THE ONLY WAY OUT

Time with Jesus - Monday, 22 April 2013

Hi all,

Why do we do the things we do? My Dad used to say, “He does it for badness!” Not good English but very accurate. Sometimes children are naughty because they want to be naughty. “Don’t touch that, you’ll break it!” The next minute it’s broken. I’ve heard it said that if you tell someone not to do something, it’s more a less a guarantee that they will do it.

Naughty Boy

The Bible confirms this. We are told that sin is lawlessness. In other words, where there is no law, there can be no sin. For example, one of God’s commandments is; ¹⁴ You shall not commit adultery. Exodus 20:14 TNIV In spite of this, one or two societies do not regard adultery as wrong. This means that for them, it is acceptable. It’s only when you are aware that something is wrong that it becomes sinful. In South Africa we talk about the age of accountability. If an underage child breaks the law, we say that the child didn’t know it.

Most of us break the law, even though we know we shouldn’t. If you or I fail to stop at a stop street, we have broken the law and could be prosecuted. But we don’t stop anyway. We slow down and, if the way looks clear, we carry on without stopping.

If I asked every reader of this meditation whether or not they had ever exceeded the speed limit, they would say “yes”. We are all like that. We tend to follow the opinion of WWII British Pilot Douglas Bader, “rules were made for the blind obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men”.

Unfortunately, God is not like that. He has made the “rules of life” for everyone. Furthermore, since most of these laws are instilled into our conscience, none of us have any excuse for breaking them.

In a way, it was inevitable that God’s one and only original law would be broken. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will certainly die." Genesis 2:16-17 TNIV 
I’ve heard people comment that they would never have done this. I don’t believe them. Perhaps it’s the sin nature within us. Alternatively it may be nothing more than idle curiosity. Eventually, God’s law would have been broken and we would all be exactly where we are now.

Today’s meditation looks at sin and the hold it has on people. It also looks to Jesus Christ as the only way out.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Monday, 22 April 2013			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 Only Way Out
Psalm 86 is something of a reflection of my own life and walk with the Lord, dating back to 1960, when I committed my life to Jesus. Life is just beginning for a young man of 18. All life is in front of you and when you’ve committed your life to Jesus, your desire to serve His is the most important thing in mind. However, like most young men of that age, there was a serious problem in my life. It was a distressing habit I couldn’t break. Prayer didn’t help. Many times I tried to break free, without success. Like many others I threw myself into getting a better understanding of God’s Word. I thought if I tried hard enough and prayed hard enough, God would fix it. He didn’t. Dealing with your own hypocrisy is one of the hardest things to face in the Christian life. You know how things should be, but they aren’t. Thus it was that shortly after my 21st birthday, I quit. There were other reasons, but this was the biggest problem Please be aware that one of the hardest things to do in life, if you have known the sweetness of His saving grace, is to quit. The trouble is, although you quit on Him, He doesn’t quit on you. The next 18 years were horrible. Every time I came anywhere near being involved in a church, the memories of those early days came flooding back. William Cowper the 18th century hymn writer wrote: “Where is the blessedness I knew when first I saw the Lord? Where is that soul-refreshing view of Jesus and his word? / What peaceful hours I once enjoyed! How sweet their memory still! But they have left an aching void the world can never fill! I know what that feels like! I’ve been there. It’s the closest thing to Hell on earth. The hound of heaven, (poem by Francis Thompson) won’t let you go! Eighteen years later, with divorce hanging over me like a sword of Damocles, the Lord brought a man across my path. I knew he was a Christian. We had spoken briefly on one or two occasions. He listened carefully and asked me to meet him at lunchtime. I did. We chatted some more and prayed. My former relationship with Jesus was restored. Of course, Satan was standing in the wings. Before the end of the day, I realised, that I was still unable to deal with my problem. Furthermore, I knew there was no way I could beat this thing. I had to admit to the Lord it was sin and that I liked it! That was when I turned to Jesus and confessed that I was a sinner who loved his sin. “Please Lord”, I prayed. “Please give me the strength to overcome this, just for today”. He did. The next day was the same. “Just for today Lord!” Once again He did. This went on for a week. Suddenly I realised the nightmare was over. I hadn’t beaten anything. He had! That was ±33 years ago. Since that day, He has enabled me to walk in freedom! Thank you Lord. This episode has taught me a most important lesson. I don’t have the power to defeat Satan. The only way is to surrender to Jesus completely. Self-effort will never succeed. If you insist on doing things yourself, He will let you. You will fail. But when you capitulate and admit that you can do nothing; that’s when His strength becomes available. Now I recommend people to look at Jesus on the cross. His great victory came from complete surrender, even death of self! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			13 Great is your love for me. You have kept me from going down into the grave. Psalm 86:13 NIrV 28 "Don't be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28 NLT 1 But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 ESV 11 I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no other Saviour. Isaiah 43:11 NLT 25 "I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 43:25 ESV 6 They trust in their wealth. They brag about how rich they are. 7 No man can pay for the life of anyone else. No one can give God what that would cost. 8 The price for a life is very high. No payment is ever enough. Psalms 49:6-8 NIrV 24 He is merciful to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom; Job 33:24 ESV 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God's grace that you have been saved!) Ephesians 2:4-5 NLT 12 No one else can save us. Indeed, we can be saved only by the power of the one named Jesus and not by any other person." Acts 4:12 GW	Great is your love for me O Lord. You saved me from the grave, When I was disobedient. But Lord, I misbehave! Sometimes I’m in rebellion; as stubborn as a mule. In fact, it is a compliment, to say I’ve been a fool! I don’t know why I do it. It’s just this silly streak, That I just stumble into things. But Lord I’m not a freak. There’s lots of others like me. Indeed I’m not alone. Too many folk are similar, just as Your Word has shown. A lot of them are worse than me. So I should be OK. And I try so much harder, than they do, Lord, today! In fact Lord, if I measure these things upon a scale, I think that I’ve no problem and they should go to jail! It’s good to be self-satisfied. When we are looking back! But if I’m really honest Lord, I think I need a smack. “Comparisons are odious” is what the bard once wrote. So when I look at others and think that, in a vote, I’d end up being better, then surely I’m deceived. The truth is just the opposite, is what should be believed. O Lord I’m such an expert in blowing my own trumpet. But the time for me has come, to take Your tip and dump it. It isn’t very easy Lord, to put this junk away. I truly need Your power, to be with me today. I know I cannot do it. It’s not an easy task. And You have said You’ll help us. if we come to You and ask. Come, perform your miracle, to change my heart and soul. Come and cleanse me thoroughly, then please make me whole. You know my spirit’s willing. But Lord my flesh is weak. Give me strength to change my ways and find what I now seek. And yet, I cannot do it. My habit is to sin. So Father, please take over and cleanse me deep within. It’s something I can’t change Lord. In fact I love to be This living contradiction of Christianity. Father, I am helpless. I cast myself on You. If You do not do it. There’s nothing I can do. There’s no one else can help me and Father, I am lost. I long to be more like You regardless of the cost! Take my all, I beg You, there’s nothing I withhold! You alone can change my heart from stubble into gold! Jim Strickland Written 22nd April 2013

ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD

Enoch Walked with God

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 20 April 2013

Hi all,

Name	Age when Enoch was
	Born	Taken
Adam	622	987
Seth	492	857
Enosh	387	752
Kenan	297	662
Mahalalel	227	592
Jared	162	527
Enoch	0	365

The little table on the left indicates the age of Enoch’s antecedents when he was born. The following columns indicate their age when God took him. Adam’s age is in red because he died when he was 930, some 57 years before Enoch was “raptured”. The term “raptured” is used to indicate he was taken up to be with God, without having died. The only other Old Testament person to whom this happened was Elijah who was taken up in a chariot.

I’ve included this little table to indicate how the age of the antediluvians affected each generation. In better words if we lived for as long as they did, some of us would have been around when the Magna Carter was signed. We may well have known the 6 wives of Henry VIII. We could have sailed with Vasco De Gama, Jan van Riebeeck or the Pilgrim fathers. I’m not sure I’d like to have personal memories of those times.

Several Theologians believe in the Millennium; the 1000 year reign of Christ on the Earth when He returns. Personally, it’s also what I believe. Exactly how and when this will happen is not clear. However, if we are going to live on this earth with Him for 1000 years, the sort of memories referred to above are what we will experience. Since by then, we should also have resurrection bodies, presumably we will have new “brains”. Hopefully we will be able to clearly remember things which happened up to 1000 years ago!

Elijah Taken into Heaven

Scripture tells us of three “men” who have “ascended” into heaven. They are Enoch in the time before the flood. Elijah, who lived in the time between the flood and the coming of Jesus. Then there was Jesus Himself who ascended into heaven. Although Jesus was Divine, He was also a man so it’s not unfair to include him with the other two.

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

What exactly was meant by the verse in Genesis ²⁴ Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Gen 5:24 ESV? Certainly we know something of Elijah’s walk with God. He was not perfect. However he was caught up to heaven. Jesus Christ was perfect in all respects so it’s not surprising that He ascended into heaven. There also appears, that there is a difference between the ascension of Jesus and the other two. Jesus appears to have been able to do so Himself. The other two had no control over what happened to them.

