Seeking the Life in Christ: April 2024

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

All Because Of You

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 30, 2024

All Because Of You

“Yahweh your God is there with you, the warrior-Saviour. He will rejoice over you with happy song, he will renew you by his love, he will dance with shouts of joy for you,”

Zephaniah 3:17 (NJB)

Worship leader and song writer Dennis Jernigan, in the Introduction to his CD “Break My Heart O God” (1995), included his interpretation of Zephaniah 3:17. First, here is Zephaniah 3:17 from the King James Version of the Bible:

“The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”

Next, here is Jernigan’s paraphrase of Zephaniah 3:17:

"The eternal self-existent God, the God who is three in one, He who dwells in the center of your being is a powerful, valiant warrior. He has come to set you free, to keep you safe and to bring you victory. He is cheered and He beams with exceeding joy and takes pleasure in your presence. He has engraved a place for himself in you and there He quietly rests in His love and affection for you.

He cannot contain Himself of the thought of you and with the greatest of joy spins around wildly in anticipation over you and has placed you above all other creations and in the highest place in His priorities. In fact He shouts and sings in triumph, joyfully proclaiming the gladness of His heart in a song of rejoicing.

All because of you."

Do you honestly believe that God shouts and sings in triumph, joyfully proclaiming the gladness of His heart in a song of rejoicing, all because of you? I need to be reminded of this glorious truth of grace often. Even though I have embraced this wonderful affirmation, there are days when I don’t act like it is true. I yearn for the days when my life will be evidenced by an uninterrupted serenity and compassionate attitude toward myself that reflects God’s own tenderness for me.

My Takeaway: Until then, I will often return to Zephaniah’s powerful affirmation. Today, join me and take time to rest in the wonder of God’s affection for you:

"He shouts and sings in triumph, joyfully proclaiming the gladness of His heart in a song of rejoicing. All because of you."

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.)

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.

Monday, April 29, 2024

Priorities

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 29, 2024

Priorities

Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal.

Matthew 6:19

Jen Hatmaker wrote her book, 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, after a visitor commented on the extravagance of her family’s upper middle-class home. 7 is the true story of how Jen took seven months, identified seven areas of excess in her life, and made seven choices to fight against overindulgence. Jen’s visitor provided a kairos moment that enabled Jen to step back and examine the priorities of her life. Her experiment revealed to her that she had been sucked into the American dream of more, and bigger and better.

Sometimes it seems like the American capitalist economy is a giant Ponzi scheme. Economists want the daily stock market reports to show an increase, never a decrease. Even remaining unchanged is not a good option. For the markets to increase, consumers must spend more and more money. Therefore, industries continually advertise bigger and better gizmos to replace the gizmos we already have and that work just fine. If we all follow Jen’s example and drastically reduce our spending, the house of cards will come tumbling down. Or so we are told.

Over and against the reality of our times, Jesus teaches us, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19-21).

My Takeaway: Jesus’ counsel is about the priorities of our lives. As I consider my priorities, I begin with my paraphrase of 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12.

I pray and ask God to enable me to live a life worthy of his call and that He give me the power to accomplish all the good things my faith prompts me to do, so the name of my Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way I live. I believe this is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

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 26, 2024

Putting Away Childish Things

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 26, 2024

Putting Away Childish Things

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.

Hebrews 11:1

By faith, I believe God will fully transform my life to become like Christ. I am most certainly a work in progress, and there are days when my assurance wanes when I don’t see much evidence of my transformation. Jesus’ first followers often pestered him for signs and wonders to prove he was someone special sent by God. His followers today aren’t much more mature as we often want discernable, tangible signs that God is with us, and that God is working in our lives. We may not be so crass as to say it flatly, but we want proof from God before we entrust God fully with our lives and fortunes.

We’ve heard the proverb that we’ll never know God is all we need, until God is all we have. The problem is that we have so much, we don’t really need God, not in real-life, practical ways. With cell phones, AAA, credit cards, friends, and family very few of us ever face a trial or circumstance that is beyond our own means to handle. There is one glaring exception to this reality of life as we know it. No cell phone, no AAA or credit card, and no friends or family members can truly be healing balm for our damaged emotions.

