PRIORITIES

Time with Jesus - Wednesday, 09 January 2013

Hi all,

Priorities: It’s a strange word. We must get things attended to in the right sequence. There’s always something ludicrous about a man painting himself into a corner. Now I don’t know Latin or Greek. But I do like looking at words and trying to see if I can guess where it came from? Today’s example is not all that difficult. England is a tea drinking nation. It’s almost as ritualistic as a Japanese Geisha tea party. Here in RSA people ask if I am a pre - lactarian or a post - lactarian. In other words do you add the milk to the tea, or the tea to the milk? That’s where the word “Priorities” comes from. Sophisticated English men and women always add the milk to the tea. They are post-lactarians! That’s where the word originates. It’s always Tea prior to the milk. Hence, after decades of use we get the word priority! So pick up your cup filled with hot water and tea. Add milk and you have an example of “prior-O-tea. That’s our meditation today.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Wednesday, 09 January 2013			Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give
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INTRODUCTION			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	Priorities
The things we do every day are potentially life changing. The younger you are, the bigger the impact of the things you do. The decisions you make will shape your tomorrow. From personal experience, something happened to me in 1955, the effect of which is with me today. What happened was that Dad was asked to return to the Head Office in England for a refresher course. Technology was beginning to change the Power Station industry. We had been in RSA since January 1947 so there were lots of things happening; things he needed to catch up with. This meant that I was out of school in RSA from the end of the 1st school term to the beginning of the 4th and final term. For me it was more or less a six month holiday! It was a watershed year for. I loved my “holiday” over there. It’s one of the best experiences I’ve had in life. The question was whether or not I would be able to pass my standard at the end of the year. Much to everyone’s amazement, I passed. In 1956, I was sent to Marist Brothers Walmer. Dad discussed my pass with the headmaster. They decided to put me into the next standard. The class had started Latin in 1955. It was too late for me to commence these studies. As a result, I never did learn Latin. All these years later and with my passion for the things of the Lord, I should have learned Latin and Greek. Back then it was impossible. When I joined my folks in the UK in 1960, the issue was what I would do to carve out a career. This was solved about 6 months later. One day my Dad asked me if I would like to join his company as an apprentice. I said “Yes”. God alone knows why. It was a Friday morning. The company interviewed me on the Monday morning. On the Tuesday I started work in the apprentice training school. It proved to be the right thing to do from every angle. It was a priority for me to begin my working life. It was decided in a flash that Friday morning. It was critical for me to get my priorities right. If I hadn’t, I would have ended up without a career or a future. Just less than a month later I went to the Methodist Church; the church the pretty girls attended! There, I heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached for the first time. Overnight, Jesus Christ and His Kingdom changed my priorities. In 1963, shortly after my 21st birthday, I quit. I couldn’t do what I knew I should. My priority had been to live the Christian life. I couldn’t and still can’t! As previously mentioned, although I had quit, Jesus hadn’t. 18 years later I found that you can’t keep running away forever. My world started crumbling and in desperation I returned to the One Who had never left me. I had got my priorities all wrong. The world, work, a wife, two children, a nice home and a “company car” All of this was slowly beginning to be stripped away. In the end I realised I had to go back to my original priorities, Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. The amazing thing is that He didn’t ask me why I had quit. We picked up where I had left off. Although I lost just about everything I owned at the time, Jesus continued to pour out His grace upon me. He, once more, was my priority. He arranged things such that I met Phyllida. We married at the end of 1981. Both of us now share one priority. Serving Jesus Christ and His Kingdom. We plan on going on to the very end with Him as our one priority. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			38 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." 41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her. Luke 10:38-42 ESV 6 There are many who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!" 7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:6-8 ESV For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. 1 As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before Him? Psalm 42:1-2 NLT A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah. 1 O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for You. My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched & weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 NLT 33 The true bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." 34 "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day." 35 Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. 36 But you haven't believed in Me even though you have seen Me. John 6:33-36 NLT 4 I'm asking the LORD for only one thing. Here is what I want. I want to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life. I want to look at the beauty of the LORD. I want to worship him in his temple. Psalm 27:4 NIrV	Priorities! Priorities! We make them every day. To rush around the kitchen, or what does Jesus say? We fluster like a housewife, getting everything prepared. But sitting at the Master’s feet; for that she isn’t spared. A meal was in the making. She had to make the bread. But what was more important, was what the Master said! The Mary/Martha saga we all know very well. Mary chose to listen. Martha couldn’t tell, That she was too preoccupied with incidental things. When she could have been hearing the Lord; The King of Kings. The problem was her gender and the things which women do. She couldn’t pause a moment, to hear His words so true. In fact she was offended, with her sister sitting there. “I think she should be helping. There’s dinner to prepare.” But Jesus answered, “Martha where’s your priority? The dinner could come later. You could sit here with me! Put aside anxiety and madly fussing round. If you would come and listen, I’m sure you would have found, Time to do the housework and hear me teach as well. Mary did the right thing, as time will surely tell. This attitude of Martha was certainly not wrong. The dinner must be perfect and satisfy the throng. But Martha’s inner spirit would not be satisfied. No matter how she worked for Him it could have been denied. We need to pay attention, if we’re to hear Him speak. We may long for the water, until we’re feeling weak. We may be parched and thirsty and longing for God’s Word. But if we are too busy, His voice will not be heard. The place where we are living could be dry as dry can be. But Jesus has a sustenance that very few can see. He gives us living water; He gives life’s daily bread. He gives us all that’s needed, to do what He has said! So when we’re feeling hungry and longing for a meal. The Lord will fill our belly, with bread that is more real, Than anything the baker could lay upon your plate. And Jesus’ living-water will more than satiate. So let us set our focus, on the sustenance we need. Alter our priorities and ask the Lord to feed, Us with His living water; and bread from up above. And we will be abounding in all the Master’s love. It’s all in our priorities and that which we decide. A life of mad activity, or sitting by His side? Jim Strickland Written 9th January 2012.