Time with Jesus - Thursday, 11 October 2012
Hi all,
Jesus model prayer (the Lord’s Prayer) continues; 9
Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Matthew
6:9 ESV Our meditation today looks at the word “hallowed” Some of it is
a bit tongue in cheek. Also, thanks to Strong’s numbers, we have a Greek
lesson! You may not need it, but I do.
Blessings,
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Thursday, 11 October 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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HALLOWED
BE THY NAME
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What sort of world do we live in? I suppose it’s a world where men and
women seek the limelight. People want to be “in the news-papers”, preferably
complete with the very latest photograph in glorious colour. People want to
be bigger and better than everyone else. Fame rather than notoriety; but if
being notorious is the only way, so be it! People want to be “world
champion”. To be second or even third is not where it’s at. I mentioned a
couple of weeks ago the tears and look of utter desolation on the faces of
those who didn’t win gold in the Olympic Games. No one wants to be second
best. Third best is akin to failure!
Many of us are sports crazy. We follow our favourite team with a
passion that is incredible. People attend sporting events to cheer on their
team. In South Africa, it tends to be soccer, cricket and rugby. We are told
that the places where these sporting events take place are hallowed ground.
Places like “Loftus, Kingsmead, St Georges Park, the FNB Stadium and
Wanderers. Here the fans bow down and swear allegiance to their own special
high priests. Men like the Late Danie Craven, Graham Smith and
Gordon Igesund and others of their ilk! It’s very straight forward. Pay your
money and take your seat. Alternatively watch the game on TV. In RSA we have
something like six dedicated sports channels. Even in HD!
We are told, Football (soccer) is a gentleman's game played
by hooligans, and rugby is a hooligans' game played by gentlemen. Of course
it could be the other way round if you prefer. According to an American
gentleman visiting England who attended a cricket match, “Cricket is a sport
invented by God and played by Englishmen who, not being a very spiritual
people, needed something to give them a concept of eternity!”
What amazes
me is the reaction of sports fans to what is happening on the field of play.
The crowd roars, chants, waves arms – they would do the same with legs if they
could – screams, cries and displays huge emotion. It’s all about who does
what with a round or oblong ball. There are rules to these games which,
according to the crowd, umpires and referees do not understand. Where they
do, the rules are always interpreted in favour of the other team. The team
wins by scoring the most goals, tries or runs. Today they even use TV cameras
to prove that a goal, try or a run is right. Woe betide anyone who seeks to
interfere with the event. Police are sometimes called upon to attend. They
are there not to watch the game, but to watch the people watching the game. It’s
ludicrous!
Personally,
if you like this peculiar brand of insanity please be my guest. However, if
and when I start to get excited about Jesus Christ, His Father and His
Spirit, kindly keep your comments about my mental state to yourself. I love
to roar, chant, wave arms and legs, scream, cry and display emotion about the
only One Who really matters. I may even get so excited that my language
changes into an incomprehensible babble. I sometimes get so excited I didn’t
know what I am saying myself. Note that the one I’m supporting never changes.
He always wins. This Divine team of Father, Son and Holy Spirit have always
been and will always be the very top of their league. According to the Son,
the Father is to be “hallowed”. For me this applies to the entire team. They
made the world; they made the rules and they made me and you. I think I’ll
keep on hallowing the three of them. Whom you decide to hallow is up to you!
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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9 Pray
then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed
be your name.
Matthew 6:9 ESV
14
Don't worship any other god. GOD--his name is
The-Jealous-One--is a jealous God.
Exodus 34:14 MSG
11
"Who is like You among the gods, O
LORD--glorious in holiness, awesome in splendour, performing great wonders?
Exodus 15:11 NLT
8
And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes
all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who
was and is and is to come!"
Revelation 4:8 ESV
29
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before
him. Worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness.
1 Chronicles 16:29
TNIV
1
In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord
sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled
the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim.
Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his
feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one
called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the
whole earth is full of his glory 5 And
I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean
lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have
seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
Isaiah 6:1-3 & 5
ESV
5
I had only heard about You before, but now I have
seen You with my own eyes. 6 I take back everything I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my
repentance."
Job 42:5-6 NLT
7
But if we live in the light in the same way that God is in the light, we have
a relationship with each other. And the blood of
his Son Jesus cleanses us from every sin.
1 John 1:7 GW
10
For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they
knew how. But God's discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in His holiness.
Hebrews 12:10 NLT
19
And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly
enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus22
let us go right into the presence of God with
sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have
been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean; our bodies have been
washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:19 & 22
NLT
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Jesus prayed, “Our Father, Hallowed be
Thy Name”,
But what is meant by “hallowed” Is it
some freaky claim,
So we can’t understand it? That’s
certainly untrue.
So what is it that “Hallowed” means to
folk like me and you?
The word is hag-ee-ad'-zo. That’s what
it is in Greek.
Which doesn’t really help us, unless
we go and seek,
An accurate translation. It means to consecrate;
To purify
or sanctify or seek to venerate
A person who is Holy. In this case, God Most High.
He’s Holiness personified above the
Earth and sky.
He tells us He is jealous. He will not
tolerate,
Our worshiping anther god. It’s
something which He hates.
There isn’t any other god. But even so,
we find,
That we have dug some rubbish, from
the darkness of the mind!
The Lord alone is Holy. The Lord is
quite unique.
There’s no one in creation, that
anyone can seek,
To compare with our Maker. No creature
can compare,
With His Great Awesome Splendour.
There’s no one anywhere,
To challenge His authority. He’s God
and He’s alone!
No man, no fish, no animal, no bird no
piece of stone,
Can ever represent Him. He is the
Great “I AM!”
If you think there’s another way – my
friend you’re in a jam.
All creation worships Him. The angels
bow their knee.
The seraphim adore! There’s just
humanity,
Who think that they know better and
raise up foreign gods.
They do not see their stubbornness, is
putting them at odds,
With Father, Son and Spirit. They don’t
see they are fools.
They will have to bend the knee and
say “The Lord God Rules”.
His Holiness and splendour are hard to
comprehend.
His qualities are infinite. Indeed,
there have no end.
He’s bigger than the universe and
smaller than a dot.
The temperature’s irrelevant. He’s
never cold or hot.
The darkness can’t enfold Him, for
He’s the source of Light.
He’s like a hundred million suns which
must eclipse the night.
No man’s ever seen His face; to do so
would bring death.
His purity and holiness, would steal
away their breath.
Isaiah had a tiny glimpse. He stated,
“Woe is me!”
My eyes have seen the LORD of hosts in
all His purity.
That’s what is meant by “Hallowed” Don’t
think that it is trite,
It’s not just an expression to say
He’s burning bright.
It emphasises holiness, His purity and
power.
He’s more than just a bulwark; some
high and mighty tower.
He is the great Creator of our whole
paradigm.
The One Who truly Loves us and tells
us, “You are mine!”
Jim Strickland –
Written 11th October 2012
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