A Moment with Jesus

"He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams."   

                                                                           Psalm 23:2   NLT 

Often there is so much going on in our lives that it is difficult to know what to do first. Do you know this feeling? Things crowd us, pressurising us to deliver - NOW! This is when errors are made and when tempers flare because there is a priority on everything  on our list. When it happens like this, there is an urgent need to take control and learn to identify the order of priority. Instead of trying to do all of the things at once - which is impossible - break the things down into small manageable pieces, deciding just what is the most important. Once you have your priority list, it is easier to carry them out.

Trying to do everything all at once, leads to running around like a headless chicken and the stress and heart monitor rise high. This is not how God wants you to live your life. Look at David's words above and allow yourself to capture what it means: 

Picture a warm summer's day in the middle of the countryside with a path winding itself through the flowing grasses. Water can be heard rippling peacefully close by and you stop to take in this beautiful scenery. You find the small stream and sit for a while. The only sound is the rippling water and the birds twittering away in the taller reeds. You live this moment, for a while slowly breathing in the summer air. You notice that Jesus is sitting by you next to the stream. He doesn't say anything, just smiles. Suddenly he holds out His hands and you realise that He is wanting you to give Him all of your burdens and worries. As you do this, He gives you a final smile and suddenly He has gone. You are left with a peace that you have not felt for a very long time. It is the peace that surpasses all understanding, the peace that guards your heart and your mind in Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:7).

This is the way Jesus wants us to live. The hustle and bustle of life is not for us; we have the tranquility and peace that can only come from God. The presence of the Holy Spirit gently caressing our life as we walk with Him. Remember, Jesus used to climb mountains to get away from things quite often. He needed to be alone with His Father. I wonder if it was like something I have described; I feel it must have been something similar.

Don't be like the plate-spinner, you know; that chap who balanced plates on rods and ran along the line of perhaps 12 rods spinnings the plates. That was a picture of stress. Avoid that at all cost and spend some quiet time with Jesus.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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Do you have a hobby?

"So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."   

                                                                  1 Corinthians 10:31   NLT

Should a Christian have a hobby? This is a question that many people struggle with in their walk with God. Some people have had it drilled into them that, having a hobby is like serving two Gods, one of them is going to be neglected and it is more likely to be God. There is logic to this explanation but this can only happen if the person makes the hobby more important than their Christian life.

Paul came up with the right answer as recorded above - 'whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.' Webster's dictionary defines a hobby as, 'a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in, for relaxation.'  God knows that we need to relax and just have fun and unwind. But of course it needs to be clean, Godly fun, not worldly. Having a hobby is the ability to be able to escape from the pressure of perhaps work or family life, just to name two. Be careful though, having a hobby is not there for an escape from God and our general walk with Him.

There is a thin line here and one must ensure that the most important thing is, to keep our relationship with God uppermost. Going for a run or playing any particular sport is not leaving God out of our lives. We can jog or play a game and still have God on our mind, Some people like to paint pictures or, others like to take pictures with a camera. The people who like to do both can paint a picture from the image taken with the camera. Again, God can be totally involved in this. Notice that Paul used the words, 'whatever you do.' He didn't limit this to any particular thing. He said that whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

God does not frown on us having a particular hobby as long as it doesn't distract us from making Him the most important. Some hobbies can be very in depth so, we must be aware of this. Take for instance being a birdwatcher. This can take the average birder all over the place searching for that rare specimen and this can be very time-consuming. Add to this that the birdwatcher may also be taking photographs and this can double this time. There is noting wrong with this at all as long as, Jesus goes with the birdwatcher/photographer. We all need to relax and get away from the humdrum of life, whether that is to sit and read a book, play sport or go here and there with your hobby. All you need to remember is, Jesus is very interested in what we are doing and He loves to be involved with us.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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David was in the wrong place - are you?

"In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites."   2 Samuel 11 ff 

David should have gone out to battle, instead he decided to laze about at home, and this was where it all went wrong for him. Strolling around the roof of his palace he noticed a beautiful woman bathing. She caught his attention so much that he asked about her to his servants and, was told that her name was Bathsheba. Hardly able to control himself, he sent for her and when she arrived, he had sex with her. A little later, she sent him word that she was pregnant.

David could have chosen to stop this before it started, but sin when it has taken root within, is hard to stop (James 1:14-15). We become more deeply involved in the mess of it all. David had looked at Bathsheba and he became full of lust. The more he looked at her, the worse he became. Isn't this reminiscent of Eve and the fruit in Genesis 3? The more she looked , the weaker she became and finally she sinned. The results of Eve's sin was devastating for the whole world. The result for David was he was responsible for the murder of Bathsheba's husband, Uriah. He was caught out by a prophecy by Nathan and Bathsheba lost the child. David could have lost his kingdom too but, God showed him grace following his repentance.

This was not just accidental sin, David made a deliberate choice to commit adultery with Bathsheba, he orchestrated the whole thing. He then tried to cover it up by manipulating Uriah and when that failed, having him placed on the front line of the battle. Be warned, your desire will always get the better of you unless you nip it in the bud straightaway. If you harbour unclean thoughts about another person, sooner or later you may be in a place where it could be realised. Don't go there, stay away from a place or person that you may feel drawn to in an immoral way. The consequences will be quite costly if you don't. Families are being torn apart because husbands and wives are not in control of there emotions and allow temptation of a 'bit of fun,' to lure them and when they are found out - which they will be sooner or later, they may lose their home, their family and their self-respect. Don't allow this to happen to you.

Don't be in the wrong place, online or in person. Avoid flirtation, it is dangerous because the devil can create one heck of a mess for you and others. Ask yourself, is it really worth it? Don't think that you can cover it up, someone will have noticed something and God will be one of them. Some people like to live on the wild side and, if that is you, sooner or later, you will be living on the wild side and boy, it can be very wild when you get caught out.

Ensure that you are in the right place, at the right time and, with the right person and avoid temptation at all costs.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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Moses - What is that in your hand?

"Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead My people Israel out of Egypt."  

                                                                              Exodus 3:10   NLT 

'You have got to be joking!' I can hear Moses saying to God. I mean, one minute he had been minding his own business tending to his sheep, the next, a burning bush that spoke and then, to finish it off, a commission to go to Pharaoh and ask him to release the Israelites. Can you imagine if that had happened to you? Absolutely bizarre! However, God was serious about it. Moses was His man for the job.

From thereon, Moses came out with all the excuses he could think of: 'Who am I, I'm just a murderer?' 'I'm inadequate, I can't speak properly because I get tongue-tied'. 'Lord, send someone else - PLEASE!' 'But God said, 'Nope, you're going.'  God then asked Him, 'What is that in your hand?' Moses replied that it was his staff, so God went on to to describe certain signs of power with the staff that Moses could perform to show Pharaoh that the God he served was, who He said He was - I Am.

Today, it would probably be equivalent to going to Kim Jong-Un, the leader in North Korea and asking that he release all of the prisoners there. What kind of reception do you think you would get? Now you know how Moses must have felt about this task. It was a natural thing for Moses to feel this way; let us not forget that he had murdered an Egyptian there around about 50 years earlier, now at the age of 80, it could be certain death if anyone recognised him.

Moses was pushing his luck here because God started to become angry V14, with his hesitations but to relieve Moses’ anxieties, God told him that he could take his brother Aaron with him to speak on his behalf.

Sometimes God uses ordinary things to perform extraordinary tasks. What could you place in God's hand so He could help you to perform great things? How about your voice, could you preach the Word in church, on street corners or in rallies? What about placing your pen in God's hand so that He could help you become an anointed writer or poet? You could give Him your guitar, violin, saxophone or any other instrument so that He could open the door for you to become a great musician or writer. You may be good with carpentry, bricklaying or any other thing. Placed in God''s hand, He could open wide the necessary doors for this to happen. Just think, He may be calling you to be a Pastor, Vicar or an Evangelist, you just need to place this in God's hand and let Him do the rest. 

Don't ever be scared of what God is leading you into - apprehensive yes, but not in fear. What God has for you is tremendously exciting, the sort of experience that will give you a great buzz. Don't miss out on it at all.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Moses - You are standing on Holy Ground!

"Why isn't that bush burning up? I must go see it."  Exodus 3:3   NLT 

In very hot and dry climates such as deserts and heaths, it is not unusual for fires to break out. If not dealt with early, they can spread rapidly causing devastation. This has been seen in certain parts of the world these past few weeks. This is what Moses encountered when he was tending his flock in the wilderness, under Mount Sinai - the mountain of the Lord. Suddenly he noticed a bush on fire. He had seen many of these in his walks through the land, however, this one was different. It wasn't burning up, therefore, he decided that he must take a look. As he approached the bush, God's voice called to him from within the flames. 'Do not come any closer,' the LORD warned, 'Take of your sandals for you are standing on holy ground' v5.

In theological terms, this is called a Theophany, an appearance of God or a god - to a human being. A divine manifestation. Theo indicates God. 

Moses complied with God's command and took off his sandals and covered his face. God is our friend but He is also our Sovereign Lord. We need to show Him respect. Sometimes we can take our worship of God in a disrespectful way, approaching His throne casually, such as when we take communion or give our tithes and offerings. We would never dream of doing this if we were in front of the King at Buckingham Palace, we would show him our total respect, then why not when we approach the King of kings. As I have said, He calls us His friend but this does not mean we can take Him for granted. The place we visit is holy ground too. We need to remember this. In my opinion, I consider it a lack of respect to walk around drinking a mug of tea or coffee when the service is taking place as happens in a lot of modern churches these days. As I say, this is my opinion and I consider the whole of a Christian service to be on holy ground and respect is required.

I love what Dwight L Moody said about Moses, 'Moses spent 40 years in Egypt thinking he was a somebody; 40 years in in the wilderness learning he was a nobody and, another 40 years seeing what God can do with a nobody.' I like this, we can sometimes believe that we are a somebody but God can quickly humble us to realise that we are a nobody. But once we have accepted this, it is amazing what God can do with a nobody, and that can mean you and I. Once we totally surrender to God and realise that with Him, we are always standing on holy ground, He can perform miracles in our lives. I want Him to do that for you and I, because then we can begin to get on with the task He has in mind. For Moses, it was a return to Egypt.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Mose - What is in your past?

"After looking in all directions to make sure no one was watching, Moses killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand."   Exodus 2:12   NLT 

As a baby, Moses had been brought up by Pharaoh's daughter. She had found him floating in a basket on the water. His mother had placed him there because, as a Hebrew baby, his life was at risk. As years went on, Moses became quite a prominent figure in Pharaoh's kingdom. That is until, he murdered someone. He had been walking along when he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew brother and he intervened and killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. Eventually, news of this came to Pharaoh and Moses had to run to save his own life.

Now there are two ways of looking at this (1) Was this murder? The Law hadn't been put into place yet, not until the the Commandments were made, so Moses was not under God's Law. However, he may well have been guilty under Egyptian law. Whatever, Moses considered it dangerous to remain there. (2) Even though the Law hadn't been put into place, God no doubt would have frowned on murder. But was this part of God's great plan to bring the Israelites out to Freedom? It's open to debate and, I favour this  because of the terrible abuse that the Israelites were suffering. Was this the beginning of God's judgement on Egypt?

Some years ago capitol punishment was the price for murder in the UK. This was usually hanging by the neck. Today, offenders are given life and if they are released after a certain time, they are on licence for the rest of their life, as are all Schedule One Offenders. Forty years ago, I watched a documentary about a British man who had committed murder, been released after 15 years or so and after a short time, became a vicar. I was amazed at first and being a younger Christian I found this hard to understand. He had taken someone's life but was now a man of the cloth. How could this be? As I watched the program, I saw that he had become a Christian in prison and studied theology and became ordained. I suddenly realised that, God is a forgiving God and this man had dedicated his life to working with ex-prisoners helping them rehabilitate - this was his church. I thought that if God could forgive and use Moses in His work, then He could use this guy, who had repented and asked the family of the deceased for forgiveness too. 

God works in ways that we can't understand at times. People must have felt this about Moses - a murderer and now a great leader in God's army as we will see. But, as I leave you today, whatever your past has been like, God has swept the sin away. There may be certain rules of law still to adhere to if you're on licence from prison, but in God's eyes, you are now forgiven, no matter what people may think. Yes, it sounds controversial to some people but, not to God.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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What are your coping skills like?

"But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn't say a kind word to him."   Genesis 37:4   NLT

Favouritism is one of the main  problems in many families today. When a parent has 'a favourite', it allows hatred and jealousy to begin. This is why God has no favourites, we are all equal to Him, 'For God does not show favouritism' Roman 2:11. This was the root of all of the issues between Joseph and his brothers, and it grew into considering murdering him.

As a youngster Joseph was overconfident and discussed how his dreams showed he would one day rule over them all. It may have been better for Joseph to be more tactful and keep this to himself, but he was young and went ahead. This only added to his problems. When we look at the bigger picture, it is easy to see why the brothers turned against Joseph. He would tell tales about them and brag about things to them, especially with his precious coat. But the main culprit of all of this was, Jacob. His parenting skills were practically zilch. But Joseph had been forced into this lifestyle and it must have been upsetting to have his brothers turn against him. However, Joseph had something within him - God Himself. He helped Joseph contend with all of the taunts from his brothers, and eventually being sold into slavery. All this this was a learning curve for this young man. He knew God loved Him and he decided that he would put Him first in his life. And because of this, he prospered and was shown favour in all he did.

Joseph suffered betrayal and was deserted by his family; he was exposed to sexual temptation and even though he declined this, he was accused of attempted rape and thrown into prison. He endured a long prison sentence and was forgotten by those he had helped. God was with him every inch of the way and, Joseph was faithful to Him and everyone he met knew he was a Godly man. He was able to cope with everything because, his hope was in God. With every negative thing that came his way, he matched it with a positive and eventually, God brought him to the attention of Pharaoh, where he was made the Prime Minister of the land. Joseph rose in power and was known for his personal integrity. Think about it for a moment, there was nothing Joseph could do to free himself, he was snookered, therefore he put all of this work into God hands. And he received blessing

You may have been going through some difficult times lately but, what matters is not so much the events or the circumstances but your response to them. With God on your side any situation can be fruitful and full of success. With God on your side any situation can be used for good even though it is intended for evil.

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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