One with Christ

January 6, 2015

One with Christ

I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

John 17:21

The Gospel of John records Jesus’ prayer for his disciples, which includes you and me! In his prayer, Jesus payed that we would be one with him so that we could be one with each other, and so that the world would believe in Christ through the testimony of our lives. This prayer is incorporated in the liturgy of the sacrament of Holy Communion: “By your Spirit make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.”

God’s process of forming Christ in us, so that we are one with him, takes many shapes and forms. One aspect of our willingness to participate in God’s process, is through our willingness to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). Ouch! I’m immediately reminded of something I read in the Museum of Westward Expansion in St. Louis:  “. . . 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 . . .” (Lansford W. Hastings, Overlander). It is exceedingly difficult for us to submit to another person’s authority over us.

Yet, that is exactly what Jesus did. After he was separated from his parents in Jerusalem as a young boy, the scriptures tell us, “Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them” (Luke 2:51a). He remained in Nazareth for at least another twenty years, submitted to the authority of his parents. Further, in the Garden of Gethsemane, he submitted his will to God, and later he submitted to the authority of Pontius Pilate.

Yes, submitting to others is exceedingly difficult. Just keep in mind that through this process, Jesus is making you one with him! Like John at the Last Supper, just lean back and rest your head on Jesus’ chest and hang in there!

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.  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. 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 in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available 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.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

Rescue Us From The Evil One

January 5, 2016

Rescue Us From The Evil One

And don’t let us yield to temptation,

    but rescue us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:13

What temptations do you have the most difficulty resisting? Dark chocolate is right up there near the top of my list, but that isn’t what our Lord had in mind when he included this line in the Lord’s Prayer. The key to his thinking lies in the last few words, “. . . rescue us from the evil one.” These words connect Jesus to his own temptation in the wilderness when the devil, the evil one, tried unsuccessfully three times to tempt Jesus away from his mission.

Each of the three temptations can be seen in the light of something good. With the carnal mind, it would have been good to turn stones into bread so that Jesus could feed the poor. It also would have been good to create a spectacle that would draw the attention of the masses, or avail himself of the wealth of the nation’s so as to fulfill his purposes. But none of those were in the mind of God and thus were summarily dismissed by Jesus.

In our journey through life with Jesus, we too will face spiritual temptations. Our spiritual temptations are not that we will steal from our neighbor, or eat too much chocolate (is that an oxymoron?). Rather our temptations will be to focus on the seemingly good virtues of life, while missing the only good we will ever know: Jesus Christ. The evil one is not trying to convince us to rob a bank; he is trying to get us to invest ourselves in anything other than Jesus. That’s why Saint Paul said he had discarded everything so that he could gain Christ. That’s what I want also. This desire leads us to the most vicious spiritual battleground, which is why we desperately need Jesus to rescue us from the evil one.

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.  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. 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 in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available 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.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

I Have Discarded Everything

January 4, 2016

I Have Discarded Everything

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ . . .”

Philippians 3:8

Deeper in Christ is where I want to be. This was Saint Paul’s ambition, and he made his journey into Christ by establishing Jesus as the absolute number one priority in his life. As I have been pondering what this would look like in my life, I have been meditating on two scriptures that are waiting for my will to conform to their teaching.

First, the writer of Hebrews is instructing me to “strip off every weight that slows (you) down” (Hebrews 12:1a). This is a double meaning for me because I do need to lose weight, as well as declutter my life from those things that hinder my pursuit of making the life in Christ my way of life. Part of the clutter is just stuff that demands time and attention and maintenance. Part of the clutter is being spread too thin, where involvement in much hinders my mastering that which is supremely important.

Secondly, the Apostle Paul is telling me to “Grow up! Put away childish things!” (1 Corinthians 13:11). In my case, I have some old baggage that really makes me resist having my plans interrupted. In some cases, putting away something is just a matter of making up your mind to move on. In other cases, it’s not so easy. Even so, Jesus is the only true healer for damaged emotions, and having your mind made up to seek his divine intervention is the first step in the healing process.

As I begin this New Year, I am renewing my desire to live simply, and to go with the flow of the Holy Spirit, unafraid of how he directs my path.

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.  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. 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 in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available 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.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.

You Will Find Rest For Your Souls

January 1, 2016

You Will Find Rest For Your Souls

“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.

    With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

Jeremiah 31:3

Let this thought be your guide for 2016: “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)

God’s love for us is based 100% on His choice to love us unconditionally, just as we are; not as we should be. If His choice to love us were based on anything else, we would be in trouble. What if God’s chose to love us based on some measure of our faithfulness. What would happen if we didn’t measure up?

The truth of God’s love for us is that we don’t deserve it, we can’t earn it and we can’t justify it. God’s choice to love us is seemingly contradictory. God’s sets a very high bar of expectations for us: “But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).  But when we fail to meet His expectations we hear: “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). When we accept God loving us so completely, we can move toward that liberating day when, because we passionately believe in God’s love for us, we truly love ourselves for God’s sake.

Maybe on this first day of the New Year you are still a bit weary from striving to justify your place with God. Maybe you are still battered and bruised from the game of life. If so, hear these comforting words from your Master, who loves you unconditionally, just as you are; not as you should be. Because no one is as they should be.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

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.  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. 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 in paperback and Kindle.

·        The second edition of  First Think – Then Pray is available 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.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.