GOD’S PLAN FOR YOU

Time with Jesus - 7 Sept 2013

Hi all,

From as far back as most of us can remember, we have all had ambition of one description or another. A little boy wants to be something special. It used to be an engine driver, a fireman or perhaps a policeman. You can get a good idea by looking at what they are playing with. It used to be toy cars, electric trains or the sport they partake in at school. Little girls loved playing with dolls, skipping or similar. 

Over the past 20 years, it has changed drastically. Today, they want to play computer games on play stations. Others have fun chatting on line with friends. Computers and smart-phones dominate the lives of children to the point where it is difficult to identify what it is they would like to be.

To say, “It wasn’t like that in my day!” is pointless. The world, in particular technology, has moved forward in leaps and bounds. The children of today will never be the way we remember from our young days. “Leggo” may still be popular with young children. But when they find their way into the wonders of the electronic age, it’s game over! 

Sadly, social networks, text messages and cellular networks have isolated children into a world of their own. Mind you, adults are not much different. Go to a restaurant or a place where people gather and we see people using their cell phones rather than chatting with each other across the table.

Where does ambition fit into all this? Is there any room for youngsters to develop ambition for the future? Could it be that “Maths and Science” are being neglected because they have little relevance to play stations, Facebook and Twitter? Sure, text messages helps with reading. But a special “texting language of abbreviations” has made it more difficult to read books. This problem with reading has reached the place in certain countries where, many of the young men and women leaving school are functionally illiterate.

But, what part does ambition fit into the life of a Christian? Does it fit anywhere into the life of a man or woman, who is committed to and has given his/her life, to Jesus Christ? Let me rephrase the question. Are you a bond slave of Jesus Christ? If so, where does your own will, desires and ambitions fit in? What it boils down to is this. Does a slave have any rights? No!

2 Then the LORD said to me, "Write My answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. 3 This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. 4 "Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God. 5 Wealth is treacherous, and the arrogant are never at rest. They open their mouths as wide as the grave, and like death, they are never satisfied. In their greed they have gathered up many nations and swallowed many peoples. 6 "But soon their captives will taunt them. They will mock them, saying, 'What sorrow awaits you thieves! Now you will get what you deserve! You've become rich by extortion, but how much longer can this go on?' Habakkuk 2:2-6 NLT

We have been taught from the pulpit for many years, that we should all have a vision; a goal for the future. In line with business methods, we have all exclaimed, “Yes!” Unfortunately, we have been taken to Scripture passages such as Habakkuk 2:3 and distorted it, focusing solely on Habakkuk’s “vision” instead of the content. 

I’ve actually truncated the words of the prophet Habakkuk’s vision because of space considerations. It continues to the end of Chapter 2 and is a lament over Judah! In many ways, what is stated, is not very different from circumstances today. 

In other words, it’s not good news for Habakkuk or Judah. If I stood in a pulpit on Sunday and said that what the Lord had said to Habakkuk is true today, I would be lynched.

Jesus' vision for you
Death so He can rise in you!

There is no similar reading in the New Testament other than the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Did Jesus have a vision He was pursuing? Actually He stated very clearly, He only did what His Father told Him. Certainly He knew His destiny. He would die on the cross. But this was not His “vision”. His entire purpose was the defeat of Satan and the liberation of mankind. In the sense we understand “vision” today; Jesus did not have a vision. What about the other characters mentioned in the New Testament. 

If you read the Gospels, Acts and the letters, you will notice they all proceeded one day at a time trusting the Holy Spirit to show them the next step. These men had one ambition; to glorify God in the service of Jesus. So much for ambition!

Human ambition is nearly always for the glorification of themselves; a great ministry; a mega-church; international travel to speak at conferences. But that’s not in line with Jesus’ teaching. Perhaps the great plan God has for you, is to remain hidden from the rest of society. Would it really matter if you went to your grave in complete obscurity? Could it be that God’s great plan for your life is to be nobody, with a passion for Jesus that will transform the life of just one other person? What if that one person happens to be tomorrow’s Billy Graham? Does it really matter? Not if you are His bond slave. Perhaps you will serve His purpose best by being crucified? Perhaps you should allow men to trample all over you so that they can look back and see a life given for the Master?

