Choices

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain."                                       John15:16    NKJV

You are a beloved friend of Jesus (v14). He chose you, not the other way around. That is amazing in itself. Jesus chose you and I; we didn't have to do a thing. He came along and chose us to be His friend. He trusts us enough to say this. We are friends of Jesus Christ and He has appointed us - ordained us to serve Him every day of our lives.

Each day, we have a choice whether to serve God. This is an over and over kind of thing. It's not just when we said, 'Yes', to Him and He came into our lives but, each and every day, we need to choose to serve Him afresh. It's a daily decision. Some would disagree and say that they serve Him anyway. However, this is a way of rubber-stamping the fact and it keeps us on our toes instead of getting staid.

We choose to serve Him in every situation. We all have choices. We have a choice to be depressed or blessed. You may say that you can't help being depressed but. God's Word disagrees by saying, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' Philippians 4:13. We were delivered from this and healed, 'by whose stripes you were healed.' 1 Peter 2:24 and 'who heals all your diseases.' Psalm 103:3. We have a choice to make, so choose to be well and blessed.

Serve God and Him only. Each day we are faced with many alternatives. We must continually choose to serve God - wholeheartedly! Therefore, we can say, 'I choose not to lie, I choose not to steal, I choose not to commit adultery, I choose not to judge or criticise' etc. etc. We have to make the choice today, not tomorrow. 

If you have made the choice to follow Jesus and live for Him and Him only, then He will help you accomplish this. A well used Proverb is one that I recommend you stand on:

'Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways, acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.

                         Proverbs 3:5-6    NKJV

 

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

          

Your Reward is Absolutely Inexhaustible

"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for My sake. (12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."                                                

                                                                                                            Matthew 5:11-12    NKJV

How do you feel when people insult you for being a Christian? How do you take it when you find that people you trusted, are saying false things about you, behind your back? When I first became a Christian in 1980, I was a little rough round the edges and, not being out of the army very long I would always respond loudly to anyone who, 'Had a go at me.' When I first found people talking about me from the church, I wanted to punch their lights out. This was what I had been used to and I was ready. Fortunately, Jesus began a re-moulding job on me - which is still going on today, I can assure you. I have learnt, by verses such as above, that it is actually an opening for me to be blessed.

The whole meaning of 'Blessed', is to be happy. It possibly could be written as, 'Happy is the man who....'. God wants us to remain in a state of happiness and joy. Why? Well the amplified version of these verses give us a clue. Verse 12 says, 'Be glad and exceedingly joyful for your reward in heaven is great, (absolutely inexhaustible. Did you get that? God's blessings to us will be nothing less than absolutely inexhaustible. Now I don't know about you, but I want blessings like that. So insult me any way you want to Lol.

As Christians, people insult us because of our association with Jesus Christ. Just the mention of His name winds some people up. In some quarters, it's a conversation stopper. Others use the name of Jesus as a swear word. Many do not like Him, but why? Because He convicts them. He makes them see what they are really like and the guilt hits them like a meteorite. Just the mention of His name or your presence in front of them, freaks them out and they do almost anything to get away. And so, they revert to abuse towards the Christian person and church, which they normally use the word, 'religion'.

To be verbally abused, or reviled as the NKJV says, is hurtful, especially when it comes from a Christian brother or sister who you have respected and trusted. It is devastating and makes you feel, 'Who can I trust?' The sad thing is, we are not going to be able to stop it and as time goes on, it will get worse as we continue into the End Times. Therefore, we are going to have to be able to stand against this and receive all insults as a blessing. This is hard I know, but remember, Gods blessings to us will be nothing less than absolutely inexhaustible. What we do is learn to turn the abuse into a blessing; the insult into gems of glory; the hate into life and joy. You can do this because, Jesus Christ dwells within you and He will deal with the abusers, not you. You just keep your eyes on Him and receive that absolutely inexhaustible grace and blessing - that mercy (Hesed) and keep on, keeping on and then keeping on a little longer.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

'Lord, I need Your help'

"I called on the LORD in distress; the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place." 

                                                                                                        Psalm 118:5    NKJV

There may have been times when you have been in distress - in anguish - when it seemed that everything was against you and there didn't appear to be a way out. Then Jesus turned up in answer to your call for help. You may have been in a dangerous position - life-threatening even and, as you called out to God, He was there quick as a flash to help.

The scripture above reads, that God set the psalmist in a broad place. This means that when God answered, He set him free, delivered him and gave him the victory. If you've been on the end of a desperate prayer such as this, you too have been delivered, given the victory and totally rescued.

There are many who have become enveloped and chained in difficult situations and you may be in one of them right now. You may have tried everything to set yourself free but, it has all been in vane. There is only one who can set us free from anything and, His name is Jesus. (John 8:36). 

