IN PRAISE OF GOD

Time with Jesus - Monday, 17 June 2013

Hi all,

In 1953/4, I attended Grey Junior School in Port Elizabeth. It was within walking distance from home so it made a lot of sense to go there. Back in those days it was one of the most prestigious schools in PE. It has a counterpart in Bloemfontein which, likewise, has a great reputation for being one of the best schools in the country.

Graeme Pollock in Action

Grey High School in PE produced two magnificent cricketers; Peter and Graeme Pollock. Both went on to play for South Africa. Peter was a couple of years ahead of me in school so I didn’t meet him. No doubt, many will remembers him as a fine bowler. His younger brother, Graeme, went on to be one of the finest batsmen South Africa has ever produced. Indeed, when “experts” put together a “world’s best” team list, Graeme is often included. The tragedy for Graeme is that he couldn’t represent South Africa during the years when RSA was excluded from international sport. If there is such a thing, he was one of the white “victims” of apartheid. His cricketing talent was such he was still playing for Transvaal well into the mid 1980’s.

Shaun Pollock

Graeme was in the class below me so I sort of knew him. We didn’t mix socially and he wasn’t a friend of mine. But even in Primary School, he was a cricketing phenomenon. He was just about a “one man team” if such a “thing” is possible. He was a fine spin bowler and as a batsman, he was almost impossible for anyone to dismiss. I recall thinking at the time that you would win the match if he was on your side. At school, there was prize given for any youngster who scored more than 25 runs in a match. It was supposed to be a cricket ball. From what I remember on one occasion he had won so many cricket balls the school decided to give him a cricket bat!

Times with Jesus

The problem with this is how to live life as an ordinary person after such a phenomenal career? Where does humility intersect with acknowledged international reputation? How do we deal with the adulation of the fans? Is it possible to mix the two together? Graeme’s elder brother, Peter, seems to have put them together as has Peter’s son, Shaun. I can’t speak for Graeme. I don’t know him.

Everyone who becomes successful in his or her chosen field, has to cope with their “reputation”. The Christian “arena” is no different. Some are untouched by their repute. Others are overwhelmed by a sense of their importance. Satan, in his determination to destroy us, uses many different methods to bring about our downfall. His “quiver” contains three principle arrows; i.e. sex, money and power. Few Christians are able to deal with all three. Sadly, the narrow way is littered with those who have succumbed to his wiles.

Can I cope with greatness? Can you? Without the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of Jesus, we are doomed to failure. Paul gave us guidelines on how to deal with it practically in his letter to the Thessalonians. . ¹¹ and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 1 Thess 4:11 TNIV 2000 years later, it’s still sound counsel!

There is a better way. Praising the Lord and not ourselves, is a sure recipe for successful Christian living.

PRAISE THE LORD

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus Monday, 17 June 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	IN PRAISE OF GOD
Felines are our favourite pets. The Tabby Point Siamese is our preferred variety but that does not exclude that other much loved breed, the “Pavement Special”. Cats have not always been my favourite pet, Originally, I preferred dogs. Then as I started to explore Scripture, I found that that the Jewish people spoke of the Gentiles as dogs. As a “Gentile Christian” this did nothing for my self-esteem. Perhaps an early version of the “pity-party? Phyllida has been a “cat person” for more years than we care to admit. Needless to say this strongly motivated my shift from canines to felines. Another influencing factor was my finding a cat in the Bible. I was fairly young at the time and I came across what I thought must have been a magnificent cat. It was an astonishing discovery. It’s in the Anglican Prayer book. Called the Magnificat! I concluded then it was a combination of “magnificent” and “cat”. Ah! The bliss of youthful ignorance. Subsequently I’ve learned that these were the words spoken by Mary when she visited Elizabeth, her cousin. The dialogue between them is one of the most beautiful texts ever expressed in Scripture. Mary’s words to Elizabeth in Luke 1:46-55 are known as the Magnificat. I’m no language specialist but am told that Mary’s words in the KJV are “46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord.” Luke 1:46 KJV Elizabeth’s words to Mary, “42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb”. Luke 1:42 KJV These words are now a part of Roman Catholic tradition known as the “Hail Mary”. It may have a fancy name in Roman Catholic circles. If so, I don’t know what it is. We are told that praise is the highest form of worship. I hesitate to say that this is true of spontaneous praise and not ritualistic praise. This may be a little unfair. Many sincere Episcopalian churches exclude any form of free worship; the members only sing hymns and choruses. For them, this is their highest form of worship. For free church members, spontaneous praise is encouraged. Phyllida and I prefer Pentecostal Praise and Worship. We realise that “singing in tongues” is not accepted in some quarters. So if this offends you, please accept my apologies. For us, the limitations of language, restricts spontaneity. So we love singing in the Spirit. Somehow, in a way we don’t understand, the Holy Spirit enables us to break free of language limitations and express our praise for God in ways we will never really comprehend. There is a line in the Hymn, “Love Divine” which describes what I mean beautifully. “Lost in wonder, love and praise.” To do this, we find it takes place best when singing in an unknown tongue. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			10 Everything that you have made will give thanks to you, O LORD, and your faithful ones will praise you. Psalm 145:10 GW Of David. 1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Psalm 103:1-2 ESV Of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away. 1 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1 ESV 2 I'll bless you every day, and keep it up from now to eternity. Psalm 145:2 MSG 3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. 4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. 5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. Psalm 63:3-5 TNIV 46 And Mary said: "My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is his name. Luke 1:46-49 TNIV 11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory and honour and power. You are worthy because you created all things. They were created and they exist. That is the way you planned it." Revelation 4:11 NIrV	IN PRAISE OF GOD'S GREATNESS Praise You Lord of earth and sea and sky, For honour, might and power all apply Unto the wondrous maker of the Earth; The architect of the whole universe! Blessed be my gracious Lord and King; The God Whose Name eclipses everything; Who holds all of creation in His hand And framed the worlds by His command. The God above all Gods; The Holy One; Too glorious for man to look upon; Just to catch a glimpse of Him brings death Because His radiant glory steals our breath. The God above; The owner of my soul, I praise His Name, His virtues I extol. Jim Strickland – Written 1988 IN PRAISE OF GOD Thank You for creation Lord; Thank You for Your Living Word; Thank You for the Bread of Life; Thank You for my darling wife. Lord, I bless and praise Your name For, constantly You are the same; The God of all eternity; The One who caused all things to be! The King; The Lord; El Shaddei; The One who never tells a lie; The Sinless One without a spot; The only One who changes not! Lord, I worship You today; Lift my voice to You and say, “Blessed be my God and King." “You are The Lord of everything!" Jim Strickland  Written 1988