JACOB AND JESUS REFLECT

Time with Jesus - Tuesday, 24 January 2012

Hi all,

Today’s Scriptures speak about fruit; mainly the fruit of the vine. It’s also something of a panoramic view of Israel and Judah from the time of Jacob’s prophetic words over his sons to the time of Jesus Christ and beyond.

I don’t recall of anyone speaking about the words of Jacob to His sons shortly before he died. It’s a shame that this is so. In some magnificent way, it was as though Jacob was looking forward down the years to the reign of King David and ultimately to the time of King Jesus. Jacob’s words were both inspirational and prophetic in a way that Christians today should be far better acquainted with.

The Daily Light Evening Scripture only quotes a short portion of Jacob’s blessing on Judah, his fourth son by Leah. The previous three, Reuben, Simeon and Levi had so disgraced themselves in the eyes of their father (Jacob) that the blessings of the first-born son, was bestowed on Judah. These words constitute one of the most awesome prophetic words we can find anywhere in the Old Testament. Not surprisingly, Jacob speaks of the future king – King David and The Future King; King Jesus. So, for today’s meditation, I’ve tried to blend Jacob’s words with Jesus’ words into a double reflection. Part of the reflection is by Jacob looking forward and backward over his life. The other part is a reflection by Jesus on the vineyard of Israel.

Distinguishing the one from the other is not difficult. Apart from a short introduction, it “picks up” from the point where Jesus corrects the nation’s idea that they were God’s vine. The Lord Jesus states that He is the True Vine. He then adds that it is His desire and His Father’s desire that His people bear much fruit. The Scripture concludes with comments on the fruit of the Spirit, rather than the fruit of the vine.

Jacob’s prophetic words were given about 800 years before King David and about 1800 years before the first advent of Jesus Christ. This amazing man, who started life as a noted deceiver and cheat, met The Lord at Pniel. The change in Him was extraordinary. The Lord touched his hip and from that time on, Jacob walked with a limp. Furthermore, his words were no longer intended to deceive but to bring truth; truth for which Christians, some 3800 years later, are indebted.

Jim & Phyllida Strickland.

Jacob and Jesus Reflect

Of all the children from my loins there’s two of them stand out. Ephraim and Judah. It’s true without a doubt. Judah came from Leah, Ephraim’s Joseph’s son. They will lead my people till life on earth is done. Rachel was my favourite wife and Joseph came from her. They’ll be at each other’s throat, and conflict will occur. Both of them are special; each in a different way. Judah will bring forth the King whom Ephraim will obey! There’ll be separation. The grandson of the King, Will so offend the Ephraimites, they will do their thing. So, instead of one of them, the kingdom will be two. Both will look in envy at what they both can do. But the first intention was they should be a vine. Planted in a vineyard the Lord would say, “It’s mine.” There upon a hillside, in the finest richest soil, They’d produce the finest wine that couldn’t ever spoil. You’d think they’d make a go of it. You’d think the wine would be, The very finest vintage in all of history. But that is not what happened. The grapes they picked were sour. The wine was more like vinegar and worsened every hour. They were not even suitable to dye the royal robes red. And so the Lord would deal with them a different way instead. That’s when the Lord decided to chop the whole thing down. No longer would they prosper in that rather special town. They’d be in captivity for seventy long years. This would be their punishment, in spite of all their tears. Of course, they all pretended that the nation was God’s vine. The Son of God corrected them. He said, “The title’s Mine. Indeed I am the true vine. My Father makes it grow. He cultivates and prunes it in ways you’ll never know. And He is looking out for a special kind of fruit. That no one in their right mind could possibly refute. The fruit is of the Spirit and character is seen, Not in the normal way of man. That way is just unclean. That way is filled with vices and is utterly corrupt. But those who have the Spirit will find that they have supped, The bread of life eternal and on the choicest wine. In fellowship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God Divine. And walking in the Spirit, in harmony with Me, Will bring a revelation of what they aught to be. A people who will follow right to the very end. And in that certain knowledge, they’ll see Me as their friend.” Jim Strickland – Written Tuesday 24th January 2012.

