Time with Jesus - Wed. 05 December 2012
Hi all,
Today’s meditation is all about our Gentle Giant. Years
ago we used to criticise the old children’s hymn, “Gentle Jesus, meek and
mild”. I remember being told He is the Lion of Judah and not a little cuddly
toy to play with. That certainly put things into a better perspective. Yet the
one who created the universe and all that is in it spoke gently to Mary
Magdalene in the Garden. He also told His disciple to “suffer the little
children to come unto Me and forbid them not.” How was it possible for infinite
power to allow Himself to be crucified? It would only have taken one word from
Him and all the angels in creation would have come to His assistance. The One
who could easily support and carry the Niagara Falls holds you and me in His
arms and we are not destroyed! How is that possible? It scares me spit-less!
Blessings,
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
|
Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Wednesday, 05 December 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
|
GENTLE
GIANT
|
||||
|
At
the age of ±10, I started to read the Beano and the Dandy. It may be a
strange thing for a septuagenarian to confess, but I loved those comics. They
came out weekly and I would follow them with great interest. Corky the cat,
Big Ego, Desperate Dan and other fictional characters amused me greatly.
Desperate Dan was my favourite. He would eat “cow pie”, a whole cow, in one
sitting. His strength was legendary. He could pick up just about anything. His
habits were vaguely 21st century. Like many men today, he always
needed a shave! Dan was a bit like the famous lover in “Wait a Minim”. He
would “Never shave the whiskers, from off of his
horny hide. / He just knocked them in with a hammer and bit them off inside”.
Despite Dan’s enormous strength, he was able to handle a twenty ton weight
with the same dexterity as a flower.
From
the same era came a comic strip advertising a body building course. The first
picture showed a bully chasing a skinny man away from a pretty girl and
throwing sand in his face. The thin man then took a Charles Atlas Body
Building course. The final picture was of this “new” man chasing away the
bully. What wasn’t stated, was how long it would take for this
transformation. It wouldn’t be overnight, in spite of the fact that it
appeared to be the same pretty girl of the same age in the advert.
As
Christians, we need to remember that we are not alone. In fact Scripture
tells us that we are never alone. 20 Teach
them (Disciples) to obey everything I have commanded you. And you can be sure
that I am always with you, to the very end."
Matthew 28:20 NIrV
It’s
an amazing fact that He is with us whether we see Him or not. Furthermore, He
is much stronger than “Clive”. Everything was made by Him and for Him. So He
is more than a match for a million “Clives”. It’s very comforting to know
that when we get to the end of ourselves, we have arrived at the beginning of
Him! At the same time we need to be aware that He is with you as much as He
is with me! He also has the extraordinary ability of always supporting
righteousness. So we can only expect His assistance when we are pursuing
righteousness. If we stray into sin, He is still there, but he is more
reticent to help until the sin is sorted out. He is always the defender of
the weak. So Christian husbands, be warned. Jesus is on your side and on your
wife’s side. If you get out of line with her, she will call on Him to help.
Under such circumstances, He will side with the one who is right. In some
instances, I’ve found that He sides with Phyllida, not me. That’s a big
problem. I don’t like being confronted by a million “Clives” at the same
time. The odds are stacked up very much against me. So ladies, if you have a
problem with your husband, don’t shout at him. Talk to the Lord. Let Him
settle it!
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
|
9 He
guards the paths of those who are faithful to him. But evil people will lie
silent in their dark graves. "People don't win
just because they are strong.
1 Samuel 2:9 NIrV
45 Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me
with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the
name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have
defied.
1 Samuel 17:45 ESV
49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and
slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his
forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and
with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no
sword in the hand of David.
1 Samuel 17:49-50 ESV
16 No king succeeds with a big army alone, no warrior wins
by brute strength. 17 Horsepower is not the answer; no one
gets by on muscle alone. 18 Watch this: God's
eye is on those who respect him, the ones who are looking for his love.
Psalms 33:16-18 MSG
12 Riches and glory come from you, you're ruler over all;
You hold strength and power in the palm of your hand to build up and
strengthen all.
1 Chronicles 29:12 MSG
8
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each
time He said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses,
so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses and in the
insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For
when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT
|
When I was still a schoolboy, I had a distant “friend”
He really was a “pipsqueak”, but sometimes he’d pretend,
He was “Charlie Atlas” the strongest man alive.
Few people ever challenged him. His brother’s name was “Clive”
Now Clive was something different. A tower of a man,
With great big bulging biceps; a bit like Desperate Dan.
He had a reputation for tearing men to shreds.
Anyone who challenged him was dispatched to his bed.
They were the strangest couple. Clive had all the brawn.
My friend was very “brainy” and he would speak with scorn,
About all his opponents. If they got out of line,
He simply told his brother, who’d say to him, “He’s mine!”
It was a neat arrangement and people stayed well clear,
Of any altercation. They knew that Clive was near.
They both grew into manhood. My friend became a sage.
His brother was a wrestler with a leaning for the stage!
I’m not sure how it ended. In fact I do not care.
But there’s an application to what happened way back there.
I’ve got an elder brother. I’ve learned to know Him well.
If anybody picks on me, they could end up in Hell.
Because this Man is jealous. I’m His and He is mine.
Better known to others, as Jesus Christ Divine.
If I’m intimidated, I only have to call.
And Jesus Christ will settle it. I’m not afraid at all.
And yet, I have a problem and don’t know what to do.
The woman I have married, she knows Christ Jesus too!
And since He is a gentleman, it I get out of line,
She takes the situation to Jesus Christ Divine.
Now I am quite ecstatic when He is on my side.
But let me tell you frankly, that He supports my bride.
When things for her get difficult; she simply turns to prayer.
It isn’t very long before I wish He wasn’t there.
And yet the situation is satisfactory.
Because when I need discipline He comes and “fixes” me.
So she has the advantage. But truly I don’t mind.
A husband’s duty to his wife is, “do not be unkind”.
We know I lead the family. This fact is very plain.
But if I am tyrannical. He’ll “fix” me once again.
Jim Strickland
Written
5th December
2012
|
||||
