Seeking the Life in Christ

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

I Told My Disciples that I Loved Them - Part 1

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 11, 2020

I Told My Disciples that I Loved Them - Part 1

Page 268-269

John 15

Four words caught my attention in today’s passage.

Fruit. Jesus expects his disciples to produce much fruit for him. Jesus’ mission is to make disciples for the transformation of the world. Therefore the fruit he is expecting me to produce, as I remain in him, is lasting fruit that helps people know and love him, and lasting fruit that builds for Jesus’ Kingdom here on earth. This word fruit gives me pause to examine my life for evidence that my focus, my priorities are aimed at producing fruit for Jesus’ Kingdom.

Friend. This word friend gives me pause to examine my life for evidence that I have more than head knowledge about Jesus. Do I actually live my life in the reality of a relationship with Jesus? If so, is that relationship more like boss and employee or servant; or do I hear him call me friend?

Joy. Six times in his Farewell Discourse Jesus speaks of joy. Just as King David said in Psalm 23 that his cup overflowed with the goodness of God, Jesus says he wants me to be filled with his joy. “Yes, your joy will overflow” Jesus said (John 15:11). This word joy gives me pause to examine my life for evidence that Jesus’ joy overflows in my life.

Love. In today’s passage, Jesus speaks of love ten times in eleven verses. Over and over again, he affirms his love for me. Over and over, he affirms his command for me to love others in the very same way he loves me. I believe it is his love that makes it possible for me to produce fruit; it is his love that raises me up in friendship; it is his love that fills my life with joy. This word love gives me pause to examine my life for evidence that I actually live my life in the truth of Jesus’ love for me.

My Takeaway: “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love” (I Corinthians 13:13).

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.

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.

Monday, February 10, 2020

My Promise

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 10, 2020

My Promise

Page 267-268

John 14: 1-31

In Jesus, the Glory of God has been revealed. In Jesus, we see the heart of God the Father. Jesus, as the revealed Glory of God, washed the feet of his disciples, loved his disciples to the very end, and was the Passover Lamb who took away the sins of the world. This Jesus is the revealed Glory of God. This Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. This Jesus shows us the way home to paradise, the way home to God our Father.

Jesus promises us the gift of his very presence in our lives. His presence, the Holy Spirit, our Helper and our Comforter, will teach us to dwell in God’s greatest Glory, the deepest theological truth of God:

Jesus and God are in each other;

we are in Jesus;

and Jesus is in us.

It will be through this revelation knowledge of God’s Glory that we can grasp the meaning and power of praying in Jesus’ name. We don’t pray in Jesus’ name by tagging ‘in the name of Jesus’ at the end of our prayer. We pray in Jesus’ name when the substance of our prayer expresses the Glory of God in Christ, when our prayer exemplifies the very life of Jesus. When our heart aches for the things for which Jesus’ heart aches, when our hearts desire the things Jesus desires, when our heart loves the way Jesus loves, we pray in Jesus’ name.

My Takeaway: “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen” (Jude 1:24-25).

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.)

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.

Friday, February 7, 2020

I Told My Disciples that One Will Betray Me

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 7, 2020

I Told My Disciples that One Will Betray Me, and

Another Will Deny Knowing Me

Page 262-264

Matthew 26:21-29; Mark 14:18-25;

Luke 22:19-30; John 13:21-38

Three times, in today’s readying, Jesus told his disciples how his life was going to end. Three times they failed to comprehend. Was it because the truth that Jesus was the Messiah was incomprehensible? This episode reminds me that Jesus wants us to know him. This episode also reminds me of just how dense I can be, how close I can be to the heart of God, and yet be oblivious to His presence.

Yet, in the midst of such human failure around the table, Jesus grants the disciples entry into the Kingdom of God. All people who accept God’s call to Christian leadership will at some point in their journey follow Jesus on a very lonely path. Just when you need your people to grasp your vision, to see God’s hands at work, they’ll turn away. Even so, God’s sheer grace is bestowed upon His church, and the Kingdom is destined to move forward, in spite of our failures.

Jesus, as he prepared to complete his journey to Golgotha, is clothed only in his humanity. The divine powers he used to calm storms, raise the dead and heal the sick are left on the table. He’ll go before his adversaries armed only with his trust in God and thus will model for his followers the leadership behavior of a Suffering Servant of God. The prophecies about the Servant Messiah in Isaiah 52-53 will be fulfilled in the final days of Jesus’ life.

Jesus begins his Farewell Discourse by reflecting on the exchange of glory between Father and Son. The very essence of God is goodness, mercy, holiness and love. The Glory of God is the revelation of God’s essence. This glory is revealed through the presence of God. God, as a burning bush to Moses, and as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night for the Israelites during the exodus, are examples of God’s Glory. The ultimate expression of God’s Glory is in the life, death and resurrection of our Lord, Christ Jesus.

The Glory of God is meant to be an unbroken circle. God’s glory is shown or revealed to His people, and in return His people give glory to God. This responsive glory is expressed in adoration, honor, praise and obedience. The giving of glory to God in a worship service is called doxology. Expressions of doxology are throughout the Psalms and the New Testament, and these scriptural expressions inspired two forms of doxology used most often in worship today:

Glory be to the Father,

and to the Son,

and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning,

is now, and ever shall be,

world without end. Amen.

And

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him, all creatures here below;

Praise him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

My Takeaway: To my shame, far too often I sing these magnificent expressions of glory to God by rote. God forgive me for being so oblivious to your presence.

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.)

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.

Thursday, February 6, 2020

I Washed My Disciples Feet

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 6, 2020

I Washed My Disciples Feet

Page 261-262

John 13:3-20

Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, was established by the church to remember Jesus’ lessons in our readings for today and tomorrow. The word Maundy is a translation of Jesus’ words in John 13:34: “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” (Emphasis mine. Generally, Maundy Thursday is associated with Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. However, the word Maundy, is derived from an Old French word that is understood as command.)

In the opening verse of today’s reading, Jesus said that God had given him “authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God.” (John 13:3) This would be a good time to meditate on just what leaving this world entailed for Jesus. Betrayal by one of his twelve disciples, denial by the leader of his disciples, excruciating pain, and public humiliation are just some of the markers along the final path of his journey.

Jesus, the Word who had become flesh, “took the humble position of a slave” and washed the feet of the disciples. That act of humility alone is sufficient to inspire the great hymn of the early church recorded by St. Paul in Philippians 2:5-11. Jesus wrapped his humility in love: “He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end” (John 13:1)

My Takeaway: This is another good time for meditation. When I think of my identity as a Christian, and as a leader in my church, what images come to mind? Is my mind flooded with memories of Jesus loving his disciples to the end, to the uttermost? Do I remember the Messiah washing the feet of his disciples? If not, I need to examine my understanding of what it means to be a Christian and a leader.

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.)

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.

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

My Disciples and I Prepared to Eat the Passover Meal Together

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 5, 2020

My Disciples and I Prepared to Eat the Passover Meal Together

Page 261

Matthew 26: 17-20; Mark 14:12-17;

Luke 22:7-18; John 13:1-2

The forces of evil recruited Judas to betray Jesus, which allowed Satan to unleash false allegations against him. When the charges of blasphemy, heresy, and false messiah were leveled against Jesus, Satan’s plan came together with the crucifixion of Jesus, but God wasn’t finished. Just as God turned Pharaoh’s oppressive tyranny against him to set the Israelites free, so God turned Satan’s fury against him to set the whole world free from slavery to sin and death.

When Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples, he announced God’s New Covenant with all people. When Jesus said he would not eat the Passover meal again, or drink wine again, until the Kingdom of God had come, he was not referring to his coming again in final victory to establish God’s Kingdom on earth. He was looking ahead just three days to when his resurrection would establish the Kingdom of God within the life of every person who is “dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). The Apostle Paul was emphatic that the followers of Christ hold dearly to the freedom Christ has won for us: “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law” (Galatians 5:1).

To help us hold tight to our new freedom, Jesus used a simple meal to illustrate the value of his suffering and death. A few days later, it was in the breaking of bread that the two disciples in Emmaus, neither of whom were at the Passover meal with Jesus, recognized him. (Luke 24:30-31) It is no wonder that many Christians choose to celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion weekly, if not daily. Through the sacrament, we are remembering we have been set free by the death of Christ. (See Romans 5:1-2)

My Takeaway: When I come to the Lord’s Table, in faith, to partake of the bread and cup, I experience anew the presence of Christ as I look forward to His coming again in Final Victory.

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.)

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.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Judas Betrayed Me

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 4, 2020

Judas Betrayed Me

Page 255

Matthew 26:1-5, 14-16;

Mark 14:1-2, 10-11; Luke 22: 1-6

Between verses 5 and 14 is the story of Mary anointing Jesus. (We read this passage on Tuesday, January 14, 2020, page 217) This story was so very important to the early church it was included in all four Gospels. For our reading today, the contrast in Judas’ appreciation of value is astonishing. In Matthew’s Gospel, “a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over (Jesus’) head. The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste!” they said. “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”” (Matthew 26:7-9). In John’s Gospel, we learn it was Mary who “took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard” to anoint Jesus (John 12:3). John also tells us that it was Judas Iscariot who objected and said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor” (John 12:5).

In our reading for today, we learn that Judas “went to the leading priests and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver” (Matthew 26:14-15). Thirty pieces of silver was probably worth three months wages.

The base minimum wage today is $7.25. At this rate, Mary’s perfume that she extravagantly used to anoint Jesus would cost $15,000. Judas’ betrayal of Jesus would have rewarded him just $3,500.

As I was thinking about how astonishing is the contrast between the value of Mary’s extravagant love and Judas’ cheap sell-out of Jesus, I searched my memory to recall a time when my expression of extravagant love for Jesus might compare with Mary’s. It didn’t take me as long to find examples of when I was reluctant to say, “Here I am Lord, send me.”

I recall hearing about a church that built a small secluded chapel for prayer and meditation. They furnished it with twelve chairs, each bearing the name of one of the disciples. If you were to visit that chapel which chair would you choose? The church reports that the chair marked “Judas” is the one most heavily worn with use.

My Takeaway: That story used to surprise me. Not anymore.

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.)

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.

Monday, February 3, 2020

The Final Judgment

Meditations based on readings from

The Story of My Life As Told by Jesus Christ

February 3, 2020

My Final Words About the Kingdom Part 3:

The Final Judgment

Page 251-252

Matthew 25:31-46

In the parable of the Sheep & Goats, the Judge is Jesus, who in Matthew 8:20 had nowhere to lay his head, and is now seated on the throne as King. This is Jesus, who in Matthew 12:24 was accused of being the devil, and is now reigning as Lord of Lords. This is Jesus, who in Matthew 13 was rejected, even in his hometown, and is now the Judge of the entire world.

Consider the people represented as sheep. When they saw someone in need they offered assistance. They didn’t throw money at the problem. They didn’t send someone else. They offered their hand, gave their water, they touched and bandaged the wounded and they listened with compassion. They served because service was needed, not to be noticed or rewarded. They served because God created us to be in community and to care for one another.

Consider the people represented as goats. They saw everything the sheep saw, but they didn’t help. The goats tell the Judge they didn’t see the need. The Judge will say, ‘Yes, you did and “when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me’” (Matthew 25:45). The goats will tell the Judge they were afraid to serve. The Judge will say “I gave you the power to overcome your fear and you didn’t accept it.” The goats will have lots of excuses. The Judge will say, “Spend your eternity in the fear and greed you chose for yourself.”

This is not a parable about some getting rewarded for good deeds, and some getting punished because of the good deeds left undone. Ultimately, this is a parable about allegiance. In the parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus, the rich man was a Jew and he knew Father Abraham. He also knew the “beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table” (Luke 16:19 NIV). The rich man chose his own self-interest over and above the need of Lazarus. In the final judgment, Lazarus “died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead” (Luke 16:22-23). At the end of time, it is not a matter of who we say we are; it is a matter of whose we are. Those who actually align themselves with the King will reflect the King’s goodness.

My Takeaway: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 2:3-5a NRSV).

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.)

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.

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

I Told My Disciples that I Loved Them - Part 1

Monday, February 10, 2020

My Promise

Friday, February 7, 2020

I Told My Disciples that One Will Betray Me

Thursday, February 6, 2020

I Washed My Disciples Feet

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

My Disciples and I Prepared to Eat the Passover Meal Together

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Judas Betrayed Me

Monday, February 3, 2020

The Final Judgment

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