God gives according to His grace

"Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you." V14                                                                                                      Matthew 20:1-16.  NKJV

A landowner went out early to hire workers to labour in his vineyard. Some of the workers started around 6am, doing a full day's work. It was agreed that they would be paid a denarius, which was the going rate for a day's labour. Agreeing to this, they set to work. Throughout the day, the landowner set on more workers at 9am, 3pm and finally at 5pm. To each he told them he would pay whatever he felt right.

At the end of the day, he called the workers who had been hired at 5pm and then the ones at 3pm and 9am and paid each of them a denarius. When he came to the workers who had been there since 6am, they were expecting to be paid more than their agreed day's pay. However, they also received a denarius. They complained about this, claiming that it was unfair, after all they had been working all of the day. But the landowner told them that he was not treating them unfairly, but had paid them what they agreed to; it was his money and he could do what he chose. He said to them, 'Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.'

This is the heart of Jesus. He takes the forgotten, the people who have been passed over and the rejects and has compassion on them - He sees their potential. Don't forget these workers, who were set on later in the day, had actually been standing and waiting all the time hoping for work.

When we see this happen in our church or elsewhere, we can be tempted to feel like the first workers did, thinking, 'It is so unfair.' We can then begin feeling bad towards the person who is being favoured and to the one who is favouring. When we do this, our motives are completely wrong.

God can and does, distribute His gifts and His goodness as He chooses. He doesn't have to ask us first what we think. He is free to bestow His favour on whom He desires. It's called grace. 

Just for a moment, remember the many times that God poured His grace upon you. The obvious one is when you were born again. He saw your potential when no one else could see it or care about it. Then think about the grace He has shown you since - the answered prayer, the love He has given you to share with your family and friends and the blessings. And don't forget that He has made you a cherished child of God.

Now that's what I call fair.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Be Ready

"Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching."

Check out the words, 'Be ready', in our text today. Wherever we are in our busy day, there is always someone in need that we come across. They may not tell us this at first, but when we walk closely in the Spirit, two things may happen: (1) The Holy Spirit shines a light on someone, showing us things are not all that well, (2) People pick up on us, that we are different and they begin to feel safe with us.

John Wimber once spoke of a lady who was watching him closely as he did his shopping in a store. He was a little embarrassed at first but then she came up to him and said, 'You're different, what is it?' John picking up on what was happening replied, 'It's the Holy Spirit madam, why don't you draw near to God right now?' And she did and was saved. What had happened? The lady was in need and saw something in John Wimber that she needed - and that was Jesus.

This is not unique. It is not only reserved for ministers or Bible College students. It is available to us all. When we spend a lot of time with someone, we begin to pick up some of their traits. Likewise, when we spend a lot of time with Jesus, we become so much like Him that people begin to notice that there is something about us that they need, even though they may not know what it is. They will begin to tell us their troubles and pains jbecause they feel safe with us. There's a lot of people who have pressing problems in this world but they have no one to unload on - no one who will listen. This is where we come in.

As we live in a state of readiness, the state where we are open to whatever comes our way, people notice this  and just begin telling us all of their problems. Many are genuine, ordinary people. We may meet the odd person who just wants a handout but, they still need Jesus and while they're with us, they have the opportunity.

You may well have had people just coming up to you and telling you their problems. You may not. However, if you live in that state of readiness, that state of being able to show people Jesus; if you live each day filled with God's Spirit, you will begin to have people coming up to you, so be ready!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Living in Freedom

"If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. (32) And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free"

                                                                                                     John 8:31-32.  NKJV

The word freedom means to live without restraints or controlling forces, to live without being in captivity. Freedom is what Jesus gives each and every person who give their lives to Him. Not every Christian experiences the true value of this freedom. It can only be found in abiding in God's Word and being His disciple.

We need to abide in His Word - to live 100% for Jesus. To abide, we know, means to live; to remain and to walk in Jesus. Jesus is the Word (John 1:1), so to live in Him, we have to know both Him and the Word He gave us, and that Word is the truth. John Avanzini says, 'You cannot live in a truth you do not know'. Therefore, to know Jesus, you have to walk in the Word and His truth.

Tasker commented on the subject of abiding in God's Word:

'Welcoming it, being at home with it and living with it so continuously, that it becomes part of the believer's life - a permanent influence and stimulus in every fresh advance in goodness and happiness'.

