GOD’S RIGHTEOUS STANDARDS

Time with Jesus - Friday, 01 February 2013

Hi all,

Today we meditate on righteousness and Christianity. When I committed my life to Jesus Christ, two things happened. He gave me the gift of salvation. At the same time, He gave me the gift of righteousness. As long as He is my Lord and my God, I am righteous. The one goes with the other and are inseparable. Paul puts it this way. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor. 5:21 TNIV So if I say “I am righteous!” it’s because of what He has done. Don’t blame me for what He has done!

One of the most beautiful illustrations of this is revealed through a poem called, “The Touch of the Master’s Hand!” It’s not one of mine. I wish it was. I’ve attached a copy so we can all understand what happens when the Master touches our lives. To the world, I look like a tattered and broken old violin. Then the Master touched me! Suddenly I’m not what I look like. In His hand I’ve been made righteous. I can hardly believe it myself.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland 

THE TOUCH OF THE MASTERS HAND

‘Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer

Thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin,

But held it up with a smile;

"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,

"Who'll start the bidding for me?"

"A dollar, a dollar"; then two!" "Only two?

Two dollars, and who'll make it three?                                                          

Three dollars, once; three dollars twice; going for three.." But no,

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man

Came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,

And tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet

As caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer,

With a voice that was quiet and low,

said; "What am I bid for the old violin?"

And he held it up with the bow.

A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?

Two thousand! And who'll make it three?

Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice,

And going and gone," said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried,

"We do not quite understand

What changed its worth." Swift came the reply:

"The Touch of A Master's Hand."

And many a man with life out of tune,

and battered and scarred with sin,

Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,

much like the old violin,

A "mess of pottage” “A glass of wine;

A game - and he travels on”.

"He is going" once, and "going twice,

He's going and almost gone."

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd,

Can Never quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought

By The Touch of the Master's Hand.

