You can't do it alone

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit, for without Me, you can do nothing!                      John 15:5    NKJV 

We saw yesterday how Mary and Joseph headed home thinking Jesus was with them. However, the 12 year old was in meetings with religious leaders in the temple. We should never try to go it alone; there is no mileage in leaving God out of the equation. Jesus is a must!

But be honest, how many times do you believe you're doing the right thing and go at it without asking God first? It's a recipe for failure. Would an army go into battle without first getting the intel? It's doubtful. They need to know what they're up against; where are the enemy, do their own forces know they're going in so they can back them up and avoid friendly fire which often kills their own. They would get the intel first and may even send out a recce party to confirm certain things, rather like Moses did by sending out a party to spy the land of Canaan. In the same manner, it is foolish to head off alone thinking you have the answer. There are no one-man- bands in the army of God.

RT Kendal says, 'God is in heaven, we are on earth; He is in control, you are not in control of Him'. But at times, we try to take the control thinking we know best. We don't like waiting when we can get on with the work. We have plans to fulfil. Rob Parsons says, 'If you want to make God smile, tell Him your plans.' You may smile yourself but, God's plans and thoughts are much higher than our own (Jeremiah 29:11-12). Stop trying to figure God out, you'll never do it. He will only tell you what you need to know at any given time. He is in no rush, time is in His hands, He has no target to meet at a particular time and, He will not be harassed.

Chill out, no amount of nagging God will make Him change His mind. He has a plan and He will not change the dynamics of it. Remember, haste makes waste. When you act in haste, you end up doing things you regret and have to pay the price for, or at least, apologise.. Don't act in haste instead, wait on God. (Psalm 27:14). 

So the message today is, don't rush in alone. Make sure God has sent you, directed you and is with you. You can't do it alone!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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My Father's Business

"Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?    

                                                                                              Luke 2:49  NKJV

Jesus was 12 years old  when He debated with the religious intellectuals in the Jerusalem temple. They were astonished at His wisdom. Jesus should have been with Mary and Joseph on their caravan as they headed home; but because of the crowds and busy-ness, He got left behind. When they discovered this a day later, they of course were frantic with worry and returned to Jerusalem and on the third day, they found Him in the temple.

Jesus knew His calling even at this young age and He was so enthralled by the group discussions that took place that He didn't realise how the time had gone by. Joseph was silent on this issue but Mary asked Him, 'Son, why have You done this to us? Look Your father and I have sought You anxiously'. Jesus' reply said it all, 'Why diid you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?' There is a two-way argument here. Firstly, it could be said that Mary and Joseph should have ensured Jesus was with them when they left. Secondly, Jesus should have kept with them instead of lingering around the temple area and also tried to find them. The fact is, He felt He should be about His Father's business but, He would have also realised that He needed to be honourable to His earthly parents. It was a learning curve for them all v51.

One thing we see here is that Jesus was secure in His calling. He knew what His Heavenly Father wanted of Him but, He had to learn to balance His obedience with honour for His parents because of His age.

Are you secure in your calling? Do you even know what it is? Have you asked God? Three important questions to ask and ponder. Some people don't want to know their calling in case God turns their lives upside down by sending them to a strange place where they have to give up their nice lifestyle. So they just plod on. Others don't believe that they have a calling, it is only for vicars and pastors. Wrong! Everyone has a calling.

The main calling for everyone is to live for Jesus, bringing glory to His name in all we do. This is the most important. In addition, He may call anyone to the ministry or, He may call someone to be an usher or a cleaner in the church. Every calling is important to God; vicar, pastor, usher or cleaner. He may even call someone to be a car park attendant at the church. It is all invaluable to Jesus. A service is being provided and whoever does it will be blessed.

Everyone is of equal importance to God. He has no favourites; we're all one in unity with Him and each other. So the next time someone tries to take you away from your calling, tell them - with grace, that you must be about Your Father's business.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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I'm not what I used to be!

"One thing I know; that though I was blind, now I see."    John 9:25    NKJV 

One day Jesus changed a blind beggar's life forever. He had been born blind and therefore had to beg to eat. Jesus saw this young man and had compassion. He rubbed saliva and clay on to his eyes and then told him to go and wash it off in the pool of Siloam. This was a reservoir in Jerusalem supplied with water through King Hezikiah's underground tunnel from a spring outside of the city. The man did this and 'came back to Jesus, seeing' John 9:7.

From thereon, he was harassed by the Pharisees because it had taken place on the Sabbath. This led to Jesus being targeted as well, for breaking the Sabbath laws and, the whole situation - which should have been a blessing, turned into a legal debate.

There are always the 'Pharisee type' of people around wherever we go. They seem to jump out of the woodwork and, instead of receiving the blessing and praising God, they have to make an issue out of it. You probably know some of these, they're a little like Thomas with a massive swing toward legality. Don't let them rob you of your blessings. The man's response to all of this was, 'I was blind, now I see'. Unfortunately, this went completely over their heads, they were so fixated on what had been done on the Sabbath. Where was their compassion? The Prodigal's father had to suffer similarly from his older son and told him, 'your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found' Luke 15:32. More than likely this fell on deaf ears too.

Joyce Meyer said in one of her sermons, 'I may not be where I want to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be.' What an amazing faith-filled statement, one that we can all relate to in some way. The man had been blind and now could see; the son was lost and was now found and both of them were freed from where they used to be. And so have you been. If you have Jesus in your heart, you are not what you used to be. Oh there will be traces of this from time to time because, you're not perfect - yet. Also the devil will try to get you to believe that there has been no change; you're just like you used to be.

Don't listen to the lies. You are a changed person; Jesus has changed you. You are not where you used to be!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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You are a Work in Progress

"being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you, will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."            Philippians 1:6   NKJV 

Are you trying to be perfect? Stop right now, because you'll never make it! Perfectionists strive to do a certain thing; they'll stop at nothing because they want to do things better than anyone else.  They are so competitive that they have to win. Perfectionists have an inbuilt desire to succeed; which when you consider it, is not a bad thing. However, the perfectionist is different, he or she have to be winners, they have to succeed, there is no room for failure. 

When they do fail, they go down lower than the average person. You see, the root of perfectionism is fear. The person fears that failure will make them look weak - an under-achiever.  

Therefore, they worry and become stressed; they push themselves on, working long hours with hardly any sleep. They are on a crash course to a heart attack or at east, a breakdown - total burnout. In their lives there is no room for time off or holidays, they have to work to achieve their goal.

If this is you, then get out of the fast lane. Using the motorway analogy, the perfectionist lives life in this fast lane. If they switch over to a slower one or pull up for a break, all the people they have passed will get back in front of them, so they keep on. But so what? Is it really worth it? Is it worth losing your good health, your family and whatever else because you're too busy?

As a Christian, you are a work in progress, not a mega superstar. You come from Calvary not from Hollywood. Slow down and switch over to the slow lane or better still, pull up for a break. Slow down before your life slows you down. Start by changing your whole lifestyle. If you have lived life in the fast lane all your life, you will find this difficult but you can do it with Jesus' help.

Nowhere in the bible will you find God telling you to be a perfectionist. As I mentioned earlier, this is rooted in fear, God is rooted in faith, the exact opposite. So change your life before you regret it.

You are a work in progress; therefore you will fail and you will make mistakes but, one day, when Jesus finishes His work on you, you will be perfect.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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The Breath of God

 "And when He had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'.                                                               John 20:22  NKJV

If you go to any Christian Convention or watch them on Christian TV, you may see the preacher pray for someone and breathe on them. Many people have a problem with this but, here Jesus is doing just that. He had just finished commissioning the Apostles when, He breathed on them and told them to receive the Holy Spirit. This would be essential to their calling; Jesus was about to ascend into heaven and they needed His power with them when He left. This happened on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21). Jesus was visibly and physically preparing them for the way ahead. Jesus' breath demonstrates His power and creative ability.

William Barclay comments:

'Jesus breathed on His disciples and gave them the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). There is no doubt that when John spoke in this way, He was thinking back to the old story of the creation. There, the writer says, "Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). This was the same picture as Ezekiel saw in the Valley of dead, dry bones, when he heard God say to the wind, "Come from the four winds O breath and breathe upon these slain that they may live" Ezekiel 37:9. The coming of the Holy Spirit is like the wakening of life from the dead. When He comes upon the church, it is re-created for its task.

