DARE TO DISCIPLINE

Time with Jesus - Monday, 20 August 2012

Hi all,

Discipline is not exactly a favourite topic, particularly for children. But it’s an essential part of growing up. It’s a bit like a garden. Left to itself it goes wild. Children are just the same. They need discipline. The Bible tells us that if you spare the rod you hate your child. Strong language! That’s our topic for our meditation today.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Monday, 20 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	DARE TO DISCIPLINE
Today’s meditation is fictional, but is invariably true. Bad things happen. Kids get killed walking across the motor-way. They take chances. Sometimes the cost to you is your life. I’m reminded of an old poem. Not one of mine, But it went; Here lies the body of Jonathan Grey. He died defending his right of way; He was right, dead right as he drove along. But he’s just as dead as if he were wrong! I heard that little poem when I was in primary school. Sadly, it’s still true. The accident statistics in South Africa for the “Christmas holidays” are shocking. Lunatic drivers, taxi drivers and drunk drivers create carnage on our roads each and every year. Mostly, it’s the perpetrators that get killed. But in many cases the victim is an ordinary driver; sober, alert and not over tired. But they get killed by those who should not be driving. Frankly, I believe that drunk drivers, who cause the death of others, should be tried for murder. Furthermore, those who are convicted of drunken driving offences should have their cars confiscated and face a very stiff penalty. Sometimes accidents happen as a result of poor road maintenance. In this case, the local authority should be responsible for all costs associated with the accident. Perhaps I’m a bit paranoid about this? But we as a nation must bring down accident figures. It should not be optional. Our first Scripture takes an imaginary look at a scenario all too familiar to most of us. When the law and/or God’s Word is ignored, it could bring death around our ears. 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12 ESV There is another situation that needs to be raised at this point. I’m referring to the disciplining of children. God’s Word makes it very clear: 24 Those who spare the rod of discipline hate their children. Those who love their children care enough to discipline them. Proverbs 13:24 NLT Obviously, discipline should never be child abuse. That can never be the case. But children need discipline to grow into responsible well balanced adults. Unfortunately, in most countries of the Western World, the law has been adjusted such that if you attempt to discipline a child – spank his/her bottom, it is seen as illegal. Many parent risk the wrath of the law by spanking their children anyway. They refuse to be intimidated by a law that restricts their ability to bring up children God’s way. The danger comes when little Tommy or Mary complain to the authorities that their father and/or mother have spanked them. So their children grow up to have no regard for the law or the “rights” of other people. There is little doubt in my mind that society is now “reaping what was sown”. A society where children and young people run amuck and cannot be controlled. The recent incidents in Norway and USA are good examples of what can happen when children are left to their own devices. Perhaps I’m not a good example, but the fact is my Dad was not shy about loving and the need to discipline. I got a hiding when I deserved it. Most of my school fellows received the same type of discipline from their parents. We all grew into manhood (it was an all boy’s school) and have become responsible citizens. Discipline is good! Jim & Phyllida Strickland.			12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. Proverbs 14:12 ESV 26 Anyone who trusts in himself is foolish. But a person who lives wisely is kept safe. Proverbs 28:26 NIrV Nun. 1 Your word is like a lamp that shows me the way. It is like a light that guides me. Psalms 119:105 NIrV 4 Though people tried to bribe me, I have kept myself from the ways of the violent through what your lips have commanded. Psalms 17:4 TNIV 1 "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them,' 3 you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. Deuteronomy 13:1-4 ESV 8 The LORD says, "I will instruct you. I will teach you the way that you should go. I will advise you as my eyes watch over you. Psalms 32:8 GW	Go to the next corner. Turn left and then turn right. You should be on the proper road, to get you home tonight. The route is full of potholes and some of them are deep. But if you pay attention and do not fall asleep, You’ll be as safe as houses and get there in good time. If you decide to drive top speed, your life’s not worth a dime. So easy on the gasoline; sit back; enjoy the drive. But if you doze and fall asleep, you won’t get there alive. These words were in the manual and it was good advice. Provided that you follow it, your journey will be nice. But if you play the macho and try to beat the clock, You’ll do yourself an injury and smash into a rock. But Tommy wouldn’t listen; He knew just what to do. He thought “I’m indestructible; my car is still brand new. I’m sure that it can reach the ton if I increase the speed. A big rush of adrenaline is just the thing I need.” And so he put his foot down. His car was very quick. He thought that he was floating and felt a wee bit sick. “Tanked up” drinking alcohol; far higher than a kite. To make things worse, he couldn’t see while driving late at night! Oblivious of danger he watched his “speedo” climb. One hundred; then one twenty. He heard alarm bells chime. But in his drunken stupor, they didn’t reach his brain. And long before he knew it, he’d smashed into a train. He’d written off the motor car. His body crushed and bent. They put him in an ambulance. To hospital they went. The doctors had a look at him, but he was D.O.A Although his family prayed for him, there wasn’t any way, To snatch him from the jaws of death. It had too strong a grip. And he had paid the penalty. This was his final trip. His friends all gathered round him and eulogised his life. But that could not restore him to family and wife. God gave him ample warning in the manual that day. It was his own stupidity that took his life away. The moral of this story is, keep yourself alert. Let the Father lead you; and keep you from such hurt. Listen to Him carefully. He will not let you down. And you will not be D.O.A. when you arrive in town. Never mind the voices you hear inside your head. Mostly it’s the devil and he desires you dead. Take all your decisions and ask God please to show, The way you should be living and what you need to know! Jim Strickland Written 20th August 2012

