You're never Too Old!

"13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD, shall flourish in the courts of our God. 
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing."
                                                                                                                     Psalm 92:13-14.  NKJV

It's never too late, in fact, it's never over until it's over. If God has planted you - which He has, He's not going to uproot and tell you that you are too old. No matter what other people may say or think. It's what God says and thinks that matters. 

You have been rooted and grounded by God Himself. He is the one that saved you. He is the one that called you to do a particular piece of work. It doesn't matter how old you are; you may have grey or even white hair but God has called you to bear fruit and that fruit isn't old. It's has fresh as the day God gave it to you. 

He has called you to flourish, in other words to thrive, prosper and be in peak condition for the work He has given you. To flourish means that you have excellence, influence and the ability to qualify in all you do. Your work for God is still fresh. Proverbs 16:31 says, 'Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a Godly life.' NLT. 

'Ancient cultures were sensible enough to honour and value the wisdom and experience of old age. They saw the white (or grey) hair of the elderly as a crown of glory.''  David Guzik.

In verse 13 above, the text reads, 'shall flourish in the courts of our God.' This is referring to our ministry,  in the church which would be preaching, teaching, evangelism and worship. It would also include writing songs, books, poetry and being fresh in mentoring, teaching and advising, whatever age you are.

Theirs a host of things still available to the white or grey-headed person. Check out your bible and just see what some of the great-headed people got up to - how they took the lead in some circumstances; how they established righteousness wherever they went.

Be encouraged, there's plenty of scope for the person who has reached a senior age. Don't give up and sit about in an armchair for the rest of your life. Get close to God, get your bibles out, refuse to be labelled - 'Grey-headed,' which really means too old. There is no ageism in the Kingdom of God. You are still very much of value to God and to people, so press on.

Grey-headed people rule, Yeah!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

High Speed with Jesus

"And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
                                                                                                                Jeremiah 29:13.  NKJV

Over Christmas, I received a small present from a family member - a book - and it was entitled, 'Finding Jesus' by Winston Rowntree.  It was a real howl because it is based on the 'Where's Wally' books. Instead of looking for Wally, people search for Jesus.

Now the family member who gave me this was a Christian but through one thing and another, fell away. It was amazing seeing him and other members of the family, eagerly searching for Jesus throughout the pages. I am sure it was something that Blessed Jesus, as it certainly blessed me.

This made me think of the above verse from Jeremiah. As we seek Jesus from our hearts, we will find Him. You see, I believe that the time is right for giving Jesus all that we have. You may have been a Christian for years but do you really know Jesus? Could you say, honestly that you are His friend? I ask these two questions not to point a finger at anyone but to ask you to look deep inside yourself and decide. 

The reason being, when we know who we are and where we stand with Jesus, we can stand on this and rely totally upon His Word. If we look at the two previous verses, they read:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me and I will listen to you."  Jeremiah 29:11-12.

If we know Jesus, we have a future; we have a hope, however, this is based on searching for Him with all our hearts - with everything that we have. As we do this, we will feel His blessing upon us, real time. We will not be fearful when things come against us, when evil strikes, we will squash it in its tracks in the mighty Name of Jesus; we will feel the hope and peace that He offers us.

There is far more to life with Jesus than just asking Him into our lives. Yes, if you do that, you are saved and have a place reserved for you in Heaven. However, God has so much more that He wants to give us and as we dare to get into top gear with him, we'll feel the benefit of going high speed with Jesus. There is excitement to be had living this way. Want to sign up?

'Jesus, I want to get into top gear with You and travel at high speed each and every day. I commit myself to You; I've searched for You with all of my heart and now, I have found you.
So Lord, let's fasten our seat belts and hit the road. In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

The Loveliness of God

"14 And the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."                                     John 1:1-14.  NKJV

Some people find it difficult to believe that God came down to earth in human form - as a person. It was no different then. John writes in John 1:11 'He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.' The Jews had been waiting for a Messiah but when He came to them, they refused to accept Him. He didn't fit into the mould that they were expecting; so they missed out on this blessing.

