FOR THE JOY

Sorry. No Pictures Today Power Problems

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 30 November 2013

Hi all, 

Attached herewith, please find a copy of my latest Daily Light Meditation in rhyme and metre.

Happiness is one of the qualities of life we are all supposed to be able to pursue. According to the United States Declaration of Independence, drafted by Thomas Jefferson adopted by the Committee of the Whole of the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 we are told, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

It would be a very foolish man who would have the temerity to quibble with an august body of men such as those who drafted the Declaration of Independence. I for one have no argument or criticism toward this excellent example of English. However, I do have a question? What exactly is happiness? If you are able to provide me with a good definition, I would be most grateful. The reason I make this observation is that in my somewhat limited experience, I’ve never met anyone who successfully found it, in spite of pursuing it all their lives. Perhaps I’ve looked in all the wrong places? There is none available in ShopRite/Checkers. Pick ‘n Pay can’t really help. Perhaps OK Bazaars closed as a result of an unsuccessful quest to discover this elixir of contentment!

Only once in all my years have I come across any who can suggest where to look. It dates back to 1955 and took place in Vereeniging. I can’t tell you the name of the street. What I recall is that it was next door to a small shop which sold the most delicious mini steak and kidney pies I’ve ever tasted. In those days, Dad was working at Taaibosch Power Station. We travelled through to Vereeniging most Saturday mornings, primarily for the weekly shopping. It was also an opportunity to have a break away from the Power Station property. We had a habit of calling in and buying these mini steak and kidney pies for lunch.

On the occasion I’ve got in mind, we stopped at the pie shop. The shop was very busy and there was a queue waiting to be served. Next door to the pie shop there was what I seem to recall, a Pharmacy. Outside the Pharmacy there was a weighing machine. You may remember them. You stood on the scale, put a penny in the slot and the needle would go round to reveal your weight. Some machines were more sophisticated. They would “speak” and give you a mini printout similar to today’s ATM printout. On it would be your weight.

This particular weighing machine had an additional feature. There were a number of questions round the dial of the machine. When a question was selected and you stood on the scale, for one penny the machine “spat out” your weight along with the answer to your question, printed neatly on the paper.

On this occasion, Mom stepped onto the scale. She then selected the question, “Where will I find happiness?” Then she put her penny in the slot. The machine made the “whirring” noises typical of any mechanical contrivance. Then it spat out the printed paper with her weight printed thereon. The answer to her question was, “Under “H” in the dictionary”. Our “ghast” was utterly “flabbered” and we roared with laughter. From then on, in the family we had a new “question and answer”. “Where will I find happiness? Under “H” in the dictionary”.

The point of this is you will never find happiness. The reason is simple. Happiness is not a commodity you can hunt for. In a sense, it’s a state of mind. You can look for it all you want. You will never “find” it. In a sense it’s a by-product of how you are or, better still, how you can be. It’s more likely to be something you “experience” while you are in pursuit of a goal. By way of illustration, I have a friend who is an ardent fisherman. He doesn’t always catch anything. However, while he is sitting on the banks of a river, watching his float bob up and down, he feels “happy”. He is pursuing something he loves doing. He is “happy” because he is fishing. Fishing doesn’t make him happy. His happiness originates from the fact that he is doing what he enjoys. He hasn’t pursued it. He has pursued something he thoroughly enjoys. That’s where his happiness is located – doing what he likes doing.

In some respects, joy is the same. The big difference is that joy is experienced regardless of the circumstances. One of the very best illustrations of this comes from the life of Jesus.

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

Jesus was not a masochist. He didn’t relish the prospect of what lay in front of Him. Gethsemane tells us that He would have liked to find an easier way. There wasn’t any other way. So He embraced what He had to do. He did it because of the “joy” He would know when all had been accomplished. He knew that when “it is finished” He would experience the greatest joy imaginable. He would have been completely submissive to His Father’s will and, as a result, all of mankind could be free from Satan’s bondage to sin and death. It would be this inner quality of joy that enabled Him to break the power of Satan, sin and death. Indeed, His joy is boundless.

Shalom

Jim & Phyllida Strickland 

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 30 November 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
©	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					©
INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	FOR THE JOY
Back in the early 1960’s, all I really knew much about was the Methodist Church. Which means I “cut my teeth” on the hymns of Charles Wesley and many of the wonderful hymns in the 1936 version of the Methodist Hymn Book. I loved those old hymns and still do. My favourite back then was “And can it be that I should gain an interest in My Saviour’s blood? Died He for me who caused such pain? For me who Him to death pursued? Amazing Love, How can it be, that Thou My God should die for me?” On reflection I must admit that most of my theology came from singing these great hymns of faith. There were a few choruses doing the rounds. They were fun to sing, but their spiritual depth was almost negligible. There were one or two “classics” but not all that many. It may have been different in some of the other churches. There must have been. I remember singing choruses at the Billy Graham Crusade in Manchester in 1961. (I think) For me, choruses “took off” with those written by Dave and Dale Garrett and their “Scripture in Song” series. I loved the fact that we sang Scripture. It helped me get it into my spirit! Incidentally, this couple are still ministering in song but have focused on indigenous music. Since they are New Zealanders, the music has a distinct “Maori” flavour. Their latest production is a DVD called, “Let My People Go”. One of the best known choruses of all time must be “The Joy Of The Lord Is My Strength”. Originally from the book of Nehemiah it is a wonderful call to follow the Lord joyfully. 10 And Nehemiah continued, "Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!" Neh. 8:10 NLT Hebrews tells us; 2 Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb. 12:2 ESV For our meditation today, I’ve expressed the entire life of Jesus Christ “For the joy that was set before Him”. We know that He endured the cross, despising its shame, for the joy that was before Him. Since He was slain before the foundation of the world, it makes sense that His entire life comprised “For the joy that was before Him”. This was the example He set for us. The question for us, is whether or not we are equally prepared to do whatever it takes for the joy that is before us? What does that demand from you and me? Historically, it’s meant martyrdom. The pages of history are littered with the blood of the saints. What about ours? Jim & Phyllida Strickland			3 And that's not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. Romans 5:3 NIrV	For the joy that was before Him, He left His Father’s throne. For the joy that was before Him, the earth became his home. For the joy that was before Him, He nursed at Mary’s breast. For the joy that was before Him, His life was filled with zest. For the joy that was before Him, to Jerusalem He went. For the joy that was before Him, some time with priests was spent. For the joy that was before Him, He grew to be a man. For the joy that was before Him, He followed Father’s plan. For the joy that was before Him, He went and was baptised. For the joy that was before Him, He defeated Satan’s lies. For the joy that was before Him, He taught His favoured flock. For the joy that was before Him, He said Peter was a rock. For the joy that was before Him, He was physically transformed. For the joy that was before Him, The apostles were informed. For the joy that was before Him, He told them He would die. For the joy that was before Him, He watched Judas say good bye. For the joy that was before Him, He walked to Gethsemane. For the joy that was before Him, He prayed for you and me. For the joy that was before Him, He was taken for a trial. For the joy that was before Him, He answered without guile. For the joy that was before Him, He said “I’m the Son of God!” For the joy that was before Him, He was beaten with a rod. For the joy that was before Him, He endured the Jewish jeers, For the joy that was before Him, He refused to shed His tears. For the joy that was before Him, He endured the Roman lash. For the joy that was before Him, they treated Him like trash. For the joy that was before Him, He carried His own cross. For the joy that was before Him, He let Satan think he’s boss. For the joy that was before Him, He was nailed upon the tree. For the joy that was before Him, He died for you and me. For the joy that was before Him, He is risen from the grave. For the joy that was before Him, He is powerful to save. For the joy that is before you, will you let them do to you; For the joy that is before you, anything they want to do? For the joy that is before you, endure your suffering? For the joy that is before you, shine His light on everything? For the joy that is before you, will you give your life away? For the joy that is before you, will you serve the Lord today? Jim Strickland Written 30th November 2012
			19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 1 Corinthians 15:19 NLT
			12 Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad--for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world. 1 Peter 4:12-13 NLT
			10 We are sad, but we are always full of joy. We are poor, but we make many people rich. We have nothing, but we own everything. 2 Corinthians 6:10 NIrV
			4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 ESV
			41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name. Acts 5:41 ESV
			13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NLT
			17 Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. (For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.) Habakkuk 3:17-19 NLT