Tit for Tat

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,'  Verse 38
                                                                                                   Matthew 5:38-43.  NKJV

One of the earliest codes of law came under Hammurabi, who reigned in Babylon 2285 - 2242 BC. It was designed to control vengeance and attempt to bring about some kind of justice. However, there was a distinction between gentry and the poor. If gentry were attacked and lost an eye, then they had the right that the attacker should lose his eye as well. It was the same with a limb or other parts of the body. Basically, it was the law of tit for tat.

A poor person, who suffered this type of injury, didn't have the right to do the same to the attacker. Instead, there was a fine - a small portion of silver, that would have to be paid. 
As time went on, Roman officials and soldiers, had the right to force a person or their family, into public service. They could also use their equipment, horses and other such thing, all with no advance warning.

Jesus' teaching here, was one of overcoming evil with love. In verse 39 of our text, He said, 'whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.' The disciples would have known the meaning of this straightaway. A slap on the cheek was a great insult. A slap on the right cheek, was an even deeper insult, rather than a physical one. And to be slapped with a back hand was the worst. Therefore, if a right-handed person slapped someone on the right cheek, it would have to be with the back of the hand. 

However, instead of retaliation, Jesus taught that they should turn the other cheek too. In today's world, a slap may well be with a baseball bat, something that anyone would need to avoid.
In verse 41, we read, 'And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.' The word 'Compels,' is the verb that describes how a Roman soldier or official could press people into some kind of service and force them to carry all of his equipment for this distance. Jesus was saying here that if this were to happen, go an extra mile. Show them love not bad feeling. Really, for us as Christians, this is the name of the game - to overcome evil with love.  

Are you having a threatening time just lately? Have you got a boss or partner who is very rude and demanding of you. If so, don't tit for tat. Instead, show them the love of Jesus. You never know, you may just win them over for God; or if they're already confessing to be a Christian, let them come under conviction and repent.
Just love them!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com



                                                                                                                

Be Transparent

"But let your, 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your, 'No', 'No'. For whatever is more than these, is from the evil one."                                                                                            Matthew 5:37.  NKJV

Jesus was speaking here about taking oaths - swearing on Heaven or God's name, Oaths were an important part of life back in Jesus' day because there was so much evil around. Therefore, an oath was required to reinforce the truth. There is little difference today. In fact, the evil may be worse. Courts of Law require people to swear an oath before they give evidence. On occasions, an alternative method may be used.

Clement of Alexandria insisted that Christians should lead such lives and demonstrate such characters, that no one would dream of asking them to give an oath. Socrates said similar, 'A man must lead a life which will gain more confidence in Him than ever an oath can do'.

Transparency is the hallmark for what Jesus was saying here. Let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No'. Being transparent means we have nothing hide. What you see is what you get. Living in such a way leads to people trusting you. They notice that there is something about you, even though they may not be sure what it is. Someone may swear in your presence or tell an unwholesome joke, and all of a sudden, they may turn to you and apologise. Why? because they have recognised you are different. You are transparent and they notice this.

When we lead such lives - lives that speak of Jesus without His name being uttered - people are drawn to you. Some want what you have; there is so much unrest in their lives that they want peace and reassurance. Others may be drawn for other reasons. They want to trick you and prove that Jesus is false and what they believe in is far more powerful. They're very convincing and mostly win a conversation if you become involved. To try and convince them otherwise, can be a road to failure. At such times, they are best left alone. Don't forget, unlike them, we have nothing to prove. 

Transparency lets the light shine through. Do you get the picture? Jesus is the Light of the world. 'I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me, shall not walk in darkness but have the Light of life.' (John 8:12). Again:
'Let your Light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify Your Father in Heaven.' (Matthew 5:16)

So live transparent lives and draw people to yourself. You have something they need!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

    

Team Jesus

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord) knowing and being continually aware that your labour in the Lord is not futile (it is never wasted or to no purpose).                                                            1 Corinthians 15:58   Amplified version

One thing that stands out of our text today, is the things that we do for Jesus, is never wasted. He will never say, 'That's not good enough,' because He is thrilled at all we attempt to do for Him. This is why, His word tells us to stand firm - steadfast, and realise that He wants us to abound in everything that we do for Him.

Being immovable is a quality that He seeks and wants us to walk in. This is where, whatever comes our way, we never give up because He will never give up on us. Storms may come and knock us over at times but men and women of God, get back up, they keep moving forward, nothing ever stops them. They are fighters to the very end. And this is what God thinks of each of His children. We are special. 

You may doubt that you're special and you may feel that you have let God down just lately. But Christians can't continue to lay down; they're made of stronger stuff - the power of Almighty God dwells in them and that includes you. The Lord Jesus Christ heard your voice that day and tears dripped from His eyes as He realised that one of His precious sheep had returned to His flock. He may have thrown a banquet in Heaven just because you did this and as the whole of Heaven rejoiced, He took your heart and filled it with His Love, His Power, His Peace, His Joy and a host of other goodies. He washed your sin away and gave you a place in Team Jesus.

So, as you are a member of His team,  He has given you the ability to live each and everyday, being immovable and steadfast. He has placed in your heart the the longing to serve Him, doing more than enough as you spread joy, peace and love wherever you tread. Yes, that's right; He's given you the desire to be a winner. And the great thing about Team Jesus, is that we are all winners, no one is better than the other. 

So think about that and have a great day

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

'I can do this'

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."           Philippians 4:13.  NKJV

Bob Gass says, 'How many times does something look impossible simply because you think it is?'
We can think about what we are faced with and convince ourselves that we just wouldn't be able to do this. But you won't know until you try. Let us focus on the first five words of our text, breaking them down into two groups:

I CAN DO
This is you. You can! You may be trying to stop smoking, drinking, overeating or a host of other things, and your mind may be saying, 'I can't do this.' Well you need to turn this over and start quoting what God thinks of it - you can. Once we start confessing negative things about something we're trying to achieve, it is a foolish road to take. You may be saying, 'I can't do that job,' or 'I can't go to university.' But think about what God thinks about it - you can.

ALL THINGS
All things means what it says, 'all things.' And this covers a multitude of things ranging from cooking a meal, fixing a car, decorating a house or climbing Mount Everest. It doesn't say, 'some things,' or 'a couple of things,' but all things.

As human beings, mainly we are all the same. This means that it comes down to choices of what we want to do or don't wish to do. What we think we can achieve or what we feel is impossible. The thing is, how do you know unless you try. It's a lie to say, 'I can't do that,' when you've never giving it a go. You may have to train your body or mind to do a certain thing but it is achievable if you do it in the strength of Jesus - hence, 'I can do all things through Christ.' 

You may be suffering a broken marriage or the loss of someone very special and you may be thinking, 'I can't do this anymore,' Yes you can. You just need a little time to adapt to the changes that have been thrown your way. 

Sometimes when children or older people are being trained in a particular thing, flash cards are used to give an idea of what it is they're learning. This can be a useful thing to do in your life right now. Why not consider putting small notices around your home with, 'I can do this,' or 'I can do all things,' on them to remind and encourage you. People may think you're balmy for doing it, but cheer up, they may always have felt this about you. Anyway, it doesn't matter what people think. It's about you, not them.

God's word to you today is, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' Does He lie? You know He doesn't, so do something about it, today!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Sort things out amicably and serve

"(1) Now in those days , when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.                                                                                     Acts 6:1-7 NKJV

There will always be complaints in churches wherever you go. It is part of the territory. Here though, the complaint was quite valid. The Hellenists were Jews who were natives of the Greco-Roman world and spoke Greek. Their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

The twelve apostles were busy each and every day in the temple and in every house teaching and preaching Jesus to everyone (Acts 5:42). They couldn't possibly do everything and their daily work was far more important than waiting on tables. Therefore, after seeking direction from God, they directed the disciples to choose seven men, who were full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom so that they could organise and oversee day to day chores that needed carrying out. 

A church needs to be organised, especially when it is growing like the early church was. Otherwise, people will be left out and neglected. Having people who are able to organise others and delegate, is so very important. It is also extremely important that the leader delegates roles to other people. After all, while trying to spin all of the plates themselves, it is inevitable that pretty soon plates are going to start falling and people are going to get hurt.

The people delegated to this role of a deacon however, must be faithful, Spirit-filled people whose role is not to rule with a rod but with love and sensitivity. The hallmark of a deacon is one who is not afraid to get their hands dirty too. You will always find them serving people wherever they go and in a way, they can be considered, the backbone of the church; because without them, work such as evangelism, preaching and healing ministries would be neglected.

