Whether you realise it or not, you are significant!

"And Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"     

                                                                                                           John 1:46     NKJV

Philip came to Nathanael and said, 'We have found Him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote - Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph John 1:45. Now, Nazareth was a small town in Galilee which had a poor reputation. Nathanael felt it was an obscure and totally insignificant place for the Messiah to come from. He had been born in Bethlehem, hadn't He? So he replied, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?' He was not speaking an insult towards the small town, not at all. He knew the place had very little going for it and the Messiah simply could not come from there. He was right about Him being born in Bethlehem but didn't realise that Jesus - the Messiah, had been brought up in Nazareth.

Through the years derogatory statements have been said about certain people. It appears to some that if a person does not come from a prominent member of society, then they could never become significant for God; they could never become a minister, evangelist or even a great scholar. 'Nothing good could ever come out of them'. Yet, many people have risen to great heights and become 'significant'. Smith Wigglesworth for instance, was a plumber and yet he could not read or speak grammatically and yet, God used him mightily to heal many people and raise some from the dead. His ways of ministering may have been questionable, but it worked for him. I know someone who was a baker's roundsman with no particular future but when God put someone alongside him, he rose to be a university graduate with a social care and theology degree and after conversion, now works for God. You see God can use the person who appears insignificant and turn him or her into someone of great value.

Perhaps, you have felt that you are insignificant, that you'll never be of use to God or anyone. Consider these three scriptures: 

'Who has despised the day of small things?' Zechariah 4:10

'Let the weak say, "I am strong"  Joel 3:10

'But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are mighty.' 1 Corinthians 1:27.

The conclusion is, you are very significant in the things of God. You are valued, loved and important. Don't ever let anyone make you feel different.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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Is Jesus a resident in your life?

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us"                   John 1:14    NKJV 

The word dwell means to live as a resident. Here scripture informs us, that Jesus came down to earth in human form and dwelt among the people. In other words, God formally introduced Himself to mankind, at their level. Jesus poured His deity into humanity to identify with us. But even though He came as a man, He still remained fully God.

Psalm 34:7 tells us, 'The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them.' He made His dwelling place or pavilion among us. This is recognised as a tent or booth for kings or other members of the royal family. The word is also used figuratively for the dwelling place of God. The term 'other members of the royal family', we can own ourselves because, Revelation 1:5-6 informs us 'To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father,' So, God recognises us as kings and priests to Himself and gives each of us the right to dwell with Him - permanently and He with us. John 14:17 tells us 'the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him or knows Him; but you know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you.'

Therefore, Jesus, the King of kings is the Almighty God and if you have invited Him into your life, has accepted this invitation and has taken up residence on a permanent basis; what a privilege this is. There is no need to panic or be fearful or depressed or anxious, because the King lives in you and you in Him. You dwell together. If you can only grasp this - fully, it can change the whole of your life. You don't go to work on your own, Jesus goes with you too. You also do not have to go to an important interview or appointment alone, your Friend is right beside you. Furthermore, He is with you whether you are in the shower or shopping in the supermarket. He is with you when you cut the grass and He is also with you when your bank balance looks a little dodgy. What about when you are treated badly by someone; yes, He is right there with you and will offer advice accordingly if you consult Him. In fact, He is interested in everything that concerns you because, you are His child.

So, you are not alone; there is no need to worry; Jesus has your back and is watching over your life. Enjoy each day with Him.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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How do you respond?

"A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath, but harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger"               Proverbs 15:1    Amplified study bible

Well thought out responses to unkind confrontations help to defuse certain situations. A soft, gentle and thoughtful answer stands a better chance of blocking wrath than jumping in like a bull in a china shop. Harsh, painful and careless words promote anger. David Jeremiah says, 'Mean spirited words are the slowest and most venomous of toxins that ultimately brings down two lives. And nearly always, one's tone of voice makes the difference.'

However, a wise tongue speaks knowledge which can be pleasing and acceptable. Often it is not what we say but how we say it that prompts either a response of anger or acceptance. Words can offer life-giving or death-providing results.

Wise speech is both restrained and edifying. Ephesians 4:29 says 'Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.' In a confrontational situation it takes self-control; to respond gently; but in doing so, it is constructive because it helps to turns away an angry, volatile situation.

