Time with Jesus - 30 Aug 2013
After my return to Christ in 1981, Christian music
provided one of my chief sources of information. In those days, Scripture in
Song was very popular. Furthermore, because the words went with the music, it
was not long before I realised that no matter how badly I could sing the song, the
words of Scripture were much easier to recall when the song was sung.
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| What is it? - MANNA |
A good
example of this is from Psalm 1. 1 Blessed is the man who does not
walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the
seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on
his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by
streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not
wither. Whatever he does prospers. Psalm 1:1-3 NIV
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| God's People fed on Manna |
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| Pot of Manna |
Another popular occurrence during Praise and Worship was
singing “rounds”. The men would sing the first part followed by the second part.
Then as the men started singing the second part, the ladies would sing the
first part. The biggest problem was knowing when to stop! One of the very best “rounds”
came from 1 John 3. 1 Behold what manner of
love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God. Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not
know Him. 1Jn 3:1 MKJV. The men sang “Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us”. The second half was “that we should be called sons of God!” Phyllida
and I miss this sort of singing. Every time we sang the word “manner”, we were
reminded of the word “manna”. The only real connection between them was the
sound.
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| Manna from Heaven |
Shalom,
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – 30 Aug 2013
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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©
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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
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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WHAT “MANNA” OF MAN?
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It
was 1957. I was in boarding school and the time had come for the youngsters
to be confirmed in the Anglican Church; a bus ride from the school. It seemed
a good idea to me at the time. It meant that once per week I could leave the
school grounds legitimately and take the bus to the Church. There we would go
through a Catechism of some sort in order to better understand what Holy Communion
was all about. It’s now 2013 and I still don’t pretend to know everything
about it. But it was fun. It seems to me that way back in 1957, the Lord was beginning
to stir up things in my heart which would lead to what is taking place in
Phyllida’s and my life today.
I
loved those classes. The final lesson was taken by the Bishop of Grahamstown.
Why it had to be him, to this day I have no idea. Then, a couple of weeks
later, I was confirmed into the Anglican Church. I can’t say that I was
particularly excited by this. But from then on I would get up early on Sunday
mornings and walk to the nearest Anglican Church to take communion. In some respects
this was the highlight of the week. For some reason there was a feeling of
being cleansed at these services.
If I
was to take a guess, I would say that in some way I still don’t understand;
these were occasions when I felt close to Jesus. Don’t ask me how or why. It
was an impression. No more; no less. It was a sensation I would not
experience again until October 1960, in England, when I gave my life to
Jesus.
I
remember some of the words from the Anglican Prayer Book which spoke
something along the following lines: - “Feed on Him in your heart by faith”.
Quickly I was able to associate the communion with Jesus as the bread of
life! “Even now, all these years later I remember the expression, “The body
of Christ, broken for you. Take and eat”. The words may not be the exact
words from the prayer book; but they were exciting and life-giving. From then
on and all through our “Charismatic” years, these words have rung in
Phyllida’s and my heart. She made her commitment to Jesus in 1951. When we
read the Old Testament about the Israelites eating “Manna” in the wilderness,
it resonated with our experience. How do you “fall in love” with a person you
don’t know and certainly don’t understand? Neither of us knew. But it
happened to both of us, For Phyllida it was at a CSSM camp in Ceres. For me
it was in Newcastle on Tyne in England. Since then we have followed Him to
the best of our ability. Not always willingly or steadfastly. But He is our
“manna”. The bread of heaven who came to earth for our salvation. Thank You
Lord!
Jim & Phyllida
Strickland
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15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one
another, "What is it?" For they did not
know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread that
the LORD has given you to eat. 16 This is what the LORD has commanded:
'Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an
omer; according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his
tent.'" 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered
some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and
whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as
he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, "Let no one leave
any of it over till the morning." 20 But they did not listen
to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank.
And Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning
by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when
the sun grew hot, it melted.
Exodus 16:15-21 ESV
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The people called it “Manna” and it
was “heaven’s bread”.
The food the Israelites all ate, while
they were being led;
Round and round the wilderness, by
Moses and the Lord.
For forty years they ate it and some
of them were bored.
Although Jewish historians, said that
it tasted grand,
They all had to collect it, each day
as God had planned.
They say that it would taste like
whatever was desired.
Boiled, or baked, cooked or raw, they
shouldn’t have got tired.
Whatever flavour that they liked was
given them each day.
I know it all sounds very strange, but
that is what they say.
They had to eat it quickly. It
perished overnight.
They said that it got full of worms;
they couldn’t chew nor bite,
Except upon the Sabbath. Then it would
not go bad.
And they would have to eat up all the
“Manna” which they had.
It’s very clear that this was
something, only God can do.
And if you didn’t like it. “I’m sorry
friend for you”.
They tell us that they lived on it,
for almost 40 years.
And only when in Canaan, the manna
disappears.
That’s more or less the end of it, as
far as we all know.
There is no further evidence of this
nutritious “snow”.
And that’s how it continued for
fifteen hundred years.
And then the Bible tells us that Jesus
Christ appears.
He didn’t look like manna. He looked
like flesh and blood.
A similar creation, to that made out
of mud.
He didn’t have a flavour; not one that
you could eat.
But when it came to “heaven’s bread”,
He sure had manna beat.
No, He would live forever. He was our
promised food.
You couldn’t have Him boiled, or baked,
or fried, or even stewed.
But even so, He told us, He is the
bread of life.
What kind of person could that be? Not
even someone’s wife,
Could ever be our Saviour! But first
He had to die.
He couldn’t be our living bread; and
here’s the reason why.
You cannot eat His body until His
Spirit’s gone!
He had to first be crucified, for us
to feast upon.
He is the “Bread of Heaven”, on which
we can depend.
He’s not some sort of “manna” that
must come to an end.
So when we take communion, a Christian
can know,
Forever He will feed us, no matter
where we go.
Jim Strickland
Written 30th August 2012
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16 Great indeed, we
confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world, taken up in glory.
1 Timothy 3:16 ESV
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33 For the bread of God is
he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
John 6:33 ESV
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49 Your fathers ate the
manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 ----- 51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If
anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will
give for the life of the world is my flesh."
John 6:49-51 ESV
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54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has
eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
John 6:54-55 ESV
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31 "So don't worry.
Don't say, 'What will we eat?' Or, 'What will we drink?' Or, 'What will we
wear?' 32 People who are
ungodly run after all of those things. Your Father who is in heaven knows
that you need them. 33 "But
put God's kingdom first. Do what he wants you to do. Then all of those things
will also be given to you.
Matthew 6:31-33 NIrV
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