Time with Jesus - Friday, 17 August
2012
Hi all,
All of us work for a reason. If we are employed, we
work for our wages or salary. We receive our wages because we have worked for
them and are therefore entitled to them. God’s word tells us in Romans: 23
When you sin, the pay you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life because of
what Christ Jesus our Lord has done. Romans
6:23 NIrV. One sin in a lifetime receives the same pay as an infinite
number of sins. You are entitled to payment in full. Only God may change this
arrangement. That’s our meditation today.
Blessings
Jim
& Phyllida Strickland
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Friday, 17
August 2012
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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THE
CONVERSION DIVERSION
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My opinion of the Bible is that in the original
languages, it is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. Errors in translation
and reproduction are possible mainly because of language differences. This along
with the integrity and accuracy of scribes who have copied the text. The Holy
Spirit has ensured that the copies we have of the autograph (original) are
trustworthy. I don’t know how. That’s not necessary. All that is necessary to
know, is that the text we have received is reliable.
Having said that, you can understand that I believe
Adam and Eve were two real people. The Genesis story is not a myth to assist
ignorant believers. It is fact. Accordingly, I believe that the fall of man
actually took place as stated in Genesis. As a result, death came on the
scene exactly as God said it would. Thus until such time as Jesus returns,
every man, woman and child will die. The Word of God guarantees it!
Originally, man had the potential to live forever. This
would be through a “diet” of eating the fruit of the tree of Life. Whether
this was a single meal or an on-going “daily process”, is not clear. Either
way, man has tried to find something that will extend his life eternally.
This “magic elixir of life” has not been discovered. It will not be until Jesus
returns. But that does not stop man from looking! Man knows that in the
original design, we would have lived forever. As an old man, Solomon is said
to have written: 11 Yet God has made
everything beautiful for its own time. He
has planted eternity in the human heart,
but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning
to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT
It follows that man is on a continuous search to
find our birth-right. We were originally made for eternity. We must keep on
looking. “Where is the promise of eternity?” seems to be the unwritten
question we all ask.
In the meantime, what can we do? The answer is,
“”Absolutely nothing”! Only God can change the situation. Indeed, this “law
of sin and death” was applied to His Son. But with a slight difference. He
was sinless and didn’t deserve death. But on the cross, He took your place
and mine. In 2 Corinthians, Paul put it as follows: 21 Christ didn't have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right
with God because of what Christ has done
for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIrV. It
follows that at the instant He was made sin for us, He had to die, because He
had taken on our sin.
When that had happened, and Jesus had taken on the
punishment we deserved, God’s anger at our sin was complete. It had been
dealt with. To quote the Lord Jesus from John’s Gospel: 19 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished,"
and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John
19:30 ESV. The words, “It is finished” or “It is accomplished” have
been translated and interpreted in many ways. One way is that Jesus was stating
that the task was over and done with. His struggle with sin and our deserved
punishment was over. Nothing further was needed. Man could now approach God
in and through what He had done. Man could be forgiven. In other words, the
situation had changed. There is something man can do. Something so simple.
Have faith in His Son! Do I? Do you?
Jim &
Phyllida Strickland
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15 Human life is as short-lived as grass. It
blossoms like a flower in the field. 16 When the wind blows over the flower, it disappears, and
there is no longer any sign of it.
Psalms 103:15-16 GW
12 Teach us to realize how short our lives
are. Then our hearts will become wise.
Psalms 90:12 NIrV
36 And what do you benefit if you gain the
whole world but lose your own soul?
Mark 8:36 NLT
7 The grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground. That happens when
the LORD makes his wind blow on them. So people
are just like grass. 8 The
grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground. But what our God says will
stand forever.'"
Isaiah 40:7-8 NIrV
17 And the world is passing away along with
its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:17 ESV
2 God says, "At the right time I heard you. On the day of
salvation I helped you." Listen, now is
God's acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation!
2 Corinthians 6:2 GW
31 Deal as sparingly as possible with the
things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out.
1 Corinthians 7:31 MSG
24 Let us think of ways to motivate one
another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some
people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His
return is drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT
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Our quest for immortality will never be relieved.
We keep on looking forward, to what cannot be achieved.
The problem is our wages. We’re going to get paid!
It really doesn’t matter if we’re brave, or are afraid.
We’ve worked for them, deserve them and will not be short changed.
To think you will not get them – I’m sorry, you’re deranged.
It’s all the same for everyone, regardless of our years.
Our stomping up and down again and buckets full of tears,
Can’t interrupt the process; nor can it be delayed.
God’s Kingdom regulations have got to be obeyed.
It’s surely going to happen, much sooner than you think;
And after you’ve departed your body’s going to stink!
It’s brevity that matters. Our lives are far too short.
It only takes a single sin and “brother you are caught”
Something happens in you, we do not understand.
Instead we find death’s angel has grabbed us by the hand.
Little sins or big ones; It matters not at all.
It may be something trifling and infinitely small.
Perhaps it is enormous like Stalin or Pol Pot?
Regardless of excuses; it truly matters not.
And each of us is equal. We all will get the same.
It won’t make any difference if we try to shift the blame.
Many folk have tried it, but sadly, it’s “not on”.
One instant they’re living; the next and they are gone.
It cannot be avoided; we know about the pay.
And each and every one of us, are sure to die one day.
We’ll vanish like a candle, snuffed out and cast aside.
The breath of God will blow on us. He cannot be defied!
No one is excluded. Not even Jesus Christ.
A single sin committed would easily suffice.
But He was not a sinner. In fact He was sin free!
He was not defeated on that cross of Calvary.
He only traded places for the likes you and I!
So after final judgement, we will not have to die!
So let’s not talk of dying. We’ll only fall asleep!
Until the day
when finally, His promises He’ll keep.
And we will
live with Jesus and reign for evermore.
That’s the
final wages, a Christian has in store.
Jim Strickland – Written 17th August 2012.
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