Today is the day.

"See, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation"  2 Corinthians 6:2  CSB

Today is the day! That's right - today. It is the only day you've got. Yesterday has gone and tomorrow may not come for you or anyone else. We have today. Do you put things off until tomorrow? Sorry for this depressing thought but, you may not have tomorrow. Many people who were alive yesterday are not today. We have to make the best of what we have got, while we still have it. It is true and we can't pretend that things are any different. 

How many times does your family ask if they can do a particular thing today but, you’re too busy and tell them, 'We'll do that tomorrow.' When tomorrow comes, you either forget, are more busier than you were yesterday or, as mentioned earlier, you are no longer around. Don't put things off; they are precious times; memories are made of these times.

Back in the 50's - 70's, we had a saying, 'They're our Sunday best.' Clothes or shoes that were bought for us, we classed as our best clothes and we played around in our old tatty usuals. When we came home from school, we changed out of our uniforms and put our play clothes on.  

For many, that saying has carried forward and we still have that, 'They're for Best' mentality. We buy clothes and then put them away in the wardrobe because we want to save them for best - we don't want to ruin them. Some people recycle these clothes because they have never worn them after a year or so. What a waste; you could have enjoyed them. Listen, there is no best, the best is now; set yourself free and enjoy wearing these new shoes and clothes. The only time best may be important is, when you have special wedding clothes. So at other times, enjoy your clothes. It's the same with any household tools or appliances, some say, 'I don't want to use that/them, because it'll get dirty; There's still life in the old one.'

Listen, God wants us to live for today. Life can be so short here on Planet Earth. For Christians, when we die, we carry on with eternal life in heaven. But family or friends want to enjoy you now. God created you and from thereon. you have asked Jesus into your life. You are living in 'Now' time and He wants you to enjoy what you have got. 

Don't save things for best, use them for best right now. Live for today and enjoy every moment. Get the best out of your life that you can. The only real best to look forward to, is when you meet Jesus face to face. Now, that may be scary for those who have refused to accept Him as Lord. They will have life eternal in the lake of fire. But for those who know Him and have accepted Him as Lord, will have the best - eternal life in heaven. Now make that your best thought! But until then, enjoy what God has given you and be grateful. Today is the day!

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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

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An opportunity to ask Jesus into your life

"The wicked are not like this; instead they are like chaff that the wind blows away."    

                                                                                          Psalm 1:4-6  CSB

Wherever there is a good side, there is always a not so good side and we read about this in these three verse.

As Christians, we have asked Jesus into our hearts and He has come and forgiven our sin as we have repented. Sadly, there are many people who still have not heard about Jesus and, this is why men and women of God are going around the world preaching about Jesus. There are many people who flatly refuse to accept Jesus as their Lord and, these are the one's the Psalmist is referring to.

As swiftly as the Word enters their minds, they turn it away. Actually, Satan does this because he doesn't want people saved. Therefore, he steals the Word away. The Psalmist describes these people as chaff, which is so light, it is easily blown away in the wind. Chaff is the light shell around the kernel of grain. It must be stripped away before grinding of the grain into flour begins.

The people referred to as chaff, are the 'wicked' or 'sinners'. They are described as unstable in their ways, very much the opposite of the people who accept Jesus. Many have no staying power and are whisked away like chaff, as soon as they begin to show an interest in Jesus.

Spurgeon comments on chaff: 'Intrinsically worthless, dead, unserviceable, without substance and easily carried away.' Tough words indeed but, aptly described. Dr David Jeremiah comments further on verse 5 and standing up in the judgement: 

'To stand up in the judgement v5, is a desired outcome here, a symbol of divine approval. The assembly of the righteous, refers to God's people - those whose faith is reflected by their delight in God's Word (1:2) and who live according to it. In the day of judgement, they will not be left standing  with those who love God and strive to obey Him; they will be separated and sentenced to eternal punishment'.                                                         Dr David Jeremiah

It is therefore, so very important that people know about Jesus and have the opportunity to accept Him as Lord. Why not send this commentary to someone you know, who needs Jesus:

'Lord Jesus Christ, I give my life to You today. Please forgive my sins and fill me with You Holy Spirit and, be my Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Bring them into the kingdom

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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My Forever Friend

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow."   Hebrews 13:8  CSB 

This is a most encouraging verse. Even though there was all of the hostility and arguments around in Jesus' time on earth, He never changed, not one bit. And now, 2000 years or so later, He is still the same. He is still the same Jesus that the disciples came to know, and, He is still the same Jesus that you came to know when you were saved.

The well- known Christian singer/song writer Charlie Landsborough wrote the lovely  

"My Forever Friend"

Chorus

'He's my forever friend, 

my leave-me-never friend, 

From darkest night to rainbows end, 

He's my forever friend.

If you've never heard this song, It will be encouraging for you to seek it out. He has made numerous albums. This sums up, for me, the realisation that Jesus is always there for me and, He never changes. All through the ages He has always been the same. We change but He never does. He is steadfast, loyal and dependable. His constant love and support are ongoing and even in your darkest of moments, He is there, right with you. It's almost like He would give you a hug and say, 'It's going to be all right, I'm here with you and I'll never leave you.' 

There is no love to match what He offers us and, when we allow Him to enter right into our lives, the difference He makes is amazing. Yes, we still have bad days. It's called being normal; the difference is, Jesus is right there with us. There is no small print to read, no buttons to press with someone saying, 'Your call is important to us.' Not at all. We don't have to call Him because He is always with us, unless of course, we have moved away from Him, and we do this quite often.

You may wake up in a bad mood; He doesn't because He doesn't sleep, He is too busy watching over you. You may grumble and moan, rant and rave at other motorists on the road. Jesus sits there beside you and says, 'Be anxious for nothing.' He offers you peace and tranquility; not anxiety. We get ourselves into all types of problems and upsets just because we like to take control. Jesus is there with you. Let Him be your guide and peacemaker.

Friends let you down, He doesn't. Friends can hurt you bitterly, He would never do this. Friends are not always available to help. Jesus is, why:

Because, He is your Forever Friend

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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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Forgiveness

14“For if you forgive others their offences, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15But if you don’t forgive others,  your Father will not forgive your offences."

                                                                     Matthew 6:14-15  CSB

God is not pleased when we refuse to forgive other people their sins against us and yet, expect to receive forgiveness from Him. Let us not forget, that He died on a cross for each one of us - to cancel our sins and give us the hope of eternal life. By giving Jesus our lives and receiving Him into our hearts, we are then committed to obeying His will.

Holding un-forgiveness in our hearts is not good for us; it leads to bitterness and the only places that bitterness can dwell is in our hearts and memory. The only power it can have over us, is the power we  give it. Think about that.

We give bitterness and bad memories the power to disable us. Some days, it is all we think about. Other days, we are ok but, the memory is still within us - that root of bitterness and certain things we encounter can be reignited and brought back to life. Ask yourself: 

Is this the best for us? Is this what God wants? Are we in error? Read v15 again: 'But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offences.' Now, that is a disturbing thought.

When we fail to forgive someone, we are carrying sin around with us; and this means we are not in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Sin is blocking the way. This is a bad situation to be in. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11: 

10Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven — if I have forgiven anything — it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ, 11so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes. We have to be careful that we don't open the door to Satan. He is only too willing for you to let him into a situation and, refusing to forgive someone, he will have a heyday with. In just a very short time, if you're not careful, he will have caused chaos and division. He has done this with numerous churches and Christian people throughout the world. Don't give him the chance. Whatever it is - Forgive!

Just remember, when we forgive, Jesus forgives us too and that means all of the inner things that no one knows about, that go on in our life.

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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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Sharpen your skills

7"Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded".  James 4:7-8   CSB

How should we respond when we realise that we have been living a selfish existence - The 'M' Factor? Well, you'll soon know about this when you don't appear to be getting anywhere with your daily time with Jesus. The 'M' Factor is when you are praying: 'Please let me have this Lord' and 'I want it now Lord, I can't wait a moment longer.’ God's response to this type of prayer is - Zilch, you get nothing. James says, 'You ask and don't receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.' James 4:3

When we have been acting in this way, we must realise that we have been very selfish, just looking after our own desires and requests. Therefore we need to repent. We do it this way:

Submit to God  Remember that God resists the proud but, gives grace to the humble (v6), so this is the place to start. We need to recognise our weaknesses, stop fighting and wanting everything we see like a spoiled child and surrender to Jesus. 

Resist the devil  Don't ever doubt that the devil is much stronger that we are and, smarter too. Let's face it, he has years of practice and he won't stop trying to get you to keep on acting in a selfish manner. The only way he can be stopped, is to quote relevant scriptures to him, like Jesus did when he was in the wilderness. When we proclaim this, he runs away but, know that he will return at some unexpected time so, be on your guard (1 Peter 5:8-9).

Draw near to God  This means to come into His presence with prayer, praise and repentance. This, however, must be a daily occurrence, not just once a week on a Sunday.

Note something that can be easily missed; as we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. He doesn't require talking round by trying to win Him over. He is not like a human being. He is a forgiving and loving God, one in which as we go to Him, He comes to us, perhaps with arms extended and will wrap them around us when we reach Him. He is the Almighty God - El Shaddai and even though He has many followers all over the world, He still has quality time for you.

Isn't it about time that you realise just how much Jesus cares for you? He wants you secure in this fact; strong in this fact and rock solid in this fact. His arms were wide open on the cross and, they are still wide open every time He thinks of you. Savour this thought.. 

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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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Hard Heartedness

"So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses."                                                    Exodus 9:35      NKJV

To the Hebrew, the heart was the centre of one's existence, including emotions, wisdom and skill. A person acts and speaks from the heart, so we should guard it carefully. (Matthew 15:18-19. So the heart of Pharaoh was hard, he wouldn't let the children of Israel go as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

Hard-Heartedness, is a symbolic expression for rebellion or a stubborn and unyielding spirit. David Guzik comments:

'Hardening the heart against God is sin; failing to repent when God graciously answers our plea, is to ignore His rich mercy. To ignore His rich mercy, is to sin yet more.'
                                                                                         Copyright 2018 David Guzik

Hardness of heart has its root in many areas. One of these is when a person has been hurt so deeply that they find it difficult to accept it - even to make sense of it. They may have trusted someone deeply and then, had the wind knocked out of their sails by being trodden all over by this particular person. Yes this hurts, but the hard-hearted one is the one who is suffering, not the person who supposedly caused it. Bitterness can begin to settle within the heart and it can cause arguments within families; bad feeling towards church members or whoever else.
One particular cause was addressed by Jesus. He taught about the parable of the Sower and said in Mark 4:16-17:

'These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness.; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulations or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately they stumble.'

Basically, what Jesus was saying is that they have no depth. They have not placed the Word of God deep enough within their heart. Therefore, when trouble, designed to hurt and maim comes their way, instead of handling the situation God's way, they internalise it and become bitter and hard-hearted.
This may be where you are at this time. You may be like a bear with a sore head over things that have happened to you. This doesn't mean that you can lose your salvation - not at all. God is not like that. However, He does want it sorting out and the best way to do it, is to talk to Him and let Him do a little Spiritual surgery on you.
Just think, the only one who is hurting through this, is yourself and the people who are close to you. The one that hurt you, doesn't know about it, unless you have told them. For peace of mind and for your own self-preservation, don't you owe it to yourself to give it to God and be set free? You'll feel a lot better.

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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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Can you offer encouragement to someone?

"Anxiety in the heart of man, causes depression. But a good word makes it glad."   

                                                                           Proverbs 12:25. NKJV

At some time in our life, we may be prone to depression. The weight and the pressures of life can leave us in despair. Usually for many, it is short lived as something comes along that changes our mood for the better. Some people however, are not built that way and, can plummet to the depths of darkness. This is the world of depression, anxiety and PTSD and at the time, there appears no way out of it. Some people have to go on long term medication and in extreme cases, some have too be hospitalised. 

Bibleref.com puts it this way: 'Jesus warned against anxiety. He said, "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear'" (Matthew 6:31). He offered words of encouragement by saying, "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). The apostle Paul, too, warned against anxiety and told his readers to pray about everything with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6). He promised that anxiety would cease and God's peace would guard the heart and mind (Philippians 4:7). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit has come alongside believers to encourage us in our walk with the Lord. Jesus called Him the Helper who would be with us forever (John 14:16). When we are tempted to worry, the Helper brings Scriptures to mind that assure us of God's presence and provision'.

Our text above, encourages us to speak a good or kind word to whoever we know are in a depressed state. A word in season can lift someone out of the darkness and just show them that someone cares for them or, understands what they may be going through. To understand this, one has to get into a person's internal frame of reference, or sit in someone's shoes and know how it feels. This of course is not always possible but, using empathy - by listening to them and feeding back a little of what they have said, can help show the person that you are truly listening to them. We are often tempted to believe that the person who is depressed, is play-acting. This is so wrong to think this. Yes, it can be used for a form of getting attention but, we are not called to judge and, they genuinely may need help.

Who do you know who could do with an encouraging telephone call, or if appropriate, a visit?They may suffer long term mental health problems such as depression but then again, it may be caused by extreme worry and anxiety brought on by a heavy load of problems that are weighing the person down and, blocking the way of freedom. You may be just the tonic that they need. On the other hand, they may tell you that they are ok and block all of your attempts to help them. That is ok; you've at least tried and you have also touched base with them for the future when, they may be more accepting of your help and encouragement. 

A word of warning, don't try too change them, just listen. You are not there to be their counsellor, just someone who wants to offer encouragement and help if they need it. If you can think of someone who could do with encouragement, why not contact them!

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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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