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 3rd
March 2012
