What's missing in your life?

"Unless the Lord builds the house, They labour in vain who build it; Unless the Lord guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain".     Psalm 127:1-2   NKJV

William MacDonald says of this Psalm, 'Little is much if God is in it' but the reverse is also true, 'Much is nothing if God is not in it.' Wise words indeed which underpin verse one very well, 'Unless the Lord builds the house, They labour in vain who build it.' Basically, if our activity is not directed by the Lord, it is a waste of time and energy. A person can work hard and be appointed to the level of director in a successfully thriving business, but if God is not in this, the person may not personally succeed. They can build an empire - a vast church, but if they have accomplished this in their own strength and left God out of it, it will all come to nothing.

We can't leave God out of our life and be happy and successful. As Solomon would say, 'It is all in vain.' God needs to be the central part of our lives; whether that's a marriage, a business, work or life in itself. One can never be truly happy and content, no matter how rich they may be, without God. They can have all worldly goods and still not be happy. They can have everything and yet, nothing. Without Jesus in a person's life, they are dry and discontented.

'Much is nothing if God is not in it'. What is your spiritual life like at this moment? It may present Jesus to be just a flickering, distant light, that is all. Or it may be a flaming torch of Holy Spirit fire. What would you like it to be out of these two? What are you missing out on? Remember when you were first saved; nothing bothered you at all because Jesus was your everything. He was a flaming torch of fire. Has He turned into a flickering, distant  light now. What happened to make it this way; what has happened to dampen the fire?

You only need to tell Him how you feel and ask Him to bridge the gap that has become more like a daily ritual than a time of intimate peace and worship. Why not do it right now?

'Lord Jesus, please re-light the fire that once burned brightly in my heart and help me to be in intimate worship with you every single day of my life. In Jesus' name. Amen!'

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.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

People Pleasing and the Praise of men

"Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God."     John 12:42-43   NKJV

 William MacDonald says, 'It was obvious that these men were more interested in the praise of their fellow men than they were in the praise of God. They thought more of man's approval than of God's.' Can people be genuine believers acting in such a way? Check out John 5:44 for Jesus' answer. 'How can you believe, who receive honour from one another, and do not seek the honour that comes from the only God.'

People throughout the history of the church have sought the attention of man instead of God. It is no different today. Let me explain, if you preach a sermon, lead the worship or run a bible study, it is so easy to want to hear people praise your efforts - 'I really enjoyed your word today' or perhaps, 'I like it when you lead the worship.' Now, let's be honest, it is nice to be encouraged this way, we need it and are grateful when we receive this. However, the difference is, when we go looking for the praise, dropping hints to people about the sermon or worship time. This is wrong because we most certainly are attempting to steal the glory from Jesus. The best thing to do is to just be grateful that you were chosen to deliver this ministry. Jesus thought you were worthy and that is all that matters.

People pleasers do a particular thing for someone and then hang around them seeking their thanks and praise. They go over the top when asked to do a particular task, in fact, they try to go further and do much more. There are genuine people that do this of course, but, others like to feel special with a leader figure. How are you on this?

Look at Jesus' example:

'Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,  7but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  8And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  9Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,  11and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.'  Philippians 2:5-11.

Jesus remained humble and didn't shove himself forward wanting to take the lead. The devil does that. Just be content that Jesus loves you; if you asked Him into your life, He has saved you, but if you haven't you can say the prayer below if you choose to. Just remember, that you are an elite member of an elite army - Team 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
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.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

Jesus doesn't always act the way we expect

"Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. 2It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.  3Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, “Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.”4When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

                                                                        John 11:1-4.  NKJV

When Jesus received word that their brother was sick, one would have felt that He would have dropped everything and raced off to be with His dear friend but, He didn't, He told His disciples that He would wait two days and then go to Him. It seemed, to His disciples and others, a very strange thing to do, but they were coming to terms with the behaviour.

When He finally went to Bethany where Lazarus and his sisters were, Jesus found that Lazarus had died and Martha was quite broken and disappointed that He had not gone over there in haste. However, Jesus had initially said that Lazarus' sickness was not unto death. He didn't mean that he wouldn't die - He knew he would. But the outcome of this sickness would not be final. Lazarus would rise again to the glory of the Father, This was the real part of this situation, to his family and friends, Lazarus had died but, God is greater than death. He knew He would raise him up to the glory of God.

We learn something here. We would have thought that Jesus would have gone to Lazarus immediately, but He delayed this. His delays are not Him saying, 'I won't do that'. We need to be patient and wait for Him to act. What are you waiting for Him to do? You may have a real problem and the only one who can help is Jesus. However, your prayers seem to go unanswered. Don't assume that He has denied your requests. Remember what happened in Bethany that day and wait and be patient. 'Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!'   Psalm 27:14. God may be wanting you to wait because, this is a learning curve for you. Don't miss it.

Finally, when the time was right, Jesus visited the tomb. Despite being told not to get too close because of the stench of rotting flesh (11:39), Jesus went forth and in a loud voice commanded that Lazarus come forth. And he did. Don't ever become anxious because of the waiting period. Yes, it can be tedious, but it can be very delightful when you receive what you have been waiting for.

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.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

The Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.  12But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them.  13The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.  14I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.  15As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep."

                                                                              John 10:11-15.  NKJV 

Jesus is not a mere shepherd but, a good one - in fact the best. There’s a great difference between a shepherd and a hireling. The hireling is hired labour, he’s there to earn a living, he is not as concerned with the sheep as the shepherd is. If a wolf attacks, the hireling will defend himself and do his best to escape, leaving the sheep in danger. Not the shepherd, he has his shepherds crook and he will do all he can to protect the sheep and ensure they are safe.

