"Oh no, why did I say that?

"22Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.

23They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.   Lamentations 3:22-23. NKJV

Think back on yesterday! Did you let God down? Did you judge someone or bad-mouth somebody? What about the guy who cut you up when he overtook you on the bypass? Perhaps someone shouted at you for taking their parking space or, when you parked in a Mother & toddlers space, when you know you shouldn't have. Or what about the facial gestures you made to someone who upset you or the amount of fingers on your hand that you waved at them? 

What about? What about? What about?

What about this one? Do you ever wake up in the mornings and say, 'Oh no, what did I do, what did I say? I wish I hadn't said that/ I wish I hadn't behaved that way' Guilt, Guilt and more Guilt.

You know, Satan has a hey day when he has something to shout about. He loves to judge and accuse you of all he can. But also your own spirit, together with the Holy Spirit, convicts you. So what can you do? Even if you shut yourself away in a castle tower for the rest of your life, you would still get it wrong; you would still cause yourself to sin. Your mouth and mind would let you down all the time. So what else can you do?

As we read the text for today, we read that God is faithful. In the light of what you have just read above, does that help; does it change things? Will it get you through the next 24 hours? Because God is faithful, it gives us the confidence to pray and not hide ourselves away from God. Because God is faithful, we have the power to conquer evil and stand against temptations. Because God is faithful, we have the confidence to praise and thank Him and we can have the courage to accept His forgiveness and move on.

Why is this? Because God's compassions fail not. Every single morning that we wake up, His mercy and compassion are new. The old has gone, the new has come. Of course, we still need to ask Him to forgive us, preferably straightaway, but at least, as soon as possible. God is not an ogre. Don't forget, He came to earth as a man; He walked the streets and witnessed how difficult it is to be a Christian in these times. He is compassionate. Do you realise that, in the beginning, He could have sent angels or performed great miracles to present His message to the world, but no, He chose you and I to do His work. This is why, He is right behind us, willing us on and binding up our sores and wounds, so that we can get the job done. He adores 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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Don't Forget The LORD!

“For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water."

                                                                   Jeremiah 2:13   NKJV

God had told Jeremiah that His people had committed two evils (1) They had forsaken Him the Fountain of Living Waters, and (2) they had created for themselves their own cisterns which would easily break after a time, and thus, would hold no water. They were trying to quench their cravings for salvation and significance in the wrong places. God's people had served worthless deities - instead of God, the Fountain of Living Waters, they had chosen broken cisterns.

David Guzik comments:

'This was the first of the evils of God’s people – to forsake God. This is evil, not only for disloyalty and ingratitude, but also because it is foolish; God is the fountain of living waters, the never-ending supply of the good, pure, essential supplies of life. 

(1) In the ancient east near a fountain of living waters – an artesian spring – was something special. It was a constant supply of good, fresh, life-giving water that came to you! In ancient Israel, water was a lot of work, but a fountain of living waters brought it right to you.

(2) And hewn themselves cisterns – broken cisterns that can hold no water: Having forsaken God’s fountain of living waters, His people then worked hard (hewn themselves) for a greatly inferior supply (cisterns). Despite their hard work, all they ended up with were broken cisterns that can hold no water.   Enduring Word - David Guzik

The people were willing to trust their own leading and collect water in their own cisterns - water that had no life in it and, would quickly become stagnant and be lethal to anyone who drank it. You know, sometimes we can be so stubborn and want our own way instead of listening and obeying God who, most definitely knows far more than we do. In a way, it is a little like what we read yesterday:

'Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13 - 14

We need to forget the hurtful past but, never Jesus. He is the one that we set our sights on; the one we run with endurance towards, and He, is the one who will give us Living Water (John 4) - life. Stop trying to do things on your own, it will never be successful. Sooner or later, you are going to need Jesus. Therefore, make it sooner and choose Him today

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

 

Sowing and Reaping Seed. Final Part

"8But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”  Mark 4:8  NKJV

Today, we reach the final part of the Sower series and this is:

Good ground.  With good ground, we get a good crop. As we saw yesterday, the condition of the soil, determines the potential for growth. Jesus mentions 3 conditions which will produce good fruit from good ground:

Hear the Word - Accept it - Bear fruit.

If we are not open to hear God's Word, we will fail. We must do all we can, to place ourselves in position to hear what God has to say to us. The best place to start is in your bible. God may drop a particular verse into your mind or, you may be reading a piece of scripture and 'BAM" you have the answer to what you were asking. God may also choose to speak to you in your head, so, be alert to this fact. 

The next thing is to accept the Word. Don't bypass it; look at scripture long and hard and do what it says. and by doing this, you will begin to bear good fruit. A gardener tends the soil, you tend the Word, test it, pray about it and when you are certain, do it.

You will get things wrong many times. Why? Because you are not perfect so, stop trying to be, God loves you the way you are. When you get things wrong, play the video back in your head and try and analyse where you went wrong and try again. Paul the Apostle spoke about this in Philippians 3:13:

 "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead," 

Note that he is honest, he admits that he has not attained it yet or, has found perfection. But, this doesn't stop him, he presses on that he may accomplish what he set out to do. But notice one important detail, he forgets the things that are behind him - the times that he has failed; and he looks ahead to the winning post. He knows it may take a while, but, nothing is going to stop him achieving this.

And this is the secret to our success - don't stop, don't give in, press on and forget that you failed this time. When you do this and, remember to tend the ground you're working on, you will achieve your goal.

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

 

Sowing and Reaping Seed. Part 3

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  "7And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop."                                       Mark 4:7  NKJV 

Today we look at the problem of thorns. The gardener soon becomes frustrated when thorns are present. They creep everywhere and if one tries to pull one up, it usually snaps but, the growth below the soil still carries on. Thorns can be nasty as one who has cut their hands on them, can testify. And yet, certain seed, such as wheat, will grow among the thorns; but the thorns will win in the end as they begin to choke the good plant.

It is the same with the Christian life today. One may hear and respond to the Word of God and be  really blessed that God has shown them something. The problem is, if that person has a lot going on in their life, such as cares and worries, the Word can become of less value. Let me explain, the Christian who has riches and wants to make even more by investing their wealth, can become thrown off course if the market changes and they lose their investment. Some others may be subjected to a scam where, some character, paints a brilliant picture of total success and then rips them off on a deal of the century. Much money can be lost. Then of course there is the person who is never satisfied with what they have and want more. All of these things can drag the Christian away from the Word that was reaped in their hearts earlier. The joy and excitement they felt, becomes choked with their mind racing, wondering what to do next. The Word loses its importance.

In planting seed, there is a need to prepare the ground well because, the condition of the soil, determines the potential of growth. To be complacent and lackadaisical will lead a person nowhere, except on the road to disaster. It reaps little benefit at all. So, rid yourself of all distractions and the urgency to chase after things that you don't need or, will lead to sin if you're not careful. It is not worth it. Keep your eyes on Jesus and His Word.

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

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Sowing and Reaping Seed. Part 2

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"Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth.  6But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away."  Mark 4:5-6  NKJV

Continuing with our study of the Sower, let's look at the next stumbling block:

Stony ground.  I don't know if you have ever tried to sow seed on stony or rocky ground, and hoped for a harvest. It is extremely difficult. The ground is hard and it's like working with concrete. The chance of success is marginal.

This was the problem here. Jesus spoke of sowing seed on stony ground. To do this, one finds there is little soil and so the seed is sown in shallow ground. The harvest may be quick, if at all. However, the plant is short lived because there is no significant root for it to obtain the nutrients 

it requires to be able to survive. Therefore, the plant soon shrivels up and dies.

Again, Jesus speaks metaphorically, looking at the heart of the hearer. Most people receive the Word of God with great joy and gladness. It is so easy to be carried along with other worshippers when they are praising God. Sadly, for these people, they have no root and before they realise it, Satan comes and snatches the Word away. They may hang on to the Word for a short while, but when troubles come along, they fall. 

We're looking at stony ground and stony hearts here. If there is no root within the believer, because of its shallow existence, the fire of the Holy Spirit is extinguished very quickly. Commitment fails when some people face opposition or problems. This is the hallmark of the superficial believer. A person's faith is only as strong as their willingness to identify with Jesus. This is how Paul was able to say 'I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.'  Galatians 2:20

The only difference between us and Paul, was that he was sold out for God; nothing else mattered except living for Him. Thus, he avoided stony ground.

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

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Sowing and Reaping Seed. Part 1

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"Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it."  Mark 4:3-4   NKJV

Over the next few days, let's focus on one of Jesus' parables - The Sower. Jesus went out one day and began to teach the multitude along the shore. As the crowd became larger, He got into one of the fisherman's boats and His disciples pushed Him slightly away from the crowd and He began to teach them again. Now, Jesus often spoke in parables, which were quite difficult to understand. I remember when we were first saved back in 1980, I always found this teaching quite challenging, not only in the strength of the message but, initially trying to understand what on earth Jesus was saying. If you're a new Christian, this may be where you are at this time. Don't give up; this is why there are bible study groups and also helps when you look into a study bible. It all falls into place.

Jesus began speaking about a sower of seed. It was not unusual in the growing season to see a sower scattering the seed everywhere - pathways, in weeds, fertile ground and also very rocky ground. The ground on which the seed was scattered was not always the best to sow on.

Jesus spoke of four different types of ground, the first being:

The Wayside  In Jesus' explanation (v14-15) He referred to the seed the sower was scattering as the Word. 'The sower sows the word'. 15 'And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.'  Just like the birds of the air will swoop down and eat seed that is scattered, Satan will also steal the Word of God from someone before it has taken root within the heart. This happens to young Christians and mature ones alike. Our lives are busy, and we can become easily distracted. We see something in the scriptures and we feel that it is for us and we must write it down; but then, something happens to take away our focus, and we forget about it.

Satan is very skilful in doing this. He waits for the right moment. Try not to have a clogged up mind when you are in the presence of God. If you can, practice leaving all the baggage at the door to wherever you pray. Keep the channel open to God, always, and whenever a wonderful piece of scripture comes your way, write it down in your bible or note book. Never, never, never, never give up or allow Satan to steal from you; gems that Jesus is imparting in your heart.

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

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Uprooted trees

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"3He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper"

                                                                                  Psalm 1:3   NKJV

A large part of the world has been battered just lately by Storm Darragh. Trees uprooted, roofs blown off properties and wide flooding, just to name a little. It has been a scary time for those involved in this. On the subject of trees, David Guzik comments:

 'He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water: A tree by a river has a continual source of water. It will never wither away, because it is always getting what it needs. If we are constantly needy, it may be worth examining if we are planted by the rivers of water or not. This would also be a tree that is strong and stable, sinking down deep roots. The life of the righteous man is marked by strength and stability'.  Enduring Word

In today's terms, how do you measure up to this scripture? Are you like a tree that is firmly planted so that, whatever comes your way, you are still left standing and in good shape, still bearing good fruit? Or, do life events knock you over and, like a decayed or old tree, you come crashing down crushing everything in its way? 

God designed us, 'That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.'   (Isaiah 61:3)

Life is not easy at times and can be made harder by, never ending problems that mount up and try and rob us of our joy. A well nourished and healthy tree will usually stand firm when it is well rooted and taken care of. Imagine for one moment that you are a tree. Are you well nourished and spiritually healthy to be able to stand firm and well rooted when trouble comes your way? This may be things that bring you anxiety, worry and stress. The pressure may be so severe that you may find yourself at a loss to know how to handle such things. 

Stop right there! You know what to do; you know Jesus is only a heart-beat away and you only have to call on Him and He will send angels to rescue you and resolve issues that have flared up. There is nothing too difficult for Him but, you must know God's Word so that you know how to handle each and every situation. It's no good having a car if you don't read the manual is it? Or probably, you may be one of those people who never read the instructions. If you are, and ithings go wrong then, you only have yourself to blame. Sorry, but it is true.

Get rooted firmly in God's Word and start living a faith-filled, Holy Spirit led life like Jesus intended for you. You will then be firmly rooted in God.

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

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