'One thing I know' Part 2

"8Therefore the neighbours and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”    John 9:8  NKJV

Let's look further at our study of the man born blind. Jesus met with this man and anointed his eyes with saliva and dirt to form a clay. Probably not the most ideal of remedies as far as we're concerned but Jesus had a plan, He always does. Some believe that this method of preparation  emphasised the man's blindness and our lost condition before we receive the touch of God. But this is only supposition. 

The Pool of Siloam was a reservoir in Jerusalem which had supplied water through to King Hezekiah's underground tunnel from a spring outside of the city 2 Kings 20:20. And to this pool, the blind man was sent to wash in the water. He went but he needed no help in returning, because he could see.

Now the lesson here is not the clay or the pool of Siloam having any special qualities or power, but, the man's obedience to Jesus. No task is insignificant if the Lord commands it; and let us not forget, that this blind man had never met Jesus before. He went totally on faith and trust. Jerry Vines says:

'We find a vivid parallel here with spiritual sight. When God's Spirit works in our hearts, for the very first time we see clearly the Father's love for us. We are no longer blinded to His grace being poured out all over our lives.'  Jerry Vines - The Vines Expository Bible

The change that Jesus makes in a person's life is amazing and people notice this. We may look the same but others see a difference and this is Jesus. People are looking for what we have even if they don't know it at that particular time. See what the people were saying about this man after he had washed in the pool:

8Therefore the neighbours and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?” 9Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.” 10Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” 11He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”12Then they said to him, “Where is He?”He said, “I do not know.”   John 9:8-12

'One thing I know' is, Jesus can make a huge difference in any person's life if they will only trust and follow 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'

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

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One thing I know. Part 1

"And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  John 9:2   NKJV

For the next few days or so, I want us to look at and pick the bones out of the episode of the  man born blind and people's interpretations of this. We don't know everything, although we can often feel that we do.

Assumption enters into the lives of the disciples again. They assumed that this man's sickness was the result of his parent’s sin. Which was not so. This may have come about by the fact that Jews connected suffering with sin. They worked on the assumption that wherever there was suffering, somewhere there was sin. Assumption is a troublemaker when it is used in the wrong manner. We can easily jump into a conversation with assumption and completely miss the real reason about something. Thankfully, Jesus explained that this man's physical blindness was not caused by someone's sin but, by a human defect and a human tragedy.

It is difficult to imagine what this man had suffered all of his life but, it is obvious that he had never been able to look into his mother's eyes as she nurtured him. As he became older, he was not able to go out and play with the other children or have the opportunity to work the fields with his dad. He had never seen the beautiful colours of flowers, or the skies at night or morning. It is hard to realise what it was like. The only job that he could do, was to beg, at least this gave him some money for his pocket each day.

Jesus mentioned another type of blindness - spiritual blindness of the heart. The disciples had displayed this type as they made assumptions of his blindness. Jesus mentioned the works of God in this situation in John 9:3: 

'Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.'

Somethings are meant to be for a reason, and for this man, he was to receive his sight along with eternal life. The timing needed to be right.

It's hard to imagine just how this man felt when for the first time in his life, he could see and put together the sound he had been used to with a view of seeing what he was hearing. God's heart must have been breaking as He looked down on this man whose life had changed for the better, knowing that he would never have to beg again and would also be added to Jesus' followers too.  God does beautiful things for us all and that is 'One thing I know'

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

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Are you Free?

"Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever."                                              

                                                                           John 8:34 - 35  NKJV

Jesus is speaking about being a slave to sin and the dangers of clinging onto your sinful life. Socrates said, 'How can you call a man free when his pleasures rule over him.' Let that statement sink in for a moment. We are all sinners saved by grace, if we know Jesus. And we all have the ability to commit sin. In fact, probably daily. This obviously is not ideal but, with Jesus we are a work in progress (Phil 1:6). However, when a person blatantly commits the same sin over and over again, then that person is hooked on what this sin is, in fact, a slave to this sin.

William Barclay comments here: 'Sometimes when we are rebuked for doing something wrong, or warned against such a thing, our answer is, "Surely I can do what I like with my own life".

The thing is that those who sin are not doing what they like, they are doing what sin likes'

                                                                         The Commentary to John, William Barclay 

A sinful habit is likely to get such a grip on each of us and it is hard to break. If we are not careful, we end up liking what we shouldn't. We become slaves to our habits. But, Jesus offers us freedom. He knows that we will never be perfect until we meet with Him face to face. But, we can come very close. We do this by realising that this particular sin is taking over us and we need help. Jesus is our help and He will certainly help us to be in control of ourselves. But it is never easy. Something you want badly, is never easy but it is well worth the effort.

BibleRef.com comments on the subject of slaves to sin according to Jesus' comments in v35:

'Slaves—from the Greek term doula--meaning a "bondservant"—were the equivalent of employees in the ancient world. They lived in the master's house, and had a certain kind of relationship with the master. However, they were not actually part of the master's family. Eventually, these bondservants would leave, or be dismissed. Only the actual children of the master had a permanent right to live in the home. The classic example of this is found in Genesis 21, where Ishmael, Abraham's son through the servant Hagar, is dismissed from the home; his son Isaac, through his wife, remains. This, according to Jesus, applies to our spiritual relationship to God'.

Therefore, let us all be careful; sin is dangerous and can lead to us being a slave to sin. Therefore, let us heed the warning signs and accept the freedom that Jesus offered to each one of us 'Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.' Yes, you may well commit the sin again but, when you have Jesus on your side, He can help you to be free pretty quickly. For some it may be instant, for others it may be a lifetime. Just trust Him and come to Him now:

Lord Jesus, I have become a slave to sin and I want to release this sin to You, because You promise to set us free. Lord in Jesus of Nazereth's name, I claim your freedom now. 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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Adultery - Guilty or Not Guilty?

"Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,  4they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  5Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”  John 8: 3-5  NKJV

Jesus was in the middle of a teaching session in the temple, when the Pharisees and the scribes brought a woman who they had found committing adultery, ''Teacher, this woman was  caught in adultery, in the very act' v4. Their intention was to trap Jesus because the law said that adultery was punishable by death. But where was the man? Adultery takes two people and this is what the law referred to in Leviticus 20:10 'The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbours wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.'

For the Pharisees to find the couple in the very act of adultery, would have been difficult, unless they had entered someone's property. Even then, it was unlikely. Was this a set up to trick Jesus? Had the man been paid off by the Pharisees to prove her guilt, and then disappeared? Just the fact that they said to Jesus, 'But what do you say' made it clear that they were trying to stitch Him up. The law said the adulterer should be stoned to death. It seemed very suspicious that there was no sign of the man. It was illegal for the Sanhedrin to execute anyone without Roman consent and then it would have been difficult to prove this case. However, Jesus was in a tricky position. If He were to disagree with Moses' Law, He would be seen to violate this. If He were to agree to stoning by death, by Roman law, He would be accused of violating His own teaching of love and forgiveness. He was in a no-win situation. This Lynch mob were out to get Him.

Jesus stooped down on the ground and began writing in the sand and dust. The tension for the Pharisees was tight. But, Jesus was totally at peace. They began questioning Him again and He stood up and said, 'He who is without sin among you, let Him throw a stone at her first.' v7 He then bent down and continued to write on the ground. We don't know what he wrote, but it certainly intimidated the accusers. With His statement, they left, convicted, one by one. When you consider this situation, the only one who would have been qualified to throw the first stone, would have been Jesus. 

Jesus looked at the woman and because the place was cleared except for the woman and Himself, He asked her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, 'No one Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.' V10 - 11

This is a wonderful conclusion and one in which, we see Jesus protecting His people. She didn't follow Him earlier, but, you can bet that she became a follower of Jesus from thereon. Just a thought here, Jesus did not go easy on the woman's sin. By His act of forgiveness for her, meant that one day soon, He would suffer for her sin on the cross, as He did for ours. This was a pre-crucifixation act.

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

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Living Water Part 2

“Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 

                                                                            John 4:29   NKJV

Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman about spirit and truth. Samaritans had plenty of spirit but lacked truth because they only read the Pentateuch. Therefore, they knew about the Messiah but lacked knowledge of Jesus. They were also unaware of the Spirit's role in worship. True worship involves the heart. It is not ceremony or religiousity, it comes from the heart towards Jesus.

Today, emphasis within the church is either on the Word or on the Spirit. Some churches choose to concentrate on the Word - preaching and teaching, which is excellent. Other churches concentrate on the Spiritual gifts more than on the Word, and this too is good. However, the thing is, if these were brought together - Word and Spirit or Word and Power, however you want to look at it, the churches would be alive with a growth rate that is amazing and healings and conversions each week that would blow their minds. Everyone worshipping God from their heart. The impact would be colossal - revival.

Here at the well that day, Jesus so impressed this woman, that she was converted practically on the spot. She raced back home, leaving her pot of water, to tell the village about her experience. This raises two observations (1) Because of her conversion, she just couldn't wait to tell others what she had seen - Jesus and how He had been so loving and warm towards her, totally different from any other man she had ever met. It usually happens that when someone is born again, that there is a need to tell as many people as you can about Him. Probably, you were like this when you were saved, you can't seem to stay quiet about your experience. This may have been where this lady was coming from. (2) She had been living a sinful life - 5 husbands and now a lover. What if she was known to many of the other men in the village. This could have promoted fear in their hearts that they would be found out. Sin can never be covered up for too long. It will always be revealed one way or another. This is why it is better to confess your wrong-doings, even if there is a great price to pay. It is far better than being caught out.

The Samaritan women became an evangelist - a gift she didn't realise she had. We don't know if she continued to tell people about Jesus. I would think that she did. Once you meet Jesus, you can't stop talking about Him. What about you? Does this stir up memories of your conversion? If you're not a Christian, does this make you want to be? If so, follow the directions below.  Once you have washed in Living Water, you, like this woman, will never be the same again.

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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Living Water. Part 1

"If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”   John 4:10   1-28

Because of pressure from the Pharisees, Jesus decides to go to Galilee. He goes through Samaria to reach there for two reasons. (1) geographically to save miles of walking (2) because He knows He needs to speak with this Samaritan woman. 

At the sixth hour (12 noon) with the sun burning down on Him, He stops at Jacob's Well, the well Jacob gave to his son, Joseph. Shortly afterwards, the Samaritan woman, He had determined to meet, turned up at the well to draw water. Now the disciples had gone in search of food and drink and, Jesus being thirsty asked the woman for a drink. Rather suspicious that He was speaking to her - an outcast, He notices this and Jesus gets her full attention by speaking about 'Living water'.

'If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, "Give Me a drink." you would have asked Him. and He would have given you Living water.' v10 

He later says to her:

'Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,' v13 'but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him, will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.'

Jesus presents Living water as a great illustration of regeneration into everlasting life. 

Straightaway, the woman asks for this Living water so that she doesn't have to keep coming out to the well. At this time, she has not grasped what Jesus is saying to her. Jesus tests her credibility by asking her to go and call her husband and bring him there as well. The woman is truthful and says that she has no husband. Jesus is pleased with her answer and tells her that He knows she has had 5 husbands and the man with her now is not her husband. She understands that He is a prophet and then starts opening up about how the Jewish people worship at the temple in Jerusalem, but Samaritans are not allowed. They have to worship up on the mountain (Mt Gerizim) where they have built a rival temple.

Jesus speaks to her about a time that is coming when worship will takes place, not on the mountain nor in Jerusalem, but in spirit and in truth. She tells Him that she knows that the Messiah is coming and He will tell them all things. Jesus tells her, 'I who speak to you am He.' v26.

Here, Jesus is introducing the woman to the fact that she has a spiritual thirst which needs to be satisfied. He can satisfy this. He has also shown her who He is and that He carries no racial prejudice and that she is welcome. In fact, He shows her His heart. and draws her to Himself.

Jesus has also gained your attention, He has drawn you to Him like water from the well. He has asked you to give Him a drink and you have, Now, He is leading to a deeper level of worship - in spirit and truth. Notice how, He has never looked down on you. Others may feel that you don't fit in with their life style. Don't worry, you fit in with Jesus and, that is all that matters. You are accepted.

See the second half 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

You are Jesus' Friend

"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you"                                                  John 15:15   NKJV

What a verse this is, chosen by Jesus to be His friend. Initially though, Jesus was talking to His disciples - He had chosen each of them, not the other way around. But from there, they were commissioned to bear fruit:

'You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you'. V16

Jesus chose His disciples and called them His friend; He sent them to bear fruit (make disciples, heal the sick etc.). From thereon, all of us who heard the word through evangelism or circumstance, became born again and were adopted into His family. Hence, we too are chosen and have become His friend. Therefore, the commission is on us to also bear fruit. 

We were chosen before we were born but, so was everyone else. At a certain point in our life, we asked Jesus to be our Saviour. Others didn't, there was a choice. It was not a case where we were chosen but others was not, such as the false interpretation of predestination is often argued. We all have a choice - Choose Jesus or don't choose Him. For those who choose Him, there is eternal life in heaven. For those who don't, there is eternal life in hell. Everyone has a choice.

The bottom line is that we are sinners. When we ask Jesus into our lives, He forgives us our sin but, we are still sinners - Redeemed Sinners. We have permission to approach the throne of grace:

'Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.'  Heb 4:16.

 We become Jesus' friend and ambassador and therefore we become His partner in the gospel. Now, when you consider where you have come from to the position you hold now in Team Jesus, you have come far. 

Have you realised what a privilege you have. Chosen by Jesus to be His friend, partner, ambassador and representatives. It is amazing that, the Jesus we read about in the bible, wanted to live in our hearts, eternally. Wow!

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