Put your trust in Jesus - Final part - You have a future

"Watch the blameless and observe the upright,  for the person of peace will have a future."                            Psalm 37:37  CSB

The word 'peace' in this context means, 'everything as it ought to be.' You are a person of peace because the Prince of Peace dwells within you:

"For a child will be born for us, a Son will be given to us,  and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselour,  Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace".   Isaiah 9:6  CSB

We probably only hear this verse quoted around the Christmas period and that is sad because Jesus is all these things to us each and everyday. Here we read the Prince of Peace, the Prince of everything as it ought to be. You and I belong to Him and therefore, we have a future - He is our future. Without Him we have nothing (John 15:5). We have a future as long as we remain within the Prince of Peace and allow Him to remain in us. When we do, we have everything as it ought to be.

Take note of the first words of this verse: 'Watch the blameless and observe the upright.' This is proof that people observe us. As I say many times, we are the bible to them. They take note of our conduct. Occasionally, someone may say they wish they could handle things as we do. What they notice is not us, in fact, but the Prince of Peace within us - Jesus Himself. They are also quick to mention things when our behaviour doesn't live up to what we profess. We are the bible to them and whether they honour God themselves or not, what they see in us, should always point to Jesus.

So, for a time, we have come to an end of our study on Psalm 37. I hope that you have picked up on a few things that you can incorporate in your walk with Him. Remember, you can trust Him to take care of all your needs. You have a future with Him beside you and one day, that future will take on its full meaning when you are with Him in heaven. Until then, keep Him close to 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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Put your trust in Jesus 3 - He'll take care of it all

“The little that the righteous person has is better than the abundance of many wicked people. 17For the arms of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord supports the righteous.18The Lord watches over the blameless all their days, and their inheritance will last forever. 19They will 

not be disgraced in times of adversity; they will be satisfied in days of hunger.    Psalm 37:16-19.  CSB

No matter how much the wicked will acquire, it will eventually lead them to being broken and destroyed. But no matter how little the righteous have, the Lord will support them and watch over their lives; and this will be forever. They will receive blessing from Him, this may be while they are here on earth but, much more when they enter heaven. He will lift us if we 

fall and hold us up and, He will be a blessing to us, so in turn, we may be a blessing to others.

So as David says in verse 16, it is far better to be in want than to have everything, and miss out on eternal life. There are many rich people in this world today but, not one of them can hold on to their 

riches when they die; it will go to others. If that person knows Jesus as their Lord and has been a blessing in their earthly life, to others, he will receive blessings in heaven. If not, they will stand before Jesus on Judgement day and receive what is owing to them.

Do you know, nothing is certain in this life. Most of the USA  this past week, thought that Kamala Harris would become their leader; However, she was trumped that day. Nothing in this life is certain, except Jesus and eternity. He is our hope in times 

of trouble; ~ He is our escape when we feel trapped and He is our comforter when we have become hurt. In fact, He is everything that is good, to us. He also watches over us wherever we are.

We have an inheritance. Our insurance premiums are fully paid up and eternity is guaranteed for us because, our deposit has been paid. Jesus did this on the cross that day. All the more why we should live the way He wants us to. One day we will see Him face to face; that is a wowser to start with. We will also see the men and women of God that we have read about, Moses, David. Peter, Mary and a host of others. Imagine if you are musical, you will be able to jam with David and his band - another wowser.

But until then, He will satisfy us and help us to hold our heads up high. That's the best wowser of all.

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

Put your trust in Jesus 2 - Submission to Him

 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act, 6making your righteousness shine like the dawn, your justice like the noonday.7Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for Him; do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way, by the person who carries out evil plans. 8Refrain from anger and give up your rage; do not be agitated — it can only bring harm. 9For evildoers will be destroyed, but those who put their hope in the Lord will inherit the land.  Psalm 37:5-9. CSB

Let's continue with our study of Psalm 37. Today it covers verses 5 - 9

'You can expect God's movement in your life when your thinking and desires match His. He desires to bless you more than you want to be blessed'. Tony Evans

Many times throughout your life, it may feel that everyone else is succeeding and you're not. Others receive blessing after blessing and you are left out. When it's like this, you can be tempted to complain within yourself and get into a mood because, what you feel you deserve, you don't get, yet others, who you believe don't deserve it are being blessed daily. You need to be careful here because, you are not to judge and moaning and groaning about someone's fortune and success is judging. 

Verse 7 tells us to be silent and not become agitated by it all. Someone may be prospering when you aren't but, what is that to do with you? It's almost like God says, 'Mind your own business.'

Verse 8 continues with refrain from anger and even rage. If you have been like this over something, you need to repent and put it right with God and allow God to work on your behalf.

When you do things God's way, He has a habit of changing things for the better. First of all, God tells you to commit it all to Him - to roll it over into His corner and, this includes trusting Him with all you have. When you do this, He will act, not until. He will bring justice out of what seems unfair. All you need to do is be silent. You may find that difficult; especially if you're fiery by nature. But, it is essential. The next thing is to wait expectantly and again, this can be difficult if you are not a patient person. But it must be done.

Don't allow these things to wind you up; don't respond badly to things that you can't change. It only makes a person more agitated. Wait  expectantly. Remember, those who put their hope in the Lord,

 will inherit the land v9, and this includes you, because you're a winner!

More tomorrow

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

Put your trust in Jesus

"Trust in the Lord and do what is good; dwell in the land and live securely. 4Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you your heart’s desires".   Psalm 37:3-4  CSB

Over the next few days, let us look at Psalm 37. Today we will start at v3-4.

Don't ever doubt the Lord

In this day of fast living - fast foods, fast cars and fast decisions, it is so easy to doubt God; that He has not come up with the promises He made to you. Don't ever go down that track, it breaks God's heart that you may feel that. There is no need to ever doubt Him. What He tells you is true and will happen. The thing is He doesn't really tell us when. This is because, God is careful; He wants everything prepared for you, so that there are no mistakes. 

Don't ever feel that He has favourites

This can never happen with God. He has no favourites. Check out what Romans 2:11 CSB says 

'For there is no favouritism with God.' He treats us all the same, He has no special people. Jacob did, he caused jealousy within his family for treating Joseph better than his brothers. He even gave him a special coat. This caused bad feeling and his brothers thought of killing him, but later changed their minds and sold him into slavery in Egypt. God is not like that. You may see people far wealthier that you may be; but they may have had better chances in life or made better decisions. God though, has no favourites.

Don't ever think He has forgotten you

This would be impossible for God. He thinks about you every day that He creates and is totally committed to you.

He just wants you to continue to serve Him by, allowing people to see the difference in you - your witness and testimony. Remember that, you are the bible to them. You notice this when there is some terrible disaster somewhere and straightaway, they question you about why does God allow such things. Keep showing them the love of God, there is no need to dream up answers that will defend God. He doesn't need defending.

Just be secure in Him because, He will never let you down. He's right there beside you. So delight in Him and as you do, He will give you your heart's desire; not a Lottery win though, but what He knows you would really like; something that would change your life for the better. Therefore, trust Him and delight in Him and feel honoured that you are His son or daughter. 

More on Psalm 37 tomorrow.

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

It's time to forgive yourself

“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

These are strong words that Jesus was teaching; 

we need to ask and accept God's forgiveness, but, obviously we need to forgive other people theirs, if we hope to be forgiven. This includes ourselves as well. We need to forgive ourselves otherwise, those nagging, guilty feelings will plague us until we do. Jesus also said in Luke 6:37: 

'Do not judge and you will not be judged. 

Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.' 

RT Kendall puts it this way: 'If I condemn myself for my past and refuse to forgive myself, I 

forfeit the wonderful benefit that is promised those who enjoy God's forgiveness.'  

                              Totally Forgiving ourselves. RT Kendall

We have all had those horrible, guilty feelings when we have upset someone or committed 

some kind of sin. The guilt can be like a heavy weight on our shoulders and the regret we feel 

never seems to end. At times like this, we want to stop the world and get off, because, there is nothing we can do to change the situation. We can't go back in time like you can on a movie. It is there before us and we feel that all we can do is accept it and move on. There is something we can do though - forgive yourself.

When we are in a situation such as this, the pressure on our mind can be never-ending. We may have asked Jesus to forgive us and, at that time, we should have accepted His forgiveness. However,

 the devil knows all about what we have said or 

done and, he won't let us forget it. He will make our life a misery, reminding us of our behaviour and whispering feelings of condemnation in our ear. He loves to do this. But that is the moment when we need to make a stand. Romans 8:1-2 tell us: 'Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus, 2because the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.' Did you hear that? You are not under condemnation, so don't let satan ruin your day. Tell him to leave in the name of Jesus.

And the way to free yourself from these guilty feelings is to forgive yourself and accept this. Don't accept any 'Yes but.’ There are no 'yes but's' you 

are forgiven and are free from condemnation. God's word does not lie; it is the truth so, forgive yourself and accept it and move on. Have a blessed 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

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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

Check it out

Spiritually dry

 4Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit,  because you can do nothing without Me.    John 15:4-5   CSB

From time to time, we can begin to feel spiritually dry and miles away from God. God hasn't moved and, despite what others may say, you may not have moved either. It is just possible that you have been so busy that you have only given Jesus 50% of your time. 

Jesus - the vinedresser here, wants us to be more like Him - to be Christlike in all we do. When a gardener goes looking around his plot, he will remove branches that have withered and decayed because, they may hinder the growth of the rest of the plant. He does this and discards them, casting them into his fire. The rest of the plant, he prunes so that next season it will have a healthy growth. Now, Jesus being the vinedresser does the same. He wants us to have a binding union with Himself and the Father so, He encourages growth by helping us to be rid of the things that hinder our walk with Him and then prunes the rest, in order to have a deeper and abiding union with Him.

He wants each one of us to, abide in Him; to remain continually in step with Him. This is classed as Christlikeness. Now this needs to be done on a daily basis, maintaining a 'live connection' with the Holy Spirit; and we do this by being obedient to His word. Otherwise, we will find the going gets tough and we end up achieving very little, if at all v5.

You may be feeling spiritually dry at this time. It may be because you have a hit and miss blip in your walk with Jesus, failing to read His word or praying. It may also be that Jesus has pinpointed something in your life that needs to be cut out and discarded. Do you know what this may be? If so, then surrender it to God and let Him perform His work on you. If not, why not say this prayer with me:

'Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns.' 24 See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.'  Psalm 139:23-24. CSB

Use these two verse by David, as a prayer to show God your willingness to make some changes in your life; and then, watch Him move.

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 a 'Know all?'

"But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.'  1 John 2:20 NKJV

Well, are you a 'Know all?' Joking aside, if you are, this is great because it means that you are familiar and experienced in the scriptures. In fact, you are anointed. The Greek term Chrisma, 

is related to the title Christ, which means Anointed One.

Here, the Apostle John, is speaking about the impartation of the Holy Spirit to a person. When you become a Christian, the Holy Spirit dwells within you and you are joined to the Anointed One, sharing in His anointing. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 puts it this way:

"Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,  22who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.' 

The NKJV Study Bible footnote on 1 John 2;20 states:

'So we can know all things about truth and falsehood. We know all that we need to know in order to resist the temptations of false teachers and to live, Godly lives in this world.'

Therefore, I don't mind one bit being classed as a 'Know all.' What about you? When we have acquired this accolade, we are more able to  interpret scripture more easily and, we have the knowledge that the Holy Spirit is totally revealing this to us and guiding us accordingly.

This was how Jesus was able to deal with Satan in the wilderness that day (Matthew 4:1-11). Three times Jesus said 'It is written.' Jesus showed the devil that He was a 'Know all' too and was able to send him on his way. Please don't receive my saying Jesus was a 'know al'l, as an insult towards Him. It very much isn't. Jesus was demonstrating how important it is to study the word of God and to 'know all' there is to know so that, we too, can deal with each situation as they crop up. Be blessed.

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