LIKE FATHER LIKE SON

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 29 September 2012

Hi all,

Today’s meditation is about “Like Father, Like Son”. Jesus said to Philip. ⁹ "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father! So why are you asking Me to show Him to you? John 14:9 NLT In this instance, not so much a photograph as in character.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give	Time with Jesus – Saturday, 29 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	LIKE FATHER LIKE SON

Dad met Mom in Hull, Yorkshire in 1938. She was his first and only girlfriend. They married the day after Mom’s 21st birthday in 1940. I arrived two years later. Mom died in 2001 so their marriage had lasted 61 years. Dad passed away 8 months before his 90th birthday in 2007. Life in England was very different in 1940. Many thought the UK was finished. They expected an invasion by Germany. Mercifully, it didn’t happen. There were no TV services in UK in those days. All they had was dance halls, the theatre and the movies; mostly black and white silent movies. Radio had started and was used to help keep up the morale of the people. Programs like ITMA, Flanagan and Allen, Jimmy Edwards and Dick Bentley, George Formby, Gracie Fields and Vera Lynn along with the sounds of the big dance bands like Glen Miller, Billy Cotton and numerous others, helped the people in the UK endure the Blitz. All able-bodied men were called up. Only the few men who were in reserved occupations were not conscripted. Even the women were called up. They were used to keep up wartime production. This included Dad’s two elder sisters. Suddenly women were required to do work that previously was reserved for men only. Dad was not conscripted. He spent most of the war repairing and overhauling equipment in power stations and factories damaged by bombing. Very often he was only in one place for a few days or perhaps a week. He told me that the company didn’t want to give him a week off to get married. They did in the end, so Mom and Dad had one week for their honeymoon. All this was marvellous experience for a young man who had just completed his apprenticeship. This was the foundation for his remarkable engineering skills. In September 1960, I started as an apprentice in the same company my Dad worked for. I must confess that I was not a patch on him. But there was a major difference. In the following month I committed my life to Jesus Christ in the Methodist Church. I went there because I noticed that all the pretty girls went there. For a young man of 18, nothing is more important than pretty girls. In spite of my questionable motives, He “saved” me. At times I think this was His way of getting me “saved”. Almost immediately I wanted to be a Methodist Minister. Dad in his wisdom said “No. You must first finish your engineering training!” He was so right. One of the problems was other peoples’ expectations. They thought I would be as good an engineer as he was. Anyway, I stuck it out and when it was time for me make a decision to go into the ministry, I was comfortable doing what I was doing. Furthermore, as I grew older the more like my dad I became in appearance. People would say, “If you’ve seen Jim you have seen Ernie. (dad) It remained that way up to the day he died. I tried to be like him. I just didn’t have his skill! Now, much to my amazement, young men have said they would like to be like me. So I tell them to follow me as I follow Jesus. It’s rather difficult for me to think that I’m now standing in dad’s shoes. Not in engineering, but in Christian service. I suppose to some extent it’s understandable. Sadly, unlike my dad in engineering, I have feet of clay. Hopefully Phyllida and I will stand long enough to let the Light of Jesus shine out of us clearly and visibly. Only time will tell. Jim & Phyllida Strickland

19 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. John 5:19 ESV 6 The LORD gives wisdom. From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 2:6 GW 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. Luke 21:15 TNIV 14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalms 27:14 ESV 9 But he said to me, "My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak." So I am very happy to brag about how weak I am. Then Christ's power can rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIrV 1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: Jude 1:1 ESV 11 For He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, Hebrews 2:11 ESV 24 Can anyone hide from Me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?" says the LORD. Jeremiah 23:24 NLT 23 The church is Christ's body. It is filled by Christ. He fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:23 NIrV 11 I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no other Saviour. Isaiah 43:11 NLT 42 They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world." John 4:42 TNIV 4 I am writing to Titus, my true son in the faith that we share. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Saviour give you grace and peace. Titus 1:4 NLT

I loved my father very much. He was a special man. He always seemed to do things, far better than I can. His hands, once rough through working, appeared to have a skill, Which I would love to emulate, but think I never will. In engineering he was good. He worked throughout the war, Mending broken turbines, that England needed for, Producing electricity, for armament and tanks; To help with the war effort and to support the Yanks. They didn’t supervise him. They left him on his own, Because his problem-solving was best done all alone! He was my boyhood hero and later, as I grew, I found I was more like him than anyone I knew. They’d look at me and father. He looked so like his son! They thought we were twin brothers; I thought that it was fun. The people said to “see me” was also seeing him. Though twenty five years older some thought he was my twin! The thing that I was missing was his ability. His touch for engineering and his dexterity, Was something I could emulate, but never quite succeed. And though I am well qualified, his life I’d never lead. I tried to only ever do, the things which he had said. I tried to do them his way, so I could get ahead. If this could have continued, I’m sure I could have been, A somewhat better engineer than what my peers have seen! He passed away five years ago. His age was eighty nine. And everything that he possessed; each little bit is mine. But it is not a substitute for walking with my Dad, The way that I have tried to do since I was just a lad. But now there is a problem which came as quite a shock. I know in engineering, he surely was my rock. But now the strangest thing I’ve found is happening to me. I’ve found there are some menfolk, who’ve said they want to be, Touched by what I’ve learned about, upon life’s busy road. I didn’t think they’d see it; but somehow I have sowed, A life in Christianity these people have admired! A life that every one of them has said they have desired. This makes me very frightened; for Jesus Christ has done, A sovereign work within me, as an adopted son. We have the self-same Father. But when men look to me, It isn’t the Lord Jesus whom all these people see. So I have told them follow me as I follow the Lord. He is the one to emulate and ought to be adored. So life has gone full circle and I will soon be gone And in the strength of Christ alone, they all must carry on. Jim Strickland – Written 29th September 2012

THE WONDERS OF HIS HANDIWORK

Time with Jesus - Friday, 28 September 2012

Hi all,

We are told, “The heavens declare the glory of God”. We look at this and related Scriptures and arrive at the wonders of His handiwork.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

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Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Friday, 28 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	THE WONDERS OF HIS HANDIWORK
I’m told that I suffer from a problem that is common among men. A problem their mothers, wives and daughter don’t struggle with. I’m told that I don’t see something, even when I’m looking at it. The problem is, “Darling, do you know what’s happened to XXXX” In my experience, limited though it might be, I find that when I can’t find something, my wife can put her hands on it and find it within seconds. Usually there is no comment when this happens. Certainly not from my dearly beloved. But inside my head I imagine I can hear her saying something about me never being able to find anything, even when it’s staring me in the face. On the other hand, the female of the species seems to have a homing instinct on anything and everything the male misses, even with both eyes closed and her mind on other things! Eugene Peterson comments on this obliquely in his translation of 1 Corinthians: -7 men and women, who far too often butt heads with each other, submit their "heads" to the Head: God.1 Cor. 11:7 MSG I think it means that men often submit to a sort of “blindness” to the things of God. Women see this masculine blindness. They have the ability to show their men where they have mislaid their faith in Him. Of course, blindness to the “things” of God is not always a gender issue. Those who truly love the Lord Jesus, see Him in everything. The heavens themselves declare His glory. We can’t miss it. His glory is everywhere. Watch a sunrise and be amazed as colour returns to the trees and grass. Listen to the sound of His creatures welcoming the new day. Sometimes called “the dawn chorus”, it’s well named. It’s the chorus of praise to God His creatures produce in response of each new day. They see and hear Him. It’s only mankind who miss it. Those who believe in Him and have crowned Him Lord, also see and hear Him in His glory. They know that 28 "In him we live and move and exist.' As some of your own poets have also said, 'We are his children.' Acts 17:28 NIrV. Those who don’t want to believe do so because they prefer the darkness to the light. (John 3:19) They refuse to believe because they would then be responsible to the One Whom they have rejected. Yes, they do see! But because they don’t want to believe, God lets them go. They remain in a state of delusion and become more determined to not believe, than they were previously. Like those referred to earlier, they can’t see even when they are looking at Him. They need someone to come and find Him for them. Ladies, this is where you are very often so like the Holy Spirit! You point things out and find what is missing. You have a God-given ability to help your husbands “find” God. The One whom they accidentally and sometimes deliberately “mislaid”. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			For the choir director: A psalm of David. 1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship. 2 Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. 3 They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Psalms 19:1-3 NLT 20 Ever since the world was created it has been possible to see the qualities of God that are not seen. I'm talking about his eternal power and about the fact that he is God. Those things can be seen in what he has made. So people have no excuse for what they do. Romans 1:20 NIrV 17 Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness." Acts 14:17 ESV 3 When I look at your heavens, the creation of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have set in place- 4 what is a mortal that you remember him or the Son of Man that you take care of him? Psalms 8:3-4 GW 41 The sun has one kind of splendour, the moon has another kind of splendour, and the stars have still another kind of splendour. Even one star differs in splendour from another star. 42 That is how it will be when the dead come back to life. When the body is planted, it decays. When it comes back to life, it cannot decay. 1 Corinthians 15:41-42 GW 3 Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever. Daniel 12:3 NLT	The heavens declare Your glory Lord, no matter where we look. They speak with such a clarity, from every little nook, And cranny of the universe. They seem to “pulse” with light; And even unbelievers must say that this is right. They say it had its origin and happened just by chance! They seem to miss the order in this vast galactic dance. They say a great explosion, somehow had taken place, And everything we now can see, in every part of space, Started off from nothing. But what they cannot see, Is where did “nothing” come from? It’s very strange to me! They say the space around us, has somehow always been. But space must have an origin; and none of them are keen, To say it was created. It always has been there. There wasn’t a beginning of which they are aware. But what about the forces – the “laws” which they can find. Didn’t they originate in a designer’s mind? Who made the law of gravity which makes the whole thing go? And what about the speed of light? Who fixed it? They don’t know? What of the laws of motion? Why do the planets spin? And what about the laws of sound? Perhaps they want to pin, All this on some freak accident that happened long ago? The possibility it’s God, they do not want to know! The reason is quite obvious. If they admit He’s there, Then they would be accountable. And they are all aware, That if they are responsible, to someone way up high, Then they will have a problem, the moment when they die. So they remain dogmatic. They “bellyache” and moan. They say He’s non-existent. His truth they will not own. They much prefer their ignorance. It suits them rather well, And do not have to bother that there just might be a hell! They do not want to listen. They do not want to see, The glory of God’s universe which speaks abundantly. They think that they are clever. But God says they are fools. They do not want to bother with Jesus and His rules. If they decide against Him, He’ll let them go their way. And in their foolish ignorance each one will have to stay. They all behold God’s glory. But they refuse to see The wonders of His handiwork; and His Divinity. Jim Strickland Written 28th September 2012

HATH GOD SAID?

Time with Jesus - Thursday, 27 September 2012

Hi all,

Today’s meditation focuses on the “struggle” between Satan and Jesus for the Lordship over this world. Satan’s appears to have a standard question. “Hath God said?” He used it successfully with Adam and Eve. For him it was a tried and tested way to success.  There is only one way to answer Satan’s question. Quote from God’s Word. That’s what Jesus did. We can do likewise.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Thursday, 27 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	HATH GOD SAID?
We are told that the Marquis of Queensberry rules in boxing were written by named John Graham Chambers in London in 1866. Today the phrase is sometimes used to refer to a sense of sportsmanship and fair play. This was ±1900 years after Jesus’ confrontation with Satan in the wilderness. Furthermore, it’s clear Satan knew nothing about them and wouldn't honour them. Have you ever thought about that confrontation? It was inevitable that it would take place. The outcome of this would determine the future of the entire creation. In it, Satan used every trick available to him to defeat Jesus. As we know, he hated mankind and everything associated therewith. He had used a moment of weakness in an innocent couple to trick them. He wanted that which God had given them. He deceived them into disobeying God’s command. God told Adam that if he ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would die. God said nothing to Eve about not eating that fruit. We have assumed God’s instruction applied to them both. We do not know it as a fact. This means that it is entirely possible that nothing would have happened when she sampled it. If this is the case, it adds an additional depth to the devious ways of Satan. For instance if she had already eaten a fruit from the tree without any apparent outcome, she could give Adam a bit to try for himself. “It won’t hurt you if it didn’t hurt me!” This could well have been her unspoken comment to Adam. It’s a bit academic. He listened to Satan’s lies. He was deceived into eating. That constituted the fall of man and the terrible consequences with which we are all painfully aware. Please know that I’m not seeking to make Adam’s sin less serious than it was. The point is that Satan would willingly have done so if necessary. This also reinforces the fact that each of us is responsible before God for what we do. Satan came and asked her a question. It’s what he usually does today. He tempts us to question the validity of God’s Word. For example, God’s Word tells us that unrepentant sinners end up in hell. Today, millions of Christians don’t believe. It really doesn’t matter if they believe or not. It will happen regardless of man’s opinions. Satan succeeded in tricking Adam into eating a toxic fruit. Of course, Satan was half right. Adam became acquainted with the disastrous consequences of being disobedient. Now he was aware of evil. He didn’t need to know about evil. It didn’t make him a better man. Sin warped him. It always does! I don’t have to murder someone to know it’s wrong. I know it now. When the deed is done, I’m worse off than before. I know it experientially. Deception had defeated Adam. He sinned and it was “game over”. So he tried the same trick on Jesus. But Jesus was not Adam. Adam only had one sin to worry about. Jesus had to be obedient to all the Jewish Law. Jesus was tempted when He was weary, hungry and thirsty. Satan offered Jesus everything He had come to achieve. Jesus answered all Satan’s questions by quoting from God’s Word. Every one of Satan’s “Hath God said” was answered with “It is written”. Jesus won the battle. And this is the point today. When Satan tempts us, we must state “It is written”. It’s the only way to defeat Satan. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			1 The snake was more clever than all the wild animals the LORD God had made. He asked the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must never eat the fruit of any tree in the garden'?" Genesis 3:1 GW 3 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 Jesus answered, "Scripture says, 'A person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that God speaks.' Matthew 4:7 GW 7Jesus said to him, "Again, Scripture says, 'Never tempt the Lord your God.' Matthew 4:7 GW 10 Jesus said to him, "Go away, Satan! Scripture says, 'Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'" 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came to take care of him. Matthew 4:10-11 GW 16 The man of God said, "I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 I have been told by the word of the LORD: 'You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.'" 18 The old prophet answered, "I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the LORD: 'Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.'" (But he was lying to him.) 19 So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house. 1 Kings 13:16-19 NIV 26 When the prophet heard the report, he said, "It is the man of God who disobeyed the LORD's command. The LORD has fulfilled His word by causing the lion to attack and kill him." 1 Kings 13:26 NLT 8 Whoever tells you good news that is different from the Good News we gave you should be condemned to hell, even if he is one of us or an angel from heaven. Galatians 1:8 GW 11 I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. Psalms 119:11 NLT	"Hath God said?" the serpent asked the time he tempted Eve. "Hath God said?", His purpose was intended to deceive The woman into doing that which her husband knew Was something God instructed him they should not ever do! "Hath God said?" And when she looked the fruit had such appeal. "Hath God said?", But when she touched it was so good to feel! It seemed so very innocent. To eat would make them wise. They'd be a little more like God and see with open eyes. "Hath God said?" He tempted her and so she took and ate. "Hath God said?" But nonetheless, she fed some to her mate. Who, through these proceedings had silently looked on, Neglecting his authority to say to sin, "Be gone!" "Hath God said?" The wilderness was shimmering with heat. "Hath God said?" the devil asked attempting to defeat The Son of God incarnate who stood in Adam's place; The man who represented the fallen human race. "Hath God said?" The devil asked when to the Man he came; "Hath God said?" He tempted Him. The test was just the same. "To satisfy Your hunger, just turn these stones to bread. If You are who You say You are, why shouldn't You be fed?" "Hath God said?"; "Just look at all the kingdoms which are mine." "Hath God said?"; "A miracle will prove You are divine. If You are the Son of God, then You can jump from here. His angels will protect You and harm will not come near!" "Hath God said?" the devil asks of Adam's race today. "Hath God said?" "Is that a fact? Did God really say The thing you know He told you? "Perhaps it isn't true." That's only just the devil's voice and he is tempting you. Hath God said?" he questions; "But doesn't it look good." "Hath God said?" "That can't be wrong; Do what you feel you should. It doesn't really matter, so let it all hang out." The devil keeps on tempting us to disbelieve and doubt. "Hath God said?" Of course He has. It's written in His Word. "Hath God said?" That question is utterly absurd; And just like the Lord Jesus, we'll make the devil flee When everything we say and do with God's Word does agree! Jim Strickland Written 1988