Seeking the Life in Christ: November 2023

Thursday, November 30, 2023

We Too Will Inherit God’s Care

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 30, 2023

We Too Will Inherit God’s Care

And a voice from heaven said,

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:17

In the preceding verse, we learn that “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him” (Matthew 3:16). Jesus then heard a voice from heaven and “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1). Sometime later, perhaps one evening when Jesus and his disciples were sitting around a fire, Jesus told his disciples what happened when he was baptized. Jesus alone saw the heavens open, he alone saw the dove, he alone heard the voice, and he alone sensed the leading of the Spirit. The others present by the river that day only saw Jesus go under the water and upon rising from the water walk away.

In the wilderness, Jesus processed all that he had experienced, heard, and seen. During that time, he made his decision to trust that God was at work in him, and to accept by faith the future God had ordained for him. Jesus’ first act in ministry was accepting his identity as God’s dearly loved Son, with whom (God) was well pleased. For his act of faith, he was immediately tempted by Satan.

I think this is the model for all the followers of Jesus. Our first step as a Christian is to accept our new identity as the beloved of God with whom He is well pleased. Such a step of faith is contradictory to all our natural senses and cultural norms. It is a step of faith for which we assuredly, and repeatedly, will be challenged by the great enemy of God, the evil one, the devil. Jesus not only modeled how we will be tempted, he also modeled how we can overcome the tempter: “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Matthew 4:10).

My Takeaway: When we rely on the Word of God as our rule and guide through life, we, like Jesus, will receive God’s care: Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Matthew 4:11).

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.)

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

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

I Am ALWAYS A Winner

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 29, 2023

I Am ALWAYS A Winner

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.

Romans 8:18 (NRSV)

“And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory” (Colossians 1:27b). These words of Paul are deeply embedded in my soul. With my faith resting on this powerful affirmation from Saint Paul, I am a winner.

There are days, after two hours on the hard tennis courts, that I hobble around with sore knees and feet and feel like I am twenty years older than I am. Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory. There are days when depression is my closest traveling companion. Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory. There are days when the congregation is singing robustly; the choir’s anthem reaches all the way to Heaven, and the preacher rightly divides the word of God, and yet my mind wanders and I’m wondering what’s for lunch. Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory. There are days when I fail miserably in taking all my thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ and instead suffer with all manner of vain imaginings. Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory.

Somewhere on a kitchen wall hangs a plaque in a beaten-up wooden frame: “God will not look you over for medals, diplomas, or honors, but for scars . . .” Amen, brother! Those scars are not just from persecutions suffered through service in the name of Christ. Those scars also come from our own wrestling matches with our flesh, our own efforts, sometimes successful, often not so much so, to crucify our flesh. Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory.

When we are pressed on every side by troubles, when we are perplexed, when we are hunted down, and when we get knocked down by life, it is hard to feel like a winner. (See 2 Corinthians 4:8-9) Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory. I have come to realize that Saint Paul’s direction, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” was a lot easier for him to write, than for me to implement in my life; thus, for me, the promised “peace of God, which transcends all understanding” is sometimes quite illusive (Philippians 4:6-7). Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory.

My Takeaway: Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory. With my faith resting on this powerful affirmation from Saint Paul, I am ALWAYS a winner.

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, November 28, 2023

Tempted To Deny My Life in Christ

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 28, 2023

Tempted To Deny My Life in Christ

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Matthew 4:1

When Jesus was in the wilderness, he experienced the same temptations, in the same sequence, as did the people of Israel when they entered the wilderness after escaping from Egypt. Jesus was tempted regarding hunger, testing God and false worship. Unlike Israel, Jesus was faithful. (See Exodus, chapters 16, 17 and 19-32)

The Apostle John tells us, “for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16 NRSV). From the devil’s original temptation of humankind, “you will be like God,” the devil attacks the desires of our flesh (Genesis 3:5). However, the temptations are subtle. The devil didn’t tell Adam and Eve they would be better than God; rather, “you will be like God.” In the wilderness, the devil appealed to Jesus to avoid the long road of suffering and to take a short cut to gathering a following. Many of the people in Israel were hungry. If Jesus turned the stones into bread, he could feed a multitude and win the loyalty of the people. If Jesus leaped from the tower and was not injured, he would thus prove his divine nature. However, “without faith it is impossible to please God,” and faith is choosing to believe in God in the absence of proof (Hebrews 11:6). Perhaps the greatest temptation we all face is the lie that our needs for love, acceptance and a sense of self-worth are to be found in the riches of the world. Like Jesus, we are called to reject the notion that our value is in the kingdoms of this world and “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Matthew 4:10).

