BOAST IN THE LORD

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 18 August 2012

Hi all,

One of the scariest Scriptures in the New Testament is found in Paul’s letter to the Romans. ⁹ If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NLT The principle is simple and is true for most things in life. We know specifically it applies to Jesus. But it also reveals a Spiritual Principle.  In today’s meditation we look at this in more detail.
Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 18 August 2012			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	BOAST IN THE LORD
At the beginning of 1981, I had no Christian books. All I had was an old KJV Bible. It was a bit dog-eared. Not surprising since my parents gave it to me as a Christmas present in 1950. I’ve had it ever since. It’s fairly well marked dating back to my early days as a Christian in 1960. It had one or two notes which go back to those days. It may have been that I wrote them while attending training sessions for Billy Graham’s evangelistic campaign in Manchester. Looking back at the contents of this Bible, I’m convicted of some of the things I did from 1965 until 1981. I had been a naughty boy! In 1981, the very first Christian book I bought was “Confess It!” In those days we were all very much “into” believing with the heart and confession in the mouth. Len Jones wrote the book. He was related to William Wigglesworth. Those days were fascinating particularly regarding “What you say is what you get”. Most of us, myself included, were so intimidated by this we forgot the importance of truth. People went to extreme lengths to avoid anything which might be used by the devil as an entrance into their life. I recall going through a time of great testing while experienxcing divorce. It was tough. But if anyone asked me how I was, I would smile and say, “I’m fine!” It was an absolute lie. I felt like “death warmed up”. But I wouldn’t say anything about it to anyone. On reflection it seems to me that we had made a superstition out of what God was saying. Perhaps the best illustration I can think of was the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. They originated from the days after the Babylonian captivity. The people rightly decided that their captivity was because they had failed to keep the Mosaic Law. In particular, with reference to the worship of idols. You will find that from then on, idols did not become an issue in Israel. What happened was, they made an idol of the law. They made dozens of “fence laws” associated with the Mosaic law. The purpose was not so much how to keep them but how to avoid breaking them. There are huge differences. Differences which Jesus addressed with them. A reading of Luke 11 indicates this. Len’s book looks at “What you get is what you say”. He then looks at the words and “confessions” of Cassius Clay, now Muhammad Ali. He points back to the days of the fight with Sonny Liston – the “big ugly bear” according to Cassius Clay. Len then makes a very interesting comment. He stated that the world in general and Sonny Liston in particular, had never come across a confession like Cassius Clay’s. In spite of all the odds against him winning, Clay’s confession was so powerful that it literally swept him along to victory. Clay had stumbled upon a “spiritual principle”. One that defies human understanding. The principle is that if you say something often enough, you will start to believe it. Thus, what Cassius Clay was saying with his mouth, became that which he believed in his heart. That sort of “confessions” is hard to beat. Sonny Liston got “caught up” in this spiritual principle. So, as we all know, Cassius Clay became the world heavyweight champion. There’s no question that he had remarkable talent and ability as a boxer. He may have become the champion another way. But his confession trashed Sony Liston. If you believe in you heart and confess with your mouth….. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let those who boast, boast in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:31 TNIV 23 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ Philippians 3:8 NLT 16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes--the Jew first and also the Gentile. Romans 1:16 NLT 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. Romans 15:17 ESV 25 I don't have anyone in heaven but you. I don't want anything on earth besides you. Psalms 73:25 NIrV 1 Then Hannah prayed: "My heart rejoices in the LORD! The LORD has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because You rescued me. 1 Samuel 2:1 NLT 1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name goes all the glory for Your unfailing love and faithfulness. Psalms 115:1 NLT	Who of us remember what’s called “The good old days?” A young man was in boxing. His name – Cassius Clay. He said, “I am the greatest. I’ll knock him out in three.” And strangely as it sounds to us, that’s just what came to be. He really was a boaster. He never really cared. But most of his protagonists were quickly running scared. He “took on” Sonny Liston, an “Ugly bear” he said. And when the fight was over, Liston looked like he was dead. “I float in like a butterfly and sting just like a bee. There ain’t no boxer anywhere can beat the likes of me”! Boxer after boxer came and put him to the test. And when the match was over he’d proved he was the best. Muhammad Ali was the name he took when he converted. He became Muslim, but his quest was not diverted. And looking back upon it, I’m sure he was the best. But time has done its damage; he’s just like all the rest. No longer fast and nimble; he has “Parkinson’s disease”. And when you hear him talking now, no longer does he please. We look back at his history, when boxing was his game. He really was the greatest and deserved his boxing fame. But like so many boasters, God’s judgement came along; And he became a member of the “boastful people throng”. It is a sorry story, a very dismal tale. This happens to a braggart. They ultimately fail. I can’t forget the boasting of “the lip from Louisville”. He continued boasting and went over the hill. A shadow of the man he was; and crippled now with age. He got his fame and fortune, but with it came his wage. So when we look upon him now, it’s very sad to see, A man with so much talent, consigned to history. The moral of this story, is do not ever boast. You may get fame and fortune, but the Lord of heaven’s host, Will start a downward cycle and you’ll end up with defeat; That never, in your life time, you ever would repeat. When you do your boasting, boast only in the Lord. Only He is worthy, to be worshipped and adored. Boast of His achievements and what Jesus Christ has done! Tell the world you’re nobody compared with God’s own Son. Thank Him for salvation and praise Him for His care. That’s the sort of boasting we may do anywhere. He deserves the honour, the glory and the fame. Compared with Him, we’re nothing; and life is just a game. Jim Strickland – Written 18th August 2012