Do not live in haste

"The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty."

                                                                                                    Proverbs 21:5    NKJV

Each morning, as I get dressed, our dog rushes up the stairs and sits on the landing looking at me. If I move, he moves. If I sit down, so does he. After a short time, he will start walking around me as if he is trying to round me up. It can be quite frustrating as he continues to do this. What he is after, is for me to take him for a walk. He has very little patience and will soon begin to grumble, moan and whine because I am taking too long, until I am ready, when he will bark excitedly, non stop. The dog has an agenda, he wants to get out on his walk - NOW!

After watching his actions today, it reminded me of people who their lives in haste. There is the person who sits waiting for his partner to put a coat on and walk to the car. When it is not happening as quickly as they think it should, they go and wait in the the car. After two-seconds they start the car and continue to sit there. They may move the car a few inches backwards and forwards or, they may decide to do a three point turn ready to drive the other way. After what seems to them - 24 hours, the other person gets into the car and they race off before the door is closed. (This seems familiar to me)

Then there are the supermarkets. They do not like being behind another trolly and will overtake them when they get the chance, only to find that they still have to wait for their partner. At the till, they always take the shortest queue but, reserve the right to swap to another till if it appears to be moving faster. Then to their horror, they notice that the queue that they have just left is moving faster and they would have been through now. For them, this is torture.

Back in the car, they have to pull up for traffic lights but because they are taking a while to change, they keep flashing their lights to get the sensor to change the sequence. On the move again, there is a JCB in the front of them moving at 3 mph. The horror for them continues.

Do you know anyone like this? Is that anyone, you? Being hasty is not good. It's not good for the person who has to witness all of this behaviour i.e. a partner; and it is not good enough for you either. It is not doing your health any good at all but, it's hard to change all of this though. A person such as this, lives in the fast lane of life. Their speed is 70mph or faster if they can get away with it. There is a need to drop down a gear, moving to a lower speed lane. It is walking slower than you normally do; refusing to become stressed out and doing things one at a time, not all at once.

To change to this lifestyle seems impossible for the fast lane person, but with God's help you can do it. It means asking Him to order your steps and to help you see things in a more laid back sequence. It is not easy to negotiate but, it is easy, with Jesus' help. He has the ability to help you be totally at peace. Being hasty promotes disruption, arguments and stressed out lives, but the peace Jesus gives us - Shalom, Shalom, surpasses all understanding  and it guards our hearts and minds.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

His mercy endures forever

"Who remembers us in our lowly state, for His mercy endures forever; 24 and rescued us from our enemies, for His mercy endures forever; 25 who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever, 26 Oh give thanks to the God of heaven, for His mercy endures forever."                                                                                        Psalm 136:23-26    NKJV 

Note the words, 'Lowly state'. We were all in this condition before we came to know Jesus. Some were worse than others. Take for instance the woman who had an issue of blood. She had suffered for 12 or so years and because of her condition, was considered an outcast. She had also spent all of her money on doctors who had not helped at all. Just one touch of the gown of Jesus as He walked by, gave her all she needed. She was no longer in a 'lowly state'.

Then of course, in the same passage, was Jairus, whose daughter was near to death. Jesus went with Jairus to his home and because the little girl had by now died, raised her to life. You couldn't really have a lower state than this.  (Luke 8:40-56).

Then there was Bartimaeus - a blind beggar. He called out to Jesus as He walked by in such an urgent manner, that Jesus stopped, and asked for him to come to Him. 'What do you want me to do for you?' He asked, in his lowly state, to have his sight restored. It was.

There are many of these examples throughout the bible. It's hard to imagine it with all of the suffering around, but God cares. As we give Him charge of our lives, He lifts us from our lowly state, because, His mercy endures forever.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

God was and will be there, if you ask Him

"'If it had not been the LORD who was on our side', let Israel now say - 2 'If it had not been the LORD  who was on our side, when men rose up against us, 3 then they would have swallowed us alive when their wrath was kindled against us.'"    

                                                                                                    Psalm 124:1 - 3      NKJV

From David's word's here, there are three statements that we can paraphrase:

'If you hadn't'

David was quite simply saying that, he wouldn't have made it if God hadn't intervened. It was a similar statement that he made in Psalm 27:13. Here, paraphrased, he is saying, 'You were there Lord, You took me through a way that I hadn't seen before, there was no way that I could see. No one could have helped me through this; it was like, You looked at me, put out Your hand and pulled me to safety.'

Think about such times that you have been through, where there appeared no way out. You were trapped and sinking. Suddenly God was there and made a way through the mess. 

'If you would'

David had called upon His God and His God - His Father God had helped Him, and He will you too if you ask Him to. Just think about it, there are angels all around you, just watching and waiting - ready to help. However, they can't intervene until you call on God and He gives the command, 'ANGEL'S GO'. And no one wants to get in the way of angels on a mission from God. 

But, you must call on Him, 'For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Romans 10:13. If you don't call on Him, He cannot help you.

If only you would ask'

Finally, we come to the third statement - 'If only you would ask'. You may have seen God's hand at work and you may have been amazed at what He does and has done. However, up to now, you have avoided asking Him to be your Lord and Saviour. 'It's a private thing,' you may say, or, 'I'll ask when I'm older.' The answer to these statements are, it is not a private thing, it is a matter life or death thing - eternal life or eternal damnation. It is a choice. The thing is, it is not so much about where you will eventually end up - Heaven or hell; but what Jesus can do in your life right now. He wants to fill your life with happiness and joy and He wants to bless you. You need to try it for yourself to get the picture. Be warned, it is not an easy life because all of a sudden, the devil, who hasn't had to worry about you, becomes worried because you now belong to Jesus and he is not happy about that. He will do all he can to get you to change your mind.

However, there is no better life; Jesus can be trusted and He is longing for you to come to Him right now.

Lord Jesus, I ask You to forgive me for the sin in my life. I am sorry Lord. Please come and live in my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and be, my Lord, Saviour and my friend today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Abounding Grace

"But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more"       Romans 5:20      NKJV

David Guzik comments:

We might have expected that where sin abounded, God’s anger or judgment would have abounded much more. But God’s love is so amazing that grace abounded much more where we might have expected wrath.

ii. If grace super-abounds over sin, then we know that it is impossible to out-sin the grace of God. We can’t sin more than God can forgive, but we can reject His grace and forgiveness.

                                                        Copyright David Guzik  Enduring Word

Many of us find ourselves in positions where, we have let ourselves down and have outwardly sinned. The shame of it all can be overbearing and we feel like God has turned His back on us, even though we have said that we are sorry to Him. You feel like a condemned man or woman and no matter what you do, you just can't shake it off. Wrong, you are listening to a lie of the enemy. he loves to keep us bound in captivity, but, take a look at Romans 8:1 '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.'

God made provision for our sin in Jesus Christ and in 1 John 1:9, it states, 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'

God has given us His grace and it is abounding, sin is abounding too but God's tops the bill, it is outrageous grace. The more we sin and let ourselves and God down, He pours on us more of His abounding grace - as we confess our sin to Him. 

Please realise, grace does not give us a passport to freely sin because we know God will forgive us. Not at all, as it says above, we can't sin more than God can forgive, but we can reject His grace and forgiveness. God knows our hearts; He knows what we're going to say and do before we even begin. If we deliberately plot to commit sin, without any care for the consequences, we can't honestly believe that God will forgive us on a regular basis. If He did, there would have been no need for Jesus to die on the cross. We will continue to make mistakes, that goes without saying and, God will provide grace. But the one who is an out and out sinner without any care for Jesus at all, is of the evil one; and there is no place in the Kingdom of Heaven for that person.

However, for you who believe in Jesus, please realise fully that there is an abounding amount of grace for you.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Wasted words Part 2

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."     

                                                                                                    Proverbs 18:21     NKJV 

There are so many words and phrases that we use on a daily basis, that we need to avoid and use alternatives and warn others, here are a few more that may make you smile but ones that you need to consider:

'I wouldn't like to be in your shoes'. To me, this phrase always carried a threat and when 

heard whilst you were young, petrified you. Another one was, 'You're for the high jump" again meaning, you were in deep trouble, so watch out. 'Your feet won't touch the ground'. These three phrases, I heard regularly when I was growing up and, they are still being used today, in certain areas. 'I'll box your ears.' This was a popular saying in the 50's. Anyone who heard this phrase, knew they were in for a good hiding when they arrived home. 

Then there are the everyday phrases that we are all tempted to say, 'My back's killing me.' 'I feel like death' and 'I nearly died of embarrassment.' If you sit and think about it, there are many more that would come to mind and are equally as bad as each other. You see, it is like a self-fulfilled prophecy that we're speaking over ourselves, 'This car is useless, it never starts when I want it to.' Well, if it doesn't start properly, get the garage to check it out or trade it in for another; don't just curse it, like you are doing. 'I'll never be able to do that job, it's far too difficult.' If you are saying that, then you never will be able to do it because it is too difficult. We need to wise up on what we say.

These are all wasted words - wasted phrases, and we need to re-group; we need to take a deep look at ourselves and ask God to help us to be more aware of what we speak. It is down to us. God doesn't speak for us; we have to stop what we are saying and even thinking; it is all negative. To confess sickness on yourself when the Word of God says that you are healed by the stripes of Jesus is, contradictory. I know several people who say such things as, 'I'm sure I've got the flu coming on.' They go about believing that they have this sickness or 'it's in the family, you know'.  Don't even go there.

Start speaking wholesome words. Start thanking and praising God that you are well, that you are blessed and that your name is written in the Lamb's book. You are a special person, born for a particular reason. God's counting on you, this is why you are here. Don't let anything be wasted any longer.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Wasted words

 "But he denied with an oath, 'I do not know the man.'      Matthew 26:72     NKJV

We have been looking at words that we speak - sometimes in haste, and the effect they have on others. Let us look a little closer at some more.

Much of the words we speak are just wasted words. Many times we  can hear the phrase, 'You're speaking a load of rubbish,' and there may be an element of truth to this. Take for instance the way various regional accents say things. For example, in Sheffield an expression of astonishment may be phrased, 'Well, I'll ga t'foot of ah stairs'. Whereas, in Nottingham, the phrase would be, 'Well, I'll ga t'ta ah'rouse. (our house). When I was a youngster, it wasn't unusual to hear a mother who was exasperated with her child, to shout, 'If ya fall off that wall, our Jimmy, and brek ya leg, don't come running ta me'.Phrases that make us smile but when you consider it, all are wasted words.

I like the one that Woody Allen said, 'I'm not afraid of dying, I just don't want to be there when it happens.' Again, comical but also full of denial. Peter used denial when he was accused of being with Jesus. Jesus had been arrested and Peter was not far away, in a court yard. Jesus had predicted that before the cock crows, Peter would have denied him three times; and it happened that way. Now here he is still denying that he had been with Jesus just to save his own skin. Be honest, wouldn't we have done the same? 

We can often deny Jesus, especially at school or in your place of work. It isn't that we out and out deny Jesus, but we can hide the fact that we are a Christian until we have sussed the place and the people out. On the other hand, we can come straight out with our faith and that is usually a conversation stopper. Everyone is different, It's helpful to let people see that there is something different with you, something that draws them to you. If you stand there with the biggest bible you can find and start preaching a lengthy sermon about the sins of the world, it may not go down too well. They'll just be wasted words and you may have ruined your reputation. On the other hand, if you gently allow people to see Jesus in you and, when they ask, answer their questions openly and honestly, the words you speak will not be wasted. If they don't make an impact straightaway, they will certainly be retained for future reference.

Therefore, make it your business to use your words wisely and to make them count. We can't afford to speak wasted words. People need life, and you can offer it.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Be careful what comes out of your mouth

"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."    Colossians 3:16-17     NKJV 

What we say is very important; what comes out of our mouths can be a blessing or a curse. It can bless or do damage to the listener. Be careful. I remember someone telling me a story some time ago. Where I live, is near to the Jurassic Coast, famous for fossils, dinosaurs and other such historical and geological bits and pieces. The story goes that this chap was standing right on the very edge of one of these, very high and dangerous cliffs. A crowd were calling to him to come back but he wouldn't. Suddenly, a Christian chap ran over to him and they spent a long while in deep conversation, the result being they both jumped off.

You may be shocked or even smile at this story but, take on board, that in our haste to speak with someone in such a position, the wrong things can be said. We need wisdom. You may not come up against such a situation as this, but the very ordinary day to day things are equally as important and words of wisdom need to be uttered so that a major fall-out doesn't take place.

Our words are important and we need to be careful what we say. However, on the other hand, we need to listen carefully to what is being said. When we visit a friend's house, they may say something such as, 'make your self comfortable'. This doesn't mean that we can shoot upstairs, get in their bed and have a snooze or watch some TV. Do you know what I mean? By saying this, they just want us to be comfortable and at ease.

We really need to be in control of what we say and what comes out of our mouths. Proverbs 15:1 says, 'A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.' It is very true. Check out some more: 

'A fool's lips enter into contention' and his mouth calls for blows. A fool's mouth is his destruction' and his lips are the snare of his soul' Proverbs 18:6-7.

'He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.' Proverbs 18:13.

'A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth, from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit'  Proverbs 18:20-21.

Whatever we do or say, should be in direct line with the Holy Spirit. He is our guide and He always leads us into the truth. Therefore, let us re-channel our words to fit into His plans for our lives. 'Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.' Ephesians 4:29

The bible is God's word to us and carries many regulations and guidelines. This last verse is one of the guidelines. Practice this and you will not go wrong, because you will be imparting grace to the hearer.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE