FOLLOWING JESUS

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 03 March 2012

Hi all,

Following Jesus is not as easy as we thought it would be. When I committed my life to Jesus back in 1960, I was told nothing about the fact that it would be a life long commitment which may not go down well with friends and relations. From what I remember it was a case of “Come to Jesus. Your troubles will be over and everything will be fine.” It was a wonderful thought. Unfortunately, it wasn't true. That’s when my troubles really started. Was I sold a pup? The answer is yes and no!

Of course, much of it was my own fault. There were major problems in my life and they needed to be sorted out. Certainly Jesus Christ made this possible. More than that! He helped me to prioritise and focus on what really mattered. What I was not warned about was the reaction others would take towards my new “fad” as it was called. Some saw it as a “flash in the pan” and concluded that in a couple of weeks it would by “business as usual”. In a way, that galvanised my determination to keep going. There’s something unpleasant about failing in the area you are expected to fail.

The real problem was I didn’t know what I should or should not do. Salvation back then was more a question of being able to answer a couple of questions correctly in certain ways. You know what I mean. Put up your hand in response to the evangelical appeal. Then go and be prayed for. Then you get an entrance ticket into heaven valid for your lifetime, however long or short it may be. It sounded marvellous. All this and heaven too! Only a fool would say, “No thanks”!

No one actually said this. But it was implied indirectly. I wasn’t fooled into anything. I needed Jesus in much the same way a drowning man needs a life jacket. So I came in with both eyes open and willing to take on whatever confronted me!

Now it’s a question of following Jesus. Most people think it’s easy. But there are challenges facing all of us and we need to be aware that what we are doing has His approval. Today’s meditation looks at this from both sides of the divide. I've got some idea where I am at present. Where are you? This meditation may enable you to locate yourself!

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

FOLLOWING JESUS

Are we looking forward to the day when Christ returns?

Every time I think of it, my heart within me burns!

I long to see the Saviour and look into His face;

To see the self-expression of God’s amazing grace.

To see Him will be better than any sort of prize.

The crown of life is nothing to the love-light in His eyes.

These other things are wonderful and thrill me through and through.

But nothing can be better, my Lord, than seeing You.

The crown of life You’ve told us Lord is what You will bestow.

A crown that’s incorruptible. O Lord we surely know,

That nothing is more precious than kneeling at your feet,

In absolute submission to the Christ we long to meet.

And yet there is a nervousness as we anticipate,

The moment of Your coming and our eternal fate.

The problem is our knowledge that in our Christian walk,

We haven’t been consistent and haven’t walked the talk.

It’s easy to be faithful in the presence of our friends.

But sometimes, Lord, in public is where our witness ends.

We feel intimidated and we succumb to fear.

Even when we know, Lord that You are very near.

We do not visit prisoners. We haven’t fed the poor.

And facing persecution, we just could not endure.

At times we have been lazy and we have lacked the zeal,

That shows our Christianity is positively real!

The spirit has been willing; but Lord our flesh is weak.

And we have lacked the courage to stand up tall and speak.

It’s this sort of behaviour that bothers me so much.

Will we be acceptable to know Your, “Thank you!” touch?

Has our Christianity all been an outward show?

Have we been deluded by the things we think we know?

Are we satisfactory or merely hypocrites,

Trying to please people and totally unfit,

To be among the people, that Master, You have saved?

Will we win approval by the way we have behaved?

Lord please show us plainly just what it is you think.

Have we stumbled backwards and does our lifestyle stink?

Master come and show us, just what we need to do,

To be the sort of people, Lord, who truly follow You.

Jim Strickland – Written 3^rd March 2012