Daily life with Jesus by Grahame Howard

Sunday 7 January 2024

Recognise sin for what it is

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 CSB

Martin Luther had many quotes and one of the famous one's was: 'The recognition of sin is the beginning of salvation.' Think about that statement for a moment. It is having the awareness that something you may be doing, have done or where you are going may not the right thing for you - it is sin. If you walk in the Spirit, He will always alert you to this fact, 'When He comes, He will convict the world about sin - ' John 16:8-11. Now this means for people who don't know Jesus or, those who have known Him for sometime. He convicts and produces within us Godly sorrow, which leads to repentance 2 Cor 7:10 and this in turn leads to salvation.

When we can recognise sin for what it is, it rubber-stamps our salvation. Our salvation is not only about being saved, it is much more. To understand this, we must look at the Greek word Soteria. This covers a wide range of things such as: deliverance, preservation, soundness, prosperity, happiness, rescue and general well-being. The word Soteria covers both a material, temporary sense and a spiritual eternal sense, and the New Testament especially, uses the word for spiritual well-being. Therefore, salvation is a present possession with a fuller realisation in the future. In other words, we know that we receive salvation when we accept Jesus as Lord. We have this to look forward to. However, there are these added routes that underpin this, leading to rewards on earth and when we stand before Jesus. (2 Cor 1:6, 7:10, Rom13:11, 1 Thess 5:8-9)

It is God's intention to bless us and, this means daily. As we walk with Him the Holy Spirit produces love and peace within us and people can feel this. It is a great way of witnessing to them. Let's face it, the world around us can produce sorrow and worry and even though problem after problem is attacking you, you can still make a stand for Jesus. This is not pie in the sky, not at all. When we begin to recognise sin for what it us and determine in our hearts not to become involved with it, then all the other components of our salvation (Soteria) kick in and this can change your world around you. Salvation is yours from the moment Jesus enters your heart. The other components help each of us to go forward to achieve what is ahead.

So recognise, that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But, we have in Jesus, a wealth of help to live each and every day in victory until that wonderful day we stand before Him. Remember, for the Christian, we are not judged; Jesus took that away. However, we are assessed for what we have done for Jesus and not done. We will enjoy eternal life but, depending on what we have done, rewards will be handed to some and others will not receive much. So ensure that you go flat out to receive the good rewards by living totally for Him.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'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'

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Saturday 6 January 2024

But I trust in You Lord

"But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.' 15 My times are in Your hand Psalm 31:14-15 NKJV

Let us look at this verse again, today. As you probably know, as soon as you feel God has called you for a particular task, you will find several people who will try to talk you out of it. Most, are well-meaning and don't want you to make a mistake. But, at the end of the day it is you, that is left with the decision. If you have listened to the negative comments for too long, you may feel reluctant to proceed. But, be careful here. If God has chosen you for this task, then you are well qualified for it and if that burning within you is still aflame for it, then you should ask God for further confirmation and, if He indicates to go ahead, then go ahead.

Some say that when God asks you to do something, don't tell anyone because they will always try to talk you out of it. There is some truth in this but, we all need to be accountable and seeking advice can be helpful. However, your main decision should be doing God's will. Therefore, this Psalm is a good place to start. Just look at it:

"But as for me, - You are declaring to God that you know the decision is yours, not other people. 'So, please Lord give me that extra confirmation.'

I trust in You, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.' - Pray, 'Lord, You are my Rock and I trust totally in You and no one else. You alone are My God'

My times are in Your hand - 'Lord, You know the way ahead, therefore I ask You to guide me by giving me that final confirmation.'

You must remember that, when God calls us out, there is always an element of faith attached to it, because we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Look at Peter and John in Acts 3; they told the disabled man, 'In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.' As the man allowed them to help him up, he walked and leapt about. Then there was the example of Jesus telling the man to stretch out his withered arm. As he did so, it was healed (Luke 6:10). There are many more examples throughout the scriptures.

It is all about trusting Jesus, your life is in His hands if you have given your heart to Him. People are good for advice but the final authority is always Jesus. He knows the way because, He is the way, He knows the truth because He is the truth and He knows all about life because He is the life. So, don't stagger around in the dark, do what He tells you to do; don't be put off by well-meaning people if you're certain God is in it; just trust in Jesus entirely.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'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'

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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Friday 5 January 2024

Remember the Three P's

"But I trust in You, LORD; I say 'You are my God'. 15 The course of my life is in Your power" Psalm 31:14-15. CSB + read 1 Samuel 30

David had lived through a bad time; people threatening him, gossiping about him and throughly making his life a misery. It can be like that sometimes as you probably know. But one thing about David, no matter what he went through, He never gave up. He remembered the victories God had given him in the past, especially when the Amalekites attacked his camp while David and his troops were away. They took all of the wives and children and when David returned to the camp, his men blamed him and threatened to stone him (1 Samuel 30). But David stood his ground and remembered the Lord and the past victories God had given him. I like to call it:

THE THREE P's

(1) David remembered his Past victories

(2) He enquired of the Lord by Prayer

(3) He became Proactive

When everything was against him, He didn't give up, run away and feel sorry for himself. He stood and focused on the Lord, confident in his relationship with Him and knew all would be ok. And this is what God wants from you. At the beginning of Psalm 31 he prayed: 'LORD, I seek refuge in You; let me never be disgraced. Save me by Your righteousness. 2 Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me. 3 For You are my Rock and my Fortress, You lead and guide me for Your name's sake' v1-3.

David may have had a rough time but, he overcame it by giving it all to God and because of this, God gave him another victory.

Jesus is your Rock. He is your Fortress and, He will lead and guide you whenever you call on Him. But notice the third word that David spoke v14 'Trust.' You must trust Him even when things are crazy and you don't know if you're coming or going. At these times, it is so easy to blow a basket and freak out in anger or terror. But if you do, you will lose the victory. Remember The Three P's, your past victories, prayer and then become proactive by standing on the Word of God clothed in His armour. (Ephesians 6:11-20). Remember, you are more than a conqueror through Jesus (Romans 8:37).

Make the decision that you are not going to be the underdog any longer. You are a Child of God and you will live like this from now on. Amen!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'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'

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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Thursday 4 January 2024

Be a good time-manager

"Pay careful attention then, to how you live - not as unwise people but as wise - 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil." Ephesians 5:15-16 CSB

Time is precious, we have to make the most of what we have got. There have been many times in your life when, you have thought, 'I wish I'd have done this or said that.' We all have had those moments so we have to be a good manager of our time because it is slowly running out.

Paul mentions here the need to be aware that the days are evil. Nothing has changed since he made that statement. We still live in a world of evil and it seems to be getting worse each day, With that in mind, it makes sense to be aware of this - living wise lives - and taking every opportunity to live for Jesus, letting other people see Him.

We are living in an evil world that is deteriorating very quickly. Therefore, we must consider, are we nearing the end times? People have thought this for many years only to be wrong. But just think for a moment, what if they had been right and people had ignored them. We need to live wisely because at any moment Jesus could return. This doesn't mean that we should be living in a state of frenzy. Not at all, it means, that we should be living in such a way that people know that we are different; that there is something about us that they want. In other words. we are making the most of our time.

There is no need to worry or be fearful at the thought of Jesus returning for us. No, it will be a time of great joy as He gathers His people (and that is us if we know Jesus as our Saviour).

Many say that it will have to be worse than it is at the moment for Jesus to return. But let them say that to the people who are undergoing the wars in the Ukraine and the Israel and Hamas conflict. Let them say that to the people who are seeing daily their family killed and their homes devastated. To them, it cannot be worse. They need Jesus now!

None of us know the day that Jesus will return, therefore, we need to make the most of what we have and the time that is still available to us. When we see someone begging in the street, we can often ignore them with the thought that they'll only use what money we give them, to buy booze, cigarettes, drugs etc. But ask yourself, have you any right to judge them for this. We should not make conditions when we give to people of how they should spend it. They have choices and if they choose to spend it that way, so what? Let us just make use of the time and opportunity that Jesus gives each of us, today!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'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'

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