Increase or Decrease

"He must increase, but I must decrease"                                        John 3:20    NKJV 

How many times do we search for praise whenever we have done something important, especially if we have preached, led the worship or hosted a bible study? What about when we have given a big cheque to the church or Christian Outreach, or stood at the front of the church and given a Word of prophecy? It seems to be an inbuilt part of us to seek a pat on the back. We may even go looking for it, gently referring to what we have done, to see if anyone mentions our efforts. If we get the praise, we gloat over it. If we don't, then we sulk. This is the way we can be at times.

However, 'Love does not parade itself, it is not puffed up' 1 Corinthians 13:4. We must never allow ourselves to become puffed up. Jesus knows you are good at what you do, this is why He chose you. This is all you need, don't ever try to get a pat on the back. Jesus must increase and we, must decrease. If we allow ourselves, we can become easily offended. Jealousy can be the big thing in churches. We can feel that we are left on the sidelines, especially when someone else appears to take our place. Let's get it in perspective, we do not have a place unless Jesus creates that place for us. Jealousy is not in order. We have a role to play, yes, but so do other people. We should never be in competition with anyone; if we are, we have got it wrong. Jesus must increase and we must decrease. We need to give Jesus His rightful place within our lives. We should not seek attention or try to do better than someone else. Satan tried to do that and look what happened to him. Be careful.

John the Baptist had it right. He refused to be put in Jesus' place and he also refused to take part in any gossip. The people tried telling him that Jesus was baptising people instead of sending them to him. He was not offended because he knew his place, he was secure in that fact and would not be persuaded differently. 

Our life with Jesus is all about serving Him. Each day should be intended to bring glory to His name. I once heard a Romanian pastor speaking in a church. One thing he said has remained with me for many years. He was talking about his prayer life, especially prior to going to bed at night. Each night, he said, I say to Jesus, 'Lord, have I pleased You today?' That is a wonderful prayer, short and to the point and one in which Jesus will answer. Can I encourage you to make this your final prayer of the day? It is a revealing prayer, one in which Jesus has the right to say, 'No, you haven't pleased Me.' But it is a prayer that we will be able to assess how we are standing with the King, each day.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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Are you Saved or Condemned?

"Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Saviour and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgement, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Saviour and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him].      

                                                                                 John 3:18   The Amplified Study Bible  

These are very strong words indeed and, should not be skimmed over. John 3:16-18, very clearly tells the reader the facts - if a person believes in Jesus Christ and accepts Him as Lord and Saviour, they are saved from all judgement and totally forgiven. However, those who do not believe, are condemned already - here on earth. The Moody Bible Commentary comments on this:

'Anyone who believes in Jesus is not judged or condemned in the future judgement. Anyone who does not believe, has been judged already, here and now. The future judgement confirms but does not determine one's eternal destiny.' David Guzik comments on FF Bruce, in his introduction to The Gospel of John: 

“No explicit mention is made here of those who have never had the opportunity of believing in Christ, those on whom the light in its fullness has never shone. But John’s words probably unfold the principle of their judgment too. As the eternal Word came to men and women before becoming incarnate in Christ, so it is with the light of God. If men and women are judged by their response to the light, they are judged by their response to such light as is available to them.”                                                               (FF Bruce 1983)

In my opinion, I would say that this passage of scripture refers to the one's who constantly refuse to believe or accept Jesus as Lord. One cannot believe that God would allow people who have not heard about Jesus, to be condemned, judged and spend eternity in hell. He is too loving for that.

It does though, leave a big question mark on the future of those who have heard about Jesus and refuse to accept Him as Lord. A person must accept Jesus as Lord if they want to spend eternity with Him, because without Him, they will carry the full judgement of their sin. This must be done in their life time. Once a person has died is too late. If they die in their sin, there is only one place that they will end up and that is hell. The bible's teaching not mine.

God has given us every chance that we need to believe in Him and have our sins forgiven. Once our lives are over, there are no second chances. We need to repent now or it will be too late. Do not take the chance with where you will spend eternity. The choice is yours. If you wish to become a Christian, here is a prayer for you to pray:

'Lord Jesus, I recognise that I need You as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive my sins and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I ask You into my life now. Amen

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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Secret disciples (2)

"There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night"                                                          John 3:1-2     NKJV

Why did Nicodemus come to Jesus by night? There are probably two explanations. (1) The Pharisees encouraged studies to be be carried out at night so that it didn't interfere with their daily tasks. (2) He may not have wanted his fellow colleagues from the Sanhedrin to know that he had an admiration for the teachings of Jesus. They would most definitely have cast a dim view on him for such behaviour. Therefore, he probably came to Jesus in the cover of darkness to avoid this. Now this flags up a common behaviour in a lot of people's faith. Quite a few people do not want to be known as 'religious' by their workmates and friends. So they play it down, hide their bibles away if someone visits and avoid talking about Jesus. Some workers have to do this because of threat to their jobs by way of persecution. Many people have been told by their management not to wear a cross whilst at work. Therefore, some fall to the ranks of being secret disciples.

Nicodemus had a flaw in his theology. To him, Jesus was a teacher come from God to teach, not God come to teach. He didn't yet understand that Jesus was God Himself in a body, rather than just a representative of God. However, He did later on, as recorded in John 19:39, 'And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.' Nicodemus was obviously a wealthy man as these would have cost quite a lot of money. Just the fact that Nicodemus did this and was involved in the preparations for Jesus' body, shows that he had become more bolder in his belief.

In certain countries, it is forbidden to be known as a Christian. Some people can be executed or thrown in prison because of their faith. Therefore, they have to become, 'secret disciples' to avoid punishment. However, when we live in a country with religious freedom, we should never be ashamed to stand up for Jesus. He stood up for us - at a great cost. We should do the same. The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, 'For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.'

Let us never be tempted to be a secret disciple of Jesus. Let us live up to our calling as Children of the Living God, wherever possible.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

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Secret disciples. (1)

"After this, Joseph of Arimathea being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission."                                                                                     John 19:38   NKJV 

At this time, many people were interested in Jesus and followed Him everywhere. However, they were more interested in the signs that He performed, rather than in Jesus Himself. Thus, they were not identifying themselves with Him and Jesus knew this and didn't give Himself fully to them, because He knew what was in men John 2:23-25. These people were not yet ready for what Jesus had for them. There is a lot of of truth in that for most people today because they seek what Jesus can do for them instead of seeking Him for who He is.

There were two prominent men who were secret disciples. One was Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. We will look at Nicodemus tomorrow so let's concentrate on Joseph. He was a rich. powerful and prominent man in society, a member of the Sanhedrin and yet, he had been a disciple for quite a while. However, with his position in society and being a member of the Sanhedrin, who had been plotting Jesus' death, he kept himself to himself. Perhaps when the Sanhedrin had been debating about what to do about Jesus, he had remained quiet, letting the other's speak. However, when Jesus had been crucified, something happened to him. He decided that he would no longer hide away under the shield of his status and went to Pilate and requested that he be allowed to take Jesus' body away for burial to a tomb that was prepared for Him. Pilate allowed this. This was a dangerous thing for Joseph to do because burying a crucified man would mean that this 'criminal' had dramatically changed his life.

One can say, that Joseph was frightened of being recognised as a follower of Jesus; and this is true. Many people today are scared to admit that they are a Christian because of the reprisals that they may suffer, therefore, they live in a cloak of secrecy. We should never be this way and Joseph finally realised this, otherwise he would never have became so public that he went to claim Jesus' body from Pilate. He must have felt that it was time to 'fly the flag'. And it is time for us to do the same. Jesus knows our hearts; He knows who is willing to live the life no matter what the cost. It is all about standing up for Jesus. We do this for our football teams, or for protests about this and that. Isn't it about time that we make that stand for Jesus and stop living a life of secrecy?

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

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His best is not a thing of the past, there's more to come!

"Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!"      John 2:10    NKJV 

Here we witness the miracle of transformation. This is what happened here in Cana that day. The wedding celebrations hit a major problem, they had run out of wine. This would have been a social scandal for the bridegroom, his very reputation was at risk. But after Jesus had told the servants to fill the great stone pots with water, miraculously the water was turned into wine, and not the inferior kind either, but the finest. The Master of the Feast tasted the wine and commented to the bridegroom that he had kept the good wine until last. Tradition was such that guests were given the best wine first and the inferior wine later, when they had drunk a lot. Here, it was the finest to be found.

This illustrates the change that Jesus makes in a person's life, when you believe in Him and obey His word. He brings out the best in you and when you position yourself rightly by obedient submission, He pours in the finest for your life. You may have thought the best has come and gone but, there is more to come when you are walking with Him.

This day at the wedding, Jesus changed the social custom of tradition by producing the finest of wines. The same can be said of you as well. He so wants to produce the best in you and if you allow Him, He will do so. Let's face it, many of us were walking in total darkness before Jesus got a hold of our lives. If you can, just think back to where you were before Jesus began to make changes within you; and He hasn't finished with you yet, 'He who has begun a good work in you, will complete it until the day of Christ' Philippians 1:6. Note the word 'begun.' The work is not completed yet so, don't beat yourself up; He has more refining to do. However, note also the word 'complete.' This confirms that He will complete the work in us and if we remain in Him, He will take us into His heaven when our time comes. 

Until then, HIs best is imminent, He is getting us ready, but we can help this along by getting into the position He wants us in - 'the willingness for Him to work in us'.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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Do what He says!

"His mother said to the servants, 'Whatever He says to you, do it!"    John 2:5     NKJV 

This statement, which is really well known, is pivotal to our walk with Jesus. It is a statement that Jesus says to many people, but sadly one in which it falls on deaf ears quite a lot. When we feel Jesus is telling us something it may be important to write it down word for word so that we don't forget it and that we ensure that we hear the words properly. It is so easy to water down what He says, especially if we share it with someone. Remember the Garden of Eden? The serpent twisted what God had said when he spoke with Eve, 'Has God indeed said?' It may be better to keep to yourself what God says to you, until you are fully sure about it.

When God speaks to us or asks us to do something, He often does not describe the path that He is taking us on. He tends not to explain how He intends to deal with our problems or supply what we need to comply with His request. He simply calls us to obey His revealed word. This can be difficult, especially if you have no experience of living by faith and relying on Him totally. He may call you into His mission field or He may reveal something important that He wishes you to handle. Whatever it is, you need to ensure that you hear it properly and act on it.

Take for instance Jesus' request to the servants to fill the large water pots to the brim with water. The servants must have thought that this was a crazy idea. Nevertheless, they did it and the guests at the wedding in Cana were treated to the finest of wines. 

It is difficult at times to work out what God is doing, so don't try. Just take Him at His word. He sees the future, you don't. Where God sees it for what it is, our humanity tries to work it all out trying to figure out what is happening. Instead just do it.

What has God spoken to you about just lately? Has He asked you to do a particular thing and you are struggling with it? Mary said, 'Whatever He says to you, do it!' This statement is still relevant today. God doesn't waste words. When He tells us something, He expects us to respond. It could be a matter of life or death. It could be that He is telling you to help somebody out who is going through very deep waters and needs a friend. What is He asking you to do? Are you going to obey Him or cast it aside feeling that it is not from God at all? Are you going to do what He says?

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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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.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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