Time with Jesus -29
Oct 2013
Hi all,
Christians need to know that God is totally against sin
in any shape or form. People say, “He will excuse me because He knows how weak
I am and how much I am tempted”.
That is not true. God is as angry with sin in
a believer, as He is with sin in an unbeliever. Actually, He is angrier with
sin in a believer. The unbeliever at least has the excuse that he didn’t know.
But the believer knows only too well how angry He is with sin, in any shape or
form. Now God’s anger is not something to be trifled with. The writer to the
Hebrews makes it very clear, 29 for our
"God is a consuming fire." Heb 12:29 NIV |
| Ziklag - Women and Children Taken Captive |
Returning to Romans 6 we read: 23 For the wages of sin is
death, but the free gift of God is eternal
life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:23
NLT We must be aware that sin is costly and must be paid for in full. The
word “wages” is very descriptive.
When I was an apprentice, I was paid for
every hour I worked. At the end of the week, my employer paid me in accordance
with the number of hours. For the sake of illustration, assume I was paid $1
per hour. Thus for a 40 hour week I would be paid $40. For a sixty hour week I
would receive $60.  |
| Wellington at Waterloo |
When I was paid monthly, my wages would have been $168 for
21 days working 8 hours per day. For a year, it would be $2016. If this happened
for 40 years, I would be paid $80640. Not much for a lifetime’s working. Notice
that the grand total is cumulative.These are my wages and I am fully entitled
to them. A court would enforce it!
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| Napoleon |
The same is true of sin. It is also cumulative. But
there is a difference. Hell is a place with no exits. 1 sin in a lifetime, is
sufficient to put you or me in Hell forever. How long is forever? The answer is
easy; for as long as God “lives”.
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| French Soldiers |
You can’t get out and His anger at sin won’t
let you out; All this for one sin in a lifetime. For one sin per hour, the
sentence would be 8064 life times. It’s a bit like a murderer receiving 10
death sentences. One is quite sufficient.
They don’t wait for you to die, then
resurrect you in order to execute you again. This will not happen 9 times. Once
is sufficient. Likewise for 1 sin every hour for a lifetime, you will not be cast
into hell 8063 times. Once is more than sufficient! Don’t complain. Those are
your wages for one sin per hour for 40 years. If you are anything like me, the
total would be many more than 8064 sins. |
| British Troops |
The reason is, I loved sin and was proficient
at sinning! I suspect you and I are much the same in this regard. Sadly, we
will both get our wages. We’ve earned them. In any case, once is sufficient and
in the afterlife, for you and me it’s “game over”!
 |
| Duke of Wellington |
The next question is do you know what is meant by “power
of attorney”? Phyllida has power of attorney over everything we have. It means
that Phyllida can go the bank or my employer and ask for whatever is due to me.
I gave her this right, years ago when we married.
In Christian terms I can state, when I gave my life to
Jesus, I gave Him power of attorney over my life. In return, I promised Him I
would follow Him all my life. Actually, I went one step further. I gave up my
right to everything. I became His bond slave.
i.e. A slave who has no rights
other than to obey his owner. In exchange, Jesus picked up my wages,
particularly in the area of sin. Thus, when it comes for me to receive my wages
for sin, He steps forward and takes the punishment which was rightfully mine.
It’s not so much that I’ve been “let off”. Not at all! He has paid it all! 
Now
we have a good arrangement. My debt to God for sin has been paid up to today.
If I stumble into sin tomorrow, I’m expected to go to Him and tell Him what I’ve
done. Then He will pay the fine, forgive me and my record stays clean. Not
because of what I’ve done, but because of His grace. He doesn’t have to forgive
me. He forgives me because He loves me and wants me to remain as His bond
slave. I want it too!
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| Hell |
John the Apostle expresses it as follows: 9 But if we confess our sins
to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from
all wickedness. 1 John 1:9 NLT In “Jim-speak”
this means that when I (a Christian) stumble into sin, if I go back to him in
repentance and confess my sins, he will once again “balance my books”.
In practical
terms, this means that when my sin balance goes into overdraft, I must go back
to Him and ask Him to forgive me for what I have done, since He last forgave
me. God’s Word assures us He will do so. However, the onus is on me to keep “short
accounts” with Him.
How often should we go back to Him and ask Him to do this?
The answer is, “as often as is necessary!” If you aren’t sure, ask the Holy
Spirit to help you. One of the reasons why He came was to help us keep short
accounts with God.For a Christian, committing his/her life to Jesus is a
bit like David at Ziklag. It’s a critical moment. Our future hangs on it. It’s
also a bit like Napoleon at Waterloo. For Napoleon it was “game over”. Control
of his life passed out of his hands into the hands of those who had defeated
him. David had to discover if he really would obey his owner (God). 
For us, it
is the same. The bottom line is, “Who is in control of your life”? If it’s you,
Jesus certainly isn’t in control. If you are His bond slave, the question is pointless.
You will want to please Him and keep away from sin.