                                                                       William Barclay. The Gospel of John Volume two

The breath of God brings life to where there was nothing but dryness. When God breathes upon us, we receive the power and ability to do whatever task He has set for us. We may feel flat and lifeless but, the breath of God empowers and ignites strength within every inch of our body.

Do you need the breath of God to give you a power boost? Why not allow Him to breathe upon you now:

"O Lord Jesus, I need Your touch today. I've felt so flat and lifeless just lately. Please breathe on me the power of the Holy Spirit, so that I can bring glory to Your name.

                                                                          In Jesus' name. Amen'

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Do you know how much you are loved?

"and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and loved them as You have loved Me."                                                                                        John 17:23  NKJV 

This must be one of the most amazing scriptures in the New Testament. If you have ever doubted the fact that God loves you, then keep focusing on this verse. When I first read this over 40 years ago, I felt this can't be true. However, over the years it has illuminated itself within my spirit and it sits contentedly. I was delighted not long after this when an acclaimed preacher said exactly the same. God loves you and I as He has loved Jesus.

RT Kendall in his book, The Lord's Prayer, writes this:

Let me share one of the most dazzling truths I know: God loves you as much as He loves Jesus! That's right. We are joint heirs, co-heirs with Jesus' 

                                         The Lord's Prayer, Copyright 2010 RT Kendall, Hodder & Stoughton P35

How does that sit with you? Does it make you feel uncomfortable? I felt this way at first but after studying the scriptures for over 40 years, it all comes together. We could search the world over but, we'll never find such love. It is unfailing. We may let Him down daily; we refuse to obey Him and rebel at times but, rather like the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, He stands there waiting for our return. 

I challenge you to say, 'God loves me as much as He does Jesus'. Say it out loud, over and over for a while. If you say it to someone who hasn't yet had this revelation, you may receive a Pharisaical protest, but don't allow this to put you off. I would have felt the same way all those years ago. However now, it is liberating.

You may say, 'I know this, it's nothing new'. I agree, it is nothing new at all. But the way you receive this in your spirit is. The truth of this statement underpins everything Jesus has told us; take for example, 'Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you' Matthew 6:33. Why would Jesus say this if God didn't love us in this way? What about insisting that we stop worrying and being afraid and, instead have faith in God? These statements tell us just how caring He is and how much He really loves us. In addition, let us not forget the cross where Jesus died and paid the penalty for our sin. Doesn't this show you just how much God loves each one of us.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Wholeheartedly

"11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  12Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  13And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  14I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive."                   Jeremiah 29:11-14. NKJV

Have you ever stopped to consider how much God thinks about you? Check out verse 11. He has many thoughts about how to lead us into a stage of peace, giving us a hope for our future. When was the last time that you really felt at peace? No matter what was happening around you, you remained peaceful. I think many would find it difficult to remember such a time.

Although this piece of scripture was written by Jeremiah to the Israelites who were captive in Babylon, it is still relevant to us today. God gave the captives a promise to hang on to and, He does the same to us too. He made a promise of rescue and hope for the future. But, there was a condition.

We are to seek the Lord wholeheartedly. The New Living Translation puts it like this, ‘In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me. 14 I will be found by you' Jer 29:12-14 NLT. You can't get it any plainer than that. Give God all you've got, seek Him, dedicate yourself to Him - wholeheartedly and you will find Him. Not that He is hiding, far from it; but He expects our full attention, at all times. If you want the best, you have to do the rest. In these present days of failing economy, there is only so much any government can do or are willing to do to help. You can place your economy into God's hands. If we allow Him to, He holds our future but only when we serve Him wholeheartedly. 

There is a crisis throughout our world but, you may also have a crisis of your own. You have a choice. Either fall apart in fear, or seek God. If you do seek Him with all you have got, He gives you His promise, 'I will be found by you.' Note the 'I will'. He doesn't say, 'I may', or 'I'll consider it'. No, He says, 'I will'. He promises 'I will deliver you from captivity'. 

What is keeping you captive? What are you a slave to? God says ‘I will'. Are you willing to allow Him to deliver you from whatever it is that is keeping you bound? If so, it will cost you all you've got. The price? Total commitment to God. Follow Him wholeheartedly and then, He will be found and will deliver you!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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