Seeking the Life in Christ: September 2026

Wednesday, September 30, 2026

The Sufficiency of Grace

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 30, 2026

The Sufficiency of Grace

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

Romans 5:1-2a

When the Apostle Paul took his issue with a thorn in his flesh to God, the answer he received was, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). While Saint Paul was writing about his particular concern at that time, he would be quick to add that God’s response to all of the issues we face in life is always, “My grace is sufficient for you.” That response leads us to ask ourselves whether God’s grace is enough for us.

Certainly, we believe in the sufficiency of God’s grace to make us right in God’s sight. We know that God saved us by his grace when we believed. And we can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God, so none of us can boast about having been made right in God’s sight. Where we question the sufficiency of God’s grace is in the everyday ebb and flow of our lives.

We share our core needs with every other human being: the need to be loved, to be accepted and to have a sense of self-worth. How do we meet our needs? The culture around us meets these needs by playing the games of life. Using manipulation, intimidation, or whatever ego strengths they have, people play the money game, the security game, the gender game, the power game, the knowledge game, the expert game, whatever games they can master to satisfy their longings to be loved, to be accepted and for self-worth.

Over and against this backdrop, we hear our Abba Father gently whisper in our soul, “My grace is sufficient for you.” Do we believe our Abba? Do we believe enough to drop out of all the games people play?

My Takeaway: When we exit the playing fields and begin to trust in the sufficiency of God’s grace to meet our needs for love, acceptance and self-worth, we will soon realize that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8: 38-39).

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, September 29, 2026

Do You Love Me?

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 29, 2026

Do You Love Me?

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

John 21:17a

The exchange between Jesus and Peter in John 21 is so very compelling. Throughout the conversation, Jesus refers to Peter by his formal name, Simon son of John, even though Jesus had changed his name to Peter. (See Matthew 16) Interestingly, the Gospel writer used the name, Peter, throughout this conversation, even though Jesus consistently called him Simon son of John. Jesus’ formality with Peter may have had to do with Jesus using this conversation to redeem Peter from his failure when he denied he even knew Jesus. Or perhaps Jesus was so formal because he was formulating the most critical question Peter, or any follower of Jesus, will ever face: “Do you love me?”

I have three thoughts to keep in mind as we consider our own response to Jesus. First, Peter was uncompromisingly honest with Jesus. When Jesus said love, he used the word agape, which is the same word for love used in John 3:16 and when Jesus gave us the Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:38). In Peter’s response to Jesus, he used the word, philo, which is saying, “Yes Lord, I really like you a lot.” As we consider our response to Jesus’ question, let us be as honest as Peter, and remember that “God loves us unconditionally, just as we are; not as we should be. Because no one is as they should be.” (All is Grace by Brennan Manning)

Secondly, after each of Peter’s responses to Jesus’ three questions, Jesus gave Peter an assignment: “Jesus said, “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17c). God accepts us just where we are: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,” (Matthew 12:20a). Jesus has work for us to do, just where we are, as we become co-laborers with him, building for the Kingdom of God.

Lastly, the words of Mordecai’s rhetorical question to Queen Esther are relevant to every Christian today: “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b). God has redeemed you, and calls you His own, for just such a time as this! Your family and your neighbors, your co-workers, as well as all the people throughout your environment, are depending on you to respond to Jesus’ question: “Do you love me?”

My Takeaway: As you respond, “Yes Lord, I ______ you,” listen for the Lord to reply,

“Accept each moment as it comes to you, with faith and trust that all that happens has my mark on it. So seek me not in far-off places. I am close at hand. Your workbench, office, kitchen, these are altars where you offer love. And I am with you there. Go now! Take up your cross and with your life complete your way.”

(Adapted from, Everyman’s Way to the Cross)

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, September 28, 2026

Abba’s Child

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 28, 2026

Abba’s Child

You received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.

Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

Romans 8:15b

While the 23^rd Psalm is quite helpful in grounding the children of God in the intimacy our Heavenly Father desires with us, the most compelling depiction of our intimacy with the Father is the Apostle Paul’s assertion in his letter to the Romans:

“You received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.

Now we call him, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15b).

Let’s put this assertion into its basic context.

