God’s Faith Working in You

June 6, 2018

God’s Faith Working in You

“Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.”

Habakkuk 2:4

God loves us as we are, not as we should be. God’s love for us, as we are, will transform us so that we can love ourselves as we are, not as we should be. God’s love for us, as we are, will transform us so that we can love others as they are, not as they should be. That’s the theological theory of the Gospel of Grace.

Because of the sinister nature of sin, the great danger to grace is the attitude of those who told the Apostle Paul that we should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace. (Romans 6:1) That temptation is very real, which is why Paul devoted the entire chapter six of Romans to show us an alternative way to live, which is the life in Christ.

The proud, those who trust in themselves, will develop strategies, disciplines and programs all aimed at trying to redeem the flesh that is so prone to spiritual laziness and moral laxity. Alas, the flesh isn’t redeemable, which is why Paul turned to the only solution:  “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20a). Paul used this same imagery in Romans, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin” (Romans 6:6-7).

When we embrace the pure grace of God, our adversary will tempt us toward spiritual laziness and moral laxity knowing that our tendency will be towards rules and laws to discipline our flesh. If we have a measure of success, we become prideful because we have trusted in ourselves. If we lack success in self-discipline, we may become discouraged and lose hope. This is why Paul so powerfully proclaimed that the cure for our sin is God’s grace, and the cure for our susceptibility toward spiritual laziness and moral laxity is God’s grace.

My Takeaway: By the way, the Greek translation of Habakkuk 2:4 renders it, “But the righteous person will live by my faith.” (Emphasis mine) Paul made a similar observation: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). Do you see it? God’s faith is working in you; the Gospel of grace is transforming you!

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 Need Saving

 NOTE: I will be away on a trip for two weeks. My meditations for this period are already in the cue for you to receive each day, however I will not be able to respond to comments until June 18.

June 5, 2018

I Need Saving

“We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.”

Isaiah 64:6

One of the most haunting sentences in the Bible is Jesus’ words to the church in Ephesus, “If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches” (Revelation 2:5b). When I served as a pastor, I kept a lamp burning in the chancel area to remind the congregation that what the Lord gives, the Lord can take away. In the case of Ephesus, the church didn’t love Jesus or each other as they did at first. Much like the church at Laodicea they had become like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, and Jesus was prepared to spit them out of his mouth! The poor Laodiceans said, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And Jesus said, “You don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” (Revelation 3:15-17).

One of the greatest temptations facing the followers of Jesus is to delude ourselves into thinking that it is the other guy who needs saving; it is the other person who needs spiritual maturity; it is others who need self-discipline. One of the signs we are yielding to this temptation is in our disagreements over little things. Novelist Anthony Trollope wrote, “. . . the apostle of Christianity and the infidel can meet without a chance of a quarrel; but it is never safe to bring together two men who differ about a saint or a surplice.”

Evangelist Peter Lord loved to trip up Christians by giving them a True / False quiz. The first question was, “A good description of a Christian is a sinner saved by grace.” Most reply True, but it really is a trick question. Yes, a definition of a Christian is a sinner saved by grace. However, Peter Lord said that’s not a good description. Becoming a Christian is becoming a new person. A Christian is a child of God, a joint heir with Christ. I don’t disagree with Peter Lord’s point, but I think we need to never lose sight of the fact that both answers are absolutely correct. That’s the point Isaiah was trying to teach Israel, and it is the same point Jesus was trying to teach to the Ephesians and Laodiceans.

My Takeaway: Jesus wants me to embrace this truth every day. It is not the other guy who needs saving; it is me. Apart from Christ, I am the one who is wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.

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.

I Have Come To Do Your Will, O God

June 4, 2018

I Have Come To Do Your Will, O God

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews tells us that when “Christ came into the world he said to God, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer” (Hebrews 10:5). Thus Jesus said to his disciples, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me” (Luke 22:19b). I read an article recently that said a person understands themselves in terms of their body image. That is, what a person feels about their body and its worth is what they feel about themselves. Jesus must have had a pretty good self-image since he gave his body as a sacrifice for the entire world.

I suspect most people struggle with their body image. We see ourselves as too heavy, or not heavy enough, not muscular enough, too tall or too short. Some of us have scars that are hard to look upon. The Word of the Lord for us today calls us to look at our bodies in a different light. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak unto God the same words Jesus spoke to God, “You have given me a body to offer.” We are not called to sacrifice our bodies for the sins of the world, but we are called take our redeemed bodies and feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, invite the stranger into our home, cloth the naked, care for the sick, and visit the prisoners. (Matthew 25:35-36)

My Takeaway: Jesus’ body was pierced, crushed and wounded to heal our sin-sickness and bring us into peace with God. Now we are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus as our lives are hidden with God in Christ Jesus. All that remains is for us to respond to God with the same words Jesus spoke to his Father, “I have come to do your will, O God” (Hebrews 10:7).

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.

Praise the Lord Forever!

June 1, 2018

Praise the Lord Forever!

I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord, forever;

    with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 89:1 (NRSV)

This Sunday is the first Sunday of the month, and in our church, we celebrate Holy Communion: “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me” (Luke 22:19b). Many churches seldom celebrate Holy Communion, and some churches offer the sacrament weekly. Even so, often the sacrament is stuck into the worship service like a leftover Christmas ornament trying to fit onto the tree. When we de-emphasize Holy Communion, we do so at our peril. In Holy Communion, we are remembering all we need to know to remain faithful to the psalmist’s call to sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever, and to proclaim the Lord’s faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 89 was probably written after the fall of Jerusalem (586 B.C.) when the Jews were taken away to captivity in Babylon. (2 Kings 24) The psalmist, in remembering God’s covenant, knew that even though Israel had forsaken their covenant responsibility, God would remain faithful to His covenant obligations. Thus the psalm ends by reaffirming its opening stanza, “Praise the Lord forever! Amen and amen!” (Psalm 89:52).

The sacrament of Holy Communion remembers the faithfulness of God to His covenant. Within the bread and cup, we recall that while we were dead and lost in our sin, Christ Jesus came to save us, and to give us new life. The same Jesus who offered himself as ransom for humankind promised us, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b). Because of the faithfulness of God in Christ Jesus, I have all I’ll ever need to sing of his steadfast love, forever!

My Takeaway: Of course we do not have to wait until our local church offers Holy Communion to remember the faithfulness of God our Father. The point is to remember and to sing! If the psalmist went into captivity in Babylon singing of the steadfast love of God, if Paul and Silas, while jailed in Philippi with their feet clamped in stocks, were praying and singing hymns to God, what, pray tell, is preventing us today from singing of God’s steadfast love, and with our mouth proclaiming God’s faithfulness to all generations?

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.