Coming back to the question of
designing something brand new, it seems logical, you would need to know the
final “product”, before creating it. Perhaps the best way, is to think about
what you and I do, in order to reach a goal, in business or in the church.
You’ve got to decide on what you are aiming at. In business or in an
organisation, we have to decide how many “widgets” we are going to need. along
with how we are going to make, test, and package, distribute and sell the things!
For God, the question would have
been more complex. Our assumption is that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were
so enjoying their relationship together; they decided they would like a bigger
family. If this is correct, we need to ask ourselves where they would start, in
order to end up with a “being” like the three members of the Holy Trinity! Any
suggestions? Mmmm. I thought not.
First of all, the creature would
have to be a spirit being. The being would need to have “free will” in order to
“love” or “hate” the Trinity. The creature would have to occupy a different
dimension or “it” could cause bigger problems, than Lucifer and his cronies. It
would have to be able to “procreate”. in order to cope with possible rebellion
in their midst. It would need an “environment” upon a “world” in which to live.
Of course in order to live or even to die, it would need a mechanism whereby it
could sustain itself; a universe into which the world could be placed. Gravity
so the creature would not “fall off”. More than that, gravity to control the
universe! I guess I could go on with this, but there’s not much point. What we
can say is, all of creation was put in place so that the creature, its mate and
offspring, could dwell and fellowship with God.
The story of creation tells how God
went about it. Step by step, the various components were created. All this so
that ultimately, God could have a bigger family! How long did all this take? We
are told God created it all in 6 days. Was this length of time equal to 6 X 24
hour days? Don’t ask me such questions. Not in the light of Peter’s comment in
his epistle. 8 But you must not forget
this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a
thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 2 Peter 3:8 NLT
In the light of this, I’m reminded
of Einstein’s answer, when he was asked to explain his theory of relativity. He
said, “1 hour talking to a pretty girl, seems much shorter than 30 seconds
sitting on the hot plate of a stove”! Mmmmm.
One feature God designed into our
dimension, is the need for nourishment. We are designed to eat in order to
live. Ideally we should have nutritious meals. Some cultures have 3 meals per
day. Others have 4. Some only have 1 meal per day. Let’s not go down the road
of what comprises good nutrition and the body’s metabolic process. It is sufficient
to say that if you don’t have enough to eat, you could starve to death. If you
have too much, you get fat.
Jesus was well aware of this need.
Part of His model prayer and teaching in the Sermon on the Mount addressed our
need for food and our anxiety about provision for tomorrow. The Lord’s Model
Prayer states “Give us today our daily bread”. Matt 6:11 TNIV
Most of the same chapter reminds us,
His Father knows what we need and can be trusted to provide. Let’s pick His
teaching up in verse 31:
31 Therefore, do
not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What
shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your
heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to
you. 34 "Therefore do not be
anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for
the day is its own trouble. Mat 6:31-34 ESV
Life in this world for you and me
comprises a number of questions. Jesus refers to three of them here. What shall
we eat, drink and wear. These are the bottom line for most of us today. Not to
be able to answer these questions can easily lead to panic. “What are we going
to do tomorrow?” We are all capable of doing this. The issue is whether or not
we know and trust God. Unbelievers (Gentiles in the Scripture passage) have no
way of being sure that all will be well. They cannot be sure. They know nothing
of the love and concern of the Father for His children. So they worry and
desperately seek a solution.
There is no solution. But for a Christian,
worrying about tomorrow is actually slandering our Heavenly Father. Think about
this for a moment. We are saying, “He takes care of His garden and His pets”.
(The lilies of the field and the birds of the air) “But I’m just His child. I
have to worry”! Silly isn’t it.
The discourse concerning worrying
about tomorrow concludes in the KJV vs. 34 with, 34b Sufficient unto the day
is the evil thereof. Here, Jesus touches on something very often
overlooked in our teachings. He is saying, “There is enough evil in the world
for today. Worry is sin. Don’t exacerbate today’s problems with what might
happen tomorrow!” Focus on today and leave tomorrow until we get there.
Shalom
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – 14 Oct 2013
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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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
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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OUR
DAILY BREAD
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Have you ever wondered why
things are recorded in the Scripture the way they are set out? In most cases,
it’s because it’s the actual sequence of events in life. At other times,
words are recorded in terms of their relative importance. The Lord’s model
prayer illustrates this very well.
