Time with Jesus - 11 Oct 2013
In Western
Christianity, we are living in perilous times. Seldom before has society been
as ungodly and perverted as we see it today. The Laws of God have been openly
disregarded and contradicted, most of them in the name of “human rights”. That
which was unthinkable many years ago, is now taking place on a routine basis.
Today, a girl is able
to abort her baby without reference, even to her parents. All she needs do is
go to the local clinic. Her only problem is the length of the queues of other
young girls waiting for their turn for the same thing! 
To some extent abortion has
become an alternative and very expensive method of birth control. But who
bothers about the cost? The government (tax payers) will pay. In a country with
one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world, this attitude borders on insanity.
Behaviour in school
classrooms in many schools is appalling. Discipline is almost unenforceable. As
I write this, the news reporter tells us that a 14 year old primary school
pupil is being dealt with by the authorities for abusing the teacher!
What a
14year old “child” is doing in primary school is not stated. Taxi drivers
appear to be above the law. They flagrantly disregard most of the rules of the
road. If you try and prevent them from doing anything they want, you take your
life in your hands!
As we look
around us and see what is happening in the world and in South Africa, the words
Paul wrote to Timothy in his second letter appear to apply to today.
1
You should know this, Timothy that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They
will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and
ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
3 They will be unloving and
unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be
cruel and hate what is good. 
4 They will betray their
friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than
God. 5 They will act religious,
but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! 2 Tim 3:1-5 NLT. As I read Paul’s letter, I get
the feeling that unknowingly, he had the 21st century in mind as he
wrote it. What is seldom asked is why?
By way of
answer, let’s have a look at two verses in Genesis 6.
5 The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness on the
earth, and He saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and
totally evil. 6 So the LORD was sorry He
had ever made them and put them on the
earth. It broke His heart. Gen 6:5-6 NLT The
answer stares us in the face. Before the flood, human
wickedness on the earth was such; He saw that everything
they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
JESUS CHRIST ±30AD
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9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed
be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth,
as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is
the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. Mat 6:8-13 KJV
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BRITAIN 1977
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Our Father
which art in Downing Street. Harold be thy name. United Kingdom gone. We
shall be done on earth & probably in heaven. Give us each day our daily
bread, And forgive us for our devaluations, As we forgive them that speculate
against us. Lead us not into the Common Market. But deliver us to the unions.
For this is the Kingdom, no power, no Tory, For ever and ever AMEN.
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When was that
in history? It was probably before the birth of Methuselah. Enoch was 65 when
Methuselah was born. Still living at the time were all Enoch’s antecedents. i.e.
Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel and Jared. No wonder it broke the Lord’s
heart to see Adam, the “godly” line of Seth and all their offspring so warped
and corrupted by Satan and sin. Only Enoch walked with God! It seems probable; 
God “took” Enoch so that his “righteous soul” was no longer subject to the
corruption of those around him. Nevertheless, God waited a further ±700 years before He “washed the planet clean”. The patience of
God is incredible!
The bottom line
is, in those days, there was no fear of God. Not even Adam seems to have cared
was happening around him. Everyone, with the exception of Enoch and possibly Methuselah,
had any interest in, or were influenced by God. There was no fear of the Lord.
After the
flood, things were not a lot better. Even so, God called Abram, the son of an
idol maker, to follow Him and be the father of what we now call the Jewish
people.
Were they any
better than their antediluvian ancestors? I’d be surprised if they were. There
were sporadic “outbursts” of religious fervour directed to God. The men and
women who responded to the love of God followed Him as best they could, according
to their own understanding. Finally, ±4000 years after the fall, God
sent His Son Jesus.
Priests who were more concerned with following the man made code of
conduct they had contrived in order to follow God. Men who were so eagerly
looking for the promised Messiah, that when Jesus arrived on the scene, they
plotted to kill Him. He didn’t conform to what they thought He should be. God
help them; they were as blind to God and His ways as were their antediluvian forebears!
The problem
before the flood, at the time of Jesus Christ and in our world today is the
same. There was then and still is, hardly any fear of God. Jesus knew this to
be true. So when His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, He almost
immediately focused in on the missing ingredient!
“Hallowed be Thy Name”, He
stated. He knew that if you wish to serve God, you must first “fear” Him. His
people must know that God is Holy and pure and that He demands the same
lifestyle from His people. |
| Harold Wilson Former UK Prime Minister |
This is not a
time for frivolity. Not even for the warped humour of the man who blasphemously
rephrased the Lord’s Prayer into a “humorous” dig at UK’s Prime Minister in
1977. It may sound humorous. But it’s just another attempt to dismiss the
claims of God on you and me.
Shalom,
Jim & Phyllida
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Strickland
Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus –11 Oct 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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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 don’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
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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 Oct 2012
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14
Don't worship any other god. GOD--his name is
The-Jealous-One--is a jealous God.
Exodus 34:14 MSG
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11
"Who is like You among the gods, O
LORD--glorious in holiness, awesome in splendour, performing great wonders?
Exodus 15:11 NLT
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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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