GOOD AND TRUE AND PURE

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 17 February 2013

Hi all,

You and I; men and women, who, to the best of our understanding, have only lived on this planet, suffer from tunnel vision. By this I mean that we can only see that which is in our line of sight. We have microscopes and even the Hubble space telescope, to see things more clearly than we can with the naked eye. However, we do have something of a problem when it comes to seeing round corners. Thus the far side of the moon is something we have only been able to see from photographs. We also have the reports of the astronauts who journeyed there in the comparative safety of their space suits.

When it comes to seeing God, we are stymied. We have no idea what God looks like. Since God is Spirit, trying to assign size, shape or mass to Him is absurd. It’s like talking about a square circle or frying ice! Then Jesus, the Son of God comes along and says to Philip, Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father! (John 14:8) So, to wax lyrical, what had Philip seen and what did Jesus mean? What was there about Jesus that “showed” the Father to Philip and the others?

Now Jesus was very ordinary looking. His Divinity was clothed with His humanity. It was done so well that looking at Him physically, nothing was revealed. But Philip must have seen something! What was it? There is really only one way to answer this satisfactorily. It was His behaviour; His lifestyle; the way He walked and talked in quiet intimacy with all who came to Him; His deep compassion; His honesty; His passion for God; His reaction during great trials and the way He embraced the cross, because of His love for sinners like you and me. Jesus Christ was God in the flesh showing us how to live. That’s the image I crave more than anything else in this world or the next!

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland  

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 17 February 2013			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	Good and True and Pure
Directly above my computer and slightly to the right I have two special pictures. One is a photograph of Phyllida taken sitting on the rock where she made her decision to follow Jesus Christ back in 1952. I keep telling friends that I have a “pin up” of my favourite woman in my study. The other is a photograph taken on Christmas Day in 1921. It has a strong resemblance to Phyllida. It should have. It’s a picture of her mother. When we look at photographs, they give us a moment “frozen” in time. That’s how it was on that date. Perhaps it’s the best illustration we have of timelessness. These images do not change. In 50 years we can look at them and they will be the same. In the interim, we have changed; changed significantly. Perhaps we look at a photograph taken 50 years ago. Then as we look at someone else – perhaps a grandchild – we say something like, “he is the spitting image of his father at that age”. We mean that they look alike. It may well be the case. But there is an error in our statement. We regard an image as a “look-alike”. But God is spirit and has no “appearance”. So we are like Him and also unlike Him! John’s Gospel states: 8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." 9 Jesus replied, "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 14:8-9 NLT This could not have been a physical likeness. It must have been something else. Probably Jesus was “like” the Father because of the things He said and did. It was His character. Now we cannot “see” character. But we can see behaviour; and behaviour is a function of character. So Jesus’ words to Philip were not about physical appearance, but the way Jesus was; the way He behaved. Jesus was the “image” of His Father. He only did what He saw His Father do! Now this makes sense to me. According to Jesus’ description, being like His Father is to display His character. It follows that when God created man in His “image”, He referred to character rather than appearance. Furthermore, Paul gives us a description of the character displayed by someone who is “filled with the Spirit”. These are the fruit of the Spirit. (See Paul’s letter to the Galatians) 22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Gal 5:22-23 NLT Essentially I’m suggesting that to be made in the image of God, means to have a lifestyle in which the fruit of the Spirit is constantly and consistently on display. This is walking in the Spirit in a way we have only observed in Jesus. Today’s meditation follows this line of reasoning. It concludes with observing the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the life of Adam, Eve and their subsequent offspring. I suppose it can be said that when I behave like God, I’m in His image. And when I’m in His image I behave like Him! Have a look at the meditation and decide, whether this “novel” theory of mine, describes the way in which a man or woman, can be in His image in the 21st Century. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them Gen 1:27 ESV 28 29 Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man. Act 17:29 ESV 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Eph 2:4-5 & 10 ESV 29 This is true because he already knew his people and had already appointed them to have the same form as the image of his Son. Therefore, his Son is the firstborn among many children. Rom 8:29 GW 2 But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him--and in seeing him, become like him. 1 John 3:2 MSG 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. Psalm17:15 NIrV 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be My children Rev 21:7-8 NLT 16 For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. 17 And since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering Rom 8:16-17 NLT	What was it God intended when He first created man? I do not understand it. I’m not sure others can, Give an explanation of what was in His mind. He made him, male and female. That’s how he was designed. The fullness of the meaning is way above my head. I’ll guess I’ll have to stick with what Almighty God has said. He made us in His image. I cannot comprehend, What people should decipher! And what did He intend? I always think of photographs when looking at this word. But saying that we look like Him is utterly absurd. We know that God is Spirit. He has no formal shape. His need for shoes and clothing or anything to drape, Upon His sort of “body” is only in man’s thought. Because the Lord Almighty has no needs of any sort. So how can we be “like” Him? What does His “image” mean? To say He “looks” like anything is actually obscene. If we concoct a “look alike” of something in our head, Would be to make an idol we would worship in His stead! So it is not a picture. Of this we can be sure. It has to be perfection that will evermore endure. To satisfy these limits, God’s image cannot be, Anything we look upon, or think about, or see. Which means it must be abstract; a quality like love. Not some sort of valentine, but something high above, The road on which we travel, or we could understand; A quality of living that’s lofty, high and grand. It must include such qualities as love and joy and peace. Goodness, patience, faithfulness. These qualities release, Into His world His gentleness; where kindness is our goal; And where all of God’s creatures can practice self-control. We know about these qualities. God wanted us to be, Filled with Holy Spirit and live eternally, Within a strange environment which we have never seen. Surely that’s God’s image and what His Words could mean? It sounds to me like heaven, where perfect people dwell; Where everything that’s wicked has been consigned to Hell! Perhaps this was His meaning? This much we know for sure. The Lord made His creation to be good and true and pure. Jim Strickland Written 17th February 2012

THE DEATH OF DEATH

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 16 February 2013

Hi all,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Those who have read Genesis will be aware that before the flood, people lived much longer than they do today. Methuselah lived for 969 years. If any of us lived that long, it would mean that we were born in 1044AD! We would be contemporaries of the Bayeux Tapestry and may well have known William the Conqueror. We would have fascinating memories of, among others, Genghis Khan, Richard the Lionhearted, Henry VIII and all his wives; Queen Elizabeth I, Christopher Columbus, Napoleon, Jan van Riebeeck, Martin Luther, the Wesley brothers and George Washington. You would be well acquainted with death, because most of your long-time friends would be dying at about the same time as you. Like people today, you would no doubt, wonder why life is so short?

I’ve often wondered about the size of the world’s population when the flood came. Presumably men and women would all live to about the same age. Precisely what that would mean in terms of reproductive ability is anyone’s guess. Under such circumstances, 7 billion people living today may not be significantly different from antediluvian days. According to Bishop Ussher's 17th-century chronology, the antediluvian period lasted for 1648 years, from creation at 4004 BC and the flood at 2348 BC. So how many people died in the flood? It seems that only 8 survived. Which means you and I would have a chance of ±1 in a billion of being among the survivors.

If we total all this up, it means that some 20 billion people, give or take a couple of billion, have lived on this planet. We know of only two people who didn’t die; Enoch and Elijah. Even Jesus died although He was resurrected. So 2 people in 20 billion have not perished? Accordingly, we have one chance in 10 billion of cheating death. Not good “odds”, are they? Benjamin Franklin is on record of having said, “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” I can’t speak for taxes, but death is a “dead certainty”.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland  

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 16 February 2013			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 Death of death
I suspect that I can say without contradiction, none of us celebrate the fact that, unless Jesus Christ returns before it happens, every one of us will die. When it will happen we do not know. Frankly, we don’t want to know. If we did, would anyone celebrate the date every year? Even if the date was many years in the future; how would we react? Perhaps we would call it our “death-day” and start counting backwards toward it. It sounds a bit macabre, but would it help us live better lives? Something which exacerbates the situation, is that we have never seen or known a place where death doesn’t rule. Our gardens are fertilised with the decayed remains of flowers and leaves. We eat slaughtered animals and dead fish. We know that we are all going to die. In spite of this, we reproduce children, with death written into their genes. We look around us. We have never seen it death-free. In fact death is so familiar to us that it has become a normal part of daily living. Jesus Himself recognised that mankind was subject to dying and death. He referred to this obliquely in John’s Gospel. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels--a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. John 12:24-25 NLT Since He is the author of creation, I’ve no doubt these words were spoken with great sadness in His heart. Reading His words, we get the feeling that He is saying, “This is what My creation has come to!” Thankfully, there was an “upside”. He knew what His future death upon the cross would achieve. He also knew the “fullness” of what it would be. We can only accept by faith what the resurrection will mean. We are told that medically, there is no reason why we should die. Our bodies should be capable of living indefinitely. Our cells should be able to continue functioning ad infinitum. They don’t! It seems there is something in our genes which triggers a self-destruction process. After a certain interval, the cells are contaminated. This guarantees our eventual death. We think it is a purely medical certainty. But that’s not the complete story. The body is contaminated by sin. To defeat it we need a miracle from God. We need new bodies. We need the fullness of the new creation. In and through Jesus Christ we know that it is the heritage of a Christian. Without arguing about theological interpretations, we can state that the return of Christ will trigger the miracle of our being physically recreated. The actual sequence and process of this, keeps Bible students disagreeing with each other, in a most unchristian way. Frankly, there is no reason why we shouldn’t simply accept the fact that it will happen. It will take place according to His agenda. Our theological opinions are all irrelevant. In fact I’m rather looking forward to fellowshipping with those who disagree with my views completely. It will be wonderful to be able to embrace each other, in His presence and forget about the things that have divided us. We will probably laugh with each other and rejoice in His love. I can hardly wait. Even so, Come Lord Jesus! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 2 Cor 5:4 NLT 4 My guilt has overwhelmed me. Like a heavy load, it is more than I can bear. 5 My wounds smell rotten. They fester because of my stupidity. 6 I am bent over and bowed down very low. All day I walk around in mourning. 7 My insides are filled with burning pain, and no healthy spot is left on my body. 8 I am numb and completely devastated. I roar because my heart's in turmoil. 9 You know all my desires, O Lord, and my groaning has not been hidden from you. Psalm 38:4-9 GW 24 What a miserable person I am! Who will rescue me from my dying body? 25 I thank God that our Lord Jesus Christ rescues me! So I am obedient to God's standards with my mind, but I am obedient to sin's standards with my corrupt nature. Rom 7:24-25 GW 22 All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs. 23 These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full deliverance. Rom 8:22-23 MSG 5 Through faith you are kept safe by God's power. Your salvation is going to be completed. It is ready to be shown to you in the last days. 6 Because you know this, you have great joy. You have joy even though you may have had to suffer for a little while. You may have had to suffer sadness in all kinds of trouble. 1 Peter 1:5-6 NIrV 14 I know that I will die soon. Our Lord Jesus Christ has made that clear to me. 15 So I will make every effort to see that you remember these things after I die. 2 Peter 1:14-15 GW . 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality. 1 Cor 15:53	There’s something very tragic in the fact that we will die. Eternity is in us. So why should death apply? Knowledge deep within us, revolts against this fact. There’s nothing about dying that could possibly attract, Anyone to long for it. It’s never been our goal! It seems to contradict the things which seek to make us whole. It can’t be made appealing. It’s horribly rude! It seems to come upon us at any interlude. No matter what we’re doing, it strikes us down at will. It always interrupts us when the time has come to kill. We struggle to postpone it. But it won’t stay away. And when it comes to call for us, we cannot tell it nay! There in Ecclesiastes, we read the human heart, Is something rather beautiful. Death couldn’t ever start, Unless it had permission to interfere in life. Satan brought in sin and death, through Adam and his wife. They swallowed the forbidden fruit and so the deal was done. The only way to fix it, was for God to send His Son, To capture death and swallow it; then sin could reign no more. So Jesus Christ our Saviour came and neutralised that score. No longer are we victims; We’re never going to die. The instant that we “pass away”; we’ll be with Christ on high. Our bodies may not function. Besides, they’re getting old. And we will get a new one! That’s what God’s Word’s foretold! We know we’ll be with Jesus while our new one’s being made. It has some better features we are told will never fade. We know it will be timeless and always at its best. It will not wilt or perish and forever will be blessed. We’ll walk upon the water and we will never sink. We never will grow weary; our one and only drink, Will be His living water; We’ll dine on Heaven’s bread. And know that for eternity to Jesus we’ll be wed. I know it sounds fantastic; but there is so much more. We’ll gaze upon the Holy One; we’ll worship and adore, The One Who made it possible. We’ll be with God Most High, Living in a home were death itself has had to die. A recreated paradise that Jesus Christ designed. That’s the place God’s Holy Word has promised we will find! Jim Strickland Written 16th February 2012