MATHEMATICS?

Time with Jesus - 31 July 2013

Hi all,

They told me in school that mathematics was as easy as pie. 

The Right sort of Pie
Apple Pie and Ice Cream

Now I’ve always had a weakness for pie, particularly apple pie. Add a few cloves (not garlic) for flavour and serve with ice cream or custard; it’s delicious. Imagine my disappointment when I learned that the spelling was different. 

Not Pie - Pi

Instead of pie, it was spelled Pi which was represented by the Greek letter “π”. For me it was a gastronomic catastrophe! We were also taught that the arithmetic value of π was ±22/7. A little later we were shown that there is no such thing as an accurate value. Suddenly, “mathematical suicide”, looked a distinct possibility!

The Lecturer

I mention this because in 1981, I was lecturing strength of materials to the part time evening students, once per week in Johannesburg Tech. Mathematics and Strength of Materials go together like bread and butter.

Three things happened that year. The first was divorce after 15 years of marriage. The second was, the horror of the divorce experience, redirected my steps back to Jesus Christ! This was after 18 years of wandering in my own self-made wilderness. The third was meeting and subsequently marrying Phyllida. Her name was Phyllida Swallow! 

Mathematics Symbols
Not Pie

Mathematics had given me a basic understanding of probability theory. Now, two swallows don’t make a summer. But one “Swallow” was destined to change the winter of divorce, into the summer sunshine of married life together!

For this to happen for us both, the leading of the Lord was essential. I’ve mentioned Phyllida’s initial leading by the Lord previously. As you will see, my own leading was equally dramatic.

1 Peter 1:22

It began one Saturday evening with my deciding to read the book of First Peter. I had an ulterior motive. On Sunday mornings the pastor invited members of the congregation to share a Scripture that was meaningful for them. The verse that I thought I might share was 1 Peter 1:22. It didn’t “leap off the page and hit me in the eye”. Instead, it gave me a sense of peace and security. I shared the verse with the church on Sunday morning. Phyllida was at the service. In all probability I sat next to her. I usually did. As far as I was concerned, she was my friend and I called her “Philly”. It was her “nickname” as far as I was concerned; one which her friends approved. It was the first time I’d shared a verse from the Scriptures in the church service. Afterwards, several people thanked me for my reading and I felt greatly encouraged.

Phileo and Philly-o
Sound the Same?

That afternoon, I began listening to a cassette tape by Larry Tomczac. He is an American and for some reason he was teaching from 1 Peter 1. He began to speaking about verse 22. As an American, his accent was different from standard South African. He spoke briefly about “Phileo”. He said it was the way Christians were supposed to love and care for each other. Then, he spoke about what sounded like “Philly”” love. I felt I’d been “poleaxed”. The verse reads as follows” ²² Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 1 Peter 1:22 TNIV.

American Bible Teacher

My conclusion was that the Lord was telling me to love “Philly” deeply from the heart. Our relationship was not to be merely the love between a Christian brother and sister but as husband and wife together. It was scary. The probability of this happening accidentally was just about zero. In any case, she was already my “favourite person”. For me the big problem was how to talk to her about my “revelation”! To talk on the phone was impossible. It had to be “face to face”. So I phoned her and asked if I might visit her after teaching at Tech that evening. She agreed.

The wrong sort of Pie

I got there at ±20h30. We went into her lounge. There I spoke about 1 Peter 1:22. Then I said, “I believe the Lord is leading us together into marriage. Her reaction was astonishing. She rose from her chair at the far side of the room and walked across the room to where I was sitting. Then she sat on the floor at my feet and said, “What’s next!” We married on 12^th December 1981. 

Phyllida & Jim
Our Wedding Day
12 December 1981

That was ±33 years ago. It’s still the best decision we ever made. No longer is she a “Swallow”. Perhaps we are not mathematically perfect. The spelling or pronunciation of “Phileo” and “Philly-O” may be slightly different. But we do go together like apple pie and ice cream.

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Unity Among Believers

We are One in the Spirit
We are One in the Lord!

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give		Time with Jesus – 31 July 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	MATHEMATICS?
Logic was never exactly my strength. Perhaps it was my sense of the macabre that influenced this. People would say that something was “so”. I would scratch my head and try and assimilate what I was being told. Then, after a quiet chuckle to myself, I would nod my head knowingly and think that if that’s what they wanted me to think, why not? Living under the apartheid regime, I became aware of things we were supposed to do, but didn’t. For me it was a total contradiction that black people were not allowed to live outside their “homelands”. Then the same legislators would hire domestic servants who had to live “on the property” in order to work the required hours. For me this was not only illogical, but hypocritical. What I found was that logic had little to do with reality and everything to do with politics. At School they would give us statements and ask if the conclusion was logical. For example we were asked to look at a quotation and say if it was correct. The statement was: - All Fords are motorcars. That is a motor car. Therefore it’s a Ford. It didn’t take long to spot the flaw in this “logic”. Logic fell apart when it came to Christianity. We were taught, quite correctly, that we were all “children of God”. But when it came to church attendance, there were different buildings for different ethnic groups. So although we all had the same God and were all equal in His eyes, some of us were more equal than others. Strangely enough, even after the collapse of the apartheid government, the old systems didn’t fall quite as quickly. The old system had kept apart the “rich white minority”” from the “poor black majority”. The result was that although in theory anyone could come and go as they wished, the distinction between rich and poor had more to do with race than anything else. Phyllida and I remarked on the fact that sadly, although the country’s motto was “Unity is Strength”, there was very little unity in South Africa. In those days, Phyllida and I were living in Worcester taking care of a small congregation for the Methodist Church. Our superintendent was Rev Joe Mpanza. He was responsible for all the Methodist Churches in our circuit. But the workload for him was impossible. So he more or less left us to our own devices with the small “white” and large “coloured” congregations. Theoretically, in April 1994, all this changed. Legally there was unity. But in practice we remained unchanged. Very quickly, we learned that you cannot legislate unity. You cannot compel people to come together. The best you can do is set the example in your own life and in your relationship with others. But the whole thing was a minefield. Everybody was looking at everyone else trying to spot flaws in character and behaviour. They were easy to spot. Our cultural differences seemed to be gigantic. The hurts of the past were astronomical. I remember talking to an elderly coloured gentleman. He told me with tears in his eyes how he went to work one morning and found he was no longer permitted to use the footbridge over the railway line. It was for “Europeans Only”. There were many similar stories. Somehow we had to work our way through this. To this day we believe that Jesus Christ empowered us to embrace each other. No, it wasn’t easy. But it was very worthwhile. Jim & Phyllida Strickland			3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; Ephesians 4:3-4 TNIV	I know when I was very young, I had to go to school. And in that fine establishment, I learned the golden rule. They said what was important, and that I had to learn. So when my schooldays ended, I could go out and earn, Sufficient in the first place for just supporting me. And then a little later, for all my family. I didn’t really grasp it. I knew we needed cash. But never that without it, my life on earth would crash! That this was fundamental; and no one was excluded. The fact is, that if finances are totally denuded, The outlook for the future was best thought of as bleak. And that the way to put it right, was for a job to seek. They taught me mathematics, that one plus one is two. But that was not sufficient. I also had to do, Many things with figures – I don’t mean female shapes. But adding and subtracting and other mental japes. Like messing on with fractions to find the LCM. But through the intervening years I can’t remember them. I learned about log-tables and trigonometry. About a man called Euclid and his geometry, About the hippopotamus, and sons of all the squaws; Pythagoras discovered it along with other laws. I started with the calculus and differentiation. And that there’s nothing racial, when we speak of integration. I also loved the Scripture and knew about St Paul; Of Adam and King David and of mankind’s dreadful fall. I learned about Christ Jesus and His victory on the cross. And wondered why they said He’d won. To me it looked like loss! Then I got very puzzled for one and one was two. At least that’s what the teacher had said was always true. But then I found a problem, which mathematically, Seemed a contradiction of what was taught to me. I found from God’s perspective that one plus one was one. That’s when it seemed impossible for me to carry on. The point is. God was speaking about our unity. But I’d been taught in college, that mathematically, That unity was number one. That one and one made two. But God had contradicted our mathematics view! That one, plus one, plus one, plus one equates to unity. It’s only in my golden years that this makes sense to me! God wasn’t speaking numbers, but linking human hearts. For it’s in our agreement, that unity first starts. And when we’re all likeminded, we’ll certainly agree, That one plus one, plus Jesus is always unity! Jim Strickland Written 31st July 2012
			18 Through Christ we both come to the Father by the power of one Holy Spirit. 19 So you are no longer strangers and outsiders. You are citizens together with God's people. You are members of God's family. 20 You are a building that is built on the apostles and prophets. They are the foundation. Christ Jesus himself is the most important stone in the building. 21 The whole building is held together by him. It rises to become a holy temple because it belongs to the Lord. 22 And because you belong to him, you too are being built together. You are being made into a house where God lives through his Spirit. Ephesians 2:18-22 NIrV
			A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of David. 1 How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony! 2 For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron's head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. 3 Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there the LORD has pronounced His blessing, even life everlasting. Psalms 133:1-3 NLT
			22 Love each other with a warm love that comes from the heart. After all, you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth. As a result you have a sincere love for each other. 1 Peter 1:22 GW

NICODEMUS’ SOLILOQUY

Nicodemus Meets Jesus

Time with Jesus - 30 July 2013

Hi all,

Why did Nicodemus meet Jesus at night? 

Nicodemus

I’ve heard a number of different reasons. Jesus provides the answer in John 3. ¹⁰ "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? John 3:10 TNIV This gives it away. The statement indicates Nicodemus was acknowledged as the “greatest religious teacher” in all of Israel. This was not just some jumped up back street Bible teacher. Furthermore, he was a member of the Sanhedrin. He was thus a man of great importance in Jewish society.

The Sanhedrin

 This man was the equivalent of today’s top professor in the Jerusalem University. Perhaps something like Dr Isak Burger of the AFM or the Archbishop of Cape Town! Getting to see him would not have been easy. You would need to make an appointment well in advance.

Now, for the sake of the illustration, assume you have heard about a garage mechanic who was preaching and teaching hundreds of people in Jo’burg and its surrounds.

Garage Mechanic

 What if this man had a large following in Mamelodi? What if this man was rumoured to be healing the sick, raising the dead and opening the eyes of the blind, all in the Name of Jehovah? If you were Dr Burger, or his equivalent, in another denomination, what would you do? This much is sure. You would want to meet this man somewhere.

Desmond Tutu
Archbishop Emeritus
of Cape Town

Think this through. In all probability you would want to meet him in spite of your position. What would your people think if you met with someone who was perhaps, a trickster and a heretic? Dare you take the chance of meeting him somewhere in public? Before you committed yourself to contacting him, surely you would check him out to the best of your ability? You’d want to know if he was a charlatan or a heretic. 

You would probably contact a local private detective agency and ask them to investigate him. You would probably check to see if he had been blacklisted by any credit bureaux. Furthermore you would probably check him out yourself discreetly. Perhaps you would attend one or two of his “meetings” incognito; perhaps dressed as a peasant. No one must know who you really are and what you were doing there!

If, after all this, the garage mechanic “checked out” fine, what would you do next? You would probably want to meet him somewhere. It would have to be at a time and in a place when, if possible, you could have complete privacy. You would then persuade a friend to go to the mechanic and make an appointment for you to meet him. What better than in some quiet place at night? Could it be arranged? 

Arrange a Meeting

Next, you'd get a message from him saying he is willing to fit in with your arrangements? This scenario more or less fits in with Nicodemus waiting to meet Jesus exactly as he did.

None of my scenario is stated in the Bible. It’s an imaginary one put together to fit in with what took place. You may have better scenario. That’s fine. However, please don’t dismiss mine as ridiculous. Remember we are talking about a meeting between the Son of God and the top religious teacher in the country.

Top Religious Leader
Dr Isak Burger
AFM/AGS

I’ve suggested that Nicodemus got to the “place” first. No doubt he would have been going back over in his mind everything that had taken place. He would be wondering if he had missed something. Then he would have heard footsteps coming toward the meeting place. As soon as He was certain it was Jesus and that Jesus was alone, he would have stepped forward and commenced the dialog we read in John 3.

Meeting at Night

The meditation is called Nicodemus’ Soliloquy, because I’ve tried to put myself into Nicodemus’ shoes. I’ve taken a guess at what might have been going through his mind as he was waiting for Jesus. If you have a better scenario, please let me know what it is?

What is astonishing is that Jesus agreed to meet Nicodemus. It also sheds additional light on the graciousness of our Master. 

He will meet you, Nicodemus or anyone else, anywhere. Even when we are scared what the personal consequences to ourselves might mean, He will meet us. Only God Himself would do that!

Shalom,

Jim & Phyllida Strickland

Nicodemus - Follower of Jesus

Matt 10:8 Freely you received, Freely give			Time with Jesus – Tuesday, 30 July 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							©
	NICODEMUS’ SOLILOQUY (1 & 2)			DAILY LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES	NICODEMUS’ SOLILOQUY (3 & 4)
"I'm known as the man Nicodemus; A teacher of thousands of Jews. The people know me, As a strict Pharisee. With rigid, inflexible view; A member of the Sanhedrin; That governs the Lord's promised land. With astute consecration, We've led the whole nation, By God, the Almighty's command. For years I've been highly regarded As expert in all of our law. I can quote all the book, Of our Pentateuch; 'Cause I memorised it years before; With all of our religious traditions, Written to keep us all pure. The smallest detail, I've kept without fail. The favours of God to ensure. For many years I have been feeling, Religion just tear me apart. It's been almost as though, I just have to let go, Of an emptiness deep in my heart. Then, somebody mentioned a teacher, Who seemed to be getting a name. He was meetings men's needs, By miraculous deeds, Such as healing the blind and the lame. They told me His name was called Jesus; A Nazarene carpenter's son; And the things that He taught, And the healings He wrought, In the Name of Jehovah were done. Now this made me very determined And eager to take a brief look,		To see if He would, Do the things that He should. Or prove He was only a crook! It could be that He's the Messiah, Of whom all our prophets foretold. I wanted to know, So decided to go, This Galilean to behold. Initially, there was no problem, In studying Him from the crowd. I watched Him this way, For many a day. As close as my office allowed! The things I observed were amazing; Beyond all my power to record. And each little act, Denoted the fact, Of the favour He has with the Lord. I knew that I had to get closer. I couldn't continue at bay; And the nearer I got, It was clearer to spot; This Person had something to say! But coming in close brought the danger, That I was more easily seen. It just might be thought, That I gave Him support, And the consequences that could mean. After all, what about my position; And my place on the Council to boot? I just couldn't afford, To give any accord, That my colleagues might later refute. So I sent off a few trusted servants, With a charge to examine His past. Perhaps they would find,		50 Then Nicodemus, a Pharisee, spoke. He was the one who had gone (by night) to Jesus earlier. He asked, John 7:50 NIrV	That He is the kind, With a history to leave men aghast! But when they came back and reported; They told me that very few men, Had a past half as clean; As this one's had been. There was nothing for which to condemn. There was only a sort of a rumour That one or two people had said. It was sort of believed, That He'd been conceived, By a virgin before she was wed! There was also that time in the Temple, When He had been only a lad. When the priests of the day, Were impressed by the way, He applied all the knowledge He had. As an infant He'd visited Egypt. 'Though He was in Bethlehem born. Apart from all this, There was nothing amiss, That was worthy of any man's scorn. But this was far better than nothing, And confirmed what I already knew. For I'd already guessed, That He'd pass the test, Without any scandal in view. So I have been procrastinating, For quite the best part of a week. Hoping we'd meet, In some quiet back street; That would give an occasion to speak. But that was unlikely to happen. This fact I just had to embrace. To talk with this Man, I must needs make a plan, To meet in some suitable place. So yesterday, I sent a message, With a person I knew as discreet; To ask with persuasion,		To set an occasion, Where we could both secretly meet. He answered with great understanding. The venue suggested concurred; And to keep out of sight, He would meet me at night, If that was the time I preferred. So now  I am here to meet Jesus; And ask Him to show me the truth. Do all of our rites, Make us good in the sight, Of the God I have served since my youth? Perhaps it is true that God's Kingdom, Does inwardly come to abide? Have I been included, Or simply deluded, By ritual, tradition and pride? There's so many thing I must ask Him, The moment He walks through that door; And I'll stay here all night. If He'll show me what's right, The Kingdom of God to explore. So here I am; patiently waiting To speak to this man I admire! Perhaps I will find, That I've really been blind, And He is God's chosen Messiah! What is that? Do I really hear footsteps? Is the moment I've longed for now here? Thank God it is Him! Now where to begin? Oh Lord, help my mind to stay clear! "Rabbi, we know You're a teacher; And that from Jehovah You've come! For the signs that we see, Are not man's agency, And only through God can be done!"
				58 Not too far away, Peter followed Jesus. He went right up to the courtyard of the high priest. He entered and sat down with the guards to see what would happen. Matthew 26:58 NIrV
				42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. John 12:42-43 ESV
				25 Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety. Proverbs 29:25 NLT
				37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me. I will never turn away anyone who comes to me. John 6:37 GW
				3 He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. Isaiah 42:3 NLT
				20 "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible. " Matthew 17:20 NLT
				7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 2 Timothy 1:7-8 ESV
				28 And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when He returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from Him in shame. 1 John 2:28 NLT
				32 "Everyone who acknowledges Me publicly here on earth, I’ll also acknowledge before My Father in heaven. Matthew 10:32 NLT
					Jim Strickland – Written 1984