Where do you place your trust? Part 2

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.
3He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper".

                                                                           Psalm 1:2-3   NKJV

In this part of this Psalm, notice the contrast. Yesterday we were looking at the perils of placing our trust in man - 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man.' Jeremiah 17:5. Today we look at the mid-section of Psalm I and read what is laid out in our text above. It tells us that to be involved with God is a delight. As we do this we are like a tree planted by a river, which continually nourishes us. Our fruit is worthy of our calling and we, like the tree that is frequently refreshed, will never wither. And whatever we do will prosper.

That last bit is mind-blowing when you consider it. Whatever we do shall prosper. This doesn't mean that we will be a millionaire overnight but it does mean what it says. The blessing of God is available to us constantly. Rather like the tree has a root system where it continually receives life-giving water so that it can be nourished and prepare good fruit to be available to whoever picks it. We, like the tree, also have a root system via the Holy Spirit. He continually pours life and nourishment into our spirit for as long as we are linked to Him. We abide in Jesus (John 15:1-9), through this spiritual root system but the moment we end this, we are not able to survive any longer (John 15:5). 

Just picture the scene of the one who delights in the law of the Lord. There just has to be pure joy here and laughter. This is the way God wants us to be. As we read our bibles and good, reliable Christian books, we become more fired up too. We may grow older but this doesn't prevent us from still staying in step with Jesus. We may become ill but again, this should not deter us in fact, we should live as if we will be healed.

And let us not forget that whatever we do, Jesus will prosper us. He will bless our work and He will bless whatever we do, in Him. He wants you to succeed and He will help us all to achieve this. This is what delights us about Jesus. He is our forever friend.

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.

Where do you place your trust?

"Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord. 6For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited."                            Jeremiah 17:5-6.  NKJV

It is so easy to put your trust in a human being instead of, the Lord. For example, you may have a good friendship with your pastor and, because of what you see in him or her - their character, the way they are spirit-lead and full of faith - you are prone to trust them with all you have. If this is you, I'm afraid you have it wrong. They may be the greatest Christian that you have met but, at the end of the day, they do not have the power to accept you into heaven. They may help and point you in the right direction of course, but that, is as far as it can go. They can do no more.

To place your trust in the wrong area, you can end up like a desert shrub instead of a fruitful tree planted by the water (Psalm 1:3-4). This unbelief turns life into a parched  wasteland. In contrast, faith makes it a fruitful orchard. 

It is never wrong to have good friends; friends who you can trust. However, the balance has to be right. If that friend has a special anointing, such as a pastor or evangelist, it is so easy to discuss difficult things with them, trusting that they will be able to change things for us. They can pray and support you but that is as far as it can go. God has the power, after all it is He who gave this person the anointing in the first pace..

Friends give us that wonderful feeling that everything is going to be all right whenever we see them. It is like having to go somewhere you don't particularly  want to go. If this person goes with you, it feels much better. There is no problem with this. There are many times that we need support. The problem comes when we are tempted to go too far and place them on a pedestal. This is wrong and is putting this person in God's place. Remember, He will have no-one take His place.

So where do you place your trust? Do you place it in God or are you tempted to trust a friend. The decision you make will determine the outcome.

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.

Stop being Anxious

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

                                                                                Philippians 4:6-7  NKJV

The Greek word for anxious means to be pulled in different directions. Our hope pulls us in one direction and our fear pulls us in the opposite and we are pulled apart not knowing what to do. The English root of the word means to strangle and it is not too hard to see why, as this strangle-hold can cause extreme worry.

Paul gives us some valuable pointers in these two verses. We are to pray and offer supplication, which means, we should ask humbly or earnestly in our prayers and we should be thankful for all He does, has done and will do in the future. We are then given peace, the peace that surpasses everything we could ever imagine and this will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Don't forget that our hearts and minds can easily play tricks on us if we're not focusing on God. It can lead us to doubt and fear- all the things that anxiety is made up of. This is where the pulling in two different directions comes from followed by the stranglehold.

Mental Health units are full of people who are in some type of crisis and, the root is often anxiety.  Depression and anxiety are rife in our world today. People are full of darkness that comes from these conditions. Just think for a moment, where does darkness come from? That's right, the devil spreads it around like marmalade on toast. But, listen to me properly, this does not mean that the people who are suffering from these conditions have the label of being demon possessed. Not at all, but there is a link because worry and anxiety does not come from God does it? 

Being anxious and worried not only places you into a stranglehold, it causes you to hit rock-bottom. feeling that you are a failure; are of no use to anyone and all the other negatives you can think of. This is a lie and that is from the pit. Jesus Christ can help here by bringing freedom from this. He can allow the chains to fall off and give you a hope and a future. And all you need to do is use these two verses to ask Him for help.

Why not ask Him right now.

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.

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.