Being content

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"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."   Philippians 4:13.  NKJV

The state of being discontent or dissatisfied chokes every opportunity that may come our way. Being discontent can give us feelings of anger, irritability and always striving to change this for the better. It can make us envious about what other people have and what we feel, and can bring jealousy to the forefront of our thinking.

The Apostle Paul had beaten this. Even though he was in prison at the time, he was able to claim that he was content in all things. And that is the secret to the way forward. 
Nehemiah 8:10 says:

'Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength'

There are three areas that can help here:

REJOICE.  God knows what we need. therefore, whatever He provides rejoice in it without complaining.

REST IN YOUR SITUATION. Be content whatever your circumstances. They could be far worse.

REALISE YOUR STRENGTH IN JESUS. Without Him, we are nothing. With Him we are a source of power (John 15:5)

It is being content with what God has provided which is the key to fulfilment here; not an almighty, super person that can do whatever. Super Christians just do not exist.

Winston Churchill said:

'I've never failed at anything in my life. I was simply given another opportunity to get it right'

Let is consider this statement. First of all, it is positive, as Churchill was. It shows no fear or cracks of defeat. It is almost a faith statement, although there is no suggestion that `Churchill was a Christian. What is does show is the Churchill, Bulldog Spirit.
It shows the hallmark of a fighter; one who doesn't give up, whatever is faced. It shows, to me, that whatever we are given, we can use to bring about victory. This is what people who are content with life, can do. They are not saying, 'I have what I've been given and I'll settle for that.' No, rather, 'Whatever I've been given is enough when it's placed into God's hands. He is the one that can give me victory. he is the one that gives me the strength to face each and every day.'

Be content in Jesus, place it in His hands and watch what He can do with it!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard 

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

  

Me, Me, Me

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"And the LORD restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed, the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before."  Job 42:10  NKJV

Job had a tough life. He had practically lost all he had - family, health and wealth. His friends were not the greatest of support to him and made statements, although being correct, were somewhat misplaced. In the end, God changed their hearts and helped them to see they were wrong and He sent them to Job in order to repent.
In comparison, God encouraged Job to pray for his friends. This liberated Job from bondage and God restored twice as much as he had before. Job showed no bitterness or bad feeling towards them at all. Could we pray for people who have wronged us, in the same way?

At times of hardship, where we may have been abandoned and no one has called or even rung us, it is so easy to feel sorry for ourselves and just concentrate on our feelings.
Mother Teresa said:

'As a rule, when we're suffering we are so focused on ourselves that have no time for others.'

We become so wrapped up in ourselves - our hurts , people who have wronged us or let us down, that sometimes the last thing we want to do is pray for them. But forgiveness is the key to freedom. Non Christian people find it difficult when a Christian forgives someone for the hurts they have caused. But, this is the foundation of Christianity! Jesus died in our place, for our sin. We needed forgiveness in order to face God, who is Holy. Jesus did that for us.
Charles Stanley says:

'Jesus, when he died for my sin, wrote in His Blood - "Paid in Full". 

If Jesus forgives us and, let's face it, we've committed some bad things at times. Therefore, if Jesus forgives us, then surely, we must forgive people who have wronged us. So it is time to stop feeling sorry for ourselves - being selfish with the Me, Me, Me syndrome and start forgiving and praying for others. 

Do you need to do this?

'Lord, I need freedom. I've been selfish, thinking of only myself. People have let me down and hurt me, yes. But today, I want to pray for them and forgive them. That way, I know that I'm opening the door to freedom. Please help me with this Lord. I choose to forgive..............

 ................................................................................................................................................

In Jesus' Name. Amen

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com  

The Road to Emmaus

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Please read Luke 24:13 - 43 for the whole picture

It was a boiling hot day as we walked the seven miles from Jerusalem to the small village of Emmaus. My friend and I had witnessed the awful crucifixion that Jesus had to undergo. We were both feeling broken and confused. I mean, we had expected Jesus to redeem Israel and be our ruler. Now He was dead and worse still, His body had gone missing. Some of the women were quite vocal as they kept shouting that He had risen. We were unsure about this, in fact, the whole scenario confused us.

