Daily Devotionals in Verse and Rhyme

Thursday, November 29, 2012

FOR THE JOY

Time with Jesus - Friday, 30 November 2012

Hi all,

What fascinates you most about Jesus the man? No I’m not discounting the fact that He is God. That will always be true. What I’m referring to is the way He lived life as a man. For me, His life was filled with joy. No doubt it was a reflection of the inner peace and joy He would have known as the Son of God. This joy overflowed into every part of His life. I love His glorious sense of humour. All this in spite of His knowing that He was destined from the cross. Hebrews informs us 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. Heb. 12:2 ESV

For me there is a sense in which His entire life expressed the joy that was before Him. I get the impression that every morning when He woke up He would say to His Father something along the lines of, “What good things will today bring”? Today’s meditation looks at His life and presents it to us as “for the joy that was set before Him”

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Friday, 30 November 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	FOR THE JOY
Back in the early 1960’s, all I really knew much about was the Methodist Church. Which means I “cut my teeth” on the hymns of Charles Wesley and many of the wonderful hymns in the 1936 version of the Methodist Hymn Book. I loved those old hymns and still do. My favourite back then was “And can it be that I should gain an interest in My Saviour’s blood? Died He for me who caused such pain? For me who Him to death pursued? Amazing Love, How can it be, that Thou My God should die for me?” On reflection I must admit that most of my theology came from singing these great hymns of faith. There were a few choruses doing the rounds. They were fun to sing, but their spiritual depth was almost negligible. There were one or two “classics” but not all that many. It may have been different in some of the other churches. They must have been. I remember singing choruses at the Billy Graham Crusade in Manchester in 1961. (I think) For me, choruses “took off” with those written by Dave and Dale Garrett and their “Scripture in Song” series. I loved the fact that we sang Scripture. It helped me get it into my spirit! Incidentally, this couple are still ministering in song but have focused on indigenous music. Since they are New Zealanders, the music has a distinct “Maori” flavour. Their latest production is a DVD called, “Let My People Go”. One of the best known choruses of all time must be “The Joy Of The Lord Is My Strength”. Originally from the book of Nehemiah it is a wonderful call to follow the Lord joyfully. ¹⁰ And Nehemiah continued, "Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!" Neh. 8:10 NLT Hebrews tells us; 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. Heb. 12:2 ESV For our meditation today, I’ve expressed the entire life of Jesus Christ “For the joy that was set before Him”. We know that He endured the cross, despising its shame, for the joy that was before Him. Since He was slain before the foundation of the world, it makes sense that His entire life comprised “For the joy that was before Him”. This was the example He set for us. The question for us, is whether or not we are equally prepared to do whatever it takes for the joy that is before us? What does that demand from you and me? Historically, it’s meant martyrdom. The pages of history are littered with the blood of the saints. What about ours? Jim & Phyllida Strickland			³ And that's not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. Romans 5:3 NIrV ¹⁹ And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 1 Corinthians 15:19 NLT ¹² Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ Instead, be very glad--for these trials make you partners with Christ in His suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing His glory when it is revealed to all the world. 1 Peter 4:12-13 NLT ¹⁰ We are sad, but we are always full of joy. We are poor, but we make many people rich. We have nothing, but we own everything. 2 Corinthians 6:10 NIrV ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 ESV ⁴¹ Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name. Acts 5:41 ESV ¹³ I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NLT ¹⁷ Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, ¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! ¹⁹ The Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights. (For the choir director: This prayer is to be accompanied by stringed instruments.) Habakkuk 3:17-19 NLT	For the joy that was before Him, He left His Father’s throne. For the joy that was before Him, the earth became his home. For the joy that was before Him, He nursed at Mary’s breast. For the joy that was before Him, His life was filled with zest. For the joy that was before Him, to Jerusalem He went. For the joy that was before Him, some time with priests was spent. For the joy that was before Him, He grew to be a man. For the joy that was before Him, He followed Father’s plan. For the joy that was before Him, He went and was baptised. For the joy that was before Him, He defeated Satan’s lies. For the joy that was before Him, He taught His favoured flock. For the joy that was before Him, He said Peter was a rock. For the joy that was before Him, He was physically transformed. For the joy that was before Him, The apostles were informed. For the joy that was before Him, He told them He would die. For the joy that was before Him, He watched Judas say good bye. For the joy that was before Him, He walked to Gethsemane. For the joy that was before Him, He prayed for you and me. For the joy that was before Him, He was taken for a trial. For the joy that was before Him, He answered without guile. For the joy that was before Him, He said “I’m the Son of God!” For the joy that was before Him, He was beaten with a rod. For the joy that was before Him, He endured the Jewish jeers, For the joy that was before Him, He refused to shed His tears. For the joy that was before Him, He endured the Roman lash. For the joy that was before Him, they treated Him like trash. For the joy that was before Him, He carried His own cross. For the joy that was before Him, He let Satan think he’s boss. For the joy that was before Him, He was nailed upon the tree. For the joy that was before Him, He died for you and me. For the joy that was before Him, He is risen from the grave. For the joy that was before Him, He is powerful to save. For the joy that is before you, will you let them do to you; For the joy that is before you, anything they want to do? For the joy that is before you, endure your suffering? For the joy that is before you, shine His light on everything? For the joy that is before you, will you give your life away? For the joy that is before you, will you serve the Lord today? Jim Strickland Written 30^th November 2012

