LITTLE FOXES

Time with Jesus - Tuesday, 30 October 2012

Hi all,

Song of Solomon speaks about the little foxes that ruin the vineyard. What are they for you and me? We have a love relationship with Jesus Christ in our own personal vineyard; that secret place where we go to share our love with Him. Our love is more than an intellectual nodding relationship. It should be passionate and experiential. But we allow things into our lives which spoil our love relationship. Usually these are distractions and sin. These are our little foxes. We examine this in more detail in this morning’s meditation.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Tuesday, 30 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	LITTLE FOXES
It is commonly believed that Oliver Cromwell, when he was Lord Protector of England, gave a very clear instruction to his portrait painter, Sir Peter Lely. It seems that Cromwell’s face was not particularly attractive. It was disfigured by ugly warts. Portrait painters in those days always tried to do their best to make the subject look good. So if there was anything unsightly, the defect would not be shown on the canvas. It is believed that Cromwell told Lely to paint him, “Warts and all”. Today we would talk about spin doctors who are paid for making the person look better than they really are. It’s the difference between truth and a “snow-job”. Traditionally, Song of Solomon was written by King Solomon as a young man. The book is said to be a sort 950BC description of the physical relationship between a man (the King) and the woman he loved. It’s a bit “racy”, But if you look beyond the physical descriptions you read of the passionate love Jesus has for the woman of His choice; the Bride of Christ. There is a sense in which it could be written no other way. How do you describe God’s love for anyone or anything? We know it is not an intellectual appreciation of love between a man and his wife. It cannot be. It must reflect, in some incredible way, how Jesus feels about his people. He loves us passionately in a way we can’t quite understand. The way newly-weds feel about each other on honeymoon. It is said that they try and “eat” each other. But how do you describe the love of Jesus for His people? Certainly not coldly and dispassionately. It must be described in understandable language. This way cannot be a full description. We wouldn’t be able to grasp that anyway. So, describing it inadequately using a medium we all understand is more or less all that can be done. It is described to us “warts and all”. With all the defects that are inevitable when God seeks to convey truth to His people! So God uses the language of the bed-chamber so that we can get the “feel” of what He is saying to us. The little foxes are the intrusions into the physical relationship brought about by our circumstances. For you and me, the little foxes are sin. Sin always comes between God and His people. Paul wrote, 5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Colossians 3:5 NLT. Sin is idolatry. It means we are worshipping another god. It is the same as adultery. We can’t passionately love Jesus while we are in sin! Such little foxes must be excluded. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			15 Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming! Song of Solomon 2:15 NLT 12 But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Psalms 19:12 TNIV 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; Hebrews 12:15 ESV 7 You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? Galatians 5:7 MSG 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 NLT 27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, Philippians 1:27 ESV 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. James 3:5-8 ESV 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6 TNIV	All the little foxes that come and spoil the vine, Are like the little errors that spoil the love of mine For Jesus and His Kingdom. We know that they are sin. And illustrates the difficulty you and I are in. The lovely book of poetry which Solomon once wrote, Speaks about two lovers. The one a man of note, The other of a maiden and how they both relate, Loving one another like husband and his mate. The lover in the poem is like Jesus Christ above. Speaking with a passion, about His awesome love, For the one He’ll marry as soon as He returns. It speaks about the fire, that deep inside Him burns, To be with His beloved for whom He gave His life And live with her forever as husband and His wife. The poem shows the problems, hindering the pair. And of those tender moments, when no one else is there. Of how the little foxes often come between, The Lord and His beloved; the one who’ll be His queen. All the other verses describe just what will be, If we will continue with our quest for purity. The Scriptures tell us plainly of the sins which we commit. They damage our relationship and render us unfit To being with our “husband” and fails the find His grace, If any root of bitterness comes in to take His place. We’d been running perfectly, but we have been deflected. The course of true obedience in us was not detected. We’d become unworthy of the Gospel of the Lord. Only by repentance we will not face His sword! It seems our biggest problem is the wagging of the tongue. Gossip is unrighteous; it places us among, Those who worship idols; the things their hands have made. Just to think about it, should make us feel afraid. The tongue that worships Jesus, must never worship Baal. That’s a certain practice which causes love to fail. Can you see the foxes that suddenly appear, Spoiling our relationship? They stop us drawing near, To the only person on Whom we can depend? Our everlasting Lover, our Saviour and our Friend. Jim Strickland  Written  30th October 2012

WATERLOO AND ZIKLAG

Time with Jesus - Monday, 29 October 2012

Hi all,

Every instant in our lives is known by the Lord. In a way, none of us understand this. How can we have free will if He has planned the future? How can he arrange the circumstances for something like 9 billion people? How is it possible to say and believe Paul when he writes, ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them Romans 8:28 NLT I don’t know! I do know that He does. How does this apply to the holocaust? I don’t know. Only God knows and He hasn’t told us. Our meditation looks at a small slice of this.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Monday, 29 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	WATERLOO AND ZIKLAG
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 53 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 hand 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			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 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, John 6:68 ESV 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 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 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 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 8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalms 34:8 ESV	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 October 2012

THE FIGHT

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 28 October 2012

Hi all,

The Christian life is not all harps and flowers. Much of it is a battle against the powers of darkness. Some refer to this fight as “spiritual warfare”. In that sense we are in the “Lord’s army”. Indeed, He has told us that we have His authority and that “nothing shall hurt you”. But that doesn’t mean we should become sloppy, idle and disinterested in this war. We need to be in a state of preparedness; alert and watching. The Lord has provided us with “armour” and “weapons” for the battle. Wear it! Use the weapons and win.

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 28 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 FIGHT
Authority can be a frightening thing. Lord Acton is quoted as having said, “Power Corrupts; Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely”. He was not the first person who brought an expression into English. But it is appropriate that it be quoted by an Englishman. Absolute power was considered the birth-right of most of the monarchs of history. One of the best known is the sad saga of King Henry 8 and the struggle for power after his death. This is not the place to give a history lesson. Sufficient to say that Henry broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and established the Church of England with himself as head. He became anti-Catholic. He had two daughters and a son. Princess Mary was a convinced and fanatical Roman Catholic. Princess Elizabeth and Prince Edward were in favour of the Church of England. Henry defined the line of succession after his death would be Edward, then Mary then Elizabeth. Edward continued his father’s Church of England reforms. When he died he was succeeded by Mary. Queen Mary, often called Bloody Mary, assumed absolute power and England experienced one of the most violent and bloodthirsty reigns of terror as she did everything in her power to restore Roman Catholicism to England. Among those who were burned at the stake were Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, Bishop Hugh Latimer and Bishop Nicholas Ridley often referred to as the Oxford Martyrs. Such was the authority of the monarch of the day. We also have a monarch. King Jesus. He also has absolute power and authority. But His power is endless. He has also delegated His power to His people. We have His authority over all the forces of the devil. So although His people come and go through death, the authority devolves on the next generation of those who make Him their Lord and King. Jesus told the 72 when they reported back to Him 19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. Luke 10:19 NLT After His resurrection and prior to His ascension he appeared to his disciples. It is recorded 18 Jesus came and told His disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matt. 28:18-19 NLT. In this regard, nothing has changed since He walked among us 2000 years ago. He has delegated His authority to you and me. Whether or not we use it is up to us. Satan and his cohorts continue to try and usurp this authority. They will if they can. Whether or not they succeed is up to us. The Blood of Jesus provides us with all we need to win. If we don’t, there is only ourselves to blame. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Luke 10:19 ESV 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 NLT 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 ESV 11 Put on all the armour that God supplies. In this way you can take a stand against the devil's strategies. 12 This is not a wrestling match against a human opponent. We are wrestling with rulers, authorities, the powers who govern this world of darkness, and spiritual forces that control evil in the heavenly world. 13 For this reason, take up all the armour that God supplies. Then you will be able to take a stand during these evil days. Once you have overcome all obstacles, you will be able to stand your ground. 14 So then, take your stand! Fasten truth around your waist like a belt. Put on God's approval as your breastplate. 15 Put on your shoes so that you are ready to spread the Good News that gives peace. 16 In addition to all these, take the Christian faith as your shield. With it you can put out all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Ephesians 6:11-16 GW 8 Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Micah 7:8 NLT	There’s never been a question about authority. The Lord has given lots of it to folk like you and me. The enemy can’t hurt us; no matter how he tries. We stand on snakes and scorpions, regardless of their size. There is nothing to it and we won’t come to harm. So don’t get excited or raise a false alarm. Of course we must be careful; he’s always on the prowl; He wants us to be frightened and to throw in the towel. A master of disguises, we hear a lion roar. We think he wants to eat us. But he can do no more. Than make a lot of noises. But he’s no more than that. When Jesus Christ is in you, he’s a toothless pussy-cat. Show him some resistance and he will turn and flee; When you’re in submission to the Christ of Calvary. If you are a soldier and have to go to war. To fight the devil’s forces and bust them on the jaw. There’s a list of armour that you will surely need. To stand against the devil and foil his evil creed. This is not a contest, against some human foe, You will need God’s armour, everywhere you go. Wrestle with the rulers and the powers of the air. They will not surprise you, if you constantly prepare. Have God’s truth around you like a belt about your waist. With His righteous breastplate, that army can be faced. Don’t forget the sandals to wear upon your feet. They will keep you moving and his forces can be beat. Sandals of the good news. The gospel that brings peace. Sharing it with others, will bring them their release. Don’t neglect the shield of faith, to carry in your hand; To quench the fiery arrows, preventing them to land, Upon you or your brothers. The enemy you’ll foil, And his plans for victory forever you will spoil. Salvation is the helmet you wear upon your head. If you are not wearing it you may as well be dead! Praying in the Spirit is a weapon you can wield. And there is another which makes the devil yield. The Word of God is mighty. So use it as your sword. You cannot be beaten while Jesus is your Lord. Jim Strickland Written 28th October 2012

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