The Easy way or the Hard way?

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."  Matt 7:13-14. NKJV

Are you tempted at times to take the easy way of life. For instance (1) you see a job advertised, which seems to be the perfect job, good salary and a future. However, there's a price to pay - you must attend Uni for 3 years in order to be qualified. The job would mean spending 2 days at Uni and 3 days in the field, putting into practice what you are learning. (2) There is a similar job, good salary but you would have to work as an assistant to the person who applies and successfully qualifies for the first job. What would you do here?

The first job means a lot of work and, three years out of you life. It can be quite costly as well without financial support. You would have to study; live on a grant/loan for the duration and would need to pass all of the exams and practice work. Whereas, you could step right into the second option and be earning good money instead of struggling at Uni. It is a difficult decision. There is a benefit in both of the positions but you must make up your mind - the easy way or the hard way.

Our text today, shows us that a decision has to be made if we want to follow Jesus or just go with the flow of the rest of the world. If we want to follow Jesus then, we need to take the narrow road - the hard route. This way it can be lonely and costly. We can walk on the broad way and keep our baggage of sin and worldliness. But if we enter the narrow way, we must give up those things, which can be difficult. And we must choose one of them; we can't walk both of the roads because they are both going in different directions.

There are always choices to make in life and, the choices we make can determine the rest of our life. Therefore, the choices can't be rushed - however, there may be a deadline for things such as described in our two examples. No one can help with the decision either because if they make the wrong one for us, we can blame them. No, the choice is down to each of us. However, a godly person can offer Christian counsel about the narrow gate to heaven or the broad gate to destruction. Jesus wants us to make the right choice. Be honest, where would you like your soul to be at the end of your life? In God's hands or the world's? The answer to this question will determine your future.

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 it all began - My Testimony

It was the Autumn of 1980 and things in my life had begun to go haywire. After being a busy Regional Manager of a company dealing in garage and motor equipment, I was made redundant. The company had been taken over by our American competitors and we were all given a month’s notice. Not long after that, I was taken ill with what was initially felt to be a stroke. However, it was determined that it was a bad case of Bells Palsy. My face was all twisted, my nose flat against my left cheek. My right eye wouldn’t close and my mouth was slanted against my nose. I couldn’t eat or drink properly and to talk was extremely difficult. I looked like a monster out of  Dr Who. My wife, has just said that I had always looked like that. Thanks for that. I was put on steroids and had to attend Blandford Hospital daily to have electrolysis treatment in order too attempt to coax my face to return to normal. None of this worked.

After about 3 to 4 months there was no change and my GP told me my face would probably stay this way. I had no job, no prospects, I was ill and couldn’t speak properly. No one wanted a Quasimodo type in their company. I became depressed and closed down on most people, I could see no hope at all.
One day, my wife went to work and I was left at home. The kids were at school and I tried to cheer myself up playing my guitar. That lasted about a minute - I just had no motivation to play a note. In the quiet of the house, I heard a voice  within myself. The voice said, ‘Say a prayer and I will heal you.’ The voice kept saying this for the biggest part of the day until I thought I was mentally ill. I told my wife when she came home at lunch time and she said, ‘Perhaps it’s God.’ I had never believed in such things so I ignored this. But as I went to bed that night, I heard the voice again, ‘Say a prayer and I’ll heal you’. I was so low in mood and replied in a sleepy voice, ‘Ok, heal me,’ and I went to sleep.

The next day, I got up and I felt strangely better. I could whistle, something I had not been able to do for some months. I went into the bathroom and as I looked in the mirror, I noticed that my face was beginning to go back into place. I was elated but confused also. I went to my hospital appointment later that morning and was told that I need not come again, my face had all returned to normal. I didn’t know what had happened; all I knew was that a voice - God? - had asked me to pray to Him; I had and now, all was ok.

A neighbour in our village knocked on the door and told us both that she had heard that something had happened to me and as she looked at me, she began rejoicing. I was embarrassed but as we talked, I realised that Jesus Christ had healed me. What the health authorities couldn’t do, He did overnight. That day in September 1980, I became a Christian and my wife soon followed me as she had a spiritual experience in the local church a few days later.
This all happened 45 years ago and we are still going on living our lives for Jesus. We’re not religious fanatics, we’ve just realised that there is more to life than we had before. My wife still says that I’m ‘a little fat bloke’ but these days I am known as ‘the little Christian fat bloke’. Yes our lives have changed much for the better and we have found Jesus’ help so strong at times. He has healed us both; supplied extra needs when we have been on slippery slopes and He continues to bless us every single day. Don’t get me wrong, we still have our bad times, argue and disagree on a lot of things. But now, we have a third person - Jesus Christ - helping us through difficult decisions and guiding us in the right direction. He has led me to study and become an Elim pastor and then go to Uni and qualify as a social worker. It’s been a busy time.
Through Jesus we now have eternal life. This means that when we die and our life is over, we continue in heaven, eternally. Without Him, we would have had nothing. This is the true meaning of Christianity. Jesus died on a cross for each one of us. He took our sin upon Himself and everyone who believes this and asks Him to forgive them for their sin and invites Him into their life, receive Him. He makes each one of us brand new. I know there are many questions that can be asked about this, ‘If God is good etc..then why does He allow etc..’ The answer to this is, I don’t know but, what I do know is that the CO and myself belong to Jesus and to the best of our abilities, will continue to serve Him.

We’re nothing special; as I said earlier, we are not religious freaks, we are Christians and have found true happiness and life in Him. He has changed our lives and He can change your’s too, if you ask Him. All you have to say is:

‘Lord Jesus, Please forgive me my sin. Please come and live in my life, fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me to live for you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen

If you said this prayer, you are a Christian. Find a church, get yourself a modern bible and take it from there.

God Bless

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.

Given Another Chance

"But Peter said, 'Man, I do not know what you are saying!' Immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”62So Peter went out and wept bitterly."

                                                                        Luke 22:60-62    NKJV

Peter was the most colourful of the disciples; an extrovert, ever the vocal one and the most sure of himself. Wherever a discussion arose, you could be sure that Peter would chip in with his opinions. He was a rough and ready fisherman but, he had one quality and Jesus knew it - He loved Jesus dearly. But sometimes, Peter would speak without thinking things through properly. This was his problem. (Does this sound familiar?)

It may have been familiarity on Peter's part. He loved Jesus and would do anything for Him. Probably he may have felt that this made him more noticed or liked by Jesus. But Jesus had no favourites and treated everyone the same. Perhaps Peter didn't see this at first. It's a thought.

There came a day, just before Jesus' arrest, that Jesus told Peter that before the day was finished, Peter would deny Him 3 times. Peter said that he would never do this. However, it happened and as the rooster crowed, Peter had in fact denied that he knew Jesus 3 times. He was devastated as he remembered Jesus' words and wept bitterly. He had let the man he loved down and felt such a failure. This was not the first time however; Peter had failed Jesus several times, not deliberately but because he had such a way about him that he just couldn't help it.

After the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus - something Peter was struggling with - he felt so  bad, the guilt was enormous and it began weighing him down. He just couldn't get it off his mind. You probably can witness to this as you think about the times you have failed Jesus. There is no feeling like it and no matter what you say or do, it just doesn't get any better until you repent.

No matter how many times you have messed up in your walk with Jesus, He will always give you an Another Chance. He knows how difficult life can be. As you break through the difficulty of praying to Him and repenting, He will forgive you and restore you and then, re-direct your steps.

Can you hear that Rooster crowing now? Perhaps it is time you came to Jesus and told Him that you are sorry and receive another chance.

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.

 

Never underestimate God

"Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  46This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”           1 Samuel 17:45-47.  NKJV

We should never underestimate a man or woman of God. Under the power of the Holy Spirit they can achieve far more than a person can without this anointing. When we underestimate someone like this, we are underestimating God. We must remember this fact.

In this passage, David, who was a young teenager of a slight build, volunteered to go up up against the formidable sight of Goliath - a Philistine warrior who stood 9 feet 9 inches in height and was experienced in the art of battle. The Israelites were all running away from him when he challenged them. Even King Saul refrained from fighting him as he would have been duty bound because of the fact that it was his kingdom. Yet this small teenager, stood before the giant ready to fight him to the death. His only weapon was a sling and 5 smooth stones, whereas Goliath had so much weaponry, he was like a walking armoury. That day, David, who let's not forget had been anointed as the true king of Israel, ran towards Goliath, slung one stone, and this sunk into the giant's head and he fell to the floor. David raced towards him, grabbed his sword and decapitated him with it. The battle was over; victory had been won in the Name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel.

Don't ever underestimate a man or woman of God. Nobody there that day thought David had any chance of winning but, David did. Why? Because he was going against this man in the Name of the Lord.

In the past man and/or woman have taken on tasks and been successful in all they have done. But they have done this task in the same way - in the Name of the Lord. Jackie Pullinger, a missionary to Hong Kong, has led many thousands of drug addicted people to Jesus. The city of Hong Kong gave her vast property, on which she helps drug users to recover. She does what hospitals fail to do. Jackie was given an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II. People may have underestimated her in the beginning but, she never underestimated her God.

There are many other people of God who have done or are doing great things for God because they have felt called and God has blessed their faithfulness. Victory comes when we believe God, believe in ourselves and never underestimate what God can do through them

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.

 

What you see is different to what God sees

"So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”
7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at 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 16:6-7   NKJV

Things are not always what they seem. Samuel had come to anoint one of the sons of Jesse. But every time Samuel looked at one of Jesse's sons the Lord showed him that this was not the one. Samuel had been certain when he looked at Eliab - a strong, strapping guy -  that he must be the one but God told him that he was not, because God looks at the heart not the muscles. This reminded me of the scripture in 2 Corinthians 4:18:

'Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,  18while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal'.

We often judge a book by its cover; publishers insist on an eye-catching cover. However, this is not always helpful. A cover does attract readers but, they may not always be satisfied with the content. This is what God was showing Samuel that day as he looked to anoint a king for Israel. In the end, Samuel was led to a young shepherd boy. God told Samuel to anoint this boy, who we know as David and as he anointed him, the Spirit of the Lord fell. 

David may not have looked like a king should look but, God saw in him what the others didn't have, and although Samuel, and others couldn't see this initially, they saw this mighty young warrior in action later on.

We may look at someone and feel that there is nothing about them that is special. Someone may have looked at you and thought the same. However, God looked and He chose you because He could see right into your very soul. He knows best. 

Remember that when you see someone who all of a sudden appears to be in the limelight, preaching, teaching and being turned into a Person of God. You may not think so, but God knows best. He knew best when others were totally against you. God saw in you that special something. Think about that!

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.

 

Synchronisation

"They were continually and faithfully devoting themselves to the instruction of the apostles, and to fellowship, to eating meals together and to prayers.
43A sense of awe was felt by everyone, and many wonders and signs (attesting miracles) were taking place through the apostles. 44And all those who had believed [in Jesus as Saviour] were together and had all things in common [considering their possessions to belong to the group as a whole."     Acts 2:42-44.  Amplified Bible

Have you ever set up and paired an Apple Watch to your mobile, laptop or MacBook? Now for some people - Techies -  it is like making toast, it just all comes together very quickly. For other people, those not very familiar with such equipment, it can be a nightmare. It is all about synchronisation. To synchronise means : to cause to occur or operate at the same time or rate. This incorporates working together in harmony and agreement.

If you consider this and then put it alongside being a follower of Jesus, we get something very much the same: Ephesians 4:3 tells us: 'Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual] working together to make the whole successful' As there must be a togetherness and harmony for your Apple Watch, Laptop and/or MacBook, there must be the same for your walk with Jesus. Where lack of synchronisation can cause a breakdown of electrical communication with your equipment, the same can happen within Christianity.

When there is unity within the church, major things can begin to happen. Take Pentecost for example. God's people were together (in harmony and agreement) and an explosion of the Holy Spirit fell on the place and around 3000 souls were saved that day. Churches all around the world are crying out for power (give us more Lord), yet they will only receive this when they are Synchronised in togetherness and harmony. Once they are, there will be an awakening like there has never been before. Smith Wigglesworth said 'When the word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest move of the Holy Spirit that the nations, and indeed, the world have ever seen.'

Mr Wigglesworth was referring to Spiritual Synchronisation here and the sooner we adopt this togetherness, Jesus will show His power!

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.

 

Don't rush off - think about it first. Part 2

"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."

                                                                                       James 1:19   NKJV

So after yesterday's reading on this subject, how many people were successful in heeding this word and how many failed miserably? I'll be honest, I failed miserably. My wife had a hospital appointment and the road was busy with roadworks, traffic lights, more cars than is normal for this time of day and very slow drivers. I almost managed this but then failed because there was nowhere to park. Every space in the hospital grounds was filled. After driving an extra couple of miles around the place, I finally found one. However, by then the damage was done. That little slit on my face that is called a mouth had begun to speak. Therefore, although my wife spoke peace to me, I refused to listen (Not swift to hear) and instead of being (Slow to speak) I began speaking utter nonsense and, what's the other one, oh yes (Slow to wrath) I wasn't; I was very quick to get fired up and after all of this, I felt God referring to what I had written and published that day "So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God." So I had to ask God for forgiveness and of course my wife. I then spent the rest of the day feeling sorry for myself because I had let God, myself and my wife down.

It is so difficult at times, isn't it? We think we have understood what God has told us and then boosh - He reminds us that we haven't and we need to give more attention to what He is teaching us. If we look in the Amplified Bible at our scripture, we read the two verses like this:

"Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving]; 20for the [resentful, deep-seated] anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God [that standard of behavior which He requires from us]. "

So there you have it. The Amplified Bible is a good tool for digging into the Word and helping you to identify what God is saying. Note the last words of this piece that standard of behaviour which He requires from us. 

'I receive this loud and clear Lord Jesus, please help me and my brothers and sisters in Christ to reach this standard.. Amen

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.