JIMMETS – TELL; HEART & FAITH

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 19 August 2012

Hi all,

Three Jimmets to look at today; it appears that I can get three on a page if the font is small. Please let me know if it is too small. On this occasion I was able to use three of the Scriptures.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 19 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	JIMMETS – TELL; HEART & FAITH
Most of us go through a “rebellious phase” while we are growing up. We get to a time in our lives when our parents know nothing and we are almost omniscient. It’s one of those times in our lives when we are beginning to reach out for independence. Now independence is a good thing. We start making decisions for ourselves. We need to get there. No one appreciates a 25 year old still fastened to his mother’s apron strings. But that inevitable phase when we are smart and Mom & Dad are idiots comes to all of us. Modern education is partly to blame. We come home from school, our heads stuffed with the knowledge of what we are learning, only to find that Mom and Dad have no idea what we are talking about. Do you remember those days? I do! So do our children and their children. Those days don’t last all that long. A few experiences in the University of Hard Knocks soon make us appreciate parental wisdom. I recall one sage saying how different his youth would have been if he only had the wisdom of his grandfather! One of the things we tend to do is challenge our parent’s authority. My dad had a wonderful way of dealing with me then. He would say “Listen to me my lad, when you are 21, I’m going to pitch you out! You will be on your own and will be able to do whatever you want. In the meantime, under my roof, you will do as I say!” It worked a treat! So much so, that I used the same expression on my kids. It worked with them and their children just as well! In our dealings with the Lord we have similar experiences. We tend to “buck” His authority. Then He deals with us in much the way my dad dealt with me. In the firsts of the following three Jimmets, we have a sense of His anger toward us when He thinks we are “too big for our boots”. We laugh at it now in much the same way I can laugh at my Dad’s comments. But, as I have discovered, you may laugh with Him but never at Him. He knows us far too well for that! But He will and does discipline us. Notice in Isaiah 45:11, man is challenging what God does. By the time we reach the end of the Jimmet, we know He is in charge and we are not. The second Jimmet comments on the need for God’s people to have a heart of flesh and not one of stone. We begin by looking into our own hearts and finding they are as hard as rock. Against this background, He tells us why we all need hearts of flesh. More than that, He points out that we need a loving heart similar to the one beating in our Saviour’s chest. The final Jimmet transports me back in time to the days of Kenneth Hagin and one or two of the other “Faith” teachers. They didn’t get everything wrong. Mark 11:22-23 was one of his favourite teachings. He pointed out that we only receive from God that which we believe we have received. For me back then, it was revolutionary. I also know that toward the end of his life he distanced himself publically from the “Extreme Prosperity Gospel” which is still in vogue. I don’t want to take sides with or against him or those he criticised. What I must say is that he enabled me to see a little bit further than the nose on my face. I will always remember him as a man of God who taught that which he believed was “God’s honest truth” I’d love to be like that! I know I make mistakes. Lots of them. But I honour his love for Jesus. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			11 This is what the LORD says--the Holy One of Israel and your Creator: "Do you question what I do for My children? Do you give Me orders about the work of My hands? Isaiah 45:11 NLT 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove your stubborn hearts and give you obedient hearts. 27 I will put my Spirit in you. I will enable you to live by my laws, and you will obey my rules. Ezekiel 36:26-27 GW 37 "This is what the Almighty LORD says: I will also let the people of Israel ask me to make them as numerous as sheep. Ezekiel 36:37 GW 19 When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. 20 And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there." Matthew 18:19-20 MSG 22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, "Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. Mark 11:22-23 NLT	Isaiah 45:11 Do you have authority to tell,              The Lord of Hosts what He has got to do? Have you got some strange and magic spell? A sort of God compelling witches brew? Be aware that there is no such thing. Nothing can resist what I declare. And in My omnipotence I bring, To fruition all things anywhere! I Am your Creator and your Lord. I created all of time and space In My hand I wield a mighty Sword Nothing can oppose me face to face! But I love the creatures I have made. Come to Me, You needn’t be afraid!             Jim Strickland Eze. 36:26-27 Have you ever looked into your heart, And seen how stubborn it can be? I knew all about it from the start. Contaminating all your history. But there wasn’t an alternative. Somehow you just had to learn this truth. If you had a real desire to live, You should love Me while you’re still a youth! One or two have been obedient. But there was a problem deep inside. That is why the Saviour was sent; Knowing that He would be crucified! Love like this can soften hearts of stone; Make a heart of flesh just like His own.             Jim Strickland Mark 11:22-23 Jesus challenged them, “Have faith in God!”            You must be quite certain what you say. It’s not contradictory nor odd; Even mountains do not disobey. When you have this firmly in your mind, Confident that it will come to be, That is when you’re guaranteed to find. That a miracle you soon will see! That which you have spoken with your lips, Will be manifest before your eyes. If you doubt at all, you’ve “had your chips”; And you’ll be accused of Satan’s lies. But, when faith is rooted deep in Me, You will cast that mountain in the sea!  Jim Strickland Written 19th August 2012

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