IN PRAISE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

Time with Jesus - Tuesday, 25 June 2013

Hi all,

Is there a difference between “praise” and “worship”? It’s difficult to worship someone you don’t praise. But you can praise someone you don’t worship. We see this in the book of Revelation. ¹⁰ I fell at his feet to worship him, but he wouldn't let me. "Don't do that," he said. "I'm a servant just like you, and like your brothers and sisters who hold to the witness of Jesus. The witness of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Rev 19:10 MSG

The angel could accept John’s thanks, but not John’s worship. It’s much the same with us. We are allowed to express our appreciation; our praise to each other for what we have done. Provided it is genuine, it must not to be confused with the “praises” of men. 

For instance we may say to someone that they have done a great job. But never worship that person. He/she is no different from you.

In many church gatherings the difference between the two seems to be associated with tempo and volume. Praise is seen as loud, raucous and very noisy. Worship is seen as slow and quiet. I’m not sure this is always the case, but it seems to be generally accepted and followed this way.

On many occasions, our own preferences infringe on the music. I know of one pastor who can’t abide “slow stuff”. For him, it must be constantly loud and noisy. I’m not sure where worship fits into that style. Fortunately for Phyllida and me, we are not faced with this dilemma.

So, assuming you do go to heaven to be with Jesus, are there any people you would like to talk with? In the introduction I’ve mentioned a couple of names. I’d also like to chat with Isaac Watts and Fanny Crosby. They were prolific hymn writers and I’d love to listen to them explain how some of their hymns came to be composed. 

I’m told that on one occasion, Charles Wesley was talking with a fellow Christian. The man stated that he wished he had a thousand tongues with which to praise and worship God. Inspired by the words, Wesley went away and composed one of Methodism’s best known and best loved hymns, “O for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemers praise”. Charles Wesley wrote ±6000 hymns; hymns for many occasions. He wrote one for men and women going about their ablutions! He even wrote one for a woman in the process of child-birth! He believed, as Phyllida and I do, that there is no distinction between secular and spiritual. Thus, his hymns covered every aspect of life.

In the 21^st century, denominational practices, including those of the charismatic movement, have lent themselves to the separation of secular and spiritual activities. We go to a church building on Sunday. Then we sit in rows in spectator mode, watching the “entertainment”. Then we get up and go home. Many feel that attending such a meeting once per week constitutes their weekly “subscriptions” to the Almighty to get them to heaven. 

They may just as well have gone to the movies! The chairs in the movie house are a lot more comfortable!

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – Tuesday, 25 June 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	IN PRAISE OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
What is it that you particularly like doing? Let’s keep away from things that may hurt other creatures. e.g. Fishing and hunting. Not that I’m opposed to these activities. What I mean is, what are you looking forward to doing in heaven? There are certain activities we do here and now that we won’t be doing there. Blood sports and violent sports are likely to be excluded. It’s not easy to love your opponent in the boxing ring if you are trying to beat his brains out. I do have an idea for hunters. Give the animal a gun with which to defend itself. Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens - Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens - Brown paper packages tied up with strings - These are a few of my favourite things We are likely to have a few problems with some of our favourite things. Even Julie Andrews’s song from the Sound of Music becomes problematic. I suspect there will be kittens in heaven. Confirming it conclusively from Scripture is another matter! I’m also a bit puzzled about the “warm woollen mittens”. This implies it will be cold up there. That really will surprise me. So, what will we be doing? Some say it will be what we might call a 24/7 praise and worship meeting. In principle, I suspect there’s a lot of truth in this. My problem is that if heaven is such a wonderful place and we are all constantly in a meeting, why has God made it so beautiful? Also, what’s the point of having trees which bear fruit every month and have leaves which heal the nations if no one gets a chance to get to them. It also strikes me as odd to be a part of the bride of Christ and not get a chance to spend “time” with him on a personal basis of some sort? What about the “honeymoon”? Will there be such a time with Jesus? I’m sure there will be a heavenly counterpart. The “couple” need to spend time together getting to know each other. Of course, he knows us fully already. But at present, we don’t know Him. I can’t speak for you, but I’m looking forward to personally getting to know the Son of God. The One Who said He would “save” me all those years ago. There are no straight forward answers here. An added complication is that time, as we know it, will not exist. We will be with God, so we will also be living in the ever present now. Thus 24/7 becomes meaningless. It’s difficult to imagine timelessness. We are accustomed to things being sequential. But all sequences are time related. All that we have ever seen of timelessness is a photograph. Photograms do not move. Movies do; but it’s an optical illusion we use to give us the impression of motion. Probably the best conclusion we can come to from all this, is that praise and worship will be a major feature in heaven. We will also be able to fellowship with each other and with God. I must say there are a number of saints who have gone before us that we will be able to meet. For me, meeting Moses would be special. Likewise, Peter, Paul, Habakkuk and John Wesley. I would like to share a hymn I wrote with his brother Charles. Today’s poem is the hymn in question. It’s called, In Praise of the Lord Jesus Christ. For me it would be extra special if we all sang it to Jesus! Jim and Phyllida Strickland			7 "My sword, wake up! Attack my shepherd! Attack the man who is close to me," announces the LORD who rules over all. "Strike the shepherd down. Then the sheep will be scattered. And I will turn my hand against their little ones. Zechariah 13:7 NIrV	JESUS IS LORD; Let us rejoice! JESUS IS LORD; Lift up your voice; To JESUS, let your anthem raise And worship Him and give Him praise. JESUS IS LORD; Of sea and sky! JESUS IS LORD; He's Deity! The one whom, by His mighty hand, Created everything for man. JESUS IS LORD; Yes, He is strong! JESUS IS LORD; Of everyone; For, everything the eye can see Was all created, Lord, by Thee! JESUS IS LORD; All praises bring. JESUS IS LORD; My God and King; I'll praise him while He gives me breath For He alone has conquered death! JESUS IS LORD; Toward Him press; JESUS IS LORD; His Name, all bless! Let's magnify our risen Lord; Salute our King, the Living Word. JESUS IS LORD; All praise His Name! JESUS IS LORD; To Earth He came To win from Satan our release And to become our Prince of Peace. JESUS IS LORD; Yes, He achieved! JESUS IS LORD; Our sins relieved And snatched us from the jaws of Hell. That's why His praises, we forth tell! JESUS IS LORD; Let us adore; JESUS IS LORD; He did restore To sinful man what Satan stole. He set us free and made us whole! Jim Strickland Written 1985
			9 For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. Colossians 2:9 NLT
			19 Long ago You spoke in a vision to Your faithful people. You said, "I have raised up a warrior. I have selected him from the common people to be king. Psalms 89:19 NLT
			3 "I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with me; I trod them in my anger and trampled them in my wrath; their lifeblood spattered on my garments, and stained all my apparel. Isaiah 63:3 ESV
			16 There is no doubt that godliness is a great mystery. Jesus appeared in a body. The Holy Spirit proved that he was the Son of God. He was seen by angels. He was preached among the nations. People in the world believed in him. He was taken up to heaven in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16 NIrV
			6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 ESV
			3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:3 ESV
			8 But to the Son He says, "Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a sceptre of justice. Hebrews 1:8 NLT
			6 And when He brought His firstborn Son into the world, God said, "Let all of God's angels worship Him." Hebrews 1:6 NLT
			16 On His robe at His thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords. Revelation 19:16 NLT

COME AND SEE

Time with Jesus - Monday, 24 June 2013

Hi all,

Driving round the suburban areas of the bigger towns in South Africa, we are sure to see a number of signs which read “Beware of the Dog”. More often than not, there is the head of a large snarling dog included on the sign somewhere. 
A variation on this was one which read, “Never mind the Dog,

Beware of the Owner”. Included on the sign was a picture of a rather large and threatening hand-gun.

For many of those whose roots go back to Europe, dogs are regarded as “man’s best friend”. But that’s not true of some nations. In the days when Jesus ministered “in the flesh”, to call a man a dog was an insult. The Jews disdainfully referred to all Gentiles as “dogs”. It wasn’t quite the lowest form of life to them. But it was far down the ladder of social and religious acceptability.

A Pharisee

A typical prayer from someone like a Pharisee was, "Blessed are you, Hashem, King of the Universe, for not having made me a Gentile, a slave or a woman”. I’m not sure of the order of significance. This prayer does however illustrate the importance attached of all three.

Slave

There was another category of people hated in those days. These were the tax collectors. In Jewish society, tax collectors were “the scum of the earth”. They were intensely hated, although they were all Jews. The Romans knew a thing or two. They realised that the best way of raising taxes was to use the local population. Thus they appointed Jews to the position. They told the tax collector how much they wanted. The tax-man could then charge more or less what he wanted and keep the difference. 

Tax-collector, a dog
or a woman

It follows that tax-men were relatively wealthy. They did it by overcharging their “clients”. This is why tax-men were seen as the dregs of society. A Gentile was thought of as a dog. A tax-man was thought of as less than a dog.
It was against this background Matthew, the Gospel writer, recorded some of the most poignant words in the New Testament.

A Woman

⁹ As Jesus was walking along, He saw a MAN named Matthew sitting at his tax collector's booth. "Follow Me and be My disciple," Jesus said to him. So Matthew got up and followed Him. ¹⁰ Later, Matthew invited Jesus and His disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. ¹¹ But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with such scum?" Mat 9:9-11 NLT

A Dog

This portion of Scripture always gives me hope for the future and a sense of deep thankfulness every time I read it. When Jesus looked at Matthew, He didn’t see a dog. He didn’t see one of the lowest life forms on earth. Jesus saw a man! Matthew knew it. He was the man. He recorded it for us in his Gospel. Mark and Luke refer to the incident in their Gospels. But Matthew shows us the significance of what had taken place that day, by the addition of two little words; “a man”. Jesus looked beyond the exterior and saw; not a gentile dog or a tax collector. Jesus saw a man.

A Young Man
Me

Thank God for this. One evening in October 1960, Jesus walked through Bainbridge Memorial Methodist Church and saw a man. Not much of a man admittedly. He saw a young man who had destroyed his own future and was an outcast. He saw me! “Follow Me” Jesus said to me. In spite of everything seeming to be as bad, if not worse than a tax collector some 2000 years ago, He saw me. He saw a young man! I got up from my seat in that youth meeting and have followed Him ever since. Thank you for seeing me Lord.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 24 June 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	COME AND SEE
From the day we docked in Cape Town on the Carnarvon Castle, we lived in hotels. That’s not something to boast about. It was like that, because during WW2, very few houses were built and even rental property was hard to find. In addition, most hotels were “Residential” and cheap. My Dad told me that when we moved into Hornby House in Humewood, Port Elizabeth, the hotel costs were £7 per person per month. In other words He paid £18 per month for all three of us. This included three meals per day. The last time I was in Port Elizabeth, Hornby House was still there. But now it had been converted into apartments, catering primarily for holiday makers. No meals provided. Since it is slap bang on the Humewood beach front, there is no shortage of holiday makers at ±R750 per day. When we lived there in 1950 the idea of such staggering rents didn’t even appear on our radar screen! At the beginning of 1952, through a friend of a friend, we rented a flat in Pearson Street. And shortly thereafter, rented a house in Park Lane almost next to St Georges Park. We had gone from a flat to a house. Such a possibility was unimaginable when we were in Hornby House. By 1959/60, developers were building more and more houses so it was easier to buy your own home, than to pay the rent. It wasn’t until 1960 that Dad could buy a house. Having lived in hotels and rented property since 1947, it was like going to heaven. If I had been asked in 1947 to describe my “dream home” I think my mind would have gone “tilt”. But now we were living in it. I was 5 in 1947. I was 18 in 1960. The imagination of a 5 year old does not measure up to the reality of what things are to an 18 year old. In many respects, what is described above is reminiscent of what Paul wrote to the Corinthians: 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."1 Corinthians 2:9 GW We can never even try and guess the things God has prepared for us. It will be infinitely greater than the difference between the imagination of a 5 year old and an 18 year old. One thing we do know is that Jesus Christ has gone to prepare a place for us. Scripturally each one of us will receive a mansion. I’m reluctant to try and guess what this might be. This I do know. 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 Jesus ascended on a Thursday. Two “days” later takes us to the middle of Saturday. So He’s only been preparing for us for two days! Furthermore, if today for Him is Saturday afternoon then it’s His Sabbath. I’m not sure how much preparing He is doing today? Not that it matters. He’ll come when all is ready. I’ll wait! Jim & Phyllida Strickland			38 Jesus looked around and saw them following. "What do you want?" He asked them. They replied, "Rabbi" (which means "Teacher"), "where are You staying?" 39 "Come and see," He said. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon when they went with Him to the place where He was staying, and they remained with Him the rest of the day. John 1:38-39 NLT 2 There is plenty of room for you in my Father's home. If that weren't so, would I have told you that I'm on my way to get a room ready for you? 3 And if I'm on my way to get your room ready, I'll come back and get you so you can live where I live. John 14:2-3 MSG 20 Look, I'm standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I'll come in and we'll eat together. 21 I will allow everyone who wins the victory to sit with me on my throne, as I have won the victory and have sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Let the person who has ears listen to what the Spirit says to the churches." Revelation 3:20-22 GW 15 For this is what the high and lofty One says-- he who lives forever, whose name is holy: "I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15 NIV 20 Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end." Matthew 28:20 NIrV 7 How precious is Your loving-kindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. Psalms 36:7 NASB	John’s disciples followed Him. “What do you want: said He? “Where are you living Rabbi?” He answered, “Come and see”? Two thousand odd years later, the same thing is still true. We ask Him where’s He’s living? He says to me and you, “Follow Me and I will surely take you on a road, That ultimately takes you to My heavenly abode.” He doesn’t show before-hand what it’s like in His home. To give a full description would fill a giant tome. You can’t describe what’s infinite with any English words. Just the thought of doing it is utterly absurd. How do you pour the oceans into a little jug? If you think you can do it, my friend, don’t be so smug! And yet the Lord has hinted at what it is we’ll see. He says it is a mansion He’s making just for me! And I am not the only one. He’s making one for you. And every other Christian will find they have one too! So Jesus has been busy since he went up above Building us a mansion which speaks about His love. Each mansion will be different. Each one is tailor made To fit the personalities of those who have obeyed. If you like fitted carpets, they’ll be upon the floor. All your aspirations you’ll find they’re there and more. For if you can imagine it, your thinking’s far too small. It’s infinitely better than what you can recall. I don’t know how He’ll do this; each mansion’s right next door, To where the King is “living”. You couldn’t ask for more. To live next door to Holiness, means you’ll be holy too. O Master I can hardly wait to be a bit like You! O Lord Your loving-kindness. It blows my puny mind. There isn’t any other God that anyone can find. O Lord, You are exclusive and totally unique. All You ever want to do, You only have to speak; And it starts its existence. It stands before your throne; Only You can do this. Just You and You alone! How can a man describe these things? Your Spirit indicates, The things we cannot guess at, or even estimate. For what you have prepared for those who seek to follow You. And follow in obedience, Your Holy will to do. Jim Strickland Written 24th June 2012