MR AND MRS

Time with Jesus - Monday, 18 March 2013

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Hi all,

Is marriage obsolete? Not for Christians. Society no longer frowns on couples living together. However, for Christians, living together without being legally married is contrary to God’s Word. Whether we agree with this or not, is irrelevant. A sexual relationship outside marriage is fornication or adultery. The fact that this is practised routinely in society today is not an excuse. God calls it sin. If you disagree, take it up with God. Ask Him to remove it from His Word. Only then will it be acceptable.

In the meantime and for information, Mr is the abbreviation of Mister or Master. Mrs originated as a contraction of Mistress, the feminine of Mister, or Master. It was originally applied to both married and unmarried women. The split into Mrs for married women from Ms and Miss began during the 17th century.

Today’s meditation looks at some of the marriage customs in the English speaking history.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland 

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Monday, 18 March 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	Mr and Mrs
Marriage was and is God’s idea. He never makes mistakes. We make them all the time. Today’s Scriptures focus on the marriage relationship between God and His people. The idea that “our Maker is our husband” is not strange. Before The Lord made Eve from Adam’s rib, there is a sense in which Adam was the closest thing, to what we might describe as God’s marriage partner. If not, it was the closest relationship to marriage we see in antiquity. The Nation of Israel entered into covenant with God on Mt Sinai. It was a commitment to each other. They would be His people & He would be their God. That sounds suspiciously like a marriage. Isaiah expressed the relationship with God as follows; 5 For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called. Isaiah 54:5 ESV I’ve heard it said that the entire Bible is the story of God looking for a bride for His Son. Perhaps it’s an over-simplification. But this “process” began in Genesis & culminates in Revelation. There we see the Heavenly Jerusalem coming down from God. It could well be the final dwelling for His Son Jesus with His heavenly bride – His people. How this all fits together is beyond my understanding. But we don’t have to understand it. All we need to do is believe it and leave the details to God. Over the years, men and women have married and been given in marriage since the early parts of Genesis. Various nations have developed customs associated with the wedding. Even today in South Africa, if we look at the standard wedding ceremony in Protestant churches, we find customs that go back for longer than we can guess. The bride is “given away” by her father (usually) to her husband. She wears a wedding ring or some other symbol stating she is now a married woman. I understand that little girls are brought up with a fantasy of being the perfect bride at a perfect wedding. Why not? On that day she has the right to take on the surname of her husband. Although this is no longer compulsory, most brides choose to do so anyway. In today’s meditation, I’ve taken some of the wedding customs we know so well and applied them to the marriage of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, to His bride. Some of the similarities are from my own imagination. For instance I’ve equated the Name on the forehead of God’s people to be like a wedding ring. That name I’ve guessed is the name His bride will take. Be aware I’m not seeking to provide a new doctrine. It’s only my imagination being applied to some of the symbolism. They may well be wrong. But they were fun exploring. I trust you’ll have as much fun meditating on these illustrations as I had composing them! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			4 And they will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. Rev 22:4 NLT 14 "I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep as the Father knows me. My sheep know me as I know the Father. John 10:14 GW 19 In spite of all that, God's people have a solid foundation. These words are engraved on it: "The Lord knows those who belong to him," and "Whoever worships the Lord must give up doing wrong." 2 Tim 2:19 GW 7 GOD is good, a hiding place in tough times. He recognizes and welcomes anyone looking for help, Nahum 1:7 MSG 3 "Wait! Don't harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of His servants." Rev 7:3 NLT 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. Eph. 1:13-14 ESV 21 He makes both us and you stand firm because we belong to Christ. He anointed us. 22 He put his Spirit in our hearts and marked us as his own. We can now be sure that he will give us everything he promised us. 2 Cor. 1:21-22 NIrV 12 "I'll see to it that those who overcome will be pillars in the temple of my God. They will never leave it again. I will write the name of my God on them. I will write the name of the city of my God on them. This is the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God. I will also write my new name on them Rev 3:12 NIrV 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: 'The LORD is our righteousness.' Jer. 33:16 ESV	Way back in antiquity, when man and wife were wed; There was a marriage custom which even now’s not dead. Because it was so serious; the two were seen as one! They came to an agreement which even now’s not gone. Because they were in covenant and they would procreate, They had to have a common name for husband and his mate. A married man was Mister, with surname at the end They called his partner Mistress. At least, that was the trend. This meant from that day onward, if he was Mister “Fred”. His wife would now be Mistress “Fred” from then till she was dead! This was the normal custom, back in the days of yore. The wife took on her husband’s name until - forevermore. She also started wearing a special wedding band. This said that she was married. “See here, it’s on my hand!” It seems the Lord has planned for us that He will do the same. On all His people’s forehead’s, He’s going to write His Name. I’m not sure of the “gender” His people will all share. It isn’t in the Bible, recorded anywhere. The Lord will be our Husband! A shepherd through and through. He’ll take care of His people, the way that shepherds do. He’s said that we will know Him. The secret will be out. His name upon our foreheads. That’s what it’s all about. It’s something like a wedding band that’s sealed upon the head. This says, “He is our Husband” and that we have been wed. The Holy Spirit did this, so we could all be sure, That marriage to the Master, forever will endure. The other implications are not so very clear. It should be quite sufficient that Jesus Christ is near. But as for procreation, It seems to make no sense. And other things we think about – my mind’s a little dense! But this I know for certain; we’ll gladly bear His Name. We’ll give Him our submission and things won’t be the same. We’ll live in New Jerusalem. A home that He’s designed. “The Lord God is our Righteousness”, is how its name’s defined. I’m sure we all will love it. We’ll think it’s paradise. To be with Him forever, is more than plain old “nice”. There is no honour higher than being Jesus’ bride! Married to our Maker and with Him to abide! Jim Strickland – Written 18th March 2012

HATH GOD SAID?

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 17 March 2013

Jim & Phyllida

Hi all,
Do you ever think about Satan? Have you wondered what type of creature he is or was? Many believe that Ezekiel 28 describes him. Ezekiel was referring to the King of Tyre when the message was written. In spite of this, it is commonly believed that the description alludes to Satan. If this is the case, it seems that we are too informal with this creature. He is referred to as the “cherub that covereth” Ezek 28:14

It seems he was perhaps the very first “being” God created and in all probability was the greatest of them all. There seems to be a direct reference to the Cherubs, which were at each end of the mercy seat, on the Ark of the Covenant. Their “wings” extended over the mercy seat. The thought is that he was the third and perhaps the greatest of the cherubs. Perhaps he had been stationed in a similar position over the mercy seat, hence the expression, the “cherub that covereth”

This is speculation and may not be correct. What it does suggest is that he was the mightiest of all the “angels”. It also suggests that after his “fall” he retained much of his power. So much so that, in Jude 9, Michael the Archangel was respectful toward him.

From all this we are compelled to realise that Satan is not a wimp. Yet we address him as a wimp! Should we? There is no question that he is far more powerful than we are. This does not mean we should be afraid of Him. Jesus has defeated him. But we need to learn something from the angels.

In WW2, the Nazi war machine in North Africa was headed up by Rommel. He was a highly skilled general. He was both feared and respected by the allies. They came against him and his Africa Corp. But as a general and later a Field Marshall, he earned the respect of men on both sides. This is what I mean when I talk about respect. Yes, Satan is our sworn enemy. But we would be well advised to be more respectful in our dealing with him.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland 

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 17 March 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	Hath God Said?
We talk about “the battle of the sexes”. We tell little jokes against each other. Mostly it’s a lot of fun. “Adam was the first dumb blond!” is one that makes me laugh! The one against the ladies refers to Adam talking to Enoch, his great, great, great, great, Grandson. “Why are we living here and not in paradise?” asked Enoch? “It was your great, great, great, great, Grandmother Eve’s fault!” said Adam. “She ate us out of house and home!” The whole tragic incident is summarised for us in Genesis; 6 the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good to eat. It was also pleasing to look at. And it would make a person wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate it. Gen 3:6 NIrV Satan came with three basic temptations. 1) the lust of the flesh, 2) the lust of the eyes; 3) the pride of life. Eve fell for all three! Dumbo (Adam) let it happen! We make light of such things. But they are not really something to laugh at. The fall of man was the greatest tragedy to ever befall the human race. From paradise to poverty in one bite! It’s tragic rather than funny! The ramifications – sin - echoes down the centuries like the sound of a guillotine to this very day. Jesus was the only One Who could fix it! Fix it, He most certainly did! I’ve often wondered what happened to Jesus while He was growing and before He was baptised by John. Matthew tells us 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. Mat 4:1 NLT What had happened to Jesus during the previous 30 years? Had the devil been kept away somehow? I doubt it! However, we know so little about those years. In the wilderness, Satan tried to defeat Jesus with the same three temptations. Jesus did not fall for it. We often do. The Apostle John summarised the basic temptations as follows. 16 Here is what people who belong to this world do. They try to satisfy what their sinful natures want to do. They long for what their sinful eyes look at. They brag about what they have and what they do. All of this comes from the world. It doesn't come from the Father. 1 John 2:16 NIrV Satan uses one other feature. It’s rather subtle. The temptation often comes in the form of a question. The technique is shown in the temptation of Adam and Eve. He tried the same stunt when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness. The circumstances were different; but Satan questioned the three basic assumptions. “Did God really say --------?” Back in the late 1980’s it occurred to me that he still employs the same technique. In old English, Satan asked the question, “Hath God said?” He used it directly on Eve. He tried the same technique on Jesus. Furthermore, we know that when he tempts us, he repeats it. It gets a bit boring, but in the final analysis he asks, “Hath God said?” With this in mind I compiled a nine verse poem. Each of the first two lines begin with “Hath God said?” It still gets a bit boring. But Satan has no new tricks. He rehashes the same stuff which worked so well with Adam and Eve. It failed with Jesus. But he keeps coming back to the same routine. It’s like a cracked gramophone record. Mostly, Adam and Eve’s offspring still fall for it. That 1989 poem is today’s meditation. It’s as true today as it was back then. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Heb. 4:15 ESV 6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. Gen 3:6-7 NLT 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 17 And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. 1 John 2:16-17 NLT 3 During that time the devil came and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread." 4 But Jesus told Him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Mat 4:3-4 NLT 8 Next the devil took Him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 "I will give it all to You," he said, "if You will kneel down and worship me." 10 "Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the LORD your God and serve only Him.'" Mat 4:8-10 NLT 18 Because Jesus experienced temptation when he suffered, he is able to help others when they are tempted. Heb 2:18 GW 12 Blessed are those who endure when they are tested. When they pass the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. Jas 1:12 GW	"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’re 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 1989