He Remembered Us In Our Weakness

December 25, 2018

He Remembered Us In Our Weakness

This will be a sign for you:

you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth

and lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:12 (NRSV)

Several days ago, I suggested you read and meditate on the supremacy of Christ in Colossians 1:15-20. In just the first few verses, the Apostle Paul affirms Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. Jesus is supreme over all creation; through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. Jesus holds all creation together.

Jesus, who is Supreme over all, entered our world not through power or pomp and circumstance. Jesus came in the way of weakness, vulnerability, and dependency on others. On a dark night, in a cold and drafty cave, God in Christ, who always was and always will be supreme over all, was presented to humankind as a helpless God in Christ who calls us to come close to him.

I struggle throughout the year to draw close to God by exercising discipline, practicing discipleship, and by maturing into a strong-in-faith, fully-devoted follower of Jesus. I so need Christmas to remind me, “He remembered us in our weakness. His faithful love endures forever” (Psalm 136:23 NLT).

My Takeaway: Like the Apostle Paul, each time I petition the Lord for strength, I hear Him reply, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”  By His grace, may I also embrace my weakness as did Paul, “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9b).

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 Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

In Desperate Need of Hope

December 24, 2018

In Desperate Need of Hope

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

People came early one Christmas Eve for the 11pm service at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York City. Among them was a recovering alcoholic, six months sober, who slipped into the eleventh row. This was his first Christmas since his alcoholism had cost him his family. A family of four sat down two rows in front of him. Seeing them together was crushing. He decided he couldn't handle it -- he had to have a drink.

As he moved from the sanctuary to the narthex, he ran into Pastor Thomas Tewell. "Jim, where are you going?" the pastor asked.

"Oh, I'm just going out for a Scotch," Jim replied.

"Jim, you can't do that," the pastor responded. "Is your sponsor available?"

Jim replied, "It's Christmas Eve. My sponsor is in Minnesota. There's nobody who can help me. I just came tonight for a word of hope, and I ended up sitting behind this family. If I had my life together, I'd be here with my wife and kids too."

Pastor Tewell took Jim into the vestry to talk with a couple of other pastors. Then he slipped into the sancutary, having no idea what to do. He whispered a prayer: "O God, could you give me a word of hope for Jim?" He welcomed everyone and told them about the church. Then he said, "I have one final announcement. If anyone here tonight is a friend of Bill Wilson -- and if you are, you'll know it -- could you step out for a moment and meet in the vestry?" (Bill Wilson, better   known as Bill W., is a cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous.)

From all over the sanctuary, women, men, and college students arose and made their way out. "And while I was preaching in the sanctuary about incarnation," said Pastor Tewell, "the Word was becoming flesh in the vestry. Someone was experiencing hope."

My Takeaway: I suspect if we ask God to help us to be sensitive to the needs of others, we will cross paths with someone in desperate need of experiencing hope. Perhaps even at the Christmas Eve service we will attend today. May someone experience hope through your witness today.

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 Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

My Proper Position Before The Manger Of Christ

December 21, 2018

My Proper Position Before The Manger Of Christ

Every knee will bend to me,

    and every tongue will declare allegiance to me

Isaiah 45:23b (NLT)

The prophesy about Jesus from Isaiah is fulfilled by the words of the Apostle Paul: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

Christmas is known for glitter and bows, pageants and cantatas, and decorations that range from the sublime to the gaudy. For most of our marriage, Cheryl and I shied away from many decorations in our house. Before I retired, we were always on the go through the season, and after working on Christmas Eve we were traveling on Christmas Day to visit family. Things changed when we retired. For our first Christmas in our own home, we went all out with decorations, even though it was just the two of us, and our faithful Springer Spaniels. Our second Christmas was even more special. We both had experienced significant medical issues, and we very happy to be alive. We thoroughly enjoyed the glitter!

Next to our Christmas tree we have a beautiful crèche carved from olive wood that we purchased in Bethlehem. I love it as a reminder of our visit to Israel, but I often find myself smiling as I gaze upon it and remember the archeological site we visited near Megiddo. The artifacts there included a manger hewn out of solid rock and the remnants of what a stable would have been like when Jesus was born. It was not the pretty, quaint, and warm snuggly environment depicted on Christmas cards.

My Takeaway: I’m OK with some of the sentimental stuff, and nostalgia about Christmas celebrations has its place, as long as they point me to my proper position before the manger of Christ as announced by Isaiah: “Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to me.”

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 Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

My Old Life Is Gone; A New Life Has Begun!

December 20, 2018

My Old Life Is Gone; A New Life Has Begun!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:

The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17

As I recall, it was William Barclay who wrote of two friends walking home from a Christmas Eve Service. It was the custom of their church to hold a combined service on Christmas Eve with a small church they had founded out in the countryside. At the conclusion of the Service, members of both congregations would kneel together at the Altar to receive Holy Communion. As the two men walked along, one commented, “I noticed you took Communion next to old Tom. That’s quite a miracle to see Tom at Communion.” Old Tom was a convicted criminal, and the man’s friend, a judge, had sentenced Tom to prison. After his parole, Tom began attending the small country church. Certainly it was a miracle that the criminal had come to faith in Christ, and now shares the sacrament, side-by-side, with the judge. The judge shocked his friend by replying, “Yes that is a miracle, but a greater miracle still is that I was at the Altar. “How can that be?” his friend asked.

The Judge replied, “Old Tom was raised in a broken home in a very rough neighborhood. There was little hope his life would avoid prison. However, in prison it is not that unusual for a man to turn his life around. On the other hand, I was born into a loving family and never lacked for anything. I was afforded a fine education and a good start in life that led to my legal career. For one such as me, to come to the place where I recognized that I desperately needed new life in Christ, every bit as much, if not more, than Old Tom; that to me is a greater miracle.”

At Christmas, the astonishing enormity of God’s love being birthed in a manger is proclaimed far and wide. As we bask in the light of such love, let us never lose sight of the truth that God became flesh in Christ Jesus because humankind was desperately in need of a Savior. Without Christ, regardless of our worldly acclaim, or lack thereof, we are destined to die. Our only hope is to affirm with the Apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

My Takeaway: Will you join me in my Christmas prayer?

“My old life is gone; a new life has begun! Thanks be to God!”

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 Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.