Giving

"Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood."      

                                  Mark 12:41-43   NKJV

It's interesting to note that, Jesus watches how much of our money we give in tithes and offering (v41). It is quite a controversial subject. Many do give their money to the church each month. However, many don't for many reasons. (a) They just can't afford to do this. (b) They feel that the little they have should remain in their bank because they don't earn much; not like other people. (c) Or they don't agree with it because the church is a very rich organisation. 

Each of these statements is true to the people who think this way and, God does not bludgeon anyone to give their hard-earned money, especially in these times of great lack. However, the truth is, we can't afford not to give to Jesus because, when we give he gives back to us abundantly. The money we have is His in the first place. He has given us the ability to be educated, learn a skill and put his skill into action. So, it is reasonable to give back to Him. It is felt that the normal level of giving should be a tenth of what we receive - working or not. Read Malachi Chapter 3 for more  information on this. 

Tithes and offerings are part of our Christian life. There are expenses that need to be met within the church. People are in need, so a gift to them helps tremendously. All around there is suffering and through our giving, we can help towards their needs. We cannot outgive God, the more you give, the more you will receive. 'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing  that there will not be room enough to receive it.'  Mal 3:10

This dear widow, Jesus noticed, gave all that she had - two mite, worth no more than a penny. However, it was everything she had. People around her were giving large gifts out of their wealth; they still had an abundance left. This lady had nothing. But I am sure that God blessed her for what she had done. He will always take care of us.

Don't be frightened about giving; it is required of us by God. He won't force us but, He will bless us when we do give. Jesus sees what we do, as we see from this scripture. Let Him see how generous you are with His money. You will not be sorry that you did!

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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A Clean Heart

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."   

                                                                                            Psalm 51:10   NKJV 

Personal failure can destroy your reputation. It can also lead you to internalise it and go within yourself shutting everyone out. People such as this may turn to alcohol or drugs if they are not using them already. A person who has suffered bankruptcy is a good example. It is the same if someone is involved in a scandal or such like. When a person's name is being spoken about all over the place, there can be nowhere to run; everywhere they look someone is watching them - talking about them. Trust is broken, marriage may fail as well or the loss of a good job. This can reduce the person to a broken human being.

David knew a little about this. When he should have been at battle with his men, he chose to take some time off and sunbathe on his rooftop. From there he noticed the voluptuous Bathsheba, who raised his blood pressure so much, that he sent for her and an  adulterous relationship began. This resulted in her becoming pregnant, and not only that, David had her husband bumped off too, which made the charge murder as well. He didn't do things by half. This eventually led to great remorse and repentance, hence this psalm which was written from his heart to God. Max Lucardo writes: 'Whether private or public, shame is always painful. And unless you deal with it, it is permanent. Unless you get help, the dawn will never come.'

How are you doing? What spiritual state is your heart in? Jesus said, 'For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgement. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.'   Matthew 12:34-37

We all say idle words; we hold grudges and are tempted to judge and criticise. Like David found out, he was going nowhere until he repented. When he did, he received two words from God - 'NOT GUILTY. 

Is it clean up time for your heart too? This is convicting me as I write so why not join me in prayer:

Lord Jesus, please create in me a clean heart, and renew a right Spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence O Lord, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me, the joy of Your salvation, and renew a right Spirit within me.

       In Jesus' name Amen

Copyright Keith Green

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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Look at Him now! Part 2

"Blessing and honour and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever."                           Revelation  5:13   NKJV 

Picture heaven; imagine that you are there looking at the activity. The 24 elders bowing down in worship; the four living creatures, each with six wings crying out:

'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is and is to come.'

God is there but, in the distance as so many people and angels are praising and worshiping Him. You are breathless as you take in this scene. You see people you knew on earth and you see people that you never thought would make it into heaven. They are part of the heavenly chorus. It is heavenly bliss.

27 years ago, I had a vision similar to this. I remember it like it was yesterday. Both myself and my wife were sitting up in bed reading and listening to a worship CD. Suddenly, I wasn't there; I was in this place behind many, many people who were all singing and bowing down to God. In the distance, I could see a brilliantly white figure standing on what I supposed was some sort of stage. His hands were held high as people just fell to the floor because of His awesome presence. They were all singing the most beautiful song I have ever heard. I thought to myself that if I could remember this song, I would use it in the church; but, it left my mind when the vision was over. It really was an awesome moment. Initially, I feared telling anyone, except my wife, because I didn't think they would believe me. However, I later thought, how dare I ignore such a privilege God gave me. Why? I don't know but I am so grateful to Him that it happened. You may have had a similar experience, if so tell people. If you haven't, you will one day that is for sure.

