Grace

"Then Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, “Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen:  17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it. 18 Now for a time of about forty years He put up with their ways in the wilderness"                       Acts 13:16-18  NKJV

If you read through Exodus, you can't fail to feel the agitation and anger of the Israelites. They moaned about not having proper food to eat, they grumbled about having to put up with the discomfort of the desert and even had the audacity to say it would have been better for them to remain in Egypt than put up with all of this disruption to their lives. Everything that Moses did was wrong. Yet through it all God was patient with them. Notice the phrase 'He put up with their ways' v18. This is one of the many blessings that are contained within the meaning of 'Grace.'

The Greek word used here in v18 for 'He put up with their ways' is Tropophoreo which means to 'Put up with; 'To bear with'. Other manuscripts read 'Cared for' which literally means 'Carried them as a nurse.' Paul emphasised God's great care for the Israelites in the wilderness. He used the expression here, 'He put up with' as a graphic portrayal of God's patience.

In the bible, the word Grace is defined as God's undeserved favour, which is given freely and cannot be earned. It is a gift that is part of God's character and nature, and is an essential part of the relationship between God and humanity. A great part of this Grace shows God freely giving us salvation because of our faith and belief in Jesus Christ, and this is the only way that we can can receive salvation.

Let us major in on this phrase 'He put up with their ways.'  This is what God does for us through Jesus Christ. Time after time, we let God down, we can almost say that it is daily. But as we repent and ask Jesus to forgive us, Jesus pleads with the Father on our behalf and we receive His love and forgiveness. There is no wagging of fingers towards us; no words such as, 'This is the last time, I'm warning you.' There is none of that. We do not have to feel guilty about what we have done wrong because, Jesus has taken it all away. We may suffer a little shame for what we have done but, when we have confessed our wrongdoing, it is done and dusted. Now that is Grace.

If you were God, could you put with people's ways? I think not because we don't have the type of patience that God has. Yes, He can be an angry God but, because of our relationship with Jesus, our sins are forgiven. This does not however, give us the right to go and do whatever we want to do. Not at all. What it means is that, because we are under Grace, the love and compassion of Jesus envelopes us.

Now when you think about this, seriously, we need to be so grateful for the love that Jesus has for all of us. He paid the price for our sin and gave us a chance in life when people were walking all over us. When we were down on the ground, depressed, drunk, unloved, rejected and without a true friend in the world, Jesus picked us up and carried us until we were strong enough to stand on our own feet. He is the one that threw His arms around us when everyone else walked by. And He is the one that offers you love, compassion and forgiveness when you mess up. What a friend we have in Jesus. Now that's something to sing about!

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 

Check it out

Stop being hasty

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than one who is perverse in his lips, and is a fool. And he sins who hastens with his feet. 2Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge.   Proverbs 19:1-2   NKJV

Let us look at five areas that may need to be addressed:

Dashing about  Rushing about will get us nowhere, except of course, to damage our health. It can also cause mistakes to be made and end up making a bodge job of things. 

Not thinking things through properly/hasty  God gave us a soul. This is made up of our Mind, Will and Emotions. We fail in certain ways because we fail to think things through properly. You may have done this at a certain time and may still be paying the price for it. Our will is a strong part of our make up and it needs keeping in line. Our mind does this as we think sensibly about what needs to be done. Our emotions will react to the decisions that we have made and this, can be positively or negatively.

Not seeking God first  Didn't Jesus tell us in Matthew 6:33 to 'Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.' He did and we have to pay attention to His directions because, to avoid this may bring us a lot of heartache.

Becoming frustrated with things and people  As we go forward like a bull in a china shop, we may become like this. When we are frustrated, mistakes are made by the dozen. It can lead some people to give up and walk away and relationships can be tested.

Speaking without thinking first  Be honest, how many times have you done this? Things around you are going wrong and your patience has reached its peak. This is the time when you may let rip with some unsavoury words - words that can be like a dagger to the heart. Once said, things are incredibly difficult to take back. You may apologise later but, even though you may be forgiven, the damage has been done and memories can be eternal for some.

So, after this short assessment, how have you done? Everybody is different but at least one of these areas describe you fairly well. They are 5 areas that crop up all the time in families, churches and marriages. In marriage, both partners may have the same problems and that may be a battlefield unless decisions are made to change this. And you know that the only one who can help you, is Jesus. He loves change - He loves to see the difference prayer can make in a marriage or any other area. We can never be perfect, not until we are with Jesus but, we can come pretty close because, Jesus is at work on this (Philippians 4:6). As we work alongside of Him, allowing Him to trim us into shape, He will help us to begin to deal  with such problems as we have above. 

Open yourself up to Jesus and allow Him to help you make some adjustments. It will be well worth it.

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 

Check it out

Seasons

"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bring forth its fruit in season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."  

                                                Psalm 1:3   NKJV 

With only a short time of summer left, we are nearing autumn, a time that offers beautiful leaf colours that eventually flutter to the ground. For them, the season is over, but not for the wildlife who gather them up for nesting and habitat purposes. A fallen leaf is so easy to crush. It no longer has its water supply, therefore, it may become brittle and break into pieces as it is crushed. This brings a benefit to many insects who gather the pieces up, possibly as an eating resource during the winter months.

Seasons come and go. For the tree, the most important part is the hidden root system that draws up water for the plant. In a similar way, the most important part of a believer's life is the spiritual root system that draws on the hidden resources we have in Jesus. To ignore this root, can lead to us becoming dry and brittle. We've probably all felt this way at times.

Seasons come and go for us too. One moment we can be in the flow of things and then, suddenly, we come down with a bump. It maybe because, within the church, we have been used on a regular basis - preaching, teaching, music, children's work etc. Then all of a sudden, nothing. This can hurt our feelings but it may not be because you are not wanted any longer. Rather like footballers are substituted within a match to give them a rest period and somebody else a chance to play, this may be where you are, at this moment. Try not to take it personally. Seasons come and go and yours may be over for a short time. Notice that I said, 'for a short time'. Obviously, if the period that you are inactive is longer than you anticipated, be brave and try to find out when you'll be allowed back on the pitch.

One thing that we must all do, is stay spiritually fit. We must take care that we are looking after our spiritual root system so that it doesn't become dry. Like the tree and other plants need watering and the right kind of plant food, then you are the same. You need to dust yourself down with the words of scripture on a regular basis. Whether you are being used in the church or not, you still need to keep spiritually fit. You never know when you are going to be called on to act for Jesus. If you are spiritually dry and brittle, you will be of no use to someone who is feeling the same way. That would be like that old anecdote about seeing a person on the edge of a cliff who is obviously going to jump off, and you running up to counsel him and then you both jump off. Joking aside, you need to keep yourself in trim. 

Are you open to the fact that God may be leading you into a new season in your life? Your time doing what you have been doing, may have come to an end and, God has pulled the plug on it. Now you need to see what amount of spiritual power He will be pouring into you for a new season. Just be open to this fact. It may not be now but, then again, it may be. Be ready; this is the type of excitement that Jesus puts us through from time to time. But whether He is leading you into a new season or not, be alert but also enjoy the R&R that He has provided for you. Remember though, He may have given you the rest to get you ready for something better. Wow!

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 

Check it out

Roll it over to the Lord

"Commit your works to the LORD and your thoughts will be established"  

                                                  Proverbs 16:3. NKJV 

The word here for 'Commit', is Hebrew which is galal. It means 'to roll down, roll away' Therefore, this can be translated as roll your burdens or your plans over to the Lord. The picture here is of a camel burdened by a very heavy load. When the camel reaches its destination and the load is to be removed, the camel kneels down, tilts far to one side and the load rolls off.

For us, as we hand our load to the Lord, this demonstrates that our will is in total submission to Him. Obviously, we don't have to roll over but as we commit our burden over to Him, who is able,  our thoughts and plans are achieved. Think about the load that the camel carries through the rough, hot and rather dangerous desert. With the heat of it all, the camel struggles but the relief at the end, as it rolls the load off, is amazing. 

The camel was created for this type of work, you were not. To carry the loads that you are carrying sometimes, is too much for you. Your load incorporates, heavy burdens with worry, concerns and tremendous fear. To add to this, you create for yourself sleepless nights which cause extreme stress and tiredness. There may be work problems which won't go away; complaints against you; people talking behind your back. Then there is your home life, fretting about bills, kids and a host of other things. 

Don't you think it is about time that you 'rolled' it over to the Lord. He is more capable than you are and a brilliant problem-solver. Put it this way, if you continue to carry all of this baggage about, you're on the highway to illness. The problems will still be there but, you won't even be  able to fix them; so submit.

Think about it, if you hang far too many clothes on your washing line, it may snap, and all your clean washing will be on the floor in the mud and dirt. Do you see the simple analogy? This could be you if you don't slow down. You could snap if you don't change things. Why not make yourself a cup of coffee or tea, get your bible and sit in a relaxing chair and talk to your friend Jesus. Roll it all over to Him. He knows you better than you know yourself and, you know that He has been wanting you to do this for some time. So do it.

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 

Check it out

Are you invited?

"For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness."  Psalm 84:10  NKJV

The doorkeeper would rather stand at the door of God's courts than fall to the temptations that the world has to offer. He sums it up really, he would sooner be standing at the door of God's Courts than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. You know, to the wicked - the people who refuse Jesus and consequently spend their life enjoying the pleasures that they chase after. To them it is wonderful, but really, they're spending their time in tents when they could be in a mansion. Food for thought.

What if we live the life of pleasure and ignore Jesus? How will it feel on the Day of Judgement when you realise that your name is not on the invitation? How will it feel to see your family and friends who know Jesus as their Lord, walking into the courts and you are turned away? What if it is the other way around and you are welcomed into the courts and your family and friends are turned away? Is it really worth the gamble?

This is not just a story written to scare people, it is fact. One day, and this may be soon, we will all stand before the Lord to give an account of our lives. If your name is written in the Book of Life, you are invited to walk into the kingdom. However, if it is not written in the book, you will be turned away, with no second chances. This is serious stuff!

There is more pleasure in being a doorkeeper at God's door than missing out on a life that you could never imagine how wonderful it will be. I would sooner sweep the M25 with a toothbrush than miss out on this. How do you feel about it? Do you know that there is no guilt in God's presence, none at all. Guilt comes from the devil who will do everything he knows to prevent you receiving an invitation from God to enter His kingdom. If you don't believe this, then he has done his job well in deceiving you. The thing is, you will be the one who misses out while every other Christian person enjoys eternity forever and ever,

If you know Jesus, that's great, you will be invited in, but what about your family, will they be? Don't you feel that you should speak to them? Even if you can't speak face to face, you can always text them. Try anything to get them saved. You will all be together then.

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 

Check it out

Have you seen Jesus?

15And while they were discussing and arguing, Jesus himself came near and began to walk along with them. 16But they were prevented from recognizing him. 17Then He asked them, “What is this dispute that you’re having with each other as you are walking? ” And they stopped walking and looked discouraged".  Luke 24:15-16   CSB

On Resurrection day, two of Jesus' believers were walking on the road to Emmas, discussing the events of the day. They just couldn't believe what they had heard. This shows that they had probably heard something of what would happen to Jesus, but had not believed it.

As the two walked on, they met the risen Jesus on their way to Emmaus, but they didn't recognise Him because they didn't believe what they had heard -  that the Messiah must suffer such things as written in the prophets. As they walked on, they still didn't recognise Jesus but, eventually, after discussing further at their home, their eyes were opened and Jesus vanished from their sight. On return to Jerusalem, they met with the disciples who confirmed what had happened. And Jesus then appeared again to them and stood there in their midst.

 Spurgeon on commenting about this scripture wrote: “When two saints are talking together, Jesus is very likely to come and make the third one in the company. Talk of him, and you will soon talk with him.” (Spurgeon). They were firmly saved.

Why were thy prevented from recognising Jesus? Because God had shielded their eyes from further truth for those who didn't know Jesus; for those who argue about Him and refuse to accept the truth. This confirms that these two men had an understanding of Jesus but, they didn't know Jesus in their heart. This leads to a very contentious area about many who attend church on a Sunday because it is the expected thing to do. Many of these do not know Jesus and possibly, don't want to either. They have an understanding of Him from Easter and Christmas events and stories but, that is as far as they go. I've been one of them in the past, before I came to know Jesus. When I first joined the army, we were ordered to go to church. I hated every minute of it. I never thought that further on in my life, I would be serving Him.

Hebrews 13:2 says: 'Don't neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.' What an amazing statement. It is possible that we may have done this at some point in our lives - entertained an angel. This could be that homeless person on the street that you gave some money to. That prisoner you visited or the person you helped across the road. What if we have met with Jesus somewhere and didn't recognise Him? You just don't know when you are walking in the Spirit.

One day, we will find out - the day we stand before Jesus and give an account of our life. Some people dread this day. But, if you have served Jesus to the best of your ability, there is nothing to fear. Even though you have made those mistakes, those bouts of sin. If you have repented of them, you can stand before Him with peace in your heart. One thing, this time, you will recognise Him!

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 

Check it out

God will take care of you!

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."                              Matthew 6:33   NKJV 

Fear unhooks us from faith and the supernatural. It puts us in bondage to the natural realm. Now, at this time, in the UK, we have an overwhelming natural realm to contend with: 

(A)  For pensioners, it is the Winter Fuel Allowance. (B)  Also for pensioners is the worry of the State Pension; is it going to be slashed? Is it going to be means-tested or taxed? (C)  With the rising economy, especially gas and electricity rises that are imminent; will people be able to afford to put their heating on? (D)  What about those who cannot afford to put the heating on? They may be cold and suffer hypothermia - old and young alike? (E)  Because of the added expense, how are some people going to be able to pay their rent, mortgage and other bills, not including their food and household shopping? There are benefits yes, but not everyone qualifies for these and not everyone is on Pension Credit anyway. People are living in fear and just don't know what to do.

Without turning this into a political debate; let's look at a way through this nightmare for many people. Unless the government backs down and stops this route of saving money and putting it into their pot, which at the moment is very doubtful; the only other way is to turn to God. Without people feeling that they are being railroaded into 'religion,' which is understandable, we as Sons and Daughters of the King of kings can help by pointing them to the only one that can solve these major problems. But first of all, many Christian people are also feeling the fear of it all and are wondering what will become of them. I offer you all I can at this time and, His name is Jesus.

We either believe the bible or we don't. If we believe the bible then, we believe in Jesus and know within our hearts that He says: 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me' John 14:6. And, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."  Matt 6:33. These are God's promises and benefits and, remember that God's benefits are never means-tested or taxed. Let's also remember that Paul wrote, 'And my God shall supply all your need, according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus'  Philippians 4:19. If you are putting Jesus first, you can rely on Jesus to fulfil His Word.

So if you, as a Person of God, believe that Jesus can never let you down and refuse to live in fear about what is or may happen, then you can be at peace in this fact and can help the people who do not know Jesus or do know Him but are struggling with things in this scary time. Encourage yourself and think of all Jesus did when He walked this earth. He healed many sick people, raised Lazarus and others from the dead, changed peoples lives forever and promises you, eternal life. Do you really think that this worrying time is too much for Him? Never, He is the King of kings, remember?

So stand tall in the armour of God and spread some good news to people who are desperate to hear it.

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 

Check it out