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Good morning. The chorus of the song "Won't Stop Now" by Elevation Wordhip says: "Your presence Is an open door We want You Lord like never before Your presence Is an open door So come now Lord, like never before" In modern day parlance God has an open door policy to His presence. We are able to come into His presence at any time. He never puts up a "Do Not Disturb" sign. The psalmist says there is joy and pleasure in the presence of the Lord. "You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalms 16:11) Followers of Christ are assured of God's blessing. "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord ." (Psalms 89:15) Let us, today, walk in the light that results from being in His presence. Have a wonderful day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14) Reading this encounter between Moses and God (Exodus 33:12-19) there are a number of things we learn about the Lord's presence. God's presence signifies: • He will give us rest (v14) • He is pleased with us (v16) • He distinguishes His people from other people (v16) • We found favour with Him (v12) • He will answer our prayers (v17) When we take time to read and meditate on God's Word we find the riches contained in it. When we read with the goal of applying the Word in our lives, it comes to life and we are reminded of the great care that God took in writing His Word sothat we will experience His presence with us. Enjoy His presence today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Luke records the account of 2 disciples (not of the 12) walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus when Jesus joined them and in the course of their conversation Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!" (Luke 24:25) This got me (Mike) thinking. How well do we know the Scriptures? We know all about the gospel of Jesus Christ and the good news contained in it. We also tend to know many scripture verses which talk of the effect of what Christ has done for us. Like the 2 on their way to Emmaus, we a need a fresh encounter with Jesus, allowing Him to open up His Word to us. (from Genesis to Revelation) "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." (Luke 24:27) Let's go on a journey to rediscover the richness contained in God's Word. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. This past weekend we have remembered the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, where He took our sin upon Himself when He died. We celebrated His resurrection, bringing the assurance of new life in Him. So what now? Easter has come and gone. Life cannot merely continue as per normal. Reading the Scriptures we see account after account of people's lives being irrevocably changed: the sick being healed, the lame jumping up - walking and leaping and praising God, communities turning to God, people being baptized in water and the unlikely (Gentiles) receiving the baptism of Holy Spirit. The Church was born and grew exponentially. We now need to change focus from what Christ has done for us individually, to what He has called us individually to do. "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12) Life cannot merely continue as per normal. "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) You can do it. We can do it. Holy Spirit empowers us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Let's do it. Together we can. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and discovered that Jesus was true to His Word. "Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” (Luke 24:6‭-‬7) Paul puts it like this: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3‭-‬4) Sunday has come! He is not here; He is risen! Jesus Christ's resurrection authenticates that He is the Son of God who came into the world and did what Isaiah prophesied 700 years before this point in history. "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:5 NKJV) So, as we join together with other followers of Christ in worshipping the Risen King, let's do so with gladness and thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Easter presents a wonderful opportunity for followers of Christ to be a witness of the amazing love of God. The Father's heart is to bind up the brokenhearted hearted, to proclaim freedom to the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of God's favour. We cannot keep quiet about this Good News. He has given us Holy Spirit who empowers us to share the good news of Jesus Christ. When we do this we are creating opportunities for the miraculous. After all Jesus tells us, "whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father." (John 14:12) This is the potential we have within us because of what Christ did at Easter. Let us go out and make a difference in the world, one life at a time. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Derek Prince writes that the most complete account of what was accomplished at the cross was given through the prophet Isaiah. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6) The entire message of the Gospel revolves around one unique historical event: the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. Everything that was due to us, i.e. all the consequences of our sins, was taken by Jesus and exchanged for all the good due to Him. Isaiah puts it this way: "Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4‭-‬5) This is the Divine exchange. Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven. Jesus was wounded that we might be healed. "Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross Bids me come and die and find that I may truly live Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful Cross All who gather here by grace, draw near and bless Your name" (The Wonderful Cross : Chris Tomlin) This is the reason that we can come before God with thanksgiving. Have a great day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. The last thing Jesus said before dying on the cross was tetelestai - "it is finished." Tetelestai literally means "to bring to an end, to complete, to accomplish." Tetelestai is in the perfect tense in Greek. That's significant because the perfect tense speaks of an action which has been completed in the past with results continuing into the present. When Jesus cried out "It is finished," he meant "It was finished in the past, it is still finished in the present, and it will remain finished in the future." "It is finished " is our Saviour's final cry of victory. When He died, He left no unfinished business behind. "I successfully completed the work I came to do." "Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." (John 19:30) "At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there." (John 19:41‭-‬42) Remember, though, Sunday was coming. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Luke records in Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Isaiah prophesied 700 years before Christ began His ministry. He shows us four ways to be witnesses of Christ. "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." (Isaiah 61:1) Holy Spirit annoints us to: • proclaim good news to the poor. This is the good news: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9) • bind up the brokenhearted. Two of the mist agonizing wounds brought upon us by our iniquity are shame and rejection. "The Lord will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit— a wife who married young, only to be rejected,” says your God." (Isaiah 54:6) • proclaim freedom to the captive. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36) • proclaim release from darkness for the prisoners. Jesus said: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Let's go and be effective witnesses to Christ. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. The love of God and the love for God leads to a life of intimacy with Him. When I started courting Daphne, all I wanted was to be with her, to enjoy being with her. The more I was with her, the more I wanted to be with her. As our relationship grew to the point where we could declare, "I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine," as did Solomon. (Song of Songs 6:3) This is a picture of a relationship with God. He wants to be with you, just be with you. He longs for fellowship and intimacy with us. “... how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. (Luke 13:34) There is more to a relationship with God than coming to Him with a list of problems and requests. It's about a love relationship with Him; speaking tender words to each other. "Let him lead me to the banquet hall, and let his banner over me be love." (Song of Songs 2:4) It is out of a deep intimate relationship with God that we can, like Moses, says to God: “Now show me your glory.” (Exodus 33:18) Knowing God and being in His presence builds our faith and leads to a wonderful life filled with joy and excitement. Revel in His love today. Enjoy His presence. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Much of what our loving Father does in our lives happens as a result of us putting our faith in Him. Some folk have difficulty receiving from God, notwithstanding what He has for each of us is good and perfect, as James reminds us. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (James 1:17) We need to: • Press in and receive what He has for us. • We all have our unique experience of God. Let Him continue to work in you. • Receive by faith (not by feeling). • Take risks. When God, through Holy Spirit, gives us spiritual gifts we need to risk in using the gift. John Wimber says we spell faith - RISK. • Be persistent. If we want what God has for us today, we must keep pressing in to God. Elisha set a high value on persistence. "Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel." (2 Kings 2:2) • Trust God. Receive as a child. God places a high value on simplicity and trust. God is going to give us the desires of our heart when we come in childlike faith. As we go into the new week, let's not put off till tomorrow to receive what God has for us. Receive it by faith, today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. When the presence of God is tangible and we, as followers of Christ, are filled to overflowing with Holy Spirit, I (Mike) feel like the psalmist was writing about me when he wrote: "When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy." (Psalm 126:1‭-‬3) Holy Spirit brings a release of joy. With it comes a release of healing and freedom. He wants us to have fullness of joy. This joy is so rich, so good, so powerful that we cannot begin to describe it. When God transforms us by the power of Holy Spirit, He deals decisively with our past hurts and guilt. Isaiah puts it like this: "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away." (Isaiah 35:10 NKJV) As we join together to worship God, let His presence touch and refresh you. May the words of the chorus of the song by Bill Gaither be very real for each of us today. "He touched me, Oh He touched me, And oh the joy that floods my soul! Something happened and now I know, He touched me and made me whole." Blessings. Mike and Daphne