Some people feel that when they die, they will remain in the grave until the Rapture, when Jesus will call all His people to Himself. Others believe that when they die it is like going through a door and instantly being in heaven with Jesus. It all depends on what Dispensational Interpretation you believe in. I choose the latter, the Premillennial Pretribulational view, which means all believers are raptured before the great Tribulation. The Rapture and the Second Coming are separate events. The Tribulation and Millennium are literal 7 year and 1000 year periods. This is my interpretation but yours may be different. The choice is in how a person interprets the End Times.

Whatever is your interpretation, the main thing is that, we - all believers, will be with Jesus one day. When we are, we will witness things such as I have mentioned, along with Paul in 2 Corinthians 12 and with other men and women of God who have had similar experiences. We really have something to look forward to and I am sure that when you go, you will say, 'Look at Him now!'

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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Look at Him now!

"Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"    

                                                                                      Revelation 4:8   NKJV 

Jesus Christ is no longer on the cross! He's the King of all kings, the risen Lord of lords. In heaven He is praised 24/7; the four living creatures each having six wings  never rest as they say, 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come' The twenty four elders fall down on their knees in worship before Him who sits on the throne. Day and night the worship never ceases. 

One can almost here someone saying, 'Look at Him now! He was tortured, maimed and suffered terribly at the hands of heathen people - people who just didn't want to recognise Him. He died and went to hell. But three days later, He rose again. The devil could not hold Him. He broke the chains of sin, gave the devil the shock of his life, and was resurrected. Look at Him now! He is victorious!

When you're tempted to feel bad about yourself and full of self-pity, just think about what Jesus did for you; the way He suffered to give you a place in heaven. Look at His hands and His feet; the crown of thorns practically riveted to His head, so deep in His skull that His blood is pouring out of the wound. Feel the pain He is suffering; watch the crowds taunting Him around the cross. They love a good execution. The thing is, He is innocent. But is He? In the world's eyes He is innocent, but in God's eyes, he is guilty - guilty of all of the sin you and I have committed. He chose to take this sin upon Himself and die in your place. Doesn't that make you want to worship the King, just to say thank you Jesus?

Praise Him: 

'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honour and glory and blessing!'  Rev 5:12

'Blessing and honour and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and forever!  Rev 5:13

Just allow yourself to become lost in worship and see how He fills you with His love and protection. You are a somebody! Do you hear me? The devil may have said you are nothing but, you are victorious in Jesus - a more than a conqueror:

'Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.' 

                                                                                            Rom 8:37

Therefore, get up, stand up tall and straight and confess that you are a Child of God, forgiven, victorious, more than a conqueror and well-loved. Don't listen to any more lies; listen to Jesus, who is the Truth. Amen? Amen!

LOOK AT HIM NOW!

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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Are you in competition with someone?

"And when He was in the house He asked them, ‘What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road? 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest."               Mark 9:33-34   NKJV 

Jesus and His disciples were on their way back to Capernaum, when He overheard them arguing. He had reminded them that He would have to suffer death in the very near future but, He would be resurrected back to life three days later. Although sorrowful, they didn't really understand what He was telling them and focused more on who would be the greatest in the Kingdom. They may have meant, who would be in charge after Jesus had died, ignoring the resurrection. Whatever they were thinking, there was a dispute among them about this and Jesus knew about it.

When they arrived, they all sat down and Jesus asked them what they had been arguing about. However, they remained silent, possibly because they were embarrassed and ashamed about what they had been disputing. It was almost like they were suffering the silence of shame. Jesus knew their hearts though and started talking to them that if they wanted to be first, they must become last being a servant to all. In other words He was discussing humbling themselves.

Whether we are in work, at church or just in your house or garden, you will always find competition. 'My dad's got a better job than your dad'. 'Our car is much bigger and faster than your old wreck.' Then of course, there is the job vacancy, where candidates battle it out to gain being noticed and score points. You only have to watch The Apprentice to see what I mean. Here candidates live together in a house, laughing and joking and, seem like friends. However, this is short lived when they begin tearing each other apart in their bid to win.

It can be like this in a church environment. Some preachers feel that they are better at sermons than others. Others, after preaching, wait for the 'pat on the back' from the congregation. RT Kendall often mentions how he has felt he wanted this at times. But, there is no competition in the Kingdom of God. It doesn't matter to God that someone has led thousands to Jesus and another person has only had one person. God is not impressed by a competitive spirit. This is not the Olympics, it is Calvary that we come from and Jesus wants each one of us to focus on this. He has no favourites and He is not impressed by fancy showmanship. He is interested in people coming to salvation and that is all. And this should be our uppermost thought too.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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Hear properly and use what you're given

"For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."                Mark 4:24-25    NKJV

Jesus makes a statement in v24  that is very important. He says, 'Take heed what you hear.' We must listen carefully to what is being said. If we are not concentrating, we may hear only part of the conversation and make the rest up. The result being, we get it drastically wrong. When we are listening properly, we need to ensure, if it is a confidential matter, that we keep it that way. We must never disclose other people's business, unless they ask for this to happen. We need to respect people's privacy and not turn to gossip.

God wants us to listen and learn about His Word. Once we have processed this, He may wish for us to share it with people who need to hear about how Jesus can change a person's life. To do this, we need to study His Word. We also need to get alongside Jesus and be really connected to Him. When we can do this, we are ready to be used. However, don't ever think that you know it all and there is no need to study anymore. If you do this, the little you know will be taken away from you and Jesus won't use you until you have learned this lesson.

Listen to Him with spiritual understanding and receive His Word properly. This is how the disciples had to learn when Jesus was speaking in parables. At first, they were lost and couldn't understand what He was saying. They had to learn, and so do we all. As we share what we hear, we'll be given more. If we keep it to ourselves, we will lose it.

Look at this example:

Jesus had given three men various talents. To one He gave 5 talents, to another two and to the third one 1 talent. The first two invested theirs and made more. The third one was different, he dug a hole and buried it. Let's pick up the story:

Then he who had received the one talent came and said, "Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you you have what is yours." 26 But his lord answered and said to him, "You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away."     Matthew 25:24-29

Don't just flick through this scripture, learn it thoroughly, because if you want more from God, you have got to abide by His Word.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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Don't hide from the truth

"For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to the light."            Mark 4:21-23   NKJV 

A lamp is never lit and then placed under a bed, unless you are looking for something. A lamp is for light. When it becomes dark, we are able to function better when the light is switched on. We can see better and others can see us. It's easier to read or get involved in a hobby, such as jigsaw puzzles. It is pretty difficult to do this when the room is in darkness. There are also the health & safety issues to consider. When it's dark it is very easy to trip over. 

Why would one want to hide the light? It seems a very strange thing to do and can promote suspicion. A burglar may want to hideaway from the light but it is unusual for someone else to hide the light away. A light helps us to see properly; to find something and also points to what may be hidden in the darkness.  If we look at Jesus' interpretation of this parable, we find He is intimating that, if we put the light under a basket or whatever, we may have something to hide. We should all be aware of this because we have all hidden things from people and tried to hide it from God. Adam and Eve first did this (Genesis 3:8). They knew they had done wrong, so when they heard God walking in the garden, they hid in shame from Him. But they were found out and paid the penalty. And so will we be. Nothing can be hidden from God; truth has a way of emerging when you least expect it.

We should never hide away from the truth. There may be times when we have to face up to the truth with another believer. They may be in error or living in sin. It is always difficult to do this and there are times when we know what we should do but, fail to do it because we don't want to become unpopular. The lamp of truth should always be lifted up and we have to confront certain issues as we come up against them. Some people don't like to face the truth and it is easier to keep quiet. But when we do this, we become involved also because we are covering up the darkness instead of shining the light on something that needs to be addressed. Please note, if you need to address something with a fellow brother or sister, this does not mean you have to dash off and declare it to one and all. Just a gentle confrontation is helpful, the person then has the chance to repent and be free without the danger of being targeted. However, be careful here, it all depends on what the situation is about. If there is abuse involved or something else that is serious, this cannot be swept under the carpet and appropriate action needs to be taken by referring this to a governing body. In a serious situation like this, one cannot turn a blind eye. 

This really highlights how important it is to live in the Light. We do not belong to darkness and we should never tolerate it - ever. We may be Children of the Light but, let us remember, the devil is only too pleased to creep in when he is able. He's a thief after all said and done John 10:10.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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