Shaking Off the Stunning Befuddlement

Meditations for Ragamuffins

April 5, 2024

Shaking Off the Stunning Befuddlement

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,

for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.

Isaiah 12:6

This debate has raged for over two thousand years: who gets saved? The responses are extreme. Some say everybody is already saved; some say everybody who simply repeats the right words; and still others say only the few who conform to certain doctrinal beliefs. The more I make the life in Christ my way of life, the more I believe the saved are those who, “When (they) discovered a pearl of great value, (they) sold everything (they) owned and bought it!” (Matthew 13:46 NLT).

I believe when Jesus gave that parable, the merchant represented two different identities. The first was a representation of God, who gave everything, even His only begotten son, for the redemption of humankind. Secondly, I believe the merchant represents those who, after shaking off the stunning befuddlement of the sheer grace that gave everything for their salvation, sell off all that they are and all that they have for the Kingdom of God.

I do not mean this in a literal way. While some saints may in fact have literally disposed of all their material possessions, those saints we know the best, the ones who wrote the New Testament, did not. However, they most assuredly surrendered their rights to their own life to the sovereignty of Jesus Christ. These few are the ones who risked everything on this Gospel of Grace, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

My Takeaway: Said another way, I believe the saved are those who confess: My life does not belong to me; by creation and redemption my life belongs 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.)

 

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

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.