My Meeting with Zacchaeus

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

 

January 9, 2020

My Meeting with Zacchaeus

Page 207

Mark 10:46a;

Luke 19:1-10

Tax collectors like Zacchaeus were despicable, immoral and hated in their communities. Often, when a person had a significant encounter with Jesus, they immediately began to follow Jesus. Did you notice that Zacchaeus did not follow Jesus out of Jericho? The inference is that he stayed in his community to work out the meaning of his new life in Christ.

This little story has three themes. First, there is the issue of wealth and money and how they should be understood in the Kingdom of God. Second, there is the company Jesus keeps; he continually goes to the least, the last and the lost. Third, there is the faith that affirms Jesus as Messiah and that leads to new life.

The story of Zacchaeus makes an interesting contrast to the rich young man we read about in Luke 18. Our human nature wants to reduce Jesus’ encounters to principles that can be replicated. In the case of the rich young man in Luke 18, one possible conclusion for those seeking eternal life is that you must sell everything you have and follow Jesus. However, Zacchaeus only offered one half of his wealth and he did not leave home. Even so, Jesus said “Salvation has come to this home today” (Luke 19:9).

My Takeaway: While Zacchaeus is an interesting contrast to the rich young man, he has much in common with the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. Both humbled themselves and acknowledged their sin and both received new life. In this sense, both Zacchaeus and The Prodigal Son are good role models.

 

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.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

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.

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.

James and John Make a Request & A Blind Man's Sight Was Restored

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

January 8, 2020

James and John Make a Request & A Blind Man's Sight Was Restored

Page 206-207

Matthew 20:20-28, 29b-30;

Mark 10:35-45 

Luke 18:35-43

Jesus has been teaching his disciples about the principles of leadership from a Kingdom of God, servant-leader perspective. They still didn’t understand, as evidenced by James and John jockeying for a favored position. Just in case we are tempted to shake our heads at James and John and chastise them for being so crass, our text for today includes the story of Jesus healing the blind man.

The blind man called out, “Lord, Son of David,” a reverent Messianic title for Jesus. How did the crowd respond? The crowd told him to ‘Shut Up!’, but Jesus responded, “What do you want me to do for you?” The Gospel is asking us to choose which camp we will join:

Jesus’ camp of servants

(The sign over the camp says, “Lord, Son of David”),

or will we camp

with the crowd?

(The sign over this camp says, ‘Shut Up!’)

Whenever I am prone to put my needs, convenience, or desires ahead of others, I am shouting to the world that I am camping out with the “Shut Ups.”

We all have blind spots in our lives, places where we are still caught up in self-centeredness. The blind man believed Jesus was the Messiah; that’s why he called out to Jesus as Son of David. He knew Jesus could heal his condition. Jesus affirmed his faith, and the man left his blindness behind him as he followed Jesus to Jerusalem. We can do the same!

My Takeaway: Each day, our first step as a follower of Jesus begins with these words:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Psalm 139:23-24

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.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

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.

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.

My Disciples Were Filed With Dread

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

January 7, 2020

My Disciples Were Filed With Dread

Page 205-206

Matthew 20: 17-19, 23:37-39;

Mark 10:32-34;

Luke 13:22-35, 18:31-34

There are different depths to knowing. I learned about the aeronautical principals of airplane flight from a book. Those principals took on another level of meaning when I made my first solo flight. In our passage today, Jesus, for the third time tells his disciples how his story will end; but they still don’t understand, and they will not grasp the truth until they behold the Resurrected Lord. Jesus knows what awaited him in Jerusalem and he was grieving over those of his own nation who would not seek their salvation in him. His reference to working two days and accomplishing his purpose on the third day is a thinly veiled reference to his resurrection on the third day. Jesus provided us with these insights to help us understand the meaning of what will happen in Jerusalem, Gethsemane, Golgotha, and the Garden Tomb.  The heart of our faith is in these places.

Isaiah, in Chapters 40-55, presents the Messiah of God who suffers and dies for the sins of Israel and the world. Jesus referenced Isaiah’s words to make clear that he is the Messiah. It is impossible to embrace the Christian faith apart from the cross, and it is impossible to embrace the cross without embracing the resurrection. However, neither makes sense apart from understanding Jesus as God’s Messiah. God sent his Messiah to announce the time of the Lord’s favor had come. God’s favor, or God’s Kingdom, reorders the lives of individuals as well as society.

What did Jesus mean when he said, “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom” (Luke 13:24)? The entrance door to the Kingdom of God is narrow and the pathway through the doorway is not paved by good works. It is difficult to enter into the Kingdom of God because there is no drive-through window. The Kingdom is not for the casual observer, or for those who want just a piece of the Kingdom to add to their life. The Kingdom demands all or nothing; and Jesus says, there will come a time when the doors to the Kingdom are closed. There will come a time when all people will be rewarded with the eternal consequences of the choices they have made. Some will choose to be with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and others will not.

My Takeaway: God’s grace is radical as He calls us from a life of brokenness to a “rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10). So also, His call to discipleship is radical. Grace abounds with Jesus; but not cheap grace.

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer,

The Cost of Discipleship

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.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

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.

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.

Again, I Healed on the Sabbath

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

January 6, 2020

Again, I Healed on the Sabbath

Page 201-202

Luke 13: 10-21

Perhaps a lingering thought from yesterday is, “What difference can one person make?” Jesus answers that today, but first things first. The language Jesus used in his discussion following the healing of the woman on the Sabbath makes clear that he saw himself as the Messiah, sent to unbind Israel. Jesus wanted to do for Israel what he did for the woman.

Is the healing of one woman in an obscure village enough to announce the Kingdom? Jesus answers our questions with two simple parables. The tiny mustard seed goes in the ground and then grows into a tree. One tiny seed becomes a nest for many birds. (Jesus’ parable is a thinly veiled reference to his own burial and resurrection.) Then there is a little amount of yeast put into enough flour to make bread for hundreds. The language of the parable suggests the yeast was hidden in the flour, not in plain sight. The yeast was hidden in the flour by a woman, a gender that is not associated with prominence or power at that time in Israel. Jesus used hyperbole by having the woman hide the yeast in thirty pounds of flour to illustrate the potential for good of just one person living for Christ. 

Every faithful response to Jesus is a victory for the Kingdom of God, and every victory moves us closer to the time when Jesus shall return in Final Victory.

My Takeaway: “But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

1 Corinthians 15: 57-58

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.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

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.

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.

Just Taking Up Space

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

January 3, 2020

Just Taking Up Space

Page 201

Luke 13: 1-9

Do you remember the story of Job? Do you remember how Job’s friends explained why bad things were happening to Job? They said it had to be because there was sin in Job’s life. In Israel, 2,000 years ago, the people still lived by this simplistic cause and effect view of life. This would be especially true if someone were killed in the act of worship; they would blame the victim. Certainly the person must have committed some awful sin to be executed in this way.

Jesus said no; the people died at the hands of a brutal Roman Governor, not the judgment of God. Then Jesus told his followers, who were also Galileans traveling to Jerusalem, a similar fate may await them. I suspect the crowd following Jesus thinned out at that time. Jesus’ point is that unless the people repented and embraced Kingdom values, the Roman oppressors would continue to brutally put down any suspected rebellion.

Jesus wanted the people to know that ultimately, they should fear the judgment of God. The parable of the fig tree is Jesus’ way of saying there is a date certain for which God’s judgment will come. In this story that Jesus tells, the fig tree was just taking up space in the garden. The owner was asked to give the fig tree one more year; “If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.”

My Takeaway: God doesn’t want his children to live in fear. He does want us to be ever mindful that he saved us to bear fruit for His Kingdom.

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.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

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.

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.

I Bring Division

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

January 2, 2020

I Bring Division

Page 200-201

Luke 12: 49-59

In today’s passage, Jesus adds another dimension to his call for steadfast loyalty to the Kingdom of God. Jesus knows that as much as God our Father wants us to live in the light of his love, there are forces of evil that want God’s people to live in fear. This force of evil comes to kill, steal and destroy God’s Kingdom and God’s people. As Jesus moved closer to Jerusalem, he could sense that the great cosmic battle between good and evil was intensifying, and he was at the very center of the battle. The battle reached its climax on Golgotha’s hill where Jesus was crucified.

Jesus was frustrated because the people were only superficial in their vision of the times. Jesus wanted the people to step back and look at the big picture. Israel was oppressed by the Romans; they had a self-absorbed, immoral King; their priests were hypocrites; and the Pharisees were more interested in protecting their power and influence than seeking truth. In the midst of those leading Israel to total degradation, Jesus, an itinerate Prophet, was healing the sick, casting out demons, and proclaiming the Kingdom of God. Jesus wanted the people to wake up and choose where they would invest their loyalties, and Jesus was quite blunt; there would be causalities on both sides of the battle.

Today, with 20/20 hindsight, we know Jesus’ warnings were fulfilled. The epic battle led to the crucifixion of Jesus, and the rebel rousers finally led Israel into the total destruction of Jerusalem. However, the Resurrection of Jesus brought victory over the forces of evil, and his Kingdom continues to advance. His people, in every generation, are called to interpret the signs of the times and, in the midst of the continuing conflict between good and evil, stand firm for the Kingdom of God.

As you interpret the signs of the times, what are the issues pressing against your nation, your community, and your church? How are your leaders responding to these issues? How are you responding? 

My Takeaway: Listen carefully. What do you hear Jesus saying?

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.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

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.

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.

You Will Find Rest For Your Souls

January 1, 2020

You Will Find Rest For Your Souls

The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying:

“I have loved you with an everlasting love;

I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.

Jeremiah 31:3

Let this thought be your guide for 2020:

“But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit” (Romans 7:6).

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 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: “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).  But when we fail to meet His expectations, we hear: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in 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.

Perhaps on this first day of the New Year, you are still a bit weary from striving to justify your place with God, still battered and bruised from the game of life. If so, today is a great day to renew your faith in God, who loves you unconditionally, just as you are, not as you should be. Because no one is as they should be.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 Emphasis mine).

NOTE: Tomorrow, January 2, 2020, I will resume my meditations based on readings from the book, The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ (Seed Sowers Christian Book Publishing House http://www.seedsowers.com/)

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ is a very unique presentation of the Four Gospels. The Gospels are combined into one continuous story, told in the first person, as an autobiographical narrative. The entire Gospel is presented in chronological sequence without any duplication of material. When I read this book, I can easily imagine Jesus sitting next to me, telling me the story of his life. (The book is available on the WEB site noted above and on Amazon)

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.

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

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.

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.