We are called to be a part of God’s people, to do God’s work in the world. Thus, we will face the same temptations, as did Israel and Jesus when they were in the wilderness. At their core, these temptations are not about things I really want to do but know I should not. They are temptations to be someone other than the person God calls me to be. These are temptations to deny I am a child of God.

My Takeaway: I want to live my life by trusting in Jesus, who loved me and gave himself for me. Every day I am tempted to deny my life in Christ and trust in something else to meet my needs. Like Jesus, I can turn to scripture and affirm that I am a child of God. So can 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.)

Monday, November 27, 2023

Divine Restraint

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 27, 2023

Divine Restraint

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.

1 Corinthians 10:23

The Bible teaches us to practice self-restraint. The Apostle Paul even includes self-restraint as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Both James and Peter urge their congregations to practice self-restraint or self-control. Most often, when we think of self-control, we are focusing on all the things we are not supposed to do as Jesus’ disciples. That is easy to understand because the phrase ‘do not’ appears almost 175 times in just the first five books of the Bible.

While the Bible is most assuredly concerned that we exercise self-control over the sinful desires of the flesh, the Bible is also very interested in our responding to our higher calling by practicing divine restraint. Several times in the Gospels, Jesus used the phrase, “I must,” such as, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43). The Apostle Paul also was driven by divine restraint when “he said, “I must visit Rome also” (Acts 19:21). In both these examples, Jesus and Paul were responding to the imperative God placed on their lives. They exercised self-control by not doing other things, not going other places, so that they could fully respond to God’s leading in their lives.

As the followers of Jesus, we too have an imperative from God. God wants to use our lives for the glory of His Kingdom. As disciples, we are called to exercise divine restraint in our lives so that we can offer all that we are, and all that we have, for God to use at His discretion. What does that look like; how do we do this?

Paul follows the passage quoted above (1 Corinthians 10:23) with this instruction: “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24). This is very similar to what Paul wrote to the Philippians: “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4 NRSV). In both instances, Paul is encouraging us to exercise divine restraint in how we use all our assets, so that we can use them in God-honoring ways, and not just for our own self-interest.

My Takeaway: Cheryl and I are applying this principle in our household by changing some of our household spending practices – not because we must pinch pennies, but because we get to. Some of the money we saved on household expenses by practicing divine restraint we are now investing with a missionary in the Philippines who works with street children. (Brand New Day - https://www.brandnewdayph.org/)

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, November 24, 2023

Let It Be Done To You

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 24, 2023

Let It Be Done To You

“According to your faith let it be done to you.”

Matthew 9: 29b (NRSV)

“According to your faith let it be done to you.” Jesus said those words to two blind men. They had asked Jesus to have mercy on them, “and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord” (Matthew 9:28b NRSV). Then Jesus touched them, and their eyes were opened. This is the faith, let it be done to you faith, that I want to have active and abiding in my life.

Now faith is not our means to unlock the genie from his bottle. Faith most certainly is not our means to manipulate God into doing what we want. Faith is how we open our lives to receive all that God wants to do in and through our lives. Godly faith will never deviate from God’s sovereign will in our lives.

How can we develop this, let it be done to you faith? Matthew, chapter 6, is a great place to start. In just thirty-four verses, Matthew refers to God as Father twelve times. Remember, in Jesus’ culture, the name of God was never spoken. The only record the Jews had of God’s name was the four consonants that were used to spell God’s name in their scriptures (Generally rendered as LORD in English translations of the Old Testament). It was almost blasphemy for Jesus to teach his disciples to call God, “Father.” Jesus has torn down some mighty barriers that separated people from God.

