THE KINGDOM ECONOMY

Time with Jesus - Monday, 26 March 2012

Hi all,

Today is my seventieth birthday. A word of thanks to those who have sent their greetings! If you have not done so, please don’t feel that you must do so now. It’s not necessary. Incidentally, having arrived at the big 70, it’s nothing to get excited about. Things don’t suddenly change on the day of the big 70. It would however, be much more fun if we could do the things we were able to do in our twenties and thirties.

Somewhere in our bookcase there is a book by Tony Lighterness written in the 1970’s called, “Living in the Kingdom Here and Now”. As the title suggests, it is not necessary to die before we begin living in the Kingdom. According to Paul, It begins here and now: ⁶ For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. Eph 2:6 NLT

If you are anything like me you will probably struggle with this concept. Scripture tells me I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. My problem is that at present I’m seated in front of my computer in Johannesburg. Paul does help us with this. ¹⁸ There's far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can't see now will last forever. 2 Cor 4:18 MSG

In other words, what I am looking at as I sit in front of my computer, is some form of an optical illusion. It looks real. But for a Christ follower, we are not looking at reality. This will pass away and the truth will be apparent. So I am seated in the heavenly realm with Christ Jesus. That’s what Scripture teaches and I can’t contradict God’s Word.

It’s a rather odd thought, but we all need to understand we are living in a temporary world in temporary bodies with temporary eyes. To “see” reality we need our spiritual eyes. How does that work? I’ve no idea. Without wanting to be irreverent, it’s something like what we see when a conjurer “performs” before us. We “see” something. Then it somehow vanishes. I’ve seen this done on TV with an aeroplane. Now you see it, now you don’t. Of course we all know that it is a trick. But Spiritual reality is not a trick. It’s more real than anything we see!

Our meditation today takes a “look” at the Kingdom at what it means.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

The Kingdom Economy

For those who are in business, herewith my sympathy. You’re in a strange environment where Christians shouldn’t be. The problem’s business methods and the things you have to do. You have to be competitive and pressure’s put on you. Your product must be better than all of those around. Undermine their products wherever they are found. We are in a world in which the truth is relative. It’s different for each one of us no matter where we live. Two and two are seven. That is the truth for me. Don’t say that I’m dishonest, that’s how it has to be. And so you climb the ladder that leads you to success. But Jesus isn’t in it and you are in a mess. The way we aught to do it is to imitate the Lord. But be a little careful, for business can’t afford, To let the competition, find a winning edge. That will put you out the door and standing on a ledge. They’ll try to push you over, so grab them by the throat. Run them out of business and steal their hat and coat. No part of this is Christian. It’s wicked through and through. No wonder I have sympathy for businessmen like you! We have to change our methods and trust the Lord to act. Start by helping others and you will find in fact, That other folk will help you so you don’t have to cheat. And you have His assurance there’ll be enough to eat. Give to those who ask you. Even stand aside. Feed the hungry, quench their thirst and stay away from pride. Give a cup of water to those who are in need. Don’t hold on too tightly, for that will turn to greed. If they prosecute you and want to take your shirt, Give your coat along with it. For ladies, give your skirt! If they want to take your job, then simply stand aside. The Lord has one much better, if in Him you’ll abide. You only ever get to keep that which you give away. And if you do not do it, you’ve lost it all that day. Never doubt God’s justice. But God is never fair. That’s a man-made concept and He does not go there. Put the other person first in everything you do. Do not make a whimper if he is cheating you. What is said may be correct, significant and just. But who is it you’re following and Who is it you trust? If they want to curse you and beat you ‘till you’re raw. Let them mock and spit on you till they can do no more. It is what the Master did. He never made a sound. If you emulate Him, Your blessings will abound. Nothing really matters in this life of sin and pain. If it’s done for Jesus, it won’t be done in vain. Jim Strickland Written Monday 26th March 2012

 

DEEP WATER AND PLANTING

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 25 March 2012

Hi all,

It’s time to be different again. There are Eight Scriptures for the Evening so it was a question of quoting all eight in limerick style. For clarity the Scriptures are listed from A to H as is their respective limericks.

Finding a title for the poetry is a problem as usual. As a result, “Deep water planting” is a sort of a “catch all” that doesn’t catch all. This style is slightly more difficult to write, but it was fun anyway.

I’ve often wondered what exactly took place on the shore when Jesus told them to “go out into deep water to catch some fish”. Why did Jesus do this? Was He trying to embarrass Peter and the other fishermen? I don’t think so. It took place fairly early in His ministry. So I thought perhaps it was His way of paying Peter for the use of his boat that morning. As a carpenter, He would have been aware of good business practices. Similarly He may have wanted to demonstrate His authority, even over the fish in the lake. Another possibility is that since His time of speaking was over, the time was right for Peter to take charge of the boat again.

Peter’s reply is fascinating. The crowd had not yet departed. Many, if not most of them, were fishermen. Now Peter knew about fishing. You don’t go fishing at that time of the day. Experience had demonstrated that conclusively. So here he was, a thoroughly experienced fisherman, being told to go out and put down the nets! I can almost hear him say under his breath. “What a waste of time. We won’t catch anything. Many have tried it and it’s made them look like fools. So how do I do what Jesus says without other fishermen thinking I’m a fool”. To make the point, he says in a loud voice, “OK Lord we will do it because you say so”. Peter wanted to make sure all the fishermen present knew this was not Peter’s idea. He was just doing what he had been asked.

What we see next is what happens with us regularly. We are told to do something that others will think looks silly. That’s when the blessing comes. It’s clear, if they had not gone out to try again on His instructions, there would have been no fish caught. It’s a bit like Naaman being told to wash seven times in the Jordan. ¹⁰ But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: "Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy." 2 Kings 5:10 NLT

The end result for his obedience to God via Elisha was being cleansed of his leprosy. No other place for washing would work. Only after seven times in the Jordan did it happen. Six washings would not have been sufficient. Naaman must have thought he looked like a fool. Peter had similar misgivings. Peter had a huge catch! Naaman was cleansed. Obedience to the Lord always leads to blessings.

There are countless similar stories in Christianity. By allowing themselves to look foolish and weak, God’s power and strength was manifest! Our embarrassment is the least of His concerns. Obedience is what matters.

Thank you Peter for such a magnificent illustration of success coming from obedience.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Deep Water and Planting

“Go out into deep water and there let down your net”. “We’ve worked all night,             Without a bite,       A  And we’ve caught nothing yet”. “But Teacher, since You’re asking, we’ll do it once again. Just as You wish. We know the fish, You stick with catching men”. Reluctantly they did it. The nets went down once more. They got a catch, They couldn’t match. Above what they could draw. Just like God’s Holy Kingdom, with nets thrown in the sea. They’ll take on board,           C            The Slaves and Lords, From each society. Christ has all authority in heaven and on land. Go and equip,                  B                   Discipleship,_________ To folk on every hand. “Teach them to observe the things I have commanded you. Baptise each one, Excluding none, Is what you are to do”. “Tell them I am with them wherever they may be. My Spirit’s care is everywhere; The Holy Trinity, He never will desert them and leave them on the shelf. If they will just, Give Me their trust. I’ll Love them as Myself!”	“I have to preach the Gospel; there really is no choice. There is no fee,                         To pay to me.      D  I have to use my voice, To bring the people tidings of what the Lord has done. Without a doubt, I must speak out, About God’s Holy Son”. “I share in people’s weakness to draw them to the Lord. I’ll be like them,           E                      To win the men, And Christ can be adored! ______________ Let us not grow weary of doing what is right. We’ll reap a crop,             F          Whom none can stop, In God the Father’s sight!” “The Words that I have spoken are never old and stale. All men will see,               G                                 What I decree, And not one word will fail. For I will make it prosper and achieve what I intend. Man can’t resist . My iron fist, ‘Till worlds without and end.” “Who cares who does the planting? God makes the seeds to grow. Without a doubt, Each seed will sprout.               H For God has made it so. But planting and the watering God’s given unto man. We play our part, And see the start, Of God Almighty’s plan!”
Jim Strickland – Written Sunday 25th March 2012

DANIEL AND GOD’S KINGDOM

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 24 March 2012

Hi all,

When Phyllida and I went through today’s meditation, she asked me a good question. “Where did the “Daniel” content originate? I went back through it and had to agree she had a point. So where in today’s Scriptures did it come from? To quote John Hagee, “Mmmmm”

We read through the poem and asked that question again. I really didn’t have an answer. I’m told that originality is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. So I had to find the 1%. Eventually, in Rev 20:4 it was found. The “beast and his statue” reminded me of the story of Daniel. So the connection, although somewhat vague, became apparent.

The Scriptures also referred to the Kingdom of God and that was the point of origin. How to put them together was not obvious. So the meditation was written.

Where is the Kingdom of God? We all struggle with the concept. For you and me, a Kingdom is a place. It’s all we know. But Paul tells us ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Rom 14:17 ESV

So, how can we recognise that someone is in God’s Kingdom? My guess is that if we find somewhere or someone who displays these qualities in spite of circumstances, we are looking at God’s Kingdom.

No doubt there are a number of people in the New Testament who display them. But, the one who really springs to mind is Daniel in the lion’s den. Is my assumption that He was “in God’s Kingdom” correct? Perhaps so? But He was being protected by God in that den of lions. If that’s not being in His Kingdom, what is?

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Daniel and God’s Kingdom

The Kingdom is within us. That’s what the Master said. But will you kindly tell me, if that is in my head? I don’t think I can see it, although I’ve really tried. Just a little hint will do, for me to check inside. It isn’t a location? No one has told me that! So when I try to find it, is it underneath my hat? It isn’t in my tummy, although I’m overweight. And trying to get into it, is surely tempting fate. There’s no place I can think of that’s suitable at all. To try and get the Nations in! I’m sorry, it’s too small. So what was Jesus meaning? How can we all get there? If it’s inside each one of us, will there be room to spare? It can‘t be a location. I think that’s fairly clear. Perhaps some sort of “cyberspace” is how it might appear. But Jesus Christ has told us it’s righteousness and peace; And joy which He has told us that will not ever cease. Exactly how this functions and why it will be great, Has yet to be expounded. So we will have to wait, Until the Lord has shown us the way it aught to be. And that is more than adequate for people just like me. We know it must be tangible. The book of Daniel shows, That even in the Lion’s den, God’s Kingdom somehow goes! They weren’t aware that Daniel was sitting in their pit. They somehow looked right through him; or thought he was unfit, To feed a hungry lion. But surely that’s not true. A little taste of anyone for each of them would do! Perhaps He’d found God’s Kingdom and so he wasn’t there? Don’t tell me hungry lions were thinking it’s not fair, To bring their favourite diet and not to care a jot. If you think lions do such things, I tell you they do not! The next day after Daniel, had exited their den, We know they had a special taste of Babylonian Men. A couple were thrown down for them. Their breakfast had been served, Those wicked Babylonians got just what they deserved. Was Daniel in God’s Kingdom? I think he had to be. Righteousness and joy and peace were shown abundantly. The lions got the message, for them, he wasn’t there. He stayed within God’s Kingdom in an attitude of prayer! So next time you’re confronted with a thing you can’t control; Take a tip from Daniel and it will keep you whole. Focus upon Jesus, His love and righteousness. So what if you get eaten? With Him you can’t care less! Jim Strickland  Written Saturday 24th March 2012

EMMAUS REVELATION

Time with Jesus - Friday, 23 March 2012

Hi all,

Have you ever wanted to be a “fly on the wall”? Most of us do at one time or another. For me there is one Bible Study I would love to have heard. The Bible study when Jesus taught the two believers on the Emmaus Road. Later, when He appeared to the Apostles the following is recorded: ⁴⁴ Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled." Luke 24:44 ESV It must have been an extraordinary teaching. Direct from the lips of the “Author” through the various Scripture writers. WOW!

The Jewish Bible is different from ours. The books were the same but they were classified differently. The Law (Genesis to Deuteronomy) is the Pentateuch. (The same as ours) Their next classification was “the Prophets”; the former Prophets and the latter Prophets. The final classification was what they called “the Writings”. The Writings included the Psalms and similar books. There are reasons why the Christian Old Testament and the Jewish Scriptures are not classified the same way. Whether or not the reasons are valid is something about which I’m not sufficiently qualified to comment.

Strangely enough, they include the Book of Daniel among the Writings. Whether this makes any difference as far as interpretation is concerned is not clear to me.

Who were these two disciples of Jesus? One of them was thought to be Cleophas or Alphaeus. The name of the other is thought to be Luke the Gospel writer or possibly Nathaniel. If Luke was one of them it would be interesting to note that Jesus walked with a Gentile after His resurrection.

As stated above, I would have loved to have been with them.

For our meditation today I’ve focused on the Emmaus walk. The dialogue is imaginary. I’ve tried to stick to what we know from Scripture. I’ve also tried to weave some of the other evening Scriptures into the meditation. It’s up to you to decide if I've achieved this.

Blessings

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Emmaus Revelation

“What a mess!” he stated, “And after these three years! “I thought He would deliver us. But finally, the jeers, And mocking words they hurled at Him. Had we got it wrong? The wondrous things He did for us. I thought he had a strong, Claim as the Messiah. How could it end that way? To friends who said “I told you so”. To them what will we say?” “I wish I had an answer” the other man replied. “How could this man of miracles be flogged and crucified? I cannot understand it. It makes so little sense. He seemed to walk so close to God; Was that His recompense?” And then a voice behind them said, “What is it that you speak?” “We’re talking of the person. A young man at His peak. We thought He was Messiah. But all our hopes were dashed. The Romans flogged and murdered Him and all our trust was smashed.” “Perhaps I can explain it!” the voice behind them said. And then He started talking of things deep in their head. The prophets had predicted it. The Law showed it was true. The writings showed exactly what the people would all do. It wasn’t by an accident this man they loved had died. He showed them that their Scriptures said He would be crucified. What a Scripture study! I wish I had been there. To hear the Lord expounding and speaking of the care, That God had for all sinners; a love so deep and true. He’d come and He’d be crucified for folk like me and you. He’d come into His garden; the world forged by His hands. He’d come to reassure them He’d smashed the devil’s bands. He said He hadn’t spoken in secret, locked away. His words were very simple. They said to Him “Please stay”. But He had other purposes and when He broke the bread, He vanished from their vision before they all had fed. For forty days He stayed with them and He played “peek-a-boo”. “Now you see Me. Now you don’t. But I am still with you”. He said He’d never leave them, forsaken and alone. He’d send His Holy Spirit the way that He had shown. And so when they were gathered in groups of two or more, His presence would be with them to be worshiped and adored. And to this very moment, for some two thousand years, We know that when we gather, our words are in His ears. Jim Strickland  Written Friday 23rd March 2012