Are you too busy for God?

"But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, and she came up and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? So tell her to give me a hand." v40    

                                                                                               Luke 10:38-42   CSB 

Taking on too many tasks can be a problem. We've all heard of the plate-spinner. For a time the plates are spinning well, perhaps a dozen or more. The person doing this, moves quickly as soon as a plate begins to wobble. However, it is inevitable, pretty soon they are all going to come crashing down and, this is what it's like when we take on too much. Attempting to be a multi-tasker can appear impressive at first but it can eventually lead to the person becoming stressed out, quick-tempered and disrespectful. When we get like this, it is time to re-assess.

Mary and Martha were opposites; Martha was the one who would get up and prepare a meal or make a cup of tea when someone called in; and, it had to be done properly, so the best china would be used. Mary was more laid back and was more interested in having a close relationship with God. She was desperate for further teaching, this was why she would spend as much time with Jesus as possible. There were two temperaments here, Mary was quiet and studious, whereas, Martha was a servant and a dynamo of activity. Both were acceptable to Jesus in their own way.

Here, Martha begrudged Mary sitting down in fellowship with Jesus. This is why, quite rudely and disrespectfully, she spoke to Jesus the way she did: 'Lord, don't You care?' Mary on the other hand, may have looked down on Martha for being the way she was, dashing around and causing  stress when she was trying to read or talk. The thing is, there was no right or wrong way; and it's the same today. We're all different and, God needs the Mary's and the Martha's. What type are you?

There are two thoughts here (1) Martha wanted the best for Jesus hence, a nice meal and clean house. (2) Mary recognised that Jesus was burdened and needed rest, therefore she gave it to Him relaxing and having a general chat. Both were right in their own way, perhaps a little communication between the sisters may have helped.

It highlights the fact, that we should never be too busy for Jesus; we need to spend restful and resourceful times with Him. Taking on too many tasks is a recipe for things to go wrong. Share the workload when you can. There's a need to balance what is happening at home - within the family. Neglecting things may cause arguments, the same as doing too many jobs or meetings can do.

The bottom line is, always be available for your Daily Life with Jesus.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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How secure do you feel?

"No, in all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" v37   

                                                                                  Romans 8:31-39   CSB 

Charges against you can come from all directions. People, all of a sudden can turn against you saying hurtful things, which are false. It may be via gossip. which can be perceived as the truth or, it may be directly to your face. When this happens, remember, there is only one accuser and his name is Satan; and he manipulates people, turning them against one another. Then, the lies and accusations begin.

But if you are secure in God you can ride the storm. Tony Evans writes, 'Sometimes God rescues us from things, sometimes He rescues out of things and sometimes He changes us in things. Let Him choose. He knows best'' Tony Evans Study Bible,  CSB, Holman Publishers. 

God may rescue you from any situation that comes your way, then again, He may come into your situation and deliver you out of it, but He may choose to ignore the former two and change your heart in order for you to be able to cope with any situation. The secret is allowing Him to be in control because, He is far more knowledge-able than you could ever be. He knows the answer and if we allow Him to, He will makes some changes on your behalf. The thing to remember is, whatever anyone may say about you, or accuse you of, Jesus declares you 'Not Guilty'. Therefore, we don't just get by, we conquer. 

Our text verse is amazing and if you allow it to, can change your lives forever, 'in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.' You are not only a conqueror of your situation you are 'More than a conqueror' in Jesus. This brings us security. There is nothing anyone can do or say about us that will ever make Jesus think differently. Think about this when you next meet a crisis point. Jesus has given you the power and anointing to be a "more than a Conqueror'.

There isn't anything too bad in your life because Jesus is in the driving seat and He knows the way, He doesn't need a Sat Nav, it is all in His thoughts. Go in the garden and shout out loud, 'I’m more than a conqueror'. This is guaranteed to have a response!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Use your gift

"A person's gift opens doors for him and brings him before the great."   

                                                                                      Proverbs 18:16    CSB 

We all have certain gifts within us that God has placed there and, they are valuable to Him. What is yours, do you know? Some people go through life and never appear to realise their gifting.

Our text today, can be read, 'Acts of kindness can open doors otherwise closed.' It's true, someone may be hard to get to know and difficult to get alongside. An act of kindness shown them can in time, win them over. It may not happen initially, but consistency can be helpful in winning the day. We never know what is happening in a person's life or, what they have been through. Kindness may open up the way and, if you manage this, it may just be your gifting.

You may not be a gifted preacher, teacher or evangelist, but you may be a great welcomer to people who visit your church, group or home. Where the main people are in the spotlight, you may be better suited working undercover. This is quite exciting to do.

When I worked in a hospice, I would attempt to support people who were dying and their families. It was a great privilege to share this time with them. I was able to share the Gospel with many of them. No one knew what I was saying or doing, except God and the people I was working with. The work led me to meet Prince Charles on one of his visits. He spoke to me for a short time asking me about how I came to do this work. I was amazed afterwards because, the second part of this verse says, ''and brings us before the great'. I didn't know that I would meet him, but God did.

Your gifting is valuable; what God has given you is vital to the Kingdom of God. Whatever your gifts are, God gave them to you and you are qualified to perform them adequately. Your gifting may be laying dormant within you and may need a kickstart; or you may already be working it and haven't recognised it yet.

It may be helpful to spend some time with God, asking Him to show you clearly what your gifts are. They may be obvious to other people but you cannot see it. Why not ask a trusted friend what they think about this.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Suspicion

"Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing and perfect will of God."    

                                                                                Romans 12:2   CSB 

Suspicion is built around doubt and mistrust and it can be a major weapon that the evil one uses against us. Suspicion in the positive manner, helps police and other public forces determine a certain truth. Used properly, it is an effective tool in gathering evidence that can prevent further problems. However, used in the negative manner, suspicion can be a killer to friendships, marriages and partnerships in all walks of life.

If a person is suspicious about something or someone, they may go to great lengths to prove they are right, no matter what the cost. Sadly, many is the time when suspicions are proven right and the lies are revealed. As a Christian, once the devil knows that a person is suspicious about something, he will go flat out to provide them with false evidence that is so convincing and from thereon, it is a downward spiral.

Business, marriages and friendships have been wrecked because of suspicion, whether right or wrong. Because something appears so convincing, people may take the wrong side - the devil, and believe this untruth. Suspicion can drive a person to despair because they are so convinced they are right - they cannot see the truth, only the lie.

Paul tells us here to be transformed by the 'renewing of your mind', we cannot do this, it is God's job. When God has all of us and the world has none, God can then do His renewal work of our suspicious and confused mind. He brings our thoughts in line with His own so  that we think Godly thoughts. Paul, further tells us that as we do this, 'the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus'  Philippians 4:7.

If this is you, your suspicions may be right and you need to come to Him now and be guided by God about the way forward. However, they may be wrong and it may be time to come to Jesus and give Him your burdens, thoughts and fears. Allow Him to bathe the wounds of the doubt you have been thinking and help you to have a more positive approach to your daily life with Jesus.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Persistence

 Many warned him to keep quiet, but he was crying out all the more, 'Have mercy on me, Son of David.' 49 Jesus stopped and said, 'Call him'."      Mark 10:48-49   CSB    

If there is one thing that will get Jesus' attention, it is persistence. This is how Bartimaeus was this day. He had heard of Jesus and he secured a place  along the road that Jesus would be walking on and, he waited. He may have been there some time, we don't know, but crowds were forming because of the interest in Jesus. 

After Jesus had arrived and Bartimaeus had been persistently calling out to Him, people began telling him to be quiet, but he persisted and gained Jesus' attention. Jesus stopped and had him brought to Him. 'What do you want Me to do for you?' He asked. Bartimaeus told Jesus that he wanted to see and, he saw, because Jesus healed him.

Notice that Bartimaeus was not going to give up, he was persistent. Also notice that, there is no class barrier with Jesus. Bartimaeus was a beggar but he received the same attention anyone would receive. Some people will always try to keep us quiet when it comes to Jesus. To them, He is an embarrassment and, they'll do all they can to stop you. This is seen in the workplace quite a lot; mention Jesus in some environments and you may be warned and then, if you persist, possibly fired. You see, the Name of Jesus is powerful and it can cause conviction to fall on people. They may tend to accuse you of protesting about what the bible says is evil. When doing this, they can be quite hostile in their treatment. But don't let that stop you; you are not there to be an evangelist but a worker. However, you have the right to voice your opinions should you be asked. Don't be put off, or tend to compromise.