Jesus is showing us that through faith in God as our Father, our needs for love, acceptance and a sense of self-worth can be fulfilled in ways we never dreamed were possible. Jesus is showing us that through faith in God as our Father, we can experience God’s complete love and acceptance of us as His beloved child. Jesus is showing us that our relationship with God is all about trust. Can I trust God with all my life? It is one thing to serve a god that only gives me a list of moral and ethical standards to obey. Jesus is showing us another way; he is showing us that we can trust God, our loving Heavenly Father, with our life, our family, our job, our retirement, and our future.

My Takeaway: Growing in a loving, trusting relationship with our Heavenly Father, who is head-over-heels in love with us, will birth let it be done to you faith 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.)

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Speak Up This Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving

November 23, 2023

Speak Up This Thanksgiving

“Let the redeemed of the LORD say so”

Psalm 107:2

In October 2021, Dr. Billy Abraham died. He was a beloved Wesleyan scholar who taught at Southern Methodist University for more than thirty years and was in the process of launching a new Wesley House at Baylor University. He will be greatly missed, especially by Christians seeking to keep their faith securely grounded in Scripture. Billy was always encouraging the people of Christ to

“Know what we believe and say it!”

Thirteen years ago, Cheryl and I spent the week before Thanksgiving in Israel enjoying many of the sites of our Christian heritage. Ten years ago, we were in Colonial Williamsburg enjoying many of the sites of our heritage as Americans. Our heritage in both places was made possible because of the faithful who knew what they believed and said it.

Repeatedly in our visit to Israel, I was impressed that our Christian heritage is paved with the deep personal commitment and sacrifices of that great cloud of witnesses who surround us. (Hebrews 12:1) On our trip to historic Virginia, I was also very impressed that our heritage as Americans is paved with the deep personal commitment and sacrifices of countless men and women who responded to a higher calling in life than self-gratification.

As I take the time during this Thanksgiving holiday to ponder our heritage, I recall something I read in Jerusalem at Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Museum. Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) reflecting on the inactivity of German intellectuals following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group, made this observation:

“In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist; And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist; And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew; And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.”

God calls his people to speak up, or as the Psalmist put it, “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so” (Psalm 107:2). The Kingdom of God is extended when God’s people speak up. In your gratitude for all that Christ has done for you, I urge you to speak up. Speak up in your homes and churches. Speak up in your places of employment outside of your home and all the many places you enjoy social activities. The mainline media gives people the political and secular interpretation of the issues of our times. Speak up and give those around you an opportunity to understand the events in our culture from the perspective of Jesus who is our way, our truth, and our life. (John 14:6)

In gratitude this Thanksgiving, let us resolve to

“Know what we believe and say it!”

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, November 22, 2023

Eighty Percent Mortality Rate

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 22, 2023

Eighty Percent Mortality Rate

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 18:3

In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about being great in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 5:19) Just before our passage for today, the disciples had asked Jesus, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Matthew 18:1). Jesus replied that unless they became like little children, they wouldn’t even get into the Kingdom of Heaven, much less be counted among the greatest. In our culture, we tend to romanticize Jesus’ words and try to think of the admirable qualities of little children we know, like trust and wonder, which we can emulate. That’s not what Jesus had in mind.

Consider these statistics for children in Israel 2,000 years ago. For every 100 children born, on average, 30 died at childbirth. Another 21 would die before they reached the age of six. Of the remaining 49 children, 29 would die before they reached the age of sixteen. That is a child mortality rate to age sixteen of 80%. On average, only 20 of 100 children born would survive to become adults. You might think a society would thus deem children as precious and highly valued, but that was not the case in that culture. Children were little regarded and considered of no value until they reached adulthood.

Jesus is saying that the first step into the Kingdom of Heaven is to turn from our sinful ways. The second step is to become humble and unassuming as were the little children in Jesus’ culture. Then Jesus’ words will resonate deeply within our souls: “Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4) (“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs” (Matthew 5:3 NLT)

My Takeaway: By the way, life in the Kingdom of Heaven is a matter of repeating steps one and two, every day.

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, November 21, 2023

Uncle John Had Never Gotten Over It

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 21, 2023

Uncle John Had Never Gotten Over It

A cheerful heart is a good medicine, but a downcast spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:22 (NRSV)

When I was in seminary, one of my classmates was a very cheerful, upbeat woman. She had an effervescent faith and was quite convinced the sufficiency of God’s grace would see her through every day. She drove one of our professors crazy. He ridiculed her and called her ‘Pollyanna.” He was convinced she was not grounded in reality because he knew life was difficult and full of potholes.

Had he taken the time to get to know her, he would have found that she had experienced more than her share of difficulties, even tragic events; she was well acquainted with the potholes in life. However, she chose to respond to life differently than our professor. Her response to life reminded me of a story Garrison Keillor tells in one of his books. Garrison’s extended family gathered for a Thanksgiving feast. The hostess called on his Uncle John to pray. Garrison remembered that “Everybody in the family knew that Uncle John couldn't pray without talking about the cross and crying. And if there is one thing that makes people nervous, it's listening to a grown man cry. Sure enough, Uncle John prayed, talked about the cross, and cried. Meanwhile, the rest of us shifted nervously from one foot to the other and longed for the prayer to end. All of us knew that Jesus died on the cross for us, but Uncle John had never gotten over it."

Neither had my friend gotten over it. My friend remembered well what Christ had done for her, and this inspired her to always, even in the most difficult of times, allow the life of Jesus to be made visible in her mortal flesh.

My Takeaway: I think it was Saint Teresa of Avila who prayed, “From silly devotions and sour-faced saints, spare us, O Lord.” It is good to remember Teresa’s prayer because a good-humored Christian will win more souls for Christ than the best, and most zealous, but ill-humored evangelist.

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, November 20, 2023

Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 20, 2023

Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15

A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 film based on the life of John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics. Nash developed paranoid schizophrenia and endured delusional episodes that nearly destroyed his life. In one compelling scene, after Nash began to recover from his illness, and when he was awarded the Nobel Prize, he sees his delusional nemesis standing off to the side. Later he affirms that he is never far away from his delusions and must continually choose what reality to believe.

Joshua, in his leadership of the people of God, had experienced the consequences of ten men choosing to believe their fear, while only he and Caleb choose to trust God. For this reason, when Joshua had successfully led Israel into the Promised Land, Joshua challenged the people to “choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15 NRSV). Joshua would later learn that perhaps he should have phrased the challenge, “Choose everyday whom you will serve,” because each and every day we must not only reaffirm our loyalty to God, we must also reaffirm our decision to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

I know this is basic, even remedial Christianity. Even so, it is crucial to Christ being formed within us that we never lose sight of the basics. Some time ago, I was called upon to mediate a dispute. It was painfully clear that the parties were being guided by the cultural axiom, “Do unto others as they do unto you.” I was prayerfully seeking a guiding principle to govern my demeanor as the mediator and found it in one of Fred Craddock’s sermons: “You do not take your behavior from the nature of the other person; you take your behavior from the character of God.”

My Takeaway: The basics never go out of style!

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, November 17, 2023

The Trinity Lives In Us

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 17, 2023

The Trinity Lives In Us

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1 John 4:12

In 2007, Wm. Paul Young published The Shack. Within a few years, the book became a phenomenal success around the world, due in part because of people finding so many points of identification within his story. One of the enduring memories I have of the book is the lively, very personal, edifying, and uplifting relationship within the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In The Shack, the Trinity was not abstract depictions of a complex, distant and unknowable deity; the Trinity was very much alive. The Apostle John is pointing to this truth as he encourages us to love each other.