We get a good picture of Jesus here. He is the Good Shepherd He knows all His sheep by name and will lay down His life for them, rather like He did on the cross, to save us all. This is what He was referring to - what His fate would be to save us on confession of His name.

Usually it would be the sheep who would lay down their life for the Shepherd. However, Jesus was different, He was the True Shepherd and like a normal shepherd, who would be with his sheep 24/7, Jesus The Good and True Shepherd is with you and I, always. Even though He knew what lay ahead, He faced it, with the Power of the Holy Spirit and carried on with His ministry until the time of the crucifixion.

‘When blood from a victim must flow, This Shepherd by pity was led, To stand between us and the foe, And willingly died in our stead’.  Thomas Kelly

The hireling does the job he is paid to do and picks up his pay. That was his only responsibility, it was a job of convenience for him, that was all. Sadly, there are hirelings in the church today - men or women, who choose the ministry as a comfortable occupation without true love for the sheep. For some, church life is just a tradition and it is the sheep - us, who dip out because the lack of the Holy Spirit being used.

Jesus offers a very intimate relationship with Himself, the love He shares with each of us, is the same love He shares with His Father and vice-versa. We have a lot to be grateful for. We have a loving Shepherd who took our sins upon Himself and has given us freedom and eternal life. And, we can have a deeper  experience with Him too, if we give him everything - to be sold out for Jesus. This is what He wants; do you want this too?

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.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

Live in the Overflow

"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

The devil is selfish; he comes purely for selfish motives to gain his own selfish desires. He would even kill the sheep. He is a:

THIEF  How many things has he stolen from you? Your job prospects, your spouse, your family, your money, health and happiness. We could go on with this list.

KILL  Your desire for each other - as friends or has man and wife. Think of that deep friendship you had with someone, but no longer see. What happened? The devil killed it. He doesn't want you happy. He will do all he can to stop this.

DESTROY  If you allow him to, he will destroy all you have. How does he do this? you give him the foothold - do things that you shouldn't; go to places that are inappropriate. Adultery, homosexuality, porn, heavy drinking or drugs, stealing and much much more. This opens the way to the foothold.

Jesus, on the otehrhand offers you life in abundance. 'You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over.' Psalm 23:5. How about:

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  21to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen".  Ephesians 3:20.

Jesus gives - Satan takes. Jesus is the truth; Satan is full of lies and deceit. Jesus loves you; Satan hates you. Make it your desire to live in the overflow and then watch the blessings pour in.

Don't just hope; get into the place Jesus wants you to be.

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.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

The Perfect Answer

"He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”     John 9:25.   NKJV

This man had been blind since birth. He knew very little about Jesus - who He was, where had He come from? But one thing he did know was that once he was blind, but now, he could see. It's the same when we are born again - once we were lost and now we are found. Once we didn't know Jesus at all and, probably didn't want to know Him, and yet, He reached out to us and we couldn't resist. He took the blindness away! 

Wherever we go, someone will challenge our faith. They may ridicule Jesus, use His name as a swear word and argue with us quoting all the reasons why Jesus isn't real. He isn't who we think He is or He's a myth. The devil is the deceiver and convinces people of this fact. He manipulates people to take part in halloween parties, leading families to believe it is just fun. This is not true.

The devil convinces people to worship him this way and they can't see it. If we're asked if we're going to go 'trick or treating' and decline the offer, they want to know why. If we tell them we don't believe in this stuff, we are mocked. But our Perfect answer should be, 'I was blind, now I see.'

Do you realise the devil is trying to manipulate and scare us and our children? If we turn them away from our door, we open ourselves up to receiving 'the trick.' But if we say yes, we receive 'the treat'. It sounds like blackmail to me. But if you say this to anyone, they just scoff at our excuses.

I love people, especially children to have fun. But us parents need to look at the bigger picture. If we give satan an inch, he will take a mile. If we ask him into the backseat of our car, pretty soon he will want to drive. Just one little invite is all he needs to get a foothold. This is not' typically old-fashioned religiosity'. It is fact built on the Word of God.

The devil will never give anyone a chance for fun. He doesn't know what that is. He is only out to rob us of everything that Jesus has, or wants to give us. Don't let him. Give him the 'Perfect Answer' ‘Once I was blind but now I see’

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.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

Don't be Side-tracked

 “Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono.” But they thought to do me harm. 3So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?”

                                                                               Nehemiah 6:2-3   NKJV

Nehemiah had initiated the re-building of walls of Jerusalem and despite attacks from his enemies, he continued and was almost finished. All he needed to do was hang the gates of Jerusalem. However, further attacks came, this time directed at harming Nehemiah's life. You know, the last part of a task can be the toughest; you may have been on the job for a long time and just want to see the finish of it. But Nehemiah, despite outward pressures, persevered and was almost finished.

Nehemiah knew he could never submit to his enemy's request to meet up with them. He knew that they would attempt to kill him; and he knew that completion of the wall was a most important work. He also knew that you don't leave something important to do something minor and, something that would stop or delay the work of the Lord.

This may be something that you have faced just lately. Vicars, pastors, elders, deacons and children's leaders each have a very important task to do. The work is invaluable to the ministry of the church and, if someone doesn't pull their weight, it can cause problems. Therefore, each leader needs to prioritise the work that they do. If in the middle of their work, they receive a call to drop everything and visit someone, wisdom is required to determine if the call can wait until a more convenient time or, if  someone else can be delegated to to take over from them or attend to the call, if it is suitable. At times like this, there should always be the thought in mind of, 'Is this person taking me away from God's will.'

We see an example of this in Luke 2:48-49, where Mary and Joseph discovered that the young Jesus was not with them: 'Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.  47And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.  48So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” 49And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” 50But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.'

Jesus was demonstrating to them, and to us also, that He must put His Father's work first. And this must be our [priority too. Jesus must come first.

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.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard.