"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 5:10 NKJV
Sticks and stones will possibly hurt, but insults will never get me. I'm not too sure about the latter part of this phrase, as many people have been devastated by what has been said to them. Words can hurt and the affect, can last a lifetime.
This phrase, I remember, was around when I was at school, you may remember it too. It was mainly used when we were on the receiving end of verbal bullying. Nowadays, this phrase has possibly been adapted to fit into some streetwise saying.
Words do hurt and come from people we never thought would say them. It's quite difficult to shrug off insults and persecutions.The early Christians had much to contend with on this subject. Under Nero, the Roman Government persecuted Christians terribly. Some were murdered but before that, they were tortured, some had body parts cut off and were forced to watch the parts being roasted and thrown to dogs. Many had their eyes plucked out too. It is said that Nero, had some people covered in hot tar while they were alive and then set fire to. They were then used as lamps to illuminate his living quarters. Also, as Emperor, he was recognised as a god and people had to worship him. If they didn't, they paid the price.
I read a book many years ago. I can't remember the title, or the author but it was set in China. The Chinese Authorities were clamping down on Christianity and believers were ordered to denounce Jesus, or they would be shot. The father of one particular family refused to do this and just before the family were all killed he turned to his wife and children and said, 'Don't worry, tonight we will have supper with the King.'
What an amazing testimony. I have never forgotten it and it made me wonder if I would be able to do that if ever I was in this position. I'd like to think I could but how difficult that would be.
I don't know about you, I become upset and then angry when I'm persecuted for something which is much smaller that what I've mentioned. Many people today, around the world, are suffering for their faith. They're being falsely imprisoned, raped, tortured and killed. And yet their faith is much stronger than mine could ever be. I whine when someone says something bad about me and yet, I'm not facing what many others are.
We may moan and groan; and feel that we're hard done by. We may say, 'It's not fair,' and yet this is child like to what others in this world are suffering for.
Let me ask you; what would you do if all of a sudden, where we live, it became a state where Christianity was forbidden? If this was the case, how would you react to being threatened, by death, unless you denounced Christ? It is unlikely to happen where we live, but with the state that the world is in, it could be a threat.
We take so many things for granted and we show ingratitude at times for what God has blessed us with. However, at the blink of an eye, it could all be taken away from us.
I feel God is wanting His people to be grateful for all He has done and will do in the future. You may be ill; you may be disabled; you may be short of money or not have what others have, but you are alive!
Be grateful and thankful to God for that. Amen? - Amen!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Saturday 31 August 2019
Friday 30 August 2019
Let your light shine
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." Matthew 5:16. NKJV
The world is a dark place without Jesus. Just think how it was before creation; darkness was on the face of the deep. (Genesis 1:2) and it remained until God said, 'Let there be light,' or 'Light be,' and then there was light. Therefore, wherever Jesus is, there is light. He shines in the darkness and brings everything to the light. He reveals all. It is hard to see in the darkness. Lots of things happen that we cannot see, but if you're of the Light, and walking in it then He reveals it to you.
If you've ever done any night walking, you'll remember the feeling of satisfaction when a light appears in the darkness. I remember my early army training days when we used to trek for miles across the moors in the pitch dark of the night. All we had with us was a compass and even that was hard to see at times. As we walked on in blizzard conditions, using our precious night sight, the feeling of exhilaration was amazing as we saw a light shining in the darkness ahead. It was still very dark, and still freezing cold but somehow, the light brought a glow as we realised that we were nearly home and dry.
As Christians, we have to learn to walk in the Light. Ephesians 5:8 says:
'For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.'
Darkness prevents you from seeing clearly. Light opens the way, it illuminates everything around. This is why the devil doesn't like the light. It shows up the evil schemes that he has planned. The light will also shine on the deeds that evil people are plotting against you. Not everyone is your friend, you have to believe that. But as you walk in the light, God will reveal certain things to you. He will give you discernment about situations and people and as you pray about this, He will reveal the truth about what He is showing you. Be careful here, because He may reveal certain things about you to someone else, if you are in sin!
Having said this, God does not want us to be paranoid, suspecting every person we come into contact with and that we are entering into a den of iniquity, every place that we go. But He does give us wisdom. He lights up the way through the darkness. As I've mentioned in previous commentaries, we can find our self in a position where we suffer a power-cut; one in which we cannot feel the power of God within us. It is not always a power cut when the light goes out; the bulb may just need changing, and this is where we can find ourselves. There are certain changes that we have to make and surrender to God, before we can be sure of walking in the light of God. It may only be a simple thing that is preventing you walking in the light, but the Holy Spirit is very sensitive. Play the video back of your life, before you began to feel that you're in darkness. You may need to repent of something; you may need to put something right. As you check out your personal video, God will cast a light on this. You can then rectify it and get back on the road of light. It makes so much sense!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
The world is a dark place without Jesus. Just think how it was before creation; darkness was on the face of the deep. (Genesis 1:2) and it remained until God said, 'Let there be light,' or 'Light be,' and then there was light. Therefore, wherever Jesus is, there is light. He shines in the darkness and brings everything to the light. He reveals all. It is hard to see in the darkness. Lots of things happen that we cannot see, but if you're of the Light, and walking in it then He reveals it to you.
If you've ever done any night walking, you'll remember the feeling of satisfaction when a light appears in the darkness. I remember my early army training days when we used to trek for miles across the moors in the pitch dark of the night. All we had with us was a compass and even that was hard to see at times. As we walked on in blizzard conditions, using our precious night sight, the feeling of exhilaration was amazing as we saw a light shining in the darkness ahead. It was still very dark, and still freezing cold but somehow, the light brought a glow as we realised that we were nearly home and dry.
As Christians, we have to learn to walk in the Light. Ephesians 5:8 says:
'For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.'
Darkness prevents you from seeing clearly. Light opens the way, it illuminates everything around. This is why the devil doesn't like the light. It shows up the evil schemes that he has planned. The light will also shine on the deeds that evil people are plotting against you. Not everyone is your friend, you have to believe that. But as you walk in the light, God will reveal certain things to you. He will give you discernment about situations and people and as you pray about this, He will reveal the truth about what He is showing you. Be careful here, because He may reveal certain things about you to someone else, if you are in sin!
Having said this, God does not want us to be paranoid, suspecting every person we come into contact with and that we are entering into a den of iniquity, every place that we go. But He does give us wisdom. He lights up the way through the darkness. As I've mentioned in previous commentaries, we can find our self in a position where we suffer a power-cut; one in which we cannot feel the power of God within us. It is not always a power cut when the light goes out; the bulb may just need changing, and this is where we can find ourselves. There are certain changes that we have to make and surrender to God, before we can be sure of walking in the light of God. It may only be a simple thing that is preventing you walking in the light, but the Holy Spirit is very sensitive. Play the video back of your life, before you began to feel that you're in darkness. You may need to repent of something; you may need to put something right. As you check out your personal video, God will cast a light on this. You can then rectify it and get back on the road of light. It makes so much sense!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Thursday 29 August 2019
Take away the stone
"38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, 'Take away the stone.' Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, 'Lord, by this time, there is a stench, for he has been dead four day."
John 11:38-39. NKJV
Jesus knew that He was in the supernatural and the only thing preventing Lazarus being brought out of the tomb, was a large stone. However, others, including Martha, were coming from a natural position, and felt that it was wrong. Lazarus would be resurrected, yes, but at the last day, not this day. When Lazarus came out of the tomb at Jesus' command of, Lazarus come forth,' (John 11:43) people were amazed, some bewildered, but Lazarus was overjoyed that he had his life back.
Our walk with Jesus can be a difficult road to travel along at times. Things come our way that trip us up, and there are temptations everywhere. We have opportunities, if we're not careful, to do things that we know are wrong and it's almost like a voice is saying, 'It's ok, no one will know.' Oh yes they will! You'll know and God will know too and if the devil can have his way, pretty soon all the local area will know as well. We have to be careful.
At times, we can feel that we are in a cold, dark cave or tomb ourselves, and a stone is keeping us prisoner. We may be tired and therefore very low in spirit. It may be that we've overdone things by taking on too much. Sound familiar? When this happens, we can end up irritable; snapping at our loved ones, saying things we'd never, normally say.
The stone of tiredness captures us and tries to keep us in a place where we, 'Must do this and I must do that.' Guilt can kick in like, 'I should have done this,' and 'I feel awful for letting such and such down.'
The shopping may need doing; clothes need washing and ironing and the grass is so long that at one time you had a dog, but now you can't find him.
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John 11:38-39. NKJV
Jesus knew that He was in the supernatural and the only thing preventing Lazarus being brought out of the tomb, was a large stone. However, others, including Martha, were coming from a natural position, and felt that it was wrong. Lazarus would be resurrected, yes, but at the last day, not this day. When Lazarus came out of the tomb at Jesus' command of, Lazarus come forth,' (John 11:43) people were amazed, some bewildered, but Lazarus was overjoyed that he had his life back.
Our walk with Jesus can be a difficult road to travel along at times. Things come our way that trip us up, and there are temptations everywhere. We have opportunities, if we're not careful, to do things that we know are wrong and it's almost like a voice is saying, 'It's ok, no one will know.' Oh yes they will! You'll know and God will know too and if the devil can have his way, pretty soon all the local area will know as well. We have to be careful.
At times, we can feel that we are in a cold, dark cave or tomb ourselves, and a stone is keeping us prisoner. We may be tired and therefore very low in spirit. It may be that we've overdone things by taking on too much. Sound familiar? When this happens, we can end up irritable; snapping at our loved ones, saying things we'd never, normally say.
The stone of tiredness captures us and tries to keep us in a place where we, 'Must do this and I must do that.' Guilt can kick in like, 'I should have done this,' and 'I feel awful for letting such and such down.'
The shopping may need doing; clothes need washing and ironing and the grass is so long that at one time you had a dog, but now you can't find him.
Stress - tiredness - Stress - anxiety - Stress - illness
Hey, stop just there! God didn't create you to be on the go all the time. You've allowed a stone to be rolled into place and you're behind it - trapped! You need to do some Behavioural Therapy in order to put things back into perspective, so follow this:
MAKE A LIST
Write down all that you need to do. There may be pages of things that need your immediate attention, so
PRIORITISE
Put things into priority order - not everything needs doing today. Once you have your list.
BREAK THEM DOWN INTO MANAGEABLE BITS
Bite-size chunks is the common term for this. The idea is to look at your list of priorities and then make a decision what you can do today. Do not look at everything as a whole and attempt to do it all. If you do, it will be disastrous.
Get your chores into bite-size chunks and then, if possible, break them down further into manageable bits.
This works, believe me, but you have to work at it. You'll be tempted to think that you can't do this, things need doing NOW! You'll also be tempted into believing it's a load of cod's wallop, but don't listen because it's not.
Be strict with yourself. Manage your time more effectively and take the pressure off. You'll then have more time to yourself and more time with God, and - that stone of tiredness will be taken away.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1980540659/ref=Why not get my new book available in paperback and Kindle and reduced
Just click the link to go to the Amazon page
Wednesday 28 August 2019
Understanding people better
"Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy". Matthew 5:7. NKJV
The Greek word for merciful is eleemon, which literally means to show sympathy to people and to feel sorry for them. It is coming to people from the outside.
The Hebrew word for mercy is chesedh, and means not only being sympathetic with a person and feeling sorry for them and for what they are going through, but it means the ability to get right inside other people until we really know how they feel. It means seeing things through their eyes, thinking just like them and being in touch with their feelings. This is being on the inside and counsellors know this as being in a person's internal frame of reference. In other words, it means, being able to sit in their shoes and view life as they are doing at this time. When a person being counselled realises that the counsellor is in this place, they are more likely to open up and trust the worker with what is bothering them.
The difference between eleemon merciful and chesedh mercy, can be seen between Martha and Mary when Jesus visited them. Luke 10:38-42. Even though Martha loved Jesus dearly, she was coming to Him from the outside. Jesus was days away from His crucifixion; He had this on His mind and needed to rest and strengthen Himself. He didn't need stressful conversation. Martha couldn't see this. On the other hand, Mary could and she came to Jesus on the inside and just sat at His feet, listening to Him.
Jesus Himself, comes to people from the inside. He operates with chesedh mercy. Other people may not. Often we are worried or have great hurt within us and people come along, and say they'll pray for us and then depart. This is eleemon merciful, which is sympathy. They may try their best, no doubt, but they fail to get to the inside of a person, the chesedh mercy - the internal frame of reference, where they sit in our shoes knowing, to a degree, just what is happening to us.
You must have been on the receiving end of eleemon merciful sympathy. People may say all of the wrong things or not say much at all. This is because they are on the outside of you, not the inside. When they leave, you feel no better.
Our text says, 'Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.' As a person gets closer to Jesus and learns, thoroughly, what He is teaching, the Holy Spirit will enlighten them, and as above, the merciful will receive mercy; and what they give to others from thereon, they will receive also.
The next time that you are faced with someone who is going through a bad time; spend time with them, just listening. You have no answers until you fully understand that person and where they are coming from. Get into their shoes - the inside, so that you can be a blessing and a help to them.
Then, you'll be pleased; they will be pleased and more than that, God will be pleased!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
The Greek word for merciful is eleemon, which literally means to show sympathy to people and to feel sorry for them. It is coming to people from the outside.
The Hebrew word for mercy is chesedh, and means not only being sympathetic with a person and feeling sorry for them and for what they are going through, but it means the ability to get right inside other people until we really know how they feel. It means seeing things through their eyes, thinking just like them and being in touch with their feelings. This is being on the inside and counsellors know this as being in a person's internal frame of reference. In other words, it means, being able to sit in their shoes and view life as they are doing at this time. When a person being counselled realises that the counsellor is in this place, they are more likely to open up and trust the worker with what is bothering them.
The difference between eleemon merciful and chesedh mercy, can be seen between Martha and Mary when Jesus visited them. Luke 10:38-42. Even though Martha loved Jesus dearly, she was coming to Him from the outside. Jesus was days away from His crucifixion; He had this on His mind and needed to rest and strengthen Himself. He didn't need stressful conversation. Martha couldn't see this. On the other hand, Mary could and she came to Jesus on the inside and just sat at His feet, listening to Him.
Jesus Himself, comes to people from the inside. He operates with chesedh mercy. Other people may not. Often we are worried or have great hurt within us and people come along, and say they'll pray for us and then depart. This is eleemon merciful, which is sympathy. They may try their best, no doubt, but they fail to get to the inside of a person, the chesedh mercy - the internal frame of reference, where they sit in our shoes knowing, to a degree, just what is happening to us.
You must have been on the receiving end of eleemon merciful sympathy. People may say all of the wrong things or not say much at all. This is because they are on the outside of you, not the inside. When they leave, you feel no better.
Our text says, 'Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy.' As a person gets closer to Jesus and learns, thoroughly, what He is teaching, the Holy Spirit will enlighten them, and as above, the merciful will receive mercy; and what they give to others from thereon, they will receive also.
The next time that you are faced with someone who is going through a bad time; spend time with them, just listening. You have no answers until you fully understand that person and where they are coming from. Get into their shoes - the inside, so that you can be a blessing and a help to them.
Then, you'll be pleased; they will be pleased and more than that, God will be pleased!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Tuesday 27 August 2019
Has there been a power cut?
"When the Spirit of Truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own, but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future ."
John 16:13. NKJV
The Spirit of God is our guide. He will speak with us and lead us in the way we should go, act and speak. When we visit a castle or Stately Home, it is always helpful if we know something about the place; its history and who lived there. This is where a guide, whether in human form or a written brochure, comes in handy. Jesus has provided us with the Holy Spirit who will fulfil this role and much more.
Have you fully realised that you have the power of God within you? The Spirit that hovered over the waters prior to creation, is the same Spirit that dwells within you. That fire that is in you; the stirring up of your spirit and that power that you feel.
It is essential to have power; without it we dwell in darkness. Anyone who has undergone a power cut just lately will know how miserable it can be, especially if it is winter and there is no other way of heating your home. It can be dark, cold and lifeless.
In the supernatural, it is essential that we have the power of God - the Holy Spirit, working within us. But at times, it can feel like we've had a power cut. You know what I mean, those days when we seem to be walking around in thick treacle, getting nowhere and totally stuck to all kinds of things that are unhelpful.
What has happened? One moment we were flying high and praising and worshipping God. Now we are completely flat with no motivation to do much at all. At times such as this, we need to check our hearts. What have we been saying, doing or thinking about that we know, we shouldn't have? 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says: 'Do not quench the Spirit.' What does this mean? Well it gives the idea of dampening down the flame and fire of the Holy Spirit. We may have offended the Holy Spirit by gossipping, judging someone, using bad language or any other thing that you know is wrong and sinful. God will never leave us, (Hebrews 13:5) but we can quench His Spirit, losing that fire that we had.
Is that where you are today? If so, repent. Ask God to forgive you and forgive yourself and then move on. Don't beat yourself up when you've fallen into sin. The devil will do that. Be mindful of:
'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' 1 John 1:9.
And that means the feeling of guilt and having a bad conscience about what you've done. If God has forgiven you, you're forgiven so forget about it, because He chooses to.
Just get on and have a great day!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
John 16:13. NKJV
The Spirit of God is our guide. He will speak with us and lead us in the way we should go, act and speak. When we visit a castle or Stately Home, it is always helpful if we know something about the place; its history and who lived there. This is where a guide, whether in human form or a written brochure, comes in handy. Jesus has provided us with the Holy Spirit who will fulfil this role and much more.
Have you fully realised that you have the power of God within you? The Spirit that hovered over the waters prior to creation, is the same Spirit that dwells within you. That fire that is in you; the stirring up of your spirit and that power that you feel.
It is essential to have power; without it we dwell in darkness. Anyone who has undergone a power cut just lately will know how miserable it can be, especially if it is winter and there is no other way of heating your home. It can be dark, cold and lifeless.
In the supernatural, it is essential that we have the power of God - the Holy Spirit, working within us. But at times, it can feel like we've had a power cut. You know what I mean, those days when we seem to be walking around in thick treacle, getting nowhere and totally stuck to all kinds of things that are unhelpful.
What has happened? One moment we were flying high and praising and worshipping God. Now we are completely flat with no motivation to do much at all. At times such as this, we need to check our hearts. What have we been saying, doing or thinking about that we know, we shouldn't have? 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says: 'Do not quench the Spirit.' What does this mean? Well it gives the idea of dampening down the flame and fire of the Holy Spirit. We may have offended the Holy Spirit by gossipping, judging someone, using bad language or any other thing that you know is wrong and sinful. God will never leave us, (Hebrews 13:5) but we can quench His Spirit, losing that fire that we had.
Is that where you are today? If so, repent. Ask God to forgive you and forgive yourself and then move on. Don't beat yourself up when you've fallen into sin. The devil will do that. Be mindful of:
'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' 1 John 1:9.
And that means the feeling of guilt and having a bad conscience about what you've done. If God has forgiven you, you're forgiven so forget about it, because He chooses to.
Just get on and have a great day!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Monday 26 August 2019
Are you teachable?
"But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you," I John 2:27. NKJV
Be careful here. This verse is not saying that you do not need any further teaching, because you do, we all do. If you read an earlier verse in 1 John 2, we hear:
'But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.' 1 John 2:20
As a Spirit-filled Christian, we have the Holy Spirit and He gives us revelation in all things and will guide us through situations. We still need to receive teaching in the Word from when we attend church; join a home group; watch Christian TV or study a Christian teaching manual. In fact, it is essential. However, what the teaching can't give us, is what the Holy Spirit can, and that is revelation; a deep insight into a God-given plan or situation. In fact, God-breathed.
Good bible teaching gives us wisdom and understanding and is an essential part of our daily requirements. Proverbs 9:9 says, 'Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser. Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.' We need to be teachable, in fact, we need to have a hunger and a thirst for good, solid bible teaching.
The Holy Spirit will give us revelation in things. Suddenly our eyes are opened and the answer is there staring us in the face. Now this can come directly from the Holy Spirit during your personal quiet time or a session of prayer, or you may receive anointed teaching from someone. You know when you're in the presence of an anointed teacher; they keep you hooked and on the edge of your seat. You just can't get enough and all that they say, you saturate yourself in it because it is reaching the place within you - your spirit. That is the hallmark of a gifted teacher. Other people may teach, but it doesn't have the same impact and you may feel yourself drifting off into your own thoughts. There's nothing suspect about the teacher, it is just not their gifting. It's rather like a song writer. Some writers create their work and it just hits you and pretty soon it may be in the charts. Other writers create something and it just doesn't seem to have the get up and buy to it.
We need to be teachable. No one is above this, even if at times, we may feel that we are. In William Barclay's Commentary to Matthew, he quotes a statement by a great Roman teacher called Quintilian, who was a teacher of oratory. He said of certain scholars:
'They would no doubt be excellent students if they were not already convinced of their own knowledge. No one can teach people who know it all, already.'
We don't know it all, and if you think that you do, then you are so misguided. In fact, it is pride that makes a person feel this way. If a person becomes too puffed up, pretty soon they're going to pop, and that will be disastrous.
We are know all's, God's Word here tells us we are. But we only know what the Holy Spirit shows and tells us. As we walk daily with Him, He will open our minds to what He wishes to teach us. This may not happen all of the time, so we need to supplement this with good, solid teaching from a gifted teacher. There are Lot's around and we all have our preferences. Find one who works for you and get right into God's Word until you are bubbling over with wisdom, knowledge and the anointing of God.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Be careful here. This verse is not saying that you do not need any further teaching, because you do, we all do. If you read an earlier verse in 1 John 2, we hear:
'But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.' 1 John 2:20
As a Spirit-filled Christian, we have the Holy Spirit and He gives us revelation in all things and will guide us through situations. We still need to receive teaching in the Word from when we attend church; join a home group; watch Christian TV or study a Christian teaching manual. In fact, it is essential. However, what the teaching can't give us, is what the Holy Spirit can, and that is revelation; a deep insight into a God-given plan or situation. In fact, God-breathed.
Good bible teaching gives us wisdom and understanding and is an essential part of our daily requirements. Proverbs 9:9 says, 'Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser. Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.' We need to be teachable, in fact, we need to have a hunger and a thirst for good, solid bible teaching.
The Holy Spirit will give us revelation in things. Suddenly our eyes are opened and the answer is there staring us in the face. Now this can come directly from the Holy Spirit during your personal quiet time or a session of prayer, or you may receive anointed teaching from someone. You know when you're in the presence of an anointed teacher; they keep you hooked and on the edge of your seat. You just can't get enough and all that they say, you saturate yourself in it because it is reaching the place within you - your spirit. That is the hallmark of a gifted teacher. Other people may teach, but it doesn't have the same impact and you may feel yourself drifting off into your own thoughts. There's nothing suspect about the teacher, it is just not their gifting. It's rather like a song writer. Some writers create their work and it just hits you and pretty soon it may be in the charts. Other writers create something and it just doesn't seem to have the get up and buy to it.
We need to be teachable. No one is above this, even if at times, we may feel that we are. In William Barclay's Commentary to Matthew, he quotes a statement by a great Roman teacher called Quintilian, who was a teacher of oratory. He said of certain scholars:
'They would no doubt be excellent students if they were not already convinced of their own knowledge. No one can teach people who know it all, already.'
We don't know it all, and if you think that you do, then you are so misguided. In fact, it is pride that makes a person feel this way. If a person becomes too puffed up, pretty soon they're going to pop, and that will be disastrous.
We are know all's, God's Word here tells us we are. But we only know what the Holy Spirit shows and tells us. As we walk daily with Him, He will open our minds to what He wishes to teach us. This may not happen all of the time, so we need to supplement this with good, solid teaching from a gifted teacher. There are Lot's around and we all have our preferences. Find one who works for you and get right into God's Word until you are bubbling over with wisdom, knowledge and the anointing of God.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Sunday 25 August 2019
Our thoughts
"(3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, (5) casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God , bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV
Our thought life needs to be under control. If not, it can run away from us and cause havoc. Paul here, is not referring to warfare against a human enemy but against the mind. The arguments he mentions, are the pride that can overtake us in our thinking. We have to deal with this and quickly.
If we're not careful, the mind can really run riot. We have all had these type the thoughts, you know, the ones where we think bad things about someone or something that has caused us problems throughout our day. This may be a boss, who has been arrogant, rude and disrespectful. Our mind can lead us to want to use warfare upon him or her. Then of course, there is our marriages, where one partner has been totally out of order and wound us up tightly. We moan and groan inwardly and look at them with daggers. Then what about the person, who parks in your parking space, you know, the one that you always park in, or sits in the seat that you always sit in at church. This is unforgivable, you may think.
If we could run a tape back on all the thoughts you've had throughout the day, you would be shocked at how you have reacted in your thoughts. Of course, it becomes worse if the thoughts are allowed to break out from your mind and enter into our speech. This can be disastererous, when we speak out what we have been thinking. You've never done that? Oh yes you have, and you know it. We have all let loose with our tongues at times, some of us with both barrels. The thoughts have built up so much then - POW! - it has been impossible to prevent the fallout and a type of Victor Meldrew or green monster has been born within you.
This is why the Apostle Paul instructed that we take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. In other words, we need to 'nip it in the bud,' before it gets out of hand. People can tell when we hold bad feeling and thoughts about them, you know. We just can't hide it. It shows in our face and how we handle ourselves before them. Sometimes we may be abrupt with them. It is far better to take them on one side and confront them - in a soft and gentle manner, not a bull in a china shop way. That is, if you have been wronged and you just can't live with it any longer. But a word of warning, think before you act. Do you need to confront the person? Will it be to your advantage to do so? Will it serve any purpose in doing so?
It may not be a person that you are having the bad thoughts about. It may just be life in general. If it is, give it to God. Go for a walk in the fields or woods and shout your frustration out. Make sure that there is no one about here, or people may think that you need hospital treatment.
The most important thing, is to get on top of the thought life. We all have them, but many of us have learnt to take them captive and give them to Jesus. Come on, you can do the same, can't you?
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV
Our thought life needs to be under control. If not, it can run away from us and cause havoc. Paul here, is not referring to warfare against a human enemy but against the mind. The arguments he mentions, are the pride that can overtake us in our thinking. We have to deal with this and quickly.
If we're not careful, the mind can really run riot. We have all had these type the thoughts, you know, the ones where we think bad things about someone or something that has caused us problems throughout our day. This may be a boss, who has been arrogant, rude and disrespectful. Our mind can lead us to want to use warfare upon him or her. Then of course, there is our marriages, where one partner has been totally out of order and wound us up tightly. We moan and groan inwardly and look at them with daggers. Then what about the person, who parks in your parking space, you know, the one that you always park in, or sits in the seat that you always sit in at church. This is unforgivable, you may think.
If we could run a tape back on all the thoughts you've had throughout the day, you would be shocked at how you have reacted in your thoughts. Of course, it becomes worse if the thoughts are allowed to break out from your mind and enter into our speech. This can be disastererous, when we speak out what we have been thinking. You've never done that? Oh yes you have, and you know it. We have all let loose with our tongues at times, some of us with both barrels. The thoughts have built up so much then - POW! - it has been impossible to prevent the fallout and a type of Victor Meldrew or green monster has been born within you.
This is why the Apostle Paul instructed that we take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. In other words, we need to 'nip it in the bud,' before it gets out of hand. People can tell when we hold bad feeling and thoughts about them, you know. We just can't hide it. It shows in our face and how we handle ourselves before them. Sometimes we may be abrupt with them. It is far better to take them on one side and confront them - in a soft and gentle manner, not a bull in a china shop way. That is, if you have been wronged and you just can't live with it any longer. But a word of warning, think before you act. Do you need to confront the person? Will it be to your advantage to do so? Will it serve any purpose in doing so?
It may not be a person that you are having the bad thoughts about. It may just be life in general. If it is, give it to God. Go for a walk in the fields or woods and shout your frustration out. Make sure that there is no one about here, or people may think that you need hospital treatment.
The most important thing, is to get on top of the thought life. We all have them, but many of us have learnt to take them captive and give them to Jesus. Come on, you can do the same, can't you?
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Saturday 24 August 2019
People seeing Jesus in you
"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realised that they had been with Jesus." Acts 4:13. New King James Version
The word uneducated here means that the disciples had not received formal instruction in the rabbinical schools. The word untrained, describes them as common laymen, not professional experts.
And yet, these 'common laymen,' were the chosen vessels to promote the Kingdom of God when Jesus ascended into Heaven. They were called to preach the Word and nothing was going to stop them doing this. They had a determination to carry out what Jesus had called them to do. And it would turn out to be very costly for them, as they carried out this ministry.
Many people today are Spirit-filled and, like the disciples, know the Word through and through. They have an anointing directly from Jesus and carry His authority. However, if they were to apply to certain Christian denominational institutes to become a vicar/pastor, they would be asked to undergo several years of training before they were set free to do this; and perhaps that may be the right thing to do. However, many serve as pastors today who have not been to theological colleges or had professional training. Yet they are being used greatly by God.
Many very influential people who have been used by God over the years, had no particular training; Charles Spurgeon, DL Moody, William Carey, Martin Lloyd-Jones and Hudson Taylor, spring to mind. And what about Smith Wigglesworth? None of these great men of God had undergone professional training and yet God, used them mightily.
Jesus Himself chose, trained and ordained His disciples. One only has to look at scripture to see the training He gave them:
'(1) And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him. (2) Then He opened His mouth and taught them.' Matthew 5:1-2
Matthew describes The Sermon on the Mount in detail. It would have been impossible to cover all of this in one sitting. There are 107 verses recorded. No one could sit through a sermon of such length, and if they did, they would never be able to absorb it all. No, it must have been over a time that Jesus taught them.
Whatever the time-scale was, Jesus taught them and this is why the Sanhedrin noticed that they had been with Jesus. They had had no formal training but were spiritually eloquent in all they said.
Therefore, a person can apply for formal training at a theological college and that is all right. Likewise, a person who has done much personal training in the Word, but not had formal training, can still be eligible to pastor a church, and this too, is all right.
The main thing is knowing God and living His Word. The more time we spend with someone the more like them we become. This is why many married couples are so alike in what they do and think. It is also why, people who spend time together, possibly at work, pick up certain characteristics. So, spending lots of quality time with Jesus has got to benefit a person; they become more like Him and it shows itself to other people.
If you spend more and more time with Jesus, pretty soon, if not already, people will see that you're different. And what an honour that will be, for someone to realise that you have been with Jesus.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
The word uneducated here means that the disciples had not received formal instruction in the rabbinical schools. The word untrained, describes them as common laymen, not professional experts.
And yet, these 'common laymen,' were the chosen vessels to promote the Kingdom of God when Jesus ascended into Heaven. They were called to preach the Word and nothing was going to stop them doing this. They had a determination to carry out what Jesus had called them to do. And it would turn out to be very costly for them, as they carried out this ministry.
Many people today are Spirit-filled and, like the disciples, know the Word through and through. They have an anointing directly from Jesus and carry His authority. However, if they were to apply to certain Christian denominational institutes to become a vicar/pastor, they would be asked to undergo several years of training before they were set free to do this; and perhaps that may be the right thing to do. However, many serve as pastors today who have not been to theological colleges or had professional training. Yet they are being used greatly by God.
Many very influential people who have been used by God over the years, had no particular training; Charles Spurgeon, DL Moody, William Carey, Martin Lloyd-Jones and Hudson Taylor, spring to mind. And what about Smith Wigglesworth? None of these great men of God had undergone professional training and yet God, used them mightily.
Jesus Himself chose, trained and ordained His disciples. One only has to look at scripture to see the training He gave them:
'(1) And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him. (2) Then He opened His mouth and taught them.' Matthew 5:1-2
Matthew describes The Sermon on the Mount in detail. It would have been impossible to cover all of this in one sitting. There are 107 verses recorded. No one could sit through a sermon of such length, and if they did, they would never be able to absorb it all. No, it must have been over a time that Jesus taught them.
Whatever the time-scale was, Jesus taught them and this is why the Sanhedrin noticed that they had been with Jesus. They had had no formal training but were spiritually eloquent in all they said.
Therefore, a person can apply for formal training at a theological college and that is all right. Likewise, a person who has done much personal training in the Word, but not had formal training, can still be eligible to pastor a church, and this too, is all right.
The main thing is knowing God and living His Word. The more time we spend with someone the more like them we become. This is why many married couples are so alike in what they do and think. It is also why, people who spend time together, possibly at work, pick up certain characteristics. So, spending lots of quality time with Jesus has got to benefit a person; they become more like Him and it shows itself to other people.
If you spend more and more time with Jesus, pretty soon, if not already, people will see that you're different. And what an honour that will be, for someone to realise that you have been with Jesus.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Friday 23 August 2019
'Why am I going through this?'
"So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, then you will rejoice and no one can rob you of that joy!" John 16:22. New Living Translation
Why do things happen that totally devastate us? We can be sailing along nicely, one moment and then, 'Pow,' we're sunk by a torpedo that smashes our lives apart.
Jesus told us, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome this world.' (John 16:33.) Okay, some may say, 'Jesus told us that we would have trials and sorrows, but is that fair? After all, we belong to Him; surely we should be exempt this pain?'
What we have to realise is, the same sorrows and trials happen to everyone, no one is exempt. Everyone has to suffer painful experiences. The main thing is, as Christians, we have Jesus, we know the truth and He is the one that will help us through. For the unbeliever, there isn't that type of hope and support. They have to find a way to make it through the difficult period.
Jesus told us:
"The thief's purpose is to steal and to kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." John 10:10. New Living Translation
However, the thief - the devil - will send powerful distractions that are intended to rob us of all the joy we possess. As joy is a strength, (Nehemiah 8:10) such an attack can knock us to the floor. Bob Gass said, 'Satan continually uses distractions,' the acronym of this is SCUD. The enemy fires a scud missile at us (Ephesians 6:16) This is why we need to ensure that we are carrying our shield of faith.
We all suffer things at various times in our life. This may be where you are right now. It's common to have pain and sorrow, especially where there is a loss of a loved one. With this, there has to be a time of grieving for this purpose until some kind of healing can take place. It cannot be rushed.
For other things, Satan will fire these scuds at us and if we are not careful, we will be so distracted by them that we will lose our focus, giving the devil the feeling that he has scored a victory.
NEVER! We belong to the King of kings. We have Jesus in our hearts and He leads us to victory. But when we have been distracted and beaten up, we can't just lie there. We need to get up and stand. The victory is ours, as long as we keep standing.
It may be a rough and difficult time for you at the moment. You may be angry, disappointed or frustrated because things are coming at you from all directions. STOP AND PRAY! You may not feel much like praying but it is a powerful weapon that releases the angels to come and minister to you. Don't call on the angels; this is not the right thing to do. Call on God and He will release them to help you:
"(11) For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go. (12) They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your feet on a stone."
Psalm 91:11-12 New Living Translation
Change you words from: 'Why Am I going through this?' to 'I am not having this; I have the victory in Jesus; come Lord and help me.'
As you do this, your victory, hope and joy will return, because in Jesus, YOU'RE A WINNER!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Why do things happen that totally devastate us? We can be sailing along nicely, one moment and then, 'Pow,' we're sunk by a torpedo that smashes our lives apart.
Jesus told us, "Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome this world.' (John 16:33.) Okay, some may say, 'Jesus told us that we would have trials and sorrows, but is that fair? After all, we belong to Him; surely we should be exempt this pain?'
What we have to realise is, the same sorrows and trials happen to everyone, no one is exempt. Everyone has to suffer painful experiences. The main thing is, as Christians, we have Jesus, we know the truth and He is the one that will help us through. For the unbeliever, there isn't that type of hope and support. They have to find a way to make it through the difficult period.
Jesus told us:
"The thief's purpose is to steal and to kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." John 10:10. New Living Translation
However, the thief - the devil - will send powerful distractions that are intended to rob us of all the joy we possess. As joy is a strength, (Nehemiah 8:10) such an attack can knock us to the floor. Bob Gass said, 'Satan continually uses distractions,' the acronym of this is SCUD. The enemy fires a scud missile at us (Ephesians 6:16) This is why we need to ensure that we are carrying our shield of faith.
We all suffer things at various times in our life. This may be where you are right now. It's common to have pain and sorrow, especially where there is a loss of a loved one. With this, there has to be a time of grieving for this purpose until some kind of healing can take place. It cannot be rushed.
For other things, Satan will fire these scuds at us and if we are not careful, we will be so distracted by them that we will lose our focus, giving the devil the feeling that he has scored a victory.
NEVER! We belong to the King of kings. We have Jesus in our hearts and He leads us to victory. But when we have been distracted and beaten up, we can't just lie there. We need to get up and stand. The victory is ours, as long as we keep standing.
It may be a rough and difficult time for you at the moment. You may be angry, disappointed or frustrated because things are coming at you from all directions. STOP AND PRAY! You may not feel much like praying but it is a powerful weapon that releases the angels to come and minister to you. Don't call on the angels; this is not the right thing to do. Call on God and He will release them to help you:
"(11) For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go. (12) They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your feet on a stone."
Psalm 91:11-12 New Living Translation
Change you words from: 'Why Am I going through this?' to 'I am not having this; I have the victory in Jesus; come Lord and help me.'
As you do this, your victory, hope and joy will return, because in Jesus, YOU'RE A WINNER!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Thursday 22 August 2019
A Wealth of Knowledge
"For the LORD grants wisdom! From His mouth come knowledge and understanding."
Proverbs 2:6. New Living Translation
Cast you mind back a few years and and realise just how far this world has grown with technology. Back in the 80's, we had to queue up at telephone boxes if we wanted to make a call to someone. Now, everywhere you look, people are walking round with a mobile glued to their ear. If they are not doing that, we can see them sitting waiting for a bus as they text their friends. People do their supermarket shopping while they have a conversation with someone who has just rung them. We may be having a conversation with someone when their mobile rings and they say to us, 'I must take this.' I know that the mobile phone, would have been so helpful to me when I was stuck somewhere with a broken-down car and having to walk a mile or so until I found an emergency telephone, to ask for help. The downside to the earlier models was that they were the size of a house brick and practically impossible to put in your pocket. One social worker I know, used to carry his office mobile around in a brief case because it was too big. The thing is though, the world had brought progress.
Then of course, their were vinyl records, which were then updated to cassette tapes and from there to CD's which are still popular, although, vinyl is becoming popular again. What about iPads, laptops, MacBooks, PC's or iMacs. We can take a photograph on our iPhone and instantly send it to someone else by email, WhatsApp or messenger. Further, with the iPhone, one can airdrop it to another IOS facility - instantly. In church, most people sit there with their mobiles or iPads, reading the bible, or if they're bored, playing solitaire, Lol.
The age of digital technology is upon us. What is it going to be like in another 20 years or so? It's amazing what God has brought about; giving man the wisdom to create such wonderful things that we have. The internet has given us the opportunity to preach the Gospel worldwide, therefore, people who had never really heard the Word of God, now have full access to it.
I visited a store recently that I had never been into before. After looking around for a short time, I left. About an hour or so later, I received a text asking me how my visit had gone. Amazing, they knew I had been n their store through the GPS on the 'phone.
We have so much to be grateful for. Look at the contents of your house for one thing. There are fridges, freezers, flashy ovens, every type of utensils you can think of. Then there are showers, luxury bathroom suites, the conservatory and the extension. I could go on forever; we have so much to be thankful for. Yet for some people, they're never satisfied. They're always chasing around wanting something extra or something their neighbour has.
You know, God loves us and demonstrates this everyday to us. His desire is to bless us and as long as we're walking in tune with Him, He will. A thought has just sprung to my mind, imagine, you may not yet have received the full blessing that God has in store for you. Now, whatever that hope you have in your heart is; God may want to send that your way, very soon.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Proverbs 2:6. New Living Translation
Cast you mind back a few years and and realise just how far this world has grown with technology. Back in the 80's, we had to queue up at telephone boxes if we wanted to make a call to someone. Now, everywhere you look, people are walking round with a mobile glued to their ear. If they are not doing that, we can see them sitting waiting for a bus as they text their friends. People do their supermarket shopping while they have a conversation with someone who has just rung them. We may be having a conversation with someone when their mobile rings and they say to us, 'I must take this.' I know that the mobile phone, would have been so helpful to me when I was stuck somewhere with a broken-down car and having to walk a mile or so until I found an emergency telephone, to ask for help. The downside to the earlier models was that they were the size of a house brick and practically impossible to put in your pocket. One social worker I know, used to carry his office mobile around in a brief case because it was too big. The thing is though, the world had brought progress.
Then of course, their were vinyl records, which were then updated to cassette tapes and from there to CD's which are still popular, although, vinyl is becoming popular again. What about iPads, laptops, MacBooks, PC's or iMacs. We can take a photograph on our iPhone and instantly send it to someone else by email, WhatsApp or messenger. Further, with the iPhone, one can airdrop it to another IOS facility - instantly. In church, most people sit there with their mobiles or iPads, reading the bible, or if they're bored, playing solitaire, Lol.
The age of digital technology is upon us. What is it going to be like in another 20 years or so? It's amazing what God has brought about; giving man the wisdom to create such wonderful things that we have. The internet has given us the opportunity to preach the Gospel worldwide, therefore, people who had never really heard the Word of God, now have full access to it.
I visited a store recently that I had never been into before. After looking around for a short time, I left. About an hour or so later, I received a text asking me how my visit had gone. Amazing, they knew I had been n their store through the GPS on the 'phone.
We have so much to be grateful for. Look at the contents of your house for one thing. There are fridges, freezers, flashy ovens, every type of utensils you can think of. Then there are showers, luxury bathroom suites, the conservatory and the extension. I could go on forever; we have so much to be thankful for. Yet for some people, they're never satisfied. They're always chasing around wanting something extra or something their neighbour has.
You know, God loves us and demonstrates this everyday to us. His desire is to bless us and as long as we're walking in tune with Him, He will. A thought has just sprung to my mind, imagine, you may not yet have received the full blessing that God has in store for you. Now, whatever that hope you have in your heart is; God may want to send that your way, very soon.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Wednesday 21 August 2019
Taller and stronger
"(16) Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. (17) If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. (18) But even if He doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up." Daniel 3:16-18. NLT
Nebuchadnezzar, had erected a massive gold statue and he had ordered that everyone would bow down to it. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused and for this, they were thrown into a blazing furnace. They belonged to God and Him only and nothing, absolutely nothing would make them worship any false gods.
It's interesting and quite exciting how they said this to Nebuchadnezzar. They were not rude but showed him total respect. However, they were rock solid in their decision that they would not bow down to the statue.
There were three levels of faith that they mentioned:
OUR GOD IS ABLE
AND HE WILL
BUT IF NOT, WE'LL STILL TRUST IN HIM
God is not developing escape artists and Houdini's. He is creating overcomers! CS Lewis in his book, The Screwtape letters, tells of Satan warning one of his junior demons:
"We are never in greater danger than when they look around and all traces have God have forsaken them; yet they still choose to obey Him." CS Lewis
A few years ago, I watched a film that Open Doors had made. It was set in China and showed all of the suffering that was taking place because the people were Christians. They were beaten, some were killed and anyone who survived this, had to live on very small supplies of rice and just have the clothes they were wearing. It was awful but factual. One of the highlights for me, one that I have never forgotten, was when one of them said to a guard, just before his death, 'You can hack us down, but just like the bamboo, we will grow taller and stronger as each day goes by.'
What a testimony. Many of us have never been in such a situation as this, but we may have suffered minor similarities in our day to day lives, because of our faith. Our faith may have cost us our families, our jobs and our friends. For some, it may have cost the break up of a marriage. To follow Jesus, there is always a price to pay. But:
'Like the bamboo, we will grow taller and stronger as each day goes by'
SO, NEVER, EVER GIVE UP
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Nebuchadnezzar, had erected a massive gold statue and he had ordered that everyone would bow down to it. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused and for this, they were thrown into a blazing furnace. They belonged to God and Him only and nothing, absolutely nothing would make them worship any false gods.
It's interesting and quite exciting how they said this to Nebuchadnezzar. They were not rude but showed him total respect. However, they were rock solid in their decision that they would not bow down to the statue.
There were three levels of faith that they mentioned:
OUR GOD IS ABLE
AND HE WILL
BUT IF NOT, WE'LL STILL TRUST IN HIM
God is not developing escape artists and Houdini's. He is creating overcomers! CS Lewis in his book, The Screwtape letters, tells of Satan warning one of his junior demons:
"We are never in greater danger than when they look around and all traces have God have forsaken them; yet they still choose to obey Him." CS Lewis
A few years ago, I watched a film that Open Doors had made. It was set in China and showed all of the suffering that was taking place because the people were Christians. They were beaten, some were killed and anyone who survived this, had to live on very small supplies of rice and just have the clothes they were wearing. It was awful but factual. One of the highlights for me, one that I have never forgotten, was when one of them said to a guard, just before his death, 'You can hack us down, but just like the bamboo, we will grow taller and stronger as each day goes by.'
What a testimony. Many of us have never been in such a situation as this, but we may have suffered minor similarities in our day to day lives, because of our faith. Our faith may have cost us our families, our jobs and our friends. For some, it may have cost the break up of a marriage. To follow Jesus, there is always a price to pay. But:
'Like the bamboo, we will grow taller and stronger as each day goes by'
SO, NEVER, EVER GIVE UP
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Tuesday 20 August 2019
Preaching and Teaching
"(23) And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. (24) Then His fame went throughout all Syria and they brought to Him sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments and who were demon-possessed, epileptics and paralytics and He healed them. (25) Great multitudes followed Him from Galilee and from the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and beyond the Jordan."
Matthew 4:23-25. New King James Version
Jesus was becoming very popular and wherever He went, crowds gathered. He even began preaching and teaching in the synagogues. These were placed wherever a small crowd of people wanted to gather and they had three parts to their services:
PRAYER
READINGS
These were reading from the Law where members of the congregation could take part.
ADDRESS
This was for preaching and teaching and there was no particular minister who administered this. The president of the synagogue presided over the arrangements of the service and any distinguished visitor could be asked to give the address, or any one could volunteer if they had a message and the president thought them fit to carry out this task. Afterwards, there would be a time of discussion and question time.
As mentioned earlier, Jesus was becoming very popular and He used the synagogues to preach and teach and also to bring healing to people who needed this. People came from all-around to see Him; even people from the Decapolis, which was ten independent Greek cities, which apart from one, were on the far side of the Jordan. This gives an idea of how popular He had become.
Preaching and teaching are key elements of the Gospel, together with healing. Thus, Jesus was performing the full Gospel. Preaching and teaching, should always be a prominent part of church services. People need to hear about Jesus and how He changes lives and also, what He can do for them - today!
William Barclay comments:
"Preaching is the proclamation of certainties, not perhapses, maybes or probablies. It's a definite message."
We need to be filled with God's Word on a daily basis. Praising and worshipping is fabulous and we should do this whenever we can. Jesus deserves this praise. However, preaching and teaching needs to have an equal part. Sadly today, the preaching and teaching side of things become condensed and the emphasis is more on worship. There needs to be a healthy balance, so that the full Gospel can be proclaimed.
In this day of the internet, Christian teaching is readily available 24/7 and many of the programs are good, offering sound and solid teaching. Some of the programs need a little more checking out as the emphasis can be more about giving our money away. For myself, nothing beats just getting out my bible and a useful commentary and becoming filled up with teaching.
There is something wonderful about, just sitting alone with Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach you new things. If you are suffering from a lack of teaching, then get close to God and let Him teach you. Preach to yourself; fill your note books with lots of texts and write down what they mean to you. Get into the Living Word. Pretty soon you'll be hooked!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Matthew 4:23-25. New King James Version
Jesus was becoming very popular and wherever He went, crowds gathered. He even began preaching and teaching in the synagogues. These were placed wherever a small crowd of people wanted to gather and they had three parts to their services:
PRAYER
READINGS
These were reading from the Law where members of the congregation could take part.
ADDRESS
This was for preaching and teaching and there was no particular minister who administered this. The president of the synagogue presided over the arrangements of the service and any distinguished visitor could be asked to give the address, or any one could volunteer if they had a message and the president thought them fit to carry out this task. Afterwards, there would be a time of discussion and question time.
As mentioned earlier, Jesus was becoming very popular and He used the synagogues to preach and teach and also to bring healing to people who needed this. People came from all-around to see Him; even people from the Decapolis, which was ten independent Greek cities, which apart from one, were on the far side of the Jordan. This gives an idea of how popular He had become.
Preaching and teaching are key elements of the Gospel, together with healing. Thus, Jesus was performing the full Gospel. Preaching and teaching, should always be a prominent part of church services. People need to hear about Jesus and how He changes lives and also, what He can do for them - today!
William Barclay comments:
"Preaching is the proclamation of certainties, not perhapses, maybes or probablies. It's a definite message."
We need to be filled with God's Word on a daily basis. Praising and worshipping is fabulous and we should do this whenever we can. Jesus deserves this praise. However, preaching and teaching needs to have an equal part. Sadly today, the preaching and teaching side of things become condensed and the emphasis is more on worship. There needs to be a healthy balance, so that the full Gospel can be proclaimed.
In this day of the internet, Christian teaching is readily available 24/7 and many of the programs are good, offering sound and solid teaching. Some of the programs need a little more checking out as the emphasis can be more about giving our money away. For myself, nothing beats just getting out my bible and a useful commentary and becoming filled up with teaching.
There is something wonderful about, just sitting alone with Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach you new things. If you are suffering from a lack of teaching, then get close to God and let Him teach you. Preach to yourself; fill your note books with lots of texts and write down what they mean to you. Get into the Living Word. Pretty soon you'll be hooked!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Monday 19 August 2019
Jump in and get saturated
"As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, O God." Psalm 42:1. NLT
A deer, pursued by hunters, is a terrible thing to see or think about. Sadly though, it happens on a regular basis. I've often walked through the fields and startled a deer as it was hidden in the undergrowth. Initially, it can be quite frightening as this large animal leaps out of the long grass or bushes and heads off in another direction.
When you think about it, the deer is more scared of us as it sees us as the hunter. Therefore, it hurries off at great pace, leaping over fences that may have barbed wire on the top of them. This can cut into their skin quite deeply. Although wounded, it won't stop until it feels that it is out of danger.
When it is really being hunted, the deer has to keep on running and trying to avoid a bullet that may end its life. If it does survive, it is exhausted by the chase and as it comes to some water, it may jump right in, panting and attempting to refresh itself.
Imagine what a welcome sight this is for the deer. It may be a hot day and the deer may have been dodging the hunters for sometime. Panting with thirst and absolutely exhausted, the sight of water can seem so inviting.
One thing that the water can do for the deer, is to refresh it. Also, if it has been wounded by barbed wire or such, the water can be so soothing as it helps to bring healing to the wounds. Water can also cover its tracks and scent but the main thing is, the water will satisfy its thirst.
Very often, we can feel like the hunted with no place to hide. It can feel like everyone is our enemy and there is no one we can trust. This is usually when we've been deeply hurt by someone or something.
The New Kings James Bible gives a slightly different interpretation to Psalm 42:1. It reads,
'so pants my soul for You, O God.' Look at the word 'soul.' The soul is made up of our mind, our will and our emotions. As The Readers Digest Universal Dictionary puts it:
A deer, pursued by hunters, is a terrible thing to see or think about. Sadly though, it happens on a regular basis. I've often walked through the fields and startled a deer as it was hidden in the undergrowth. Initially, it can be quite frightening as this large animal leaps out of the long grass or bushes and heads off in another direction.
When you think about it, the deer is more scared of us as it sees us as the hunter. Therefore, it hurries off at great pace, leaping over fences that may have barbed wire on the top of them. This can cut into their skin quite deeply. Although wounded, it won't stop until it feels that it is out of danger.
When it is really being hunted, the deer has to keep on running and trying to avoid a bullet that may end its life. If it does survive, it is exhausted by the chase and as it comes to some water, it may jump right in, panting and attempting to refresh itself.
Imagine what a welcome sight this is for the deer. It may be a hot day and the deer may have been dodging the hunters for sometime. Panting with thirst and absolutely exhausted, the sight of water can seem so inviting.
One thing that the water can do for the deer, is to refresh it. Also, if it has been wounded by barbed wire or such, the water can be so soothing as it helps to bring healing to the wounds. Water can also cover its tracks and scent but the main thing is, the water will satisfy its thirst.
Very often, we can feel like the hunted with no place to hide. It can feel like everyone is our enemy and there is no one we can trust. This is usually when we've been deeply hurt by someone or something.
The New Kings James Bible gives a slightly different interpretation to Psalm 42:1. It reads,
'so pants my soul for You, O God.' Look at the word 'soul.' The soul is made up of our mind, our will and our emotions. As The Readers Digest Universal Dictionary puts it:
'The animating and vital principle in humankind credited with the faculties of thought, action and emotion.'
When we're hurt and feel like it's difficult to trust anyone, our soul can become tainted and we can begin to feel insecure and have bad thoughts about the people who have wronged us. Our will, can kick in and tempt us to become stubborn and unforgiving and our emotions can throw Pity parties all over the place. This is why David writes in Psalm 103:1:
'Bless the Lord O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name.'
As we allow our souls to bless God and Praise His Name, our mind, will and emotions begin to be set free, in fact, totally liberated, because, Praise brings please!
Remember the deer, in chase as it reaches the water, it jumps right in there. Perhaps you need to approach the living water that only Jesus has:
'The water that I shall give him will become in him, a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.' (John 4:14.)
Why not rush up and jump in and get totally saturated in Jesus? Let Him refresh and soothe your pain and satisfy your thirst.
You know it makes sense.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
Sunday 18 August 2019
Deception
"During that time, the devil came and said to Him. 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread'. " Matthew 4:3. New Living Translation
Notice how the devil tried to deceive Jesus. He attempted to place doubt into His mind about who he was, 'If you are the Son of God.' Jesus had been in the desert for 40 days and nights. he must have been cold, very tired and extremely hungry. Don't forget that Jesus was in His human form and subject to what happens to all human beings. He could easily have started to doubt when the devil said this. It may only have been down to interpretation; the 'if' may just have been, 'since.' However, Jesus was struggling. We see this from the following:"Then the devil, went away and angels came and took care of Jesus" (Matthew 4:11) Therefore, Jesus could well have fell to the devil's lies and deceit, but He didn't!
Next, we see that the devil used Jesus' hunger to tempt Him to turn the stones into loaves of bread. William Barclay writes, 'In the desert around Jesus, was many round stones that looked remarkably like bread. Perhaps this is why Satan caused Jesus to look at them.'
Jesus was more than likely very hungry and as he looked at these stones, the devil hoped He would be tempted to change them to bread. You know, the devil is so predictable. He did very similar to Eve in the Garden of Eden:
"The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and it's fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it."
Genesis 3:6
The devil used similar tactics on Jesus and he will do the same to you as well, if you allow him to. The more we look into the face of temptation, the harder it is to resist; and before we know it, we are in deep trouble.
The word 'Deception' means:
'Those measures designed to mislead the enemy by manipulation, distortion and falsification of evidence to induce the enemy to react in a manner prejudicial to the enemies interests'
The devil uses deception quite often and we are his enemy. He will do all he can to lead us off the path to Jesus. He has wrecked many lives and he wants to wreck yours too, if you allow him to. This is why we need to be alert:
"Stay alert. Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8
Don't let it be you!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
Saturday 17 August 2019
Is there a New Season in your life?
"This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old is gone; a new life has begun." 2 Corinthians 5:17. New Living Translation
At the right time, Jesus left His home in Galilee, never to return to live there again; and He headed towards Capernaum. He had a job to do. John the Baptist had paved the way; it was now time for Jesus to fulfil His ministry and forge a way forward. He would no longer be a carpenter, but Jesus, the Son of God doing what He was sent to do. The old door had closed and He walked through the new one into a brand new chapter of His life. The changes would be amazing and for many, hard to handle. 'One minute He is the carpenter; now He is a preacher, calling Himself the Son of God.' Major changes and great difficulties.
It's always hard to negotiate change. We're used to a rigid set of plans and rules and when someone comes along and changes this situation, it can be difficult to accept. It can be so stressful also, for the person who has to do it. Moving house, moving jobs and even schools can be very hard to handle. As one door closes and a new one opens, regret, distress and fear can kick in together with, 'Am I doing the right thing here.'
The thing is, seasons come and go and we need to be able and willing to move along with them. As Christians, if God has directed a change in our direction, then we know without fail that He will guide us through whatever he has in store for us.
Peter and Andrew, together with others, had a profitable fishing business. That is until Jesus turned up and said, 'Follow Me:'
'(18) One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers - Simon also called Peter and Andrew, throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. (19) Jesus called out to them, "Come follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people." (20) And they left their nets at once and followed Him.'
Matthew 4:18-20. New Living Translation
Notice something here; Jesus called to them and they followed Him, at once without even considering it. They had probably never seen Jesus before but something drew them to Him and made them obedient. For them, the old had gone and the new one had arrived. An old chapter had closed and a new one had begun.
Doors close and new doors open, with new opportunities. The new can appear daunting at first, making us want to stick to what we know. Know what I mean? However, we need to get ready - all of us, for the main door that will close - our lives - and the new one that will open - Heaven. This is one chapter that none of us will be able to prevent, no matter how hard we try. But until then, God has something special in store for us.
Is God showing you something new? Is a door about to close and a new one about to open in your life and you're not 100% certain of it. You never will be. This is where we need to let our faith take over. A new chapter is a new beginning in a way. It can be exciting and very rewarding too. But you won't know until you do what Peter and Andrew did - 'they left their nets at once and followed Him.'
Do you trust Jesus? Do you think He would lead you into a problem? Of course we can trust Him and He would never lead us into problems.
If God has flagged up change for you, don't you think you should do it?
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
At the right time, Jesus left His home in Galilee, never to return to live there again; and He headed towards Capernaum. He had a job to do. John the Baptist had paved the way; it was now time for Jesus to fulfil His ministry and forge a way forward. He would no longer be a carpenter, but Jesus, the Son of God doing what He was sent to do. The old door had closed and He walked through the new one into a brand new chapter of His life. The changes would be amazing and for many, hard to handle. 'One minute He is the carpenter; now He is a preacher, calling Himself the Son of God.' Major changes and great difficulties.
It's always hard to negotiate change. We're used to a rigid set of plans and rules and when someone comes along and changes this situation, it can be difficult to accept. It can be so stressful also, for the person who has to do it. Moving house, moving jobs and even schools can be very hard to handle. As one door closes and a new one opens, regret, distress and fear can kick in together with, 'Am I doing the right thing here.'
The thing is, seasons come and go and we need to be able and willing to move along with them. As Christians, if God has directed a change in our direction, then we know without fail that He will guide us through whatever he has in store for us.
Peter and Andrew, together with others, had a profitable fishing business. That is until Jesus turned up and said, 'Follow Me:'
'(18) One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers - Simon also called Peter and Andrew, throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. (19) Jesus called out to them, "Come follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people." (20) And they left their nets at once and followed Him.'
Matthew 4:18-20. New Living Translation
Notice something here; Jesus called to them and they followed Him, at once without even considering it. They had probably never seen Jesus before but something drew them to Him and made them obedient. For them, the old had gone and the new one had arrived. An old chapter had closed and a new one had begun.
Doors close and new doors open, with new opportunities. The new can appear daunting at first, making us want to stick to what we know. Know what I mean? However, we need to get ready - all of us, for the main door that will close - our lives - and the new one that will open - Heaven. This is one chapter that none of us will be able to prevent, no matter how hard we try. But until then, God has something special in store for us.
Is God showing you something new? Is a door about to close and a new one about to open in your life and you're not 100% certain of it. You never will be. This is where we need to let our faith take over. A new chapter is a new beginning in a way. It can be exciting and very rewarding too. But you won't know until you do what Peter and Andrew did - 'they left their nets at once and followed Him.'
Do you trust Jesus? Do you think He would lead you into a problem? Of course we can trust Him and He would never lead us into problems.
If God has flagged up change for you, don't you think you should do it?
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Friday 16 August 2019
No Compromise
"(1) Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD. (2) Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts. (3) They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His paths. (4) You have charged us to keep Your commandments carefully." Psalm 119:1-4 New Living Translation
One of the biggest temptations in this world, is for us to fall to the level of compromise. It is all around us. We have television that show us films and dramas, that although they are good entertainment value, are suspect in presentation. There are DVD's that also present us with the same kind of thing. Further to this, there is certain types of music and some bars to visit that really should be avoided, and that's just a start.
At the risk of being a spoilsport, this is serious business. Most weeks, we hear of rapes, stabbings, people being mugged and beaten up and even some people being shot or murdered. We live in a dangerous society and we have to make a stand and draw the line of what we do and where we we go.
Colossians 2:8 states:
One of the biggest temptations in this world, is for us to fall to the level of compromise. It is all around us. We have television that show us films and dramas, that although they are good entertainment value, are suspect in presentation. There are DVD's that also present us with the same kind of thing. Further to this, there is certain types of music and some bars to visit that really should be avoided, and that's just a start.
At the risk of being a spoilsport, this is serious business. Most weeks, we hear of rapes, stabbings, people being mugged and beaten up and even some people being shot or murdered. We live in a dangerous society and we have to make a stand and draw the line of what we do and where we we go.
Colossians 2:8 states:
'Don't let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.'
The word 'capture' here, means to plunder or take you captive; also to lead you away as prey. Think about those meanings for a moment. There are many ways that people can become hoodwinked by evil or taken in with scams and false beliefs. Many times, certain people from other religions knock on our doors, or stop us in the street, intending to tell us all about their faith, which they say is the truth. Most of them are very convincing and many fall to the things that they say and offer.
Then of course, there are the people who push drugs or try to get us involved in activities that we know are wrong and against all that God stands for. You may think, 'that could never happen to me, I've got my head screwed on and I know what to look for.' This may be true, but you may get caught out one day if you're not careful.
There are so many scams about and it is only going to get worse. Oftentimes, you may receive emails that somehow have avoided the Junk mail and ended up in your inbox. The content may sound so convincing, and let's face it, that is the nature of a scam. Many people have fell foul to these scams and have been conned out of a lot of money. The people that conduct these scams, are not our friends. Therefore, we need to wise up.
It is nice to go out and have a drink, especially if a meal is included too. However, we need to be careful that we know our limit. That one drink too many can lead to much embarrassment, shame or disaster.
God wants us to enjoy ourselves and there are a lot of ways for us to do that. He has blessed us with so many things in life. We have beautiful music, really good books, great hobbies and of course, our families and friends. There is no need to compromise, but we can if we're not careful. Really, it is being in control of ourself, walking in the Spirit and being guided by God in all we do.
'My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don't lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk, stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet, stay on the safe path. don't get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.'
Proverbs 4:20-27. New Living Translation
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
Thursday 15 August 2019
Alone with God Part 2
"Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place and there He prayed." Mark 1:35. NKJV
It must be noted that being alone, even in Jesus' presence, can be a vulnerable place to be. Jesus discovered this when He went out to the wilderness - a solitary place and the devil came and attacked Him spiritually. Therefore, we can be sure that he will do the same to each of us when we choose to be alone with God. Satan came along and tempted and tested Jesus with all that he had.
Spiritual attacks usually follow great moments in our lives. Jesus had just been baptised and the Holy Spirit with the appearance of a dove, fell upon Him. It was a great moment, one in which the devil was not amused. Immediately, the Spirit took Jesus into the wilderness (Mark 1:10-13) and there Jesus met His tempter.
It was similar with other great men and woman of God and still is today. You may have noticed this. You've just had a wonderful blessing and shortly afterwards, some sort of attack comes along trying to steal your blessing. This kind of thing will never stop until we are in Heaven - a place where satan will not be allowed.
It's interesting too, that Jesus must have relayed this account to His disciples. Don't forget, He was alone, so the only way it could have been included in the Gospels, was if Jesus had mentioned this.
As much as it is a blessing and very much needed in order to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus, we must realise that the devil will not be wanting this to happen. He knows that we will a stronger threat to him if we become more like Jesus. So, he will throw all he can at us to try to prevent this happening. There will be distractions - things that will be sent to take us away from this special time with Jesus. These distractions, may come in the way of, the telephone ringing and the feeling that we must answer it because it may be very important. Someone may turn up at the house unexpectedly, or there may be other things that appear so important that we've got to attend to straightaway.
God will be the perfect gentleman as we spend time alone with Him. However, He may bring things to our attention that we don't wish to hear about. There may be someone brought to our mind who we have wronged and He may want us to go and put this right with them. There may be people brought to our attention that we need to forgive for hurting us. Or He may wish us to address a very difficult time in our life; a time where our heart was broken. We may have tried to bury this, but like painting a cracked wall with whitewash, the cracks soon come back to the surface. He may wish to bring us healing on this matter.
Let me say here, He can be trusted and will treat you like a treasured piece of china that may shatter if it's handled roughly. Trust Him. He knows best and the thing is, you will end up more liberated than you ever have been before.
There are great benefits in being alone with God, but it will not always be easy; but it will be fulfilling!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
It must be noted that being alone, even in Jesus' presence, can be a vulnerable place to be. Jesus discovered this when He went out to the wilderness - a solitary place and the devil came and attacked Him spiritually. Therefore, we can be sure that he will do the same to each of us when we choose to be alone with God. Satan came along and tempted and tested Jesus with all that he had.
Spiritual attacks usually follow great moments in our lives. Jesus had just been baptised and the Holy Spirit with the appearance of a dove, fell upon Him. It was a great moment, one in which the devil was not amused. Immediately, the Spirit took Jesus into the wilderness (Mark 1:10-13) and there Jesus met His tempter.
It was similar with other great men and woman of God and still is today. You may have noticed this. You've just had a wonderful blessing and shortly afterwards, some sort of attack comes along trying to steal your blessing. This kind of thing will never stop until we are in Heaven - a place where satan will not be allowed.
It's interesting too, that Jesus must have relayed this account to His disciples. Don't forget, He was alone, so the only way it could have been included in the Gospels, was if Jesus had mentioned this.
As much as it is a blessing and very much needed in order to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus, we must realise that the devil will not be wanting this to happen. He knows that we will a stronger threat to him if we become more like Jesus. So, he will throw all he can at us to try to prevent this happening. There will be distractions - things that will be sent to take us away from this special time with Jesus. These distractions, may come in the way of, the telephone ringing and the feeling that we must answer it because it may be very important. Someone may turn up at the house unexpectedly, or there may be other things that appear so important that we've got to attend to straightaway.
God will be the perfect gentleman as we spend time alone with Him. However, He may bring things to our attention that we don't wish to hear about. There may be someone brought to our mind who we have wronged and He may want us to go and put this right with them. There may be people brought to our attention that we need to forgive for hurting us. Or He may wish us to address a very difficult time in our life; a time where our heart was broken. We may have tried to bury this, but like painting a cracked wall with whitewash, the cracks soon come back to the surface. He may wish to bring us healing on this matter.
Let me say here, He can be trusted and will treat you like a treasured piece of china that may shatter if it's handled roughly. Trust Him. He knows best and the thing is, you will end up more liberated than you ever have been before.
There are great benefits in being alone with God, but it will not always be easy; but it will be fulfilling!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Wednesday 14 August 2019
Alone with God
"Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place and there He prayed." Mark 1:35. NKJV
Don't neglect prayer and time with God. There's a time for praying in public and it's very important. But there is also a special time that we need to be alone with God.
During the times that we are alone with God, we can pour out our heart without fear of anyone hearing our personal stuff. It's also a time where God can speak to us clearly and minister to us. We are more likely to lay on the floor, shout out loudly or sing praise to Him, when we are alone.
William Barclay says:
'It may well be that we often go wrong, simply because we never try to be alone. There are certain things which can only be worked out alone. There are times when no one else's advice is any good. There are times when it becomes necessary to stop acting and start thinking. It may be that we often make mistakes because we do not give ourselves a chance to be alone with God.'
Being alone, we have time to think things through. We're away from the hum drum of life and our thinking can be energised because of it. It is essential that we do have time to think things through, because then we can offer them to God in prayer.
Jesus was very popular, as we know. Wherever He went, He drew crowds of people to Him. Now, we may not be that gregarious, but if Jesus needed to be alone, we definitely do.
When was the last time that you put on a worship CD and just laid on the floor and let it minister to you? Have you ever done that? You can do this when you're alone with God much more than in a crowded room or church hall. In fact, many of us, wouldn't think of doing such a thing in public, but if we did, we may miss that very special time when the Holy Spirit wants to reveal things to us. If Jesus did this, then He demonstrates how important it must be.
Praying in the car is a good opportunity to spend time with God, that's if you're alone. However, please don't lay on the floor while you're driving.
There is so much Jesus wants to reveal to you. He loves spending time alone with you, because you're His child and He has so much to give you.
Timing is important though. If you notice in our text, Jesus got up a long time before daylight. This way, He was less likely to have any followers around at that time. What would work for you? Early morning? Mid-morning or evening? It would be determined by your circumstances obviously, but you would benefit from a regular time. Your body clock would then get used to this time.
Being alone with God, in a solitary place has huge advantages for your spiritual walk, so I encourage you to give it a go. I am certain it would benefit you; and your prayer and study life would escalate. You would also have a deeper walk with Jesus.
Give it a try!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Don't neglect prayer and time with God. There's a time for praying in public and it's very important. But there is also a special time that we need to be alone with God.
During the times that we are alone with God, we can pour out our heart without fear of anyone hearing our personal stuff. It's also a time where God can speak to us clearly and minister to us. We are more likely to lay on the floor, shout out loudly or sing praise to Him, when we are alone.
William Barclay says:
'It may well be that we often go wrong, simply because we never try to be alone. There are certain things which can only be worked out alone. There are times when no one else's advice is any good. There are times when it becomes necessary to stop acting and start thinking. It may be that we often make mistakes because we do not give ourselves a chance to be alone with God.'
Being alone, we have time to think things through. We're away from the hum drum of life and our thinking can be energised because of it. It is essential that we do have time to think things through, because then we can offer them to God in prayer.
Jesus was very popular, as we know. Wherever He went, He drew crowds of people to Him. Now, we may not be that gregarious, but if Jesus needed to be alone, we definitely do.
When was the last time that you put on a worship CD and just laid on the floor and let it minister to you? Have you ever done that? You can do this when you're alone with God much more than in a crowded room or church hall. In fact, many of us, wouldn't think of doing such a thing in public, but if we did, we may miss that very special time when the Holy Spirit wants to reveal things to us. If Jesus did this, then He demonstrates how important it must be.
Praying in the car is a good opportunity to spend time with God, that's if you're alone. However, please don't lay on the floor while you're driving.
There is so much Jesus wants to reveal to you. He loves spending time alone with you, because you're His child and He has so much to give you.
Timing is important though. If you notice in our text, Jesus got up a long time before daylight. This way, He was less likely to have any followers around at that time. What would work for you? Early morning? Mid-morning or evening? It would be determined by your circumstances obviously, but you would benefit from a regular time. Your body clock would then get used to this time.
Being alone with God, in a solitary place has huge advantages for your spiritual walk, so I encourage you to give it a go. I am certain it would benefit you; and your prayer and study life would escalate. You would also have a deeper walk with Jesus.
Give it a try!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Tuesday 13 August 2019
Surprises
"When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all, with one accord, in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from Heaven, as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting." Acts 2:1-2. NKJV
The people of God were all gathered together - in one accord - when the power of the Holy Spirit came down upon them. Things always happen big time, when God's people are together in unity. The Holy Spirit loves this and can work with the togetherness. If you want your church or group to grow and have power too, make it a practise to be together in harmony with God and each other.
God really shook that place and the people that day, and things were never to be the same again. It was a 'suddeny,' a powerful surprise from God. God loves surprises, I do too, don't you? I had a lovely surprise the other day. One of my Grandson's had missed my birthday - no surprise there Lol. He telephoned his Grandma, my wife, and told her that he wanted to buy me a vinyl album, did she know what I would like? Strangely enough, we had only been talking about my favourite singer who had released a new album that I would like.
Without any knowledge of this, I was relaxing at home when there was a knock at the door. Wondering who this could be on a Sunday afternoon, I opened the door to see a delivery man with a parcel in his hand. When he had left, I opened the parcel, still wondering what could be inside, as I had not ordered anything myself. I was overjoyed to find the album of my favourite singer, that we had been discussing a few days earlier. I was stunned and speechless at first and reading the piece of paper inside, I saw that my Grandson had purchased and sent it to me. What a wonderful surprise this was. It was a suddenly! God is like that; He loves surprising and blessing His children.
God is the God of the suddenly. A suddenly is something that happens quickly and unexpectedly. It's a happening without warning or delay. It can happen instantly, all at once. And God can change things Suddenly, in the blink of an eye or perhaps within an hour. It may take a day for things to happen or just one moment. God is a good Father and likes to surprise His children.
If He hasn't already, God wants to surprise you too. He loves it and loves to see the joy these surprises give us. He's our Father and parents love to bless their children. Rather like the delivery to myself, things can happen very suddenly. It may be so quickly that it takes your breath away.
You may be thinking, 'I don't get any surprises.' Well you had better watch out for them because they're headed your way. Just get on with your daily life; include God in all you do and say, and God, who listens to all of our conversations, may send a beautiful surprise your way - suddenly. In fact, it may be in the pipeline right now.
Just enjoy your daily life with Jesus
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
The people of God were all gathered together - in one accord - when the power of the Holy Spirit came down upon them. Things always happen big time, when God's people are together in unity. The Holy Spirit loves this and can work with the togetherness. If you want your church or group to grow and have power too, make it a practise to be together in harmony with God and each other.
God really shook that place and the people that day, and things were never to be the same again. It was a 'suddeny,' a powerful surprise from God. God loves surprises, I do too, don't you? I had a lovely surprise the other day. One of my Grandson's had missed my birthday - no surprise there Lol. He telephoned his Grandma, my wife, and told her that he wanted to buy me a vinyl album, did she know what I would like? Strangely enough, we had only been talking about my favourite singer who had released a new album that I would like.
Without any knowledge of this, I was relaxing at home when there was a knock at the door. Wondering who this could be on a Sunday afternoon, I opened the door to see a delivery man with a parcel in his hand. When he had left, I opened the parcel, still wondering what could be inside, as I had not ordered anything myself. I was overjoyed to find the album of my favourite singer, that we had been discussing a few days earlier. I was stunned and speechless at first and reading the piece of paper inside, I saw that my Grandson had purchased and sent it to me. What a wonderful surprise this was. It was a suddenly! God is like that; He loves surprising and blessing His children.
God is the God of the suddenly. A suddenly is something that happens quickly and unexpectedly. It's a happening without warning or delay. It can happen instantly, all at once. And God can change things Suddenly, in the blink of an eye or perhaps within an hour. It may take a day for things to happen or just one moment. God is a good Father and likes to surprise His children.
If He hasn't already, God wants to surprise you too. He loves it and loves to see the joy these surprises give us. He's our Father and parents love to bless their children. Rather like the delivery to myself, things can happen very suddenly. It may be so quickly that it takes your breath away.
You may be thinking, 'I don't get any surprises.' Well you had better watch out for them because they're headed your way. Just get on with your daily life; include God in all you do and say, and God, who listens to all of our conversations, may send a beautiful surprise your way - suddenly. In fact, it may be in the pipeline right now.
Just enjoy your daily life with Jesus
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Monday 12 August 2019
Repentance
"Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."
Matthew 3:2. New Living Translation
John the Baptist, was the forerunner to Jesus. He was the son of Mary's relative, Elizabeth who Mary visited prior to Jesus being born. He was a strange character, who wore clothes woven from camel hair. He also wore a thick leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. Perhaps, not the diet that we would find appetising.
John came to the wilderness of Judea and preached: 'Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.'
The Greek for repentance is a word called metanoeo. Meta means 'after' and Noeo means 'to think'. Repentance therefore, is a decision that results in a change of mind, which in turn, leads to a change of purpose and action. (data from The Spirit Filled Life Bible)
So repentance is a change of direction; a change of attitude towards God and conduct of life.
William Barclay wrote:
'The true penitent, is he who has the opportunity to do the same sin again, in the same circumstances, and who does not do it.'
There is one question that seems uppermost in my mind as I read this part of scripture, and that is:
Why was Jesus baptised by John? When you ponder this it just doesn't make sense. Jesus had come to save sinners. He was God and no sin had ever dwelt within Him. So why did He ask to be baptised?
One of the reasons may have been Jesus demonstrating by example. He was willing to do what He was asking others to do. He knew that there was no need for Him to do this but it may have been an act of, 'I want you to do as I am doing.'This was very likely along with the fact that follows.
The most possible answer is the fact that, never before in Jewish history had any Jew submitted to baptism. It was for converts to Judaism from other faiths, not for them. It was for sinners not for the Jew, after all, they were God's chosen people.
However, it may have been Jesus' intention to approach John the Baptist, at the Jordan and undergo baptism to allow the Jews to witness this; and therefore come under conviction, that they too, were sinners and all though they were God's chosen, they still needed to accept Jesus and be baptised. This is what Jesus told Nicodemus, a prominent Jewish religious leader, when he secretly met with Jesus. Nicodemus had spoken with Jesus and Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God. (John 3: 1-21)
The Jews who witnessed Jesus being baptised were shocked at the act but as Jesus intended, they were more than likely under conviction that they too, needed to do this. It also caused many of them to become hostile towards Jesus too.
The fact of the matter is, unless we repent of our sin - our behaviour and attitudes, and change direction towards God, Jesus' words will be relevant for us too and we won't see the Kingdom of Heaven either. Sobering words, but we need to take notice of them and if need be, repent.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
daillifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Matthew 3:2. New Living Translation
John the Baptist, was the forerunner to Jesus. He was the son of Mary's relative, Elizabeth who Mary visited prior to Jesus being born. He was a strange character, who wore clothes woven from camel hair. He also wore a thick leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. Perhaps, not the diet that we would find appetising.
John came to the wilderness of Judea and preached: 'Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.'
The Greek for repentance is a word called metanoeo. Meta means 'after' and Noeo means 'to think'. Repentance therefore, is a decision that results in a change of mind, which in turn, leads to a change of purpose and action. (data from The Spirit Filled Life Bible)
So repentance is a change of direction; a change of attitude towards God and conduct of life.
William Barclay wrote:
'The true penitent, is he who has the opportunity to do the same sin again, in the same circumstances, and who does not do it.'
There is one question that seems uppermost in my mind as I read this part of scripture, and that is:
Why was Jesus baptised by John? When you ponder this it just doesn't make sense. Jesus had come to save sinners. He was God and no sin had ever dwelt within Him. So why did He ask to be baptised?
One of the reasons may have been Jesus demonstrating by example. He was willing to do what He was asking others to do. He knew that there was no need for Him to do this but it may have been an act of, 'I want you to do as I am doing.'This was very likely along with the fact that follows.
The most possible answer is the fact that, never before in Jewish history had any Jew submitted to baptism. It was for converts to Judaism from other faiths, not for them. It was for sinners not for the Jew, after all, they were God's chosen people.
However, it may have been Jesus' intention to approach John the Baptist, at the Jordan and undergo baptism to allow the Jews to witness this; and therefore come under conviction, that they too, were sinners and all though they were God's chosen, they still needed to accept Jesus and be baptised. This is what Jesus told Nicodemus, a prominent Jewish religious leader, when he secretly met with Jesus. Nicodemus had spoken with Jesus and Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God. (John 3: 1-21)
The Jews who witnessed Jesus being baptised were shocked at the act but as Jesus intended, they were more than likely under conviction that they too, needed to do this. It also caused many of them to become hostile towards Jesus too.
The fact of the matter is, unless we repent of our sin - our behaviour and attitudes, and change direction towards God, Jesus' words will be relevant for us too and we won't see the Kingdom of Heaven either. Sobering words, but we need to take notice of them and if need be, repent.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
daillifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Sunday 11 August 2019
You are Blessed
"Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it." Luke 11:28. NKJV
When things come against us like a hurricane, trying to rob us of what faith we have left, it is very difficult to believe that God cares for us. But He does. He never promised us a bed of roses. He asked us to follow Him and that is all. We did and picked up our cross and walked with Him. We can hardly complain when things go wrong and irritate and hurt us. We signed up to follow Him. He is our Commanding Officer; we've signed on the dotted line and we are soldiers of Christ. And soldiers get shot at from time to time.
At times such as this, we need to remember, all He has done for us and realise, all He will do in the future, including a place in His mansion in Heaven at the end of our road. I like the words of the old chorus:
When things come against us like a hurricane, trying to rob us of what faith we have left, it is very difficult to believe that God cares for us. But He does. He never promised us a bed of roses. He asked us to follow Him and that is all. We did and picked up our cross and walked with Him. We can hardly complain when things go wrong and irritate and hurt us. We signed up to follow Him. He is our Commanding Officer; we've signed on the dotted line and we are soldiers of Christ. And soldiers get shot at from time to time.
At times such as this, we need to remember, all He has done for us and realise, all He will do in the future, including a place in His mansion in Heaven at the end of our road. I like the words of the old chorus:
'Are you ever burdened with a load of care,
does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear;
Count your many blessings every doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.
Count your blessings name them one by one,
Count your blessings see what God hath done,
Count your blessings, name them one by one
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
(Count Your Blessings Copyright Johnson Oatman Jr)
Our text for today says, 'Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it.' When the flak comes against us, these are the times that we need to keep God's Word and encourage ourselves in it. Whatever you are going through at this time, think of all God has done for you. Think of the many times that He has rescued you; the times that He accompanied you to somewhere you were frightened to go; the times when He has supplied when you had nothing; the job He has given you, together with your family and friends; your pets.
You know, God has done so much for each and everyone of us. It helps us to write things down and just be grateful and surprised at those times when all was lost and He turned up and helped us. These are called blessings and He has many for us.
Don't give up - Look up - and you'll find Jesus right at your side.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
Saturday 10 August 2019
Do they see Jesus Part 2
"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which your were called; with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."
Ephesians 4:1-3. NKJV
The Apostle Paul talks about:
Our calling
When I was very young, my aim in life was to be a vicar. But my motivations for this was in question. I wanted to be a vicar because, they only worked one day a week - Sunday; the rest of the week was their own. I was only five at the time but that was my observation. How wrong I was. Someone, not long after that told me, that their's was not a job but a vocation and they needed a calling from God for this ministry. It took a little time for this to sink in, but I finally fathomed it out.
To serve God, He calls us out; rather like when He spoke to the early disciples by saying to them, 'Follow Me.' (Matthew 8:22). If we're willing to serve Him, he will take us up on it, but it will not be an easy road. It takes all we've got.
Lowliness
God expects us to follow Him and do what He asks of us. This is not a time to get puffed up because we're serving Him, but an honour and one that we should take very seriously. He trusts us enough to ask us to follow Him. When amazing manifestations of the Holy Spirit accompany our walk with Him, it is Jesus who needs to take the glory, not us. Our reward is being grateful that Jesus Himself, has asked us to go along with Him.
Gentleness
Everything about Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is gentle. There is never hustle and bustle; stress or division. He is a gentleman and treats us with respect and kindness. He expects us to do the same to all we meet. The world offers disunity. Jesus offers unity and that is what we should be striving for- togetherness. When we work at things together, things go comparatively well. When we're divided, and out of step with each other, things can go haywire. Be gentle as Jesus is gentle.
Long-suffering/Bearing with one another
Long-suffering has the power to take revenge, but never does. It is forgiving and generous. This can be difficult when people are rude and arrogant to us and when we are used and abused. Jesus doesn't want us to be a doormat, but equally, He doesn't want us squaring up for a fight every time someone wrongs us. We see how fiery Peter was in the early days of his calling. However, as he spent more time with Jesus, gaining more and more experience and then the baptism of fire at Pentecost, Peter was never the same again. But this takes time. Until then, we are in training.
Bearing with one another is very similar. We're all different, with different personalities. Some are laid back, some charge into a china shop like a bull. We're totally different. However, we serve the same God and He looks upon us and sees no difference at all. He has no favourites and wishes that we don't either. He hates little huddles where the elite are invited in but others discouraged. At times, it can be like the scene from the cowboy films, where a stranger walks into a saloon bar and suddenly everything freezes, even the music, as everyone stares at this person. It can be very much the same in some churches. This shouldn't be and God would have us change this and bear with everyone with an attitude that all are welcome.
For people to see Jesus in us, He wants us to stay humble; God is our source and no one else. Every step that we take must be synchronised to the beat of the Holy Spirit as we serve and obey Him out of gratitude. Finally, He wants us to deny temptation; beating our bodies into submission and not be promoting our own agendas but Gods.
If we can get this right, people will begin to see Jesus in us wherever we go.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Ephesians 4:1-3. NKJV
The Apostle Paul talks about:
Our calling
When I was very young, my aim in life was to be a vicar. But my motivations for this was in question. I wanted to be a vicar because, they only worked one day a week - Sunday; the rest of the week was their own. I was only five at the time but that was my observation. How wrong I was. Someone, not long after that told me, that their's was not a job but a vocation and they needed a calling from God for this ministry. It took a little time for this to sink in, but I finally fathomed it out.
To serve God, He calls us out; rather like when He spoke to the early disciples by saying to them, 'Follow Me.' (Matthew 8:22). If we're willing to serve Him, he will take us up on it, but it will not be an easy road. It takes all we've got.
Lowliness
God expects us to follow Him and do what He asks of us. This is not a time to get puffed up because we're serving Him, but an honour and one that we should take very seriously. He trusts us enough to ask us to follow Him. When amazing manifestations of the Holy Spirit accompany our walk with Him, it is Jesus who needs to take the glory, not us. Our reward is being grateful that Jesus Himself, has asked us to go along with Him.
Gentleness
Everything about Jesus and the Holy Spirit, is gentle. There is never hustle and bustle; stress or division. He is a gentleman and treats us with respect and kindness. He expects us to do the same to all we meet. The world offers disunity. Jesus offers unity and that is what we should be striving for- togetherness. When we work at things together, things go comparatively well. When we're divided, and out of step with each other, things can go haywire. Be gentle as Jesus is gentle.
Long-suffering/Bearing with one another
Long-suffering has the power to take revenge, but never does. It is forgiving and generous. This can be difficult when people are rude and arrogant to us and when we are used and abused. Jesus doesn't want us to be a doormat, but equally, He doesn't want us squaring up for a fight every time someone wrongs us. We see how fiery Peter was in the early days of his calling. However, as he spent more time with Jesus, gaining more and more experience and then the baptism of fire at Pentecost, Peter was never the same again. But this takes time. Until then, we are in training.
Bearing with one another is very similar. We're all different, with different personalities. Some are laid back, some charge into a china shop like a bull. We're totally different. However, we serve the same God and He looks upon us and sees no difference at all. He has no favourites and wishes that we don't either. He hates little huddles where the elite are invited in but others discouraged. At times, it can be like the scene from the cowboy films, where a stranger walks into a saloon bar and suddenly everything freezes, even the music, as everyone stares at this person. It can be very much the same in some churches. This shouldn't be and God would have us change this and bear with everyone with an attitude that all are welcome.
For people to see Jesus in us, He wants us to stay humble; God is our source and no one else. Every step that we take must be synchronised to the beat of the Holy Spirit as we serve and obey Him out of gratitude. Finally, He wants us to deny temptation; beating our bodies into submission and not be promoting our own agendas but Gods.
If we can get this right, people will begin to see Jesus in us wherever we go.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Friday 9 August 2019
Do they see Jesus? Part 1
"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which your were called; with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3. NKJV
Mostly, unbelievers don't go to church, except for special occasions. What they pick up of Christianity is what they witness in us. We are the bible to them, in fact, we represent Jesus to them. But just what do they see? Unbelievers have been heard to say, very often, 'If that is being a Christian, I don't want to know; they're hypocrites.'
Many times that may be true. But just because a person attends church each week, it does not make them a Christian. They may be seeing the wrong side of Christianity because the person they look at, may not be walking with Jesus. They may be just a churchgoer and that is all. Let me explain:
Keith Green used to say:
'Going to church each week, or having the biggest bible does not make you a Christian, anymore than going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger.'
Being a Christian means that a person has recognised that they are sinners and that they need Jesus Christ in their hearts to forgive and cleanse them from their sin and be their Lord and Saviour.
Therefore an unbeliever may get an unclear message about Christianity from someone who has never made a commitment to Jesus. However, if a person is a Christian but isn't walking with Him, they may give off this hypocrisy to the watchers. And this is where we have to be careful and clean up our act. We cannot serve Jesus and the world. One of them has to go. It's clean up time!
For all of us who accepted Jesus into our hearts, we have a calling from Him to do a certain task. It is finding out that task that can trip people up. Some people's calling are not that clear but it may be that your calling is to honour Jesus and let Him be seen in you. Yes, there will be times when an unbeliever sees the wrong side of you, but it shouldn't be on a regular basis.
Tomorrow let us look at this area in a little bit more detail
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Mostly, unbelievers don't go to church, except for special occasions. What they pick up of Christianity is what they witness in us. We are the bible to them, in fact, we represent Jesus to them. But just what do they see? Unbelievers have been heard to say, very often, 'If that is being a Christian, I don't want to know; they're hypocrites.'
Many times that may be true. But just because a person attends church each week, it does not make them a Christian. They may be seeing the wrong side of Christianity because the person they look at, may not be walking with Jesus. They may be just a churchgoer and that is all. Let me explain:
Keith Green used to say:
'Going to church each week, or having the biggest bible does not make you a Christian, anymore than going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger.'
Being a Christian means that a person has recognised that they are sinners and that they need Jesus Christ in their hearts to forgive and cleanse them from their sin and be their Lord and Saviour.
Therefore an unbeliever may get an unclear message about Christianity from someone who has never made a commitment to Jesus. However, if a person is a Christian but isn't walking with Him, they may give off this hypocrisy to the watchers. And this is where we have to be careful and clean up our act. We cannot serve Jesus and the world. One of them has to go. It's clean up time!
For all of us who accepted Jesus into our hearts, we have a calling from Him to do a certain task. It is finding out that task that can trip people up. Some people's calling are not that clear but it may be that your calling is to honour Jesus and let Him be seen in you. Yes, there will be times when an unbeliever sees the wrong side of you, but it shouldn't be on a regular basis.
Tomorrow let us look at this area in a little bit more detail
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Thursday 8 August 2019
You are loved so much
"I in them, and You in Me, that they be made perfect in one and that the world may know that You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me."
John 17:23. NKJV
In my opinion, this is one of the most treasured verses in the New Testament. It is awesome and confirms the love that God has for each one of us; that he loves us as much as He loves His Son, Jesus. I don't know about you, but every time that I read this, it overwhelms me. I mean, what have we ever done that deserves such love- nothing; we just receive it by grace, God's unmerited favour.
I felt God speak to me about this verse 20 years ago. Quite simply, I felt Him say, 'If people would grasp and believe this truth, it would revolutionise their whole life.' And it would too. There's a lot of hurting people in this world. People are grieving because their wife or husband has left them and may have committed adultery. Another may have lost all of their hard-earned money on a scam, that seem to be everywhere at this time. Couples may not be able to pay their mortgage and are near to eviction, and the ultimate - death, may have struck someone very close to us. Pain, pain and more pain.
At times, it can feel that there's no one in this world that we trust and no one appears to love us. Actually, some may love us, but it's extremely difficult to believe this when you have been hurt and betrayed so much in your life. The suicide rate is going up each and every day because, to some, there's no other way, it's a quick exit to ending all of the hurt and rubbish that is being thrown against us.
If that's the way you are feeling at this moment, STOP AND LISTEN, Jesus Christ loves you, the Father sent Him to this earth to shed His life for us, so that we could share in His eternity - Heaven and be protected and loved for ever. This is what this verse is all about. God couldn't demonstrate anymore than He has. He allowed Jesus, His precious Son, to die in our place so that we could have a hope. Please don't feel that no one cares. Jesus does; the Father does.
Today, before you do anything else, get down on your knees and pray:
'Father, thank you that you sent Jesus Christ to save me, and love me as You love Him. I need You. Jesus please forgive me for all of my sin and come and live in my heart. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and be my Lord and Saviour from this day forward.
I ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen.'
It doesn't matter what the world thinks about you, not when you have the most amazing friend - Jesus. Cherish Him and walk with Him from this day forward.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
John 17:23. NKJV
In my opinion, this is one of the most treasured verses in the New Testament. It is awesome and confirms the love that God has for each one of us; that he loves us as much as He loves His Son, Jesus. I don't know about you, but every time that I read this, it overwhelms me. I mean, what have we ever done that deserves such love- nothing; we just receive it by grace, God's unmerited favour.
I felt God speak to me about this verse 20 years ago. Quite simply, I felt Him say, 'If people would grasp and believe this truth, it would revolutionise their whole life.' And it would too. There's a lot of hurting people in this world. People are grieving because their wife or husband has left them and may have committed adultery. Another may have lost all of their hard-earned money on a scam, that seem to be everywhere at this time. Couples may not be able to pay their mortgage and are near to eviction, and the ultimate - death, may have struck someone very close to us. Pain, pain and more pain.
At times, it can feel that there's no one in this world that we trust and no one appears to love us. Actually, some may love us, but it's extremely difficult to believe this when you have been hurt and betrayed so much in your life. The suicide rate is going up each and every day because, to some, there's no other way, it's a quick exit to ending all of the hurt and rubbish that is being thrown against us.
If that's the way you are feeling at this moment, STOP AND LISTEN, Jesus Christ loves you, the Father sent Him to this earth to shed His life for us, so that we could share in His eternity - Heaven and be protected and loved for ever. This is what this verse is all about. God couldn't demonstrate anymore than He has. He allowed Jesus, His precious Son, to die in our place so that we could have a hope. Please don't feel that no one cares. Jesus does; the Father does.
Today, before you do anything else, get down on your knees and pray:
'Father, thank you that you sent Jesus Christ to save me, and love me as You love Him. I need You. Jesus please forgive me for all of my sin and come and live in my heart. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and be my Lord and Saviour from this day forward.
I ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen.'
It doesn't matter what the world thinks about you, not when you have the most amazing friend - Jesus. Cherish Him and walk with Him from this day forward.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
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