Today’s meditation looks at the “rapture” of Enoch in more detail.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 21 April 2013			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	Enoch walked with God
We are told that Rabbinical Judaism calculated a lifespan of Moses corresponding to 1391–1271 BC. Jerome states 1592, and Ussher1619. The Torah is said to have been written by Moses in 1441 BC. The last book of the New Testament, (Revelation) was written in ±95 AD. This means the Christian Bible was composed over a period of ±1500 years. There is not sufficient space for me to go into Old Testament Biblical history. Suffice to say that Moses compiled Genesis and associated “stories” from long before he was born! How he obtained this information is open to speculation. What we do know, is that such stories came down to Moses by means of the oral tradition, a method that was remarkably accurate. What is not clear is the information concerning Genesis 1 and 2. This predates all of us. The only way it could be obtained, would be directly from God, in much the same way as God gave the book of Revelation to John. We know very little about the antediluvians. Little more than names and ages. However, today, as we focus on Enoch, it’s useful to know who was who then. If we look at the respective ages of the Antediluvians at the birth of Enoch, we find that all of those mentioned in the Bible were still alive during Enoch’s life. In fact, 360 years later, when God took Enoch, only Adam had died! The mystery for us, is what had Enoch done in his walk with God, that he didn’t die, He just vanished – some say he was “raptured”. We can only speculate. There was one man in Enoch’s life who could speak of the experience of walking with God. He was Adam, referring to his times of fellowship with God before the fall. No doubt Eve could also speak of those days. Sadly we know nothing more about Eve after the birth of Seth. Assuming Enoch asked Adam about those days, what did Adam say to set Enoch off on a venture to walk with God? All we know is that God walked with Adam. Some believe that Adam and God had regular times of fellowship in the cool of the evening; that they “walked together” at those times. Did this prompt Enoch to take walks in the cool of the evening and “imagine” he was walking with God? Perhaps it was? Enoch was a fallen man, the same as we are. He was antediluvian. What did Enoch know of death? If people lived to such great ages in those days, had he ever seen anyone die? In all probability he had, but not in the line of the first born through Seth. Did Enoch look foolish walking round “pretending” he was fellowshipping with God? At what point in his life, did his belief that it was possible to walk with God, result in actually doing so? We don’t know. We do know the day dawned when God decided to reward Him for his effort. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him. Gen 5:24 ESV Jim & Phyllida Strickland			24 Enoch walked with God. Then he couldn't be found, because God took him from this life. Genesis 5:24 NIrV 3 Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction? Amos 3:3 NLT 20 God was pleased to bring all things back to himself because of what Christ has done. That includes all things on earth and in heaven. God made peace through Christ's blood, through his death on the cross. 21 At one time you were separated from God. You were enemies in your minds because of your evil ways. 22 But because Christ died, God has brought you back to himself. Christ's death has made you holy in God's sight. So now you don't have any flaw. You are free from blame. Colossians 1:20-22 NIrV 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13 NLT 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of His Son while we were still His enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of His Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:10-11 NLT 3 This is the life we have seen and heard. We are reporting about it to you also so that you, too, can have a relationship with us. Our relationship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3 GW 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 ESV	“Enoch walked with God” it says. I wonder what that means? They must have known each other, like men do in their dreams. It’s hard to walk together, unless both men are brothers. It’s hard to think of fellowship with unacquainted others. But what did it consist of; what could Enoch see? Was it something tangible? Invisibility Is what we are accustomed to. God doesn’t manifest, To anyone we know of. Those who know You best, Don’t know what You look like. But Lord You once did say, That anyone who sees You, they look at God that day. Yes, men did see You Master two thousand years ago. But after Your ascension, there’s no one else we know, Who’s seen the Lord Almighty. So what did Enoch see? And when we think about it, it’s still a mystery. Did they walk together as folk do, hand in hand? Did they laugh and chuckle? Lord help us understand, How they both related. Lord Jesus was that You, Who fellowshipped with Enoch the way men long to do? Perhaps the greatest secret is where it was You met? Was it accidental, or was his prayer time set? How can we achieve this? What things must be in place, For us to walk like Enoch, together, face to face! Perhaps in his prayer closet is how the deed was done. There’s nowhere else we know of to be with God the Son. But Lord, that isn’t walking. Not in the way we know. We walk together, step by step aware of where we go! Was it in the open? Could anybody see What You both were doing, or was obscurity The hallmark of the journey? This enigmatic time, With Enoch on a journey with Jesus Christ Divine. Your word tells us, he did this, for some three hundred years. None of us live that long. So Master, it appears, That no one else can do this. Not in this day or age. But we are volunteering; and Lord, if You will page, Your people on your beeper, or give a trumpet blast, I think we’ll know for certain, the time has come at last, For us to be in fellowship and walk on streets of gold. Then Enoch just may tell us about those days of old. Jim Strickland Written 21st April 2013.