The Thief’s Purpose is to Steal and Kill and Destroy

March 12, 2019

The Thief’s Purpose is to Steal and Kill and Destroy

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:13 NIV

The mother of the disciples James and John (the sons of Zebedee), came with her sons to Jesus and asked a favor, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?” James and John quickly replied, “Oh yes, we are able!” Jesus then affirmed that indeed they would share in his suffering but as for their mother’s request, he deferred to his Father who is in charge of Kingdom seating arrangements. (Matthew 20:20-23)

The other disciples were indignant when they heard about James and John’s request and Jesus turned the incident into a teaching session about servant leadership. Jesus could have reminded them that after he was baptized he “was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry” (Matthew 4:1-2). Those wilderness experiences inspired his prayer, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Jesus teaches us that we have an enemy, the devil, who is the adversary of God. This enemy, whom Jesus referred to as the thief, has but one mission: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10a). Jesus also tells us that the devil “was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44b). Our journey confronts us with daily choices of whether we will be led by our sinful nature or the Holy Spirit. Seeking the life in Christ is difficult. Even when we have a measure of success putting to death the deeds of our sinful nature through the power of the Spirit (Romans 8:13), we have an adversary who is out to steal and destroy our witness. Perhaps this is what G. K. Chesterton had in mind when he noted, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”

My Takeaway: This prayer of Jesus is not that we will avoid temptation or attacks of the evil one. This prayer of Jesus is a reminder that life is a mine field of obstacles to our faith. However, because Jesus teaches us to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one,” this prayer reminds us of Jesus’ promise, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20b).

Sē’lah

Alex

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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 New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

I’m a Christian, It’s Required of Me That I Forgive

March 11, 2019

I’m a Christian, It’s Required of Me That I Forgive

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Matthew 6:12 NIV

Terry Anderson is the American journalist who was captured in Lebanon in 1985 and held hostage by Hezbollah militants until 1991. In an interview after his release from captivity, he was asked whether he could ever forgive his captors. He responded, “I’m a Christian, It’s required of me that I forgive, no matter how hard it may be.” (Time, December 16, 1991) Our passage for today is often used as theological support for Anderson’s statement. Paul’s letter to the Colossians also addresses this issue: “Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:13b). Both of these interpretations may imply a quid pro quo ("this for that" in Latin), which is an exchange where one transfer is contingent upon the other. Is God’s forgiveness of me contingent upon my forgiveness of others?

No! “While we were still sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus modeled this truth when he said from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). The forgiveness of our sins rests solely on Jesus’ sacrifice for us. We are forgiven by faith through grace, not by our performance. When we ask God for forgiveness, He doesn’t hold our request in abeyance until He sees whether we have forgiven others: “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9).

How are we to understand, “forgive us, as we also have forgiven?” I believe this statement is an affirmation of the life in Christ as our way of life. As followers of Christ, we are letting our relationships with one another arise out of our life in Christ (Philippians 2:5), and our willingness to forgive those who have sinned against us is a fruit of the life in Christ. Jesus shows us what this looks like in his Sermon on the Mount. He said when we come to make an offering to God and remember that another person has an issue with us, we first seek to right our relationship with the other person before we make our offering to God. (Matthew 5:23-24)

My Takeaway: Because we have been forgiven, because we have received new life in Christ, because God our Abba is head-over-heels, passionately in love with us, we want to be in a right relationship with other people. I believe the witness of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers calls forth a “Yes and amen” to this assertion. If you do not have that witness, I offer the counsel of St. Paul, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless, indeed, you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5 NRSV).

Sē’lah

Alex

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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 New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Especially Those in Caesar’s Household

March 8, 2019

Especially Those in Caesar’s Household

“Give us today our daily bread.”

Matthew 6:11 NIV

When a person was put into jail in the Roman Empire, the prisoners’ family and friends were responsible for feeding and providing for their personal needs. As the Apostle Paul draws his letter to the Philippians to a close, he thanks them for their generosity in meeting his needs while he was in prison, hundreds of miles away, in Rome. He then gives them this powerful benediction, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

One of the obstacles we encounter in our journey to make the life in Christ our way of life is learning to understand our needs from the perspective of God. Certainly part of the problem is that we confuse our wants with our needs. Even when we are able to distinguish between wants and needs, we tend to think of needs in a future tense, as in what do I need for the next week, month, year, ten years. Often when I pray, “Give us today our daily bread,” I recall a mission trip to Matamoros, Mexico and a Friday evening worship service. A woman shared that on Wednesday afternoon she came to the church to pray because she had no food in her house. When she returned home she found a box of food by her door. Her need for daily bread had been met.

The vast majority of people we know have not been in such a dire place. Even so, we have needs that are just as compelling. Written into the DNA of every human being are the needs to be loved, to be accepted and to have worth – a sense that it matters we are alive. All of our efforts to meet these needs, out of our own strength and resources, will never satisfy those needs. Yet we go through life trying to meet our needs for love and acceptance through our relationships with others. We try to feel love and acceptance by performing in certain ways or by manipulating other people. The Good News is that God has met all of our needs through His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.

When we allow ourselves to be fully present with God and trust that God will indeed satisfy our every need, we can learn to be fully present with the people around us. Such a place is fertile ground for miracles like that which Paul testified to in the close of his letter to the Philippians: “And all the rest of God’s people send you greetings, too, especially those in Caesar’s household” (Philippians 4: 22).

My Takeaway: Paul was trusting God to give him his daily bread. The church in Philippi was helping to meet Paul’s needs. Together this witness for Christ reached the most unlikely of places: Caesar’s household. Who in your environment can God touch as you trust God for your daily bread?

Sē’lah

Alex

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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 New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Your Kingdom Come

March 7, 2019

Your Kingdom Come

                   

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Matthew 6:10 NIV

Maran Atha is an Aramaic phrase that is most often transliterated as Maranatha.  The Apostle Paul uses this phrase in 1 Corinthians 16:22 and it is also used in the Didache, which is a collection of some of the earliest Christian writings. The phrase is translated, “Our Lord, Come’ and was used in the earliest Christian worship services. It relates to the line in The Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Kingdom Come.” The phrase summed up the hope of the church, and by using the Aramaic it was a means to bind all of the churches together in unity, regardless of where they were or their native language.

For the followers of Jesus, there are two applications of Maranatha. First, Maranatha is an affirmation that the Kingdom of God has come into the life of the Christian. When we made our confession of faith, the Holy Spirit baptized us into the life of Christ. Now we are a new creation in Christ; “The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). This new life is the Kingdom of God on earth. Therefore, part of this prayer is our affirmation that God’s will is reflected in His new creation: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2).

The second application of Maranatha applies to our understanding of God’s hope for the world and our role in bringing God’s hope into reality: “And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:18b-20).

The mission of every Christian is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. One of the most important ways we transform the world is building for societies that reflect the heart of God. What is the heart of God? God’s heart is for the poor and the orphan; the oppressed and the destitute; and the poor and helpless. We are commissioned by God as Christ’s ambassadors for such as these.

In the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus revealed God’s Kingdom is for those who are poor and realize their need for him, those who mourn, those who are humble, those who hunger and thirst for justice, those who are merciful, those whose hearts are pure, those who work for peace, and those who are persecuted for doing right. The Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. (Matthew 5:3-10)

My Takeaway: Every time we pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” we are affirming God’s Kingdom within us and our willingness to be Christ’s ambassadors for the building of God’s Kingdom on earth.

Sē’lah

Alex

<><  <><  <><  <><

(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 New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.