Personal Evaluation. Part 1

"My son, give attention to My words; incline your ear to My sayings"  

                            Proverbs 4:20   NKJV 

Over the next few days, let us take a look at ourselves - our own personal evaluation. People see us, listen to us but, what actually is their opinion of us. Do they like what they see and hear, as coming from God, or do they walk away thinking that they're not sure about us? So therefore, let us take this study in stages starting with:

DO WE LISTEN PROPERLY?

Solomon directs us to give attention to his words. In this busy world with things going on around us at great speed, it is easy to miss certain things that are being said. For instance, in an interview, counselling session or general meeting, we need to pay attention to what we are being told or asked. We tend to want to do all of the talking but, when we do this we are at risk of missing what is being said. One of Mark Twain's famous quotes was 'If we were meant to talk more than listen, we would have two mouths and one ear.' And it is true.

Therefore, paying attention to what is being said is very important. In a counselling situation, you may find the counsellor leaning forward very slightly and then reflecting back part of what you have said; hence 'incline your ears to my sayings.' This serves two purposes, it shows you that you are being listened to properly and, the counsellor is empathising with you. In many conversations we have, we are tempted to look out of the window when someone walks by, answer our mobile if it rings (I must take this). Look at our watch and generally showing the other person that you are not really listening to them.

So, Solomon insists that we 'give attention' to what you are hearing. We can tend to only hear a fraction of what is being said and then, when we walk away, turn round to someone who was with us and say, 'What did they say?' If there is no-one with you then you have missed out on something that may have been important. A good example of this was Eve in the garden. When challenged by the serpent about the fruit on the tree, she added to what God had said and told the serpent that they couldn't even touch the fruit, which was not true. She hadn't listened properly and it is likely that Adam hadn't either because, don't forget he was there with her as well.

It is vitally important that we sharpen up our listening skills and also, limit what we are hearing, such as malicious gossip, course jokes and change what comes out of our mouths Ephesian 4:29

If you are not born again and want to be, here I’ll below is a prayer of salvation:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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How do you make your plans?

"Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed."   

                                                    Proverbs 16:3  NIV 

Woody Allen, once said, 'If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans.' This is quite an amusing comment but, there may be an element of truth in it. We may be tempted to go off and do our own thing. The Prodigal Son in Luke 15 did this and look what he made of it all. God gives us free will, He will never stop us from trying to go our own way. But, when we do and, it goes wrong, He is there to pick up the pieces. One thing that He will never say is, 'I told you so, you'll never learn, will you?' Our parents or friends may say this to us and it never really helps. We know when we have messed up, we don't need a running commentary on it. Look how the Prodigal's father handled things, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him - For this son of mine was dead and is alive again.' (Lk. 15:22-24).

Yes, we do make mistakes and, many of them come from dashing into things without, first, checking it out with God. The old saying, 'Fools rush in' by Alexander Pope, comes to mind here. It is foolish to make hasty decisions without first thinking it through and counting the cost. This is why God wants us to commit our plans to Him. Why? Because He knows the future; He can see the pitfalls. He knows if it is the right thing to do. But what do we do about this. Quite simply, we talk to God about it. King Hezekiah heard disturbing comments against him and the Lord and decided to take it to the Lord for direction. "Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the LORD and spread it out before the LORD.'  Isaiah 37:14.

The term, 'Spread it out before the Lord' is a good description of committing things to God. Sometimes, when we are under pressure, we tend to stutter our words before God and therefore, miss the point. It's not that God doesn't understand what is happening, He does. But, He wants us to be specific and spreading it out before Him, describes a way that we can tell Him about what is happening and, enquire if the plans we have are adequate. Note that our text today says, 'Commit to the Lord whatever you do'.  Doing this helps us to ensure that we aren't missing anything out and, prevents us from making a hasty decision. Don't forget that we are told to: 'Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.'   Proverbs 3:5-6

If you are not born again and want to be, here I’ll below is a prayer of salvation:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

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  

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

Fearfully and Wonderfully made

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well."      Psalm 139:14  NKJV

If you study the human body, you see how intricate it is. We have the five senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell and taste. Back in the summer, when I had Covid, my tongue became black and I completely lost my taste of anything. Trying to eat something when you can't taste it, is not nice. My wife has had to have cataract surgery because her sight was blurry. I have a severe hearing loss which robs me of listening to and playing music. God gave us our bodies, but for some, parts of our bodies don't function the way they should. Has God made a mistake? Definitely not; there are no answers to why some people have perfectly working bodies and others don't. Let us look at this a little more closely.

I have a hearing loss but, with the help of technology, I can hear, which is better than not being able to hear a thing. My wife's blurriness will diminish when the eye surgery settles down and, she will see much better. And for the many who have significant problems with their bodies, there may be a cure for this. Alternatively, Jesus may heal them back to full health and yet, there are many more who use their disability in a positive manner by helping others in similar circumstances. The secret to all of this is, not giving up but, looking up. Why do we have to live with such sickness and disability? I do not know but, what I do know, I am alive and very grateful that I am. God can still use me and, He can you as well, if you allow Him to.

When discussing the above, can we say that we are fearfully and wonderfully made? Well, it's how you view this. We all have choices. We can either focus on the 'What could have been,' or 'Whatever, I'm going to enjoy my life.' We may be a long time on this earth and, it would be awful to waste your life holding a grudge because you are not able to do the things others can. That would be awful. You know something? There is life out there and, whatever state you are in God, can help you make the most of it. Ok, you can't do some things but, you can do others. People paint holding the brush between their teeth or even their toes. These are the ones that have decided that their ailments are not going to stop them.

Whether you agree or not, you were fearfully and wonderfully made. Circumstances may have changed this but, there is still life out there if you decide to go for it. James wrote: 'Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.'  James 1:2. Try giving Jesus some praise for your life, right now. If you do, and mean it, the peace you receive will be well worth it.

If you are not born again and want to be, here I’ll below is a prayer of salvation:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

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  

Check it out

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Amazing things are ahead

"Look around the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it."   

                                              Habakkuk 1:5   NLT

Wow, what an amazing verse! It explains those times when we feel like God isn't helping us. He is, but we can't see it until He has done it, and when He has, we stand absolutely amazed and astounded. 

Habakkuk had complained to God. He had asked why the wicked in Judah were not being punished for their sin. He just couldn't understand why a just God  would allow such evil to exist. However, Habakkuk didn't realise that God already had a plan and, He was working on it.

It's easy to believe that when things around us are  unbearable, that God has forgotten us, but, He hasn't. Remember yesterday's reading? Sometimes we have to wait, not because God delights in making us wait; not at all. But, because He is hatching a superb plan and when He activates it, it will be a winner and you will, be amazed. 

He's in control, there is no doubt about that. Just look at that verse again and personalise it, something like this:

'As I look around my part of this world, I am going to see something, that will make me amazed. God is doing something for me and, I am going to see this when He is ready. If someone came and told me what was going to happen, I wouldn't believe them, it is too astonishing. But, because God has told me, I believe it because He is the Truth.'

Now try and focus on this personal statement you have made; write in your bible or notebook, date it and watch and pray. Put it together with the words of Habakkuk 2:2-3:

'Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.'   NKJV

This is a promise, a Living Word, a special one, and if this is for you, seize hold of it, believe it, pray it in and receive it. You'll know if it is for you because you will feel a pounding in your heart, rather like excitement. In fact, we all have unanswered prayers and are waiting for God to reveal the answers. Therefore, whatever you have prayed and are waiting for, receive it today. This is an exciting time for us all.

If you are not born again and want to be, here I’ll below is a prayer of salvation:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

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  

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

"I'm not being used'

"A person's gift opens doors for him and brings him before the great."   

                                        Proverbs 18:16   CSB 

How often do we hear people saying, 'I have a gift but, I'm never allowed to use it.' Within a church setting, a person may well have a preaching, teaching or musical gift, but if God isn't ready to use them, they have to wait until the right time. Up until then, the time can be used for learning.

Maybe, you have a certain gift. Whatever it may be, try to be patient. There is no need to place big placards around the place that God has called you to preach. God knows it, you know it and in God's time, the leadership of the church will know it too. Until then, you have to wait. Not just because of waitings sake, but because the time is not right just yet. You need to study more. You need to deepen your relationship with God and be alert to the Holy Spirit's calling.

There are times when someone is preaching when God changes things. The preacher may have their notes all beautifully typed out and all of a sudden, God may say, I don't want you to use this today, I have a different word for you. This has happened to me and to a host of other people. You may be starting to commence your sermon outline when God gives you a totally different verse and says, 'Preach that'. Now if, the inexperienced preacher had this happen to them, it could completely throw them and they may not be able to adapt to this change. This is why, it is important to wait for the right time.

Quite often, we may be tempted to think that God doesn't know what He is doing. I can assure you that He does. We don't know what is happening in the 'heavenlies.' Someone may turn up at the church who has been avoiding God all their life. Today may be the day of his salvation. Therefore, God changed things round a little to accommodate this, So, be open to the Holy Spirit's leading.

You may have a musical gift, preaching/teaching gift, administrative gift or whatever. It's difficult to wait. But don't just sit there while you're waiting to be used. Get stuck into your bible, study it and pray without ceasing. If you are patient, it will happen, you can be sure of that (Isaiah 40:30-31 + Psalm 27:14.) Sadly, sometimes, people are left on the sidelines and never used again. If this is you, seek God. He may have ordained this. On the other hand, He may be moving you on. Consider that.

If you have a gift, God will use it but, not necessarily where you are. You may have to move somewhere else, go to another fellowship, go to bible college or whatever He tells you. These are exciting times, time that will create good memories, although they may not seem that at the moment. Read and mediate on Habakkuk 2:2-3. It may help.

If you are not born again and want to be, here I’ll below is a prayer of salvation:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

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  

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2