MOVING MOUNTAINS

Time with Jesus - Tuesday, 24 July 2012

Hi all,

Today’s meditation deals with Abraham and faith. It’s interesting that in spite of the better understanding of “faith” we have in the 21^st century, particularly over the past 30 years, I’ve never seen anyone telling mountains to jump into the sea. Of course it’s possible that the mountain was spoken to but stayed put. What I do know is that men and women with mountainous trouble and difficulty in their lives have been ministered to by simple Christians. In the name of Jesus these mountains have gone! Which is better?

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Tuesday, 24 July 2012			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	MOVING MOUNTAINS
In English we have an expression, “Are you pulling my leg?” We all know that nobody has even touched your leg, let alone pull it. It means, “Are you telling me the truth?” It’s an expression usually used between family and close friends and suggests that you may be “evangelaistic” truth. In the North-East of England, if the story was said to be true, the comment was, “Pull the other one. It’s got bells on!” Sadly, many Christians use this in their approach to the Bible and to God. For many reasons, many are of the opinion that the Bible is nothing more than a collection of stories and letters from antiquity. To think that any of it is true would be to commit intellectual suicide. Yes; there are stories in the Bible that are difficult to understand or believe. “The Bible is full of contradictions!” people tell me. To which I reply, please show me one! In my 70 years on this planet I haven’t found any. When people say to me, “Do you really believe that Jonah was swallowed by a big fish?” I tell them that I not only believe about the big fish, I also believe about the worm! (See Jonah 4:7) Then they say to me, “You’re crazy!” Then I can tell them I’ve been crazy about Jesus for more than 50 of those years. Over these years, opinions have come and gone. In the 1970’s we went through the Serendipity phase. (discovery of something fortunate) Then we arrived at the “Faith” years in the 1980’s. We loved those years. We felt as though the Lord was setting us free to believe Him for great things. Ken Copeland, Jerry Savelle and the Hagins brought in a freshness and simple approach to being a Christian. Of course there were problems. Show me any move of God and I will show you the problems they had in those days. The devil tried anything and everything to wreck the moves of God. Then we had the “Toronto Blessing” as it was called. This arrived on the scene at more or less the same time as “Alpha”. The faith message was very exciting. Above anything else we were taught to believe the promises of God. Accordingly we began to get to grips with the Patriarchs and the faith displayed by them some 4000 years ago. Even now, as I read the book of Genesis I get “intoxicated” with that which happened and how God honoured their faith. The Old Testament is “awash” with tales of real men and women and great faith. Hebrews 11 expounds on this. 39 All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. Hebrews 11:39-40 NLT. In a way we are being told that as much as we look back at their wonderful example, they are looking at us and cheering us on. Did you know that Abraham is waiting for you and me? So are Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. We may never be told to take our one and only son to the top of Mt Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice. SAPS would never understand! But we are expected to exercise faith in a way that is meaningful today. We could start by finding out what “mountain” needs to be cast into the sea? Perhaps we could pray with a young couple who have been trying to conceive for years? Perhaps we could find someone who has been through a terrible divorce? Perhaps all that is needed is a word of encouragement for someone in a difficult place? Whatever it might be!  “Hang on Abe, I’m coming!” Jim & Phyllida Strickland			20 Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger; in this he brought God glory. Romans 4:20 NLT 22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, "Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. Mark 11:22-24 NLT 6 No one can please God without faith. Whoever goes to God must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6 GW 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. Hebrews 11:17-19 ESV 21 He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises. Romans 4:21 NLT 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son." Genesis 18:14 NLT 26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." Matthew 19:26 NLT 5 The apostles came up and said to the Master, "Give us more faith." 6 But the Master said, "You don't need more faith. There is no 'more' or 'less' in faith. If you have a bare kernel of faith, say the size of a poppy seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, 'Go jump in the lake,' and it would do it. Luke 17:5-6 MSG	We’ve all heard about Abraham and know just what he did. For thirteen years he said that God had promised him a kid. A son who would inherit the land in which they stayed. But Abram didn’t own it and kind of disobeyed. He conspired with Sarah that they would have a son; And came to an agreement; through Hagar it was done. Perhaps he thought that God Most High required them to do, That which in the natural was too good to be true. For thirteen years thereafter, Ishmael was the one, They thought that He had been given them as the expected son. But that was not God’s purpose. Sure Ishmael was OK. But he was not the promised son whom Hagar bore that day. Then at the age of ninety, Sarah gently laughed. “For me to have a baby!” The thought itself was daft. But nothing is impossible for God who reigns on high. So when He said to Abraham, that Isaac had to die. “Abie” wasn’t bothered. “If Isaac’s dead and gone, The Lord will raise him from the dead so he can carry on”. Such was the faith of Abraham. He knew that God could do, Anything and everything that He wanted to. For God, a resurrection, was just a “piece of cake”. So sacrificing Isaac was not too hard to take. And we all know what happened. That in the nick of time, God gave the sacrificial ram, which He said would do fine. How can we believe it? Some people look for proof. They think that God is distant, incredibly aloof. That He would never do it. That it is all a lie. But that is not the way it is for folk like you and I. We know if God has said it, the outcome’s guaranteed; That anything He ever says is “very truth” indeed! To us it seems impossible. But it’s a bagatelle. This miracle for Sarah, He did it very well. One word and opposition, is quickly blown aside. It’s certified to happen; for God has never lied. It may not be tomorrow and may not be next year. But if the Lord has said it, it’s going to appear. “Have faith in God” said Jesus. You don’t require much. The size of just a mustard seed is all you need as such. To tell a great big mountain, to jump into the sea. If that’s enough for Jesus; It’s quite enough for me. And all down through the ages, we’ve seen that it is true. God can work a miracle for folk like me and you. “Faith” is not a quantity. It all depends on trust. And knowing that His Father is always true and just. If we will just believe Him and that which He does say, The outcome is as certain as night will follow day. Jim Strickland Written 24th July 2012