FOLLOWING JESUS

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 03 March 2013

Jim & Phyllida in Rome 2010

Hi all,

Today’s meditation is entitled, “Following Jesus”! We look at the good side and the bad side and acknowledge that we have a long way to go. Christianity is actually a lifelong experience of walking with Jesus. Some come to Jesus in their youth or late teens. Some become believers later in life. The point is, for most, there is a point where we change our lifestyle completely. If we don’t, perhaps we should ask if we truly are Christian.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland 

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 03 March 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	Following Jesus
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 lifelong 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? Was I lied to? 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, in a couple of weeks it would be “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 matter 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! I’ve sometimes wondered, had I known what would happen to me over the next few months, would I have made the same decision? Part of me wants to brag and say I would put up with anything and everything for the sake of my Lord. The other part of me cringes, knowing how painful it actually was. At the same time, on reflection, from what I remember of ±50 years ago, I think my workmates were right. Christians in the early days of their experience with Jesus tend to be insufferably arrogant and pompous. So when they painted the name “Elmer Gantry” on my toolbox, they were right. Now it’s a question of following Jesus. Most people think it’s easy. But there are challenges facing all of us. We need to be aware, what we are doing has His approval. How will we cope with this? Prayer and a willingness to put yourself aside. Try it if you need to! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. Philip 3:14 NLT 21 "If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me." Mat 19:21 MSG 1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." Gen 15:1 ESV 21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness! Mat 25:21 TNIV 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun. The Lord God will give them light. They will rule for ever and ever. Rev 22:5 NIrV 4 The Chief Shepherd will come again. Then you will receive the crown of glory. It is a crown that will never fade away. 1 Peter 5:4 NIrV 12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12 ESV 8 And now the prize awaits me--the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of His return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8 NLT 25 Everyone who enters an athletic contest goes into strict training. They do it to win a temporary crown, but we do it to win one that will be permanent. (a permanent crown) 1 Cor. 9:25 GW 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24 ESV 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 1 Thess. 4:17 ESV 18 I consider our present sufferings insignificant compared to the glory that will soon be revealed to us. Rom 8:18 GW	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