Seeking the Life in Christ: June 2026

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Spiritual Blessings at Arm’s Length

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 30, 2026

Spiritual Blessings at Arm’s Length

“All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.”

Ephesians 1:3

Every spiritual blessing means that what is true for Jesus is true for the disciples of Jesus. Jesus spoke to God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth, with the very intimate term of endearment, Abba. We, the disciples of Jesus, also can call out to our Abba Father. Every spiritual blessing means that God’s loving embrace of you is not conditioned on your performance as a disciple. God made a covenant with the disciples of Jesus, and God is always completely faithful to His covenant. The disciples of Jesus do not drift in and out of a state of right-standing with God. The Apostle Paul goes on to write that God “chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:4-5). So, what are you doing with your spiritual blessings?

Some disciples of Jesus don’t know this truth and are still trying to earn God’s favor. Some disciples of Jesus have heard this truth, but it seems too good to be true for them. Some disciples have heard this truth and accepted it, but only in a superficial way. They have yet to experience this truth in a transformative way. Some disciples have begun to experience this truth, but there yet remains a reluctance to fully surrender to the one who stands at their door and knocks. They are not quite willing to hear his voice and open the door, even though they know his promise to come in and share a meal together as friends. (Revelation 3:20)

My Takeaway: Opening the door of your heart and mind to Jesus can be quite frightening because you know he will rearrange your life. Keeping the spiritual blessings at arm’s length seems safer. But think of all the meals you will miss.

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, June 29, 2026

I Work at It

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 29, 2026

I Work at It

“Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-5

A man stopped on the way home from work for a few drinks with his buddies. As usual, a few turned into several. When he got home his young daughter, who was wearing all over her face whatever had been prepared for her supper, and had a rather large and odoriferous deposit in her diaper, rushed to jump into his arms. As he stepped backwards, fighting off a sudden wave of nausea, he muttered to his wife, “How do you love something that smells like this?” She calmly replied, “The same way I love a husband who comes home stinkin’ drunk and affectionate; I work at it.”

Someone said they heard this man share this incident at an AA meeting. I hope so. The story reminds me of the man who explained to his minister why he was filing for divorce, “I just lost my love for her.” The minister replied, “You may lose your screwdriver, but you don’t lose your love for someone. Love is a choice, a decision you make. Love is a verb; it is action, not emotion.” When you spend time pondering the full catalog of love’s virtues in 1 Corinthians 13, you realize this is the point St. Paul was making. Life gives us ample opportunity to be jealous, boastful, proud, rude and irritable. Love chooses to be patient and kind instead.

Love is not easy. Making the decision to love is just the first step; actually, loving someone in difficult circumstances is hard work. It has been my experience that taking the first step, making the decision to love, requires reaffirmation, sometimes daily.

My Takeaway: When I struggle to express love in difficult situations, I recall that 1 Corinthians 13, the Love Chapter, is a vivid description of how God loves us. Not only is God’s love for us patient and kind, but God also “never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” (1 Corinthians 13:7). Then I claim the promise: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13).

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, June 26, 2026

Run to Jesus

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 26, 2026

Run to Jesus

“He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.”

Isaiah 40:11b

The Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu is on the eastern slope of Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The church takes its name from the Latin word "Gallicantu", meaning cock's-crow. In the courtyard of the church, overlooking the Kidron Valley, the Mount of Olives, and the Garden of Gethsemane, is a cluster of statues depicting Peter standing in front of a charcoal fire denying to a servant girl that he knew Jesus. The church is believed to have been built on the site of the home of the High Priest where Jesus was taken the night he was arrested, and where Peter three times denied Jesus. It makes sense that the cluster of statues would be there, but if I could build a statue commemorating Saint Peter, I would choose another scene.

I would want a statue depicting Peter jumping off his boat, half-naked, as he swam one hundred yards to Jesus on the beach. Or perhaps I could make a statue of Peter and John in a foot race to the empty tomb. I would also want to capture the scene where Mary Magdalene clung to Jesus after he called her name in front of the empty tomb, or of grief-stricken Mary and Martha rushing out of their home in Bethany to meet Jesus.

I believe the Apostle John is right, “perfect love expels all fear” (1 John 4:18). Mary and Martha experienced this. Not only were they grief-stricken, but they were also perplexed by Jesus’ delay in returning to Bethany on the news of their brother’s illness. Nevertheless, they ran to Jesus. So also, Peter. He was acutely aware of failing Jesus in the Garden, and later by denying Jesus. Even so, once aware Jesus was on the shore, he swam to Jesus as fast as he could.

My Takeaway: If there is any hesitancy holding you from running to Jesus, embrace Isaiah’s image of Jesus, and remember who is waiting for you: “He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart.”

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, June 25, 2026

Yes, and Amen

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 25, 2026

Yes, and Amen

“For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.”

2 Corinthians 1:20

My personal library is filled with commentaries on the Bible, daily devotional readings and scores of books on various and sundry Biblical themes. Although it is greatly reduced in the number of books since my retirement from the pastoral ministry, it still numbers in the hundreds. In addition, I have several dozen more religious books in my Amazon Kindle collection. The vast majority of first century pastors had few, if any, resources. Their congregations had no Bibles or sacred writing they could study. That being the case, how did they master the art of discipleship? They simply learned to say ‘Yes” (Amen) to their Abba.

Can it be that simple? I think so. I recall many years ago listening to an interview with Pastor Paul Yonggi Cho of South Korea. God was using him in a mighty way to build the Christian church in South Korea, and he was asked the secret of his success. He simply replied, “Pray and obey.” In my first visit to Cuba, we had been away from our base in Camaguey all day visiting out-lying mission churches. We returned after midnight on a Saturday night and noticed lights on in the church. We looked in the sanctuary and observed more than a dozen faithful, on their faces, praying for the Sunday worship service. In my second visit, we stayed with the pastor’s family in their home. His church sanctuary was in his living room. While we were in the kitchen having a meal several hours before a worship service, several in his congregation were in the next room praying for the service. Pray and obey.

My Takeaway: The Apostle Paul said that all the promises of God have been fulfilled in Christ Jesus. Our part, our discipleship, is simply a matter of learning to say ‘Amen” to God’s “Yes.”

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, June 24, 2026

Come and See

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 24, 2026

Come and See

“Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”

“Come and see,” he said.”

John 1:38-39a

Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the men who spent the afternoon with Jesus. Andrew then went to his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (John 1:40). John the Baptist had already pointed out Jesus to Andrew, as the Lamb of God, but something happened to Andrew that afternoon with Jesus that forever changed him. I have long been intrigued by the simple dialog in this passage: “Where are you staying? “Come and see.”

I can become so comfortable in my routines of life that I can become oblivious to what is happening around me. I think that is typical of our human experience of life, but it was not typical for Jesus’ earthly experience. Every day his senses were fully aware of his surroundings and of those around him. Every day he was fully aware of his Father’s love for him. Every day he was fully engaged in his Messianic mission. God wants us to have life in Christ. The Holy Spirit is fully engaged in His ministry of forming Christ within us, to the end that every day our senses will be fully aware of our surroundings. Every day we will be fully aware of Abba’s love for us, and every day we will be fully engaged in the ministry God has assigned to us. How?

By having our own simple dialog with Jesus: “Where are you staying? “Come and see.” The key is staying. I am finding a directly proportional relationship between the quantity and quality of time I spend with Jesus and the acuteness of my awareness of my environment.

My Takeaway: One thing I greatly regret about my pastoral ministry was the absence of periodic sabbaticals of extended time alone to be with Jesus. Even so, my hearts longs for more of Jesus, and I trust the Holy Spirit will help me to 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).

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, June 23, 2026

Spiritual Beggars

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 23, 2026

Spiritual Beggars

“God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him,

for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

Matthew 5:3

The story of the Gentile woman and Jesus illustrates the power, and truth of this first Beatitude. The Gentile woman came pleading to Jesus, “Have mercy on me.” Her daughter was demon-possessed, and she knew the only hope for the child was Jesus. After a rather terse dialog with the woman, Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted,” and her daughter was instantly healed. (Matthew 15: 22-27) The woman was one Tom Long calls ‘spiritual beggars.’ (Matthew, Thomas G. Long, (Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville 1997) page 48).

When we are spiritual beggars, we recognize we need help; we recognize we can’t save ourselves, no matter what we do. All we can do is plead for mercy. Jesus says this is the key to our right-standing relationship with God.

Speaking to spiritual beggars in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says the Kingdom of God is theirs-- now, that instant. Still today, spiritual beggars are given the same right-standing with God as Jesus-- now, this instant.

John Wesley taught his congregations about Holiness of Heart and Holiness of Life. When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17) This is holiness of heart. This is our right-standing relationship with God-- now, this instant. Next, the Holy Spirit begins to work within us, teaching us how to live as the beloved children of God. This is holiness of life.

My Takeaway: One thing never changes. We were spiritual beggars when we first experienced the transforming grace of Jesus, and it is as spiritual beggars that the Holy Spirit works in our lives to bring us into God’s New Creation with holiness of life. We never, ever, lose our complete dependence of the grace of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

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, June 22, 2026

The Eternal Law of Love

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 22, 2026

The Eternal Law of Love

“But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.”