The average child begins to formulate words at about eighteen months of age. Imagine such a child sitting in his father’s lap and saying, “Da, da, dad, daddy.” If the child were Jewish his words would be, “Ab, Ab, Abba, Abba.” The Apostle Paul is telling us that we can express intimate love to the Creator of the Universe by calling Him, Abba, Father. This assertion helps us grasp Jesus’ meaning when he said, “For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children” (Matthew 19:14b. See also Matthew 18:3).

Throughout the Bible, as men and women encountered the presence of God, or even one of His angels, they responded with fear and foreboding. That is certainly understandable considering that man’s ability to split the atom and unleash nuclear bombs pales in comparison to the power of God who looked at a world that did not exist and spoke it into being by the power of His Word. Humanity’s loftiest achievements in the arts are incomparable to the beauty of God’s holiness. Even the splendor of nature, the majestic mountains and natural wonders, are mere shadows of the beauty and splendor that is our God. Yet, we get to know this awesome God as our Abba!

My Takeaway: If you are not yet at the place where your default position, your go-to mode is to know and relate to God as your Abba Father, what might you begin to do, or stop doing to help open your soul to an intimate, loving relationship with Abba?

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, September 25, 2026

Perfected Compassion

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 25, 2026

Perfected Compassion

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Luke 10:37b

Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity and served in the hospice she founded in Calcutta until her death in 1997. Countless individuals journeyed to Calcutta to spend time with her to learn her secret for life. They assumed she must have some insight she could give them to help them sort out the meaning of their lives. Mother Teresa’s insights were quite simple, incredibly profound:

Spread love everywhere you go.

Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.

Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.

Mother Teresa’s advice points us to the place in our lives where we fully rely on the sufficiency of Christ. Mother Teresa told the pilgrims coming to Calcutta that the meaning of their lives would be found in understanding the conjunction between Matthew 5:48 and Luke 6:36.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus’ message to his followers is, “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” (Luke 6:36)

So, which is it? Are we to be perfect or compassionate? Yes.

We are perfected in our compassion! Mother Teresa gently pointed out to those pilgrims making the journey to Calcutta that Christ calls us to express God’s compassion wherever we find ourselves, each day.

My Takeaway: Perfected compassion is not only administered in Calcutta; it is expressed in Florida, North Carolina, Iowa, Missouri, Jerusalem, and on the road to Jericho.

“Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

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, September 24, 2026

For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 24, 2026

For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free

There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything.

Colossians 3:11 (NJB)

I believe what sets Saint Paul apart from so many of his contemporaries, what makes his words still resonate deeply within the hearts of men and women two thousand years after they were first written, is that Paul was so very certain of the sufficiency of Christ. Whether Paul was in a jail cell in Philippi, debating with Greek philosophers on Mars Hill, or proclaiming the Good News of Jesus in every hamlet and village across his missionary journeys, Paul lived, moved and existed in Christ. (Acts 17:28) Paul heard God tell him, “My grace is sufficient for you,” and Paul believed God (2 Corinthians 12:9a NRSV). How might our lives be different if we too rested in the sufficiency of Christ in our lives?

Several years ago, I toured Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry and Antietam. Over one hundred fifty years have passed since Civil War battles were fought on these grounds. Yet there remains evidence of what men and women sacrificed for the cause of freedom. In visiting Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, I was struck by the commitment he, and fifty-five others, made to “mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor” in support of the Declaration of Independence and freedom for the United Colonies. What has our freedom to be the people Christ called us to be?

“For freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1 NRSV). In our personal lives, the prevailing culture tempts us to lose our way in vain efforts to find satisfaction in the accumulation of power, money and self-indulgence in temporal pleasures. Over and against the ways of the prevailing culture, Christ has set us free from the powers of the spiritual forces of evil so that we can dwell continually in his presence. The same words God spoke to Paul; He speaks to all His children: “My grace is sufficient for you.”

My Takeaway: If we, like Paul, will choose to believe God, like Paul, we will conclude, “There is only Christ: he is everything and he is in everything,” and we will be free.

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, September 23, 2026

Compassion

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 23, 2026

Compassion

Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

Luke 15:20b

Repeatedly, we read in the Gospels that Jesus had compassion for people. Compassion is at the heart of Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son. I am quite convinced that compassion is the foremost emotion Jesus has for all people.

Within the realm of our fallen sinful nature, our reaction to people who do wrong to us is revenge, retribution, punishment, and our interpretation of appropriate justice. Generally, mercy doesn’t make the list of our responsive emotions. However, Jesus models life for us as God’s new creation. Jesus’ first response is compassion.

There was a minister who encountered a crisis of faith and gave up. He left the church and abandoned his family. He ended up alone in a ramshackle old trailer in the middle of winter. His small electric heater quit. In disgust he yelled out, “God, I hate you!” then fell to the floor weeping. The minister would later testify that there in that trailer, in his darkest hour, he sensed God reply to his curse, “I know; it’s okay.” Then this shattered man heard Jesus’ weeping with him. Soon after that experience, the minister left the trailer, and the prodigal returned home.

In your brokenness, in your darkest hours, when you have sinned against God and others, what do you hear? Do you hear Jesus condemning you, or judging you, or do you experience the savior of your soul weeping with you? Whether or not you have a discernable experience of God’s presence with you, the truth is that God is always for you; the lover of your soul keeps track of all your sorrows. He has collected all your tears in His bottle, and He has recorded each one in His book. (Psalm 56:8)

My Takeaway: I am not sure which causes God’s tears to flow the most: our brokenness that causes us to do dumb and hurtful things or our deafness to His tears of compassion for 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, September 22, 2026

Safe With One Another

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 22, 2026

Safe With One Another

What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation.

Galatians 6:15b

One of the greatest mysteries for those seeking the life in Christ as their way of life is how we manage the inner war between our fallen sinful nature and the reality “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). The Apostle Paul was quite dramatic in his response to our dilemma. He told the Galatians that his “old self has been crucified with Christ,” and he told the Romans “Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism” (Galatians 2:20 & Romans 6:3-4).

Paul wasn’t just using hyperbole to make his point. We have been given new life by God, and we are His new creation by faith in Christ Jesus. This new life is altogether different than our old life. Our mission is to take this new life, which John Wesley called holiness of heart, and make it our way of life, which Wesley called holiness of life. There are milestones for this new life we can look for as we journey along the way with Jesus. One of the milestones is our authenticity with one another.

Someone once said, with great sadness, that if he had to write an epitaph for his parents’ tombstone, he would have to write: “Here lie two people who never knew one another.” He said his father could never share his feelings, so his mother never truly knew him. Feeling safe with God’s love for us and safe with another person so we can share our innermost feelings is one of the greatest gifts we will receive in this lifetime. When the history of the twentieth century is written, one of the greatest achievements noted will be the development of self-help groups. At the core of these self-help groups is authentic sharing, where group members own their feelings and take responsibility for their lives.

My Takeaway: A core value within every Christian small group, and within every home, should be the building of authentic community where the members learn to trust in God’s love for them and learn to feel safe so they can be real with one another.

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, September 21, 2026

You Have Prepared Praise for Yourself

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 21, 2026

You Have Prepared Praise for Yourself

“Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies

You have prepared praise for Yourself’”

Matthew 21:16 (NASB)

Psalm 8 is a beautiful psalm of praise for God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, who so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.

Whenever I read this Psalm, I recall two personal experiences with its majesty. First, I remember a time when I had been visiting churches in Mexico, several miles south of Matamoros. It was late on a Sunday evening, and I had just finished preaching in the last church service for the day. My host took me to the home of one of his parishioners for supper. There was no ambient light and it was very dark. As I looked up into the night sky, I was overwhelmed with the beauty, the majesty, of countless thousands of stars. My host immediately began quoting Psalm 8:3,

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—

the moon and the stars you set in place—“

The second experience was my discovery of Jesus in this Psalm. The New Testament writers clearly thought Jesus was the mortal described Psalm 8: 5-8. (See 1 Corinthians 15:27; Ephesians 1:22; and Hebrews 2: 5-8) Also, Jesus quoted this psalm, but in doing so added his own interpretation. His insight has fascinated me for years.

Verse 2 of Psalm 8 states, “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength” (NASB). At Matthew 21:16, Jesus quotes this verse saying, “Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’” (NASB).

So, which is it? Has God ordained strength, or praise, out of the mouths of infants and babes?

My Takeaway: Yes. Our strength comes from our praise of the LORD.

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, September 18, 2026

Let Us Thank the Lord for His Steadfast Love

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 18, 2026

Let Us Thank the Lord for His Steadfast Love

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,”

Psalm 107:2a (NRSV)

This theme is repeated throughout Psalm 107. Four times the psalmist writes:

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love

and his wonderful deeds for mankind,”

Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31

This psalm was written as a psalm of thanksgiving for God bringing His people out of the Babylonian captivity and as a psalm of wisdom, where the psalmist urges his congregation to not repeat the mistakes of their ancestors. When Israel was faithful to God, the psalmist would sing to the Lord,

for you are my refuge,

a strong tower against the enemy.

Let me abide in your tent for ever,

find refuge under the shelter of your wings.

Psalm 61:3-4 (NRSV)

When Israel was not faithful to God, they

wandered in desert wastes,

finding no way to an inhabited town;

hungry and thirsty,

their soul fainted within them.

Psalm 107:4-5 (NRSV)

While all of the followers of Christ can sing “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;” (Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Robert Robinson, 1758), we can take comfort that “If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NRSV).

My Takeaway: However, there is something we can do to minimize our wanderings. Every time the people of God gather, whether in small groups or Sunday Worship,

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

for his wonderful works to humankind.”

Psalm 107:2a, 8 (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.)

Thursday, September 17, 2026

We Too Will Inherit God’s Care

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 17, 2026

We Too Will Inherit God’s Care

And a voice from heaven said,

“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:17

In the preceding verse, we learn that “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him” (Matthew 3:16). Jesus then heard a voice from heaven and “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4:1). Sometime later, perhaps one evening when Jesus and his disciples were sitting around a fire, Jesus told his disciples what happened when he was baptized. Jesus alone saw the heavens open, he alone saw the dove, he alone heard the voice, and he alone sensed the leading of the Spirit. The others present by the river that day only saw Jesus go under the water and upon rising from the water walk away.

In the wilderness, Jesus processed all that he had experienced, heard and seen. During that time, he made his decision to trust that God was at work in him, and to accept by faith the future God had ordained for him. Jesus’ first act in ministry was accepting his identity as God’s dearly loved Son, with whom (God) was well pleased. For his act of faith, he was immediately tempted by Satan.

I think this is the model for all the followers of Jesus. Our first step as a Christian is to accept our new identity as the beloved of God with whom He is well pleased. Such a step of faith is contradictory to all our natural senses and cultural norms. It is a step of faith for which we assuredly, and repeatedly, will be challenged by the great enemy of God, the evil one, the devil. Jesus not only modeled how we will be tempted, but he also modeled how we can overcome the tempter: “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Matthew 4:10).

My Takeaway: When we rely on the Word of God as our rule and guide through life, we, like Jesus, will receive God’s care: Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (Matthew 4:11).

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, September 16, 2026

I Am ALWAYS a Winner

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 16, 2026

I Am ALWAYS a Winner

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.

Romans 8:18 (NRSV)

“And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory” (Colossians 1:27b NLT). These words of Paul are deeply embedded in my soul. With my faith resting on this powerful affirmation from Paul, I am a winner.

There are days after two hours on the hard tennis courts that I hobble around with sore knees and feet and feel like I am twenty years older than I am. Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory. There are days when depression is my closest traveling companion. Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory. There are days when I fail miserably to take all my thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ and instead suffer with all manner of vain imaginings. Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory.

Somewhere hangs a plaque in a beaten-up wooden frame: “God will not look you over for medals, diplomas, or honors, but for scars . . .” Amen, brother! Those scars are not just from persecutions suffered through service in the name of Christ. Those scars also come from our own wrestling with our flesh, our own efforts, sometimes successful, often not so much so, to crucify our flesh. Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory.

When we are pressed on every side by troubles, when we are perplexed, when we are hunted down, and when we get knocked down by life, it is hard to feel like a winner. (See 2 Corinthians 4:8-9) Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory. I have come to realize that Paul’s direction to “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” was a lot easier for him to write, than for me to implement in my life; thus, for me, the promised “peace of God, which transcends all understanding” is sometimes quite illusive (Philippians 4:6-7). Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory.

My Takeaway: Even so, Christ is in me, the hope of glory. With my faith resting on this powerful affirmation from Paul, I am ALWAYS a winner.

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, September 15, 2026

Tempted To Deny My Life in Christ

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 15, 2026

Tempted To Deny My Life in Christ

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Matthew 4:1

When Jesus was in the wilderness, he experienced the same temptations, in the same sequence, as did the people of Israel when they entered the wilderness after escaping from Egypt. Jesus was tempted regarding hunger, testing God and false worship. Unlike Israel, Jesus was faithful. (See Exodus 16, and 17:19-32)

The Apostle John tells us, “for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16 NRSV). From the devil’s original temptation of humankind, “you will be like God,” the devil attacks the desires of our flesh (Genesis 3:5). However, the temptations are subtle. The devil didn’t tell Adam and Eve they would be better than God; rather, “you will be like God.” In the wilderness, the devil appealed to Jesus to avoid the long road of suffering and to take a short cut to gathering a following. Many of the people in Israel were hungry. If Jesus turned the stones into bread, he could feed a multitude and win the loyalty of the people. If Jesus leaped from the tower and was not injured, he would thus prove his divine nature. However, “without faith it is impossible to please God,” and faith is choosing to believe in God in the absence of proof (Hebrews 11:6). Perhaps the greatest temptation we all face is the lie that our needs for love, acceptance and a sense of self-worth are to be found in the riches of the world. Like Jesus, we are called to reject the notion that our value is in the kingdoms of this world and “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Matthew 4:10).

We are called to be a part of God’s people, to do God’s work in the world. Thus, we will face the same temptations, as did Israel and Jesus when they were in the wilderness. At their core, these temptations are not about things I really want to do but know I should not. They are temptations to be someone other than the person God calls me to be. These are temptations to deny I am a child of God.

My Takeaway: I want to live my life by trusting in Jesus, who loved me and gave himself for me. Every day I am tempted to deny my life in Christ and trust in something else to meet my needs. Like Jesus, I can turn to scripture and affirm that I am a child of God. So can you. (The chorus of the song, Who I Am by Ben Fuller, resonates within me, “I am a child of the Most High God and the Most High God is for me.”)

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, September 14, 2026

Divine Restraint

Meditations on

Staying in the Grace for Today

September 14, 2026

Divine Restraint

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.

1 Corinthians 10:23

The Bible teaches us to practice self-restraint. The Apostle Paul even includes self-restraint as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Both James and Peter urge their congregations to practice self-restraint or self-control. Most often, when we think of self-control, we are focusing on all the things we are not supposed to do as Jesus’ disciples. That is easy to understand because the phrase ‘do not’ appears almost 175 times in just the first five books of the Bible.

While the Bible is most assuredly concerned that we exercise self-control over the sinful desires of the flesh, the Bible is also very interested in our responding to our higher calling by practicing divine restraint. Several times in the Gospels, Jesus used the phrase, “I must,” such as, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent” (Luke 4:43). The Apostle Paul also was driven by divine restraint when “he said, “I must visit Rome also” (Acts 19:21). In both these examples, Jesus and Paul were responding to the imperative God placed on their lives. They exercised self-control by not doing other things, not going other places, so that they could fully respond to God’s leading in their lives.

As the followers of Jesus, we too have an imperative from God. God wants to use our lives for the glory of His Kingdom. As disciples, we are called to exercise divine restraint in our lives so that we can offer all that we are, and all that we have, for God to use at His discretion. What does that look like; how do we do this?

Paul follows the passage quoted above (1 Corinthians 10:23) with this instruction: “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others” (1 Corinthians 10:24). This is very similar to what Paul wrote to the Philippians: “Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4 NRSV). In both instances, Paul is encouraging us to exercise divine restraint in how we use all our assets, so that we can use them in God-honoring ways, and not just for our own self-interest.

My Takeaway: Cheryl and I are applying this principle in our household by changing some of our household spending practices – not because we must pinch pennies, but because we get to. Some of the money we saved on household expenses by practicing divine restraint we are now investing more in a food Bank in Israel and helping support a member of our church in seminary.

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, September 30, 2026

The Sufficiency of Grace

Tuesday, September 29, 2026

Do You Love Me?

Monday, September 28, 2026

Abba’s Child

Friday, September 25, 2026

Perfected Compassion

Thursday, September 24, 2026

For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Compassion

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Safe With One Another

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You Have Prepared Praise for Yourself

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Let Us Thank the Lord for His Steadfast Love

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We Too Will Inherit God’s Care

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I Am ALWAYS a Winner

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Tempted To Deny My Life in Christ

Monday, September 14, 2026

Divine Restraint

Seeking the Life in Christ

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