Seeking the Life in Christ: July 2024

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Water for Our Wilderness

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 31, 2024

Water for Our Wilderness

“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!

Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!”

John 7:37-38

Jesus spoke chilling words to the Pharisees: “you cannot go where I am going” (John 7:34b). Jesus’ words to the Pharisees stand in sharp contrast to the encouragement he provided his disciples a few months later: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going” (John 14:1-4).

Many among the crowds at the Temple when Jesus was speaking believed in him. (John 7:31a) Many believed, but not all believed, and so it is today. Pray that your faith in Jesus will become an inviting witness in your environment, especially to those who may be in danger of hearing Jesus’ chilling words, “you cannot go where I am going.”

Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Festival of Shelters, which was a memorial to honor the time the Israelites spent following Moses through the wilderness. The wilderness was arid, and there was always a desperate need for water. The liturgy of the Festival included many prayers for water. Those in attendance certainly would have been intrigued by Jesus’ offer: “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!” (John 7:37-38).

My Takeaway: The more we own the truth of our own wilderness experience apart from being reconciled to God, the more we are desperate to drink from Jesus’ well of living water. As we own our own wilderness experiences, let us recall with gladness Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman at the well: “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4:13-14).

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

(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.

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Looking Beneath the Surface

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 30, 2024

Looking Beneath the Surface

Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.

John 7:24

When Jesus spoke during the Festival of Shelters (John 7), he exposed two character flaws in our fallen human nature. The first is our tendency to establish rules and boundaries as a means of self-justification. The Jews had established hundreds of rules to govern how to take a Sabbath rest, all of which missed God’s purpose for them. God gave us a Sabbath rest so that we could take time to reflect on how we were living our lives. In the previous six days, did we love the things God loves, did we do the things God does, and did we humbly walk in harmony with God? By the time of Jesus, the people of God had reduced this simple period of self-examination and rest to more than six hundred rules, some as silly as whether one could tie their shoelaces on the Sabbath.

The religious leaders didn’t take well to Jesus pointing out the flaws in their elaborate means of justifying their position. That’s the second flaw Jesus exposed, and as with self-justification, we still struggle with it today. Politicians and bureaucrats spend more time justifying themselves, and using their power to silence their opponents, than they do fulfilling their actual responsibilities.

I wonder what we would have heard, and how we would have responded, if we had been in Jesus’ audience in Jerusalem during the Festival of Shelters. As for me, I am hearing how I desperately need to “stay in the grace of today” (Wm. Paul Young, author of The Shack). I need to live by grace, and by grace alone. Any reliance on rules and regulations will quickly draw me into the devil’s snare of self-justification. I must remember that God saved me by his grace when I believed, and I can’t take credit for this. My salvation is a gift from God; it is not a reward for the good things I have done, so I cannot boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

My Takeaway: When I am seeking self-justification, I fear and react with hostility to those who have different opinions, ideas and thoughts from me. I am not able to then deal gracefully with those who think differently from me. The opposite of self-justification is what God desires for our life: “this is what (God) requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

(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, July 29, 2024

Who is Telling the Truth?

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 29, 2024

Who is Telling the Truth?

Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies.

John 7:18

Much of the controversy that surrounded Jesus was based on misunderstandings about the nature of God: such as, God’s relationship to the world, His purpose for humankind, and His vision of community. Many people, especially the religious leaders, would not accept Jesus as the Messiah because Jesus did not fit into their expectations of the Messiah, and because Jesus’ vision of God, the world, the nature of humanity, and their neighbors was so different from their preconceived notions.

A Christian is a person who has become aware that the world’s culture has told them a pack of lies about God, the world, themselves and their neighbors. A Christian learns that God, in Christ Jesus, is telling them the truth. (The word truth appears more than forty times in this Gospel.)

My Takeaway: Take time today and consider: What is your understanding of the nature of God? What is your understanding of the world? What is your understanding of your place in the world? Who are your neighbors? And you know this how?

(Hint: later in this Gospel Jesus will say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).)

Sē’lah

The Third Edition of my book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

(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, July 26, 2024

Don’t Outpace Grace

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 26, 2024

Don’t Outpace Grace

You go on. I’m not going to this festival, because my time has not yet come.” After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.

John 7:8-9

The Festival of Shelters, also known as Sukkot, Tabernacles, or Feast of Booths, is held in late September or mid-October and is a reminder for the Jews of the time their ancestors spent camping in the wilderness during the exodus from Egypt. It was one of three great annual celebrations for the Jews, Passover and Pentecost being the other two. John wants us to see that Jesus was demurring about going to Jerusalem in the autumn of the year for the Festival of Shelters because Jesus knew the time was not right. His time would come in the spring, the time for Passover and the sacrificial lamb.

Later, Jesus changed his mind and went up to Jerusalem for the Festival. However, he did his best to remain incognito and did not follow the urging of his brothers: “Leave here and go to Judea, where your followers can see your miracles! You can’t become famous if you hide like this! If you can do such wonderful things, show yourself to the world!” (John 7:3-4).

Jesus’ brothers had not yet come to faith in Jesus the Messiah. They were pressing Jesus to take the plunge, go to the big city and put on a demonstration that no one could deny. Does that sound familiar to you? It sounds very much like the temptations Jesus experienced in the wilderness. (See Matthew 4:1-11) Jesus did not yield to the temptations of the evil one, or those from his own brothers. Instead, Jesus was following God’s timing and his Kairos moment had not yet come. Kairos is God’s time and refers to the right or opportune moment when the Word of God, like a seed planted in good soil, germinates, takes root, grows and begins to produce fruit.

My Takeaway: There have been times in my life when I felt pressed to make something happen, and I soon regretted my decisions. In hindsight, I learned the wisdom of Jesus: wait on God, or as my friend Dudley Hall likes to say, “Don’t outpace 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.)

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Seized By a Great Affection

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 25, 2024

Seized By a Great Affection

“Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

John 6: 68-69

I was born into a family of the Old South. Segregation had always been a way of life for my parents, and their parents. Our heritage was one where children were to be seen and not heard. Children addressed adults with ‘yes sir’ and “yes ma’am.” However, I only lived in the south for a few years during my childhood. The culture I was exposed to in the far west and northeast was much different than the one where my parents were raised. When I returned to Florida for college, I encountered segregation for the first time. I was confronted with challenges to what I had experienced as the normal way of life, and I had to decide about the values of my life.

The Israelites listening to Jesus were hearing a Gospel that confounded everything that had been the normal ebb and flow of their culture. For many, it was too much, and they turned away from Jesus.

Peter’s confession of faith in John 6:68-69, is one of the most compelling insights about Jesus. Jesus’ response to Peter emphasizes the work of the Spirit in bringing people to believe in Jesus, or as the writer of the letter of Hebrews put it, Jesus is the one who initiates and perfects our faith. (Hebrews 12:2)

The Christian writer C.S. Lewis was asked by a journalist when he decided to be a Christian. Lewis laughed and responded, “I didn’t decide. I was decided upon.” In his autobiography, Lewis referred to the work of God’s passion for saving His people as, God’s “compulsion is our liberation.” Brennan Manning writes that the Arcadian people who settled Louisiana referred to being ‘born again’ as being ‘seized by a Great Affection.” Both Lewis and Manning are pointing to what Jesus says: “Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me” (John 6:65).

My Takeaway: We do not choose the time and place of our salvation. It is God who takes the initiative for our salvation. In an episode of the video series, The Chosen, a passerby happened upon the followers of God building a camp in the wilderness. The passerby asked, “Why would you build a camp in such a desolate place?” God’s man responded, “Because our God told us to.”

“Why would you choose to follow such a god?”

“We didn’t choose him. He chose us.”

Amen!

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, July 24, 2024

The Greatest Prayer Ever

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 24, 2024

The Greatest Prayer Ever

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.

John 6:51

The Gospel of John is known for the “I am” statements made by Jesus, the first of which was Jesus’ assertion that, “I am the bread of life.” I believe the Apostle John wanted us to see the connection between our celebration of the sacrament of Holy Communion and Jesus’ discussion of our eating his flesh and drinking his blood. (John 6: 47-59) Jesus’ statements about eating his flesh and drinking his blood have been hugely controversial over the centuries, primarily because people forget that John is continually showing how the Old Testament points to and is fulfilled in Jesus.

In this case, we need to remember a story about King David that is recorded in 1 Samuel 23, and I Chronicles 11. David and his men were pinned down in a battle near Bethlehem. Thinking out loud, David said he would love to have a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem. Later, three of his mighty men, at great personal risk, went through enemy lines and got water from the well and brought it to David. David responded by saying for him to drink the water would be as though he was profiting from his men’s willingness to risk their lives; it would be as though he was drinking their blood. David poured the water onto the ground.

In today’s passage, Jesus is saying that he is not only willing to risk his life, but to lose his life for our sakes. Jesus is saying that we can drink and profit from his sacrifice. Thus, believing in Jesus as our Messiah is like feeding upon Jesus, the bread of life. It is like the drinking of his blood as we participate in his sacrifice for our sins.

My Takeaway: Earlier in this chapter, the people couldn’t grasp what Jesus was saying when he told them he was the bread of life. They couldn’t get past what they wanted Jesus to do for them. However, when we begin to grasp that what really matters -- it is not what Jesus can do for us, but who Jesus is -- then their response in ignorance becomes the greatest prayer ever:

“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day” (John 6:34).

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, July 23, 2024

I Will Raise Them Up at the Last Day

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 23, 2024

I Will Raise Them Up at the Last Day

And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.”

John 6: 39-40

Many people believe the Christian faith centers on being able to correctly answer the question, “If you were to die tonight, do you know where you will spend eternity?” Regrettably, that’s the wrong question. In John 6:36-46, Jesus gives us two insights into God’s eternal plans for the followers of Jesus.

First, Jesus shows us that eternal life is not a destination. Eternal life is about the quality of life the believers in Jesus get to enjoy here and now. Eternal life begins the very instant we make our confession of faith. Eternal life is life in Christ, right now, and continuing beyond our mortal death; eternal life is life in Christ, uninterrupted by death.

Secondly, when our mortal death comes, our eternal destination is not an out of body spiritual home in heaven. Upon our death, our spirit will return to God the Father. However, resting with God in heaven is our temporary home. Jesus has promised that when he comes again to completely establish God’s Kingdom on earth, those who have died in Christ will receive new resurrected bodies so that we can continue our eternal life, our life in Christ, with Jesus here on the new earth. This truth has been rehearsed by countless believers in the last two millenniums every time we affirm our faith with the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”

My Takeaway: While the Gospel is quite simple, it is also far too complex to reduce it to a simple question, other than, “Do you know God loves you?” If you need another question, a good one is, “When you wake up in the morning what are you and Jesus going to be doing to build for God’s Kingdom?”

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, July 22, 2024

Jesus, the Bread of Life

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 22, 2024

Jesus, the Bread of Life

Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35

Jesus is doing two very important things in the passage about the bread of life. (John 6:22-35) First, he recognizes the two dimensions of our lives: our physical life which is temporal and our spiritual life which is eternal. He acknowledges that both our physical and our spiritual life need nourishment. He then stresses the importance of giving priority to our eternal life: “But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you” (John 6:27a). Jesus is saying that it is vitally important that we take even more care for our spiritual life than we do for our physical life. Seriously? How is that possible? The answer is in Jesus’ second point; but first, it will be well worth our effort to measure the time and energy we expend in feeding, exercising and caring for our physical body and the time and energy we expend caring for our spiritual life.

Jesus’ answer to our need for spiritual nourishment is in the first of his seven “I am” sayings: “Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). Jesus wanted the people to understand that he had his Father’s seal upon him. Like a king’s seal, this not only identified the bearer of the seal as belonging to the king, but also granted the king’s authority to the bearer. Jesus was God’s son, with God’s authority, providing food for the people. The signs were provided to increase the faith of the people so they would live by hope and trust in God. Remember, everything in John’s Gospel has but one purpose: “that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name” (John 20:31).

My Takeaway: Because Jesus is our bread of life, let’s make it our goal to heed the counsel of the author of the epistle to the Hebrews, “And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1b-2a) NIV 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, July 19, 2024

Don’t Be Afraid. I Am Here

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 19, 2024

Don’t Be Afraid. I Am Here

“They were terrified, but he called out to them,

“Don’t be afraid. I am here!”

John 6: 19b-20

The theme of presenting Jesus as leading the people on an exodus continues in John’s description of Jesus walking on water. (John 6:16-21) As Moses led the people safely through the water of the Red Sea, here Jesus walks on the water, and his presence takes the disciples safely through the storm.

This reading provides us with more solid food for our devotional time. We all face times of great anxiety. The gale force winds, and rough seas encountered by the disciples are a good metaphor for times of anxiety in our lives. In those times, if we will but listen, we will hear Jesus say those comforting words, “Don’t be afraid. I am here.” Is that enough for you? In my life, I have had many experiences with anxiety that felt like a gale force wind; Jesus’ words have been my source of comfort.

When I retired from the pastoral ministry, I did not know how I could live without getting to preach and teach every week. The burning desire to proclaim Christ Jesus was raging then and is still burning deep within me today. But God has provided this BLOG as a means for me to share my faith in Christ. Like the mustard seed, what started out as messages for my congregation, this BLOG is now reaching almost 20,000 people each month.

In the first six months of my retirement, when my wife was wheeled into the operating room for cancer surgery, regardless of the cheery prognosis of her doctor, I was frightened. I couldn’t imagine living without her by my side. Then five days later, I had a heart attack, and if that wasn’t frightening enough, the thirty-minute ambulance ride on a dark and rainy night would have brought me to my knees in prayer if I wasn’t strapped down to the gurney. Even so, with Jesus closely by our side, we have passed safely through these storms.

My Takeaway: Then, and now, I choose to live my life by clinging desperately to Jesus’ promise:

“Alex listens to my voice; I know him, and he follows me. I give him eternal life, and he will never perish. No one can snatch Alex away from me, for my Father has given Alex to me, and my Father is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch Alex from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one” (John 10:27-30, Alex’s Translation).

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, July 18, 2024

Glorious Riches in Christ Jesus

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 18, 2024

Glorious Riches in Christ Jesus

“There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish”

John 6:9a

The Bible is a continuous story of God working to redeem His people. John, as well as the Apostle Paul, was a master at weaving the themes of the Old Testament redemptive story into the life of Jesus and his New Covenant church. The feeding of the multitude, which is told in all four of the Gospels, is an example.

John mentions Passover at the beginning of his account of this miracle. John is showing us that Jesus is the Messiah, and he is leading his people out of slavery to sin, just as Moses led the people out of Egypt in the first exodus. Mentioning the Passover and by setting the scene in the wilderness, John connects Jesus to the exodus. In the first Passover and exodus, the people were in the wilderness and had nothing to eat, and God provided manna from Heaven. Here, in the wilderness, Jesus distributed food to the people.

This passage presents us with solid food for our devotional time. We all experience times when we don’t have enough of: (insert your own need). Andrew is a good example for us in such times as he went to Jesus with what he had: “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish” (John 6:9a). When we find that we are lacking something in our life, like Andrew, we can look around and gather what we do have and give it to God.

My Takeaway: Then we can choose by faith to trust God to take it from there and fulfill his promise to “supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

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, July 17, 2024

If We Aren’t Talking About Jesus, We’re Just Wasting Time

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 17, 2024

If We Aren’t Talking About Jesus, We’re Just Wasting Time

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.

John 5:39-40 (again)

Jesus was critical of the religious leaders: “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life” (John 5:39). Is that bad? Yes, for two reasons. First, contrast their attitude with that of Simeon: “He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel” (Luke 2:25). The religious leaders, unlike Simeon, were looking for their own, personal eternal life, without regard for their neighbor.

Secondly, unlike Simeon, they were not “eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel” The religious leaders were searching the Scriptures for information that would give them eternal life. Jesus said, “the Scriptures point to me!” (John 5:39b). Christ Jesus is revealed throughout the Bible, and our primary reason for reading the Bible is to encounter the revelations of Christ. Whenever you attend church meetings, whether it is a Bible Study or administrative meeting, if you haven’t heard the name of Jesus in the first thirty minutes, interrupt the meeting and ask, “If we aren’t here to talk about Jesus, why are we here?” The Christian faith is about a personal relationship with Christ Jesus, and if we aren’t talking to and about Jesus, we’re just wasting time.

God’s Word points to Jesus, and God has a very specific purpose for his Word: “I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it” (Isaiah 55:11).

My Takeaway: The religious people Jesus talked to only valued the scriptures as information and missed the ‘fruit’ part of Isaiah’s proclamation. If we open our hearts to be inspired by God’s Word, the Word will then be transformed through our words, actions and good deeds to produce fruit in God’s Kingdom.

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, July 16, 2024

Seeking To See Jesus in The Bible

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 16, 2024

Seeking To See Jesus in The Bible

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.”

John 5:39-40

It seems every group, or association of people has pecking orders. There is within our broken human nature a competitive desire to excel, to set ourselves apart from the others in the group. This is as true within families as it is in community associations, athletic teams, or churches. Within these groups, there are those who take this competitive nature to an extreme. The knowledge and experience they have gained are used to distinguish themselves from others, rather than for the greater good or purpose of the group. They are quick to point out the deficiencies in others, rather than equipping others to help the group achieve its purpose.

The Apostle Paul admits to this sin in his own life when he writes about when he distinguished himself as the most zealous of Pharisees; but eventually he got the point that Jesus is talking about in today’s passage. Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians that he came to realize that all this human striving was worthless compared to knowing Jesus. The people listening to Jesus in John 5 were like Saul the Pharisee before Saul encountered the risen Christ. They knew the scriptures inside and out, but they did not, or would not, see that those scriptures were pointing to Jesus. Even with the testimony of John the Baptist and the many signs or miracles Jesus performed, they would not receive Jesus as the Messiah.

My Takeaway: Let’s be like Paul. Like Saint Paul, let’s live, move and have our being in Christ. (Acts 17:28) As followers of Jesus, we want to develop the spiritual discipline of seeking to see Jesus whenever we read the Bible.

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, July 15, 2024

Life Uninterrupted by Death

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 15, 2024

Life Uninterrupted by Death

“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.

John 5:24

Eternal Life is life uninterrupted by death. This is the promise Jesus offers the world in today’s passage.

It was commonly accepted in Israel that a time was coming when God would judge the world and make everything right. This judgment, through a general resurrection, would include the living and the dead. Those who had sinned against God, those who had oppressed God’s people, and those who chose the path of evil for the way of their lives would be judged and assigned to an eternity without God; those who had remained faithful to God would be vindicated and would enter the presence of God. (See Daniel 12)

In today’s passage, Jesus announced to the world that God the Father had sent him into the world to begin the work of birthing God’s New Creation. Those who believe and accept Jesus as God’s Son have life everlasting. This new life begins the moment you believe and is not diminished by mortal death. In God’s future, your new life in Christ will be completed by God giving you bodily resurrection, like Jesus’ resurrected body, when Jesus comes again to completely establish God’s Kingdom on earth.

Since the very first chapter, John has been pointing to this new life in Christ: “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God” (John 1:12-13). John will put a huge exclamation point on this teaching in Chapter 11 when Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. God put His own exclamation on this truth when He crowned His everlasting achievement in Christ through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

My Takeaway: God in Christ has made it possible for you to experience eternal life, life uninterrupted by death. Will you join me in a shout?

Hallelujah!!

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, July 12, 2024

Who Works on the Sabbath?

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 12, 2024

Who Works on the Sabbath?

But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”

John 5:9b-10

Recently, I was enjoying watching a Wimbledon tennis match at five in the afternoon at my house. I noticed a clock on the scoreboard indicating the local time in London was 10PM. Through the wonder of modern electronics, I was experiencing two different time zones at the same time. My text for today illustrates that Jesus was operating in a different theological time zone from the religious leaders in Jerusalem. Jesus knew it was the Sabbath when he healed the man. Jesus knew that for the Jews, it was a day of rest, as commanded by God; but Jesus said he was working because his Father was working. Isn’t God resting on the Sabbath?

I think Jesus wants us to see that God is working again. This time, He is doing a new work to birth His New Creation through the life of the Messiah. Jesus was operating in a completely different sphere of time than the Jews.

The healing at the Pool of Bethesda is sign number three in John’s Gospel. There will be a total of seven signs, the perfect number in the Bible, and the same number of days in God’s original creation story. John’s seventh sign was the birth of God’s New Covenant. The symmetry of the scriptures, to all of God’s creation, is astonishing.

My Takeaway: Jesus worked on the Sabbath. Even in the tomb, on the Sabbath, he was working. But, as for me and my house, the most precision day of the week is when we take our Sabbath rest.

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, July 31, 2024

Water for Our Wilderness

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Looking Beneath the Surface

Monday, July 29, 2024

Who is Telling the Truth?

Friday, July 26, 2024

Don’t Outpace Grace

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Seized By a Great Affection

Wednesday, July 24, 2024

The Greatest Prayer Ever

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

I Will Raise Them Up at the Last Day

Monday, July 22, 2024

Jesus, the Bread of Life

Friday, July 19, 2024

Don’t Be Afraid. I Am Here

Thursday, July 18, 2024

Glorious Riches in Christ Jesus

Wednesday, July 17, 2024

If We Aren’t Talking About Jesus, We’re Just Wasting Time

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Seeking To See Jesus in The Bible

Monday, July 15, 2024

Life Uninterrupted by Death

Friday, July 12, 2024

Who Works on the Sabbath?

Seeking the Life in Christ

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