NOT PLAYING GAMES!

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 16 September 2012

Hi all,

Christianity is for anyone and everyone, regardless of nationality, culture or language. God loves all of us equally. At the same time, it is not a lifestyle for sissies. Although He is with you every step of the way, He expects us to be strong and courageous. It’s something like a top-class Paralympic athlete competing in the Games. There is one major difference. He wants us to finish the course. Failure is not an option!

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 16 September 2012			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	NOT PLAYING GAMES!
Have you enjoyed watching the Olympic and Paralympic Games on TV? It really was special. We only saw the final moments of that which the athletes have invested in time and effort to get there. Most of them didn’t even win a medal! Sure we cheer the winners. We should do. But how many of us identify with those who won silver or bronze medals. Many of the athletes were in tears because they didn’t get “gold”. It seems that there are no prizes for being second best! As Christians our hearts reach out to them. Not because we are better than them. Frankly I don’t have the dedication to sport that they do. The training, the pain and suffering to win a race. Why? It’s beyond me! There is a comparison between training for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Christian life. Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians expresses it as follows: 25 All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally. 1 Corinthians 9:25 MSG Eugene Peterson’s translation puts it in classic “Olympic Games” language. What we do not realise is that in the race of Christian life, there is only one person we have to beat. Ourselves! In a way, everything is the “wrong way round”. In London 2012, only one person in the race gets gold. They get it after they have won the race. In Christianity, we are informed that the “Gold medal” is awarded to everyone who finishes the race. To get “gold”, we have to keep on keeping on! Others may be faster and better than we are. But not in Jesus’ eyes. He sees us all as gold medal winners, if we complete the course. That’s encouraging. There is a sense in which we are running as “Paralympic” athletes. In London, the Paralympic contestants are divided into various groups so that people only compete against others similarly challenged. That’s quite correct and is considered fair. But in our race of life each of us is in a class of our own. Jesus sees you and me as unique. We don’t get categorised. We run against ourselves in a one person race. If we finish the course we win. The “gold” is there for the taking. If we finish the race, we’re in first place! The question is, will we finish? The Paralympics is a competition. But in the Christian race of life, we are not competing with others. The difference is that Satan and his bunch do everything they can to discourage and force us out of the race. In a way, we could say that most of the officials don’t want us to finish and use everything they know to keep us away from the finishing line. We can’t ignore them. We have to get past them. But we have the greatest Coach who ever lived on Earth. Jesus Christ. More than that, He runs with us. With Him, we will never be defeated. The “gold” is ours. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			5 For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favour lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalms 30:5 NLT 3 We sent him so that no one would be upset by times of testing. You know very well that we have to go through them. 4 In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that our enemies would make us suffer. As you know very well, it has turned out that way. 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4 NIrV 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 ESV 15 Because I do what is right, I will enjoy your blessing. When I wake up, I will be satisfied because I will see you. Psalms 17:15 NIrV 12 The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. Romans 13:12 MSG 4 Then he will be like the light of morning at sunrise when there aren't any clouds. He will be like the bright sun after rain that makes the grass grows on the earth.' 2 Samuel 23:4 NIrV 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. Isaiah 25:8 ESV 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:4 NIV 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them. We will be taken up in the clouds. We will meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with him forever. 18 So cheer each other up with these words of comfort. 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 NIrV	His anger lasts a moment. His favour lasts for life. No matter what our problems are; regardless of the strife, We know we’ll be delivered, the weeping soon be gone. The night will soon be over; with joy we’ll carry on. Don’t let pain and suffering cause us to fail the test. Go through the experience and in it we’ll blessed. Our enemies are doing it; the devil wants to smash, The followers of Jesus and cause our hopes to crash. We knew that it would happen. It’s what he’s always done. But we’ve received the victory through Christ, God’s only Son. The Lord said tribulation, was sure to come about. So it is going to happen. Of this, there is no doubt. Even in the midst of it, we’ll know His inner peace; No matter what they do to us, His love for us won’t cease. So let us be encouraged and let us all take heart. The Lord has overcome the world and Satan cannot part, Us from the love He has for us. The world cannot succeed, And tear us from God’s Kingdom and the life He helps us lead. Indeed it’s like a nightmare. Excruciating pain, Is what the devil uses. But it is all in vain. It only lasts a moment; and in eternity, The actual duration is just momentary. There’s really no comparison. It isn’t cause to quit. Pray and ask the Master to help you cope with it. He will not refuse you. He will not let you down. And in His Royal Kingdom, you’re sure to wear a crown. A woman in her labour will cry out in her pain. But when the child’s delivered, the thoughts within her brain, Will never be her anguish; she will be filled with joy, Because she cradles in her arms her baby girl or boy! Her suffering was worth it. She knows it very well. Even if she went through the very fires of hell, The joy which she experiences through her baby’s birth, Is more than all the treasures we find upon the earth. So let us all take courage. Our life on earth is short. Yes, there’s tribulation. Satan will resort To anything available, to keep you from the Lord. But Jesus is the One Who should be worshipped and adored. Nothing is worth keeping! He’ll dry up all our tears; He will swallow death and put an end to time and years. We will live forever and be with God Most High. If we follow Jesus ‘til the instant that we die. Jim Strickland – Written 16th September 2012

FUTURE PERFECT

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 15 September 2012

Hi all,

The Lord has made it very clear that His people must not get into trying to foretell the future. ¹⁰ For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, Deut. 18:10 NLT Today’s meditation looks at this in a bit more detail.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 15 September 2012			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	FUTURE PERFECT
They say that hindsight is always 20/20 vision. I’ve no fight with that. You can always be sure today about what you did a couple of weeks ago. The challenge is knowing today what is right for next week! Stories of what this is like abound. People dream of being able to cash in by backing a horse that we know in advance is going to win. If I knew today which horse was going to win the 2013 Durban July, it would be worth a fortune. That’s why most people want to know what’s going to happen tomorrow. People are greedy for money! We don’t know. God knows, but He isn’t telling! Omniscience is an “attribute” of God. He knows everything. There is nothing concealed that He doesn’t know. He has known the date of my birth and the date of my death since before He laid the foundation of the Earth. I know the date of my birth. I’m not sure I’d like to know the date of my death. We celebrate birthdays. Would we celebrate our death day? It’s a bit macabre isn’t it? Even if the date is fifty years in the future. Would any of us enjoy ticking off the years, months, days and hours? How would you like to send out an invitation card to attend your own funeral? No thanks. What about exam results? Could there be examinations? If you know the questions beforehand, it couldn’t be an examination! God has to “live” with this every day. He could tell me the name of my great, great, grandson if He chooses. He doesn’t. He knows how impossible it would make life for us. Can you imagine what it would be like during the middle ages if people knew all about the Wright brothers and Boeing 747’s? The concept scares me! Nevertheless men and women are incurably curious; the fact that it would take all the fun out of life, doesn’t seem to matter. Most of us struggle with knowing the correct thing to do today; so that we won’t foul up tomorrow! Our poetic section describes one way men and women determine what they are about to do; flip a coin! It has one thing in its favour. You have a 50% chance of being right. A pessimist would say there’s a 50% chance of being wrong! There is a better way to “handle” tomorrow. Ask the only One Who can tell you. Ask the Lord Jesus. He is able to tell you. But if we ask Him, do we believe what He says? We probably would if we knew it was Him answering. We don’t know, because we seldom ask Him about anything else. So in the final analysis, the only way to be sure of tomorrow is by being confident that we are hearing His voice! Are we sure? One or two of us can answer “Yes”. They can answer this way because they are constantly in fellowship with Him. They know what His voice sounds like, by deciding to be one of His sheep. They hear His voice because they are constantly listening. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 ESV It takes time to hear and recognise the voice of the shepherd. It doesn’t happen overnight. We have to learn to filter out the other sounds which demand our attention. With patience and practice we can all get to the place where we know His voice. In the process, we will make mistakes. But that’s OK. Perseverance will be rewarded. In the end you will be able to dialog with Him much as you do with other people. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; 8 a double minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6-8 ASV 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:62 ESV 6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 NLT 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24 ESV 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed and carried about by all kinds of teachings that change like the wind. We will no longer be influenced by people who use cunning and clever strategies to lead us astray. 15 Instead, as we lovingly speak the truth, we will grow up completely in our relationship to Christ, who is the head. Ephesians 4:14-15 GW 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. John 15:4 ESV 58 With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort. 1 Corinthians 15:58 MSG	Standing at a crossroad he wondered where to go. “I see there’s two directions. Which one, I do not know? The left one or the right one? But which one is correct? Father, is there any way, by which I can detect, The way I should be going? And which way I should choose? I can’t afford an error; that way I’m sure to lose, The object of my calling. I know that I could wait. But Father, it is getting dark and it is rather late”. But nothing seemed to happen. He took a look around; Perhaps the right direction to take would thus be found. But not a thing had altered, It all looked just the same; And he was getting tired of this little waiting game. He reached into his pocket. He’d had a” good idea”. A little game of heads or tails will draw the answer near. Then with his supple fingers, he flipped into the air, The coin he thought would show him the way of getting there. “Head’s I’ll take the left hand. Tails I’ll take the right”. The coin lay there face upward and “tails” was in his sight. But that was far too easy. “I’ll choose the best of three. That way I am quite certain it isn’t “picked” by me”. He put it into practice. Two heads and just one tail. “I have to take the right hand path or I am sure to fail. I hope the Father influenced the way that the coin fell, One route goes to heaven. The other goes to hell” But still he vacillated. “Perhaps I’ve got it wrong”. He couldn’t make his mind up. It wasn’t very long, Before he had decided that he would pitch his tent. For he was undecided which way he had been sent. Meanwhile the Holy Spirit was watching him perform. The man was double minded. Such actions were his norm. He thought that He should show him. But would he hesitate. Perhaps tomorrow morning he would select his fate. But Jesus wouldn’t tell him the way he ought to go. The man was “double minded” and Jesus wouldn’t show The route he should be following. He first, must make a choice, Before he’d know for certain and heed the Master’s voice. The moral of this story is something unconcealed. You make the decision, before the way’s revealed, That what you have been doing, is either wrong or right; And Jesus Christ has plenty time to sit and wait all night. It’s you who’s in a hurry. It’s you who must decide, To trust the Lord Almighty and let Him be your guide. Jim Strickland – Written 15th September 2012

FAITH FOR FELLOWSHIP

Time with Jesus - Friday, 14 September 2012

Hi all,

Fellowship and Faith: Do they go together? Well, without faith there can be no fellowship and without fellowship, there can be no faith. Today’s meditation looks at this.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Friday, 14 September 2012			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	FAITH FOR FELLOWSHIP
“Friendship with Jesus, fellowship divine, Oh what wonderful communion. Jesus is a friend of mine”. Do you remember singing this song or one of its slight variations? A good friend told me that the tune was that of an old “Negro Spiritual”. We shouldn’t be surprised. For many years, “Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs” have been put to the tunes of the day. I’m told that the Wesley brothers used the tunes of their day and composed wonderful hymns of praise and worship to God. The people sang them with great gusto. It’s not quite so easy today. We find that the words and tunes are copy-right protected. I’ve sometimes wondered what the words were before the Wesley brothers “saved” the tunes for God’s glory! It does happen. I understand that Cliff Richards had a small problem along these lines. He took the song “I Did It My Way” and wrote the words, “I Did It His Way” He was only able to sing it once. He was informed that he had infringed copy-right and that was the end of that. I wish I had heard back then. I like Cliff’s singing anyway. I’ve done the same thing now and then. But I’ve never had an opportunity to sing my version in public. Just as well I suppose. One song I distinctly remember was called “Vincent”. It was the tribute to Vincent Van Gogh and was very popular at the time. The version I composed was a tribute to Jesus Christ. The words are different. The tune is the same. If you put your ear right next to the speaker of your computer, you might hear me sing it for you. Probably not! This whole copy-right thing is a bit of a problem. I know that writers and composers should be entitled to some form of financial return for their effort. What that should be and how it should work is a horse of a different colour. How do you reward someone for what they like doing? We are all confronted with this to one degree or other. Many people love their job of work. They are so devoted to it that they are willing to commit all their time to it. I know this because I’ve met people who have made their passion in life their means of employment. Professional football players and their ilk fall into this category. I suppose great orchestra conductors are similarly devoted. At the other end of the scale we have those who dislike their job with a passion that is hard to understand. Those who are forced to work in sweat shops fall into this category. Being free and with the right to choose your own destiny appears to be very much a by-product of those who love the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s simple to see why. The fact is, no one can be compelled to love. Freedom and love go together as a unique combination. They are a by-product of a relationship with Jesus Christ. This was one of the great tragedies of apartheid. For it to “work” it had to be enforced. It was an unrighteous and illegitimate concept in the first place. There was no room for love in such an environment. There was no way it could continue indefinitely. Ultimately it would implode at the expense of the people it sought to control. That’s what happened. Today it is part of our dark and tragic past. There was a popular song that describes what had happened so well. The words are, “The song has ended, but the melody lingers on”. Our country will only know fellowship and enjoy peace when we are united in Jesus Christ. It could happen! Will it? Jim & Phyllida Strickland			9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:9 ESV 17 Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father as the voice of Majestic Glory spoke: "This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of all my delight." 2 Peter 1:17 MSG 1 How great is the love the Father has given us so freely! Now we can be called children of God. And that's what we really are! The world doesn't know us because it didn't know him. 1 John 3:1 NIrV 1 Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children Ephesians 5:1 NIV 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17 TNIV 3 This Son perfectly mirrors God, and is stamped with God's nature. He holds everything together by what he says--powerful words! After he finished the sacrifice for sins, the Son took his honoured place high in the heavens right alongside God, Hebrews 1:3 MSG 16 "In the same way, let your light shine in front of others. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will praise your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16 NIrV 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 ESV 13 "I am coming to you now. But I say these things while I am still in the world. I say them so that those you gave me can have all my joy inside them. John 17:13 NIrV 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:5 TNIV	Jesus Christ is faithful. That’s how He’s always been. He’s utterly reliable, regardless where we’ve been. We don’t know why He does it. He’s always been this way; And even if we ask Him, we know what He will say. “Right back at the creation, We knew what was required. A creature that would follow us and do what was desired. We didn’t want a robot. Some strange automaton, Without a mind to think with, but would just carry on, Doing what we told it. We’d make them by the score. Not one of them can love you. That is their fatal flaw. The purpose was to fellowship with people who were free. To choose that which they wanted and turn away from Me. We wanted men and women, whom We would not control. A people who would love Us with all their heart and soul. We knew that it was dangerous. The whole lot could rebel, And choose their independence; But would they love as well? It could have taken ages. But not for Deity. We knew the best solution, instantaneously! And that’s when We decided that We could then proceed. And so We put in motion that first creative deed. The rest of it is history. It isn’t a mere tale. We know how it will all work out in minuscule detail. Realise We love you; you’re children of the Lord. Please do not be frightened; do not be overawed. Our love is given freely There isn’t any charge. We’ve made it all available to all the world at large. Many folk don’t know us. It really is a shame; They can find salvation by calling on My Name! Be an imitator and copy My lifestyle. That’s the way that You should go to make Our Father smile. None of you are servants. You are joint heirs with Me. Moulded in My image, from sin and death set free! No! You cannot feel it. Believe it is a fact. You will only know it when you begin to act, And live within the compass of that which I have said; Following My Spirit, the way that He has led. Put aside timidity. Let your light be seen; Other folk will see you, and know where you have been. Then they’ll praise My Father for all that He has done; And want to be a follower of Me, His Holy Son. Soon I will be with you. Shortly I’ll return; Bringing the reward for faith that nobody can earn! Freely I have given. Freely do the same. And you’ll know the fellowship of those who love My Name. Jim Strickland – Written 14th September 2012