The Apostle Paul began his closing thoughts to his essay on love with the statement, “But when I grew up, I put away childish things” (1 Corinthians 13:11b). There comes a time in the life of every follower of Jesus when we need to face up to all the games (Paul’s childish things) we have been playing to meet our needs to be loved, to be accepted and to justify our lives. Instead of trying to control the perceptions others have of us, instead of using manipulation, intimidation, performance, and persuasion to work out the meaning of our existence, instead of wanting (or demanding) signs that God is for us, we come to the time when we embrace God’s word to Paul, and to all of His followers: “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Because “it is impossible to please God without faith” (Hebrews 11:6), all of us seeking the life in Christ as our way of life will come to the place where it is more important to us to please God than to please ourselves; we will come to the place where the center of our faith shifts from ourselves to God.

My Takeaway: Seeking the life in Christ as our way of life is a road less traveled. Even so, “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).

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, April 25, 2024

Peace

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 25, 2024

Peace

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

Romans 5:1

The Apostle Paul amplifies the truth of Romans 5:1 at the end of his great affirmation of the Supremacy of Christ, “For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20). Within this truth is a great mystery.

This mystery is that the peace with God that Christ Jesus won for us means that we are in peace with God even if we don’t feel at peace. The peace of God, which Paul said passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7), was won by Jesus on the cross and does not depend on our shifting moods or feelings. This peace was won for us before we even knew anything about God, or as Paul put it, “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Romans 5:8).

In Romans 8, Paul teaches that because we are in Christ, we are the children of God, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. This is truth regardless of whether we feel like it is true. Our acceptance doesn’t make it truth; our acceptance enables us to embrace the truth in life-transforming ways.

One way we can embrace this truth is to sit quietly with the prayerful thought, “Jesus is the beloved child of God.”

Next, sit quietly with the truth of Romans 8 in the prayerful thought, “I am the beloved child of God.”

My Takeaway: This exercise brings forth the truth of 2 Corinthians 5:7, “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” (NRSV) God is calling us to take a leap of faith and believe we are His beloved children. When we do, we experience His shalom.

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.)

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

I Will Come and Get You

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 24, 2024

I Will Come and Get You

Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.

John 11:25

As I read this passage this morning, I keep thinking back to the image from 2015 of twenty-one brothers in Christ, clad in orange jump suits, kneeling on a beach in Libya, in front of their executioners. Someone reported their last words were, “Help us, Jesus!” I suspect their murderers laughed as no one intervened and stopped the brutal martyrdom of those saints of God. The terrorists didn’t grasp the truth of all truths. Jesus didn’t say we wouldn’t die. He said, “Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.”

So far in my life, I have not run out of options. No matter what the crisis, I have always had resources, either mine, or of others willing to share, to enable me to deal with the crisis. Oh yes, I have been battered and bruised by life; my life certainly hasn’t been a bed of roses. But I have never been without hope. However, my help has always been in me, or in my family and friends, or medical science. Be it a blessing or a curse, I have never been without an option. Both Corrie ten Boom, and Mother Teresa have been quoted as saying, “You will never know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.” Our brothers on a beach in Libya came to the place where Jesus was all they had, and they asked him for help.

My Takeaway: I believe the murderers couldn’t see the faith of these martyrs becoming sight as Jesus fulfilled his promise to “come and get (them), so that (they) will always be with me where I am” (John 14:3). (In 2023, the Vatican formally recognized the 21 Coptic Orthodox Christians who were beheaded by Islamic militants in Libya as martyrs and designated February 15 as a day of remembrance of them.)

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.)

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The Wisdom of Accepted Tenderness

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 23, 2024

The Wisdom of Accepted Tenderness

Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

Brennan Manning paraphrased the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30 and wrote, “Come on, all you who are wiped out, confused, bewildered, lost, beat up, scarred, scared, threatened, depressed and I’ll enlighten your mind with wisdom and fill your heart with the tenderness that I have received from my Father.” (The Wisdom of Tenderness: What Happens When God's Fierce Mercy Transforms Our Lives HarperOne 5/30/04) Forgiveness has already been granted to the sinner, and all the sinner needs is wisdom to accept their forgiveness and repent, and God provides that wisdom through His prevenient grace. Then the sinner gets to live confidently in the wisdom of accepted tenderness.

This is the manifestation of the first beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Living in the wisdom of accepted tenderness is living in the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a truth that takes some time to process and internalize and take root in your life. When it does, it becomes a part of the truth that sets you free.

At the heart of accepted tenderness is God’s unconditional pardon of sinners. Everything in our culture drives us to condition God’s pardon on our behavior. Some people believe God pardons us because we repent and seek forgiveness, as if our contrition justifies God’s pardon. Nope. Our pardon was secured by the death and resurrection of Jesus, which occurred while we were still sinners. Repentance is to change one's way of life and comes after the sinner accepts God’s pardon, God’s tenderness, which has already been extended.

