CHOOSE LIFE

Time with Jesus - Sunday, 27 January 2013

Hi all,

“Are you saved?” This is not a popular question to ask many folk today. They say, “Saved from what?” Of course it’s a valid comment. The question has become so “stereotyped”, people hardly take it seriously. Perhaps we should ask, “Have you chosen life or death?” It’s a much more Biblical Question and unbelievers are more likely to give an intelligent answer. Then we can respond with the Gospel.

I’m reminded of the statement, “If you do the same things this year as you did last year, you will most probably get the same result”. Perhaps the time has come for us all to change our words to unbelievers; unless of course we want the same result. Do you want the same result? Then perhaps you should rephrase the question to choosing life or death? That’s today’s meditation.

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Sunday, 27 January 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	Choose Life
The goodness of God! What can we say? At times it seems impossible for us to even get a glimpse of His infinite goodness. Today’s Scriptures make this abundantly clear. So how great is His goodness? I’m reminded of someone’s remark that when Jesus was asked how big His love was, He stretched His arms out wide and died. What can any of us say in the face of love and goodness this big? Any attempt to express it in words is doomed to failure. The context of the following quote from 1st Samuel 3 is not correct for the quote. But the sentiments are 100% accurate. “He is the Lord. He will do as He thinks best. 18 So Samuel told him everything. He didn't hide anything from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD. Let him do what he thinks is best." 1 Samuel 3:18 NIrV There have been occasions, particularly in connection with salvation, when someone has told me that he or she is a good person. My response is to ask if I may shake their hand. I tell them I’ve never met a good person before. When they ask me if I’m a good person, I say “No! Only God is good”. This was Jesus’ comment when He was asked the same question. 18 "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Mark 10:18 ESV I then add, “What a privilege for me to be in presence of someone who is good!” This usually brings the individual back to reality. But this “put down” cannot conceal the goodness of God. God is good. (Period) As Moses, God’s spokesman, said before handing over to Joshua. 19 "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying Him, and committing yourself firmly to Him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Deut 30:19-20 NLT Something of God’s goodness is revealed here. He tells them to choose blessing or curses. Choose life or death. This approaches the ultimate in goodness. It’s as though God says, “I want you to live!” In spite of this, most people don’t want to know Jesus. Their actions indicate they prefer the curse to the blessing. Why? Who can say? Jim Elliot, the martyr at the hands of the Waodani people of Ecuador is said to have put it this way: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." God offers life. Why choose death? Jim & Phyllida Strickland			19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, Deut. 30:19 ESV 32 When anyone dies, it does not give me any joy," announces the LORD and King. "So turn away from your sins. Then you will live! Ezekiel 18:32 NIrV 22 If I hadn't come and spoken to them, they wouldn't have any sin. But now they have no excuse for their sin. John 15:22 GW 47 "The servant who knew what his master wanted but didn't get ready to do it will receive a hard beating. 48 But the servant who didn't know what his master wanted and did things for which he deserved punishment will receive a light beating. A lot will be expected from everyone who has been given a lot. More will be demanded from everyone who has been entrusted with a lot. Luke 12:47-48 GW 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:23 NLT 35 The Father loves His Son and has put everything into His hands. 36 And anyone who believes in God's Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn't obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God's angry judgment." John 3:35-36 NLT 16 Don't you know that if you offer to be someone's slave, you must obey that master? Either your master is sin, or your master is obedience. Letting sin be your master leads to death. Letting obedience be your master leads to God's approval. 17 You were slaves to sin. But I thank God you have become wholeheartedly obedient to the teachings you were given. Rom. 6:16-17 GW 26 Anyone who serves me must follow me. And where I am, my servant will also be. My Father will honour the one who serves me. John 12:26 NIrV	We’re standing at the junction, of a most important street. And which is the direction that will not bring defeat? One way leads to heaven. The other leads to hell. Which is the correct one? We really cannot tell. Of course we can be foolish and camp there on the road, Delaying a decision and carrying our load. The choice is ours entirely. No man may tell us “Nay!” So what is it that we must do upon this crucial day? For many it is simple. They’ll merely ask their wife, Which one of these alternatives leads to eternal life? But that is not acceptable. The husband takes the lead. It’s his responsibility where both of them will feed. Another way to do it is gaze upon the way. Is it broad and easy, on which we all can play? Is it straight and narrow with only room for one, So one behind each other is the way to carry on? Jesus told us plainly, to take the narrow road. The broad way is quite certain, to be disaster’s mode. There is a simple answer to, “Which way will be correct?” Ask the Holy Spirit to come and to direct, Into the way that’s suitable for you to walk along. Listen very carefully; you will not get it wrong. For God will always show you the right and proper route; A way that is impossible for any to refute. He wants you to be with Him. He doesn’t want to see, The death of any person through their own stupidity. He wants to give eternal life. He wants us at His side. He wants us for the Saviour; to be His precious bride. He wants us to be perfect! He wants us to be whole! He wants to save our spirit, our body and our soul. He wants us to be numbered among His chosen folk, Who’re thrilled to be His servants and wear His pleasant yoke. So as He said to Israel before His servant died, “I’ve offered you both life and death. It’s you who must decide. Choose to have the blessing. Do not choose the curse. I will not prevent it. I will not reverse, What you have decided. So I say to you, Choose life! It is the finest thing that you will ever do!” Jim Strickland  Written 27th January 2012

TRANSFORMED TO BE LIKE HIM

Time with Jesus - Saturday, 26 January 2013

Hi all,

A day or so ago I mentioned Star Trek. Of all the Si-fi programmes on TV, it still endures as among the very best. Those who are old enough will no doubt remember Captain Kirk, Mr Spock and Scottie, the Star Ship engineer. I loved that series. They brought it back later with a different crew. But somehow the “magic” of the original was missing. In the original show, people were “beamed” up and down with what appeared to be some sort of scientific materializer/de-materializer. Of course it was imaginary but helped the series. Scottie was the engineer who looked after this “beaming” equipment. All this gave rise to an expression we still hear occasionally. “Beam me up Scottie, there’s no intelligent life here”.

The reason I liked the show was the indirect reference to what will happen to all genuine Christians one day. The trumpet will sound and we will all be “caught up” to join the Lord in the air. We will all have resurrection bodies in the prime of life. Exactly what that means in terms of gender, I really don’t know. I understand that for a man it’s about 33 years old. I’m told that for a woman it’s about 18. Personally I can hardly wait. If there is such a thing as gender, I can hardly wait to see Phyllida as an 18 year old beauty! We may fall in love again all over! Well, I will!

Today we meditate on being transformed to be like Him!

Blessings,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Saturday, 26 January 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	Transformed to be Like Him
Somewhere in the depths of memory there’s a hymn that went, “Changed in the twinkling of an eye”. I can’t remember all of it. No matter. These words express the essence of what Christians believe. Paul expressed it as follows: - 51 But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! 52 It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. 53 For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. 1 Cor 15:51-53 NLT When we read this for the first time, we have that distinct feeling that if this was not in the Bible, it would be out of a children’s fairy story! It sounds too incredible! But it’s not incredible. It’s a fact! It will happen just as Paul stated. For those of us who are pensioners, the prospect of having a body that works properly again is fabulous. To be able to touch my toes! At present it seems that they are just too far away. As a pensioner friend stated recently, “If the Lord wanted me to touch my toes, He would have put them on my knees”. But what will we look like? I love the way the Eugene Peterson, in the Message, gives us an idea of our future appearance. 2 But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him--and in seeing him, become like him. 1 John 3:2 MSG What will it be to be like Jesus? We don’t really know. It’s most unlikely that we will all be “clone look-alike’s” of Jesus. No doubt we will be able to recognise each other and Him. It seems that we will have bodies like His supernatural body! I can’t even begin to imagine what that will mean. Yes, He appeared to His apostles and many other folk. They touched and handled Him. Then He vanished. What kind of body is that? One instant He was “flesh and bone”. The next instant he was gone. But flesh and bone can’t pass through walls! In the Old Testament, the Lord appeared to men and women occasionally. These pre-birth appearances are called a “Theophany” or, sometimes, a “Christophany” In these instances, He walked and talked with people. He looked human. But then He was gone. In some ways we may be looking at the same thing. We can’t say this is true. But it does indicate that the Lord has the ability to “materialise” and “dematerialise”. I know this sounds something like an episode from Star Trek. But since Jesus is God, He probably has no difficulty in doing so. From our point of view, does it mean that when we are with Him and like Him, we can do the same? Will our new bodies be able to “materialise” and “dematerialise”? Frankly, we have no idea. All we know for sure is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him--and in seeing him, become like Him. Can we really understand this? I admit that I can’t. If you can, perhaps you will assist me? In the meantime, “Even so, Come Lord Jesus! Expressed in Star Trek language it would be, “Beam me up Lord Jesus, let’s get out of here!” Jim & Phyllida Strickland			20 But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Saviour, the Master, Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful & whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under & around him. Philip 3:20-21 MSG 26 And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. 27 And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. 28 Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking. Ezekiel 1:26-28 ESV 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Cor 3:18 ESV 2 But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him--and in seeing him, become like him. 1 John 3:2 MSG 15 That is why they are in front of the throne of God. They serve him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16 They will never be hungry or thirsty again. Neither the sun nor any burning heat will ever overcome them. Rev 7:15-16 GW 2 They were holding God's harps 3 and singing the song of God's servant Moses and the song of the lamb. They sang, "The things you do are spectacular and amazing, Lord God Almighty. The way you do them is fair and true, King of the Nations. Rev 15:2-3 GW	I’ve wondered what we’ll look like, the day the Lord returns. We know we will be like Him. That flame within us burns. We’ll have a glorious body. One that can walk through walls. That floats into a cloudy sky, the instant that He calls! It never will grow older. We’ll all be at our peak! For men that is at 33. I do not have the cheek, To comment for the ladies. I’ve heard it is eighteen. But will there be a gender? If not, what does that mean? It’s all too complicated. My head’s in overdrive. The rest of me is thanking God, that I will be alive! And what about our relatives? I hope they’ll all be there. But who knows their condition! We’re mostly unaware, Of whom the Lord has chosen to reign with Him on high. And none of us know what they did before their time to die! I’m not sure if it matters? Our Master knows what’s best. And everyone who loved Him will surely pass His test. There has to be surprises! Who listened to His call? The big surprise for me will be that I am there at all! I know I don’t deserve it. It’s only by His grace, That there can be the slightest chance, I might access that place. I’m sure it will be wonderful; beyond what I can think; And He’ll transform each one of us far quicker than a wink! I wonder what He’ll look like. But this I understand. There still will be the nail prints in both His feet and hands. I cannot guess their purpose, but this I know for sure. Each time I get a glimpse of them, I’ll think what He endured, So the people He’s redeemed, forever more can see, How much the Master suffered, for folk like you and me. I know He’ll wash away our tears. But I’ll still want to cry, “O God, You did all this for me; a sinner such as I?” For as I think about it now, my eyes just fill with tears. Thinking just how much You’ve done to drive away our fears. Perhaps I’m thinking far too much about this great event. And tremble as I realise that this is heaven sent. It’s time to get excited, because He’s coming soon. The thought of a new body. It makes me want to swoon. To be a brand new man again; once more back in my prime! Renewed to be like Jesus! O what a thought Divine! Jim Strickland  Written 26th January 2012