THE ONLY WAY OUT

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.

Naughty Boy

The Bible confirms this. We are told that sin is lawlessness. In other words, where there is no law, there can be no sin. For example, one of God’s commandments is; ¹⁴ You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14 TNIV In spite of this, one or two societies do not regard adultery as wrong. This means that for them, it is acceptable. It’s only when you are aware that something is wrong that it becomes sinful. In South Africa we talk about the age of accountability. If an underage child breaks the law, we say that the child didn’t know it.

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.

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

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Monday, 22 April 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	The Only Way Out
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			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	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