Sunday, 24 October 2021

Be careful of the company you keep!

"My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent."                   Proverbs 1:10     NKJV 


Tony Evans says, 'Bad company corrupts good morals.'   (Tony Evans Bible Commentary)
And this is very true. We have to be careful about the company we keep. When we associate with people of an impure character, they are going to rub off on us, because we often become like those we associate with on a regular basis.

The wrong type of person can persuade us to fall to the use of drugs, wild parties, alcohol abuse, adultery, perversion etc. Even gossip and criticism can fall into this category. We can be swayed by the wrong company that we keep. Be honest, have you not been in a fellowship circle where prayer all of a sudden can turn into a discussion including criticism, judging and gossip about someone? It is something that we need to be aware of. The wrong type of company can do us no harm unless, we join in with them. Not even the devil can lead a person into sin unless they consent. 

The dangerous area to be wary of is mentioned in Proverbs 1:11, 'Come with us'. This is where we need to have our wits about us because, if we agree to go with the wrong type of person, we are hooked. Solomon here, warns his son about the error of keeping the wrong type of company. Let's face it, a person with a history of alcohol abuse would be rather unwise to go on a pub crawl with a gang of other people. Or if a happily married person let their guard down, falling to the sweet tongue of another person, end up committing adultery. It happens all the time and the danger of these three words, 'Come with us', need to be taken on board, seriously.

'That'll never happen to me,' you may say and I hope it doesn't. However, many have said this and gone on to become enticed into any of the areas that we have discussed. We may think that adultery is far worse that gossiping about someone. However, it is still sin and how do we measure sin, it is impossible?

Let us be wise in the company that we keep and the places that we go; the things we watch on TV or the internet and the books and magazines that we read. Remember bad company corrupts good morals; and then we only have ourselves to blame.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
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Saturday, 23 October 2021

'I will never abandon you, no, never'

"Because he set his love on Me, therefore I will save him; I will set him [securely] on high, because he knows My name [he confidently trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never abandon him, no, never]. 15 He will call upon Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honour him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and I will let him see My salvation."                      Psalm 91:14-16   The Amplified Study Bible 


Sometimes we can wander around in a daze wondering if the troubles we may face will ever cease. Things seem to pile up and as soon as you address or resolve one, another comes your way. You may be feeling this way at the moment. Further to this, it doesn't matter what you do, how well you do it or how faithful you have been, you can end up feeling dishonoured and left out of things by certain people. This can leave you with the feeling, 'Why should I bother?'

Life can be this way at times. It doesn't matter what we do to resolve issues or even make amends with someone; we always appear to be cast aside. This can make us feel surplus to requirements - no longer needed. No longer classed as important.

There is a degree of truth in these feelings. Life is busy and people are intent on meeting targets and multi-tasking. There doesn't appear to be a place left to show someone dignity or respect. It is work, work, work. It can lead to people trying to outdo someone, so they get noticed and take all of the glory, or have better homes, cars and bank balance. There seems to be a lot of competition around, and you may not feel like competing; and you don't have to. 

Take a look at today's reading. The Amplified Bible, brings out the true meaning of the text. This is how God - your Father, feels about you. In His eyes you are special and very loved. He values all you do and knows that you always try to do it well. You may let Him down occasionally, but we all do, and He still adores you. He knows how you feel but, sometimes it helps to sit with Him and tell Him all about what bothers you. You will never find anyone more trustworthy and helpful. He is the one that truly listens, doesn't pick up the 'phone when it rings or keeps looking at His watch while you're speaking, which all shows you, He doesn't have the time. No, He is not like that. He has time for you and what's more, will help you through any crisis or problem that you are facing. 

This morning, Jesus wants to tell you that He loves you more than words could ever say. He is your forever-friend, your bestest buddy, your life. 

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
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Friday, 22 October 2021

Risk-takers and careful types

 "And Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.' 29 So He said, 'Come'. v28-29                           Matthew 14:22-33    NKJV


Peter was a man who acted on impulse. Many times he acted without counting the cost and thinking things through throughly. Here we see him shouting to Jesus as He walked on the raging sea during a storm, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.' This was a courageous thing to consider but one where he had no idea if it was the right thing to do or not. He just acted on impulse, and then sank under the water.

Peter often acted on impulse but his heart was in the right place. Don't forget that he affirmed unshakable loyalty to Jesus (Matthew 26:33-35) and then denied His name. Jesus however, knew Peter's heart was genuine. Peter fell many times but, he always got back up again. He never gave up. His failures brought him closer to Jesus. Do yours?

Many people act on the emotion of the moment and without counting the cost, rush into the unknown. It is always a risky thing to act on impulse. It can though be exciting as well. It all depends on the type of person you are. There are risk-takers and there are the more careful type. Which are you? The risk-taker will dash into an opportunity and may make a great success out of it all. However, it may also be a great disaster. The risk-taker however, shrugs it off and looks for further opportunities.

The careful types, are the thinkers. They want to count the cost of it firstly before they make a commitment. This is sensible but, they can also lose out, if they think about something too long. Their procrastinating may lead them to miss the opportunity all together. 
Peter was a risk-taker, where Thomas was the careful type. We are all different and there is no right or wrong way. Successful business people take risks, whereas many others only talk about it.

We do though, need to find a balance and counting the cost is a sensible place to start. When these times come upon us, it is always helpful to place Jesus right in the middle of the situation. He will guide us what to do. But the final decision is very much up to us and that can be a difficult one. We have to live with the decision we make.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard


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Thursday, 21 October 2021

The window into your heart

"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" v34             
                                                                                               Matthew 12:33-37    NKJV

When we open our mouths and speak, we reveal what's deep inside - whether good or evil. This needs to be watched. It is almost like God has a tape recorder, recording all that we say. We will have to account to Him, for every idle and careless word that we have uttered v36. We will be justified by them or condemned.

Just for a moment, let us imaging that God does have a tape recorder. What does He hear when we speak, what comes out of our mouth? Through the window of our heart, what does he hear and see? It is concerning that we will have to give an account for what we have said - judgemental words; critical words, angry words and the bad-mouthing that we can become involved in from time to time. 

If this is the case, and it most certainly is, then we need to take control now before it is too late. The process calls for addressing the heart by devoting it to God business v33. We need to make our tree of fruit good and not evil. We need to place treasure into our hearts. We can so easily let our guard down. I call it, the 'Behind Closed Door Syndrome'. When we are out and about in influential  company, we would probably be on our guard ensuring that the words we speak are suitable. However, when we arrive home, we seem to let our guard down and say what we really mean, regardless of whether we are criticising or judging another. This should not be.

We should be the same at home as we are in public; God sees us wherever we are and He knows what we are really like. It is time to roll our sleeves up and do the job properly. We need to allow the window to our heart be spotlessly clean. It is clean up time because it is a daunting thought to have to stand before Jesus and give an account of all that we have said and done wrong.

Psalm 19:14 says:

'Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.'

It is never too late to change, to repent of all we have said and done wrong. God is a loving God and He daily gives us grace. It's a learning process and some of us take longer to learn things than other people do. However, don't leave it too long.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard

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Wednesday, 20 October 2021

Jesus may bring division

"Do not think that I come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword."  v34                                                                             Matthew 10:34-39    NKJV


These words from Jesus are very strong and almost carry a contradiction; after all, Jesus says in John 14:27 'Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.' What then is He saying here? Jesus is showing us that to follow Him is costly. There will undoubtably be division between family and friends; workmates and neighbours. We all have choices, we may choose Jesus but others, decide not to, and this is where the hostility can begin.

Families have suffered separation because of one member becoming a Christian. Couples have separated from their marriage and workers have been and still are, persecuted for their faith. It is  division and can therefore become a warfare situation. David Jeremiah says:
'Christ ultimately came to earth to bring peace, but when people choose to follow Jesus, they will often face division and conflict, even within their own households. To choose loyalty to family over loyalty to Christ disqualifies  a person from being one of His disciples' Luke 14:25-27.

We all have choices and the choice to follow Jesus must be a commitment, nothing short of that. People may try to change the choice that we make by using convincing conversations but we must not be swayed by all of this. Jesus looks for dedication. This is why He said that He did not come to earth to bring peace but a sword. A sword slices things apart; it separates and divides and this is what the Word of God actually does. This doesn't mean that we have to be hostile to unbelievers, definitely not. We are to show them the love of Jesus whenever and wherever we can. Jesus would expect us to love them, forgive them but never argue or fight with them.

Bur we have to bear our cross, and the is what it means. The world around us - friends, family and neighbours etc may be hostile towards us; they may disregard us but this is all about us carrying the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus carried His cross to Calvary where He died a terrible death for each one of us. He had commitment and dedication and He looks for this in each one of us. The price of following Jesus can be costly - Jesus demonstrated this. However, we should never consider giving up or renouncing our faith - never! We belong to the King of kings.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard


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Tuesday, 19 October 2021

The lesson in the storm

"And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves. But He was a sleep." v24.                                       Matthew 8:23-27     NKJV 


Storms on the Sea of Galilee are quite common and often very severe. One minute there can be calm, the next it can be tempest level. It was no different here. Jesus and the disciples had climbed into a boat to go to the other side - possibly between an 8 to13 mile long journey. Jesus fell asleep and the tempest struck threatening to capsize the boat.

Wherever Jesus is, the storms of life become calm and it was similar here. The disciples panicked and woke Jesus. He remained calm and spoke to the storm and there was peace. William Barclay says, 'When the storms of life shake our souls, Jesus Christ is there and in His presence the raging of the storm turns to the peace that no storm can ever take away.'

Storms come to us in various types, there are sorrows, doubts, fears, heartaches and many more. However, when these storms hit us, just a call to Jesus helps bring a calming effect. There is a lesson here. Jesus demonstrated that in His humanity, He needed to rest and so do we. Jesus' desire was to sleep regardless of any storm that was around and, His desire is for us to do the same. We are stronger when we have rested and there is rest in the presence of Jesus. The natural thing to do during these storms is to panic and try to find a solution. However, many times one cannot be found and fretting does not help. We need to practice that, handing the crisis over to Jesus is the only answer. Jesus slept through part of the storm, so can we, as difficult as it may sound. Obviously this is easier said than done, but when we cannot do anything about the situation, it is far better to get some rest. Without rest we are of no help to ourselves or anyone.

What are you going through at this time? Can you do anything about it immediately? If not, try and get a little sleep, even catnapping can alleviate stress. Cast it over to Jesus and take a little time out for yourself.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard



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Monday, 18 October 2021

Attracting Jesus' attention

"Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."               Matthew 8:1-4     NKJV 


This leper, in his sickness and pain, heard that Jesus was about and, with confidence approached Him with his request, 'If You are willing, You can make me clean.' He said this from his heart, he knew that Jesus was capable of healing him and he had nothing to lose. As a leper should never come close to another person, Jesus could have, and as people expected, should have thrown stones at him to keep him away from them, through fear of infection. However, He did the opposite and stretched out His hand, touched him and said, 'I am willing; be cleansed.'
This was totally contrary to what should have happened and could have caused an uproar from the people. However, Jesus did the right thing and sent him to a priest to have him checked over and receive a certificate of healing.

This piece of scripture shows us three things that attract Jesus' attention:

Confidence  The leper would have been unsure about Jesus' feelings about him approaching. He didn't know if he would have been cast aside because of this disease. However, deep in his heart, he knew that there was something different about Jesus; he felt that he could trust Him and so, went to Him with confidence. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to go boldly to the throne of grace that we may find help in times of need.' And this is what this man did. He went to Jesus in his need. And so should we. Jesus wants us to have this confidence in Him.
Humility  James 4:6 says, 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Again in James 4:10, he say's 'Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.' God will always resist the pompous and arrogant attitude but, will always receive the person who humbles himself before Him. 
Reverence  The leper came to Jesus worshiping Him and this, is how we should approach the King of kings. He loves us and is our friend but, we should never take things for granted with Him. He deserves our respect and we should always be prepared to give Him this.

These are three areas that will get His attention, there are obviously more, but carrying out these three is a good place to start. Be confident in His presence, be humble and treat Him with respect and you will receive His full attention.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard



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