John writes that He came among us and we beheld His grace and truth. Let us check out these two words:

GRACE - this has two components to it:
Firstly, it means unmerited or undeserved favour. 
Secondly, in the Greek, the word grace means 'Charm,' it describes the idea of beauty - the loveliness of God. Many thought at the time and some still do, that God is mighty in power - which He is, but they interpreted it that He is unapproachable. Jesus came to us, as God in human form, to show us the sheer loveliness of God. If you haven't found this out yet, spend more time with Him, totally trusting Him for everything.

TRUTH - unlike most preachers and evangelists today, Jesus didn't come to 'talk about God;' He came to show us what God is like and there is a difference. The world needs preachers and evangelists, this is true: 

 'How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?'   Romans 10:14

People need to hear about Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Saviour so that they can have eternal life; but more importantly to them, they need to know what He can do in their lives NOW! Many are totally desperate and are yearning for love and someone who can help them in their circumstances today; and this is why Jesus concentrated on showing them what God is like.
The truth makes us free John 8:32; but also, the truth can be disbelieved John 1:5. He came as a light shining in the darkness but people wouldn't accept Him but for all that did and still do, He gave them the right to be Children of God John 1:12.

One thing is for sure, we need to be filled with gratitude to Jesus for giving us this second chance in our lives. Life without Him would be unbearable. He has done it all for us - provided love, hope, provision, health, life, blessing, families and friends, homes, security and much more; and what's more, He has even more to give us; much more to offer us and much more to show us. 

Why not join me in this prayer:

'Jesus, what can I say except thank you. Words fail me as I consider your love and faithfulness; as I think of all you have done for me and given me. I just want to praise and thank you for everything in my life because I know that You are in control of everything, whatever that may be. Jesus help me to get to know You much more as I yield to You right now. I come to You and give You my life, my love and all that I have. I confess anything that remains unforgiven in my life and I accept You as my Friend, my Lord and my Saviour.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.'

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Watch Out for Foxes

"Catch us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines for our vines have tender grapes.
                                                                                               Song of Solomon 2:15.  NKJV

This is an extract from a love story penned by the lover to his beloved clearly written from the heart. Now this piece has been interpreted as such - love between man and woman and the misery of someone entering into this Godly relationship ready to spoil things - a little fox.
It has also been interpreted as man and woman's relationship with Our Father - God and how distractions and attacks from the enemy - Satan - can damage things terribly.

David Guzik in his commentary on this passage highlights:

'The little foxes that spoil the vines: Clearly the maiden speaks poetically here, using the little foxes as emblems of that which would damage the love relationship she shares with her beloved. The idea is that their relationship is like a fruitful vineyard and the little foxes will damage the vineyard unless they are stopped and caught.

i. Glickman lists several “little foxes” that may trouble couples:

· Uncontrolled desire that drives a wedge of guilt and mistrust between the couple.

· Mistrust and jealousy that strains or breaks the bond of love.

· Selfishness and pride that refuses to acknowledge wrong and fault to one another.

· An unforgiving attitude that will not accept an apology.

ii. It is helpful to remember the wording of the verse: catch us the foxes. The job of catching foxes is teamwork. One partner in the relationship can’t expect the other do it all.

iii. Hudson Taylor thought of the “little foxes” that may ruin our relationship with Jesus Christ. “The enemies may be small, but the mischief done great… And how numerous the little foxes are! Little compromises with the world; disobedience to the still small voice in little things; little indulgences of the flesh to the neglect of duty; little strokes of policy; doing evil in little things that good may come; and the beauty, and the fruitfulness of the vine are sacrificed!”

                                                                    Copyright David Guzik Enduring Word

Both the above examples are extremely damaging to our relationships, especially with Jesus. A fox is very crafty. I remember when I was young how a fox 'Charms' a rabbit. The rabbit is in the field and knows the fox is near. If the fox tries to pounce on its prey, the rabbit will scuttle off at high speed and disappear down a hole. Therefore, the fox uses its Gold Card. It starts jumping around, chasing its tail, rolling over and over and generally acting like its crazy. The rabbit is transfixed and stares at this spectacle. All the time, the fox is getting closer and closer, until it can grab the poor rabbit and run off with its prize. This act is called charming. It has charmed or tricked the rabbit until it has been caught.

