The Father saw and had compassion

"But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion."

                                                                                            Luke 15:20.  NKJV

Have you ever been lonely, so lonely that it hurts? Seeing couples in the street, walking by hand in hand. How you wished that was you? The Father saw and had compassion.

  What about the time when you were in great trouble and there appeared no way out of it? The fear and sleepless nights of anguish it caused and visits to the GP because you couldn't cope with things. The Father saw and had compassion.

  Then of course there was the time you were expecting to get that special job or high-flying promotion. But at the last moment, you were shunned and the job went to someone the boss had wanted from the beginning. The anger and frustration you felt. But the Father saw and had compassion.

  And the biggest hurt of all was when that special person in your life died and was taken from you; and there was nothing you could do to prevent it. So much pain! And yet, the Father saw and had compassion.

  There are so many life events that come our way, some good and others, not so good. We cannot avoid them, they just happen and they're so difficult to negotiate. There are so many questions that go unanswered.

  You may be able to bear witness to one of these examples, or maybe something similar. When you're going through such times, it's difficult to believe and realise that there is a God who cares. But there is, and He hurts because you do. When you're shot at, He's shot at too. When you're treated badly or hurt so much, He is treated badly and hurts so much.

  And this is because, when you asked Jesus into your heart, you became 'one', with Him. You're in Him and He's in you. Whatever you go through, He cares and has great compassion. There are no answers to why we do have so much pain at times. We're tempted to say, 'Why did it have to happen to me; why not so and so, they deserved it, I didn't?' But this type of thinking has no purpose because there really are no answers.

  One thing we do have is God's endless love and devotion. He was the one that was there, feeling pain for you. He was the one who brought you through it or, will bring you through. Why? Because He sees and has compassion. 

Things do get better!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Keep Fit

"Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come."

                                                                                    1 Timothy 4:8.  New Living Translation

Many people take care of their human bodies, dieting, exercising and eating all of the right foods. The world emphasises ability, along with beauty and success. It can become a competition if we allow it - going to the gym, pumping iron to ensure muscles are developed better than anyone else. And then, there is jogging - pushing yourself on much further each day and possibly entering a marathon.

Looking after our bodies is being a good steward but there is a limit. It should never be done at the risk of neglecting our spiritual body - our relationship with Jesus. We can have the most amazing, muscle-rippling body and be incredibly fit and in great form, yet this will not accompany you to heaven when you die. The six-pack, muscle-rippling, power-packed and amazingly shaped body will be left in the grave.

It's good to be fit and it's great to take good care of yourself, but not at the risk of your relationship with God. Just imagine spending that type of dedication in reading and studying your bible, praying and walking with Jesus. You may do this, and that is wonderful, but many don't and these are the ones God is speaking to today.

God longs for this kind of relationship and this kind of attention. He yearns for the commitment and dedication that you give to other things, but not to Him. He longs for you! He created you and He loves you. He is the only one who can give you what you're searching for.

Get the balance right. You can still do the things in the exercise world, but give more time to God. In fact, take Him with you to the gym and on that jog. Enjoy your exercise and keep fit, but be sure to keep fit in Jesus too.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Stop seeking the glory

"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

                                                                                                   Luke 10:17-20.  NKJV

Have you never tried to seek the glory? Of course you have. It's a human thing. We all like to receive praise and a pat on the back as we receive the attention from people when we've done something for them or the church. In fact, it's quite possible that we have waited for someone to comment on our efforts - to tell us that we have done a jolly good job, 'Well done'. But when it hasn't happened, when our work has gone unnoticed or worse still, not received the accolade we feel it deserved, we have become hurt, and felt like leaving the church.

This can happen if we have preached a sermon, led worship or a bible study. We can find ourself looking for positive comments afterwards. All of this can, if we're not careful, lead us to becoming puffed up with pride. We are seeking the glory instead of giving it to God.

The disciples had been sent out in pairs to various cities, to preach about Jesus. They had been very successful and on their return, had excitedly reported all of this to Him. He had encouraged them but also gave them some wise counsel: 'Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.'

Prior to this statement, He had said, 'I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven.' v 18.

Jesus was gently reminding them that they should give the glory to God and be grateful that they are used in such a way, and not like satan, who had wanted to share the Kingdom of God because he had become puffed up with pride when he was an angel in heaven, and had been cast out of his place because of this rebellion and pride.

So just be grateful for who you are in God. Be thankful that Jesus has saved you and uses you to help further His Kingdom and give Him the glory in everything you do, because you are a precious and valued member of His Kingdom.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

You can't do it in the flesh

"Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts."

                                                                                 Zechariah 4:6.  NKJV

'What are souls without His grace? They're as dead as the branch in which the sap does not circulate. What is the church without Him? It's as parched and barren as the fields without the dew and rain of heaven.' Anon quote from Secret Power Dwight L Moody

To do things in our own strength is not enough. It achieves nothing in Spiritual terms. Preaching the Word or teaching God's principles without the power of the Holy Spirit, will achieve very little. It's rather like pumping water at a well with no water in it, or trying to drive a car with no petrol in the tank. It's pointless.

  And yet, week after week, many ministers preach a sermon and there is no fruit from it at all. Now this can be because there has been no altar call to offer prayer for people touched by the Spirit; there has been no time for a sermon or because the Word was given in the flesh; there was no room for the Holy Spirit.

  This happens all over the world. The Word is preached and yet, there is no response. God said in Isaiah:

'For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.'                     Isaiah 55:10-11

When God speaks, there will be a response. If not, we have to question if it was done in the flesh. However, this is not just a pulpit thing, it is in our everyday lives. Do we live our lives in the Spirit or struggle on in the flesh? We may not all be pastors, but whatever we do, we are all called by God and many of us are in danger of burning ourselves out because we are living in the flesh instead of allowing God to work through us. Also, we are trying to do too much. We need to rest at times.

  Jesus said, 'Without Me, you can do nothing.' John 15:5. So stop what you're doing for a moment and ask God to fill you with His Spirit; and then determine, from this day, you will only walk in the Spirit.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Psalm 139 - Final part

"(23)Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; (24) and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

                                                                                 Psalm 139:23-24.  NKJV

Check out Psalm 139:17-18; David writes: 'How precious also are Your thoughts to Me, O God! How great is the sum of them! (18) If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You.' God thinks about us - always. Have you ever picked up a handful of sand and as it flows through your hand, tried to count the grains of sand. It's impossible. Imagine how many grains of sand there are to a beach. Impossible to count, yet David says that God's thoughts towards us outnumber these. That's a lot of thoughts. He therefore, thinks about you and I continually. Amazing. This is how He knows us so well. He knows each one of us better than we know ourselves. He knows when we're happy and when we're sad; when we're afraid  and when we're anxious. So why don't we go to Him sooner when we have problems  that are weighing us down?

David was a soldier, probably the equivalent of today's Special Forces. He was a true veteran. Therefore, he struggled with people at times; people who were rude about God. He wanted to wipe them out. He was a king, but also a human being who had been through the hardest of battles. Ex-soldiers often need de-programming when they finish their service. However, God was gracious to David, as He is with us. David had rough edges and so do we, and they take time to be healed and changed.

This is probably why David wrote our text verses V23 & 24; 'Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.' Many people over the years have used these verses as a prayer, asking God to reveal to them areas that need changing. However, be warned, this is a very risky prayer to pray, God will take you up on it, so you need to be prepared for the fact that He may reveal things He is not happy with; there may be painful areas to repent of and there may be much heart-searching.

I say this, as we can so easily rush into praying things before we have considered that there may be a cost to what we pray. With this prayer, I can assure you, there will be; but it will be a positive step. God will be gentle, as the Holy Spirit reveals issues that we need to address. But it will be worth it.

Are you ready and willing to pray this? If you are, fasten your seat belt, put on your armour and let's go:

'Lord Jesus, search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Psalm 139 Part 4

'(13) For You formed my inward parts ; You covered me in my mother's womb. (14) I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. (15) My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skilfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. (16) Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they were all written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."

                                                                                          Psalm 139:13-16.  NKJV

God saw David at conception. He was forming David little by little the same as he did us and other people. Here David is saying that God formed his inner organs by knitting him or weaving him together in the womb.

Each of us began life this way where at conception, God began the process of weaving us into human beings by the formation of human cells over an eight week period, which is called an embryo. God Himself maintains the development of human life from the very beginning. This is why, no one has the right to take a human life, by way of an abortion. It is wrong.

However, there may be a time when it seems the right way forward to abort because to continue with the birth, it could lead to loss of life or serious damage to the mother. There may be other medical reasons. However, it should be to a minimum. We are not here to judge one way or another, but we must honour life as precious, especially to God who has been there all the way through. It really is a contentious subject but really, life is life.

Life must be the greatest of gifts because without it, we have nothing. That is obvious. But to some, life means little as can be seen in world events such as terrorism, murder and other such terrible atrocities. Adding abortion to this list adds to the heartache that God feels. 

Here in this Psalm, David praises God for the miracle of life and lets him know how grateful he is. Once life has ended here on earth, we can do no more. We can take nothing with us. While we're here, we need to leave a legacy of love - a witness of a life lived for Jesus.

It's worth asking yourself, 'What have I achieved in my life? Has my life been beneficial to others? Have I pleased God? Could I do more? It's always helpful to do an appraisal of yourself - a self analysis, because there is aways room for improvement. God's not finished with you yet so why not ask Him if He is pleased with you? You may be pleasantly surprised. Then again, you may receive the encouragement to change a few things.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Psalm 139. Part 3

(7) "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? (8) If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. (9) If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, (10) even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. (11) If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," even the night shall be light about me; (12) indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You."

                                                                                        Psalm 139:7-12.  NKJV

God is everywhere. He's in heaven, David also made mention that he is in hell, but he would have been referring to Sheol, which normally has the sense of the grave. However, let's not forget Jesus rose from the dead; He blasted out of hell; it couldn't hold Him, and He overpowered it, defeating sin.

Mason discussing Spurgeon, commented:

'The presence of God's glory is in heaven; the presence of His power on earth; the presence of His justice in hell and the presence of His grace, with His people.'

                                                                               (Mason citing Spurgeon)

So God is everywhere. There's nowhere He hasn't been or is at. We're forever watched over like He has a gigantic CCTV system. He keeps His eyes upon us. There's no hiding place from Him too. Jonah found that out when God told him to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. Instead of obeying God, Jonah took a ship to Tarshish. But God saw this. Jonah was cast into the sea and swallowed by a whale. Even in the body of a whale, God was there. Jonah Chapters 1 & 2. God sees and knows all.

God asked, 'Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?' Jeremiah 23:24. There is no hiding place from God at all. Space officials tell us there is no life on the Moon, Mars or elsewhere in the galaxy. You know what? I bet God's presence is there.

We are always in His thoughts and forever watched over, His hands of grace reaching out to us. And no one can ever prevent you seeking His love and grace. His arms are always open just waiting for that time when you decide to run up to Him for a heavenly hug. 

Probably you need that today. Jonah didn't get out of the belly of the whale until he repented and began to praise God. As soon as he did, God spoke to the fish and it vomited him up onto dry land. Jonah 2:10. That is food for thought!

Why not go to Him for that heavenly hug today? You'll feel better for it.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com