Be persistent; also don't ever feel inferior to another person because of your upbringing or the fact that your educational achievements don't match theirs. If Jesus accepts you, that's good enough. Never allow people to intimidate you because you are not as eloquent as the next person. You don't have to speak posh to speak to Jesus; He never intimidates. Remember, He spent time with the deprived, the poor, the lonely and those from off the streets and' He showed them love and empathy. This is why Bartimaeus had the courage to persistently shout out, 'Have mercy on me, Son of David'

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Breaking News...Blind man receives his sight!

"'Go your faith has saved you', immediately he could see and began to follow Jesus on the road."                                                        Mark 10:52   CSB 

Imagine if you saw the headlines on the BBC or in the daily paper, 'Breaking News...Blind Man receives his sight.' What about another? 'Man turns water into wine'. These are the type of headlines that grab the reader or TV viewer. People will flock to know more.

Over the years, it has been the same for many Christian events, The Toronto Blessing and Todd Bentley in The Lakeland Revival, both in Canada. There have been many more earlier ones. Thousands flocked to these events from many countries. They wanted to know what was happening and they realised that they wanted some of it.

Jesus has always been popular, just check your bible and you'll see that, wherever he was, He drew a crowd and, rather like Bartimaeus in our text above, they have been healed by being in His presence. This should not only be happening in Worldwide Christian events but, it should be happening weekly in our own churches and Home Groups. As followers of Jesus, full of the same Holy Spirit, we should be creating headlines wherever we are. Not everyone is a preacher or an evangelist but, as a Christian we all know Jesus and He has no favourites, He can and will work through anyone who makes themselves available to Him. What he does in big events, He can do in you as well, your church, your home, your family and friends and your neighbourhood should realise who Jesus is and what he is able to do for them. We see people in the street who may be ill or disabled in some way. Do we pray for them? Yes, it may be quite invasive to just approach them and pray but, we can use the 'silent prayers' as they go by. 

Things will only change in our corrupt world when we bring Jesus into the equation. Certain practices are wrong in our eyes and as Christians, we should make a stand against them. Only then will things really change as we begin to create our own headlines. We won't be popular doing this but, then again, Jesus wasn't at all. He didn't  compromise or water down the Gospel or, put up with things because He didn't want to make a fuss. He addressed what was wrong and, we also, need to let our feelings and our beliefs be known. 

In fact, Make Headlines for Jesus!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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The Sign Post

"For God loved the world in this way; He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him, will not perish but have eternal life."    John 3:16    CSB 

My wife and I attended a humanist funeral recently and were sad at the lack of hope there. When Jesus is absent, there is nothing to look forward to, no hope at all and it showed. What we heard were just empty words to hungry people. Their hunger came from a desire to find out where their loved one was, now. Sadly, there were no answers, just the normal, 'Well, we'll see him again one day.' This made me think, will they?

The Bible - God's direction to life, shows us very clearly by way of a sign post - Life or Death. There is a choice to make and nothing in between; should we turn to 'Life' or take the road to 'Death'. Some may say when you're dead it doesn't matter, but it does!

Death is final on earth, when a friend or loved one dies, it's over. However, the soul and spirit lives on and, dependant on what they chose while they were alive, will determine on where they will be in life eternal. Our text makes it very clear that if we believe in Jesus, we will have eternal life. However in John 3:18 Jesus says:

'Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned because he has not believed in the Name of the one and only Son of God.'

There is either life or death, hope or despair. This is what we witnessed at this funeral that day. There is a choice to make for each one of us - a sign post to choose from. Which one will you choose? To choose Jesus brings a certainty of spending eternity with Him in Heaven. To deny Him, will result in eternity spent without the people who accepted Jesus, in a place that is totally separated from God, which is known as hell. There will be no way of changing your mind then, it will be too late.

Heaven is where Jesus is, hell is where the devil is. Heaven brings joy, happiness and peace with no more sickness or hurts. Hell brings death and destruction, sickness and terrible fear forever. Surely the sign to Heaven is the one to take, don't you think?

Lord Jesus, I choose to follow You and give my life to You today. Please forgive me my sin and, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and be my Lord and Saviour. I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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