Matthew 5:39

What do you suppose is the greatest obstacle to mastering the life in Christ as your way of life? I think the answer has to do with cultural opposition to the ways of Jesus, so the answer will vary depending on where you were raised and where you are living. In the USA, I believe the answer is a tie between our rebellious nature and our competitive spirit.

Our rebellious spirit makes it exceedingly difficult for us to completely surrender control of our lives, and everything and every person within our span of influence, to the ways of Jesus. Our competitive spirit makes us devalue anything that we can’t win or at least measure a positive rate of return on our investment of time, energy and resources. Both spirits within us make it very difficult for us to own the words of Jesus in his Sermon on the Mount. Consider the verse quoted above. How much time and energy do we burn when we feel slighted, or that someone has taken advantage of us, or mistreated us in some way? We may not proactively, aggressively retaliate in some way, but we may stew over the incident for a long while. All the time and energy we devote to pondering and replaying the incident, is time we are not spending responding to God who “is working in (us), giving (us) the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13).

There is no simple solution to this conundrum, which is why the Apostle Paul used such drastic language to express how he found his way to the life in Christ: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me’ (Galatians 2:20a) Stay with the metaphor long enough to recall that crucifixion was a very long and painful death, and you will understand why Paul warned his friends to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12b NRSV).

My Takeaway: Inevitably, we are going to be hurt and angered by the words and actions of others, whether intentional or not. How we respond is of supreme importance to Jesus, and to the work of the Holy Spirit to form Christ within us. Gandhi wrote that “Jesus lived and died in vain if he did not teach us to regulate the whole life by the eternal law of love.” Gandhi was correct in his thinking.

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, June 19, 2026

Liberated From the Tyranny of Public Opinion

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 19, 2026

Liberated From the Tyranny of Public Opinion

“Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

Romans 13:14 (NRSV)

I believe the one thing that distinguished Jesus in his humanity was his absolute certainty that he was God’s child. His sense of his identity, coupled with his commitment to his messianic mission, liberated him from the tyranny of public opinion. Contrast this with life in our fallen humanity as we try to gratify our desire for love, acceptance and self-worth through the performance-based-acceptance ways of our culture. The more we struggle with the meaning of our existence, using the tools of our culture, the more we miss life from God (David C. Needham, BIRTHRIGHT- Christian Do You Know Who You Are?)

The Apostle Paul’s injunction to put on Christ was repeating his call not to “copy the behavior and customs of this world” (Romans 12:2a) Paul’s antidote to the behaviors and customs of the world is to embrace the same liberating identity as did Jesus. When Jesus first sensed God calling him to begin his public ministry, he went to the River Jordan to be baptized by his cousin, John. “As Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy” (Matthew 3:16-17). From that moment on, Jesus embraced his identity as God’s Messiah.

For the followers of Jesus, “That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country. Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did“(Romans 6:3-13 The Message, selected verses).

My Takeaway: Embrace what Jesus did for you and accept your authentic identity as a child of God with whom Abba is delighted, and upon whom Abba’s favor rests. When you do, you will be liberated from the tyranny of worrying about what other people think of you, and you will be free to know and do God’s will for 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.)

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Vive la Revolution

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 18, 2026

Vive la Revolution

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”

Romans 12:2

John Wesley once told a congregation they were holding to a form of religion but lacked the power of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. Essentially, his congregation was fulfilling what the Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, “They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly” (2 Timothy 3:5). One of the most serious issues facing the church today is how so many Christians underestimate the revolutionary nature of the victory Christ won for us. In setting us free from the laws of sin and death, Jesus didn’t just refine Judaism; he established God’s New Creation. The followers of Jesus don’t need to just clean-up their old life; they need to fully embrace their new life. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Consider some on the revolutionary implications of our new life in Christ.

To follow Jesus, is to surrender everything you have to his control: “So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own” (Luke 14:33).

The disciples of Jesus don’t simply try to correct a few flaws in their character; they “throw off (their) old sinful nature and (their) former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception” (Ephesians 4:22. See also Galatians 2:20).

Christ-followers have crucified their interest in this world, and the world’s interest in them has also died. “What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation” (Galatians 6:15b).

For the fully-devoted followers of Jesus, there is “Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him” (2 Corinthians 3:18 The Message).

The disciples of Jesus are called to be revolutionaries who “take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into (our) conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in (us)” (Ephesians 4:23-24 The Message).

My Takeaway: Vive la Revolution.

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, June 17, 2026

The Law of The Spirit

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 17, 2026

The Law of The Spirit

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.”

Matthew 5:17

In the St. Louis Museum of Westward Expansion, there is this excerpt taken from the journal of Lansford W. Hastings, Overlander:

“We had proceeded only a few days travel, when the American character was fully exhibited. All appeared to be determined to govern, but not to be governed . . .”

I believe Hastings got it right; we Americans are a rebellious lot. We don’t like anyone to tell us what to do. However, we also have strong feelings about law and order; we don’t subscribe to anarchy. This disposition toward rules heavily influences our Christian experience. We have ways of measuring our discipleship and the health of our churches. That’s not a bad thing when it helps us achieve Godly goals. However, we want to be careful to measure the things God wants us to measure.

Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law. Now, as the Apostle Paul so eloquently put it, it is for freedom that Christ has set us free from the requirements of the law. (Galatians 5:1) Religious law paved the road toward a right relationship with God. The problem was that for mortal humans, it was a never-ending road; we could never reach our destination. Then Jesus came and completed the journey for us. Now we have realized the destination of a right relationship with God the Father Almighty by grace through faith. However, Jesus did not set us free to live lives of anarchy. Again, the eloquence of Saint Paul: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death” (Romans 8:1-2 NRSV).

The laws of God are available to help us along our journey to make the life in Christ our way of life. However, they have been replaced as the means to our right-standing with God. Now our right-standing with God is made certain by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

My Takeaway: As our lives are governed by the law of the Spirit, which is love and compassion in Christ Jesus, there is only one measurement I need to be concerned with: how visible in my mortal flesh is the love and compassion of Jesus?

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, June 16, 2026

Christ-Centered Ego Strength

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 16, 2026

Christ-Centered Ego Strength

“When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled.”

John 11:33

Because Jesus was fully human, he experienced the full range of human emotions. However, he not only experienced emotions and natural physical responses to his environment, he also fully expressed his humanity. When Jesus was angry, he expressed it. When he was disappointed with his disciples, he expressed it. When he was touched by human kindness, he responded with gratitude. When he was saddened by the sadness of others, he expressed it. When Jesus had an expectation for how he wanted details arranged, he expressed it. When he had a preference for his own comfort, like sleeping in the back of the boat during a storm, or needing to be alone, he expressed it. These are qualities of Jesus’ life that I believe he wants to live out in the lives of his followers as we seek the life in Christ as our way of life.

There are several ways these qualities can be made manifest in our daily lives. The narcissist has little trouble expressing their preferences in life. However, they also make little progress in dying to self so that Christ may express his preferences in their life. A person raised in a loving, affirming environment possesses sufficient ego-strength to express their preferences in an appropriate manner. By appropriate manner, I mean there are times when we should defer our preferences so that others may realize their preference.

However, for many people, expressing a preference is a challenge. When asked for our preference, we are far more comfortable deferring to others than expressing our heart’s desire. In fact, many people are so out of touch with their own needs they don’t really know what their heart desires. Ask them what they want for their birthday or where they want to go out to eat and they are stuck for an answer. I believe Jesus’ heart breaks for these of his brothers and sisters. He wants so very much for them to be so grounded in his unconditional love for them that they will grow to love themselves and mature with a Christ-centered ego-strength.

My Takeaway: As we train ourselves in the ways of Christ, and seek to respond to each interaction we have in life following the simple acrostic WWJD, I believe we will experience God forming Christ within us until we can easily say, “Thank you, I would like . . . “

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, June 15, 2026

To Become Eucharist

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 15, 2026

To Become Eucharist

“But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.””

Luke 10:41-42

I have loved this little episode because I always thought of myself as being just like Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus. But the truth is, I am way more like Martha: too worried and upset over the details of life. It is easy to deceive ourselves. Think back to the songs or hymns you sang in church recently. Most all affirm our hearts and lives as fully-devoted followers of Jesus. But do the affirmations in those songs and hymns truly reflect our daily lives?

At some level, we want to mean what we sing. However, if we took the time to truly process what we are singing, I suspect we would shudder at the disconnection between what we are singing and how we live our lives. But we are not to despair; there is no condemnation for those who love the Lord. However, if we will seriously undertake this little exercise in self-awareness, we may well experience conviction, the work of the Holy Spirit leading us into all truth.

I am trying to be more intentional about monitoring my outward actions and words, as well as my inner thoughts and feelings, to measure them with the person I want to be, sitting at the feet of Jesus. The word Eucharist is helping me in my quest. This word is translated “Thanksgiving” in protestant liturgy used in services of Holy Communion. It is because of all that God has done in Christ, as represented in the sacrament of Holy Communion, that I can come to God’s Throne of Grace with a grateful heart to sing those praise songs and hymns.

My Takeaway: I believe it is God’s ambition for me to become Eucharist to the world around me as I live a life of joyful gratitude. As a living Eucharist, I will reveal Jesus in my mortal flesh. I want to do just that! How about 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.)

Friday, June 12, 2026

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 12, 2026

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

“For while we live, we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh.”

2 Corinthians 4:11 (NRSV)

Let’s make it our goal to be continually aware of the presence of Jesus in our life. How do you do that? First, remember “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you” (Romans 8:11a). (The truth of this scripture is that you can initiate a conversation with the Holy Spirit, and this gives you the awareness of Christ’s presence in your life.)

Sometime in the coming days, you may find yourself in the grip of adverse circumstances. You may be so perplexed you don’t know what to do, or how to pray. Good. All you need to do is whisper, “Abba, I need you”, and you will experience the Holy Spirit praying for you with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. As you relax in the presence of the Risen One, a smile will engulf your face because you will know that God is working your circumstances for good. At that very moment, God is forming Christ within you. (See Romans 8:26-29 & Galatians 4:19)

Sometime this week you may find yourself at a gathering of friends. You may want to shout, “Laissez les bon temps rouler.” Go ahead, and as you do, remember Jesus at the wedding at Cana (John 2). I suspect Jesus may have had a twinkle in his eyes as the Wine Steward took a sample of the new wine to the bridegroom. Jesus may have said to himself, “Laissez les bon temps rouler --- “Let the good times roll.”

This simple discipline of just remembering Jesus in the ordinary times of life, will enable you to be given up to death for Jesus’ sake, which is Paul’s way of saying that we die to self-interest. When we do, the life of Jesus may be made visible in our mortal flesh.

My Takeaway: I think it really is this simple. As we remember the teachings of Jesus in the everyday events of our life, we can have an active awareness of Jesus showing himself strong in our life. Then the good times really will roll.

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, June 11, 2026

With Fear and Trembling

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

June 11, 2026

With Fear and Trembling

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”

Philippians 2:12b (NRSV)

Often in the social media, people will post stunning pictures of the beauty of nature as evidence of the Creator God. There is, however, another view. Thomas Long begins his excellent book on the nature of evil by remembering a great turning point, perhaps the tipping point, in the development of Enlightenment philosophy. It was the earthquake of 1775 that destroyed Lisbon on All Saints Day. Thousands of worshippers were killed when their churches crumbled down on top of them and then they were swept out to sea by the ensuing tsunami. (What Shall We Say?: Evil, Suffering, and the Crisis of Faith, Thomas G. Long, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2011) In the aftermath of this terrible disaster, people openly questioned the nature and existence of a god who could allow his followers to die while they were worshipping him.

Life is full of contradictions. So also, is the journey of faith. Our attempts to fully integrate our beliefs about Jesus into our daily lives are wrought with one step forward quickly followed by two steps backwards. As we seek the life in Christ as our way of life, our experience certainly does not resemble a straight, wide open interstate highway. The Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, North Carolina, with three hundred eighteen curves in eleven miles, is probably a better roadway analogy.

One of the most important social developments of the twentieth century was the establishment of self-help groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Al Anon. Two aspects of these groups are essential in our faith journey. First, we are not alone, others struggle along with us. (When you get to your small group in heaven, ask Peter to tell you how it felt to pledge his love to Jesus on the beach and get filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, only to struggle with jealousy with Paul’s missionary success.) Secondly, we get to be in accountability groups where our fellow travelers can ask us, “So, how’s it going with your issue of jealousy” Or lust, or anger, or whatever . . . you get the point!

My Takeaway: Life is full of contradictions, as is the journey of faith. What keeps me doing my best to move forward is my passionate belief, my trust in the truth of the Apostle Paul’s affirmation: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13).

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, June 30, 2026

Spiritual Blessings at Arm’s Length

Monday, June 29, 2026

I Work at It

Friday, June 26, 2026

Run to Jesus

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Yes, and Amen

Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Come and See

Tuesday, June 23, 2026

Spiritual Beggars

Monday, June 22, 2026

The Eternal Law of Love

Friday, June 19, 2026

Liberated From the Tyranny of Public Opinion

Thursday, June 18, 2026

Vive la Revolution

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

The Law of The Spirit

Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Christ-Centered Ego Strength

Monday, June 15, 2026

To Become Eucharist

Friday, June 12, 2026

Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler

Thursday, June 11, 2026

With Fear and Trembling

Seeking the Life in Christ

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