Seeking the Life in Christ: October 2024

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

The Smell of a Charcoal Fire

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

October 15, 2024

The Smell of a Charcoal Fire

When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—

fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.

John 21:9

One of my favorite scenes in the Bible is Jesus sitting by the charcoal fire on the beach cooking fish and bread for his friends. That scene speaks volumes to me about how Jesus can and will provide for my every need, and of the intimacy Jesus desires to share with me. Thinking of Jesus on the beach, I recall Revelation 3:20: “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”

John tells us there were 153 fish in their nets, which was a huge catch. Jesus had already commissioned the disciples, and he was going to further amplify that charge. Perhaps Jesus wanted the disciples, and us, to fully appreciate that when we give ourselves completely to God, we can count on God providing exceedingly for our every need: “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38).

I believe Peter went back to fishing because he just needed to get out of Jerusalem and try and process all that had happened. He was riding a roller coaster of emotions. On one hand, he was ecstatic that Jesus had risen from the dead. He was also overwrought with guilt. He had publicly proclaimed his loyalty to Jesus, but he ended up denying he even knew Jesus. Not once, but three times! Those denials took place as he warmed himself over a charcoal fire. When Peter got to the beach, he found Jesus cooking fish and bread over a charcoal fire. The scent of that burning charcoal ignited Peter’s memory of standing by another charcoal fire. Jesus was cleaning Peter’s wound in preparation for the healing that will come in the next passage.

My Takeaway: Like Peter, I need to meet Jesus at dawn. I need to hear what he has to say to me. I also need Jesus to clean and heal my wounds. Do you?

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.

Monday, October 14, 2024

On The Beach

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

October 14, 2024

On The Beach

“At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach”

John 21:4a

It seems like John ended his Gospel with John 20:31: “But these are written so 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.” Then he picks up the story again and presents this vitally important epilogue. (John 21) Of all the characters presented in the Gospels, I personally identify the most with Peter. Like Peter, I have trouble with patiently waiting, and I am impulsive. Both of those qualities are on display in this first passage of John’s epilogue.

On the evening of the first Easter Sunday when Jesus met with the disciples, he filled them with his Holy Spirit and gave them a charge: “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you” (John 20:21b). Of all the places Jesus was sending his disciples, fishing wasn’t one of them. Yet Peter and his friends journeyed several days north to the Sea of Galilee and went fishing. And they came up empty handed! Then, “At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach” (John 21:4a). Jesus’ presence changed everything, and predictably Peter impulsively jumped in the water and swam to meet Jesus on the beach.

Do you have something in your life that is not working out the way you hoped? I know I do. Maybe, like Peter, my plans are coming up empty because Jesus has something else planned for me. Perhaps I need to meet Jesus at dawn to hear what he has to say to me.

My Takeaway: Note that dawn is not a literal reference to sunrise. Dawn was a detail John included so that we would remember it was dawn on the first Easter Sunday when Mary and Peter and John first discovered an empty tomb. Why was the tomb empty? The tomb was empty because Jesus had risen. So, what does our Risen Savior have to say to you? He’s waiting for you to come and meet with him.

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.)

Friday, October 11, 2024

The Ninth Beatitude

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

October 11, 2024

The Ninth Beatitude

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me.

Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

John 20: 29

Sometimes we joke about Doubting Thomas; however, the episode with Thomas in John’s Gospel (John 20: 24-29) provides us with several insights for our journey to make the life in Christ our way of life. First, Jesus came again to meet with the disciples so that he could confront Thomas’ doubt; not to admonish Thomas, but to meet Thomas’ need. I hope you will receive this insight as an invitation from Jesus to you. What doubts, what concerns, what issues of the Christian faith trouble you? Remembering that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6), ask Jesus to come to you and give you his wisdom to help you grasp his truth.

Next, notice that Thomas’ confession of faith fully incorporates all that John’s Gospel has presented in Jesus the Messiah. When Jesus urges Thomas to make a leap of faith, Thomas responds, “My Lord and my God!”

Yes, and Amen, Jesus is our Lord, Jesus is God.

My Takeaway: Jesus responded to Thomas’ affirmation by pronouncing his blessing on you and me. Let us rejoice in this, the ninth Beatitude: “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me” (John 20:29).

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.)

Thursday, October 10, 2024

The Disciples Received New Life in Christ

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

October 10, 2024

The Disciples Received New Life in Christ

Then he breathed on them and said,

“Receive the Holy Spirit.

John 20:22

When Jesus appeared to his disciples on the evening of the first day of the week, he gave them the responsibility for taking his message of God’s New Creation to the entire world. When Jesus breathes on them, it invokes memories of Genesis 2:7 where God “breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” Now the disciples have received New Life in Christ.

Because you cannot give responsibility without also delegating authority, Jesus gives his disciples the authority to forgive sins. This delegation of authority immediately follows the imparting of the Holy Spirit. It is not by their own power or wisdom that the disciples will forgive sins. It will be by and through the power of the Holy Spirit. If they are to be granted power to forgive, then they also have the power to not forgive. This is not the power to establish rules about what’s sinful and what is not, as the Pharisees had done with their legislation of Sabbath rules. God’s establishment of His New Creation came by and through the crucifixion of Jesus. It is by the blood of Jesus that sin and death have been defeated.

John has more to say about sin in his three epistles, but for now we do not ever want to lose sight of God’s promise to us through John: “If we confess our sins, (God) who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NRSV).

My Takeaway: The authority Jesus granted to his disciples, and through them to the church, is for the church to help us not delude ourselves about the issue of sin and thus slip into a state of cheap grace:

“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession...Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer The Cost of Discipleship)

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.)

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

He Knows My Name

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

October 9, 2024

He Knows My Name

“Mary!” Jesus said.

John 20:16

The details in the conversation between Mary and Jesus in today’s passage are life transforming for me!

Mary is lost in her grief. The tomb is empty. In every other encounter between humans and angels, the humans pull back in fear and awe. Mary’s grief is so consuming, she seems unmoved by her encounter with the angels and offers the angels a simple reply to their question. In her grief, she didn’t recognize Jesus standing before her and offered him a simple reply to his question. Then Jesus called her by name, and Mary’s life was changed forever.

Has Jesus ever called you by name? I haven’t had this experience often, but I have heard him call me by name. I remember a time in March 1990 when I was weary and burned-out. As I sang in a chapel service during a Tres Dias retreat, I heard Jesus say to me, “Alex, I have left the 90 and nine and come for you.” My life changed that day because the promise of scripture was fulfilled in my life: Jesus “calls his own sheep by name. . .” (John 10:3b).

Next, consider the message Jesus gave to Mary: “But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (John 20:17b). Jesus didn’t say, “go find my disciples” or, “go find my servants” or even, “go find my friends.” Jesus said, “go find my brothers.” Another name Jesus has for you my dear friends is, brother or sister! The Lord of the universe knows you as his brothers and sisters. Jesus, the Lord of the universe, was preparing to ascend to his Father and our Father, to his God and our God. Jesus related to Mary, and he relates to us, in the perfect Trinitarian unity he prayed for us in John 17.

My Takeaway: Take time today and open your heart and your mind to embrace the intimacy of the way the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit relate to you, and “be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Romans 12:2a NRSV).

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.)

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

October 8, 2024

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead.

John 20:8-9

John is still supplying important details. First, there is Mary Magdalene. She is only mentioned three times in John’s Gospel. She is identified as being at the foot of the cross (John 19:25), and in today’s passage, she is the first person to discover the empty tomb. In the following passage, she was the first person to see the risen Lord. John tells us a woman was the first to speak with our Risen Savior. I suspect John would be just a bit incredulous that the twenty-first century church still struggles over the role of women in church leadership.

In the previous passage, we learned that “Following Jewish burial custom, (Joseph and Nicodemus) wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth” (John 19:40). In today’s passage, we learn that Jesus’ tomb was empty except for the “linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings” (John 20:6-7). John follows this with an autobiographical statement, “Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed” (John 20:8). What did John believe, and how did the linen cloths factor in his leap of faith?

First, if someone was going to steal Jesus’ body, I doubt they would have taken the time to unwrap all the linen cloths before moving the body. Secondly, I suspect John immediately thought of the scene recorded in John 11:43-44, “Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!” I suspect John also remembered the words of Jesus, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25a).

My Takeaway: And I suspect John may have been the first person to say,

He is Risen!

He is Risen indeed!

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, October 7, 2024

Enough Oil and Spices for a King’s Burial

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

October 7, 2024

Enough Oil and Spices for a King’s Burial

And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

John 19:42

Jesus was dead. John supplies several more important details as he describes the burial of Jesus. First, the other two named eyewitnesses are identified: Joseph and Nicodemus, Secondly, in preparation for placing Jesus’ body in a tomb, a huge amount of oil and spices, enough for a King’s burial, are used: “(Nicodemus) brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth” (John 19:39-40). Next, John tells us the tomb was in a garden. Humankind fell out of a right relationship with God in the Garden of Eden. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus committed his will to God so that humankind could be redeemed by God. In this unnamed Garden, Jesus, crucified and dead, is laid in a tomb.

Jesus was laid in a tomb so that he could spend the seventh day in a Sabbath rest; but God wasn’t through. The first day of the new week was coming. Sunday promised to be the first day of God’s New Creation.

Both Joseph and Nicodemus were out-of-sight, or secret disciples. Yet when the need presented itself, they answered the call. Their response was not marked by hesitation or doing just enough to get by; it was marked by extravagance with enough oil and spices for a king’s burial.

My Takeaway: It is the desire of my heart that my life as a follower of Jesus be marked with extravagant generosity? Will yours?

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.)

Friday, October 4, 2024

John’s Faith Rested on the Word of God

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

October 4, 2024

John’s Faith Rested on the Word of God

But when they came to Jesus,

they saw that he was already dead,

so they didn’t break his legs.

John 19: 33

We have seen that John’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial is full of specific details that point to the fulfillment of scripture that Jesus is God’s Messiah. In today’s passage, John’s details emphasize two points: the death of Jesus and the manner of his death.

Remember that early after the crucifixion, groups opposing Jesus’ resurrection claimed that Jesus never died. We have already observed that John’s account identifies six eyewitnesses to Jesus’ death, five by name and one by inference. In today’s passage, John again emphasizes the actual death of Jesus: “But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe.)” (John 19:33-35). Although this eyewitness isn’t mentioned by name, I believe the intended inference is that the witness is the author of this Gospel, John. John also tells us that the piercing of Jesus was in fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10, “They will look on the one they pierced” (John 19:37).

John also provided the detail that unlike the two persons crucified on either side of Jesus, the soldiers did not have to break the bones in Jesus’ legs to hasten his death, because Jesus was already dead. This omission by the soldiers fulfilled three Old Testament prophecies about God’s Messiah: Exodus 12:46, Numbers 9:12, and Psalm 34:20.

My Takeaway: It was hugely important to John that his readers understand Jesus wasn’t just a good and innocent man put to death by the Romans; Jesus is God’s Messiah who was crucified in the manner that fulfilled Old Testament prophesies of the Messiah. John’s faith rested securely on the Word of God. Does mine? Does yours?

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.)

Thursday, October 3, 2024

The Hyssop Branch

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

October 3, 2024

The Hyssop Branch

A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said,

“It is finished!”

Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

John 19: 29-30

We are looking for details in John’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion that point us to deeper truths about God’s plan of redemption for humankind. John identifies by name three people at the foot of the cross; “Standing near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene” (John 19:25). While the Gospel doesn’t specifically mention John by name, he is the fourth person identified in verses 26-27, the disciple who took Jesus’ mother into his own home. Decades after the crucifixion, groups opposing Jesus’ resurrection claimed that Jesus never died. John identifies six eyewitnesses to Jesus’ death, five by name and one by inference. (Joseph and Nicodemus, the other two named eyewitnesses will be mentioned in a following passage)

To see another detail in John’s account, it is helpful to first stand back to see the bigger picture. Fifteen times in this Gospel, John mentions Passover, three times in Chapter 19. With that in mind, we now can wonder why he tells us about the hyssop branch that the soldiers used to extend a sponge soaked in wine to Jesus. God commanded the Jews to use hyssop branches to brush the blood of the Passover lamb on their doorposts. (Exodus 22) Hyssop was also used by Moses to confirm the Covenant God made with Israel (Exodus 24): “For after Moses had read each of God’s commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God’s law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool” Hebrews 9:19).

My Takeaway: John wants us to know that Jesus is the Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. He wants us to know Jesus confirmed the New Covenant by his own blood.

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.)

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Important Details

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

October 2, 2024

Important Details

So they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that is what they did.

John 19:24

John doesn’t supply just incidental details about Jesus. John’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial is full of specific details that point to the fulfillment of scripture that Jesus is God’s Messiah. As you read John 19, pay close attention to the details and ponder the significance John wants you to see. Here are two of the details that stand out to me.

First, when Jesus was crucified, Pilate placed a sign on the cross, proclaiming Jesus as King of the Jews. John tells us the sign was in three languages: Hebrew, Latin and Greek. These languages covered a vast part of the known world, fulfilling the prophecy that Israel’s Messiah would be proclaimed to the entire world.

Secondly, the soldiers gambled for Jesus’ clothes. This was prophesied in Psalm 22:18. According to both Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospels, Jesus prayed from Psalm 22:1 when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” It is not just Jesus’ cry of anguish or the soldiers gambling for his clothes that connects Psalm 22 to the crucifixion of Jesus. The psalmist also mentions the people gathered around Jesus, the crowd scorning Jesus, and his thirsting.

By connecting the crucifixion to Psalm 22, John wants us to know that Jesus, who was crucified, dead and buried, was the Messiah of God: the One the scriptures promised would come and save Israel, save the world. Psalm 22 also points to the coming again of Jesus in final victory. (Psalm 22:27-28) As followers of Jesus, it is important for us to always be mindful that Jesus isn’t finished with His work. He will complete the restoration of God’s Kingdom on earth, and we get to be co-laborers with him in that work.

My Takeaway: Jesus is our model when we experience difficult times. Like Jesus, we can turn to scriptures like Psalm 22 for guidance and comfort. For me, in the times of my greatest trials, I turned to Psalm 23:4, “. . . for thou art with me . . .” (KJV)

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.)

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Through His Bruises We Get Healed

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

October 1, 2024

Through His Bruises We Get Healed

“Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!”

“What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.

Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified.

John 19:15-16

The irony of the conspiracy to murder Jesus increases yet again. Pilate, who had absolute authority over Israel, vacillated. He was indecisive and fearful. At first, he toyed with the priests; if they wanted to crucify Jesus, he would let Jesus go, just to spite them. Then Pilate sensed there was more being played out than he understood, and he wanted to distance himself from the proceedings. Enter the ultimate irony. The priests, who were completely under the authority of Pilate, manipulate Pilate to do their bidding. Pilate capitulates, but the cost to the priests and the crowd was expensive beyond measure. They had repudiated their God by claiming they had no king, but Caesar. They crucified the First Commandment: “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me” (Exodus 20: 2-3).

Thus the words of the Prophet Isaiah were fulfilled:

“. . . it was our pains he carried—our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.

We thought he brought it on himself, that God was punishing him for his own failures.

But it was our sins that did that to him, that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!

He took the punishment, and that made us whole.

Through his bruises we get healed.

We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.

We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.

And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong, on him, on him.

He was beaten, he was tortured, but he didn't say a word.

Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered and like a sheep being sheared, he took it all in silence.

Justice miscarried, and he was led off—and did anyone really know what was happening?

He died without a thought for his own welfare, beaten bloody for the sins of my people.

They buried him with the wicked, threw him in a grave of a rich man,

Even though he'd never hurt a soul or said one word that wasn't true.

Isaiah 53: 4-9

(The Message)

My Takeaway: O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.

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.)

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

The Smell of a Charcoal Fire

Monday, October 14, 2024

On The Beach

Friday, October 11, 2024

The Ninth Beatitude

Thursday, October 10, 2024

The Disciples Received New Life in Christ

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

He Knows My Name

Tuesday, October 8, 2024

I Am the Resurrection and the Life

Monday, October 7, 2024

Enough Oil and Spices for a King’s Burial

Friday, October 4, 2024

John’s Faith Rested on the Word of God

Thursday, October 3, 2024

The Hyssop Branch

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Important Details

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Through His Bruises We Get Healed

Seeking the Life in Christ

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