IT’S UP TO YOU

Time with Jesus - Thursday, 13 December 2012

Hi all,

On my birthday in 1981, I attended the Rhema Faith Convention in the Portuguese Hall. The speaker that night was Ken Hagen Jr. The topic he chose was, “Why are you sitting here when the prison doors are open?” For me it was a life-changing moment. Today’s meditation reflects something of that occasion. There is a “modernised” picture of what Jesus has done followed by the statement, “You’re not compelled to stay there. The choice is up to you!” You are as free as you want to be!

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Thursday, 13 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	IT’S UP TO YOU
Did anyone enjoy their history at school? I found it boring. In the 1950’s, history only really began in 1652 with Jan van Riebeeck arriving at the “Cape of Storms”. We went through a hotchpotch of assorted Governors while the Brits and the Dutch argued and fought each other. Somewhere mixed up in this, the Boer’s wanted to keep their independence and, presumably, their slaves, so they set off to populate the hinterland via Bloemfontein. I could never find out why Bloemfontein was chosen. I’m told that when the Ox wagons reached “Bloem” there were two giant signs erected for the direction of the trekkers. One pointed straight ahead complete with a sign that said, “Transvaal”. There was another pointing in the general direction of Durban with the words “Natal”. Those who could read went in their desired direction. The others, stayed where they were. One other comment about Bloemfontein. The late Spike Milligan of Goon show fame said he had spent a lifetime in Bloemfontein one afternoon. He also said it was the only city he had visited where the cemeteries were above ground. For some inexplicable reason, Biblical History was different. I enjoyed wandering through the sands of ancient Israel. In my mind I could imagine the sand between my toes. The stories of the wanderings of the Patriarchs and the people of the Exodus were fascinating. Likewise, Jesus tramping round Judea and Paul’s missionary journeys always seemed fun. Painful for them, but fun to read. There is only one problem for me reading Biblical history now. It never changes. That is a good thing but after a while your imagination gets a tad stagnant. Rather like the little boy who came home from Sunday School. When asked what he had learned that day he told his parents about General Moses. He led his forces in a massive tank battle with the Egyptians. He attacked them with his 88mm canon and finally destroyed them with his French Mirage jets. The mopping up was by his soldiers with their AK47’s. It was a great success. The Egyptian equipment was then used to get the people to the other side of the Red Sea. “I don’t think that’s what they taught you”, commented his father. “No!” said the youngster. “But mine is a lot more believable than the story they told me!” So for this morning’s meditation, I’ve gone through the story of Jesus coming to save us from our sins. What I’ve done is try to imagine a slightly different scenario. The outcome is the same as it was for Jesus in real life. My aim was to tell the same story slightly differently and add a challenging twist at the end. It was fun composing. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. Ephesians 2:18 NLT 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 There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call-- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6 ESV 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 And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20 By His death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22 NLT	He stood upon a mountain and took a look around. It all looked very terrible; there was a wailing sound, Coming from the castle. The noise crashed on His ears. And as he looked upon it, His eyes were filled with tears. It was a massive prison confining all mankind. Compassion rose inside Him. These people were consigned, To spending their eternity locked tightly in their cells. It looked like a precursor to what they’d know in hell. The people were all sinners. He knew it as a fact. “I can’t let this continue. It’s time for Me to act”. He wondered how to do it; He thought of God most High. He thought about the comfort of His Home up in the Sky. “I think I have to leave it! I have to set them free. There’s no one else can do it. I guess it’s up to Me. I have to take their places. Release them from this yard. But how will I get in there and past the prison guard?” He thought about His options; He knew what He must do. His Father and The Spirit said, “Son it’s up to you. You’ll only get admission, if you are one of them. Put aside Your Godhood and join the world of men!” He nodded in agreement. “My Father’s never wrong. The Father, Son and Spirit; We three are always One”. Exactly how He did it remains a mystery. He became an infant, the likes of you and me. Somehow He compressed Himself to be a baby boy; Nurtured by a Mother. He was her “pride and joy”. Satan tried to murder Him each chance that he could get. Their final confrontation could not take place just yet! Jesus’ life was sinless. He wasn’t once deceived. And He was on a mission no one would have believed. He would take on Satan in his fortress lair. Then He’d tell the prisoners to “Go on! Get out of there!” Satan couldn’t touch Him while He was free of sin. But if He made a blunder; for sure Satan would win. He let the devil take Him and Have Him crucified. But when Christ Jesus perished; the instant that He died, The gates of that old fortress were simply torn apart. Liberty for prisoners!  This is the time to start. Each of them could walk out. The choice was theirs alone. No longer did they have to kneel or cower at Satan’s throne. The gates of heaven were open. Now they could go inside. Each could be a member of Jesus’ Holy bride. The castle walls were shattered and Satan’s realm was through. You’re not compelled to stay there. The choice is up to you. Jim Strickland  Written 13th December 2012

JIMMETS; PRESSING ON – NEVER QUIT

Time with Jesus - 12 December 2012

Hi all,

Today there are a couple of “Jimmets” to meditate on. i.e. Sonnets written with Shakespeare’s rhyming method. Both originate from 2 Corinthians 4; they are encouragement for us to keep on keeping on.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Wednesday, 12 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	JIMMETS; PRESSING ON – NEVER QUIT
In 1953, Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh made a movie called “Houdini”. It was the story of one of the world’s first Escapologists, Harry Houdini. He performed at the turn of the 20th century and was hugely successful. I recall seeing the film in the early 1950’s in one of the “bioscopes” in Port Elizabeth. I think it was the “Grand”. He started his career as a magician and was fairly successful. It was when he focussed on escaping from bizarre situations, that his popularity reached an all-time high. Of course, his stunts were all tricks. But he succeeded with his illusions until 31st October 1926. He died from peritonitis following a body blow in the area of his appendix. Houdini could never be the greatest escape artist of all time. That honour goes to our Lord Jesus Christ. He was raised from death and walked out of the tomb. But Jesus was not an escape artist. He didn’t resort to tricks to fool an audience. Jesus’ “escape” was genuine. The Holy Spirit resurrected Jesus. It was no stunt to draw crowds and make money. No one can say for sure that there was any noise in Joseph of Arimathaea’s tomb when Jesus was resurrected. What seems to have happened was that the resurrected body of Jesus passed through the cocoon-like wrappings of the grave clothes such that they were undisturbed, but empty! The contents mysteriously were gone. The resurrected Jesus apparently then folded the napkin – probably His tallit; and exited the tomb. Whether He or an angel rolled away the stone from the mouth of the tomb is irrelevant. Of course, in His resurrected body, Jesus could easily have walked through the stone anyway! This was a resurrected body. It was not his old “earth suit” resuscitated, as in all previous cases of those who had been raised from the grave. Jesus Christ’s resurrected body had extraordinary qualities and abilities. It had flesh and bone but seems to have been bloodless! In this body Jesus could eat and drink; appear and vanish at will and pass through walls. (Houdini is not in this class!) Incidentally, those who don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus, have automatically excluded themselves from being Christians. Paul put it this way, 9 If you declare that Jesus is Lord, and believe that God brought him back to life, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 GW It follows that if you don’t believe He was raised from the dead, you aren’t a Christian. Sorry about that. I don’t make the rules, I only quote them! Nevertheless, in and through Jesus Christ we are all looking for resurrection bodies. So let’s obediently press on regardless and never quit believing in Him and His love. He’s all we need! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			26 "Please run now to meet her and say to her, 'Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?'" And she answered, "It is well." 2 Kings 4:26 NASB 13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, 2 Corinthians 4:13 ESV 9 We are known, but people treat us as if we were unknown. We are dying, but we continue to live. We are beaten, but we are not killed. 10 We are sad, but we are always full of joy. We are poor, but we make many people rich. We have nothing, but we own everything. 2 Corinthians 6:9-10 NIrV 8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT 16 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 17 For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT 2 Dear friends, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit. 3 John 1:2 NLT	PRESSING ON 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 NLT We are pressed by trouble on all sides. Even so, not one of us is crushed. Baffled? We don’t run away and hide. Despair will not compel us to be hushed. Hunted down? We are not on our own. Never will the Lord abandon us. When knocked over, we don’t stand alone. Threated with destruction? – We don’t fuss! What they did to Jesus, they’ll repeat. Trial and torture? None of this is new. Suffering won’t drive us to defeat. Let them do the worst that they can do. Crucified? Embrace those cruel nails. Let them see, Christ Jesus never fails. Jim Strickland  Written 12th December 2012 NEVER QUIT 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT For us, it’s impossible to quit! Outwardly, our bodies wilt and die. But that’s only just the half of it. Inwardly our spirits multiply! Every day our spirits are renewed. Trouble for us won’t last very long! In the very briefest interlude, We shall find our inner man grow strong! We’re not interested in what we see. That is just a mirage for the eyes. What we can perceive spiritually, Will continue when creation dies. All that we can see will soon be gone. What we cannot see goes on and on! Jim Strickland  Written 12th December 2012

DARKNESS OR LIGHT

Time with Jesus - Tuesday, 11 December 2012

Hi all,

Our topic for meditation today is darkness and light. The Scriptures focus on love and the relationship between Jesus and His bride. The fact that you and I are part of His Bride staggers the imagination. These are not the words of some mythical genie from the bottle. They are statements of His love for us and our response to Him.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Tuesday, 11 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	DARKNESS OR LIGHT
As this introduction is being written, I’m vividly reminded of the story of the genie in the bottle. Not the “Open Sesame” variety. It must have been his little brother. The story goes that one of our great golf lovers had a question he would like to ask someone who could answer. He wanted to know if there were golf courses in heaven. With this thought in mind he found a magic bottle. He opened it and a huge genie appeared. “I’m a different sort of genie” it said. “I only answer questions and always tell the good news and the bad news.” “You are just the genie I need to talk to”, said the man. “I have a question to ask you.” “Fire away” replied the genie. “Remember I will tell you the good news and the bad news.” “Fine. Tell me are there golf courses in heaven” the man asked. “Do you really want to know?” asked the genie somewhat perplexed. “Yes!” replied the man. “The good news is that there are definitely golf courses in heaven! The bad news is you tee-off at 01h23 tomorrow morning! I’ve mentioned this story because of the similarity it has with Christian life. We don’t have a genie living in a bottle. We have the Son of the living God living in our heart! He is always available, so we don’t have to coax Him out. In one respect, Jesus and the genie are similar. Jesus will always only tell you the truth. It could be good news or bad news. He will tell it, as it is! This is very important for all of us. If you are feeling smug and comfortable in your Christian walk, here’s a question to ask Him. Ask only if you really want to know. The question is, “Lord is there anything in my life You want me to change?” I must confess that I’ve never had the courage to ask this question. I’m not sure I’d be able to cope with His answer. Incidentally for the perfectionists among us, I must confess that today I’ve missed out one Scripture and the associated poetry. There was no way I could include them in the space available. There’s a beautiful theme running behind today’s Scriptures. Jesus’ love for His bride and His bride’s love for Him. This is a love that is more than anything we have experienced or can experience in this dimension. It is a supernatural love. On our behalf it stems from our realisation of the lengths God went to in order to re-establish a relationship with us. When I think of the way I was when He went looking for me, I get carried away with the wonder of it all. What I mean is, I have no problem loving and being loved by people I like. Also, those who have the same attitude toward me. That’s easy. But to think that infinite love and perfection would even consider bothering with me. That, I do not and probably never will understand! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11 NLT	Darkness or Light”? You were made right, By the glory that comes from the Lord. You called out His Name, And Jesus Christ came. Now He is loved and adored!		His blood washed you clean, From all you have been. His righteousness shines in your eyes! Satan’s retreated, Because he’s defeated, And you have expunged all his lies.
			7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 NLT	Follow His ways, For the rest of your days, In fellowship with one another. If you do this, You never will miss, The wonder of knowing your brother.		His blood is the glue, In all that you do. Keeping brother and sister in place. His blood disinfects, Our dreadful defects; And lets us look into His face!
			5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 ESV	He was wounded for me. When He died on the tree. My sins and transgressions are gone. He felt Himself crushed, As his flowing blood gushed. From Him who had done nothing wrong!		His body was stripped, And brutally whipped. A flogging that brought us all peace. And it is revealed, By these stripes we are healed, And all of our sicknesses ceased!
			25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Ephesians 5:25-27 ESV	Men; lay down your lives. Love your wonderful wives. By His word wash her thoroughly clean. Without any spot; Wrinkled are not; She is your glorious queen! With a soft velvet glove, Place all of your love, On the woman you chose to make yours.		Give her your all. Make her feel ten feet tall! And you’ll be the man she adores. She’ll always be “cute”, If the holiness route, Is the way she is constantly led. Do this every day. She’ll submit and obey, And continually make you her head!
			8 She has been given the privilege of wearing dazzling, pure linen." This fine linen represents the things that God's holy people do that have his approval. Revelation 19:8 GW	It’s a glorious sight. His Bride is in white. As pure and as white as the snow. No spot or defect, Can onlookers detect. She’ll follow wherever He goes.		The linen she wears, Are the hopes and the prayers, And deeds that God’s people have done. They’ve been prepared, For a life that is shared, As the Bride of God’s wonderful Son!
			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 10:22 ESV	With a heart sprinkled clean, From all we have been, And a conscience that’s been purified. There’s nothing to fear, As we seek to draw near. No reason for wanting to hide!		With faith in our heart, We need not stay apart. Come; let us draw near to our God! His Son’s made the way, So let’s enter today. The Master has given His “nod”!
			A Maskil of David. 1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. Psalms 32:1-2 ESV	Blessed is the one, Whose transgressions are gone. Since Jesus Christ suffered and died. They feel they’re in clover, Their Sin’s covered over. From God, they no longer need hide.		Iniquity’s ended, Christ Jesus has mended, The bridge between heaven and man! Deceit doesn’t stay, In our spirit’s today. There’s no other way that it can!
				Jim Strickland – Written 11th December 2012