Time with Jesus - Saturday, 30 March 2013
One of the greatest Christian writers of the 20th century was C
S Lewis. The following paragraph is quoted verbatim from the page on Amazon
advertising Lewis’ book entitled, “Surprised by Joy”
This book is not an autobiography. It is not a
confession. It is, however, certainly one of the most beautiful and insightful
accounts of a person coming to faith. Here, C.S. Lewis takes us from his
childhood in Belfast through the loss of his mother, to boarding school and a
youthful atheism in England, to the trenches of World War I, and then to
Oxford, where he studied, read and, ultimately, reasoned his way back to God.
It is perhaps this aspect of C S Lewis that we - believers and nonbelievers -
find most compelling and meaningful; Lewis was searching for joy, for an
elusive and momentary sensation of glorious yearning, but he found it, and
spiritual life, through the use of reason.
Jim & Phyllida at the Trevi Fountain in Rome |
The paragraph is quoted because it was the experience of the Prodigal Son
when he returned home to his father. In like manner, it was my experience when
I returned home to my parents in England in April 1960.
Phyllida and I have found that most people who come to Jesus Christ, have
their own experience of finding the love of Jesus in a personal way. The
prodigal son discovered that he was still his father’s son in spite of what he
had done. I found the same. We were “Surprised by Joy”!
Shalom,
Jim
& Phyllida Strickland
Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Saturday, 30 March 2013
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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His Father’s Son
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According to Mark Twain
in His autobiography, “Truth is
stranger than fiction; but it isn’t because fiction is obliged to stick to
possibilities; Truth isn't.” In the light of this statement, what do we
do with Jesus’ parables? Were they real stories about real people, or were
they merely teachings used as illustrations to demonstrate truth by the
greatest mind Who has ever lived?
It’s difficult thinking
that Jesus would tell stories that were not true in real life. So were these
parables the product of His fertile imagination or things that He had seen
and known? We are inclined to think that they were just stories. But the fact
is, what He spoke about had actually taken place somewhere. As the TV shows
state, “Names have been changed to protect the identity of individuals.”
We don’t have to be
Jewish or Christian in order to follow His parables. Some are so well known
that people are surprised they are Jesus’ parables. The Good Samaritan is a
case in point. Regardless of our “religious” views, the story grips the
imagination and can leave us feeling rather uncomfortable!
One of the best known
parables is the Prodigal Son. The word prodigal has two interconnected
meanings: One is Profligate and wasteful. The other is extravagant. In this
instance, the younger son was profligate and wasteful. Regardless the size of
his inheritance, he wasted it on riotous living in that far country. His
father was extravagant. He gave his youngest son his inheritance while still
alive. It should never have happened. I suspect that if you check with a
lawyer, you will be told that you can only receive an inheritance after the
person dies. A “settlement” before death would be a gift or donation.
Was this parable a story
or something that actually happened? By way of answer, if we look back over
Christianity for the past two thousand years, we see it repeated regularly by
men and women in every generation. The details may not be identical, but the
truth comes shining through in the lives of many Christians. Men like William
Wilberforce and John Newton. Women like Florence Nightingale. Hundreds, dare
I say hundreds of thousands, of Christians throughout the generations? It’s
true of me. What does a young man do when the bottom has fallen out of his
world? It happened to me. It’s true to say that I’m a 20th century
prodigal son. What we can say is that Jesus had something in mind which
prompted the parable. Truth or fiction is irrelevant. What we do know is
Jesus understands human nature.
Our meditation this
morning contains a part of my own testimony to what God regularly does in the
lives of people. I’m only one of them
Jim &
Phyllida
Strickland
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For the choir director; a psalm by David. 1 How long,
O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I make decisions alone with sorrow in my heart day
after day? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Psalm 13:1-2 GW
17 Every desirable and
beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading
down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing
two-faced, nothing fickle.
James 1:17 MSG
14 But the city of Zion
said, "The LORD has deserted me. The Lord has forgotten me."
15 The LORD answers, "Can a
mother forget the baby who is nursing at her breast? Can she stop showing her
tender love to the child who was born to her? She might forget her child. But
I will not forget you.
Isaiah 49:14-15 NIrV
21 Remember these things, Jacob: You are my servant,
Israel. I formed you; you are my servant. Israel, I
will not forget you. 22 I made
your rebellious acts disappear like a thick cloud and your sins like the
morning mist. Come back to me, because I have reclaimed you.
Isaiah 44:21-22 GW
5 Jesus loved Martha and
her sister and Lazarus. 6 But
after he heard Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was for two more days.
7 Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea." 8
"But Rabbi," they said, "a short time ago the Jews tried to
kill you with stones. Are you still going back there?" 9
Jesus answered, "Aren't there 12 hours of daylight? A person who walks
during the day won't trip and fall. He can see because of this world's light
John 11:5-9 NIrV
22 A Gentile woman who
lived there came to Him, pleading, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of
David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her
severely." 23 But Jesus
gave her no reply, not even a word. Then His disciples urged Him to
send her away. "Tell her to go away," they said. "She is
bothering us with all her begging." 24 Then Jesus said to the
woman, "I was sent only to help God's lost sheep--the people of Israel
Mat 15:22-24 NLT
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead,
even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It
is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far
more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through
many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day
when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
1 Peter 1:6-7 NLT
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He sat down in the corner with his hands across his face.
The thing he’d done was silly and he was in disgrace.
His parents were so far away and he had let them down.
How could he ever tell them in that far off distant town?
He trembled with anxiety. He knew his foes were near.
With each and every passing hour he trembled in his fear.
Could he find forgiveness? How would things all turn out?
And every time he thought of it, his mind was filled with doubt.
He felt alone and desolate. He couldn’t face the truth.
And life forever changed for him, that moment in his youth.
There still was so much more to learn. He thought he knew it all.
He’d heard about the Prodigal; about his rise and fall.
He knew he had gone home again, disgraced and wearing rags.
He knew that in the pig pen how much his heart could sag.
But he was far too hungry. A servant of his dad,
Was given food and clothing; a lot more than he had.
And so he set out homeward. No sandals on his feet;
Hoping that his father would give him food to eat.
He didn’t know his father. At least not how he should.
Perhaps the only thing he knew; his father was so good.
And when his father greeted him, the thing that he had done,
Was suddenly forgotten; he was his father’ son.
That young man in the corner I have to say was me.
What would my father ever say and just how would he be?
And so I went back home again, “my tail between my legs”.
I had received the poisoned cup and drained it to the dregs.
My father didn’t mention it. Just, “welcome home my lad”.
I felt I had been gob smacked! To
hear this from my dad!
It’s not what I expected. I thought He’d rant and rave.
Instead, he just accepted me. I thought he was so brave.
A few short months thereafter I heard about the Lord.
I went to Him in penitence and out to Him I poured;
The truth of what had happened. But He already knew.
He said I was forgiven and told me what to do.
Learn about my Saviour and put Him in control.
He would give direction, a purpose and a goal.
And since that very moment the thing which I had done
Was swallowed up by Jesus. Now I’m His Father’s son.
Jim Strickland
Written
30th March 2012.
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