When we become pressured and burdened with things the last thing that we need is someone coming along and saying something negative to us. They may be in the right but their timing may be wrong. Responding in a volatile way to them - snapping their heads off, is not the best course of action. It may cause an argument or it may leave the recipient of your outburst feeling upset. Who was in the wrong? Both of you, possibly. Perhaps the person that came and spoke to you could have chosen a better time and if they retaliated to your outburst in a defensive manner, they should have controlled this and walked away choosing a different day. However, should you have made the outburst? Probably you feel that you should have; but if you play the video back in your mind of what happened, you may identify that you had allowed yourself to get under pressure, when perhaps you could have arranged your tasks better. 

It is a learning curve for all of us; one in which we have to be certain that we are in control of what comes out of our mouths. Now this is something to think about! 

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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Darkness v Light

 "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." v5    

                                                                                                       John 1:1-5    NKJV

Jesus is the Light of the world and the unbelieving world - darkness - seeks to eliminate Him and all He stands for. Satan attempts to banish Him from our lives. One only has to consider what is happening in our world today, to realise this. Christianity and prayers are mostly omitted from school lessons and assemblies. Christianity is slowly being blocked and criminalised in some areas. It has become offensive to normal living; people stand the risk of being arrested for preaching about Jesus on the streets and yet, things that are contrary to our faith are considered ok. The world is a sinful place and it will become worse.

John 1:10 says, 'He (Jesus) was in the world, and the world was made through Him and the world did not know Him. 11 He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.'  Jesus is the Word; He was there at the beginning and there was not a thing created that He wasn't involved in. He is God. And yet, people refuse to believe this. Why? Because the devil has blindfolded their eyes to the truth. Darkness represents the natural sphere of all who hate good. The person who has something to hide, loves the darkness. People are continually hoodwinked about the truth of Jesus Christ. However, the power in Jesus is everlasting, darkness can hate Him and also us; but, it can never defeat Him or stop us as long as we remain in the Light.

If you belong to Jesus, you are of the light and Jesus is your Saviour. This means that you stand out in the darkness around you. You don't belong and this is why you get shot at from time to time. Like two north cells of a magnet repel each other, so do darkness and light. They can never be joined together because they are opposites. This is not a game, it is serious business. People who are in the darkness cannot comprehend the light, this is why they need preachers and evangelists to make this known; and this includes us. You don't need a theology degree or dog collar to tell people about Jesus and help them take off the blindfold so that they can see the light. You just do it!

How many people do you personally know who are walking about in darkness? This may be friends, acquaintances or even your own family. If they don't know Jesus - the Light - then they are in the danger of being lost on the day of judgement, which is closer than we think. Don't you think it is time to bring them into the kingdom?

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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Neither do I condemn you

"Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."                              John 8:11    NKJV 

This is an interesting verse; the crowd were expecting Jesus to compromise what He had been teaching by agreeing with them. But He didn't. What He did do was to challenge them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her.' v7. This cleared the place. He then spoke to the woman caught in adultery and told her that he didn't't condemn her. William Barclay in his commentary to the Gospel of John comments: 'It is important that we should understand just how Jesus did treat this woman. It is easy to draw the wrong lesson altogether and to gain the impression that Jesus forgave lightly and easily, as if the sin did not matter. What He said was "I am not going to condemn you just now; go and sin no more." In effect, what He was doing was not to abandon judgement  and say, "Don't worry; it's quite all right". What He did was, as it were, to defer sentence. He said, "I am not going to pass a final judgement now, go and prove that you can do better. You have sinned ; go and sin no more and I'll help you all the time. At the end of the day we will see how you have lived.' 

In contrast David Guzik gives a more convincing version of this passage: 

" Go and sin no more: Jesus sent her away with a call to stop her sin, and to continue stopped in regard to that sin. He sent her away without ever approving of or accepting her sin. “The form of the command implies a ceasing to commit an action already started: ‘Stop your sinful habit’. Jesus did several things with these powerful words.· He recognised that what the woman had done was sin, because He told her to stop sinning.· He told her to repent, and to not continue her sin.· He gave her hope that her life could go on in freedom from sexual sin.· He gave her a word of hope to speak against the shame that would later likely threaten to overwhelm her life. The woman needed hope because the consequences of her sin would be severe enough. After this she would likely be shunned by her community, and rejected by her husband, perhaps even divorced (assuming she was married or betrothed)".

Whereas, we may all agree with the latter version and find the first difficult to accept, they indeed are both right. Jesus told the woman to sin no more. Once we have been forgiven for something, we cannot carry on with this sin. It would be like committing adultery, receiving forgiveness and going and committing it again knowing that we will be forgiven. It doesn't work like that. It would be mocking Jesus' position on the cross. We receive His forgiveness and move away from this in the future.  However, Jesus knows that we are not perfect and makes provision for this. He will always forgive us 1 John 1:9. It is important to note that Jesus was referring to adultery, not every sin in the world that we could commit. But it does show us that Jesus is serious and although He forgives our sin and will not hold it against us in  judgement; He expects us to avoid that sin in the future.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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What goes around comes around

"Do not be deceived, for God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."                                                                                      Galatians 6:7    NKJV 

Some years ago, I remember a Christian man giving his testimony at a church convention. He told us, that for many years he had been subjected to persecution, bullying and threatening behaviour from someone who worked along side him. He put up with it for so long until, one day he walked off and prayed to God telling Him that he could take no more of this, 'Please help me Lord.' That same day, this man who had been abusing him, had a fatal heart attack right there at work. 

Now, we are left with the question, would God do such a thing as this, after all, He loves everyone. Well, the answer is yes. Read Romans 12:17-21 and you will see that God's Word tells us that, vengeance is His, He will repay, we don't have to do anything but just allow God to work on our behalf. This man was not coming against human flesh but against God Himself and he paid the price. Read again today's verse: 'Do not be deceived, for God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.' This man had sown hate and persecution towards one of God's people and God intervened and dealt with him.

This is scary stuff but, we cannot take God on and win. We also cannot keep sowing bad seed and expect to reap a glowing harvest. It doesn't work like that. God would have us to sow good seed so that we reap what we deserve. God is not mocked, we can hide nothing from Him. He is not out to 'get us', like some MI5 agent watching our every move and pouncing on us at the right time. He doesn't police us, He loves us, very much. His plan is to bless our lives, but we need to watch what choices we make because, the choice we make we will live by.

What choices are you making just lately? What is the value of your seed? Just the fact that if you have asked Jesus into your heart, means that you have chosen to follow Him and live your life accordingly. However, we face pitfalls in our walk with Him and many things are sent to distract us and lead us along the wrong path. Make it a choice that you will not allow this as much as it depends on you. Reaffirm the choice that you have made and walk boldly with Him for the rest of your days.

Personal these two verses from Joshua:

14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

                                                                                                         Joshua 24:14-15.   ESV

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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Lord, I can't feel You

"How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?                               Psalm 13:1-2    NKJV                                                                                          

David had a very deep love for God - a deep emotional and psychological relationship as a son to a father. Here he asks God four questions because he feels alone, forgotten and confused. Verse 2 describes him, 'having sorrow in my heart daily'. He felt forgotten by God; he felt God was hiding His face from him; he had a daily sorrow in his heart that wouldn't go away, no matter how hard he tried and he felt that his enemies were taking over from him. He began to feel that it was all his fault because of the sin in his life. We are like this sometimes. We feel like God has left us and is nowhere around and we relate this to what we have done wrong. It can feel like God has left us when we have sinned, however, when we repent, He is there, beside us and forgives us. He has promised that He will never leave us Hebrews 13:5. It does though feel like we are on our own at such times.

Often we feel that God should work the way we want Him to and within our time frame. When He doesn't we can be tempted to ask, 'Where is God in all of this when I need Him?' God is never at a distance from us, He is there right beside us, always. He will never forget us. But sometimes He may allow us to go through trials in order to grow and realise our need of Him. Isaiah 49:14-15 says, 'But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me." 15 Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.' He just cannot forget you because He loves you.

You may feel a distance between you and Jesus at this time. Please realise, He has not moved, He is there right beside you urging you on. Things may have been tough just lately and like David, you may be in anguish and confused by it all. Don't worry, God has it all in His control. He is about to make a way forward for you but, you must allow Him to, you cannot do it alone.

Why not pray this prayer of David's in verse 3-6:

'Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; enlighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; lest my enemy say, 'I have prevailed against him"; lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.

'But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me.'

Now just relax in the knowledge that you are deeply loved and considered honourable. 

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

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