Be Happy

"A merry heart does good, like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones".

Proverbs 17:22   NKJV

Let us read what BibleRef.com says about this verse:

'Solomon offers sound medical advice in this verse. A person's attitude affects his outlook on life and even his health. If he is joyful, negative circumstances don't knock him off balance and cause him to despair. Over the centuries, medicine has become more and more aware of the influence a person's happiness has on their overall health. The ultimate source of joy is found in a relationship with Christ (Proverbs 10:28; John 15:11). The believer can rejoice in the Lord, as Paul did even when he was a prisoner in Rome. From his imprisonment, he urged the Philippian believers to rejoice in the Lord (Philippians 3:1; 4:4). Instead of looking around at circumstances, a joyful believer looks to the Lord and rejoices in Him. In contrast, being mentally beaten down leads to the physical symptoms of severe depression. Whoever fails to look to God and His faithful goodness becomes joyless and loses hope. He develops what Solomon calls "a crushed spirit." A crushed spirit produces ill-health, perhaps high blood pressure, ulcers, lack of energy, heart disease, or general malaise. The apostle James advocated for a resilient spirit even in the face of trials. He writes in James 1:2, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet with trials of various kinds.'           bibleref.com

When we are happy, laughing and enjoying good company, we feel much better. No wonder Nehemiah 8:10 calls joy our strength. There is so much misery in our world that it is so easy to become overtaken by it and follow suit. A good belly-laugh works wonders for our health, especially those times that we're laughing so long and hard that it hurts our stomach muscles. It is rather like when we do some strong physical exercise, everything hurts, our hearts are pumping but, in most cases it is doing us good.

In contrast, sorrow and hurt leads us to feel awful and lifeless. We just want to crawl under a rock and die. Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that it is no good for us and, let's face it, this is not God's best for you. God wants you happy and joyful,   There are times to laugh and there are times to cry, that is true; but it is getting the balance right, no one ever felt good about a good cry, there is no joy in that is there? It is far better to program yourself to be as happy as you can all of the time. 

Instead of looking around at circumstances, a joyful believer looks to the Lord and rejoices in Him. 

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

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'

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

Death could not hold Him

 "But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large."                                          Mark 16:4    NKJV

The stone had been rolled away from the mouth of the tomb but, Jesus wasn't there, He had risen just as He said He would, and what's more, He is still alive today and will be for eternity!

There is nothing more thrilling or exciting than knowing that, death has been conquered. Yes, we will all die at some point but, for those of us who know Jesus as their Saviour, just like Jesus, they will rise for eternity in heaven. None of us will have to wait; our death will be like closing our eyes and opening them again, and instantly we will have been transported to eternity in heaven. It's painful for those who we leave behind but, one day, if they believe in Jesus, they will join us for the biggest celebration we have ever known.

Some unbeliever may feel that this is all a fairy story, that death is final, 'No-one comes back from the dead.' They don't? Well Jesus did and there is so much evidence in the bible to prove this. Some people in our world today, have been resurrected from the dead and these were no flukes, some doctors have been amazed over it.

We have all longed for a new start and, for believers in Jesus, this has been fulfilled. But we have still continued to commit sin. But the real new start will be the greatest of all. We will reign with Jesus in heaven. What will it be like. I haven't a clue but, it will be so different to how we live today. We not be always sitting on a piece of grass singing hymns and chorus' to Jesus. That will be a part of it of course but there will be much, much more. One thing, we will not need electricity for lighting because Jesus is the Light. There will be no darkness and no energy bills; in fact, I don't think we will have any bills at all.

Our mind just cannot comprehend what heaven will be like. Read the latter part of Revelation to grasp an idea of it all. This is God's blue print of heaven and your name is written there. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He shouted out, 'It is finished.' John 19:30. It was like God had been writing a story and painting a picture of all that had happened and then, He put His pen and brush down because, it was finished. Mission completed and successful.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

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'

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

                          

Reactions to death

"After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”    John 21:1-3

Lethargy and depression can easily kick in when we are grieving. Sometimes, some people don't want to do anything except sit there and internalise all of their pain, refusing to eat or speak. Others find it easier to do something to take their minds off it all. This was probably where Peter was this day. He decided he would go fishing and the others said they would too.

Bible students differ in their opinion here. Some say that he had been called to serve Jesus and he should have stayed around the location of Galilee where Jesus had said He would see them. Others defended Peter saying that he needed to work to pay his bills and look after his family. I personally feel that Peter couldn't deal with the pain of it all, especially as he had denied Jesus. He just had to get away. Whatever was the answer here, Peter had seen the grave being empty and the clothes that wrapped the body discarded. He had been told that Jesus had appeared to some of them. He just couldn't' make sense of it all. So he did what he was good at, he went fishing.

When someone dies, some people usually go through various stages. Some are 

Immobilised  They go through their day practically numb because there is no answer to their grief. All they say is why has this happened?

Denial  Some tend not to believe it has happened and that it is a dream, 'they'll walk through the door in a moment' Sadly, when they don't it begins to be a reality

Anger  When they realise that they are on their own, it can hurt so much that they begin to blame other people - doctors, nurse etc. They become extremely angry with it all

Depression. This kicks in pretty soon after the death. They can't change the situation and even though the anger remains, it serves no purpose, so they internalise things and become depressed

Venting their feelings  There is a need to do this and it usually happens in the anger stage

Acceptance  It can take a long time to reach this stage and, one may easily slip back into any of the earlier stages. There is no set plan to all of this. It just takes time

Everyone is different. No doubt Peter was going through some of these stages of grief. One thing Peter knew was that Jesus had said He would return. He may have forgotten temporarily, because of the pain. You too, know that Jesus is right beside you whether you are dying or someone close has or is close to death. Just remember that there is a paradise and Jesus is there waiting.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

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'

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

Threatened and Intimidated

"Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  46And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last."     Luke 23:44-46.  NKJV

Jesus had to go through tremendous suffering in order to fulfil His mission. It is hard to imagine the pain that He suffered some 2000 years ago. He was beaten and bruised and His beard was

pulled out. Anyone who has ever pulled just one hair out of their body, know the pain that it can cause. Here Jesus had clumps of hair pulled away. He was mocked and intimidated with a crown of long thorns forced onto His head. To add to this, nails, probably about nine inches long were forced into his hand and feet so that He would remain on the cross when it was lifted up. When it was raised, the force of it slipping into the hole may have jolted His bones and the wounds He had endured. But through all of this torment, He never retaliated or even spoke to the soldiers. Imagine that, all that pain and no retaliation to His enemies. I don't know if I could ever do that, what about you?

No He didn't retaliate. Instead, He asked His Father to forgive them for what they were doing. Wow! Now that is amazing, all that pain and suffering and He asked God to forgive them. He even forgave one of the criminals who was to be crucified along with Him, and assured him that he would be with Jesus in paradise that day (v43). And then He spoke to His Father in heaven 'Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit' (v46). He then died alone on that cross and He did it for you and I and for everyone who would believe in Him, accepting Him as their Lord and Saviour.

His believers were devastated and openly wept, not knowing what to do or where to go. They had been with Him for three years and now He was no longer. They soon realised what life is without Jesus in it. His companionship, His love, guidance and friendliness all gone. They were grieving like we do when a treasured love one dies. It's painful as you may know. The thing is, when we are hurting like this, it is difficult to focus on facts, we are so numb that we can't think straight. But Jesus had told them He would return, He had given them hope. But perhaps they hadn't really believed Him or had forgotten about this, who knows. But Jesus was true to His Word; that it would happen. There was a hope.

And because of Jesus, there is hope for you and I. He is true to His Word. He will never leave us. What He has said, will come about. There will be a Sunday in your life!

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

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'

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

False Accusations and Betrayal

"And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. 48But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"   Luke 22:47-48.  NKJV

Can you see the danger of false accusations? In gossip mode, we can easily destroy the reputation of someone by using judgemental words against them. Gossip is always seen as the truth. Satan makes sure of that. So we as Christians, should do all in our power to avoid it, even to the degree of challenging someone who is gossiping and spreading this around. Even if it is true, we have no right to Judge.

Judas fell to the depth of betraying Jesus; one probably can't get any lower than this. He had been in the elite - a disciple. He had talked with Jesus, ate with Him and listened to His teaching, yet temptation got the better of him; money became his god and he was bribed.

