PSALM 112 AND 128

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 01 April 2012

Hi all,

The Psalms are a constant source of inspiration and guidance. Furthermore, they are always appropriate for any day and at any time.

I’ve found that peace only comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You probably remember singing, I’ve got the joy, joy, joy joy, down in my heart. One of the verses was, I’ve got the peace which passes understanding down in my heart. Another was, I’ve got peace like a river. For some reason choruses or hymns along these lines reflect what happens when Jesus comes into your heart!

Peace is an extraordinary experience. Many people think it is the opposite of war. There is a sense in which this is true. But the peace of God is so much more than that. I’m told that during the first century, the Christian martyrs went to their death with a sense of calm so great that even Roman soldiers were envious of them. I’ve been told that some of the se soldiers were so impressed with the way they went to their death, one or two took off their armour and joined the Christians. The comment was that if the Christian God was so powerful that Christians could die like that, they should join them. I don’t know how valid this will be in the eyes of Jesus Christ? I have a sort of gut feel that He will approve.

To get a better grasp on peace and its meaning in the Christian context, read Foxes book of Martyrs. It’s fairly readily available in Christian Booksellers. Alternatively, it is available on e-Sword. http://www.e-sword.net/support.html It’s a bit gruesome in places. But it is part of our Christian heritage. Furthermore, if that’s what happened and is still happening to Christians, we need the peace of God to go through similar experiences. I’m not looking forward to it. But in the world today we are not immune to having to suffer and die for our belief in Jesus Christ.

In today’s meditation we look at two psalms which help to strengthen our trust in Jesus and help us prepare for whatever might happen.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Psalm 112 and 128

Psalm 112 i)      Blessed is the person who fears the Sovereign Lord, Who takes a great delight in His command ii)     His children will be mighty in the land.   And his reward? A blessed generation who can stand; iii)    Wealth and riches in his house, with righteousness forever, Where the light obliterates the dark. iv)    Gracious deeds, compassion, will forsake the righteous never An upright, righteous man will have this mark. v)     Good will surely come to him who generously lends, Conducting his affairs and being just. vi)    He will not be shaken;   will not need to make amends; Remembered as a person one can trust. vii)   He will not be fearful of bad news for he will be Steadfast, ever trusting in the Lord. viii)   He will be secure and will not fear what he might see; Triumphing o'er his foes is his reward. ix)    He has scattered gifts unto the poor.   His righteousness Endures until the very end of time. His horn will be exalted and with honour he'll be blessed. He will not be guilty of a crime. x)     Wicked men will see it and be vexed as they observe; Will gnash all of their teeth and waste away. Their longings come to nothing, they’ll get what they deserve; Reaping what was sown yesterday. ---oooOOOooo--- PSALM 128 A Song of Ascents 1)     Blessed are those who fear The Lord Who walk in all His ways 2)     You'll eat the fruit of what you do and prosper all your days. 3)     Your wife will be a fruitful vine within your house and home; Your sons, just like an olive grove, around your table, grown! 4)     This is how The Lord will bless the man who, His name, fears. 5)     From Zion may He bless your life, for all your coming years. May you see great prosperity; Jerusalem's as well; 6)     And live to see your grandchildren. Peace be on Israel. ---oooOOOooo--- Jim Strickland – Written 1995

RIGHT IS LIGHT

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 31 March 2012

Hi all,

Back in my Bible School days, one of our favourite choruses was: “Walk, walk in the light, Walk, walk in the light, Walk, walk in the light, Walking in the light of love”. I’m not too sure why it was so popular. I think that a major contributing factor was the desire of the students to break out of the darkness of the apartheid era and walk in the light with brothers and sisters we had not met. It would be a further twelve years before it became a reality.

Being kept in the dark has been one of the weapons of oppression for more years than any of us realise. The expression, “I didn’t know!” is a very common one. The German people didn’t know about the Nazi death camps. The People of the Soviet Union didn’t know what Stalin was busy with. Sadly, the “white people” of South Africa had almost no idea what was happening in the townships. This was a deliberate policy of the government of the day. “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil, is that good men do nothing! It was true when stated by Edmund Burke (1729-1797) It’s still true some 250 years later.

We have a similar problem in the church. In most instances, the people are kept ignorant of the truth of the gospel. Religion continues to be a profitable business. People are separated into clergy and laity - an unscriptural distinction that is most convenient. Who can challenge them? The average pew occupant certainly can not!

The tragedy is, the Lord Jesus Christ wants to walk with us. He desires us to have a personal relationship with Him. You can never have a relationship with someone you don’t know. We may know something about Him. But we don’t know Him. I may know that the President of the USA is Barrack Obama. But I don’t know him. His wife and children do!

One of the beautiful things about light is the way it enables us to see things. We see very little in the dark. Until recently, wars were only fought during the day. It’s hard to shoot an enemy you can’t see! That has changed since the development of night vision glasses and infra-red cameras.

It’s impossible to walk in the light when it is dark. In John’s Gospel we are told: ⁹ Jesus replied, "There are twelve hours of daylight every day. During the day people can walk safely. They can see because they have the light of this world. ¹⁰ But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light." John 11:9-10 NLT

Today’s meditation looks at walking in the light of God’s word. In a nutshell, obedience to Him is to walk according to the instruction of His Word. Let’s do it instead of talking about it.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Right is light

We see the dark as evil. The good is always light. Thieves break in at night time so they are not in sight. We find it is much better to sleep when it is dark. To slumber through the night time and get up with the lark! But there’s another meaning which we should all prefer. A warning from the Scripture, which should serve as a spur, To stop us all from doing it. Thereby, we have been warned; And we will bear the consequence if ever it is scorned. Keep away from partnerships with unbelieving men. They have a different outlook on which they will depend. Their motivation’s money. God’s Kingdom has no place; So if you are in partnership, you’ll surely be disgraced. If times are getting difficult, they’ll often up and run. And you will be deserted to face what has been done. It happens regularly. The Christian is the man, You find who has been cheated and carries home the can! But what is true in business is also true in life. Do not ever marry an unbelieving wife. Those who do it anyway, cease following the Lord. They find that they are walking on the way that’s wide and broad. My friends, I make confession, that it is what I did. It was a huge disaster costing many, many quid. It ended in a sad divorce and I was left alone; Having lost my furniture, possessions and my home. I went back to the Scripture and it was underlined. I’d been disobedient and thought God wouldn't mind! I thought I’d lead her to the Lord, but that objective failed. And in my desperate anguish it felt I had been jailed. So if you’re doing something you know you shouldn't do. Ask the Lord to bring His light and indicate to you, If what you’ve selected is darkness or is light. Make a firm decision, to do good in His sight. If it’s of the darkness, please ask Him show the way, To cut it off completely, while it is still your day. Know that you will have to pay the cost of consequence. But if you let Him do it, He’ll show you what makes sense. Do your very uttermost to bring it to the light. He will make the outcome to be good and clean and right. Jim Strickland  Written Saturday 31st March 2012

HIS FATHER’S SON

Time with Jesus - Friday, 30 March 2012

Hi all,

According to Mark Twain in His autobiography, “Truth is stranger than fiction; but it isn't because fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't.” In the light of this statement, what do we do with Jesus’ parables? Were they real stories about real people, or were they merely teachings used as illustrations to demonstrate truth by the greatest mind Who has ever lived?

It’s difficult thinking that Jesus would tell stories that were not true in real life. So were these parables the product of His fertile imagination or things that He had seen and known? We are inclined to think that they were just stories. But the fact is, what He spoke about had actually taken place somewhere. As the TV shows state, “Names have been changed to protect the identity of individuals.

We don’t have to be Jewish or Christian in order to follow His parables. Some are so well known that people are surprised they are Jesus’ parables. The Good Samaritan is a case in point. Regardless of our “religious” views, the story grips the imagination and can leave us feeling rather uncomfortable!

One of the best known parables is the Prodigal Son. The title is not really accurate because the prodigal one was the father and not the son. But was this parable a story or something that actually happened? By way of answer, if we look back over Christianity for the past two thousand years, we see it repeated regularly by men and women in every generation. The details may not be identical, but the truth comes shining through in the lives of many Christians. Men like William Wilberforce and John Newton. Women like Florence Nightingale. Hundreds, dare I say hundreds of thousands, of Christians throughout the generations? It’s true of me. What does a young man do when the bottom has fallen out of his world? It happened to me. It’s true to say that I’m a 20^th century prodigal son.

Our meditation this morning contains a part of my own testimony to what God regularly does in the lives of people. I’m only one of them

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

His Father’s Son

He sat down in the corner with his hands across his face. The thing he’d done was silly and he was in disgrace. His parents were so far away and he had let them down. How could he ever tell them in that far off distant town? He trembled with anxiety. He knew his foes were near. With each and every passing hour he trembled in his fear. Could he find forgiveness? How would things all turn out? And each time that he thought of it, his mind was filled with doubt. He felt alone and desolate. He couldn’t face the truth. And life forever changed for him that moment in his youth. There still was so much more to learn. He thought he knew it all. He’d heard about the Prodigal; about his rise and fall. He knew he had gone home again disgraced and wearing rags. He knew that in the pig pen how much his heart could sag. But he was far too hungry. A servant of his dad, Was given food and clothing; a lot more than he had. And so he set out homeward. No sandals on his feet; Hoping that his father would give him food to eat. He didn’t know his father. At least not how he should. Perhaps the only thing he knew; his father was so good. And when his father greeted him, the thing that he had done, Was suddenly forgotten; he was his father’ son. That young man in the corner I have to say was me. What would my father ever say and just how would he be? And so I went back home again, “my tail between my legs”. I had received the poisoned cup and drained it to the dregs. My father didn’t mention it. Just, “welcome home my lad”. I thought that I was gob-smacked. To hear this from my dad! It’s not what I expected. I thought He’d rant and rave. Instead he just accepted me. I thought that he was brave. A few short months thereafter I heard about the Lord. I went to Him in penitence and out to Him I poured; The truth of what had happened. But He already knew. He said I was forgiven and told me what to do. Learn about my Saviour and put Him in control. He would give direction, a purpose and a goal. And since that very moment the thing which I had done Was swallowed up by Jesus. Now I’m His Father’s son. Jim Strickland  Written Friday 30th March 2012.

STATUS QUO

Time with Jesus - Thursday, 29 March 2012

Hi all,

Three thousand years ago, David was Israel’s King. Our Jewish brothers and sisters see it as Israel’s finest hour. We Christians know better. Even so, as we look back three thousand years we have some sympathy for their view.

Have a look at the life of King David. You’ll find that we are not much different from the people of those days. They may not have our technical advantages, but they still managed to be devious. They had their thieves and murderers just as we do. The status quo has not changed in 3000 years! Not really. It looks different because of progress. Well, we call it progress. Is it progress or is everything still served up the same way just tailored to 21^st century conditions?

About one thousand years after David, Jesus came along with His extraordinary recommendations. Recommendations that are as effective today as they were back then. “Don’t store up treasure on earth.” Store up treasure in heaven where there are no thieves and moths don’t devour”.

For us today, the question is how to go about Jesus’ sound recommendations. It’s all very well investing in heaven. But where are the deposit slips? What is the name of the bank? What is the bank code and what is your account number? Good question! The answer is easy. I’m told that the bank code is 777777 but this may be a rumour. Deposit slips are readily available. You get them by PRAYER and they are instantly available on line. Ask for them and you will receive. Heaven’s bank does not use account numbers. They use names rather than numbers. The name of the Bank is “Jesus Christ Unlimited” and is accessible by FAITH 24/7

Today’s meditation looks at change and Jesus’ recommendation in real time.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Status Quo

Things have not changed very much for some three thousand years. The problems which they had back then still bring the selfsame tears. The rich are getting richer; the poor are just as poor. Men are still enchanted by a woman’s sweet allure. What perhaps is different is the timing and the date. The thieves continue thieving and have the same old fate. The people are as devious as they have always been. The boys and girls experiment where they cannot be seen. We all have our ambitions. We want to reach the top. Anything to get there, as long as it won’t stop. Our vision is still limited. Our every thought is “me”. It seems that our sin nature is as bad as it can be. The time we are allotted is three score years and ten. Eighty if we’re strong enough and what will happen then? It doesn’t seem to matter. The days are rushing by. And all of our accomplishments are gone the day we die. Riches are uncertain. We know they cannot last. And still we think we’ve got the time to have our final blast! But all of the possessions which we accumulate, Are passed on to the children that we’ve had with our mate. We’re nothing more than shadows, rushing to our end; Heaping up our wealth but never certain who will spend, The money that has come to us by working night and day. If only we would take the time, we’d find a better way. The problem’s discontentment. Let’s make a little more. Gratify our inner greed and overfill our store. Here is my suggestion. A better way to go. A method that is guaranteed; that everyone should know. Open an investment in Heaven’s Super-bank. Nothing will depreciate. For that, there’s God to thank. There are no thieves to steal it. Nor moths who will devour. And you have access to it, regardless of the hour. Perhaps you cannot see it. But it is there for sure. And it’s accumulating though it’s used to feed the poor. There is a crown of righteousness; but Jesus knows what’s true. And says that where your heart is, your treasure is there too. So take a tip from David from those days and in his time. Do not look for vengeance. It isn’t worth a dime. Keep in mind your covenant and do not throw back spears. This is still the way in spite of some three thousand years. Try to be forgiving no matter what’s been done. And you will be a student of God the Father’s Son! Jim Strickland – Written Thursday 29th March 2012