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Good morning. Paul writing to the in Colossian church says, "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12) When we think of the macho world in which we live, gentleness is not one of the qualities that jumps out at us. All the advertising says we must be rough and tough and ready to roll with the main "manne" that count. The dictionary defines gentleness as, "the quality of being kind, tender, or mild-mannered, the softness of action." Is it possible to let this fruit of the Spirit be evident in our lives? After all it's a big mean world out there. As followers of Christ it should be a given. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22‭-‬23) It is no coincidence that Paul writes in the first phrase of verse 15 of Colossians 3, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts". Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27) When we have His peace in us and by keeping in step with Holy Spirit, gentleness will be evident in our lives. Proverbs 15:1 tells us, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Let gentleness be one of the hallmarks of our lives. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Throughout scripture we see God being close to those who were faithful, those who worked diligently in responding to God's call. • Joseph - Genesis 41:39-40 • Joshua - Joshua 1:1-7 • Ruth - Ruth 4:10 • Mordecai - Esther 9:4 • Job - Job 42:13 • Peter - Acts 2:40-41 • Phillip - Acts 8:12 • Paul - Acts 19:12 • Timothy - 1 Timothy 1:18-19 There are many others, too many to mention here. As followers of Christ we too must be faithful and work hard in all the facets of our lives. • Work place • Family • Local church • Recreation • Relationship with the Father. Remember Paul's words. "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters" (Colossians 3:23) Have a great day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. The Israelites were standing at the edge of the Red Sea with the Egyptians hot on their heels rushing to take God’s people back into slavery. That’s when Moses utters the words of Exodus 14:14: “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” What happens next shows us that for us to see God's providence we need to be faithful in carrying out His commands. “Then the Lord said to Moses...Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground” (Exodus 14:15-16). Trusting doesn’t mean “letting go and letting God.” Trust is meant to be accompanied by hard work because we believe that God often produces results through our hard work. More often than not, it is through our faithfulness and hard work that God chooses to deliver that fruit. Trusting God and working hard are not mutually exclusive. They are ideas meant to be held in a healthy tension. Paul says, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow." (1 Corinthians 3:6-7) Let us follow John Piper's saying: “My job is faithfulness. God’s is fruitfulness.” Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Looking back on life we see that God has showered us with His goodness. When we sit and reflect on Christ we see the goodness of God in every fact of His life. • He healed all those who were ill that were brought to Him - Matthew 4:24 • He honoured the Centurion's faith - Luke 7:1-10 • He chose to use ordinary people to take the gospel to the world - Matthew 4:18-22 • He provided food for the crowd - Mark 6:30-44 • He was moved by compassion to the point of Weeping - John 11:34-35 • He died in our stead - John3:16 Notwithstanding that we probably will not die in the stead of someone else, we, as followers of Christ, are called to reflect His goodness to the world around us. The fruit of the Spirit includes goodness. In a world of "me first" goodness does not necessarily come naturally. Peter writes "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness;" (2 Peter 1:5) Goodness is an intentional act on our part. As we go about our daily activites, let us look for opportunities to demonstrate goodness. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. It is no accident that directly after Paul tells of the fruit of the Spirit, he has this to say: "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25) The longer we walk with God, the more the fruit of the Spirit will become second nature in our lives. Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:5) Abiding in Christ and keeping in step with the Spirit certainly makes living out the fruit of Holy Spirit a lot easier. "If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete." (John 15:10‭-‬11) It is interesting to see that Jesus demonstrated the fruit of the Spirit in His daily life. "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22‭-‬23) As followers of Christ we are called to imitate Him so that those around us would see Christ in us and give glory to God. The challenge for each of us is to let the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives be the norm. Have a wonderful day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness" (Galatians 5:22) I, Mike, like the way the Good News Translation puts it: "But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness". Kindness is is produced in us, not for us, but for others. Perhaps that is why we speak of an "act" of kindness. Jesus said, "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’" (Matthew 25:35‭-‬36‭) I think of Peter and John on the way to the temple: "Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” (Acts 3:6) What about the good Samaritan in Luke 10? Today as we go about life, we can intentionally show kindness to the lady at the till in the shop, the parking assistant, your neighbour, your wife/husband, your children, your mother and your father. “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Keeping ourselves in the love of God is the key to everything when it comes to living a victorious Christian life. It enables us to walk in all the other fruit of the spirit and keeps the door open for them to continue to flow. Without love, we’ll never be able to have joy. We’ll be too self-centered and get upset every time something doesn’t go our way or someone doesn’t treat us right. But when we walk in love, we’ll be able to rejoice—no matter what happens! We’ll be kind to those who do us wrong and oppose us. We’ll pray for people when they betray us. When we do those things, we position ourselves to receive God’s supernatural protection and deliverance. We’ll be able to ask Him for anything we need and be sure He’ll answer. "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him." (1 John 3:21‭-‬22) When we walk in the love of God, we’re the ones who benefit the most. His love is powerful and strong. It will make us more than a conquerors in every area of life by keeping us in constant contact with the Father. Walk in His love and give it away to all you come in contact with. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Whenever something takes time it requires patience. Peter encourages us to humble ourselves before God and if we are patient we will be exalted in due course. Peter says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6) One of the best ways to humble ourselves is to serve others with the gifts God has given us. In serving others we practice patience by using our gifts to further the kingdom of God and not our own agenda. Whether we receive recognition or not, isn’t the focus of serving. It is about honoring God and serving people. Peter has this to say to each of us: "you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10) When serve others, our focus is shifted and we receive a new perspective on our situation. We encourage you to patiently listen to the needs of others and to serve them with the gifts God has given you. We have a wonderful opportunity to discover our spiritual gift(s) in the "Gifted" series which will run for 6 weeks beginning 6 February 2022. "Gifted" will be run in homes across Centurion as well as in Zoom groups. Register on our website at no cost to you. https://www.gracecov.co.za/events Let's consider how we can serve others, both in GraceCov and in your community. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. When the Spirit came upon the 120 disciples in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost, He was manifested in the sound of a rushing wind and flames of fire. We read in scripture of fire being used to refine. This is one aspect of the work of Holy Spirit. Some folk may feel that they don't need Refining as they have lived a good life. Suppose you have lived in the same house for years and you decide to move. Imagine what you will see when you pull your fridge out from the wall to put it on the moving van. It has been in the same corner of the kitchen for a long time. No one has swept under it. The tiles would be filthy. The floor might be caked with layers of grime, dust, specks of rotted food, lost hair bands, dog hair, and unidentified stains that have been there for years. Yuck! This would require some special cleaning to get your house ready for a new owner. It is a scary thought, but you may have areas such as this in your own life. Sometimes we hide our secret sins in private compartments. We know how to mask our ugliest attitudes. But when Holy Spirit comes in power, He comes to scour us of our grit and grime. He moves the furniture around in our lives in order to cleanse us of resentment, anger, shame, addictive behavior, and so many other things that can create distance between us and God. Will you join us in opening our hearts to the Spirit’s refining fire so that His fruit will be evident in our lives? Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Have you ever made a mistake because you were in a hurry? I (Mike) have often been guilty of this, resulting in missed opportunities. I had to learn the secret of slowing down, smelling the roses, taking a deep breath, and asking God for help. Living in Gauteng being in a hurry is a disease. But if you head to the South Coast the pace of life is much slower. Because the world demands a dash of speed- we want the fastest internet speed, a computer that is fast, our order in a restaurant to be brought quickly, etc. etc. As a result it is easy to become impatient when these wants are not met. The impatience we feel is not just cultural, it’s unspiritual. Paul reminds us that " the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22‭-‬23) Be encouraged to take moments of patient waiting and turn them into times with the Father and yourself. Have a good day exercising patience, "how we act while waiting". Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning When it comes to patience we have learned God’s timing is not our timing. Isaiah tells us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord." (Isaiah 55:8) David, the psalmist, tell us in Psalm 40 what we should do when the going gets tough. He says: "I waited patiently for the Lord ; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." (Psalm 40:1‭-‬2) What is your biggest obstacle right now? Wait on God. Remember, waiting on God is not a passive exercise of futility, it is an act of war and an alliance with God. If you are struggling with an insurmountable situation or feeling overwhelmed by confusion and despair, cry out to God and wait for the answer; wait for His help. He will hear your cry and will respond in His perfect timing. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning "But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:22‭-‬23 AMP) Don't you like the way the Amplified Version amplifies "patience "? "Not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting". Waiting is not one of my (Mike) strengths. Sitting in traffic is my nemesis. I’ve had strange thoughts like going off-roading in order to pass the traffic or going down the emergency lane. I don't know why I get so impatient in a traffic jam. Do you ever get impatient with God? Isaiah reminds us: "those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31) A careful examination of this verse tells us 4 results of waiting patiently on God. • We will renew our strength • We shall mount up with wings as eagles • We shall run and not grow weary • We shall walk and not faint. I dont know about you, I need all of these. Will you join us in praying that Holy Spirit's fruit of patience will increase and be evident in our lives. Blessings. Mike and Daphne