WHAT LIFE IS ABOUT

Time with Jesus - Monday, 11 February 2013

Hi all,

One of the wonders of creation, is the variation in things which “look alike”. I understand that every snowflake is unique. They may all look alike to our undiscerning eyes. But look at each one through a microscope and they are different in some particular way. People are much the same. Phyllida and I were in Northgate Shopping Mall yesterday and hundreds of people walked past us. Sure, they were all people; but they were all different; long, short, thin, fat, male, female; each one of them identifiable and unique. You and I are able to manufacture scores of copies of things. The printing press mass produces books and newspapers. They are more or less all alike. God only produces originals. It is one of the glories of Our Creator God that He has ordained that everything will be unique. There is only one me. There is only one you! There will only ever be one Mozart. Thank God there will only ever be one Adolph Hitler.

We are literally surrounded by the uniqueness of God’s creation. We call it “nature”. Yes, it has been exploited by man. In some cases, “nature” has been destroyed in our collective “hunger” for bigger and better things. We are told that the time will come, when the resources of our planet, will reach a point where we will no longer be able to feed and clothe our ever increasing demands. At present there are ±7 billion people living on our planet. This number is predicted to increase to 9 billion by 2050. Is there an answer to this? Yes, there is! The return of Jesus Christ! Even so, Come Lord Jesus

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland  

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Monday, 11 February 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	What life is about
The Hebrew people of the Old Testament were remarkable. Their language was simple and very expressive. Their thought patterns had not been influenced and downgraded by Greek culture and thinking. As a result we read beautiful pictures. The mountains skip like a calf. The trees of the field clap their hands. We know this was their way of expressing the glory of God in nature. Modern thinking looks at such language and describes it as “quaint”. It’s not logical and fails the “truth test”. Therefore, it annoys modern rationalists, trapped in an inflexible mind-set, that fails to comprehend the beauty of such expressions. What I find exciting about this, is that it challenges my own thinking. It may sound comical, but I enjoy this form of Hebrew thinking. It appeals to me to think that nature gets so excited about God, the trees clap their hands. I suspect that if others could get excited about God, they would also love to see nature honouring the Creator, in such a beautiful way. The first three verses of Psalm 1 relate upright men to trees planted next to a stream of water. The tree may not be free from trouble. It’s the same way as Christians are subject to the normal trials of day to day life. But those who follow God and walk in His way, have a wonderful promise. They will have a fruitful life. Everything he does prospers. 1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He’s like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 ESV Today, many Christians regard prosperity as consisting of an accumulation of things. Big cars, big houses, big ministries and all the trappings that go along with being rich, have defined prosperity for too many of us. By this standard, Jesus was a failure. He died alone, naked and ignored. He didn’t build a school and was hated by all the influential people. What little money He had, was taken care of by a thief with sticky fingers. So much for the greatest man who ever lived. Paul’s definition of prosperity is vastly different from ours. 11 Not that I was ever in need; for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. Philip 4:11-12 NLT It seems to me, he encapsulated genuine Christianity in these magnificent words. Today’s meditation, is about the beauty of creation. Nature is God’s garden. He spoke of His creation as being “very good”. That’s what life’s all about; looking for and finding God everywhere. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			16 The cedar trees of Lebanon belong to the LORD. You planted them and gave them plenty of water. 17 There the birds make their nests. The stork has its home in the pine trees. 18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats. The cliffs are a safe place for the rock badgers. Psalm 104:16-18 NIrV 5 I will be like the dew to Israel. They will bloom like a lily. They will send their roots down deep like a cedar tree in Lebanon. 6 They will spread out like new branches. They will be as beautiful as an olive tree. They will smell as sweet as the cedar trees in Lebanon. Hosea 14:5-6 NIrV 7 "But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence. 8 They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit. Jer 17:7-8 NLT 22 "This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I will take a branch from the top of a tall cedar, and I will plant it on the top of Israel's highest mountain. 23 It will become a majestic cedar, sending forth its branches and producing seed. Birds of every sort will nest in it, finding shelter in the shade of its branches. 24 And all the trees will know that it is I, the LORD, who cuts the tall tree down and makes the short tree grow tall. It is I who makes the green tree wither and gives the dead tree new life. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will do what I said!" Ezekiel 17:22-24 NLT 12 But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon. 13 For they are transplanted to the LORD's own house. They flourish in the courts of our God. 14 Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green. Psalm 92:12-14 NLT	God did us all a favour, when He created trees. The beauty of creation is what His people see. The birds that flap their feathered wings and fly into the blue. The cats, the dogs, the reptiles. O Lord You made them too. The wild goats and the pine trees, rock badgers and the stork; The parrot and the cockatoo that do their best to talk. Lord, Your imagination and the creatures you have made, Truly are stupendous and they all make the grade. In fact when we see anything and mark it out of ten, It seems you’ve scored eleven! But in the world of men, You certainly excelled Yourself. Your image is our mould. And every person You have made is worth their weight in gold! You gave us what we needed; our minds to help us think. The power to make decisions, may take us to the brink Of nuclear destruction. So You gave us restraint! A quality essential in each and every saint. You gave us a root system that goes down very deep. Perhaps it isn’t like a tree; but what we sow, we reap! And You have given knowledge. It’s wisdom that we lack. And with all our inventions - there is no turning back. We’ve unlocked many details of what you first designed. Some doctors can restore the sight of those who have gone blind Our medical practitioners have learned what makes us “tick”. And vehicles to get there if needed double quick. We understand that many things we’ve used have made You sad. But on the odd occasion, we’ve made Your great heart glad. We know that all the plant life is standing in its place. The pine tree and the cedar can’t flee from what they face. They have to grin an bear it, or we will chop them down, Because we need the lumber to expand our little town. You give us the ability to choose what’s right from wrong. We could enslave our neighbour for you have made us strong. It isn’t many years ago we walked upon the moon. We’ve even got atomic clocks to tell us when it’s noon. You haven’t put restrictions on those things which we can do. But we still have the problem of listening to You. We all get old and wither. And then we will sign out. And face your final judgement; that’s what life’s all about. Jim Strickland  Written 11th February 2012