Time with Jesus - Monday, 22 April
2013
Hi all,
Why do we do the things we do?
My Dad used to say, “He does it for badness!” Not good English but very accurate.
Sometimes children are naughty because they want to be naughty. “Don’t touch
that, you’ll break it!” The next minute it’s broken. I’ve heard it said that if
you tell someone not to do something, it’s more a less a guarantee that they
will do it.
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| Naughty Boy |
Most of us break the law, even
though we know we shouldn’t. If you or I fail to stop at a stop street, we have
broken the law and could be prosecuted. But we don’t stop anyway. We slow down
and, if the way looks clear, we carry on without stopping.
If I asked every reader of this
meditation whether or not they had ever exceeded the speed limit, they would
say “yes”. We are all like that. We tend to follow the opinion of WWII British
Pilot Douglas Bader, “rules were made for the blind
obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men”.
Unfortunately, God is not like
that. He has made the “rules of life” for everyone. Furthermore, since most of
these laws are instilled into our conscience, none of us have any excuse for
breaking them.
In a way, it was inevitable that
God’s one and only original law would be broken. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to
eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but
you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil, for when you eat of it you
will certainly die." Genesis 2:16-17
TNIV
I’ve heard people comment that they would never have done this. I
don’t believe them. Perhaps it’s the sin nature within us. Alternatively it may
be nothing more than idle curiosity. Eventually, God’s law would have been
broken and we would all be exactly where we are now.
I’ve heard people comment that they would never have done this. I
don’t believe them. Perhaps it’s the sin nature within us. Alternatively it may
be nothing more than idle curiosity. Eventually, God’s law would have been
broken and we would all be exactly where we are now.
Today’s meditation looks at sin
and the hold it has on people. It also looks to Jesus Christ as the only way
out.
Shalom,
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Monday, 22 April 2013
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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 Only Way Out
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Psalm
86 is something of a reflection of my own life and walk with the Lord, dating
back to 1960, when I committed my life to Jesus.
Life is
just beginning for a young man of 18. All life is in front of you and when
you’ve committed your life to Jesus, your desire to serve His is the most important
thing in mind. However, like most young men of that age, there was a serious
problem in my life. It was a distressing habit I couldn’t break. Prayer
didn’t help. Many times I tried to break free, without success. Like many
others I threw myself into getting a better understanding of God’s Word. I
thought if I tried hard enough and prayed hard enough, God would fix it. He
didn’t.
Dealing
with your own hypocrisy is one of the hardest things to face in the Christian
life. You know how things should be, but they aren’t. Thus it was that
shortly after my 21st birthday, I quit. There were other reasons,
but this was the biggest problem
Please
be aware that one of the hardest things to do in life, if you have known the
sweetness of His saving grace, is to quit. The trouble is, although you quit
on Him, He doesn’t quit on you. The next 18 years were horrible. Every time I
came anywhere near being involved in a church, the memories of those early
days came flooding back. William Cowper the 18th century hymn
writer wrote:
“Where is the blessedness I knew when first I saw the Lord? Where is
that soul-refreshing view of Jesus and his word? / What peaceful hours I once
enjoyed! How sweet their memory still! But they have left an aching void the
world can never fill! I know what
that feels like! I’ve been there. It’s the closest thing to Hell on earth.
The hound of heaven, (poem by Francis
Thompson) won’t let you go!
Eighteen
years later, with divorce hanging over me like a sword of Damocles, the Lord
brought a man across my path. I knew he was a Christian. We had spoken
briefly on one or two occasions. He listened carefully and asked me to meet
him at lunchtime. I did. We chatted some more and prayed. My former
relationship with Jesus was restored.
Of
course, Satan was standing in the wings. Before the end of the day, I realised,
that I was still unable to deal with my problem. Furthermore, I knew there
was no way I could beat this thing. I had to admit to the Lord it was sin and
that I liked it! That was when I turned to Jesus and confessed that I was a
sinner who loved his sin. “Please Lord”, I prayed. “Please give me the
strength to overcome this, just for today”. He did. The next day was the
same. “Just for today Lord!” Once again He did. This went on for a week.
Suddenly I realised the nightmare was over. I hadn’t beaten anything. He had!
That was ±33 years ago. Since that day, He has enabled me to walk in freedom!
Thank you Lord.
This
episode has taught me a most important lesson. I don’t have the power to
defeat Satan. The only way is to surrender to Jesus completely. Self-effort
will never succeed. If you insist on doing things yourself, He will let you.
You will fail. But when you capitulate and admit that you can do nothing;
that’s when His strength becomes available. Now I recommend people to look at
Jesus on the cross. His great victory came from complete surrender, even
death of self!
Jim & Phyllida
Strickland
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13
Great is your love for me. You have kept me from going down into the grave.
Psalm 86:13 NIrV
28 "Don't
be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in
hell.
Matthew 10:28 NLT
1 But now
thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have
called you by name, you are mine.
Isaiah 43:1 ESV
11 I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no other Saviour.
Isaiah 43:11 NLT
25 "I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own
sake, and I will not remember your sins.
Isaiah 43:25 ESV
6 They trust in their wealth. They brag about how rich
they are. 7 No man can pay for
the life of anyone else. No one can give God what that would cost. 8
The price for a life is very high. No payment is
ever enough.
Psalms 49:6-8 NIrV
24 He is
merciful to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom;
Job 33:24 ESV
4 But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much,
5 that even though we were dead because
of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It
is only by God's grace that you have been saved!)
Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT
12 No one else can save us. Indeed, we can be saved only
by the power of the one named Jesus and not by any other person."
Acts 4:12 GW
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Great is your love for me O Lord. You saved me
from the grave,
When I was
disobedient. But Lord, I misbehave!
Sometimes I’m in rebellion; as stubborn as a
mule.
In fact, it
is a compliment, to say I’ve been a fool!
I don’t know why I do it. It’s just this silly
streak,
That I just
stumble into things. But Lord I’m not a freak.
There’s lots of others like me. Indeed I’m not
alone.
Too many
folk are similar, just as Your Word has shown.
A lot of them are worse than me. So I should be
OK.
And I try
so much harder, than they do, Lord, today!
In fact Lord, if I measure these things upon a
scale,
I think
that I’ve no problem and they should go to jail!
It’s good to be self-satisfied. When we are
looking back!
But if I’m
really honest Lord, I think I need a smack.
“Comparisons are odious” is what the bard once
wrote.
So when I
look at others and think that, in a vote,
I’d end up being better, then surely I’m
deceived.
The truth
is just the opposite, is what should be believed.
O Lord I’m such an expert in blowing my own
trumpet.
But the
time for me has come, to take Your tip and dump it.
It isn’t very easy Lord, to put this junk away.
I truly
need Your power, to be with me today.
I know I cannot do it. It’s not an easy task.
And You
have said You’ll help us. if we come to You and ask.
Come, perform your miracle, to change my heart
and soul.
Come and
cleanse me thoroughly, then please make me whole.
You know my spirit’s willing. But Lord my flesh
is weak.
Give me
strength to change my ways and find what I now seek.
And yet, I cannot do it. My habit is to sin.
So Father,
please take over and cleanse me deep within.
It’s something I can’t change Lord. In fact I
love to be
This living
contradiction of Christianity.
Father, I am helpless. I cast myself on You.
If You do
not do it. There’s nothing I can do.
There’s no one else can help me and Father, I am
lost.
I long to
be more like You regardless of the cost!
Take my all, I beg You, there’s nothing I
withhold!
You alone
can change my heart from stubble into gold!
Jim
Strickland
Written
22nd
April 2013
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