THE TEMPLE’S SITE

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 20 October 2012

Hi all,

The story of David and Araunah the Jebusite is fascinating. At this very spot, God ended a plague brought about by David’s disobedience. David wanted to buy the place to build a sacrificial altar for God. Araunah offered it to him for free. David told Araunah that he would not offer to God that which cost him nothing! Later David bought the entire piece of land from Araunah. Subsequently, this was the place Solomon built the Temple. God brought good out of something bad!

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 20 October 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 TEMPLE’S SITE
Genesis Chapters 44 and 45 are among the most beautiful chapters in the Old Testament. They are deeply moving. Joseph has not yet revealed his true identity to his brothers. He has had all his brothers arrested. Joseph’s cup was found located in Benjamin’s baggage. Now Joseph tells them that they are free to go but Benjamin will remain in Egypt as his slave. We then read of Judah offering to remain in Egypt as Joseph’s slave instead of Benjamin. Judah’s plea on behalf of his brother and on the danger to his father’s life is touching. If Benjamin does not return to Canaan, his absence will result in his father’s death. At this point, in Chapter 45, Joseph breaks down weeping. He dismisses his servants and reveals his real identity to his brothers. Reading it myself brings me close to tears. Here was the man who had been sold as a slave into Egypt by these same brothers now embracing them and telling them all is forgiven. 5 But don't be upset, and don't be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. Genesis 45:5 NLT It is sometimes said that Joseph in the Old Testament is a type of Jesus Christ. There is considerable truth in this statement. Biblically, there is no trace of sin in his life. He bears imprisonment on trumped up charges with great fortitude. Then he is raised from slavery to the right hand side of Pharaoh in one day. I must confess I’m not sure how I would react to meeting the same brothers who had sold me as a slave into Egypt. Could I forgive that? To give the religious answer, “Yes” is easy. But could I do it? I’m not sure. What I can say is that some years later, his brothers were still afraid of him. After the death and burial of their father, they thought the time had come for him to deal harshly with them. Then we get a further glimpse of the forgiveness embedded deeply into Joseph’s heart. He said to them 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Genesis 50:20 NLT David was a man after God’s heart. But David was subject to the same failings we are. So when he decided to carry out a census of all his people, it was probably pride that pushed him into doing something so foolish. The verses on the right give the background and some of the detail surrounding the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David refused to accept it as a gift from Araunah. He would not make an offering to God that cost him nothing. So David purchased the threshing floor. Later he bought the entire piece of land from Araunah. It was a fair price for the time. But David had no intention of using the place as a farm. He decided that the entire property would be donated toward the great temple his son Solomon would build. Thus it was that this piece of property which David had bought was to be the site on which Solomon’s temple would stand. It has been said that the Holy of Holies in the great temple was directly over the piece of ground on which Araunah’s threshing floor had once stood. We are told that the most expensive building in history was Solomon’s Temple. Most of it was paid for from David’s personal wealth. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			23 I (Araunah) will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the LORD your God accept your sacrifice." 2 Samuel 24:23 NLT 6 What can we bring to the LORD? What kind of offerings should we give Him? Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves? 7 Should we offer Him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? 8 No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-8 NLT 6 We're all sin-infected, sin-contaminated. Our best efforts are grease-stained rags. We dry up like autumn leaves-- sin-dried, we're blown off by the wind. Isaiah 64:6 MSG 10 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; Romans 3:10 TNIV 23 Because all people have sinned, they have fallen short of God's glory. 24 They receive God's approval freely by an act of his kindness through the price Christ Jesus paid to set us free from sin. 25 God showed that Christ is the throne of mercy where God's approval is given through faith in Christ's blood. In his patience God waited to deal with sins committed in the past. 26 He waited so that he could display his approval at the present time. This shows that he is a God of justice, a God who approves of people who believe in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26 GW 6 All those things bring praise to his glorious grace. God freely gave us his grace because of the One he loves. Ephesians 1:6 NIrV 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. Colossians 2:10 NLT	Sometimes it’s very difficult for us to do what’s right. We often shout and bluster and say that we will fight, To do something we’re feeling, that surely must be done. And then, upon reflection, we feel we have to run, Because we did in foolishness, a very silly deed. The Lord has been offended and there really was no need, To go ahead and do it. We’d got the whole thing wrong. We wonder what the Lord will say. Will He come out strong, And bring about a judgement, because we disobeyed? We’ve made such a mess of it, we ought to be afraid! That is just what happened when David was the king. Go and count the people. It was the very thing He should not have requested and Joab told him so. But David still insisted and told Joab to go, And carry out a census; his curiosity, Overcame his caution. Joab reluctantly, Went ahead and did it. When he reported back, David said to Joab, he’d taken the wrong tack, He knew it was an error. He knew that it was sin. And desperately regretted the mess that he was in. Early the next morning, his seer, known as Gad, Told him he must make a choice from three things which were bad. Three long years of famine that would decimate the land. Three months of his running from his enemies demand; Or three days of a plague in which so many would be dead. David chose the plague because he knew inside his head, God was very merciful. Perhaps He would relent, And He would spare the people, if he would but repent? Even so death’s angel took many folk away. He’d continue killing, till God ordered him to “Stay!” Then he was commanded, at Araunah’s threshing floor, Stop this dreadful killing; I don’t want any more. David then decided, this very place would be, Where he’d build an altar for everyone to see. He said he would buy it. Araunah told him Nay! Let me give it to the king. He doesn’t have to pay, Any sort of money. I’ll give it him for free. David said, “I’m sorry. Here’s how it has to be. I’ll not make a sacrifice that doesn’t cost a thing. I have got to pay for it, I can never bring, Anything to God for which I haven’t paid. Araunah consented; the “deal” was thereby made. David then proceeded. But many folk don’t know. There upon that very spot, the temple had to go. All that piece of property became the spot of land On which God’s Holy Temple, would ultimately stand. David made an error, but God turned it for good. The way the Lord has promised, for certain that He would. Jim Strickland Written 20th October 2012

WHEN THE TRUMPET SOUNDS

Time with Jesus - Friday, 19 October 2012

Hi all,

Today’s meditation looks at Adam, Eve and fall. What happened in the Garden? What was Adam doing? We observe that Adam was only a tenant. He had a leasehold agreement for the earth from God. Satan stole it by deception. Jesus cancelled the leasehold and now exerts His freehold rights. When the trumpet blows, Satan will be evicted.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Friday, 19 October 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	WHEN THE TRUMPET SOUNDS
The fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I wonder what it looked like. How easy was it to identify. We know that it was located in the middle of the Garden of Eden. But how did Adam know which tree it was? Did it look any different from all the other trees? Was it in the middle of an orchard? Did it stand all alone so that you would recognise it if you walked toward it? We don’t know. What we do know is that Adam and Eve had the complete run of the garden. But they were not given ownership. 15 The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. Genesis 2:15 NLT Adam and Eve were “innocents in paradise” with no restriction on them. I assume that the fruit of every other tree in the garden would contribute to their knowledge of what was good. I’m not sure that they had any idea about evil at all. How could they. The knowledge of evil was confined to the fruit of one tree. There was no other evil in that garden. Presumably, if Satan hadn’t come along, we would all be there romping and playing in the garden and enjoying our time with God in the cool of the evening! But I digress. There was no sin in the world. Nothing died. Did the trees grow? Did the grass, flowers and plant life grow? What about the animals? Man was told to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. Presumably this applied to all the creatures God had made. The instruction may have been given to Adam and Eve only. Presumably it applied to all the creatures? It seems that this would inevitably result in the entire world being fully populated. Only one thing could prevent this from happening. If Adam ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. he would lose the leasehold right of occupation on God’s world. Only one sin was possible. For Adam (not Eve) to eat the forbidden fruit. We usually include Eve in this prohibition. But the way she spoke to the serpent, suggests the Lord had not given the instruction to her. God gave the order to Adam. It was his responsibility to pass it on. We know what happened. God had given Adam an indefinite lease on the Garden. 1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it. The world and all the people belong to Him. Psalms 24:1 NLT Satan now had legal possession for an undefined period. But he didn’t own it. This means that God had the right to take it back, subject to the laws He had put in place. So Jesus did not “steal” the world back. He legally cancelled the lease and terminated Satan’s tenancy agreement. Since the “freehold” was His, He had every right to do so. One of these days, Satan will be evicted. When the last trumpet blows! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			1 Are you cheerful because you belong to Christ? Does his love comfort you? Is the Holy Spirit your companion? Has Christ been gentle and loving toward you? Philippians 2:1 NIrV 1 "How frail is humanity! How short is life, how full of trouble! 2 We blossom like a flower and then wither. Like a passing shadow, we quickly disappear. Job 14:1-2 NLT 26 When my skin sags and my bones get brittle, GOD is rock-firm and faithful. Psalms 73:26 MSG 16 I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you.26 The Friend, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things I have told you. John 14:16 & 26 MSG 3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 4 He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NLT 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him the believers who have died. 15 We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet Him ahead of those who have died. 16 For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 18 So encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 NLT	When he’d been created; in the days before the fall; I’ve wondered about Adam. Did he understand at all, What the Lord was saying, when He told him he would die. The fruit of good and evil He told him not to try. If ever Adam ate it, death would come on board And he would face destruction, by death’s great and mighty sword. Did he really listen? Did he comprehend, The outcome of his eating and that death would be his end? It seems he wasn’t frightened. He wasn’t quite aware, Of all the consequences. He didn’t seem to care. But after he had fallen; with Satan in control, He knew that all his children had lost their mortal soul. He didn’t seem to realise, a little tiny sin, Would put all of his children in the mess that we are in. He didn’t quite appreciate that everyone would die. That fear of death would haunt us, for to all death would apply. From that very moment, when death was in control, We have all been frightened, of what happens to our “soul”. From that very instant, we have been the slaves of fear. Terrified of dying and knowing it was near. No one could avoid it. Death’s “jaws” were open wide. It was unrelenting and to all it was applied. No one could avoid it. No man dispute its claim. This would last forever, or till Christ the Saviour came. He took on the devil and Satan was defeated! Beat him fair and squarely. The devil wasn’t cheated. Jesus through His lifetime had not committed sin. So it was inevitable Jesus Christ would win. Death had been defeated, when Christ was resurrected! By His precious blood, His saints are thoroughly protected. Death has lost its terror. His saints can overcome, In the precious Name of Jesus Christ God’s only son. Yes, our mortal bodies will surely pass away. But we’ll get a new one when He comes again one day! So be a little patient. All of us will rise, The instant that His trumpet sounds. the devil and his guys, Will have to give the lease back. It will not be extended. And Christ will have the “freehold” of all that God intended. Jim Strickland – Written 19th October 2012

AMEN AND AMEN

Time with Jesus - Thursday, 18 October 2012

Hi all,

Amen. There is a way the word is used which implies that nothing further can be added. It’s the way Christians should view the word. It’s a bit like say, God said it – that settles it. When God has spoken, that’s it. Nothing can be added or taken away. It’s guaranteed. It cannot be changed. Of course that’s because He is God. In English the word “FINIS” is sometimes appended to the end of a statement. It’s over and done. Amen is the word we can write under what God has said. It’s a guaranteed certainty!

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Thursday, 18 October 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	AMEN AND AMEN
Words seem to come and go. They appear to change meaning from time to time and from place to place. One of the big surprises I found as reading school reports. In my days, if I got a 5 on my report card, my parents would have been very unimpressed. 1’s were wonderful, not that I ever got any. I seemed to be able to hover at ±3. No more and no less with the accompanying statement, “Jim could do better! The last time I looked at my grandchildren’s school reports, they were dotted with 4’s and 5’s. Then I was told that to understand them, I should stand on my head. They were upside down to what I knew. One amusing little riddle about “Amen”. Question: - Why do we say “Amen” and Not “A-Women”? The answer is because we sing Hymns and not Hers! Words also have a habit of changing meaning. Perhaps the best known is the word “gay”. It used to mean carefree, happy and enjoying things. Now it means homosexual. I’m not sure I approve. But my opinion is not important. The word “Amen or So be it” doesn’t mean what it meant when the Bible was translated into English. According to Nelson’s New Bible Dictionary it means: a solemn word by which a person confirms a statement, an oath, or a covenant (Num. 5:22; Neh. 5:13). It is also used in worship to affirm an address, psalm, or prayer. It used to mean the truth. The Lord identified Himself with this word when He said, I am Amen. I am the truth. No longer. The word has been considerably downgraded. Today it is used to answer a question. The preacher will say something, followed by the word, “amen?” He expects the congregation to reply “amen”. So the word has been downgraded from being one of the Names of our great and glorious God. Now, all it seems to mean is, “I agree!” So, how do we change this? Do we need to change it? This is perhaps a better question. I think we should do what we can to make people aware of the words they use. In USA the people speak of an automobile. We understand that they mean a motor car. We speak of a bonnet. They call it the hood. They say trunk when we say boot. But we do understand each other. In South Africa we know what is meant by the word “condom”. In USA it’s called a “rubber”. So if you go for a brief visit, be careful you don’t ask your hostess if she’s got a rubber. She will not be amused. Not even to rub out pencil. That’s an eraser. Listening to dialects on the TV or movies, it doesn’t take long to realise that the way people speak English in USA, UK, RSA and Australia is different. Not so different that we can’t understand each other. There may come a day when this changes. In the UK, dialects are significantly different. A couple of years ago I picked up a book called, “Laarn yersel Geordie!” Which being translated means teach {learn (laarn)} yourself (Yersel) [to speak] Geordie! Geordie being the dialect spoken in and around Newcastle on Tyne! I’ve also come across a book on “Strine” - Australian. Here in RSA we have a small sample of it in the Afrikaans speaking community. Listen to the dialect in Malmsbury. It’s different. Dear old Professor Higgins of My Fair Lady fame asked the question, “Why can’t the English teach their children how to speak?” For me it would be enough if we started understanding the language we use! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			13 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.' Matthew 6:13 NASB 36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, "Amen! Thus may the LORD, the God of my lord the king, say. 1 Kings 1:36 NASB 16 All who invoke a blessing or take an oath will do so by the God of truth. (The Amen – Hebrew aw-mane Amen, so be it, truth). For I will put aside My anger and forget the evil of earlier days. Isaiah 65:16 NLT 13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, (The Amen – The truth) Hebrews 6:13 ESV 16 Now when people take an oath, they call on someone greater than themselves to hold them to it. And without any question that oath is binding. 17 God also bound Himself with an oath, so that those who received the promise could be perfectly sure that He would never change His mind. 18 So God has given both His promise and His oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to Him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. Hebrews 6:16-18 NLT 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 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20 TNIV 18 Praise the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does such wonderful things. 19 Praise His glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen! Psalms 72:18-19 NLT	Amen; It is all over; it’s finished; it is done. It seems to be a kind of verb that’s seldom used for fun. It means finalisation. That’s how it’s going to be. A thousand million years from now and for eternity, This truth is now established; the earth may pass away. But this will be unvarying as what it is today. A little illustration. One plus one is two. It will always be this way, no matter what we do. The Lord above won’t change it. There’s really is no need. It is the confirmation in thought and word and deed. In local courtroom jargon, it’s an established fact. It tells us the right way to go, when we’re compelled to act. It verifies a statement; it establishes the truth. Regardless of the circumstance, maturity or youth. At times you’ll find it’s also used, as some sort of a noun. Rather like the title of some rather special town. So we speak about it and say it is a trust. It’s firm and confidential; a certainty; a must! It also is an adjective, a specific piece of law. Although we find it’s seldom used in this way anymore. On the odd occasion a prayer begins “Amen” Confirming that what follows is reliable again. But the common usage is at the very end. “Yes, this is reliable. On this you may depend. A congregation uses it when they are all agreed. When they’ve heard a statement they believe is truth indeed. Written in Psalm eighty nine and in verse fifty two, We find Amen repeated; so everyone may view; The glory and the majesty of Him Who reigns on High. Who deals with every mocker and informs them, “Do not try”. God used the expression, when by Himself He swore. None can overrule Him. He is the highest law! We’re told that all God’s promises in Jesus are AMEN. They won’t be rescinded or issued once again! The book of Revelation, behold in chapter three, Recorded in the fourteenth verse quite categorically, He says He is the Amen. He’s faithful and He’s true. “Those in Laodicea, be careful what you do; If you are not careful, I’m going to spit you out. Turn from being lukewarm. Your future is in doubt. Only overcomers shall sit at my right hand. All the rest will go to Hell when I give the command. Indeed I am the Holy One, “I AM!” That is My Name. Amen! All this is certain. Amen! Always the same. Jim Strickland – Written 18th October 2012