You have a hope within

"Christ in you, the hope of glory."   Colossians 1:27  NKJV

Even though the Old Testament pointed to Jesus right from before creation, there was still a certain mystery about it all. The Jews were God's favoured people but, the Gentiles - which includes ourselves, appeared to be left out of this blessing. David Guzik gives a good explanation of this in his commentary:

 Hidden from ages and generations: This reminds us that there are aspects to God’s plan that were not clearly revealed in the Old Testament. The specific mystery Paul refers to in v26, deals with many aspects of the work of Jesus in His people, but especially the plan of the church, to make one body out of Jew and Gentile, taken from the “trunk” of Israel, yet not Israel.

ii. “The mystery is this: that God had designed to grant the Gentiles the same privileges with the Jews, and make them his people who were not his people. That this is what Paul means by the mystery, see Ephesians 3:3, etc.” (Clarke)

a. This mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you: The wonder and glory of the abiding, indwelling Jesus was not clearly revealed in the Old Testament, especially that He would abide in the Gentiles. Therefore, this aspect of the work of Jesus in His people was a mystery that wasn’t revealed until the time of Jesus and the apostles.

b. Christ in you, the hope of glory: This is the Christian’s hope of glory. It isn’t our own hard work or devotion to God, or the power of our own spirituality. Instead, it is the abiding presence of Jesus: Christ in you.   David Guzik, Enduring Word.

A relationship with God, was hidden from the Gentiles by the early church leaders. But God changed all that when He came to us as Jesus Christ. And all who accept Him are in-dwelt with His love and power and given the hope of glory. And this is you and I. But we are still a work in progress but Jesus is teaching us every day. This is why it is so important to have this relationship with Him. In the spring and summer months, beautiful dragon flies can be seen flying like little helicopters over our land. If you're a lover of nature, it is amazing to capture these with your camera. They are wonderful. But, they didn't start life like this. They began life in water as bugs, not so nice to view. Yet over time, they crept up the stems of the greenery and evolved into the beauty we see. This is a lovely picture of you and I. We come to Jesus not knowing much of Him at all; and as we attend church, bible studies and read our bibles, we slowly gain maturity and it is God's intention that we then shine as Ambassadors of Christ. It's not easy but, with Jesus in our hearts, we are new people. We have a hope where there wasn't one before.

You may not think much of yourself at this time in your life but listen, you're not like that wrinkly old water bug, you are who Jesus intended you to be. You are beautifully created and you have a hope - a Godly hope, not as the world hopes - you have this hope that one day you will be with Jesus. But until then, God wants you to take your beauty throughout this land and display this wherever you may be. Shine for Jesus. You are a special person!

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'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

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Stand and, keep standing.

"and having done all, to stand."   Ephesians 6:13  NKJV 

When we do the standing, God does the strengthening. Paul tells us that, after we have done all we can to resolve an issue, to keep standing. Because, many times this is all we can do. As we've seen over the past few weeks, we are called to stand; we may fall at times but, we always get up again. When we do the standing - God does the strengthening. So if you want the strength of God to come upon you, then stand at all times.

Paul uses the word 'withstand,' in verse 13: 'Therefore take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand' The word withstand in the Greek is the word anthistemi which is compared to Antihistamine. Anti means against and histemi means to cause to stand. Put together, we find this means resisting, standing face to face against an adversary and standing your ground. Just as antihistamine puts a block on histamine, anthistemi gives us the authority, using spiritual weapons, to withstand evil forces.

Let us not forget that, the devil uses the weakest moment and the weakest place to attack and tempt us. If we are in the wrong place - a place that we know we shouldn't be - then we have to be extremely careful that we don't fall to what the place may offer. We should always beware of going to the wrong place or being with the wrong person who may take you down the wrong road. You say this wouldn't happen to you, then speak to the many people it did happen to, and some were ministers. We should always ensure that we are in control of our lives, the devil is so pleased to do otherwise.

If an alcoholic goes to a pub, straightaway, he will be on guard. You may say that a recovering alcoholic, especially a Christian one, shouldn't go to a pub. From one point of view, this is true. From another, who is more qualified to tell another alcoholic about Jesus and lead them to Jesus or, start the process by offering them an Alpha course?

I am at present reading a book about a chap who was a violent, homeless man. Through a series of events, he gained a place at university for a Criminology degree. Against all odds, he qualified with a BA Honours and now helps young people in schools or off the streets to change their lives. He went to the place where he had come from, rather like an alcoholic would. Do you get it?

So, learn to stand and keep standing in your daily life with Jesus and do the work that God leads you to.

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'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Are you keeping yourself fresh?

"He refreshes my soul"  Psalm 23:3  NIV

We all need times of refreshing. You may have had a heavy workload just lately and, you just have nothing left to give. You need refreshing. This leads to the question, 'Are you keeping yourself fresh?' Life can be busy at times and you need to allow yourself to be refreshed in the Spirit of God. Psalm 92:10 tells us: 'But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil.' God wants you to be an overcomer, so therefore, He will anoint you afresh if you ask Him to. Note the word 'horn' in this verse. This means power and strength. When you seek Him, He will exalt you with His amazing strength. 

Freshness covers a multitude of things such as, (1) A new beginning. God may have something new for you; you may have finished your original project. (2) Fresh air. You may need to take a long walk alone with your thoughts. As you do, breathe in the fresh air and marvel at God's creation. (3) New clothes. Sometimes, it does us good to be involved in some retail therapy, as funds allow. This in itself can make you feel much fresher. (4) Then of course there are new hobbies, holidays, new ideas and doing that thing you have been putting off for so long. We can be so busy with busyness that we tend to have no time for the things in life that bring us so much joy. When was the last time you just walked out in the countryside and just looked at nature - leaves, wildlife etc. You don't have to be an expert to enjoy yourself but, all of this can bring a freshness to your soul.

Psalm 23:1-3 (NIV) – The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, 3 He refreshes my soul. The soul is made up of your mind, will and emotions, and these in turn need refreshing. Just for a moment, meditate on these words. Make them personal. Focus on the green pastures and walking beside still waters. Is there something like this where you live? Perhaps there is a river with just the sound of rippling water.Why not visit there today if possible. If you do perhaps you will hear bird song and if you're alone it may lead you to just thank Jesus for this pleasure as you enjoy His refreshing. Perhaps a walk along the seashore, if you're near the coast can be invigorating. However, be careful that you don't go too near the water's edge as, in times such as we have at present - high winds and dangerous waves, it can be lethal. Maybe you have nothing such as this but, there is always somewhere that you can sit - maybe a park, and be refreshed even if it is your own garden. Make the most of what you have got and be grateful to the one who gave it to you - Jesus. 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'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Be transparent

"Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbour, because we are members of one another."  Ephesians 4:25   CSB

Paul is speaking here of being transparent, but what actually does this mean? Well, transparency means not having anything to hide - what you see is what you get. People can trust you because, you have no hidden agenda. You are safe territory and trustworthy. Living in such a way, gives the other person the assurance that you are not a gossiper. There is a need in our world, for transparency, especially in the Christian domain. People's lives are ruined by others who have totally taken them for granted and stripped them of all they have. People who are transparent, live their lives openly. They are not a copy of someone else, they are genuine people who care about others. Their desire is to live for Jesus and let this be seen in all they do. They live for today in this world, not in some fantasy Hollywood film movie world with a Walter Mitty mindset. 

Are you transparent? Can you honestly say that you have nothing to hide, you are who you are? It calls for having total trust and belief in Jesus. Whatever comes our way, you know that Jesus can fix this or find a way through. This is living a life of, Seeking first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness and not worrying about what tomorrow will bring Matthew 6:33-34. Some may say this is not possible, not in this life. But it is. It is just deciding that you are going to be sold out for Jesus and believing His promises. Yes, it is difficult to consider living this way, you will fall many times, the difference being that you don't let this stop you.

To do this, you don't have to live your life shut away from others, not at all. Where you are right now is your mission field. What it takes is to strip yourself of all your worries and cares, bad memories and hurts and anything else that may hold you back. Then making the decision that as from this moment you are going to be transparent to everyone. You have nothing to hide, no ulterior motives and the the memories of the past are just that, the past. You will find that if you begin to be transparent to people, they will want to spend time with you. How will they know? The Holy Spirit will show them that what they worry about, you have conquered, thus, you will be busy, but most of all, they will see Jesus in you.

So, if this is what you want, ask God to help you to be like this. He will, because He always answers prayer such as these.

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'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Failure? No, you're a never give upper

"Though a righteous person fails seven times, he will get up, but the wicked will stumble into ruin."                  Proverbs 24:16  CSB 

So you feel that you're a failure. Why is that? Is it because you let God down so much yesterday? Is it because you lost your temper with another motorist who was blocking the road? Is it because you spoke some unsavoury words to someone? Is that why you feel that you are a failure? Let me ask you; have you ever heard about forgiveness? How about this verse: 'For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without son. 16 Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need' Hebrews 4:15-16. Jesus has been there, He knows the struggles of life on earth; He's seen it all, yet, He did not sin. But He did provide through His death on the cross, a free pardon for us and rubber stamped it with: 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness' 1 John 1:9.

Jesus forgives us as we ask Him to but, the sad thing is, we tend not to believe it and go on carrying the sin around all of the day. Yes, you may have failed, in fact you would have been a failure all of your life, if you had not asked Jesus into your life. You would have failed to enter heaven, and that is the biggest failure of all time. 

Life gives us bumps and thumps, it's part of what this world offers; it is doubly difficult when you're a Christian because, when you have let God down you have the finger-pointing devil whispering to you, 'You're a failure'. But through Jesus, you have the ability to stand up, dust yourself down start all over again. You have the ability to shoot back up when you have been knocked over by life. And what's more, you are not a failure and you should never - never, ever, never, admit that you are. You're a winner!

In the sports world there are winners and losers. If the losers stay down, they will never achieve that medal. If the loser gets up again and proceeds, he may not win the prize but he proves that he is someone who will never give up. And that's you if you accept this fact. You can call yourself Mr or Mrs Never Give Up. In fact, that is a very good email address: mrnevergiveup@hotmail.co.uk or whatever. You can click on it if you like but I doubt that it will go anywhere, not until you validate it by refusing to be a failure.

Do you get my point, the world will give you the 'failure label' you may even do this but, you are not. Get up Mr or Mrs Never Give Up and have a good day!

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'

Copyright 2024 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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Your responsibility to work

"If anyone isn't willing to work, he should not eat."  2 Thessalonians 3:10  CSB 

This is a very contentious topic to discuss but, the fact is, God expects us to work to provide for ourselves, our family and to pay the ongoing bills that land on our mat each week. Sadly, within the church there are people who refuse to consider doing this. This was what Paul was addressing in this scripture. This is what he wrote:

'Now we command you brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from every brother or sister who is idle and, does not live according to the tradition received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you should imitate us: We were not idle among you 8 we did not eat anyone's food free of charge, instead we laboured and toiled, working night and day, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 It is not that we don't have the right to support, but we did it to make ourselves an example to you, so that you would imitate us.'  2 Thess 3:6-9.

We couldn't have it more plainer that that. Paul was saying that they worked to provide for themselves so that, they could minister to the people. They did not rely on anyone for support. He makes it plain that, we should all provide for ourselves and not expect others to do so. One of the references to these verses says: 'Refused employment, leads to becoming busybodies, who simply should go back to work'  Spirit Filled Bible.

Even Jesus' disciples worked for a living, check out the gospels.

Now, without trying to open a can of worms, there are people who simply do not want to work because the benefits that they receive from the Government, far outweigh what they could receive with a humble job. Hear me properly here, I am not talking about people who have long-term medical issues that prevent them from any type of manual work, not at all. It has been said by some, that perhaps an office job would be the way forward for them for up to 16 hours per week. This wouldn't cancel out any benefits - I don't think so anyway. 

Some people tell me that, they have worked all of their lives and are proud of this. This is not possible though, for people who have long term illnesses such as cancers, MS, COPD and other disabilities. Everyone is different and no two cases are alike. 

However, it must be said that some people know the system and have no intention of working. This of course is their choice. From what Paul writes, he is so blessed that he has worked to supply his needs, and this helped him to travel around preaching what he loved - the gospel.

I do hope that you are not offended by what I have written today. As I have said before, I must write what my boss (God) gives me, so, I can make no apologies for this. We are a witness to our children, what they see us doing may be reflected in how they handle their lives when they leave school. Just saying! 

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'

Copyright 2024 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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'I can't do this.' 'Yes you can!' Part 2

"It is not good to eat much honey; So to seek one’s own glory is not glory."  Proverbs 25:27. NKJV

Today, let us look at the alternative side to our study from yesterday:

Man or woman, should not seek to do what they are not qualified to do. It can lead to disaster. All over the world there are blunders made in the work place. Industries have great problems such as bridges collapsing when they shouldn't. Cars break down for the smallest of faults, buildings use the wrong type of equipment or product and it has tragic circumstance, decisions made in office and in government are bad ones and can lead to heartache. And this is only a few of the things that happen because someone is doing a job that they may not be qualified to do.

Dr Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull wrote a book entitled The Peter Principal. They describe this psychological model as 'The classic send-up of managerial hierarchy, disturbingly funny but painfully true.' After many years of studying mankind they found that men and women work well at a job they are suited and qualified for. However, the problem comes for many, when they are promoted to the next level, let's for instance say CEO or Works Manager. Many of these people have no training in how to deal with people. Some use bullying tactics, others use the competitive route, where each worker is pitched against others to see who will sell more products, gain more customers or make more money each month for the company.

Blunders are made where decisions have been bad ones but, others may take the blame for their manager's bad workmanship. Of course, not everyone who receives a promotion is unsuitable. Many do very well. The proof really is in the results they make. 

It is wonderful to be promoted to a higher working position, very satisfying. It is also natural to think, 'I can't do this.' Most people at this time have these feelings. But there are people who know for sure that they could never do the new job. They are very good in their present positions but, to take on such responsibility will be adding more stress and they know they are not good at keeping their anxiety level normal. To mention this to people who are offering the job, may lose the position entirely but, there are times when this is the right  course to take.

Perhaps you are in this position, you are about to be promoted or have the new job already. For the former, think deeply and ask Jesus if this is His will for you. It may not be. For those who are already established in the new position, take your time and avoid snap decisions. Don't get carried along with other people's ideas or thought about what you should do. Refuse to be bullied or badgered about what should be done. Again, Jesus is at hand, ask Him for guidance, especially about major decisions.

Above all, don't be frightened to ask questions probably from someone who may have done the job before you. It is not weakness to do this; it is wisdom. At the end of the day, don't just settle for this promotion for selfish reasons - such as, you are the one who was picked, not such and such. This will get you nowhere.

If you do it right, the, 'I can't do this' may turn into, "Yes I can."

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'

Copyright 2024 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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