Do your work heartily

"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men"    

                                                                                          Colossians 3:23     NKJV 

Many people get that, Monday morning blues feeling' following a weekend off. It can be the same following some time off from work, such as a holiday. There seems to be a dread of returning to the norm. However, it is good to have somewhere to go to earn our money, whether employed or self-employed. We need to have an attitude of gratitude because we have this means of employment and, that we are in good health to be able to carry it out.

Today's scripture, encourages us to do our work 'heartily'. In other words, we need to be giving it all we've got. With the mass unemployment about, it is great to be able to work because it provides our needs and enables us to be self sufficient. Also, when we are working heartily, we are demonstrating that we are doing our work for the Lord, not for man, This way, we receive job satisfaction. There is nothing worse than working in an environment where we hate the job and dread going to work each and every day. If this is you, either find something that you like doing, by re-training, or switch your employer. Instead of working for your line manager, work for Jesus. He's a far better boss than anyone around.

It is the same at home. The garden needs attending to, shopping needs doing; and then there is work to do in the house - decorating, putting those shelves up that you've been promising for years, the kitchen needs tiling, the house needs cleaning and to top it all, the dog needs walking. It can all seem like a nightmare when you view it in one 'whole'. What's needed, is a plan spreading the jobs over a set period - bite sized chunks, that are easier to manage. And adding to this, not seeing the jobs as a chore but viewing them 'heartily', and doing the jobs for Jesus. What's more, He will give you the strength and enthusiasm to carry out the work too. 

Therefore, this is your plan. Do your work 'heartily' with your job and when you are at home and there are demanding jobs that require immediate attention; break them down into manageable bite sized chunks so that you can easily do all that you need to do, over a time.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

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Today

"Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning, great is Your faithfulness."   

                                                                                       Lamentations 3:22-23     NKJV 

Every day is a new day - a new start. You may have messed up yesterday but, whatever happened yesterday, if you have asked forgiveness for your part, you have received it 1John 1:9. Therefore, you have a brand new start - a brand new day to live through.

When you think about it, why worry about yesterday. Can it be changed? Can you go back into time and change a few things? Many of us would like to do that but, it's impossible, what we have is today and we need to move on. As long as you have put right your part of yesterday, assuming that you need to obviously, that is all you can do.

You may have had a good day, yesterday and God is pleased, but that was yesterday, today is today. Don't try to be 'Yesterday's man or woman.' You are of today. You can't go back, you can't live in the past, this is today. It is nice and comforting to remember things of course. Most of us have nice memories, But that is all, they can't be changed; they are set in stone to be enjoyed from time to time. We look at photographs and probably think, 'My hair was brown when that was taken, I'm grey now. It was only a few years ago.' That is a part of nice memories, so savour them but don't try to change them or even live in them. Today is your day. This is the day of your salvation 2 Corinthians 6:2.

Today is all you have. You have a past, yes, but that is past. You can look and plan for a future and that can be sensible, but really, all you have is today. Sadly for some, they may not get beyond today and that is how life goes and we cannot change that. Therefore, it makes sense to savour today, live for today and make the very best of it. Enjoy what God has given you, your family, your home and all the things that make life worth living. Enjoy the fact, that you have Jesus as Your Saviour, the One who welcomes you into heaven when your time is right. 

This day, is your day, make the most of it!

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

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God's message to you today

"The LORD your God in your midst, the Mighty One will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."        

                                                                                          Zephaniah 3:17    NKJV 

Think prayerfully about this piece of scripture. Try and absorb it and personalise it as you pray. This is the way God feels about you. You may be having a difficult time at present; you may be discouraged, even depressed but don't lose sight of how God thinks about you.

He is in your midst, He is living with you on a daily basis, He is your Saviour. He has saved you from your old life and, even though it may not seem like you been given the victory, you really have. In Jesus, you have a friend. He rejoices over you with gladness, He takes delight in every part of you, in fact, He cannot stop thinking about you, He loves you so much. You are His masterpiece and you are precious in His sight. 

He will quiet you with His love. This means that He will give you total Shalom peace and as you give your burdens to Him, He will calm all of your fears. He will rejoice over you with singing, He will sing joyful songs to your spirit. How wonderful is that. We are used to singing praise and worship to Him, but here He says He will sing to us. Wow.

He has an awesome plan for you; you are not yet what He wants you to be, but you will be. At the moment, He is cheering you on to victory just as He did for Stephen Acts 7:55. When you fix your eyes on Jesus and not on your circumstances, you will see life differently. Instead of having negative thoughts you will have Holy Spirit ones. Think of it this way, when you were first saved, Jesus began painting a portrait of you. It is not finished yet. When it is, it will be perfect. At this moment, you are in development but He is with you, urging you on.

Why not pray this verse over yourself, personalising it and receiving it. Listen to God and you may just hear Him singing to you, as He has promised.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

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Do it today!

"Don't put it off, do it now! Don't rest until you do"    

                                                               Proverbs 6:4     New Living Translation 

How many sick beds are full of dying people who wish they had done a particular thing? Probably they wish that they had climbed that mountain, they always spoke about. Perhaps they had said for years that they are going to write a book, or fix a delicate family relationship, but they didn't, and now it is too late.

Many of us are familiar with the phrase 'Yes, I'll do that tomorrow,' but tomorrow comes and it is not done. 'I'll take you to that mountain or to that special place that you like,' but again. it just doesn't happen and people are let down - their feelings hurt. Husbands may say, 'I'll decorate that bedroom next week,' but then something crops up and it doesn't get done. 'We'll come and see you on Saturday, it's been ages,' but it will be ages more because it just doesn't happen.

Is this speaking to you? You may be a daydreamer and dream of something that you would really like to do. You may be a musician or have a talent for writing and you plan to put this into operation. However, somehow it just doesn't seem to happen and your dream goes unanswered, that is until you remember it with regret when you are laying in a hospital bed close to death. Many regrets and even guilt come to life at such times. Don't let that happen to you. Do it today.

When I say, do it today, I mean, do it today, don't just talk about it. There are the 'doers and the dreamers' in life. Make sure that you belong to the first one. Be a doer, James says, 'But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourself.' James 1:22. Hearers who don't put the word into action get nowhere, the same as dreamers who say they will but don't. Don't be like this. Do it!

What sort of a legacy are you going to leave your loved ones? Memories and evidence of a person who did what they said they would or, the person who daydreamed about it but never got any further? Think about it

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

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You are able to do this!

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."    

                                                                                             Philippians 4:13    NKJV

Have you been feeling discontent just lately, so much that your joy bubble, seems to have popped? Don't let discontentment steal your joy. No matter what, you can do this. You can do it no matter what anyone says. So, do not lose your joy. Being discontent chokes every opportunity for joy to live.

When Paul could go no further, he drew his strength from Jesus, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect  in weakness'  2 Corinthians 12:9. Many is the time that it seems that God has not come through for you, but have you considered that He may be waiting for you to do something first? This may be repenting of something or putting things right with someone. It may also be that He is waiting for you to take the first step. We often say, 'Lord, I will do this if you bless me with the finance to live.' What about changing that and going by faith? That really is showing your faith and trust in Him. At times He wants this and as you go forward in faith, He blesses in return. Do you need to take the first step forward? When you do push the door open yourself, you may be surprised how much God responds to this type of faith. He provides and blesses, as he did with Paul.

Sometimes it can feel that you are all alone in your walk with Jesus. You pray but don't appear to get an answer. You faithfully work hard for Him and yet, others around you are getting blessed but, you appear to go without. The thing is, God has not forgotten you; in fact, He wants you to succeed and be blessed and while you are looking around at what other people are doing and witnessing their blessings, you are missing out on what he wants to do with you. He is getting you in place, When nothing appears to be happening in your spiritual life, remember like the buried seed, it is beginning to grow and will soon blossom. Be patient and just enjoy His presence because, pretty soon you may be transported into the fast lane of your ministry.

And then, you will be very busy!

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

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I know I shouldn't do that but, do it anyway

"For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do." v15                                               Romans 7:1-25   NKJV

It is encouraging to know that Paul suffered from the same struggles we do. Do these thoughts sound familiar, 'I do not understand what I am doing, why did I do that?' Or 'What's wrong with me?' The reason is, there is a war on and we are right in the middle of it. If you have said 'yes' to Jesus, you're on Satan's hit list. We can echo Paul's statement, 'For what I will to do, I do not practice; but what I hate, I do' v15. Paul admits that what he is doing is wrong but, he can't break free from it.

Is there a Christian who does not feel this way? One who does not feel the pain and the shame of their sin. The heart of the problem is that we are still in the flesh. Our old self was crucified with Christ, the flesh was not. Our flesh remains active and will do until we are given a new body in heaven. 

We are totally brand new in Jesus but, we live in a contaminated body. Therefore, in v20 Paul says 'Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.' He is saying that it is not him that is doing it but the sin that lives within him, by the flesh. He does not excuse his sin however but just reminds us of where we are. We live in a body that is contaminated by sin in our flesh, but Jesus can help us as we call on Him and walk with Him. He dwells within us 'He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world' 1 John 4:4.

Be encouraged, you are not the only one who struggles with sin. If the apostle Paul struggled with it, you can bet that you will. Just stay in the Spirit of God. You're doing well.

Remember Paul's words and live by them, 'I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me'  Galatians 2:20.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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The Breath of life

"He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'"  

                                                                                                   John 20:22   NKJV

This is a verse that is not often quoted and consequently, it is missed. However, it is extremely important as we will see. The apostle John noted a deliberate connection between Jesus breathing on the disciples and God breathing on Adam when He created the earth and all that is in it. "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into His nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being' Genesis 2:7. Then, of course, there was the valley of the dry bones. God said, 'Thus says the Lord God to these bones; "Surely I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live"' Ezekiel 37:5. When Jesus breathed on the disciples, they were raw, young people of God who were confused by it all at times. They performed great things, but, with Jesus' coming crucifixion, resurrection and then ascension, they needed more. He breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Many believe that they were born again at this time and this thought, fits well. They received the Spirit as we all do at salvation but, there was more to come, they would be baptised with dynamite - dunamus, and they would be a force to be reckoned with. So are we when we are baptised in His Spirit as discussed in Acts 2.

God told Ezekiel to preach to dead bones. Now, Ezekiel may have felt rather silly doing this, as you can well imagine. Many ministers have preached in similar ways to empty churches, myself included. This is when we see the power of God at work. However, God was telling Ezekiel something very important that we need to understand. He was saying that the preaching of God's word carries power. William Barclay comments, 'The coming of the Holy Spirit is like the wakening of life from the dead.' When God breathed life into creation, it came alive; when God breathed life into His disciples, they came to life and were born again and when He breathed life into us, the same thing happened, we were initially born and then saved - born again.

Therefore, when He comes upon the church, we are re-created for the task He has for us. Without breath, we know that we are dead. We need breath to live and function as we were designed to do. God breathed on the human race, on us all and that was just the beginning of an exciting future. He now offers this life to all who will accept it.

If you have asked Jesus into your life, you are born again. The next thing to pursue, is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as mentioned yesterday. We need the fire of the Spirit to perform all He wants us to perform. It is available to all that ask but it is never forced upon anyone. But it makes sense to live with the fire of God in our bones.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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