Moses’ face shined like the sun. When the people saw Moses, they were afraid. Just as when you turn on a light and the roaches run for cover, so the sinfulness of the people was revealed by the glory of God in Moses’ face. Moses put a veil over his face so the people would not turn away from him.

Paul is showing the church that if we try to earn our salvation, if we operate by performance-based acceptance, it is as though we are covered by a veil preventing us from seeing the glory of God. The glory of God is Christ in us. Paul wants the church to know that living in the new way of the Holy Spirit, we have God’s glory within us, and God’s glory outshines anything the world has ever known. Why would we want the pomp and circumstance of the world when the truth of God in Christ is so much more?

My Takeaway: “Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are—face-to-face! They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We're free of it! All of us! 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.” (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 The Message)

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, April 19, 2023

The New Way of Living in The Spirit

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 19, 2023

The New Way of Living in The Spirit

In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way.

2 Corinthians 3:10

Read: 2 Corinthians 3:7-11

Today’s passage, especially v. 10 above, immediately reminded me of Paul’s statement in Romans 7:6, “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.” (Dr. Larry Crabb’s book, The Pressure's Off, is an excellent study of this verse.) Our mission to seek the life in Christ as our way of life is informed by Romans 7:6.

Paul was absolutely persuaded that Christ had delivered to us an altogether new life and a new way to live. (2 Corinthians 5:17, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”) Our new way of living in the Spirit is the way we let our relationships with one another arise out of our life in Christ Jesus. Paul’s message in all his epistles can be summed up: God has given us a new way of living in the Spirit.

My Takeaway: My mission to seek the life in Christ as my way of life was initially informed by Philippians 2:5, “Let your bearing towards one another arise out of your life in Christ Jesus” (New English Bible, 1961) I love the way our new life in Christ is stated as fact, “…your life in Christ Jesus.” This is the new way of living in the Spirit.

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, April 18, 2023

WYSIWYG

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 18, 2023

WYSIWYG

Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

2 Corinthians 3:3

Read: 2 Corinthians 3:1-6

I recall a time when I spent quite a bit of money having my refrigerator repaired. The repairman was friendly and efficient. However, we continued to have issues with the refrigerator, and I called the repairman again. After inspecting the refrigerator, the serviceman said WYSIWYG: What you see is what you get. He said the problem was not with the new component he installed, but with an older component that was attached to it – which could be fixed for another couple of hundred dollars. He should have made that observation before the first repair. I thanked him for his time and showed him the door as I decided to make do with what we had.

The point of this story is the same one Paul is making in the first few verses of Chapter 3: the proof of the pudding is in the tasting. Letters of recommendation were a big deal in Paul’s era. However, Paul was saying he didn’t need letters of recommendation because: WYSIWYG. The people of the church in Corinth were his recommendation.

So it is with our churches today. Churches can have great advertising, great signs and brochures proclaiming the good qualities and good programs of the church. However, what really matters is what people see when they encounter the people of our churches. Paul is preparing us for a searing point he will make for us in about a week when we read 2 Corinthians 4:11, “. . . so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our mortal flesh.” (NRSV)

My Takeaway: We are living in very difficult times with so many issues dividing our nation and our churches. What the life in Christ means to me may be very offensive to others. I am finding that as I seek the life in Christ as my way of life, I need to continually pray Psalm 139:23-24,

Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

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, April 17, 2023

Spread The Knowledge of Christ

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 17, 2023

Spread The Knowledge of Christ

We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

2 Corinthians 2:17b

Read: 2 Corinthians 2:12-17

We could spend time pondering the way Paul has contrasting points in today’s passage. First, there is the door of opportunity the Lord opened for him in Troas (Ancient Troy), and his impatience waiting for Titus causing him to leave that opportunity in search of Titus. Then Paul uses a military image – a triumphal procession – as a metaphor for his travels to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere. Next there is the sweet perfume, a Christ-like fragrance which Paul contrasts with the dreadful smell of death and doom for those who do not receive his message. Whew!

Instead of pondering those contrasting points, I’m drawn to consider how the sharp contrast between those who received God and those who did not is just as much an issue in today’s culture as it was in Paul’s. More and more, I see churches aligning with voices that are clearly not Christian to be seen as culturally relevant. Our age is desperately in need of the truth of Christ.

My Takeaway: Like Paul, we too are called to preach the word of God. We may not have a church pulpit, but we have family and friends who need to hear our witness for Christ. We too can speak with authority, and like Paul, God is watching 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.)

