The Aftermath

"Simon Peter said, 'I am going fishing'. They said to him, 'We are going with you also."

                                                                                                      John 21:3    NKJV

There had been a lot of speculation that Jesus had risen from the dead, some, including Peter and the others had even seen Him; but where was He now? Had it all been a vision? Had it been auto-suggested to them that Jesus would arise so much, that they had believed they had seen Him? Questions and more questions.  It was total confusion for them and incredibly devastating. They had given all they could to serve Him, until the last moments when they had all fled for their lives. Now, it was emptiness, no hope or enthusiasm, nothing. For Peter it must have felt worse. he had denied he had been with Jesus to save himself. Jesus had told him that he would do this but he hadn't believed Him. Now, endless guilt. All they could do was to go back to what they knew best - fishing, which was their livelihood. But their hearts wasn't in it.

What would it feel like to not have the presence of Jesus around anymore? To us, who have known Him for some time, it would feel the same - awful. In fact, after such a time, we too would not be able to function properly. 

Some of you may be feeling this right now. An emptiness, nothing to look forward to anymore. You may feel heavy-hearted; some may even have a great sense of guilt for one reason or another. Let's face it, we know when we have done wrong, don't we? The weight of our sin weighs very heavy.

At this time, some of you may be missing someone who was a central part of your life and now, they are not there any longer. They may have left or they may have died. The great sense of loss is the same. There is an emptiness that cannot be filled. No hope, no enthusiasm, no nothing.

For Peter and the others, they were a fishing trip away from being re-united with Jesus again and they didn't know it. For you, your loved one, may not return in this life because they have died, but take heart, they are only a journey away from you. One day, you too will take the same journey and you will see them again; you will be re-united and this time it will be for eternity.

The only one at this time, who can help you with that hurt; that emptiness is Jesus. He has been there. He died and rose again, and if you know Jesus as Lord, you will too and you will once again walk the land with your loved ones.

Until then, even though you may be alone with your grief, you are not really Because Jesus is right their beside you. If you will let Him, He will put His arms around you and hug you, carry you and help you along each day of your life, until it is journey time for you.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

 

The Cross

"Father forgive them for they do not know what they do:              Luke 23:34    NKJV 

2000 or so years ago, Jesus hung on that cross at Calvary for people like you and I. He was sin free but took the sin of the world upon Himself because this was the only way to the Father, who could not look upon sin. 

He hung on this cross for around three hours, in brutal agony. He had been beaten, taunted by soldiers, spat at, humiliated and had nine inch nails forced into His hands and feet to hold Him on the cross.If you have had a splinter or a thorn in your hands, you will know the pain that causes. Imagine what these large nails would have done to Jesus' body. Once the cross was erected, it would have been dropped into the hole and the force of this would have shaken His whole body causing more pain.

The pain must have been unbearable and yet, from the cross, He even blessed and forgave one of the other criminals who had also been crucified. 'Lord remember me when You come into Your Kingdom,' he cried out. Jesus replied, Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise,' Luke 23:42-43. Even in His pain, He had time for all who called out to Him, and He still has the time today. 'For whoever calls on the Name of the Lord, shall be saved.' Romans 10:13.

Jesus cried out from the cross, Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.' He then said, 'It is finished' John 19:30. He had done all that He had to do. His mission was over, He had succeeded in completing it. Note that when He said 'Forgive them,' He also meant you and I, not only those who had done this to Him. He meant it for us too, together with all of the people throughout this world. He paved the way and prayed that the Father would forgive all of us. Why? Because, without Jesus, we are covered in sin. It is just like you and I have put Him on the cross ourselves. We are guilty of this crime - until we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. We are then declared not guilty.

The significance of Jesus' statement that, 'It is finished', meant just that. He has finished all that He needed to do. He has provided healing for us, by His stripes, 1 Peter 2:24. As we accept Him as Lord, He has opened the way to the Father for us, John 3:16. He has done so much for us, we have a place in Heaven that He has provided, John 14:1-3. It is all finished. We just have to accept this, ask Him into our hearts and He provides us with eternal life. 

There is nothing else that He can do to demonstrate His love to all of us. He took our sin upon Himself; just think of all you have done wrong, He paid the price for this; He took the guilt of it, and He will forgive you and forget about it - forever, if you ask Him to. 

If you would like to make Jesus Your Lord and Saviour, why not ask Him right now:

Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. Thank you for setting me free. I recognise that it is all finished and your have the victory. Please forgive me for all the sin I have ever committed, wash me clean in Your blood. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and be My Lord and Saviour. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Do you realise something? All of those people who were rubbing their hands together with glee because they felt that they had once and for all, got rid of Him, were in for a mighty shock. It was Friday but, Sunday was just around the corner.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

 

Betrayal

"And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. 48 But Jesus said to him, 'Judas, are you betraying the Son of man with a kiss?'        Luke 22:47-48     NKJV

Have you ever been betrayed? If you have, you'll know how painful this is, especially when you have known and trusted the betrayer well. It is a devastating experience. Whatever led Judas to betray Jesus has been debated over the years. Some say it was out of greed; what he had, was not enough and he wanted more - money and status. He could have worked out that he would be on a good earner if he told the authorities where Jesus was. Others focus on satan being the sole cause. Obviously, it can't be denied that satan was very much behind what was happening, but what was Judas' motive for this act. Others say that he was a thief. After all, he was the treasurer and could easily have had his hand in the bag. Other deeper theories, say that he had become disappointed in Jesus. He had expected Jesus to come and take His rightful place and head up a rebellion against the Roman authority. Whatever was his motive, he betrayed Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and this led to Jesus' arrest and subsequent crucifixion.

Hard to understand Jesus having to go through this kind of hurt, but it paved the way to show others how to handle this type of thing and warn that, if Jesus suffered betrayal then, we would too, at some stage of our walk with Jesus.

The Greek word for betrayal is paradidomi, and means to surrender, yield up, betray, deliver up and put in prison. It can also mean to inform on which can be a violation of trust together with being a deceiver, a traitor and an insincere person who will sell someone down the river if necessary.

Judas fitted all of these categories and it broke Jesus' heart. It is beyond reason to imagine someone doing this when they have been a follower of Jesus for some time; but sadly it happens, and you may have met a betrayer or two since you became a Christian. How do you spot a betrayer? You can't, they look just like you and I. We just have to go on trust. However, we should never trust anyone as much as we do Jesus. That is putting someone in God's place and if you do, you will get hurt at some stage, Jeremiah 17:5. But those whose trust is in God will be blessed. Jeremiah 17:7-8.

The bottom line is, we can't change the situation but, we can learn by it and forgiveness is the way forward. Whatever may have happened to you, you will go no further in blessing, until you forgive. When you do, God will open the blessings of Heaven to you.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

 

The Road to Emmaus

"Jesus Himself drew near and went with them."                 Luke 24:13-35      NKJV

On the build up surrounding Jesus' resurrection, let us look at a few things that happened. Many were astounded at the news that Jesus's body was no longer in the tomb where it had been placed and had been guarded by Roman soldiers. There had also been a very large stone placed in the doorway to prevent people going in there. But, the tomb was found to be empty. Many doubters, including the Romans and the local hierarchy felt that Jesus' body had been stolen in an effort to establish that Jesus' claim that he would rise again, was the truth. But how could this have happened when the tomb was guarded and the stone would have been much too heavy to move without great effort.

Therefore, people allover the area were debating this. Jesus noticed two chaps walking along the road to Emmaus and joined them.They were followers of Jesus but it was obvious from their conversation, that their faith was shallow. Whereas, people like Peter, John and Mary, were rejoicing that Jesus had actually risen as He said He would, these chaps were discussing what happened without any hope and as if, they felt let down by it all.

Jesus intervened and they were astounded that He led them to believe that He knew nothing about the situation, 'Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have you not known the things which happened there in these days?' v18. And they went on to explain what they knew. Jesus rebuked them after a time, v25, telling them that their spiritual dullness, came from a failure to recognise what the scriptures foretold, that the Messiah must suffer in such a way. They had been blinded by their despair. 

There is something that we must see in this account. Jesus can turn up anywhere that He chooses. These guys had been so busy talking about it all, that they missed the real thing - Jesus Himself in their presence. Busy-ness is ok but not at the risk of leaving Jesus out of things. He drew near to Cleopas and this other chap, He can do the same thing to us as well. What would He find if He chose to do this. If He just turned up in your day witnessing what you were saying and doing. Like the chaps here, who were too busy to recognise Him, would you do the same?

It really is food for thought. We should always be ready for the unexpected. As I've mentioned, being busy is ok, as long as Jesus figures in this busy-ness. Going to this meeting and then another and never having time for yourself, your family or even God, is never a good idea. We can end up leaving out, who we are seeking to bring in - Jesus Himself.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

 

It was obvious that they had been with Jesus Part 2

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realised that they had been with Jesus."                                                                                         Acts 4:13     NKJV

Peter, John and the other apostles, were not always the type of people one would have thought they should be. They had many rough edges just as we do, especially before they were baptised in the Holy Spirit. Robert E Coleman comments:

'What is more revealing about these men is that, at first they do not impress us as being key men. None of them occupied prominent places in the synagogue, nor did any of them belong to the Levitical priesthood. For the most part they were common labouring men, probably having no professional training beyond the rudiments of knowledge necessary for their vocation. Perhaps a few of them came from families of some considerable means, such as the sons of Zebedee, but none of them could have been considered wealthy. They had no academic degrees in the arts and philosophies of their day. Like their master, their formal education likely consisted only of the synagogue schools. Most of them were raised in the poor section of the country around Galilee. Apparently, the only one of the twelve who came from the more refined region of Judea, was Judas Iscariot. By any standard of sophisticated culture then and now, they would surely be considered as a rather ragged aggregation of souls. One might wonder how Jesus could ever use them. They were impulsive, temperamental, easily offended and had all the prejudices of their environment. In short, these men selected by the Lord to be His assistants, represented an average cross section of the lot of society in their day. Not the kind of group one would expect to win the world for Christ'