In 1751, Thomas Gray published his “Elegy in a Country Churchyard”. It contains one verse that all Christians need to hold before their eyes as they follow Jesus. That verse reads, “Full many a gem of purest ray serene, / The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear: / Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, / And waste its sweetness on the desert air.”

What about you and me? Do we desire the applause and appreciation of men, or are we willing to be nobody for Jesus. Are you willing to “waste your sweetness on the desert air”?

Today’s meditation is on God’s plan for our lives and the associated implications. Eugene Petersen in the Message writes: ²⁴ "Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.” John 12:24 MSG. These are the words of Jesus. Are you willing to die to everything, even your own ambitions? 

What about me? Will I do the same? It’s a decision we all have to make sooner or later.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 7 Sept 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	GOD’S PLAN FOR YOU
Attend just about any evangelistic church meeting. No doubt somewhere in the sermon, the preacher will tell you, “God has a wonderful plan for your life”. It’s not my plan to gainsay it. God does have a plan for your life and my life. That plan, in brief, is your total annihilation so that Christ may dwell by faith in your heart. “What’s so good about that?” I can almost hear the words coming directly from your lips! In Paul’s letter to the Galatians he puts it as follows: 20 I have been crucified with Christ. I don't live any longer. Christ lives in me. My faith in the Son of God helps me to live my life in my body. He loved me. He gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NIrV A simple way to express this, is that you are so “in Christ”; so identified with him, that your own aspirations no longer feature. But that’s not quite the end of it. Watch what happens to your desires. David states: 4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NIV Note that these are no longer your own selfish desires. These are the desires God puts in your heart. Suddenly you are thrilled with an idea from within, which you think is yours. It’s not! It comes from God. Your desires are now His desires. These ideas excite you. They stimulate you. There is no greater purpose in life than to follow these ideas to the end. Jesus is alive within you and you are so thrilled with His objectives, that you would move heaven and earth to get there. No day can ever be long enough for you to pursue this objective. Things improve significantly and you are so thrilled with what you are doing that it more or less consumes you. It’s a fascinating observation, that as Christ becomes greater in you and you become less, you become more abandoned to the plan inside. Suddenly, nothing else really matters. Paul expresses this in his letter to the Colossians. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27 ESV Now we begin to see the bigger picture. It’s not a question of you going through the motions trying your best to become what you never can be. Not at all. It’s Christ within you achieving His purposes in and through you! (My charismatic friends would say at this point, “You have just missed a great opportunity to shout Hallelujah!”) Earthly plans and purposes are for this world. Their success and fulfilment fades. Jesus’ plans in and through you are everlasting! They are greater than you because everything He does is good. How do I know all this is true? I gave my life to Jesus in October 1960. In spite of my many failures, it has become abundantly clear to Phyllida and to me, that what is written above is real. We have experienced it many times. Have we made mistakes? Yes; many of them. Do we have a perfect relationship with Him each and every day? I’d love to say yes but it wouldn’t be true. What we have found is that as we have dumped our own selfish goals and taken hold of His plan for our lives, life has taken on a better and more realistic meaning, than we could ever have imagined. We both testify to this. So stop struggling and die!! Then He will raise you up, energise you and bring His/your plan to fruition! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			17 But I am poor and needy. May the Lord be concerned about me. You are the One who helps me and saves me. My God, please don't wait any longer. Psalms 40:17 NIrV	How could he be a Christian? He thought that he would be, Sent by God to somewhere he’d rather never see. He had a fixed idea what discipleship would mean. Then when he thought about it said, “Sorry I’m not keen! I might be sent to China or somewhere that is worse. I’d rather stay in England and have money in my purse”. But he had missed the picture. God doesn’t work that way. He’ll only send you somewhere you really want to stay. He’ll use the education and training He provided, To go and take the Gospel to where you have decided. People seldom understand the mystery of God. He isn’t like a giant who will beat you with a rod. He puts desires in you that thrill you through and through. And then you realise it’s what you really want to do! He places these intentions deep down within the heart. And you will never know where your desires and His start! You think, I want to say that my objective and my goal, Is going in the way the Lord has placed into my soul. His plans for you are wonderful. In fact they are the best. He wants you to enjoy your life as though you’re “super-blessed!” It won’t be a disaster; it will be filled with hope. He will not leave you struggling and saying you can’t cope, With everything that’s happening. It doesn’t work that way. The plans that He has made for you get better every day! That’s how He thinks about you. His plans for you are vast. You’ll feel you truly want to nail His colours to your mast. You won’t be disappointed. Just the reverse is true. There won’t be hours in the day for all you want to do! Absolute fulfilment is what the Lord desires. Inspired and directed by your spirit’s inner fires. His riches are unsearchable! In fact they’ll “blow your mind”. Nothing can be better than what you’re sure to find. Talk of satisfaction? That’s surely guaranteed. Give your heart and life to Him and go where He will lead. Yes, there will be problems. Yes it will be tough. But you have His assurance He’s far more than enough. You’ll be an overcomer if you stick it to the end. You’ll find experientially, on Him you can depend. You may not be a millionaire with money in the bank. When you reflect upon this, It’s Him you’ll want to thank, For giving you a lifetime of purposeful success; That when you’re looking back on it, you’ll know that you’ve been blessed. How can I make this statement? On whose authority? Well here is my confession. He did all this for me! Jim Strickland Written 7th September 2012
			11 I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster; plans to give you a future filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11 GW
			8 "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT
			17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you. Psalms 139:17-18 ESV
			5 How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts! Psalms 92:5 NIV
			5 You have done many miraculous things, O LORD my God. You have made many wonderful plans for us. No one compares to you! I will tell others about your miracles, which are more than I can count. Psalms 40:5 GW
			26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 1 Corinthians 1:26 ESV
			5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? James 2:5 ESV
			10 People think we are sad although we're always glad, that we're beggars although we make many people spiritually rich, that we have nothing although we possess everything. 2 Corinthians 6:10 GW
			8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, Ephesians 3:8 ESV

EDOM’S END

Time with Jesus - 6 Sept 2013

Hi all,

Carrying twins or triplets is not likely to be the desire of many women. From the comments I’ve heard, one at a time “in the womb” is quite sufficient. Rebecca, the first woman on record in the Bible to give birth to twins, confirms this. It seems that Esau and Jacob began their feud before they were born. 

The "Mess of Pottage"

Genesis tells us; ²¹ Rebekah became pregnant with twins. ²² But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. "Why is this happening to me?" she asked. ²³ And the LORD told her, "The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son." Gen 25:21-23 NLT

The Family Tree from Terah

The rivalry and between Esau, her first-born son and Jacob, lasted from the cradle to the grave and beyond. At times it appears that they tried to “bury the hatchet”. It didn’t last. The two sons were too different. Esau could be best described as a “man’s man”. Jacob was not exactly a “mommy’s boy”. 

Edom, Judah and Israel

Rather than seek to coexist in the same land, the descendants of Esau moved south and established the Kingdom of Edom.

Edom or Idumea was located south of Judea and the Dead Sea. It is mentioned in biblical records as a 1st millennium BC, Iron Age kingdom. The name Edom means "red" in Hebrew, and was given to Esau, the eldest son of the Hebrew patriarch Isaac. The Torah, Tanakh and New Testament thus describe the Edomites as descendants of Esau. The Edomites' original country, stretched from the Sinai Peninsula as far as Kadesh Barnea. Southward it reached as far as Eilat, which was the seaport of Edom. On the north of Edom was the territory of Moab. The ancient capital of Edom was Bozrah. Esau's descendants settled in this land after displacing the Horites. It was also called the land of Seir; Mount Seir was strongly identified with them. Selah (Petra) was its principal stronghold, Eilat and Ezion-geber its seaports. (Courtesy Google)

During the exodus from Egypt and prior to them entering the Promised Land, the Lord forbade the Israelites from passing through Edom or attacking the Edomites. Instead they marched round their land.

Although the Edomites controlled the lands to the east and south of the Dead Sea, their peoples were held in derision by the Israelites. Hence the Book of Psalms says "Moab is my washpot: over Edom will I cast out my shoe". Psalm 60:8 NLT According to the Torah the congregation could not receive descendants of a marriage between an Israelite and an Edomite until the fourth generation!

Petra Today

In many respects, the Israelites were contemptuous of Edom and the Edomites. They subdued them during the days of King Saul and controlled the land for many years.

 ±1400 years after the birth of the twins, The Babylonians attacked Judah and took many of the inhabitants captive to Babylon. 

Petra Today

The Edomites sided with the Babylonians and joined in the slaughter. They rejoiced at the fall of Jerusalem and murdered many of the people. In particular, they grabbed infants by the feet. Then they smashed their heads, breaking their skulls against the rocks. This was something the Judeans never forgot.

The Hairy arm of Jacob to
Trick Isaac from the Blessing

Judas Maccabeus conquered their territory for a time in ±163 BC. They were again subdued by John Hyrcanus (±125 BC), who forcibly converted them to Judaism and incorporated them into the Jewish nation. This was more or less the end of the Edomites and Idumeans, except for one notable exception. Herod the Great was an Idumean. When the house of Herod finally passed away, Edom/Idumea vanished.

It is one of the ironies of history, that the Herod the Great, the “King of Idumea”, sent his servants to kill Jesus by murdering all the boys under two years of age in the Bethlehem area. Later, another Herod, Antipas son of Herod the Great tried to get Jesus to “perform tricks”. Jesus would not so much as speak to him. 

In the end, he consented to the crucifixion of Jesus. In this way, the son of Herod consented to the death of the Son of God. A spike through the heels held Jesus in position until He died.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Friday, 06 September 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	EDOM’S END
Schooldays. They are now distant memories. One thing that’s worth mentioning this morning is Brother Florian. He was our skinny science teacher whom we called “Bones” because, as I’ve heard said, “there’s more fat on a greasy chip”. One of the science instruments he used was a finely balanced scale to “weigh” small things. It was kept in a small glass covered box to exclude drafts. Things would be placed in the one pan and a variety of precise weights were placed in the other to establish the exact “weight” of the object. This “balance scale” reminds me that God is the only One who has the right to put our lives in the balance and establish our “value”. A similar exercise is referred to by Henry W Longfellow in a short couple of lines, the first of which I’ve included in today’s meditation. THOUGH the mills of God grind slowly, Yet they grind exceeding small / Though with patience he stands waiting, With exactness grinds he all. I’ve been told that it was originally a Chinese proverb but can’t confirm this. The Scripture we focus on this morning is the one from Isaiah 21. This prophetic word refers to the judgement God would bring on Edom in the Mt Seir region. Edom consisted primarily of Esau’s descendants. The descendants of Israel (Jacob) were their distantly related twin brothers, Esau and Jacob. These two were not really on good terms. Esau had given Jacob his birth-right; that of the first born son. Jacob had tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing of the first born son. This difficult relationship had developed over some 1000 years into outright antagonism. Edom “automatically” sided with Israel’s enemies. So when the Babylonians invaded Judah and destroyed Jerusalem, Edom was there to celebrate. The atrocities committed by the Babylonians and probably also by the Edomites on Judah and Jerusalem is recorded for us in the Psalms in vivid detail. 7 O LORD, remember what the Edomites did on the day the armies of Babylon captured Jerusalem. "Destroy it!" they yelled. "Level it to the ground!" 8 O Babylon, you will be destroyed. Happy is the one who pays you back for what you have done to us. 9 Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks! Psalm 137:7-9 NLT The context of this lament took place in Babylon and is expressed in the first verse of the Psalm. 1 Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. Psalm 137:1 NLT (Remember Bony M’s song?) God was fully aware of what had happened. Furthermore He knew all about the Esau/Jacob squabble. It was right that Jacob’s descendants be brought to book for what had happened all those years ago. But laughing and rejoicing as the Babylonians took them captive and led them away was further than God intended. As for the slaughter of the innocent babies. This was taking the old Esau/Jacob dispute to extreme lengths; further than should have gone. The prophet Isaiah foresaw God’s judgement on Edom years before it would actually happen. His words are, to some extent a lament, asking Him when His judgement would fall on Edom. Today, the Edomites are dead and gone. All that’s left is the “town” of Petra, a favourite visiting place for tourists in Jordan. Some think Herod the Great descended from the Edomites. Perhaps this is why he hated Jesus? Jim & Phyllida Strickland			11 A Message concerning Edom: A voice calls to me from the Seir mountains in Edom, "Night watchman! How long till daybreak? How long will this night last?" Isaiah 21:11 MSG	Isaac and Rebecca had two sons who were twins. They were in a conflict; in which nobody “wins”! The elder brother Esau was whom Isaac preferred. Jacob was a schemer. Today we’d say, “a nerd”. The blessing and the birth-right, to Esau should have gone. By scheming and deception, Jacob was the one, Who got his father’s blessing. Then Jacob ran away, To be with uncle Laban, whom he worked for without pay! First he married Leah, then took Rachel as a wife. This is where the problems began for him in life. Twelve sons and a daughter, by wives and concubines. Twelve sons who became the tribes of Israel’s blood lines. Finally the time had come to go back home again. But what about the brother? He’d caused him so much pain. How would he receive him? It had him worried sick. He thought that in his homeland, his brother then would pick, A fight that would destroy him and all his family. And squash him like a little bug that has no right to be. But Esau wasn’t interested. He was a wealthy man. And in the end decided that he would make a plan. This ended at Mount Seir; Edom was the name, By which all his descendants acquired there ugly fame. Israel and Edom were not the best of friends. The Esau / Jacob quarrel did never really end. Every opportunity the Edomites could find, Were used to stir up trouble and be terribly unkind. For something like a thousand years this trouble came and went. They sided with their enemy and lots of time was spent, Trying to get even for what happened long ago. When Nebuchadnezzar came, they sided with the foe. They laughed and sneered at Israel ; they grabbed the babies feet, And smashed their heads against the rocks. Revenge for them was sweet. But God was an observer of what had taken place. And said He would wipe Edom, completely off the face Of earth. They would be massacred and vanish like a mist! And that is just what happened. They no longer exist. The mills of God grind slowly but they grind very fine. And Edom had offended the One Who is Divine. It’s not a happy story. In fact it makes me weep. Leave all vengeance to the Lord. His judgements are so deep. And He will bring in righteousness. Don’t think it is delayed. The day in history will come when all the debts are paid! Jim Strickland Written 6th Sept 2012
			11 You know the times in which we are living. It's time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers. 12 The night is almost over, and the day is near. So we should get rid of the things that belong to the dark and take up the weapons that belong to the light. Romans 13:11-12 GW
			32 "Learn a lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all those things happening, you know that the end is near. It is right at the door. 34 What I'm about to tell you is true. The people living at that time will certainly not pass away until all those things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away. But my words will never pass away. Matthew 24:32-35 NIrV
			5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope; 6 my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. Psalms 130:5-6 ESV
			20 He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20 NLT
			13 "So you, too, must keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of My return. Matthew 25:13 NLT