Some of us need to be set free from habits that have become a rigid part of out lives. It may be over-eating - obesity, drinking too much alcohol or smoking. Pleasures at the time but pleasures that can reduce the length of our lives, drastically. It may be difficult to change this but with Jesus' help, it can be attained. It just takes a little dedication, commitment and sheer hard work. Some people can do this by going cold turkey, others can't. Don't be put off by this; Jesus has the answer for you. You must though, recognise that He may not just wave His hand over you and the habit has gone. He can set you free this way and has done to many in the past, but not always. He may expect you to bite the bullet and be prepared - with His help - for a determined effort.

Many folk may have burdens and hurts from the past. They crop up from time to time but they are usually buried before anyone can notice this. When we do this, it is similar to painting a very cracked wall with whitewash. Initially, the job looks good but then it dries and all the cracks come back to the surface and they look uglier. In the same manner, our burdens and hurt do the same. They're forever there until you decide to do something about it, such as ministry, counselling or prayer. You may not want this but it's better than a lifetime of bad memories, isn't it?

Try this:

'Lord Jesus, I recognise that I need your help. I need to be set free from my stubborn habits such as......................Please help me Lord. I also have burdens and hurts from the past such as ............................. Again, please help me Jesus. I know that you have flagged this up today, so I come to You in faith, approaching Your throne of grace in my time of need, and ask You to heal me and set me free. May the chains fall off today Lord. Also, Lord, I have walked away from You like the Prodigal, I return right now and give my life back to You. Come into my heart, forgive my sins, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and be My Lord and Saviour.

I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Those Little Foxes. 🦊🦊🦊🦊🦊🦊

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

I've always loved foxes. I remember seeing them years ago chasing rabbits and tricking them into submission for the kill. This ritual is called 'Charming', one where the fox runs around chasing its own tail and generally making a fool of itself, whilst the rabbit looks on mesmerised. Gradually, the fox gets closer to the rabbit until it can finally grab it and that, is the end of the rabbit.

I have also quite often, seen a fox trotting through my local nature reserve with a coot in its mouth. Wonderful stuff, but from another point of view devastating especially when the fox attacks chickens totally destroying it. Sady, the fox is only doing what nature has taught it to do for survival.

It was no different in bible times. The foxes were related to jackals and could be quite a menace, especially the little foxes who would gnaw at the tender shoots of the grapevine and run amok about the place destroying the whole crop. 

In this passage, Solomon uses little foxes as a metaphor for the many problems that creep into marriage destroying the sweetness of it all. Initially, a new Christian marriage can be bliss where each partner is caught up in this new adventure. However, after a time, the flame can begin to flicker a little and little things can begin to wind a partner up until it is a big problem. Before it gets this far, each partner needs to recognise what is happening and determine to sit down and talk things through. Remember, the devil will steal your love for each other if you allow him to. Don't! Communicate with each other instead.

This can also happen to well-seasoned marriages too. No one is exempt tensions and outbursts and quite a few older people sadly, have affairs and/or divorce because they have nothing left for each other. Don't let the little foxes steal the joy of your marriage and love no matter how long you have been together. Love and marriage built on the Rock of Jesus Christ is too precious for this to happen.

Little foxes can turn up in churches too, again destroying everything that has been built up. Also your own walk with Jesus can be open to devastation. Don't forget this is also a marriage - Jesus is the Bridegroom and the church/marriage partners, are the bride. We belong together.

The fox is sly, clever and cunning. Who does this remind you of? Yes, that's right - the devil himself. Don't be out-foxed. Check out your own marriage and walk with God. Are there any niggles or tensions around? It could be a little fox. Be careful!  🦊

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Nothing is going to stop you

 "and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..."  v1

                                                                                                          Hebrews 12:1-2    NKJV

Reading through Hebrews 12:1-2, we see several phrases that I want us to ponder on. 

Firstly we have:

Cloud of witnesses   

In our daily lives, the people around us can observe how we handle ourselves and live the life we profess as Christians. This may be our family, friends, neighbours and the people that we  work with. Even in the supermarkets, people still observe us. How we react to a given situation determines what they think about us. There are witnesses everywhere we go.

Alternatively, we have a cloud of witnesses in Heaven - our Heroes of Faith which includes names such as, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Issac, Jacob, David and many more who have run the race with determination and urge us to do the same. Experts of faith even though they may have made mistakes.

Lay aside every weight

There are so many things that we need to lay aside in order to run our race successfully. We worry about this, fear that and lie awake all night wondering how we can sort this out. Stop, it's a weight and it needs laying aside. We should not carry around burdens. Its true that we will fall into some sort of sin most days of our lives, but we are not to feel condemned by it. There is only one who condemns us - Satan. He is the accuser of the brethren. Romans 8:1 tells us, 'There is therefore now, no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." We may feel guilt but once we confess to Jesus, we are declared not guilty. That feeling of sin must depart and, in the Name of Jesus, you have the power to command this.

Ensnare us

There are traps everywhere we walk and we need to avoid them by walking with Jesus in the armour of the Lord. Some things from our past may pop up and accuse us. This may lead to us feeling chained and imprisoned. If you've never submitted this to Jesus, do it now and allow the chains to fall off. Be watchful and alert; be careful of who you spend time with, where you go; what you read and what you speak and think about. Don't allow yourself to become ensnared. Shake it off.

