Your Worth to God is Unchanging

Monday, May 06, 2013               2 Corinthians 4:8-11

Your Worth to God is Unchanging

Cheryl and I recently added two bird feeders to our deck. It has been entertaining watching the squirrels examine the feeders, which so far have proved that they are indeed “squirrel-proof.” The squirrel climbs all around it, goes to the top and hangs up-side down and studies it closely, then leaves in great consternation. Not long after he leaves, two Goldfinches arrive at one feeder while a red Cardinal enjoys an afternoon snack at the other one. I am amazed that all these beautiful creatures have homes in the trees surrounding our home, and I am reminded of the words of Jesus: “Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” (Matthew 6:26).

As we seek life in Christ, Jesus continually reminds of us our value to God. I need that constant encouragement because the wounds of life have cut deeply into my soul and I battle daily over the issue of my self-worth. I have found the story of the $100 bill helpful in keeping me grounded in God’s love. Imagine that I am showing you a $100 bill.

“Would you like this $100 bill?”

“Yes, of course I would” you reply.

Then I fold the bill, once, and then fold it again. “Do you still want it?”

“Yes, of course.”

Then I unfold the bill and crumple the bill into a tiny ball. “Do you still want it?” “Sure, it is still $100.”

Next, I un-crumple the bill and throw it to the floor and with my foot smash it into the floor. Now, standing over the bill, I say to you again, “Do you still want this bill?”

“Yes, it is still worth $100.”

Yes it is.

And, your worth to God is unchanging also. The events and circumstances of life may make you feel as though you have been folded, crushed, and stepped on, but to God you value is unchanging. You are His precious child, with whom He is delighted and upon whom His favor rests.

"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. 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 4:8-11 NRSV).

Sē’lah

  

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com. The Kindle version will follow soon.

·        The second edition First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

What’s Your Worldview?

Friday, May 03, 2013        Romans 12:2

What’s Your Worldview?

All of our thoughts, words, actions and emotions have their origin in our unique and individual worldview. Whether we are an introvert or extravert, are analytical or more intuitive, whether we are prone to fight or flight, prefer to read or listen, to see or to do is a matter of our particular worldview.

Our worldview is the basis of all our interactions with other people and our culture as well as the basis of our own self-awareness. If we were a computer, our worldview would be our operating system. Our OS is constructed in part by genetics and in part by our cultural experiences. While genetics form the foundation for the way we interact with our world, our cultural experiences can significantly enhance or diminish our natural tendencies.

As followers of Christ we live between two realities. One reality is our natural life, our worldview which has been fractured by sin. The other reality is our new life in Christ: “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17). Our human nature drives us to meet our needs for love, acceptance and self-worth through our own strength and abilities. Against this exercise of self-effort, Jesus calls out to us, “Friends, let me show you a better way to live.” Life betwixt and between these two realities can be exhausting, which is one reason the Apostle Paul challenged us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12b NRSV).

Over and against the truth of who I am in Christ, which for me is characterized by a great optimistic hope for life together in the Kingdom of God, my fractured human reality causes me to suffer with cascading negative thoughts about my own life within the Kingdom. Together with the Apostle Paul I call out to God, “Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (Romans 7:24b). And, together with Paul, I celebrate the answer to my question, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:25a).

It is true that we are transformed by renewing our minds, by learning to know ourselves the way God knows us. Learning to live this new way of life in Christ (Romans 7:6) can be a struggle, but we are reminded by Jesus that “he will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle” (Matthew 12:20). However, neither will he lower the bar. He is determined that we will learn to live just like he did, as the beloved child of God, with whom God is delighted and upon whom His favor rests.

The affirmations in the four previous meditations are expressions of the truth of God’s love and acceptance of each of us. Fixing your mind on these great truths of God will lead you to a very wonderful place, that place where you rest in God’s smile of affection for you.

 

Resting in His Smile,

Sē’lah

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com. The Kindle version will follow soon.

