You just don't fit in

"The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognised them as men who had been with Jesus."

                                                                         Acts 4:13   NLT

They may not always fit in at certain fellowships that they join. They may have left their previous church with a very good reputation and, because of jealousy, they may not be well received. Let's face it, we are human and can be threatened by someone else's success so much that they become a threat instead of a blessing. They may not meet our standards but they well meet Jesus'. For example, someone may have a criminal background but since then they have been born again, been to bible college or undergone deep training. People make mistakes but Jesus gives people a second chance and will use them powerfully if He chooses.

Take for instance Peter and John (Act 4). They were arrested for preaching Jesus and placed in jail. When they appeared before the Council, the leaders there could see that they were just ordinary, no qualifications or any particular skill but they were quick to notice that they had been with Jesus. Wow, what a testimony in itself. They were just ordinary fishermen but it could plainly be seen that they had been with Jesus, It's good to have qualifications but there is nothing better than people recognising you as a follower of Jesus. That is an honour.

Then there was Rahab, a prostitute and despite this label, she was responsible for hiding the spies in Jericho and thus, was helpful in bringing down the walls of Jericho. And even though this lady had been living a sinful life as a prostitute, God used her and gave her another chance.

Then of course, there was Jesus. People saw Him as a carpenter living in Nazareth, with no particular prospects. Yet, this young man was the King of kings, the Lord of all lords and He was the Messiah. People ridiculed Him as He began to tell them about God and Himself. They laughed at Him, beat Him and then crucified him. But, He arose to power, no one could stop him. God gave Him the name that is above all names (Philippians 2:9) and He is our Saviour.

We should never write anyone off thinking they don't fit in. We're not called to judge just because they haven't been to university or have an elite job. They may be off the streets and don't speak the King's English and their clothes may be secondhand but, Jesus loves them and sees their potential. What about you?

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now
Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

                                                     

I know a man who can

17Though the fig tree does not bud and there is no fruit on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though the flocks disappear from the pen
and there are no herds in the stalls, 18yet I will celebrate in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation! 19The Lord my Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like those of a deer and enables me to walk on mountain heights!   Habakkuk 3:17 - 19. CSB

There are times in our lives when we feel like the bottom has fallen out of our world. We have hit a hard time and paid for it dearly and what's more, there is basically no one around that can change it for us. You feel all alone. You may have felt like this just lately. But let me encourage you with this quotation:

 'Though the fig tree does not bud...the flocks disappear...yet I will...rejoice in the God of my salvation! In other words, whatever happens to me, I'll praise the God who saves me. When you know God's character - who He is, and His works - what He has done , you'll know that you can trust Him to give you the strength to keep going'.  Dr Tony Evans.

Life is not full of beautiful roses all the time. Some days you are left with weeds and dandelions spreading allover the place, and the more you try to change these things, the worse it can get. What's the answer? Habakkuk gives it to us in our text. Occasionally, we have to just accept that we can't change a thing but you know someone who can. I remember talking to a lady years ago. Her husband was cheating on her and she had no way to change this situation. She didn't know Jesus, so consequently had no faith. I Told her that apart from praying for her, I couldn't change her situation but knew a man who could. I then gave her a Gideon's Testament and went on my way. A few months later, this lady came looking for me. She was beaming from ear to ear. She had been reading the testament and accepted Jesus as her Lord. What's more, her marriage was repaired little by little, until today, they are still together. This is a classic example of allowing God into the situation you can't change. He can and, He is willing.

Do you need to accept that you can't change your situation? As much as you have been scratching around, trying everything, it is not working, allow me to say to you also. 'I know a man who can - and His name is Jesus. 

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now
Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

Why Lord, why?

"2How long, O LORD, must I call for help? But you do not listen! “Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save. 3Must I forever see these evil deeds?
Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. 4The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted."                     Habakkuk 1:2 - 4   NLT

Habakkuk was a prophet, otherwise nothing is known about him. Though most prophets spoke to the people on behalf of God, Habakkuk spoke to God on behalf of the people. He felt he was allowed to do this, after all, the people were suffering and with the threat of being overtaken by the Babylonians, it was a scary place to be. Habakkuk wanted answers from God and he wasn't frightened to challenge God about this. 

Have you ever felt alone in standing for justice while God seems indifferent to it all? This happens when we forget that God alone can see the whole picture and He's working out His sovereign plan in the midst of the chaos. When we realise that God is all knowing (omniscient), all powerful (omnipotent) and holy, then we realise He knows how to run things better than we do. 

But we still have that feeling, 'Why does God allow suffering and death and all the atrocities that we see and hear about in our world?' Often when we speak to unbelievers about Jesus, they bring up these type of questions; and, it is better to be truthful and say, 'I don't know.' Oftentimes they use these questions as an excuse not to accept Jesus.. But it is true, why does God allow such things; and this is why Habakkuk made these complaints to God.

As I've said above, we don't have the mind of God; we can't see what He is working out. There are times though, when God will allow certain things to shake us up to listen and accept Him. Why? I don't know. Check this reply out to Habakkuk in Chapter 2:2-3

“Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others. 3This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed."

Habakkuk was disappointed, he had hoped for an explanation. But God said in so many words, 'Not now.' This vision was a for a later time, the End Times. He will explain all to us at that time. Until then, He has much more to attend to concerning this.

Yes, you will have these type of questions throughout your Christian life. Some will be answered quickly, where others may take a long time. Some may go unanswered totally. Can you ask God about the unanswered ones? Yes, as we see from Habakkuk's experience, God didn't send him a destroyer to finish him off. He answered him but, in His time. Remember, God has everything worked out for us; we won't see it at first but, we will do when God is ready.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now
Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

                                                                         

Keep your mouth shut!

"19Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut."

                                                                Proverbs 10:19    NLT

This verse demonstrates that the bible places significant value on controlling one's tongue and suggests that keeping one's mouth shut, or at least being mindful of one's words, is a path to  wisdom, protection and avoiding trouble. James says 'For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.'  James 3:2. Again, we read in Proverbs 21:23 'Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.'

Straight to the point I'm sure you'll agree but true all the same. The problem is, lots of things come into our minds and from there, if we're not careful, they are processed into words and spoken out in a negative fashion. But, we must learn to capture these rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5), because these thoughts are bad for us. We may not speak them out, but we can think them and this could be in the way of judgement, adultery, aggression and whatever else. They are no good for us So, there is a need to take control of ourselves, especially our minds.

From a Christian perspective, controlling thoughts involves actively engaging with God's Word, prayer, and cultivating a mindset aligned with Christian values. This includes replacing negative thoughts with positive ones based on truth, focusing on what is pure and uplifting, and taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. This fits very nicely with what Paul says in Philippians 4:8

'Fix your thoughts on what is true and honourable, and right and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.' 

Let us not forget that there is a devil around who will urge us to speak our minds. This is often done by shooting from the hip - speaking out without thinking first. This is dangerous and needs fixing pretty quickly. It can ruin a relationship, a job or a friendship. Many people are not speaking to each other today because of what was said to them yesterday. Forgiveness can be sought yes, but really, it shouldn't have been said in the first place. Not forgiving someone is against God's will but, so is being rude to them; so it needs putting right.

So, if you are outspoken get some prayer and speak with God about it. He doesn't like it so, He will help you quickly if you are genuine about changing this. After all, it's not the type of thing Jesus would do, is it? So bring it to Him now!

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now
Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

Be wise - Follow the rules

"25Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. 26Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.27Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil."       Proverbs 4:25-27   NLT

A few years back in the UK, there was a 100 metre athlete called Linford Christie. At the time, no one could beat him although some came close. Christie was famous not only for his running skills but, also for his rituals prior to the race. He would jump up and down, kneel and go over the same thing again. If there was a false start, he would go all through these rituals once more. The most well known ritual was his eyes. He would bulge them out so much that you could imagine his eyes popping out of their socket. I remember a TV interview he had where he told the interviewer that when he did this, he was focusing on the winning tape and also doing this he was blocking out the chaps either side of him who could be a distraction.

Here Solomon says something similar 'Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you.' He had a similar idea; if you look to the right or left instead of straight ahead, you may become distracted, or as Solomon says 'sidetracked,' It is so easy to lose your focus and when we do, we stand the risk of being tempted into something we shouldn't be involved in.

Bible.ref says:

'The wise person refuses to be distracted from his goal. This keeps him on the task. It also avoids temptations from the example of evil people (Proverbs 4:14–15). For the Christian, the goal is to finish the race well by doing the will of God (1 Cor 9:24–27; and 2 Timothy 4:7). The writer of Hebrews exhorts us to "run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:1–2).' 

Sadly, this is one of the major problems for people who have an addiction. Someone may tempt them or they go to a place where it is certain that they will satisfy their yearning and they are hooked again. When you have an addiction it is not easy to avoid these obstacles. They are so willing to trip you up. So this is why we look straight ahead; we train ourselves to look straight at Jesus and refuse point blank to be tempted to look elsewhere. It takes practice but, with perseverance it can be done.

To help, check out verse 26. 'Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path.' 

This means to carefully consider the path for your feet. In other words, use you sword - the bible to guide you at all times. 'Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.' Proverbs 3:6.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now
Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

You'll never be the same again

16One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 17Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 18And they left their nets at once and followed him.
19A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. 20He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.

Think about those words that Jesus spoke to Simon and Andrew that day. They had met before but scripture doesn't really give us a clear picture of when. All of a sudden, Jesus walks by and tells them to “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” What on earth did Jesus mean? How can you fish for people? It seemed absurd to say such a thing but, they left their nets and boat and followed Him.

Further up the shore, they met with James and John and Jesus said the same to them; they also followed. What was happening here?

Imagine this happening to you, what would you think? Would you obey and go with Him? Well you did, or you possibly wouldn't be reading this. There was a time when you became so overwhelmed with sadness or with joy and a voice within you called you towards Him - Jesus. However, for these four guys it was slightly different. They had responsibilities; they were fishermen and they had expensive equipment but they just left it on the shore snd walked on with Him.

When Jesus called to you, it was the same voice who had spoken with these four men. The difference was, they saw Him face to face, They also felt totally secure in following Him. Now, they may have felt it a temporary task for them but, once they had met with Jesus, there was no going back. And it's the same for you all these years later. He is still saying, 'Come.' And when you do, He shows you, He shows you new things; He opens new doors and He gives you a new life - a new purpose in life, and with it, a hope and certainty.

What has Jesus been saying to you just lately? Do you feel like something is about to happen or change in your life? Let's put it in proportion; when Jesus called these four fishermen, it was probably their conversion which was their testimony of meeting Jesus. This is just like what happened to you. However, from thereon, Jesus would give them more, as we see from Peter, James and John. It is the same for you. Jesus, if not already, will call you out and give you tasks that you never thought possible for you. Once you've met Jesus, you will never be the same again.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now
Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

Press on and take that crown

"I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us".         Philippians 3:12-14    NLT

Sometimes life becomes so intense that we have to make a great effort to make things work. It may be that we are one step ahead of God or, one step behind. For success we need to be right beside Him, not in front and not behind. If God were to run, then so would we need to do the same and go with Him. This is not easy and we need to exercise endurance and perseverance

Paul explains what he needs to do to achieve being beside God. Firstly, he admits that he is not there yet, but he keeps on trying to make it. Secondly, he presses on to achieve this' He doesn't let things get in the way, his eyes are on the target and he endeavours to get there. Thirdly, He is focused; and he knows where he is going, forgetting what was and concentrating on what will be.

Paul was a fighter, he wouldn't allow anything or anyone stop him. His determination kept him pressing forward  as 1 Corinthians 9:24 says"                                                                                                                                                                                                               

“Don’t you realise that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.”

Hebrews 12:1 tells us to be careful not to become weighed down by things designed to slow down our progress. This is anything that takes your focus away from Jesus 

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

This is so important; Satan continually wants to distract us and will try and make things more important than they are. Don't let him. If we have things on our minds that are worrying us, then this is a weight and this needs stripping off before we can hope to makes things happen in our lives. Call on Jesus and ask Him to take care of it for you.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now
Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.