Friday, April 14, 2023

A Healing Balm

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 14, 2023

A Healing Balm

When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit . . .

2 Corinthians 2:10

Read: 2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Apparently, a major issue within the Corinthian church had to do with the actions of a man. Paul challenged the man, but the church had been reluctant to do so. After following Paul’s counsel, although somewhat grudgingly, Paul now leads the church in forgiveness.

My first thought after reading today’s passage was to a recent occurrence in a church where one of the leaders was rebuking the other leaders for their failure to exercise church discipline. He reminded the other leaders that while they were called to love the sinner, they were not called to bless their sin. This condition in churches occurs far too often. As a pastor, I had to offer counsel like Paul’s. Regrettably, other leaders in the church declined to affirm my counsel and by their acceptance of the circumstances, they in effect blessed the sin.

My Takeaway: The grace and forgiveness of God is a healing balm to our souls. But it is only after our confession and repentance that we receive God’s grace and forgiveness.

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, April 13, 2023

By Your Own Faith You Stand Firm

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 13, 2023

By Your Own Faith You Stand Firm

I wrote that letter in great anguish, with a troubled heart and many tears. I didn’t want to grieve you, but I wanted to let you know how much love I have for you.

2 Corinthians 2:4

Read: 2 Corinthians 1:23 - 2:4

Today’s passage continues with the issues Paul raised in yesterday’s reading. The context of the issues the Corinthian church and Paul were experiencing were in the almost complete disconnect between the life in Christ and the prevailing cultural values in Corinth. Paul’s responsibility was to cast a vision for their new life in Christ and to identify where the church needed to make choices to follow Christ rather than cultural norms. This was a painful learning curve for both Paul and the church. (It is generally agreed among theologians that the letter Paul refers to in verse 4 was not preserved.)

As a pastor, I had similar experiences to these Paul was describing. Two of the primary responsibilities of a pastor are to cast a vision for the church and then equip the saints to fulfill that vision. This can be painful work as often the vision and the equipping require change. The changes include doing things in different ways, but more importantly, reaffirming that it is Christ we are following, not the ways of the world.

My Takeaway: The longer I served as a pastor, the more important it was to me to include affirmations of faith in worship services. Societal pressures require constant reaffirming that it is Christ and Christ alone whom we are following.

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, April 12, 2023

Enabled by God

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 12, 2023

Enabled by God

It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:21a

Read: 2 Corinthians 1:15-22

In today’s passage, Paul deals with an issue in the Corinthian church. Paul had promised to come for a visit, but circumstances prevented him from coming and the church doubted his truthfulness. Thinking of Paul’s difficulty, I recalled a meditation from James 4 from earlier this year in the Season of Lent.

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)

This passage from James 4 is an acknowledgement that our lives belong to God, and, thus, we seek God’s wisdom and leading in all that we do. Cheryl and I seek to follow this principal by often praying, “Lord, order our steps.”

Verse 21, quoted above is a constant theme of the Apostle Paul’s writings, i.e.,

And I am certain that God, who 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)

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13)

My Takeaway: Consider God’s proactive work in us: God enables us to stand firm in Christ; God who began the good work in us, will continue until His work is finished; God is giving us both the desire and the power to live lives pleasing to Him.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. 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.)

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

The Best Therapy

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 11, 2023

The Best Therapy

In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.

2 Corinthians 1:9

Read: 2 Corinthians 1: 8-14

Two of the many truths in this passage caught my attention this morning.

The first was Paul’s testimony of the power of intercessory prayer. “And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.” (v.11) In the past, I have been critical of how some people use prayer chains because I feel the emphasis was on the number of people praying rather than on the goodness and graciousness of God. When our prayers are united with their focus on fidelity to building for the Kingdom of God, God honors the prayers of the faithful.

The second truth is in verse 9 quoted above. In reading this verse, I immediately recalled one of my favorite quotes from Corrie ten Boom, 'You may never know that JESUS is all you need, until JESUS is all you have.' This thought is very similar to what Miles Stanford teaches in his book, Principals of Spiritual Growth: dependence on God comes at the end of dependence on self.

My Takeaway: “To trust in the God who raises the dead, with that faith anchored in the resurrection of Jesus himself, is the best therapy anyone could discover, in the first century, or the twenty-first.” (N.T. Wright)

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, April 10, 2023

Comfort Ten Times

Meditations on Second Corinthians

April 10, 2023

Comfort Ten Times

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others.

2 Corinthians 1: 3-4

Read: 2 Corinthians 1:1-7

In First Corinthians, ten times in the first ten verses, Paul invoked the name of Jesus. In that letter, Paul’s theme was about the person and work of Jesus Christ, and Paul laid that foundation at the very beginning of the letter.

In Second Corinthians, Paul uses the word comfort ten times in five verses. Again, Paul has laid a foundation for the theme of his letter. There are extraordinary qualities to this very special comfort of God that Paul is assuring the church God is providing for them.

First, Paul tells us that the Comforter can identify with your pain and suffering. Through the passion of Christ, the Comforter personally experienced pain and suffering.

Secondly, the Comforter brings the assurance that your life has meaning. Nothing is being wasted as the conclusion of First Corinthians teaches: your labors, even though they may result in pain and suffering, are not in vain.

Thirdly, the very presence of the Comforter is a source of strength to you. There is a quality to this comfort that allows you to see beyond the shadows of earth and into the light of eternity, where the ultimate truth of God is revealed to you.

This truth is that what is true of Jesus the Messiah becomes true for his people. The all-encompassing quality of Jesus’ life was that he rested in the sure knowledge that he was the beloved child of God. Paul teaches that this was true for Jesus, and it is true for the followers of Jesus. God’s people can rest today in the sure knowledge that we are the beloved of God, and that nothing can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus.

My Takeaway: As I ponder what it means to experience comfort in the presence of God, I think about the lyrics to Trust In You, by Lauren Daigle, that I listened to this morning:

When You don't move the mountains

I'm needing You to move

When You don't part the waters

I wish I could walk through

When You don't give the answers

As I cry out to You

I will trust, I will trust

I will trust in You

(Emphasis mine)

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.)

Friday, April 7, 2023

Sinful Man Was Arresting God

Holy Week 2023

April 7, 2023

Good Friday

Sinful Man Was Arresting God

“Who are you looking for?” (Jesus) asked.

“Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied.

“I AM he,” Jesus said”

John 18:4-5

Read: John 18:1-10

There is a beautiful symmetry in the way the Biblical writers tell the story of God. There was the first exodus of God’s people, from slavery in Egypt, led by Moses. The Gospels tell of Jesus, God’s Messiah, leading the second exodus, from slavery to sin and death. In the book of Genesis, we read of the Garden of Eden inhabited by Adam. In John 18, the setting is another garden, the Garden of Gethsemane. In the first Garden, God, in the cool of the evening, came looking for Adam. In the second Garden, in the cool of the evening, sinful man comes looking for Jesus, God’s second Adam. (The Apostle Paul writes much about the ‘first’ and ‘last’ Adam in Romans 5 and 1 Corinthians 15) Yet a third Garden will be the setting for Jesus’ resurrection.

“Who are you looking for?” (Jesus) asked. “Jesus the Nazarene,” they replied. “I AM he,” Jesus said” (John 18:4-5). The disciples, and perhaps even Judas who was with the soldiers, in the Garden that evening heard much more than a simple reply, “I am he.” They hear; “I AM.”

“I AM The Bread of Life.”

“I AM The Light 0f The World.”

“I AM The Gate.”

“I AM The Good Shepherd.”

“I AM The Resurrection and The Life.”

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

‘I AM The Vine.”

With the memory of these seven ‘I AM” statements echoing through the Garden, the absurdness of the moment was overwhelming: sinful man was arresting God. The arresting force drew back and fell. Did they understand the absurdity of the moment? Perhaps it was the humility of Jesus and his lack of resistance that shocked them. I don’t know for sure why the arresting force drew back and fell to the ground, but as I meditate on that scene, falling on my knees seems an appropriate response for me.

I pray you will worship our Risen Savior on Easter Sunday with reverence and awe.

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, April 28, 2023

Trusting in the Son of God

Thursday, April 27, 2023

Those Who Belong to Christ

Wednesday, April 26, 2023

The Best is Yet to Come

Tuesday, April 25, 2023

Never Give Up

Monday, April 24, 2023

Life and Death

Friday, April 21, 2023

Go Forth . . . Bear Witness

Thursday, April 20, 2023

Face to Face

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

The New Way of Living in The Spirit

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

WYSIWYG

Monday, April 17, 2023

Spread The Knowledge of Christ

Friday, April 14, 2023

A Healing Balm

Thursday, April 13, 2023

By Your Own Faith You Stand Firm

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Enabled by God

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

The Best Therapy

Monday, April 10, 2023

Comfort Ten Times

Friday, April 7, 2023

Sinful Man Was Arresting God

Seeking the Life in Christ

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