THE SERVANT PRIEST

Time with Jesus - Thursday, 02 February 2012

Hi all,

We all know that Jesus Christ is our Prophet, Priest and King. We also know that He came here as a servant. We are mostly familiar with the chorus, “The Servant King” by Graham Kendrick.

If you ask any Christians they will tell you that we are supposed to be like Jesus. We are supposed to serve one another and see others than better than ourselves. Mark puts it as follows: - ⁴² Jesus called the apostles and said, "You know that the acknowledged rulers of nations have absolute power over people and their officials have absolute authority over people. ⁴³ But that's not the way it's going to be among you. Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant. ⁴⁴ Whoever wants to be most important among you will be a slave for everyone. Mark 10:42-44 GW For the majority of us, this is not the way we behave. Self importance and ambition tend to persuade us to put this so far behind on the back burner that it is just about falling off. The theory is nice. But let others do so.

Jesus is quoted in Matthew 11 as telling us that ¹¹ Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. Mat 11:11 ESV the one who is the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John. This Scripture has been grossly misquoted and misunderstood. Every teaching I’ve heard has said that a New Testament Christian is better than John the Baptist. In other words, you and I are greater than John the Baptist. As usual, we have put self-importance and ambition above the clear meaning of Scripture.

Jesus was saying to His disciples, “The Servant of all is the greatest in the Kingdom of God.” Jesus Christ came as the servant of all. There is no doubt that in God’s Kingdom, He is the greatest of all. But it is possible to emulate Jesus. We must seek to be everyone’s servant. Sure, Jesus is a “hard act” to follow. But it’s His level of servant-hood that makes us better than others. The way up in God’s Kingdom is always down. So to become “better” than you, I must be your servant.

God’s Kingdom does not have a “pecking order”. It has a “serving order”. If you or I are able to be a greater servant than Jesus Christ was, then we will be greater in God’s Kingdom than He is. So if you have a vision for greatness in God’s Kingdom, start serving others. In some respects, the late Mother Theresa got it right. Her “secret” was to lovingly serve others. She did exactly that. “But she wasn’t a Christian!” I hear people say. Be that as it may. She certainly did what God’s Word tells us all to do. Become the servant of all.

Today’s meditation looks at being a Servant priest. Are you a servant priest? Am I?

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland.

The Servant Priest

Men thrive on self importance and everything they’ve done. Many are called ministers, but don’t obey God’s Son. They look at other people, as though they are not there. And when it is convenient, they scream and yell and swear. O Lord it is so easy to carry on this way. I know that I was doing it and am ashamed to say; Just like the apostles I’ve thought, “I am the best!” Look at what God’s given me! It proves that I am blessed!” But there has been an emptiness, which blessings cannot fill. An absence of Your presence. O Lord where is the thrill, Of beautiful relationship? At times my heart’s felt dead. O Lord, where is the promise of being Spirit led? My brother and my sister, does this apply to you? Someone who is struggling to do and do and do? Is everything mechanical? Are you behind a mask? And what has happened to the joy behind your daily task? My friend, I’ve been there often. It is a path well trod. A path that takes you everywhere, except to Father God. Perhaps you cannot see the way through all the many tears, That you have shed while seeking Him, throughout your former years? Is this perhaps a “somewhere” you know you’ve often been? Are you feeling dirty? Your memories unclean? Like the twelve apostles are you fighting to be top? My brother and my sister, now is the time to stop. It isn’t very easy. But Jesus showed the way. Make yourself contented, with Jesus every day. Status isn’t anything. He didn’t make a fuss. He Who made the Universe became a one of us! He didn’t cling to privilege; He made Himself a slave; Who’d think that the Creator would do something so brave? And then the crucifixion. It shakes me to the core! For You have said so clearly, there isn’t any more, That You could do for sinners. “It’s finished” You have said. And finally, to cap it all, You came back from the dead. You did all this for people. O Lord, it’s upside down. You did it so that wicked men could also wear Your crown. You showed us by example we must become the least. Honour other people; become a servant priest. There are not many people at the bottom of the pile. So go ahead and join them; Be with them for a while! Remember I have promised that you will be My bride. You’ll sit with Me in Glory; forever at My side. So when you’re serving tables and have to clean the loo.  (Means toilet in SA) You’re getting a promotion that’s perfect; just for you. You do not have to like it. Just do it all the same. And you will know the glory, of serving in My Name. Jim Strickland - Written Wednesday 2nd February 2012

GOD’S RIGHTEOUS STANDARDS

Time with Jesus - Wednesday, 01 February 2012

Hi all,

The only Righteousness a Christian possesses is that which has been given to him in Christ. This is one of those things we’ve heard about but don’t really understand. Paul writes, ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:21 TNIV

As I read and come to terms with this, I’m compelled to believe that God has made me righteous. Many years ago, Dr Ken Stewart put it as follows. Jesus had all the righteousness and we had all the sin. Then we traded. He got our sin and we got His righteousness. It may sound very unfair. But God is not “fair”. Fairness is a human expression and does not apply to God. There’s nothing fair about the first being last and the last being first. There’s nothing fair about him taking our sinfulness and giving us His righteousness. He does it by grace; and grace is seldom “fair”.

God chose to do this. He didn’t have to do it. He didn’t need to do it. His infinite grace welled up and as a result we traded. So in some inexplicable way, in Him I have been made righteous. Don’t blame me for this. God did it and I’m not complaining.

I must confess that in those early days, I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t feel like it, look like it or behave like it. If anyone had asked me if I was righteous, I would have said, “No Way!” None of that has changed. But since then I’ve learned to lean more and more on Jesus Christ. I like to put it this way. I may look like a cheap and nasty old fiddle. But the Lord tells me I’m a Stradivarius. The music I play sounds terrible. The strings are broken and the bow is twisted and bent. Then Jesus picks me up and begins to play the very music of heaven. One day, I’ll look like a Stradivarius. In the meantime, “Play on Lord Jesus”. You see, He has made me righteous. Don’t blame me for the way I look! Furthermore, it was His idea and I’m not arguing with Him!

Today’s meditation looks at God’s standard of righteousness.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland.

God’s Righteous standards

There’s never been a single day in all of history, That anyone’s been righteous. It cannot ever be. But there is one exception. Our Master, Jesus Christ. He was completely perfect. His righteousness sufficed, All of the requirement that Father God required; And it’s by His perfection we do what He’s desired. God created Adam and he was innocent. It’s when he had defected, that human life was bent. Of course men claim that they are good. But it is a delusion. None of us are righteous. So let’s clear the confusion. Any righteousness that you perceive in me and you, Is nothing of our making; but just what Christ can do. The fact is, we are wearing His cloak of righteousness. Take a look what’s underneath and see the ugly mess! Some say this is offensive. “My righteousness is fine. I’ve always been a “good guy” and I’m content with mine” But here is what is shocking. The best that’s ever done, Is just a pile of garbage the Lord above will shun. No matter what we think we are, we cannot make the grade. The finest deed done by the flesh and anything that’s made, Is far beneath the standards the Lord above demands. It’s tainted by the filthiness of sinful human hands. So when we start repenting, we must bear this in mind. We’re wicked, ugly sinners. In us you cannot find A morsel of true righteousness. And so we must repent Of all the “good things” we have done. They’re twisted, warped and bent. So now let us all face the facts. It is in Christ alone, That we acquire our righteousness. Do I detect a moan? “Without Him I am nothing? I’m sure that cannot be. There has to be a little good deep down inside of me.” But that is a deception. Whatever you may see, Came down to you from heaven and from His Majesty. So let us all be sober and take a proper look; See what has been written in God’s Most Holy Book. Forget about your goodness. It isn’t good at all. It doesn’t meet His standards. I hope this makes you stall. Because, till this is understood, you’ll think you’re good enough. But it is what the Lord declares. I’m sorry if it’s tough! I’m sad if you’re offended. I wish it wasn’t true. I’d like to think the things I’ve done was all I need to do. But Jesus Christ has made the rules. He is the referee And He will blow the whistle on “stuff” from you and me. Jim Strickland – Written Wednesday 1st February 2012

SIN AGAINST GOD

Time with Jesus - Tuesday, 31 January 2012

Hi all,

Sin! What can we say about it? Not much other than the fact that we love it! The people of the world sincerely believe that basically, we are good people who have gone wrong. What we need is sympathy and a bit of understanding. Perhaps a visit to a Psychiatrist or a Psychologist will straighten us up and then we will be fine. But it isn’t true. Each and every one of us is a “monster of iniquity” who loves their sin. We aren‘t looking for salvation because we think it’s unnecessary. We will continue with this opinion until we learn that sin is no laughing matter. It is a deadly cancer that destroys us all. It may take a few years. On average it takes about 70 years.

During every revival, people have been made aware of the enormity of their sin and the terrible consequences thereof. For this to happen on a local, national or international scale requires the intervention of the Holy Spirit. Without His intervention our efforts are perfunctory at best. He is the only one who can bring an awareness of sin to the listeners. Because of this, the likes of Wesley, Whitefield, and Finney to mention only three, commenced every meeting by preaching on the topic of sin. They knew that in every revival, the listeners had to be aware of the enormity of their rebellion against God. As a result they commenced every series of meetings by preaching about sin and its consequences. They would continue with this topic until the people came under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. The people would begin crying out to the Lord for forgiveness. Many of them would pass out and fall down under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. Only then would there be an invitation to receive salvation.

This was no “half baked” repentance. Under the ministry of John Wesley Redfield, the jails became empty. The police were told that if they came across anyone lying on the road they were to go and smell the persons’ breath. If there was no trace of alcohol, they were to leave the person exactly where they were. That person had Redfield’s disease. This meant that when they awoke, if they had been drunkards, they would drink no more. If they were thieves, they would steal no more. Redfield’s disease transformed the individual into a God fearing believer. Similar tales can be quoted about examples from the lives of other men of God. If they as much as walked into the gates of a factory, workers would pass out and others would cry out to the Lord for salvation.

We no longer see these signs of revival. Why not? I think it is because we no longer preach about the consequences of sin. Instead we fill our pulpits with popular men who preach ear tickling pabulum that does not touch the heart. We would rather hear motivational messages, prosperity and irrelevant drivel. Sure it brings in money. But does it touch the hearts and lives of sinners? What do you think?

Today’s meditation looks at sin. This is the gospel. This is what changes the hearts and lives of men and women. God help us to bring this back into our churches. If we don’t, we are responsible for the inevitable consequences.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland.

Sin Against God

There is an understanding that people seldom know. It’s all about what happens when into sin we go. We sin against a person. Perhaps we steal his tie. We think that it looks pretty, although it makes him cry. We’ve taken from him something and said it is our own. Of course that is deception and sin in us has grown. Perhaps it’s not important; not from our point of view. But we have just committed an act we should not do. Perhaps the value’s minimal. A Rand or two at most. And so we soothe our conscience, until the Holy Ghost, Reminds us we have stolen and that we are a thief. And that until we’ve put it right, there will be no relief, From what is deep inside us. Our conscience has been pricked. And even if we give it back, the problem isn’t licked. In fact it never can be! We’ve sinned against the Lord. The value’s not important. We have released His sword, This brings His retribution. We’ve disobeyed His Word; And everything we say or do, by God is seen and heard. So every sin committed is not just against man. It is a violation of Father’s Holy plan! But can we be forgiven? The answer’s yes and no. Forgiven for the action, but the consequences grow! I think it’s very fortunate the cost of sin is death. No matter what a man has done, after that final breath There’s nothing more for us pay. We cannot die again. A Christian knows for certain and the Bible makes this plain. We do not keep on dying for sin repeatedly. Perhaps that is what we deserve. But no more will that be. So Jesus can forgive me. The record is wiped clean, But only ‘cause He’s paid the price for all that I have been! The sin perhaps is miniscule and only once is done. That’s quite enough for Satan to start his evil fun. So every sin committed is marked up on our slate. And we will surely die for it, upon some future date. But Jesus Christ our Master came and took my place. So there is not another death which I will have to face. There’s one consideration. Repentance from our sin, Determined that it’s over, we will not take part in, Another repetition of what we have just done. It’s over and it’s done with. From now on, we will shun, Anything and everything the deed in fact implies. Then we’ll be forgiven. But don’t use a disguise, And show a false repentance. Then things will not have changed. This will make it very clear we’re mentally deranged. Perhaps you’ll find it easy to make a fool of me. But Jesus knows about it. You can’t fool Deity! Jim Strickland – Written Tuesday 31st January 2012

HIS PROMISES

Time with Jesus - Monday, 30 January 2012

Hi all,

As I looked at the evening Scriptures, I found I had a bit of a problem. Not with the Scriptures but with the theme behind them. They seemed to reflect discipline, suffering and God’s promises related to them. Since I’ve written a couple of meditations this year along these lines, I felt that something different was warranted.

To be different, I changed the style to truncated limericks and focused on God’s promises in each of the seven Scriptures. For identification purposes the Scriptures are numbered 1 to 7 and the limericks have the corresponding numbers.

As stated previously, God’s promises are nearly all conditional. If we do ------ God will do ------. One or two are “automatic”. The following from the book of Jeremiah is an example of this. ¹⁰ This is what the LORD says: "You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised and I will bring you home again. Jer 29:10 NLT The only “condition” appears to be the passing of time. However, if we look further back in history we will find that they went into exile because of God’s promises. God had told them through the prophets that if they were disobedient to Him, they would be thrown out of the Promised Land.

There is a tendency among Christians today to forget the less “favourable” of God’s promises. A good example is: ²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:23 NLT. This is a promise from God. Each and every one of us has sinned. Sure, some have sinned less than others. But it only takes one sin and the “reward” is death. These are our wages. We are always entitled to our wages. We work for them. So we will be paid in full. Just one sin is all it takes. God said so. So, in spite of hyperinflation or depreciation’ the “reward” is the same. So unless Jesus comes first, we are all going to die. It’s a “promise” from God; so much for the negative side.

On the positive side we have the promise of eternal life! Yes, it is conditional. But it is a promise. In a way it is God’s guarantee. We will all be resurrected; some to eternal life, others to the second death.

The most wonderful thing about this is that it applies to everyone. There is no pecking order. It’s true for the Pope the same as it is for me. It’s the same for Billy Graham as it is for Desmond Tutu. There is no favouritism. Personally, I’m glad it’s this way. Not glad we are going to die. I’m glad that we will all be treated the same way.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland.

His Promises

If you’ll depend upon the Lord, His goodness will appear.          1 If you will wait,                     He won’t be late. You’ll find that He comes near. Just wear His yoke of discipline, Submitting from your youth. Sit quietly, And you will see, The things He said as truth. It never is too early,                    2 To train a Child God’s way. You’ll never scold, Him when he’s old; He’ll follow Him each day. The Lord will bring His discipline,                                      And love to everyone.                 3 If you endure, He’ll keep you pure. You’ll want to carry on. Yes, He corrects His children, The way that fathers do. And He will beat, You on your seat. To keep your lifestyle true. Indeed the Lord is righteous, And He will keep us right. A holy life, That’s free from strife, He wants by day and night.	Before you made me suffer, I’d wander and I’d stray.     4 Those days are gone, I won’t go wrong. With You I’ll always stay. No longer can I ever be, The way I was before. For day and night, You’re my delight. While teaching me Your law. The teaching You have given me,                                      5 Means more to me than gold. You’ve filled my head, With what You’ve said. Your riches still unfold. The Lord spoke to His people;                                6 When seventy years are done, You will return, From your sojourn, Back home to Me you’ll run.                                                 My plans bring satisfaction And you’ll be glad to hear. Till your release You’ll know my peace For I am always near. A person who is humble     7    Beneath God’s mighty hand Will know His care Regardless where He goes within the land.
Jim Strickland - Written  Monday 30th Jan 2012