GOD WITH US

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 18 November 2012

Hi all,

3000 years ago the morals of people were not the same as they are today. People were very aware of bloodlines. The Queen of Sheba was no exception. She visited the world’s wisest man – or so she had heard. She went to “check it out” and found it to be true. When Jesus implied He was wiser than Solomon, He had a mixed reception. Today’s meditation looks at Solomon, the Queen of Sheba and Jesus.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 18 November 2012			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 WITH US
None of us know what Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem really looked like. It must have been quite a sight. I’m told that it was the most expensive building ever built. We are told that the design was David’s. We also know that David’s personal fortune was donated to the building of this temple. The fame of this place along with Solomon’s great wisdom resulted in him having an international reputation for prosperity and wisdom. How long it took for this information to reach the ears of the Queen of Sheba is not known. Much depends on the location of Sheba. The most likely place is in the South Western portion of the Arabian peninsula. The Sabeans or people of Saba or Sheba, are referred to as traders in gold and spices, and as inhabiting a country remote from Jerusalem. Such traders would, no doubt, have brought news of Solomon and his prosperity fairly quickly to the queen of Sheba. Some believe she was the queen of Sheba was queen of what we now call Ethiopia. The visit of the Queen of Sheba was not merely an exercise in satisfying her curiosity. The Bible tells us of some of the questions she posed to Solomon to test his wisdom. 1 Kings 10 gives details of her visit. It is said that in her society, women had equality with men. We know that she gave Solomon 9,000 pounds of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. 1 Kings 10:10 GW. We also know that Solomon gave her anything she wanted along with considerable gifts. It’s been suggested she returned to Sheba proudly pregnant by the world’s wisest man! It is thought this child went on to become king of Ethiopia. In Matthew 12:42, Jesus, speaking angrily to the Pharisees, referred to the visit of the Queen of the South (the Queen of Sheba) to Solomon. He pointed out she came to see if he was as wise as she had heard. Indeed, she found him to be wiser than anything she had heard! Jesus, standing in front of the Pharisees, was far wiser than Solomon had ever been. Jesus was telling them the truth. They didn’t believe Him! I must say I feel a morsel of sympathy toward the Pharisees at this point. Only the Wisdom of God could be wiser than the wisdom of Solomon. Here was Jesus telling them He had that wisdom! He was either a liar or a direct representative from God. Two thousand years later, we know He was speaking the truth. But to men brought up in that tradition, it would be very hard to believe. Thank God, some of them did. For many, such a thought was unthinkable. What would you think if a baker from Bloemfontein stood in front of you today and said to you he is God? Have some sympathy for those sad religious leaders. They were blind guides. We should learn from them. Listen carefully to what you hear. Then commit it to God for a decision! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			7 But I (Queen of Sheba) did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom (King Solomon) and prosperity surpass the report that I heard. 1 Kings 10:7 ESV 42 On Judgment Day, the Queen of Sheba will come forward and bring evidence that will condemn this generation, because she travelled from a far corner of the earth to listen to wise Solomon. Wisdom far greater than Solomon's is right in front of you. Matthew 12:42 MSG 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 TNIV 4 And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 5 I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NLT 9 But as Scripture says: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him." 10 God has revealed those things to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, especially the deep things of God. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 GW 17 Your eyes will see the king in all his splendour, and you will see a land that stretches into the distance. Isaiah 33:17 NLT 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 ESV 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, Job 19:26 ESV 15 I will see your face when I am declared innocent. When I wake up, I will be satisfied with seeing you. Psalms 17:15 GW	We know the Queen of Sheba, could not believe her eyes. She’d heard about King Solomon; she’d heard that he was wise. But when she came to visit him, she said she’d never seen, Such wisdom and prosperity. Not in her wildest dream, Had she expected anything as wonderful as this. She was so glad she saw it. The thought of what she’d miss, By never seeing Solomon and all that he had done. This was a vast accomplishment by God, through David’s son. Now Jesus said in Matthew Chapter twelve verse forty two, This Queen wanted to find if what she’d heard of him was true. She went to visit Solomon. She’d travelled from afar. But standing now before them, was a more illustrious star! Solomon had been the king. But Jesus was far more! The day would come when Solomon would worship and adore. The One Who came from heaven. Right from His Royal throne. The Son of God incarnate, sent here by God alone. Some had seen His Glory. Full of God’s truth and grace. Some of us had walked with Him and seen His Holy face. Those who had accompanied Him, listened to Him speak. Never complicated and He would always seek, To talk to them in parables and never to complain, About the people whom He loved. He would not cause them pain. But He was very caustic with religious hypocrites. He would take their customs and smash them into bits If, by through their teaching, they opposed God’s written Word, They would be lambasted. “Woe unto you” they heard! He did His best to teach us, but we could not digest, Much of what He told us. Although we did our best, We found what he was saying was so far above our heads. We couldn’t comprehend ‘til by His Spirit we were led. We saw Him in His splendour; we saw Him crucified. We watched Him in His suffering; we watched Him as He died. The grave could never hold Him; He walked out of the tomb. His resurrected body walked right into our room! The risen King of Glory; we met Him by the lake. We witnessed His ascension. We know, when we awake, From “sleeping through life’s journey”, we know whom we will see. The “richest and the wisest One”; both Man and Deity. Jim Strickland  Written 18th November 2012

SOWING AND REAPING

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 17 November 2012

Hi all,

Sowing and reaping constitutes our meditation today. It’s actually a Spiritual principle – thank God. It would be a terrible thing if we were not sure what an outcome wold be; imaging sewing potatoes and getting a mixed bag of beans and cabbages. What if the product of the mating of a dog and bitch produced a fish? What if your wife or daughter gave birth to a horse? Thank God it doesn’t work like that. Dogs produce dogs. Cats give birth to cats. God has cast this in concrete. We will always reap what we sow.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 17 November 2012			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	SOWING AND REAPING
No pain, no gain! This is true for all of us in every situation imaginable! We don’t always like it. But it works this way regardless of our opinion. I remember starting piano lessons at the age of 9. I was told then that unless I practised, nothing would come of it. For whatever reason, I didn’t practise. So nothing came of the piano lessons. There was nobody to blame but me. It’s not so bad when you are only nine. But sadly, the principle is true for everyone regardless of age. A day or so ago, I mentioned the word “average”. School children seem to thrive on being “average”. We were warned that to pass the exam at the end of the year would take dedication and hard work. One or two listened. They did exceptionally well. They put in lots of time preparing for the exam. They ended up at the top of the class. The lazier ones didn’t put in the required work. So we scraped through. My report always had the remarks on it, “Jim could do better!” But schooldays don’t exactly inspire you to be what we call a “nerd” today! There was a facetious remark in this connection. A remark many of us “bought into”. The remark was. If the pass-mark is 40% and you get a 50% result, it represents 10% wasted effort! In a perverted way, the statement contains some truth. Until I realised the long term implications. I said to myself, “If the pass mark for a medical doctor was 40%, how would I like to be treated by that doctor?” I didn’t like it. I wanted a doctor with 90% plus. But bad habits are hard to break so I spent most of my school days getting just enough to pass somehow or other,. What I hadn’t realised was that sowing and reaping is a spiritual law. It’s going to work for you whether you believe it or not. For instance if I don’t believe in the law of gravity and step off the roof, I will fall. One thing is certain. When I hit the ground, if I survive, I will immediately believe in the law of gravity! Spiritual laws are a bit like that. They work for or against you whether you believe them or not. You will always reap what you sow. If I plant tomatoes, I’ll get tomatoes and not beans. I can look at the beans as much as I like and “will them” to be tomatoes. It won’t work. Tomato seeds bring forth tomatoes. Corn pips bring forth corn! Angus Buchan planted potatoes. In spite of all the negative weather conditions, he got a crop of potatoes. “Faith Like Potatoes” he called the movie. It wasn’t “Faith like Onions”. You get what you plant. If you choose to be with bad people you will be in trouble. Don’t tell the judge “I got into bad company!” Not True. You did it You chose bad friends! There is only one way to pray in such circumstances. See the mistake you have made and pray for a crop failure. It might work. The Lord just might have mercy on you. Otherwise you’re stuck with your crop. Jim & Phyllida Strickland.			7 Don't be misled--you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone--especially to those in the family of faith. Galatians 6:7-10 NLT 8 Here's what I've observed. People gather a crop from what they plant. If they plant evil and trouble, that's what they will harvest. Job 4:8 NIrV 7 "They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of grain wither and produce nothing to eat. And even if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it. Hosea 8:7 NLT 18 Those who do what is wrong really earn nothing. But those who plant what is right will certainly be rewarded. Proverbs 11:18 NIrV 24 One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. 25 Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:24-25 ESV 6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6 ESV	We never really understood the many things he did. He had a strange perversion for anybody’s kid. He wouldn’t wash his body and so he used to smell. Give him soap and water and he would start to yell! His siblings kept avoiding him. They talked behind his back. “You’d better get this sorted out, or I’ll give you a smack” Is what his father told him. He didn’t seem to care. And didn’t mind the comments, he heard most everywhere. We thought as he grew older that he was sure to change. And when he came to puberty we saw him acting strange. He took a secret fancy to the girl across the street. He thought her very pretty and somehow rather sweet. But when he tried to meet with her, he got a cold rebuff. She wrinkled up her nose at him and said, “That’s close enough. I’m sorry, this may hurt you, but here’s what I must tell. If you want a date with me, you’d better fix your smell!” You’d think he’d learn a lesson, for every girl he met, Kept him at a distance. As far as they could get, To avoid the odour that he would emanate. That is when he realised, he’d never get a date, With any of the ladies! He’d reaped what he had sown, And if he didn’t wash himself, he’d be all on his own! That’s when he started thinking, he’d have to change his ways, Or he would be “hermit” for his remaining days. When he got home that evening, he realised he knew, Exactly what was needed, to change the ladies view. He went and bought deodorant, a shampoo and some soap. “I know I’ve got to do this. I’ve really been a dope.” And so he fixed the problem. At last the smell was gone. No longer could folk say of him, “There goes the stinky one”. He spruced up his appearance and he looked rather neat. And soon the ladies said of him, “That guy looks very sweet. If he will invite me, to go out for a date, I think I’d rather like it. In fact, I cannot wait.” He reaped what he was sowing. And it’s still true today. The harvest you are reaping depends in every way, Upon what you have planted. And that is what you’ll see. There is no variation. It has God’s guarantee. Jim Strickland  Written  17th November 2012

