Innocent of any crime

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"Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are you a king then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth, hears My voice.' Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth?' And when he had said this he went out to the Jews and said to them. 'I find no fault in Him at all.' "  John 18:37-38  NKJV

Jesus knew His fate. He knew that He had been born to be crucified for the sin of the world. His disciples could not comprehend this. I suppose if we had been there at the time, we would have felt the same.

To celebrate the Passover, Jesus held the Last Supper in the upper room of a house in the city. During this time, they ate and prayed and Jesus washed their feet. This is the significance of Maundy Thursday - the ritual that some Christians hold, which involves the washing of people's feet. Others call Maundy Thursday - Holy Thursday. Whatever, it was a time where Jesus spent quality time with them and revealed that one of them, would betray Him. This obviously bothered them and they questioned each other about this.

After the meal, Jesus took them to The Garden of Gethsemane, where He left them for a short while while He poured out His heart to the Father. He became so full of anguish as He prayed, 'Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from me; nevertheless, not My will but Yours be done.' (Luke 22:42)

Jesus knew there was no other way. He would face what was expected of Him. The wrestle between His spiritual side and His human side must have been so stressful for Him.

Once he had settled this, He left the garden with His disciples but was approached by Judas Escariot, who kissed Him, which was a sign to the chief priests, the captains of the temple and the elders, that this was the man. He betrayed Jesus for a few pieces of silver.

Jesus was arrested and taken to the chief priests house where He had to undergo a trial where false accusations, lies and judgement were placed upon Him. After this ordeal He was handed over to Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea for sentencing. The Jews could not put a man to death, but Pilate had the authority to have Jesus crucified. 

It was a complete shambles of a trial. Totally false and unfair. But Jesus hardly said a word in His defence. Pilate had found no fault in Him when He had spoken with Him. However, he recognised the pressure that was upon himself, so therefore, he washed his hands of it all, and gave the Jews their wishes. There really was nothing else to say; the chief priests and elders had decided they wanted Jesus executed and this was their opportunity to get Him out of the way.

Imagine how Jesus was feeling at the time - His humanity must have been tested so much. And what about the Father. It had to be done, Jesus had to pay the price of everyone's sin in order to give us freedom. However, this was the Father's only son. He must have been emotionally affected.

The disciples, apart from being bewildered by His arrest must have been desperate, wondering how this would all turn out. Peter, who had denied Jesus, as Jesus had predicted He would, must have felt awful, as the events of the evening and early morning unfolded. 
How would you have felt if you had been there. Can you picture yourself there at the time. Just for a few moments, try and meditate on what you would be seeing and how you would be feeling. It would have been a frightening time. Jesus had suffered a terrible ordeal at this false trial, but there was far more to come, as we will see tomorrow.

  Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard  

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com                                                                                               

Covetousness

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"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' So we may boldly say, 'The LORD is my helper; I will not fear, what can man do to me?' "
                                                                                                        Hebrews 13:5-6  NKJV

Today, let us look at the subject of covetousness. Acting in this way includes, seeking personal recognition and wanting power over others. It means trying to be the centre of attention and craving for what other people have. This can include:

A house, wealth, someone's wife or husband, car, job, and success to name some of the things that covetousness covers.

Does this ring a bell with you? If so, you need to address this urgently. Being ungrateful for what God has given us, along with moaning, groaning and grumbling about it all and never, ever being satisfied, angers God. He wants us to be content with what He has given us in Jesus. This is far better than craving for what someone else has been given. You're not them; you are yourself and that's the way God intended you to be. 

As I've said earlier, God becomes angry when we're ungrateful. Take a look at Psalm 106:

'They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request but sent leanness into their soul'. ( Verses 13-15 ). 

Moans and dis-satisfaction with how God was treating them. A closer look at the Israelites departure from Egypt will show how they quarrelled and complained on a daily basis.

One thing is for sure, if your goals are God-centred, He will help you to achieve them. But if you're asking Him for something just because your neighbour has it, you'll be disappointed. Yes, some people win the lottery, but really, it is pure luck that they do. Also, in a way, they're being covetous by trying to feed their greed and get that fancy house, boat and film star life-style. You can pray to win the lottery but I personally think you'll be wasting your time. Just be content with what you have.

What is the point in craving and coveting what someone else has, only to die just when you've received it. It's pointless.

God wants us to be rich and healthy, yes, but in Jesus, not in any other way. If He wants you to have that nice, fancy house, He'll give it you. But until He does, be content with what you have. Do you realise that some people in the Third World countries have nothing, except Jesus. They don't live in comfort like we do. Some are murdered for their faith. Many are raped or imprisoned. And yet, their faith and dedication to God would make us feel embarrassed. They literally trust Jesus from one day to the next, for their daily needs. They can't go down to the cashpoint and draw some extra funds out, like we do. What they have, is the bare essentials.

We don't realise at times our fortunate we are. This is why, we need to give God the Glory and thank Him each day for what He has given us.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

My Protection

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"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress. My God in Him I will trust.' ". Psalm 91:1-2

'Where is the secret place? Where God is! Well it can be anywhere, but must be somewhere. It can be any time but must be a set time.'  (Bob Gass)

It's basically where we spend time and intimacy with Our Heavenly Father. The eye of a storm is the most peaceful place on earth. This is why Jesus slept in the middle of the storm. In Mark 4:38, He was at peace because He knew that the storm couldn't take them under. 

The secret place is a place where we spend special times with Jesus. Often, we call it our quiet time. It's a time where Christians have a personal time of prayer and study with the Lord. It can be anytime and any place, and preferably the same time each day, but this can differ slightly. We need this time to regain our strength and listen and be taught by God. It is essential that we have these times. Nothing should come before these times, if at all possible.

As we spend time in this place we learn to dwell - live, rest, live - in Him and this is where we gain insight and get to know Him better. Also, if Jesus is our friend, we need to spend time with Him. If we don't spend time with a friend or speak to him or her, it is a very strange relationship. One that doesn't go far.

Jesus is not only our strength but He is also our refuge, the place that we can hide and nestle up to in those very hard and difficult times. A refuge is a safe place, one where a person is protected and taken care of. A person in a refuge can expect shelter from any danger or attack. A refuge describes where Jesus is amazingly well. The refuge Jesus provides for us is a fortress- solid, safe and a reliable hiding place.

In this world, it is hard to find anyone that we can totally trust. People tend to let us down quite often. I suppose you know that from your own life. However, what Jesus provides is the safe, reliable, protected kind, one in which He pour out all He has to love and take care of us.

Is this what you need right now? Perhaps you would benefit from the peace He has to offer you. Perhaps you need to adopt the habit of reading your bible and praying at a set time each day. It really is the only way to get to know Him better and to know the way forward.

Give it a try. If you haven't a bible, buy one. If you can't afford one, I'm pretty sure a local church would be able to help you. There are also the Gideons Society who will give you one free of charge. It'll be the best decision you make and that's a promise.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Living in Freedom

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"If you abide in My Word you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth  shall make you free."   John 8:31-32. NKJV

Today, many people live in captivity, in fact slaves. They may be a slave to some type of addiction, tied up in in some awful situation, controlled, bullied, hooked on something or chained. Some people are subject to human trafficking and may never be seen again. The world can be a cruel place to live in. We read of Christian women, from some Christian Societies abroad, who are forced to marry a man who may be into  a strange cult or religion. The world can be an evil place. Alternatively, some people may be trapped in their own sins and cannot find a way out of what they're involved in.

Jesus offers freedom and shows here in our text for today, how it can be achieved. He tells us that we need to: 

Abide in His Word. This means that we need to live the life; live in His Word, dwell in it. In fact, make our home in His Word, being totally sold out for Jesus.
Word  Read your bible and study it everyday. Obey it and live it out to the letter. The bible is our road map; our direction in life. We need to get stuck into it. We will then:
Know the truth We will know Jesus Himself on a more intimate basis. This will help us to know the way forward - what we should do or not do, where we should go. Words such as  Proverbs 3:5-6 will be uppermost in our thinking:

'Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.'

Truth shall make you free. We will be liberated, Rescued, redeemed, in fact Freedom shall be ours. We'll never be the same again.

However, we need to continue to live in the Word. As we do, it becomes a part of us and before long, we will feel Jesus directing our paths. This needs to be a permanent feature in our lives. Jesus needs to be our first checkpoint about the way ahead - what shall we do, where shall we go?

Freedom cannot be paid for. No amount of money will completely set a person free, no matter what amount is paid. Freedom is not affected by status, where we live or what job we have. No works can bring freedom. We cannot earn liberation. And once we have it, there is nothing that can match it. 

No one can experience the freedom that Jesus offers except by abiding in His Word; by being His disciple and surrendering and living their life for Him. 

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Has you get up and go, gone?

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"This is the day the LORD has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it". Psalm 118:24  NKJV

Let's be honest, some days, we just don't feel much like praying or worshipping God. We feel drained, let down, washed out and irritable. And that's just for starters. We feel the world owes us something but the fact is, the world owes us nothing. People nearby are getting on with their everyday lives. We live busy lives and sometimes people don't have the time to ask us how we are; give us a ring or just spend time with us. It isn't as if they don't care, they're just busy and focused on their day.

To survive in this world, we have to be proactive. It's ok to sit around feeling left out of things, for a time. However, the longer we do, the less likely to be good company when we do actually spend time with someone. I once heard a story of a very depressed man standing on the edge of a cliff intending to throw himself off. A passerby saw this chap and went over to talk with him, with the intention of talking him out of this impending doom. Not long afterwards, they both threw themselves off the cliff. You see when we are down, depressed and full of woe, it is so easy to spread this to other people. All they hear is gloom and doom and if the person trying to help, isn't careful, they can end up feeling the same. This apparently, is what happened here.

Mostly, we are in charge of ourselves. We have choices and sometimes the choices we make determine the way we will go. Here, in our text, the Psalmist makes a proactive statement -'This is the day the LORD has made, WE WILL BE REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.' Do you get it? He was making a statement. He was making his choice to rejoice and be glad in the day God had given him.

All around us there are hurts and anger; pain and sorrow. And the longer we look at it, the more likely it can rub off on us. That doesn't mean that we ignore things. No, if we can help or pray over such things that is fine. But what about us? What about the things that are going off in our lives. Do we just sit and feel sorry for ourselves, or do we do something about it? 'What can we do?' you may ask. Well, firstly, we need to make a conscious decision that we will stand up and go forward. There's life out there and while there is, there are things we need to do. One of these, and perhaps the most important, is to rejoice in the God who gave us life. Now, that's a great place to start.

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

You're never alone

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"I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD, in the land of the living."   Psalm 27:13  NKJV

Oftentimes, it is so difficult to go to strange places without someone else beside us. Sometimes the places we have to go are places we don't really want to go, but must. At times like this, it is so comforting to be accompanied. When someone is beside us, it makes the whole thing more accomplishable. At times we may have no one to go with us, but stop and think; God says, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' (Hebrews 13:5.)
His goodness pours out towards us and gives us the strength to do whatever we have to.

King David was in a difficult position. Wickedness coming against him and an army encamping around him. But he wasn't afraid. He knew that the same God who had helped and rescued him in the past, would be there for him in the future. The troubles of today would strengthen him for the troubles of tomorrow. And it's the same for each one of us.

Things may be piling up around us trying to drag us down to a place where we feel like giving up. Look at what David said, 'I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.' David wasn't talking about when he got to Heaven, but now! God is with us, everywhere we look. He'll never leave us. There's no need to 'Lose heart' (give up or faint). No, it's time to look up, get up and allow the King of kings to help you through whatever you are facing - in the land of the living.

Today, is all we have. Tomorrow may not come for some people. So we need to grab hold of what we have - today, and move forward. Do what we need to do, knowing that whatever that is, God is right beside us, helping us, encouraging us and loving us through it all.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

exaggeration

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"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer."  Psalm 19:14.  RSV

When you tell other people about things, are you tempted to flower things up a little by exaggeration? I think we're all prone to doing this at times, especially in the pulpit. A preacher, when he or she is relating an appropriate story to the scripture that is being read,  can overstate things in order to make a point in their sermon. Evangelists are renowned for doing this. I've done it myself on occasions. We speak the truth but can overstretch it at times to make the story more listenable too.

But is it lying?  To overstate a subject means to:

'to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth; "tended to romanticize and exaggeratethis'  The Open Dictionary

In light of today's reading, how does God feel about this. Is exaggeration acceptable to Him? When we share things with people, is there a 'Chinese Whisper effect,' about what is said? By the time it gets told to the fourth person, has the whole thing been told as accurately as it initially was? Imagine if people were waiting to pray for things, would they be praying for the right thing? 

At times, There is a thin dividing line between the truth and gossip. This can happen in prayer groups where one person, very possibly not intentionally, prays for someone but speaks out things that do no need to be said, more like prayerful gossip. There needs to be a great caution on this.

In ordinary, everyday conversation, at times we may be tempted to stretch the truth a little in order to compete with the other person. One person may be telling how much God has done for them lately. In order to challenge this, we may be tempted to tell of something that happened to us recently, but stretch the truth a little. Sounds innocent, but is it?

God  wants us to be honourable ambassadors of His Word. To do that, to live up to the calling He has given us, we need to keep a tight rein on what we say and be an honourable servant.

Perhaps we need to avoid overstating things!

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