The Cross

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."   Luke 23:34   NKJV

Jesus' body was totally disfigured and in awful pain but He still had to carry His own cross until, someone was found to assist Him. There were two criminals with Him about to share the same fate. One blasphemed all the time, the other one tried to keep him quiet. All around, the excitement of a public execution was thrilling most of the onlookers. They cursed Him, ridiculed Him and were totally disrespectful. As the soldiers drove the nails into His body, the pain must have been awful. Have a splinter in your finger and it hurts, imagine a 7 inch mail through His feet and hands. It is also possible that a larger nail was placed between Jesus' legs, in the crutch area. This would allow Him to bear His body for a short time.

As the cross was hoisted up with Jesus on it, it rattled down into the hole and this must have pulled some of his muscles out. On the ground, some cast lots for His clothes. Some feel that Jesus had seamless clothes which would have made them in the class of designer. However, we have nothing to prove this theory. From the cross, Jesus shouted,"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  But many were too busy watching the proceedings to hear. One of the criminals at the side of Jesus, continued to blaspheme Jesus, but the other one said, 'Lord, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom. Jesus replied, 'Assuredly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.' (Luke 23:42-43.) This comment from Jesus, ends speculation that initially when we die, we may not be with Jesus, that there is a waiting time. Not so, Jesus said 'Today' and I believe it.

From the 6 hour (12 noon) until the 9th hour (3pm) there was darkness all around. Why? Because the Light of the world had been taken out. 

We all have our own feelings about the cross and many are so personal. Yes, Jesus suffered in such a way so that we, may have freedom - salvation, forgiveness and life. He did it all for us that day 2000 years ago. But, He will be back, the evil could not even attempt to keep Him locked in death. Thank you Jesus

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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The journey to the cross

"Now when He said to them, 'I am He.' They drew back and fell to the ground."  

                                                            John 18:6. NKJV

Jesus' life continued to be one of humiliation and suffering. He was betrayed by a friend - Judas, who was in His own team. Even though Jesus knew this would happen, it would still hurt after being together for so long. When trust is broken, it can rarely be repaired to the place it was initially. Jesus asked them who they were seeking and when they answered, He replied with the powerful words, 'I am He.' Jesus spoke the divine name, the one God had spoken to Moses about, and this became a powerful moment. The people, including Judas drew back and fell over. This must have been a mighty moment to witness, and yet, they appear not to have mentioned it. Peter always ready for action, took his sword and cut off the high priest's servant's ear. Straightaway, Jesus rebuked him and picked up the ear and healed the man. Amazing.

The soldiers and officials took Jesus with them to be questioned by the high priest and then before Pilate. The latter could find no fault in Him but, because of his position and the demands of the people, he had Jesus scourged prior to crucifixion. 

Peter kept himself at a distance and began to deny he even knew Jesus to save himself. As predicted by Jesus, on the third denial, a cock crowed and Peter went off deeply upset. Let's not forget, this too would have been so hurtful for Jesus. 

In the meantime, Pilate had Jesus scourged, which was a terrible thing for anyone to suffer. A whip was used with leather strips on which each had pieces of bone, broken pottery or metal sewn into them. Thirty nine agonising stripes were inflicted on Jesus. The whip would wrap around the body and then it would be pulled, violently, leaving the body badly lacerated and the victim in terrible pain. Jesus suffered 39 of these lashes and it is difficult to describe how it affected His body. Afterwards, a crown was weaved with very long thorns and this, when completed, was forced on to Jesus scalp. That in itself would have been barbaric. The soldiers dressed Him in a purple robe and then they struck Him, spat on Him, pulled His beard and no doubt, things that we are not told. All the time they were shouting, 'Hail, King of the Jews.' Later He would be taken to the crucifixion site.

It is hard to know what was happening that day. The level of evil was everywhere and you can guess that Satan was loving every moment of this torture scene. On thing is for sure, despite His human form, Jesus stood the test of time and never uttered a word of vengeance or anger to the people who were hurting Him. He didn't have to, His time would come following His death and He would rise victorious as Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords. Until then, the cross was in sight

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

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

 

 

 

 

The grip of anxiety

"Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done"  Luke 22:42   NKJV

On our walk with Jesus to the cross this week, let us commence in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was the Messiah but, we must also remember that at this time He was still in human form. He bled and felt pain and also suffered fear and anxiety. Notice how He prayed to His Father to ask if He would take this cup from Him. We all do this. We find that we have certain things to do that we don't really fancy, so we wriggle a little. This reminds me of Moses when God had called him to go to Pharaoh to bring the Israelites out of bondage (Exodus 4). He tried his best to get God to change his mind. Be honest, we all do it.

Not Jesus though, He knew His mission and was totally ready to do it. However, this didn't stop the human blip that became so bad He began to sweat drops of blood v44. So bad in fact, that an angel had to attend to Him. At times like this, we tend to focus mostly upon the cross and the suffering Jesus underwent there. However, He suffered well before that with mind games - the devil feeding Him with all He would have to do and when He needed a friendly face, His disciples had fallen asleep.  He was on His own.

Jesus had carried the burdens of many people, had healed many and changed their lives forever yet, the way to the cross was all He had to look forward to. Think about what you have planned to do over the next few weeks. You don't really want to do some of them do you? But you will. You have the choice to do it reluctantly or willingly. Jesus was determined to carry out His mission willingly but hey, it was such a tall order and very scary.

This week, give the initial stages of the walk to the cross, some thought. Meditate on this and try and imagine everything that Jesus was going through at this time -  mind, will and emotions, His very soul was on fire with anxiety. Talk to Him, thank Him, praise Him and just be with Him. As you do this, you will be able to identify with Him.

More tomorrow!

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

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

 

 

 

 

Fear and sleepless nights

"I awoke for the LORD sustained me."  Psalm 3:5   NKJV 

We saw yesterday that David was able to lie down and sleep. He had given everything to God so, there was no need to be concerned about anything. David had a great feeling of peace and calm and therefore, he could rest properly - totally shut off from the world of worry. God had sustained him, in other words, supplied him with the necessary supplies of life, encouragement and faith.

What about you? Are you getting a good night;'s sleep? Or do you lay in bed until the early hours of the morning wide-awake, just unable to shut off? Worries, fears and never-ending problems mount up and take their toll. The more we say we won't worry, we do, it just follows us naturally. For some of you, you may be dreading getting up in the morning. You may have something to do that you want to avoid. It may be too hurtful to proceed with it. The more you worry about it, the worse it gets. The fear of the next day could be anything: seeing the doctor for test results, going to court, your boss wants to see you, your child is in trouble at school and they want to see you. It can be anything. You can't avoid it, it is happening and you have to comply.

Where David was able to say, 'I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people' v6, you are thinking that you can't do this; you are dreading it. What was the difference here? David was really no different to you. He was flesh and blood and made great mistakes. In God's eyes, He loves you just as much as He did David. He was no favourite, so don't go thinking that. The difference was, David knew what he wanted and he knew how to get it - by appealing to God; by crying out to Him in prayer and worshipping Him until he was tired out. This was the difference. Where you internalise your problems because you don't want people to know about your business, David made it external by giving it to God. 

Where you may be dreading what tomorrow may bring, David had made a provision for this. He gave it to God. He reminded God that He was a shield around him v3 and he cried out to God and God heard him. So therefore, David was free from the problem, he was able to get the sleep that he needed, and so will you if you call out to Him. Yes, I know you're worried, God knows too, but, didn't God tell us not to worry? (Matt 6). So, you know what to do, give it to God at this moment - whatever it is. He will take this load and sustain you and see you through. Don't worry! 

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

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 content and at peace

"I lay down and slept"    Psalm 3:5   NKJV 

So you have a dream and you have the faith to fulfil it. That is brilliant. However, don't expect everyone else to share your feelings. As soon as you mention it to anyone, especially in the church, you may get mixed messages. Some will not say much at all, others will be behind you but many will completely destroy your dream before its past the planning stage. There are dream killers and faith robbers wherever we go. Really, it is better not to mention it at all in the initial stages and then, as time goes on, reveal a little bit to people who you can trust. 

David had this. Let's face it, he made a few bad decisions and got himself into very hot water because of it. His very first attempt at sharing a plan was when he had decided to go up against Goliath. To many, it was a crazy thought. I mean, here was this skinny teenager with no real weapons or battledress going into a fight with a 9'6" warrior with a sword that probably weighed more than David alone. However, he was adamant, David knew it was his mission and nothing was going to stop him. He went into battle and had the victory. What made him so victorious? His reliance on God. Of course he recognised the dangers but, he recognised that God was with him and that was all he needed. 

You may be a Christian in a secular work place. If you mention your faith, sooner or later people are going to want to know more. This can incite you, and as you share more you may feel that the people are interested. They may be, but, then again, they may be thinking the opposite and that you are weird. This may lead to nasty comments about what you have told them and it can feel like the whole work place is against you. Try to speak about their interests instead of your own, put them first allowing them to see that you are normal after all. Let them take the floor instead of yourself. 

There is no need to water things down but, you can choose the right words about your faith and little by little they may begin to feel ok with you. Don't get yourself into such a state of affairs that you dread going there. At the time of this Psalm, David was going through a tricky stage of his life but, he kept his eyes on God and when he rested at night, he said "I lay down and slept" And so should you.. If you can't, you may have it wrong.

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

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 will return for you'

"and we will come back to you."   Genesis 22:5   NKJV 

For another session, we are once again remaining on this verse. So let's see what we can dig out of it today.

Someone else said something very similar in the New Testament. Can you remember who it was? Yes, you're right, it was Jesus. Here's what He said:

'Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And where I go you know, and the way you know."   John 14:1-4. NKJV

   

What does this mean: 'Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in Me?' Jesus was sayng that it is time to put your whole trust in Me. Did you get that - time to put your whole trust in Jesus.' Because, be honest you haven't been doing this have you? It's easy to trust Jesus in the good times but when the bad times come, this can be difficult and we feel that we are not going to make it. Come on, Jesus said, 'Let us cross over to the other side.' Mark 4:35. The wind and the waves were violent and the disciples were panicking but Jesus meant to get to the opposite side of the lake. If He said it, why not believe it? It's the same here. Jesus is telling you to trust Him, to believe in Him and not be troubled. What part of that don't you understand. It is time to go on to maturity.

Jesus told the disciples this day that, He will return and take us to Himself - where He is. This is the Rapture, when He will come to receive His saints and take them to heaven (1 Thess 4:16-17. This will happen prior to His return to earth to establish His millennial kingdom. It will happen and it could be soon. Therefore, heed the word. The bible contains words of life, not nice stories, it is accurate and Jesus uses it to speak with us. LISTEN: 'Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.' Believe this word, He will return; He is coming back; make sure that you are ready. Basically, Jesus is saying, 'I will return for you'.

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

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

 

 

 

 

Return to your Father

"and we will come back to you."   Genesis 22:5   NKJV 

I can't seem to be able to move away from the text that I gave you yesterday. God has not finished with this scripture, yet. So here goes with what He is telling me.

Many people throughout their Christian walk, tend to lose their way a little and like a lost sheep, they begin to walk by another route. Probably you may know one of them within your own family unit. It may also be you. Therefore, let's look at a well-known piece of scripture concerning this and pick the bones out of it. 

The Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is a great example of what backsliding is. He had itchy feet and wanted his inheritance paying to him and then he went off on a wild adventure. Initially, this was great. He had no one to tell him what to do, he was away from his jealous brother and he had a new life ahead of him. What could be better?

You know, that old saying, 'the grass is always greener on the other side' This is so true. We are almost on a high that we cannot see the problems that lay ahead - just pleasure. Many marriages fall apart just by this condition. It may seem a better life over the road, but nine times out of ten, it isn't and many people have found this out - painfully.

When the high living was taking place, the Prodigal was having a great time, friends, booze and every other pleasure. Sadly, many things come to an end rather quickly, and when this happened for the Prodigal, he had no money, nowhere to live and his friends deserted him. He was on the streets, down and out eating pig swill. But Luke 15:17 says something very important: 'But when he came to himself.' Six little words that were going to change his live. He came to his senses and thought: 'What am I doing?' 

And today, God's heart is breaking as He stands there looking for their return. You may be one of these. You used to go to church but, it was boring, too many rules and regulations and, sorry to say, hypocrites too. But just lately you have been giving this some thought and you are tempted to return. Sadly though, there is a price to pay - there always is. You will have to go back and see the same old faces that were there before. Yes, there will be the one's who whisper, 'I told you so. I wonder how long he will stay this time.' You will always find this attitude if you return. The Prodigal's brother was no different. The thing is, what is more important, Jesus or what someone may say about you? 

It's a big step to return to somewhere that you left. It can be like walking into a bar in the old cowboy films where when you walk in, the music stops and everyone stares. Let me tell you, 'Who cares?' These people will not be able to get you into Heaven, only Jesus can do this, so who are you going to back -  the loser or Jesus the winner?

Come on, dust yourself down, hold your head up high and get back where you belong

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

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