BOAST IN THE LORD

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 18 August 2012

Hi all,

One of the scariest Scriptures in the New Testament is found in Paul’s letter to the Romans. ⁹ If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NLT The principle is simple and is true for most things in life. We know specifically it applies to Jesus. But it also reveals a Spiritual Principle.  In today’s meditation we look at this in more detail.
Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 18 August 2012			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	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					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	BOAST IN THE LORD
At the beginning of 1981, I had no Christian books. All I had was an old KJV Bible. It was a bit dog-eared. Not surprising since my parents gave it to me as a Christmas present in 1950. I’ve had it ever since. It’s fairly well marked dating back to my early days as a Christian in 1960. It had one or two notes which go back to those days. It may have been that I wrote them while attending training sessions for Billy Graham’s evangelistic campaign in Manchester. Looking back at the contents of this Bible, I’m convicted of some of the things I did from 1965 until 1981. I had been a naughty boy! In 1981, the very first Christian book I bought was “Confess It!” In those days we were all very much “into” believing with the heart and confession in the mouth. Len Jones wrote the book. He was related to William Wigglesworth. Those days were fascinating particularly regarding “What you say is what you get”. Most of us, myself included, were so intimidated by this we forgot the importance of truth. People went to extreme lengths to avoid anything which might be used by the devil as an entrance into their life. I recall going through a time of great testing while experienxcing divorce. It was tough. But if anyone asked me how I was, I would smile and say, “I’m fine!” It was an absolute lie. I felt like “death warmed up”. But I wouldn’t say anything about it to anyone. On reflection it seems to me that we had made a superstition out of what God was saying. Perhaps the best illustration I can think of was the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. They originated from the days after the Babylonian captivity. The people rightly decided that their captivity was because they had failed to keep the Mosaic Law. In particular, with reference to the worship of idols. You will find that from then on, idols did not become an issue in Israel. What happened was, they made an idol of the law. They made dozens of “fence laws” associated with the Mosaic law. The purpose was not so much how to keep them but how to avoid breaking them. There are huge differences. Differences which Jesus addressed with them. A reading of Luke 11 indicates this. Len’s book looks at “What you get is what you say”. He then looks at the words and “confessions” of Cassius Clay, now Muhammad Ali. He points back to the days of the fight with Sonny Liston – the “big ugly bear” according to Cassius Clay. Len then makes a very interesting comment. He stated that the world in general and Sonny Liston in particular, had never come across a confession like Cassius Clay’s. In spite of all the odds against him winning, Clay’s confession was so powerful that it literally swept him along to victory. Clay had stumbled upon a “spiritual principle”. One that defies human understanding. The principle is that if you say something often enough, you will start to believe it. Thus, what Cassius Clay was saying with his mouth, became that which he believed in his heart. That sort of “confessions” is hard to beat. Sonny Liston got “caught up” in this spiritual principle. So, as we all know, Cassius Clay became the world heavyweight champion. There’s no question that he had remarkable talent and ability as a boxer. He may have become the champion another way. But his confession trashed Sony Liston. If you believe in you heart and confess with your mouth….. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let those who boast, boast in the Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:31 TNIV 23 Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD." Jeremiah 9:23-24 ESV 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ Philippians 3:8 NLT 16 For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes--the Jew first and also the Gentile. Romans 1:16 NLT 17 In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. Romans 15:17 ESV 25 I don't have anyone in heaven but you. I don't want anything on earth besides you. Psalms 73:25 NIrV 1 Then Hannah prayed: "My heart rejoices in the LORD! The LORD has made me strong. Now I have an answer for my enemies; I rejoice because You rescued me. 1 Samuel 2:1 NLT 1 Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name goes all the glory for Your unfailing love and faithfulness. Psalms 115:1 NLT	Who of us remember what’s called “The good old days?” A young man was in boxing. His name – Cassius Clay. He said, “I am the greatest. I’ll knock him out in three.” And strangely as it sounds to us, that’s just what came to be. He really was a boaster. He never really cared. But most of his protagonists were quickly running scared. He “took on” Sonny Liston, an “Ugly bear” he said. And when the fight was over, Liston looked like he was dead. “I float in like a butterfly and sting just like a bee. There ain’t no boxer anywhere can beat the likes of me”! Boxer after boxer came and put him to the test. And when the match was over he’d proved he was the best. Muhammad Ali was the name he took when he converted. He became Muslim, but his quest was not diverted. And looking back upon it, I’m sure he was the best. But time has done its damage; he’s just like all the rest. No longer fast and nimble; he has “Parkinson’s disease”. And when you hear him talking now, no longer does he please. We look back at his history, when boxing was his game. He really was the greatest and deserved his boxing fame. But like so many boasters, God’s judgement came along; And he became a member of the “boastful people throng”. It is a sorry story, a very dismal tale. This happens to a braggart. They ultimately fail. I can’t forget the boasting of “the lip from Louisville”. He continued boasting and went over the hill. A shadow of the man he was; and crippled now with age. He got his fame and fortune, but with it came his wage. So when we look upon him now, it’s very sad to see, A man with so much talent, consigned to history. The moral of this story, is do not ever boast. You may get fame and fortune, but the Lord of heaven’s host, Will start a downward cycle and you’ll end up with defeat; That never, in your life time, you ever would repeat. When you do your boasting, boast only in the Lord. Only He is worthy, to be worshipped and adored. Boast of His achievements and what Jesus Christ has done! Tell the world you’re nobody compared with God’s own Son. Thank Him for salvation and praise Him for His care. That’s the sort of boasting we may do anywhere. He deserves the honour, the glory and the fame. Compared with Him, we’re nothing; and life is just a game. Jim Strickland – Written 18th August 2012

THE CONVERSION DIVERSION

Time with Jesus - Friday, 17 August 2012

Hi all,

All of us work for a reason. If we are employed, we work for our wages or salary. We receive our wages because we have worked for them and are therefore entitled to them. God’s word tells us in Romans: ²³ When you sin, the pay you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done. Romans 6:23 NIrV. One sin in a lifetime receives the same pay as an infinite number of sins. You are entitled to payment in full. Only God may change this arrangement. That’s our meditation today.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus –  Friday, 17 August 2012			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	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					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	THE CONVERSION DIVERSION
My opinion of the Bible is that in the original languages, it is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. Errors in translation and reproduction are possible mainly because of language differences. This along with the integrity and accuracy of scribes who have copied the text. The Holy Spirit has ensured that the copies we have of the autograph (original) are trustworthy. I don’t know how. That’s not necessary. All that is necessary to know, is that the text we have received is reliable. Having said that, you can understand that I believe Adam and Eve were two real people. The Genesis story is not a myth to assist ignorant believers. It is fact. Accordingly, I believe that the fall of man actually took place as stated in Genesis. As a result, death came on the scene exactly as God said it would. Thus until such time as Jesus returns, every man, woman and child will die. The Word of God guarantees it! Originally, man had the potential to live forever. This would be through a “diet” of eating the fruit of the tree of Life. Whether this was a single meal or an on-going “daily process”, is not clear. Either way, man has tried to find something that will extend his life eternally. This “magic elixir of life” has not been discovered. It will not be until Jesus returns. But that does not stop man from looking! Man knows that in the original design, we would have lived forever. As an old man, Solomon is said to have written: 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT It follows that man is on a continuous search to find our birth-right. We were originally made for eternity. We must keep on looking. “Where is the promise of eternity?” seems to be the unwritten question we all ask. In the meantime, what can we do? The answer is, “”Absolutely nothing”! Only God can change the situation. Indeed, this “law of sin and death” was applied to His Son. But with a slight difference. He was sinless and didn’t deserve death. But on the cross, He took your place and mine. In 2 Corinthians, Paul put it as follows: 21 Christ didn't have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIrV. It follows that at the instant He was made sin for us, He had to die, because He had taken on our sin. When that had happened, and Jesus had taken on the punishment we deserved, God’s anger at our sin was complete. It had been dealt with. To quote the Lord Jesus from John’s Gospel: 19 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30 ESV. The words, “It is finished” or “It is accomplished” have been translated and interpreted in many ways. One way is that Jesus was stating that the task was over and done with. His struggle with sin and our deserved punishment was over. Nothing further was needed. Man could now approach God in and through what He had done. Man could be forgiven. In other words, the situation had changed. There is something man can do. Something so simple. Have faith in His Son! Do I? Do you? Jim & Phyllida Strickland			15 Human life is as short-lived as grass. It blossoms like a flower in the field. 16 When the wind blows over the flower, it disappears, and there is no longer any sign of it. Psalms 103:15-16 GW 12 Teach us to realize how short our lives are. Then our hearts will become wise. Psalms 90:12 NIrV 36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Mark 8:36 NLT 7 The grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground. That happens when the LORD makes his wind blow on them. So people are just like grass. 8 The grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground. But what our God says will stand forever.'" Isaiah 40:7-8 NIrV 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:17 ESV 2 God says, "At the right time I heard you. On the day of salvation I helped you." Listen, now is God's acceptable time! Now is the day of salvation! 2 Corinthians 6:2 GW 31 Deal as sparingly as possible with the things the world thrusts on you. This world as you see it is on its way out. 1 Corinthians 7:31 MSG 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT	Our quest for immortality will never be relieved. We keep on looking forward, to what cannot be achieved. The problem is our wages. We’re going to get paid! It really doesn’t matter if we’re brave, or are afraid. We’ve worked for them, deserve them and will not be short changed. To think you will not get them – I’m sorry, you’re deranged. It’s all the same for everyone, regardless of our years. Our stomping up and down again and buckets full of tears, Can’t interrupt the process; nor can it be delayed. God’s Kingdom regulations have got to be obeyed. It’s surely going to happen, much sooner than you think; And after you’ve departed your body’s going to stink! It’s brevity that matters. Our lives are far too short. It only takes a single sin and “brother you are caught” Something happens in you, we do not understand. Instead we find death’s angel has grabbed us by the hand. Little sins or big ones; It matters not at all. It may be something trifling and infinitely small. Perhaps it is enormous like Stalin or Pol Pot? Regardless of excuses; it truly matters not. And each of us is equal. We all will get the same. It won’t make any difference if we try to shift the blame. Many folk have tried it, but sadly, it’s “not on”. One instant they’re living; the next and they are gone. It cannot be avoided; we know about the pay. And each and every one of us, are sure to die one day. We’ll vanish like a candle, snuffed out and cast aside. The breath of God will blow on us. He cannot be defied! No one is excluded. Not even Jesus Christ. A single sin committed would easily suffice. But He was not a sinner. In fact He was sin free! He was not defeated on that cross of Calvary. He only traded places for the likes you and I! So after final judgement, we will not have to die! So let’s not talk of dying. We’ll only fall asleep! Until the day when finally, His promises He’ll keep. And we will live with Jesus and reign for evermore. That’s the final wages, a Christian has in store. Jim Strickland – Written 17th August 2012.

INTO EXISTENCE

Time with Jesus - Thursday, 16 August 2012

Hi all,

Today’s meditation is an exercise in mental gymnastics. We do a bit of digging into “now” as well as “past, present and future”. This is my way of dealing with things I know nothing about. So if we don’t see eye to eye, don’t worry about it. The Lord has blessed me with the ability to be delightfully wrong. So now what was is and will be new?

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

 

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Thursday, 16 August 2012			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	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					©
	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	INTO EXISTENCE
You and I have a major problem when it comes to visualising eternity. Our closest approach is probably a ring. It’s more or less circular with apparently no beginning and no end. But a ring is not eternal in the sense that it goes round and round. If we start at point “A” we will eventually come round to point “A” again. Even a ring with an infinite diameter is not exactly “eternal” in the sense that God is eternal. We may never be able to arrive at point “A” again. But we know it is “there”. God’s “eternity” does not have a beginning nor an end. Instead it has a never ending “now”. Which means, no matter where we are in “time”, it is “now” with God. For us, this has a universal “spin off”. It means that at any point in our time, salvation is obtainable “now”. It also means that there is no such thing as eternity past and eternity future. It is always “now”. It also means that Jesus’ death on the cross is always “now”. In other words, those born before Jesus was crucified and those born after he was crucified were all saved “now”.  This also confounds the concept of “how long will people be in heaven or hell?” They will be there as “long” as God is “alive”. They will be dwelling is the ever present “now”. We have no way of describing this in a manner that is meaningful to us. What I believe we can say is that Jesus’ death is somewhere in the middle of “now”. It also explains how we can say: 8 Everyone living on earth will worship it, everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life. That book belongs to the lamb who was slaughtered before the creation of the world. Revelation 13:8 GW If nothing else, this proves one thing. Your and my salvation through Jesus’ death on the cross was catered for before God commenced creating. I don’t know what this does or says to you, but I’m utterly flabbergasted. This means that God knew all about the Crusades before they happened. He knew all about the holocaust in the Nazi concentration camps from before the beginning of time. He has always known the time, place and date of my birth, and the time, place and date of my death. People are often inclined to look at the world around them and complain bitterly about the way things are. Evil appears to be everywhere. Things look as though they are out of control. They ask why God doesn’t do something about it? The fact is He already has. Jesus Christ, slain before the foundation of the World! There is nothing He doesn’t know about and is beyond His control. I gasp when I think of this. It seems to be far too good to be true. But this does not take into consideration the power and knowledge of God. No matter what we may think, God is still in charge. Satan may seem to be giving Him the “run around”. But God knows all about that too. What I think is the most stunning conclusion about all this is: One day (if I may use such an expression) things will draw to a conclusion. God’s “whistle” will have blown and everything will have been dealt with. End times, judgement and the creation of a new heaven and a new earth will be “history”. Then in His infinite wisdom God will point to all that has taken place; all the sin, disease, suffering and hate. Looking back at it all, He will ask the question “Was it worth it? We will look at Him and say, “Yes Father, You were right!” Jim & Phyllida Strickland			17 He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. 18 And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and--leading the resurrection parade--he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he's there, towering far above everything, everyone. Colossians 1:17-18 MSG 14 "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. Revelation 3:14 ESV 22 "The LORD formed me from the beginning, before He created anything else. 23 I was appointed in ages past, at the very first, before the earth began. Proverbs 8:22-23 NLT 27 I was there when He established the heavens, when He drew the horizon on the oceans. 28 I was there when He set the clouds above, when He established springs deep in the earth. 29 I was there when He set the limits of the seas, so they would not spread beyond their boundaries. And when He marked off the earth's foundations, 30 I was the architect at His side. I was His constant delight, rejoicing always in His presence. Proverbs 8:27-30 NLT 13 "And that is not all! I have always been God, and I always will be. No one can save people from my powerful hand. When I do something, who can undo it?" Isaiah 43:13 NIrV 8 All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world. Revelation 13:8 TNIV 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 TNIV	When you look at Jesus, what is it that you see? Upon first observation He looks ordinary. To see Him walking on the shore, I’m sure I’d double-take; And ask, “Is this man genuine, or is He just a fake?” I’m sure I couldn’t answer. What man can raise the dead? Who can say the sort of things that Jesus Christ has said? Who can cloth eternity with mortal flesh and bone? Who performs these miracles, save God and God alone? But it is so incongruous. That God may be a man! It seems to be impossible. No human being can, Enfold within his body incarnate Deity. Which person can believe it apart from you or me? And yet it is so obvious. There’s no alternative. Not if human beings are ever going to live. Unless the Lord takes action, each one of us are stuck. There is no other way the Lord could save us from the muck! And yet this is His purpose and very fascinating. One hundred million robots are easy in His making. But why would they obey Him? There’d be no other choice! They’d instantly obey the mere suggestion of His voice. But could they ever love Him? Not of their own free will. He’d have to give them choices if they were to fulfil, That which He intended when He started to create. Even with ability to govern their own fate! This would take great wisdom and many years of time. Freedom to obey Him, or embrace a life of crime. How intimidating and downright dangerous. When you think the outcome was creating all of us! Before He even started, He had to make a place, Suited for the purposes of all the human race. When it was completed, that’s when He next began, Creating men and women, generically called “man”. No one could resist Him. No one could tell Him “No!” No one could prevent it when He decided “Go!” He created Adam and a woman they called Eve Equipped with what was needed so that she could conceive! He knew just what would happen when Satan came along. But when He went ahead with it, He didn’t get it wrong! The pieces of the puzzle were firmly in His mind; And that the final outcome had been properly designed. This wasn’t all just guesswork. He knew that man would fall. And He had made provision for people great and small. He even planned the agony of dying on the cross. Though man was given freedom, it’s clear He’s still the boss. And even in this wicked world, He’s firmly in control. And not just of a little bit, I’m speaking of the whole! Jim Strickland – Written 16th August 2012