Suddenly, this other fellow joined us on the walk. He looked familiar but I really couldn't place Him. Just another face in the crowd, I suppose. Without asking if He could join in with our conversation, He asked us what we were discussing and why we looked so sad. I said to Him, 'Surely you've heard the news or are you the only one for miles who doesn't know about things.?' 
'What things" He asked. I was totally dumbfounded. "Is this guy having a laugh with us,' I thought?
My friend explained all that had happened. I was too agitated to speak. My friend explained all about the arrest, the crucifixion and how the body was now missing. 
'Everyone had hoped He would change things for the better,' I said, my irritability under control now. 'However, whatever happens now, there'll be little change. We're guttered.'

All of a sudden, this guy started talking all about Jesus as if He knew Him personally. He talked about something called the Gospel and then eternal life. He spoke about God as if He knew Him also. It was strange but exciting too. He spoke with so much knowledge and passion, that when we reached our turnoff to Emmaus, we begged Him to come and stay the night with us. He agreed and we went to our home. As we began to eat, the most strangest of things happened, He broke the bread and blessed it just like Jesus had done before His death. WHAT? Oh goodness me, it is Jesus!

With that, He vanished. It was like a light had been switched on in our brains and we could understand everything. Yes, it was Jesus of Nazareth. We both felt heart-warmed, in fact very different. It was like we had been having lots of head knowledge, but now, it was coming from the heart.

We set off again- back to Jerusalem, practically running. We had to tell someone, hopefully Peter. I for one couldn't contain the joy that was bubbling up within me. I'm sure my friend felt the same because all he could do was keep laughing out loud.  When we arrived, we found Peter and the others and suddenly Jesus was there as well. It was the most amazing time of my life.

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These two disciples had started out with head knowledge, but after spending quality time with Jesus, their heart's were burning with fire. What about you? Have you head knowledge? You study the Word and know it inside out but it doesn't come from the heart? There's something missing. That fire that can only come from Jesus. Jesus is not looking for academics; He's looking for Spirit Filled men and women of God, those who have had their heart warmed until it is burning hot. People who'll stop at nothing to spread the Word of God around wherever. Do you fit in here? Yes or no?

You know that some people go deeper with Jesus - don't you? You've longed for that - haven't you? Why not do something about it, right now?

'Lord Jesus, I know You - I think. I've asked You into my heart; but there's something missing. I need You to fill me with the Fire of The Holy Spirit. Please Lord, I mean business with You. I want to go much deeper than I ever have before. Please help me Jesus.  Amen.'

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Don't judge a book by looking at the cover

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"But the LORD said to Samuel, 'do not look at his appearance, his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.' "   1 Samuel 16:7. NKJV

Many publishers and authors consider that the most important part of a book is the front page. This may be because I and many other people look firstly at the cover and then make a judgement on how good the book is. Often, I have been right but occasionally I have been misled and the storyline has been boring. Some of us read the blurb on the back cover or the preface on the inside. We can then get an idea about what the book contains but not always. 

We have similar feelings about people. We meet someone, maybe at work or in church or perhaps they move into the neighbourhood and straightaway we form an opinion about them. Like them - don't like them. We may say, 'I don't like the look of him; he looks trouble if you ask me.' Or, 'I wouldn't trust her as far as I can throw her.' On the other hand, we may have favourable opinions of them, after all we are Christians. 'But time will tell.'
Someone may know more about them and the gossip begins as we hear the 'evidence' about them. The results of these findings are very rarely conclusive and can result in a bad image being painted about someone who is probably a very nice and caring person and may have been through the roughest of times. Gossip is always bad and very rarely true. It's pretty much the same as selecting a book. We don't really know, we just have to trust that it'll be ok and sometimes we get it wrong.  

Thank goodness, God is not like this with us! Imagine if He was. I for one would be wiped off the slate straightaway, I can tell you. Don't laugh, you'd be pretty close behind me. We form opinions by outward appearances. God takes a look at the heart. Someone, somewhere, may have formed a wrong opinion of you and really slated your credibility. However, thank God, He didn't. He looked at what was in your heart; the hurts you may have have suffered and that longing to make changes for the better. And He thought, 'that's my child there. I love My child so much and I'm going to make something of their life.'

Thank God, He did!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard 

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

'What do you want me to do for you?'

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"So Jesus answered and said to him, 'What do you want me to do for you?'   Mark 11:51
Please read Mark 11:46 - 52

Jesus is coming. He's just outside of Jericho and already people are lining the road in anticipation of Him passing through. The authorities are pleased that such a dignitary is coming through the town. They have heard so much about what Jesus of Nazareth has been doing. They're hoping to see Him in action.
The crowds are getting thicker now and people are bustling to get to the front to get a better view. There's a beggar sitting in the gutter, covered in filth. His name is Bartimaeus and he is blind. No one's taking much notice of him. He's just after money after all is said and done and there is far more important things to look forward to than bothering with him. 
I hear him asking what all the fuss is about and someone tells him that Jesus is passing through any minute now. He comes alive then and starts shouting at the top of his voice, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.' People around him are telling him to shut up, but he carries on shouting, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.' 'Keep that beggar quiet,' says one of the crowd, 'He's a total embarrassment. Go on, get away from here before we move you.' Bartimaeus takes no notice and carries on shouting. Tempers are rising now and some try to kick him.

Suddenly, Jesus is there and hearing Bartimaeus shouting, looks around and asks for him to be brought to Him. 'Hey, beggar, Jesus of Nazareth is calling for you.' With that Bartimaeus jumps to his feet and pushes through the crowd towards where he thinks Jesus is. 'Hey watch it, beggar,' shout some of the crown, 'stop pushing us around.' There's a look of determination on the man that I have never seen anywhere. He's desperate and despite tripping up several times, he eventually reaches where Jesus is. People are laughing at him.

'What do you want me to do for you?' Jesus asks him. 'Rabonni, that I may receive my sight.' I hear Jesus saying to him, 'Go your way; your faith has made you well.' And with that, his sight is restored. He can see. Jesus has healed him. He can see. Tears are rolling down my cheeks. I've never seen anything like it. The beggar is leaping around and trying to hug Jesus. The crowds have changed their tune also, they're now shouting with joy and excitement, probably because they've seen a miracle. The place is in uproar.

This is how it would have been that hot morning near Jericho. A desperate man, who couldn't see knew he probably had only one chance to meet with Jesus and nothing was going to stop him from doing this. He didn't care what others felt about him. He knew that Jesus could restore his sight if only he could get to Him. He trusted Jesus and He'd never even met Him. He knew Jesus was the answer.

What about you? What would you ask for if Jesus said to you, 'What do you want me to do for you?' Have you the faith that this beggar had? This desolate, outcast that no one cared for? Or are you going to let Jesus pass by and then have a life time of regret. He's here right now and He is asking you the same question He asked Bartimaeus. How are you going to answer Him?

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard 

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Loss and Change Part 3

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"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you."   Isaiah 43:2.  NKJV

As we have been looking at the various stages that one may go through during the grief, I was reminded of the profound statement that Colin Murray-Parkes OBE made:

'Grief is the price we pay for love.'

One thing is for sure, we all know that our lives will end one day; we do not live forever on this earth, that God created for us. I wonder if it has made us feel grateful for the love that we did share with our loved one. From a marital point of view, if we had never met our partner in the first place, we would not have been able to share our life with them. This is obvious. However, think of all the happiness that was shared and the special memories you have. It may help to look at these memories and put them in a special place. Some people create a memory book or, perhaps have a memory box with very special things placed in there.

One must never create an 'Elephant in the room,' situation. Some people do this. They feel that they they don't know what to say so they don't mention the person' they just talk about everyday issues. That my be the time when we continue to bring the loved one into the conversation, by, for example, 'We used to go there', 'I remember when she did this, it made me laugh.' People may feel uncomfortable when we bring our loved one into the conversation, but that is their problem, not yours.  It is always helpful to talk about them whenever you feel that it is right. Some may say, 'Since you lost your wife/husband.' As a Christian, you haven't lost them; you know where they are. They're in Heaven and one day you will be reunited. Until then, their is a separation period; but they're not lost!

Some people keep diaries and record all sorts of things during any given day. This can be useful to analyse how you are doing and see if there is anything you could change for the better. Others, write a letter to their loved ones and some have taken them to a special place, such as the graveside, or other place, and secreted the letter somewhere. It's a psychological exercise but it can work for many people.

Don't be surprised if some people, who see you in the street, shoot off into the nearest store to avoid you. They're not being rude. They just don't know what to say so that avoid the issue afraid they'll say the wrong thing. Not everyone is a grief counsellor.

One major thing, make sure that you take care of yourself. Eat and exercise when you can and get out into the fresh air and find some leaves to kick around. It relieves stress so much. Your loved one would want you to go on; to take care of yourself and make sure that you're ok. Furthermore, God wants the same from you. If you don't wish to go to the church, that's ok but make sure that you read your bible and talk to God. He really cares for you more than you can ever imagine at this time. And He is longing for you to just throw yourself at His feet and let Him comfort and love you. 
Now that sounds a good idea to me.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard 

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Loss and Change Part 2

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"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you."   Isaiah 43:2.  NKJV

Loss and change affects everyone, we even find this in the Old Testament. Joseph suffered much loss when he was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. The change was difficult for him to negotiate. The changes came quickly.  Being Potiphar's head servant; being accused of attempted rape and thrown into prison; and then becoming Prime Minister.
Then of course, there were the disciples. Meeting with Jesus, having their lives turned upside down and then Jesus dying on the cross and eventual resurrection. 

Loss brings change and this is where it becomes difficult to work through. Colin Murray-Parkes OBE a British psychologist says:

'Grief is the price we pay for love'

This is a very profound statement but explains grief very clearly. There are certain stages that one may go through after someone very close to us, dies. Let us look at these in turn. However, one may not go through these stages as they are written; everyone is different. But they do give us a template to work with. I want us to look at Transition Theory by Barry Hopson, a leading psychologist. I feel this is a good model to work with, but there are several others though.

TRANSITION THEORY

IMMOBILISATION This is probably the first stage that a person goes through when someone close to them dies. It is a feeling of numbness and immense sadness. Life is just totally out of control and it is very difficult to make sense of what has happened. Sleep patterns change as do eating habits, and there really does not seem to be any answers to what has happened or why, even though we may have known time was short. It is a time of shock and possible anger.

MINIMISATION  In this stage, people may deny what has happened. They may go through each day doing the same things, even thinking that their love one will be home in a moment. Denial is a safe place to be. It limits the pain we take on board. However, in the long term, it is not helpful.

DEPRESSION. When realisation creeps in and the above two stages have served very little purpose, it may be easy to slip into a state of depression. Some may not eat properly and may feel like staying in bed for great lengths of time. They may isolate themselves. There is just very little point in anything.

LETTING GO  The first three stages are actually linked with the past - what has happened and how it has affected the individual. A person may travel though the initial stages  having good and bad days for quite a long time. Everyone is different. Eventually, as time goes on, there comes a realisation that there is life out there. The person didn't plan to be alone and grieving but the sun is beginning to shine again. There is a feeling that they may feel that it is time to move on. Strength has returned. This is when it may be time to LET GO of the pain - not the memory of the deceased -  but just to let go of the awful pain and feelings one had and take a step towards moving on, taking the memory of the loved one with them. This is not easy and at any time, they may slip back again.

TESTING  This is stage when people who have let go, may try out new things, perhaps a new hobby or change in lifestyle. Some may even change their image; some may go travelling. Each one is different.

SEARCH FOR A MEANING  In this stage, a person may find themselves reminiscing and wondering why all of this had to happen, especially when everything had seemed to be going well. Questions need answering but rarely are.

INTERNALISATION  This final stage is the acceptance of it all. Hopefully it will be a positive acceptance, one that has taken time to reach and there has been a positive move to go forward.

It must be stressed that, one may not go through these stages as they are written down. A person needs time to process what has happened to them and it may be quite a time before they reach the acceptance stage - if at all. Initially there are 'the firsts,' to go through - anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas etc. These take a little negotiating.

As a Christian, we still hurt and we still miss the person who has died. It may not help to know the they are now in Heaven; in fact, that may lead to arguing with God, asking Him why He took them away. That is ok. God understands and will offer all the comfort we need as we allow Him to spend time with us. He gives us a promise in the scripture above that He will be with us as we pass through the waters and they will not overflow us. In other words, He will take our hand and walk us through and take us safely to the other side. He will never leave us and will be with us every minute of the day or night. He will not force Himself upon us but will wait patiently until we are ready to speak to Him.

As time goes by, we will have the understanding that our loved one is with Him and are safe and suffering no more. We will also be assured that we will see them again. Of that, every Spirit Filled Christian  can rely on that promise.

Please be aware that this is only the start of analysing what has happened. The loss of a very close loved one is not easy to live with However, time is a great healer and has time goes on, it may be easier to manage and live with.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com