MARY’S PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Oh Lord my soul rejoices in what You’ve done for me. You took this lowly servant girl and for eternity, The people will all look to You and say I have been blessed. And every generation will know You loved me best. Not because of anyone or anything I’d done, But someone had to Mother the Father’s only Son. I was the one selected. The honour is supreme! No woman who has ever lived can have this wondrous dream. Oh Lord it is Your goodness that brought all this to be. And this will be acknowledged for all eternity. In You Lord, I took refuge; I sheltered from the storm. And now You have exalted me far up above the norm. Of course, there have been comments. They’ve said I was a whore. But You and I know differently. And You are keeping score. I’ve seen the pointing fingers. I’ve heard the wagging tongues. But I have had the privilege of carrying Your Son. And all that stands before You is thoroughly exposed. And everything You’ve done for me is openly disclosed. And through all generations humanity will know, My Son is Christ the Saviour no matter where men go. And so I pray this morning to Him who favoured me. I lift my hands and thank You Lord, for everything I see. The glory of Your only Son enthroned with You on High. To think I was His mother; O Lord it makes me cry. For You performed this miracle. My body was the shrine, In which Your Son grew up to be the Christ and Lord Divine. It still seems quite impossible. Beyond what I could see To be the mother of the Man who is Divinity. Forgive me if I shake my head for I don’t understand, That in Your own great sovereignty, this is what You had planned. The privilege of nursing my Saviour at my breast. The joy of watching as He grew and moved at Your behest. The wonder of His manhood and His maturity. It’s more than I had ever hoped or thought could ever be. And then to stand beside Him as He was crucified. If I could have changed places…. But now He’s Deified! Now He is the fulfilment of all the dreams of men. And through His great Salvation we can be born again. Jim Strickland – written Wednesday, 03 August 2011

FAITH, GRACE, LOVE AND WORK

Faith is quite inseparable from its twin brother “grace”. The one without the other is more than we can face. We must believe in something. Perhaps it’s just your might. But if God’s grace, is missing you haven’t got it right. Another way to put it is like a pair of hands.

Just try and bat one handed! It is on sinking sands. The Father isn‘t happy if you display just one. He probably will ask of you. ”Where has the other gone”? You can’t believe in Jesus no matter how you try; Unless He has extended grace, your soul in Hell will fry. Please don’t misunderstand this. It’s not we desire; But since it’s God who makes the rules – Your heart must be on fire. He has the whole thing sorted; there’s nothing more to do But if you don’t receive His grace, then He is through with you. The gifts He gives His people are grace gifts from His heart. He wants you to reach out in faith to cause the flow to start. We’re told that faith moves mountains and that’s how we should be. But if the Lord’s not in it, the mountain will not flee. The fact is He wants partners. Loose canons are a joke! If you have not been yoked with Him your faith goes up in smoke. He’s made His grace available to anyone who seeks. But if It’s not done faithfully, you’ll look for it for weeks. You don’t have the ability to even grow an inch. But when your faith is matched with grace, the outcome is a cinch. If you do not believe me, then try it on your own. A million years is going to pass and you will not have grown There is one more component on which these two depend. If they’re not expressed in love, they’ll flounder at the end. Please note all these are actions; they are not static things You have a part in all of them, or they will not take wings. A faith that’s isolated is just a waste of time. Display it by your actions then all will come in line. Grace that’s not accepted is one side of the coin. You have to turn it over or it will never join. So faith and grace are brothers and it’s by love they work. All four of them are actions – don’t turn away and shirk. This is the Christian lifestyle. This is the way to be. It’s what the Lord’s expecting from folk like you and me. Jim Strickland – written Tuesday, 02 August 2011

ABIDING FAITHFULNESS

Our spiritual nature should be properly controlled. And if we do this faithfully, our Lord will keep us whole. But we must keep on doing it. We mustn’t drop our guard; And while we are persistent, the task will not be hard. Look at what God required every single year. They celebrated Passover, for God had made it clear, That this was not just something they’d never do again; But rather a rehearsal of Jesus in His pain. It may have been in Egypt, the first timed it was done, But it was more a foretaste of what was still to come. The blood upon the door tops and also on the sides, Showed the crucifixion and how the Saviour died. If this was followed faithfully throughout the coming years, The Father would forgive them their sinfulness and tears. We may not understand the reason why it was this way, But this has been their practice down to this very day. Of course, the blood was central to the ritual each year. It represented Jesus blood; that’s very, very clear. For God had told His people, the life was in the blood. So Jesus’ atonement became a mighty flood. All of this was planned before the world was ever made. So it is not surprising that the system was obeyed. The purpose was that Jesus be the sacrificial “ram”! He wasn’t just an infant; He wasn’t just a lamb. The Law required an offering of an animal mature. And Jesus’ maturity was absolutely sure. So everything was carried out and faithfully maintained. The slightest variation could never be sustained. For that would break the pattern that Father God required, To show us that His only Son was all that He desired. We’ve wondered why He did it. Why Jesus had to die. But Someone had to suffer for the sins of you and I. That’s why He could be faithful. He knew what He would do; To pay the price of all the sins that everyone would do. It couldn’t be a simple slap upon the wrist. But something that the Lord Most High would certainly insist. It had to show God’s hatred of each and every sin. But something that His Son could face and ultimately win. So let us praise His faithfulness. He didn’t miss a trick. And though the pain and suffering would make us all feel sick, It solved the Master’s problem and brought us to His side, Where through the blood of Jesus we could evermore abide. Jim Strickland – written Monday, 01 August 2011

ATTITUDES

There seems to be an attitude of quietness and ease.

   The Christian life should always be a lifestyle that will please.

I’m not sure where it came from. It isn’t in God’s Word.

   Perhaps it’s just a statement of something that’s preferred.

No person’s keen on suffering or ever feeling sore.

   A journey that’s in luxury would suit us somewhat more.

But not even a monarch can let things all roll by.

   There’s so much more we all must learn before its time to die.

I’ve never been a soldier. I praise the Lord for that.

   But discipline is something we should all be aiming at.

The sergeant will not tolerate a soldier who’s asleep.

   If he can get his hands on him, he’ll make the soldier weep.

So why do Christians contemplate a feather-bedded life?

   Why do we all seek idleness instead of sweat and strife?

If you can give the answer then kindly tell to me,

   Exactly what we have to do with downright lethargy?

There aught to be a special place where Christians can go;

   To find what is reality and what is outward show.

The sort of place where people can really come to grips

  With life. It’s made living and not marijuana trips.

We have to learn that suffering’s as much a part of life,

   As marrying your sweetheart, your husband or your wife.

It’s often not the devil who’s sitting on your tail,

   Its things that we are doing that cause us all to fail.

But blaming other people is what we much prefer.

   And we can wear that helpless look each time that they occur.

Why should we be in battle when things get rather rough?

   It’s easier to bellyache that life is far too tough.

That’s not the way of Jesus. It’s not our way of war.

   It’s standing up to Satan whatever is in store.

It isn’t only comfort that each of us must face,

   But standing up to everything that harms the human race.

It’s asking God to strengthen you when everything goes wrong,

   And in the face of failure, to sing the victory song.

It’s looking after others when pressed beyond your power,

   Knowing that the Lord will do what’s needed every hour.

It’s facing up to failure; knowing He will do

   Everything that’s needed, to make your dream come true.

It’s back to the beginning in spite of all you know,

   Knowing that the Saviour will show you how to go.

It’s giving up ambition and every human goal,

   Knowing that the Lord desires to save your sinful soul.

Jim Strickland – written Sunday, 31 July 2011

WISDOM

We wonder where we’re going and what we’re going to do. We’ve all been seeking wisdom that will work for me and you. The followers of Darwin say its millions of years. A theory he concocted for atheistic fears. But where can we find wisdom to sort this whole thing out? Is everything evolving, or is this still in doubt? The theory seemed a good one. The logic made good sense. But Darwin’s theory’s bankrupt. The error is immense. We’re starting to appreciate that science can be wrong. That we were all created and to the Lord belong. Darwin had a theory; but theories are not fact. It’s only a hypothesis until its science backed. That’s where it takes much wisdom to sort out the dreams of men, And what the scientists declare as absolutely “gen”. Where is the common ancestor they’ve talked about for years? The only missing link we find is in between the ears. So what has really happened? It’s you who must decide. Is everything an accident as Darwin has implied? To get an honest answer we must ask everyone; If God created everything, where has this “science” gone? It’s not an easy question. But all of us must pick, Either we believe in God, or science that’s gone sick. Believing nothing’s easy. God will not intervene. But we have an inheritance that still remains unseen. For God gives us a future where evolution fails. The prospects for the Darwinist are simply fairy tales. If everything is random, a sort of twist of fate, Why does it make a difference to either love or hate? If everything just vanishes when you are dead and gone, Where will you find the purpose to simply carry on? It makes a massive difference whatever you decide. When all of life is over, you cannot run and hide. But friend, if you believe in God, accountability Is what He is expecting and that is what must be. Of course you can ignore Him. But what if He is true? Then you will be responsible for everything you do. There isn’t an alternative. He is, or He is not. Darwin or Christ Jesus. It puts you on the spot! Jim Strickland – written Saturday, 30 July 2011

IT’S YOUR CHOICE

There’s going to be a major change in just a little while We know that Jesu’s coming back, and it will be in style. We have an understanding that Heaven’s far away. And if that’s your opinion then hear the things I say. Elijah knew quite clearly that God was fairly near. The Baal priests on the other hand did not see things so clear. Their god was up in “heaven” and he was hard to reach. For him to pay attention it seemed they had to screech. But that was unproductive. He didn’t seem to hear, The volume was not quite enough to call and draw him near. And that is when they cut themselves and caused their blood to flow. It didn’t seem to help a lot. And why? They didn’t know. That’s when Elijah mocked them, “Perhaps he’s on the loo?      Perhaps he’s constipated and cannot get to you?

Perhaps He’s on a journey and so he’s not at home? So why don’t you shout louder if that’s what you are shown? Sometimes I feel quite sorry for those foolish pagan priests. The way to get their point across was to behave like beasts! Elijah kept on teasing them right to the very end, By then the pagan priests were dead, on that you can depend. We know there is no question that Father took control. He “bent the heavens and came down”; took Up His royal role. His fingers touched the mountains and they burst out with smoke. By then all of the on-lookers knew God was not a joke. And so we know the journey from Heaven to here is short. We know the Lord will come that way to bring this world to naught. The last time He was here with us, He came to deal with sin. The next time He is coming, He’ll judge the world and win. That day the proclamation “This is our God” we’ll cheer “We trusted Him and He saved us. Thank God that You are near”. He’ll bring with Him salvation that only God bestows. The people who’ve rejected Him; into Hell fire they’ll go. But why are we selected? Well, it’s not strictly true. Salvation is available to Gentiles and to Jews. For God does not have favourites. No man will be passed by. But God will leave it up to us to choose the way we die. So think about your future and where you wish to be. Your choice of Hell or Heaven is for all eternity. Jim Strickland – written Friday, 29 July 2011