WAIT ON THE LORD

Time with Jesus - Monday, 10 December 2012

Hi all,

Today’s meditation is about waiting on the Lord. It’s something we are encouraged to do in God’s Word. However, we really have no alternative. He won’t make a move until He is ready. We need to learn to cope with this.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Monday, 10 December 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	WAIT ON THE LORD
Do you remember asking the question when you were little, “How many more sleeps ‘til Christmas”? How about when your children asked the same question? Do you remember counting down the days? Later in life it became something like, “How many days until the end of term?” or “How many days until the wedding?” I remember that so well? As a 14 years old, I travelled from Port Elizabeth to Vereeniging on the train. The train left PE at about 19h00. The train journey was fun. We were up and messing round for all the next day and arrived in Vereeniging Station at about 04H30 the following day. The journey seemed to take an eternity. But the SAR food was wonderful. The stewards would serve meals in the Dining Car. They had learned the art of swaying with the motion of the train and very seldom was anything spilled or broken. I’ll never forget the cutlery. Big heavy knives, forks and spoon stamped SAR. The cups, saucers and plates had a similar identifying pattern. I particularly remember the small coffee cups. You don’t see this size all that often these days. I remember an unsuccessful effort to get the entire cup into my mouth. I was never successful. I wonder what the other passengers thought about these schoolboys and their pranks? Waiting for things back then didn’t seem to be half as difficult for us as it does now. We know that the perception of the passing of time is relative. As someone pointed out many years ago, ten seconds sitting on the hot plate seems much longer than ten minutes spent talking with a pretty girl. But time definitely has a relative concept to all. As a schoolboy, a month seemed like a lifetime. For Phyllida and me, the years slip by at breakneck speed and seem to fly past more quickly with each successive year. It’s a bit like the old song from Fiddler on the Roof, Sunrise, sunset / Sunrise, sunset / Swiftly fly the years - One season following another / Laden with happiness and tears. These lyrics were sung by the women with a poignancy we can almost feel. And why not? Our life here is so short. As the Psalmist, probably David, wrote, 11 My life passes as swiftly as the evening shadows. I am withering away like grass. Psalm 102:11 NLT One “sneeze” in eternity and we are gone. But not the Lord. He is timeless, infinite and changeless. He can “afford” to wait. He is never in a hurry. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is at the beginning and the end. Both instants are the same for Him. Peter tells us, 8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 2 Peter 3:8 NLT The point is, He will act when everything is ready; in His own good “time”. We have no other choice but to wait for Him. Waiting gives us an opportunity to exercise patience. Grab it now! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			1 "On my bed night after night I sought him Whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him. Song of Solomon 3:1 NASB 1 Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for your sins have brought you down. 2 Bring your confessions, and return to the LORD. Say to Him, "Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us, so that we may offer You our praises. Hosea 14:1-2 NLT 13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, "God is tempting me." God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. 16 So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. James 1:13-17 NLT 14 Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD. Psalms 27:14 NLT 26 It is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. Lamentations 3:26 TNIV 7 Won't God give his chosen people justice when they cry out to him for help day and night? Is he slow to help them? Luke 18:7 GW For the choir director; according to Jeduthun; a psalm by David. 1 My soul waits calmly for God alone. My salvation comes from him. 2 He alone is my rock and my saviour-my stronghold. I cannot be severely shaken. 3 How long will all of you attack a person? How long will you try to murder him, as though he were a leaning wall or a sagging fence? 4 They plan to force him out of his high position. They are happy to lie. They bless with their mouths, but in their hearts they curse. Selah 5 Wait calmly for God alone, my soul, because my hope comes from him. Psalms 62:1-5 GW	Waiting for the Master. I wonder what it means. Is it lying on the bed and pondering our dreams? Is it like a lover, longing for her mate, Thinking of the glory they had on their last date? Is it like a traveller, waiting for the train, Hoping that it’s punctual and isn’t late again? Is it like an athlete when the training’s done. “On your marks, Get ready. Where is that starter’s gun?” Is it like a woman waiting to give birth, But that nine month interval’s the longest time on earth. Is it like a family whose men folk went to war, Fearing for they safety. Will they come home once more? Is it like a faithful pet at his master’s tomb? Hoping that he’ll see him. Will he be coming soon? Is it like a mother sitting by the bed Of her infant daughter. Her face all stained and red Is it going to happen? “Lord, let her survive. Lord I will do anything to take her home alive!” Is it like a murderer in the condemned cell. Thinking in an hour or two he’ll be consigned to hell? Yes, it could be all of them. It also could be none. It could be the certainty that when the time is done Jesus will embrace them and they will hear Him say “My good and faithful servant, you’re here with Me to stay!” All of us have been there in a scenario. Muttering and grumbling, “The time is going slow”. “When is He arriving? It’s getting very late. I would have done the washing if I’d known I’d have to wait!” We all have a problem understanding time. We talk of punctuality. But Jesus Christ Divine Is not in our dimension the way we understand. There’s no “time” in eternity. So anything we’ve planned May not be in the sequence which we anticipated. The last is first. The first is last, This cannot be equated With Father God’s priority. And He will only act When all of His requirements are an established fact. So if we’re sitting waiting and champing at the bit. A little word from Jesus. “I think it’s time you quit!” Jim Strickland  Written 10th December 2012

ENDLESS COMMITMENT

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 09 December 2012

Hi all,

Today’s meditation looks at covenant in general and the marriage covenant in particular. To deal with this topic adequately would take far more space than is available here. So let’s say that this is perhaps the foreword for such a tome. If this excites you as much as it excited us over 30 years ago, we encourage you to begin delving into a covenant relationship instituted by God. Sadly, many Christians today are unfamiliar with this.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 09 December 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	ENDLESS COMMITMENT
Phyllida and I have both been divorced. Subsequently we met and married. It’s not something we are proud of. It’s a statement of fact. We believe that at the root of ours and every other divorce is sin; this combined with youthful ignorance. During adolescent years we know what is right and wrong regardless of the opinions of others, God included! So we married and later broke covenant with our former spouse. Marriage was under attack by Satan and his cronies. It still is. God hates divorce and from personal experience, we also hate it. One reason is it makes a mockery of covenant commitment. We grew up knowing the Bible was in two “parts”; the Old and New Testaments, often called the Old and New Covenants. The associated significance was more or less unknown. We knew divorce was wrong, but had no idea why. Our initial years as Christians did nothing to address our ignorance. If we were asked why divorce was wrong we would say naively, “because God said so”! A good reason, but not an explanation. Then as we started to come to grips with Scripture, we began to get a glimpse of what marriage is all about. It’s about covenantal commitment. Like most young people, we looked at the “quaint” words and practices of the typical wedding ceremony. Why did the bride wear white? Why were rings exchanged? Why did the bride take the husband’s surname? What completely confounded us was that after marriage, the bride and groom became “next of kin”. It was a complete mystery. How could two members of unrelated families become next of kin? Why was there a reception? What about the “honeymoon”? Why were the couple supposed to be virgins? What was the importance of the shedding of blood? To answer all these questions is impossible in the available space here. Sufficient to say, that the couple entered into an unbreakable and everlasting blood covenant commitment. This was not just a fancy legal contract between two people. It was much more than that. From that day on the couple were regarded as one. He was Mr Fred Blogs. She was Mrs Fred Blogs. They were required to lay their lives down for each other. Her blood became the blood of their covenant commitment visible to God. In many instances their respective parents demanded to see the evidence of this. The only way out of a covenant was by death. You didn’t quit. Divorce was impossible. This was marriage in God’s eyes and was permanent. So important is this seen by God that when Phyllida and I married, we were told He would regard us as virgins, in spite of us both being parents. We wept when He told us that. That’s probably the greatest reason why we value marriage so highly. We’ve been forgiven and will never willingly break our marriage covenant! Never again! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			5 "Bring My faithful people to Me--those who made a covenant with Me by giving sacrifices." Psalms 50:5 NLT 28 so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him. Hebrews 9:28 NLT 15 That is why He is the One who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant. Hebrews 9:15 NLT 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24 ESV 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. Mark 13:27 ESV 4 Even if you are scattered to the most distant country in the world, the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back from there. Deuteronomy 30:4 GW 16 For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 17 Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NLT	Have you made a covenant with God Who reigns on high? Has He reassured you that when it’s time to die, He will draw you to Him? We really need to know. If we are uncertain, then which way will we go? Life is an apprenticeship for us to learn a trade. Not to work for “Brownie Points”, so we can make the grade. That will never happen. Self-effort is a trick, If you try to do it, you’ll founder like a brick When placed into the water. That’s just what God intends. It’s only when you’ve died in Christ, that’s when the Father sends The precious Holy Spirit. He will enable you To do what He has purposed and to His will be true. A covenant is only made when somebody has died. It isn’t all about the way religious folk have tried! You’re saved by cutting covenant. You give your life away. Just like the bride and bridegroom upon their wedding day. No longer are they separate. The two of them are one. Their former independence is finished, dead and gone. Within the bridal chamber, her virgin blood is shed. The marriage consummated, they share the marriage bed, As man and wife together; their singleness behind, They will raise their offspring, the way the Lord designed! They’re called Mr and Mrs and share a common name. Henceforth and for eternity, we see them as the same. Back in the Old Testament, the wife would call him “Lord”. He’d be her protector, defended by his sword! Our covenant with Jesus is very much the same. We give ourselves away to Him and we take on His Name. The blood of the New Covenant by Jesus has been shed. He is now our husband. Our former life is dead. We have no independence and we should call Him “Lord”. But since He’s God almighty, He’s worshiped and adored. We have also promised to honour and obey, Everything that He requires at any time of day. As a “wife” of Jesus, we have no human rights We surrendered all of them. No more are they in sight. We have just one purpose; to serve Him ‘til we die. Nothing’s more important for the likes of you and I. Jim Strickland  Written 9th December 2012

SWEET DREAMS

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 08 December 2012

Hi all,

When I committed my life to Jesus in 1960, I was told that from then on in everything would be great. It wasn’t. Today’s meditation looks at this. It’s still an impossible dream. But Phyllida and I wouldn’t change it for all the tea in China!

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 08 December 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	SWEET DREAMS
In 1972, Peter O’Toole made a movie called “Man of Lamancha”. Somewhat loosely based on the classic novel “Don Quixote de la Mancha” by Miguel de Cervantes, it was one of those memorable movies which have become rather forgettable! What is probably best remembered is the song, “The Impossible Dream”. In this regard, there is no question that Don Quixote’s impossible dream and imagination, made excellent reading. Likewise, Peter O’Toole’s portrayal of the man from Lamancha was very good. But for me the words of “The Impossible Dream” still live in my heart. It may sound vaguely heretical, but I’ve always regarded the Christian life in this light. The fact is the Christian life is impossible! No man or woman will ever succeed in their self-effort to attain it. And yet Jesus Christ, by His Holy Spirit, holds it out for us as a goal. At the same time, reading these lyrics, we are confronted with the fact it is exactly what He did. True, He was 100% God and 100% man. This made the impossible, possible. But He achieved this as a man and not as God. For man, the dream of being free from Satan and sin is impossible. Steeped in the sin nature, holiness and reconciliation are unattainable. I can’t speak for you, but I confess that I “wore out” my re-dedicator so regularly that I started to feel embarrassed; returning to the Lord and asking for His forgiveness. “I’ll do better this time!” was my “vow”. In my mind, I scratched a line in the sand, deep enough to reach China. But no matter how hard I tried, I failed to keep it up. Even as a Christian I couldn’t do it! In the end I became so disillusioned with my own frailty that I quit. What else do you do when you realise you can’t succeed? It should have driven me to my knees. But if you are a man in the full bloom of youth, how do you cope with your own hypocrisy? I felt too ashamed to ask to be forgiven once more. But the life of a back-slider is the most miserable existence imaginable. You know Him. You’ve walked and talked with Him. Without Him, all the baubles of human success are insipid. The words of King Solomon rang in my ears like the cries of the Man from Lamancha. 2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. Eccl. 1:2 ESV I spent 17 years in this lunacy. Then, when my need for Him exceeded my revulsion for my own hypocrisy, He rescued and restored me! This proved one thing. Success in the Christian life is founded on personal failure! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			27 Israel then mustered its army, set up supply lines, and marched out for battle. But the Israelite army looked like two little flocks of goats in comparison to the vast Aramean forces that filled the countryside! 1 Kings 20:27 NLT 28 Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, "This is what the LORD says: The Arameans have said, 'The LORD is a god of the hills and not of the plains.' So I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will know that I am the LORD." 29 The two armies camped opposite each other for seven days, and on the seventh day the battle began. The Israelites killed 100,000 Aramean foot soldiers in one day. 1 Kings 20:28-29 NLT 4 My dear children, you come from God and belong to God. You have already won a big victory over those false teachers, for the Spirit in you is far stronger than anything in the world. 1 John 4:4 MSG 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 TNIV 19 They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the LORD. Jeremiah 1:19 TNIV	Things are not as simple as what at first they seem. Rather like what passes through our heads each time we dream. Dreams are so indefinite and hard to call to mind. Things may look quite definite, but when we wake we find, They were imaginations; sometimes so very odd. Occasionally we find they are messages from God. How can we tell the difference? I’m not sure that we can. But we can ask the Lord to show, if they’re from Him, or man. Experience suggests to me, that if they’re very weird, They originate in me and shouldn’t then be feared. If you dream you’re naked and standing on the bus. Be assured you’re “normal” and therefore needn’t fuss, About what you were dreaming. Forget it! Let it go! Visit your Psychiatrist and he will let you know, You are not going crazy; you haven’t “flipped your lid” He’ll tell you it’s meanderings, from deep within your id! But if what you are dreaming, appears to make good sense. It may be God Who’s speaking, so get down off your fence! This sort of thing was “normal”, back in the days of old. People they called “seers”; sometimes could unfold, The dreams that people told them and spelled out in detail. They would be interpreted in ways that that didn’t fail. A dream could be a vision, that’s seen when wide awake. The seer or the prophet did not make a mistake. They predicted truthfully, the things that would take place, For they were listening to God and always sought His face. Sometimes it was good news and sometimes it was bad. Mostly it was something, to make the heart be glad. Looking at our Scripture, we see the way it went. The prophet went to see the King and told him God’s intent. The Aramean army filled the countryside. The army of the Israelites, looked miniscule beside, The army they were fighting. They didn’t stand a chance. But God said He would beat them, without a second glance. We know it is what happened. The Arameans smashed. One hundred thousand soldiers by Israel were trashed! The Lord above had spoken. The prophet understood. And Israel succeeded, the way God said they would. Jim Strickland  Written 8th December 2012