The unconditional nature of God’s grace, love, forgiveness, and pardon is unfathomable to our minds which are so entrenched in the Western Civilization culture of performance-based-acceptance. It may be helpful to spend time meditating on the woman in John 8, the return of the prodigal in Luke 15, and the last-to-arrive laborers in Matthew 20. After pondering these passages, ask yourself, “What did the woman do to justify Jesus’ words of, “Neither do I condemn you”; what did the son do to justify his father’s extravagant welcome home; and what did the last-to-arrive laborer do to justify receiving a full day’s wages?

My Takeaway: One day I heard God’s Spirit speak to my spirit, “You are my beloved son, with whom I am delighted and upon whom my favor rests.” What did I do to justify the tenderness of the Father’s words to me? Not a thing. Even my wisdom to accept God’s tenderness was a response to God first extending His prevenient grace.

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.)

Monday, April 22, 2024

Because Of The Tender Mercy of Our God

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 22, 2024

Because Of The Tender Mercy of Our God

Because of God’s tender mercy,

the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,

to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

and to guide us to the path of peace.

Luke 1:78-79

Many years ago, two men were sitting together watching a TV news report on an act of terrorism by radical Islamists. One turned to the other and said, “It really makes a difference what kind of god you believe in.” Yes, it does.

In the text quoted above, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, prophesied about the mission of his son to prepare the way for the Messiah of God who would guide our feet into the path of peace. How did Jesus accomplish his task?

One place the tender mercy of God is revealed is in John 8, the story of the woman ‘caught in adultery’. Jesus told the crowd, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” After the crowd disbursed, Jesus asked the woman, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:7-11) Jesus didn’t condemn the woman; he set her free.

This theme is repeated in many other parables, such as the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, and the incredibly generous landowner in Matthew 20. As followers of Jesus, we have been commissioned to step into our Father’s shoes; as God is giving and forgiving, so also are His children. Through the miracle of the indwelling Christ in his followers, we can love and forgive others.

My Takeaway: The rule of 7 marketing principle teaches that customers need to see a brand at least 7 times before they commit to a purchase decision. This principle is also applicable to the church. When we love and forgive others, it is a touch that may help them to accept the love and forgiveness of our God. Let’s pray that God will use us to touch someone with the love of Christ today.

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 19, 2024

The Lord Looks at the Heart

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 19, 2024

The Lord Looks at the Heart

The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7b

When the Bible speaks of the heart, it is referring to our mind, will and emotions, our soul, the very essence of who we are as a person. I find this very comforting. The LORD knows us from the inside out. He knows why we are the way we are. He knows our hurts, our fears, our brokenness, our dreams, and our hopes. The LORD loves us for the entirety of who we are. Think of the returning prodigal son being embraced by his father; that’s how the LORD loves each of His children.

This love of God for me inspires me to both love myself, just as I am, and to be willing to allow God’s goodness and love to transform my brokenness. As I told the Twelve-Step group I counseled,

it is OK not to be OK,

but it is not OK to stay that way.”

God is transforming His children to become like Jesus (Romans 8:28-29), and the tenderness of His love gives me the ability to release my past as “I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12b NASB).

Because of how I see this truth of God being worked out in my life, I am sensing God working patience into my life as I interact with others, especially those whom I perceive as difficult to get along with. God is teaching me to see their heart, just as He sees my heart, to see their brokenness just as He sees mine.

My Takeaway: Because I know how much I need the LORD to see my heart, it is becoming easier to follow Jesus’ command: “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you” (Matthew 7:12).

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, April 18, 2024

For Just Such a Time As This

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 18, 2024

For Just Such a Time As This

Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

Esther 4:14

Mordecai’s question to Queen Esther helped her understand God’s purpose for her life, and his question is just as pertinent to each of us. Substitute for the word Queen one of the many identifiers that reveal your roles in the world, for we each play many roles. In each of our roles, we play our part in one of two ways (or perhaps a combination of both): by following the norms of the world’s culture, or by trusting God. We would like for our choices to be a no-brainer, as trusting God certainly is the way for the followers of Jesus. But trusting God is seldom easy and often puts us in direct conflict with our environment, thus most of us find ourselves drifting between the ways of the world and trusting God.