To serve people. is to emulate Jesus. He was the most wonderful servant of all and don't forget, He was the one who washed people's feet, something that not many people would like to do.

A thriving church needs servants and servants produce a thriving church. If you want to belong to a thriving church, try being a servant too.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

God's Provision No 3

(18) "So she said to Elijah, 'What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?' (19) "and he said to her, 'Give me your son.' So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room, where he was staying and laid him on his own bed."                                                          1 Kings 17:17-24. (18-19).   NKJV

At times, we can be forced into a corner of life, where we shout out, 'Why Lord? Why has this happened to me? What is going on?' You know what I mean? It can feel like all the presence of God has left us. It can be so frustrating, painful and confusing.

But He hasn't left us. It's just that we become so wound up in what's happening around us, that we feel all alone. Now this is when we need to be careful! Satan would have us crying out, 'I thought You loved me God.' When we get into this way of thinking, we're on a negative slope to despair.

Things happen. Life happens and there really is nothing we can say that will explain why. But, if we just stop and think just for a moment and gather our thoughts, we realise God's around and He has a plan. For the widow, it was the raising of her young son from the dead. Now, don't forget, she had been receiving regular provision from God. He had been supplying flour and oil on a regular basis, so that they could all eat. She knew God's provision and she was aware that Elijah was different from other men. However, when giant things come our way, it's so easy to forget that God's around and go into panic mode, which results in nothing but upset.

The woman, being a widow, had no one else to converse with, so she challenged Elijah who she believed was from God. Elijah agreeing with her, took the child up to his bedroom and prayed that life would return to the child. In other words, he interceded and the child's life was restored.

Two things stand out here:

1  The widow went to where she felt God was - Elijah. She knew no different. We as believers should always do this, but through Jesus, where we have direct access. The widow didn't have this.

2  The power of intercession. Never frown on what this ministry is. It can be a lonely, tiring ministry, one in which people pray without ceasing for something or someone. An intercessor's ministry is crucial, yet sometimes overlooked.

God loves us and demonstrates this on a daily basis. Be confident in Him. He'll never let you down; but at times it will not be easy to walk this way. It wasn't for Jesus, but He did it for us!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

God's Provision No 2

"(10)'Please bring me a little water in a cup, that I may drink.' (11) And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, 'Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.' (12) So she said, 'As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin and a little oil in a jar; and see, I'm gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.' 
(13) And Elijah said to her, 'Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first and bring it to me, and afterwards make some for yourself and your son.' "                                                   Read 1 Kings 17:8 - 16  (v10-13).  NKJV

Let's look a little further into God's provision. Here we see Elijah teaching a poor widow about faith. She was destitute and had only a very small amount of food left for her and her son. Things were so bad, she felt that they would die through lack of funds. God had told Elijah to go Zarephath - a city on the Mediterranean coast in Phoenicia - and there would be a widow there who would provide for him. Elijah obeyed and called to the widow as he entered the city. Firstly he asked her to bring him a drink of water and then, called to her as she went to do this, asking her to bring him a small piece of bread also.

She was totally honest with Elijah and told him that she only had a small amount of food left for the day and this was for her and her son. After that, they may as well die. God, however, wanted Elijah to teach her about giving a seed-faith. There are two important principles demonstrated here in this scripture. First, we must give something out of our need. This involves our faith. The woman had needs herself but as she gave firstly, out of her need to God's prophet, Elijah, God would multiply what she was given back. Second, she had to give first before she received anything. 

This is the whole thing about faith and the one that people struggle with - big time. We must give from what we have first before we can expect to get anything back. This is called sowing a seed. A farmer doesn't just dig some soil up and there is a load of potatoes there. He firstly has to sow the seed and the principle is the same for us.
I have heard people say that they can't afford to tithe because what they have, they have to live on. It sounds hard, but, a person can't afford not too tithe. It's God's in the first place and if we want Him to bless us, we must honour and bless Him first. And this is what Elijah was teaching the widow. 
When she obeyed and provided Elijah's need, God blessed her and provision came to her for many a year.

Are you struggling with lack of funds and have fear about tithing or giving your money and resources to people that God directs to you? Elijah said to the widow, 'DO NOT FEAR.' And God is saying the same to you too.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com