ANXIETY AND FEAR

Healed by Jesus Christ

Time with Jesus - Monday, 27 May 2013

Hi all,

While He walked this earth in a body of flesh, did Jesus heal everyone? It’s a difficult question to answer accurately. The Gospels make it clear that He healed everyone who reached Him. It seems that no one was turned away. 

They
"Tore Open the Roof"!

Certainly the healing of the paralysed man in Mark 2 illustrates this. The four men knew it was essential to get the paralysed man to Jesus. So they “tore open the roof” to get him to Jesus. ² Soon the house where He was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While He was preaching God's word to them, ³ four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. ⁴ They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above His head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Mar 2:2-4 NLT I can’t imagine any other reason for them to tear open the roof. In other words, the healing power of Jesus was usually manifest in His presence or by His direct command.

At the Beautiful Gate
of the Temple

We also know that the beggar at Gate Beautiful of the temple had been a cripple since birth. It follows that Jesus must have walked past or least been in view of the man during that final week before the crucifixion. Why Jesus did not heal him at that time, illustrates that He only healed those in His immediate presence or by His command. In this regard we need to be aware that if He had chosen to do so, He could have healed everyone in the world with one word of command. Why not? Because His Father had not told Him to do so!

What about today? Are there still healing miracles taking place? I’m certain that there are. Not as many as we would like to see! But they are taking place as He wills. We know that many medically attestable miracles have taken place. 

Medical "Miracles"

People have been miraculously healed of cancer when the medical profession had “abandoned all hope” that the person in question could be healed.

Thank God for the medical profession. Thank God for the “miracles” of science. Thank God for the men and women whom He Has gifted to bring healing under their hands. These scientific “miracles” have kept many of us “alive” when we should otherwise have “died”.

"Miracles" of Science!

Of course all that has happened in every incidence of “healing” is that the date and time of death has been postponed. Until Jesus returns, we all have an unbreakable date with the Undertaker! Lazarus is a case in point. Jesus “raised him from the dead”. But he too had another “date with death”. Only Jesus Christ is still alive after being resurrected.

What about you and me? Will we be healed from sickness? Perhaps! But there is one sickness we cannot escape. Look at your face. Can you see the lines; lines that beauty treatment cannot rectify? Lines that confirm we are getting old? 
Our allotted 70/80 years flash by and “life” here is over. Some

survive into our 90/100’s In the end, age will defeat us. Only Jesus Christ can change it. Even so, Come Lord Jesus.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Until Jesus Comes Again

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 27 May 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	ANXIETY AND FEAR
Have you ever asked yourself, “What is the difference between a healing and a miracle?” There is of course a sense in which they are both miraculous, having come from the supernatural. But to you and me, they are not the same. If someone has leprosy, that person can be healed from the disease. The person will no longer have leprosy. Wonderful and good. Yes it is supernatural. We rejoice with the person that he has been healed. A miracle? Yes but not in the sense I’m referring to. Leprosy is a terrible disease. Slowly it affects the extremities. People get to the point where they may lose a toe, a hand or a foot. Now when the toe is gone, a reconstructive miracle is needed to replace the toe. God is able to do that as easily as He can heal leprosy. Reconstructive miracles are not seen very often. John gives a wonderful account of a constructive miracle. The man was born blind. In all probability he had no eyeballs. Jesus then made new “eyes” for him with his spittle and soil. 6 Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud. John 9:6 ESV This was similar to what had happened when Adam was formed from clay. (wet mud) God breathed the breath of life into Adam and created him. Jesus did the very same. He mixed His breath with the “clay” and made mud. This He placed on the man’s “eyes”. Jesus sent him to wash off the mud in the pool of Siloam. A miracle had taken place. The man could see for the first time in his life. Such miracles still take place today. Sometimes, God does not heal someone. Paul asked the Lord to heal him from the thorn in the flesh. He asked three times. He was not healed. God told him He liked him better the way he was. This kept Paul being humble and dependant on God. Today, many healings take place at conferences. Some of them are genuine. Some are not. Personally, I’m a bit sceptical when someone tells me he had a headache and now it’s gone. The man could be a liar. It’s happened before. The leader’s entire ministry has been a money-making scam. That’s why I like to hear of medically attested miracles. It can be demonstrated that the person had a certain medical condition. After the healing, the affected part was healed. The medical profession can prove it! I’ve had anxiety syndrome since I was a tiny baby. The bombs and my Mom’s anxiety about my safety were communicated to me. I’d love to get rid of it. But the Lord says He likes me the way I am. Sure, I’ve got a thorn in the flesh. Sure I’d like deliverance. But only he can create a reconstructive miracle in my head. Some say that Jim is going mad. My comment is that I didn’t have far to go! “Why not join me?” Jim & Phyllida Strickland			32 I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7:32 ESV 6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honour. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 NLT 9 For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war." 2 Chronicles 16:9 TNIV 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Blessed is the person who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the LORD, you holy people who belong to him. Those who fear him are never in need. 10 Young lions go hungry and may starve, but those who seek the LORD'S help have all the good things they need. Psalms 34:8-10 GW 25 "So I tell you to stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothes? 26 "Look at the birds. They don't plant, harvest, or gather the harvest into barns. Yet, your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you worth more than they? Matthew 6:25-26 GW 6 Don't worry about anything. Instead, tell God about everything. Ask and pray. Give thanks to him. 7 Then God's peace will watch over your hearts and your minds because you belong to Christ Jesus. God's peace can never be completely understood. Philippians 4:6-7 NIrV	I was born in England in nineteen forty two. We lived in Hull together; and there we surely knew The terrible destruction as bombs came raining down A dangerous place to live in; and we lived in that town. The mothers were all terrified. “My baby” they would scream. It really was a nightmare. Far from a pleasant dream. My mother’s disposition was great anxiety. I know I shouldn’t say this, but her problem then was me! How to protect the little ones from all these bombing raids? No wonder that the families were terribly afraid! We were evacuated to, a village fairly near. But we could hear the bombing; and Mom was filled with fear. I do not have a memory of any of those things. But deep in my subconscious, those fear-filled days still cling. It isn’t so surprising, Mom’s anxiousness was shared, With me while still a baby; for she was really scared. I’m sure you’ll understand that I’m a very anxious man! That is just what happened and how it all began. And so this great anxiety has been with me for years. Assisted by the things which caused my dreadful inner fears. A Christian isn’t anxious. That’s just what Jesus said. I know this for a fact, but the problem’s in my head. I’ve prayed about this matter. I’ve pleaded to be healed. But every time I do it, the Father has revealed, That this remains a problem that has helped to make me, me! “My grace is quite sufficient”. He’s said repeatedly. I know that He could heal me. But it is in His hands. I think I’d rather live with it than break my Lord’s commands. He’s kept me and protected me and given me a life That I have found together with Phyllida, my wife. It really is quite wonderful; the best I’ve ever known. An excellent example, man shouldn’t be alone. And in this time He’s shown me that a man without a limp Simply can’t be trusted; He’s a religious chimp. So, what about anxiety, of worries and of fear? Is Jesus truly teaching us to never let them near? Of course He is! It’s obvious, Don’t wobble like a jelly! Jesus Christ is with you and Satan’s tricks are smelly. Don’t let the aroma of what may never be, Come and interfere with your true tranquillity. God knows all about it and He is in control. Protecting you in spirit, in body and in soul. Jim Strickland – Written 27th May 2012

JESUS, THE CREATOR

Our Solar System

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 26 May 2013

Hi all,

Sorry about the delay with today’s meditation. Jo’burg City Power decided to carry out some maintenance and the electricity went off at 08h00. When it will be back is anyone’s guess.

Our universe; when did it start? 

The Big Bang?

What made it start or has it always been “there”? We are told it is expanding. What is it expanding into? Is the “space” it occupies a fixed size, or is it also expanding? Will there ever come a time when the expansion will stop? Will it then begin contracting? Has this expanding and contracting been on going like some great “yo-yo”? What about the physical laws like gravity, rotation and speed? How did they get “there”? Will these “laws” ever be different? Why do we love? Where did anger originate? What about art and music? What about pain? Is it possible that all this could have come about by random chance? 

Another Big Bang?

If it all started with a “big bang”, what preceded the bang and brought the bits together so that they could go “bang”? Why does the earth rotate? Why do some planets and moons not rotate in the same direction as ours? Surely, if it all started with a big bang, the products of the explosion would rotate in the same direction? Why does ice float on water? If ice is water, why doesn’t it sink when it freezes?

I’m so glad I follow theology rather than science. Science is wonderful. It can explain precisely how things happen. Please don’t ask science why. It has no answer. Why do I enjoy singing? Why do we have emotions? Science cannot explain love! Science cannot explain why we die. What happens in us that at an undefined time in our lives, our excellent “earth suit” starts to wear out, run down and die! Sure, science can explain the process. But science cannot tell us why it happens. “It just does”, is all that science can say. Another comment is, “It has always been like that”! OK, I agree. But why does it happen?

Divinity or Diversity?

There is only one satisfactory answer to all these questions. The answer is to say that it has been designed to “function” the way it does. This means that we must choose between random selection and intelligent design. Random selection suggests that everything is some sort of cosmic accident. Intelligent design suggests that everything was made by God. 
Perhaps we can sum it up by saying, Divinity or Diversity? Of course Divinity means repeatability. Two bears will not produce a goldfish. A whale cannot mate with a squid. You can’t cross a dog with a cactus. If you try, the dog will get very irritated! It also means that our offspring will be the same species as we are. A woman will never give birth to a zebra. 

You cannot cross a rock with a hard place!

Does all this intimidate you? I hope not. There has to be something superior to the human race. What could it be? Christians reply that the Triune God is infinitely superior to His creation. Those who have no problem with this concept believe in the existence of God. We may not be able to “isolate” and “define” God in a test tube. If we could, that which we have isolated or defined would not be God. Those who cannot believe that there is anything superior to humanity are stuck with science and scientific answers. What a shame. They have become locked into trying to come up with the impossible; a theory which will contradict the reality of God!

Cactog or Dogtus?

Our meditation today considers Jesus Christ. He is the “Son-light of Divinity”. Understood or not, He is God.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 26 May 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	JESUS, THE CREATOR
How old is our planet? Some say it’s hundreds of billions of years old. Mostly they are those who believe in the hypothesis of Darwinian evolution. I’ve deliberately used the word “hypothesis” because 150 years later, it still has not been proved scientifically. Others believe in a young earth. One created by God. How long ago was that? I once asked that question and was told, “as long as a piece of string”. “How long is that” I asked. The reply was, “How long do you want it to be? I was then told that such various opinions were possible because many of the basic, underlying assumptions, could not be verified.  The comment was that if you wanted to believe it was hundreds of billions of years old no one could gainsay you. Likewise if you wanted to believe the young earth theory, your opinion could not be contradicted. So it seems that the planet is as old as you want it to be. There are two questions we should ask about our planet, as it follows its course around the sun. The first is, “Why is it rotating?”. We know that it is. But what caused it? Random chance or design? Rotation gives us night and day. No rotation and we couldn’t be here in our present life form. Which brings us to the next question? Why is the angle of rotation such that we have four seasons per year? Did it occur purely on the basis of random actions? No? Then there must have been a designer somewhere. The designer is God. A great number of people today don’t believe in God. They are perfectly entitled to do so. May I say that it is a God-given right, with which I don’t want to try and meddle. They prefer to believe in the slow process of evolution.  If this took billions of years, to go from a big bang of some sort, to the complexity of the life forms we see all around, so be it. This is what they sincerely believe. They have a lot more faith than I do. To think that all this developed from nothing of its own accord is much harder to believe, than to put it all down to intelligent design. I’ve heard it described in simple terms. Let’s assume that you have a big stack of logs outside in the back yard. Now put a big stick of explosives – your choice – under the logs. Then, as they used to say, “Light the blue touch paper and stand well back”. What are the chances that the logs will all come down and fall into place like a log cabin, complete with doors and windows? Do you think this could happen? I think the log cabin is more likely than everything coming from nothing. You have a start with logs and explosives! They don’t even have that! What did “kick off” creation? God spoke and it happened. Interestingly, He commenced with the creation of a time/space continuum. This happened when He said, “Light be!” Since He is light, it was not difficult. God’s light still shines on our planet. A living testimony to His greatness. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			23 The city does not need the sun or moon to shine on it. God's glory is its light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by the light of the city. The kings of the world will bring their glory into it. Revelation 21:23-24 NIrV 13 At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun that shone around me and those who journeyed with me. 14 And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' 15 And I said, 'Who are you, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Acts 26:13-15 ESV 1 Six days later Jesus took Peter and the two brothers, James and John, and led them up a high mountain to be alone. 2 As the men watched, Jesus' appearance was transformed so that His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light. Matthew 17:1-2 NLT 19 "No longer will you need the sun to shine by day, nor the moon to give its light by night, for the LORD your God will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. 20 Your sun will never set; your moon will not go down. For the LORD will be your everlasting light. Your days of mourning will come to an end. 21 All your people will be righteous. They will possess their land forever, for I will plant them there with My own hands in order to bring Myself glory. Isaiah 60:19-21 NLT 10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10 TNIV	Our planet is rotating. They say it’s slowing down. So far it’s just a little bit, so this won’t make us frown. But someday in the future, perhaps ten billion years, It’s going to stop its turning, unless the Lord appears. I do not know the science, so cannot really say, How this will change the period of night-time and of day. I guess that on the “light side”, things shrivel up and fry; And where it’s all in darkness, life forms will freeze and die. I think this brief prognosis, the scientists agree, Consists our little planet’s final destiny! I cannot argue with them. I’m told they know the best. But when I think of Jesus Christ, I think they merely jest! It seems a bit unlikely, that things will last that long. And when He takes things over, they’ll see they have it wrong. You won’t hear me complaining that day and night are done. Neither will be needed in the brightness of God’s Son! I hear that Jesus’ brightness, will make the sun seem pale. So bright the New Jerusalem’s electric lights can fail. Instead there will be brightness without the need for shade. All that really matters is that Christ has been obeyed. I know that John has seen it, with Peter, James and Paul. Moses at the burning bush; He was the first of all. They saw a transformation a place of burning light. When Paul got just a sample, it burned away his sight. I cannot speak of others. I cannot say for sure, If someone else has seen Him? Can any man endure, A light that is so radiant it turns the night to day? I’m told that the atomic bomb explodes and looks that way. But Jesus and His brilliance will never wax nor wane. His light will fill that city. We will not need again, The sunlight in the morning or moonlight in the night. They’ll fade to insignificance when Jesus shines His light. That great big massive city that could fit into the moon, Is what we are expecting; for He is coming soon. The God of grace has called us and we will always be, Rejoicing in the “Son-light” of His Divinity. Though we will face some problems before that special day. We know He is victorious; We’ll be with Him to stay. Jim Strickland – Written 26th May 2012