·        The second edition First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

What Is True Of Jesus Is True For His People

May 2, 2013           2 Corinthians 1: 3-7

What Is True Of Jesus Is True For His People

In the Apostle Paul’s prayer in 2 Corinthians 1: 3-7, he uses the word comfort, in one form or another, ten times. Ten times in five verses. In using this word, Paul does not mean comfort like someone giving you a hug and assuring you that they care for you. He means so much more. He means a comfort that meets you where you are and then raises you up to where you can see new hope, new possibilities, and a new way to move forward. This is the comfort of God for us when we are suffering. This comfort from God is so real that once you have experienced it, you can actually share God’s comfort with other people. In this brief passage, Paul reveals the essence of our Life in Christ: What is true of Jesus is true for His people. What was true for Jesus is that he was comforted by God. Jesus’ people can also experience the comfort of God. What was true for Jesus is that he comforted and healed others. Jesus’ people can share the comfort and healing of God with others.

Noted theologian and scholar Bishop N.T. Wright says that at the heart of the gospel proclaimed by the Apostle Paul is the fact that “what is true for the Messiah is true of his people.” For Paul this was not just a powerful thought or belief, but a fact of experience. Wright explains this truth this way: “the Messiah died, so his people die in him, sharing his suffering; the Messiah rose again, so his people rise again in him, knowing the power of the resurrection to comfort and heal, already in present time, and cherishing the hope that one day they will be given new, resurrection bodies like the one the Messiah himself has now” (Tom Wright, Paul for Everyone 2 Corinthians (London, SPCK) p.4).

Once again I’ll paraphrase Brennan Manning: Do you honestly believe that what is true of Jesus is true for his people? If you could answer, "Yes and Amen," there would come a relaxedness, a serenity and a compassionate attitude toward yourself that is a reflection of God’s own tenderness.

Sē’lah

  

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com. The Kindle version will follow soon.

·        The second edition First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

Two Diamond Tales

May 1, 2013           Matthew 13: 45-46

Two Diamond Tales

Anthony DeMello tells of a sojourner who, upon reaching the outskirts of a village, settled down under a tree for the night. Suddenly a villager came running up to him and said, “The stone! The stone! Give me the precious stone!”

“What stone?” asked the sojourner. “Last night the Lord appeared to me in a dream,” said the villager, “and told me that if I went to the outskirts of the village at dusk I should find a sojourner who would give me a precious stone that would make me rich forever.” The sojourner rummaged in his bag and pulled out a stone. “He probably meant this one,” he said, as he handed the stone over to the villager. “I found it on a forest path some days ago. You can certainly have it.”

The villager gazed at the stone in wonder. It was a diamond; probably the largest diamond in the whole world, for it was as large as a person’s head. He took the diamond and walked away. All night he tossed about in bed, unable to sleep. The next day at the crack of dawn he returned to the sojourner and said, “Please kind sir, give me the wealth that makes it so easy for you to give this diamond away.”

What was the sojourner’s wealth?

Imagine you wanted to determine the value of a precious stone, perhaps a diamond. You can take your stone to a jeweler, who will examine and weigh your diamond. The jeweler uses a scale with two trays suspended from a balance rod, so that when there is equal weight on each tray, the rod balances perfectly. He places the diamond on one tray and then adds weight to the other tray until they balance.

Imagine you are that diamond. How can your value be determined? You, the diamond, are on one tray. On the other tray place all of your accomplishments. Add recommendations you receive from your family and friends, your education and business success, and your participation in the programs and ministries of your church. After you have placed all you can think of on the tray, you notice that the scale has not moved. The tray with all of your fame and accomplishments has failed to move your tray at all.

So you ask God for a little help; after all, He knows everything. Because God knows that value can be determined by what you are willing to pay for something, He asks you to remove all the things you had placed in the tray representing your value. Then God places Jesus in that tray, and the scales balance perfectly. You are worth Jesus! Your value to God is the same value that God places on Jesus, because God gave Jesus for you: “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Again paraphrasing Brennan Manning: Do you honestly believe that God loved you so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that you, by believing in him, will not perish but have eternal life? If you could answer, "Yes and Amen," there would come a relaxedness, a serenity and a compassionate attitude toward yourself that is a reflection of God’s own tenderness.

Sē’lah

   

<><  <><  <><  <><

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com. The Kindle version will follow soon.

·        The second edition First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.