This was how Jesus was able to combat the devil's temptations in the wilderness (Matthew 4). With everything that the devil fired at Him, He answered, 'It is written'.Do you get the idea? You have to know it to be able to use it. Jesus knew the truth - God's Word, and it was able to set Him free from all the devil threw at Him.

This is the result of abiding in His Word. We prove ourselves to be His disciples and we know the truth, and that is the secret to living in freedom. Jesus said, 'And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free'. 

Are you free? Would you consider that you are abiding in God's Word? Do you know the truth? People go to university to learn a skill; we go to Jesus to learn how to walk and survive in Him. Why not make it a way of life!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Are your Insurance Premiums paid up?

"Rejoice because your names are written in Heaven"

                                                                                                    Luke 10:20.  NKJV

Whenever we have an accident, something gets stolen or we lose something when we're out and about, it's reassuring to know that we are covered by insurance and that the premiums are all paid up to date. If we have no insurance then we can't expect to receive anything back.
Many people don't bother with insurance, believing that it's a waste of time and money - 'Nothings going to happen, it's too expensive anyway.' That is, until it does and then that can be a great loss. In a similar way, many people ignore their salvation. Some feel there is no God - 'There's nothing after death'. How shocking it will be when they discover differently at the end of their lives. But by then, it will be too late.
Others keep putting it off, 'I'll think about it, but until then I've a lot of living to enjoy.' There will be 'no living to enjoy', if they suddenly die and have not made a commitment to Jesus. Again, it will be too late. At death, there are two destinations - heaven or hell. There is nothing in between. Without Jesus, we're already on the way to hell no matter how good we are being. We need Jesus. He has the key to heaven and as soon as we give our lives to Him, our destination changes - our names become written in heaven and when our lives come to an end, that is where we will reside, safe in His arms.
It isn't a game. We cannot gamble with our salvation. We need to consider where we want to be - right now! When we die, it is too late to make that decision. After death, there are no second chances and it doesn't matter how good we have been during our life. Jesus is the only way into heaven. To gamble with our salvation would be like taking insurance out on something after an accident and expecting a pay out. It doesn't work like that, neither does your salvation. It's rather like catching a train with only two destinations to choose from. We have to make a choice and that choice will determine where we will end up.
You may already be a Christian but you may have drifted away a little or may need to rededicate your life to Jesus. Alternatively, you may never have made that choice but today you have that opportunity. Why not make sure your insurance premiums are paid up to date:

Lord Jesus, please come and live in my heart and forgive my sins. I give my life to You to be used as You see fit. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and be my Lord and my Saviour from this moment. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Welcome, you have been born again

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Why not now Lord? Final Part

"(53)Then from that day on, they plotted to put Him to death. (54) Therefore Jesus, no longer walked openly among the Jews ..."  

                                                                                                        John 11:45-57.  NKJV 

In conclusion to our study of the account of Lazarus, we see Jesus performing the most amazing of miracles - raising Lazarus from the dead and many people are in awe of this feat; others are criticising Him and now there is a plot to kill Him.
This was life for Jesus, and to a degree, it is the same for anyone who makes a stand for Him. If we put our neck on the chopping block, we can be sure that the devil will try to chop our head off. He's not our friend

.
Families can be separated because a member declares that they have become a Christian. Persecutions may follow. In some countries today, Christians are imprisoned and even executed for their faith. There was a popular song a few years ago entitled, 'I never promised you a rose garden'. And this is so true.

The disciple Thomas, who is often referred to as Doubting Thomas, had to be careful because he was also known as the twin (11:16). This was because he had an uncanny resemblance to Jesus. So wherever he went, it was understandable that he had a few doubts. 

Before Jesus' death, afterwards and even today, to declare that you're a follower of Jesus can be risky  in some areas of life. Persecutions can come in our jobs, where we can be passed over for promotion because we're 'religious'. When certain people hear about our faith, it can bring division and sometimes heavy debates about, 'If there is a God, then why does He allow...'. We've all heard this one.

If persecution and hatred came to Jesus, you can bet it will come to you. But one thing is for sure, when we make a stand for Jesus; when we speak about Him and lead people to follow Him; when we share His love to a hurting world and when we live our lives for Him, He is so grateful to us and is with us, every step of the way.

