My Child

Time with Jesus - 13 Nov 2013

Hi all,

The following “Word from the Lord” comprises only quotations from God’s Word. If you have been struggling with your faith and would really like to hear a Word from Him concerning how He really feels about you, there is little doubt you will find it somewhere in the following. It’s not my work and is called:

My Child
My Child, You may not know Me, but I know everything about you. (Psalm 139:1) I know when you sit down and when you rise up. (Psalm 139:2) I am familiar with all your ways. (Psalm 139:3)  Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. (Matthew 10:29-31) You were made in My image. (Genesis 1:27) In Me you live and move and have your being. (Acts 17:28) You are My offspring. (Acts 17:28) I knew you even before you were conceived. (Jeremiah1:4-5) I chose you when I planned creation. (Ephesians 1:11-12) You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in My book. (Psalm 139:15-16) I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. (Acts 17:26) You are fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14) I knitted you together in your mother's womb. (Psalm 139:13) and brought you forth on the day you were born. (Psalm 71:6) I have been misrepresented by those who don't know Me. (John 8:41-44) I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love (1 John 4:16) and it is My desire to lavish My love on you because you are My child and I am your Father. (1 John 3:1) I offer you more than your earthly father ever could (Matthew 7:11) for I am the perfect father. (Matthew 5:48)  Every good gift that you receive comes from My hand (James 1:17) for I am your provider and I meet all your needs. (Matthew 6:31-33)  My plan for your future has always been filled with hope; (Jeremiah 29:11) because I love you with an everlasting love. (Jeremiah 31:3) My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. (Psalms 139:17-18) I rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17) I will never stop doing good to you (Jeremiah 32:40) for you are My treasured possession. (Exodus 19:5) I desire to establish you with all My heart and all My soul. (Jeremiah 32:41)	I want to show you great and marvellous things. (Jeremiah 33:3) If you seek Me with all your heart, you will find Me. (Deuteronomy 4:29) Delight in Me and I will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4) for it is I who gave you those desires. (Philippians 2:13) I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine (Ephesians 3:20) for I am your greatest encourager. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17) I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) When you are broken-hearted, I am close to you. (Psalm 34:18) As a shepherd carries a lamb, I carry you close to My heart. (Isaiah 40:11) One day I'll wipe away every tear from your eyes and take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. (Revelation 21:3) I am your Father, and I love you even as I love My son, Jesus (John 17:23) for in Jesus, My love for you is revealed. (John 17:26) The Lord Jesus Christ is the exact representation of My being. (Hebrews 1:3)  Jesus came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. (Romans 8:31) and to tell you that I am not counting your sins against you. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled, (2 Corinthians 5:18-19) His death was the ultimate expression of My love for you. (1 John 4:10) I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. (Romans 8:31-32) If you receive the gift of My son Jesus, you receive Me. (1 John 2:23) and nothing will ever separate you from My love again. (Romans 8:38-39) Come home to Me and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. (Luke 15:7) I have always been Father, and will always be Father. (Ephesians 3:14-15) My question is... Will you be My child? (John 1:12-13) I am waiting for you. (Luke 15:11 32)
Love,
Dad
(God Almighty)

If this touched your heart, give thanks and share this love letter with others.

Shalom

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 13 Nov 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	IN JESUS’ NAME
I’ve heard it said that for some considerable time, theologians argued about how many angels could stand on the head of a pin. All these years later I can give the answer. “All of them, one at a time”. It’s this type of frivolous discussion that has caused us to overlook the obvious. As one man said, “we have majored on minors and minored on majors for so long, we no longer know what is major and what is minor”. Of course, theology lends itself to such discussions. We tend to love circular arguments. A bit like a merry-go-round, there is no starting or stopping point. Everything is random. Get on and get off where you can. Sadly, prayer appears to have taken on a frivolity that is difficult to understand. Perhaps it is because prayer has become the “lost art” of Christianity, it is regarded by many as being frivolous. Many years ago I was informed that only 3% of Christians ever pray; other than at the specified points in the prayer book. I can’t confirm this to be the case. What I can say is that if attendance at church prayer meetings is anything to go by, the statistic is not far from being accurate. Why is this? God’s Word encourages all of us to pray. Why don’t we do so? I rather suspect that it is brought about by our own experience of lack of answers. Now if you are one of those blessed Christians who spends hours in prayer and is familiar with regular and appropriate answers, these comments are not intended or directed at you in any way. But if you are among those lesser mortals who finds prayer is like trying to swim in treacle, these words are primarily for you. I won’t tell you my exact position other than hinting that I’m a bit weary of the taste of treacle! Yuk! One thing I must state immediately is that a lack of answers to prayer cannot be laid at the door of the Lord. It’s never Him. It’s invariably me – or you if the cap fits. In this regard, Jesus has given us promises that are overwhelmingly encouraging. In John 14 is recorded 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  John 14:13 ESV Looking at this quote, it occurs to me we do lots of asking in His Name, but not so that God will be glorified. For most it’s to impress others with our “spirituality”. If I’ve touched a nerve, sorry. Remember that every word I write is directed at me as much as anyone. President Harry S Truman had a sign on his desk saying, “The buck stops here”. As far as America was concerned, during his presidency, it was true. Where should we place that sign? Not at Jesus door. With unanswered prayer, the truth is “the buck stops with me”. If it doesn’t happen, blame your friend you see every time you look in the mirror. One day we’ll pray in Jesus Name for the right reasons, What then? Jim & Phyllida Strickland			18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:18 ESV	Whatever I ask in Your Name, You’ve said that You will do. But from my observation, it seems to be untrue. It’s not an accusation. I know there’s something wrong. It’s not the sort of thing You’d say, to any who belong, To those whom You have rescued. So what is it I’ve missed? I can’t demand an answer. And I cannot insist, The One who made creation, would give the reason why, Our prayers remain unanswered no matter how we try? But if there’s no objection, You won’t mind if I guess, And try and find the reasons why You do not answer “Yes”? I think part of the problem is I concentrate on me. Prayer for other people is a huge minority. We are not important to anyone but You, And since our prayers for others are very, very few, I think they’ve been discarded or put in file thirteen, Which then is only opened for the annual spring clean. Perhaps there is a special bin for all of the junk mail. The prayers which are so selfish, they surely have to fail. Others so religious, that they do not arrive. Instead, they are diverted to some heavenly archive. Perhaps those You will answer are placed into a queue Marked, “When I get around to it; for anytime will do”. And Lord could there be something about us trapped in time? Because You are eternal and totally Divine, What we prayed for yesterday, will take a thousand years, Before it ever gets to You or falls upon Your ears. Then there is the motive hidden deep inside our hearts. Is there an agenda which wants us to look smart; Impressing all the people with a clever turn of phrase, Belying how You see us and our disgusting ways? O Lord, all this is frivolous. I know the problem’s me. It isn’t up in heaven. The truth is that You see Everything I’m doing and hear my every word. To think You are delaying it is totally absurd. So let us concentrate upon the idols in our heart. Only when we deal with them, will all Your blessings start, To come upon the people, who pray in Jesus Name. Because, without sincerity, all prayer is just a game. Jim Strickland Written 13th November 2012
			23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. John 17:23 ESV
			13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. 15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:13-17 ESV
			4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all. Ephesians 4:4-6 NLT
			2 And He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father, who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, as in Heaven, so also on the earth. Luke 11:2 MKJV
			19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22 ESV

RESURRECTION OF THE WOMAN’S SON.

Time with Jesus - 12 Nov 2013

Hi all,

The story goes about the rationalist minister and the Scriptural literalist. The minister was preaching on that particular Sunday. He was talking about Moses and the Exodus. He went through the 10 plagues. As he mentioned each plague the man exclaimed, Miracle! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord. Each time it was said in a progressively louder voice. Next, the minister turned to the parting of the waters of the Red Sea, so that the people could walk through on dry land. “Miracle! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord” the man exclaimed. 

At this point the minister interrupted his sermon and stated. It was not a miracle. Scientists have demonstrated that under certain conditions, the water of the Red Sea falls to about 3 inches in places. This means that the Israelites could easily have walked across the Sea without any problem whatsoever. “Miracle! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord” responded the man in his loudest tone. “But it wasn’t a miracle”, responded the minister. “Anyone can walk through 3 inches of water.” “An even bigger miracle” said the man. “God drowned the entire Egyptian army in 3 inches of water”!