Shalom
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus
29 Oct 2013 |
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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WATERLOO
AND ZIKLAG
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There
are times in our lives, which are absolutely critical. Our first was being
born. From the comfort of the womb to an unknown world. I don’t know anyone
who remembers the incident. Mothers probably do, but somehow the experience
is forgotten when the infant is in her arms. During childhood, we go through
a series of “critical” incidents. The first day at school. Finding out that
Dad is Father Christmas. The onset of puberty. Our first “date”. Our very
first kiss. They may not be critical in the accepted sense of the world. But
to us at the time, they were pivotal. Things would never be quite the same
again.
My
first really “critical” incident was in early December 1959. Due to my own
stupidity, the “wheels came off” on my final day at School. It threw me into
a state of anxiety from which I’ve not fully recovered. My future changed
forever. University was “out” and my prospects were grim. Looking back some 54
years later, I see to what extent this impacted my life. I would have remained
in South Africa. Instead, I was off to England to work as an apprentice and a
career in engineering. This was my “Waterloo”. A “deathless Golgotha”. Like Napoleon,
I went into exile. Not Saint Helena - Newcastle on Tyne in England!
We
all have incidents of this sort in our lives. In Christian terms we would
speak about a “crucifixion”. Times when the bottom falls out of our world and
we are thrown into the hands of our Creator. On reflection, we could say that
the incident was directly from the hands of the Lord, to achieve a purpose
only He knows. Embarrassment, rejection, accusing tongues, slander and in
some instances, death threats. I often feel God lights the fire and gets the
oven nice and hot. Then He puts us into the situation to test our metal.
Silver, gold or wood, hay and stubble? He does this because He loves us. He
loves us too much to leave us like an unbroken mare or stallion.
For
David, the incident was Ziklag. It happened toward the end of his days of
running from Saul. This incident, measuring 7.5 on the “JHWH scale” shook
David to his very roots. He had been anointed by Samuel as king. But, if he
didn’t come up with something in double quick time, he would be lying dead in
what was left of Ziklag after a visit by the Amalekites! What would David do?
To me this situation has all the fingerprints of God. “David, do you trust Me?”
is the unasked question. Read about it in 1 Sam 30. David turned to God for
encouragement. He “encouraged himself” in the Lord is the way the KJV
translates the passage. How do we deal with such calamities? Are we going to
wilt and crumble? Will we turn to Him? Do we realise that this is a trial
from His hand? It’s a case of sink or swim!
Jim and Phyllida
Strickland
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6 David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter
about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
1 Samuel 30:6 NLT
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We know about what happened at a place called “Waterloo”.
The Frenchmen were defeated; Napoleon was through.
It was his final battle; the one he had to win!
And when he was defeated; the trouble he was in!
Sent to Saint Helena, until the day he died.
European “justice” to him was thus applied.
So Waterloo was pivotal. He couldn’t carry on.
His opportunity was lost. Napoleon was gone.
Each of us is similar. Upon a certain date,
We have to go through something which somehow seals our fate.
Dates are cast in concrete. But it’s how we react,
That changes situations. That’s an established fact.
For David it was Ziklag. This was his Waterloo.
With “situation critical”, what would our hero do?
He’d gone off with his army. To lead his men to war.
And when the men came home again, the town was there no more.
It seems that the Amalekites had marched into the town.
They had flattened Ziklag and burned the whole place down.
The women and the children were all carried away.
His warriors were furious; now what could David say?
The men were getting restless. Revolt was in the air.
Then David was decisive. He turned to God in prayer.
And in that situation he found encouragement.
There was no outward evidence. But it was his intent,
To chase that raiding army and bring his people back.
And if he didn’t do it soon, his warriors would crack.
We know that he succeeded; that all things worked out well.
The prisoners recovered, as Scripture clearly tells!
Take notice of what happened. This was his “Waterloo”.
He would not be defeated and found out what to do.
He could bemoan what happened, fall on his knees and weep.
He knew that would be fatal. So David took a leap,
Of faith in God Almighty and found encouragement!
This attitude in David was surely heaven sent!
He asked the Lord to help him. To help him overcome.
He didn’t wane or falter till victory was won.
So if your life is crumbling; you’re at your “Waterloo”
Find encouragement in God; He’ll show you what to do.
Jim Strickland
Written 29th
Oct 2012
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68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to
whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,
John 6:68 ESV
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12 That's why I'm suffering the way I am. But I'm not ashamed. I know the One I have believed in. I am sure he is able
to take care of what I have given him. I can trust him with it until the day
he returns as judge.
2 Timothy 1:12 NIrV
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6 I called on the LORD in my distress. I
cried to my God for help. He heard my voice from his temple, and my cry for
help reached his ears.
Psalms 18:6 GW
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18 They confronted me in the day of my
disaster, but the LORD was my support. 19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me
because he delighted in me.
Psalms 18:18-19 TNIV
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Of David, when he
changed his behaviour before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went
away. 1
I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise
shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be
glad. 3 Oh, magnify the LORD
with me, and let us exalt his name together! 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me
from all my fears.
Psalms 34:1-4 ESV
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8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
Psalms 34:8 ESV
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