KEEP ON KEEPING ON

Time with Jesus - Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Hi all,

Thirty years after commencing my apprenticeship in England, ESKOM “pensioned me off” on the grounds of ill-health. Thus, at 48, I was able to “retire” from conventional employment. There is a small monthly pension from ESKOM to help us “get by”. 

Other than that, we’ve had to trust the Lord to provide for us. He has never let us down in all the time since then. What we have been able to do is devote ourselves exclusively to the service of the Lord in a number of different “churches”. During 1991, Phyllida and I assisted the minister in one of the churches in the small South African town we were living in at the time. It was a challenging and eye-opening experience.

Grade 10

It wasn’t very long before we realised that the ministry is largely a matter of self-motivation. You could be motivated by a desire to serve the Lord and His people. On the other hand it’s possible to “mark time” and do the minimum needed to keep the leaders and others “off your back”. There were no “performance appraisals” to ensure you were doing your best. What was essential for a healthy church was a willingness to be aware of the needs of the people and a determination to keep going; to press on regardless.

The sad fact about the ministry is that you can get on very well without God! I’m reminded of the statement made by a Chinese visitor to America. When he was asked for his impression about the churches in USA he said, “It’s amazing how much American churches can achieve without God!”

At the same time we met many sincere and deeply committed men and women who were passionate about serving God. Such men and women were devoted to hearing from Him so that they could follow Him. For them, the ministry was a calling. Furthermore, the call was from God. Such people would set off on the course He had shown them. Nothing could divert them from their chosen course. They would “keep on keeping on” regardless.

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, wrote: ¹³ No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 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 3:13-14 NLT

For those who genuinely seek to serve the Lord in any Christian Church, Paul’s words encourage them to keep going. His eyes were focussed on Jesus. The writer of Hebrews put it this way: ¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. ² We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting Him, He endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now He is seated in the place of honour beside God's throne. Hebrews 12:1-2 NLT

There is only one way to be. You may be a senior “minister” for God. (We are all ministers) You may be a new believer. The only way, is to keep your eyes fixed firmly on Jesus. If you do and you follow Him, you will receive His reward. Those who don’t will have to answer to Him for what they have done. It could be very unpleasant.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Wednesday, 19 June 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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	INTRODUCTION		DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	KEEP ON, KEEPING ON.
Education and qualifications go hand in hand today. Regardless of personal preferences or your chosen profession, you have to be qualified. It hasn’t always been like that. My mother tells me that after one week at pre-primary school, I came home and told her that I knew everything, so didn’t need to go back to school! I can’t remember what gave me that impression. My guess is that I didn’t like school! Being qualified for life, up to the time of WW2, probably equated to our Grade 10 today. Work was not too difficult to find and with enthusiasm and a willingness to learn “on the job”, it was quite sufficient for most people. Things began to change significantly by 1960. You had to have Grade 12 to reach the upper echelons in business. Today, if you don’t have two degrees, you will not “rise to the top”. Fortunately, to qualify to become a Christian is the same as it has always been. All sinners qualify regardless of education, race or gender. It only applies to sinners. So if you aren‘t a sinner, you’re OK. The problem is, if say you are not a sinner, you are a liar and all liars are sinners! Paul in his letter to the Romans tells us, 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Romans 3:23 NLT Everyone means – everyone! We’re all sinners. From Anglicans to Zen Buddhists. We are all in the same boat, on a free one way ticket to Hell. You may not believe there is a Hell. It is real; believe it or not. The question is how do we get off the boat? Again, it’s no great problem. Ask the Lord Jesus to save you. There’s no other way. If you prefer to stay on the devil’s boat, that’s up to you. He will let you! Jesus will rescue anyone and everyone who asks Him. He has a very ecumenical attitude toward rescuing sinners. It will require some changes in your life. He knows that. He is willing to provide you with supernatural assistance specifically for this purpose. There is only one condition. You have got to give him everything, including your life. You also have to agree to obey Him completely. He will then put you in a “canoe” and tell you to “paddle against the stream”. That will lead you to His Kingdom. So you have a choice. Paddle all the way into His Kingdom, or sit back and relax on the devil’s boat. It will take you straight into Satan’s kingdom via going over something like the edge of Victoria Falls! Then you will be stuck there. So here’s your choice. A bit of strain and uphill to an eternity with Him, or carry on over the falls into an eternity without Him. The hard way is in your best interests. But it’s entirely up to you. Don’t let anyone tell you that Christianity is a life of idle, affluence. It doesn’t work like that. It’s a life of blood, sweat and tears. Know it before you ask Jesus to save you. But your canoe will only capsize if you let it. It’s the greatest challenge you will ever know. But it’s infinitely worth it. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			18 "Here's what I want you to do: Buy your gold from me, gold that's been through the refiner's fire. Then you'll be rich. Buy your clothes from me, clothes designed in Heaven. You've gone around half-naked long enough. And buy medicine for your eyes from me so you can see, really see. Revelation 3:18 MSG 29 Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. Mark 10:29-30 ESV 12 Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 1 Peter 4:12 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 10 God always gives you all the grace you need. So you will only have to suffer for a little while. Then God himself will build you up again. He will make you strong and steady. And he has chosen you to share in his eternal glory because you belong to Christ. 1 Peter 5:10 NIrV 33 I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world." John 16:33 MSG	There isn’t a professional in Christianity! There’s ordinary people; the likes of you and me. There are no Christian Giants. No “favourites” with God. To think there is a hierarchy is truly rather odd. In Christ we are all equal. The women and the men. We may have different functions; some quite beyond our ken. We all start at the bottom. We progress going down. It’s service to our brothers that earns for us a crown. To ever be the greatest, you have to be the least. That’s how our dear Lord Jesus became our Great High Priest! When first we come to Jesus, our service has begun. And everything that happens won’t be a lot of fun. The trials and temptations that we all have to face, Each gets a little harder as we run in this race. The Master has assured us, that we will go through trials. And how do we confront them? We face them with a smile. For every time we’re tested and when we have passed through, We know that we are doing what Jesus told us to. Of course it isn’t easy. Instead, it’s very hard. Not sleeping in a deckchair within your own back yard. Satan tries to tempt us, to turn around and quit. He does his very best to prove, we’re totally unfit, To dwell in Jesus’ kingdom. So just lie down and rest. It really doesn’t matter. You’re sure to pass His test. But gutless Christianity, my friend is just a lie! To satisfy the Master, You’ve really got to die. Die to self-ambition and get into the grave. It’s only those who perish, whom Jesus Christ will save. Die to all you’re wanting, to every lust and greed Put aside your “everything” for He is all we need. If you think you can do it; believe me, you are wrong. It’s only at your weakest, that Jesus Christ is strong. No matter what you’ve given up, to follow Him each day, He has a great reward for you, for doing things His way! So keep on with your trusting; you won’t be here for long. You’ll be with Him forever if you keep on, keeping on. And when He comes to fetch you and bring you the reward. You’ll say, “Thank God it’s over and I am with You Lord.” Jim Strickland – Written 19th June 2012.