A Picture of Jesus

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;  5does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  6does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8Love never fails."   1 Corinthians 13:4-8. NKJV

We often wonder what Jesus is like; and what would it have been like to walk with Him like the disciples did? What would it have been like to have Jesus round for supper, like Mary and Martha did? And what would it have been like to witness one of His great miracles, such as Bartimaeus receiving his sight? It must have been breathtaking.

We get an idea of what Jesus was like by studying 1 Corinthians 13. This is to give us a blueprint of Him. If we take into consideration that God is Love (1 John 4:8) then love must be God. See how you rate up to these factors:

LOVE:

(1)  Suffers long and is kind. Just consider the love and patience that Jesus has for us all. We'd never make it without Him, that's for sure. This is the way Jesus would have us be to everyone we meet - yes, even our enemies; that back-stabber who is always complaining about you. That is the difficult one!

(2)  It is never envious, in fact it is pleased when someone succeeds. Love doesn't go round being jealous of people who get a better deal than ourselves. It is genuinely pleased for them

(3)  It never parades itself and is never puffed up. It realises that whatever gift they may have is from God, not themselves. Without God, we'd be nothing. We should never go around bragging about what we have done in our ministry. The only thing we should be happy about, is that we belong to Jesus.

(4)  It should never be rude. If a person is walking in Jesus' steps, he or she must be courteous and considerate to one and all.

(5)  It is never selfish or wanting to seek it's own but, is interested in what will help others.

(6)  It is never provoked but is patient with others, avoiding temptations to respond to other people's bad feelings. It should never be evil, wanting to repay someone for what they may have said or done to you. In all things it should find a way to rejoice because this brings healing and strength.

(7)  Always think the best of people until you are proven wrong. And if you are, find a way to bring peace into the situation. Be aware that gossip is around and it can be deadly. We should never believe it as the truth. It will become aware to you if it is.

(8)  Love sees the best in people and believes all things; it endures all things and hopes all things and no matter what it will go that extra mile to help someone because love never fails.

This is a picture of how Jesus is. It is also a blueprint of how He wants us to be. There is enough sadness and evil in our world today so, spread some love around because when you do, you're spreading Jesus too, and this world needs Him so much.

So how did you do against the list? If you're anything like me, you have some distance to go to be anywhere near it. But soldier on - you'll get there!

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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

     

Receive the Word of God

"So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God".    Romans 10:17  NKJV

Faith comes to men when they hear our preaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, which is based on the written Word of God. But hearing the Word is not enough, they need to accept it into their heart. In other words, ask Jesus into their lives. This is where the change begins. Bob Gass wrote: 'Faith only works when it becomes the language you speak and the attitude you maintain'.

The Word of God is everywhere. It's near you, in your mouth and in your heart (v9). If we confess with our mouth, the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (my words from verse 9).

This is where our faith comes into play. We can't see Jesus, but we know He is here. However, there is no visible form of Him. We have to believe. Check out 2 Corinthians 4:18 'while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal'. Quite clearly, Paul is saying that we can't see certain things, especially when we go in faith. Therefore, we can't see Jesus but we know He is with us for eternity. Furthermore, Paul goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 5:7 that, 'For we walk by faith, not by sight.'

This is where unbelievers feel that we are wrong, believing in someone who we can't see but believe He's alive. This is where we know that as a Christian we have had our eyes opened to faith. People living in this world haven't, they can't believe in who they can't see or hear.

So, why do many unbelievers call upon God when they are having major problems? Why do they call on a God that they cannot see? It seems quite hypocritical to say the least. However, when the chips are down and there is no-one else to turn to, God often comes to mind. So, there must have been some input in their lives at an earlier time. This means that our words are not wasted when they rebuff us for speaking about Jesus. At the right time in their lives, the Holy Spirit can bring to their minds, our words.

So, don't grow weary, nothing we do for God is ever wasted 'So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it'.  Isaiah 55:11  NKJV

Nothing is ever wasted!

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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

Accept God's Forgiveness

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  9If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  10If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."                                              1 John 1:8-10    NKJV

God is a God who forgives us when we ask Him to. This is why Jesus died on the cross. His act of dying on that cross, paid the penalty for all of our sins. This means, when we have sinned, when we confess this to Jesus, He hears our confession and forgives us by wiping the slate of our lives, clean. 