 
He knows what you've been through. He knows accepting Him was costly and one day He will welcome you into His heaven and give you the biggest hug that you've ever had. At the end of the day, He didn't promise us a rose garden. The garden He promises us has the Tree of Life in it!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

                                                                                 

Why not now Lord Part Four

"Take away the stone" (v38)                                                                   John 11:38- 44.  NKJV

As soon as Jesus commanded that the stone be taken away from Lazarus' tomb, the devil and all the demons surrounding the tomb, were petrified. The devil had robbed Jesus of His friend and Mary and Martha of their brother, and he was satisfied that he had brought pain into their lives. However, he underestimated the power of Jesus. He didn't think that after four days that Jesus would try to raise Lazarus from the dead. But he had a shock. He is no match for the awesome power that Jesus has. That day, he had no power to prevent Jesus doing what he had set out to do four days earlier. He commanded the stone to be taken away and things began to happen! He stood outside the tomb and demonstrated His power by declaring in a loud voice, full of authority, 'Lazarus come forth,' and Lazarus did just that.
Jesus spoke with authority and He showed the devil who really is in charge. There is nothing that He cannot perform for each one of us. 'Is anything too hard for the LORD' (Genesis 18:14). Nothing is too hard for the Lord. Nothing. And we need to grasp hold of this fact. But let us look a little closer at verse 44:
'And he who had died  came out bound hand and foot with grave clothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Loose him, and let him go'.
BOUND HAND AND FOOT 
Lazarus was shackled. He was alive but there was nothing he could do whilst his hands and feet were tied. He needed to be loosed.
GRAVE CLOTHES
By wearing these grave clothes, he was identifying with death. They needed to be taken off and a new set of clothes given to him.
FACE WRAPPED WITH A CLOTH
Lazarus was unable to speak properly because of this restraint.
When Jesus said 'Loose him', all of these restraints were taken away from him and he could function properly. Let me ask you three questions:
(1) Have you been bound hand and foot, so much so that you are going nowhere?
(2) Have you felt your ministry and walk with God is dead and you're identifying with
     spiritual death?
(3) Does it feel like your mouth has been stopped and you cannot speak up for Jesus?
Today, stand up and let Jesus take the stone away from the staleness of your spiritual walk. He has commanded, not only to Lazarus, but to you too, that you be loosed and be set free. If this is you, then let us pray:
Lord Jesus, I have felt that my hands and feet are bound; that I am spiritually dead and that my face has a cloth over it, hindering my speech. I turn to You Jesus and I receive, by faith Your touch that says, 'LOOSE HIM/HER AND LET HIM/HER GO,' In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

   

                                                      

Why not now Lord? Part Three

"Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?"                                                                             John 11:28-37.  NKJV

When Mary saw Jesus, she said exactly, word for word, what Martha had said: 'Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.' (11:21) But there was a difference; Martha shot from the hip and said whatever she was thinking. Whereas, Mary was more gentle and knelt before Jesus in tears. It was the same question that Martha had asked, but it was spoken with a deep compassion which demonstrated her pain. It affected Jesus so much that He felt her pain transferred over to Himself and this caused Jesus to weep also. (v35).

This also had an impact on the onlookers who had gathered, an event that they would remember for some time. Seeing this mighty figure weeping, was something they had not expected and it moved them. A few were no different from some people today however; 'Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind, also have kept this man from dying?' One can almost feel the insincerity in their words. Remember, not all who followed Jesus were committed to Him; and we can meet this type of person today. They are characterised by complaining about everything. We can all act this way every now and again, but these people are more prone to find fault in the majority of things they see and hear about. Criticism is this type of person's forte and their comments can be quite hurtful. You may have met some of them. They usually fall into two categories: they will talk behind your back, or they will say things to your face, possibly loud enough for others to hear, and it can be so humiliating and deskilling. There is constructive criticism and there is destructive criticism. You may well have been the recipient of the latter. 

Jesus would have heard them as they spoke in the crowd; there's no doubt about that; and He would have been used to hearing derogatory comments about Him too. Yet, He didn't allow it to stop His work. He refused to be prevented from fulfilling His Father's work. He always gave His best for Him, so don't let anyone or anything stop you. Press on.

You have a calling and the devil doesn't want you achieving it, so he will use people to stop you, humiliate you and convince you that you have it wrong. This just proves that you have it right, so joyfully get on with the job. God's relying on you.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com