PASSPORT TO PARADISE

Time with Jesus - Friday, 16 November 2012

Hi all,

Diplomats frequently represent their home country in the place where they are living. Here in South Africa we have men and women representing their homeland. The American Embassy in Pretoria employs some local staff. But the ambassador is a recognised diplomat from USA. He is likely to have a USA Diplomatic Passport. It so happens you and I are God’s representatives – ambassadors - from the Kingdom of Heaven. We also have diplomatic passport. You may not have seen them but the smile on the face of every born again believer displays our passport to the world. Our passport is signed by Jesus Christ. The stamp in the passport is “Grace”. Citizenship was granted by our being “washed in the Blood of the Ram”. This encapsulates today’s meditation.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Friday, 16 November 2012			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	PASSPORT TO PARADISE
Have you ever been disappointed? Perhaps you were turned down for going to a particular place for a reason you don’t really understand? Perhaps the man you fell hopelessly in love with, walked off with someone else? Perhaps that beautiful young lady you admired from afar took one look at you and said, “No thanks!” Perhaps you had a driving ambition to go to university and become a doctor. Then, at the end you found your marks at school didn’t get you the place you wanted. One of the greatest tragedies I have come across happened to my Dad’s half-sister. In the early days of World War 2 she met a wonderful young soldier. They married and he had 14 days embarkation leave. Then he was shipped off to somewhere to fight in the army. He never came back. She received a telegram from the home office advising her that her husband had been killed in action. She would never see him again. I don’t know how she coped with this terrible disappointment. I know that she never married again. She lived into her 90’s How do we cope with things of this sort? What do we do when something we have prised so highly doesn’t happen? Hebrews 11:13 in today’s Scripture refers to the patriarchs, their wives and children, They had been told by God that the land they were living in would one day be theirs. In some ways the promise of this portion of land was their inspiration for carrying on trusting in God and having faith in His promises. They only saw it in their mind’s eye. But this enabled them to rejoice in what The Lord had said He would do. Hebrews 11 is often called the “Faith Chapter” because it lists the men and women of faith who achieved great things as a result of their faith in Him. The list is not exhaustive but highlights some of what they achieved because of their faith in God. The chapter ends with an extraordinary statement. 39 All these people were known for their faith, but none of them received what God had promised. 40 God planned to give us something very special so that we would gain eternal life with them. Heb. 11:39-40 GW If we look at these verses we are drawn to the conclusion that all these great men and women of faith are still waiting to receive what God had promised them. But there is a delay. The delay comes about because God has decided that all of us will be rewarded together. Yes indeed, we do derive much courage from the example of those who have gone before us. But these same men and women are watching and waiting. Watching us to see our struggle. Waiting for the time when all of us are together. Only then will The Lord hand out the prizes. They are waiting for us! The Lord has collected their diplomatic passports. They were returned to Him when we die. I feel greatly humbled to think that the likes of Isaiah is waiting for and watching me. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, Ephesians 2:19 ESV 22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23 and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, Hebrews 12:22-23 ESV 13 All these people died having faith. They didn't receive the things that God had promised them, but they saw these things coming in the distant future and rejoiced. They acknowledged that they were living as strangers with no permanent home on earth. Hebrews 11:13 GW 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Saviour. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like His own, using the same power with which He will bring everything under His control. Philippians 3:20-21 NLT 13 For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, Colossians 1:13 NLT 11 Dear friends, I warn you as "temporary residents and foreigners" to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 1 Peter 2:11 NLT	We went to visit Europe in two thousand and ten, It was a special visit. On the occasion when, The passion play was featured in Oberammergau. We knew we had to see it. Back then, the time was now! It only really happens in ten year interludes, And when you’re in your sixties, you know it must be viewed, As soon as it is possible. Who knows, in ten years’ time, We may have left this planet, to live with Christ Divine? The first thing that we needed, when tickets had been booked, Was getting the right passport. We hadn’t overlooked, These documents to get us into France and Germany. There had to be credentials for Phyllida and me! It wasn’t very difficult, for both of us are Brits. A European document, was what exactly fits In with what then was needed. And soon were be away, To pay a special visit to that Special Passion Play. It truly was magnificent. We came away impressed, With what we had seen featured. We knew we had been blessed, With something deeply moving, to captivate the heart. By going off to Europe, we’d both done something smart! Our passports made it easy. They satisfied the guards. It proved we were not strangers for marked upon our cards, Was something which identified and proved we had the right, To go into those countries on any day or night. We have another passport that anyone can see, A means of signifying our Christianity. It is the blood of Jesus that washed us white as snow, And anyone can see it, no matter where we go. My wife and I are bond-slaves. By Jesus we are owned. He gave His life for both of us. His precious blood atoned, For all the sin and evil, that both of us had been. He is the King of Glory and we are both His queen. He took our mortal bodies. He gave us His passport. To enter into heaven, without our being caught, And told we have no business, to come into His place. Engraved into our “passports” is written the word “Grace”! And that is all that’s needed. That mark in Jesus’ name, Says “Welcome to My Kingdom. I am so glad you came!” Jim Strickland  Written 16th November 2012