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

YOU BELIEVE

Time with Jesus - Thursday, 29 November 2012

Hi all,

One of the most popular teachings of the early 1980’s was the fact that the expression “seeing is believing” was not Christian. The way it should be is “Believing is seeing”. It’s the other way round. ²³ I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, 'May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. ²⁴ I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. Mark 11:23-24 NLT In other words, if you want to see it you must first believe it. In many ways this is the “essence” of the faith movement. It still is. It all boils down to what you believe and is part of our meditation for today.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Thursday, 29 November 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	YOU BELIEVE
Pastor Yongi Cho has the world’s largest church situated in South Korea. He wrote the book, “The Fourth Dimension” back in the late 1970’s. I remember that it was very popular in 1981 when I returned to the Lord from my own wilderness experience. What fascinated me was the title. “The Fourth Dimension”. At school they taught me that there are only three dimensions. So what was the “fourth one”? Many folk told me it’s the “spiritual” dimension. Yongi Cho’s book didn’t contradict this, but it helped me realise that the dimension in which God dwells is very different from ours. I scratched my head until I came across the marvellous description by Paul in Romans 8. And I ask¹⁸ you'll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Eph. 3:18 MSG I love the way Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase describes Paul’s special words. There we “see” four dimensions. We could quibble and say that depths and height are the same. But this version puts a magnificent interpretation on Paul’s words. Enjoy them. They are superb! Personally, I love this sort of thing. I like to understand what I’m reading. Very often, I find things hidden in Scripture that for me are revelatory. By this I’m not speaking about a new “revelation from God”. That would be highly unlikely. But I love asking questions as I read. Questions such as what Jesus meant when He said to the 11 apostles, “Now you believe” or “You believe at last?” To understand everything Jesus said, it’s vital we get to grips with context. We need an exegetical understanding or we will miss the point! A good example is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. ¹³ I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. Phil. 4:13 KJV People think this means anything. Then I point out that you can’t fry ice. You can’t make a square into a circle. And for the men I remind them that no matter how much faith they have, they will never fall pregnant! With this approach, I’ve tried to get my head round what Jesus meant at that time and in that place. I’ve tried to “get into His shoes” (sandals if you prefer) and try and explain it. I sense it revealed He was getting to the point of exasperation and frustration with the apostles. But this demeans Him and I’m not happy doing so. For me, Jesus is perfect and to suggest that He may have had weaknesses of this nature borders on blasphemy! But I would be untrue to Him if I don’t state what I read in His Word. So I submit this meditation to The Holy Spirit as well as my brothers and sisters in Him. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			²⁹ His disciples said, "Now you're talking in plain words and not using examples. ³⁰ Now we know that you know everything. You don't need to wait for questions to be asked. Because of this, we believe that you have come from God." ³¹ Jesus replied to them, "Now you believe”. John 16:29-31 GW ¹⁴ What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? ¹⁷ So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. James 2:14&17 NLT ¹⁷ It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God's promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. ¹⁹ Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead. Hebrews 11:17&19 NLT ²¹ Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²⁴ So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. James 2:21&24 NLT ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. James 1:25 NLT ¹⁹ Every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. ²¹ "Not everyone who calls out to Me, 'Lord! Lord!' will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of My Father in heaven will enter. Matthew 7:19-21 NLT ¹⁶ I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the One who sends the message. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. John 13:16-17 NLT	Have you ever thought of standing in the Master’s shoes? Yes I know He is the Lord and King of all the Jews. I’ve known this from my childhood. They taught me this in school. I know He’s the Creator. For evermore He’ll rule. Now God is always perfect. In each and every way. He knows what’s going to happen. So why did Jesus say, To all of His disciples, "You believe at last!" The context is important. They’d just been walking past, The gates of Herod’s temple. They’d paused to have a talk. Jesus Christ knew perfectly, this was His final walk. In just a few brief hours, He knew that He would be, Dying on a Roman cross upon Mt Calvary. Could Jesus feel frustrated? We cannot tell for sure? Some think that His Holiness never could endure, A feeling of frustration. That would be sin indeed! A thought that’s contradictory to every Christian creed. And yet these words are written, "You believe at last!" John 16:31 NIV The words He had been waiting for, for just about the past, Three and a half years ministry. They knew He came from God. If that is not frustration, it’s surely very odd, That Jesus Christ would say to them. They’d got there just in time. Now they knew for certain that Jesus is Divine. Of course it could be argued, He knew what they would state. He knew that it would happen in spite of the long wait. But there is an expression, the English language uses. It is used so often. It’s made when one accuses, Somebody arriving by “the skin upon their teeth”! At the final instant, they got in underneath, The final, full time whistle or adjudicator’s gun. A millisecond later, it’s over and it’s done! Was this the Master’s meaning? I really cannot say. I know from my perspective it seems to be that way. But I can’t “second guess” Him! I’m surely not that bright. So many things were happening to all of them that night! So Master, please forgive me for what is written here. I’ve shared my understanding; but Master please draw near. And bring Divine correction to anything I’ve said. And blot out any error, from every reader’s head. Jim Strickland Written 29^th November 2012

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

SUPERCHARGED

Time with Jesus - Wed. 28 November 2012

Hi all,

John’s letters reveal to us things which, if they were not in the Bible, I wouldn’t believe. For example, ² Dear friends, now we are God's children. What we will be isn't completely clear yet. We do know that when Christ appears we will be like him because we will see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 GW The expression, “We will be like Him” is extraordinary. Can we say that we will have resurrection bodies like His that will be able to do the same as we record in Scripture? Personally, I believe we will! What will it be like? Today’s meditation, “Supercharged” looks at this and describes what we may be able to do in the resurrection. Decide for yourselves if the theology is good. In any event enjoy my interpretation of what it will be like under such conditions. It’s called “super-charged, because that’s how I’ve imagined the difference between our present bodies, and the one He has designed for us! It’s super-charged!

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Wednesday, 28 November 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	SUPERCHARGED
My grandson and his father are motor car racing “crazy” They attend every local meeting that’s within driving distance from their home in Pretoria. They are aficionados of Motor Sport. In some respect I admire them. But I’ve never really taken much interest in people driving at high speed round and round a race track. Something happened in the late 1950’s that put me off forever. A friend and I decided we’d hitch-hike from Port Elizabeth to East London for the SA Grand Prix. The big attraction was to see Sterling Moss driving in competition. Two things spoiled it for me. The first was we got a lift with a couple who had a baby in the car. One too young to control his inner workings. Not a problem except that the soiled nappies were put in a bag immediately behind our heads on the rear window shelf. So my friend and I travelled all the way accompanied by “enchanted pheromones”! We said nothing. We needed the lift and were fighting for fresh air. The second disappointment was the race itself. We couldn’t afford the fancy price of tickets close to the start and finish line. So we sat out somewhere in “left field” as the Americans put it. We saw cars going round the circuit. But who was driving which car and who was winning? We had no idea at all. My friend was more enthusiastic than I was, so he wasn’t badly put off. But it was my first and only grand prix. After watching all the different cars going round and not knowing who was who put a real damper on the occasion. We knew Sterling Moss was somewhere there. But where he was and which car he was driving remains a mystery to this day. I don’t even remember who won. But we did manage to hitch a ride back to Port Elizabeth later that day. Funnily enough, I can’t remember if our respective parents even knew where we were. Signs of a misspent youth! To this day I’m not much of a car enthusiast. All the models look just about the same. But the resurrection life model body the Lord has promised us is something else! Watch what Jesus could do in His! It was supercharged! Walk through walls. Rise from the grave! Ascend into heaven. Now He can even live in all of us at the same time! Travel faster than the speed of light (If He made it He must be able to exceed it!) Now that really is neat. There’s a whole bunch of space, stars and planets out there. I’d rather like to spend about 100 million years just loving and worshipping Him. Then I’d like to take a tour of the universe. I’d like to visit the Crab nebula. How about a face to face meeting with Orion! His belt is fine, but what about the rest of him? I’d like to make the tour with people I’ve met and loved here. My wife Phyllida would be my first choice. How could that work in eternity? I’ve no idea. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			¹⁴ Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could He die, and only by dying could He break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. ¹⁵ Only in this way could He set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT. ⁵⁵ O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? " ⁵⁶ For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. ⁵⁷ But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 NLT ¹⁶ That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 2 Corinthians 4:16 NLT ¹ For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself and not by human hands. 2 Corinthians 5:1 NLT ⁶ So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. ⁷ For we live by believing and not by seeing. ⁸ Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:6-8 NLT ¹ "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in Me. ² There is more than enough room in My Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? ³ When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with Me where I am. John 14:1-3 NLT	He had to make Him human. Yes, Jesus Christ the Lord, Had to be a human to wield His Father’s sword. Some fancy little robot could never ever do. He had to be in every way the same as me and you. A twenty foot gorilla, with teeth and jaws of steel, Couldn’t fight the devil. The difference too unreal. Satan took on Adam and beat him with one bite! It follows that our Master must beat him in a fight, Where there was no advantage, in favour of each side. The only way for Christ to win, was to be crucified. He had to see the contest through; let Satan think he’d won. There wasn’t an alternative ‘til everything was done. Satan was ecstatic when Jesus passed away. “I’ve beaten God Almighty” was all that he could say! He sounded like a donkey. Like that and nothing more. He hadn’t seen his error; his one gigantic flaw! The Jesus dying on the cross was really me and you. And Satan looking at Him just didn’t have a clue! His hold on death was slipping and he didn’t even know. The fact is Jesus has the keys, so death will have to go. We’re not sure when it happens. It will be in His time. From then on Satan’s tactics will not be worth a dime. The earthly tent we live in will shortly be antique. When Jesus gives us new ones, then Satan’s going to freak! We’ll have eternal bodies, not made by human hands. God Himself is making them inimitably grand. Until the day it happens, we’ll keep on keeping on. Believing without seeing is how we get along. So let us all be confident, in spite of our abode. Our bodies may be aging and our reactions slowed. But God is making new ones; the prototype He’s tried; And we can hardly wait to have our spirit man inside; The turbo-charged edition that simply walks through walls, Travels at the speed of light and never ever stalls; Runs on “Holy Spirit” and not on gasoline, Proving just how generous the Lord our God has been! Never mind a “Cadillac”, a “Lexus” or a “Rolls”. Don’t let your heart be troubled; new bodies for our souls! Jim Strickland Written 28^th November 2012