"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
This is a blog that centres on Jesus Christ - my Lord and Saviour. My aim is to describe how He has helped over the years, together with offering daily teaching and encouragement
Friday 23 August 2019
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
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