THE CROSS OF CHRIST

Time with Jesus - Monday, 23 January 2012

Today’s Scriptures focus on Jesus Christ and the cross.

From a Christian perspective, the cross is the most important symbol we will ever know. The crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ is the central point in all of time and space. It is as though creation itself hinges around this event. Nothing is more important anywhere or at any time in history. God knew all about it before the foundation of this world was laid. This method of execution coincided with the time Jesus came to dwell among us. It’s almost as though all history leads up to and away from the crucifixion. Thank God it does! I can think of no other method of execution more fitting for sinful men like you and me. The pain and degradation of hanging stark naked somewhere between heaven and earth nailed to a cross seems about right for a monster of iniquity. It’s appropriate for those of us who have been openly and deliberately defiant of God’s love.

Symbolically, the cross can be seen to represent the cancellation of the letter “I”. It can be seen as stretching from heaven to earth and inclusive of all who have lived, are living and will live on this planet. It is a symbol of death. We have so distorted the crucifixion, that men and women wear the symbol on a chain round their necks as jewellery!

Of course the cross has been under attack by Satan and his gang since Jesus was crucified. They know it is a powerful symbol. So they deliberately seek to devalue it by trying to turn it into a toy. In the main, they have succeeded.

But not only has the cross been “devalued”. Satan’s attack has focused on the crucifixion as a whole. They have done their best to “demystify” it. They have persuaded millions of men and women that the cross is not important. Christ’s injunction to “take up your cross and follow me” has been spiritualised to the point where it has become meaningless. Instead of making unconditional demands on the lives of Christians, it has been changed into a sort of optional extra. Repentance is no longer necessary. All we have to do is receive Jesus. His grace will cover anything and everything we do/did from the moment we are saved. It will carry us all the way into the portals of heaven itself. Sadly, Christians have swallowed this hook line and sinker. The result is that many live a more debauched lifestyle than the one they lived before coming to Jesus. “God knows and understands!” is the cry from deluded millions. His grace will cover it all! Sadly, it won’t! That’s “Cheap Grace” and there is no such thing!

To take up your cross in Jesus day was to pick up your means of execution. You were on a one way path to an agonising and public death. You could not reason with the cross. It would do its work on you as it had done on countless thousands. When it was finished, you would be dead.

Taking up your cross today still means the same as it did in Jesus’ day. We cannot cover it with velvet padding. We cannot protect ourselves from public shame and nakedness. We can only submit to all its associated terrors and wait for the instance when we too, like our Lord and Saviour can say, “It is finished. Into Your hands I commit my spirit! This is the purpose of the cross. God help me! I’m scared of how I will react when the inevitable happens and my time has come to be nailed on mine. But if they could do it to my Saviour and Lord, can I expect any less? What do you think?

Today’s meditation looks at this in a little more detail.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland.

The Cross of Christ

A tragic thing has happened in the past one hundred years. The cross of Christ’s been modified to satisfy our peers. It’s now been velvet covered, so people don’t get hurt. They tell me it’s been sanitised, to take away the dirt. The blood has been excluded; it has been washed away. We mustn’t bother people who feel squeamish every day! It’s not a thing to carry. So put it on a truck. Put one on a necklace, so it can bring you luck! Never talk about it; it just might give offence, To the religious people who are sitting on the fence. It’s only fundamentalists who really care at all. So do not let it bother you. Their thinking’s far too small. You see, we know much better. The Lord is now our friend! And we have got a ticket on which we can depend. We got it many years ago, by visiting a tent. The preacher said please take it. There’s no need to repent. And while you have this ticket, you can enter heaven’s doors. The cross you’ll have to carry is from lollipops and straws. Now as I look around me, I see this everywhere. The church is entertainment! It now is free from care. Jesus came to sanctify, what used to be obscene. Just believe He’s saved you, and He will wash you clean. But there’s a major problem, when we think along these lines. It’s really not the gospel which Jesus Christ defines. In His day, taking up the cross, meant certain crucifixion. You would know for certain and without contradiction; That you were on a journey to an agonising end. There wasn’t an alternative; on that you could depend. You knew your life was over and you would soon be dead. No matter what the people all around you thought or said. There was no opportunity to bid your friends goodbye. Unless they wished to walk with you and watch you as you died. The cross made no allowances. There wasn’t an appeal, That you could make with anyone and shortly it would deal, With you in your entirety. It wouldn’t shrink or bend. But hold you there in agony till life came to an end. This is the cross Christ spoke of. So let us all obey. Take up our cross and follow Him. There is no other way. Jim Strickland – Written Monday 23rd January 2012

VERSES IN RHYME

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 22 January 2012

Hi all,

For me it was rather difficult to find a common thread in today’s Scriptures. The closest I could get to is the comfort we find in the Lord in our walk with Him as Christians. But somehow the topic didn’t seem to “gel”. I noticed that there were twelve Scripture references and thought it would be different if I could express the general content of each verse in rhyme and metre.

To tie the Scripture with the erases, I’ve put a number in green in the verses column. I’ve identified the verses with the same number in green in the rhyme and metre column. It’s not easy to express each verse of Scripture this way. The Scripture contains far more than I can put into verse and rhyme. This means that in some instances, the verses don’t do justice to the Scripture content.

Note that the metre for the verses is not the same. There is a change as from No 6. This may be a bit confusing. Also, in order to make sense of Matt 9:22 I’ve added information not mentioned in the Scripture quoted, but can be found in the Scriptures themselves.

The other reason for doing it this way was by way of a change.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland.

Verses in Rhyme

I said my foot was slipping.(1)   I thought that I would fall. I was also worried but,   He answered when I called. No matter where I go to; (2)   When my heart is full of fear. The Lord God is my Master;   Like a rock Who’s ever near! I chirped like a swallow. (3)   And cooed, like a dove. I looked to the heaven,   In search of Your Love. I suffered severely,   My hope was all gone. But you gave the power,   To keep going on. Give Jesus you burdens. (4)   He’ll carry your load. You won’t come to ruin.   With Him on your road. It’s hard to believe it, (5)   You’ve made me the king. And unlike my father,   I don’t know a thing. Lord, how can I do it?   I’m only a child. My duties are many,   On me, they are piled. King David could do it.   He trusted in You. But I’ll never manage;   Please! What must I do? If you’re needing wisdom, (6)   Then speak to Jesus first. He always gives it freely,   And slakes the deepest thirst.	To everyone who’s perishing, (7)   The Gospel stinks of death. For those who’ve found salvation,   There’s life in every breath. There’s nothing good within me.   My flesh is like a grave. I want to do the right thing.   But I cannot behave.  (8) My grace is quite sufficient; (9)   My power is for the weak. And so I boast in weaknesses,   And for the Lord I seek. For that’s when I’m made perfect,   And Christ is at His best; And on His humble servant,   His Spirit comes to rest. Your sins have been forgiven;   That’s what the man was told. Your faith has been rewarded;   So stand up and be bold. The woman came to Jesus; (11)   And touched His tasselled clothes. He felt the virtue leave Him.   Correctly, He supposed, That someone received healing;   But which one in the mob? And so He asked the question,   Who touched me? Then a sob, Came from the ailing woman.   My Master it was me. Take heart He said, My daughter,   Your faith has set you free. You satisfy my longing, (12)   With The richest, finest fare. When lying on my bed at night,   I’m sure that You are there!
Jim Strickland – Written 22nd January 2012

INSANITY

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 21 January 2012

Hi all,

Most of us fail to remember that the Bible was not originally written in English. Those who, like me, have an ardour for the Authorised (King James) version with its archaic wording, like to refer to it with a passion that is usually only experienced by a honeymoon couple. For those of us who were born prior to the 1960’s, the only version available was the “King Jimmy” as it was affectionately called. For those fast diminishing few, the Scriptures we remember best are from the KJV.

That old archaic language brought to us words that didn’t mean what we thought. For example I could never quite get a handle on the word “charity” in 1^st Corinthians 13. In the UK we were surrounded by charitable organisations such as Oxfam. So what it meant was decidedly unclear. It became even foggier when people spoke of making donations to charity. It was at times like that, I felt like changing my name to “Charity” so I could receive such donations legitimately.

Then in the 1960’s along came a few new translations. The first I came across was the JB Phillips translation of the New Testament. It was and still is, magnificent. Suddenly the mysteries of seventeenth century English became a bit clearer. Since then a plethora of translations and paraphrase versions of the Bible have swamped us. Some are excellent. Others are highly questionable. Which is which? To quote my late father; he would say, “If I told you that you’d be as clever as me.” In better words, find out for yourself.

Even today, some words have no clear meaning. The word “hate” is such a word. So when it says God hated someone, it left me feeling uncomfortable. For me, love has always been the opposite of hate. So it was difficult to relate a loving God with a hating God. It struck me as somewhat incongruent. There was obviously something I’d missed. So after puzzling through things I got hold of a copy of Strong’s Hebrew and Greek dictionary. Lo and behold, all was revealed. Well, sort of! Not knowing Hebrew or Greek meant and still means, I’m stuck with that which Dr. James Strong in his Dictionary states. Nevertheless, when combined with Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of New Testament and Old Testament Words, I’ve got more or less the best available understanding available to a septuagenarian.

For today’s meditation, I’ve consulted these two sources and come up with a “neat” meaning and understanding of the word “hate” contained in e-sword. So I’ve weaved them into a devotional I’ve called “Insanity”. The meaning and understanding are in the poem. Happy reading!

Jim & Phyllida Strickland.

Insanity

We know about the love of God. So, where does “hate” fit in? The love of God is righteous, but hate may not mean sin. The concept we are used to, is hate in its extreme. The very opposite of love, that’s dirty and unclean. But there are shades of meaning we seldom see today. The origin in Hebrew is a word pronounced “Saw-Nay”. The spelling seen in English, about which we complain, Is not too difficult to see and looks like the word “sane”. So if our love is sanity, then hatred has to be, Some form of mad insanity that keeps on driving me. The other simpler meaning; “unloved” describes it best. Is all about a person who somehow failed the test. The Lord said He loved Jacob;” it’s Esau whom I hate”. – (Rom 9:13) Esau sold his birthright, for some stew upon a plate. The Lord saw this as hateful; what Esau did was wrong. But he was not abandoned. God’s love was far too strong. So Esau wasn’t hated the way we seem to think. In God he had no interest. So God just let him sink, Into a vague obscurity and establish Edom-land. It’s sad that Isaac’s first born son was not at God’s right hand. So when we read, “God hated” We really aught to pause, And see the situation. Perhaps it’s just like yours? Perhaps you’ve lost your birthright, to fix an appetite? Have you let the Son of God just vanish out of site? Have you left for Edom through a choice which you have made? Has He commanded something and you have disobeyed? Then now’s the time to change your ways and come back to the fold. Perhaps you’re still a youngster? Perhaps you’re growing old? Perhaps you’ve just lost contact, by running on ahead? Perhaps you think it’s something you’ve done or you have said? Do not keep on running. The Lord will let you go, If you insist upon a path that you should never know. My brother or my sister, please do not be insane. The Lord desires to love you. So let His “hatred” wane! Bow your knee to Jesus and say you want to be, Established in His Kingdom for all eternity. Tell Him that you love Him, with all your heart and soul. The moment you’ve repented, Our Lord will make you whole. Jim Strickland – Written Saturday 1st January 2012.