Endurance

Run the race of faith with determination and true grit. Beat your body into submission. You're a soldier who is on the assault course of life. Train and complete the race and never surrender; never, ever, give up.

Author and Finisher

Jesus started it and He will finish it. With Jesus, we 'back the winner every time'. He's taken you this far. No matter how further ahead it is, you can be sure that He will take you to the end, even if He has to carry you.

Joy

His wish for us; His dream for us and His desire for us, is to be joyful in all we do, because then we will be full of all of His strength. (Nehemiah 8:10).

In closing, just think a moment; Jesus has sat down relaxing with His Father. This means He is confident that you will make it. Amen? Amen.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Jesus knows how you feel!

"14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need."     Hebrews 4:14-16    NKJV

Jesus has been there. He knows what life is like and what it takes to walk with God. He knows the struggles, the heartaches and the persecution that may come our way every now and again. He knows what a struggle it is to keep our sinful nature under control and how temptation can lead us astray at any time. He's been there, as we say in these times, He has the t-shirt, but His is covered with His blood shed on the cross for each one of us.

Jesus is our great High Priest. He is the only High Priest that is great. We can go to Him whenever we need to and His door is always open. He has passed through the heavens; He is the Son of God and He is the only one that truly knows what the Christian life is like and what a battle it can be at times. He knows temptation but He never sinned; He does know what the pull of it can feel like, however. He knows.

Jesus sympathises with us, with our struggles, with the sin we commit and the way we feel when we do sin. He tells us to 'Hold fast', our confession. This means we are to cling to our confession with determination. It takes all we have got. We are to cling to His forgiveness, to the fact that He knows what it is like. He cares. 

Sympathise in the Greek, is made up of two words = 'Suffer with', and this is what Jesus does for each of us. Counsellors speak about being in someone's Internal Frame of Reference; and this means, to sit in their shoes so that you know exactly what it is like to suffer. David Jeremiah in a comment about 'Suffer with', says: 'The term expresses the compassion of one who does not simply see suffering from the outside, but who enters into the suffering and makes it his or her own.' Copyright 2013 David Jeremiah.

Jesus becomes involved in what we do - if we allow Him, and that includes our suffering. He knows what weakness is. This is why He tells us that, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'  2 Corinthians 12:9. He calls us to pass all our problems to Him and whenever, we have blown it - which we do and will do until we are perfected in Heaven - to have the confidence to approach the throne of grace, confess our sin and receive His love and forgiveness. We receive His grace and His mercy (Hebrews Hesed), and we receive this to help in our time of need V16, in other words, 'just at the right time'.  

In conclusion, He will never cast you aside; He will never ground you or tell you that 'you've gone too far this time'. Not at all. As you come boldly to His throne, He will bless you beyond your wildest dreams. Why? Because He just can't stop loving you.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Be a worthy soldier of Jesus

"So I, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to you to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called (that is, to live a life that exhibits godly character , moral courage, personal integrity and mature behaviour - a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation)."                                                             Ephesians 4:1 Amplified Study Bible

This is the life that Jesus has called us to and the life that grabs the attention of people around you. Yes, you may suffer persecution from people who see you living for Jesus but, deep down, many of them want to be like you but they can't lose their street credibility, they have so much peer pressure that they just have to play the roles that they do.

To start with today, ask yourself:

Does my life exhibit godly character?

Do I live a life that expresses gratitude to God for my salvation?

Your honest answers to these two questions, will give you an idea about your Christian walk and what changes you may need to make in order to get it on track. To start with:

*  Change the way you talk about yourself. 

You are a child of God, so act accordingly. Don't accept the bad things others may say about you, just start confessing what God says about you and begin living that life, for Him. Listen to your words and change them where necessary. Only use wholesome, faith-building words about yourself.

*  Does what I do and say, live up to what I practice  - Christianity?

When you are in non-Christian company, be careful to keep your Christian values uppermost. Keep your witness by refusing to act the way the others may be acting - such as, dirty jokes, gossip and the language you use. When you're in company with non-believers - family or friends - it is so easy to drop your guard and start saying things like they do; using unwholesome words and generally lowering your standards. The American preacher, Bill Winston says, 'You can't run with rabbits and hunt with the hunters as well.' There is a choice that we have to make and this goes for the company that we keep.

*  Don't get dragged in

Don't ever let what the majority is thinking or saying influence you to go against the Word of God. Remember Joshua and Caleb. They had been sent out with others to spy out the land that God was leading them into. Joshua and Caleb came back singing its praises saying how great the land was. The others, brought a bad report - full of woe - saying that it was not for them, it would be a bad move (Numbers 13). So therefore, they ended up wandering around the wilderness for 40 or so years, and died there, except for Joshua and Caleb and that generation. Don't allow anyone to cloud your judgement. If God says it's ok, then it's ok.

Just live your life for Jesus, living up to your calling. This way you will be blessed.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE