The Happy's. Part 2

4"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall

 be comforted."   Matthew 5:4. NKJV

THE HURTING

From time to time in everyone's life, there will be a time of mourning and loss. This may be the death of someone very dear to us. Or it may be a relationship breakdown or perhaps a child leaving home for the first time, to go to college or university. These can be great times of loss and can take time to negotiate. The person who weeps over the pains of life will be comforted. Jesus will bring comfort and healing into the situation. This is why it is so important to know Him. The Holy Spirit, who is our Comforter, will lead us to joy and peace.

Loss is always a difficult area to negotiate because, with it, come lots of changes. Not many people like change; we get used to comfort zones and kick at anything that may come near to changing things. Sadly it does. It is not always death that causes us great problem, even though it is the No 1 on the Loss and Change scale. We also struggle big time, when our child is leaving home for the first time. This may be to go to further education but, not always. They may leave because, they are now of an age to do so and there is a big world out there to explore. So, when you have brought up a child from birth, it can be a wrench when they leave home. Even birds fledge the nest, it is one of life's normal happenings, but God will comfort you in the lonely times.

One of the great things about Jesus is, He is always around when we want Him. We don't have to get stuck in a telephone line, listening to a voice telling us 'Your call is important to us' and then be forced to listen to music that nobody in their right mind wants to listen to. No way, Hosea. A call to Jesus is instant, His door is always open and He doesn't need a taped message. 

Therefore, if you're hurting today, call to Him and the Holy Spirit will wrap you in His everlasting arms and hold you until you're ready to stand on your own. He understands.

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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The Happy's Part 1

3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  Matthew 5:3  NKJV

The world longs for happiness. It tries to find it in, drugs, alcohol, sex and other areas; but none of these offer a permanent state of happiness; they're all temporary. Jesus revealed eight characteristics that run contrary to our current ideas about happiness. However, Jesus' version of happiness describe the inner joy that can only be experienced by those who belong to Him. Those who abide by Jesus' advice her, are blessed. Therefore, over the next week or so, let's look at these characteristics, one by one.

THE POOR IN SPIRIT  These are the humble. They have have destitute hearts and sense that their spiritual needs, need some help. Therefore, they seek after God, as Psalm 34:18 mentions:

18The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. If these people are believers in Jesus, they have an advantage; they know who to cry out to, and when they do, they receive great joy. This is why the scripture says, 'The LORD is near to those - ' God knows His people, when they cry out to Him, He listens and puts a plan together for their help. However, He doesn't ignore unbelievers; likewise, when they have reached rock bottom and call out to God, because there is nothing else they can do, He is there and will rescue them from their problem. 

Notice, the words, 'those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. God knows when they call to Him, that they have a broken heart, but, it is the word contrite that He is more interested in, Contrite means feeling regret and sorrow for their sin. When they feel this way,Jesus knows they mean business and He will invite them to give themselves to Him. If a believer is with them, this is helpful, because they can pray for them. However, if not, God can do the job Himself - this I know by my own testimony.

Whether already saved or searching for something, Jesus loves you and wants to bless you. When we come to Him with a humble heart, He cannot resist showing us His love and forgiveness - and consequently his blessing. Go to Him and find out!

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

Do you want to be blessed?

‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’   Matthew 21:9.  NKJV

Did you realise that, Jesus wants to bless us - each and every day. He longs for us to spend some time with Him - talking to Him, listening and just having some fellowship with Him. He is fun to be with, because He gives you joy. People know when you have spent some time in His presence. They may not be able to pinpoint what they know but, they know there is something different about you.

Remember Moses when he had spent time in God's presence, his face glowed. Read Exodus 34:29-35. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai after spending time with God, his face shone so much, that the people were scared of him because he looked so different. To prevent their fear, Moses decided to wear a veil so that his face wouldn't dazzle them. Imagine that, yes it must have looked a little scary but, what an amazing thing to happen. And this is what can happen to you as well.

I'm not saying that your face will dazzle or scare people so much, that you too, would have to need a veil. Not at all. But, when a person has spent considerable time with Jesus, they will look different. It may be hard to pinpoint but, there will be something different about them that draws people. You may have already felt this from people. They may say to you how differently you handle situations or look peaceful or happy. There is so much depression and unhappiness in our world today that, people are looking for something but, they don't know what it is. But you know!

Our text says, 'Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.' The Hebrew for this is 'Baruch Haba, B'shem Adonai. If you hear this word coming from Jewish people, you will know what they are meaning. Just think for a moment; as you spend much more time with Jesus, you will become more like Him; so much so that, you will be blessed because you come in the Name of the Lord. Remember, you are Jesus to unbelievers, what they see and like in you, is Jesus and they want it but don't know how to get it. This is where you come in. You come in the Name of the Lord and they are blessed and so are you. Therefore, if you want to be blessed, spend time 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

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

Check it out

Christmas Day

 MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY

CELEBRATING JESUS' BIRTHDAY

We'll be back tomorrow

Hazel & Grahame Howard

The Greatest Gift of All

"6For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end"                                                                         Isaiah 9:6-7   NKJV

We will soon be celebrating Christmas Day and the joy of opening all of the gifts. Now it's probably time to get the diet planned. Only joking folks, just enjoy, it's only Christmas Eve and there maybe more celebrations today as well. But for myself, I think that the greatest gift of all is summed up in one of the verses from O Little Town of Bethlehem:

"How silently, how silently, The wondrous gift is given. So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of His heaven, No ear may hear His coming But in this world of sin

Where meek souls will receive him still The dear Christ enters in"

                                  Lewis Redner/Phillips Brooks

When you think about it, what greater gift is there, than to ask Jesus Christ into our lives. As the song says, 'Where meek souls will receive Him still, the dear Christ enters in'. This is an invitation from Jesus Himself, to all people who do not know Him yet, and that could be you. If you honestly know that you have never asked Jesus to be your Lord and Saviour, the opportunity is here. Just say the prayer at the bottom of the page, and 'the dear Christ will enter in.' 

What a Christmas this will be; you will be born again; have eternal life from today and. you will spend this eternity with Jesus and all other Christians. And for us who may have been Christians for years, this is an invitation to rededicate your life to Jesus. Just say the same prayer below.

And then, carry on with your celebrations. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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

A Child is Born

"6For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end"   Isaiah 9:6-7   NKJV

Isaiah uses four double names to describe the coming Messiah:

WONDERFUL COUNSELLOR  In other words, He will be a Wonderful Divine Counsellor, meeting all our needs.

MIGHTY GOD  He will be a powerful warrior

EVERLASTING FATHER  He will be both King and Father who will provide for and protect His people forever

PRINCE OF PEACE  The Child - Jesus, is the true Prince who will usher in peace

These four double names describe the dual nature of the Saviour - He is God become man (John 1:14).

The people at the time, thought the Messiah would be an earthly king, one who would go into battle for them and declare victory over the people who had wronged them. They, of course, had it wrong. When He was born, the Messiah was much stronger and more powerful than any earthly king, but, sadly, many of them missed this, not recognising Him as such.

People battle for power in Government corridors of life. They last for a few years and then, someone else is voted in and things change. Not with Jesus, He never changes 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.'  Hebrews 13:8. Of course, we have to obey our governments - to a degree and if it is not against our faith. However, if we have asked Him, Jesus reigns in our hearts and will bless our every move as long as it is in step with His Word.

Let this Christmas be one of peace and joy and one in which, we see our family's come to know Him as Lord and Saviour. Only two more sleeps for His birthday!

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

The Joy of Answered Prayer

"When the Lord brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream.
2Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing.Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” 3The Lord has done great things for us, And we are glad."   Psalm 126:1-3   NKJV

That wonderful feeling when God answers our prayers, is like a tonic. It is an amazing feeling and can bring a lump to your throat because you feel so emotional and grateful.

Imagine the Israelites. They had been in captivity in Babylon for many years and, some of them had waited a lifetime for God to answer their prayers. It seemed like He never would; but He did!

The mood of this Psalm is sweet joy, after the disappointments and sorrows of the past years. The news that they were to be freed, came as a glorious thunderbolt landing, it was a dream being fulfilled. Their gratitude towards God was unstoppable and they praised Him endlessly.

Listen, can you remember feeling this kind of joy when God had worked a miracle for you? You know it is God because no-one else could have performed such a lovely blessing to beat all blessings. Cast you mind back to those times; the joy and pleasure God gave you. He has more, you know. You may have had to wait a long time for the right time, but, it's not always like this. There is always a reason for it and God will always put things right first. He loves you and wants the best for you, so He plans and negotiates, rather like a chess player until, He has found the right solution and, you are in the right place to receive the blessing. This is why there may be a wait before prayer is answered.

Are you waiting on God for something. Don't become impatient with Him. He has heard you and is working on your behalf. However, from time to time, you may have asked for something that is not for you and, God will disallow the prayer request. Try not to be upset with this; He knows what He is doing and knows what you want before you have even thought about it. So relax; things will get better for you, but you may have to get in the right position before He blesses you. He will show you so, don't worry. He is working on your behalf.

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