But the cost was enormous. Of course it was all part of God's plan that Jesus died on the cross to set us all free from our sin, but, even though His disciples had heard Him speak of His coming death, they could not comprehend it. So when Jesus was arrested, Peter was devastated and blamed himself for this by denying Him. The others deserted Him. He would now be all alone to contend with His destiny.

As children of God, we all know about what Jesus went through for us but, there are some lessons to learn from it, and probably the biggest is our soul - Mind, Will and Emotions. We see or hear about something and if we are not careful our mind convinces us it's the truth. We then believe it and as we do this, we realise that there is a tale to tell here and, this is where our will wrestles with 'Should I or shouldn't I speak about it'. From there our emotions can trick us into believing that it needs to be said, 'I have to tell them'. We definitely need to work on this area and train the soul to come in line with the Word of God.

If we know of anything that is serious, such as child abuse or something that is threatening to someone, then we have a duty to pass this on. We cannot sit on this. But there are ways of doing this and it does not include gossiping about it. This is a time to speak with the appropriate authorities. At any other time, we have to be in control of our Mind, Will and Emotions - our soul, and live up to how Jesus wants us to be.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

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'

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

   

                               

The Seed of Certainty

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it".  Isaiah 55:8-11   NKJV

God's Word is a seed and when He plants it, it is certain to come about. He plants the seed and just like the rain and snow are never wasted but accomplish His purposes, so His Word never fails. Let us remember that in the beginning He said to a dark and isolated world, 'Let there be light, and there was light.' Gen 1:3. The Word of God stands forever. We never know how God will use even a casual word of witness to plant and water the seed in someone's heart. We may say something to an unbeliever and as it is received into His or Her heart, it explodes with life - the seed erupts and the person miraculously is saved. So therefore, don't waste your words and don't think that what you do say is wasted, because it isn't.

Notice the word 'For' in verse 8 of our text. God is saying that His thoughts are way above ours. What we struggle with thinking it is not possible, it is a breeze with God because, He speaks from a faith-filled standpoint and what He says is certain to come about. We often think that we know best but when we do, we are fooling ourselves because we could never reach His height. But, when we allow Him to reign within our hearts and only say and do what He wants, we become full of life-giving seed.

When we pray with someone for healing or for another reason, we expect instant results and so we should. This is because, when we are praying the way God wants us to - in the spirit, even though there appears to be no evidence of answered prayer, in the heavenlies there is and it will happen very soon (2 Cor 4:18). We shouldn't be walking in the temporary but in the Spirit - the eternal. When we are, we will be certain about the end result.

Therefore, let us take a closer step to God and see things through the spiritual instead of in the natural. When we do, we will begin to be certain about the seeds that we sow.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

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'

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

Watch that Thief!

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly".    John 10:10. NKJV

You feel pretty good about yesterday, in fact, you're proud of yourself because you came through that difficult time without letting yourself down. Today, you feel flat and have no energy. You assess what happened yesterday and, even though it was a positive victory, you now feel guilty, feeling that it was all your fault. What has happened? Where is that wonderful feeling of victory gone? Satan has stolen it.

Make no mistake, the devil watches you, what you say; how you handle things, always ready to accuse you. What you did yesterday was brilliant and you achieved a 'Well done my faithful friend', from Jesus. But you must keep your eyes on the ball because it has a habit of rolling away. Satan doesn't like it or you, one bit because you received a pat on the back from Jesus. He is jealous and angry that you outsmarted him by doing what you did. He expected you to walk by on the other side and leave the person to sort their own life out. But because you are a child of God, you stopped to help and now you are Satan's target.

When you are in victory and filled with the joy of the Lord, watch out because the devil is about. He will do all he can to ruin your relationship with God and with people - you friends, your family and your reputation. He will find things to accuse you and if he can't, he will make them up because he is a liar. Why do you think Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:8-9:

'Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9  Resist him....'  

Be alert and aware of this fact. You may feel pretty good about yourself, and that is fine. However, leave a little space to being on guard. You're a soldier and you will be shot at. Be the first to shoot by speaking the Word of God when he attacks you. Quote scripture; speak in tongues and even praise God. Don't let the devil steal your joy or your victory.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

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'

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.