Growing Tomatoes

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"26 The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day and the seed should sprout and grow; he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself ; first the blade then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has now come."  Mark 4:26-29

Planting seed and eventually having a harvest is quite an experience. In fact, it is some kind of miracle in itself. We plant little seeds and if we have prepared the ground and taken care of things, eventually, we have an abundance. It's amazing. Take for example tomatoes. We can buy the plant, that is true, but there is something challenging about planting your own seed.

We plant the seed in small pots, water when required and then wait until a plant comes through. Life is seen then, although, the life began when they were planted. Next, when large enough, we transplant them to the ground or a grow bag. After preparation, the plants are planted on and we then nurture these little gems until they are a fully grown plant. 

It's important that attention is paid throughout the whole growing process in order to get healthy fruit. We need to break off the side shoots, check for bugs, continue to water when needed, before harvest. At anytime, especially in a greenhouse, the plants can become too hot and wilt; they can also be overwatered and rot. The plant will not bear fruit until the right time. It takes time and patience; diligence and dedication in order to receive a good harvest. 

This is so similar to our lives as a Christian. We need nurturing. We need to know what God has for our lives. We need to pray and study God's Word in order to know this. We also need to be on guard 24/7 to ward off attacks. Rather like vegetables growing in the garden, bugs and slugs can attack and ruin the plants. Likewise, the devil can and will attack us at times because he doesn't wants us becoming too powerful towards him. If we're powerful in God, we'll pray him out of situations and spoil his plans to hurt us and others. 

The important thing is, if we don't put in, we won't be able to take out. We need to invest in the kingdom of God in order to inherit victory. This is why, reading our bibles, praying and spending time with Jesus is so very important. It really should be the first thing we do each morning. Rather like a breakfast, that sets us up for the day, a quiet time with Jesus will do the same and more. 

Get into the habit of spending each morning with the King you will then be well on the way to your harvest. God has so much for each one of us. We need to seek Him so that we can found out what that is.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard  

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

'I can't do this - yes you can' Part three

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"16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already , because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."  John 3:16 - 18

These are Jesus' words and it is most important how a person reads them. They carry life or death They determine where a person will spend eternity when they die. A person has the choice to believe in Jesus, as their Saviour, or reject Him. This determines whether a person will spend eternity in Heaven, with Jesus and the rest of the saints; or in hell with the non-believers. The choice must be made while we are alive. It'll be too late when we die.

Some may say, 'I can't do that, I've got a life to live, I can't spend it reading the bible and going to church. How boring is that.' My reply to that would be, 'You can do that, if you want to. It's your choice; no one is forcing you.' The person may continue, 'I can't find the time in my busy schedule to fit church and Christianity in as well. Life's too busy.' That is very true. It is. But the busy-ness can end, just like that, and if it ends as a non-believer, then you will not go to Heaven.

'Well, that's just not fair, I've always lived a good life; I've not hurt anyone and I give regular to charities.' That's commendable, but God's Word says in Ephesians 2:8 'For by Grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God.' Basically, it's great to give our time and finance to for instance, third world countries, but it will not get you into Heaven. We can't buy our way there. It is by Grace, which means God's unmerited favour. We don't deserve this. It's His free gift to us, we cannot buy it, earn it or win it in a raffle. God gives it freely but we need to give our lives to Him.

'I can't do that.' Fine, that's your choice but the price is a very high one to pay for unbelief. Eternity is a very, very long time. While believers will be enjoying life with Jesus, whatever that will be like, non-believers will spend eternity in regret, separated from their loved ones, who believed. Is it worth the risk?

The first part of the title of this commentary, is, 'I can't do this,' and believe me, no one can get to Heaven except through Jesus. 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' (John 14:6) You may be a millionaire in this life, but you can't take it with you when you die and if you don't know Jesus, there's no way that you'll be with Him, except for the judgement, where everyone will have to stand before Him and give an account for their lives. (Romans 14:10-12)

So as we come to the end of this series on, 'I can't do this - yes you can;' give some serious thought to where you want to be when your life ends. If there were two trains going to two different destinations, one a great place, the other horrible, you would need to make a choice. Likewise, a choice has to be made for your salvation. What will it be?

If you want to be sure of your salvation, say this prayer with me:

'Lord Jesus, I realise that I need You. I can't live my life without You. I want to be saved; I want to know You and have You as my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart and forgive my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me to follow You for the rest of my days. In Jesus' Name. Amen'

If you said this prayer, you're born again. Get yourself a bible, join a church and get to know the best friend you'll ever have - Jesus.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

'I can't do this.' "Yes you can.' Part two

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"O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."
                                                                                                            2 Chronicles 20:12 NKJV

Carrying on from yesterday, we find Jehoshaphat in a great dilemma. a great multitude of armies were coming against him in battle. It looked certain defeat. Surely nothing or no one could save them from this. However, Jehoshaphat had a 'I can' attitude about him. He didn't know what he could do about this predicament but he wasn't about to give up. He declared a fast and and sought the LORD for guidance. That's a good move. Whenever we are in a situation that appears to be an impossible one, God is the one to seek. He is the God of the impossible.

Jehoshaphat united the assembly in prayer. His attitude was one such as, God has done great things in the past, I know He will do it again. He was honest as he stood before the people and prayed. He told them that he didn't have the answer to this. He could only trust God. He prayed:

"O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You."

He humbly laid it before God and told Him basically, 'Lord we don't know what to do here, but You do. I trust You LORD. Our eyes are upon You. We're counting on You, LORD. (We're just casting this burden on You.'  Psalm 55:22)

That is the way to pray; honestly and humbly. Jehoshaphat wasn't saying he 'Can't'. He was telling God, 'We can't do this alone LORD, but with Your help we can defeat this enemy and claim the victory. And God answered his prayer.

Let's put this into today's perspective. What is it that is causing you fear or anxiety? Jehoshaphat feared and no doubt was quite anxious but he had a, 'I'm not giving up," attitude. He was not going to give in. Yes, he was human and he feared but he did the most responsible thing. He called God into the equation. He called on His help. He cast the burden onto the Lord's shoulders, because God is able- very able.

Don't you think He can handle this difficult situation for you? Of course He can, but if you don't give it to Him, you'll have to struggle alone. He wants you to pray, to humble yourselves and pray: 

'If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.' ( 2 Chronicles 7:14 ).

Come on, it's time to remember that you are more than a conqueror but you can't do it alone. You need God to give you the victory. You can do this. Give it a try, right now!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard 

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

"I can't do this - Yes you can!"

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"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us."  
                                                                                                                Romans 8:37. NKJV

To be a conqueror means you're one who overcomes by gaining control. Does that sum you up? Are you a person who quickly gains the control over things that come against you so quickly that you don't really have the time to think? Yes you are but you may need to re-tune a few things.

As a Christian, one who has the power of God Almighty dwelling within your heart, you should never say, 'I can't do this', because you can - with God's help; because you are more than a conqueror. The bible says you are and that does not lie. It is full of truth. Therefore, in the words of Smith Wiggesworth, 'if God says it, I believe it and that settles it.'

Bob Gass says, "Life will either bless you or bury you. The difference lies in having the right attitude. When they throw dirt at you - and they will, just shake it off and step on it."

A conqueror stays in control of things. A more than a conqueror person has Jesus in them and therefore has the help of Heaven at his or her grasp. The thing is we need to be dead to reaction. A hot-headed person reacts without thinking first and makes a complete mess of things, stirring up hurt and destruction wherever they may be. There is no control in this. This person is not a conqueror, let alone a more than conqueror. A more than conqueror takes things on the chin and thinks things through before acting, if at all. Where do you fit in this? Is there room for improvement?

A more than conqueror never says, "I can't'. He or she knows that they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them. (Philippians 4:13) However, this verse must be read as doing things in Christ's power, not in your own. He is the superior one, not us.

God wants each of us to have the victory through Jesus. He wants us well; He wants us holy; He wants us honest and truthful; He wants us humble, not puffed up; He wants people to see Jesus in each one of us by the things that we do and say each and everyday. 

Ask yourself, 'Do people see Jesus in me - in my reactions; in how I speak and handle things; in how I live my life? Self evaluation is a good thing. Here, the question is, 'What do people see in me?' 'Do they see Jesus?' You may say, "I can't live up to His expectation of me." Yes you can, because if Jesus lives in you you are more than a conqueror. 'Yes, but you don't know what I have to put up with in my life.' No, I don't; but God does and He still says that you are more than a conqueror through Him who loved us.

So change your, 'I can't,' into, 'I can'. Watch your reactions and be in control of every situation by allowing Jesus to operate through your life more and more. A final thing, make sure that your time with Jesus is regular, every day; praying, reading the Word and spending time with Him. More than conquerors need this daily!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Know alls

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"But you have an anointing from the Holy One and you know all things."  1 John 2:20 NKJV

I have used this scripture many times in my preaching and I love people's faces when I tell them that God thinks they are 'know alls.' You know all things, because The Holy Spirit reveals things to you, and will continue to reveal things to you as you continue to walk with Him. The Gospel of John reads:

'However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak and He will tell you things to come.'  (John 16:13)

When we were saved, God gave us an anointing from the Holy Spirit. He also provided a way that we could have access to dunamus power, by way of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, such as happened to the disciples at Pentecost. (Acts 2). He also commanded us to be baptised in water. This baptism is an outward sign that we belong to Jesus, that we have received Him, died with Him and been raised to life again with Him, through the baptisimal waters. Failure to do this, or be baptised in the Holy Spirit however, does not prevent us from going to Heaven when we die We are already saved. However, if Jesus commanded baptism, then it makes sense to obey Him. We want and need everything that He has for us.

Not only does the Holy Spirit tell us all things but we are also friends of Jesus. He actually calls us this in John 15:15, 'No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father, I have made known to you.;
This is amazing, stop for a moment and digest what Jesus is saying here. You are His friend and He will tell you all He has heard from God. Yes, even though you may have just been involved in some type of sin, He still calls you His friend. That is friendship - true friendship. Where could you go to gain such love and faithfulness. Jesus loves each one of us with the same measure. He has no favourites. He is not pleased that you may have just sinned, but as you repent, He pours His love upon you and says:

"I see no stain upon you because you're mine and you know me, to Me you're only holy, nothing that you've done, remains only what you do in me."
                                                                                                 Words and Music Keith Green

You are loved; you are Holy; You are known to God; You are special; You are Jesus' friend.
Why not let that sit with you as you begin to thank and praise Him for His faithfulness to you. If you were God, I'm pretty sure you would give up on someone if they persisted in breaking the rules and letting you down, endlessly. God's not like that because your friend Jesus pleads with the Father each time you let Him down.
Isn't that something to be grateful for?

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard 

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

You Need God!

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"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go ; I will guide you with My eye"
                                                                                                                    Psalm 32:8. NKJV

I remember my university days; the initial fear as I commenced my first day and the desire to want to leave that same morning, as I discovered all the work that I would have to cover in order to qualify. It was totally awesome, However, deep down, I knew that I could do this; I knew that God was with me. This did not stop me from failing my first essay though. As I asked God about this, just before I was going going to quit, He quite simply told me that I had not asked Him to help me. He felt that, as I hadn't asked Him, I would be able to manage it well. I was flabbergasted and decided there and then, that I would never manage this without asking Him for help.

My problem was, I was puffed up, I didn't need anyone to help me; I would sail through all of this, I thought. WRONG! It was quite an awakening and I had to live with the fact that I had to re-submit my first essay. I felt stupid and my ego had suffered a major smashing.
But we live and learn, and I learnt very quickly, I can tell you. 

God gave me the above verse. He told me to pray this over every essay and exam that I had to do and all would be good. I never looked back from that moment and managed to get some very favourable results, even coming first in psychology - which included Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Grief counselling. But I had to learn the lesson that without Him, I can do nothing (John 15:5)." 

When we are young, we have this feeling that we can conquer anything that we face. Thankfully, God is there to point us in the right direction, and that means allowing us to have egg on our face when we think we know better than Him.

This feeling that we can do whatever we choose to do, never really leaves us. What we have to do is, learn to submit to God, draw near to Him and then he will draw near to us. (James 4:7-8.) God doesn't want us to be puffed up and proud. If we are, He will resist us. (James 4:6.) When we are proud, we tend to say to God, that we don't need Him, we can do this on our own. When we do this, we soon learn that we can't. We need to humble ourselves and then things will go well for us.

What are you doing at the moment. Are you at Uni or working in a high profile job? You need God to help you, if you haven't worked that out already. God wants you to be successful, but He will share His glory with no one. He is God, and He wants the best for His children, but we belong to Him and he wants to guide us. 

Have you learned this yet? If not, make sure that you do pretty quickly!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Are you a Back Seat Driver?

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"Peter seeing him, said to Jesus, 'But Lord, what about this man?' Jesus said to him, 'If I will that he remain till I come , what is that to you? You follow me!' "  

                                                                                                             John 21:21-22

Peter had been talking with Jesus and wanted to know if John had to do what He was telling Peter to do. Straightaway, Jesus told him basically to get on and do what he had been told and not to worry about what John would be doing. In other words, He was telling Peter, 'Never mind, "What about him - what about you? You do what I've told you to do, I'll take care of the rest.'

It all boils down to as long as we are doing what God wants us to do, that's the way God wants it. The thing is, at times we find ourselves pointing the finger at other Christians. We feel that they shouldn't be doing what they are doing. They should be disciplined.  At times like this, it is more likely that we need disciplining for thinking such stuff about other people.

But we do this. At times, we are like back seat drivers. We even feel that we should be controlling what God should be controlling. 'I mean, for Heaven's sake, why does God allow this to happen? Doesn't He know about what they are doing and saying?' Yes, He does, but it is still no concern of ours. We should be doing what God has told us to do and stop trying to judge people. I always say, if we were meant to judge people, we would have been given a curly white wig and a long black cloak.

We becomes wrapped up in what other people are doing that, at times, that is all we can focus on. Bob Gass, writes, 'Learn to respect your fellow believers, not because of who they are, but whose they are' ( Bob Gass UCB). The very people we judge and point the finger at; the very people that we are tempted to talk about, or to put it correctly - gossip about, belong to God. They are created in God's image the same as we are. How would you feel if they were talking about you to people? It's not nice and I tell you, God is not pleased with such behaviour. 'Judge not, that you will not be judged. For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.'  ( Matthew 7:1-2 ) 

Sitting in the back seat of a car telling the driver what he or she should be doing is akin to sitting in church or in a group talking about other people. Basically it is gossip and we will pay a high price if we continue with this. Yes at times, people do wind us up; there are times when they should be acting in a more appropriate way; but talking about them or judging them behind closed doors is not the way. If there is something you're not happy about, talk to God about it; get some direction and if it is needed, approach that person and gently speak to them about what offends you. If not, then, you do what God wants you to do and let God deal with them.

It is not worth losing your peace and that wonderful flowing in The Holy Spirit. And remember, if we allow the devil to get into the back seat of the car, pretty soon he's going to want to drive. Think about that.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard 

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com