Rationalists nearly always baulk at miracles. “Miracles don’t happen”, is what they say. “It’s impossible to believe anything you can’t demonstrate scientifically”. This means to them that none of the miracles in the Bible took place. There must be an ordinary explanation for them all. Most of them don’t go as far as to state the Bible is full of lies or that Jesus was a liar. They put it down to superstition and fables from a time when scientific explanation could not verify the miracle.

Personally, I hear them and have some sympathy for their statements. We all know that many so called “healing and miracle working” evangelists are charlatans. Their motive is to make money from gullible fools who will believe anything done in the Name of Jesus. The movie made in the 1950’s called “Elmer Gantry” was an exposé of such people. However, I also know that in some cases, the miracle has been verified scientifically. Men and women such as William Branham and Kathryn Kuhlman often made a point of having the miracles that took place in their “services” verified by the medical and similar scientific authorities.

In this regard, Phyllida and I visited Tzaneen a year or so ago. While we were there, we were told that the locals were very suspicious of evangelists. A man had visited the town for a short “Crusade”. He had told the people that if they put their money into his ministry, they would be millionaires three weeks later. The man then left town and hasn’t been seen or heard of again. Needless to say, none of them became millionaires.

What can you and I do about this sort of thing? What do we do when we suspect that the “minister” is a cheat, a charlatan or someone simply intent on making money out of the hardship and infirmities of others? Of course, we could ban them from our country completely. We could introduce rules forbidding all forms of healing and miracle services. But if we take such a radical step, what about those who are genuine and have no motive other than to bless others? We cannot legislate against the miracle working power of God. We must never be accused of “Throwing the baby out with the bathwater”, by downplaying the ability of Jesus Christ!

In most instances, the bottom line is money. Charlatans, thieves and cheats make a living - very often a very good living – out of “ripping off” a gullible public. Do we need to consider something like a national “register” of men and women allowed to arrange and conduct such services? Men and women who would be accountable for that which takes place in the various tents, churches and similar venues? Something along these lines might be arranged in such a way that honesty and integrity is known and seen by all associated with such services? People will say that this hampers the flow of the Holy Spirit at the various venues. 

There may be some truth in this. However, although we cannot “test” the Spirit of God, we can say that since the days of the apostles, the Lord has never been reluctant to confirm His Word with indisputable evidence. (“Signs following” KJV) We read in Mark’s gospel. ¹⁹ Then the Master Jesus, after briefing them, was taken up to heaven, and he sat down beside God in the place of honour. ²⁰ And the disciples went everywhere preaching, the Master working right with them, validating the Message with indisputable evidence. Mark 16:19-20 MSG

In RSA today, there are no restrictions on preaching God’s Word. Not at the moment anyway. Will it remain like this indefinitely? None of us really know. What we do know is that the government’s attitude toward allowing people to cheat and steal from others is getting stricter. A thief who steals from others protected by the country’s freedom of religion rights cannot be allowed to continue indefinitely. 

There will come a day when such individuals will, quite rightly, be arrested and prosecuted. In the meantime, we must seek to introduce systems and regulations we have designed collectively, before something is imposed on us by government. Self-regulation is always better than regulation imposed by the State. Perhaps what we need is some form of “ecumenical gathering”, charged with the responsibility of investigating and proposing a system of self-regulation, to which all RSA churches will conform. If we don’t do it soon, it will be done for us!