If God lives in us, then the lively, very personal, edifying, and uplifting relationship within the Trinity lives in us as well. This reality brings forward the teaching of both Jesus and Saint Paul: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36 NRSV) and, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). Can it really be that simple? Is sharing each other’s burdens how we obey the law of Christ? Yes! When Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment, he said their fulfillment of the commandment would be their witness to the world that Jesus was the Messiah. (See John 13:34-35)

Love is more than just putting up with one another. The love of God that is brought to full expression in us is lively, very personal, edifying and uplifting as we are merciful to each other, as we joyfully share each other’s burdens. It has been my experience that revealing the full expression of God’s love is the most difficult part of life for the followers of Jesus. When we try to think of others, instead of protecting our own self-interest, it cuts across the grain of every instinct within us. Maybe that’s why Paul kept urging his congregations to crucify their flesh.

My Takeaway: God has not given us an impossible assignment, because it is possible to do with training, what is impossible to do by trying. A good place to begin is to meditate on this passage:

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. . .” (Philippians 2:3-5).

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, November 16, 2023

Thou Art With Me

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 16, 2023

Thou Art With Me

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

Psalm 23:4a (KJV)

Contemporary musician, Dennis Jernigan sings the 23^rd Psalm. In his version, he uses the King James translation, and verse 4a is repeated poignantly, thou art with me, thou art with me, thou art with me. I first heard his rendition when I was going through a very difficult time in my life, and that one line of Holy Scripture from the song is embedded deep within my heart: thou art with me.

There are other passages of scripture that have captivated me just as deeply. Psalm 46 has long been one of my favorites, a go-to passage when I am called to pray for a person, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1 NRSV). Verse ten of this precious psalm calls God’s children to “Be still,and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a NRSV). Is that enough for you? Is it enough for you to know that God is with you in your troubling circumstance, without an expectation that your circumstances will change? Is it enough to know that even though your circumstances may not change, you will be comforted by God’s presence (thy rod and thy staff they comfort me)?

The Apostle Paul affirms that God is “the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). Paul didn’t say God was going to rescue us from our crisis. He affirmed God is present in our crisis with us, and that God’s presence is comforting. Is that enough for you?

My Takeaway: I can’t explain how or why, but there have been times in my life, when all I had to cling to was, “thou art with me,” and I found God’s presence, God’s comfort was enough. I have come to the place where I can say, ‘Yes and Amen” to Paul’s testimony: “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV).

Yes, and amen, God’s grace is sufficient 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.)

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

The Main Thing, Is to Keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 15, 2023

The Main Thing, Is to Keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:12-13

The passage quoted above is the beginning of the Apostle Paul’s ‘Thank-You’ note to the Philippians. His friends in Philippi had sent provisions for Paul, and expressions of their love for him when he was in jail, probably in Rome. In the note, Paul told his friends in Philippi that he had learned the secret of living in every situation. Wouldn’t you love to know Paul’s secret? Wait, don’t run too quickly to verse thirteen, “I can do all this through him who gives me strength,” because that powerful affirmation from Paul is the result of knowing the secret, not the secret itself.

Paul gives us insight to his secret with the marvelous benediction he uses to close his Thank-You note: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Philippians 4:19-20).

Paul’s passion for life flowed from his understanding of grace. Yes, grace is God’s unmerited favor, but it is so much more. The word translated as grace in the Bible can also be translated gift, and it is used to describe the gifts the Holy Spirit imparts to believers. Grace is one of the cornerstones of our faith that is a fruit of the Protestant Reformation. Sola Gratia, Latin for grace alone, describes how Paul could affirm “For in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28a). It is by Sola Gratia that Simeon could ask Wesley the rhetorical question, “What then, are you to be upheld every hour and every moment by God, as much as an infant in its mother's arms?” and it is by Sola Gratia that Wesley could answer, “Yes, altogether.”

By the way, the Latin word, gratia, that is translated grace, can also be translated, gratitude. I believe that describes Paul’s secret. He lived Sola gratia, by grace alone, and by a heart flowing with gratitude for the gift of life imparted by God the Father Almighty.

My Takeaway: We are all unique, one of a kind, creations of God. Our expressions of the Main Thing will differ, but as for me, I always focus on, “My life is not my own; by creation and redemption I belong 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.)

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Jesus’ Swim Team

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 14, 2023

Jesus’ Swim Team

When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore.

John 21:7b

In the Gospel of John, Jesus appeared to Peter, and others, at least twice the first week after his resurrection. On Sunday evening, Jesus came to the room where the disciples were hiding and imparted the Holy Spirit to them. Thomas was not present on that occasion, but Jesus returned a week later to encounter him. On neither occasion is there mention of any dialog between Jesus and Peter.

In John 21, Jesus encountered Peter and the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. On this occasion, there is an intense, deeply personal conversation between Jesus and Peter. However, before the conversation takes place, Peter is with the others on the lake fishing. I suspect Peter’s thoughts were consumed with guilt and condemnation as he remembered his conversation in Caiaphas’ courtyard: “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter. He replied, “I am not” (John 18:17).

Even so, Peter knew Jesus’ heart, and that knowledge led Peter to plunge into the water and swim to Jesus.

Recall that God knows the motives of our hearts. (See My Takeaway, November 10, 2023) Consider the words of the psalmist, “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.” (Psalm 139:23-24). What if we were to take seriously these words, and open ourselves to see what God already knows? Would we, like Peter, run to Jesus? Or would we hide in shame? As you ponder that question, consider that 1 Corinthians 13 is an affirmation of God’s love for you?

God’s love for you is patient and kind. God’s love for you is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. God’s love for you does not demand its own way. God’s love for you is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. God’s love for you does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. God’s love for you never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. God’s love for you will last forever!

I Corinthians 13:4-7,8b (My translation)

My Takeaway: Maybe today is a good day for us to purpose in our heart to join Peter on Jesus’ swim team.

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, November 13, 2023

Pleasures for Evermore

Meditations for Ragamuffins

November 13, 2023

Pleasures for Evermore

“In your presence there is fullness of joy;

in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.”

Psalm 16:11 NRSV

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter faced a daunting challenge. Together with the other one hundred-nineteen disciples, Peter had been in hiding since the crucifixion of Jesus. When the promised Holy Spirit came upon Peter and the others, it was kairos, God’s Time, to come out of hiding and proclaim the resurrection of Jesus to all people, everywhere. Where do you start; how do you explain Christ’s resurrection? Peter began with Psalm 16.

Peter preached that David’s claim that God would not allow His holy one to rot in the grave was fulfilled in Jesus’ resurrection (Psalm 16: 8-11 & Acts 2:25-32). The Apostle Paul also relied on Psalm 16 when he preached Jesus’ resurrection to the people in Antioch (Acts 13:35-37).

While David’s psalm is an Old Testament prophecy of Jesus, the Messiah, it also held great comfort and power for David. We too, can feed upon the truth of God in David’s great psalm of hope. In this psalm, David affirms his faith: in God who preserves him, in God’s goodness, in God’s presence before him, in God giving him hope, and in God’s victory over death as the Giver of life.

Because of these truths of God, we, like David, can experience in our present circumstances the peace of God that passes all understanding. (See Philippians 4:7) Because Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, the Apostle Paul proclaimed that we could rest in the sure hope of our eternal life in Jesus. (See Romans 8:11, 1 Corinthians 6:14 and 2 Corinthians 4:14)

My Takeaway: What else is there for the psalmist, and us, to say but,

“In your presence there is fullness of joy;

in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.”

Psalm 16:11 NRSV

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.)

Thursday, November 30, 2023

We Too Will Inherit God’s Care

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

I Am ALWAYS A Winner

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Tempted To Deny My Life in Christ

Monday, November 27, 2023

Divine Restraint

Friday, November 24, 2023

Let It Be Done To You

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Speak Up This Thanksgiving

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Eighty Percent Mortality Rate

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Uncle John Had Never Gotten Over It

Monday, November 20, 2023

Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

Friday, November 17, 2023

The Trinity Lives In Us

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Thou Art With Me

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

The Main Thing, Is to Keep the Main Thing, the Main Thing

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Jesus’ Swim Team

Monday, November 13, 2023

Pleasures for Evermore

Seeking the Life in Christ

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