When we confess our sins, we must believe on the authority of the Word of God, that He has forgiven, we must be willing to forgive ourselves, and this can be the hard bit. We must be honest when we have sinned and seek His forgiveness. We can't afford to deny that we have committed this sin because, 'All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God'. Romans 3:23. He knows all about it. However, we must avoid refusing to accept His forgiveness.

We do this when we are full of pride. We feel that we are not good enough for Jesus to forgive us. We feel guilty to do so. As God told me recently, 'When you have confessed your sin and I forgive you, I don't see your sin any longer because, I choose not to. Therefore you are forgiven totally.' He went on to tell me that, if He can't see the sin, then neither can we ourselves. 

You see, accepting God's forgiveness is a faith thing, we take God's Word and believe it. If God says we are sin-free people, we need to accept this and stop refusing to be cleansed. If we don't we are calling God a liar and that is a dangerous thing to do.

First of all, we need to recognise that we will sin, despite believing we won't. Sin is in our make up; we can't avoid it so we need to just accept that we are not perfect, but He who began a good work in us will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Phil 1:6)

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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

Thorns

"And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure".                                        2 Corinthians 12:7.  NKJV

Thorns can be very painful if we are unlucky enough to have one pierce our skin. Some thorns are only small, but others can be very long. Jesus had a crown of these forced onto His head and they were probably the long ones. They would have pierced His scalp giving Him great pain and discomfort. Here, Paul was given a thorn in his flesh. Now this was not a physical one but something that was a messenger of Satan v7. It may have been an ailment, eye problem or some other medical condition. Whatever it was, it brought Paul great pain and torment and, despite asking Jesus three times to take this thorn away, Jesus wouldn't. He told Paul, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness' (v9). Therefore, Paul had to put up with this but, God gave him divine grace that was sufficient for Paul's needs. 

But why did this come about? Paul had been caught up in a vision some 14 years ago and he was taken into the third heaven. The first heaven refers to the earth's atmosphere; the second heaven is the area that includes the sun, moon, planets stars and galaxies. The third heaven is the dwelling place of God. Now even though Paul was speaking in the third person about a man this happened to, we know Paul was referring to himself because he was talking about boasting and weaknesses (v1). He was given special privilege to have a tour of heaven. He heard the language of heaven. He saw the inside workings of heaven and may have seen much, much more. It completely changed his life and gave call for him to boast about it when he came out of the vision. However, he didn't wish to do this but, to keep him from boasting, he was given this thorn in his flesh - a reminder not to boast about what he saw.

Speculation about this as been the topic of many theologians and church people over the years but, no-one really knows what the thorn may have been. It was painful and it brought him much torment but it was something Paul had to live with. It could have been anything but what we know, is that the Lord wanted to keep him humble bringing more glory to God. Paul didn't moan about this affliction, in fact, he boasted about it 'Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.' (v10).

If God gives you a thorn in the flesh, it is for your good. He loves you and wants the best for you. It has a purpose and it is a sign that He is forming you into the person He wants you to be. Many people of God - some well known leaders in the church - have been burdened with sickness or something else. It hasn't stopped them from performing their duty for Jesus. Don't let it stop you either. You are special to Jesus!

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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

Nothing is too difficult for the Lord Part 2

"And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;  21and they teach customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe.”  22Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods.  23And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely.  24Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks".    Acts 16:20-24   NKJV

Once again we see God's people being set free from prison. Paul and Silas had been preaching in the city when a slave girl with a spirit of divination kept following them and declaring what they were doing. In the end, Paul put a stop to this and commanded a spirit to come out of her. This annoyed her masters because they would be losing a lot of money, for she was a fortune teller. So, they took them to the local magistrates. 

As we can see from the text above, Paul and Silas suffered many blows from rods and were then thrown into the inner jail.  They were placed in stocks and chained up. It was probably like a dungeon as the other prisoners could see them. It would probably have been a rat-infested part of the prison and very cold and smelly. They must have been in terrible agony because of their wounds and the stocks irritating this. How would they cope? How would you have coped?

Around midnight, they began singing hymns to God. All the other prisoners could see and hear them and must have been astounded at this. They didn't weep or complain; they were not feeling sorry for themselves. Not at all; in the middle of their pain and difficulty they were bringing praise to God. This is a wonderful example to us that when we are down and depressed and feeling sorry for ourselves, the way ahead is to praise God. He is still on the throne no matter what.

Suddenly, there was a great earthquake (v26) and it shook the whole of the prison, unlocking doors and breaking off chains from the prisoners. The keeper of the jail was about to take his life because he thought all the prisoners had escaped. However, Paul shouted to him not to do this reassuring him that they were all still there. The keeper threw himself down at Paul's feet and asked what he could do to be saved. Paul told him to, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.'

You know, problems come around and we feel that things are impossible to change. But we are wrong. Jesus Christ can change anything. Nothing is too difficult for Him. Paul and Silas could have been executed but they weren't. They could have died from the cold and damp - they didn't. They could have been in prison for a very long time, probably until their death - they weren't. Jesus changed it all for them and through this a family were saved and possibly many of the prisoners who were looking on.

When you think things are over, they're probably just beginning!

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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

Nothing is too difficult for the Lord

"Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. 6And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.  7Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands".          Acts 12:5-7.  NKJV

Christianity was on the rise and Herod the king decided to harrass the church. He killed James, the brother of John with a sword and then, because of the pleasure it brought to the Jews, he decided to seize Peter. As the day was late, he had him firmly imprisoned with two chains and placed between two soldiers. There were also guards at the prison door. He appeared to be going nowhere, except to meet with Herod the next day.

Now look at this, Peter wasn't worried about what would happen, he was at peace and slept between the two soldiers. Suddenly, the Angel of the Lord stood by him and struck him on his side, waking him up. There was a great light in the prison and as Peter stood, up, his chains fell off. This is an amazing piece of scripture and a powerful example what God can do in a person's life. Notice also in verse 5, that the church was praying non-stop for Peter's delivery. He got what they asked for. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Peter felt he was in a vision. They negotiated the guards in the prison and those at the doorway and still, they were not seen. Also the light and the noise of the chains never alerted the guards. That is a Wow factor!

We must realise and accept the fact that Jesus can do anything He chooses to do. 14Is anything too hard for the Lord? Genesis 18:14 tells us and this is fact. When we are walking in God's will, doing what He has given us to do, He will either supply what we need to fulfil the exercise or, He will put people in our way that can help us to do it. Whatever, way, Jesus has it covered.

This doesn't mean there will never be problems ahead. Jesus had obstacles before Him but He overcame them all, even the cross at Calvary. Be victory-minded; with Jesus, you are able whatever happens, He will bring you through to success. Don't ever doubt or, you will be without.  Just walk on in the victory Jesus has given you

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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

Stir up your Gift

"Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  7For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind".                                                2 Timothy 1:6-7    NKJV

Here, Paul urges Timothy to stir up the spiritual gift that was given him when he laid hands on him. That day, Paul validated Timothy's gifting, and God expected from that day, fruit to be born because of it. Timothy could not ignore this fact and, nether can we. God expects this fruit from us. We have to develop it, keep it fresh and vibrant. Notice that God expects that we stir up this gift, not Him. He has given this gifting in the first place now, it is down to us to carry it out. We will be held accountable if we fail to do this.

We are not told what particular spiritual gift we are to stir up but, it is obvious that the first point is to stir up the Holy Spirit within us. This means we have to clear out all of the old way of life, sweep it clean and allow the Spirit of God, access to our whole being. There may also be a particular gift that God has for us - pastor, teacher, evangelist or other type of ministry. God will show us this as we begin our tidying up of our lives. Of course, in a church setting, our ministry must be recognised by the body as we are under authority there. Therefore, we must remain accountable. Be mindful of Proverbs 18:16: 'A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men'. If your gifting is from God and for that church, God will open the door. If not, He may require that you move, but get counsel for this.

Once we know the gift that God has given us, we are to ignite the flame and let the fire burn within us and to whoever we are sent to. We are not to become puffed up or professional by the gifting God gives us. Just a glimpse of how Jesus handled things in Philippians 2 will give us a sound introduction. Rather than having a position of authority, we are called to be servants for Jesus. Yes there are times when we may have to use the authority given to us but, this should only be used when necessary.

If you have a burning desire within you to serve Jesus, then speak firstly to your pastor and be guided by their thoughts. However, balance this out with what you feel God wants of you and act accordingly. He may require you go for ministerial training or serve in the church periodically but, be prepared that, you may be turned down. This could be because it is felt that you are not ready yet or, that you don't fit in. Pray it through for direction, but don't rush into anything until you are sure what God wants.

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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

: