What can I give Him?

"Then the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favour with God. 31 And behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus."                                                                           Luke 1:30-31     NKJV

In the lead up to Christmas Day, the day we celebrate Jesus' birthday and birth, we will look at five carols. Today we will look at 'In the bleak mid-winter'.

One of the verses contained in this beautiful Christmas carol originally written by Gustav Holst to a poem by Christina Rossetti, reads like this:

'What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a wise man I would do my part, Yet what can I give Him, - give my heart.

This just about sums it all up; what can we give Jesus? It is not possible to buy Him a birthday present like we would for someone else. There is nothing we could give Him even if we wanted to. This appears to be the frustration by Christina Rossetti as she writes. However, her love for Jesus shines through in these words and she concludes that she can give Him her heart.

The Angel Gabriel came to Mary and announced the good , yet startling news, that she would give birth to Jesus - the King of kings; and Jesus was born in the most humble of settings - in a manger in Bethlehem. Yet, Jesus is fully God and offers to us, a life that would never have been possible if He hadn't have been born. This is eternal life.

You can have the world's wealth but Jesus is not interested in this. What He is interested in, is your heart and the state of it. There is nothing you can do to buy yourself His interest. He is interested only in you coming to Him and giving your heart to Him. One day soon, this world will come to an end and by the state it's in at the present, this may not be long. He can come in the blink of an eye. When he does, please ensure that you are ready and belong to Him.

Why not do this now:

Lord Jesus, I come to You and ask that you will come and live in my heart; in fact, I give You my heart right now. Please forgive all of my sin, fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and please be my Lord and Saviour. I ask in Jesus' name. Amen

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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Make it count

"Walk in wisdom towards those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one."                                                                   Colossians 4:5-6     NKJV

Our conduct is how people judge Christianity. We are watched practically on a daily basis by unbelievers. Many, in this day and age of political correctness, abortion and LGBGT rights, will try to draw us into debates which often result in arguments about these issues. In times such as these, we need extreme wisdom to help us know how to handle these situations. If we say too much, we can be judged and, if we say too little, we can be accused of not caring. Sometimes it can be very difficult and it may be wiser to only say what you feel the Holy Spirit is leading you to say.

Christians have always been seen as 'odd' to unbelievers. In the early church, believers were accused of being cannibals because of the way Jesus had described, eating the flesh and drinking the blood. And this is what we are up against; people latch on to just a part of what we say, twist it, gossip about it and in just a short time, what they believe we have said is taken as correct. We have to be so careful. This is why Paul tells us to walk in wisdom.

In explaining ourselves, we need to ensure that our speech is seasoned correctly, that we are open to people's comments and instead of being offended, have a sense of humour, but stick to the point. Barclay and Peake comment:

i. Barclay translates Colossians 4:6 this way: Let your speech always be with gracious charm, seasoned with the salt of wit, so that you will know the right answer to give in every case. He explains: “Here is an interesting injunction. It is all too true that Christianity in the minds of many is connected with a kind of sanctimonious dullness and an outlook in which laughter is almost a heresy… The Christian must commend his message with the charm and the wit which were in Jesus himself.”

ii. “They must strive to cultivate the gift of pleasant and wise conversation, so that they may be able to speak appropriately to each individual (with his peculiar needs) with whom they come in contact.” (Peake)

Many times, we only have a short time to to explain our point of view so, we need to make it count. Whatever we say, we should always attempt to leave the conversation with questions, 'Could this be right what we've heard?' If we become harsh with someone, all they will remember is our rudeness. Jesus wouldn't want this. It's better to make our point and leave them with something to think about.

The people we speak to may not speak to us with grace, but that doesn't mean that we should act in the same way. Always endeavour to show them the love of Jesus.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

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From old to new (4)

 "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 3:17    NKJV

Notice the word, 'Whatever'. This one word says it all. Whatever we do, whatever we say and whatever we think, should be about Jesus. This is the hallmark of the person who has signed up for the new self. The new man (self) lives his or her life totally for Jesus. This person points the way to Jesus through the things that they do, say or think. We know that not many unbelievers read the bible; they use the Christian as their bible. They view us and judge us accordingly. This is why it is so important that we fly the flag for Jesus wherever we are and in whatever we do, say or think.

As a new person, you are called to persevere in all you do; the road may be difficult, obstacles may try to block your way and the distractions may be endless. Also, you may face people who are rude and occasionally threatening but, God gives you the way to handle this and the route to take. You may receive no gratitude for what you do but then again, neither did Jesus when He carried His cross to Calvary. He persevered and got the job done.

Therefore, whatever you face, whatever pitfalls come your way, you know that you need to keep doing what you are called to do. You may say this is a hard task to achieve and this is true, but you can do it because you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you Philippians 4:13. Putting on the new self, is actually dying to the old and as Paul said in Galatians 2:20:

'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.'

There it is, you do it all by faith and don't forget that we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7); so therefore, Jesus helps you through; if you get it wrong, which you probably will do, you pick yourself up and carry on. After all, you have a mission to fulfill; you were chosen by Jesus Himself and He knows that you can do it. Therefore, walk in the new self!

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

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From old to new (3)

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs --"   

                                                                                         Colossians 3:15-16    NKJV

Colossians 3:2 tells us, 'Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.' In other words you need to become totally committed to Jesus. When you are, the peace of God begins to rule in your heart and you find that you have an 'inner calm' despite what is going on within and around you. When you begin walking in God's peace you begin to receive confirmation of decisions that you need to make and instructions about the way forward in your life.

The more time we spend with Jesus, the more we begin to be like Him and aware of what He wishes for us. Therefore, spending time in His word, praying, speaking with Him and listening, are all conducive to a healthy spiritual life. The word of Christ begins to dwell within you richly - heart and mind, and it is almost as if you become saturated in it. Talking about Him, sharing testimonies and just fellowshipping become a way of life, it is just so natural. The advantage to this, is that you are able to encourage those who need it. You help spur them on by teaching, helping and possibly instructing them about the way forward. Your old self is left behind and the new self kicks in and takes over so much that you help those who are wanting to do the same but are confused. This is all called fellowship. The Greek word for fellowship is very interesting. It is called Koinonia and means sharing, unity, close association and partnership. In Koinonia, the individual shares in common, an intimate bond of fellowship with each other. In fact, Koinonia cements the believers to Jesus and to each other. I like that, it represents a solid and rigid connection.

A good example of Koinonia is found in the early part of Acts, where the people are meeting together every day, praying, taking communion and generally sharing the love of Jesus. The result of all this, is that the early church had thousands added each day. They were doing something right, it must be said; so it works.

This all relates to taking off the old self and putting on the new self. The old has to go because it holds us back and it is in the past. We live in the now and look to the future. There is a major difference, don't you think?

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

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From old to new (2)

"bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection."               Colossians 3:13-14     NKJV 

Let's look at Day 2 of our ' From old to new' series. Yesterday we saw how we have to take off the old self and put on the new. We also discovered that this, although an important requirement to the believer, is not always an easy thing to do and, can take a life time. Breaking down the two verses above, let's start with:

BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER       

This really is showing people grace. Be honest, where would we be without this. Jesus is always gracious towards us. We are to be the same. Being gracious, is showing the person that however difficult they may be, we are willing to be patient and put up with them. Ask yourself how many times has someone put up with your peculiarities? Quite often if you are like me. Thank goodness that they were patient.

FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER

This is having a willingness to forgive the person who has wronged you, whether they ask forgiveness or not. Forgiveness doesn't excuse evil or approve of bad behaviour, but it means that we set people free from obligations and if they are free, then we are the same because we don't harbour bad feelings. We are not called to harbour grudges or unforgiveness; it only leads to bitterness; and this can lead us to linger on the wrongdoing and demand payback.

PUT ON LOVE

Paul speaks of the bond of perfection. Basically this is unity - a joining together of one another in Jesus Christ. I like how the Amplified bible quotes this verse, we are to 'Wrap yourselves in (unselfish) love by seeking the best of people'. When we wrap something, that certain 'something' is safe and protected. In the same manner, wrapping ourselves, in love around one another is doing the same. We are offering a safe and protected relationship.

This is all part of the new self; as someone put it, the new clothes that Jesus has given us. We may not feel 'new' but we are and little by little as we walk with in the new self, we begin to operate as such. So keep at it, you are a new creation, 'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new' 2 Corinthians 5:17

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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From Old to New. (1)

"Therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering" v12                              Colossians 3:8-14    NKJV 

In this piece of scripture, Paul is talking about taking off the old self (man) and putting on the new self (man) v8-10. If we are honest, we can all relate to the old self  with its, anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language and lying or gossiping to one another. These are the hallmarks of life without Jesus - the way we used to be or were used to. Sadly, for most of us, they show their ugly head from time to time and, when they do, we feel ashamed and also condemned. However, straightaway, let us put in the bin, the feeling of being condemned. If we belong to Jesus, there is no longer any condemnation for us Romans 8:1. Jesus has taken that away. We are free from it. However, what it shows us, is that we are not yet free from the old self.

Relax, none of us are perfect, this is why Paul wrote in Philippians, 'being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you, will complete it until the day of Christ' 1:6. We have a long way to go yet but, that does not mean that we should just poodle along not trying. We are called to put off the old self and put on the new, this means being renewed in knowledge and renewal in Jesus. We should keep trying - by faith. We will never be able to walk upright in Jesus without seeking help from the Holy Spirit. He is the one that can help us to remain on the right road. So we adopt these qualities as we surrender to the Holy Spirit and little by little, we are changed so that our lives become a refection of Jesus. At this precise time, you are a work in progress and are the:

ELECT OF GOD:                      You are one of God's chosen people

HOLY:                                       You are set apart and sanctified for God's purpose for your life

BELOVED:                               God loves you so much. He adores you. He wants you to:

PUT ON TENDER MERCIES  The compassion of Jesus

KINDNESS and HUMILITY.     Be Jesus to people

MEEKNESS                             Have gentleness

LONG-SUFFERING.                Having forbearance or patience - an attribute of Christ's nature.

                                                 This has the power to endure whatever injustice or

                                                 unpleasantness comes your way.

You are not there yet, but Jesus is pleased with your progress

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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There are many resources but only one source

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over"                                                            Psalm 23:5     NKJV

As we walk daily with Jesus, many things come at us in the form of attack. There are distractions, tiredness, sickness, loss of jobs and many worries. People may also persecute us and make things difficult for us because of our faith. It can be difficult but, like David, we must carry on.

David had many enemies around him but, God fed him when he was hungry and anointed him with oil when he needed healing.  Tony Evans comments:

'Like David we must recognise that we have one source. There are many resources - many channels God may use to provide and care for your physical well-being, but you only have one source. And God never runs dry. That's why David's cup overflowed.'

                                                                     The Tony Evans Bible Commentary

Notice that he says, 'there are many resources'. This is true, but we must determine what is the right resource and not become de-railed. God is the source and walking, praying and listening to Him will help us find the resource that is right for us. We need to get to the point where we are confident in our relationship with Jesus, we are secure enough in Him to know that He will never let us down. When we are, we can confidently sit and eat a meal in front of our enemies, do a particular job, be secure in the knowledge that if God is for us, what can man do to us Romans 8:31.

When we are walking with God, we can be assured that, whatever we may face; whatever hardship may come our way and whatever people may say about us, God anoints our head with oil and our cup runs over. Notice that this verse doesn't say that He fills our cup to the brim, no, it says that the cup runs over. It flows over the top; it has superabundance. Jesus gives us His all and more. What else can you hope for?

Yes times may be difficult; the risks of Covid, the price of gas and electric forecast to rocket to sky high prices and will we be able to manage? Hey, stop that type of negative thinking; if you belong to Jesus then, your cup runs over. He will take care of all these fears; they are nothing to Him - NOTHING! Jesus is your source, not your job, not your benefits and not what little you have in the bank, but Jesus is our source!

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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