The Joy that Jesus Brings

"3You have multiplied the nation and increased its joy; they rejoice before You
according to the joy of harvest, as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. 4For You

have broken the yoke of his burden and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian."   Isaiah 9:4-5   NKJV

The Light was replacing the Assyrian oppression - the Child of God, incarnate (Is 7:14)

With this would be coming great joy, the joy of the LORD - strength. This was something to shout about, the Messiah was coming to their rescue. When we have found something special, we have an excitement; we just want to shout about it, it is a marvellous joy.

The rod of the oppression, is similar language to Psalm 23:4. It was a weapon used in conflict. But, no one can take God on and win, so it was broken together with the yoke of his (Assyria) 

burden. God was bringing justice and peace unto this situation.  

The agricultural world, knows no greater joy than that of a great harvest. It compliments all of the hard work that has been put in. Likewise, a soldier knows no greater joy of a battle ending with his side winning and he being still alive, and it is now time to divide the booty. This is the joy that Jesus brings.

In verse 4, it mentions the 'yoke of his burden' A yoke was a wooden collar or harness placed on the neck of animals and attached to ploughs or other agricultural tools. The word was used to describe servitude or oppression. This yoke of burden was being lifted from the Israelites, so that they would be burden-free. Remember, Jesus mentioned that His yoke is not burdensome (Matthew 11:29-30). So therefore, we no longer have to suffer the burdens that life brings. Jesus has done it all and through His blood shed on the cross, we are forgiven and given a new start in life. Now, that is the beginning of the Christmas story.

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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They Saw a Great Light

"By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles. 2The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined."   Isaiah 9:1-2   NKJV

The people who had been walking in darkness, would now be seeing a great Light. Upon them, in the shadows, a Light shone on them. The Messiah was about to come!

You know, wherever we go or whatever we see, God always turns up in the darkness. Do you realise that? A footballer may score a very significant goal and through all of the cheers and jeers from the opposition, the footballer takes off his club shirt and waves it round his head, revealing a t shirt with 'Jesus is Lord' written on it. Light into the darkness.

I was watching a Sports Awards program the other night, when an ex boxer won an award. He now teaches deprived and abused kids this art, which gives them a hope in life. He said to the people that he has a lot to be thankful for, to Jesus Christ, His Lord and Saviour. He has done so much in his life. The place was in total hush as he preached a mini sermon to the crowd. Afterwards, the presenters said that it was a very positive and heartfelt speech. He had brought Light into the darkness.

 

The words in the scripture above, 'Shadow of Death,' mean a deep darkness. This is already in the world and there is much more to come as time goes on. But for Christians everywhere, the Light - Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, has already come into this world; we just need to walk in this light. 

Wherever we are in this world today, walking in the light, will illuminate the ground before us. Darkness, as we have seen, is all around, but we, are Children of the Light and we have the ability to spread this light wherever we go.

To the unsaved world, Christmas is just another celebration; a time for presents, food and drink and having fun. There is nothing wrong with that. But, wouldn't it be wonderful for them to have much more to celebrate - Jesus Christ. 

Walk that walk of Light as we approach Christmas Day and shine up the darkness in all corners by introducing Jesus to whoever wants to hear.

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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That was Yesterday

"This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it."  Psalm 118:24  NKJV

Notice this emphasis on the word 'Today.' Yesterday has gone and all we have is Today and this depends on how you approach this day. No matter what we try to do, yesterday has gone; it cannot be lived through again - ever. Film-makers, may be able to take us back in time but it is a false time; a time in which can never be. Keep it for the movies, not for your life.

You may try to live in the past; many try it and, many fail. It just can't be done. You can hear a song on the radio, which takes you back over the years to what was a happy time or, a sad time. Music has a habit of doing that, the same has special places or even special days. You may choose to re-live that memory but, let's face it, they're empty dreams - the house is empty and the people have moved away, type of thing.

The Word clearly says, ''This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it' Note the phrase, 'we will rejoice and be glad in it.' That is a declaration. The Psalmist knew that yesterday could not be incorporated in today and so, he wrote it firmly. 

Yesterday may have been happy - but sadly it has come to an end. It is over.

Yesterday may have been sad - it has gone, the only one who is keeping the pain going, is you.

You have a future or the chance to remain in the past, it is your choice, no one else's.

King Saul finished his life as a Yesterday's man. Initially, he had been a somebody. But the anointing was lifted from him when he decided to do things, his way instead of God's. Therefore, he became Yesterday's man. 

Don't you become Yesterday's man, it is not something that God has ordained you for. He designed you to be, Today's man. Therefore, leave the past where it should be. If there are nice memories in your past, by all means, take them with you but, don't try to live in those memories. As Paul said in Philippians 3:13 'forgetting those things that are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.' 

It really is the only way to live so, filter it into your Daily Life with 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

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Betrayal

"3Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.  4So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.  5And they were glad, and agreed to give him money.  6So he promised and sought opportunity to betray Him to them in the absence of the multitude."

                                                                         Luke 22:3-6   NKJV

Betrayal must be one the most awful things that can happen to someone. Spies do it, sometimes to their own country. Some husbands and wives do it to their partners - adultery. Betrayal, is dragging someone's trust and honour, through the mud. It is one of the worst things that a human being can do to another. And yet, people who do this kind of thing, appear to have no values; they just get on and do it, without a care.

Betrayal literally means 'delivered up' or 'handed over.' When Judas betrayed Jesus, he was taking advantage of the intimate relationship he had with Him. He was one of the trusted; one  who sat with Jesus at the Last Supper and then, delivered Him up to the authorities. Look at his actions, he had done this by night, in the secret of darkness and kissed Jesus to signify that it was Him. He did it all for money. He had sold his soul to the devil (v3). Judas knew that Jesus was innocent of crime but still went ahead and violated the confidence and trust that Jesus had placed in him. Of course, Jesus knew that he would do this, He had foretold this at the Last Supper (Luke 22:21), but He still honoured Judas.

We tend to take people on face value, even though we may be wary of some at first. The thing is, we never know if one of our so-called friends are going to betray us. Many a marriage has broken down because one of the partners has let someone get too close to their partner. When disaster has struck, it may be too late to change things; families become totally torn apart. There are quite a few well-known names coming up in the news just lately. Trust has broken down; confidence in that person is lost and betrayal has found another candidate to devastate.

It is hard to ever think that we may be guilty of betrayal at some time in the future. But, taking our eyes off Jesus and, placing them on the world is the start of it all. Don't ever think that this will never happen to you, 'Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.' 1 Cor 10:12 NKJV. Trust Jesus, not yourself.

There may be someone who has come under conviction whilst reading this. Don't ignore it, God is showing that you are in error and need to repent and put it right. Don't leave it 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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Who Killed Jesus?

"And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the place of the skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18 where they crucified Him, and two others with Him."

                                                                                         John 19:17-18. NKJV

Dr David Jeremiah writes an interesting piece on: 

WHO CRUCIFIED JESUS?

'The Romans killed Jesus. Pilate, the Roman governor, could have freed Jesus, but to preserve his standing with the mob, he willingly delivered Jesus to be crucified'. John 18;29-19:30

The Jews killed Jesus. The Jews cried, "His blood be on us and on our children"  (Matthew 27:25). Peter, preaching to the Jews later on, pointed his finger at them and said, "you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death'. (Acts 2:23)

God killed Jesus. "Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted...Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief" (Isaiah 53:4). Acts 2:23 confirms that Jesus was "delivered [unto death] by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God" (Acts2:23). God did it.

I killed Jesus. My sins nailed Him to the cross. He died for me.

And 

Who crucified Jesus? All of us. The sins of every individual, from Adam to this very day, nailed Him there. The crucifixion is not just a historical event that we recall at Easter. It is a reminder that our sin, our falling short of God's glory, our active or passive rebellion, is the very commodity that put Jesus on the cross.   Copyright The David Jeremiah Study Bible John 19:1-30

It comes as a bit of a shock, when we realise that we, had a part to play in Jesus' crucifixion. We accept the Romans were responsible for this, as was Pilate, who could have rescued Him. We know that the people helped with this crucifixion. But when we realise that God did it and ourselves too, it is shocking. God had no choice; He loved us too much to allow us to die in our sin, He had to redeem us and Jesus, did just that. But ourselves? Well if He died for us so that we may be free, means that He took our place. He was not guilty; we were guilty but Jesus chose to bear the shame and the pain to give us life.

What a Saviour we have. He loves us more than words can ever say.

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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"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