NO CONTEST

Time with Jesus - Friday, 15 February 2013

Hi all,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

“73 years ago on September 1st 1939, Germany invaded Poland, without warning, sparking the start of World War Two. By the evening of September 3rd, Britain and France were at war with Germany and within a week, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa had also joined the war.”

It was the most titanic struggle in history. The cost in money and human lives is incalculable. It could have gone either way. The German war machine crushed all opposition in the West. Britain was saved by a twenty mile stretch of water between England and France. It was only the hand of God and the stupidity of Adolph Hitler, that prevented Britain from being invaded, for the first time in almost 1000 years. It was Hitler’s hatred of communism that diverted his attention from the Western front and ultimately sealed the fate of Germany.

Militarily, the German armed forces were superbly trained and well led. In those early days they were almost irresistible. As far as the British and French forces were concerned, it was “no contest”. The German forces reigned supreme and resisting them was futile. Only God could rescue Britain from the Nazi war machine.

What many do not know, is that Britain had a different sort of army, quietly at work in the background; an army of prayer warriors, mainly female, who continued to pray and ask the Lord for victory. This comparatively small army of women, prevailed with God, such that, in the end, the Allies were victorious. Today’s meditation looks at the futility of trying to resist God!

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland  

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Friday, 15 February 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	No Contest
Way back in 1956, I was in Marist Brothers College Walmer boarding school. I was in standard 7 (grade 9 today) and rather enjoyed boarding school life. It was fairly regimented; a very busy life with hardly ever a dull moment. The school had a boxing club and we were free to join if so wished. A number of the boys joined the club which met regularly. The top boxer in the school was “Bully” Victor. I’ve no idea how he acquired the name “bully”. I don’t recall him bullying anyone. However, in the boxing ring he was a bully. Few boys challenged him. Usually he made short work of any competition. From my observation, anyone who had the misfortune of climbing into the boxing ring soon learned the error of their ways. He was too good for the competition. In a small way, “Bully” Victor and his opponents are similar to God and his opponents. I was only 14 so I think I was overly impressed with “Bully” Victor’s ability. In my eyes he was an awesome “irresistible” figure. He was by no means in the same class as God. Nevertheless as an impressionable young teenager, I was duly amazed. I knew he wasn’t invincible, but that thought didn’t really cross my mind. At the same time, I was going to confirmation classes in the Anglican Church and was beginning to learn something about God. I’d learned, God was invincible against all opponents. However, to my young mind, it seemed that “Bully” Victor was also invincible in his own field. There wasn’t really any comparison between God and “Bully” Victor. They were individually compartmentalised and never the twain would meet. Reading today’s Scriptures and observing the overwhelming power of God, I was reminded of “Bully” Victor. If they ever “squared off” against each other in the boxing ring, it would be “no contest”. Poor old “Bully” Victor would have more than met his match. God’s word shows us the futility of fighting against God. God doesn’t have power, He is power. Fighting with Him is pointless. It would be a “No Contest” match. So how great is His power compared with ours? I have a little indication from a TV show in UK in the mid 1960’s. The contestants were supplied with an earth-moving vehicle. At the front it had a mechanical jaw, enabling it to take huge bites out of the sand, with very little problem. The contest was to pick up a raw egg, without crushing the egg. I can’t recall the outcome, other than to say that most eggs were crushed, while getting the jaws in position around the egg. If nothing else, we had a lot of laughs. God’s power is infinite. The competition does not have infinite power, and ability. The waves, the seas, a tsunami, or fire cannot match our God. Such confrontations with Him will always be a “no contest”. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			2 Your throne, O LORD, has stood from time immemorial. You Yourself are from the everlasting past. 3 The floods have risen up, O LORD. The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves. 4 But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore--the LORD above is mightier than these! 5 Your royal laws cannot be changed. Your reign, O LORD, is holy forever and ever. Psalm 93:2-5 NLT 8 LORD God who rules over all, who is like you? LORD, you are mighty. You are faithful in everything you do. 9 You rule over the stormy sea. When its waves rise up, you calm them down. Psalm 89:8-9 NIrV 22 Shouldn't you have respect for me?' announces the LORD. "Shouldn't you tremble with fear in front of me? I made the sand to hold the ocean back. It will do that forever. The ocean can't go past it. The waves might roll, but they can't sweep over it. They might roar, but they can't go across it. 23 But you people have stubborn hearts. You refuse to obey me. You have turned away from me. You have gone down the wrong path Jer 5:22-23 NIrV 1 The LORD created Jacob and formed Israel. Now, this is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid, because I have reclaimed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. 2 When you go through the sea, I am with you. When you go through rivers, they will not sweep you away. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, and the flames will not harm you. Isaiah 43:1-2 GW 29 Jesus said, "Come!" So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed how strong the wind was, he became afraid and started to sink. He shouted, "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately, Jesus reached out, caught hold of him, and said, "You have so little faith! Why did you doubt?" Mat 14:29-31 GW 3 Even when I am afraid, I still trust you. 4 I praise the word of God. I trust God. I am not afraid. What can mere flesh and blood do to me? Psalm 56:3-4 GW	He cannot be resisted, though scores of people try. They get their fingers badly burned and seldom wonder why. It isn’t very difficult, to see where they went wrong. They’re fighting with Almighty God and He is far too strong! But people keep on doing it. Their lesson they won’t learn. Their attitude is stubborn and they would rather burn, In Hell with all the sinners, than to admit defeat. What’s needed is a “caning” upon their precious seat! They think the Lord won’t do that; He is the God of Love. And that He’ll always treat them, with a velvet covered glove. But it is a delusion. It doesn’t work that way. If they deserve a spanking, He’ll give them one today! The sea tried to oppose Him. Its waters surged and roared. The breakers pounded on the beach; but they did not record, Any sort of victory. It tried with all its might; But it was not a contest, when God came into sight. The ocean tried another stunt. It swept upon the beach. “We know we are invincible; the victory’s in reach” That’s what they had decided but it all came to naught. It was with the Almighty God, with whom the oceans fought. The beach was still a barrier the oceans couldn’t cross. Not even a Tsunami could challenge Him as boss. For after it spewed violence and dashed onto the shore, It then had to retreat in shame. It couldn’t beat God’s law! The Lord God is the Master of all in time and space. Though He may be resisted by some of the human race, It all amounts to nothing. A little grain of sand, Has more chances of a victory disputing God’s command. And He has told His people, “There’s nothing you need fear. The rivers can’t defeat you. Not while your God is near. The fire cannot harm you; Indeed, you won’t be burned”. But there’s a tiny lesson that still needs to be learned. We overcome these monsters, by faith and faith alone. Never doubt or whimper; don’t try things on your own. There is no possibility that you will win the fight! Unless your God is with you, you’ll certainly take flight; And end up like the others, who thought they could succeed, Against these mighty enemies. A Christian should plead, The blood of Jesus over, the things which they all face. This is the sure prescription, for finishing the race, And knowing that the victory is not what they achieved. But by the Lord Almighty, Who knows what they believed. Jim Strickland  Written 15 February 2012

THE WATER SUPPORTER

Time with Jesus - Thursday, 14 February 2013

Hi all,

They tell me that we all need 2.5 litres of water per day to support life satisfactorily. I’m not completely certain of this number. However, I suspect that if we were wandering round in the wilderness with the Israelites, the figure would be about right. Now that’s the same as the amount required to fill an Olympic Sized Swimming pool. (I checked on Google). How would we get all that water to the Israelites? Build a pipeline? Good suggestion. Not much use in the year ±1500BC. To quote my late father; it’s another “canackeler”! It’s also our meditation today.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland  

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Thursday, 14 February 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	The Water Supporter
Logistics is not exactly my favourite topic. However, over the past fifty years or so, it has become a necessary part of life. Perhaps the best illustration of this is petrol for the car (gas for the automobile for the Yank’s). Those who have only an “itsy-bitsy” knowledge would be careful to fill up before the car ran out of “juice”. No one I know is keen on spending half the night somewhere between Laingsburg and Beaufort West because the “tank ran dry”. For much the same sort of reason, the housewife generally ensures, there is sufficient to eat every day. Hungry children are inclined to be a bit grumpy! Oddly enough, husbands don’t like it either. Several years ago, I went on a course on what was called, “Supply Side Management”. I found it was just another word for planning ahead. Mind you, I need to be careful. There are professors of this stuff out there, who would have my guts for garters, if they thought I was demeaning their expertise. This forward planning stuff helps you get prepared for each and every eventuality, most of which alternatives, are never likely to occur anyway. One much loved model was called, “Just in time” (JIT). The theory was, that as the last one was taken away, the next one arrived in the warehouse. I liked this theory. It’s wonderfully God-fearing. Only God can arrange anything that works like that, 100% of the time. By coincidence, I went to the course at about the same time as I was reading the book of Exodus. Almost everything in that book occurred JIT. At the time, I had the idea, that Jesus was the best JIT specialist, this world has ever known. He is never early or late. With timing accurate to the nearest tenth of a millisecond, things were there as needed. Now that’s JIT. For me it now stands for “Jesus is Terrific”. By way of explanation, if there were 2 million people each needing 2,5 litres of water per day – It was very hot; they would need 5 million litres of water per day. Now that’s a lot of water. In simple terms, that’s 2,5 million plastic milk containers? Where would you carry them? Certainly not on a Coke Lorry! Now we’ve all heard the story of the manna in the Wilderness. It was there every morning on cue. There was never too much or too little. On Friday’s there was enough to collect for two days. There was none on the Sabbath. What is not mentioned is water supply. Obviously, it wasn’t a problem through most of the journey. Why or why not, I asked myself? Then the penny dropped! It was not mentioned, because it wasn’t a problem (after Marah). So who was their water supporter? Only God could handle such a demand. Just don’t ask me how. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			20 The LORD spoke to Aaron. He said, "You will not receive any part of the land I am giving to Israel. You will not have any share among them. I am your share. I am what you will receive among the people of Israel. Numbers 18:20 NIrV 25 Whom have I in heaven but You? I desire You more than anything on earth. 26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever. 27 Those who desert Him will perish, for You destroy those who abandon You Psalm 73:25-27 NLT 5 LORD, You alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. 6 The land You have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance! Psalm 16:5-6 NLT 24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. Lament 3:24-25 ESV 111 Your written instructions are mine forever. They are the joy of my heart. 112 I have decided to obey your laws. They offer a reward that never ends. Psalm 119:111-112 GW A psalm of David, regarding a time when David was in the wilderness of Judah. 1 O God, You are my God; I earnestly search for You. My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 NLT 6 I lie awake thinking of You, meditating on You through the night. 7 Because You are my helper, I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings. 8 I cling to You; Your strong right hand holds me securely. 9 But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin. They will go down into the depths of the earth. Psalm 63:6-9 NLT 16 My lover is mine, and I am his. He browses among the lilies. 17 Before the dawn breezes blow and the night shadows flee, return to me, my love, like a gazelle or a young stag on the rugged mountains. SoS 2:16-17 NLT	They wandered through the desert, for nearly forty years. There were two million people, is what it now appears. Six hundred thousand menfolk, their children and their wives Made up the total number. That’s what my maths derives. And then there were the animals; the many flocks and herds. The cost of feeding all of them can’t be expressed in words! The people lived on manna; it was their daily food. They ate it boiled, or baked, or fried, or on occasions, stewed! The problem would be water. The people had to drink. To keep the people healthy and living in the pink, Would be a major factor. So how much was required, To keep the people going before they all expired? It’s difficult to estimate; the land was hot and dry. They had their “air conditioning” from God up in the sky. The fiery pillar warmed them, right through the long cold nights; The cloud that covered them by day kept their conditions right. But they all needed water, three litres each per day. About six mega litres approximately – say. Now that’s a lot of water. Enough to fill a boat, The size of the Titanic or keep the thing afloat. I’ve wondered where it came from. There wasn’t much around. It couldn’t be a trickle that came up from the ground. For God it was no problem. He speaks and instantly, They’d always have enough to drink no matter where they’d be. But did the Lord bring rain clouds? I don’t think it was so. The Bible then would tell us, so everyone could know. They’d need a daily miracle. The manna came that way. But water doesn’t come in blocks; not even in that day! And what about the buckets that they would have to fill? That’s also not an option to satisfy this bill. The only way to do it, as far as I can tell, Was that they didn’t draw it, from any desert well. Perhaps just like the jar of oil that didn’t once run dry, The Lord filled their containers with a similar supply? I know I am not certain. It’s only just a guess. But how could the Creator fix their little mess? If you know something better, please won’t you tell us all? The problem has been stated. My friends, it’s now your call. Jim Strickland  Written 14th February 2012

THE MEANING OF LIFE

Time with Jesus -  13 February 2013

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Hi all,

The book of Ecclesiastes is considered to be one of the strangest books of the Bible. Tradition tells us that it was written by Solomon in his old age. It contains the sort of expressions that we would expect from someone who has “been through” it. It’s very sombre and a bit intimidating. But on reflection it seems to fit with this understanding. As the years pass by, the closer our individual end comes. So what would be the thoughts of a man who has had everything, tried everything and done everything? This book is typical of what we might expect from such a person. Solomon had nothing to look forward to. Nothing about living for him to get excited about! Even so, Solomon didn’t really want to die. In that respect, he was much like all of us. He may no longer have been enjoying life but the alternative was not exciting! So he wrote; “⁴ There is hope only for the living. As they say, "It's better to be a live dog than a dead lion!" Ecclesiastes 9:4 NLT

Cicero (106BC to 43BC) the Roman author is reported to have stated, “While there's life, there's hope”. It may not be fully Scriptural. However, I wonder if Cicero had read Ecclesiastes?

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Wednesday, 13 February 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	The Meaning of Life
How many of us remember the chorus, “life is wonderful”? Sure it’s a bit old. It’s old fashioned, accurate and descriptive. LIFE IS WONDERFUL Life is wonderful; yes it’s wonderful / Life is wonderful now for me. I let Jesus in. He changed everything. / Life is wonderful now. Since His blessing came into my heart; / Joy unspeakable fills every part. Now I want to live for my Lord. / Life is wonderful now. I first heard and sang the chorus back in 1962 at the Easter convention at Cliff College in UK. “Cliff” as it was affectionately called was a Methodist Evangelistic College, fairly close to Sheffield. Its history went back to the middle of the 1800’s. Many evangelists had trained at Cliff. In those days, part of their training was to take the gospel all over UK. In many instances, they would pull an old hand-cart from place to place and preach wherever they could. It was always seen as a “team event” and from the point of view of the number of converts they were moderately successful. But Cliff was more than that. It was an excellent training ground in basic theology. The focus was primarily on Bible exposition and teaching. Methodists came from all over the world for training. Phyllida and I met one of them in Worcester in the Western Cape. He had trained there in 1935 and had many memories of those days. As far as Cliff visitors and students were concerned, Cliff was taking “life” to the people of UK. The Easter convention was much loved and well attended. I was 20 and life was a “blast”! I revelled in the environment and enjoyed the different quality of “life” that was experienced there. As a young Christian I was taught that we should be in the world but not of the world. This is easier said than done when you are a young apprentice mixing with people who are no more Christian than an egg-beater. Trying to keep “pure” was an exercise in self-effort. If you advocated a “Christian” lifestyle, you were accused of being a pompous, religious misfit. That was my problem. If you joined in with the things going on, you were called a hypocrite. To find the “happy medium” was just about impossible. The people knew what the “life” of a Christian was supposed to look like. Their standards were all different, so it was impossible to win. If I tell you that my nickname was “Elmer Gantry” you’ll get some idea of how I appeared to the casual onlooker. It wasn’t good! To be honest, as I look back on those days, I don’t blame them! The balance between the two perceived lifestyles was hard to find. For me, it was impossible. I did my best to discover what “life” meant. It eluded me for years. Finally, it occurred that the best plan was to live life as simply and as normally as possible and leave the difference to the Holy Spirit. Did it work? Only the Lord knows. On the one hand I’ve become less concerned with what other folk think of me. Instead I’ve tried to live consistently in the way I think Jesus would like. This has made “life” far less complicated. As well as much more satisfying. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			ZAYIN. 49 Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. 50 My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. 51 The arrogant mock me unmercifully, but I do not turn from your law. Psalm 119:49-51 TNIV 45 The Scriptures tell us, "The first man, Adam, became a living person." (Genesis 2:7) But the last Adam--that is, Christ--is a life-giving Spirit. 46 What comes first is the natural body; then the spiritual body comes later. 1 Cor 15:45-46 NLT 26 The Father has life in Himself, and He has granted that same life-giving power to His Son. 27 And He has given Him authority to judge everyone because He is the Son of Man. John 5:26-27 NLT 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even if he dies. 26 And those who live and believe in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 5 11:25-26 NIrV 3 God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:3-5 NLT 12 Some people did accept him. They believed in his name. He gave them the right to become children of God. 13 To be a child of God has nothing to do with human parents. Children of God are not born because of human choice or because a husband wants them to be born. They are born because of what God does. John 1:12-13 NIrV 63 The Holy Spirit gives life. The body means nothing at all. The words I have spoken to you are from the Spirit. They give life. John 6:63 NIrV 12 God's word is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts as deep as the place where soul and spirit meet, the place where joints and marrow meet. God's word judges a person's thoughts and intentions. Heb 4:12 GW	There is a special something, we can’t identify. A quality inside us, that’s not there when we die. We say that living creatures, have got a quality, That mankind cannot copy and looks for desperately! We say that it is living. Vibrant it moves and breathes. It vanishes the moment, this aspect “up’s and leaves”. But what exactly is it? How is it best described? How can it be transmitted? To what is it ascribed? We say that something’s “living”; but what is it we mean? We know when it is present; yet it remains unseen. We’d rather like to catch it and keep it in a jar. So if and when we need it, we needn’t look too far. But science has no answer. They know when it is there. But when it has departed – they grope out in despair. We know that Jesus had it. “I am the Life” said He. And it is only given, by His authority. It’s never artificial. We think it aught to stay. We’d like to keep it going, forever and a day. But it has been subjected by sin to certain death. For life is surely ended, after our final breath. We know where it has come from. God gave it sovereignly; When He created Adam, way back in history. He made a man-like “dummy”, from bits of mud and clay. It looked just like a dolly, with which our children play. Then after it was fashioned, He blew into its “nose”; And at that very instant, a human being arose! I don’t know how He did it. I do not really care. For life was now pulsating, through what was hand-made there. He called that first man “Adam”; he was a living soul. A model of perfection; in every aspect, whole. We all know what then happened. We know he sinned and fell. For death had taken captive, mankind’s first sentinel. It looked like a disaster. It was in many ways. But it had not defeated the Ancient of all Days! He knew that it would happen and had devised a plan. That through the Second Adam; that He would rescue man. And though for generations, mankind would all be “dead”, He knew the crucifixion would give “life-giving bread”! This was not accidental. It had to be this way. God couldn’t make a “robot” who loved Him every day. That’s why He sent the Saviour. The One Who made it all. So Life could be imparted, to subjects of the fall. Now they could be obedient; and it could be for life; No longer terminated, through wickedness and strife. Once more God’s Holy purpose, by man could be attained. Not by what man accomplished, but by what Christ ordained. Jim Strickland  Written 13th February 2012