Jesus, the Way

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."   John 14:6   NKJV 

A lot of people feel this verse is 'splitting hairs'. However, when we read it and understand it properly, we can see the truth that Jesus was conveying. Jesus said, 'I am the way.' And what He said is true. Jesus is the way into heaven. This doesn't mean that He is like a signpost, rather, He is the way to heaven. In other words, He was saying through Him people will get to heaven. Some people of other faiths, have said that this statement is a lie. They maintain that Jesus is only one of the ways into heaven, there are others. In saying this, they are not only contradicting what Jesus said but creating another lie. He is the way and there are no other ways to heaven. Complicating? Not really; understand that Jesus was not saying, 'This is the way' but 'I am the way.' He then goes on to say, 'No one comes to the Father except through Me.' Jesus is the truth, He doesn't lie and, by accepting Him He offers life. As a Christian, there is no other way.

Some may say that people are not really lying about this; it's just that they don't want to offend another faith so, they speak a 'little white lie'. Just what is a 'White lie?' Some use this statement when they don't want to offend people, for example, 'Do you like this dress I bought today?' Now, the dress may look awful but, as we don't want to upset the person, we may say, 'Yes, it's lovely. And we do this in so many other ways too. But really, there are no white lies, they are lies and Jesus said we shouldn't lie. 

As Christians, we believe in Jesus Christ. He is our Lord and Saviour and through believing in His death on the cross, we receive forgiveness for our sins. Therefore, the way is open to us (through Jesus) into heaven and life eternal. We should never water this down even if it means offending someone else. We may respect their choice of faith but, if they mention it, we are given the right to tell them what we believe and therefore what is their error. Remember, we are ambassadors for Christ. We are on a commission to bring souls into the kingdom. Jesus told us to go and do this (Mt 28:18-20, Mk 16:15-18).

Yes, members of other faiths may have a similar mission to go and make disciples but, the difference is, there is only one Jesus, one Lord and one Saviour. Jesus is the one we serve and take notice of. There is no other way.

If you don't know Jesus or have fell away, here is a prayer for you:

'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

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The 'What if Syndrome'

"Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."     Matthew 6:34   NKJV 

Do you spend a lot of time worrying about tomorrow? Many people do; it may be Tuesday today but some people become anxious about tomorrow - Wednesday, what they have got to do, how they going to cope with everything. The term, 'What if?' is very much on their minds, so much in fact, that they make themselves upset about it, literally dreading tomorrow coming. May I ask, what is the point. Tomorrow's schedule can be changed before you even get there. As a newly qualified social worker back in the day, I used to suffer from the 'What if Syndrome,' 'What if I have so much to do, I won't be able to cope?' 'I'm in court tomorrow on care proceedings, what if the judge doesn't agree with me?', and on and on. Often, by the time tomorrow came, things had completely changed and there was no need to have worried at all.

Focusing on living for today, is God's remedy for worry. Planning for tomorrow is time well spent; worrying about it, is not. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference but, plans made with Jesus' direction are productive, trying to plan on our own can be a pressure because we are tending to put our trust in ourselves. It may sound a little crazy to other people but, this is how God wants us to be: 'Commit your actions to the LORD and your plans will succeed'  Proverbs 16:3. When we put God in the driving seat, we know He will navigate us in the right direction.

So, are you a worrier? Do you become anxious about things? If so, what can you change by worrying? Jesus said, 'Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" Mt 6:27

Someone once said to me, 'If I'm faced with worry, I think to myself, "Can I change this? If so, I'll do something about it. If I can't, what's the point in worrying anyway, it's going to happen whatever." A rather straight to the point way of looking at things but, there is truth in this. We worry and find we can't sleep. The worrying affects us so much that people close to us get impatient with this. Worry and anxiety needs to be re-channelled before it takes over our lives. If not, we can become paranoid believing that the worst will happen. It can affect our mental health dramatically. Therefore, when a worry comes into your head, give it to Jesus and keep on doing this. After you have done it, you may still worry, but with practice, you will see the goodness of the Lord. He won't let you down. Make it a plan in your life that whenever worry comes your way that you will forward it to Jesus, because He cares 1 Peter 5:7.

If you don't know Jesus or have fell away, here is a prayer for you:

'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

Be in control of your anger

"Be angry, and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil."                       Ephesians 4:26-27   NKJV 

Is it right to become angry? Yes and no. If the anger is a righteous anger, making a stand for God over some non-Christian act, then this is ok, if one remains in control of their anger by choosing not to use foul language but what is wholesome. However, if a person becomes angry with their spouse, friend or workmate over something, and this turns to bad language and violence, then it is wrong. The anger has taken over and the devil has the foothold.

A good example is Jesus in the temple (Matt 21:12-13. He became angry to see money changers and traders inside the temple misusing what the temple stood for. This made Him angry and He turned over the tables and threw the traders out. They were making a mockery of His Father's house and He was not having it. Note though, even though He was angry, He was in control and sin was nowhere near Him.

God Himself became angry with Moses because of his procrastination in taking on the job He had for him - to go and persuade Pharaoh to release the Israelites (Exodus 4:14). Again, though His anger blazed within Him (CSB version), He was in total control.

And this is the way God expects us to be with the people who test our patience. James puts it in perspective, "You must all be, quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. 20 Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.'  Jas 1:19-20 NLT

If we vent our anger thoughtlessly, it can hurt the listener and probably cause a great scene. Married couples need to practice how they talk to each other. Arguments are inevitable within relationships, but when one resorts to anger, words are spoken that shouldn't be and, they are like little daggers that pierce the heart and can cause lasting damage. Control your anger, in fact, your anger should only be released for unrighteous occasions. One of the problems is that we carry a lot of negativity around within us and all of a sudden, one little remark can cause an eruption. Don't do this; you will become frustrated with life issues but find a way to release this build up without hurting anyone. Sport is good; or walking, controlling your breathing to get in control of the stress within. 

Imagine a tin of Pepsi. One can shake it around but the fluid remains inside the tin. However, take the clip off and ERUPTION.. the Pepsi spurts everywhere. This is like built up anger. You carry things around with you and, if you don't vent this carefully, you can blow up in a rage when pushed into a corner. Don't allow this; find a way to release the pressures within. This way you will be in control.

If you don't know Jesus or have fell away, here is a prayer for you:

'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