Shalom

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus 12 Nov 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	RESURRECTION OF THE WOMAN’S SON.
Up until the middle of the 19th century, the Bible was considered to be the “Word of God” throughout the Western world. People who denied this were very often persecuted and died. Some made claims which seemed to contradict God’s Word. Galileo is perhaps the best known man who discovered the earth rotated round the sun. Prior to this, everyone believed that everything revolved round the Earth based on Scriptures which suggested this. The fact that the meaning was misunderstood was beside the point. The comment, “Don’t confuse me with the facts. My mind is made up!” is as true today as it was in Galileo’s day. Of course there was as much religious bigotry back then as there is today. Bigots come in all shapes and sizes and the reaction of the church to new ideas is still a problem. Some of this originates in the way words have changed their meaning over time. The best example is the word “gay”. Today it means homosexual, lesbian, or bisexual. My opinion is that this community have “hijacked” the word and given it the current meaning. But 100 years ago, the word “gay” meant “merry, bright in colour and carefree”. Today it means, “attracted to members of the same sex” and occasionally “debauched”. In those bygone days, men and women believed in miracles, in particular the miracles mentioned in the Bible. It was almost unthinkable to suggest that they were not true. All this changed with the introduction of rationalism into human thought. Put very simply, this meant that if something couldn’t be proved scientifically, it wasn’t true. Ultimately this led to what we see around us. Human reason has taken root in many countries. Thus if it can’t be demonstrated in the science laboratory, it is not true. There had to be a rational explanation for everything. This gave rise to “Darwinian evolutionism”. To this very day it cannot be demonstrated scientifically. It is only believed by those who refuse to believe in the God Who is “alive and active” in the universe. So much for rationalism. Believing in “evolution” which has no provable scientific substance. Today we look at one of the miracles recorded in the Old Testament. The story of Elisha restoring to life the son of the Shunamite woman. It is pointless telling me that it didn’t happen and it’s something recorded in an old outdated book. For me, the Bible is still the Word of God. It always will be. For me, it remains infallible. I may misunderstand a meaning. But that is my problem. So please don’t be surprised if I see Jesus on every page. Today we look at an Old Testament “resurrection”. Here, we see Elisha bringing back to life a youngster who had died. Elisha breathed life into a victim while reflecting the cross of Jesus. It’s a foreshadowing of our resurrection when Jesus returns. His breath is life! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			26 (Elisha said to Gehazi) Run out there to meet her (the Shunamite). Ask her, 'Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?'" "Everything is all right," she said. 2 Kings 4:26 NIrV	Shunem was a border town, 5 K’s from Jezreel. – 2 Kings 4 In the land of Issachar as best as we can tell. This town was where Elisha had multiplied the oil. To save a prophet’s widow and Satan’s plans to foil. There was another woman there, wed to a wealthy man. She said, “Let’s help this prophet, the best way that we can!” And so they built a little room so he could find some rest. And when Elisha saw it, he thought she should be blessed. “What can I do to help her”, Gehazi was then asked? “How can we reward her for this charitable task?” She had no need for money. Her husband lacked for naught. But she did not have children. A child is what she sought. Her husband couldn’t help her, for he was far too old. Her chances of a baby were just about ice cold. And so Elisha said to her, “by this time next year You will have the son you seek; the one you hold so dear!” Just as Elisha stated, this woman then conceived. And she brought forth the man child for which she had believed. The little boy grew healthy; then, at plus or minus six, He went to see his father and soon was in a fix. His father and the harvesters were working in the sun. Suddenly the boy screamed out! “My head, it hurts like fun!” They took him to his mother. And in her arms he died. “I’ve got to tell Elisha!” is what the woman cried. “My son is dead”, she told him. “O what am I to do? And in my desperation I’m calling out to you”. The little boy was lying upon the prophet’s bed. And so Elisha, all alone, confirmed the child was dead. Then after praying to the Lord he knew what was required And so he lay upon the child the way the Lord desired. Mouth to mouth and eye to eye and holding the boys hands; The crucified position is what we understand. The body of the little boy then started to grow warm. The prophet then repeated and a seven-fold sneezing storm, Issued from the man child. He was no longer dead. The woman had her little boy just as Elisha said. “Resurrection life is real!” This story makes it plain. And we’ll be resurrected, when Jesus comes again! Jim Strickland Written 12th November 2012
			13 The following is written, "I believed; therefore, I (Psalm 116:10) spoke." We have that same spirit of faith. We also believe; therefore, we also speak. 2 Corinthians 4:13 GW
			9 We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. 10 Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything. 2 Corinthians 6:9-10 NLT
			8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 ESV
			16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 ESV
			1 The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth. 2 Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. 3 John 1:1-2 ESV