JIMMETS – VERACITY & CREATIVITY

Time with Jesus - Wednesday, 31 October 2012

Hi all,

I thought today would be a good day for a couple of Jimmets; makes for a change. Today’s Scriptures describe the total dependability of God. They illustrate His truthfulness and His reliable creativity!

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Wednesday, 31 October 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	JIMMETS – VERACITY & CREATIVITY
“Cross my heart and hope to die!” Are these words as familiar to you as they are to me? They come from childhood. Someone would say something. “Is that true?” someone else would respond. In my day, it was something you said to confirm your statement. “Yes it’s true”, was never quite enough to add credence to your words. So we would make foolish statements hoping the other person would be convinced. It was certainly not a “Christian” phrase. But when you’re somewhere between the age of 6 and 10, what else can you say to emphasise that your statement is absolute truth. If memory serves correctly, it was only partly true anyway. Part of it was said for effect; to make yourself seem more reliable and truthful than you really were! To some extent, David’s words to the Lord in 2 Samuel 7 have a feeling of incredulity about them. Yes, these were words of thanks and grateful appreciation to God for promising David that His line would continue forever. After all, what do you say to God when you hear that He has made such an extraordinary promise? It’s not a time to say, “That’s great so what’s for lunch?” How can I say this about David’s comment to God? It has nothing to do with David and everything to do with God and the prophet Nathan. David was already thoroughly aware that God doesn’t tell lies. David also knew that Nathan the prophet always only brought God’s truth to the discussion. If Nathan really was a prophet of God – and David correctly believed that he was – God’s message would be totally reliable. In those days, lying prophets very quickly vanished from the scene. Rapidly removed might be the way to put it. Stoned to death! Not a bad idea! Perhaps we should do it today? There is something else about God not telling lies that is hugely comforting. It’s the fact that we can be sure that what has happened in the past will happen today and tomorrow. If God is a liar, how do we know tomorrow will come? Why would the speed of light be constant? Would we have children or cabbages? Would there be anything we can depend on? Would two and two still be four? All these are true because of God’s invariable reliability. Now God also understands the creatures He has made. He knows that we live in a fallen world and that we are sceptical about anything and everything. We are inclined to doubt the Lord God Himself. So when He made a promise to Abraham He said, 16 "I swear by My own name that 17 I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number. Gen 22:16-17 NLT Now that’s a trustworthy statement. It’s His version of, “Cross my heart and hope to die!” Jim & Phyllida Strickland			25 "And now, O LORD God, I (David) am Your servant; do as You have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever. 2 Samuel 7:25 NLT 38 Keep your promise to me. Then other people will have respect for you. Psalms 119:38 NIrV 42 Then I will answer those who make fun of me, because I trust in your word. Psalms 119:42 NIrV Zayin. 49 Remember what you have said to me. You have given me hope. - 54 No matter where I live, I sing about your orders. - 72 The law you gave is worth more to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold Psalms 119:49, 54 & 72 NIrV Lamedh. 89 LORD, your word lasts forever. It stands firm in the heavens. 90 You will be faithful for all time to come. You made the earth, and it continues to exist. Psalms 119:89-90 NIrV 17 So God took an oath when he made his promise. He wanted to make it very clear that his purpose does not change. He wanted those who would receive what was promised to know that. 18 God took an oath so we would have good reason not to give up. We have run away from everything else to take hold of the hope offered to us in God's promise. So God gave his promise and his oath. Those two things can't change. He couldn't lie about them. 19 Our hope is certain. It is something for the soul to hold on to. It is strong and secure. It goes all the way into the Most Holy Room behind the curtain. 20 That is where Jesus has gone. He went there to open the way ahead of us. He has become a high priest forever, just like Melchizedek. Hebrews 6:17-20 NIrV 1 And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires. 2 Peter 1:4 NLT	VERACITY It’s difficult for us to understand, Almighty God will never tell a lie. Liars we observe on every hand, Many of them, do not even try To tell the truth; and lying is their norm. Every word they speak is to impress. Speech is little more than verbal porn, Weaved into a web of “truth-less-ness”. Politicians – whom can we believe? Government’s a stranger to the truth. Is it they’re intending to deceive, Voters and especially the youth? What has happened to veracity? Bring it back O Lord, we beg of Thee. Jim Strickland  Written 31st October 2012 CREATIVITY The things the Father told us long ago, Are guaranteed and they will come about. This is something we all need to know. There need be no wavering or doubt. Why is this? Because it was His Word Spoken; and creation came to be. In that empty, nothingness was heard, God Almighty’s creativity. That is how our universe was born. Light with time and space quickly appeared. What God said was like the break of dawn. All the host of heaven loudly cheered! God had started what He had said He’d do. Make a paradigm for me and you. Jim Strickland  Written 31st October 2012

LITTLE FOXES

Time with Jesus - Tuesday, 30 October 2012

Hi all,

Song of Solomon speaks about the little foxes that ruin the vineyard. What are they for you and me? We have a love relationship with Jesus Christ in our own personal vineyard; that secret place where we go to share our love with Him. Our love is more than an intellectual nodding relationship. It should be passionate and experiential. But we allow things into our lives which spoil our love relationship. Usually these are distractions and sin. These are our little foxes. We examine this in more detail in this morning’s meditation.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Tuesday, 30 October 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	LITTLE FOXES
It is commonly believed that Oliver Cromwell, when he was Lord Protector of England, gave a very clear instruction to his portrait painter, Sir Peter Lely. It seems that Cromwell’s face was not particularly attractive. It was disfigured by ugly warts. Portrait painters in those days always tried to do their best to make the subject look good. So if there was anything unsightly, the defect would not be shown on the canvas. It is believed that Cromwell told Lely to paint him, “Warts and all”. Today we would talk about spin doctors who are paid for making the person look better than they really are. It’s the difference between truth and a “snow-job”. Traditionally, Song of Solomon was written by King Solomon as a young man. The book is said to be a sort 950BC description of the physical relationship between a man (the King) and the woman he loved. It’s a bit “racy”, But if you look beyond the physical descriptions you read of the passionate love Jesus has for the woman of His choice; the Bride of Christ. There is a sense in which it could be written no other way. How do you describe God’s love for anyone or anything? We know it is not an intellectual appreciation of love between a man and his wife. It cannot be. It must reflect, in some incredible way, how Jesus feels about his people. He loves us passionately in a way we can’t quite understand. The way newly-weds feel about each other on honeymoon. It is said that they try and “eat” each other. But how do you describe the love of Jesus for His people? Certainly not coldly and dispassionately. It must be described in understandable language. This way cannot be a full description. We wouldn’t be able to grasp that anyway. So, describing it inadequately using a medium we all understand is more or less all that can be done. It is described to us “warts and all”. With all the defects that are inevitable when God seeks to convey truth to His people! So God uses the language of the bed-chamber so that we can get the “feel” of what He is saying to us. The little foxes are the intrusions into the physical relationship brought about by our circumstances. For you and me, the little foxes are sin. Sin always comes between God and His people. Paul wrote, 5 So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Colossians 3:5 NLT. Sin is idolatry. It means we are worshipping another god. It is the same as adultery. We can’t passionately love Jesus while we are in sin! Such little foxes must be excluded. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			15 Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming! Song of Solomon 2:15 NLT 12 But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Psalms 19:12 TNIV 15 See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; Hebrews 12:15 ESV 7 You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? Galatians 5:7 MSG 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6 NLT 27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, Philippians 1:27 ESV 5 So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. 7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, 8 but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. James 3:5-8 ESV 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6 TNIV	All the little foxes that come and spoil the vine, Are like the little errors that spoil the love of mine For Jesus and His Kingdom. We know that they are sin. And illustrates the difficulty you and I are in. The lovely book of poetry which Solomon once wrote, Speaks about two lovers. The one a man of note, The other of a maiden and how they both relate, Loving one another like husband and his mate. The lover in the poem is like Jesus Christ above. Speaking with a passion, about His awesome love, For the one He’ll marry as soon as He returns. It speaks about the fire, that deep inside Him burns, To be with His beloved for whom He gave His life And live with her forever as husband and His wife. The poem shows the problems, hindering the pair. And of those tender moments, when no one else is there. Of how the little foxes often come between, The Lord and His beloved; the one who’ll be His queen. All the other verses describe just what will be, If we will continue with our quest for purity. The Scriptures tell us plainly of the sins which we commit. They damage our relationship and render us unfit To being with our “husband” and fails the find His grace, If any root of bitterness comes in to take His place. We’d been running perfectly, but we have been deflected. The course of true obedience in us was not detected. We’d become unworthy of the Gospel of the Lord. Only by repentance we will not face His sword! It seems our biggest problem is the wagging of the tongue. Gossip is unrighteous; it places us among, Those who worship idols; the things their hands have made. Just to think about it, should make us feel afraid. The tongue that worships Jesus, must never worship Baal. That’s a certain practice which causes love to fail. Can you see the foxes that suddenly appear, Spoiling our relationship? They stop us drawing near, To the only person on Whom we can depend? Our everlasting Lover, our Saviour and our Friend. Jim Strickland  Written  30th October 2012

WATERLOO AND ZIKLAG

Time with Jesus - Monday, 29 October 2012

Hi all,

Every instant in our lives is known by the Lord. In a way, none of us understand this. How can we have free will if He has planned the future? How can he arrange the circumstances for something like 9 billion people? How is it possible to say and believe Paul when he writes, ²⁸ And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them Romans 8:28 NLT I don’t know! I do know that He does. How does this apply to the holocaust? I don’t know. Only God knows and He hasn’t told us. Our meditation looks at a small slice of this.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Monday, 29 October 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	WATERLOO AND ZIKLAG
There are times in our lives which are absolutely critical. Our first was being born. From the comfort of the womb to an unknown world. I don’t know anyone who remembers the incident. Mothers probably do, but somehow the experience is forgotten when the infant is in her arms. During childhood, we go through a series of “critical” incidents. The first day at school. Finding out that Dad is Father Christmas. The onset of puberty. Our first “date”. Our very first kiss. They may not be critical in the accepted sense of the world. But to us at the time, they were pivotal. Things would never be quite the same again. My first really “critical” incident was in early December 1959. Due to my own stupidity, the “wheels came off” on my final day at School. It threw me into a state of anxiety from which I’ve not fully recovered. My future changed forever. University was “out” and my prospects were grim. Looking back some 53 years later, I see to what extent this impacted my life. I would have remained in South Africa. Instead, I was off to England to work as an apprentice and a career in engineering. This was my “Waterloo”. A “deathless Golgotha”. Like Napoleon, I went into exile. Not Saint Helena - Newcastle on Tyne in England! We all have incidents of this sort in our lives. In Christian terms we would speak about a “crucifixion”. Times when the bottom falls out of our world and we are thrown into the hand of our Creator. On reflection, we could say that the incident was directly from the hands of the Lord to achieve a purpose only He knows. Embarrassment, rejection, accusing tongues, slander and in some instances, death threats. I often feel God lights the fire and gets the oven nice and hot. Then He puts us into the situation to test our metal. Silver, gold or wood, hay and stubble? He does this because He loves us. He loves us too much to leave us like an unbroken mare or stallion. For David the incident was Ziklag. It happened toward the end of his days of running from Saul. This incident, measuring 7.5 on the “JHWH scale” shook David to his very roots. He had been anointed by Samuel as king. But if he didn’t come up with something in double quick time, he would be lying dead in what was left of Ziklag after a visit by the Amalekites! What would David do? To me this situation has all the fingerprints of God. “David, do you trust Me?” is the unasked question. Read about it in 1 Sam 30. David turned to God for encouragement. He “encouraged himself” in the Lord is the way the KJV translates the passage. How do we deal with such calamities? Are we going to wilt and crumble? Will we turn to Him? Do we realise that this is a trial from His hand? It’s a case of sink or swim! Jim and Phyllida Strickland			6 David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the LORD his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 NLT 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, John 6:68 ESV 12 That's why I'm suffering the way I am. But I'm not ashamed. I know the One I have believed in. I am sure he is able to take care of what I have given him. I can trust him with it until the day he returns as judge. 2 Timothy 1:12 NIrV 6 I called on the LORD in my distress. I cried to my God for help. He heard my voice from his temple, and my cry for help reached his ears. Psalms 18:6 GW 18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. 19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. Psalms 18:18-19 TNIV Of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away. 1 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Psalms 34:1-4 ESV 8 Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! Psalms 34:8 ESV	We know about what happened at a place called “Waterloo”. The Frenchmen were defeated; Napoleon was through. It was his final battle; the one he had to win! And when he was defeated; the trouble he was in! Sent to Saint Helena, until the day he died. European “justice” to him was thus applied. So Waterloo was pivotal. He couldn't carry on. His opportunity was lost. Napoleon was gone. Each of us is similar. Upon a certain date, We have to go through something which somehow seals our fate. Dates are cast in concrete. But it’s how we react, That changes situations. That’s an established fact. For David it was Ziklag. This was his Waterloo. With “situation critical”, what would our hero do? He’d gone off with his army. To lead his men to war. And when the men came home again, the town was there no more. It seems that the Amalekites had marched into the town. They had flattened Ziklag and burned the whole place down. The women and the children were all carried away. His warriors were furious; now what could David say? The men were getting restless. Revolt was in the air. Then David was decisive. He turned to God in prayer. And in that situation he found encouragement. There was no outward evidence. But it was his intent, To chase that raiding army and bring his people back. And if he didn't do it soon, his warriors would crack. We know that he succeeded; that all things worked out well. The prisoners recovered, as Scripture clearly tells! Take notice of what happened. This was his “Waterloo”. He would not be defeated and found out what to do. He could bemoan what happened, fall on his knees and weep. He knew that would be fatal. So David took a leap, Of faith in God Almighty and found encouragement! This attitude in David was surely heaven sent! He asked the Lord to help him. To help him overcome. He didn’t wane or falter till victory was won. So if your life is crumbling; you’re at your “Waterloo” Find encouragement in God; He’ll show you what to do. Jim Strickland Written 29th October 2012