The City of God

April 12, 2017

The City of God

How great is the Lord,

how deserving of praise,

in the city of our God,

which sits on his holy mountain!

Psalm 48:1

As I read Psalm 48 I remember my visit to the Western Wall, the Wailing Wall, in Jerusalem. It was a Sabbath evening and the wall glistened like a pearl; she was exceedingly beautiful. Even today, after Jerusalem has been destroyed, rebuilt, destroyed to be rebuilt again and again, she is beautiful as the City of God.

For the followers of Christ, the City of God is the church: “You are members of God’s family. Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.”

(Ephesians 2:19b-22)

The church is not a denomination, and it is not a building. The church, the bride of Christ, is the people of God when they assemble and ask God to: “Transfigure us to be your presence in the world, even as we are redeemed and reclaimed by your great love. By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to the world, until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at the heavenly banquet.”

On our visit to Jerusalem, we gathered on the steps leading to the Temple. We could imagine Jesus teaching his disciples as he sat with them on these same steps. We could imagine the people of God gathering in the Temple as we read Psalm 122, “Let us go to the House of the Lord.” Today, as I read Psalm 48, I envision the time when all of God’s people will gather together in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21: 9-11) to sing praises to our redeeming God.

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.

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, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Sing Praises To God

April 11, 2017

Sing Praises To God

Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises!

For God is the King over all the earth.

Praise him with a psalm.

Psalm 47:6-7

Plato said, “Only the dead have seen the end of war.” I wish that was not true, but it is; and it will be, until Christ comes again in final victory over the forces of evil. The Book of Psalms presents the reality of living in a world fractured and broken by sin. The psalms do not hide or deny sin, evil and a world hostile to God. The Bible teaches us that we do not have to sink into despair in the face of this reality because, “. . . we are more than conquerors through (Christ) who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

Psalm 47 is a battle psalm written to praise God before the battle, within the battle, and after the victory. The Bible contains many examples where the Israelites put the formula of the psalmist into practice. Perhaps the classic illustration of this is the story of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. Prior to the battle, the people went to God in a prayer of trust and praise: “O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

As the King led his people into battle, they went forth “singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!” (2 Chronicles 20:21)

Then, “On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today” (2 Chronicles 20:26).

Although few of us have tasted war and we have not experienced the physical battle of the psalmist, we all experience spiritual battles. The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 6, teaches us that the Holy Spirit has equipped us with spiritual armor for battle. With the testimony of the unseen cloud of witnesses surrounding us, (Hebrews 12) we too can go forth singing,

“Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!”

2 Chronicles 20:21

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, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Mighty Fortress

April 10, 2017

A Mighty Fortress

God is our refuge and strength,
    always ready to help in times of trouble.

“Be still, and know that I am God!”

Psalm 46:1, 10a

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;

Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:”

Martin Luther was inspired by Psalm 46 to write “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”, which has become one of the great hymns of the church. Drawing from the images of turmoil and conflict in Psalm 46, Luther affirmed with the psalmist, that “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress” (v. 7 & 11).

I believe the writer of Psalm 46 was inspired by the account of a vast army from Edom marching against King Jehoshaphat, as recorded in Second Chronicles 20. Several passages in that account could well have inspired the psalmist, such as verse 17, “This battle is not for you to fight; take your position, stand still, and see the victory of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow, go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”

In that one passage alone is sufficient inspiration for the psalmist to write,

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,”

“‘Be still, and know that I am God!” and

“The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us;

the God of Israel is our fortress.”

Psalm 46: 1, 10a, 11

No matter what personal crisis you may be facing, what national or international event is causing you anxiety, I believe those three verses are sufficient to get you singing,

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;

Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing:”

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, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Bride of Christ

April 7, 2017

The Bride of Christ

In your majesty, ride out to victory,

defending truth, humility, and justice.

Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds!

Psalm 45:4

Psalm 45 was written to celebrate a royal wedding. Because Biblical metaphors often refer to Christ as the bridegroom and the church as his bride, Psalm 45 finds its ultimate fulfillment in Christ. The Book of Revelation points to this truth in Revelation1:5-6 where John affirms Jesus Christ is the ruler of all the kings of the world, and “He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”

When I read verses 14-15, I remember a wedding I performed in an outdoor setting:

“In her beautiful robes, she is led to the king,

accompanied by her bridesmaids.

What a joyful and enthusiastic procession

as they enter the king’s palace!”

As the groom and I waited under a terrace, the bride came into view, and the groom exclaimed, “She is so beautiful!” as his knees buckled. I held onto him and he made it through the ceremony without fainting. But what a precious moment that was, and since he was wearing a microphone, it was recorded on the wedding video.

At least six times, the New Testament refers to the church as the bride of Christ. As a devotional exercise, take some time to think about your church. Let the people of your church parade across your mind. Take time to think about the various missions, ministries and worship services in your church. After you have taken the time to gather your thoughts, think of your church as the bride of Christ. What do you think Christ will say when he sees his bride, your church, coming to him?

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, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.