The parade of the unseen cloud of witnesses in Hebrews 11 makes it clear that the way of faith, of trusting God, is the road less-traveled. As the writer of Hebrews put it, “All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it” (Hebrews 11:13). Even so, Queen Esther and these other witnesses bequeathed a compelling heritage to us. When the Queen made her leap of faith and seized the moment, she told Mordecai, “. . . though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die” (Esther 4:16b).

My Takeaway: In each of the roles we play, there may well come the moment when we are called by God to make our own leap of faith, to seize the moment, and take our stand, trusting in God. When our next moment comes, let’s remember we are not alone and we can take our stand next to Queen Esther and the other saints: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith. . .” (Hebrews 12:1).

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.)

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Living in the Present

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 17, 2024

Living in the Present

“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Matthew 6:34

Two of the greatest temptations facing the followers of Christ is living in the past and living in the future. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he addressed this issue and encouraged his friends to not worry. Easier said than done for most of us!

Sometimes we find ourselves in the grip of regret about our past. All Christians struggle with this, not the least of which was the Apostle Paul. We first encounter Paul while he is holding the coats of those who martyred Stephen. Next, we learn that he has been promoted to the leader of those making brutal assaults on the followers of Christ. Certainly, Paul had plenty from his past that could have haunted him and immobilized him in service to God. But Paul fully accepted God’s forgiveness and embraced his calling to proclaim the Gospel of grace. The foundation of his ability to live in the present moment is contained in two verses:

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:10 NRSV), and,

“. . . but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13).

We can also get easily snared in the trap of fretting about what tomorrow holds. Jesus didn’t sugar-coat his counsel: don’t worry about tomorrow because today has more than enough issues to keep us occupied. Whether we find ourselves tempted to be obsessed with our past failures or consumed with worry about what may happen in the future, the result is the same; we miss out on what is happening right now, where God has placed us.

Today, someone may cross your path who needs a word of encouragement. Today you will have an opportunity to engage an issue for which God has uniquely prepared you. Today, our great God needs you to be ready and willing to be used as His vessel of grace.

My Takeaway: I don’t want to miss my assignment from God because I am distracted by regretting my past or pre-occupied with what may happen down the road.

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.)

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Peace is Our Norm

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 16, 2024

Peace is Our Norm

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Isaiah 26:3

Have you ever experienced perfect peace? I suspect the Apostle Paul had in mind Isaiah’s perfect peace when he wrote of “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Both Paul and Isaiah envisioned peace for those who trusted in God.

I have experienced moments of perfect peace, but I know I have not yet fully manifested the life in Christ as my way of life so that God’s perfect peace is a characteristic of the normal ebb and flow of my life. Like joy, peace is the norm for the followers of Jesus. Also, like joy, our ability to experience God’s peace is influenced by our own brokenness. The foundation of joy is our awareness of the goodness of God who loves and accepts us just as we are today! The foundation of peace is trust.

I have found that I need to spend equal time considering the One I want to trust, and considering all the ways cultural conditioning has taught me to fend for myself. The more time I spend meditating on the character and integrity of God, as revealed in scripture and the life of Jesus, the more willing I become to trust in God to completely meet my needs for love, acceptance, and a sense of self-worth. The more I practice the discipline of pausing before I speak, act, or write, the more I become aware of how cultural conditioning has ingrained within me a need to find my needs for love, acceptance and self-worth fulfilled through my own performance.

It is easy to be tempted to believe God should be more concerned with the forces of evil terrorizing His people across the globe, than He is with me learning to rest in His provision for my life, especially in the seemingly mundane things in life. It is an easy temptation because it seems to make perfect sense, but it doesn’t make for perfect peace.

My Takeaway: We can trust in the supremacy of Christ, (see Colossians 1:15-20), who confronts the forces of evil even while being fully invested in our life. Such trust brings about perfect peace.

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.)

Monday, April 15, 2024

Joy is Our Norm

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 15, 2024

Joy is Our Norm

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy.

John 17:13

When Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” he was addressing those of us who realize that our spirits are broken and separated from God by sin. Jesus said these people are blessed because he offers healing and wholeness for our broken spirits. Through his healing we “become a new person” (Matthew 5:3 & 2 Corinthians 5:17). However, it is not only our spirits that are broken. We also have broken emotions and broken bodies. While our new life in the spirit is instantaneous the moment we believe, our emotional healing and the healing of our bodies may take a lifetime and may not be fully realized until the Age to Come. I thought about this truth this morning as I read Jesus’ words in John 17.

