United we Stand

"Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common"   

                                                                                       Acts 2:44  NKJV 

On the 6th May, King Charles III was crowned at Westminster Abbey. It was a well planned day, with troops all in unison and dedication. In fact, everyone had worked so hard to bring about a most joyful occasion. However, one thing that could not be planned or orchestrated was the unity that was displayed. It was as this verse of scripture says, 'Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common.' There may well have been a small crowd of protestors denying Charles as their king, but, they were as I have written - a small crowd of people. The rest, gathered there and people from all over the world, were dedicated to celebrating our new Monarch. I was delighted to hear that throughout the service, the name of Jesus was uplifted and I hope and pray that many were affected by this and that the Holy Spirit will work in them. 

As a nation, we have undergone many traumas - two World Wars, the crisis in Northern Island, the Falklands, Gulf, Bosnia and Afghanistan and Ukraine wars and other conflicts. We have suffered the problems of the EU, Covid, changes of prime ministers for one reason or another and the loss of our beloved Queen Elizabeth II. However, one thing is sure, as a nation, the Lord God has brought us threw everyone of them and, we are still standing.

When people stand together in unity, it is difficult for any enemy to penetrate. We become rock-solid and a people of power. When we stand together in unity with Jesus Christ, we become a super-power. We may get knocked down but, we don't stay down for long. We get up and fight the fight of faith. With God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).

Now we have a new Monarch - King Charles III and we need to pray as God taught us in 2 Chronicles 7:14: 'If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.' This is direct from the throne room of God and I believe that, if we turn to God and pray for King Charles III, He will then anoint him, fill him with His Holy Spirit and lead him to make godly choices and decisions and we will become a nation of believers as God wants.

However, it is down to us. We have a new Monarch; we have Jesus Christ who is willing to lead us under the mighty hand of God. We need to pray and turn to God and then watch Him work.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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Fearful to none, adoration to just one

 "Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."  

                                                                           Psalm 37:3-4  NKJV

There are four words that I want us to look at today. Firstly, there is:

TRUST  Think for a moment, do you really trust Jesus? If you have been hurt in any way or bitterly let down and disappointed, you may find it hard to trust anyone. You may have a shattered heart and, just the thought of what has happened to you, may cause you great pain. When we have been hurt this way, it is difficult to be able to trust anyone, even Jesus, I mean, why did He allow it in the first place? There are probably no answers to this way of thinking. All we can do is accept that this hurt did not come from Jesus. He is not like that but, He is great in helping people to overcome these kind of things. Just ask Him to help you to trust Him.

DWELL  We have to learn to live with Jesus at all times and in all situations. This means, being constantly in His presence, reading the bible, praying and generally walking with Him. As we do this, our relationship with Him begins to grow and our trust in Him becomes more stronger. Just walk in the garden with Him on a regular basis, and you will find your friendship with Him gets deeper.

FEED  We feed on His faithfulness and become nourished. It is like eating choice food, when we do this, our body responds and we become healthier. It is the same when we feed on Jesus. We know without doubt that He will provide for us. In fact, as we feed on His Word, we become deeper in love with Him and begin to realise how exciting He really is. Have you never seen this excitement? If not, continue to enjoy dwelling in His presence and feeding off His love.

DELIGHT  The only true delight in life is from Jesus. He takes great pleasure in taking care of us and watching our backs. He enjoys our presence and longs for us to feel the same way about Him. The only true satisfaction is from Jesus. It is never temporary - it is eternal. The only one who can stop it is us, by walking away from Him and choosing other things and leaving Him out of our lives.If you fully realised just how much He loves us, it would bowl you over. It cannot be measured or climbed over (Ephesians 3:14-19).

For a loving relationship with Jesus, all you need to do is love Him, delight in Him, dwell in Him and feed off His Holy Spirit. Jesus is the one person who will never let you down - ever! Don't ever be fearful about what anyone is doing or saying about you. Jesus will deal with that if you ask Him. All you need to do is adore Him.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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To get out, you must put in

"Whatever He says to you, do it"                  John 2:5   NKJV

This is a very powerful statement, one in which we would do well to adhere to. Jesus was at a wedding and disaster struck - the wine ran out. This was a socially unforgivable thing to happen, one which would bring shame on the host. It's possible that Mary, who was with Jesus, was a relative to the wedding couple and so, she wanted the best for them and the best - Jesus, was standing right next to her. She knew He could deal with this. Mary spoke to Jesus, but Jesus, who had begun to change this relationship from son to Saviour, gave His answer in order to help her refocus and on this this (2:4). The term 'Woman' was not a reference demeaning statement but one of respect. The statement, 'Whatever He says to you, do it' was a general one to the servants. She knew Jesus could and would honour the host and so she left it with Jesus. And we know that He did this. In fact, they had, in the region of 4320 glasses of wine, assuming that they were from the 30 gallon pots. That is some party.

Note what Mary said in this statement. She said 'Whatever He says' not think about what He says. We often use that comment when someone asks us if we would do something or go somewhere- 'Ok, I'll think about it and let you know.' We should never do this with Jesus. Mary was emphatic about this, we must obey to be in favour and blessing with Him. Let us not forget, He knows the best way; He knows the outcome. It is unwise to disobey Jesus. He never forces us though, but the emphasis is on the fact that He knows the ideal way.

You see, with Jesus, we may not have what is required to get a job, or become promoted, invest in property or start a business, so naturally, we speak to Him about it. This is what Mary did that day, the difference being, Jesus was right beside her. For us, we speak to Him through prayer, He is still right beside us. He will answer but, probably not straightaway. This doesn't mean He has rejected our request; we just have to wait, and as I've mentioned many times, the waiting can be difficult. The timing has to be right. With the wedding party, there was a need for a quick answer and Jesus did this. Don't become despondent if the answer doesn't come at once however.

Jesus is a giver, we, if not careful can become takers. This is where we need to put Jesus first in everything. It's almost like He says to us, 'Give Me what you've got and I'll give you back what you need'. It's called tithing - a sore point with many people. Many have the attitude that they can't live on what they have coming in anyway, to give some of it away is ridiculous. But it is not, if you want to be blessed start tithing the first tenth of your income. Yes, it may hurt but, if you trust Jesus, He will not let you down. We don't give to receive, not at all. However, we do give because God expects us to. Read Malachi Chapter 3 and you'll see what I mean. I once heard someone say, 'give until it hurts'. This may sound extreme, but isn't this what Jesus did for us? Just saying.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Evaluation of Nehemiah and his work

.                                

"Slaves obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ."     Ephesians 6:5  + Nehemiah 1+2 NKJV

I thought we would delve into Nehemiah and his recent work on the Jerusalem wall. As you will remember from yesterday, the king had agreed to allow Nehemiah to go and work on the wall, as long as he returned when it was completed. Nehemiah promised he would. The king also sent letters to confirm that it was his wish for this to happen, one which included being given some timber for the gates of the wall.

Nehemiah, despite being well-respected by the king, had never had this type of conversation with him and waited in fear for the king's answer. But it would seem that Nehemiah's bad news had touched his heart and God caused him to show Nehemiah favour. He even provided a guard for Nehemiah so that he would have a safe journey. God never lets us down and He can provide what you never thought would be possible.

Nehemiah worked on the wall and in 52 days, it was completed. This delighted Nehemiah and the Jewish people and He was appointed governor of the region. He served in this capacity for 12 years and then, as promised, he returned to serve the king. However, not long after this, Nehemiah received word that trouble had flared up in Jerusalem. Therefore, he once again asked the king if he could return there, and was allowed. He put this problem right and served a second season as the governor. 

It can be seen from this account that Nehemiah, was a very trustworthy man and this is why doors opened for him. He noticed opportunities where others, would give up, believing it to be impossible. He cared enough to make himself available for God to use and obtain mighty rewards.

My conclusion to Nehemiah's work is:

(1)  He was faithful and trustworthy, therefore, this was noticed by the king and God could use him. God can always use people such as this.

(2)  The king noticed his faithfulness and was willing to help him.

(3)  The king provided timber and protection. God thinks of everything

(4). Nehemiah never forgot his promise and returned to serve the king

(5)  The king was able to trust him even more and allowed him a second trip

 

Remember, a faithful person will always receive favour from God. He will cause people to bless us and doors to open that no one thought could ever happen. We should though, always be determined to keep our promises. God never disappoints and never wants us to either.

People notice when you are serving Jesus Christ 100%. They may not say anything but, they take note of it and it sows a seed.  

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Refuse to be discouraged and intimidated

"I am doing a great work, so that I can't come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?"            Nehemiah Ch 1 & 2 + 6:3   NKJV 

Nehemiah, a cup-bearer to the king of Persia, had been very disturbed that the Jerusalem wall was in ruins and the Jews were suffering. The king noticed his sad face and asked him what was wrong. Nehemiah, although nervous, told the king about this and quite out of character for such a figure, the king asked him what he requested. Nehemiah asked for permission to go to Jerusalem so he could re-build the wall. The king, under direction from God Himself, agreed and trusted him enough to return when the job was complete.

Can you see the hand of God here. It would have been impossible for this to happen. The King of Persia was a mighty king, but Jesus Christ was mightier. But as always happens when God has sent us on a mission, the devil used people to cause problems. This was from Sanballet, an influential Samaritan and his assistant Tobiah. They used humiliation, laughing at the thought of using bricks that had perished and were useless. However, placed in God's hands they were precious building blocks. The enemy just doesn't know how powerful God really is.

They used threats, discouragement and intimidation but none of this deterred Nehemiah. He had a divine mission and He was going to fulfil it. Near the conclusion of the work, Sanballet and Co, sent messages to Nehemiah. They wanted him to stop the work on the wall for a time and come and visit them. He knew it was a trap and sent back the message, 'I am doing a great work, so that I can't come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?'. Nehemiah knew that they wanted to kill him, and he went on to complete the work.

When the devil uses schemes to attack and prevent us from moving forward, refuse to quit. Think, your success starts at the beginning and continues with consistent action. Therefore, be persistent. If God has given you the task, He'll ensure that you're equipped. The devil will use people to mock our acts of service - don't listen. You will finish what God has started - you will see it happen, just believe! (Philippians 1:6). And finally, God can turn the rubble into choice, first class bricks.

If God didn't feel you could do this, He would have chosen someone else. Be blessed and carry on the good work, knowing that your friend Jesus is right beside you.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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No matter what, be steadfast and immovable

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."   

                            1 Corinthians 15:58  NKJV 

Victor Frankl was a Jewish-Austrian incarcerated in a concentration camp in WW2. Guards took away all he had - his wife, his family, his clothes and even his wedding ring. But one thing that they couldn't take away was his freedom to choose his attitude. He had a belief, and this kept him going. He is noted for saying: 'The last of human freedoms is the ability to choose one's attitude in a given set of circumstances.' And this is what kept him going through this barbaric of conditions.

This is not unlike what Paul was referring to in our text today. When things are against us, there is a need to make a stand and to keep standing. To fail to do this, we will go under. Why God allowed His people to suffer in such terrible ways is unknown. However, we must remember that He gave man freewill and when such things happen, this is the result. Suffering in such a way, is still going on in our world today; we have the Ukraine and Russian conflicts going on, Isis, terrorism, the Sudan and world leaders threaten other nations with further attack. It can be scary but, we must continue to stand.

The prospect of our children and grandchildren growing up in peace, is threatened on a daily basis. It's easy to look away thinking, 'It won't happen, everything will be fine.' But this is the 'blinkered look'. We can't just look ahead, we need to look at the bigger picture and pray. There are protests about this and that throughout the world. How about Christians making a stand for what is right? You may think, 'You can't change things,' this may be so but we can rattle a few cages can't we? Imagine the impact if, every Christian throughout the world made a stand for Jesus; for all of the hypocrisy, the corruption and unGodly living. We can make a difference! Everyone else challenges things, why not Christians challenging unrighteousness?

It is time to put on the armour that we may have left discarded and be prepared to fight for Jesus. Can I encourage every one to read Ephesians 6:10 - 18. The devil is having a hey day while we just sit and talk about it. Let is get active. 

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Watch the 'Con'"

"Don't let the world squeeze you into its mould."  

                                                     Romans 12:2 Philips New Testament 

Be careful about who you follow and, who you listen to and what you do about it. The world can so easily squeeze you into its way of thinking. There are so many scams and cons around so, we have to be on guard to what is around us and who is pulling the strings. The NKJV states:'And do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.' Note the word 'Conformed' the writer Paul, used this word intentionally and honourably, but, our inquisitive minds can focus on the first three letters, 'Con'. Hear me properly, Paul did not mean this as it sounds, but in the setting of what goes around in our lives each day, and the message of our text this morning, it could be used as such.

There are many people who will try and mislead us both in the secular and spiritual worlds so, we have to be wise. We would be better placed to train ourselves to think differently. I've mentioned before what RT Kendall says but it makes its point here: 'Try to think what the devil would have you do and then, do the opposite.' I like this and I believe that it can be a great starting point for outsmarting him. Let's face it, we can either think victory or defeat; joy or sorrow and life or death. By deciding that our glass is half full and not half empty, we become more positive in our thinking. Someone once wrote: We can alter our lives by altering our attitudes.' 

We need to turn things around that instead of seeing things as negative, we see them as positive, instead of chores, see them as blessings. We need to be walking in blessing not as a defeatist. Don't forget, we can be our own worst enemy by the way we react to things so, determine to change this. You can do it with God's help. We should never be a copy cat by endeavouring to mould our ministry and lives on other people. God doesn't want you to be a copy, He wants you to be you!

Over the years there have been many false Christ's coming to the surface. Some cult leaders claim that they are Christ and are about to change the world by revealing themselves. Others have claimed that Jesus is about to return soon, some even giving the dates. It's true, Jesus will be coming soon but, let me just say this, Jesus Christ does not need to advertise who He is, when He will come or anything like that. In fact, Jesus doesn't know the time that He will return. Only God knows this (Matthew 24:36).

So don't be conned or misled. Get close to Jesus, Jesus will let you know when the time is right. Until then, the only mould you need to be squeezed into, is the mould of Jesus.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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