Myra 'Brooks' Welch

Kindly contributed by:
S. Simons

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Friday, 01 February 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	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					©
INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	God’s Righteous standards
The only Righteousness a Christian possesses is that which has been given to him in Christ. This is one of those things we’ve heard about but don’t really understand. Paul writes, 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:21 TNIV Many years ago, Dr Ken Stewart stated, “Jesus had all the righteousness and we had all the sin. Then we traded. He got our sin and we got His righteousness”. It may sound very unfair. But God is not “fair”. Fairness is a human expression and does not apply to God. There’s nothing fair about the first being last and the last being first. There’s nothing fair about him taking our sinfulness and giving us His righteousness. He does it by grace; and grace is seldom “fair”. You and I talk about fairness as though it’s something which should apply to all. Something like the cost of a loaf of bread. If it costs me R10, why should it cost less or even more to you. Fairness dictates that the price should be the same for all. Yet we all have dreams of benefitting unfairly. Perhaps the easiest and best illustration of this is what happened to Kate Middleton. She married Prince William. Almost overnight she went from being just another beautiful young woman, to being the wife of the future monarch. She is now carrying in her womb a baby who will one day be king or queen. Now that’s unfair! I have a granddaughter. Why shouldn’t her baby be the future monarch? It’s not fair. But it is right. We could say it’s a gift bestowed on an unrighteous woman. A free gift to someone totally undeserving! God chose to make me righteous. He didn’t have to do it. He didn’t need to do it. His infinite grace welled up and as a result we traded. So in some inexplicable way, in Him I have been made righteous. Don’t blame me for this. God did it and I’m not complaining. I must confess that in those early days, I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t feel like it, look like it or behave like it. If anyone had asked me if I was righteous, I would have said, “No Way!” None of that has changed. But since then I’ve learned to lean more and more on Jesus Christ. I like to put it this way. I may look like a cheap and nasty old fiddle. But the Lord tells me I’m a Stradivarius. The music I play sounds terrible. The strings are broken and the bow is twisted and bent. Then Jesus picks me up and begins to play the very music of heaven. One day, I’ll look like a Stradivarius. In the meantime, “Play on Lord Jesus”. You see, He has made me righteous. Don’t blame me for the way I look! Furthermore, it was His idea and I’m not arguing with Him! Today’s meditation looks at God’s standard of righteousness. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			6 And this will be His name: 'The LORD Is Our Righteousness.' In that day Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. Jer. 23:6 NLT 5 You meet those who happily do what is right, who keep a good memory of the way you work. But how angry you've been with us! We've sinned and kept at it so long! Is there any hope for us? Can we be saved? 6 We're all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts are grease-stained rags. We dry up like autumn leaves-- sin-dried, we're blown off by the wind Isaiah 64:5-6 MSG 15 I will tell everyone about Your righteousness. All day long I will proclaim Your saving power, though I am not skilled with words. 16 I will praise Your mighty deeds, O Sovereign LORD. I will tell everyone that You alone are just. Psalm 71:15-16 NLT 10 I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For He has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10 NLT 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattest calf and kill it. Let's have a big dinner and celebrate. Luke 15:22-23 NIrV 7 Let us celebrate, let us rejoice, let us give him the glory! The Marriage of the Lamb has come; his Wife has made herself ready. 8 She was given a bridal gown of bright and shining linen. The linen is the righteousness of the saints. Rev 19:7-8 MSG 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-- Philip 3:8-9 ESV	There’s never been a single day in all of history, That anyone’s been righteous. It cannot ever be. But there is one exception. Our Master, Jesus Christ. He was completely perfect. His righteousness sufficed, All of the requirement that Father God required; And it’s by His perfection we do what He’s desired. God created Adam and he was innocent. It’s when he had defected, that human life was bent. Of course men claim that they are good. But it is a delusion. None of us are righteous. So let’s clear the confusion. Any righteousness that you perceive in me and you, Is nothing of our making; but just what Christ can do. The fact is, we are wearing His cloak of righteousness. Take a look what’s underneath and see the ugly mess! Some say this is offensive. “My righteousness is fine. I’ve always been a “good guy” and I’m content with mine” But here is what is shocking. The best that’s ever done, Is just a pile of garbage the Lord above will shun. No matter what we think we are, we cannot make the grade. The finest deed done by the flesh and anything that’s made, Is far beneath the standards the Lord above demands. It’s tainted by the filthiness of sinful human hands. So when we start repenting, we must bear this in mind. We’re wicked, ugly sinners In us you cannot find A morsel of true righteousness. And so we must repent Of all the “good things” we have done. They’re twisted, warped and bent. So now let us all face the facts. It is in Christ alone, That we acquire our righteousness. Do I detect a moan? “Without Him I am nothing? I’m sure that cannot be. There has to be a little good deep down inside of me.” But that is a deception. Whatever you may see, Came down to you from heaven and from His Majesty. So let us all be sober and take a proper look; See what has been written in God’s Most Holy Book. Forget about your goodness. It isn’t good at all. It doesn’t meet His standards. I hope this makes you stall. Because, till this is understood, you’ll think you’re good enough. But it is what the Lord declares. I’m sorry if it’s tough! I’m sad if you’re offended. I wish it wasn’t true. I’d like to think the things I’ve done was all I need to do. But Jesus Christ has made the rules. He is the referee And He will blow the whistle on “stuff” from you and me. Jim Strickland  Written 1st February 2012

SIN AGAINST GOD

Time with Jesus - Thursday, 31 January 2013

Hi all,

It’s a brave and foolish man who would dare to suggest that there is nothing wrong with sin. On a number of occasions I’ve heard people defending their actions because they can’t help it. They have to have it – no matter what “it” is. “God knows me and He understands”, they say. But it is not true regardless of the “it”. A drug addict or an alcoholic can be dried out. In some cases the person is “put to sleep” while the worst of the withdrawal symptoms are experienced. Others are “dried out” in places of care which specialise in such practices. Some are just thrown into a “padded cell” and left to dry out. The problem for us all is we don’t know the nature of sin. Sin is anything that misses the mark of God’s perfection! His pass-mark is 100% obedience from the cradle to the grave. People don’t realise that 99.99% is a failure. What about you and me? We must realise that not stopping at a stop street misses the mark of God’s perfection. In God’s economy, it’s as serious as murder or adultery. It is sin. We may categorize them in degrees of wickedness. But the final outcome is death. Adam bombed out by eating what he was told not to eat. He didn’t kill anyone. He was out; thrown out of Eden. He could never return. Did the punishment fit the crime? I think it did. How about you? Today’s meditation is about sin.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland 