Most of the people who encountered Jesus in the Gospels experienced exceeding joy. Sometimes their joy was simply cheerful, as when they toasted and danced at the wedding in Cana, or when a multitude found more than enough food for all as they gathered to hear Jesus teach. For others, their joy was beyond their wildest dreams as Jesus raised their loved ones from the dead. Still others responded to Jesus with an incredibly beautiful and intimate joy as they anointed Jesus. (See Luke 7 and John 12) My point is simple; joy is the norm for the followers of Jesus.

My Takeaway: When the church sings, The Lord of the Dance, there is within me a smoldering wick that wants to get up and sing and dance with my Master. As I press on to fully experience life filled with the joy of Jesus, I hold on to Jesus’ promise, “I came that (you) may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10b 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.)

Friday, April 12, 2024

What a Friend

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 12, 2024

What a Friend

In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.

Isaiah 63:9

1- Who is the one person for whom you never doubted their love?

2- Who is the one person with whom you can talk freely and honestly about your deepest thoughts, feelings, and emotions?

3- Who is the one person, above all others in your life, who you desire to spend quality time?

Perhaps you have one person in your life who possesses all three of these qualities, perhaps three different people fill these roles in your life, or perhaps you haven’t yet entered a loving relationship with such a person(s). If you are still drawing a blank trying to answer these questions, that’s OK. Keep reading because I think I can offer you help.

First, for those who have a person, or persons, in mind for each of those three roles in your life, do you know that Jesus very much wants to be one of those persons? Jesus wants you to know him in a deep, intimate relationship. Jesus wants you to experience him responding to you with unconditional love, with tenderness and compassion. Some friends who love us unconditionally fall into the realm of co-dependency and offer mercy and compassion because they don’t want to hurt us with the truth. Jesus is the perfect model for speaking the truth in love. He confronts us when we need to be confronted, but always he comes to us with a love that empowers us to fulfill our destiny as the beloved children of our Abba Father.

My Takeaway: For my friends who are still holding a blank sheet of paper, unable to come up with the names of persons who fill those needs in your life, there was a time in my life when my paper was blank. I turned to Jesus and this song by Delirious? became my personal anthem:

Jesus Friend Forever

What a friend I've found

Closer than a brother

I have felt your touch

More intimate than lovers

Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, friend forever

What a hope I've found

More faithful than a mother

It would break my heart

To ever lose each other

Jesus, Jesus

Jesus, friend forever

Oh, Jesus, yeah, Jesus

Jesus, friend forever

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, April 11, 2024

Make Much of Jesus

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 11, 2024

Make Much of Jesus

So the Word became human and made his home among us.

John 1:14a

I know of a minister who travels a great deal to speak at churches and conferences. He always makes the same prayer request: “Pray that I would make much of Jesus.” Amen. I find his prayer request quite refreshing because I have become so weary of church meetings and gatherings where the name of Jesus is seldom, if ever, mentioned.

The Gospels reveal Jesus as a person. Fully human, Jesus is the revelation of humanity as God intended our lives to be. Jesus in the Gospels is truthful, blunt, emotional, non-manipulative, sensitive, compassionate, and unwilling to compromise his integrity. Jesus perfectly models the life his Father is committed to transforming our lives to become.

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)

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The New Testament church, when speaking of Jesus said, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Not only is Jesus the perfect model for our lives, but he is also the center of our existence as Christians, and he is the center of the church that gathers in his name. In Colossians 1:15-20, the Apostle Paul’s prose extolling the supremacy of Christ is unparalleled.

My Takeaway: Paul described our life in Christ as, “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). When this is true, we make much of Jesus. Sometimes this witness may be subtle; nevertheless, Jesus is visible in our mortal flesh. At other times, we are called to boldly proclaim that the core of our identity, the ground of our hope in life is in the person of Jesus Christ.

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.)

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

All Because Of You

Monday, April 29, 2024

Priorities

Friday, April 26, 2024

Putting Away Childish Things

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Peace

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

I Will Come and Get You

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The Wisdom of Accepted Tenderness

Monday, April 22, 2024

Because Of The Tender Mercy of Our God

Friday, April 19, 2024

The Lord Looks at the Heart

Thursday, April 18, 2024

For Just Such a Time As This

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Living in the Present

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Peace is Our Norm

Monday, April 15, 2024

Joy is Our Norm

Friday, April 12, 2024

What a Friend

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Make Much of Jesus

Seeking the Life in Christ

About Me

Blog Archive

Followers

First Think - Then Pray

Books I Am Reading

Recent Books I Have Enjoyed