Our Good Shepherd

"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices His life for the sheep."  

                                                                               John 10:11   NLT 

Jesus is our shepherd. He knows us through and through and He knew us before we were even born. As we get to know Him better, we learn to trust Him more; we follow Him because we know His voice - HIs Word the bible. In Jesus' time on earth, a shepherd would sleep over the doorway of the fold to protect the sheep from whoever may try to steal or harm them. Today, Jesus does the same for us. When we sleep, He is there watching over us; the difference being that He doesn't sleep. He has no need to because He is supernatural.

You and I have His protection. Psalm 23:4 says: 'Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.' Just consider that statement for a moment; (1) He is our shepherd and when we get into scrapes He protects us with His rod. A shepherd would beat any wild animal that tried to attack his sheep. Jesus will protect us too, obviously not with a rod but, if we allow Him, He will handle things for us. (2) Sheep have no sense of direction, they will follow their shepherd but occasionally, one may wander off and become lost or trapped. The shepherd will take his staff and rescue them and lead them back to safety. This is a wonderful analogy of how Jesus works for us. We often veer away from the main direction we are heading and, find ourselves in situations we shouldn't be in. Once again, if we allow Him, He will come and rescue us from certain dangers. Notice that I have used the words, 'if we allow Him' twice. We have free will and God respects that. If we decide to wander off and get ourselves into danger or situations that are not helpful for our faith; then unless we call on Him for help, He will allow us to go through this pathway. The choice is ours.

When you consider it, we have all that we need to live happy and joyful lives. In John 10:10 NKJV, Jesus says: 'I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.' This echos what David wrote in Psalm 23:1: 'The LORD is my shepherd, I have all that I need.' Our good shepherd ensures us that we are well catered for; our needs are met, over and above abundance. Isn't that something to praise Him for?  Who else would do all of this for us? No one, not even a multi-billionaire would be able to match this deal. And don't forget, in addition to this, we have eternal life. Our insurance premium is paid for in Jesus Christ. 

This deal - is real. Amen? Amen

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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Jesus and the miraculous

"Then they were eager to let Him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination."                              John 6:21   NLT

Jesus had only just fed the Five Thousand and the crowds were astonished at what He had done. They thought Him, the Prophet who was to come (6:14). They felt He was so remarkable that they wanted to take Him by force and, make Him their king. This was not because they recognised His deity but, that He would establish for them what they needed and feed their selfish gratification. Jesus avoided the limelight, He was not a show-piece, He was God's Son and had a mission to accomplish. He knew that they could bring about the 'damage factor' - completely ruining what He had set out to do. So He slipped away promising to meet up with the others later on.

All of what happened that night, demonstrated exactly what Jesus is about. He loves us and when we are up against trouble, He is their to help. Later after Jesus had failed to return, the disciples set off to row across the lake. When they had rowed about three or four miles, a strong gale hit them and the sea became very rough. From the hills, Jesus was watching their progress and set out to meet them. This is how Jesus is with us. He never stops watching over us and when trouble is in store, He will be there waiting for our cries for help. He went to the disciples and spoke encouraging words to them. They were eager to let Him into the boat. When they invited Him, they immediately arrived at the shore and safety. This was a mighty miracle.

However, there is some debate about whether Jesus did actually walk on the water or had the boat already grounded on the shingle. William Barclay, in his commentary to the gospel of John seems to think that where they had set off, the lake was only about four mile or so across.  As they had already sailed about this distance, were they not already on the seashore? Perhaps, because of this, Jesus had walked round the coast to meet them. However, David Guzik quoting other biblical scholars says:

i. “From this detail given by John it is inferred that the ship seemed to move automatically, without sail or oar, in obedience to His will: so that without effort of the disciples or crew it quickly passed over the remaining distance (two miles or so) and came to shore.” (Trench)                Enduring Life  David Guzik

Tony Evans says in his Bible Commentary:

'One moment they were in the middle of a stormy sea; the next moment they had miraculously reached their destination. Don't miss that, once they were willing to receive Jesus into the boat, He dealt with their problem and delivered them where they needed to go. When believers recognise and respond to the presence of Jesus in the midst of their struggles, they invite the supernatural into their negative circumstances'.

Bruce Milne also supports the other comments in his book The Message of John.

The NKJV, KJV, NLT and CSB versions support that Jesus climbed into the boat. However, many others neglect to comment on this. The fact remains that Jesus performed a miracle that night and lives were changed forever. My thoughts on this are, yes, the boat was quite a distance from the shore, in deep water and Jesus walked out to them on the water. The next moment, after being invited into the boat, they were at the shore. You may feel differently about it. 

Whatever, we can't get away from the fact that, we need to ask Jesus to help us when we are in troubles. he is there beside us and rather like the disciples called to Him to climb in and were saved, He will do the same for you and I. Why? Because He loves us.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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Nothing you do for Jesus is ever wasted

"So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."                       1 Corinthians 15:58   NLT

Just read that verse again. Nothing you ever do for Jesus is ever useless or wasted. You may make a cup of tea or coffee for someone in the church. No one really notices because they are busy chatting. But, God notices and He is very grateful for what you did. You may straighten the rows of chairs in the church, give chorus sheets and newsletters out as you welcome people on the door. You may also sweep the car park outside. You may get a thank you or a nod but the one who is immensely grateful is God because, you are serving Him and every little bit of service is precious to Him; it is never wasted.

There are leaders and followers in the church and in the world. Sometimes it can be difficult to serve a harsh leader or boss. They may be rude, hostile and two-faced. They may be what leaders should never be, but we need to be honourable to them:

"You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you - not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel"  1 Peter 2:18). At times, it can seem that we are slaves and treated as such but, God will bless us when we serve to the best of our ability. Other leaders may be difficult, arrogant even, but just serve them and leave the rest to God.

Some Christians find themselves in places of work where, the bosses are hard and clash with their faith. I've been in situations such as this and it is not easy. But, at the time, I decided that as long as I am not forced to compromise my faith, then I can handle it and God will take care of the rest. And He did. It's a matter of working enthusiastically for Jesus and remaining strong and immovable that keeps you going.

When God sees your faithfulness, He is never far from blessing you. He will handle what you can't do. If you try and handle things on your own, you will suffer for it. In our working world, we need to be aware that not everyone will like us because our faith brings conviction. It irritates some people and they resent your presence. You may have noticed people being aggressive towards you, even downright rude for no particular reason. This is more likely because your presence - the presence of Jesus, brings guilt and conviction to them. 

Just be string and immovable, do your job well as if you're working for Jesus and, nothing you do will be wasted.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Has God opened a door for you?

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia. This is the message from the one who is holy and true, the one who has the key of David. What he opens, no one can close; and what he closes, no one can open"    Revelation 3:7   NLT

Yesterday, we looked at the daunting realisation that we have to make some changes in our life. We saw that we need to do this because, for many of us, our lives may come short of God's requirements. Today we look at verse 7 of Chapter 3.

One way to look at this is, when God opens a door, salvation is assured. Once the door is closed, no one can open it again and judgement is certain. But, another way of looking at it is when we choose to honour God in every way that we can. We show Him that we are committed to Him and want to serve Him to the best of our ability. He is not an ogre, not at all. He is a very loving and caring God and wants to bless us because, we are His children. Therefore, When He knows that we mean business with Him, He opens doors for us to walk through. The doors He opens are tailor-made to our ability. Such is His knowledge of us, that He knows what we can do well. This door, is a door that no one can close. It is also a door that only God can open for us. What I mean by this is, that we can take on tasks that we are totally unable to carry out. We may feel that we are able to do this work, however in a way, it is way beyond our capabilities and things begin to crumble. This is common where promotion takes place. Before the promotion, we were doing well in our job. However, since the step up, it is too much responsibility and we find it too difficult. This is called The Peter principle  (Dr Laurence J Peter & Raymond Hull Souvenir Press) 

God though, knows exactly what is right for us. You may know the door that God has opened for you, but it may not be the right time (Remember Joseph and his dreams). On the other hand, you may be waiting for God to show you. There is always a waiting period because God is a great planner and will not be rushed.

If you mean business for God, then He will be the same towards you. He is the great door opener. I remember all those years ago when I applied to University. Even though, I knew it was God's will and I had the right qualifications, I was told that there was no room that year. Ten minutes after I had ended the call, the telephone rang and it was the same person I had spoken to. She told me that someone had just dropped out, would I like that place? Of course I confirmed I would. You see, when God opens a door, only he can close it.

If God has closed a door on you, It may not be the right one for you, or it may not be the right time. If you are certain it is for you, then pray it in and wait for the call to go. God has a place in His Kingdom business for you. Whatever it is, you are ably qualified. Don't give up; just hang in until it is the right time or, until God shows you another direction. 

God's door is always open. No one can close that. This means that you can always spend time with Him and get a clear picture of what He has in store for you. Never be tempted to cut corners, going in your own strength. You will fall headlong sooner or later. Just wait for the right moment. It will come and when it does, it may come like rocket, so get ready.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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Time to get your life right

" 1 Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. 2Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. 3Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief".   Revelation 3:1-3  NLT

Jesus was not happy with the church at Sardis. It had a reputation of being alive but, on examination, most of the people were dead in hypocrisy and religion. They had lost that wonderful feeling of salvation. Can you remember yours? It was a wonderful time and words can't even express it. Salvation meant everything and most people would have done anything just to please Jesus. Many have called this the honeymoon of salvation.

What has happened when a church begins to die? Quite frankly, the fire of the Holy Spirit is almost stamped out. Whereas, once the church was thriving, now services contain a degree of apathy and may have become more like a club than a meeting place to welcome people and praise God. Once there was joy and laughter and the fire of the Holy Spirit used to literally floor people; but now, the fire has been quenched. The Word is preached but it is not power-packed with the Holy Spirit so, it falls on deaf ears. 

It may be that there has been no particular enthusiastic welcome for new Christians and they have decided to go away and try elsewhere. However, there is a need to check yourselves out. Has hypocrisy crept into your life? Do you read your bible every day and pray? These are total 'musts'. Without the Word in your heart, you cannot expect to be in touch with the Holy Spirit. The Word of God needs to be preached all the time, with conviction and if there is no fruit from it there is a need to find out why not. 

Have you and/or the church become dry and arid? Are you religious or a Christian? There is a big difference. Jesus Christ is Lord and there is no other God, no matter what anyone else says. The early church were not multi-faith, they were Christians and so should you be. Jesus says, 'Wake up', They are strong words when Jesus says, 'I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of My God." These are Jesus' words, not mine, please don't shoot the messenger. I believe that Jesus is giving His church a wake-up call and if we fail to take notice of it, we will pay the awful price, because He is not pleased.

Just look at the state of the church today; need I say more. If we don't take notice of this, people are going to go to hell and that, is the awful price. It's time to get your life right. It's time to measure up to what you believe. It is time to check yourself over and honestly see if your actions fit the requirements of Jesus Christ. If they don't, it is time to ensure that they do!

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Turn your worries into prayers

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. 7 Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:6-7   NLT

We all worry at certain times but, some people make it a feature to worry about most things that come their way. They lay awake at night trying to find a solution to what  they're worrying about. When they've reached a solution, they worry about whether it is the right one, and on it goes.

God did not create us so that we can worry about things. He tells us not to worry (Matthew 6:31). 

Worry is the result of listening to the devil's lies. he breathes fear into our lives and we start to become anxious. These worries begin to attack our minds and our bodies and are responsible for many illnesses that come upon us, including heart attacks and cancers. When we worry, we lose our focus and the Word that God has planted within us is stolen. Worry attacks our faith because, fear is the total opposite of faith. When we live in fear, it is difficult to believe that faith can change things for the better.

Jesus told us, 'So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." (Matthew 6:34) Planning about tomorrow is time well spent but, worrying about tomorrow is time wasted. Today, we have enough things to contend with - a lot on our plate - so don't add to this by worrying about something that may happen tomorrow. What is the point in this, it may not happen but, if it does, God will help us sort it out. We all need to make plans and yes, it will include tomorrow. However, there is a difference, plans for tomorrow are important - we have appointments, holidays, day's out etc. etc. But we need to be flexible in this planning so that we alleviate fear and worry.

Paul's advice to us here is, to turn our worries into prayers. If we want to worry less, pray more. In fact, we need to make it a normal thing that, whenever worry pops up we stop what we're doing and pray. Don't worry about anything and pray about everything. This way, God will envelope us in His peace, the type of peace that guards our hearts and minds. Surely this is what we want, isn't it?  And it is part of our Daily Life with Jesus.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Don't give up on your dream

"He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promises"                             

                                                                                  Romans 4:21   NLT 

Abraham was fully convinced that what God had told him would happen. he never doubted for a moment and, because of this, he received the blessing. Many men and women of God are serving Him now totally relying on His promises to provide for them (Matthew 6:33). One notable example was a man called James Hudson-Taylor. He started his working life training to be a chemist, but soon felt the call of God to serve Him. When his training was completed he eventually went to China as a missionary. He had no money and was totally reliant on God, who had sent Him. Taking Matthew 6:33 as his baseline he wrote in his diary: ‘If we can only wait right up to the time, God cannot lie, God cannot forget. He is pledged to supply all our need"  Such was Hudson-Taylor's faith and trust in God. He totally believed His Word and nothing would convince him to the contrary. His dream was to obey Jesus and, if He was meant to be there, he knew God would finance this dream. And He did. There were many testing times though, times when many would give up but, Hudson-Taylor never did and he was blessed for it. He was fulfilling his dream.

And this was the same for Abraham. God had told him that he would be the father of many nations and, he and Sarah would have their own son despite being very elderly. Abraham would not give up on this dream and because of this, Abraham received God's promise.

What is your dream? Has God promised you something that is probably beyond belief? If so, you need to hang on to this and pray it in. Don't ever be tempted to give up on this dream. If God said it, then it will happen. Don’t talk yourself out of it because you have been waiting a long time and nothing has happened yet. Just believe and it will come. If you have shared this with another person, don't be surprised if they try to talk you out of it, 'It's not going to happen. You need to consider that you have it wrong. God didn't promise you this.' If you are convinced that God said this to you then. don't believe the lie; remain totally convinced that what God told you, he will bring about.

Many people who speak this way to you, are caring and well-meaning people. They don't want to see you made a figure of gossip. But remember, God said this to you, not them. So as I have said, if you are convinced then, keep believing, don't give up on your dream. When it will come I don't know but, if he said it, it will happen. Your dream will be fulfilled. 

As we saw yesterday, there are doers and talkers. If you are totally convinced then, you are a doer so, get ready to live your dream

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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