                                                                        Copyright Robert E Coleman 1964

                                                                        The Master Plan of Evangelism

And there you have it. Not the greatest of references if they were applying for a job anywhere. The most amazing thing about all of this though, is the fact that even though such a testimony could be written about them, Jesus loved them and had faith in their ability. He knew their potential and by the time that they had been with Him, and been filled with the Spirit of God - that dunamis power, it could be said of them, they had been with Jesus.

This also confirms that there is hope for us. We may not feel like we are suitable for God's work; we may feel that we keep letting Him down with our attitude and behaviour but, in Jesus' eyes, we have a potential. He has started a work within us and will continue this until it is time to go home.

Now that is something to praise God for!

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

It was obvious that they had been with Jesus

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And they realised that they had been with Jesus."                                                                                         Acts 4:13     NKJV

Why would the members of the elite Sanhedrin, marvel at untrained and unlearned men? Because they were so impressed at their courage and the results they had received in healing the man at the gate Beautiful. They had nothing else to compare it with; the evidence was staring them in the face, the man had been made well. It could not be denied. Therefore, they were astounded and realised that these men had been with Jesus.

Now that is amazing in itself. They knew of Jesus, they had seen Him around preaching and teaching and had also seen Him in the synagogues around the area. He had such a mighty reputation. Now Peter and John were carrying out the same type of work and the results were evident, the man had been healed and they were echoing the work of Jesus and displaying the training He had given them.

The Sanhedrin would also have recognised that there was a dynamic power to all of this. It was the power of the Holy Spirit. The disciples were fulfilling the work Jesus had left them to carry out and were flowing in the power He said they would receive. It was a Heaven sent power.

All of this shines a light on the fact that there are many Christian leaders in the world today, who haven't received a formal training in theology and the hierarchy knock them for this. Let me just say, yes there is a place for formal training, very much so and it is good to attend these training places if one is to serve Jesus. However, Jesus can also anoint ordinary, Spirit-filled people to build amazing ministries, bringing many thousands of people to Jesus. We should never knock either direction a person takes. Jesus is the one who makes this choice. Therefore, sharing one's faith or testimony, should be guided by the Holy Spirit not just one's educational experience. 

God can use little old you to make a mighty difference where you live, work or go during any given day. He has commissioned you Matthew 28 & Mark 16 and you have been filled with the Holy Spirit from that day you came to Jesus. Perhaps you need a little extra power, so ask Him to baptise you in the Holy Spirit if you haven't been already. Get stuck into studying your bible until you're familiar with key verses. Once this has happened, you're good to go.

The most important characteristic you need to carry around, is allowing people to see, that you have been with Jesus. People cannot resist Him, whether they like Him or loathe Him.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

 

Believe in Yourself

"And has made us kings and priests to His God and Father"  

                                                                                                                 Revelation 1:6    NKJV

In God's eyes, this is who we are - kings and priests to God the Father. To hold the office of both king and priest, was forbidden in Old Testament times, as King Uzziah discovered. (Read 2 Chronicles 26:16-23.) Yet, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, these titles of royalty, special servanthood and representatives of God, are bestowed upon us. We have specially privileged access, day or night, to the Throne of Grace, where we will find mercy (Hesed), to help us in our need. Hebrews 4:16.

We need to let this sink in, especially on the days when we feel so unworthy; the times when we have a low self-image, feeling useless to mankind. Jesus has taken each one of us and turned us into a somebody. We may not have a great fortune or any particular talent, but Jesus has faith in us and sees our potential.

We live in a competitive world where people are always trying to outshine the other. In every area of life, someone will always try to do better than us. That's just the way it is. We would probably have witnessed this at school when another pupil may have said, 'My dad is bigger than your dad', or 'We live in a much better house than you do'. Then on into your teens and adulthood, where there would always be a person who had the latest designer clothes; a better MacBook or even a bigger and more powerful car. It never really stops, we even find it in the Christian world. We just have to learn how to live with it.

This morning, just realise and accept that you are a special person within the Kingdom of God. Accept this and see yourself this way. You don't have to brag about it, people will do that for you. You just need to see yourself as a loved and blessed Child of God - a giant killer when needed, but a loving peaceful dove at other times. You have nothing to prove because God loves you just as you are. You couldn't do anything different to make Him love you more.

You need to allow this to sink in and begin to see yourself the way Jesus sees you. Believe me, He can't get enough of you and protects and stands up for you every corner of your life - as long as you walk with Him, daily.

So accept your royal titles and live the life for Jesus, believing in yourself.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE