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Good morning. It is wonderful to face 2024 knowing God is our redeemer. Isaiah reminds us - "I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22) Go’el is the root word and refers to the laws of a kinsman redeemer. When a Hebrew had fallen into poverty and sold himself into slavery, property was sold to pay a debt, or a close relative had been murdered the next of kin would be their redeemer. They would pay the penalty, purchase back their relative from slavery, or avenge the death of their murdered kinsman. The laws of the kinsman redeemer were an object lesson for the redemption of the world back to God. Redemption was not an afterthought that God came up with because His children would not obey Him. Redemption was the plan before time began. Christ on the cross would be the price God would pay to redeem the earth and buy back His children. God, our Father, is our Redeemer. He gave everything He had to give us our freedom. Have a great day knowing you have been redeemed. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. You have reason to be content today. God is your portion. The idea of our “portion” is a rather strange concept to us. But in the ancient Hebrew culture you knew what the “portion” of the inheritance was at birth. Your portion depended upon your gender and your place in the birth order. As adopted children of God we have an inheritance that is given to us as soon as we are re-born. We are not just heirs of God, but we are co-heirs with Christ. We get the double-portion of inheritance only available to the first-born son!! God not only gives us our portion, but God is our portion! In His presence we find true happiness and satisfaction. We find a desire for Him as well as a delight in being with Him. "Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalms 73:25‭-‬26) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. David writing in Psalm 43:5 asks, "Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?" He then gives us good advice, "Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." The reason for His response is because he knows God as El Sim Chat Gili. God your exceeding joy. Joy is that deep down satisfaction that comes when what we know is true of God—He is infinitely loving, He is always good, He is unceasingly forgiving—lines up with our experience of God. Joy is not dependent on our circumstances because it is found in the presence of God. We can have joy in our difficulties because we have the expectation that our good and loving Father is taking care of us, through the good and the bad times. Today let us emulate David, "Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God" (Psalms 43:4‭-‬5) Have a joy-filled day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. We trust you are well this morning. Soon, we at GraceCov will start a new series on Sundays and in Life Groups - "Identity". Our identity is not defined by our circumstances. Besides the fact that God is above our circumstances, yet with us in them, it is comforting to know that He is consistently just in every situation. We so often hear the exclamation, "It's not fair!" However, one of the lesser spoken about attributes of God is that He is just. God is just. God is righteous and holy, fair and equitable in all things. We can trust Him to always do what is right. The fact that you are Gods favourite, as  Zechariah reminds us (Zechariah 2:8), does not detract from the fact that God is just. He does not show favouritism. "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he." (Deuteronomy 32:4) As you go through the day today, remember that He is with you in every situation and is acting according to who He is. God is just. Have a wonderful Monday. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Today we get to worship Jehovah-Sabaoth: the Lord of Hosts / Lord Almighty. We read in 1 Samuel 1 the account of Hannah who went to the Lord of Hosts when she was being attacked by her adversary. The Lord of Hosts rescued her and gave her a son. The Lord of the hosts of heaven will always fulfill His purposes, even when the hosts of His earthly people fail. Who do you run to when you face insurmountable obstacles? Who do you call upon when you are attacked by your enemies? When you have a spiritual battle, do you ask The Lord of Hosts to fight the battle for you? We need to run to this name when we find ourselves failing and powerless. Jehovah-Sabaoth, the One on whom those in the midst of a struggle, can call. The Lord of Hosts, the Lord Almighty is with you and will hear your cry. Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Have you lost a loved one? Been deserted by a loved one? Been injured severely? In a financial bind? Sick? Dealing with loss? Have children who have gone in the wrong direction? What do you do when you feel alone? Abandoned? Forgotten by everyone — maybe even God? There are so many difficulties and trials in this sin-sick world where we may feel deserted, alone, and forgotten. In the last verse in Ezekiel, the Israelites are told,  “And the name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there.” (Ezekiel 48:35) Israel was in captivity when Ezekiel told them "Jehovah-Shammah" - the Lord is There. The writer to the Hebrews reminds us, "God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) We do not need to feel forsaken. God knows where you are. God is there. He is with you. In Him you have a hope and a future. Jehovah-Shammah! Enjoy your day and have a good weekend. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. I (Mike) like Fridays. Friday signifies the end of the working week for most of us. It tells me it is finished. This takes my thoughts to Christ's words on the cross,: "tetelestai" - "It is finished." Because of Christ's death on the cross, God sees us as righteous. We have been justified - just as if I'd never sinned. That's how God sees us. This is one of the names of God in the Bible - Jehovah- mekoddishkem , the God who sanctifies. It is God who sanctifies us. He declares those who are in Christ to be holy.  We can only be sanctified through Jesus. We have no power to be holy on our own. "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." (1 Corinthians 1:30) Enjoy your Friday - It Is Finished! Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning to you. The songs we sing are inspired by God's attributes. One of my (Mike) favourites is by Don Moen. "Our God is able He is mighty He is faithful And He never sleeps, He never slumbers He never tires of hearing our prayer When we are weak He becomes stronger So rest in His love and cast all of your cares on Him Do you feel that the Lord has forgotten your need Just remember that God is always working in ways you cannot see Our God is able He is mighty He is faithful" Take time today to make a list of His attributes and keep it to refer to when you are going through a rough patch and / or feeling down. Enjoy your day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne.

Good morning. Have you stopped to think why we say/pray "there is none like You," or "nothing compares to You" when referring to God? What makes these statements true is that God possesses unique attributes. No one/nothing else can claim to have these: • He is eternal (Psalm 90:2) • He is unchanging (Malachi 3:6) • He is present everywhere (Psalm 139:7-12) • He is all-knowing (Job 37:16; Psalm 147:5) • He is all-powerful (Jeremiah 32:17) Truly we can declare "There is none like You, O God. You have no equal. There is none that can rival You." Have a great day with our unique God. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Psalm 23 is one of the most widely known portions of scripture. The 1st verse reveals another name of God: “The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need.” Yahweh-Raah - the Lord my Shepherd. He shepherds me.  Raah can also be interpreted Rea, meaning friend or compassion. It can be translated as “The Lord my friend.” In this psalm we are reminded of just how much God cares for us. He is our friend, our confidant, our leader, provider, our protector and comforter. This psalm is perhaps one of the best know scriptures of the Bible because it is one of comfort and a reminder of who God truly is to us. Enjoy your day in the presence of the Lord, your shepherd. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning to you. Looking at God and His attributes, the question comes to mind - will we be able to fathom everything about God and His nature? My (Mike) friend Paul answers the question for us. "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!  “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Romans 11:33‭-‬34) God is infinite. God is beyond measurement—we cannot define Him by proportions or magnitude. He has no beginning, no end, and no limits. However, through relationship with the Father, made possible by His Son Jesus Christ, we are able to experience the full spectrum of His nature and His attributes. Jesus said, "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” (Luke 10:22) The deeper our relationship with Him, the more we get to experience and know His attributes. God bless you today as you enjoy your relationship with Him. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. This morning we are reminded of the significance of praise and worship. We are told that God inhabits the praises of His people. When we worship God we often sence His presence right there with us. Don Moen, in the chorus of the song "God is here", reminds us of just that. "God is here Dwelling in the praise of His people God is near Healing broken hearts with His touch As we gather to worship His name He is riding on the wings of our praise I believe I believe that God is here" As we, the Church, meet together this morning, let us actively participate in praising and worshipping God, the Most High, Sovereign Lord. Blessings. Mike and Daphne