You Will Be Judged

Meditations in the Season of Lent 

March 11, 2025

You Will Be Judged

So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free.

James 1:12

Read: James 2:1-13

This passage is not often read in most mainline churches. There is just not much traction in today’s Christian culture for accountability. Sentimental notions that everyone is going to heaven when they die, or at least all the people we know, grips much of Christianity today. Consider this phrase in the Nicene Creed: “And he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead.” The idea that God judges our lives is not very popular these days. Even so, James is quite clear that God will judge our lives. Following verse 12, quoted above, James writes, “There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.” (v.13)

We saw yesterday we are called to be on guard, lest the world corrupts us. James uses different illustrations to reveal how easy it is to be corrupted by the world’s culture. As an example, James affirms that “it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.” James will mention adultery and murder in the following verses, but here he showed that something seemingly as innocuous as showing favoritism is evidence of being corrupted by the world’s culture.

My Takeaway: “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.” (v. 12 NRSV) The Season of Lent is an opportunity for me to do a ‘gut-check’. Am I living my life aligned with the truth about Christ Jesus as revealed in scripture?

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the 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.

Pure Religion

Meditations in the Season of Lent

March 10, 2025

Pure Religion

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

James 1:27

Read: James 1:19-27

When I began with this series on the Book of James last Thursday, I noted James was concerned that some people in his church may be deceiving themselves that they were in a right relationship with God because their lifestyle did not differ substantially from the surrounding culture.

John Wesley struggled with this same issue. He saw people seemingly doing the right things: going to church; placing money in the offering plate; singing the hymns; etc. But, like James, he also saw that the way these people were living was not very different from the world around them. Wesley concluded these people were holding to a form of religion, but their religion lacked the power to change lives. James’ conclusion was very similar.

We will see over the next few weeks that the Book of James is a lesson in practical Christianity and provides us an excellent opportunity to examine ourselves to see if we are seeking to have our lives changed through our faith in Jesus. James puts it this way:

“But don’t just listen to God’s word.

You must do what it says.

Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”

(James 1:22) 

My Takeaway: Several pundits have noticed recently that the partisan divide that is so prevalent in today’s political culture is also becoming prevalent in many churches. James’ imperative is vitally important to Christian communities today:

refuse to let the world corrupt you.

Amen!

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the 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 Word of Our God Will Stand Forever

Meditations in the Season of Lent

March 7, 2025

The Word of Our God Will Stand Forever

In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

James 1:18 (NRSV)

Read: James 1:9-18

James packs many instructions into this short passage. Invoking the principles of Jesus’ Kingdom, such as the last shall be first, James contrasts the rich and the poor to make the point that we find our true purpose in life as the children of God, not in achieving wealth and fame in the world’s culture.

James believed cherishing the values of the Kingdom will help us avoid being lured away from God by our sinful desires. He makes the strong case that God does not tempt us; our adversary, the evil one, and the world’s culture provide daily temptations. When James emphasizes the fidelity of God, we are reminded that God will lead us and give us wisdom, as we learned yesterday, but God will not tempt us, lie to us, or shame us on a guilt trip to get us to follow Him.

James used the powerful words in Isaiah 40:7-8 to stress that God’s primary way of relating to His children is through His word:

  The grass withers, the flower fades,

    when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;

    surely the people are grass.

 The grass withers, the flower fades;

    but the word of our God will stand forever.

My Takeaway: Implicit in referring to us as ‘first fruits’ (v.18) is the truth there are more fruits to come. This is accomplished when we bring others to Christ, and when we fully cooperate with God in His work to form Christ in us. (See Philippians 1:6, 13, Colossians 1:26-28)

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the 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.

Faith and Endurance

Meditations in the Season of Lent

March 6, 2025

Faith and Endurance

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

James 1:2

Read: James 1:1-8

The Apostle Paul had very high expectations for himself and for the followers of Jesus. He was unwavering in his appeal for the church to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. He also invited the church to go deep into the heart of God with their spirituality. If Paul was in the Marine Corp, he would be the Chaplain.

The Apostle James, if he was in the Marines, would be the Drill Instructor. James goes straight to the bottom line. As we read through this epistle, we will see James was concerned that the moral conduct of some people in the church was no different than the rest of their culture. James was concerned that these people may be deceiving themselves by believing they were in a right relationship with God, and he doesn’t hesitate to call them out.

James’ style of cutting to the chase is revealed in today’s opening passage. Here James gives us two aphorisms that he will develop more fully in later chapters. The first is an encouragement to consider it an opportunity for great joy when troubles of any kind come our way. Why? Because it is an opportunity for spiritual growth as we trust God more fully with our lives. (James will expand on this theme in 2:14-26)

The second is an encouragement to ask God for wisdom. This aphorism will be expanded in 3:13 – 4:10, but here, like a Drill Instructor, James provides a sharp warning: “But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver.” (v.6)

Taken together, James’ encouragement to consider troubles an opportunity for joy, and asking for wisdom with faith in God alone, reveal that seeking the life in Christ as our way of life is hard work.

My Takeaway: My goals for my Lenten journey will be gaining more awareness of my response to troubles or obstacles I encounter and learning to discern whether I am fully trusting in God. On the day I am working on this meditation, our electricity has been intermittent, and the wireless internet service is down. Sometimes testing comes quickly!

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the 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.

Ash Wednesday

Meditations in the Season of Lent

March 5, 2025

Ash Wednesday

Psalm 51:7- 10 - Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays) marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. The 40-day period represents Christ’s time of temptation in the wilderness, where he fasted and where Satan tempted him. The season of Lent calls us to set aside time for fasting and prayer to focus on Christ’s life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection.

My meditations for the Season of Lent will be drawn from the Epistles of James and First Peter. Additionally, I recommend these topics for your own devotional time:

1-    Think about your place in God's creation, and how you came to be where you are.

2-    Consider the sins that have led you to the foot of the cross

3-    Prepare for Easter: Consider the promise of resurrection, and how you can live out God's love for the world

4-    Consider how God loves us even in our state of brokenness, and how we can surrender to his desire to transform us

5-    Consider how you are vulnerable to sickness, sin, and death, and how trusting in God's work through Christ sustains you.

My Takeaway: As we walk through Lent, the night is dark, but there is a Light which has overcome the darkness. He is the Light of the World - he will illuminate our pathway as we place our trust in him.

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the 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 Am a Living Sacrifice

This I Believe

Meditations on My Core Christian Beliefs 

March 4, 2025

I Am a Living Sacrifice

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Romans 12:1 (NRSV)

Read Romans 12:1-5

I believe one of the benchmark days in the life of a Christian is when we grasp the truth that the world's culture has told us a pack of lies about who God is, who we are and who our neighbor is, and that God in Christ Jesus is telling us the truth. When we come to this place, God transforms us into a new person by changing the way we think. (v.2a) In the second part of verse 2, Paul asserted that when we let God transform the way we think, we will learn to know God’s will for us, which is good and pleasing and perfect. This language is very similar to how Paul expressed God continually working in our lives in his letter to the Philippians: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13).

In verse 1, Paul is asserting a powerful truth that is both quite humbling and compelling. When the priest offered a sacrifice to God, it had to be perfect to be received by God as holy and acceptable. Because I am alive in Christ, I am welcomed into God’s sanctuary because God’s deems me as holy and acceptable as a living sacrifice.

My Takeaway: Today’s passage reminds me of Genesis 3:8, “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden.” At that time, humankind hid in their sin and shame because they were afraid of God. Today, God deems me holy and acceptable, and I can enjoy fellowship with Him as we share in the cool evening breezes. Thanks be to Christ Jesus, who loved me and gave himself for me to make this possible.

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the 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.

Christ Lives in Me

This I Believe

Meditations on My Core Christian Beliefs 

March 3, 2025

Christ Lives in Me

I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

Galatians 2:21

Read Galatians 2: 15-21

In this passage, Paul proclaims the foundation of the Christian faith:

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”

Galatians 2:20b

As the followers of Jesus, our life, our identity is in Christ. The Jewish believers were initially shocked to find that God’s plan of redemption included the Gentiles. As they struggled to accept this ‘new’ salvation of God, they assumed that it would mean the Gentiles would be incorporated into the Jewish faith and customs. Paul then confronts them with the news that God is doing a completely NEW work in and through Christ. While the Jews were the first to hear the Good News, that did not mean a Gentile had to become a Jew to receive the Good News. Salvation is not about incorporating Jesus into our existing life. Salvation is about completely letting go of our existing life and immersing ourselves into New Life in Christ Jesus.

The Life in Christ we seek is experienced only after we have come to the place in our lives when nothing, absolutely nothing, but the love of God in Christ Jesus satisfies the longings of our soul. The only way we can come to that place is to first experience that our efforts in the flesh to satisfy our longings for love, acceptance and worth do not bear lasting fruit. The Apostle Paul contrasts the flesh life with the life in Christ as the difference between night and day, as between death and life:

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20

“You’ll never know Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have.” (This statement has been attributed to both Mother Teresa and Corrie Ten Boom) How do we get to the place that Jesus is all we have? Getting to the place where we are broken, clinging to nothing but Christ is the work of our sovereign God, and God alone. Our part is to trust where God is taking us and to keep our eyes on Jesus.  

My Takeaway: “Let your bearings towards one another arise out of your life in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5 (NEB 1961)) This verse changed my life and gave me my life’s mission statement: Seeking the life in Christ as my way of life. It is our life in Christ that enables us to choose a believing-obedience way of life that brings glory to our God and empowers us to be co-laborers with Christ for the Kingdom of God.

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(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.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the 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.