A City on a Hill

"You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden"  

                                                                            Matthew 5:14  CSB 

If you give yourself to Jesus, He'll take you up on it. However, you will be shot at by the devil (Eph 6) unless of course you hide behind something and be a secret Christian. A secret Christian wants to follow Jesus but, doesn't want the flak that goes with this, so remains quiet when in conversations. But there's no point to that at all. You were drawn to Jesus and now you live for Him and have become a city on a hill, it can't be hidden, it's there for all to see. 'No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lamp stand and it gives light for all to see in the house v15.

Because you are shining that light, you are going to get shot at - you're putting yourself on the line. People won't like you; they will not want to be in your presence because you are an embarrassment. But actually, you're not, you are a spiritual challenge. Wherever Jesus went there was a light, He lit up the darkness in people, hence why they crucified Him. You will not always be popular, because you shine up the darkness in their lives. However, this is not a game; this is serious stuff. People need Jesus; therefore: 'let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven.' v16.

Vicars wear dog collars so, it is easy to recognise what their line of work is. But, others have the light of Jesus around them and people know that you are different without any outward sign. Think of a city on a hill. When it is lit up, it can be seen for miles. People will know that it is a city. In the same way, as when you are walking in the Spirit and power of God, you should be a force to be reckoned with. Tony Evans writes:

'You will rarely see what God is willing to do in secret until, He sees what you are willing to do in public.' 

God knows your heart and what you are willing to do. But, He wants you to take that first step, once you do, He will open the floodgates of blessing so that you will be successful.

There is no real need to wear any outward sign that you are a Christian. People will know that you are a city on a hill when you are walking the walk and living the live of Jesus. There are a lot of screwed up, hurting people living around us. They need what you and I have - Jesus. So shine for Jesus.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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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In God's timing - not yours

 "A man's gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men."  

                                                                             Proverbs 18:16. NKJV

So you have a gift - a talent and one in which you believe is from God? You believe that this gift will benefit other people but, at the moment the door is closed - God has not opened the door for you yet. Now this gift or talent, may be one that is a ministerial one, one in which would bless the church and start your ministry. Alternatively, this gift or talent, may be a great idea that you have to start a business, write a book, go to Uni or such like. Whatever it is, if nothing is happening God or someone else may be blocking you. If you have entrusted this to Jesus then, He will work on your behalf and you must allow Him to do this because, it is for your own benefit. If someone else is blocking you, God will move this obstacle when He is good and ready so, all in all, you are being represented properly.

The timing must be right and this is what God will be in charge of. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, 

'The worst thing that can happen to a man (or woman) is to succeed before they're ready.' (brackets mine). Things are happening that you can't see, rather like a seed that has been planted. While it is under the soil it appears nothing is happening; then all of a sudden, there is growth. This may be happening for you. Things need putting in place for your plans to be successful. If you were to go NOW, it may be disastrous. So give God some space to work.

Tony Evans writes: 'God will meet you where you are in order to take you where, He wants you to go.' And this is so true. It is almost like 'God will make a way where there seems to be no way.' Just wait and at the right time, God will bring you to the attention of whom He wishes. This is very true if you are an author trying to get published. No matter how much the writer sends his manuscript to a publisher; they will more than likely send it back with a rejection letter. The writer needs someone like an agent to give him the success he dreams of. In a similar way, this is what you need. God is your agent and He knows the way ahead, the hazards and the trip wires. So if you are heading out on the business road, let God take the lead.

If on the other hand, you are awaiting your gifts to be recognised within your church setting, be willing to humble yourself and wait for God to move. He will. But the answer may be different to the one you expected. Remember, God is in control and He will lead you to do what He wishes for your life. Don't become disheartened; be joyful that God is working on a plan that will be tailor made just for you. So praise Him.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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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'One thing I know'. Final Part

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

Jesus had healed this man on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees did not like this one bit. God would never allow such a thing, they protested. The Pharisees were more concerned with the Jewish law than with the wonderful miracle that had happened to this man. They were full of religionism. Just the fact that this man stood before them able to see, would not move them into believing that Jesus must have something about Him. But no, they thought Him a sinner. This caused a division among the people, 'If He is a sinner  and not from God then how did this happen?'

The Pharisees called for the man;'s parents and asked them if their son had been born blind and, if he had, did they know how he could now see. The parents were frightened of being excommunicated and struggled to find the words to answer them. In the end, they said, 'He is of age; ask him. He will speak of himself.' So they called the man over:

 

'So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.” 25He 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. 26Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” 27He answered them, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?”  John 9:24-27

Unlike his parents, the man made a stand for Jesus by telling them how he had once been blind, but could now see. When they persisted with their questioning, he even asked them if they wanted to follow Jesus too. I believe that he was not being rude here but, he was so overjoyed, he wanted everyone to know what had happened to him. The Pharisees were arrogant - he was humble. Petty quarrels about scripture can take priority over people and this is one thing that the church needs to correct; Jesus is not in these. Jerry Vine writes:

'When questioned by the Pharisees, he finally said "One thing I know; that though I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25) That statement has a great lesson for us. When all other evidence we can marshal to speak a word about Jesus can be met by challenges, one piece of evidence will always stand the scrutiny of the most aggressive critic - our personal experience of grace and the internal transformation that Jesus gives us when we give our lives to Him. This man had a new life. Though he knew little, that little was much! You may not be able to put into correct language what you believe about Jesus, but you can always testify to what Jesus has done for your soul.'                                            Jerry Vines - The Vines Expository Bible

Man may try to take away from you what God has done, or even try to water it down. Many are skeptical and critical; but, stand your ground, God has worked in you, not them and, many don't like it.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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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'One thing I know' Part 2

"8Therefore the neighbours and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”    John 9:8  NKJV

Let's look further at our study of the man born blind. Jesus met with this man and anointed his eyes with saliva and dirt to form a clay. Probably not the most ideal of remedies as far as we're concerned but Jesus had a plan, He always does. Some believe that this method of preparation  emphasised the man's blindness and our lost condition before we receive the touch of God. But this is only supposition. 

The Pool of Siloam was a reservoir in Jerusalem which had supplied water through to King Hezekiah's underground tunnel from a spring outside of the city 2 Kings 20:20. And to this pool, the blind man was sent to wash in the water. He went but he needed no help in returning, because he could see.

Now the lesson here is not the clay or the pool of Siloam having any special qualities or power, but, the man's obedience to Jesus. No task is insignificant if the Lord commands it; and let us not forget, that this blind man had never met Jesus before. He went totally on faith and trust. Jerry Vines says:

'We find a vivid parallel here with spiritual sight. When God's Spirit works in our hearts, for the very first time we see clearly the Father's love for us. We are no longer blinded to His grace being poured out all over our lives.'  Jerry Vines - The Vines Expository Bible

The change that Jesus makes in a person's life is amazing and people notice this. We may look the same but others see a difference and this is Jesus. People are looking for what we have even if they don't know it at that particular time. See what the people were saying about this man after he had washed in the pool:

8Therefore the neighbours and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?” 9Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.” 10Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” 11He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”12Then they said to him, “Where is He?”He said, “I do not know.”   John 9:8-12

'One thing I know' is, Jesus can make a huge difference in any person's life if they will only trust and follow Him. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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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One thing I know. Part 1

"And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  John 9:2   NKJV

For the next few days or so, I want us to look at and pick the bones out of the episode of the  man born blind and people's interpretations of this. We don't know everything, although we can often feel that we do.

Assumption enters into the lives of the disciples again. They assumed that this man's sickness was the result of his parent’s sin. Which was not so. This may have come about by the fact that Jews connected suffering with sin. They worked on the assumption that wherever there was suffering, somewhere there was sin. Assumption is a troublemaker when it is used in the wrong manner. We can easily jump into a conversation with assumption and completely miss the real reason about something. Thankfully, Jesus explained that this man's physical blindness was not caused by someone's sin but, by a human defect and a human tragedy.

It is difficult to imagine what this man had suffered all of his life but, it is obvious that he had never been able to look into his mother's eyes as she nurtured him. As he became older, he was not able to go out and play with the other children or have the opportunity to work the fields with his dad. He had never seen the beautiful colours of flowers, or the skies at night or morning. It is hard to realise what it was like. The only job that he could do, was to beg, at least this gave him some money for his pocket each day.

Jesus mentioned another type of blindness - spiritual blindness of the heart. The disciples had displayed this type as they made assumptions of his blindness. Jesus mentioned the works of God in this situation in John 9:3: 

'Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.'

Somethings are meant to be for a reason, and for this man, he was to receive his sight along with eternal life. The timing needed to be right.

It's hard to imagine just how this man felt when for the first time in his life, he could see and put together the sound he had been used to with a view of seeing what he was hearing. God's heart must have been breaking as He looked down on this man whose life had changed for the better, knowing that he would never have to beg again and would also be added to Jesus' followers too.  God does beautiful things for us all and that is 'One thing I know'

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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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Are you Free?

"Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever."                                              

                                                                           John 8:34 - 35  NKJV

Jesus is speaking about being a slave to sin and the dangers of clinging onto your sinful life. Socrates said, 'How can you call a man free when his pleasures rule over him.' Let that statement sink in for a moment. We are all sinners saved by grace, if we know Jesus. And we all have the ability to commit sin. In fact, probably daily. This obviously is not ideal but, with Jesus we are a work in progress (Phil 1:6). However, when a person blatantly commits the same sin over and over again, then that person is hooked on what this sin is, in fact, a slave to this sin.

William Barclay comments here: 'Sometimes when we are rebuked for doing something wrong, or warned against such a thing, our answer is, "Surely I can do what I like with my own life".

The thing is that those who sin are not doing what they like, they are doing what sin likes'

                                                                         The Commentary to John, William Barclay 

A sinful habit is likely to get such a grip on each of us and it is hard to break. If we are not careful, we end up liking what we shouldn't. We become slaves to our habits. But, Jesus offers us freedom. He knows that we will never be perfect until we meet with Him face to face. But, we can come very close. We do this by realising that this particular sin is taking over us and we need help. Jesus is our help and He will certainly help us to be in control of ourselves. But it is never easy. Something you want badly, is never easy but it is well worth the effort.

BibleRef.com comments on the subject of slaves to sin according to Jesus' comments in v35:

'Slaves—from the Greek term doula--meaning a "bondservant"—were the equivalent of employees in the ancient world. They lived in the master's house, and had a certain kind of relationship with the master. However, they were not actually part of the master's family. Eventually, these bondservants would leave, or be dismissed. Only the actual children of the master had a permanent right to live in the home. The classic example of this is found in Genesis 21, where Ishmael, Abraham's son through the servant Hagar, is dismissed from the home; his son Isaac, through his wife, remains. This, according to Jesus, applies to our spiritual relationship to God'.

Therefore, let us all be careful; sin is dangerous and can lead to us being a slave to sin. Therefore, let us heed the warning signs and accept the freedom that Jesus offered to each one of us 'Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.' Yes, you may well commit the sin again but, when you have Jesus on your side, He can help you to be free pretty quickly. For some it may be instant, for others it may be a lifetime. Just trust Him and come to Him now:

Lord Jesus, I have become a slave to sin and I want to release this sin to You, because You promise to set us free. Lord in Jesus of Nazereth's name, I claim your freedom now. Amen.  

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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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Adultery - Guilty or Not Guilty?

"Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst,  4they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act.  5Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”  John 8: 3-5  NKJV

Jesus was in the middle of a teaching session in the temple, when the Pharisees and the scribes brought a woman who they had found committing adultery, ''Teacher, this woman was  caught in adultery, in the very act' v4. Their intention was to trap Jesus because the law said that adultery was punishable by death. But where was the man? Adultery takes two people and this is what the law referred to in Leviticus 20:10 'The man who commits adultery with another man's wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbours wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.'

For the Pharisees to find the couple in the very act of adultery, would have been difficult, unless they had entered someone's property. Even then, it was unlikely. Was this a set up to trick Jesus? Had the man been paid off by the Pharisees to prove her guilt, and then disappeared? Just the fact that they said to Jesus, 'But what do you say' made it clear that they were trying to stitch Him up. The law said the adulterer should be stoned to death. It seemed very suspicious that there was no sign of the man. It was illegal for the Sanhedrin to execute anyone without Roman consent and then it would have been difficult to prove this case. However, Jesus was in a tricky position. If He were to disagree with Moses' Law, He would be seen to violate this. If He were to agree to stoning by death, by Roman law, He would be accused of violating His own teaching of love and forgiveness. He was in a no-win situation. This Lynch mob were out to get Him.

Jesus stooped down on the ground and began writing in the sand and dust. The tension for the Pharisees was tight. But, Jesus was totally at peace. They began questioning Him again and He stood up and said, 'He who is without sin among you, let Him throw a stone at her first.' v7 He then bent down and continued to write on the ground. We don't know what he wrote, but it certainly intimidated the accusers. With His statement, they left, convicted, one by one. When you consider this situation, the only one who would have been qualified to throw the first stone, would have been Jesus. 

Jesus looked at the woman and because the place was cleared except for the woman and Himself, He asked her, 'Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She said, 'No one Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.' V10 - 11

This is a wonderful conclusion and one in which, we see Jesus protecting His people. She didn't follow Him earlier, but, you can bet that she became a follower of Jesus from thereon. Just a thought here, Jesus did not go easy on the woman's sin. By His act of forgiveness for her, meant that one day soon, He would suffer for her sin on the cross, as He did for ours. This was a pre-crucifixation act.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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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