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Thursday, 31 January 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	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					©
INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	Sin Against God
Sin! What can we say about it? Not much, other than the fact that we love it! The people of the world sincerely believe that basically, we are good people who have gone wrong. What we need is sympathy and a bit of understanding. Perhaps a visit to a Psychiatrist or a Psychologist will straighten us up and then we will be fine. But it isn’t true. Each and every one of us is a “monster of iniquity” who loves their sin. We aren‘t looking for salvation because we think it’s unnecessary. We will continue with this opinion until we learn that sin is no laughing matter. It is a deadly cancer that destroys us all During every revival, people have been made aware of the enormity of their sin and the terrible consequences thereof. For this to happen on a local, national or international scale requires the intervention of the Holy Spirit. Without His intervention our efforts are perfunctory at best. He is the only one who can bring an awareness of sin to the listeners. Because of this, the likes of Wesley, Whitefield, and Finney, to mention only three, commenced every meeting by preaching on the topic of sin. They knew that in every revival, the listeners had to be aware of the enormity of their rebellion against God. As a result, they commenced every series of meetings by preaching about sin and its consequences. They would continue with this topic until the people came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. The people would begin crying out to the Lord for forgiveness. Many of them would pass out and fall down under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Then there would be a call to receive salvation. This was no “half baked” repentance. Under the ministry of John Wesley Redfield, the jails became empty. The police were told that if they came across anyone lying in the gutter they were to go and smell the persons’ breath. If there was no trace of alcohol, they were to leave the person exactly where they were. That person had Redfield’s disease. This meant that when they awoke, if they had been drunkards, they would drink no more. If they were thieves, they would steal no more. Redfield’s disease transformed the individual into a God-fearing believer. Similar tales can be quoted about examples from the lives of other men of God. If they walked into the gates of a factory, workers would pass out and others would cry out to the Lord for salvation. We no longer see these signs of revival. Why not? I think it is because we no longer preach about the consequences of sin. Instead we fill our pulpits with popular men who preach ear tickling pabulum that does not touch the heart. We would rather hear motivational messages, prosperity and irrelevant drivel. Sure it brings in money. But does it touch the hearts and lives of sinners? What do you think? Jim & Phyllida Strickland			25 If someone sins against another person, God can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede?" But Eli's sons wouldn't listen to their father, for the LORD was already planning to put them to death. 1 Sam 2:25 NLT 1 My dear children, I'm writing this to you so that you will not sin. But suppose someone does sin. Then we have one who speaks to the Father for us. He stands up for us. He is Jesus Christ, the Blameless One. 2 He gave his life to pay for our sins. But he not only paid for our sins. He also paid for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2 NIrV 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He declares sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus. Rom 3:25-26 NLT 24 He'll be gracious to him. He'll say to God, "Spare him from going down into the grave. I know a way that can set him free.' Job 33:24 NIrV 31 What should we say then? Since God is on our side, who can be against us? 32 God did not spare his own Son. He gave him up for us all. Then won't he also freely give us everything else? 33 Who can bring any charge against God's chosen ones? God makes us right with himself. 34 Who can sentence us to death? Christ Jesus is at the right hand of God and is also praying for us. He died. More than that, he was raised to life. Rom 8:31-34 NIrV	There is an understanding that people seldom know. It’s all about what happens when into sin we go. We sin against a person. Perhaps we steal his tie. We think that it looks pretty, although it makes him cry. We’ve taken from him something and said it is our own. Of course that is deception and sin in us has grown. Perhaps it’s not important; not from our point of view. But we have just committed an act we should not do. Perhaps the value’s minimal. A Rand or two at most. And so we soothe our conscience, until the Holy Ghost, Reminds us we have stolen and that we are a thief. And that until we’ve put it right, there will be no relief, From what is deep inside us. Our conscience has been pricked. And even if we give it back, the problem isn’t licked. In fact it never can be! We’ve sinned against the Lord. The value’s not important. We have released His sword, This brings His retribution. We’ve disobeyed His Word; And everything we say or do, by God is seen and heard. So every sin committed is not just against man. It is a violation of Father’s Holy plan! But can we be forgiven? The answer’s yes and no. Forgiven for the action, but the consequences grow! I think it’s very fortunate the cost of sin is death. No matter what a man has done, after that final breath There’s nothing more for us pay. We cannot die again. A Christian knows for certain and the Bible makes this plain. We do not keep on dying for sin repeatedly. Perhaps that is what we deserve. But no more will that be. So Jesus can forgive me. The record is wiped clean, But only ‘cause He’s paid the price for all that I have been! So every sin committed is marked up on our slate. And we will surely die for it, upon some future date. But Jesus Christ our Master came and took my place. So there is not another death which I will have to face. There’s one consideration. Repentance from our sin, Determined that it’s over, we will not take part in, Another repetition of what we have just done. It’s over and it’s done with. From now on, we will shun, Anything and everything the deed in fact implies. Then we’ll be forgiven. But don’t use a disguise, And show a false repentance. Then things will not have changed. This will make it very clear we’re mentally deranged. Perhaps you’ll find it easy to make a fool of me. But Jesus knows about it. You can’t fool Deity! Jim Strickland  Written 31st January 2012