THE CHRISTIAN WALK

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 04 August 2012

Hi all,

We serve a God of faithful compassion and mercy. A God Who loves us with an incomprehensible love; a God who made provision for each and everyone’s salvation, before He formed the earth. There is no sin we can imagine that His love cannot deal with. At the same time, His values are not the same as ours. The advancement of His Kingdom is more important than our comfort. He also requires our obedience, even when we don’t want to obey. Some men go to the grave because in so doing, He is greatly glorified. Will we do it? That’s our meditation.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 04 August 2012			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	THE CHRISTIAN WALK
I was deeply touched a couple of weeks ago by a testimony I read in one of the magazines. The testimony concerns the life of Joachim von Ribbentrop, the Nazi Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was the first of the war criminals executed on 16 October 1946. The story concerns his young niece. With a name like von Ribbentrop, it’s easy to imagine how she and her husband were hounded round Germany and anywhere else they wished to live. As a close family member she had loved her uncle and was greatly traumatized by his trial and execution. Shortly after the war she converted to Christianity. But she was desperately unhappy about Uncle Joachim and where he would be after his death. It so happened that one evening she attended a prayer meeting where she shared her burden with others. Afterwards she was approached by a woman who said that at that time she had prayed for the men on trial for war crimes. Several years later she came across a man who had been one of the Nuremburg guards. He said that during the days prior to von Ribbentrop’s execution, a man of God had regularly visited the condemned men and led all but three of them to the Lord. Joachim von Ribbentrop was one of those who received a death cell revelation of Jesus Christ. He went to his death knowing that in spite of all he had done, Jesus Christ loved him and had forgiven him. I am not in a position to confirm or deny this story. What I can say is that the love of Jesus Christ has no limits. He can even save a Nazi! He did! Today’s meditation looks at Jesus’ willingness to save a Christian from the miry pit. I’m not referring to salvation. I’m referring to those on the road of life. Sometimes He delivers. Sometimes He does not. It doesn’t help asking Him why?  So much depends on God’s purposes. On occasions He gets more glory from the death of an individual than from rescuing him from his circumstance. To some degree it also depends on us! We also don’t have the benefit of hindsight. For example, the destruction of Jerusalem, along with the captivity and transportation of the people to Babylon. It was thought to be catastrophic. Indeed it was for the Jews at the time. But for the Kingdom of God it was critical. The Jewish “diaspora” meant that Paul and other evangelists could visit Jews all over the then known world. This might never have happened without the Babylonian captivity. No one could have realised in 586BC anything about its future significance. Hopefully, if Jesus tarries, by 2345, something worthwhile will have been identified from the Holocaust. God alone knows what that might be. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			16 He reached down from high above and took hold of me. He pulled me out of the raging water. Psalms 18:16 GW 2 I was sliding down into the pit of death, and he pulled me out. He brought me up out of the mud and dirt. He set my feet on a rock. He gave me a firm place to stand on. Psalms 40:2 NIrV 1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil--the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God's anger, just like everyone else. Ephesians 2:1-3 NLT For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be accompanied by stringed instruments. 1 O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! 2 From the ends of the earth, I cry to You for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, Psalms 61:1-2 NLT 2 He said, "I cried out to the LORD in my great trouble, and He answered me. I called to You from the land of the dead, and LORD, You heard me! 3 You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath Your wild and stormy waves. Jonah 2:2-3 NLT 12 Then You put a leader over us. We went through fire and flood, but You brought us to a place of great abundance. Psalms 66:12 NLT 2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. Isaiah 43:2 NLT	How much does Jesus care for us? How far will Jesus go, To save us when we’re sinking into the world below? It’s something we can’t measure. It’s up to you and me. In fact it’s all a measure of our sincerity. Of course He has no favourites. He treats us all the same. It’ isn’t our ability, our fortune or our fame. But somehow He can see the things we harbour deep inside. He looks at our integrity and any inward pride. “Mene, Mene, Tekel” was written on the wall;   (See Daniel 5:25-26) If tried and still found wanting. His rescuing will stall. It’s not that He’s vindictive. He truly wants to save. But so much is dependent on the way that we behave. It isn’t what we’re saying. He looks at what we do. There’s many other factors preceding our rescue. It’s not so much our sinning, for He takes care of that. Do we have teach-ability and where it is we’re at? To rescue from the miry pit; is it worth His while? Is His Kingdom better off with or without our smile? We do not know these answers. We cannot even guess. I know from my position, I hope the answer’s “Yes!” Salvation isn’t given by the rolling of the dice. It’s also not a question of whether we are “nice”. It’s what He sees within us. Our capability, Of loving Him forever, no matter where we be! Each and every factor goes through the Saviour’s mind. Will we be His servant, gentle, pure and kind? If He thinks it’s possible, He’ll reach down from on High. And draw us from the miry pit. If not, He’ll let us die. I know that this sounds cruel. It’s difficult and tough. But then again the Christian life is arduous and rough. There’s little point in rescue if you’ll quickly take a tumble; If you are proud and arrogant instead of being humble. If it’s vaguely possible, you needn’t be afraid. The Lord is always standing by, to give to you his aid. But He will not be cheated and He cannot be conned. He doesn’t stoop to foolish tricks nor wave a magic wand. He looks at the reality of character and style If they are not present, you’ll miss Him by a mile. He will always rescue those who’ll make Him Lord and King, Hold them by His mighty hand and give them everything. Jim Strickland –Written 3rd August 2012