Make a joyful shout to the LORD

"Shout with joy to the LORD, all the earth! 2Worship the LORD with gladness. Come before Him, singing with joy. 3Acknowledge that the LORD is God! He made us, and we are His. We are His people, the sheep of His pasture. 4Enter His gates with thanksgiving; go into His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. 5For the LORD is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and His faithfulness continues to each generation"  Psalm 100  NLT

The Psalmist encourages us to give a shout of joy to the Lord. Why is this? Because it allows us to vent our feeling towards Him. Can you remember Mel Gibson in Braveheart shouting 'FREEDOM' in the movie. He was declaring what he wanted to happen, their freedom. This part of the movie affected many people and it stirred them up; and this is what will happen to you as you do it.  When we shout, as I've mentioned, we vent our feelings and release all of the pent up feeling of stress, frustration and despair, It is good for the soul.

And when we praise God and worship Him from the heart, we almost burst with the energy and power of the Holy Spirit. We know that joy is good for the soul. We also know that it provides strength for our spirit. Jesus loves us to do this because, He loves to see His children - His warriors exercising their victory. It also totally diminishes the devil and he runs away because of this sound.

When the Psalmist writes 'Come before him, singing with joy', he is predicting what the writer of Hebrews wrote in Chapter 4:16 'So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. We certainly receive freedom at His throne of grace!

We are His sheep and this means that we are protected, directed and provided with all He has for us. If we stray, He comes and finds us. If we have fell into a deep hole, He rescues us with His crook. If we are being attacked, He will use His rod to drive the enemy away. And we follow Him because, we have found no one like Him. There is none that can give us the love, peace and joy that He wants to offer us on a daily basis. 

Just think, we may have just sinned but, as we repent and tell Him we are sorry, we can hold our heads up high and enter His courts with praise. As we bestow on Him our gratitude, our thanks and our worship and praise, He takes our hands in His and smiles, the finest smile you have ever seen. 

His love is, unfailing; it is faithful and it is eternal. Can we shout Amen to the King of kings. Amen!

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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Brokenhearted and Crushed

"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed."   

                                                                            Psalm 34:18  NLT 

Today, you may feel brokenhearted and crushed by life, a broken relationship, loss of someone close to you or suffering because circumstances have attacked you and thrown you to the floor like some rag doll. Now is not the time to turn away from God because you feel that He has let you down. He hasn't, but you may argue that He did nothing to rescue from all of this.

 

Read the scripture above again:"The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed." We often wish that we could escape life's troubles and problems. Sadly, these things happen to everyone, saved or unsaved, and somehow we have to find a way through it all. God promises to be close to the brokenhearted. In other words, He promises to be the source of power, courage and wisdom, helping us to come to terms with the hurt. 

Yes at times, He chooses to deliver us from these problems but things such as a death in the family cannot be avoided, sadly this is life. But what He does promise is that He will be with us and wrap His arms around us as if we're in cotton wool, until the pain has gone. Verse 17 says, 

'The LORD hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.' This is not the time to become frustrated with God because all of this pain has come upon you. This is the time to move towards Him, admitting to Him that you need His help and thanking Him for responding to you. Encourage yourself with this scripture:

'Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2This 

I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him. 3For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. 4He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armour and protection'.  Psalm 91:1-4  NLT

He is your Daddy. What daddy wouldn't do anything to protect his children? He loves you and hurts when you hurt. Move nearer to Him right now and allow Him to put His arms around you. Whatever you face today, Jesus will face it with you and, that is a promise.

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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Purpose and Persistence

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.  8For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.  9And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart".  Galatians 6:7-9  NKJV

God calls us to give - of our time, our life and of our money if required. The gifts we offer, under God's direction, are not to be confused with giving a great amount of money to a hurting world. That action is good, but if God is not in this and, an unbeliever has taken this upon themselves to do this, it is called works or good deeds. No one gets to heaven by works alone; without Jesus, these works mean nothing at the end of the day. If God directs a Christian to do this, it brings glory to Jesus, not to someone who has given to bring glory to themselves. This is the difference, as we give, we plant a seed and over time, we receive a harvest. This is called the Law of the Harvest.

When we sow a good seed, we will reap a good harvest. However, a bad seed will produce a bad harvest. We should be careful with our time and money and be directed, by God, to where He wants us to sow this seed. We must realise that we don't give to receive but, when we do give (sow), we can expect Jesus to give us a harvest from this in due time. What Paul is saying here is, don't become discouraged, or grow weary during the growing period. Seeds take time and can never be rushed. The harvest will come, we just have to be patient.

Over the years, there has been a lot of confusion and controversy over giving money to TV evangelists and certain organisations. Some people have been drawn into this and paid a lot of money into these ministries. Don't get me wrong, many of them are genuine and bring Glory to Jesus. However, before you give anything, check it out with Jesus first. There can be confusion in asking another Christian because, they have different opinions. If you haven't peace over the situation, then avoid it. Remember, sowing a seed is an investment into God's kingdom and this is why there is always a harvest from it. You may not receive the same back as you sowed - money for money. However, you will receive blessing and peace.

So, never grow weary while doing good and never become discouraged, your harvest will come in whatever way God chooses. Have a purpose and a persistence in your sowing into the kingdom and God will never let you down.

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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With God, it's never too late

"Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.  22But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”  John 11:21-23. NKJV

Lazarus had died and when Jesus heard about this, Mary and Martha thought that He would come to them straightaway. He didn't. He finally went four days after Lazarus had died, and raised him from the dead.

There's a lesson here. Jesus doesn't always respond the way we would like Him to. He tells us to call upon Him but, it can seem ages before He appears to respond. The thing is, with Jesus, it is never too late. Whereas, in the natural, Lazarus had died and been placed in his tomb, it appeared to be over. But with Jesus, we live in the supernatural, and although Jesus doesn't appear to respond to our call, He does, but we can't see what is happening as He prepares for what we have asked Him to do. But He is never too late, always right on time.

Possibly, there have been times in your life when you could echo Martha's plea, 'Lord, if you had been here.' It may have been a frustrating time, one in which you have never received the answer to why He didn't respond. Perhaps, because of the circumstance of your pleas to Him, you were not listening properly, and you may have missed His word to you. There was and is an answer to this and one day you will know for sure. So probably, it is time to move on.

It is never too late with Jesus. You may have felt the call of God in the past but, ignored it for many reasons. It's never too late; why not talk to Jesus about this and ask Him to forgive you for not responding to Him. We always want Him to respond to us, but how many times do we not respond to Him. It works both ways. The thing is, as we repent, He becomes the God of another chance. It's never too late with Him.

There may have been things you wish you had done in your life. With God, nothing is impossible and He can re-ignite a dream, so why not ask Him. Perhaps you had always wanted to go to a particular place but, through one thing or another, you were prevented. Talk to God about this. If it is plausible, may be He can help. 

Whatever you have ticking away in your mind at this time, it is never too late while you are here on Planet Earth. You are still alive and, no matter what age you are and how many grey hairs you may have, God can make it happen. You may have missed it last time you had the opportunity but, God knows your heart and He can turn the impossible into possible. Unlike Martha, who wished Jesus had 'been here', He is here with you, so talk to Him about any guilt or regret about what you wished had happened in the past. It is never too late!

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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The Rich Young Ruler

"Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” v21 of Matthew 19:16-22.  NKJV

One day, a rich, young ruler came to Jesus asking Him what good deed he could do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told the young man to keep the commandments, to which he replied that he had done this since his youth. Jesus knew that this would have been an impossible task; the law was too difficult to keep, and yet, he was claiming that he had kept them all this time. Jesus could see that the man had not kept the commandments - they were impossible, but he had made a god of his wealth, not honouring the first commandment Exodus 20:3. He was wealthy but his neighbours were poor and in need.

Jesus knew this man's heart and could see his selfishness, He therefore said to him, 'If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow Me.'  v21. This verse does not teach salvation by works. Rather Jesus was proving the error of the man's claims to have fulfilled God's law (v20). If the young man loved his neighbour to the extent required by the law of Moses (v19) he would have had no difficulty in giving away his wealth to a needy person. No one, as rich as they may be, can buy their way into heaven because of their good deeds. There will be some shocks when some stand before God at the end of the day and He asks, 'Why should I allow you into my heaven?' It will not work to tell Him that you gave millions to the starving people of the world along with a host of good deeds. There is only one way one can be allowed into heaven, and that is to have Jesus as your Lord and Saviour 'I'm the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.' John 14:6. If you never knew this, realise it today before it is too late. We get into heaven by grace, not by works Ephesians 2:8.

To add to this, no one, except Jesus, is perfect in the kingdom of God. Perfectionism is rooted in fear, so when the so-called perfectionist attempts to be perfect, he becomes to fearful when he can't reach this position. No one can spin the plates and keep them running for very long.

So, let us forget trying to be perfect for Jesus. He knows we can never do it. This is why He rescued us by dying on the cross for our sins. Be yourself, but never stop trying to fulfil God's will. He will be right there to help you.

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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The Priceless Pearl

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

                                                                     Matthew 13:44-46   NKJV

The parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price both stress the amazing value of the kingdom. From one point of view, it is expected that a person should be willing to part with everything in order to buy and possess the kingdom by following Jesus. In contrast, it shows us that Jesus is the purchaser who gave His all to secure the kingdom and to give us eternal life. Notice I said 'should be willing'. It is not compulsory, Jesus wants us to have wealth. However, it must not take His place.

One thing's for sure; it is all or nothing in the kingdom of God, there are no short cuts or compromises. Take for example the account of the rich, young ruler who asked how he could obtain eternal life. Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”22But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. When discussing this further with His disciples later, Jesus said:

“Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.24And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”25When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”26But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”27Then Peter answered and said to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You. Therefore what shall we have?”28So Jesus said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  29And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.30But many who are first will be last, and the last first.  Matthew 19:23-30

Jesus wants us to be happy and wealthy. He has no problem with that. However, our riches must come second to Him. He must be pre-eminent in all we do, say and how we live. And when you consider that He values and classes us to be priceless pearls, as we give Him the same value in our lives, we will truly shine for Jesus.

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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Whatever He says to you, do it!

"Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

                                                                         John 2:4-5   NKJV

Jesus and His mother, Mary, went to a wedding in Cana. This could well have been a family celebration. Halfway through the celebration, the wine ran out. This would have been a humiliating situation for the bride and groom because some wedding feasts could go on for days. Just the fact that Mary turned to Jesus to tell Him the wine had ran out, suggests that this may well have been a family concern. Jesus' response was that His time had not come yet and appears to have been a refusal to become involved. However, Mary recognised something in Jesus that told her He would respond and help. This is why she spoke to the servants with, 'Whatever He says to you, do it.'  There is nothing to suggest that Mary wanted to rush Jesus' ministry, it was just the fact that, she felt obliged to help her family and therefore she asked her son for assistance. Jesus is always willing to help, especially in times such as this. It is not only the serious things of life that we can call out to Him, but the everyday matters and Jesus' response here confirms this.

As Jesus gets to work directing the servants what to do. He tells them to fill the six large pots of stone with water. It must have seemed a strange thing to do but, there is no indication that the servants had made a comment about this. As they tasted the wine, to their amazement it was the finest of wines. This is amazing but, so is the volume of wine that was produced, The six pots would have contained 180 gallon of wine which if one equates this to pint bottles = 1440 and expected 3 glasses from each bottle this must have been to the equivalent of 4320 glasses of wine. Amazing. If you are having a wedding or party, Jesus must be your number one guest.

This really confirms that what we give to Jesus - the empty jars, He will give you back more than you will ever need. With Jesus, there is always the feeling that the best is yet to come. This is why life with Him is always exciting. We never know what He is going to do for us. He can do what we ask, we just need to be obedient and trust Him. 

When you find yourself in a problem, the first thing to do is, call on Him. This is so important. When this is done, there is mostly the waiting time, but not always, He can act in a flash if this is what is needed. But mostly, there is a wait. This is not because He wants to make us wait. We don't know that He has to do to bring the answer to our request. There may be some preparation that needs His attention before He answers. So trust Him and be patient. And remember, 'Whatever He says to you, 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