Two accounts are given
associated with this prayer. There is Matt 6:9-13
and Luke 11:1-4. The Luke account explains
the background to the prayer. It was the one Jesus taught His disciples in
response to them asking Him to teach them to pray. 1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he
finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray,
as John taught his disciples." Luke
11:1 ESV. The model prayer, was given in response to this request. It follows that
the sequence in the wording followed a pattern, He believed is important.
We see that prayer commences
with focussing on the Father rather than ourselves. This is very important.
It shows us that prayer begins with the acknowledgement of the greatness of
God. We need to be aware that the One to Whom we are praying is our Almighty
Father. This is not just protocol. We don’t interrupt our superiors without
being aware of who they are. We need to establish precisely Who we are
praying to. This is Almighty God, not just a junior clerk from the Council
offices. I’d be very surprised if the Lord insisted we go through this
preliminary. We do for our own sake! It would be much like our walking
unannounced into the office of the President and started making demands
without any introduction. This is most likely the reason why Jesus included a
deeply respectful preamble as an integral part of His model prayer. From this,
it seems logical that all prayer should commence with an acknowledgement of Almighty
God.
Jesus then turns to the needs
of the individual. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And
forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors. Matt 6:11-12 Some
have suggested that the sequence was deliberate. In other words we should
pray for our needs before we ask for our forgiveness. I would go along with
this if the word “and” was not included in our translations. To me this
suggests that both are equally important. We will look at the forgiveness issue
in more detail in tomorrow’s meditation. Could it be that the provision of
our daily bread depends on our sins being forgiven? This is quite possible.
Perhaps God will only see to this provision if we are walking in forgiveness?
In brief, how can we expect God to provide anything for us if we are not
walking in forgiveness with our brothers and sisters and with Him? If we bear
in mind that without repentance there is no forgiveness; and without
forgiveness there is no salvation; it follows that without forgiveness there
would be no provision. Could it be that provision also depends on
forgiveness? What do you think?
Jim
& Phyllida
Strickland
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11 Give us this day our daily bread,
Matthew 6:11 ESV
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You have imagination! It is God’s gift to you.
To think and to imagine, no other creatures do.
Of course I cannot prove this; perhaps I’ve got it wrong?
But I have never heard a camel sing a brand new song.
Because that doesn’t happen I feel I may assume,
That only homo-sapiens, can write a brand new tune.
We’re fashioned in the image of The God who reigns on high.
That’s why we have emotions; we can both laugh and cry.
This makes us kind of special. With the ability;
To exercise the special gifts He’s given you and me.
So based on this assumption, here’s a scenario: -
Think about it carefully, because I’d like to know,
How you’d design a person if God gave you that right?
Would it be much different from what is now in sight?
The creature must exist upon a world that’s ready-made.
Let your mind flow freely; your thoughts go on parade.
Would you give the creature two hands, two legs and knees?
Would you give it hearing and a pair of eye’s to see?
Would you give it fingernails and cover it with hair?
Would it be attractive; and would you make a pair?
Would it have a stomach and would you let it sleep?
What of waste disposal? Would that be on the cheap?
What about the fuel it would need from day to day?
Would it have a diet? Would it ever pray?
If you want to feed it, how would you want it done?
Work on solar power, provided by the sun?
Frankly it’s a nightmare. The one that He’s designed,
Fits our situation with a keen and active mind.
Daily you would feed it! Without food it will die!
You would have to listen and hear its every cry.
What about its nourishment; its food for every day,
If you failed to feed it, it would just fade away!
So you’d be responsible for all its food and drink.
You’d cater for its diet. Somehow, I rather think,
The ones the Lord created; the real life me and you;
Could never be an accident. Such thoughts would be untrue.
They’d have to go the distance and not run out of steam.
That’s why we are the outcome of our Creator’s dream.
Jim
Strickland
Written
14th Oct 2012
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25 Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never
seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.
Psalms 37:25 NLT
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16
these are the ones who will dwell on high. The rocks of the mountains will be
their fortress. Food will be supplied to them,
and they will have water in abundance.
Isaiah 33:16 NLT
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6 The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he
drank from the brook.
1 Kings 17:6 NLT
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19 And
this same God who takes care of me will supply
all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in
Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 NLT
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5 Keep
your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he
has said, "I will never leave you nor
forsake you."
Hebrews 13:5 ESV
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3 He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna,
which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you
know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that
comes from the mouth of the LORD. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on
you and your foot did not swell these forty years.
Deuteronomy 8:3-4 ESV
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32
Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I
say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my
Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world." 34 They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread
always." 35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread
of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me
shall never thirst.
John 6:32-35 ESV
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