Time with Jesus -16 Oct 2013
I remember going to see Carousel in
Port Elizabeth in the late 1950’s. For some reason, I didn’t enjoy the movie,
in spite of the unquestioned singing talent of Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae.
Perhaps it was something to do with the title? As a child, I’d loved riding on
the “Roundabout” in the PE Fair Ground which visited every year over the
Christmas season. It went round and round and the horses on the ride went up
and down, much to the amusement of young children and their parents. 
There’s another reason why I didn’t
enjoy the movie. When you are a teenager, with all life in front of you, (DV)
you don’t want to be reminded that death is just around the corner.
Furthermore, as an emotional and “star-struck” young man, for the “star” of the
film (Gordon MacRae) to die and leave his beautiful young wife (Shirley Jones) behind,
was intolerable. 
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YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
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When you walk through a
storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the
dark
At the end of the storm
Is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song
of the lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be
tossed and blown
Walk on walk on with hope
in your heart
And you'll never walk
alone
You'll never walk alone
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From Carousel (Rogers & Hammerstein)
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There are a number of reasons for
this. The first is that the song was adopted by the fans of Liverpool Football
Club and later by other clubs in the 1960’s. Why Liverpool, I’ve never found
out. I vividly remember the fans singing the song during football matches. Incidentally,
during the 1960’s, while I was in UK, I considered myself to be a South African
though I was originally from UK. 
Real life is always very different
from what you had thought it might be during your teenage years. It’s always a
disappointment, when you find that reality does not correspond with your
expectations. We start off with dreams of being the very best at whatever we
decide to be. It doesn’t matter what they are, we always think we will be the
very best of the bunch. There is no doubt in our mind; we will scale to the
highest point on the ladder of life. Getting going is not too bad. We get a
qualification, whatever that might be. 
Then we notice that the ladder gets a bit narrower. It’s not
quite as easy as it used to be. There are delays in both directions. To get higher,
means overtaking colleagues and friends who are a bit closer to you. Nevertheless,
you continue to climb, even though you realise that you are beginning to fill
the shoes of those who have already died.
You also find that there are other up
and coming folk, who are quite prepared to kick you out of the way and stand on
your fingers in order to get past you. After a couple more years, you realise
that you will never get to the top of the ladder. There’s only room for one at
the top. The ladder you’ve been on only leads to the top of the muck heap – and
who wants to be at the top of a muck heap? You begin to wonder whether it was
all worth it.
Success in this world is merely temporary and empty. Yes, there
are bigger houses, more cars, and expensive holidays – if you can find the time
to be away from work. Yes, there is a nice bank balance, but stress has taken
its toll and medical bills are starting to exceed what you are paying for
medical aid. Then there are the children and their children. Hopefully they are
not strangers who pass you by in the night. You and the wife will both be running
out of steam a little and don’t quite have the energy you once had. Hopefully,
you’ve both managed to survive the typical mid-life crisis. If you haven’t
quite arrived there, please be aware that when you get to the top of the muck
heap, you are still on the top of a muck heap!
Phyllida and I decided to get off the ladder and be servants
of the Most High God! Sure the monthly salary was nothing to get excited about.
However, there was and is, always more than enough for us to enjoy a moderate
lifestyle. We realised that wealth and fame were not nearly as important, as
extending His Kingdom and being a blessing to others. This reminds me of a comment
made at the funeral of a very wealthy man. “How much did he leave?” was the
question asked by several of the “mourners”. “All of it,” was the comment of
one of the man’s Christian friends.
We have found that there is nothing in this world more
satisfying than serving Jesus. We have seen Him revive the “souls” of those whom
we had thought were beyond hope. We are witness of transformation in our own
lives and in the lives of others that power and wealth could never compensate.
Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation!” He has shown us that
when we have met Him and have given our lives to Him, we are never alone. In
fact, we’ll “never walk alone”. We have joined Him on the Carousel of life. We
may giggle or scream hysterically as the “horses go up and down” and the
machine goes round and round. But Jesus is holding us so there is no need to
fear.
One day the carousel will stop and we will be with Him for ever. Then we
will hear from His lips the words we desire more than anything else in this
world. “Well done, good and faithful servants.”
Shalom
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| Well Done, Good and Faithful Servants |
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Wednesday, 16 October 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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DON'T
LET US YIELD TO TEMPTATION
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We are
approaching the end of Jesus’ model prayer. Here He refers to temptation. He
knew very well what He was facing. He knew He was destined for the cross. He
knew He would be tempted, to avoid that which He would have to endure, to the
very end. We know that He did.
We need to
distinguish immediately between a trial and a temptation. Trials in life are
inevitable. They are as certain as the fact that until Jesus returns, death
will eventually call for us. A trial is almost anything we must endure. For
example a music examination. Perhaps a dentist appointment? Perhaps an
operation in the hospital? For Christians, it could be being thrown to the
lions, or being burned at the stake. This was the trial many had to endure.
There may have been an associated temptation. To deny their faith in Jesus
Christ. In many cases, if they chose to deny Jesus, they would be set free.
That would be an enormous temptation. The book of Hebrews focuses on this. If
a Christian was a Jewish convert, by denying Christ publically in the synagogue,
he/she would be received back into Judaism and would no longer be persecuted.
Some did this. Others did not and suffered accordingly. Certainly the temptation
to apostatise was huge. It could mean avoiding persecution for the whole
family. Many chose to go through the trial of being persecuted, rather than
fall into the temptation of being unfaithful to Jesus.
When people ask
me what I would have done in those circumstances, I confess that I really
don’t know. Part of me wants to pretend to be willing to endure to the end.
The other part reminds me, that under these circumstances, I’m still a
coward. God alone knows what I would do!
Paul in his first
letter to Corinth speaks about temptation. He wrote, 13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God
is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.
When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you can
endure. 1 Cor. 10:13 NLT
It’s comforting to know that even under such terrible circumstances;
the Lord will be faithful to us. I won’t be expected to endure the unendurable.
He will show a way out. That way may well be martyrdom. Others have passed
through being martyred for their faith. I’m not more special than they were.
The same is true for my wife and children. My way out, may be martyrdom. What
if it’s martyrdom, not only for me, but for my family? Am I ready for that?
It’s a very brave man who can say in advance that he would choose martyrdom. The
answer may be easy for me alone. But for wife and children as well? That’s a
horse of a different colour. Can I face the prospect of my wife and children
being thrown to the lions or burned at the stake? What will I do? What would you
do?
Jim
& Phyllida
Strickland
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13 And don't let us yield to temptation, but
rescue us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.]
Matthew 6:13 NLT
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Temptations come, temptations go; our God is not the cause.
Most of them originate within our human flaws.
They’re accentuated by the devil and his wiles.
If he can deceive you, he’ll wipe away your smile.
A prayer about temptation was common among Jews.
“Do not lead me into sin”, is what
they’d sometime use.
“Not into transgression; nor in iniquity.
Do not let sin’s power, overshadow me.
Such a mighty onslaught perhaps would make me sink;
So keep me safe, Almighty God, from what I do or think.”
But there are
some temptations, we simply can’t avoid.
Even though
they irritate and make us feel annoyed.
Sometimes they
are useful and we must overcome.
They must not destroy us; or to their power, succumb.
There are some
temptations which we must all endure.
Hard and
disagreeable, designed to make us pure.
Perhaps in an affliction, the type Job underwent.
Where Satan was permitted to test his real intent.
God loosed the reins of Satan, to test and try His man;
To show that Job was “righteous” was actually God’s plan!
He may “withdraw His presence”, to demonstrate His grace,
And show that you can overcome the problems which you face.
He also lets false prophets arise among His folk,
To see if we will tolerate their rough and heavy yolk.
But even in these trials, we know that He is near.
That we can still depend on Him and there is naught to fear.
Such trials are essential. Through all of them we grow,
In grace and perseverance, so all of us will know,
That we’ll continue faithful and watchful unto prayer.
Following the Master, regardless when or where.
Then there are temptations Satan often brings;
Testing our ability to stay beneath God’s wings.
Tempting us with evil and prompting us to lie.
Filling us with doubts and fears; to quit and go awry.
Putting thoughts of blasphemy and evil in our head.
He’ll continue trying this until we are all dead.
But if we resist him, we know that he will flee!
And through Jesus Christ the Lord we will have victory!
Jim
Strickland
Written
16th Oct 2012
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26 Those who trust in themselves are
fools, but those who walk in wisdom are kept safe.
Proverbs 28:26 TNIV
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13 And remember,
when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me." God
is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires,
which entice us and drag us away. 15 These
desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it
gives birth to death.
James 1:13-15 NLT
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17 The Lord says, "Get away from unbelievers. Separate yourselves from them. Have
nothing to do with anything unclean. Then I will welcome you."
2 Corinthians 6:17 GW
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10 Then Lot looked in
the direction of Zoar as far as he could see. He saw that the whole Jordan Plain was well-watered like the LORD'S
garden or like Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah.) 11 Lot chose the whole Jordan Plain for
himself. He moved toward the east. They each
went their own way, 13 (The people who lived in Sodom were
very wicked. They committed terrible sins against the LORD.)
Genesis 13:10-11 & 13 GW
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7 But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom
because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the
wicked people around him. 9 So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even
while keeping the wicked under punishment until the
day of final judgment.
2 Peter 2:7 & 9 NLT
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4 Who are you to judge someone else's
servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:4 NIV
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