Put this into what we're discussing here. Don't let anyone enter your relationship with your loved one or with Jesus who is intent on bringing disaster to it. A fox is crafty but Jesus tells us to be wise as a serpent Matthew 10:16 - in other words, be alert and always on the lookout for anything that is a threat.

Let us remember, we are precious people, made in God's image. If he came and tricked Adam in the garden (Genesis 3) he will try and trick you too. Look at the devastation that caused. He is on the prowl daily ready to attack us 1 Peter 5:8. Yes we are protected but only if we put on our spiritual armour and remain under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91.

Let us be careful not to become complacent. We're on active service. We're in God's Army. He has made us Righteous in Jesus Christ and His Ambassador. Therefore, let us be grateful for His constant love and protection; thankful that we are the Blessed and let's head towards a prosperous and Happy New Year.

Bless you all

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

                        

Gone Fishing

"4 Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."   Luke 5:1-11   NKJV

Picture this scene and try to place yourself in Peter's position. The best time for this type of fishing, is at night and he and his partners had been out all of the night and caught nothing. They were businessmen with families and depended on catching fish so that they could survive. Yet here, they had had a very bad night and exhausted, they sit on the beach washing out their nets before heading off home for a well-earned rest. 

However, Jesus has different ideas and walks up to them, climbs into Peter's boat and asks him to put out a little from the land, so that He can preach to the multitudes that had followed Him. Peter now had to contend with the massive crowds that were converging on his space and wait until Jesus had finished preaching, before he could go home. The time is not recorded but it must have been quite a time.

When Jesus had finished His sermon, He said to Peter, 'Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.' V4. How would you have responded to this after all you had been through? Peter would have had doubts about this. I mean, Jesus was a preacher not a fisherman and the best time for fishing was at night and they had already been out there all of the night and caught nothing. It must have been difficult for Peter and his reply can be examined as such: 'Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your Word I will let down the net.' v5.

We don't know what was in Peter's heart at this moment. He may have been totally willing to do as Jesus had said; especially with Jesus' track record. But, Peter was also very tired, down in the dumps and possibly a little irritated by everything. Whatever, he obeyed Jesus and he was rewarded with so great a catch that he had to call for help from the other boat and even then, they nearly sank with the weight of the fish. In this one fishing trip alone, they must have caught enough fish to finance themselves for quite a time.

In Jesus' eyes, Peter had been faithful and despite being exhausted and despondent, Jesus wanted to bless him. Peter dropped to his knees at Jesus' feet when he saw the blessing and said, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.' v8. Why would he have said this? Peter knew what had been in his heart when he agreed to launch out into the deep, again. He knew that he had been reluctant to do this. He knew that his attitude, although not voiced, was wrong and he felt so unworthy of the blessing that Jesus had given him. But Jesus knew his heart and He knows yours too.

We are like this at times. We know that Jesus wants us to do a particular thing but we wrestle with this. We try every excuse in the book, before we go off, reluctantly and possibly a little irate, to where He has sent us. One example could be someone may have rung us, needing help and the last thing we want to do is to go out, especially 'to them'. We may not voice it, but it can be seen in our body language that we don't want to do this. However, as we obey, albeit reluctantly, a blessing is coming our way.

If we want to be like Jesus, we must be prepared to do all that He wants of us, however inconvenient it may be. He knows our hearts; He knows our qualities; He knows that even though we may moan and groan at times, we'll still do what He asks. He knows that He can rely on us - on you! You may disagree with this. If so, why then, did He choose you?

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Don't lose Your Joy

"Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before Our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad for the joy of the Lord is your strength."                                                    Nehemiah 8:10.   NLT

The wall around Jerusalem had been completed and there was a great feast where Ezra read the Law of Moses to the people. As he spoke, there was much weeping among the crowd. Nehemiah stood and encouraged them with this verse. He told them that if people had no food prepared or drink, to bless them with some. The day was sacred to the Lord and they should be joyful, praising him for His kindness to them. 

It had been a difficult task but now the wall was completed. It was a time to regain their strength and celebrate. Perhaps you do too. Perhaps the year may have been difficult to find a way through and your spiritual and physical strength had been used up. 

Sarah Pearsons says: 'When your strength goes, your joy goes too.' How very true this statement is. Life events exhaust us at times and we can end up stagnant and lifeless; totally burnt out.  This is when you need to get into God's Word.

In the Gospel of John, Chapter four, Jesus had set out on a journey to Galilee but it would have meant that He needed to pass through Samaria to save much time. Now the Jews and Samaritans hated each other and Jesus wanted to do something to relieve the tension there. It was a compulsion for Him to go through there. He had souls to win.
On the way, as He was weary from the journey, He stopped for a rest at Jacob's Well in Sychar. He desperately needed some water for His thirst. He saw a Samaritan woman drawing water from the well and asked her for a drink and after a short conversation with her, He said, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, 'give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.' John 4:10

After her comments, He further said to her, 'Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him, will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.' John 4:13-14

She ran back to the city and shouted to all she could see, 'Come see a man who told me all things I ever did. Could this be the Christ?' v29-30 Many people were saved and transformed that day and many received the living water.

In ancient times, they called spring water, living water because it seemed alive as it bubbled up from the ground. Jesus meant spiritual water that quenches spiritual thirsts and gives life. And life is strength and strength is joy. You may need this spiritual, living water; this life in abundance; this tremendous joy that gives you the ability to get through all situations. 
Jesus wants to place within you this joy; this life; this living water. Come to the fountain right now and be filled:

Lord Jesus, here I am, Your servant. It's been a tough year Lord and My strength has been tested. I admit that I am weary so I come to Your fountain right now and ask that You may fill me to overflowing. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE

MAY YOUR DAY BE FILLED WITH JESUS

It's Clear Out Time

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us , looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God."                                                                       Hebrews 12:1-2.  NKJV


The witnesses here are the heroes of faith from the past, but they are not spectators watching our progress from Heaven. No, they are witnesses to us because they successfully overcame. Therefore, they are our encouragement.
We are to lay aside anything that hinders our walk with Jesus. This may be sin but can also be the company that we keep which we know is wrong; the places we go and our interests. If anything is taking God's place and/or leading us away from our walk with Him, it is wrong and should be discarded. Nothing should take the place of Jesus in our lives.
We are called to run with endurance the race that is set before us looking to Jesus. The word endurance brings to mind hard work and takes me back to my military days. The dictionary definition of endurance is:
The act or quality of withstanding hardship or stress. It is the state of persevering and duration
                                                                                             The Free Dictionary

We are to run with endurance, which includes hardship, stress, exhaustion, frustration and anything that being a dedicated follower of Jesus may be thrown at us. We are to never give up. Never surrender or buckle under the strain. As we run with endurance, we are to continue looking unto Jesus. The Greek interpretation of the word 'looking,'aphorao means undivided attention, looking away from distractions in order to fix one's gaze on one thing - in this case Jesus and no one else!

Jesus is the Author - the originator or champion of our faith. Through Him, we are saved and have a place reserved for us in Heaven - a mansion (John 14:2). It is because of Jesus that we are who we are - the Blessed and favoured..
Jesus the Finisher - the perfecter of our faith. Through Jesus we will be perfected when we stand before Our Father in Heaven. We will have no spots or blemishes; everything is washed in the powerful Name of Jesus. We've started with Him and we will finish with Him.

Let us pray:

'Lord, strengthened in faith by the great cloud of witnesses who surround me, I lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares me, so I may run with endurance the race set before me. Jesus, You are the author and finisher of my faith. I pray for the same joy You demonstrated as You endured the cross, despised the shame, and now sit at the right hand of the throne of God. Amen'
                                                                Adapted from Hebrews 12:1-2 Spirit Filled Life Bible

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com