Seek the giver, not the gift

"Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.  18Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.  19And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  20Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.   Philippians 4:17-19   NKJV

One of my favourite worship songs is by Bonnie Deuschle:

I BOW MY KNEE

'I bow my knee before Your throne, I know my life is not my own

I offer up a song of praise, to bring you pleasure Lord

I seek the giver, not the gift, my heart;'s desire is to lift You

high above all earthly kings, to bring you pleasure Lord

Hallelujah, Hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to the King

                                   Copyright Bonnie Deuschle

It is such a beautiful song that you can find on YouTube and, it echos what Paul was saying here in our text."Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account". It is a wonderful blessing when someone, under the direction of God, gives you a financial gift. It always comes at the right time and, ministers and others the world over, are so grateful to these generous people of God. But let us get this right. One should never seek the gift but, the giver. Without the giver there would be no gift.

When someone gives you a financial gift, they do so because God has ordained this. Because of their act of love and generosity, God will bless them even more than He has done. If you receive such a gift, you should always thank God for the person's obedience towards you and you will be blessed even further. You see, you can't outgive God, when He directs you to give to someone, He will give back to you. This is why Paul says:19'And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.'

The most important thing anyone needs to do, is to recognise the fact that God wants each one of us to bow the knee before His throne and seek Him - He is our gift  there is no one finer than the Lord Jesus. He is all we need. No wonder the writer penned these words 'Hallelujah, Hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to the King'

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  

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.

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT ME

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

 

Stop looking in the rear-view mirror

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  

 14I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus".

                                                                           Philippians 3:13-14   NKJV

Why are you looking behind you all the time? You should be looking ahead. Things that have happened to you are, all in the past. You can't change them no matter how hard you try. However, you can learn by the past and do things differently if you need to. The driver of a car who continued to look in the rear-view mirror would pretty soon run into trouble. Don't you do that with your life. Yesterday has gone; you're living for today.

You have some lovely memories and it is lovely to view them from time to time. They give you hope. However, bad memories drag you down and are best left where they belong, in the refuse bin, because you can't change them and they only keep a bad time going. You have made some mistakes, ok? So have we all, but there is no point in re-living them.

You need to move forward and run the race. This means you have to break the power of the past and move forward, living for the future. You have regrets and guilt, of course you do but, the longer you hang on to them, the more Satan will make your life a misery. Don't allow him to do that, move on.

It is not easy to move on. Just the fact that Paul used the term 'Press on' and 'Reaching forward', implies a straining period to reach the goal. It is discipline and this is why Paul used the example of an athlete, he knew that the athlete would serve no purpose unless they trained, disciplined their body and spent hours getting themselves in shape for the event. It's no different for you, it won't just happen.

You need to get into shape by spending time with Jesus. You probably hear this so much that it drives you mad. But, it is true; you need to keep the Word of God in your life to be able to change your thinking. As you read and learn, you will become more like Jesus and able to discern what is good or not so good for your life. It is hard work and, what is more, it is not a one time happening. You need to continue in this discipline until you meet with Jesus, face to face. Now this cold be soon or far into the future. 

It is worth doing this training, one day you will be grateful that you did this, especially when Jesus compliments you for your hard work. So, stop looking in the rear-view mirror at what is behind. Keep your eyes on what's ahead. This is the way to go.

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  

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.

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT ME

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Are you a writer?

"My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer".    Psalm 45:1.  NKJV

Have you ever thought about being a writer? You may have an ambition to write that great, award winning, best selling book. Some people manage it and they make a fortune as well. It is probably the lifestyle that many budding writers dream about. You may have a similar desire but don't know where to start. If you're like many Christians, you may take down notes of a sermon to read later on. Likewise, you may have your own way of documenting your notes from private bible reading.

In this day and age, we are blessed with the ability to use a computer for this. It may be a PC, laptop or a mobile phone. Once you have documented your thoughts though, what do you do with them. Some people do nothing and keep them for their own reference. Others, who may have a preaching ministry of sorts, may use them for reference for a future sermon. The thing is, not everyone is able to do this. They may never preach, so, what can be done?

Psalm 45 is a contemplation of the sons of Korah; a song of love entitled 'The Lilies'. The authors have a love of words and describe this as having a tongue that is a pen of a ready writer. When a person has a love for writing, story-telling or poetic verse, they live for this and find words at practically every thought they have. It is a beautiful classic expression and gift, often used to describe someone who speaks with eloquence, wisdom or great fluency, as if their words are being crafted with the care of a skilled writer. Here, the mentor is God, the giver of words. Having said all of this, the ability to write does not have to be the outcome of academic learning from a university. Some great writers just have the gift and they know it. 

So what about you? Have you ever thought about Christian writing. It is a wonderful way of expressing what God's Word means to you and how, it may help the reader. You may have the ability to be able to write poetry, so why not put it into process. The world of writing though, is very competitive and if you go the main publishing route, it can be very disheartening receiving rejections from a sub-editor. There are routes for self-publishing but it can be quite expensive if you use an editor. Amazon allow new authors to publish their work free of charge, but they take a hefty commission in return. Many are successful though.

A popular route nowadays is to create your own website; edit and publish the book yourself and place it on the site. To back this up, you can create a blog and make it interesting  enough to gain viewers and take it from there. It is easy to sell your books from the site using something like PayPal.

Of course, you may not wish to go down this route at all; you may just enjoy completing your notes for your own use. Ask Jesus about it. He may be calling you to be the next 'Ready writer' and it would be a shame to sit on your gift. At this moment, if you are having a bubbly feeling about all of this, it may be the sign you have been waiting for. So test it out and if you still feel it is from God, push the door open. It may be the best thing you ever do.

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  

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.

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT ME

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Unity

"Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?"   Amos 3:3   NKJV

God is calling His church to unity. Too long have they been in division. He uses men and women to take His Word to the nations so that, they may hear the Word of God and repent and follow Jesus. This is not an easy thing to do because not everyone agrees with what the bible teaches. 

Amos was a good example. He was a humble shepherd who God had called to be a prophet, taking His Word to a people who loved the making of money much more than  religion. Amos declared God's judgement not only on the Gentile nations but, also on Israel and Judah. It was a call to repent of ritual religion and seek the Lord sincerely.

When a prophet declares such strong teaching to people, there will always be a backlash; many don't want people trying to change situations. It was no different for Amos; he had two struggles: one with the Lord and, one with the authorities, especially King Jeroboam and his priest, Amaziah, who wanted him to take his preaching elsewhere. Being a prophet, evangelist or preacher is not easy. Many times, they have to live in the location that they are evangelising and trying to change. 

We even have this problem today, where families live under the same roof but, are divided when it comes to faith. One side, can't see the importance of Jesus and fight against it and any mention of the name of Jesus. Many families can fall apart because of the rift. That is not God's intention. He wants the family to be united in Him. If you're living in a situation like this, be confident in the knowledge that Jesus knows about this and all He wants you to do is show them Jesus in all you do and say.

The division may come from extended family. They may not live with you but, when they visit, they don't want it to seem like entering into a church-like setting. This is up to you, you can water it down to please them or be the same as you are. The sad thing about this is, they may not want to see you again, it's almost like a blackmail situation. So when someone is visiting who can be contentious this way, don't deliberately force your faith on to them but, also let them see that you will never compromise your faith. Don't forget, you want your family in heaven with you when you die, so draw them in, not force them away. This is so difficult I know, I think we all have a problems such as this.

Two people can walk together when they are not in agreement but, it takes great diplomacy on your part, because without this, contention gathers ready to strike. Exercising diplomacy can bring about a type of unity. It may be fragmented but at least, there is a type of togetherness in it. If you can adopt this style of operation, you are more likely to leave some seed in their hearts and as you water it whenever you are with each other, that seed will begin to grow. It may take a long time, but, God knows what He is doing.

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  

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.

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT ME

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

He is there with you, right now

"But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God."   Psalm 31:14   NKJV

David had already said, 'For You are my rock and my fortress' v3. Now, he was underpinning this with the words of our text and adding, 'My times are in your hand' v15.

David was in distress, people were backstabbing him and leaving him  to fend for himself. He was almost at rock bottom. But, he knew His God and, he knew that He would never turn away from him. He knew without doubt that His God could be relied on.

When we are in a place such as David was, we need to know that Jesus is right beside us.  It can feel like He isn't, if we haven't involved Him in what we are doing and what is happening to us. Don't allow yourself to get into this state. You may say, 'It can't be helped' and I agree, things just happen. However, if we start the day placing Him in charge, then He will be. Things may still happen to us that we don't want, but, we have His backing, He will handle the situation if you don't interfere yourself. Look at David, He called out to God; there was nothing else he could do. He was too tired and distressed. He said, 'My times are in your hand' v15 and he meant it. This is all he could do.

What are you struggling with at the moment. Things are sent to try us and usually, we can handle them well enough. But, there are days when we can't do this; this was how David felt that day. The thing is, he knew God was his rock and fortress. He trusted Him and knew his times were in God's hands. So he called to Him. He was no different to you. He bled, he hurt, he became tired and he had days when he didn't know what to do. You're no different. Therefore, realise what David realised. God is right there with you.

The effects of being short of cash at the moment - give it to Jesus. The fear that you may have about someone doing you an injustice, give it to Jesus. Are you frightened that you may be made redundant? Then again, give it to Jesus. In fact, whatever is on your mind at this moment give it to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2). He is the champion and so, we are champions too. He has it all in hand. He knows what will happen from beginning to end, so it makes sense to allow Him to take charge. Amen?

He is there with you, right now. You can't see Him but, you may feel His presence. Allow Him to sort things out for you. He is good at doing that! 

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  

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.

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT ME

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

 

If you had been there

"Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died"

                                                                                John 11:21   NKJV

This statement can be normal for many people. Non-believers say it to their spouses, family or friends - 'If you had been there, I wouldn't have made this mistake.' It's all part of the blame game - 'If you had, it would have been ok.' 

Martha was similar but, she added a more faith-filled statement -'But even now, I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give you' v22. Martha said this in the long term - the resurrection v24. Jesus answered her in the 'Now'. Martha loved Jesus and trusted Him yet, she couldn't imagine Lazarus being raised before the delegated time. It was not in her thinking. But she was about to be proved wrong. 

And many of us are like this. Sometimes before Jesus answers our prayers, there is a waiting time. Let's look at Psalm 27:

'I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. 14Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage,And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!' v13-14

We can be very much like the Psalmist - David. He too, appears to be wanting God to answer him quickly. But he believed that God would answer and that kept him going. This was what Jesus was intimating to Martha that day; 'Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!' v13-14. He was willing Martha to look through faith-filled eyes - 'walking by faith not by sight' 2 Cor 5:7. 

And this is what He wants us to take on board. it may not be here now but it is coming. Just be patient. Forget the blame game. Things are what they are but if Jesus has said it, it will come. you can be sure of that. What is it that you are waiting for? Are you tempted to get fidgety and blame someone for the time it is taking? Don't do that. Look at it through the eyes of faith and pray it in. See it how Jesus sees it. It will come!

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  

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.

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT ME

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Lifted to Jesus' level

"When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

                                                                               John 8:10-11   NKJV

The woman caught in adultery, was the centre of gossip as she sat on the dusty floor of the Temple Courts in Jerusalem. She had just been found in adultery and brought out to meet with Jesus who was teaching there. It was early morning and the place would have been packed with people, watching, gloating and no doubt, gossiping about what was happening. It takes two to tango but, there was no sign of the man, it was a total sexist event.

The Pharisees wanted to see what Jesus would say about the matter. He knew they were testing Him to hear what He said. But He shocked them with: 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.' This cleared the place. The only one who would have been qualified to do this, was Jesus, but He was not about to fall to their level. Instead, He asked the woman where her accusers were and who had condemned her. She told Him that no one had done this. He replied to her:  “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

This must have felt amazing to this woman. She was guilty of adultery, but no one had been able to condemn her and, neither was Jesus going to either. Instead, He gave her back her self-respect. He stooped down to her level and then brought her up to His. She had been a reject, and now, she was free from shame. People who knew what she had done, may well have continued to gossip but, she didn't care. She had met with Jesus and she was a new woman. There is no more details about this woman. Some have debated it but, we do not know. What we assume, is that this woman became a follower of Jesus from thereon.

When you consider your own life, once you were far away from Jesus - totally lost. But then, Jesus came along and gave you the opportunity to have a new life. He stooped down to your level and brought you up to His. We have so much to thank Him for! 

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  

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.

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT ME

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk