ONE TINY GLIMPSE

Time with Jesus - Thursday, 25 April 2013

Hi all,

Have you ever asked people to tell you the real reason why they’re followers of Jesus? Most of us came to Him because we don’t want to get our skin singed in Hell: some, because it was the thing to do in the circles they were moving in. Others came to Him, because they had heard something about Christianity, being a “get rich quick” system. After all, if God is your father, surely He’ll want the very best for you! For most of us, that equates with money. The “prosperity Gospel” has resulted in many following Jesus so that He will fill their pockets!

In a way, I was “conned” into Christianity. Unmarried young men of 18 have one thing in common. Girls! Women! That’s why I went to that particular church. The girls were gorgeous. So I decided it was a good place to go to. Then there was a “Youth Meeting”. All the young people were going. That evening I met Jesus and He changed my life for ever. But I went there under false pretences; for the girls! That was the “con”. I went there that night for the wrong reason. God didn’t seem to mind. For me it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. There must be hundreds of men and women who stumbled into Christianity this way.

Christianity is littered with men and women like that. They went for “X” and got saved! No regrets. Most of our reasons were purely selfish. When I heard the Gospel for the first time, I didn’t like the idea of ending up in Hell! It was a selfish reason. That being the case, what is the reason why we should commit our life to Jesus? There is only one good reason I can think of. We should do it because, “He is worthy”. When we see Who He is and see what He has done, we should worship Him for no other reason. Why do we love our parents? Because of whom they are. We should come to Jesus because of Who He is.

Years ago I heard an old Saint preaching on this topic. He commented that our attitude should be; “Lord Jesus I’m going to serve You for the rest of my life because, You are worthy. At the end of my life it doesn’t matter what You do with me. If you send me to the lowest part of the worst possible pit in Hell for a million eternities, that’s fine with me. I’m nothing. You’re everything. All I’m going to do is serve You”.

Rewards are irrelevant. He is all in all. That why I’m going to serve Him. Can you say that? At times I get overwhelmed with this thought. That’s the time to hand everything over to Him once more. He is eternally worthy!

Today’s meditation takes a tiny glimpse at Who Jesus is!

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Thursday, 25 April 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	ONE TINY GLIMPSE
As a general rule it is not acceptable to believe your own testimony about yourself. What do I mean? In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, Paul states, “All Scripture is inspired by God”. Paul was not referring to the New Testament. Some of it had still not been written. He was referring to the Jewish Scriptures. Paul would also have been unwilling to claim that his writings would subsequently be regarded as Scripture. I suspect, even the thought would “terrify” him. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.2 Timothy 3:16 NLT This means that Paul had no idea he was writing Scripture. History tells us, that the New Testament Cannon, was not finalised until many years later, at a great Church meeting in a placed called “Chalcedon”. However, since Paul’s letters to Timothy were recognised as Scripture, what he had written concerning the Old Testament, was true of his own words in this letter. Sadly, many scholars do not believe the Scriptures are “God breathed”. So they feel free to chop and change them any way they choose. There is a “modern group of scholars”, who have approached the Bible with a pair of scissors. If the words do not conform to their “rational” minds, they cut them out. Thus, the creation account, is regarded as a myth! Miracles and supernatural signs are discarded and Jesus cannot be God’s Son. Think about this for a moment. It means that they see their own rational mind, to be a higher authority than God’s Word! In the light of this, it’s hardly surprising; many theologians have no faith in God whatsoever. What is diabolical is that they teach their people to believe nothing. You will find this true of many “ministers” in our churches. Many of their “flock” are unsaved and on their way to hell, because their minister is an unbeliever. All this because of the scourge of rationalism. God will hold them to account for this. Phyllida and I are unashamedly fundamentalists. We believe the Bible is inerrant; people are not; we aren’t inerrant either. Because we believe the Scripture, we know that Jesus came and died for us. This morning’s meditation asks, if any of us could have done what Jesus did. I freely admit I can’t; not even if I wanted to. It also looks at whether we will get what we deserve. It asks whether we should line up to live in His Kingdom. When I look at what He’s done; I start to think hell is a bit too good for me. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us--in one stroke he became poor and we became rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 MSG 19 For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20 NLT 3 The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command. When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven. 4 This shows that the Son is far greater than the angels, just as the name God gave Him is greater than their names. Hebrews 1:3-4 NLT 6 Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, 8 He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8 NLT 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." 20 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." Matthew 8:19-20 ESV 20 It is also written, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise don't amount to anything." (Psalm 94:11) 21 So no more bragging about human beings! All things are yours. 22 That means Paul or Apollos or Peter or the world or life or death or the present or the future. All are yours. 23 You are joined to Christ and belong to him. And Christ is joined to God. 1 Corinthians 3:20-23 NIrV	Do you think you could do it? I only wish I could. I don’t think I could live a life so excellent or good. I’m “happy” in my comfort zone and couldn’t face the change, From being God, to serving pigs! That’s far too large a range From Sovereign in the Palace, to eating food for hogs! From such a mighty pedigree, to slaving with dogs. From making all creation, to living in a womb. From knowing that you are the “life” to lying in a tomb How else can we express it? We surely can’t conceive, What’s written in the Word of God. Who me? I can’t believe! I just don’t have it in me! I know I can’t step down.  To being made the slave of all when I had worn the crown! I know about the fairy tale of incognito kings, Walking midst their people, so they could “check out” things. They wear the garb the ordinary people wear each day. But know it’s not for very long they’ll carry on that way. We’ve revelled in the moment when all has been revealed; The unattractive servant is now as king revealed! He didn’t have to journey into the vale of death. He doesn’t die in agony, gasping for each breath! He wasn’t in such poverty, he didn’t have a grave, He didn’t go and visit Hell for other men to save. Yet Jesus Christ did all of this. From wealth to poverty! It seems the “gap” was infinite to save a wretch like me! God knows we don’t deserve it. He took my punishment, For living in my selfishness, my thinking warped and bent! A hundred billion years in Hell would be appropriate A million crucifixions, a much more fitting fate! But Jesus Christ endured it for folk like you and me! How many people can be saved by “killing” Deity? A hundred million billion could never quite suffice. But every sinner who has lived is closer to the price. So lets all think about it and go through it once more. Is this the God you want to serve, to worship and adore? I don’t deserve to serve Him. I’ll do it any way. Not to be rewarded, that cost for me’s OK. “My good and faithful servant”. Is much too good for me. A slave within His palace I think I just might be. Anything to be with Him, Lord, anything at all. Just to get a glimpse of Him! Somewhere cramped and small. Then I can face eternity, locked in the deepest hell! For I’ll have served the Son of God and seen His face as well! Jim Strickland Written 25th April 2012