Wasting resources

"A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living."   Luke 15:13   NLT 

The title 'The Prodigal Son' is only used in Luke and by the KJV and NKJV, all of the others refer to him as the 'Lost Son' which is probably more appropriate. However, 'Prodigal' fits the way he acted. He carelessly and foolishly spent his money on wild living. He was reckless and wasteful. Perhaps today's crude word 'Waster' would fit his profile. Whatever, he was determined to do what he thought best in a selfish manner by, demanding his father give him his inheritance. His father obeyed but would have given him about 25% of this, leaving the other 75% for his brother who was older. The inheritance could be paid prior to death but with the premium shown here. When the younger had what he wanted, he left on his adventure.

It's so common for a young person to want to 'flee the nest', after all, there is a big wide world out there wanting to be discovered. However, it's not always wise and the young person can take a tumble as our young lad did here. When his money had run out because of his extravagant lifestyle, he was homeless and broke, and all he could do was try and find work. He broke all the rules by lowering his standards by working for a pagan pig farmer which would have made many Jews look aghast. He had fallen so far.

He eventually came to his senses and decided to go home to his father and repent. Off he went practicing what he would say on the way. As he neared his home, his father spotted him and ran and hugged him. Sometimes, as we read this scripture, we're tempted to believe that the father had been standing and looking for him all this time. This would have been impossible but, he would have been looking every time he went outside with a hope in his heart. That hope was fulfilled as his son repented. However, his father was so happy he didn't give him chance to say all of his practiced confession. The father was more interested in throwing a party to celebrate his coming home. This I believe is how God feels when each of us return to Him when we have walked away by backsliding or coming to Him for the first time. He is overwhelmed with joy and doesn't even give you the time to say everything, because He knows what you're going to say anyway. All He's interested in hearing is, 'I'm sorry Lord.' Then the joy begins.

Our conclusion and learning curve here is:

(1)  Watch the selfishness of want, want, me, me

(2)  You can't make it without your Father no matter how hard you try

(3)  The outside world will take you for a ride

(4)  Repent when you need to and confess the mistakes you have made

(5)  Realise that God knows best, you don't

Tomorrow we'll look at the older brother’s reactions 

 Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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Mr or Mrs/Ms Grumpy

"The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips"   

                                                                                 Proverbs 18:7   NLT 

What's your attitude like? Is your glass half full or half empty? Do you find fault in everything? Well done, you qualify for the award of 'Mr or Mrs/Ms Grumpy' You have earned this title by what people see in you. Does this make you feel proud of such an accolade, or do you even find fault in what you're reading? Things need to change, don't you think?

The type of person we're looking at today, are the one's who moan about the weather as soon as they wake up, whether it is hot or cold. Then they'll find fault in the toast ('I never did like this bread.)' They moan about the amount of work they have to do today and declare they hate the job. Then they say something like: 'Someone had a BBQ last night, the stink of fire is all over the house. Why do people have to have them?' They look outside and discover that someone has blocked their drive in and it will be difficult to get the car out. Moan, grumble, moan.

It's no different as they go out to the shops later on: 'Look at all these traffic lights, why do they have to dig the road up every five minutes, can't they do the work at night?' They then notice that there are about eight work personal standing around drinking tea and only one is working. 'Look at them, just look, they should be sacked.'  More moaning.

Ephesians 4:29 says, 'Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.' Just look at those last five words, 'to those who hear them.' Excuse me, but when you or I are speaking in such a way, aren't we also the one who hear what we say? Yes, and what's more, these negative words are not encouraging at all, they are ready to tear us down. In fact, if we continue to speak like this on a regular basis, we will have no one left to speak to, we will be Mr or Mrs/Ms Grumpy turned into Billy No Mates. Don't you think it's time to get ourselves sorted out? 

You can do this by learning to think differently and determine to only speak positivity. It will take some practice but it will be worth it. Wouldn't you sooner be known as Mr or Mrs/MS Nice Guy? Then it is down to you to change. God will help but, you will have to do the hard work by gradually renewing your mind (Romans 12:1-2).  Remember the old saying, 'Rome was not built in a day,' but it was eventually built so, give yourself time to be re-built in your speech.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Fools rush in

"The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence."           

                                                                                  Proverbs 14:16  NLT 

The term, 'Fools rush in where angels fear to tread' is a famous saying and, many feel that it comes from the bible but, it doesn't. It was actually penned by Alexander Pope, an English poet and translator, in 1771 for his essay Criticism. It is though worth considering because of the wisdom of the words.

How many times do people rush in and make rash decisions without even, praying about things or giving it careful consideration? Many have suffered the consequences of this type of thing. Therefore, it is worth taking our text above, on board. It says, 'The wise are cautious' This is the name of the game. In all we do, we need to act in wisdom (Proverbs 3:5-6). Being hasty is a recipe for messing things up. We should always count the cost of what is ahead.

It is foolish to just rush in blind. We need to look at the bigger picture. If God is in it, it will be successful. But, you'll only find this out if you spend time with Him, seeking His advice. Many have fallen by the wayside by acting in a hasty manner. 

Ask yourself, 'Am I hasty?' 'Do I tend to rush into things and seek advice afterwards?' If this is you, then you need to slow down and exercise more wisdom and patience. Think, if it is God that put this into your mind, then you won't miss out. He expects you to count the cost and seek His favour before you act. This is wisdom.

I've a feeling that many reading this have made a similar mistake. If that's you, you may still be suffering the aftermath of it all. All you can do here, is put it down to a bad choice, learn by it and get back on the road again. There was an American test pilot who crashed many times but still survived and refused to give up or fear. His motto was, 'Get back into the cockpit of the bird who bit ya.' He refused to give up on his mistake, he picked himself back up, and tried again. And this is what you need to do, but, ensure you don't rush in and also make sure God is in it.

You may have made some foolish mistakes but, learn by them and remember that God loves you.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Unsaved family

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."      

                                                                                Acts 16:31   NKJV  

As you know, this statement by Paul, is taken from the account of Paul and Silas being rescued from prison and the jailor threatening to end his life because of this. One has to be really careful here. The text reads that if someone believes in Jesus, their household will be saved too. Many have received this as the answer to their unsaved family. However, it isn't what the verse is saying and those who have believed this, need to check it again.

Firstly, believing is not enough. Even the devil believes that Jesus is Lord. The difference is though, he doesn't believe in Him and refuses to accept Him because, he believes he is better. Therefore, it is easy to believe in someone or something but, in this case, people need to believe and accept Jesus as Lord. This is what the verse is explaining.

Also, a true believer cannot accept that their family is saved just because they are. Each individual needs to accept Jesus as Lord. It is the only way.

The Amplified Study Bible comments on this verse and mentions the word faith. it lays out the Acrostic meaning for faith as follows:

Forsaking

All

I

Take

Him.                  FORSAKING ALL, I TAKE HIM

This is what faith is all about. We accept Jesus by faith, that He is our Lord. We haven't seen Him but, believe He is there. We walk by faith not by sight  (2 Corinthians 5:7). Our family need to believe it too, and it is by our witness that this is possible. They probably don't read the bible, they view how we live and react and this can help them know if what they see, is what they want. Yes, we can pray for them and, should do but it is what they witness that speaks volumes to them.

Whether it is your children, parents, siblings or any other family member, allow them to see Jesus through your daily living and keep praying for them. The rest will follow.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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Brokenhearted

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds"  Psalm 147:3   NKJV 

'If there's a God, why does He allow all the hurt?" We've all heard this statement over and over again. Does He care? Yes He does. Why does He allow such pain? I don't know the answer to this and I'm not called to defend Him either.

The natural thing we Christians think, is the need to defend Him against such questions and accusations. I've done it in the past and, I'm sure you have too. The thing is, He is God, He doesn't need us to defend Him because when you try, you'll only make matters worse and still get it wrong. At the risk of sounding hypocritical, all you can do is to give people the gospel, explaining why Jesus died on the cross for each of us and explain where the devil fits into all of this, bringing pain and death. A conversation like this can spark off a lot of contention so, there is no need to go further, making excuses for God. He doesn't need it.

The fact of the matter is, Jesus does bring healing to situations. If you allow Him, He will mend that broken heart and bind up the many wounds that have been inflicted upon you. Why? Because, He does care and He knows what you have been through recently or even years ago. The thing is, you have to be willing to allow Him to do this. To receive such healing, one has to drop the guard around your heart and allow your feelings the opportunity to vent. It may help if you find someone that you trust. This may be a friend, a pastor or someone from the outside, such as a counsellor. The alternative to this is, to shut yourself away and speak with God about it all, but, be prepared to let your feelings go. When you're speaking to another person about what's happened to you, it's easy to hide certain things. However, with God, there is no chance of this as, He knows everything, and He won't take you any further until you've dealt  with what you're struggling with.

Check out our text, it says that, He will heal your broken heart and He will bind up the wounds that have been weeping and are sore. Check out Isaiah 61:1: 'He (God) has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted (that's you), to proclaim liberty to the captives (that is also you), and the opening of the prison to those who are bound (again you). My additions to the text. Therefore, if you are brokenhearted and can't find a way through, then you need freedom because you are bound. You can choose to stay this way or, be proactive and do something about it. I stress, that you need to choose what to do about your condition. God doesn't want you like this. You are either a ticking time-bomb ready to spring on anyone you feel are going to hurt you; or you have internalised the hurt which, rather like a tin of coke, if it is shaken, will explode all over the place when it's opened. Either way, the hurt will come out. Better to do it God's way, hey?

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Why are you so troubled?

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me."  

                                                                                         John 14:1  NKJV

Jesus spoke this to His disciples and it is understandable that they became troubled. They had given up everything to follow Him and now, He tells them that He is going away. He had also said that one of them was a traitor and prophesied that Peter would deny Him and walk away. From their perspective, it wasn't an encouraging conversation. He did though, back it up with a promise that He would come back for them and take them to be with Him. It was though, a shock for them to hear this. Again, this was change entering in. Change forces us out of our place of safety - our comfort zone, and we fight hard to avoid it because, it brings insecurity if we're not careful. Note though, Jesus didn't say that He was going away - permanently; not at all, He promised to return and this was something to hang on to.

In the midst of trouble, as Christians, we always have something to hang on to and, this is the fact that Jesus is with us constantly 24/7. Troubles will come into our lives, we don't live in Hollywood or Fairy Land, we dwell here on the earth and until Jesus comes for us, we will continue to have things pile up on us, to torment, drain and generally try to make us miserable.

You've probably discovered this on many occasions. Sometimes, you appear to have the troubles of the world upon yourself, where others seem to have none. Don't be fooled by this, the other people you see also have troubles, it's just that they may handle them better than you do or, hide them in a Walter Mitty style life. It's a case of learning to handle things better. Some days it can be chaos: the washing machine goes on the blink, your mobile's dead and you can't find the charger, the electricity goes off and you have no idea why and as you try to start the car, the battery is dead. It's a nightmare, but these things happen and you can't blame the devil for it all. Sometimes, God wants to check your staying power by allowing a trial and no matter how much you rant on, only prayer will change things.

Really, this is the answer - prayer. Whatever is happening in your life, prayer can bring change but, when things like this happen, its the last thing you want to do. But really, it's the only thing you can do, that is sensible. First of all, you need to get God's peace on what is happening. Troubles come but prayer can help bring the peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Prayer can bring a calming effect to the problem, allowing you to make sense of what is happening and help you make the right decisions to help. All ranting and flapping about will achieve, is upset.

Therefore, don't allow yourself to get in such a state that, you can't cope. Pray and pray till it hurts. Easier said than done? Not really, you know it makes sense!

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Trials will come but don't fear

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuine-ness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ..."               1 Peter 6-7  NKJV

If you have been going through many trials just lately, then praise God because He has been testing the genuine-ness of your faith in Jesus and, you're a winner!

It's never easy when trials come along. We get to wondering why God is allowing this and others appear to be doing ok. The devil becomes involved then and torments us into believing that it is our fault - we have let God down so much, He is punishing us. DO NOT BELIEVE THIS LIE, because that is what it is; he is the father of lies and knows no different.

Peter tells us, 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you...'  1 Peter 1:3-4. Jesus gives us a hope but this hope will not fade away like wishful thinking type of hope does; no, this hope is eternal. Jesus gives us the hope that we have eternal life and nothing can take that away from us, it is reserved for us in heaven.

However, just because we have this hope, does not mean that we will avoid trials and temptations. Remember, Jesus allows trials; they are to test us; temptation is what the devil puts in our way to derail us and take us as far away as possible from the truth. We are not alone when we are suffering trials, we just need to ask God to take us through them to the other side, praising Him. It is the same with temptation. We know when this is happening to us but the devil always catches us when we are weak. To give an example, if we fantasise about things we know we shouldn't, pretty soon the devil is going to realise that we have a weak spot and will attack this area and make it a stronghold. We need to prevent this by, knowing our weaknesses and asking God to help us be free from such things. We don't give Satan a foothold.

In fact, we don't give the devil anything, except to resist him in every way. Overcome all things and learn to walk in the Holy Spirit, with our armour on (Remember?)

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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